Highland Miracle part of a May Day Anthology will be released as a single in a couple of days. This was a fun anthology to be a part of. Three great friends and writers wrote novellas that were linked as a time machine brought characters backward then forward in time.
Genene thanks for the beautiful covers on all of the novellas.
Highland Miracle is a sweet romance with a touch of fantasy. The dancing lights at the top of the cover are will o' the wisps. They are phantom marsh lights that are seen after dark over swampy ground. They are known to beckon travelers from their path.
Adair and Erin of wee folk also appear in the story as lovable matchmakers.
Sean travels in a time machine that looks like a gigantic red fire hydrant to meet his one true love Raegan. This excerpt begins when he steps into the bazar machine while walking home through Central Park in New York City.
Excerpt:
Who the devil am I supposed to be trusting? There
isn't anyone around. I'm the sole person in Central Park. But he leaned forward, inching his way closer to
the portal of the crazy machine. He'd be pure loco if he stepped inside but
Bandit seemed fine. The dog had disappeared a couple of times into the darkness
only to return again, sit down and bark at him.
I can
do this.
He
stood half in and half out, inhaled deeply then stepped inside. Behind him the
door clanged shut. He jumped out of his skin at the realization he might be
trapped.
The
quiet was eerie then suddenly lights began to blink and something hummed. It
was as if the machine had sprung to life. His nerves sizzled and terror crawled
down his spine. He searched the room for the dog.
Bandit
sat on a chair in front of a panel of buttons and blinking lights. It appeared
the dog meant to drive this contraption. But drive it where?
Oh, to
his one true love, to his soul mate and a miracle. Sean let out a loud roaring
laugh.
Praying
it wasn't too late, Sean turned to leave. But the door was shut tight, and he
couldn't find another way out. Banging
on the door did not make it open. He ran his hands up and down his arms in
hopes of warding off the deathly chill seeming to take over his body as well
his senses.
Bandit
jumped from his perch and sauntered to the wall where he pulled down a handle and
dog food poured into a bowl.
Well,
at least the dog wouldn't starve.
"Please
sit down and fasten your seat belt."
Sean
jumped and looked around for the source of the voice. His heart raced as if it
was going to run right out of his body.
"We
are getting ready for take off. Please sit down and fasten your seat
belt," the voice repeated.
A big
red arrow pointed to a seat and there appeared to be a belt of sorts dangling
from the chair. Hell, what's a seatbelt?
Feeling
no real threat, Sean did as the voice commanded. He found the chair comfortable
and the seatbelt acceptable. He wondered what it was for but soon found out as
his body was savagely thrust back against the chair and air whizzed from his
lungs. He hoped Bandit had found a comfortable place where he was safe. At the
moment he couldn't check because he was pretty sure his eyelids were plastered
to his eyeballs.
Suddenly,
he gasped for air, realizing he'd been holding his breath. The ride was
smoother now less intense. He felt as if he were floating in air. His stomach
churned and dizziness engulfed him.
More
golden dust floated around him. He was sure he heard a soft female voice
telling him not to be afraid.
Motion
stopped. He felt an eerie sense of deja vu, a feeling of coming home then a trembling in his
legs he couldn't control.
Bandit
jumped and barked then the door slid open.
Sean swallowed the lump in his throat and wiped his sweaty palms on his
jeans. For what seemed like an eternity, he stood, staring at the opening and
the green grass. Had he gone anywhere?
"Okay,
it's time to act like the brave firefighter you always thought you were. Go
find out what's out there." He whistled through his teeth then inhaled a
long deep breath for courage. A silent, swift prayer rattled in his brain.
Slowly,
and he hoped cautiously, he strode to the open door and peered outside. Bandit
dashed to freedom.
"Bandit!
Come here." He didn't think that dog ever obeyed a command. "Bandit,
you don't know what's out there." Central Park he hoped.
Sean
strode a few yards from the machine and peered around him. He saw rolling
hills, a river and the most breath taking scenery he'd ever encountered. When
he looked to his left, a beautiful and very huge lake rested among the hills.
"This
isn't Central Park, Bandit."
