Tree of Life: Branching Out Featuring Djinnia

July 23, 2013July 23, 2013 / WriterlySam / 18 Comments

Welcome to the TREE OF LIFE: Branching Out collaborative writing challenge, where creative minds meet epic movie music. To read the collective story in its entirety as it unfolds and for more details on this groundbreaking collaboration with Audiomachine click HERE.

Today’s featured guest is the mysterious spinner of tales, Djinnia. You can find more of her lyrical prose in the winner’s circle of Figment as well as Wattpad, Authonomy and Hexbound.

* Listen to the inspiring track from Audiomachine’s Tree of Life album featured in the sidebar music player

Inspiring Soundtrack: Audiomachine – Breaking Through – Tree of Life

A gust of wind tore through the Tree’s branches. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in dark tones. The threatening storm ruptured, and rain poured from the sky.

Zoe’s heart saddened as the vibrant new life became pummeled by the pelting rain. “Oh no.”

He touched her shoulder in comfort. “It’s all right. Death is as natural as life.” He lifted her face with the crook of his finger to meet his gaze. “Many will survive and be the stronger for it. Those that do not will be mourned by you because you loved them.”

She understood then. Love was the savior and the destroyer. It was the succor and the hindrance. It was the truth speaker and the deceiver. Love was meant to be clung to tightly yet strong enough to let go without reservation.

Zoe laughed as she threw her hands up into the storm. The freedom of her insight exploded forth from her heart like a Phoenix from the ashes. She grabbed his hands and danced away in giddiness as she imagined her soul flying alongside in joyous rapture.

The rain slackened then stopped. The clouds vanished to allow sunlight to create water diamonds to dazzle their eyes as a rainbow painted the sky.

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ATTENTION FANS: You can WIN an autographed TREE OF LIFE Audiomachine album by LEAVING COMMENTS! On August 17th, two lucky readers will be chosen at random from the comments section of the story excerpts. The more you comment–the better your chances are of winning a piece of cinematic history! We want to hear from YOU!

TREE OF LIFE is available NOW! Click on the following links:

Purchase a CD from CD Baby
Download it from iTunes
Stream it on Spotify Download it from Amazon Purchase a CD from Amazon

Tree of Life: Branching Out Featuring Ruth Long

July 22, 2013July 22, 2013 / WriterlySam / 15 Comments

Today I’m featuring the runaway imagination of the gifted storyteller, Ruth Long. Check out life from a writer’s point of view at BULLISH INK

* Listen to the inspiring track from Audiomachine’s Tree of Life album featured in the sidebar music player

Inspiring Soundtrack: Audiomachine – The Truth – Tree of Life

The leather-clad rider swung down from the saddle, tattered russet duster flapping behind him like the banner of a long-forgotten realm, tawny hair swishing in the breeze like the tail of his chestnut mount. “From the dust we come and to the dust we return.”

“How did you come by this wisdom?” she asked, eyes, ears, and heart as wide as the ocean.

He scooped up a handful of soil, and let it sift through his fingers like the sands of time. “Because I am the Adam who came before, the one who lives now, and the one who is yet to come.”

She crouched beside him. “Then you must know what I am to do with this gift.”

His smile was gentle. “Consider this: what matters most is how you spend those precious heartbeats between rising from dust and returning to it. This is the truth that never changes, the story of our days, the root of the Tree of Life.”

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TREE OF LIFE is available NOW! Click on the following links:

Purchase a CD from CD Baby
Download it from iTunes
Stream it on Spotify Download it from Amazon Purchase a CD from Amazon

Tree of Life: Branching Out Featuring Susan Scott

July 21, 2013July 21, 2013 / WriterlySam / 15 Comments

Today’s featured guest writer is the passionate Susan Scott. Please join Susan’s brilliant, thought-provoking discussions at the Garden of Eden Blog.

Audiomachine – The Legend Begins – Tree of Life

The air seemed to thicken slightly as she stood next to him.

“You know my name then. You know that Zoe means Life and that the Ancient Greeks believe that it derives from Eve, she who ate the apple in the Garden of Eden which resulted in the rise from unconsciousness and into the real world?”

“I know this”, he replied. “I know too that women have been blamed for you and your husband’s expulsion from Paradise. But you must know that the Tree from which you ate was both a blessing and a curse?”

She looked up at him.

“Yes, it is a paradox, isn’t it. I chose to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. For my choice we were banished from Paradise and were unable to leave via the Tree of Life which stood at the furthest end of the garden. Flaming swords were placed there to prevent us leaving via that route”.

She sighed.

“Do you mean to say that I have a choice now in accepting this precious gift?”

“This is what I mean. But this gift also carries with it both a blessing and a curse”.

“I have dreamed of this moment for aeons”, whispered Zoe.

The sky darkened further.

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TREE OF LIFE is available NOW! Click on the following links:

Purchase a CD from CD Baby
Download it from iTunes
Stream it on Spotify Download it from Amazon Purchase a CD from Amazon

Tree of Life: Branching Out Featuring DL Hammons

July 20, 2013 / WriterlySam / 12 Comments

Today’s featured guest writer is the innovative DL Hammons. Check out DL’s mystery/thriller/suspense projects and exciting contributions to the blogosphere over at Cruising Altitude 2.0.

Inspiring Soundtrack: Audiomachine – Above and Beyond – Tree of Life

“But heed my words closely, exalted one,” the stranger spoke, an ominous shadow falling over his eyes. His voice had taken on a serious tone and everything around them seemed to mirror his demeanor, the wind dwindled to a wispy afterthought and his equine companion had become as still as the Caretakers statue.

“The Elders do not entrust this gift lightly, and you would be wise to weigh your choices carefully.”

She looked up from her fingertips into the depths of the visitors gaze.

“Your bestowal, and the fire from which it emanates, are simply a tapestry of affairs used by the Elders to bring forth harmony. Come and behold what you have wrought.”

With little prudence or conscious will, she moved to take her place beside the outlander.

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TREE OF LIFE is available NOW! Click on the following links:

Purchase a CD from CD Baby
Download it from iTunes
Stream it on Spotify Download it from Amazon Purchase a CD from Amazon

Tree of Life: Branching Out Featuring Gary Philip Pennick

July 19, 2013July 19, 2013 / WriterlySam / 35 Comments

Today’s featured guest is the clever composer of the written word, Gary Philip Pennick. With an inner voice that speaks volumes about the man challenging his inner critic, visit Gary’s thoughtful musings at Klahanie.

Inspiring Soundtrack: Audiomachine – The Fire Within – Tree of Life

The words resonated. The thoughts painted pictures of hope, of wonder, of love, in her mind, her heart, her soul.

The revelation of the moment, grew within and without. The Tree of Life spread forth the message. Intertwined with her, the branches, the blossoms spoke of the moment beyond the pain. The sadness she had felt soothed by the knowledge that beyond the anguish, was a new beginning that was born from the heavens of a starry night.

The Tree of Life spoke of the fire within. The flickering flame. A beacon of rejoicing that when the sun doth rose, the world would understand that we shall dance together in an all different, all equal, wondrous diversity. Her pain eased. The gift of a new life, spoken through the music of rustling leaves on the Tree of Life.

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TREE OF LIFE is available NOW! Click on the following links:

Purchase a CD from CD Baby
Download it from iTunes
Stream it on Spotify Download it from Amazon Purchase a CD from Amazon

Tree of Life: Branching Out Featuring Al Diaz

July 18, 2013 / WriterlySam / 20 Comments

Today’s featured guest is the celebrated Father Dragon himself, Al Diaz–an artist, philosopher and gifted storyteller. For a healthy dose of fiery food for thought, stop by the creative cave of Father Dragon Writes.

Inspiring Soundtrack: Audiomachine – Solstice Sun – Tree of Life

Her raced heart drummed in her ears. The twig grew faster at her touch. “Life.” She gasped, enraptured by the miracle she was witnessing. The flowery scent filled her senses.

She touched the tip of a branch, another twig emerged. Giggling, she tapped a couple of branches with the same results. She laughed and spun on her heels, her arms raised to the sky. She had the power of life in her hand!

She danced around the tree, leaving a trail of green after her touch. The more blossoms she saw, the more excited she became. “When the Wise Elders entrusted me with the mission to turn the Tree of Ages into the Tree of Life, I never thought it would be this easy.” Her fingertip stung and the starlight twinkled. “Oh, it hurts now.”

“Zoe, the act of giving life is anything but easy. It involves effort and, often, pain.”

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TREE OF LIFE is available NOW! Click on the following links:

Purchase a CD from CD Baby
Download it from iTunes
Stream it on Spotify Download it from Amazon Purchase a CD from Amazon

Tree of Life: Branching Out Featuring M. Pax

July 17, 2013 / WriterlySam / 22 Comments

Today’s featured guest is the masterful indie science fiction and fantasy author M. Pax. To read more from this incredibly gifted writer, visit M. Pax, where the stars are the beginning.

Inspiring Soundtrack: Audiomachine – Homecoming – Tree of Life

Until this moment, she believed brown so drab. Now it glimmered as inspiring as the greens incited by the horse’s tread, as breathtaking as a rainbow around the moon.

A tiny smile tickled her cheeks and her eyes, and she reached for the sunflower. Her fingertip heated, sizzled, flushing as pink as a blush. She shook her hand and brilliance as radiant as a star alit on her finger.

“Oh my!” She gasped and dared to meet the horse’s eye. The world swam in those inky pools, and her burning finger glowed in their depths like a signal fire. “Flames destroy. Light gives life. Which is this?”

The dapper man and his virile mount shifted from foot to foot, prancing, waiting. The steed’s soft snort warmed the breeze, sprouting a shower of petals — cosmos, dahlias, and violets.

She understood the decision belonged to her. Without fully understanding where her passions stood, she touched her finger to a twig.

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TREE OF LIFE is available NOW! Click on the following links:

Purchase a CD from CD Baby
Download it from iTunes
Stream it on Spotify Download it from Amazon Purchase a CD from Amazon

Tree of Life: Branching Out Featuring John Wiswell

July 16, 2013July 16, 2013 / WriterlySam / 24 Comments

Today’s featured guest writer is the remarkably facetious John Wiswell. To delve further into his unparalleled imagination, visit The Bathroom Monologues for something you don’t see everyday–updated daily.

Inspiring Soundtrack: Audiomachine – Rebirth – Tree of Life

Wind jostled the canopy until all boughs fanned west, then east, west, then east. They could have been waving to the land’s first visitor in too long, and every eastward wave causing their limbs to green further.

She couldn’t stop herself from smiling, and eventually looked to the oncoming visitor, wondering how to explain what was happening to someone from abroad. He was obscured behind his horse, which was perilously tall, with an ashen mane that stood out against the increasingly verdant surroundings. Every time one of its hooves touched the ground, weeds sprouted and unfurled. Everywhere its eyes ticked, there dry bushes budded, as though eager to catch its attention.

The miracles of its hooves were so entrancing that she missed the man peering around the horse’s side to smile at her. He had brown hair, brown eyes, a brown shirt, and so many freckles that there was scarcely room for flesh. The horse whinnied at him, and she saw a sunflower spring out from behind his left earlobe. The man chuckled, plucked it free and twiddled it at her.

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TREE OF LIFE is available NOW! Click on the following links:

Purchase a CD from CD Baby
Download it from iTunes
Stream it on Spotify Download it from Amazon Purchase a CD from Amazon

Tree of Life: Branching Out Featuring Amy Willoughby-Burle

July 15, 2013August 8, 2013 / WriterlySam / 33 Comments

Welcome to the first installment of the TREE OF LIFE: Branching Out collaborative writing challenge, where creative minds meet epic movie music. To read the collective story in its entirety as it unfolds and for more details on this groundbreaking collaboration with Audiomachine click HERE.

Today’s featured guest writer is the brilliant Amy Willoughby-Burle. Amy is especially amazing considering she started us off on this incredible journey just days before her fourth child is expected to make his debut:) Let’s give Amy a round of virtual applause and shower her with adoring comments for what promises to be an unforgettable story! You can visit Amy at Three Moons Rising and her official website.

Inspiring Soundtrack: Audiomachine – The Great Unknown – Tree of Life

She crossed the dew dampened yard on bare feet as the sun tried to break itself against the gray sky. At the cliff’s edge, she ran her hand around the trunk of a lone scrub-brush tree—barren as the dead fields in the way off. She felt the scratch of tree bark across her back—the thick morning wind bringing the bare tree branches down around her like a mother’s arms.

In the distance, someone approached, walking a horse at his side. She was accustomed to watching people walk away, but it had been a long time since someone had entered this land.

Something lit into her hair and she reached up to pull a green leaf from just above her brow. The wind yanked the leaf from her fingers. When she looked up to follow it, there at the tops of the dead tree grew bright green leaves, unfolding and reaching toward the sun even as she watched them.

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Tree of Life: Imagination Collaboration

July 3, 2013July 7, 2013 / WriterlySam / 25 Comments

IWSG meets the first Wednesday of every month. A community of brilliant writers led by Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Inspiring Soundtrack: Audiomachine – The Great Unknown – TREE OF LIFE

Today, I want to talk about inspiration. As writers, we find inspiration in many things. Whether it’s music or art, photography or nature, family or friends, love or loss…we are surrounded by endless opportunities to unlock our creative potential. Wherever your key inspiration lies, its what drives us to be better each and every time we create.

Never underestimate your ability to achieve your dreams! As a writer, the seeds of greatness have already been planted, let it take root and grow with each nurturing word. No matter what happens in your life, don’t lose sight of your passion for storytelling — it’s woven into the fabric of your being. If you set it aside, you’ll lose a crucial part of yourself. Use the harsh lessons of life to fuel your words — you never know when those words will influence others to do the same…

I’m taking this opportunity to extend an invitation to my fellow writerly friends and treasured readers to join me on an exciting journey through the imagination, driven by what inspires us!

I am collaborating with the major motion picture production house, Audiomachine, on a unique promotion for their next album release, Tree of Life. Audiomachine will be promoting the event on all social media platforms to help spread the word to a wide audience!

Beginning July 15th, I’ll be revealing daily excerpts of a brand new serial solely inspired by the Tree of Life album. There will be approximately 26 posts, each highlighting an album track. When the story is complete, readers will be able to vote for their favorite posts. Three lucky commenters from the top three posts, who’ve previously “liked” Audiomachine’s FB page (and, should they feel moved to “like” My FB page, I won’t stop ‘em) will be eligible for “fan prizes”, such as autographed Audiomachine albums and exciting new releases from your favorite authors!

In addition to this endeavor, I’ll be hosting a “Tree of Life: Branching Out” writing challenge for guest writers, each contributing their own 150 word excerpt to a continuing story collectively written over the course of 25 days. These clever masters of the craft will spin the story in whatever direction they choose, picking up where the previous writer left off, resulting in the ultimate collaborative tale. They, too, will discover what magic the music unlocks! Custom badges will be created for this event for all participating writers!

When the collective story is complete, fans will have a chance to vote for their favorite guest excerpt — the top three writers will be awarded prizes, which will include autographed copies of Audiomachine’s new album, original signed tree-inspired artwork and Biltmore Coffee Traders coffee! The first guest writer will post on July 15th, the second on the 16th and so on until August 9th.

Whoa! I, for one, will be consuming a fairly substantial amount of coffee in the next few weeks:) I hope you all will join us during this exciting collaboration – where music unlocks the imagination!

Attention Writers: If you have a new release coming up and would like to promote it during this collaboration by offering a copy as one of the prizes, give me a shout:) All prize contributors will be promoted, daily, during the event. This is an incredible opportunity to expose your work!

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I appreciate feedback, so comment, critique or just banter to your heart’s content! Should you leave a really awesome comment, I may share my fair-trade, shade-grown, bird-sanctuary, organic coffee with you:) Or, if you leave a link to your site, I can just pop in and say something witty after polishing off a cup or two!