What happens to your faith at work? The truth is, when we go to work, we don’t have to check our faith at the door. Mu About My Father’s Business offers a proven, natural process for becoming a spiritual leader at work, regardless of position or title. Regi Campbell has more than twenty years experience learning and implementing these strategies in companies small and large. With refreshing transparency, he shares his struggles to build his career and pursue his mission to have influence for Jesus Christ with coworkers. The result is a practical guide for reconciling the quest for corporate accomplishment with the call to be an ambassador for Christ around the clock. You will learn how to assess your workplace, identify opportunities, neutralize obstacles, and boldly impact lives for eternity.
Now with a new study guide included.
What do you hope to gain from reading this book?
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Thanks to the fabulous team at Waterbrook Multnomah, I have bunches of good books to offer you. US only from my mailbox to yours. One of which is... Foolproofing Your Life by Jan Silvious. If there are more than twenty entries, I will give away two copies!!
The world is filled with difficult people. It is impossible to avoid them. (You may have one, in particular, in your life right now.) In dealing with such people, we often try a number of coping strategies. Unfortunately, our best attempts at making peace often fail. This is because the difficult people in our lives are often what the Bible calls "fools." And dealing with fools requires a special kind of biblical wisdom.
You've tried everything–from confrontation to passivity. You've found out what doesn't work; now discover what does. Gain the tools you need to get along with others and conduct your relationships in a manner that honors God–and preserves your sanity!–in Foolproofing Your Life: Wisdom for Untangling Your Most Difficult Relationships. Learn how new insights from the book of Proverbs can help you respond to those relationships that seem hard to untangle.
What do you hope to gain from reading this book?
Good luck all! And for the fun of it, after your MANDATORY entry above, any of the following will get you additional entries...
Thanks to the fabulous team at Waterbrook Multnomah, I have bunches of good books to offer you. US only from my mailbox to yours. One of which is... Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight by Karen Scalf Linamen. If there are more than twenty entries, I will give away two copies!!
Do you wish something in your life was different? Take heart! You already possess the first and most important ingredient for change. Don’t waste your dissatisfaction, wield it!
Intimate, humorous, and inspiring, Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight will take you on a journey from where you are to where you want to be. Do you long for a more rewarding career? A more passionate marriage? A healthier body, brighter future, or happier heart?
With her trademark blend of laugh-out-loud humor and sage advice, Karen Linamen introduces you to 52 powerful actions you can apply to any change you long to embrace.
In the process, you’ll discover the missing link between dissatisfaction and transformation; learn painless ways to remodel your habits; understand why you procrastinate and how to stop; learn how to generate the energy you need to pursue the life you want, and, above all, discover options and resources you never dreamed you had.
What are you waiting for? No matter what has been holding you back–fear, fatigue, adversity, heartbreak, failures, or even the choices of other people–get ready. Get set. Lasting change is possible and its time to get started!
Includes questions for reflection and discussion.
What do you hope to gain from reading this book?
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What You Don't Know about Yourself Will Hinder You. What You Don't Know about Men Will Hurt You. What You Don't Know about Relationships Will Cost You.
Why does the modern-day search for romance so often end in disappointment, especially for women? Is it something we do? Something we don't do? Are we missing important information about the opposite sex—or about ourselves? Is there something wrong with us that we long so desperately for "til death do us part"? Sadly, many women today see their ongoing singleness as a weakness or lack of worth. In truth, our dreams go unfulfilled not because we do not deserve for them to come true, but often because of wrong assumptions—assumptions that can easily be corrected. Drawing on both male and female perspectives, this book deals with the hard issues and questions you and other women ponder as you consider how to obtain lasting love. What Women Don't Know (and Men Don't Tell You) will help you adjust your desires, redefine what you are attracted to, set your values in order, and determine your goals—freeing you at last to pursue the loving relationship you desire.
What do you hope to gain from reading this book?
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Prepare Yourself for Lasting Love You’ve searched a lifetime for that special person, but how can you be absolutely certain that you’ve found “The One”? And more important, how can you hold on to that love for the rest of your life?
More Than a Match explores the “compatibility factor,” demystifying the science behind matchmaking and giving you the tools you need to find the love you want. You’ll learn how to apply the specifics of good compatibility to a prospective date or mate, as well as how to break things off when you find yourself in the wrong relationship.
But since great relationships aren’t built on compatibility alone, marriage experts Michael and Amy Smalley also delve into the “forever factor,” giving you the skills you need to turn your romance into a lifelong love affair. You’ll learn how to deal with conflict, how to develop a healthy sex life, and how to recover when you inevitably hurt one another.
Fantastic marriages begin long before the exchange of the rings; they start when two people in search of love commit themselves to learning to how to love well…and forever. Because finding and keeping the love of your life is about much More Than a Match.
What do you hope to gain from reading this book?
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You already know it’s not easy being a single man in this culture today. But it is easy to be overwhelmed, to feel helpless and hopeless about living by God’s high standards for singles. It’s easy to cave in to the pressures of this sex-soaked world and accept defeat–blaming the media, the culture, even girlfriends who don’t know how tough it can be.
But many men have read books like Every Young Man’s Battle and Tactics and have committed themselves to stand strong and pure in the power of God, and to go on the offensive against the onslaught of negative stereotypes. Some have suffered. Some have fallen. But many have experienced victory–and you can be among them.
What makes those committed men so desirable to women? Be Her Hero is their motto. From best-selling author Fred Stoeker, along with his son Jasen, come the straightforward insight and real-life examples you’re looking for to help you take personal purity to its logical conclusion. Here’s straight truth with irrefutable evidence of what makes an ultimate hero to women who long for men of faith–men who stand by their convictions and make their world a safer and better place.
Are you ready to accept the challenge?
What do you hope to gain from reading this book?
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This is a US only giveaway. Author Bryan Davis is gladly willing to send a winner a copy of his new title I Know Why the Angels Dance. I just loved Mr. Davis' Reflections from the Edge series and I expect anything else from him would be just as challenging and good to read as well. Click here to download a pdf of the First Chapter.
Genre - Adult Contemporary, Suitable for teenagers.
What happens when the darkness of unspeakable tragedy collides with the infinite glory of heaven? What salve can heal the deepest of wounds when dawn breaks and the nightmare is real? What words can console a grieving father or mother when the blossom of the womb fades and falls? Images of hope, soft words that set the mind at ease, beautiful memories brought home by a beautiful story.
I Know Why the Angels Dance is a healing salve; it incites a cleansing catharsis; it serves as a holy image-maker, mending hearts and minds with glimpses of heaven's glory. It opens spiritual eyes. We are all on a collision course with the unknown. Will it be a plunge into darkness or a passing from one existence into a brighter one?
Two fathers, one in the light and one in darkness, each face the reality of that passage, and both struggle to find and apply the healing balm. Yet, God uses the faith of a child to reach out to the downcast-the hand of an extraordinary girl leads them to the healing they long for.
The reality of death meets the hope of the ages, and the victory comes in the visions and songs of a little girl. After reading I Know Why the Angels Dance, you will cherish life and family like never before, and the passage everyone must make will no longer be a leap into darkness. It will be a step into glory.
Have you ever seen God use the Faith of a child?
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Today is a fun day. Thanks to the new and amazing Abingdon Press, I have five or six copies of an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) edition of eye of the god by Ariel Allison to give away from my mailbox to yours. In case you are unaware, an ARC is for reading pleasure only for promotional purposes such as review. These books are not to be sold. If you choose not to keep it once read, give it to a friend or church library. It is an uncorrected proof. Yet, it is one that I am very eager to read and review myself sometime in the upcoming weeks.
eye of the god takes the fascinating history surrounding the Hope Diamond and weaves it together with a present-day plot to steal the jewel from the Smithsonian Institute.
We follow Alex and Isaac Weld, the most lucrative jewel thieves in the world, in their quest to steal the gem, which according to legend was once the eye of a Hindu idol named Rama Sita. When it was stolen in the 17th century, it is said that the idol cursed all those who would possess it. That won’t stop the brilliant and ruthless Weld brothers.
However, they are not prepared for Dr. Abigail Mitchell, the beautiful Smithsonian Director, who has her own connection to the Hope Diamond and a deadly secret to keep. Abby committed long ago that she would not serve a god made with human hands, and the “eye of the god” is no exception. Her desire is not for wealth, but for wisdom. She seeks not power, but restoration.
When the dust settles over the last great adventure of the Hope Diamond, readers will understand the “curse” that has haunted its legacy is nothing more than the greed of evil men who bring destruction upon themselves. No god chiseled from stone can direct the fates of humankind, nor can it change the course of God’s story.
Have you seen the Hope Diamond?
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USE ONLY ONE WORD! It’s not as easy as you might think. Copy and change the answers to suit yourself and pass it on. It’s really hard to use only one-word answers so try your best.
1. Where is your cell phone? Table.
2.Your hair? Short.
3. Your mother? Embroidery.
4. Your father? Genealogy.
5. Your favorite food? Sushi.
6. Your dream last night? Odd.
7. Your favorite drink? Arnold-Palmer.
8. Your dream/goal? Organized.
9. What room are you in? Bedroom.
10. Your hobby? Quilting.
11. Your fear? Scorpions.
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Mom of more.
13. Where were you last night? Home.
14. Something that you aren’t? Stressless .
15. Muffins? Cinnamon.
16. Wish list item? iMac .
17. Where did you grow up? Georgia.
18. Last thing you did? Fringe.
19. What are you wearing? Gown.
20. Your TV? Flat.
21. Your pets? Cats.
22. Friends? Online.
23. Your life? Blessed.
24. Your mood? Tired.
25. Missing someone? Sister.
26. Vehicle? Subaru.
27. Something you’re not wearing? Socks.
28. Your favorite store? Target.
29. Your favorite color? Lavender .
30. When was the last time you laughed? Changing.
31. Last time you cried? Morning .
32. Your best friend? Daniel.
33. One place that I go to over and over? Kitchen.
34. One person who emails me regularly? Mama.
35. Favorite place to eat? Sushi.
Now I would like to pass this award on to these awesome blogs:
Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers, I have a good handful of books to offer to giveaway straight from my mailbox to yours. Giveaway #24 is Your Life in Rhythm by Bruce Miller. I have not read this one, but it sounds like a good one to apply to life. On the day I have time to read non-fiction, I would add this one to my queue.
Your Life in Rhythm offers a realistic solution to our crazy, overly-busy, stressed lives. Miller exposes the myth of living a “balanced” life, and offers “rhythmic living” as a new paradigm for relieving guilt and stress, while accomplishing more of what matters most in life. Rhythmic living details six practical strategies for living a more fulfilling life.
Instead of managing time, Miller suggests that we flow with life, living in tune with the natural rhythms of nature. By applying the rhythm strategies, we can reduce stress, frustration, and guilt while increasing fulfillment and inner peace. The point is not to balance all of our responsibilities at one time, but to focus attention on what matters most at different times. Although this sounds easy enough, the six strategies he outlines are crucial to helping the reader to achieve this goal.
Miller helps us to understand the stages and seasons of life we all experience over a lifetime. This new understanding, when applied, will solve time-management problems and help readers to let go of misplaced priorities and relieve their overbooked lifestyle. The rhythm solution, in short, brings freedom.
In a nutshell:
Helps readers think through their overbooked lifestyle.
Presents a new way of thinking about life management.
Helps readers to let go of misplaced priorities.
Helps readers understand the seasons of life and adjust their expectations.
Presents rhythm “solution process” for common time management issues.
What is your best time management strategy?
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Today's giveaway is for TWO books directly from the author autographed!! A River Calling and A Place in Time. Open to US only, winner will be chosen on October 18th.
This from Glenn:
I wrote a nonfiction book for dads a few years ago and thought I was done writing but driving the roads of Colorado looking at the old homesteads and cabins, I was inspired to start writing a story about that period, a favorite era for me. The story centers around Romans 8:28 and how it might impact our lives in ways we don't always get to discover in this world. Somehow it turned into a time travel love story between a 17 yr old snowboarder from present day Denver and a 16 yr old Christian girl from 1850 traveling the Oregon Trail with her family. Emma, the heroine is a wonderful example and role model for teen girls of today and an encouragement to all of us to be faithful even when we don't understand what is going on and what God is up to. The women who have read it said they laughed and they cried, then wanted their daughters to read it. I dedicated it to my own daughter, Emma, to always be an inspiration. God bless! (from goodreads)
If you could be caught anywhere in American history, where would it be and why?
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Real-estate entrepreneur Bill Dallas's charmed life changed dramatically when he was charged, convicted, and sentenced to five years in prison for grand-theft embezzlement. Lessons from San Quentin tells the amazing true story of how one man's life was changed for the better due to the hardships encountered at the legendary maximum-security prison. Using stories and reflections from life on the inside, Bill teaches 12 core principles that will inspire readers to use tough times to develop the character God wants them to have.
Chapter headings include: (1) Life in the Median Strip; (2) I am H64741; (3) Embrace Your Trials; (4) Cling to Hope; (5) Express Yourself through Your Work; (6) Choose Sustaining Faith; (7) Get Your Self-Image Right; (8) Get Rid of Self-Absorption; (9) Shape Your Attitude; (10) Give Respect; (11) Persevere Until You “Get It”; (12) Let Life Come to You; (13) Make Life Simple; (14) Find Freedom in Forgiveness; (15) Life after Prison; (16) He Was Always in Control.
What is your opinion of the prison ministry?
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It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
From her earliest childhood, there was nothing Tracy loved better than stepping into another world between the pages of a book. From dragons and knights, to the wonders of Narnia, that passion has never abated, and to Tracy, opening any novel is like stepping again through the wardrobe, into the thrilling unknown. With every book she writes, she wants to open a door like that, and invite readers to be transported with her into a place that captivates. She has traveled through Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel and Jordan to research her novels, and looks forward to more travel as the Seven Wonders series continues. It’s her hope that in escaping to the past with her, readers will feel they’ve walked through desert sands, explored ancient ruins, and met with the Redeeming God who is sovereign over the entire drama of human history.
List Price: $14.99 Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: B&H Books (October 1, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 0805447326 ISBN-13: 978-0805447323
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Alexandria, Egypt
48 B.C.
Sophia pressed her forehead against the chilled window glass of her private chamber and tried to capture a glimpse of life, far below and out of reach.
The harbor, more than one hundred cubits down, churned with boats whose sails flapped in the dying sun like the scales of white fish, and with ant-sized servants who scurried to deliver supplies to her lighthouse before its Keeper punished them for their delay.
On a white-cushioned couch behind her, one of Euripides’s plays called for her return to its lines of tragedy. She resisted. The words had already bled into her heart with remembrances she wished to avoid.
Enough foolishness. Shoulders back and eyes unblinking, she crossed the room to a cedarwood desk. Her astronomy charts covered the wall above, but it was a more practical papyrus that she spread on its surface. She weighted the top corners with two small statuettes of Isis and Osiris with a muttered apology to the gods, and let the bottom corners curl upon themselves. The late afternoon sun burned through the window, setting dust particles afire in the air and touching the lighthouse’s fuel consumption chart and the scrawled labor requirements. Sophia retrieved her sharpened reed and ink and added notations to the latest entry.
Work first. Then she could spend the evening brooding over Euripides’s plays, and even the past.
Behind her, sharp knuckles attacked the outside of her door. Only one person knocked like that, and only one person would bother to make the climb halfway up the lighthouse’s three hundred cubits.
The door flew open before she invited entrance. Her personal servant stumbled in, eyes wide.
Sophia jumped to her feet. “Romans?”
Ares leaned against a marble stand that held the sculpted bust of Plato, winded. The heavy-footed Roman legion marched into Alexandria several weeks earlier. Sophia had been waiting for war, as one waits for a ship returning from far-off trade. Knowing it will come, never certain when.
But Ares was shaking his head. “She’s here! She climbed over the – ”
Ares was shoved aside and another figure slid into the room. Sophia’s heart danced over a few beats, then settled into a staccato. The young woman before her smiled, the languid look of a woman who knows her own power. “Sophia--” she extended both her jeweled hands. “How I have missed you!”
Sophia let out her breath with one quiet word. “Cleopatra!” She waved to her servant. “Leave us, Ares.”
The boy backed out of the room.
“And not a word of this!” Sophia called after him.
When he had closed the door she took a hesitant step toward the younger woman. “How? Have you made peace at last with your brother?”
Cleopatra flung the question aside with a wave of her hand. “The little brat knows nothing of monarchy. It is those three leeches that hiss in his ears that are the problem.” She spotted the black and gold kylix of wine and brightened. “I am parched.” She crossed to the table and ladled wine into an alabaster cup. “The sea, you know.” She filled another cup and handed it to Sophia.
Sophia studied her, speechless. Her magnetic power seemed undimmed by her recent exile. Her white robe, trimmed in gold and purple, hung a bit more loosely on her frame.
“You are thinner.” Cleopatra sipped the wine and grimaced. No doubt it had been left too long in the bowl. “Will you never cease to fret over me, Sophia?”
Sophia’s breathing had returned to normal, and she found a place on the couch. “Sit. Tell me.”
Cleopatra came to her, dropped a knee to the couch, then curled herself next to Sophia like a leopard settling to rest. She lifted the skull of a panther from the low table before them and turned it around with her long fingers.
“Did you get in unseen?” Sophia asked.
“Apollodorus rowed me into the harbor in a small boat. We docked in the Eunostos Harbor, away from the crowds. I climbed ashore at the base of the lighthouse and circled to the door. I am safe here, Sophia.”
Sophia swallowed. “Why take such a risk?”
“It has been an eventful few days.” Cleo set the skull back on the table with a thunk.
“I thought you were in Syria.”
“I was. My little brother Ptolemy and his three sycophants are camped at Pelusium, with their armies ready to attack my troops. But I believe the gods have other plans.” She smiled again, the scheming grin Sophia had known and loved since Cleopatra’s childhood.
“What have you done?” Sophia closed tight fingers around the girl’s wrist, as fear clamped itself around her heart.
Cleopatra inclined her head and laughed, then stroked Sophia’s arm with her fingertips. “An opportunity has come to me on the heels of Ptolemy’s foolishness.”
“So what has your brother done?”
“The Roman Pompey fled to my brother, hoping for Ptolemy’s support against Julius Caesar. But Ptolemy’s three advisors decided they would rather gain the favor of Caesar. They greeted Pompey with a knife point.”
“He is dead?”
Cleopatra nodded. “And now Caesar has arrived here in the city.” She crossed one leg over the other and bounced her foot. “My brother’s men sent him Pompey’s head as a gift. Caesar was furious at his adversary’s ignoble death.”
Sophia slapped her thigh. “These barbaric Romans. Impossible to comprehend. They stomp all over the world with their insatiable lust to conquer, but when someone kills their enemy, they are angered.”
Cleopatra’s eyes glittered. “Yes, he sounds fascinating, doesn’t he?”
Sophia’s apprehension returned. . “What are you going to do?”
“Take advantage of the opportunity.”
“It is not safe for you in the city, Cleopatra. You must return to Syria, under the protection of your troops.”
Cleopatra removed her hand from Sophia’s arm and unfolded herself from the couch. “You would have me remain a child forever! I am no longer your student.”
Sophia stood as well, matching the fire in Cleopatra’s eyes with her own. “You are twenty-one!”
Cleopatra flung her hair over her shoulder. Her face was a mere handspan from Sophia’s. Her voice was low. “And I am Queen of Egypt.”
Sophia shifted away, but Cleopatra clutched at her, spun her back to herself. “Do not be angry with me, my Sophia. Tell me you love me still.”
Sophia sighed. I could never control her. “Would I have spent all those painful hours teaching you the languages of Egypt if I did not love you?”
Cleopatra lips formed a pout, reinforcing her youth. “You were well-paid by my father.”
Sophia touched Cleopatra’s cheek. “And I would have done it for nothing.”
The younger woman’s expression cleared. “There, now you have made me happy. Next you must tell me how beautiful I look in spite of my thinness, and then I will be satisfied.”
Sophia looked over the queen’s long reddish-brown curls, her regal features, the fine fabric of her robe and the twinkling jewels stitched to her headpiece and wrapped around her arms and fingers. “Cleopatra, as always, you are stunning.”
The girl fluttered her eyelashes playfully. “You have them all fooled, Sophia. But not me.” She pointed to Sophia’s masculine tunic, carelessly belted. “I know the real woman beneath all your manly clothes and your harsh manner. I know there is something good buried.”
Sophia’s inner restlessness stilled, as though she had grown cold. She nodded once, unable to answer, and then retreated to the couch. Let us speak of something else.
Cleopatra dropped beside her, and leaned her head against Sophia’s shoulder with a sigh. The sun’s last rays splashed through the west window and lit up the gold trim that edged her robe.
“What will you do?” Sophia whispered, knowing she would not like the answer.
Cleopatra did not lift her head. “Caesar is ill-disposed toward my brother and his advisors tonight. I will cause his favor to fall on me.”
“And how will you accomplish this?”
Cleo laughed. “I know it has been a long time, Sophia. But do not tell me you have forgotten how a woman can gain the favor of a man.”
Sophia pulled away from her. “No, Cleo. No.”
Cleopatra tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I have only this brief moment to gain his favor. My brother will surely arrive by tomorrow. It must be tonight.”
Sophia’s stomach clenched. “You are young, inexperienced. And he is a Roman!”
“The world is changing.”
Sophia exhaled heavily. “For over two hundred years your family has ruled Egypt. The Egyptians have come to accept that. And you understand their ways. You respect their love of knowledge, you share their desire to decipher the world. You have even embraced their gods. But these Romans, Cleo, they are crude savages, interested only in blood and victory and power!”
Cleopatra looked away, to the darkening window. “I think you forget how interested in power I am myself, Sophia.”
She traced Cleo’s strong jawline. “Born to rule. Raised to rule. Queen at eighteen.” And exile in the face of your brother’s treachery has done nothing to dull the hunger. “Can I not talk you out of this foolishness?”
Cleopatra’s lips twitched in amusement. “There we are. I knew you would come around.” She pulled Sophia toward her and once more leaned against her shoulder. “Just let me stay until the darkness has fully fallen.” She sighed deeply. “I am so tired.”
Sophia relaxed into the cushions and took the weight of Cleopatra’s exhaustion. The girl was asleep in moments, leaving Sophia to her own thoughts. She let Cleo sleep as the evening wasted.
Her hair hung over Sophia’s shoulder, where her own hair would have lain if she had not cropped it close to her head. She stroked Cleopatra’s robe with one finger, then draped the fabric over her own thigh.
She is everything I am not.
And yet despite their differences, Sophia always found herself more whole in Cleo’s presence. The girl was like pressed oil, filling in the cracks and brittle places of Sophia’s soul with something warm and smooth. When they were together, all the tension and anger that seemed to define Sophia ran out of her, leaving her feeling almost human.
Sophia had begun to doze as well when Ares’s knuckle-bruising knock again sounded at the door. She glanced down to Cleopatra, but the girl’s gentle breathing continued. She shifted her to the cushions, then slipped away to open the door.
“For the love of Isis, Ares, what is it now?”
He stepped in, one hand still on the door. “A message for you, Abbas.” He held a scrap of papyrus. She pushed him into the hall and half-closed the door behind them.
Ares had called her abbas since he was a young boy.. Whether the Egyptian word for “lion” was a compliment or a slight depended on each of their moods.
Ares peered over her shoulder, into her chamber.
“Well, give the thing to me, Ares! Don’t simply stand there!”
Ares sighed and held it up to her. “Brought by one of the Library’s slaves.” He stepped close and held the message to her eyes.
Sophia moved back a pace. “You don’t need to breathe all over me!” She snatched the scrap and read it, her pulse quickening at the request inked there.
“Will you go?”
She scowled at Ares. “Reading my messages now?”
The young man, though half her age, stood much taller than Sophia. He gave her one of his crooked half-grins. “It is a long climb.”
She shoved the papyrus back into his hand and turned away. “There is nothing in the Library that cannot be brought here to me. Send a message to Sosigenes that he may visit me here in the lighthouse if he wishes.”
“The message sounded urgent.”
She whirled on him. “Then I suppose he should run!” Ares pursed his lips, and Sophia exhaled. This boy knew her well by now. He had long ceased to be offended or intimidated by her moods. “Why can Sosigenes not send a report as usual?” she asked herself aloud.
“Perhaps he thinks it is time for you to emerge from hiding.”
“I am not hiding!” Sophia put a hand out to the door. “I rarely need to leave the lighthouse. Why should today be different?”
“Because today someone has asked.”
The door blurred before her. It was true, no one had requested her presence in the city for a great while. “They fear me.”
Ares’s laugh was soft. “Yes, the mighty Artemis, commanding the world from her high tower.”
Sophia’s lips curled into a sneer and she faced the boy again. “Which am I, Ares, a lion or a goddess?”
He lowered his eyes. “Both need sometimes to emerge from solitude.”
“Well, not today. Send the message to Sosigenes. And send ten drachma with it, to remind him under whose patronage he spends his hours.”
Ares bowed his head and turned to the ramp, his silence seeming to condemn her.
Sophia closed her eyes and pressed her fingers into the bridge of her nose. She disliked leaving the lighthouse, and it annoyed her that the old scholar would summon her. She pushed back the thought that Ares’s comments were the true source of her irritation, then reentered her private rooms and lit several lamps. The flames played on the deep reds and blacks of the room’s furnishings, on which she had spared no expense. The luxury of her chamber rivaled any in the palace. The money that flowed continually to the lighthouse enabled her to live as she wished.
She retrieved the wine Cleo had poured. At the window, she lifted the cup to the harbor in a silent salute, then sipped the wine, ignoring its bitter finish. Yes, I live as I wish.
And every day the ever-present sea breezes whispered in her ear like a spiteful friend who would never let her forget.
She spent an hour over the charts, fine-tuning the plans for the coming month, searching for the slightest opportunity to increase efficiency. When the first noises shot up the cylindrical core of the lighthouse, Sophia barely noticed.
Moments later she dropped her reed on the desk, startling Cleopatra. The girl gasped, then heard the shouts. She turned wide eyes to Sophia. “Who is it?”
Sophia tilted her head to the noise again. Her fingers tightened on her chair.
All pictures and information on this blog are the possession of cherryblossommj, the authors of the various novels, or the blog tour spaces that she participates in. Please respect that. Most often purple text is the own of cherryblossommj, while other colors may be a quote and direct text from a tour or other.
♥ Wanna know more about me and my family? Click on the picture above or head on over to my "About Me" page. *grin*
Welcome to my Creative Madness! I'm Margaret, head-over-hills in love with my Enginerd and a new SAHM as of August 2009. Here abouts you will find my thoughts on life raising a baby girl, quilting, book reviews galore, and product reviews of fabulous things you just must acquire!
