Category Archives: WIPpet Wednesday

WIPpet Wednesday: Welcome to Fairbrook

Hey, everyone!

Just a quick WIPpet from me this week*. For 3/2, here are two paragraphs from chapter one (one for the first post of this month). This is from Into Elurien, the novella I’m working on for the Skeleton Key book series. It’s come back from alpha readers, and I’m in the process of getting it ready for editing.

AND… I have cover art! Newsletter subscribers will get to see it tomorrow, before the rest of the world. I think we’ll set the official reveal for… I changed my mind. Closer to the release, so if you want to see it, sign up! If anyone wants to join in on the fun when that does roll around (by posting, sharing, or stopping by). This one’s not out until June (pre-orders in May), but I can’t keep this under my hat for too much longer. 🙂

Here’s a taste…

into elurien teaser

Okay, snippet. Hazel is on her way back to her hometown, returning defeated after several years away at university. She’s not exactly thrilled about coming home…

The road improved as it wound through the forest that was so astonishing in autumn, when the last of the sightseers camped or lodged their way through and tagged their works #Fairbrook #fall #BimbleIsland #breathtaking #PayAttentionToMe. I knew this because I’d heard all about the town meeting regarding which hashtags to encourage and the ensuing confusion over what the hell these “hashbag” things were, anyway.

Fairbrook. A nice place to visit, but God, did I not want to live there.

Not that any of us have lived in towns like that, I’m sure.

Check out what the rest of the WIPpeteers are up to by following this link! Thanks to Emily Witt for hosting. And if you’re feeling all typey and sharey, feel free to join in on your own blog! Choose a quick snippet from your work in progress (relating to today’s date, of course), post it on your blog, and link back. “Easy-peasy London squeezy,” as my younger kid used to say.

*For new folks: WIPpet Wednesday is where a group of authors shares a short snippet from a work in progress that relates in some way to the date. I don’t always participate, but it sure is fun when I have time to. 🙂

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WIPpet Wednesday: A Little Background

Hey, WIPpeteers and friends!

I didn’t think I’d have time to join in this week, but a snow day (our second in a row, in fact), has left me unable to get much actual work done, but with time to read some snippets! So here we are.

Hi.

Obviously I’m not sharing from Sworn anymore, because that ship has sailed.* But I’m not quite ready to reveal much about the plot of my new book, which I should be wrapping up the first draft of this week. And I was going to share its hero with you, but my newsletter subscribers get to be the first people to meet him (perks, y’all).

You should sign up. You want to meet him.

Anyway, for 2/10, here are two quick paragraphs from chapter 10. Our heroine is paging through a religious text in a strange new world, trying to figure out how she walked in on a revolution of monsters overthrowing humans.

I flipped back to earlier pages. “And in those days the monsters roamed the land, living as animals, without understanding. The humans came among them, bearing the bright spark bestowed upon them by divine grace. And the Mother decreed that men should rule over the monsters, which would in turn find Mother’s favour by submitting their wills to that of the spark-bearers.”

And there it was. The grounds for hundreds of years of slavery and servitude, all built on this passage.

Bingo.

Yes, I’m a little nervous that people will think I’m making a statement about religion with certain aspects of this story. For the most part, I hope readers will keep this in mind:

Screenshot 2016-02-10 09.12.27

It’s a work of fiction. If things happening in a fictional world hit too close to home, well… *shrugs*

Interested in more snippets? Click this link to see what the other WIPpeteers are up to and leave a comment to say hello. And if you’d like to join in, post a bit of your work in progress on your own blog (remember, it needs to relate to today’s date!), and link back.

Thanks again to Emily Witt for hosting.

 

 

 

 

 

*Good lord, I typed “that shit has sailed.” It’s not shit. It’s fantastic. And the e-book is still only $3.99 USD, but not for long. Just saying.


WIPpet Wednesday: Five Measure Pot Edition

This is it. The last time I get to share a snippet from Sworn (and therefore from the Bound trilogy) for WIPpet Wednesday. As of Friday, the whole thing is done.

Crazy.

So for this blog hop we share a snippet of a work in progress that relates to the day’s date. For the 27th, I’m going flip the date around and share 5 paragraphs (7-2)

Aren’s POV, in a conversation with Kel.

“You don’t want this because it’s your right, or because you crave power. This is actually a selfless act on your part. Mostly.”

“Who’d have thought we’d see the day?”

Kel frowned at my facetious tone. “Admittedly, you went through a bad time there. You didn’t help Severn because it was the best thing for Tyrea. You did it to cover your own ass, to make a good place for yourself, to… whatever. You didn’t care who you hurt, as long as you were safe.”

I winced. “True, and a lovely summary of my character. Thank you.”

“But now.” He paused. “Actually, you’re still seven measures of asshole in a five-measure pot, but you’re getting there.”

Such a good friend.

So that’s it. Man. Crazy.

Don’t forget that we’re having the release party tomorrow (January 28) on Facebook. You can find the event here. And the official release of Sworn is on Friday, but I suspect we’ll see it up on most retailers at some point tomorrow.

I’m so excited. This book was the hardest thing I’ve ever written (logistically, emotionally, and even physically), but it’s been completely worth it.

Thanks to everyone who has helped spread the word about Bound and Torn being on sale!

Okay, enough babbling. Want some more WIPpet Wednesday fun? Visit this link and make some new friends. And then, should you feel so inclined, join in on your own blog and link back! Thanks to Emily Witt for hosting.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get ready for a party. Take some more prize photos, wrangle some guest authors… EEP!

sworn_full

 


WIPpet Wednesday: Calm Before the Storm

I have nothing planned for this week. But since my new project isn’t quite ready for WIP snipping, and Sworn only has a few more weeks as a work in progress, we’ll stick with it.

For anyone who has no idea what I’m rambling about, WIPpet Wednesday is when a bunch of authors share a snippet from a work in progress that relates in some way to the date. Then we link up, read each other’s stuff, comment, party, yadda yadda. It’s good times, and always open to new WIPpeteers.

Okay. 1/13/2016… *maths internally* We’ll go with chapter 14 (1+13), nine short paragraphs (2+0+1+6)

There could be minor spoilers if you don’t want to know anything about who’s in the story, and if you want it to be possible that the POV characters were massacred in the first scene (you monster). But this is a pretty safe one.

Aren’s POV this week. They’ve been going through some tough times and facing an unreasonable amount of reality, so quiet moments alone have been few and far between.

I reached out to touch her hair, which the morning light had lit like a fire. She turned to me and smiled, and the warmth in her gray eyes spoke to something deep inside of me. I felt myself opening. Relaxing. Letting go of the pressure I’d been under since my father’s rescue.

“This is perfect.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized they were coming.

She wrinkled her nose. “You think so?”

“I do. Not your problems, of course. But look at what we have right now. No Ulric. No pressure, no looking to the future.”

It couldn’t last, but we could make the most of it while it did.

A smile curled the edges of Rowan’s lips, as though she were reading my thoughts, and she stepped closer. “We might have to wait a while for Florizel.”

She gasped as my fingers tangled in her hair and I pulled her toward me. She grabbed the front of my jacket and drew me into a deep kiss that burned through me as the world around us faded to insignificance.

Even if I live a thousand years, I will never wish for anything but this.

“Excuse me?” inquired a small voice.

…can’t let the nice moments last too long, can we? Authors are so mean.

If you’d like to see what the other WIPpeteers are up to, here’s the link. Thanks again to Emily Witt for hosting.

In other news… The Bound trilogy prequel novella At Any Cost is now available on Amazon and Kobo, with other retailers dripping in as they approve the book for sale. It’s still available as a freebie for newsletter subscribers, but if you don’t like signing up for newsletters (or just like paying for books, which is amazing), it’s now out there for you. Reader response to this one has been fantastic, so it’s definitely worth picking up one way or the other to tide you over until the 29th. If you’ve read and enjoyed it, reviews would be most appreciated!

OH. And I’ll soon be posting about the Sworn release party (January 28, Facebook)! That’s definitely going to be a good time. If anyone is interested in getting your (Fantasy) books in front of my readers by doing a giveaway, just let me know. Or if you have days to fill and feel like posting about the book during the week after release, that would be great! Any help is wonderful, and of course I’m happy to return the favour.

Guess that’s it for now. See you all soon! I’ve got to get back to work on this new thing…

At Any Cost - Ebook


WIPpet Wednesday: Ominous

It’s WIPpet Wednesday again! So that means it’s time to share a snippet from a work in progress that relates in some way to today’s date.

Let’s see here… *flips through papers, disappears into filing cabinet*

Here.

One paragraph for the  first month, from chapter 17 (7-1=6). Zero context.

We’d sworn we would do everything in our power to be together, that nothing would separate us. But perhaps fate or the gods didn’t care what we wanted. What were the promises of two people when compared with the needs of the entire world?

Um… *checks notes again* Well, that was ominous.

*runs away*

Oh, but before I go, here’s the link to the rest of the WIPpeteers. Stop by and see what kind of shenanigans they’re up to! And big thanks to Emily Witt for once again taking up hosting duties. Feel like maybe this is the week you’d like to join in on the fun and get to know some fellow writers? Say hi to everyone else, post to your blog, and link back! It’s really easy.


WIPpet Wednesday: Working Out the Kinks

Time for WIPpet Wednesday again! Our numbers may be small right now, but it’s always fun to see what the other WIPpeteers are up to. Romance, action, magic, mystery… writers do lead exciting lives. 🙂

So we need a short snippet from a work in progress relating to today’s date. Hmm.

WIPpet math: 12/30/2015 = 12 paragraphs from chapter 17 (30+2+0-15). Rowan’s POV again, slightly edited to avoid spoilers. All you need to know is that they’re in a barn, it’s very dark, and they’re not alone.

“You all right?” Aren asked, and sat beside me.

“Just sore from trying not to fall off a flying horse.”

“Anything I can do?”

I spread my blankets out and lay on my back. “My legs are really stiff.”

Aren moved through the darkness, and a moment later his hands were on my thighs, pressing hard. I gasped. “Ouch.”

“You want me to go easier on you?” The slight challenge in his voice made me shiver.

“No. It’s fine.”

He worked in silence, pressing and kneading. I gritted my teeth through the sore spots, and my muscles relaxed even as my heartbeat insisted on doing the opposite. He bent my knee and pressed it to my chest, stretching out the stiffness in my backside, first on one side and then the other.

“Better?”

I nodded, then remembered he couldn’t see that in the dark. “Yes. Thank you. Anything I can do for you?”

He chuckled, and the sound made my heart jump. He lay down beside me and ran a hand over the outside of my jacket, then opened the buttons and slipped his fingers inside. I bit back a gasp.

“Nothing I’d want anyone else to wake up in the middle of.”

For more WIPpet Wednesday fun and to catch up with the other WIPpeteers, visit this link. And feel free to join in! Just post your own snippet on your blog, make the math work for you however you can, and link back.

Thanks for Emily Witt for hosting!

 

 


WIPpet Wednesday: Back Again

I know, it’s been forever! But I thought I’d do a few more WIPpets from Sworn while it’s still a work in progress. After that, I’ll have something new to blab on about (and hopefully I’ll be around more).

Anyone who’s new around here (hi, there!) may be wondering what the heck a WIPpet Wednesday is. It’s the day when several authors each post a snippet from a work in progress that relates in some way to the day’s date.  It’s an open thing, so feel free to visit the other WIPpeteers at their posts via this link, leave some comments, and join in from your own blog! It sounds like things have been slow lately, but maybe we can pick it up again.

I’ll try to avoid spoilers here, but really, if you don’t want to know ANYTHING about Sworn–like, if you want it to be entirely possible that everyone dies in the first scene and the third book of the trilogy is about totally different characters–you shouldn’t read on. But I’ll keep the snippets short and as interesting as I can.

Since today is 12/23, let’s take 12 sentences from chapter 5 (2+3=5). From Rowan’s POV.

A rooster crowed, ordering the sun and the community out of bed, and the heavy thump of wood landing in the fire pit signaled that at least one person had obeyed. He called out to someone who shouted back from the other end of camp, and with that, the place swarmed to life.

Inside the tent, I struggled to get moving. Even with Aren’s arm to rest my head on and a few wool blankets beneath us, my back had grown stiff and my muscles tender overnight. My breath came out in a plume of white as I climbed over him and collected my clothes from the floor.

Aren yawned. “Come back,” he mumbled. “I’m not ready to start the day.”

I sighed. “I’m supposed to be making friends.”

“I’m your friend. Get over here.”

Big thanks to the WIPpet host… um… actually, I’ve been away for so long that I’m not even sure who’s doing the job. I think it might be Emily Witt. Someone correct me if I’m wrong!

For more WIPpet Wednesday fun, visit the link here to see what everyone else is up to!


WIPpet Wednesday: New Beginning

Hello again! It’s time for WIPpet Wednesday, the day when adventurous authors from many a genre share a snippet form a work in progress that relates in some day to today’s date.

Today I’ll be sharing again from my not-yet-being-ripped-apart-by-my-editor WIP, a prequel novella to the Bound trilogy. Today I’m going to keep it simple in context, if not in math: 15 sentences (9+1+6 for 9/16, minus one for clarity) from the beginning of chapter one.

A perfect party, Maggie thought as she retreated toward the food. If only I deserved it.

A lavish spread of desserts covered the table so that not even a hint of the rich mahogany surface beneath showed between plates of tiny cakes, fresh fruit, spun sugar candies stacked into a glittering castle, and wine that flowed as though from an unending spring. Music filled the air, the notes laughing their way through the crowd of students and guests, mixing with hushed conversations and the soft rustle of dresses on the dance floor.

Maggie reached for a glass of wine—her sixth of the evening—and let her focus soften as she watched the party go by. Her father, headmaster of the finest school to ever teach young Sorcerers and Sorceresses, had spared no expense for his only daughter’s twenty-second birthday celebration. The dining hall had been transformed. Literally, in some respects, thanks to one talented young Sorcerer’s gift with illusion, and another’s skills with light. The lamps on the walls, filled for the night with rare dragon oil, burned brighter than Maggie had ever seen them, casting an ethereal glow over every face, every gown.

A birthday party fit for a queen, or perhaps a Sorceress. Maggie brushed a hand over the skirts of her dress, smoothing the deep red folds, and wondered whether that made her an imposter for playing along with it, or merely a fool. She was no queen, and never would be. The island nation of Belleisle didn’t even offer the position. And she certainly was no Sorceress. Though she’d lived her life surrounded by magic, she’d never felt the faintest hint of it in herself.

And then nothing else interesting ever happened to her, the end.

PFFT.

Not quite.

Want to get in on the WIPpet Wednesday fun? Post your date-related snippet on your own blog, link back to the fun-filled link here, be sure to stop by and comment on the other WIPpeteers’ posts, and… actually, that’s about it.

Big thanks to KL Schwengel who is a fine author and a kick-ass beta reader. Literally. She will kick your ass. It hurts, but it makes you stronger.


WIPpet Wednesday: Crime Scene

Hi again! It’s time again for me to stumble into the WIPpet Wednesday party and wander around greeting everyone, pretending I have some idea of what’s going on with the folks who post serial-style.

Dropping in every few weeks means missing a lot. O.o

WIPpet Wednesday is, of course, the day when the WIPpeteers post a snippet of a work-in-progress that relates in some way to the day’s date. As Sworn is still with its first readers and I probably won’t get back to it until we’re at least somewhat settled in a new home, we’re sampling from the vampires again today.

The good news is that I got beat sheets done for the whole series yesterday (though #5 still needs work), which means that I can get down to scene outlines soon if I can find time around house stuff.

The better news is that this is going to be SO MUCH FUN to write that I’m shaking a little.

You may be a writer if this makes you do a happy dance.

Today we’ll do our snippet from chapter nine of Resurrection (2+7 for the 27th). Shivva and Daniel are at a crime scene, which we’ve seen a few of on Wippet Wednesdays past. Shivva’s job is just to see what she can figure out without direction. Kind of a test, and an important one.

The kitchen is a mess, with uncapped soda bottles all over the table next to stacks of plastic cups, some of which are tipped and scattered across the floor. Bowls of chips and party mix sit on the counters, along with an array of cheap booze. The sharp stink of it would be enough to mask the scent of blood if we were limited to living senses. Not for us, though. Underneath our stylish-yet-understated clothing, Daniel and I are monsters. Even spoiled, dead blood calls to us.

I move toward the basement door without any direction from Daniel, and he follows a few steps behind. This is my show now.

Death chokes the air down here, as though its heaviness has dragged it all underground. The basement is finished and separated into a rec room and a few smaller, enclosed rooms off of it. Probably a furnace room, maybe a bathroom. The walls look solid, but the carpet is cheap. Couches upholstered in worn cloth in clashing patterns cluster around a big TV in the corner, and the tables between them are scattered with plates of half-eaten pizza. In the open space in the centre of the room lies an empty wine bottle. I pull on gloves before I pick it up, even though our investigation should be over. No point sending the human police on a snipe hunt if they do show up.

I hold it out to Daniel. “Spin the bottle?”

He shrugs. “We thought maybe. I didn’t know kids these days still did that.”

I didn’t think they did, either. “You’d think there would be an app for that.”

I’m guessing high schoolers. Old enough that someone’s parents left them home alone, and they had friends over. More than a few, judging by the number of cups scattered over the floor. Maybe college age kids acting goofy, but I’d like to think that anyone who can legally drink would have better taste than what’s indicated by the open bar upstairs.

So there we go. Yeah, cutting it off before the gore again. I don’t think anyone stumbling on my blog for the first time is going to want to see what these two are dealing with. *waves*

And I’d say that’s it for me for a while regarding WIPpet Wednesday. I’ll still be blogging, still doing the Bound A-Z series on Thursdays, but I likely won’t be posting on Wednesdays until I’m back to work and have a lot more new material to share. I’ll still pop in on other WIPpeteers’ posts when I can. If you’d like to do the same, you can find them here.

Big thanks as always to our host KL Schwengel, who just alpha read Sworn for me and is either making notes or plotting my death. I’m not scared. Nope.

*shiver*


WIPpet Wednesday: Welcome Back, Vampires

Yep.

Sworn is off to alpha readers, which means two things.

One: I feel like puking (a lot), because sending a story out to be critiqued for the first time is terrifying. Actually, sending it out for the last time is also terrifying.

Two: Yes, I’m supposed to be focusing on getting ready to move (more on that another day), but I still need something writing-related to work on so I don’t go crazy. This means I blew the dust off of Resurrection (an urban fantasy project that some of you may remember), printed it out, and will be reading it over this week.

It got rave reviews from readers before… I just have to decide whether I’m still happy with it, and what comes next. It’s a novella. A satisfying story on its own, but definitely leading into more. I have plans for the series. I’m just not 100% sure what they are yet, whether we’re looking at a 4-5 book story arc or something more episodic like Nancy Drew Sookie Stackhouse. Either way, 5 books max.

Released at 2-3 month intervals.

YAY.

I’ve got planning to do.

Anyway, it’s officially a work in progress again, and WIPpet Wednesday is when we share a snippet from a WIP. It has to relate in some way to today’s date. I was going to give you something from chapter 13, but there is no chapter 13.

I’m not superstitious, it’s just that compact.

So let’s go with chapter 4 (1+3), 5 paragraphs for the 5th month.

Trixie, Shivva, and Daniel just came back from a tough crime scene involving slaughtered humans and rogue vampires, and Daniel’s not talking to anyone*. This snippet gives a reasonable idea of how they feel about us.

All scenes in this one are from Shivva’s POV. Weird…

“I don’t know what crawled up his ass,” Trixie says. She squeezes a lemon wedge, watching the juice roll off her fingers into her tea. “He’s not just being overprotective, either. He was fine until right before we left. Maybe he didn’t get a good feed in.”

I flop back on the bed. “Maybe he’s sick of my issues.”

“Probably. You’ve got to let it go, Shivva. We’re not human. It’s not our job to protect them.”

“But we need them.”

“We need our stock,” she clarifies, and stirs her tea with a dainty silver teaspoon. “The feeders. That’s it. Even then, one’s pretty much like any other. It’s no big loss if something happens to one of them. But keeping them safe gives them incentive to trust us and saves us trouble.”

Nice, eh?

For more WIPpet Wednesday fun, click this here link. To join in, just post on your own blog space, link back there, and stop by to comment on everyone else’s posts. Easy peasy, and a great way to meet some wonderful writer-type peoples. Big thanks to our host, KL Schwengel!

Hope you’re all having a great week!

*Daniel is Shivva and Trixie’s trainer. He’s… eh, you’ll have to read it.


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