Lorraine Carey

Lorraine Carey
This is my secret place I go to write for inspiration- Pedro St. James Castle, Grand Cayman

Monday, December 8, 2014

Meet the Italian Beauty Christina Ciccone and her Nightmare!

Christina Ciccone is the main character from
 The Last Vestal Virgin.
She’s young, gorgeous, smart and has the love of her Italian American family. So why is she experiencing nightmares so frequently?
  • Her first of several nightmares to come:

The townspeople watched the ornate wooden carriage being escorted over the stone-paved road by the two lictors. Christina woke, once again drenched in sweat, to find her arms strapped down to the inside of the carriage. “Where am I?” she screamed. She tried to pull herself free but the tight leather straps wouldn’t budge. The more she tried to free herself, the deeper they dug into her wrists. A veil over her face impeded her vision, so she couldn’t see where she was, but could hear the clatter of horses’ hooves over the stone road, and the rustling of people surrounding her. Soon they came to a stop. She was untied from the carriage but her wrists were bound behind her back when she was lifted out. “Behold! We look upon this once- Vestal priestess, Adelia as one that has displeased the Goddess. Let her sins go with her into the next world so that Rome may not suffer any repercussions from her offenses. May the gods denounce her once-sacred title and remove all impure acts this Vestal imposed upon the city. I, chief priest Diocedus have declared this sanction, as ordered by The Pontifex Maximus. Behind her veil, Christina’s tears flowed down her face. She was led into a dark underground chamber, which reeked of must and dirt.
Only then were her hands untied and her veil lifted. Standing before her stood a man dressed in a long red robe who appeared to be a priest.
“Please, tell me where I am!” she pleaded.
“Silence,” he whispered and placed his rough finger to her lips. He turned and climbed up a ladder. When he reached the top, he
yanked it. A wooden plank was slammed over the entrance, and she was left alone in the dark. The sound of dirt being thrown over it caused a sickening pounding in her chest, and all she could think- was, dear God, I’m being buried alive! Christina screamed, but it was useless. The familiar voices and the noise of the carriage which had carried her there, soon faded. There was only silence, except for the thunderous thumping in her ears. She gazed about the chamber, as her eyes adjusted to the dark, to find a small table in the corner on which sat an oil lamp, and beneath it a bowl of milk. A strange bathtub dominated the center of the chamber. A bowl of fruit lay on the ground in the other corner. The room had to be the size of a small bedroom. This place looked all too familiar.

She glanced down at the white linen gown which she recognized from the other dream, and a shudder rippled through her. A moment later she stood there naked, having ripped the gown from her body and flinging herself onto her knees. She started to claw her way out through the dirt walls.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Meet Mystery Author Dawn Kopman Whidden!

Thank you Lorraine Carey for the invite to this BOOK BLOG TOUR.

My name is DAWN KOPMAN WHIDDEN and I am a late bloomer! I started writing professionally at the age of 58 and published my first book A CHILD IS TORN: INNOCENCE LOST one year later.


I have written three novels to date, each one a stand-alone novel but with a cast of characters that find themselves involved with each other trying to solve a murder mystery as well as life’s challenges.

My first book: A CHILD IS TORN is told through the eyes of a child psychiatrist. Dr. Hope Rubin is a 30 something divorcee who is romantically challenged and skeptical about men, especially good looking ones.

My second book: FACELESS: A MYSTERY: is told through the point of view of Detective Jean Whitley, a married woman coming into her 40’s and trying to make her way in a predominately male profession while simultaneously trying to raise a teenage daughter in today’s chaotic world and keep her family intact.
My third novel STOLEN is at the editor’s now. This book is seen through the point of view of Detective Marty Keal….New to Detective status he is struggling to get his professional and private life on track.

Each of my novels are told in the first person, but is also told through the third person.  What I found is that in order to tell a story, you need to be a fly on the wall. If telling a story from one’s point of view, they cannot tell you what is happening when they are not around, hence forth the fly on the wall theory. I have struggled with this while writing and have even tried to stop it, but it seems to take a life of it’s own. My books I think are more like watching a TV show or movie, where the reader is the audience.

Each story has taken a life of it’s own. I never know the end until the end… much like the reader.


Thanks again for the invite.



Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Encounter with a Stranger

 While sitting outside the doctor’s office this morning an elderly tall black man came through the door and sat beside me. He had a small styrofoam cup in his hands which was dripping over with coffee. He was quite tall, had on a straw Fedora and what appeared to be children’s sunglasses.They were the kind with the bright neon chrome rims. He also had many missing teeth. He kept looking at me and began to chat. He was speaking in a very  low voice that was almost inaudible. He had asked me if I knew about horoscopes, which I thought was odd and I told him I was on the cusp and asked him what he was. He said “I am happiness.” I gave him a look and told him that was a good one. He then told me that I am also ‘Happiness’. He had also commented on my hair color and had said it shimmered like gold. I began to think this man was flirting or just didn’t know what his motive was. The nurse came out and asked him who he was here to see. He had said, “A nurse.” She asked him if it was her and he replied, “No.” She walked back in her office and he once again attempted to speak with me. I wanted to try to help him so I asked him who he was here to see again. He had no answer. I picked up a magazine trying to avoid further conversation with  him. The door finally opened as I was being called in by my doctor. As I walked by him his words to me were, “ You are happiness.” I just shrugged it off and went in for my appointment.

Emerging from the doctor’s office the stranger was nowhere in sight. I had asked some other people is they had seen him and all replies were the same. No one had seen him. 


Driving home from my appointment I had the strangest feeling come over me, It was one of total calm. This was a far cry from my emotions prior to my doctor appointment. I had to ask myself just who was this stranger? Was he there to cheer people up? Was he lonely and needed someone to talk to or was he what we would call an ‘Earth Angel’? Guess I’ll never know. But one thing I will remember is that my new horoscope sign is now “Happiness.”