Finding Our Gifts

In my upcoming book, Descendant, the main character, Abby, has two special gifts: the ability to heal others and the ability to see bits and pieces of life from the past, present, and occasionally the future.  Both gifts were passed down from her relatives, along with a colorful, and somewhat scary legacy.

I think we all have a special ability. Or two. Or three or lots. Whatever that gift is, it’s something we do well. Not necessarily better than everyone else, but just something we’re specifically good at, and which makes us happy. Something we enjoy. And those abilities help us to do things that no one else can do. They help us to create things, and find ways to share our gifts with others. They help us become the best version of ourselves.

The problem is that most people don’t realize they have this ability, whatever it is. Nor do they know how to use the power lying dormant inside them.

Don’t you think that’s sad? I do. I think that everyone deserves to know their potential, and we should all have the opportunity to try to reach for it.

So today, I would love to hear about your special gift. What is one thing you’re really good at? And what awesome potential might that unleash in you? I don’t care how meaningless or stupid you think it is, I want to hear about it.   

Aaaaannnnd…GO!

Blogfest: Love at First Sight...or Not So Much.

Okay, I admit I'm not big on blog fests of this sort. I'm not all that comfortable posting portions of my works-in-progress online. Especially ones I'm currently querying.However, in honor of Valentines Day, and because I've had a couple requests for this particular scene, I'm going to make an exception. 

The following excerpt is from a finished manuscript, currently titled GIFTED. The characters, Kye and Abby, are on a bus, on a trip with a large group of kids from school.They don't know each other well, but are extremely comfortable with each other--a phenomenon which is explained later in the story. (Sorry, kids. You only get 450 words!)Abby has fallen asleep on Kye.

My dreams are riddled with Kye and Eric fighting, Kye and me kissing, more kissing, and various other activities that make my heart race and my blood run hot. The strangest part is that it all feels more like distant memories than dreams. I have mixed senses of peace and dread, happiness, and deep, profound sorrow. Then an awful laugh breaks through, rough and mean. Frightening.


When I jerk awake, Kye rubs my arm and smoothes my hair. “Shhh. Just a dream.”


Heat creeps up my cheeks as I lift my head to meet his gaze. Something in his eyes makes me long to stay right here, wrapped in his arms and staring into the endless pools of blue, for the rest of forever.


I tear my eyes away, feeling silly, and glance at his watch. After only an hour, my crush has developed into something far more dangerous. The full moon bounces above the mountains like a glowing eye, a bright ball in the darkening sky, gilding the edges of the distant cliffs. Kye traces circles up and down my arm, and my chest tightens when his hand slides under my chin and tips it up.


Our eyes meet again, and a spark of recognition passes between us, something undeniably strong, and just as unexplainable, and I can’t look away. Can’t break the spell. Conversations buzz around us, but we float in our own little bubble, focused and unmoving for eons of time. His hand moves down my arm until his fingers lace with mine.


He shifts, pulls me closer. His heart beats a quick, irregular thrum under my free hand. “I can feel your heart,” I whisper.


He breathes deep. “Did you feel it skip a beat just now?”


“Your heart didn’t skip.” I try to smile, lighten the mood. Something is happening and I don’t understand what, exactly. “It sped up, but it didn’t skip.”


His expression is serious. “It practically stopped. So did yours, I felt it.” He closes the distance between our faces, and his lips touch mine, soft, experimental. 

This time our hearts stutter together. Kye smiles against my lips, because he knows I felt it too. He takes a breath and leans in again, this time harder, more demanding. We melt together like chocolate and caramel. My mind screams for me to stop, that it’s too soon for this. I don’t know him, not really. But my heart has a different idea, and so do my lips.


When we break apart, I’m trembling. Time feels quick, racing. I have a surge of panic that makes me keep my eyes on him, like I only have so much time to drink him in before he leaves me forever. The idea becomes unbearable, and I catch myself clutching his arms around me.


“You okay?” His voice is breathless.


“Okay?” I shake my head. I’ve completely lost my mind.

To read more entries from the Love at First Sight...Or Not So Much blogfest, check out the full list here.


Have a fab Valentines Day!