"Oh this is so exciting," Mary shrieks, as she adjusts the strap of her too-tight bikini top for the hundredth time.
"I can't believe it, some of the muses of inspiration and their authors are actually visiting our Roast!" Mac says.
"Ooh, do hurry up," Lyn urges her sister hostesses, "I bet Terpsichore is there already, and if I'm late she'll never let me hear the end of it!"
"Patsy flexes her biceps, her bikini moulding itself to her statuesque form. "I wonder if bikinis are the right thing to wear in a divine spring? It
was nice of them to invite us to have a party at the Spring of
Hippocrene wasn' it, isn't it one of the 'springs of Pegasus?"
"That's
right," Lyn tells them."The springs are located at the foot of Mount Helicon and the myths say the waters that became the springs of Hippocrene, Pirene and Aganippe gushed forth from beneath the hoof of Pegasus when he struck a rock - " she
pauses and frowns at Cuddles who is stamping his little hoof in the
dust. "Stop that Cuddles, you're a unicorn, not a Pegasus! Hippocrene means ‘Spring of the Horse'. Pirene means ‘to flow around’ and Aganippe means ‘The Gentle Mare’."
"Ooh get her!" Mary grins, and Lyn treads on her foot, accidentally on purpose,
"Ow!" Mary shrieks, "How come your muse is the muse of dancing, when your own feet are so big and clumsy?"
"These sidekicks of ours had better behave themselves," Mac says frowning at Fraser, and Patsy glances at Hampy, riding on Nibby's back. "We don't want to upset the muses!"
"...or bring down the wrath of their dad, Zeus! Lyn agrees, with a shudder.
"Legend has it that anyone who drinks from the springs or immerses themselves in the waters has
poetic inspiration conferred upon them," Patsy says as they approach
the springs and see the muses already gathered, and dancing around the crystal clear springs.
"Oh look!" Mac points at Oliver, setting out tables loaded with food, "Oliver's dressed up as Dionyssus!"
"And - there's ale and
Mead!" Lyn exclaims,
"and roasted lamb and
Cretan Dakos, made from whole wheat and barley with feta cheese and sweet tomatoes, olives, Imam Baildi, which is eggplants, stuffed with vegetables and feta cheese, and lobster, and cheeses and Domas ...yum!"
|
Ambrosia (Courtesy of Flickr) |
and that must be Ambrosia, and Nectar, for the muses, and pom, the muses' favourite fruit!"
|
Nectar (Courtesy of flickr) |
|
Pierus.. |
|
Ceris |
Then the hostesses spot some handsome hunks making their way to the springs
|
Myrddyn |
|
Jim Carrey |
"Oooh!" Mary drools. "Hurry sisters, there's man candy - and there's Jim Carrey in the clouds just like the painting ..." Patsy, Mac and Lyn look at each other and shake their heads in despair. "You have a wonderful imagination Mary, and we haven't even bathed in the springs yet!"
The hostesses hurry down to the springs, to welcome the Muses and their authors. Let the party begin!
(Books, authors and muses in the order they appeared in the original 'Song Of the Muses' series written for The Wild Rose Press. Unless otherwise stated, these have been revised and re-published independently by their authors.)
1. ANCIENT MUSINGS (Calliope)
One's darkness proves the other's light.
Bored
with her muse duties and unable to
face immortality another day,
Calliope, the muse of writing and epic poetry, asks Zeus to end her
eternal existence. Zeus sends her to Hades instead. Deep down in the
underworld lies a pool from which all life springs. If Calliope can find
it, she can request death of Gaia at Gaia's pool.
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image by M Holl |
Deceased
twentieth-century
archaeologist's psyche, Jake Genoese, comes to her
aid. More from the fact he's riding her coattails. He's embarking on a
journey to whatever lies beyond the River Acheron--early. He wasn't
buried with an obol to expedite his trip to the afterlife. So, he
"borrows" Calliope's.
Oh, to live and never know you've lived...The Sacred Hours sing as passion blooms from ANCIENT MUSINGS.
PURCHASE LINK
Melpomene, muse of Tragedy, has a celestial duty to mankind that no love
has ever before challenged. But when a Scottish warrior she has always
watched over sacrifices himself for another, she is torn from her path
and ready to make her own sacrifice: She will defy fate and her father
Zeus to make the ultimate sacrifice and change everything for one
courageous Scot...
|
image by M Holl |
Rowan Stewart is ready and willing to lay down
his life for his kinswoman and Queen, but when he awakens after a fatal
blow with a beautiful woman crouching over him, he must struggle to
understand his new place in his own displaced life. Driven by duty,
Rowan strives to keep an oath that will tear him and Melpomene apart
forever. But with her love and her life on the line, Melpomene isn't
ready to let go. In a journey fraught with Greek Gods, Scottish
politics, and fledgling desire, it's a race to see whether love really
can conquer all... before it's too late.
PURCHASE LINK
BIO
Sky is the best-selling author of seven novels and several novellas. A New
Englander born and bred, Sky was raised hearing stories of folklore, myth and
legend. When combined with a love for nature, romance and time-travel, elements
from the stories of her youth found release in her books. Readers have described
her work as "Refreshing" and "Unforgettable." Sky loves to hear from
readers and can be contacted at Sky@SkyPurington.com. Interested in keeping
up with Sky's latest news and releases? Visit Sky's Website,
www.skypurington.com to download her free App on iTunes and Android.
www.skypuringtonwrites.blogspot.com
3. DESTINY'S LIGHT (Euterpe)
A wish to go back would unlock more than she expected…
For as
long as Euterpe could remember, the Muses had always been sent to help
inspire mankind. She longed to go back again, but man had lost his
faith. Centuries drifted by and Eutrepe was certain she would never walk
among the humans again. The night Zeus summons her for a final task in
the mortal world she jumps at the chance. It was a quest she was willing
to take, that is, until the interference of a God and her memory is
lost.
|
image by M Holl |
Ceris is a loner and musician. Stuck at an impasse with a
song he needs to complete, but cannot, he wonders if the words will be
locked inside his soul forever. Sure he will never release his thoughts,
he ventures out into the night in hopes of some kind of inspiration.
Never in his dreams did he expect it would come in the form of a woman
with no memory who nearly dies at the hands of an oncoming car in the
dead of night
In order to reveal the song that fills Ceris' soul they must first unlock Euterpe’s past before it’s too late….
Their future is at stake, but first they must beat back the darkness before it time is up.
PURCHASE LINK
BIO
RG Porter is an Epic Fantasy as well as Supernatural horror author. She wrote
her first novel, Shadow of the Wolf, back in 2005, as a way to escape from a
chaotic world. Though she never expected her writing to go anywhere, her first
novel debuted through Wild Rose Press in 2007. Since then she has continued to
write what she is drawn to. Whether it is a world where magic and shape-shifters
exist or a place where ever choice could be your last, her imagination weaves
those places into stories. Currently she finds herself writing as much as she
can. Now branching out into other genres, she plans to release more supernatural
horrors as well as completely some of the series that are still
outstanding.
4.THE BRIGHTEST HEAVEN (Ourania)
|
image by M Holl |
Ourania,
muse of Astronomy, is disconsolate: technology flourishes, but true
creativity seems lost. Then she meets Daniel Kettering, an
astrophysicist who shines with inspiration. But he's about to make a
discovery which will threaten time, space, and every existing world.
The
Olympians order Ourania to carry an ultimatum for Daniel: forget your
research and get eternal life. Or else. But first, Ourania and Daniel
have to figure out who stole Daniel's research, save the universe, and
defeat Chaos; and maybe find happiness.
BIO
Masha Holl was
raised in France, astraddle two cultures, on magic tales, Russian
literature, Mozart, Verdi, and French cuisine. Today, she writes
romantic science fiction and fantasy--that's werewolves, spaceships, and
alien universes--to the sounds of Metal Rock. College brought her to
America, and romance kept her here, so expect love and happy endings in
her stories. She continues to teach university students part-time, but
she has also set off on a strange new adventure with a web-based graphic
novel.
Ms. Holl also creates illustrations and other
graphic art. Her images owe much to the Russian folk tales she heard in
her childhood, and which she studied in Graduate School at the
University of Wisconsin. A folklorist by calling, she will never fail to
remind you that there are no fairies in Russian folklore, and therefore
the tales should be called Russian "folk," not "fairy" tales.
http://mashaholl.com
http://mashaholl.com/wordpress/blog/
NOTE: Masha also created the lovely images for most of the muses of our stories. Thank you Masha, you are so talented!
5. ERATO'S TEARS by Reece Herring is currently being formatted for re-release, so is not available at this time. However, the original story can be purchased in the used paperback version of the anthology, in Book II (PURCHASE LINK) of the SONG OF THE MUSES published by The Wild Rose Press and available from Amazon.
Powerful love is cut tragically short. Beyond Hades domain their destiny burns eternally bright. Two lost souls search through time to discover their hidden passion. In Delphi, Mathias, an outcast Spartan finds a reason at last to abandon his wanderlust in the vulnerable Ambrosia. With the unseen aid of Erato, he tries desperately to conquer her hatred of warriors and bring peace to his unsettled soul. A tenuous hold on love develops, but will their untried bond endure? Can the Muse of Love overcome the destructive power of one god's revenge, and right the wrongs of history? Only ERATOS TEARS will determine.
6. DANCING WITH FATE (Terpsichore)
A Greek Muse’s life changes for ever when she meets a legendary character with a mindblowing destiny, Celtic Wales
When Terpsichore, the Greek Muse of Dance, is assigned to revisit 5th Century Wales, and help the people regain their love of dancing, her task seems simple enough. She is unaware there is a hidden agenda. Before she can return to Olympus her path crosses that of the mysterious Myrddin, and her heart is lost.
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image by M Holl |
But Myrddin is promised to another. His mind is set on the dangerous task that lies before him, and the woman he has sworn to save. Nevertheless, he cannot deny the growing attraction between him and the beautiful stranger he meets along the way.
Terpsichore and Myrddin face a deadly force that threatens to part them forever. Is there nothing she can do to save him? Finally, when all seems lost, in desperation she finds herself DANCING WITH FATE
Smashwords PURCHASE LINK
AMAZON.COM (Paperback and Kindle)
AMAZON.CO.UK (Paperback and Kindle)
BIO
|
Lyn and Harri (Myrddyn's horse) |
Lyn is Welsh and very proud of it, although at present she lives away from the wild beauty of her beloved homeland, in a small village in England, surrounded by pretty countryside, with her long-suffering husband.
She loves horses and dogs and has two horses of her own, Harri and T'pau, and a rescued Jack Russell terrier, Bouncer. Hywela and Lyn are her first two names and when she was first published she decided to use them both and drop her surname, since she's always been called `Lyn' and thought it was time her Welsh first name was used. Being easily confused herself, Lyn thought she should explain this to avoid confusing everyone else!
(Unlike her muse, she has no skill at dancing at all:) )
www.hywelayn.blogspot.com
7. The Hour Glass Witch (Clio)
A Romantic Altered History Time
Travel Tale with a splash of Greek Myth.
|
image by M Holl |
Travel back to the Salem Witch
Hunt when a wicked glance could have you hanging from the gallows, convicted of
lustful witchcraft! Accused of being a witch, Clio, the Muse of History is
thrown in prison by a former lover from another life. To escape the gallows, she
flees back in time, to the Italian Renaissance, where she becomes a courtesan
for a famous Italian painter, living a life of luxury while pining for her lost
love. Her favorite god and good friend, Dionysus, is living it up in Tuscany. He
invites her to a wild party at his palace where she runs smack-dab into her
destiny, only to be separated once more by the Queen of Gorgons. While the sands
of time run out, she travels to Hades to face the hounds of Hell in search of
her love. Can she salvage her one true love, please the gods and save the lost
souls of Salem?
BIO
|
| Alisha Paige
lives in the Deep South and loves history, much like her muse, Clio.
She still has a crush on her husband, has three beautiful children, two
nutty dogs...a yellow lab named Strawberry and a Great Pyrs names
Scrappy and a ragdoll siamese named Frankie Nelson who warms her feet
while she writes. She just recently became a freaking soccer mom and
loves to watch her son play soccer. Her favorite things are hearing her
kids laugh, rain storms, snowy nights, hazlenut coffee, red wine and
Halloween.
http://alishapaige.blogspot.
|
.
8. No Funny Stuff (Thalia) by Michelle Hart, originally published by the Wild Rose Press, in Book III is re-published and available HERE
Something's Rotten at the Gates of Heaven. Under conspiratorial inspiration of Olympian thrones, Thalia, the muse of comedy, sends a blessing of love and laughter to Drew Murphy, a young man cursed to a short and miserable life. But when her favorite messenger Daisy Sullivan accidentally launches the magic--wrong time, wrong place, wrong method, wrong everything! Thalia must force to light buried secrets of a millennia-old family curse and face down a most vengeful Immortal on his own battlefield. |
9.The Dance Of The Dracon (Polyhymnia)
|
image by M Holl |
Hymnia, the muse of glorious praise, in an unusual display of
arrogance is thrust through time to medieval Scotland. She encounters Dacien
Lugh MacEthnenn the Laird of Castle Lugh, a rogue dragon who seems anything but
god-like. She uncovers the mystery of the disappearing women of his castle but
loses her heart to the very person she suspects of doing the killing, in THE
DANCE OF THE DRACON.
BIO
Born in Traverse City, Michigan, situated between the lovely East and West Bays
leading to Old Mission Peninsula,Val now resides in the Appalachian Mountains
of Boone, North Carolina, near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Most days, you can find her at her laptop, in a little cabin atop a mountain
with her husband, Louis, two sons, and a few pets! And when she isn't writing,
go around back and check the garden...she should be there.
The Grandfather
Mountain Highland Games is a playground for her writing imagination, as is the
picturesque beauty of northern Michigan. Mystery and suspense, love and romance
along with courageous heroes and heroines. Share her world for a spell...magic
isn't optional...it's a guarantee.
www.vallebower.com
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