Gabriela Whitley Is Live

Gabriela Whitley: The Rise of the Kingdom is now available on amazon.com as well as barnesandnoble.com!

Gabriela Whitley's life as a college senior is both ordinary and enviable. Blessed with beauty, brains, good friends, and a handsome, athletic boyfriend who adores her, Gabriela is looking toward a future filled with success and happiness. She has no idea that she is being watched by someone who longs for her-that is, until she hears a strange, distinctively seductive voice in her head one evening while searching the local book store for another great book about vampires. She is terrified and runs into the night, but finds herself inexplicably drawn to 

the handsome and mysterious stranger, whose name is Maddox.

Unable to resist the lure of Maddox and his world of vampires, Gabriela learns that he knows even more about her than she knows of herself, such as her true past and the circumstances around her mother's death years earlier. She discovers that she is no ordinary young woman but heir to the throne in a place she thought existed only in dreams. But danger lurks there, too. For instance, Maddox tells her of his sister, Madison-but who is Madison really, and how far will she go to get what she wants?
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As more is revealed, Gabriela is torn between fulfilling her destiny and returning to her perfect life, which is spiraling out of control. In a story both romantic and unnerving, every choice has consequences-and no one is immune to temptation.

 

The First Book

On March 11, 2013, I received a call telling me that my book is on it's way. I giggled as I couldn't wait to see what it looked like. I had seen many versions of it on the computer and even seen what it looked like on Amazon, but that didn't mean nearly as much as holding it.
I waited patiently throughout the day at work and wished I could just run home to check. When my shift ended and the kiddos were packed in the car I drove home, tapping the steering wheel all the way. I couldn't get home fast enough, though home was literally three minutes away. I pulled into the driveway and sent my son to check the mail and glanced toward the porch. There sat a package nestled in between the screen door and the door itself. I giggled.
My son told me he didn't see the book in the mail and I pointed to the front door. He ran and grabbed it before I got a chance. When he handed it to me, he stood impatiently waiting for me to open it up. Though I tried to just tear it open, the packaging was tough and I tried not to break any nails. Finally it opened and I slid it out and into my hands. As I giggled, tears welled up in my eyes. "I did it," I said softly.
My son hugged me and said, "Why are you sad, mama?"

I laughed. "No, baby. Everything's fabulous! This is mommy's first book."
"Wow!" He said. "Can I read it to you?"
"Um, not this one baby." Flustered I didn't have a real good response except that this book is intended for adults.

Snow!

The first flakes of snow began to fall, though I was sound asleep. It wasn't til I woke that I knew the snow had fallen and to make matter's worse, I had spring fever. My son was ecstatic as well as my husband, but me I thought, Man I just washed my car!

I rounded up the children and took them to school. Punched in for the day and hoped at some point the snow would ease up. But the flakes got bigger and the snow came faster. By noon, I wondered how I would get us home. With school already in session, they cannot cancel and that was okay. We were probably out of school the next day anyway. The kicker of it all, we just had a holiday and Inservice day. This was their first day back and most likely their only day back this week. As the day progressed, many students left with their parents, but my groups were still present so I continued to teach them.

Finally, school ended and the first thing out of my son's mouth: I can't wait to shovel the neighbors' driveways and make some money!
I laughed. No matter how much he shoveled, the snow never let up. He worked until the sun went down (about an hour and a half) and I too worked on our driveway.

In the morning, it was as if we hadn't shoveled at all. I dreaded going back out to shovel the driveway, wishing my husband were home to do it instead. My son however, was extremely happy to go talk to the neighbor across the street. If you are wondering why he didn't shovel our driveway, it's because he said I don't pay him enough! We worked on the driveways throughout the morning and then the snow came down hard again. My poor bubby was frustrated, but he knew the neighbor had paid him ten dollars and he was determined to continue to shovel. Feeling bad, I went over and helped a little.

That evening the snow finally let up. Yet the driveways were mostly finished, my son decided, enough was enough. His feet hurt as well as his arms. So we decided to make a snowman but the snow didn't stick well. We would have to wait until the sun melted it a little. I picked up some snow and threw it at him. He laughed and we continued to throw snowballs and play in the snow as the sun peeked out. It had been so long since we had a really good snow fall and I didn't want to waste it in case it would be years before another good one.

Though I was ready for spring, I made use of the snow, making sure as a family we took full advantage. We built the snowman, went sledding down the hill, had a snowball fight and made snow angels. When we came in each time, I made hot chocolate to thaw our frozen fingers and warm our bodies.

It seems an eternity that I sat near the warm blazing fire all snuggled in the recliner with a notebook and pencil to occupy my evening writing about whatever came to mind...

I throw a piece of pinion wood into the dancing flames and watch the log ignite quickly. The campfire smell floods me with memories of the summer eve's I spent with family and friends. Many times we sat talking about anything that popped into our minds as we roasted marshmallows and slightly burned hot dogs. Laughter was contagious as it filled the air around us. No cares in the world; no place you had to be. Just sitting here relaxing with the warmth of the fire and good company.

Ghost stories were told as long as little ears didn't pop out as they were spoken. But most nights, it's conversation about life's adventures until we retire to the tents for a sleepless night and wake up early in the morning with the settled dew.

It has been years since I embarked on an adventurous camping trip and my mouth waters for those marshmallows as much as I yearn to snuggle into my husband's arms around the campfire, talking about the journey we have begun and where we are headed. Laughing as we look back on where we began only two and a half years ago.

Snuggling in front of the warm fire keeps me in deep thoughts, reminiscing on where I've been, dreaming of the future, yet living fully for today.