Sunday 6 February 2011

The Little Monsters - Author Kat Holmes

Please give a warm welcome to Kat Holmes!

I live in an apartment complex. This place is huge, a city unto itself. I honestly think this place should have its own zip code it’s so large. We even have almost everything we need, a supermarket across the street, a liquor store for those who like to drink—a lot—and even a small post office.

What we didn’t have was a Laundromat within walking distance. We’re not allowed to hang our laundry out to dry. That’s in our leases, so we have to go and do our laundry and dry it at a Laundromat. With rising gas prices on top of having to pay for the machine this was getting expensive. So our complex built a really nice laundry just around the corner from my apartment.

This is a good thing right? Sure it is. Well…it would have been but for one slight, annoying little problem. The place they built the Laundromat is where the local bus stop was located. They could no longer let the little monsters…err I mean darlings, yeah darlings; anyway, they couldn’t let them continue to be picked up there. Nope, they had to move the bus stop. And you get one guess where they moved it. That’s right, the new stop is right outside my window.

Every morning the little you-know-what’s gather first thing, bright and early and begin jabbering. And kids don’t come with a volume control switch. For some reason they think the kid next to them can’t hear them unless they’re shouting at the top of their little lungs. And if that wasn’t bad enough? My apartment is at the end of the street, located right next to a bright red stop sign. The kids love to bang the metal sign and kick the post it stands on.

But afternoons, 2:30 p.m. to be exact, are the worst! The monsters—no, darlings—come home. But when they get off the bus they don’t go home. Oh no, they congregate under a tree just across from my window, and they yell and gab…and curse. I swear the stuff coming out these elementary level students’ mouths are worse than anything I said until I was in high school. It’s a constant litany of “fuck this” and “screw your mama” and “suck my dick”.

Elementary schoolers…kids no older then ten! Can you believe it? And while they’re busy cursing each other, a few adventurous, not mention destructive, little leprechauns decided to climb on parked cars and jump on people’s hoods. People come home from work to find dents in their spare cars and have no idea how they got there but then have to pay for repairs.

So the Laundromat is a good thing. We no longer have to drive far to do our clothes. However, it did create a really bad thing. The monsters—yes, monsters not darlings—now dwell in hungry, feral packs outside my window during the entire school year!




Blurb:

Brent Larkin came to Antarctica to study penguins. He didn’t come looking for either adventure or romance. But when a freak storm blows in and he loses his way, that’s exactly what he gets. Attacked by some bobbing lights, he suddenly finds himself in a wintry forest surrounded by men with swords pointed at him. The next thing he knows he’s in a dungeon and chained to the wall.

Awni is the queen of Artica, a land of eternal winter. The daughter of a god, Awni’s cursed to never know the touch of another. Her icy skin is death for anyone who dares to touch her flesh. But, when a mysterious stranger shows up in her lands, she finds herself drawn to him. Eager to learn about his world, she invites him to spend time with her only to be shocked when he touches her and doesn’t freeze to death.

But Artica is a land ruled by tradition. Though she longs to keep Brent with her, the laws of the land force her to send him home. But without him, both she and the land begin to suffer. Now, Awni is facing the same peril as one of her ancestors. And if she perishes like her ancestor did, all of Artica will pay the price. Can Brent, returned to his own world, somehow find his way back and save her before all is lost?

https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2

12 comments:

Lin said...

I share the wonderful daily adverture that is ours every school year since they built the laundromat and moved the bus stop to right outside our windows...and by the way, these are our BEDROOM windows.

We had a HUGE snowstorm recently. The hellions got two days off. During those two days, the complex, which Kat explained is big, has a bunch of snow plows that quickly pushed mountains of snow into...well mountains of snow.

Day three...the little hellions HAVE school. When they arrive back, they get off the bus, yammering about sucking this, pissing on that, and f-ing whatever is left...but now they have something that isn't usually there...The snow mountain AND lots of snow to make snow boulders they can then toss at the doors of us unfortunates who now live right at the new bus stop.

Snow boulders when they hit your door with the force of scads of hellions tossing them all at once, makes every wall in your aparmtnet shake and your teeth, inside your head, peacefully minding there own business also suffer from the g-forces of snow boulders lambasting your apartment door.

If you have the emerity, and of late, I have developed such temerity, to open the window and yell out at them to "GO HOME"...they look up at you like you've grown three heads, shrug their collective shoulders and say "Whatever."

Do they leave? Not until the complex security or the police are on the ball about doing their jobs and trawl the area during the time the school busses are belching out the hellions.

Only then do they run for cover...far from here, and something resembling quiet returns until the next bust arrives, opens its doors and belches out the next band of little hellions.

I LOVE the laundromat, but I want the old bus stop back!

I have read FROZEN and Kat has created a wonderful world complete with it's own god, Tichi. I loved it and can't wait for the sequel.

anny cook said...

Wonderful excerpt.

We also have the bus stop issues. I think all apartment complexes do.

Unknown said...

Isn't it awful Anny? It drives us nuts. And kids today. I can't believe the mouths on them and the total lack of respect for anyone.

Unknown said...

As a parent and we just moved out of an apartment complex, often times if you are told your kids after like that, (some parents have to be convinced) you are shocked. Most parents don't know. I've been told before and afterwards my son got a grounding and a beat down. Problem solved.

Solution for you...video and YouTube. I'd use my phone or camera on my laptop and just take a general video of the groups congregating and cussing. Dont focus on one kid or anything. Then start a rumor. Complexes are great for rumors. The parents who don't usually care will if people are finding out and the ones who don't

Love the blurb on Frozen.

Paul McDermott said...

If I may offer you some balm in gilead, you should take consolation from the fact that you are not (yet!) hamstrung by the passing of ridiculous bylaws which effectively mean that the 'little darlings' are protected every which way but loose against any retaliatory actions you may be tempted to carry out.
If you have the nerve to open your mouth to them, the least you can expect is a knock on your door within half an hour and an officer of the law will inform you that you have been accused of being a paedophile. The kids KNOW this (their social workers in school have made sure of this) and IF they know for certain who BOTH their parents are (or where they can be found) the parents are usually twice as aggressive and impossible to reason with.

Paul McDermott said...

If I may offer you some balm in gilead [consolation] you should take consolation in the fact that you are not (yet!) hamstrung by the passing of ridiculous bylaws which we have here in the UK.
These laws effectively mean that the 'little darlings' are protected every which way but loose against any retaliatory actions you may be tempted to carry out.
If you have the nerve to open your mouth to them, the least you can expect is a knock on your door within half an hour and an officer of the law will inform you that you have been accused of being a paedophile. The kids KNOW this ( 'cos their social workers in school have TOLD them of their "rights") and IF they know for certain who BOTH their parents are (or where they can be found) the parents are usually twice as aggressive and impossible to reason with.

Emmy Ellis said...

Tsk. There are some little sods about, but as a parent, I know how kids change once they leave the home. It's a natural thing they do, although bugging to everyone else, and when they're older they'll probably cringe at their behaviour. Still, that doesn't solve your problem now, does it?

:o)

Unknown said...

No it doesn't help now. Part of the problem I think is parents today depend too heavily on things like tv and video games to parent their children rather than doing it themselves. And the other part is kids just don't have any manners. LOL

Lin said...

As a former teacher I cna attest to the fact that many darlings DO hear what they spout out here at home. You are also right that many parents WOULD be appalled to learn their children behave this way. Many a parent-teacher conference I had with my students parents dealt with this issue. I just wish they'd move the bus stop back to the laundromat area. But the road to hell is not JUST paved with good intentions.

I do assure one and all you are going to love Frozen, the land of Artica, it's lights, Queen Awni, and Tichi the creative god Kat made to rule over the land of eternal winter.

Faith Bicknell said...

LOL, I used to live in town. Nuf said!

ev said...

Jumping on cars? Take pics and give them to the owners when they get home. They can pass them on to their insurance company and if they have names of the kids, the parents will most likely get a call from the ins co. for damages.

Take video and post it. Not only that, send it to the schools, the cops and the apt complex. AND hold onto it if you need to get that stopped moved and do it thru legal channels.

Keep in mind, if you have sound, make it a running commentary about what is going on so someone doesn't say you are being a pedophile, but shows that you are documenting the actions and what you can see and hear.

Parents turn a blind eye and then tend to side with their kids unless there is evidence to the contrary. I mean aren't all our kids perfect?

Kaye Manro said...

I would not want to teach in the public school system today!

I feel for kids who have to just about raise themselves. Hard to deal with I'm sure, esp. at the bus stop.

That said, Frozen sounds so intruguing, Kat. That cover rocks!