Stacey Rychener's Blog

Rafe finally moved in for the kill, so to speak, by sweeping my leg and pinning down to the floor. He’s straddling me with while pinning down both my hands. “So I’ve read all the tween books and watched all the John Hughes movies, and I fervently believe now is when you are suppose to declare your undying love to me.” Rafe declared as he shot me his wicked grin.

            As I look up at this god I have been crushin on since I met him, I can’t help but give him a little grief for his chosen method of trying to determine my feelings. “I don’t know what books and cinema you have been using to conduct your research on a teenage girl’s psyche, but the heroine declaring her epic love after Chop Socky movie doesn’t seem real accurate.”

            He leans down plants the sweetest kiss on my laughing mouth before he goes in for the kill. With his free hand he starts to tickle me as he taunts, “Tell me you love me, come on…I know you do… Just admit it and I will stop torturing you.” I squirm and squeal like someone has applied an electric current to my body. And my only coherent response is, “Stop it…Stop it…Stop it…STOP IT!” Rafe final relents and rolls me over so I am now on top of him and as he kisses his way up my neck and to my ear he whispers huskily in my ear, “Is ‘Stop it’ the new ‘I love you’ in human girl speak?”

            I put a hand on each side of his darling face and look deep into his sparkling hazel eyes as I assure him, “No. ‘Shut Up!’ is the new password protected ‘I love you’ in Muse speak. So Shut the Flock Up!” Then, I proceed to kiss him breathless.

            The rest of the evening was conversation and make-out session included a witty dialog of “Shut up…No you Shut up…No you shut up….I told you to shut up first…” I firmly believe that I have come up with the sneakiest way to express my feeling for Rafe while still keeping us under the radar—although Rafe still maintains that Stop it is the more romantic term of endearment. 

Sorry everyone for the delay...I am juggling 2 jobs right now which is keeping me swamped--I am still plugging away though. I will start posting excerpts to the blog until I can get the whole draft to my editor. So start looking for those in the next week or so....

Last summer I took a road trip to Detroit to check out all the locations in Book 1. It was a blast although when I was taking pics in Calli's neighborhood...I definitely got some very odd looks....like who is this creeper taking pictures of my house. 

So I am off to scout my new locations so I can add some final details to Book 
2. Some of the action is going to take place in the old Mansions in Detroit-
http://experiencedetroit.com/greatest...

-most of which are open for tours, so my road trip will be a little more safe than checking out abandoned factories and buildings. I also lost my phone last time, so I hoping no repeat performance of that disaster.

Wish me luck friends--definitely getting to be the home stretch for Book 2! 

I entered Intrigue into Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Contest. 1st Round: 5,000 novels submitted; 2nd Round cuts to 1,000. I made it to the second round! Woot...Woot!!!! 3rd Round: is down to 250. I find out on March 20th.... 

Kinda has become my fav...

Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4 Or Option 5: None of the Above

I got some form of The Plague on Wednesday night that is still knocking me out. However, being quarantined in my condo has inspired me to be Muse productive....at least on Saturday and Sunday. I found some new great Detroit websites (some of which make me sad for all the amazing history in Detroit in ruins). It was like going on a Detroit Internet scavenger hunt.

http://onlyndetroit.com/

http://detroiturbex.com/content/index...

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_16229299

http://experiencedetroit.com/greatest...

I also mapped out the final third of the book and tied most of the pieces together. Looks like I'm still on schedule for early May first draft and early June final draft. Of course, the first draft hassssss to be done by May 17th cause I'm going to Key West to recover for a week:)

Now, I'm off for a little Once Upon a Time break.............................

Here is just a short unedited preview from Soul Sacrifice: Book 2 of the Night Muse Trilogy

I was typing up a slightly snarky homecoming story when I heard a voice from behind me. "Ignoring then evading. Anything else in your Hell hath no fury like a Calliope in a Snit playbook?"

            I just kept typing as I ground out, "I coulda went for jealousy, but you seem to be more than willing to hand me over to Apollo, so I spared Thrace any lingering hope he might have had for our relationship."

            "Wise choice. Do you really think that comparing homecoming to the Westminster Dog Show is an appropriate metaphor?"

            "It is clear you have not been to a DAI homecoming. It is the perfect metaphor, but not a printable metaphor, I guess."

            "I will have to judge this for myself. Are you in need of an escort to these festivities?"

            I looked up into his mischievous eyes and replied, "Do I need an escort? No, I do not. Would I like my boyfriend to come as my date? Yes."

            He picked my hand up from the keyboard and brought it to his lips as he performed a low bow. "Calliope Edonides, will you be my date to homecoming?"

            I grabbed the neck of his tee nestled under his oxford shirt and pulled him down for a kiss. "Took ya long enough." I didn't know if I was referring to the homecoming invitation or the kiss, but both had just made my day much, much better.    

"We are going to start your lessons with the top of the food chain in the our Immortal world: The Olympians. Tell me what you know about us?"
"I think there are 12 Olympians, and I can name six: Zeus, Apollo, Hermes, Ares, hmmm, Poseidon, and Aphrodite." I replied.
"Hmmmm, is not an Olympian. You only know six? And you come from a proud Greek family, shame on you! What do you know about the six?" Apollo chided.
"Zeus is the god of all gods as well as being at total manwhore. Hermes is the god of travelers, sports, inventions, charm, and the Protector of Humans. Ares is the god of all things warfare. Poseidon is the god of the sea. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, and she likes to spread her love and beauty around. And you, my friend, are the god of so many things I lost count. Your short list includes: light, truth, medicine, art, music, and being annoyingly perfect. Also, on Wikipedia, you come across as slightly passive aggressive. How'd I do?"
“Not everything on Wikipedia is the truth, Calliope.” Apollo said annoyed.
“You mean Santa Claus really does exist?” I asked with intense curiosity.

“You have accepted that all sorts of Immortals not only exist, but are running around your city, and yet you question the existence of Santa Claus? Very sad.”

“If you don’t believe in Santa Claus, you don’t get any Christmas presents in my house.”

“The Greek Christian Bishop, Saint Nicholas of Myra, was the actual inspiration for Santa Claus back in the 4th Century. He was known for his generous gifts to the needy and for giving dowries to women of poor families, so they would not have to become prostitutes.”

“You just killed Christmas for me, dude. Now, all I can think about is how my parents are giving me gifts so I don’t become a prostitute. I wonder why that story hasn't caught on like The Night Before Christmas?” I snarked.

“It didn’t rhyme as well as The Night Before Christmas. It’s hard to rhyme prostitute with much.” Apollo offered.

“Not really. Destitute goes pretty well. So, what else are you going to hit me with to ruin my holidays? Next thing you’re gonna tell me is that the Native Americans didn’t provide turkey, dressing, mash potatoes, and pumpkin pie to the Pilgrims, or that Jesus didn’t really write the Bible.” I accused him.

Apollo gave me his intense squinty look like his eyes were a visual lie detector test. He didn’t quite get my sense of humor, yet. “You really scare me sometimes.”

"If it is only sometimes, then I'm off my game," I reflected.

Apollo retorted, "I would rather us not play games with each other, my Muse."

"And I would rather have gotten, a Viper for my 16th birthday instead of a Grand Prix. But life is tough, and you do what you have to do to make the best of it."

"Very wise, my Muse. I hope you will some day judge me by those standards. However, tonight, we will focus on your total lack of education about your Greek heritage. The other six Olympians you are missing are: Hera, the wife and sister of Zeus, is the queen of the gods as well as goddess of woman and marriage. She tends to be very vindictive, especially to the women Zeus cavorted with and the children who were produced from those liaisons. You are one of those children as am I. When it comes to Hera, the best strategy is to stay under the radar."

"First, Ewwwwwww. Second, you can't really blame her seeing as many Greek stories revolve around the escapades of Zeus with other women. Third, you are talking like I will actually meet her." I stated.

"It is not outside the realm of possibility that you will meet any or all of the Olympians. The next Olympian you failed to remember is Demeter. She is the goddess of the harvest, seasons, and the circle of life. She's the mother hen of our group. You'll like her. Now, Hades will make you uncomfortable. He is the god of the underworld, and you were always wary of him. Hephaestus is the god of construction of anything from technology, to industry, to sculpting. He is all about creating something. I’m very disappointed in you for not remembering Athena. The patron of Athens, Greece. Sound familiar? She is the goddess of courage and cunning, which also applies to warfare. When Ares and Athena play Monopoly, we all watch. They are both masters of strategy. Dionysus is the quintessential playboy. He is the god of wine, women, and ecstasy. Finally, my sister Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and wilderness.

"Wait a minute, isn't she your twin sister?" I asked.

"Ah, you're delinquent memory comes back." Apollo teased me.

I am about 2/3 the way through my second installment of the The Night Muse Trilogy. I have added a couple new goddess to the mix: Eris and Enyo, but am curious to see if anyone has any favorites from Greek mythology that they would like to see make an appearance.