The Keeper Files: Changes Copyright 2012 All Rights Reserved Katherine Rochholz

I thought I was fine the way I was, I fooled myself in believing I was content. I pushed myself to be the perfect child. My parents had me later in life, I was an only child. I was pushed to be perfect. I was the perky blonde cheerleader, dated the quarterback, had straight A’s and was on all the committees. Then one day it all changed.

I had been traveling to school when I almost hit some Gothicgothic punk. I, of course, screamed out the window at him. He was making me late. He mumbled something I didn’t hear, and I went along my way. But I thought of him later. There was something in his eyes. They were the color of the blood moon, and his lips were so blue. There were cracks along his face as if he was wearing a worn mask, one that needed to come off. I found myself distracted by his image. I looked for him at the school. After all he looked to be about eighteen, as I was, so he must be in school. But I was not able to locate him.

The days went by, I grew tired and weak. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, shadows lived under my eyes, and the make-up I used barely covered it. Soon I started to know other changes, my eyes started to go from blue to the same blood orange that I saw on the boy. My parents were of course concerned and took me to the doctor but they could find nothing wrong with me. Nothing at all. Then my hair started to turn black as coal, cracks started to form in my face, and my lips started to turn a vivid blue. It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe.

That is when the dreams started.

I was standing in the words, the boy I almost hit stood before me. I just looked at him, he was the same yet different. His eyes were the color of the blood moon, and his lips the most vivid blue I had ever seen, but the cracks and the shadows were gone. His skin was perfect. Pale and perfect. I remember asking him what he was, what he had done to me. He just smiled and said that I would soon be home. Before I could ask him what he meant I woke up.

This went on for weeks, months. I was getting weaker; I started to live in the shadows. I stopped caring about school, nor about being the perfect daughter. What did it matter when I was dying? I knew I was dying. What did it matter if I got in to Harvard? I no longer cared.

The dreams are what I lived for. I would just spend hours sitting with him. In silence. I stopped asking questions, he would just tell me I would soon be home. I believed him. I thought he was my angel. My angel that would take me home and stop the pain I felt in my waking moments. The pain became more and more as my skin became cracked. Soon my parents moved me to the hospital, as my muscles were showing, the skin cracked so deep. I could barely breath, barely move. Still I lived for the dreams. The dreams are what connected me to life. I didn’t want to lose them. They made my last days on Earth bearable.

But as with everything my time had come to an end. I laid in my bed, I had waited for my dream angel to come comfort me. Instead I could not sleep. The door of my room opened and the guy I almost hit the year before walked in and sat on the bed.

I just looked at him. I knew he came to take me home. He took my hand. “It is time to come home, soul keeper. It is time to learn your place in Paradise.”

“Soul keeper?” I asked as I left my body behind.

“You are a Keeper, a keeper of broken souls. Unlike other keepers we live on Earth. We mark other keepers, and keep their souls close to us until we take them home. Some will become like us, hidden in plain sight with a mask we wear. Others will go to Paradise and watch their souls from their offices on the clouds. But if you ask me we have the best jobs.”

“Why?”

“We get to help souls realize who they are, who they were meant to be. And we get to basically live forever. We get to watch the people of the Earth, we get to be a family. Are you ready to come home soul keeper?”

“Yes…” I took his hand and left my body behind… forever becoming a Keeper… a soul keeper…

 

Photo was found online at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gothic-Enchanted/301565166589021?fref=ts

Author Interview with A.L. Burgos

My lovely short interview with A.L. Burgos!


First a bit about the book:

Title: Sec4rets
Author: A.L. Burgos

 

Blurb: 

     We all have secrets...

          Mark, Tiffany, Kevin and  Kim are best friends.  When they enter High School together they find out that it's not all fun and games, as they find out that drama is involved.  They must stick together to get through High School, but when they start to keep secrets from each other, ones that can tear them apart, their friendships will be tested as the secrets come out.

     So will their friendships survive...

     Or will their secrets be too much,

     And tear them apart?

     Let the secrets come out...

Can you tell us an interesting fact about you, your writing, or anything at all? Or, is there anything in particular you want the readers to know about you?

What I want readers to know about me is that I have been writing since I was about 10 years old. I used writing as a way to express my feelings. As I got older the writing was then used as a form of therapy for me when I was down. Writing to me is my life and it will always be a big part of me. My goal with my writing is to reach people in some way shape or form.

When you are working on a book, do you plan ahead, or do you let the story flow as you write?

I plan the story lines way ahead of me writing. I plan how I want it to start and how I want it to end. As I write some new things come to me and the chapters come to me. So I plan ahead for certain things and then other things come to me as I write.

Are any of your characters in your books based on people that you know in real life?

I feel like in some way Mark is a reflection of myself. Not everything he does is what I have done or would do but his journey as a gay character trying to come into his own is all me.

Do you have an interesting writing quirk? Maybe something that you have to do while writing, or something that you have to do before you start writing?

I always always always have to listen to music when I am writing. It helps me get my creative jucies flowing.

Why 4 main characters? Why name them the way you did?

I choose 4 just because I feel it was a great number of characters to use. I didn't want too many to the point where the reader got confused. Naming them was just me typing and BAM those were their names...LOL.

What are you currently working on?

I am currently working on book 2 to the series. I have so many ideas for book 2 and the drama is going to be even more intense.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Hardest part of writing my book was some the things I talked about. I tackle real teen issues and sometimes it made me cry or cringe. I hated writing some scenes in the book because I hate having to hurt characters but this is real life and I want to reach people with my writing. I want a teen to read it and go "Wow I went through that" and have it help them in the issues they are going through.

What is your favorite scene? Fave Character?

I have a lot of fav scenes. One that pops to my head is the final scene of the book between Mark and Tiffany. Cant say too much but it gets intense. I also love the Halloween Dance chapter (chapter 8) there is so much drama. My fave character right now is Henry, he is there to serve a purpose for one the main characters and he will do just that.

What books (or authors) have influenced you the most during your career?

I am a huge fan of Alex Sanchez. He writes gay teen books that tackle gay teen issues and I love him for putting some of those things out there. Check out his Rainbow Boy series. It was truly amazing. I also love Sara Shephard as well.

Find A.L. Burgos Online on facebook: Author Page A.L. Burgos

Hunted

I decided to do a short novella as a Katy Lily Companion, it is called Hunted and it is Antonio and Sandra's story.  Here is the cover created by the talented J.V.K.

Love Hate and the World Goes Round

Coming September 14th to an EReader near you!!!!!

This is a collection of poems, short stories, and a novel by Katherine Rochholz.

It includes the first story of The Chronicles of Battle:
Hello, my name is simple; you hear it every day,you know you do without even knowing it,my name is Battle; well that is what they call me now.But once upon a time before my life changed,when I was young, my parents had named me Katrina. My grandma and grandpa called me Kat, and I was naive, that was then and then is what shaped my life today. So come on my journey with me and I will tell you how I ended up here. Where is here? I am laying here with a stake in my chest, releasing Hell upon Earth.
Come listen to the stories of an ancient slayer turned vampire... Listen to my stories, learn from the mistakes
of the past.... So when Earth gets her second chance... Humanity does not fail a second time...

It also includes the first three stories of the
I Am Death Saga. "I am Death... And I am your father." These are the words that all reapers hear upon their 18th birthday. They are cursed to a life of death. They must take the souls of mortals to judgment, never being judged themselves. Their only salvation is another soul. One created just for them. A soul to love them. A soul that shall save them from a life of death...

The novel that is included is "From an Unholy Union"
One young woman, thought to be dead, will change the order of the supernatural world, Katrina. But she has only an echo of a soul. So to over come the evil ruling the supernatural world she has to find her true love and gain her soul. Then she will have fight, for not only her life, but the lives of the ones whoare trying to kill her. From An Unholy Union She Shall Rise…