August 22nd, 2012
Sneak peek at PETRIFIED, my story in J.Taylor Publishing’s MAKE BELIEVE anthology
Hello there my friendlies! Thank you so much for stopping by, I have something VERY exciting to share with you!
It’s an excerpt from my story, PETRIFIED, featured in J.Taylor Publishing’s MAKE BELIEVE anthology! 
click HERE if you’d like to add it to your to-read shelf 
Whew! Omgosh, you guys, I totally hope you enjoy this tasty morsel! :D
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An aberrant cold whitened the sky and crystallized the air, freezing out heat from the summer sun. Angry winds swept the land, cut Sterling August’s face, stole his breath and bit at his damaged arm. Determination, as fierce as the weather, kept him upright in the saddle, while his noble mare, Selik’s, strides pounded frozen ground.
Lives depended on her sure-footedness.
When the fires of Castle Kestrel twinkled through dense flurries, Sterling leaned forward, urging more speed. Selik grunted, stretched her neck and obliged, galloping until frozen tears broke free from Sterling’s blue eyes.
Hooves clattering through the stone entrance alerted the livery staff. Their shouts and orders to prepare for his arrival made Sterling want to slump against Selik’s dappled-grey neck, rub his cheek against her black mane and thank the Blessed Mother they had made it home alive. Instead, he staggered down, murmured his appreciation into her ear and left the icy reins to the livery manager.
Winter had consumed only House of August lands. Summer sun burned bright over neighboring territories. Sterling had no answers for the strange phenomenon, only suspicions. Fingers gloved but numbed from cold, Sterling fumbled as he tugged a leather cord to release his weighty saddle-bags. Quade, Sterling’s vizier, caught them on the drop and hefted them onto his shoulder, leaving the prince to cradle his injured arm tight to his chest.
“The Wiccae should tend to you,” Quade said.
Elexus will see to Father before me,” Sterling whispered. “Family first,” he added, House of August creed. Naturally attuned to the pains of others, she should sense Sterling above any other. Except for his father. The King.
Oh no, he thought. Elexus will always see to Father before me.
Grinding his teeth, he punctuated two steps with hard stomps, shattering ice from his boots. Sterling dashed past the blacksmith and stable boy, wasting no time to brush the snow from elsewhere. Storming up the stairs, with Quade’s big boots booming in tempo behind him, they hurried past the aviaries, chasing the curved path spiraling up the heights of Castle Kestrel.
Sterling’s blood raced with urgency. His legs throbbed from the strenuous ride. The matted fur trim of his winter cloak dragged heavily behind him, while torch flames along the path liquefied the frost clinging to his close-cropped beard.
Sterling’s breath puffed in sporadic blasts of emotion, but his silver-tipped strides never faltered as he raced toward his father.
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Ooo! I’m so excited to know what you guys think!
Guess what, there’s more MAKE BELIEVE! hehe! Check out the other excerpts from stories featured in this anthology, posted by these lovely ladies 
J.A. Belfield
Jennifer M. Eaton
J. Keller Ford
Terri Rochenski
Lynda R. Young
