Many years ago, my parents built a cabin in the Colorado mountains—in South Park to be exact (yes, that South Park). When it came time to drill the well, our contractor informed us we had to “witch” it first and provided us with dowsing rods.

The witching tool he gave us were two long thin metal rods bent to form an “L” shape. The well-digger instructed us to grip the short end of the metal, one rod in each hand, and allow the long side to point straight ahead as we walked. After about ten paces, the metal turned in my hands and the long ends crossed. Then my parents each had a try. No matter what direction we started from or where we walked, the rods crossed when we approached that sweet spot on the hill.

The well-contractor considered the terrain and then drilled the well remarkably close to where we had “witched” the well. It blew me away and made me a paranormal fan for life.

Dowsing rods, divining rods, and pendulums all work on the same principle. Something, or someone, from somewhere is providing knowledge to you through the medium of a rod or a pendulum. Another theory is that our own “higher self” controls the divining rod and provides the requested information from our inner knowledge. Either way, when dowsing for water with rods, the question is already asked: where is the underground water?

 A pendulum can be used, much like a Ouija board, to divine several different questions. To make a pendulum, all you need is a long string or chain with a weight or bob on one end. A necklace and pendant would work just as well as those expensive, mystical pendulums you can purchase online. Rumor has it—a skilled medium can use a pendulum to find missing objects, answer questions about the future, and predict the sex of your next child.

There are a lot of websites that will teach you, convert you, and beguile you with information about divining, dousing, and pendulums. As with everything, please proceed with caution and understand that they are all trying to sell you something. You don’t need any fancy stuff to have fun with a pendulum or dowsing rods. And they aren’t scary – unless you write it that way.

In my novella Hunter and Lily Graham, Hunter uses a pendulum made from his father’s pocket-watch chain, an arrowhead from his grandfather, and rose quartz from his grandmother. All the items have special meaning to Hunter and give his pendulum unique qualities.

After collecting a bounty in Wichita, Hunter hoped to return home before the snow begins to fall.

Then he saw Lily Graham.

Beautiful and desperate, she fell to her knees and begged for his help. A child was missing, a young life in danger.

Hunter would need to call upon his supernatural skill to find the child, but time was running out.

Giveaway

Hunter and Lily Graham is free this month, along with several “out of this world” romantic offerings from other authors on the link below. But hurry! There are only a couple of days left to get free books from this collection of paranormal and alien romance stories.

The giveaway ends on November 30^th:
 HUNTER AND LILY GRAHAM GIVEAWAY

 

About Author C. Marie Bowen

Discover nail-biting suspense with paranormal romance author C. Marie Bowen. She weaves her supernatural characters into a collection of tales linked to her first award-winning novel, Passage. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Mr. B, and their two rescue pets, Abby and Rue.

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SILVER SOLDIERS:  A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY
Editor: Delilah Devlin
Deadline: March 15, 2022

SILVER SOLDIERS is open to all authors.

Editor/Author Delilah Devlin is looking for stories for a romantic erotica anthology tentatively entitled SILVER SOLDIERS:  A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY.

Why write a short story for this collection? Well, it’s certainly not about making a lot of money, so why do it at all? I’ve said this before, but here are my thoughts…

Writing a short story for a call for submissions is a chance to flex your writing muscle! It can be a chance to experiment with a genre you’ve never written. If you’ve never written a story in first person but don’t want to begin by writing an entire novel using it, start short! For myself, I’ve written stories in new genres or with fresh themes that ended up being so much fun to write they’ve spawned entire series.

You have a deadline! I don’t know about you, but I have trouble keeping my butt in the chair without one!

It’s a promotional opportunity! If selected, you’ll be joined by 12-15 other authors for the launch, sharing your audiences and, hopefully, picking up new readers along the way. Having your story in the collection is another chance to be “seen.”

And remember, you retain the rights to your story, so you can republish it for individual sale or give it away to attract subscribers to your newsletter. You might even decide there’s more story to tell and expand your short story into a novel.

Here’s what I’m looking for…

SILVER SOLDIERS: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY will include stories that satisfy the reader who craves stories with older alpha male heroes. Those salt-and-pepper hotties with crow’s feet earned through rugged training and years of combat. Former soldiers finding their footing after their first careers, or current soldiers nearing the end of their military careers. They’re ready to find the right partner to put down roots, ones who aren’t afraid of scars and rough edges.

SILVER SOLDIERS will seek stories with varied settings here on earth, grounded in reality, or soldiers who might be something a bit more than human—supernatural creatures, or even aliens and cyborgs. The only requirement is that these soldiers understand loyalty, allegiance, and real courage.

I’m open to any subgenre of erotic romance you want to write. I’ll accept contemporary, historical, science fiction, or paranormal stories, and I won’t be picky about whether the stories are hetero, LGBT, ménage… Basically, you, the author, can go anywhere your imagination takes you so long as 1) the story is a romance, and 2) you have a bad boy somewhere in the pages!

The anthology will be sold at a low price—my intent is exposure for you and your writing. The more readers reached, the better! You will retain the rights to your story so that, at a later date, you can republish your stories individually.

I’m seeking hot and inventive stories from authors with unique voices, and above all, I’m looking to be seduced by tales filled with vivid imagery and passion.

Published authors with an established world may use that setting for their original short story.

This is erotic romance, so don’t hold back on the heat. Stories can be vanilla or filled with kink, but don’t miss describing the romantic connection between strong-willed individuals learning to trust and love one another. A deep sensuality should linger in every word. Keep in mind there must be a romantic element with a happy-for-now or happy-ever-after ending. Strong plots, engaging characters, and unique twists are the ultimate goal. Please no reprints. I want original stories.

How to submit: Prepare your 2,500 to 5,500 words story in a double-spaced, Arial, 12-point, black font, Word document (.doc or .docx) OR rich text format (.rtf), with pages numbered. Indent the first line of each paragraph half an inch, and double space (regular double spacing; do not add extra lines between paragraphs or do any other irregular spacing). U.S. grammar (double quotation marks around dialogue, etc.) is required.

In your document at the top left of the first page, include your legal name (and pseudonym, if applicable), mailing address, email address, and a 50-words or less biography, written in the third person, and send to bbbsilversoldiers@gmail.com. If you are using a pseudonym, please provide your real name and pseudonym and make it clear which one you’d like to be credited as. Authors may submit up to 2 stories. I will try to respond no later than May 30, 2022 with decisions.

Payment will be $25.00 USD, ninety days after publication at the end of that month.

Who is Delilah Devlin?

Delilah Devlin is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romance and erotic romance. She has published nearly two hundred stories in multiple genres and lengths and has been published by Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Entangled, Grand Central, Harlequin Spice, HarperCollins: Mischief, Kensington, Kindle, Montlake, Penthouse, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing.

Her short stories have appeared in multiple Cleis Press collections, including Lesbian Cowboys, Girl Crush, Fairy Tale Lust, Lesbian Lust, Passion, Lesbian Cops, Dream Lover, Carnal Machines, Best Erotic Romance (2012), Suite Encounters, Girl Fever, Girls Who Score, Duty and Desire, Best Lesbian Romance of 2013, and On Fire. For Cleis Press, she edited Girls Who Bite, She Shifters, Cowboy Lust, Smokin’ Hot Firemen, High Octane Heroes, Cowboy Heat, Hot Highlanders and Wild Warriors and Sex Objects.

She has also edited Conquests: An Anthology of Smoldering Viking Romance, Rogues: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Blue Collar: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Pirates: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, Stranded: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, First Response: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, and Cowboys: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology.

Direct any questions you have regarding your story or the submission process to Delilah at bbbsilversoldiers@gmail.com.