The Celestial Assignment
Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour!
It's Women in Horror Month, and what better way to celebrate it than to share a new release by a wonderful author!
Theresa Braun's new short story,
The Celestial Assignment
Available now! Check it out!
The Celestial Assignment
Publication Date: February 14th, 2020
Genre: Short Story/ Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal
After a sudden death, Will, a misguided angel, is tasked with protecting a baby girl. Watching over her as she grows up and navigates the world appears a harsh punishment for his past failings. Can he redeem himself, or will he fall further from grace?
“I devoured this phenomenal sorrow-filled piece in one sitting, but Braun left me with so many questions I had to think about. She creates a world that’s vivid, lush and visceral, while setting the reader up for heartbreak and despair. Amazing read, can’t recommend ‘The Celestial Assignment’ enough.” –Steve Stred, author of Ritual
my Review
This short story was flipping fantastic. I loved the sarcastic banter and wit. It had me laughing out loud and forget that I don’t usually swear. So, when I was asked what I was reading, I answered: “I’m reading this f…… amazing short story - ooops”, laughter just pouring out now! Well, it may not roll of my tongue easily, but in context, I don’t mind reading it.
So, Will finds himself yanked out of his life, in cold surroundings, a sterile room and has no clue what is going on or that he actually died. Here, in this place, he is given an “assignment”, to watch over a human being out in this world, for years to come. Then he finds himself in this hospital room and a baby girl was just born named “Celeste”, if that wasn’t ironic, just wait, it gets better.
With a jolt, my feet landed on slick linoleum, the burning odor of disinfectant and stale medicine in the air. A woman screamed in a hospital bed, her legs pried open with a sheet over them. Ugh. I’d never liked babies and had zero fatherly instincts. As the infant cried and was handed to the mother, the dad busy snapping Polaroids, I heard a whisper: “She’s your responsibility now.”
As my questions flooded in, that damned manual appeared in my hand. Annoyed the heavenly head honchos hadn’t downloaded the content into my brain, I held onto it, lest I be struck by lightning.
“Hello, Celeste,” the mother cooed to the baby.
I tapped my foot.
The irony of the name irked the shit out of me.
The story quickly proceeds through Celeste’s baby, toddler and childhood years, but Will couldn’t be more bored. He is having nothing of it and prefers to stay out of it, grumbling in his sarcasm and not seeing the point in this at all.
As a reluctant guardian angel, I figured my job involved keeping this pipsqueak’s hand off the hot stove, and her mouth away from poisons in the cabinets. Most of the time, I yawned in the periphery, especially since I was trapped in this fucking hick town somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin. Countless Crayon doodles and finger paintings were the extent of my excitement.
Then comes “that” time, Celestial is a teen, - oh the awkwardness of it all. If Will could only be seen by her, he’d give her so much advice…but no, she stumbles from one boy calamity into the next and it is hard to watch.
But then come some changes along the way, and the entirety of the short story shifts. What is happening to Celeste? Will something jolt Will of his reluctance to see a point in all of this?
***
This was awesome. A quick 30-40 minute read, perfect for a lunchtime break read or a palate cleanser in between books. I can’t say enough good things about the whirlwind of a story this is. It turned up the heat so fast, simmered a moment and came through with a good moral of all things! Yes, you read that right!
Flipping fantastic. I can only recommend it.
Happy reading!
About the Author
Hmmm. What’s this? Looks like Ms. Braun left her computer on and her Goodreads bio open.
This should be fun.
What can we say about Theresa? I mean other than the fact that she’s weirdly obsessed with smiley faces :-). Like, seriously obsessed >:-*. It’s kinda scary :-O.
I think she thinks she’s from Renaissance England or Venice or something. I never could figure out which one it was. (She’s really bad at doing accents.)
She likes romance novels and crime TV, which are pretty much the same thing when you think about it. Ha! Am I right?
She has a hell of a singing voice. Seriously. It’s, like, seventh circle of hell bad.
She likes editing. A lot. Just wait till she gets a load a this.
Cats. Shoes. Chips and salsa. In that order.
Yeah, that last part didn’t make sense to me either.
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