Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Favorite excerpt and snippet

Slowly working through the current book and ran across a scene by a pair of my favorite characters that made me smile.

Roscoe and Ghost are a pair who came out of nowhere in one of the Shea's books and have just refused to go away. Their ridiculousness is something I look forward to.

Snippet

“Shall we make a bet?” Ghost asked in a cheerful tone. “How many bites does it take to bring down a Lion?”

Roscoe and Ghost ambled closer. There were playful smiles on their faces as they watched xxxx with an avarice that said they’d found a toy they looked forward to breaking.

Eva could almost feel sorry for the man. Maybe if he hadn't been so rude and objectionable she would have. 

“Why bet when we already know the outcome?” Roscoe asked.

“Ah, but we don’t know how many bones Sebastian will break in the process.” 

Roscoe pretended to think it over. “Alright, I bet two ribs and at least one broken limb.”

Xxx’s expression got even more freaked out. “Alright! I get it. I was wrong. Are you done?”

Ghost gave Roscoe a quizzical look. “I don’t know, Roscoe. Are we done?”

“Naw. We’re having too much fun.” Roscoe propped a foot on a small bit of debris and leaned his elbow on his knee. “Besides, the kyren’s caller is sure to appreciate our defense, don’t you think?”

Ghost had a thoughtful look on his face. “I see your point. I’ve been waiting to ride a kyren again. Think this means she’ll put in a good word for us?”

Friday, September 3, 2021

Friday Treat

 Happy Friday, everyone. A few people have been asking for snippets or alternate POVS and since this is a holiday weekend for my section of the world, what better time to share. 

Unfortunately, Eva 2's draft is in a state of flux so instead of the first chapter I'd originally planned, I'm sharing a scene that is in my cut pile at the moment. If I remember right, I replaced this with an alternate version, but now reading this again, I'm wondering if there is a place for it after all. :-p The joys of being a writer.

Cut Scene -- At least for now...

A low pitched drone surrounded Eva. 

“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” a young girl said as Eva wavered at the edge of the mist wall.

There was a call coming from inside it. One that reverberated in her head, making her forget who she was.

A girl stood beside her, her face arranged in a serious frown as she looked out at the mist.

Her appearance was far younger than her voice would suggest. That of a girl around seven or eight.  She looked older than the first time Eva met her, but children that age always seemed to grow as fast as weeds. 

If you blinked, you’d miss it. 

“Mist in front of the mist. How appropriate.”

“Yes, I sometimes wonder whether my parents had some inkling of my future and whose daughter I’d end up being.” 

Eva couldn’t help but agree. There was a certain poetry about a pathfinder who had a talent for navigating the mysterious and sometimes deadly mist, ending up adopting a girl with the  same name. 

It almost enough to make one believe in fate.

“Why are you here?” Eva asked, leaving the questions of Mist's name behind.

This wasn’t the first time Mist had wandered into one of Eva’s dreams. 

A myien like Eva, Mist had the ability to travel in other people’s dreams. It allowed her to communicate over great distances. Eva suspected there were other purposes around her ability but had been careful not to ask.

Some secrets weren't meant to be shared.

One thing was clear, the Mist in her dreams was far different than the one in real life. Here, she was wise beyond her years. With a knowledge that eclipsed Eva's. She understood things. Saw things in a way most wouldn't understand.  

It made Mist mysterious. Something Eva was content to ignore since it didn’t seem like Mist meant her any harm. The opposite in fact.

“Things are changing,” Mist said. 

“Is that why you’re here?” 

Mist didn’t answer, staring into the haze as if she could see into the other side. 

Eva knelt at her side, reaching out and taking her hand. “Mist?”

Mist finally looked at Eva. Emotion moved behind her eyes. 

She was scared, Eva realized. Fear in every line of her face.

“War has come.”

Eva drew back slightly.

“He has made his move. You must top him.”

“Mist, who is he. What does that mean?” Eva asked as dread stole through her.

“The caller will either unite us or watch us fall. She will be our salvation or our doom. Trust wisely, Speaker. Not all who call you have your best interests at hand.” Mist’s expression was distant, her eyes unseeing.

Eva shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

Mist suddenly focused on her, the full weight of her gaze bearing down on Eva. “You don’t have time to be lost. We need you.”

Friday, July 23, 2021

The Weirdness of a Writer's Life

Beginning weeks of Covid 19 after my husband first started working from home

Husband freezing in place: W-why are you crying? Did something happen? Who's dead? Is someone hurt?

Me, pointing at screen: This scene is so sad. 

A year later

Husband walks into office and stops: Did your imaginary friends make you cry again?

Me nodding: Yes...

Husband: Sigh. You should stop being friends with them.

Needless to say, my husband no longer has any illusions about me, my writing process or the level of my weirdness. :-)



Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Where Dragons Collide Excerpt

 I meant to get this up last week but the vacation and edits made that impossible. So instead, I'll post it as a welcome back to the work week.



Available July 12

Tate is about to face her biggest challenge yet—navigating high society.

After the events in the Harridan’s city, Tate is settling back into life in her chosen home of Aurelia. Peace doesn’t last long when a simple misjudgment leads to an event Tate would do anything to avoid—making her formal debut to court.

When an attack on the palace leads to the discovery of a dead body at the nexus between Tate’s world and the dragon’s, Tate will find that her enemies are no longer content to exist in the shadows. They have a plan and not all her allies will be standing on her side in the final battle for the fate of this world.

Tate must become who she was always meant to be if she has any hope of saving her city. For the ancients who once ruled this world wish for a new age of domination. Who will live? Who will die? Only the dragons know.

Click here for an excerpt.


Monday, June 7, 2021

Procrastination

Last night I went to bed with the intention of writing so many words in Eva 2 today. Over the weekend, the characters in that world filled my brain with countless ideas. Little snippets of scenes just begging to be written down.

Several hours into the day, I've addressed all of the outstanding fan emails and Facebook messages. Perused iStock for images. Made myself several mugs of tea. Spent an hour working out and taking a walk because exercise often helps unlock my creativity. 

There are no other tasks that can be used to delay writing. No further ways to procrastinate. It is time for that thing I dread most with every new project--actually starting. Sigh.

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Beta Readers Wanted!

It's finally that time again! Dragon 5 is finishing up so I will once again need beta readers. 

There is some confusion about what a beta reader is. So before we continue, I want to make sure you are clear about what I am asking of you.

A Beta Reader is someone who reads an early draft of a novel and provides the author with written feedback that could affect the final draft of the novel. Basically, you're taking the temperature of the book and letting me know what does or doesn't work for you.

The idea here is to look for big-picture issues and give honest opinions on the book. I do ask that you've read all the previous books in the series, enjoyed them, will be trustworthy and constructively honest.

Lastly if you are picked to beta read please remember this is not an ARC copy, so this this is not for you to rate & review, only for you to comment about and only to me. If you decide to not comment to me, then please wait until you’ve read the ARC which you will be eligible to read.
There is a week turnaround on this so if you don't think you can provide feedback in that time frame, please do not volunteer and take the slot from someone else.
If you're still interested, click on the link before to sign up.

Sign Up Form


Monday, April 26, 2021

Monday Treat

 Rereading this snippet made me giggle. Hope it brightens your Monday in the same way.

Snippet

“Alright, let’s not waste any more time here.” Dewdrop started for the tunnel.

Ryu settled a hand on his shoulder before he could get more than a few steps and steered him toward Tate. “XXXX will go first and then me. She’ll kill me if you get a scratch on your baby face.”

Dewdrop’s mouth popped open in outrage. “Hey! My face is much more mature now. I’ve even started growing a beard.”

Tate and Ryu paused to give him identical expressions of disbelief.

“It’s true.” Dewdrop said defensively.

Tate grabbed his chin, turning his face this way and that as she studied his jaw. “I’d like to see this so called beard. Can you point it out to me? All I see is a bunch of baby smooth skin.”

“Here. It’s right here.” Dewdrop pointed to a spot along his jawline. Tate squinted but still didn’t see anything. Making an irritated sound in the back of his throat, Dewdrop planted a hand on her face and shoved her away before hurrying several steps into the tunnel. “You don’t need to verify it. It’s there.”

Tate nodded as she started after him. “Uh huh. Sure it is.”