Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Teaser: Whisper of Power

In case you wanted a little teaser from Whisper of Power to entice you to read the whole story, here it is!

               I gasped. At first it was because I remembered something but then I kept sucking in air before the scream ripped out of me. I was on Summit’s back and then I wasn’t. I flew through the air, a heavy weight on my body and something piercing my shoulder. The ground reached out to hit me, knocking the air and my scream away. I felt hot breath on my neck and my own hot blood trailing down my skin.
               Summit reared over me and behind him I saw the night sky. It was clear and dark and then it shook like an earthquake, but really it was just whatever was attacking me shaking my body. It was huge and powerful. There were voices in my head screaming. My stomach turned over and I choked back vomit. Help me! Who are you! Why are you here? Are you Hunting me? You cannot take me back! Release her!
               Summit’s voice I recognized. The other voice could only be whatever was attacking me. He screamed louder than any animal I had ever heard. He was asking me questions, but he wasn’t waiting for answers. I could feel his panic and fear and anger and a wildness like I had never felt from an animal before.
              There was a thud and a yelp as the weight of my attacker fell off of me. His mouth closed down at the last second, ripping my arm open even more before his teeth snapped together and he was well and truly off of me. Summit reared again and his front hooves crashed down, a sickening crack of bone ringing in my ears. The screaming voice stopped and he stood, looming above me on two legs, before he twisted around and ran away. You hurt him. Yes.

Hope you liked it!  If you would like to read the whole story, it is currently available through Amazon.  I will be adding it to several other online versions in the next week (such as on the Nook).  Thanks for your support!

Keep reading.  Keep writing.  Keep dreaming.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Whisper of Power(Chronicles of Chora)

I've published my second short story! Whisper of Power continues Jael's story but you don't have to read the first to enjoy the second! But it is a series for those readers like me who have trouble letting go :) Here's the back cover blurb!



 In the land of Chora magical beasts, whether human or not, are to be hunted, captured and killed if necessary. Jael has never considered herself a magical beast, but after revealing she is a whisperer with the ability to speak to animals, she finds herself escaping from one of the King’s Hunters. With the help of the unicorn she endangered, Jael flees deep into the woods. When a savage beast attacks, she learns the dangers of the woods weren’t just tales used to frighten children. To protect the lives of the animals in the forest, and her own, Jael will face decisions of death and catch a whisper of why her power should be feared.

Monday, May 9, 2016

Ten words or less...

I used this as an exercise today. I picked four importations and tried to write three stories in ten words or less for each inspiration. Inspiration: death Her grave was covered in ashes. Love died. I mourned. Nothing changed. I cried alone atop her grave.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Authentic Characters

I've been thinking about this a lot for the last couple weeks. Because I believe in general there are two reasons a person keeps reading, the character(s) and the story. Even when the writing, prose, grammar, etc isn't great, if the story is good and the characters are compelling, a person will keep reading. Or at least that's how it is for me. One example for me is Delerium. After about four chapters I couldn't bring myself to care about the character or her story. And I loved Panic, which was by the same author. Another example is The Selection. Now I admit there are times I think America is a bit too self absorbed and I need Maxon to be more magnetic, I still like them both enough to keep reading, but only just ;) Third example, Katniss Everdeen. Yes she can be "unlike able", stubborn, says not nice things and her vote at the end of Mockingjay was in poor taste; it does not matter because she said "I volunteer!" Katniss is not always the most likable person but she loves deeply and fiercely and she will literally give her life for those she loves. Characters need to be complex, like humans because, duh, they are humans. At least in most stories. Although my Chronicles of Chora also has animals as characters :) Complexity is in the details. Take me for example. I love cherry coke from Sonic. However I think regular coke is gross and I usually don't drink canned/bottled cherry coke. Example two, also about me ;) is... I have always preferred pasture to forests. Forests are pretty but I'm a country girl and pasture is useful for both feeding the livestock I love and providing a big open space to ride in. We are having 4-5 acres of woods logged off our land to convert into pasture. When I saw the trees falling and when I walked through the piles, I was sad. I even told my husband I would have decided not to log it if I had known what I was feeling in that moment. When I write, I can't always give you every detail and explanation for why a character is the way they are or acts the way they do, but I need to know it. Because if I know my character inside and out, you will feel like you know them too even if you don't know they hate coke but love cherry coke from Sonic. Keep on writing! Ps I'm getting close to publishing my second short story about Jael from The Chronicles of Chora!