Thursday, September 21

This literary agent crap has really got me down. I have several partial requests that have been in offices for weeks to months. I'm sick of the waiting and I'm tired of the "I don't know how to market this" bs emails and letters I keep getting. It doesn't make any sense. If I can land a huge NYC agent before, what the hell is the problem now?

I'm rather blue today, so I'm going to leave you with an excerpt.

Excerpt from Free Spirits
Copyright 2006 Zinnia Hope

A few minutes before midnight, the panther casually descended the hill behind the house, his silver collar winking in the dim illumination. He padded across the deck to her side.

“I knew you’d come tonight,” Beth whispered.

The feline sat down, as if settling in for an enjoyable conversation.

“Do you want to know what I’ve noticed about the few times we’ve spent together?”

The cat blinked large amber eyes.

“You show up whenever there’s trouble or a big change in my life. Why is that?” Beth reached out and stroked her friend’s broad velvety head. “Are you my guardian?”

The panther purred loudly.

“Where do you come from, really?” She leaned over, staring deeply into the panther’s eyes. “Why are you here?”

The cat sat looking regal, as if he belonged at the side of a goddess or queen.

An odd sensation washed over Beth, one of restlessness and a desire to walk into the woods. She stood up and disrobed. Naked, she stepped off the porch. The evening breeze caressed her skin like a lover’s excited breath. The moonlight bathed her in a garment of silver, kissing her breasts with moonbeams of white fire. She ascended the grassy hill with the panther at her side. Barefoot, she carefully picked her way through the upper field, telling the cat about her life since she had left home for Cincinnati.

She didn’t recall how she made it to the burial mound, but even illuminated by bright moonlight, it was just as she remembered; only the trees had grown taller over the years. She looked around, enjoying her own nudity, and wondered how she had traversed the mile through the woods without a single scratch to her skin or piercing to her bare feet. A low rumble brought her gaze up into the branches of an oak. There, another panther lay across a sturdy limb.

She glanced down at the cat by her side. “There are more of you?”

The panther blinked at her, his eyes like bright lanterns in the moonshine.

Three more black cats padded out of the undergrowth, finding comfortable spots to lie in the leaves. Several more panthers appeared on the top of the mound. They surrounded her, purring, tails swishing. Their eyes, some green, some gold or blue, glowed like fiery gemstones.

Her friend nudged her with his head, prodding her to walk beyond the mound, deeper within the forest.

“Are you sure?”

Again, he butted his head against the back of her legs.

Beth wandered through the trees, looking over her shoulder to see the cats following her. They leapt from tree branches, making her realize that there were twice as many than she had thought. Like shadows, the panthers emerged from bushes, dark places in the undergrowth, and shallow places on the landscape. Picking her way through the trees, Beth discovered a cliff overlooking the creek that was actually called a river on the map. Although bathed in darkness and patches of silver light, the opposite hillside presented a duplicate of the one she stood upon: enormous trees, multi flora roses, and berry bushes clothed the hillsides. She could hear streams trickling into the river below.

What more scenic spot could the early inhabitants of this area have found? She surveyed the valley bathed in moonlight. She looked up at the heavens and saw a googolplex of soul lights and universes. If a person abandoned all logic, one could almost believe that he or she could grasp that huge midnight canvas and touch the worlds beyond.

Stretching, Beth stifled a yawn and sat down next to her ebony friend. They cuddled together, and stroking his long, strong back, she noticed how the cat’s thick, inky fur looked stark against her pale, bare skin. The feline purred thunderously. Soon the other felines encircled them, adding their rumbles, lulling her to relax.

If you like this, you can find my e-book through this LINK or follow the linked cover on the right-hand side.

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