A brief reading from The First Excellence ~ Fa-ling's Map to share with you...

The Platform "Voice" ~ BlogTalkRadio host John Rakestraw and co-hosts Liz Borino and A.T. Russell speak with Donna and Alex Carrick on the topic of Indie Publishing.

Tune in for the Mother's Day edition of The Voice:

Proceed with equal
Parts joy and caution, you who
Would hail the Dragon.

Today's story is my attempt to underline one of life's less appealing realities: Just when we believe we've reconciled ourselves to the worst fate can deliver, it hands us a new, unimaginable twist. I hope you enjoy this chilling tale..

Prepared

"Helen," she said, "I've come to prepare you."

The woman spoke in an urgent voice. Her hair was a mixture of silver and gold, advancing years in denial, given the lie by timeless blue eyes.

Helen had never seen her before, but she seemed familiar.

Helen woke with a start and squinted at the bedside clock. 2 am. No sounds, other than the natural creaking of an aging house -- old, but with good bones.

Then she remembered. Zee had called at 11 to say she would be staying overnight with her friend Claire. Helen guessed her daughter was likely spending the night with her boyfriend, Sam, but Zee was a young woman. She could do as she pleased.

Helen was grateful that, at the age of 20, her daughter still called when she wasn’t coming home. Zee never gave Helen cause to worry.

Helen had raised Zee to be an independent woman. Her daughter was strong, beautiful and thoughtful.

Helen reached for her crutches and strapped them on. She was careful to use both when she was home alone. How embarrassing would that be, to fall down in the bathroom with her drawers around her ankles?

She did her business and washed her hands, ruminating on the face from her dream. So familiar, and yet she couldn't place it. A depth of kindness in those eyes.

She shook her head, unable to match the face to memory. She glanced in the mirror at her own blue-grey eyes and golden hair. Well, chemical gold, but still vibrant, thanks to Zee. Zee would not allow Helen to let herself go.

Leaning on her left crutch, she reached for a brush and smoothed the tangles before heading back to bed.

The physical struggle of moving on crutches stirred her heart in an uncomfortable palpitation. The moment passed. Soon she was asleep.

"Helen, please listen to me." The woman touched her shoulder.

"What do you want?"

"Your Father sent me to prepare you."

A quiet rage took hold of Helen, tightening her fists. She stood tall, as she often did in her dreams, without crutches, without pain. A force to be reckoned with.

"Don't mention my father," she said. "He was a wife-beater, a child molester and a drunken bastard. I don't have time to remember him."

"Your heavenly Father is sorry for your suffering, Helen. He knows pain has been a part of your life."

"How can He call himself a loving God? My entire life has been about misery. From those early years of abuse, to this illness that makes me a burden. A burden to the husband who left me, and now to his child."

"You're not a burden, Helen. You are loved. And your life," the woman added, "has not been all about pain."

"That's true," Helen nodded, her anger subsiding. "I have Zee. I am thankful for that."

"Helen," the woman said, "I need to prepare you..."

"It's all right," Helen said. "I've been prepared for years. Since this illness claimed me. Tell Our Father He can take me when He's ready."

"But Zee...."

"Zee will be all right," Helen said, suddenly calm. "She knew this would happen. I've always been honest with her, taught her to be strong."

Helen smiled at the thought of her daughter. Zee was doing well at University. Helen had prepared her for this day. She never wanted to be a burden to Zee. It was time to let her girl have a life of her own.

Throughout the years of bitterness and sorrow, there had always been one gift. Zee. Helen's pride and joy, her offering to the world.

Knowing she would leave behind such a fine young woman made it easier for Helen to face mortality.

"I've become tired of this struggle," she said. "Tell Our Father, if He can forgive me for being a stubborn, angry fool, then I can forgive Him for giving me this pain. I'm ready to make my peace."

"Helen," the angel said, for she must be an angel, so lovely, with such kindness in her sad eyes. She looked like someone Helen knew. "Please hear me. You need to be prepared."

"It's ok," Helen said, letting the dream-angel drift away. "Whenever you're ready, take me to Him. I'm prepared."

With a feeling of contentment, Helen took her leave of the angel, allowing her mind to wander into other rooms, other dreams….

**
"I'd like to leave now," Zee said, glancing over her shoulder at a young man on the other side of the room.

"Are you ok?" Sam asked. "You seem preoccupied."

"I'm all right. Just tired. It's late. I've got classes tomorrow."

"Did you call your Mom?"

"I told her I was staying with Claire."

"Good. It's noisy in here. I'll go outside and call a cab."

Sam kissed Zee on the forehead. She was one in a million, beautiful, kind, studious and loving. He was a lucky guy.

She watched him leave the party, hoping he wouldn't be gone too long.

"Hi, Zee."

She nearly groaned out loud as the other man approached, but good manners kicked in and she managed to restrain herself.

"Hi, Richard," she said.

"Who's the guy?"

"That's my boyfriend, Sam."

"Some boyfriend. No offense, but he looks like a girl. Why'd he ditch you?"

"He's calling a cab. We're leaving. Now you'll have to excuse me."

Zee stood. She could feel her Scots-Irish blood rising. Her mother hadn't raised her to tolerate this kind of nonsense. Richard had been a nuisance for weeks, but now he was becoming insufferable. She didn't want to make a scene, but she would if she had to.

"Take it easy, Zee’” he said. “I just want to talk. You've been avoiding me."

"Stop following me, Richard. I saw you at the library today."

"I was studying," he said. "It's a free country."

"Excuse me," she said, trying to push past him.

Richard held her arm. "You never gave me a chance," he said.

"Let go of me."

The knife’s blade was sharp and mercifully swift. She hardly felt it slide past her rib-cage and into her heart. Her hearing became muted and at the same time strangely acute. She was aware of horrified shouts as her friends looked up in alarm.

Her blood crashed in her ears, drowning out their cries. Her closest friend Claire rushed to her side. She watched as someone ran to get Sam. He pushed through the crowd and knelt, in time to hear her whisper.

"My mother...."

The End

Donna Carrick is the author of The First Excellence, Winner of the 2011 Indie Book Event Award. "An exquisitely-crafted saga of one person's search for her roots set against a clash of cultures." ~ Jim Napier, The Sherbrooke Record.

Her other titles include: Gold And Fishes, The Noon God and Sept-Iles and other places.

It goes... it goes so fast, This time of love and laughter. It flies on silver wings Through skies of blue.

And though we try our best
To hold the smiles, the sunlight,
In twinkling of an eye
It fades to memory...

Quicksilver joy, comradeship,
Hands that we hold today.
Eyes that watch as moments
Soar by like coloured kites.

For nothing lasts but memory,
Sweet ghost of love gone by.

Donna Carrick
October 16, 2011

Like most adults, I woke today filled with memories of that other morning, ten years ago, almost to the moment.

It had been a period of loss for our family. First my mother, unexpectedly at the age of 69 in early 2000. Next a dear aunt, then another -- sisters of my mother. Then, on September 3, 2001, my husband Alex lost a beloved aunt, followed the very next day, September 4, by his father, Donald Carrick.

We returned to work on the morning of Monday, September 11 after a week of funerals. Already saddened, but relieved, at least, to put the heaviest of our grief behind us and get back to our normal routines.

It was just past 9 am. My office phone rang. It was one of my staff, a young lady, calling to say she would be a little late. "But Donna," she added, "there's something wrong in New York City. I don't know what, but something's happened at The Towers."

I won't pretend her first words chilled me. I had no idea, after all, what they meant. But her next sentences gave me pause. "It's really scary," she said. "Everything here is too quiet. There are no planes in the air -- none."

I put the phone down. I work for a major media organization, and at that time we were still connected with Canwest at the 1450 Don Mills Road building. I ran from my office on the 2nd floor up a half flight toward the big news screen on the 3rd floor.

Within moments, almost 200 of my friends and co-workers had joined me. In absolute silence we watched the newsman as he struggled to make sense of the first impact. He, and we, thought it must have been an accident. He spoke in reverence, pausing to find the right words. Clearly it was not a typical news report. He was just a guy with a microphone and a camera, trying to tell the world what had happened.

And then, before our eyes, in one flash of horror, the unthinkable occurred. The second plane. As he spoke, facing the camera, behind his head we saw it pass, turn, and collide with the second tower.

And we all knew.

There was no cry of horror in our building. No stifled collective gasp -- no outrage spoken in words.

There was only a deep, unbroken silence as the knowledge flooded us.

During the days that followed our hearts broke time and again, with each new discovery, each fresh image that was presented to us. We were filled with an unprecedented grief, and a love for our brothers and sisters in New York City.

The phrase "Ground Zero" came into the language. But we know the damage of that day was not isolated to the towers. Not at all. Its impact ripples to this day through the hearts and minds of people everywhere. None are left untouched.

So here we are in Canada on a beautiful Toronto morning. What has changed in our world?

Ten years have come...and gone. A heightened sense of security worldwide has restricted our freedoms in ways we might never have imagined. We've suffered suspicion... against our neighbours, from our neighbours. Friendships have grown, or have been set aside. Babies have been born, and loved ones have died.

But that moment, standing with hundreds of my co-workers, friends all, entrenched in the silent horror of first awareness, before even the newsman knew for sure.....

...that was a pivotal moment.

A moment that cannot be erased, nor can it be trivialized, nor should it ever be.

All that has come to pass since that day has been acted on an altered stage.

And now, ten years later, we still seek peace. Too elusive. Too vague a concept. Our global psyche too cluttered with offenses given and received, too filled with suspicion and hatred. Forgive us our trespasses, as we will forgive those who trepass....

Instead of a day committed to reliving that horror, as if anyone could or would ever forget, I pray we will dedicate this day to seeking peaceful solutions to our differences.

That's my fervent wish on this day, ten years to the moment later.

Donna Carrick
September 11, 2011

The Traz by Eileen Schuh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Can't wait for the sequel!



In this first installment of the BackTracker Series by Eileen Schuh, the reader is introduced to the often desperate existence of genius-teen Katrina who finds herself orphaned. Yearning "to belong" Katrina attaches herself to biker Shrug and follows him into the insular society of the compound. Drugs, financial crime, pornography -- Katrina leads us down the road of error and consequence.



Author Eileen Schuh completes her work with a "teachers' guide" to discussing teen social issues such as drugs, alcohol and crime. This is a fast-paced story, but it's also a thought-provoking venture into modern-day lifestyles and morals.



Well done, Ms. Schuh! I highly-recommend this ebook.

Donna Carrick

Author of The First Excellence



View all my reviews

The First Excellence ~ Fa-ling's Map
Donna Carrick
Mystery/suspense/International thriller
Kindle edition, Amazon.com, $0.99!
NookBook, Barnes&Noble, $0.99!
Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, $0.99 USD!
Smashwords e-Pub (Most e-Readers) $0.99!
Look for The First Excellence at the Sony Bookstore & iBooks only $0.99 as well!
Signed copy from author $ 12.99 USD

When Li Fa-ling returns to the land of her birth hoping to uncover the truth about her past, she encounters murder, kidnapping, political intrigue and organ theft. Together with Detective Wang Yong-qi and his brilliant but uncouth partner Cheng, Fa-ling must unravel a high-stakes plot -- before another child goes missing!

"Three Scoops" Is A Blast! --Alex Carrick
36 Entertaining, original short stories
**Includes "The Size Of the Skip", recipient of honorable mention in the 2010 Lorian Hemingway short story competition.
Kindle edition, Amazon.com, $0.99!
NookBook, Barnes&Noble, $0.99!
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Signed copy from author $12.99 USD

A collection of short stories set in the past, present and future. While this second installment in the "Scoops" series does contain some stories about the family and the modern work environment, it branches off into somewhat longer fictional pieces than appeared in Two Scoops. These latter tales wander through time and space or consist of made-up conversations that take amusing, ironic or unexpected turns.

Gold And Fishes
Donna Carrick
Mystery/suspense/International thriller
Kindle edition, Amazon.com, $0.99!
NookBook, Barnes&Noble, $0.99!
Smashwords e-Pub (Most e-Readers) $0.99!
Look for Gold And Fishes at the Sony Bookstore & iBooks only $0.99 as well!
Signed copy from author $ 12.99 USD

Tsunami! On December 26, 2004 the earth erupted under the waters of the Indian Ocean... From the devastated tourist beaches of Southeast Asia to the graveyard that was Banda Aceh, Canadian aid worker Ayla Harris sets out on a personal mission – to find her sister’s gold-hungry husband and return him to his family. In the midst of universal tragedy, what is the value of a single life? Can Ayla expose a killer and avoid becoming the next victim as she and her team struggle to bring hope to a region that is drowning in despair?

"Two Scoops" Is Just Right
Alex Carrick
78 funny short original stories
Kindle edition, Amazon.com, $0.99!
NookBook, Barnes&Noble, $0.99!
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Signed copy from author $12.99 USD

This book contains more than just stories about the family. Some entries are dappled impressions of modern life. Some are comedy bits, with the odd gem of a punch line. Others are lighter than air and rise up like whimsy. Others still have a slightly more serious intent, with surprising twists. These funny, short original stories first appeared on the website: www.alexcarrick.com.

The Noon God
Donna Carrick
Mystery/Suspense/Family Saga
Kindle edition, Amazon.com, $0.99!
NookBook, Barnes&Noble, $0.99!
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Signed copy from author $12.99 USD

Living in the shadow of greatness can be a difficult thing. Just ask Desdemona Fortune. When her father, renowned author J. Caesar Fortune, is found murdered inside the offices of the Faculty of Art, there is no shortage of people who carried a grudge against him. Now, as the head of a once illustrious family, she must do whatever is necessary to save her only surviving sister from the far-reaching influence of an immortal.

Sept-Iles and Other Places
Donna Carrick
A collection of 5 haunting short stories
Kindle Edition $0.99
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Look for Sept-Iles at the Sony Bookstore and iBooks only $0.99 as well!

A selection of 5 haunting stories by Donna Carrick -- Volume 1 of the Toboggan Mysteries series. Each compelling tale features a Northern locale, with characters and settings that will seem familiar to many readers.

Stories include: North On The Yellowhead, Dancing With Carole, Invasion, The Night She Died, Spring’s Last Skate.

Ten Tales of Spotty Ruin
Alex Carrick
Kindle Edition $0.99
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Look for "Spotty Ruin" at the Sony Bookstore & iBooks only $0.99 as well!

Ten Tales of Spotty Ruin is the second in a series of short story compilations by Alex Carrick. Sometimes light-hearted and often insightful, these pieces are sure to entertain and surprise readers.

Ten Tales of Family Glue
Alex Carrick
Kindle Edition $0.99
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Look for "Family Glue" at the Sony Bookstore and iBooks only $0.99 as well!

Ten Tales of Family Glue is the third in a series of short story compilations by Alex Carrick. These insightful and suprising family stories will warm your heart.

Ten Tales of Tilted Love
Alex Carrick
Kindle Edition $0.99
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Look for "Tilted Love" in the Sony Bookstore and iBooks only $0.99 as well!

Ten Tales of Tilted Love is the first in a series of short story compilations by Alex Carrick. These light-hearted tales of romance will surprise and delight you!

Looking for a unique addition to your book club roster? If you buy multiple copies of any of our books, we'll be happy to answer your related questions by email!

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