Wow, I can't believe the official release date for Eyes of the Dead is tomorrow.

Well, the story is written, the promos are in place, and finally the book is available at the click of the button.

Monday is sure to be busy. I'm revising a story, doing a guest interview with Maddie James, and chatting on JoyfullyReviewed.com with fellow Resplendence authors. Now only if the butterflies in my stomach would still for a moment, then I could actually blog tonight. lol

So if you have time, please drop by the chat between 6-10pm on joyfullyreviewed.com and raise a glass of vitual champagne with us.

Then check out the interview on Maddie's blog. Details are listed below.

I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Have a fantastic night!

Visit with me and Maddie James

Maddie James has invited me as a guest on her blog. The interview will post on Monday, October 1st -release day of Eyes of the Dead. Please drop by and give us a shout! http://maddiejames.blogspot.com See ya there! Aleka

I fell out of bed early this morning and found that despite the raucous surrounding my preparations for the October 1^st release of Eyes of the Dead, life goes on and responsibilities mound.

My 'muse' kept whispering in my ear and insisted on some quality time today. So, I took a break from promo and did some well missed writing.

I spent the majority of the morning working on  a time travel piece I'm writing with two very talented authors. The stories included in this anthology are fantastic and will have every women wishing a WWII hero comes through time for her. More to come on this in the future…

The second thing I worked on this morning will be consuming much of my time over the next year.  I'm very happy to announce that I'm chairing the committee organizing  Florida Romance Writers 2009 Fun in the Sun conference. Yeah!

 This exceptional organization will host the writers' conference in January of 2009 on board a cruise ship! The details are still being worked out, so I'll get them to you when they are finalized. You can also check with www.frwriters.org for developments over the next few months.

Just a piece of advice: There is a limited amount of space and we expect the conference to sell out quickly. So be sure to pre-register and reserve your spot as early as possible. Then, get that passport ready and don't wait to renew it. It is required to board the ship.

Okay, now back to the details and maybe a load of laundry.

Hope your day is going great.

Aleka

'Cruise with your muse'

FRW sponsors Fun in the Sun

EXCERPT: Eyes of the Dead
Current mood: pensive

Okay, this is the betwitching moment. You either like it or hate it! And I have chosen to post a set-up with no heroine!

Here goes...

Eyes of the Dead

By

Aleka Nakis

Copyright Aleka Nakis, 2007

Resplendence Publishing, LLC

Prologue

"It was my pleasure to join you on the expedition."

Tour guide Antonio Francisco Fernandez, aka Agent AFFCROC, settled back into his chair and watched Professor Michael Delier type away at his laptop. He wondered where the older man found the energy to work after spending the last few days trekking through the Mayan Jungle.

Hitting the keyboard's 'enter' button with exaggerated flair, Delier adjusted his glasses, snapped his laptop shut, and turned to face Antonio.

"Thank you for your cooperation," the professor said. "The university and the medical profession are in your government's debt."

Antonio smiled. "Your findings will benefit all of us. There is not a single person who hasn't been touched by breast cancer in one way or the other. I hope your research proves to be the cure."

"It will," Delier said, rubbing his forehead and looking his age for the first time in a month. "I've been working on this for the past twenty years. There was a missing component, something I was not seeing. Now it is so clear. I can't wait to show this to Tiffany."

"Who's Tiffany?"

Delier's eyes took on a far away expression. "Tiffany walked into my life three years ago. A fresh and eager botanist with a crisp new PHD in her hands, she came to the university to apply for the assistant's opening in my department. I was so impressed that I hired her right on the spot."

"She must be special," Antonio remarked.

The professor nodded vigorously. "She is. She's brilliant. Even before she came to the lab, she'd read every article I'd ever published and knew my work almost as well as I. Having lost her mother to the disease, she too is anxious for a cure, or at least a method to slow the cancer's advancement."

Antonio nodded. "That's understandable."

"Yes," Delier said. "And because of your generosity, we have in our hands the plant that makes it all possible."

"You give me too much credit."

"You, my friend," the professor continued, "took time from your schedule and acted as my guide at your own expense."

"I had some down time. The jungle is a welcome diversion from my daily routine." Antonio shifted in his seat, wondering what the professor would say if he knew Antonio's true daily routine. "Don't kid yourself, professor. I enjoyed the excursion."

"No matter what you say, I appreciate it beyond your wildest dreams. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel."

"No fue nada. Don't mention it. I'll get us another round of drinks." Antonio stood and walked to the bar.

He wished the professor wouldn't feel so much gratitude. His motives weren't pure and altruistic, and the professor had provided assistance in his own, equally important, way. If it weren't for the cover the professor had unknowingly provided, Antonio never would've been able to pry a young girl out of the cartel's grasp. She'd now be somebody's sex toy—he knew that with absolute certainty.

Glancing back at Delier, sitting at the table and looking into his satchel for the tenth time in an hour, Antonio marveled at the joy the older man's face portrayed. Delier was so proud, so relieved to have the plant in his possession, that he looked like a little kid on Christmas morning waiting to rip into his presents.

Antonio couldn't help but tease him. He called across the room, "Don't worry, professor. Roots don't change into feet and wander off."

Smiling sheepishly, the seasoned academic raised his glass in a toast. "Young man—"

The doors to the cantina flew open.

"Get down!" Antonio hollered across the crowded bar.

Three men with rifles blaring barged in, shooting at random. People dove under the tables while bullets whizzed over their heads.

The shooting stopped. Antonio surveyed the room. No one was hit.

The group of tourists between him and the shooters prevented him from pulling out his own weapon. He couldn't take the chance of successfully shooting one or two of the malditos if it could allow the third asshole to kill innocent bystanders in the process.

He ground his teeth and summoned all his control in waiting them out.

There was movement to his right.

"My plants!" the professor cried, reaching up on the table for his backpack.

"No," Antonio hissed.

But it was too late. Delier had already drawn the attention of one of the shooters. The maldito aimed and fired. The professor's body jerked violently, and then went limp.

"Esto es una venganza! Retribution! Mind your own damn business!" The shooter spat at the crowd.

The other two bastards grabbed whatever they could reach, including the professor's precious plants, and strode out the doors.

If it wasn't for the patrons in his line of fire, Antonio could've shot the sons of bitches dead before they left. Now it was too late.

He rushed to the professor's side, no longer caring who was in the way. Rolling him over on his back, he stared down at the man who had entrusted Antonio with his safety.

"Dios Mio! Don't move." He applied pressure to the wound and attempted to slow the gushing of blood. "Call the doctor."

The professor indicated for him to come close. Clenching his fingers around Antonio's shirtsleeves, he breathed his last words.

"Take… Tiffany… Promise…"

          There was no time to promise. The professor's eyes glazed over and his arm dropped to the side of his body. He was dead.

Things are getting back to normal...NOT!
Current mood: hyper

By giving this post a title like, "Things Are Getting Back To Normal", I think I must start by defining normal.

The first definition for the adjective normal, as defined by Webster's New World dictionary is conforming with an accepted standard or norm: natural: usual-- Not!

Hold on while I change the title...

Okay. I'm back.

Besides the fact that you're not supposed to define a word by using its root, things in my life are not usual at the moment.

I have been having an absolute phenomenal time accomplishing so many of my goals, throwing my world into a spin that is so much more than standard. I have met fantastic people who enrich my life on a regular basis, and I have participated in so many exciting events. The only thing normal in my life at the moment is the pile laundry growing into the tallest hill in Florida in front of my washer. 

So, can I really say that things are getting back to normal? Shoot, I hope so. I honestly hope that I can make these occurrences a standard and a natural part of my daily existence.

Over the next two weeks, I will be counting down to the early release of the Eyes of the Dead from Resplendence Publishing. Each reader who pre-orders a copy will receive it a week before the scheduled October 1^st release! To top it off, I've been able to arrange for a contest where every pre-order reader will be entered into a drawing for a hand made sugar skull –caleverita- from Katia Specialties. The winner will be announced on October 1st. No additional forms to enter contest required.

So, in short,  to share my excitement and non-normal days, I'll be posting a bit on what I'm doing to get ready for the release. Please, please let me know what you think about these events. Readers of this blog have been very helpful in the past, and I've so looked forward to reading your comments. To receive them at this special time will be an added bonus to my days.

Tomorrow, I will post an excerpt from Eyes of the Dead. Hope you enjoy it.

In the spirit of positive thinking, yeah, things are getting back to normal. LOL

How normal is your life at this moment? Please let me know.

Hugs,

Aleka