by Sarah | Mar 23, 2014 | Books, Morgana Chronicles, Tuesday Tales, Writing
Welcome back to Tuesday Tales! This weeks prompt is to be inspired by that picture.
I interpreted the image as a mirror…and although it doesn’t match the mirror I have in my head for my Urban Fantasy/Fractured Fairy Tale/Steampunk story “Into a Mirror Darkly”, I used it for that anyhow.
Red (aka Red Riding Hood/Rose Red) is my badass bounty hunter. Solange is not the fairy tale character you’d expect her to be…she is Beauty, i.e. Solange LaBelle. And this moment happens…oh, mid-story. This is a tale I have been working on on-and-off for a little over a year. I want it to be right & have my full attention so I’ve not been able to focus on it yet. I have two (smaller) stories to finish and send off for edits, then this baby is coming out to shine again:
It couldn’t be. The Crone had seen to the destruction of nearly all the mirrors in Morgana years ago. So far as Red knew only bits and shards still existed across the lands. While she herself had shards on her person, she’d not seen a full, true mirror in many years. Not since Morgana became a virtual wasteland.
“I found it in the dungeons.” Solange spoke in a hushed voice, and in an eerie tableau the scarred half of her body lingered in shadow. Light from her lantern shimmered and reflected off the mirror. In the half-light her good eye glowed almost as white as her dead eye. “I don’t know what the beast used it for, but in the few glimpses I’ve got it almost seems like you could spy on others with it.”
“It carries a lot of power.” Red drew closer, but avoided touching the reflective pane. Gran had taught her well enough to know to avoid strange mirrors. The magic was untrustworthy if it hadn’t your energy within. Red circled to face the mirror dead on.
In the reflection she noticed Cassandra, Solange’s golden clockwork cat. The infernal creation affected a false purr, the rolling links of its tail curling back in forth in a steady motion along the dirt floor of the dungeon.
Red hazarded a glance toward Solange. Unease rippled through Red’s belly and she set a hand on the dagger at her side. A movement in the mirror drew her eyes back. A shadow passed just on the other side of the glass, she was certain of it.
Solange flicked her hand.
The cat leaped, and while Red reacted quick enough to defend herself, Cassandra managed to throw her off-balance. Red tumbled toward the mirror, and the world swirled around her as she fell down, down, down …
*~*
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by Sarah | Apr 26, 2013 | Books, Morgana Chronicles, Sweet Saturday Samples, Writing
Another Saturday, another sample.
Sweet Saturday Samples are samples of any story, published, unpublished, whatever you like. Any genre is welcome of any heat level – but the samples themselves are all rated PG-13, so yes, all samples are safe for innocent (or not) eyes.
It’s been quite some time since I brought out Into a Mirror Darkly to show off. It’s a WIP, and to put it into a genre would be difficult as it spans several. Red is one of my favorite characters to date. She truly kicks butt. It is a first draft of a WIP, so excuse any errors.
I hope you enjoy it. And don’t forget to check out Sweet Saturday Samples for more samples!
By now Gran should have the silver weapons cleaned of ogre blood, so Red wouldn’t have to feel unprotected for long. Whether or not Gran had put protection spells on Red’s land meant little. Magic was too scarce these days to be reliable. That’s why the damnable clockwork inventions were everywhere – replacing magic.
With a sigh, Red turned to the wall. In place of a real mirror hung a well-shined metal plate. No matter much the plate shone, the reflection was still warped and muddled, leaving much to be desired.
She twisted her lips and tapped the lid of a small pot on the shelf below the plate. The internal debate dissipated when she heard a familiar masculine laugh outside. Without further hesitation she took the extra step to line her eyes with coal and enhance her lips with rich red.
“It’s so rare that I get to say you remind me so much of your sister.” Gran’s voice comforted her while her words twisted a long buried knife in Red’s belly.
“Except we both know I’m nothing like Snow.” Red reached for the brush, but it was snatched out of the way and running through her hair too fast. With just a few brush strokes and a whisper of a spell, Red’s rich auburn hair fell in gentle waves across her shoulders. “We don’t even look alike. Just because I made my lips red doesn’t mean we have anything in common.”
Gran tsked, straightening the clothes Red had scattered in her search for an outfit. “She’s your sister, Rose. Don’t hold such hatred in your heart for blood.”
“Is she really, Gran? Is she really, truly, my blood?” As usual the question silenced her Gran in ways nothing else would. At eighty six the woman could boast to rarely ever outright lying. With another eighty or so years ahead of her if magic hung around long enough, she’d do her best to keep that record.
“Of course she’s blood,” Gran finally admitted.
“Blood. But is she really my sister? Mother always said we were twins, born minutes apart.” Red wrapped a lock of red hair around her finger, thinking of Snow’s jet black hair and ‘pale as snow’ skin. The opposite of Red’s deep olive skin that turned dark brown in the months the sun shone through the dust clouds. “And besides appearance we certainly have nothing else in common.”
“You did once.” Gran set a hand on her arm, the fierce fire of a woman devoted to her family bursting forth in the depths of her blue eyes. Years of experience lined her features, while the beauty she’d been in youth came out in the high cheekbones and plump lips she still stained daily. “In the Before.”
“Yes, well in the Before there was magic galore to blind us to such things. Amazing how hiding the sun has revealed truths, like how much some people are willing to sacrifice for wealth and position.”
“Do not speak ill of your sister.”
“She sleeps in that woman’s castle. The one that killed her own husband, not to mention her niece.” Red snatched her arm back, “Your cardinal rule is to not ignore company isn’t it, Gran? I should go greet Solange.”
Gran’s strength and ferocity faded with the mention of Misty, and she gave a nod, “You’re right of course. Let’s go join your guest then.”
Red wrapped an arm around Gran’s shoulder and kissed her temple, “Sorry Gran. I don’t like fighting with you. Let’s just try to have a good afternoon. Find out what it is Solange wants so that I can take that head in and collect the bounty.”
“No more ogres for a while, please. I’m running low on supplies. Protecting all of those bags and cleaning your clothes ate most of them up.” The twinkle returned to Gran’s blue eyes, “Much as I know you like a challenge. Sometimes a challenge can be found right at home.”
by Sarah | Feb 12, 2013 | Books, Hump Day Hook, Morgana Chronicles, Writing
Another Hump Day Hook!
Since you’ve had weeks upon weeks of Changing Tracks to read…I thought I’d give you some variety by bringing back Rose Red the badass bounty hunter in Into a Mirror Darkly.
Red has just shown off her skill with her new bow. Wulfie, her secret lover, has been off on a mission for 8 months, and couldn’t even communicate with her for 2 months. So she’s been a little…pent up:
Wulfie picked up an arrow. It twirled in his fingers before he lifted it to look down the length. Once he’d finished, he inspected first the feathers and then the point. “Well done, Red.”
“Should be. I had months to work on them, plenty of frustrations to use to focus on making each arrow perfect. I believe I have close to two hundred in my closet right now.” She gathered the remaining arrows and carried them back into the house.
“That’s a lot of frustration.”
“It certainly is.
*~*~*
Hump Day Hook asks authors to post one paragraph of one of their stories, whether a WIP, one contracted, or already published. Please visit and comment on the participants – you might just stumble on the next great read for your library! To see more participants, click on the HDH banner below:
by Sarah | Jan 8, 2013 | Books, Hump Day Hook, Morgana Chronicles, Writing
Time for another Hump Day hook! I spent the past week shoulder deep in massive edits for my February release – and my first instinct was to post an excerpt from my new additions to it…but then my publisher emailed me and they’re putting the publisher logo on my cover now…so I thought I’d wait until I get the finalized cover to post again…or until I come up with something else to use in its place.
So we’re back with the ever marvelous Into a Mirror Darkly. Now that the bulk of my editing week is behind me I’m anxious to get back to work on this one. Red always makes me happy.
But for this week, I thought I’d introduce Junior to you. That’s Ronald Stiltskin, Jr.:
Junior – he was far from careful. He stumbled out of the brush carrying a bow twice his size. The man barely came to Red’s belly button, with proportionate limbs but a large head. His face looked like it had been flattened in a great vice, his eyes and lips barely two fingers apart, scrunched up tiny above and below the long pointed nose.
Large ears that folded over and pointed out away from his head with a bit of fur at each tip bounced with each racing step. His large feet skidded to a halt when he spotted her at the gate. “Red! Let me in quick!”
Hump Day Hook asks authors to post one paragraph of one of their stories, whether a WIP, one contracted, or already published. Please visit and comment on the participants – you might just stumble on the next great read for your library! To see more participants, click on the HDH banner below:
by Sarah | Jan 1, 2013 | Books, Hump Day Hook, Morgana Chronicles, Writing
Time for another Hump Day hook! I worked up a mock-up cover for Mirror Darkly this past week. I do have such fun with these. So, since I’d played with the cover, I thought I’d use it for HDH.
Of course, it helps that I started my 500K Challenge and so have been working on this one again!
And now, without further ado, an exchange between Rose Red, the bounty hunter & Wulfric, the great hunter:
“I’m sorry. Did you say you called Queen Melisandra, the vilest of Morgana’s queens, Mellie?”
“Should have seen her. I thought she was going to breath fire.” Green eyes twinkled to match his laughter as he tugged her stiff body closer to him. “Solange heard about it and came to get me out. That’s why I owe her.”
“Solange had to get you out?”
“Apparently I’m not charming.”
“And you’re no prince.” Red’s lips twitched in her efforts to hide the laughter bursting up from her belly. In a last ditch attempt she snatched the lower lip between her teeth and tried to keep her glare in check.
Hump Day Hook asks authors to post one paragraph of one of their stories, whether a WIP, one contracted, or already published. Please visit and comment on the participants – you might just stumble on the next great read for your library! To see more participants, click on the HDH banner below:
by Sarah | Dec 18, 2012 | Books, Hump Day Hook, Morgana Chronicles, Writing
Time for another Hump Day hook. This week I heard from my editor for Changing Tracks at Secret Cravings Publishing. It’s funny how each little step makes the whole thing real and exciting all over again.
But, as I’m not hard at work on actual edits yet, I need to keep busy while I’m waiting on the notes that might drive me to tears.
And so I have. Into a Mirror Darkly is coming along nicely. I’m only 3 chapters in, but the FMC, Red, just rocks my socks. The male lead is going to be an interesting one. Their relationship…well it will be fun to write.
It’s a dark UF w/ romantic elements…so the romance won’t be the focus of the story by any means, but I don’t think Red or Wulfric will let me ignore it.
But I’m digressing. Here’s a small little snippet I wrote yesterday that gave me giggles. Remember, this is first draft and completely unedited & uncritiqued:
Wulfric, on the other hand, grinned and handed her his own sandwich. His rich laughter boomed through the small cottage when she took it despite her apparent anger at him. Brown eyes twinkled with amusement, crinkling at the corners. “Hunting ogres is a horrid business. Thought you’d have moved up in the ranks by now.”
“I have,” Red spoke around her food before grabbing her cup and slurping the tea out of it. Thick lumps of bread washed down her throat and she wiped a drip from her lower lip. “But the bounty on an ogre can handle two households for a full year while I hunt more elusive prey. At least I’m still hunting bounty – unlike some people that cater to the evil that invaded this land.”
Hump Day Hook asks authors to post one paragraph of one of their stories, whether a WIP, one contracted, or already published. Please visit and comment on the participants – you might just stumble on the next great read for your library! To see more participants, click on the HHH banner below:
Welcome back to Tuesday Tales! This weeks prompt is to be inspired by that picture.