Monthly Archives: January 2016

Today’s Beyond Honor snippet

She didn’t know what woke her first, an overwhelming sense of wrongness from Narasin or Heinmyets’s yell. Alicira rolled, fumbling for bow and arrows and sword, heart pounding.

“Stop.” Inharise seized her wrists.

“Can’t you feel it? The Shadowwalkers are coming!” she screamed back, Heinmyets’s bellows amplifying Narasin’s danger. Danger. Danger.

“Stop it!” Alame yelled. “Alicira, release!” He took both of Heinmyets’s hands. “He doesn’t have control of the magic. You need to channel Narasin!”

Danger almost drove her to try to break through Inharise’s restraint. But there was something else, a sense of waters flowing around Alicira as she met the other woman’s eyes.

“You have to control it,” Inharise breathed. “He wasn’t like this before.”

Comments Off on Today’s Beyond Honor snippet

Filed under Goddess's Honor series

Get it while you can…

I’m publishing sections of Beyond Honor over at Kindle’s Write On boards. It’s not betaed or edited yet so you get to see what my rough draft processes look like, warts and all. I don’t even have chapter divisions done yet so this is REALLY rough stuff.

Come check it out here.

 

Comments Off on Get it while you can…

Filed under Goddess's Honor series

Whew. Webpage updated

I’ve slowly been working on updating my web page over the past week and–whew–it’s finally DONE. I changed the theme, added pages including one for the Goddess’s Honor series, a page for anthology appearances, and updated my bibliography and the Netwalk Sequence page. Now it looks somewhat respectable–I think. Perhaps not as good as it would if I hired someone to design it, but right now, the publishing budget just doesn’t allow for design. So I’ve simplified the navigation and things should be reasonable to find…now. For whatever reason, this blog shows up as the front page, which is okay, really. In any case, I can cross “update the webpage” off of the list of things to do for this month.

Dang. Besides that, I also put down another 1,000 words on Beyond Honor and started revising “Glorianna.” That short story is getting thoroughly overhauled, including a change from first person to third person. So far it reads better. Add in some errands around the house involved with unpacking and putting things up on the walls, as well as a quick run out to the barn to check on a horse for the barn owner…and it’s been a busy day here in Enterprise.

Now it’s time to go relax.

Comments Off on Whew. Webpage updated

Filed under writer life

Beyond Honor and Glorianna

I’m really pleased that Beyond Honor continues to flow so well. Threads I hadn’t expected to unfold are starting to unfurl and help explain stuff I put in earlier in the book.

Love it when the subconscious has been working on the story for certain. I think one reason things are flowing well at the moment is that I am not trying to force massive words; instead, I’m just shooting for around 1,000 words a day. Considering I am also taking a class where I have to write several essays plus I have made a commitment to putting out new short stories and essays, that’s enough.

Right now, it’s working. The other project I’m working on is a significantly revised version of an older story for an anthology. I hadn’t looked at “Glorianna” for at least ten years, but pulling it out of the archive and dusting it off revealed the roots of a semi-decent tale–and I could also see where it failed. Lots of notes later, and I’m good.

Comments Off on Beyond Honor and Glorianna

Filed under writing thoughts

And a wee story twist….

Holy cremoly. Today’s work on Beyond Honor took a twist. A big twist that at first left me muttering because I was sure that led to a major continuity error in Pledges of Honor–and then I remembered that this was something Katerin would not have been exposed to or possibly even be aware of as a healer.

But yeah. Much more magic in this story than in Pledges. LOTS more.

Comments Off on And a wee story twist….

Filed under Goddess's Honor series

On the way through winter

I’ve kind of fallen behind on posting chapters for Netwalk’s Children and Pledges of Honor, but I have to wonder just how many people are seriously following along. It’s hard to say, but at least posting what I have has kept me going on the blog. It’s not that I don’t have things to write–I have lots–but between writing essays, taking a class, and doing stuff as well as keeping up with the horse, I find myself at the end of the day thinking that there’s things I should have been scribbling on the blog but haven’t. Oh well, that’s the way it flows.

The house in Enterprise is proving to be quite cozy. The other day I felt totally crappy and wanted to lie down and read. It was a snowy day, so I opened the bedroom curtains and lay in bed, read, and looked up to watch the measured drift of snowflakes. We’ve not had a heavy snow since mid-December, and temps have been hovering around freezing. Perfectly tropical. But we’ve been getting occasional snow showers, enough to keep the depth at about three inches here and close to a foot out in the pasture at the barn. It was quite comfy and cozy lying there and reading with snowflakes. Yeah.

I’ve called this place a hobbit house, and considering it’s kind of built into the hillside, yeah, I guess it is. In any case, even when the temps have been down around 0 F, we’ve kept warm with just our little soapstone wood stove. We let the fire burn down at night, but even in the 0s it doesn’t get cold enough for the furnace to kick in (set at 60). Guess the triple-paned windows and additional insulation makes a big difference, as well.

We have a handful of mule deer hanging around the house. Don’t see them every day, but often enough to know they’re our local crew. At least one is a little buck. When I saw him the other day he’d lost one antler. The muleys look good and healthy in this neighborhood, but a handful that hang out down the street look rough and not-so-good. The whitetails don’t appear to be quite as healthy as the muleys.

Then we had a flock of about twenty quail move through. They first clustered around the base of the pine tree, then found the grain I’d scattered for the birds and scratched it up quite effectively. Another big flock is hanging out at the barn. They’re awfully cute.

Mocha is wintering well. I think she’s continuing to put weight on. I can’t see ribs on her, even after riding with her coat packed down. The cold doesn’t appear to bother her, neither does getting damp. She’s looking relaxed and happy, and marches right out when I saddle her up for a ride in the snow. We’re talking about digging out the horse trailer and hauling her to an indoor arena once a week to start legging her up for spring riding. I just have to overcome my nerves about driving on packed snow and ice. Everyone else does it, so I just need to adapt as well.

I’m putting together some ideas for craft work. I’m not certain how well it will work but I’m going to be playing with things. I’ve also come across some inexpensive books and will be reviewing them.

Overall, we’re just having a quiet January. I have a nasty IBS flare popping up that apparently was triggered by drinking holiday dairy-free nog with stevia. Apparently stevia and I don’t get along. Who knew? I’m also taking an online class to renew my teaching license, putting together a memoir/Self-Publishing for Beginners course for the spring, and venturing into creative nonfiction. I’m also plugging away on the first draft of Beyond Honor.

Which, to follow that line–Pledges of Honor is selling well while Netwalk’s Children isn’t moving at all. Sigh. But yay. I knew that Pledges has a market. Non-European setting fantasy with a strong female lead? You betcha. But still, it makes me sad for Children. On the other hand, who knows what could happen in a year or two?

So that’s enough for today’s ramble. See you all later.

Comments Off on On the way through winter

Filed under personal life stuff

Interview link

Have a nice interview over here.

Comments Off on Interview link

Filed under writer promo stuff

A wee snippet from BEYOND HONOR

Working away on Beyond Honor, the novella prequel to Pledges of Honor, and decided that maybe I should post some snippets. So here’s a raw bit from today’s work so far:

***********
“Whoa,” Alicira breathed to Narasin. The mare halted sharply and stomped a forefoot, sending sparks flying. Alicira drew, taking aim at the Nitel construct, hoping that the weakening spell would slow it. As she released, Delian screamed. Alicira turned to see Delian go down. His daranval struck at the Shadowwalker.
“NO!” she shrieked and urged Narasin ahead, grabbing her last arrow as her brother doubled over and the Shadowwalker raised his sword for another blow. She aimed, shot. The arrow struck the Shadowwalker’s sword arm as he struck at Delian and the Shadowwalker fell back, snarling. Alicira dropped her bow over her saddle horn and drew her sword, keening as Delian slumped on the ground, his daranval standing over him protectively.

Comments Off on A wee snippet from BEYOND HONOR

Filed under Uncategorized

Netwalk’s Children Chapter Eight

Arrgh, arrgh, arrgh. Wrestling with CreateSpace and Gimp this morning to get some decent covers through so I’ll have paperbacks for Radcon. The life of a hybrid writer….

Anyway! Netwalk’s Children is on special at Kindle this month–$2.99 for the month of January! Want to read the rest of the story…pick it up here.

And now on to our story. We get to see Netwalker Sarah at work, followed by her first real contact directly with Bess, without Melanie and Diana as intermediaries. Um, is it a good thing that great-grandmother and great-granddaughter appear to get along?

Continue reading

Comments Off on Netwalk’s Children Chapter Eight

Filed under Netwalk's Children

Pledges of Honor Chapter Six

Whew! Hopefully this version of the paperback cover will fly through the QC and I can announce the hard copy of Pledges of Honor is available. I like it best of all…think I’m finally getting the hang of Gimp.

I’m also plugging away on Beyond Honor. It’s going slowly, which is frustrating, but things are starting to fall together. I’ll put up another post sometime this coming week to talk about it.

Meanwhile, living in a land of snow and fog. And now it’s time for the belated post of Pledges of Honor Chapter Six. Katerin acquires some new mules, meets Kwellet, Horsemaster of Wickmasa, and finds out there’s no end to Wickmasa’s secrets.

Continue reading

Comments Off on Pledges of Honor Chapter Six

Filed under Pledges of Honor