Lorraine Kennedy

Lorraine Kennedy

Lorraine Kennedy Facebook

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

The Pirate's Dark Revenge

© copyright December 2006, Lorraine KennedyCover art by Amber Moon, © copyright December 2006New Concepts Publishing
Rating: Contains violence, adult content, and explicit sexual content.


It has been a wonderful holiday season, but I do admit that it is good that the holidays are over for another year. During this past holiday weekend, the long anticipated “The Pirate’s Dark Revenge” was released.

In this book the heroine travels back in time to the romantic age of pirates.

“Out of a dark and turbulent sea comes a curse, a nightmare that will take Rebecca on a journey through time, propelling her right into the arms of the most treacherous pirate of the Caribbean. “

Book Trailer



Prologue

In a ghastly dance of nature, the winds teased the dark swirling sea, prodding her violent nature, daring her to erupt with her icy fingers of death. Streaks of blue lightning illuminated the black horizon, revealing masses of sinister clouds resembling Satan's own minions.
Not even the fierce gales could drown out the agonizing screams of the dying, their cries reaching out across the night in damnation of their betrayers. Fire erupted, a macabre inferno that cast a hellish light on the grisly scene of death.
The night trembled with the explosive fire of countless guns, sending clouds of smoke to choke the life from those who could still breathe in the acidic air. Another thunderous explosion cracked through the night filling it with the sound of timber splintering into millions of pieces. The ship's golden figurehead was sent spiraling into the shadowy depths of the sea.
Dark emotionless eyes watched as the frothy black water swallowed the figure.



Chapter One


Rebecca woke with a start. Gradually, layers of murky fog peeled away from her consciousness until she became aware of her surroundings. The gentle rocking of the boat helped to sooth her tattered nerves. She had arrived in the Caribbean three days ago, and every night since then she'd had the same dream.
Leaving the warmth of the bed, Rebecca slipped on a silk wrap and went above. The deck of the Sea Brat was cool against her bare feet, and the soft tropical breezes caressed her skin as gentle as a lover's touch.
She reached down between her breasts to touch the cool metal of her grandfather's ring. Briefly she wondered if it might have something to do with her strange nightmares, but she quickly dismissed the idea as absurd.
When she'd arrived in Jamaica to settle her grandfather's affairs, she'd been given the Sea Brat and the ring. That had been all of her grandfather's earthly possessions. Grandpa had been an old salt, the sea was in his blood like it was hers. The Ashtons had been seafaring people for hundreds of years, and like so many before him, the sea had finally claimed old Captain Ash.
Tears pooled in her green eyes to roll down her cheeks. Captain Ash had been her last living relative, and now Rebecca Ashton was completely alone in the world.
The memories flooded back … the call informing her that the Sea Brat had been found abandoned at sea, her frantic flight to the Caribbean, and her stubborn inability to accept the obvious.
They had done a complete sweep of the boat, but had found no trace of any foul play. The conclusion had been that old Captain Ash had partaken of too much rum and fallen overboard, but Rebecca was still not convinced.
It's the Ashton Curse. Rebecca imagined her grandfather's voice issuing that dire warning.
"What utter nonsense." Rebecca reaffirmed her disbelief in the family curse. Sure many members of her family had died at sea, but that was not really surprising when you consider they had always been seafaring people. She herself was an archeologist specializing in underwater excavations.
Rebecca reached for the chain that held her grandfather's ring. It was the ring that didn't make any sense. She knew it was her grandfather's because he had taken it out once to show her, but he never wore it. Captain Ash firmly believed that the ring was linked to a pirate's curse on their family. He had always kept the ring locked away in a box, but when the Sea Brat was found, the ring had been discovered on the deck.
Taking the chain from her neck, she attempted to study the ring under the bright light of the moon. Molded in gold was a sword crossed with a rose and on the back were the words, Dark Revenge and the initials J.S.
Rebecca shook her head. A pirate's curse, what baloney.
A nagging sensation kept intruding into her thoughts. She could not feel that cold, open void that should be there if he were truly gone, this alone made her wonder.
Had his obsession with the curse had something to so with his disappearance?
Even if there were some truth to this pirate's curse, she didn't have a whole lot of clues to go on.
She replaced the chain, then took a moment to just breathe in the fragrant sea air and gaze in wonder at the beauty of Kingston Harbor beneath the full Caribbean moon.
As a scientist, Rebecca relied heavily on tangible fact and was not given to flights of fancy as her grandfather had been. To waste so many years of your life searching for phantoms was not Rebecca's style, and this was why she'd defiantly attached the ring to a chain and hung it around her neck. The curse was ridiculous, and she'd prove it.
"It be a lovely sight to be sure." The deep male voice seemed to come from everywhere at the same time.
Startled, Rebecca took a step back and would have gone overboard if not for the boat's rail. By the light of the moon she could make out few details of the man who was boarding the Sea Brat by way of the dock. He had deeply tanned skin with longish black hair, and he wore a bandanna atop his head as a pirate might have done hundreds of years ago.
Her thoughts raced, and she instinctively backed away from the intruder. What could she use for a weapon? Was this even real or just another dream?
"Me deepest sorrows for bringing a fright to ye, lass," he said with a smile.
"What do you want?" Rebecca feigned anger, though the only emotion she could really identify was fear.
"There's been tales that this vessel be for sale."
The man took a few steps closer, and she could now make out more details. He was strikingly handsome in a very rough sort of way. His eyes were so dark as to be indistinguishable from the night. The moon reflected in them as it did in the black waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Rebecca found it nearly impossible to look away from those hypnotic eyes, but at last the warning bells of her subconscious penetrated her thoughts. "How can that be? I've only just arrived in Kingston and have made no definite plans to sell. Besides, it is the middle of the night, do you expect me to believe that you are here to buy a boat?"
"Believe or not, lass, it be the truth," he told her, gracefully lifting his right hand as if he were taking an oath.
"Well, you heard wrong, Mister, now I'll have to ask you to leave."
Rebecca noticed he'd made his way closer to where she stood. Terror gripping her heart, she groped around for something, anything that she could use to hit him with if he should decide to attack her.
A strong gust of wind tugged at her wrap, whipped at her long auburn curls. Looking down she found that her robe had fallen open to reveal the golden ring that rested between her breasts.
His eyes scanned the contours of her body, which were outlined very revealingly by the thin material of her nightgown. Rebecca felt herself grow hot with embarrassment under his intense gaze.
Again their eyes locked, and she found it impossible to pull hers away. She could feel herself sinking deeper and deeper into their depths.
"Now, Rebecca, if me intentions be to attack ye, methinks I could have done so already." His voice came to her as if from far away.
"What do you want from me?"
"Perhaps that be for ye to discover, fair lady."
Rebecca felt a strong arm encircle her waist, and he took her hand firmly in his. She could not scream … she could do nothing, for those seductively sinister eyes paralyzed her.
From some far-off place her ears caught the sound of soft music, and the strange man led her into a graceful waltz on the deck of the Sea Brat.
"Who are you?" Rebecca asked in an attempt to force reality into focus.
Beneath a thin black moustache he smiled, revealing two rows of dazzling white teeth with the exception of one gold tooth. "Think about it, love. Ye know who I am."
He held her tight as they twirled to phantom music beneath the light of a full moon.
This can't be happening, it has to be a dream. Rebecca told herself this over and over again as they continued to dance. She had not the slightest desire to wake or to resist when she felt his lips claim hers and his tongue invade her mouth.
It was as if someone else possessed her, and this person wanted this man. Wanted to be here with him under the moonlight, wanted to feel his arms around her and to make love to him right out in the open.
He let out a deep throaty laugh. "Do ye want me, little Rebecca?"
"Yes." She heard herself answer but at the same time wondered where the answer was coming from.
"Would ye die for me?" he whispered in her ear.
"Yes," she heard herself answer again.
"Mayhap ye will, love."
"Take me now, make love to me now!" Rebecca's voice held an urgency that came from somewhere deep within her. She had simply stopped trying to hold onto rational thought.
For the first time the eyes that had held her transfixed released their grip slightly. Their darkness raged with battling emotions.
Rebecca felt herself falling to the deck and then feather light kisses on her lips.
She desperately tried to keep her eyes open, instinctively knowing that she must, but she found it an impossible task. She fell deeper and deeper into oblivion.
* * * *
The harsh tossing of the Sea Brat penetrated her deep slumber, but it was the roughness of the deck against her skin that sent her mind into full consciousness. Rebecca's aching muscles screamed in protest when she tried to move.
Her eyes flew open and were met by black, threatening clouds. A storm was brewing, and the sea had grown rough. The night before came back to her, and it was like being splashed in the face with iced water.
Had it been another nightmare, only this time she had walked while in a slumber? In the midst of the dream had she lain on the deck to sleep?
With effort, Rebecca got to her feet, but the sight that met her eyes sent her reeling once again. In all directions there was nothing but the sea.
This was impossible! The Sea Brat had been firmly docked in the harbor and had been for some time. She had checked it herself on her first night aboard. It would have taken the force of hurricane winds to send this boat out to sea, and then it probably wouldn't have been in one piece.
There was only one answer, her dream had not been a dream, and her intruder had set her out to sea. But who was he and what purpose would he have to do that?
Those were questions she would deal with later because right now she was in some real trouble. A big storm was brewing up fast, and Rebecca had no idea where she was. There was no land in sight.
Below deck, Rebecca found her grandfather's radio and switched it on, only to be greeted with heavy static. Knowing she had to try anyway, Rebecca picked up the radio's transmitter. "Mayday, this is the Sea Brat, mayday."
The static continued uninterrupted. Rebecca shivered, and an unbidden sense of doom settled over her.
Someone was walking over her grave.
She had no idea where the thought had come from, but she quickly pushed it aside. She was in serious trouble if she couldn't raise someone on the radio. If she set her course east, she might possibly come across one of the many islands that dotted the Caribbean, but maybe not in time to avoid getting caught in the storm that was creeping up.
"Hello down there!" a male voice called from above.
Rebecca froze, remembering her intruder of the night before.
Quietly, she searched through the galley until she found a large knife. Hiding the weapon behind her, she started up to the deck of the Sea Brat.
Emerging from below, she came face to face with another stranger. The man stood on the deck watching her, his features pasted with a mixture of amusement and anger. He was dark skinned and wore his long black hair in dreadlocks.
"Hey, mon, what ya doing out here on a day like this?" he asked.
"Who are you?" Rebecca demanded, still keeping the knife behind her back and out of the stranger's sight.
"Mon, don't be like this." He lifted his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "I'm Chey, yer grandfather be a friend of mine. Saw de Sea Brat was gone and thought I best find ya before ya was a victim of ole Davy Jones' Locker like ole Ash."
It was at this point that she noticed the man's boat secured to the Sea Brat.
What if he was a pirate and she was his next victim as her grandfather had been before her?
"What do you know about my grandfather's disappearance?" Her voice held more than a hint of suspicion.
"Oh, I guess de old man was looking for Isla de Niebla and the Dark Revenge." Chey shrugged his shoulders. "He was obsessed with that ole legend."
"What is Isla de Niebla?"
"Mist Island," he answered.
"Go on ... where is this island?"
Again Chey shrugged his shoulders. "'Tain't on de maps, maybe it don't exist."
Chey appeared to be sincere enough, but there had been a flicker of something in his eyes when he had spoken of the Dark Revenge.
"I don't believe you! I think you know more than what you say."
"Let's be getting de Sea Brat back to Kingston, then I'll tell ya what I know. But it isn't much," he warned.

Buy The Pirate's Dark Revenge at New Concepts Publishing

Monday, December 18, 2006

Addressing the Issue of the Annunaki

I have had a few emails of people who are concerned about the Annunaki being portrayed in a more positive light in “Song of the Annunaki” so I have decided to address this issue. Song of the Annunaki is purely a work of fiction and meant for entertainment purposes only.

I am well aware that the Annunaki are a controversial subject in some circles. There are a few who believe them to be demons, while some think that they are evil extra terrestrials. All that is known about them for sure is that they were the Gods of the ancient Sumerians.

It is my opinion that if the Annunaki were physical beings who interfered in the evolution of mankind hundreds of the thousands of years ago, they certainly had the ability to destroy all the people on this planet without a great deal of fuss. Taking this into account, I do not know if it is necessarily correct to assume that they were, or are, some type of evil beings. After all, we are still here. It is not fair to lay the troubles of mankind on the doorstep of some mythical Gods, regardless of if they were real physical beings or the deities of ancient people. It is mankind who has made our world what it is today.

If the Sumerian Texts tell an account of historical fact as apposed to myth, then I believe it is fair to say that the Annunaki did nothing much different than what modern humans have and probably would do if given the chance. We know from history, as well as current events, what humans are capable of, but does that make the entire species evil? I would think no more than it would any other.

In “Song of the Annunaki”, these aliens are no different than vampires or werewolves; they come from a world of myth. This is a work of fiction and not meant to indicate if they were real in a physical sense, or what their nature was.

With that said, I hope those of you who like a good story will enjoy “Song of the Annunaki.”

http://www.lorrainekennedy.com/

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Song of the Annunaki

© copyright September 2006, Lorraine Kennedy
Cover art by Eliza Black, © copyright September 2006
ISBN 1-58608-957-9
New Concepts Publishing
Rating: Contains violence, adult language, and graphic sex.
I will be adding information about upcoming releases as well as backlist work. Below is an excerpt of my latest release. “Song of the Annunaki”

The ancient Sumerian Gods are about to make their presence known. For thousands of years the Annunaki have been watching and waiting; now the time has come for the earth to be cleansed once again.Pulling the blankets up around her neck, Samura stared wide-eyed at the mist seeping from the cracks of the closed bedroom door. Thick, twisting, swirling mist that pulsated and breathed as if it were alive. Crawling across the hardwood floor, the mist radiated a greenish luminous light that cast the small room into a surreal nightmare world.
The mist whirled and danced, forming the image of otherworldly fingers that reached from the floor to twist around her ankles and wrists. She could not move.
She could not so much as squeak in protest. The invasive mist had robbed her of her voice, paralyzing her limbs until she was no more than an infant at the mercy of the unknown.
Behind the door a bright light invaded the smallest opening with the power of a thousand suns, a brilliance that tore through her eyes, sending tendrils of excruciating pain into her brain.
Samura could feel her body lift off from the mattress to hang suspended in midair. Long, shimmering strands of dark hair hung from her head, coming to rest on the pillow below her.
The temperature in the room dropped, covering her with a chill that pervaded the warmth of her white cotton nightgown to send shivers through her body. Her breaths were shallow, allowing only the smallest wisps of warmth to escape into the chilled room, delivering puffs of fog from her lips. Slowly her body began to move to the door. Her terror was absolute, its grasp tightening around her throat until it was burrowing down into her stomach. The sickening feeling of bile reached up from her gut, consuming her. Only with sheer willpower she was able to force the feeling away.
The little white door that had offered so much protection a short while ago was gone, replaced with a cavernous hole. What lie behind that distorted doorway was the unknown . . . What lie outside that door existed beyond the sight of many, visible to only the few.
With liquid smooth motion her body was lifted upright until she was in a standing position. Samura's soul screamed in protest as she inched closer and closer to that void of oblivion beyond the doorway. Her heart knew that to go through that opening would be to look upon the truth . . . a truth that she was not prepared to see . . . a reality that could destroy mankind.
A chorus of soft whispers drifted into her head, soothing her like an eerie lullaby. "Go beyond the door," the singsong voices urged.
"See all that was, and will ever be . . . See the truth."
She had no control . . . she was gliding through the door. A blast of air hit her, a billion molecules of realities rushing past her and into the world she had always known.
Surrounding her was infinity. She looked upon countless galaxies that stretch into a universe with no visible beginning or end.
Song of the Annunaki BookTrailier



Buy Song of the Annunaki at New Concepts Publishing