THE BLENDED LIVES CHRONICLES: SIDES OF THE ORDER
SYNOPSIS
Lady Laya MoonWalker is a well respected author and magazine owner and a high priestess in the magickal community. After a drawn-out battle with the forces of dark magik, she has come into her own. She lives and works on Planet Korponious, where she is the owner and creator of an Interplanetary Magazine called “Blended Lives Chronicles.” Her mission is to blend the lines of race, creed, and disability that separate so many and to elevate the recognition of the training and ability of Service Animals of all kinds to a new level. She has just been accepted into the Blended Lives Federation and now hopes to continue her work in a way like nothing known to her before.
Laya has created allot of wreckage along the way through her dark journey into the light, and now she wishes to set this to right. She has just received her best break ever. Frank Prince, the CEO of The Blended Lives Learning Center, has invited her to the Celtic New Year Convention and Witches Ball as a reporter to write a story on the progress of The Blended Lives Planetary Federation. She will be their guest speaker at the opening ceremonies.
When Laya arrives at the Celtic Convention, she finds herself face to face with an old and dear friend, Blended Lives Learning Center Instructor and member of the Order of the Night, Derrick Gibbous. As they begin to connect, causing old sparks to reignite, they are tossed into a nasty battle from which not everyone will escape. People are not as they seem, and not everyone supports the side for which they appear to work.
As their love for one another grows, so does the battle. Despite everything, Laya and Derrick are determined to see their work to unite beings of all kinds succeed.
Excerpt
Here I was trying not to fall to pieces in this hotel, filled to bursting with every kind of being imaginable, with King fidgeting nervously beside me. I knew he was hungry. I’d not fed him. I rarely did before traveling. He wanted badly to get inside, to eat and be out of his harness, and I couldn’t get the keycard to work. Gods! I hate these things! Could they make them any less blind friendly? 2060 and we still have these Gods forsaken hindrances.
Just then, I heard the lift door slide open down the hall, and as it did, King turned his head and began to wag his tail, swishing its feathery tip round and round in quick little circles.
“Leave it!” I snapped the leash a bit more harshly than I meant to, jostling my bulging shoulder bag again. I figured there was someone with a dog or other annoying animal coming out of the lift, and the last thing I wanted at this moment was an unfamiliar encounter.
There were magickal beings from all kinds of learning facilities, covens, and tribes here, and most seemed to have forgotten more than they’d ever learned. There were groups of hostile rebels lurking about just looking to start a fight about who belonged where, and I was exhausted beyond belief.
The trip from Korponious to Casimia had been hell. The takeoff had been delayed due to meteor storms in the area. Between the delay, the turbulent take-off, and that Gods-forsaken squawking retriever parrot repeating its mistress’s command of, “Pick it up, baby, pick it up,” every five minutes, my nerves were shot.
I leaned forward, struggling to release the lock and open the door. But before I managed to get the door open, the strap on my oversized shoulder bag began to break, causing it to tilt and spill much of the contents onto the floor.
Derrick’s voice floated to me a moment later. “Honey, can I help?”
The keycard dropped from my trembling fingers. At that moment, I’d have taken an alien encounter or the squawking parrot over what the lift had delivered. As I leaned down to retrieve my wayward card, my bag hung crookedly off my right shoulder and swung awkwardly forward. The worn strap finally gave out, spilling the remainder of its contents onto the ever-growing pile of clutter, burying the blasted keycard all together.
“Great Morrigan! Bloody hell!” I swore before I could snap my mouth over the words.
The universe, it seemed, was having a good laugh at my expense, because suddenly, I dropped King’s leash. He, having not seen Derrick in a long time, and obviously loving him as much as always, decided, ‘To hell with the rules!’ He ran wagging, yipping the way only a labrador can, straight to him.
“God’s teeth! King! By all Hells! Come back here!” I cursed and scolded in a shaky voice, as I sifted through the clutter of my bag scattered hell to breakfast on the floor.
“I have him, and I think it’s okay just this once. You look like you could really use some help. How about it? Let an old Casimian friend lend a hand?”
I bit my lip in frustration and could taste blood in my mouth. I could smell his scent. Oh Gods, I could smell him. His fresh, clean, man scent. A warrior’s scent. My warrior’s scent.
This pleasant yet unexpected assault to my senses, along with the smooth assurance of his voice, washed over me. I knew to resist what Goddess had put in front of my path was futile and possibly disrespectful.
My throat ached with tears of fear and longing, which threatened to break free.
Resigned, I internally recommitted to a familiar mantra. There is no part of my life which does not belong to the Goddess. I stepped forward onto the path being given to me.
I sighed heavily as I stood. I knew if I were careful, I could put things back together with flows of earth and air. But as shaky as I was at the moment, I feared starting a detritus cyclone. So, after cautiously weaving flows of air to secure the strap, not daring one puff more, I began taking things from Derrick one at a time, making certain to put them into their proper places in my bag.
Once I was finished, he handed me King’s leash and said with just a hint of amusement, “And here’s your runaway dog.”
I reached for the leash with my left hand and held my right palm out toward him. “Thanks, I’ll take my key card, please?”
But he had already slid it into the door lock and opened the door. “Lights!” He commanded. He stepped inside and held the door for me so it would not catch King’s tail as we made our way through.
“King, heel,” I commanded in a low voice as we maneuvered past him into the room. King sat politely at my feet, sending visions of his food bowl directly into my mind.
I turned to face Derrick, and for a moment we stood, neither knowing quite what to say. I felt his eyes on me.
I took a deep breath, holding it for a full count of thirty. Then, speaking all in a rush, I said, “Well, now that I’ve made a complete fool of myself and ended up being a total nuisance right off the bat, let me say I didn’t know you’d be here until I’d already accepted the invite to speak.”
He paused, gathering his thoughts. “Would you have turned down such an awesome opportunity as this if you’d known?”
For a moment, I could only stand in silent shock. His response hadn’t been quite what I expected.
Finally, I took another deep breath to steady my voice. “No, I wouldn’t have. I would have had them let you know, and said you could either like it or lump it.”
He laughed, took my hand in his, and gave it a bit of a squeeze. “That’s my lady! I’d have been disappointed with any less.”
“So even though you knew I’d be here, you came?”
“Absolutely! I’ve wanted to see you.”
I angrily dropped his hand, white hot sparks of fire flashing as our fingers came undone.
Somewhere below, far away yet near enough to hear, someone shouted, “Look at the sky. Where did that storm come from?”
As clouds covered the mid-day Casimian sun, neither of us spoke.
Then, after a quick look out the window at the darkening sky, with a cautionary note in his voice, Derrick broke the silence. “I suppose you’d like to know, if I wanted to see you so badly, why I didn’t do something about it. Contact you in some way, something?”
“Well, Derrick Gibbous! Renowned, twisted psychic!” I snapped, sarcasm dripping from every word. Loud crashes of thunder roared one after another overhead as I worked to rein in my fury. “Of course, you’re right! What do you mean, you’ve wanted to see me? I’ve been trying to talk with you forever, nearly going crazy, and you’re standing there chatting excitedly as if we’re at a friendly reunion.” I bit my lip again, unknowingly releasing the scent of blood into the air.
I snapped. The stress was finally more than I could deal with. I turned away from him, tossing out a blast of power that ripped the door from his hand and slammed it shut. It was all I could do to keep from levitating him right off the floor and hanging him upside down from the ceiling. For a moment, I nearly lost complete control of the flow of air I’d blasted out, and there were a few uncomfortable seconds when Derrick’s feet floated an inch or two above the floor.
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About Patty L. Fletcher
Patty Fletcher is a single mother with a beautiful daughter, of whom she is enormously proud. She has a great son-in-law and six beautiful grandchildren. From April 2011 through September 2020, she owned and handled a black Labrador from The Seeing Eye® named King Campbell Lee Fletcher A.K.A. Bubba. Sadly, after a long battle with illness on September 24, 2020, King Campbell went to the Rainbow Bridge where all is peace and love. In July 2021, she returned to The Seeing Eye® and was paired with a Black Labrador Golden Retriever cross named Blue.
PATTY’S BLINDNESS…
Patty was born one and a half months premature. Her blindness was caused by her being given too much oxygen in the incubator. She was partially sighted until 1991, at which time she lost her sight due to an infection after cataract surgery and high eye pressure. She used a cane for 31 years before making the change to a guide dog.
WHERE SHE LIVES AND WORKS…
Currently, Patty lives and works in Kingsport, Tenn.
She’s the creator and owner of Tell-It-To-The-World Marketing (Author, Blogger, Business Assist), The Writer’s Grapevine Online Magazine and the creator and host of the Talk to Tell-It-To-The-World Marketing Podcast.
WRITING GOAL…
Patty writes with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disabled from the non-disabled.
Patty is also a published author.
Books by Patty Fletcher
Pathway to Freedom – Broken & Healed
Bubba Tails
Campbell’s Rambles
Pathway to Freedom – Broken & Healed
In this, the first book in her memoir trilogy, Pathway to Freedom – Broken and Healed: Book One – How a Seeing Eye Dog Retrieved My Life, Patty shares how her decision to gain complete independence with the help of ‘The Seeing Eye Guide Dog’ school in Morris Town, New Jersey, reveals to her a glimpse into worlds she had never before known existed.
Once home from ‘The Seeing Eye’ she soon begins to realize all is not right in her world.
Watch your step as you journey down the pathway with Patty and Campbell, for there are many obstacles along the way. There are triumphs and tribulations, tears and fears, but through it all that forever guide by her side, King Campbell works tirelessly to keep her safe from harm.
Reviews
Powerfully raw at times, the author’s words never shrinks from expressing what needs to be told. By way of her own story, Ms. Fletcher urges readers to pay attention to their own hearts, to protect their own spirits, and to blaze their own trails. – JM
Pathway to Freedom Broken and Healed: Book One How a Seeing Eye Dog Retrieved My Life Second Edition, by Patty Fletcher is the author’s own story about courage and determination, as a blind person and a woman, and the intense love and trust between human and dog. – TH
Bubba Tails
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In this magical and love-filled tail, King Campbell, Super Seeing-Eye Dog AKA Bubba travels to the puppy nursery at The Seeing Eye to help ready a group of puppies who are just about to embark on the fabulous journey of learning to become Seeing-Eye dogs. Just as he is about to finish his tail, a wee pup becomes very frightened of all that lies ahead, and one frightfully stormy night she runs away! Will King Campbell hear the urgent call from the puppy nursery in time? Will they find her and save her so she can fulfil her destiny?
Reviews
Wow! I loved reading this! What an amazing story about an incredible journey. This is about a journey from The Seeing Eye, Inc. in New Jersey to Kingsport Tennessee, but is also about the journey of a loving owner, and her special canine companion. – SL
This is a sweet story, chock full of educational information about the training of guide dogs and also magical, whimsical details about dogs and puppies wishing, dreaming, singing, fearing and hoping for the future, doubting themselves, and working together to find one of their own and bring her home safely. A great teaching tool for kids and an entertaining piece for adults as well. – BB
Campbell’s Rambles
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This is the story of how the author obtained her first guide dog, Campbell, from The Seeing Eye™ in Morristown, New Jersey: what motivated her, the extensive training she had, the special relationship she developed with her trainer, and the good friends she made.
Once she returned home to Tennessee, there were many new challenges to be met and overcome, including domestic abuse. All that was in addition to her chronic conditions of bipolar disorder and fibromyalgia.
With honesty, courage, and humor, Patty Fletcher tells a remarkable story of personal development that is sure to inform, entertain, and inspire others, both blind and sighted.
Legal Notice: THE SEEING EYE and SEEING EYE are registered trademarks of The Seeing Eye, Inc.
Reviews
I really enjoyed this book! Patty Fletcher is a great writer. She shares in a vulnerable and authentic voice about not only getting her seeing eye dog, Campbell, but about her life. – WW
Ms. Fletcher paints a vivid picture of her experience in training for a guide dog under difficult personal circumstances. A must read for those contemplating the move from a cane to a guide dog, as well as those interested in the physical and mental obstacles faced by the blind. – LD
CONTACT…
Email: patty.volunteer1@gmail.com
Walk alongside Patty and Chief Seeing Eye® Dog Blue on the Pathway to Freedom.