Monday, April 26, 2021

Arts and Crafts with Laura Simmons- Soap Making

Before I wrote my first novel, I had a little soap-making business. I love pretty soaps and saw a kit in the Michaels craft store for making your own soaps.  

There are several ways to make soap, and this kit was for making melt and pour soaps.  This is a different method than making soap from scratch. 

You buy a pre-made soap base that you can melt in the microwave, add color and fragrance oil, and pour into a decorative mold. 

Let it sit overnight to cool and harden.  

The next day you apply gentle pressure to the mold and it should pop right out (most of the time).  

You can use the soap right away and if you use a quality melt and pour base, it will feel luxurious on your skin. I fell in love with this craft and let my creativity run wild for ten years, making all kinds of detailed, fancy soaps which I sold at craft fairs.  

The only drawback to this was that people thought the soaps were too pretty to use!  

Most people bought them as gifts. 

I gave up soap-making and craft shows after I caught the writing bug, but I still enjoy making these fancy soaps now and then for special occasions.  

If you would like to explore the world of melt and pour soap making, check out this link to Brambleberry:  https://www.brambleberry.com/shop-by-craft/soap-making/melt-and-pour/kits

I used to buy a lot of supplies from them and they have great tutorials and videos.
 Happy Exploring!

Little Bits of Karma 
Karma Series 
Prequel
Laura Simmons

Genre:  Reincarnation/Paranormal Romance
Publisher:  Outskirts Press
Date of Publication:  June 30, 2015 
ISBN:  1478757167
ASIN:  B010P27HZS
Number of pages:  334

Book Description:  

A captivating reincarnation romance of redemption and forgiveness.

Even though Holly O’Rourke is having problems with her longtime significant other, James, she has never entertained thoughts of infidelity…that is, until the day she has a chance encounter with Charlie, a handsome coworker. James promises he will change and work on their relationship, but Holly’s feelings for Charlie just won’t go away. 

Distressed by her mixed emotions, Holly schedules an appointment for a reading with a psychic medium, where she discovers her adulterous past lives and their tragic consequences. Holly learns to do her own past life regression through self-hypnosis and uncovers not only lives that she shared with James and Charlie, but how the other people in her present life have been with her in the past—the threads of their lives interwoven for centuries. 

Holly is stunned by recurring themes and the issues of karmic justice that need to be addressed. Where will her karmic path ultimately lead? Find out in Little Bits of Karma, an entertaining story about spiritual cause and effect.


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Little Bits of Karma – Prequel

She hoped this woman would be able to tell her about her past lives.She arrived ten minutes early to the appointment. Martina was located within walking distance from the Metro. She lived in a small row house with a sign in the front yard indicating her services by appointment only. Holly rang the doorbell, and Martina opened the door.

“Hello. Are you Holly O’Rourke?” Martina Preston asked her.

“Yes. Are you Martina?” she asked excitedly.

“Yes, I am. It’s great to meet you. Come on in,” Martina said with a smile and extended her hand. Martina’s demeanor was friendly and inviting and Holly instantly felt at ease. 

Martina was a little lady, standing no more than 5 foot1. She was in her mid-30’s with a round, pretty face with crystal blue eyes, medium brown, curly hair that fell past her shoulders, and a voluptuous figure. She was wearing a red checkered sundress and matching solid red espadrille shoes. She led Holly into a small room with gleaming hardwood floors and two white leather chairs and a round wooden table. There were two windows in this room. Martina pulled down the shades to block the sun. There was a large wooden cabinet next to one of the windows.  The room was practically empty.

“Have a seat Holly, and we will talk for a few minutes,” Martina said. The two women sat in the white chairs across from each other.

“So, you are here today for a past-life reading, correct?” Martina asked.

“Yes,” Holly replied.

“First, I want to tell you what will likely happen during this session. I go into a trancelike state, and my voice might change. I sometimes take on the behavior of whatever spirit guide is there to speak through me. Usually it is my spirit guide working together with your spirit guide to access your past lives. Each of us has spirit guides to help us in our earthly incarnations. Your primary spirit guide is assigned to you before reincarnating into your current body. As you go through life, the circle of your guides expands, depending on the work you need to accomplish.  When you reincarnate, you go through a veil of amnesia, and as you learn and grow in this life, you wonder, what the heck am I here for? 

“We come from heaven, a place of total love and happiness. Your enemies in this life are dear friends on the other side. By incarnating into physical bodies, you learn a deeper appreciation for good things and even the bad. The potential growth from experiencing the bad is tremendous. There is no ‘bad’ in heaven, and if you never reincarnate you won’t know the difference between good and bad. There are many wonderful worlds to advance to in heaven after your schooling on Earth and your incarnations are completed.

“We plan our lives before we are born, and our spirit guides are here to help us achieve what we came here to learn and do. They do this by giving us intuitive nudges in the right direction, although we don’t listen to them most of the time. They do their best to keep us on track and guide us for our own good. 

“Today, we will be accessing an area of the spiritual realm called the Akashic Records.  This realm contains detailed records of your past lives and the past lives for every soul who has reincarnated. Your thoughts, dreams, and actions are recorded for eternity. Do you have any questions before we start?” Martina asked.

“No, I understand. We can begin whenever you are ready,” Holly replied thinking . . . Even our thoughts are recorded for eternity?That’s embarrassing . . . Thank goodness not just anyone can access them.

“Okay. I will ask the guides to show the past lives that might resonate with you at this point in time,” Martina replied and became quiet.

It took several seconds for Martina to enter a trancelike state. She began to speak and the voice was not her own. A deep male voice was speaking with a distinct Middle-Eastern accent:

 

“Hello, Holly. My name is Kavi . . . I am your guide.”

“You lived a life in Atlantis and fell deeply in love with your college teacher. He was married and would not leave his wife.You became pregnant with his child . . .” The voice paused for a few seconds.

“You lived a life in India in 1500 BC. You were a man in that life, and we were brothers. Your name was Sanjay. We were devout Hindus and ran a spiritual center together where we helped people better their lives . . .” Again, he paused for a few seconds before continuing.

“I see a life as a Roman Gladiator during the year of 47 BC.You were a prisoner of war and forced into fighting for the Roman’s entertainment . . .” More silence.

“You were a baby left on the doorstep of a monastery in Ireland in the year of 816 and raised by monks. You died young, as the monastery was raided and burned to the ground by Vikings. The Vikings gang raped you before cutting off your head . . .” Still more silence.

“I see a life in Germany in the 1340s. You were a young boy and your mother was mean and cruel to you.You left home on the day you turned 16 . . .” The voice again paused.

“I see you and the man who was your abusive German mother. You are both on a Spanish sailing ship in the late 1480s.You are engaged in a fist fight and you kill him . . .” More silence ensued.

 

Tough Karma: A Race Against Time 
Karma Series 
Book 1
Laura Simmons

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Supernatural Thriller
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Date of Publication: January 16, 2017
ISBN: 1478783885
ASIN:  B01NCWLQBK
Number of pages: 224
Word Count: 71,664
Cover Artist:  Outskirts Press

Book Description: 

“Tough Karma - A Race Against Time took my preconceived idea and previous experience of Paranormal Romance, rolled it into a tight little ball and slam dunked it in the bin of old experiences.” The International Review of Books

A chilling tale of loss, tragedy, psychic warfare, and eternal love.

Amber Macklin’s world is cruelly shattered when she loses her baby girl three months after her husband’s sudden death. Her cousin, Bryce, comes to her rescue, moving her into his home for fear she will kill herself from the grief. He provides solace and a shoulder to cry on, and he has loved her as more than a cousin for a long time. Amber and Bryce soon discover they are not blood relatives, which opens the door for romance as he pulls her through her darkest hours. When Mike, a college friend of Bryce’s, stops by to visit, Amber senses a deadly secret behind his nice guy persona. She has a frightening dream that Mike is trying to kill her and recurring sleepwalking episodes where she draws detailed pictures of him torturing her. Deeply troubled, Bryce uses his ability to astral travel to investigate Mike and uncover his terrifying past. Mike has had his eye on Amber for some time, and when he learns that Bryce and Amber have become lovers, he is furious. Mike abducts Amber and takes her to his rural Georgia hideaway, and Bryce must rely on his astral abilities to track her down. But will he be too late?

Tough Karma is a stand-alone novel. The astral adventures continue in Dark Karma: Sword of Vengeance.



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Tough Karma: A Race Against Time - Book One

Seven hours had passed since Mike shot her up with benzo, and they were a little over half-way to his hideout. As the effects started wearing off, she had a vivid dream . . .

. . . She is running through the woods, terrified because Mike is chasing her. She calls out frantically for Bryce over and over, trying to outrun her pursuer, “BRYCE, WHERE ARE YOU? HELP ME! HE’S GOT ME. PLEASE HELP ME!” She hears his voice echoing through the woods, “Amber, baby, I’m on my way to get you. Hang in there; I WILL find you”. . .

A sudden back-handed smack in the face jolted her awake. “SHUT UP!” Mike yelled. “Do you know that you talk in your sleep? Bryce isn’t coming to rescue you. He will never find you. Get that through your head right now.”

He’s surrounded by black, is that his aura?! That’s why I felt a dark heaviness around him and from the pictures I drew . . . the drugs are making me see things. Don’t backtalk, don’t let him know that Bryce knows where to find me . . . I have to survive this; I don’t want him to kill me . . . she thought and looked down at her hands. He had put the handcuffs back on . . . If I weren’t afraid of dying in a car crash or worse, I would attempt to hit him right now. I can do more with my arms and hands in front of me . . . “I have to pee again,” she stated choking back the tears and still feeling the sting from his slap.

“There’s a rest stop ten miles ahead. We’ll stop there. It’s time for another shot of benzo. If you try to put up a fight, I’ll make sure you hurt the rest of the way, badly,” he said coldly.

“Why are you doing this? Why me? Do you really think that you can abduct a woman and make her fall in love with you?” she asked trying to stay calm and thinking of Bryce’s voice from her dream . . . I wonder if that was really him communicating with me. I want to believe it was. Mike didn’t respond to her question and kept his eyes on the road. He wasn’t used to women behaving so calmly. Then again, he was handling her differently than the others and hoping for better results.

Ten miles seemed like forever to her, and they finally arrived at the rest area. She debated different scenarios of getting away from him and screaming for help. Her legs weren’t shackled, and her mouth wasn’t duct taped, yet. He seemed to read her mind and threatened her as he pulled into a parking space close to the restrooms. He drew a handgun from a side compartment in the door, shoving it into her stomach and said, “If you try ANYTHING, including screaming for help, I will gun down everyone I see, and innocent people will pay for your selfish behavior. I’ll make sure you’re killed along with the rest of them,” he threatened with the coldest look in his eyes she had ever seen.

She was getting angry and even though he had a gun shoved into her stomach she responded with disdain, “I don’t want anyone killed because of me, except for you!”

He just laughed and pushed the gun deeper into her stomach, making her wince in pain. “Keep talking like that and I’ll kill you before we get there,” he said. She decided to cooperate and try to escape at a later time. She didn’t think he would kill her this soon, but she was going to play it safe. He shot her up with more benzo and helped her walk to the restroom while he stood outside and waited. In her drugged state she looked longingly at the small windows in the restroom and briefly contemplated how she might escape through them, knowing that she would never make it. When she was finished, she stumbled out the door and he caught her before she hit the ground.

“Come on, honey, let’s get you home,” he said kindly putting his arms around her to help her stay upright. I hate you and your ugly aura . . . she thought and passed out a few seconds after getting into the Jeep.

******

Bryce was driving down the highway when he heard her panicked voice, “BRYCE, WHERE ARE YOU? HELP ME! HE’s GOT ME. PLEASE HELP ME!” He was shocked and heard it again two more times before it stopped. The tiny flicker of doubt he had about whether or not he was doing the right thing was gone. He replied, hoping she could hear him, “Amber baby, I’m on my way to get you. Hang in there; I WILL find you.” The desperation in her voice was heart wrenching, and tears ran down his face while he flew down the highway, not caring if he got pulled over for a speeding ticket. He no longer wanted Mike to end up in jail. He wanted to be the one to put him in the ground and wished he had taken out a hit on him. He blamed himself for not doing that, knowing she would be home safe and happy with him instead of being at the mercy of a madman who would probably beat, rape, and kill her. He continued down the road, fantasizing about the many different ways he would like to torture and kill Mike. He vowed to make him pay.

 

Sword of Vengeance 
Karma Series 
Book 2
Laura Simmons

Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Date of Publication:  September 7, 2018
ISBN:1977201555
ASIN: B07H6KWZZL
Number of pages: 174
Word Count: 59,221
Cover Artist:  Outskirts Press

Book Description:

“Dark Karma is a fascinating story that would surely be loved by any fan of fantasy and romance. Simmons proved herself a competent author in writing a tale of angst, magic, and determination." Reader Views

What would you do if you woke up one morning and your world was inexplicably changed in the worst way imaginable?

Banished by his enemy into a hellish alternate dimension, Luke Decker fights to understand why his world has suddenly changed, and why is he on trial for the murder of his beloved Nina? What he doesn’t know is she’s not dead. Nina watches him vanish into thin air and is completely bereft, struggling to find out how and why he disappeared. Using all of her psychic talents and traversing the astral realm, she frantically searches for him to no avail. She owns a secret item which holds the key to his salvation, but will she figure it out before he’s condemned to live the rest of his life in a realm of darkness?

This remarkable tale of vengeance, time travel, and dark magic is even more enjoyable if you read Tough Karma: A Race Against Time first.



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Dark Karma- Sword of Vengeance – Book Two

Luke awakened before Rogue greeted the day, and noticed thatNina’s side of the bed was empty ... She’s probably in the bathroom.He thought how lonely it was to wake without her lovely, warm bodypressed close to his. He glanced toward the bathroom and the doorwas open and the light turned off ... Maybe she’s in the kitchen. He listenedfor sounds, expecting to hear soft footsteps in the hall or faintnoises from the kitchen ... nothing. Something felt wrong. Getting outof bed, he walked toward the kitchen. It was empty and dark exceptfor a nightlight near the stove. His apprehension grew stronger, theentire house was eerily silent ... I better find her asleep on the lounger.Entering the sunroom he turned on the light and saw her lying on the

chaise lounge, dead. Her throat was slit and blood pooled on the arearug and hardwood floor.

“No! This can’t be happening, I’m dreaming!” he declared, rushingover to the lounger. Seeing her pale, lifeless body and vacant eyesstaring up into nowhere was terrifying, and he convinced himself ithad to be a lucid dream. “I know I’m dreaming, wake up!” he saidto himself. Not being able to wake from what he thought was justa dream, he knelt down and touched her blood with the tip of hisfinger. He’d seen and touched enough blood in his life to know thatthis wasn’t fake.

“This isn’t real, this can’t be real! Who did this to you?” he sobbed,and for the first time in his life felt completely, utterly helpless andtraumatized. Tears rolled down his face, he could barely breathe, andhis stomach indicated he was going to vomit. He forced himself not tospill his guts, and even though her cold, dead body was lying in front ofhim, it still didn’t feel real. His emotional anguish and pain were acute,yet his mind kept telling him that this whole situation was wrong.Pinching and slapping himself hard, he tried desperately to awakenfrom this horrific nightmare. Something whispered to him in the backof his mind, something he should know, yet couldn’t remember whatit was. The one word which came to him was “snow.” Even thoughit was still dark outside, he could see that there was no snow on theground and no white flakes were falling from the sky. I’ve got to call thepolice ... Doing his best to remain rational, he began walking to thebedroom to get his phone when he heard pounding on the front doorand a man’s voice shouting, “POLICE, OPEN UP!”

Clad in just his boxer shorts, he opened the door to find threecops and four patrol cars with their lights flashing so bright he wasmomentarily blinded.

“I’m glad you’re here, I was just going to ...” Luke wasn’t ableto finish his sentence before the officer interrupted and another oneslapped handcuffs on him.

“Luke Decker, you’re under arrest for the murder of NinaPerotti.You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will beused against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. Ifyou cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you

understand the rights I have just read to you?”

“Yes,” he replied between gritted teeth, growing angrier by thesecond.

“With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”

“I DIDN’T KILL HER! I LOVE HER!” Luke yelled at the top of hislungs. “I’M ALMOST NAKED, BAREFOOT, AND IT’S FUCKINGCOLD OUT HERE!”

“You shouldn’t have killed her then,” the officer calmly replied ashe and another officer led Luke to a patrol car.

He was losing control, something which was normally second natureto him and that he had cultivated throughout his life. He foughtto hold his tongue as they guided him into the backseat of the policecar ... How do they know my name? He observed that the officers were

dressed in black from head to toe, wearing tall cowboy hats, cowboyboots, and each one was carrying and wearing their own personal arsenalof guns and ammunition. Once he was situated in the back seat,the officer pressed on the gas pedal and they went flying into an abyss.He lost consciousness due to the high rate of speed they were traveling.

*****

Bugs were crawling on him when he woke up cold, shivering,and itching. The bug bites were turning into red welts along his torso,arms, and legs. Sweeping them away from his body, he stomped themto death with his bare feet. Most of the bugs were large and crunchyand oozed slime when he crushed them. The entire floor was crawlingwith insects, and he worked up a sweat in his mission to kill each andevery one.

“It’s a good thing I’m not afraid of bugs,” he muttered, crushingthe last batch. His feet itched and burned with the remains of bugguts stuck between his toes while he surveyed his surroundings withdisgust. He was in a jail cell with a packed dirt floor beneath his feetand a toilet in the corner. Now that the irritating bugs were dead, histhoughts returned to Nina.

He missed her terribly and whispered with reverence, “Nina, Ihope you can hear me wherever you are. I’m so sorry about this. Idon’t know who killed you. I don’t know how they got past me in thenight. But I will find them and avenge your death.”

 

Karma: The Resolution 
Karma Series 
Book 3
Laura Simmons

Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Date of Publication:  February 17, 2021
ISBN: 1977237037
ASIN: B08WYCX2ZQ
Number of pages:  170 pages
Word Count:  59,035
Cover Artist:  Outskirts Press

Book Description:

This story picks up where Dark Karma left off. Enjoy the next thrilling adventure into alternate dimensions!

“From the first time I saw you back in the 14th century to the day I was imprisoned in the dark realm, you have lived in my dreams and my heart,” David said to Maddie. He knows that she is the reincarnation of his beloved Cara. Can he convince her that they shared a past life? Will she still want him once she learns the truth? And what about the evil immortal who wants her dead?

“If I can pull a cat from a dream, I can rescue Mori from where she’s being held prisoner,” thought Noah Colton. Each night Mori comes to him on the astral plane, begging for him to save her and vanishing before he can follow. Terrified that she will soon be killed, he travels to another dimension to rescue her and bring her to his home. But what will happen when her captors track her down?

Two, out-of-this-world romantic fantasy stories unfold as David and Noah battle dark forces to save the women they love. Find out what happens when the unexpected intervenes and changes everything in these interconnected stories.



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Karma: The Resolution – Book Three

Luke and Nina’s Wedding

February 14, 2015

Maddie couldn’t pull her eyes away from David’s adoring gaze.Before she had a moment to speak, he kissed her. She returned his kiss,opening her mouth to deepen the experience. When their lips parted,he still held her close and whispered in her ear, “Cara, my love. I neverthought I would see you again.”

“Maddie… my name is Maddie,” she replied, breathless andshocked because the sexy man from her dreams had called her Caratoo, although she never saw his face. She realized she should feel insultedbecause he had been brazen enough to kiss her and then call herby another woman’s name, but she wasn’t.

“Maddie, please forgive me, but I know that you are her. Don’t youfeel the connection between us?”

Loosening herself from his embrace, though still gazing into hiseyes she took a deep breath. “My middle name is Cara. And yes, I feellike I’ve known you before. Whether or not I’m the reincarnation ofyour Cara, I don’t know. Although, I’ve had dreams about you for the

past several weeks.”

He replied with an affectionate smile, “Maddie-Cara, I think thaton some level you knew we would find each other. From the first timeI saw you back in the 14th century, to the day I was imprisoned in thedark realm, you have lived in my dreams and in my heart. I know this is

all so very sudden, and you have no recollection of a past life with me.I don’t mean to be so forward with you; it’s just that I wasn’t expectingthis. When Nina showed me your picture it was all I could do tostay composed. I was stunned because you are the exact image of Cara.

I didn’t think you would look so much like her in person. I thoughtperhaps I was seeing what I wanted to see. But your voice, the way youwalk, your facial expressions, your height and figure… you and Caraare one and the same.”

She loved the way he said her nickname and middle names together.“Did you tell Nina about this?”

“No,” he answered shaking his head. “I only said that you lookedlike someone I used to know, and Noah asked if that was good or bad.I just shrugged my shoulders and changed the subject because I didn’twant to talk about it. The pain from losing you… I… I mean Cara, is

still so fresh. I was mourning your death when I was sent to the darkdimension.”

“How did Cara die?” she asked.

He hesitated a moment, eyes glazing over as he thought about LilyNolan, the evil witch who’d poisoned Cara because he had fallen inlove with her and spurned Lily’s affection. He was about to reply whenNoah walked into the room and said with a grin, “I thought I wouldfind you two here. Maddie, your mom is looking for you.”

David was thankful for Noah’s interruption; it bought him timeto consider his response to her question more carefully. Although hewanted to tell her the tragic story, this was a happy occasion and hedidn’t want to spoil it for her. After what Maddie had gone through theprevious night, he now wanted her to have a good time at her sister’swedding and forget her troubles for a while. When she asked him againlater how Cara had died, he told her she was poisoned by a jealous andbitter woman, then swiftly changed the subject to get Maddie to talkmore about herself. He had a good reason for delaying the inevitable.Would she still want him once he’d told her the truth?

 

About the Author:  

Laura Simmons grew up in northern Virginia and spent most of her career working for various Department of Defense contractors in the Washington, DC area. She has a fascination with all things metaphysical. She enjoys adult coloring books, writing, jigsaw puzzles, vacationing at the beach with her husband, and studying tarot cards and other types of divination systems.

Author web links:  On my website, I have a page with a Play List for three of the books in this series.  These songs made me think of my characters and their situations. They are the “movie” soundtracks for these stories.







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