WIP Wednesday

wip wednesday

It’s time to SHARE what you’re working on!

The rules are pretty simple, if you want to play along.

Just share up to 500 words in the comments from something you’ve been working on.

This is taken from something new I’m working on.

 

The ladies of the house were versed in all the fine arts. Music, dance, flower arranging and necromancy. Nowadays there wasn’t much call for raising the dead, but once my grandmother said, it was a perfectly acceptable line of work.

I’d never had reason to want to bring someone back from the dead until now.

Except that, wiser heads in my family forbade it. Too much could go wrong.

As I sat on the floor, at the center of a circle of salt with four candles burning at each of the four directions and began to chant, my black cat, Raven, darted into the room disrupting the circle of salt and setting back my spell work.

“Raven!”

It’s not much… but its a project I’m very excited about.

 

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Tuesday Teatime

So, I’m taking a little break from the serious writerly advice I’ve been offering lately and doing something fun.

So, here’s 5 quotes about coffee for you to enjoy!

1. Coffee is the best medicine.

2. Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death and sweet as love.

3. All you need is love and more coffee.

4. Coffee is happiness in a cup.

5. Life happens. But coffee helps.

WIP Wednesday

It’s time to SHARE what you’re working on!

The rules are pretty simple, if you want to play along.

Just share up to 500 words in the comments from something you’ve been working on.

This is taken from PENDRAGON which I’m struggling with right now. Hopefully it comes together by the August 9th deadline.

“Mordred!” I looked up, to find Macha running towards me. The wind blowing her raven locks into her eyes, forcing her to stop and brush her hair back behind her ears.

“Ems,” I greeted.

“Guess what?”

“Um…” I pretended to think. “I give up. What?”

“Queen Mab has said I can attend tonight’s solstice ball.”

I smiled. Knowing Mab as I did, meant I knew why Macha had been allowed to attend.

At nineteen Macha was considered of age amount fey kind. But I knew something Queen Mab didn’t about her youngest daughter.

Macha liked girls. I knew because I’d caught her with Evanthe in the stables when they thought nobody else was around.

Which would possibly put a spanner in tonight’s festivities. If I was correct in my assumptions, there was only one reason, I could think of as to why Queen Mab would allow Macha to the Solstice Ball. She’d found a suitor and was planning on marrying Macha off — tonight.

And Macha wouldn’t be happy. She’d be pissed. Her temper was well known throughout the Winter Court.

Day #19 to #25

sword girlI’m closing in on the finish line. I’m not sure how I feel about my story and that’s okay because the way I figure it I have all of the coming year to make it shine.

As of the end of DAY 25 I have 41,005 words and no one else has had to die. Which is nice because I don’t relish killing off my characters even if they do deserve it as Tanaquill and Madrigal did.

Dyson is heart broken but it’s a small price to pay to see those two get what they deserve.

So, here’s to the last remaining days of NaNoWriMo. I hope it’s as productive for you as its been for me.

Day #16, #17 & #18

And we’re past the half way point. Finally! November honestly feels like it’s dragging to me. Anyone else?

It’s weird.

But maybe it’s just me, given the struggle for words is real!

Anyhow… where am I in this marathon that is NaNoWriMo? Well… I’m catching up again.

YAY!!!

As of midnight on DAY 18 I’m sitting on 29,006!

Arianell is proving to be something of a challenge. I thought her a girl of about twelve at least in comparison to a human twelve year olds but by her speech and mannerisms alone she definitely older.

She doesn’t like labels much either. At least not when Riordan tries to reaffirm her position in the family as his younger sister. Now that she’s Queen she’s gotten snarky.

WIP Wednesday

Celtic-Warrior

Yes! I’m attempting to bring this weekly series back and start sharing snippets of what I’m writing. Which at present is mostly drabbles and my NaNoWriMo novel…

It’s time to SHARE what you’re working on!

The rules are pretty simple, if you want to play along.

Just share up to 500 words in the comments from something you’ve been working on.

This is taken from a scene in my NaNoWriMo novel Gilded Roses that I’m working on today.

Set in-between the Summer and Winter Courts, sits a garden of wild roses the colour of blood and death. Red and black blooms point their way towards the sun even though it was nearing midnight. I didn’t know why I was here or who had beckoned me and it scared me, just a little. Faerie was still new to me and despite the crown that had been thrust upon my head, I knew without a doubt I had enemies. I was about to turn and ran when a woman carrying a lantern came and stood before me.

“Saoirse, we meet at last.”

The woman in grey brought the lantern closer to her face. She appeared young and old at the same time. Simply ageless.

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t know who you are.”

“I am Scathach. Queen of the Spring Court. Sister of Aoife, the Autumn Queen. But don’t let your opinions of her, sway you when making up your mind about me, I am not my sister.”

“Okay.”

“I wish to help you,” she said. “I’ve heard whispers that a certain former Queen is still alive. I’ve long suspected Tanaquill of wanting to gain control of more than just her own court. I suspect the choice of her grandson being wedded to you, was not simply by chance. Wherever Oona is, I suspect it’s got Tanaquill’s hands all over it.”

I had to be smart. I couldn’t reveal anything. After all, Scathach could just be fishing for information on Tanaquill’s behalf. I didn’t know this world, nor the people in it. Not well enough anyway.

“Whispers?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. “A good queen has spies everywhere. One of my maids overheard one of your guards telling a kitchen hand that he required food for the prisoner he was charged with. Said the prisoner’s name was Oona. There are not many people in these parts with a name like that. The Kingdom laid down a decree that banned the use of any name born by the current King and Queen of each of the four courts from the moment they begin their reign to the time they die. Even if disposed there will not be another little Oona in these parts any time soon.”

Day #9

DAY 9 has been another slow day. I spent it researching and making notes for GILDED ROSES while managing to get some words down.

All up I wrote 1835 words today. I am 2,853 words behind, but I’m making progress. I had hoped to get some drabbles written but inspiration didn’t strike so that’s a job for tomorrow.

Anyway… tomorrow is a new day.

Happy writing.

Day #5

fey wild

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later… I dropped the ball. I wrote 714 words yesterday. I have about 906 words to catch up on. I won’t be doing any massive steps to rectify that today, however but I am aiming for 1,668 words minimum. It’s still early. Fingers crossed. Trying to balance the chores and writing when November comes around is tricky.

How is everybody else going with their writing goals? NaNoWriMo or otherwise? Are you hitting your targets or flailing?

I’ll have another update, for Day #6 later.

Day #4

Well it’s 9pm on DAY 4 and I was skeptical that I’d actually make it but 2,050 words later and I’m all caught up. Sitting at 6,715 words which means I can ease off on the nano words at least until tomorrow.

Story wise… well unexpected things are starting to crop up. People I presumed were dead this morning are now alive and well and in hiding. If you’ve ever watched Reign or Lost Girl, you’ll get the vibe I’m going for with my story. It’s the Royal drama and romance from Reign melding with the fey shenanigans from Lost Girl.

It’s actually starting to get just a little bit exciting. I have no idea if this story will go the distance or not but I’m starting to see an overarching plot emerge, which is great.

There will be at least two more people dead by the week’s end I think.

I don’t relish killing off characters but these two deserve it.

Well, until tomorrow and for those of you doing NaNoWriMo or just working on other writing projects… happy writing!

Day #3

And it’s DAY 3!!!

I finished at 3,358 words yesterday. Hit the target but was 200 words shy of reaching 1,667 words for the day. I’m currently at 4,472. With 34 minutes remaining…

I miss my buffer.

This morning I learnt not to fall asleep mid thought. I’ve completely blanked and had to write around whatever it is I was trying to say, which was interesting to say the least.

Today’s words are coming slower than yesterday, probably because I slept in. But the aim is to see out today with at least 5,001 words if not a few more.

I jumped ahead a bit in the story and the plan is to fill in the gaps tomorrow.

Suffice to say it’s been an interesting three days so far. My characters have been misbehaving and are taking me along for the ride.

Day #2

And DAY 2 has arrived. It’s 3pm and I’m currently sitting on 2,800 words all up and I’m just 500 words shy of today’s minimum word count. I finished out yesterday with 2,001.

The story has a working title. It’s Gilded Roses. It will likely change before November is through.

Other things I know so far…

Riordan has a sister. Nameless at the moment. So if anyone wants to throw Irish names my way that could suit a raven haired girl by all means place them in the comments.

Saoirse is a bit of a mystery still. I mean I know what’s going to happen in the next few thousand words but beyond that nope. Drawing a complete blank.

Here’s hoping i can make this story go the distance. I haven’t written a novel from scratch in so long when it comes to NaNoWriMo and I’m feeling the pressure a little.

I haven’t yet managed to turn of my inner editor and as such the beginning has changed. For the better, I think.

So, here goes… this is the opening to this years novel.

I awoke slowly, drowsy and disoriented. The last thing I remembered was packing my suitcases.

My parents were dead. The reality hit me again, like a punch to the stomach and I sucked in a breath to keep from crying.

But after that there was nothing. I tried to fight the fog but it was impenetrable.

Had I been drugged?

Looking around, it was clear I was on a plane. Possibly thousands of feet up in the air, but as to who had put me here, or where I was headed. That was a mystery.

I wracked my brain, but only pieces of information came back to me. My parents’ death. Their funeral. And then being given two hours to pack my most prized possessions into a few suitcases. My entire life summed up in a few bags.

Tragic.

I’m not sure how I did it, but I did, because I was here now. Seated on this plane, albeit slightly sleepy and horribly confused, but here nonetheless. It wasn’t a commercial airline I was travelling on, because I was the only passenger and the aircraft itself was small. Maybe a dozen seats all told. Somebody had gone to great lengths to get me away from my home. The question I asked myself was why?

In my pocket I found my cellphone. Turning it on I spied one new text message, sent from a number unknown to me. It read:

Don’t scream. You’re safe. Friends will meet you at the end of your journey.

November is Coming

Yup! It’s that time of year again… no, I’m not talking about Halloween. Although it is coming up awfully fast and I’ll blog about that in another post. I’m talking about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month for those not in the know)

Every year since November 2005, I’ve participated. And every year, bar 2008, I’ve won.

This year, I’ve decided to not be a rebel and write a novel from scratch. 50,000 words – all of them new. In an effort to kickstart a new series.

So far, beyond the main characters and setting, I’ve done little pre-NaNo planning.

Basically, I’m winging it and pantsing. It’s worked quite well in the past and whatever doesn’t work post NaNoWriMo will be edited out.

I’m thinking I might post snippets every day of November so you can see a little of my progress along the way.

Anyone else doing NaNoWriMo? Let me know in the comments below! I could use some buddies throughout the month.

For those who might want to look me up, I go by Rhiannon Brid on the forums.

Prologue

 

In My Blood

Prologue

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Evie sat in the corner booth waiting, idly playing with the straw in her drink. She was bored and she’d only been here ten minutes. But that was the problem with small towns. Nothing ever happened and on the odd chance that something exciting did happen, it was almost always short lived.

So, she either had to find an excuse to get out of town and head to the city, or find someone who would be willing to entertain her for a few hours.

And that was the other thing about small towns. It was impossible to date. Everyone available was either one of three things… too old, family or someone her parents didn’t approve of.

It was the third reason that bugged Evie most of all and gave her the most incentive to want to get out. It wasn’t as if she needed her parent’s approval in regards to who she dated, but the elders of the pack had strict rules as to what the younger generation could and couldn’t do.

All because some alpha over in Belfast got himself got himself into a tangle with the daughter of the faerie queen. Suffice to say it didn’t end well and a lot of people died. Of course, those actions had ripple effects which had trickled down to the American packs.

Rule #36: No werewolf shall at any time enter into a relationship with one of the fair folk.

To do so would mean excommunication. And to be a werewolf without a pack was dicey. Without protection of other pack members anything could happen.

But Evie never was good at playing by the rules.

Rolling her eyes at him as he sat down in the booth opposite her, Fletcher grinned. “Hey Sis, how’s things?”

“Fine,” she muttered. “What brings you to my booth?”

“Oh, nothing. Just thought I’d check in. See how my little sis is doing.”

Evie rolled her eyes once more. “What do you want, Fletcher?”

“Oh, it’s not what I want,” he said. “It’s what they want.”

“They?” Evie asked, confusion marring her face. “But…”

“Apparently,” Fletcher continued, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Our aunt speaks very highly of you.”

“Our aunt?” Evie asked, while across the table, Fletcher nodded.

“And she’d like an audience with you.”

“Me!” Evie squeaked. “Why me?”

Fletcher shrugged. “How should I know? Perhaps she’s got a potential suitor already picked up, ready and waiting for you to walk down the aisle… they do have aisles in Arcadia, don’t they? I mean you could do worse.”

“I could do worse?” Evie’s nostrils flared. “’Course you would think marriage to one of the fair folk was a perfectly acceptable solution given there aren’t enough pack members to go around, wouldn’t you? Why don’t you marry one then?”

“Because Eves,” Fletcher said. “I’m not one of the last surviving Quinn females on the North American coast.”

“What’s blood got to do with any of this?” Evie demanded.

“Everything.”

In My Blood

wolf-moon-soul-e1560488573569.jpg

So… watch this space, because this is where I’ll be linking every chapter of this little WIP for you guys to read, as I write it.

Because I’m posting as I write it, it will be raw and unedited, but I wanted to do something a little different and have some fun. This novel does tie into other novels but is separate enough that it will stand on its own.

In My Blood (working title) is a standalone – for now – novel that is set within the world of the Eldritch Series of which Book One (The Winter Princess) is currently with an editor.

wolf

It centers around Evie, who is the last remaining Quinn female, born to mixed lineage. Not quite fey nor quite wolf. Evie has grown up following pack orders. But that’s all about to change.

As wolves mate for life and Evie has yet to find the one since the rules surrounding who she can and cannot date are harsher than ever, she is almost content to stay single until she is summoned to Arcadia by her aunt, who presents her with a contract awaiting her signature that will put an end to her spinsterhood forever.

Signing it means leaving her old life behind and trading it in for a new one. One where the mere fact that she’s a werewolf could wind up getting her killed. Can she learn the rules of Court in time and handle her faerie heritage in a world she knows nothing about while keeping her secret hidden or will it be revealed and her chance at happiness lost for good.

WIP Wednesday

wolf-sleeping-e1560305289727.jpg

It’s time to SHARE what you’re working on!

The rules are pretty simple, if you want to play along.

Just share up to 500 words in the comments from something you’ve been working on.

It’s June! Which means we in Oz are in the throes of Winter. It’s been raining pretty consistently for the last week. Kinda over it to be honest. However, the sun is out today, and I’ve been able to write, which means I’m able to share.

I’ve picked up where I left off on the previous piece for the hell of it. I’m actually thinking of sharing this story piecemeal as its written. Which means it’s going to be raw and unedited.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below… or like… to let me know if you want to see future installments.

But Evie never was good at playing by the rules.

Rolling her eyes at him as he sat down in the booth opposite her, Fletcher grinned. “Hey Sis, how’s things?”

“Fine,” she muttered. “What brings you to my booth?”

“Oh, nothing. Just thought I’d check in. See how my little sis is doing.”

Evie rolled her eyes once more. “What do you want, Fletcher?”

“Oh, it’s not what I want,” he said. “It’s what they want.”

“They?” Evie asked, confusion marring her face. “But…”

“Apparently,” Fletcher continued, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Our aunt speaks very highly of you.”

“Our aunt?” Evie asked, while across the table, Fletcher nodded.

“And she’d like an audience with you.”

“Me!” Evie squeaked. “Why me?”

Fletcher shrugged. “How should I know? Perhaps she’s got a potential suitor already picked up, ready and waiting for you to walk down the aisle… they do have aisles in Arcadia, don’t they? I mean you could do worse.”

“I could do worse?” Evie’s nostrils flared. “’Course you would think marriage to one of the fair folk was a perfectly acceptable solution given there aren’t enough pack members to go around, wouldn’t you? Why don’t you marry one then?”

“Because Eves,” Fletcher said. “I’m not the one of the last surviving Quinn females on the North American coast.”

“What’s blood got to do with any of this?” Evie demanded.

“Everything.”

So, what are you waiting for? Bring out your WIP for WIP Wednesday!