WeWriWa #6 - Ronan's feet safe on the ground?

Welcome!  Another wonderful weekend has rolled up on us.  Another opportunity to read eight little teasing sentences from a variety of genres.  So many styles of writing are waiting for you to happen upon them!  For you to ponder what comes next...Please click this link for WeWriWa (the sponsors of this great weekly event) and find out how to join in on the fun.

 

Last week here, Ena (a momma dragon) had told her son, Ardan, to drop Ronan who was dangling from his talons high up in the sky..."No," Ravyn cried, "Don't drop him!"

 

 

Ena swiveled her head toward Ravyn and rolled her golden eyes.  “Very well, bring the boy down.  It appears the damsels are not in the dire distress we'd heard.”

Ardan swooped down, causing Ronan to yelp with fright.  The dragon jerked up at the last moment and dropped Ronan in a pile at his mother’s feet.  He landed for a moment and nuzzled his head against her shoulder before leaping across the grasses to poke his head in under the canopy of trees.  Birds burst into the skies screeching and squawking at the intrusion.  His long scaly tail swished back and forth in delight as he sniffed the unfamiliar grounds.

I will make every attempt to get to everyone's pages in a timely manner, but as it is the last weekend before school starts...I might "have" to go out to the lake for some kayak and stand-up paddle board time.  Please forgive : )  If I don't make the complete rounds today, I'll get by tomorrow!  There are too many slices of #eight I need more of : )

One other little tidbit of info today.  See that Indie Block Party Button off to the side, just to the right?  That's happening a little later this month and is hosted by a really wonderful Indie author, Fel Wetzig.  If you are an Indie and haven't signed up, click this link here and check it out.  It will be a lot of fun and a great opportunity to meet fellow authors with the purpose of giving and receiving support.  (And having fun at the same time).  Hope to see you at the Block Party as well!

We WriWa #5

Good day to you.  If you've found yourself here, you are probably looking for an eight sentence snippet.  You've probably followed a link from WeWriWa.  If you didn't, then all the more lucky for you.  Every sunday, folks across the world gather to share little enticing bits of either published work, WIP's, or poetry.  Please follow the link to learn more and to find other authors work! 

Sharing more dragons today.  If you remember last week, a dragon snatched Ronan up in his talons and whisked him up in the air.  Ravyn's had the wind knocked out of her, so is having difficulty communicating to the dragons that she is not in need of a rescue.  If you'd like to refresh your memory, click here!

 

 

Lareina stepped out of the door, throwing her hands wide and casting an arc of Light that danced across the skies.  Ribbons of color streamed from her fingers and danced across the magnificent ruby creatures, wrapping them in the power of the Light.  “Stop,” she commanded.

Ena stilled her angry thrashing, and gazed across the trampled grasses at Lareina.  She curled up on the ground and looked up to her son, Ardan, who hovered over the woods.  Ronan still dangled from his grasp, arms wind milling and fear a-flutter in his eyes.

“Drop the boy and come on down,” Ena growled.

“No,” gasped Ravyn, “Don’t drop him.”

 

I hope you enjoyed.  All comments delightfully anticipated and welcomed!!!

WeWriWa #4: There still be Dragons!

This is incredible...I'm on my 4th weekend participating in WeWriWa, and third week in a row!  This is kind of amazing, I'm actually keeping myself on task : ) 

If you happened upon here by chance, what is about to occur, is me sharing eight sentences from my WIP with you.  The cool thing is...lots of other fantastic writers are doing the same thing, and if you'd like, you can click here...Weekend Writing Warriors! to find their blogs and see what tantalizing tidbits they are posting. 

Last week, Ravyn stepped outside the cabin to talk to the dragon Ena, whom she'd befriended years ago.  If you'd like to refresh your memory, click here First, then here!

“Ena stop, it’s okay, we’re safe!”  Ravyn sped across the ground toward the dragon, but the thrashing tail caught her in the middle of her chest.  The air whooshed from her lungs as she sailed through the air to fall in a heap on the ground.

Ronan burst out of the cabin brandishing a stout shillelagh.  He ran to the dragon, swinging the heavy wooden club overhead.  A second red dragon, larger than the first, careened down out of the sky and plucked Ronan up in its razor sharp talons.  The cudgel fell from his hands to fall to the ground with a passive thud.  Ravyn struggled to find her breath forcing in air past the ache in her chest.

So, I always love your comments.  Would you leave one, pretty please with sugar on top?  Have a great #eight Sunday!

Dragon Flight and Healing Light

Day Three - Magic! And Religion?

Thought I'd share an excerpt from my WIP, hope you enjoy.

"Beware," shrieked Ena.

Violent purple lightning burst from the ground sweeping up into the sky. Fingers of electricity danced out from a main line of electric malevolence, stabbing out at them. Ardan banked sharp as a bolt of Darkness exploded in front of his nose. Ravyn slipped off his back, the wind whistling in her ears as she fell toward the hard ground below.

Groggy from sleep, she tried to make sense of her free fall through a pitch-black sky. She felt the wind rushing past her, her black hair smacking her in the face. She fumbled for skeins of the Light, pulling the colored threads about her body, willing the threads to coil and spring. Arcs of Darkness sliced through the sky looking for prey, a tendril of electricity cracked near her head and her hair stood on end. Her downward spiral continued and she hoped the Light would cushion her fall. A streak of red burst through the darkness and she landed hard on Ardan's back, only to bounce off because of the woven coils of Light she'd wrapped about herself. She snatched at his tail, clutching it with her right hand. Ardan lashed his tail forward, flinging her head over foot to deposit her on his back once more.

An unearthly wail pierced the night, "Ena," she screamed. Ardan dove and swerved as streaks of violet electricity sparked all about them. He banked away from the foul Darkness, making a steep dive down toward the ground. Ravyn felt the skin on her cheeks pulling backwards against the tremendous pressure. Little stars danced in her vision, and she felt blackness pulling her down. Ardan slammed into the ground, sending dirt and rocks flying. Ravyn breathed in a deep breaht, her eyes bright with clarity once more. Ardan leaped forward, his huge legs propelling him across the ground.

Ena lay on her back, her wing stretched out to the side, a large smoking hole burned through the leathery skin. Lareina stood over the tattered wing, her hands raised, threads of Light dancing at her fingertips. She wove the threads into a complicated pattern, looping some and weaving new ones through.

Rayvn noticed threads of Light pinning Ena down. The dragon thrashed her head back and forth. "Let me up, I'll tear out her throat!"

Ardan stuck his face up under his mother's chin, mewling and nuzzling her. A great rumbling sound emerged from his chest as he bumped her head, nudging her over and over.

Ravyn put a calm hand on Ardan. "Shh, she'll be alright." She rubbed his heaving sides. He craned his neck round, a lost sad look in his golden eyes. "Ardan, step back," she urged. "Mother needs space to work. It'll be okay." She glanced at Lareina, her brows furrowed in concentration, lost deep in the working of healing magic. She has to be okay.

So, sorry. I know it's a bit rough. This is part of what got whipped out during NaNoWriMo, and I haven't done any editing yet. As you can tell, in Aigerach there's really only one magic, but it can be worked through the Light or the Darkness. As for Religion, in Aigerach people will greet each other with Blessing of the Light, and they will pray to the Light, when they are hoping for a good outcome. But there is no formal God or Goddess.

Flashback and Flashforward

Thank you Fel, for hosting a wonderful blog hop, where we can trip all over the place flashing back left and right, but don't have to be chemically induced to do it! I can't wait to read all the entries!

I am flashing back to November of this year...I participated in the wonderful magical prolific word inducing NaNoWriMo! I have not shared this with anyone yet...The first few paragraphs of Zelera's Revenge (the sequel to Return of the Crown) to be released later this year...so I'm flashing backwards and forwards and getting all dizzy. This is first draft, so still rough. Craving your opinions should you care to share them.


Ravyn squeezed her eyes tight, the silky fabric fell over her shoulders, caressing her as it slid down her skin. Her dreams came true today. Today she'd marry Blade.
The door crashed open.
Ravyn glimpsed her wild-eyed mother in the mirror before her. Her normally calm and patient mother rushed into the room, her hands clutching the dresser for support. Her breath came in ragged gasps. "Kes, Kestrel! Where are you?" Her voice rose into a shriek. Her stormy blue eyes devoured the room, hungry for her son, but it was empty save for Ravyn and Lady Angelique.
"Mom, Kes isn't here, he's with Nurse Mayweather." She took a step toward her wide-eyed mother, shivers of fear danced along her spine setting her senses tingling.
Lareina stared past her daughter, sinking to the floor. "They're gone," she whispered, "gone".
"That makes no sense. Where would they have gone? Today of all days. Kes is the ring bearer." Ravyn dropped to her knees and put her arms around her mother. "Surely they’re just working off some of his energy," she patted her mother's hand and kissed her pale cheek. Lareina began rocking back and forth, unheeding of anyone or anything.
Ravyn turned a nervous eye to her Lady in Waiting. "Angelique, go get my father, please."
Angelique nodded before she raced out the door, her slippered feet sliding across the polished tile in the hallway.
Ravyn slid her legs out to the side, her silky dress twisting and crumpling beneath her. "Mom, shh, it's okay. I'm sure they're just out in the gardens."
Lareina lifted a trembling hand and turned it palm up. Her eyes carried a weight of guilt that threatened to drown her in a sea of culpability. A crumpled piece of parchment emerged from her tight grasp.
"What is it?" She reached for the note, but her mother’s fingers still gripped it tight.
"No, no, it can't be," Lareina murmured. She stared past Ravyn still searching for signs of Kes.
Ravyn unclenched her mother's fingers and the paper scraped across her skin further grating Ravyn's nerves. Her stomach knotted and she spread the parchment out across her lap. You should have killed me when you had the chance. -Z

Where can a girl find a couple extra hours...

I am busy. Busy prepping to enter the Amazon Breakthrough Contest in a couple weeks. This entails re-editing a published novel to see if I can make it shine even more. It means crafting a savory pitch that will get people salivating.

It means taking a hard look at Return to find any niggling little irritants that need to be removed, and finding errors that have snuck past (I know there are still some in there), though its been edited and proofread more times than I can count.

And, while I'm trying to accomplish this, to help Ravyn and Zelera get a little more acclaim, I've got all the normal daily life activities to pursue.

There is an Iphone that needs replacing, as the dog decided to eat it. The Lifeproof case does not protect against Doberman, in case you were wondering.

Christmas decorations need to go away...sigh. Back up into the garage attic I go.

Child number three's Bell kit was stolen from the car two days before Christmas. So, I need to find new bells...preferably used. And, buy the book again. It's a convenient excuse for her to not practice at the moment.

A couple Christmas gifts need exchanging. I refuse to do those today. Augh!

The bookkeeping for our business needs to be done, so we can decide if we will be jumping off the fiscal cliff, limbs flailing, wallets drained. Gotta have the numbers in order to plan...would be so nice if our government would do that as well. Oh, but I'd better not get started on that...that's a whole 'nother post...

The house could use a top to bottom clean-up. After the chaos of NaNoWriMo and the joys of the holidays, this place is a disaster. Okay, who am I kidding, it's always a disaster, but still...it'd be nice to get it tidied.

Then, there's the whole keeping up with blogs, twitter, Return's facebook page, etc. Something I've been not so good at the past couple months.

My dear sweet husband gave me a wonderful new camera for Christmas! The Sony NEX-5R! Oh the things it can do! I'm so excited, I can't wait to start fiddling with it. Another tiny nibbler of my time. But, I fear it's not high on my priority list at the moment. (Sad face)

So, it you know of a way to turn back a little time, or extend it and would like to share that information with me, I'd be ever so grateful!

Hope your Christmas was Merry, and you are looking forward to 2013!

Busy writing...

I've been a lil' neglectful of this humble blog. Not that I have intended to, but my excuse is rather good.

I've been writing! It's so much fun to plot and plan new adventures for Ravyn and the whole gang from Return of the Crown. I've spent some time researching a few new characters who can't wait for their turn on the printed page.

I can't say my domestic goddess duties have been getting much attention either. So, sorry house. Sorry laundry. Sorry messy desk. You'll all just have to wait for your turn!

And so, I know, this is very short. But...Zelera's up to her nasty tricks again, and the pull of the story is calling. Adieu for now, I must return to Aigerach!

A little Look-y Loo

Fel Wetzig of the wonderful Revolting Peasants Blog www.scotzig.com tagged me in "The Look Challenge." I am excited and delighted to participate!

If you have never heard of this challenge, don't worry, I hadn't heard of it either. It goes just like this...find the word “look” in your WIP and post the paragraphs. Easy Peasy!

As my WIP is in its earliest stages, I feared I may not have the word look written down yet. But guess what? Yup, it appeared. So, without further ado, I share with you a tiny peek into what happens after Return of the Crown (I haven't decided on the book's title yet...)!

Lareina shook her head, clearing away the frailty of moments before. She sobered up, once again wearing her queenly expression and rose to her feet stiff but proud.

"Mom, I think you should sit back down. You still don't look well."

"Ravyn, I'm fine. I was being foolish, we have important things to do."

"You were reacting to a frightening situation, you're still in shock." The hard expression on her mother's face showed only determination and anger, no hint of weakness or fear still lingered.

Ravyn traced the petal of a soft rose in her wedding bouquet. Tears welled below the surface, the dam holding them back threatening to burst. She patted her cheeks and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The little oak chest containing her wedding ring sat forlorn by her bouquet. Kes was to carry that chest. Nothing is ever easy. She looked into her mother's eyes, "You don't think Zelera hurt Kes, do you? I swear, I'll kill her if she hurts him in any way."

A flicker of worry flashed in Lareina's eyes, but she shook her head slightly. "No, I don't think she's hurt him. Yet." She brushed a stray lock of hair away from Ravyn's face, sighing. "Thank you Ravyn. Once again, you are sacrificing for Aigerach."


Well, that was fun, now I get to nominate 5 folks to carry on the torch!
1) Wodke Hawkinson http://findagoodbooktoread.com/
2) Helena Mallett http://helenamallett.wordpress.com/
3) Jossie Marie Solheim http://joss-dreamingofpublication.blogspot.co.uk
4) T http://t-says.blogspot.com/
5) Raine Thomas http://rainethomas.com/