Just for the record, women got the right to vote on May 19, 1919 (this was only three months before my mother was born). Men got the right to vote in 1776, so it only took us 143 years. Yes, the Native Americans got it after that but that’s a different blog.  

My point? I’m not pushing either party – both are deeply flawed, but it’s the system we have. What I am pushing is that you, my fellow women, need to get out and vote. Whether you’ve been voting for decades or it’s your first time – women, please it’s your time now. It’s not too rainy or windy or cold. You can make the opportunity. Take advantage of early voting at a convenient time. You can take the kids along – Daddy took me every time and even let me put the ballots in the box for him. I knew how important the act was for him and it has become that important for me.

  I hope you want to vote for someone or something instead of against, but in either case, vote. It will count and it is important. The majority of American citizens these days are women. We’re now a force to be reckoned with and we can’t let that slip through our fingers. You’ve all seen what some countries do to keep their women down, uneducated, subservient. We have freedom here – maybe not equal pay and yes there are still places with glass ceilings, but they’re crumbling under our numbers.

Please come with me to the polls and make our voices heard. 

Stepping down from the soapbox and thank you!

Thank you all for joining me on my marathon excerpt posting leading to Release Day for The Melting, Book 2 – The Progression.  I had great fun and I want to especially the winners for leaving me comments on the page and off.

Nancy  B- Bookmark  

Karen W- Bracelet

Rita – The Melting, Book 1

Karen T- The Melting, Book 1

Diane  O- The Melting, Book 1

Lilly G- The  Melting, Book 2

Lorelie R- The Melting, Book 2

Please let me know what format your e-reader is, so I can get these prizes off to you ASAP!

  Thanks again!!   

Yes, it’s finally here – Release Day!  Hope you’ve enjoyed the previews and remember, Book 3 is with the editors now! 

Amazon

Barnes & Nobles

For a limited time Book 1 is on sale for $.99  Amazon

 The Melting, Book 2 – The Progression

Excerpt 5 – Book 2

Briana shivered as she hurried toward the kitchen. The temperature had fallen drastically and snow was spitting outside. The generators that were still working couldn’t handle the HVAC units for the buildings. More were being scouted as a top priority but in the meantime heat was a luxury.

The children had been moved to the kitchen. Between the stoves and the dishwashers some heat was generated. She knew that more people would opt to sleep there tonight regardless of the uncomfortable conditions.

None of them would take any responsibility for the hardship. That was a given. She shoved her hands back into her pockets. The gloves would help but she had to work too. At least a knit cap covered her dark hair. The gray was showing with no expensive treatments to keep it hidden, but she wasn’t alone there. She’d managed to keep her figure, but now regretted all those treats she had passed up. Having a little more meat on her bones would have come in handy to stay warm. The jogging and minor workouts in the gym were nothing compared to the kind of work she did now.

She’d taken the paper she’d found in the shorthand book back to the room she and John shared and they’d checked out the information Meg had hidden. John had moaned when he’d read the skills of the people that had left. This was a different list than the one Gary had finally located in the desk.

Gary’s list had everyone’s name, age, previous position and family affiliation. The one she found had the skills in detail. They had lost a dentist, a firefighter, and a seamstress not to mention both head cooks. They’d lost a lot of their organizational skills as well. Gary had gotten the work lists back up with help from Briana and Sarah, but the people handling the work now needed more supervision.

Briana looked at the corridor floor. It hadn’t been swept in some time. These weren’t dust bunnies in the hall, more like dust grizzly bears but there was actual litter as well. She knew for a fact that job was on the work list, but no one cared. Gary couldn’t be everywhere and no one listened to Sarah or her.

No one had cared enough about the staff that had welcomed them to learn anything about them. Or to realize their value.

Briana entered the dining room to see that it was already crowded. It smelled of a past burnt meal or two, unwashed bodies and clothes and now accidents by the children. More than one of the children had reverted with the trauma that was their reality now. Those children were in the back, in an area created for them nearer the stoves. They still looked cold and miserable.

People had begun skipping what little bathing they could do in order to avoid undressing. The temperature in the corridors couldn’t be much above fifty during the day. Thank goodness it was too cold for fleas. Would lice be next? That was a cheerful thought.

She could ask Gary to set up an area in the very back of the kitchen with some kind of privacy screen so that everyone could at least take a sink bath, wash their hair. There was more than one person in here who needed it badly. But would he listen? There would be warm water and she thought there was a drain in the floor back there.

Laundry duty had become a daily chore and with the cold, the duty was more appreciated. It was one of the warmer areas with the machines going.

If they couldn’t at least keep clean, sickness was going to be next. They did have doctors here and medicines for a while.

If they had been able to keep the people that had escaped . . .

Briana headed toward the children’s area. All of the children needed an extra cuddle these days. The yelp startled her and she saw flames take hold of the grease left from a past meal on the stove. “Get the children out!” She hissed toward the nearest woman and raced for the fire extinguisher. None of the people lounging in the area were military. That schism was growing as well, so no one reacted to the emergency.

Release day is tomorrow!! Not that I’m excited or anything… 

Excerpt 4 – Book 2

Jim joined Vic, Celine and Meg in a corner of the main room early the next morning. “We need to do a supply run.”

Vic nodded. “We were discussing our priorities. Food is at the top.”

“Yes, but we’ve got to get organized too. Without running water, things are going to get rank fast,” Meg pointed out.

“So we’ll work on the bathhouse too. There’s going to be plenty of work to do and with this crowd, the hands to do it.”

“What can you do with the bathhouse?” Celine asked.

“Not sure yet. Food first, then we try to rig up something to get water to that building, a small generator maybe, for a pump. A windmill might do it and we could install some tubs for laundry. We’ll think better when we’re more settled and being clean will help us get settled. As crowded in as we are, that’s going to be crucial.”

“Why don’t Meg and I go out on the bike? See what we can find, maybe find a car and bring back what we can,” Jim offered.

Meg looked up startled. “Me?”

“I took a small bike. Can’t see Vic holding on to me long enough for a scouting trip.” He grinned and Meg felt her stomach drop. The man had beautiful eyes, like melted dark chocolate.

She could feel Vic’s eyes on her. “Would you be okay with that?” The large man waited for her answer.

Jim raised his right hand in the Boy Scout salute. “I’m a hell of a nice fellow.”

Vic harrumphed at that and Celine laughed. Meg forced herself to meet Jim’s eyes again. “When?”

“As soon as you’re ready. We’re gonna have some hungry people when they all wake up.”

Great, she was going to be pressed up against this man on a motorcycle and she couldn’t shower. She was wearing yesterday’s clothes because she hadn’t gotten around to unpacking while she helped the others. Of course, she didn’t really have any place to unpack to yet. At least she’d brushed her teeth.

“I’m ready now.”

“Good. Don’t worry.” Jim turned to Vic again. “I’ll keep her safe.”

“You better.” Vic’s voice was deep and serious now.

Jim nodded and gestured toward the bike he had parked close to the building. He held the door for Meg and handed her a helmet as they approached it.

“What about you?” She didn’t reach for the heavy plastic.

“Only have the one helmet. You wear it. If we find another one, I’ll take it. Ever ridden a bike before?” At the shake of her head he checked to ensure she had the helmet strapped on then took his seat on the bike. Meg, with minimal hesitation, swung her leg over the bike and found herself pressed up against him.

“Hold on around my waist. Tight, that’s it. Let’s go find some grub.”

Startled, she chuckled, then her grip on him tightened as he pulled away from the building. She didn’t try to talk. The wind was in her face and she didn’t know what to say in any case. She still couldn’t believe she had fallen asleep with her head on this man’s shoulder last night. Exhaustion of course, but still . . .