Wednesday, March 27, 2019

The Twelfth Kingdom: Snippets

We're almost to the end of March. How is it that every year seems to fly by faster than the last? I guess that's what getting old is all about. 

Anyway, the end of March ushers in the very beginning of April, which in turn ushers in the lesser-known writing challenge, Camp NaNo. This challenge is very similar to the real NaNoWriMo in November, except for the fact that each writer gets to set his or her own goals. Like, you don't have to write 50K words if you don't want to. 

I want to, though. Hopefully. And for once, my Little Writer and I are in agreement on that. I don't know that my life itself is on the same page. I've learned being a mom, wife, and household maintainer doesn't happen in an hour, and it leaves very little focused time for writing. The plan is to plug away, however; see how far I get. 

My big writing goal for this year is to complete the first rough draft of The Twelfth Kingdom, my twelve dancing princesses retelling. I worked on it during NaNo last year and since then have gotten it up to almost 100K words. If it's anything like what Secret of the Hazel Tree was, I know I'm going to have a massive book of close to 200K on my hands, but the main point right now is just to finish it. So, Camp NaNo is the perfect excuse to try to carve out time to add (hopefully) another 50K or more onto it. 

I feel very ambitious with this project. I'm not going to lie. TK has been a story way too long in the making, and it's cool to actually be FINALLY getting somewhere with it. I don't recall what year it was that the first spark came to me, but it had to have been close to 2012. It's actually kind of funny and humiliating to go back and read those first few chapters again and see how far my writing's come since then. College is good for something, folks. 

Anyway, to celebrate the approaching Camp NaNo, I've decided to share a few of my favorite snippets from the last few months. 

Mock cover for inspiration purposes. 

~*~

Murris handed T a crossbow. “Have you ever used one of these?”

T shook his head. 

“Well, learn now or die holding it,” Murris ordered, shoving it into his arms. “Your bolts load there, and then you trigger the mechanism.” 

~*~

Waedan pulled a thick, leather binder of paper off of a low shelf behind the large table taking up most of the room. “Have we been that stupid, Murris?”

“I certainly hope not,” Murris said. “But I can’t follow m’lord’s thoughts, so there’s a chance I have been.” 

~*~

At first, T was flattered to have been chosen to accompany the general of Fort Kalt on a special trip to the mining camp. But after an hour down the trail, wading through snow sometimes waist-high, he wished he hadn’t been so specifically chosen out. Murris and Waedan both seemed to have the skill of snowshoes down, but T for his life couldn’t figure them out. 

They were a large, flat contraption shaped like the bottom of his foot, but broader and extended past his foot on all sides when he slipped them on. Murris hadn’t bothered to give T any instructions when he handed the contraptions over, other than how to slip them on – which was even less instruction than he gave when handing T that crossbow. 

~*~

“Wait, wait, wait,” A said, holding out his hands. “You mean I wouldn’t have to go sit in the snow out there tonight?”

“No, I’ll do it,” G reiterated, fingering his eyepatch to lend severity to his words. “Since your gut can’t handle a few hours of cold, maybe your gut can handle a game or two with the boys tonight. I hear they’re itching to play a few card and dice games, and your gut may be the only thing to give them the entertainment they’re looking for.”

A narrowed his eyes. “Pretty sure you’re insulting me there. I’ll have you know that my gut has never been wrong.”

“Never means only a third of the time,” Q quipped, amusement shining in his eyes. 

A set his jaw. “Enjoy your freeze time tonight, fellows. I’m off to some cards and dice.” He stomped away, and T wasn’t the only one to break forth in laughter. 

G wiped his eyes. “That boy’s more fun to mess with than a kitten with a string.”

“What are card and dice games?” Q asked, looking after A. “He’s not going to get hurt, is he?”

“Not a chance,” G assured him. “They’re small gambling games, and harmless for the most part. He ain’t got anything to gamble, so I’m pretty sure he’s safe.” 

~*~

The interrogation went as well as could be expected. Thirrey was happy to spit out curses against the Finden soldiers and Lord Waedan and Fort Kalt and T and anything else in Findenland that he could think of. 

~*~

“Permission to spit, m’lord?” 

“No, Murris.” 

The soldier shook his head ruefully. “I guess that was just the fever talking, then.” 

~*~

He slapped his thighs again. 

Q frowned at him. “It’s not that funny, A.” 

“No, I agree. I’m just cold and I’m trying to warm my legs up.” He demonstrated with another set of generous slaps to his legs. 

~*~

But forgetting was not part of Simeanna’s nature. She’d been old enough to remember the plague. She still saw the doctors hovering over her parents, the glittering canopy over their bed, the bottles of medicine that clinked on a silver tray. The plague had taken more than half of their household. She still didn’t know how she had survived. But she remembered well enough living as an orphan in the streets once their riches had been destroyed. Stolen. 

Tears stung the corners of her eyes, but she fiercely willed them away, refusing to stoop to dabbing at her eyes with her hand. Now is not the time to be weak. 

Not when Terretmere and Veymark would be coming to dinner. 

~*~

Are you participating in Camp NaNo next month? Let me know in the comments! 

God bless!

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Fantasy Favorites Tag

So, back in February, my dear friend Christine tagged me in a Fantasy Favorites Tag. The tag was meant to be filled out in February as part of Fantasy Month hosted by Jenelle. But as usual, I got busy and forgot about it, and the tag sat unanswered in my drafts. Thus, we are publishing it very late here in March. But better abominably late than never, I always say. 

And to further frustrate myself, I shall thus command that I may use no fantasy book/film/world more than once. Because all fantasy deserves to have its moment of glory. 

Ready? 


~*~

What is your favorite fantasy book? 

This may actually come to a surprise to most people, but I love reading Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. Yes, LOTR is epic in its own right, but it's hard to top C.S. Lewis's writing style. He just has way too many quotable lines. 

“In those days Mr. Sherlock Holmes was still living in Baker Street and the Bastables were looking for treasure in the Lewisham Road.” 
- The Magician's Nephew

“Aravis also had many quarrels (and, I'm afraid even fights) with Cor, but they always made it up again: so that years later, when they were grown up they were so used to quarreling and making it up again that they got married so as to go on doing it more conveniently.” 
- The Horse and His Boy

“You have no idea what an appetite it gives one, being executed.”
- Prince Caspian

“There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.”
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 

"Better tell him I'm Eustace," said Scrubb.
"The boy's Eustace, my Lord," hooted the Owl as loud as it could.
"Useless?" said the Dwarf irritably. "I dare say he is. Is that any reason for bringing him to court? Hey?"

"Not useless," said the Owl. "EUSTACE." 
- The Silver Chair

~*~

What is your favorite fantasy movie or TV show (or both!)? 

Middle-Earth Saga. Because you have to include The Hobbit Trilogy with the LOTR Trilogy. Yes, Peter Jackson did some things wrong (I won't rant here), but I believe that his mistakes are not great enough to doom the saga as a whole. He did do a lot of things right. Besides, you've got the great scenery, the EPIC SOUNDTRACK, all the wonderful characters, and so on and so on. 

~*~

Who is your favorite fantasy hero/heroine? 

Cheating on this one, and doing one of each. 

Hero: Perrin Aybara from The Wheel of Time. He's a loyal blacksmith, is a Wolf-brother, and has the most adorable relationship with Faile. There have been times when reading the series, I'm kinda fed up with Rand and all I want to do is get back to Perrin's story. 

Heroine: Kale from The DragonKeeper Chronicles. If you've never read this series by Donita K. Paul, you don't know what you're missing. Kale is spunky, brave, stubborn, and all-around way to fun to follow around. There are some important life lessons to learn from her, too. Like wearing pink, because it confuses the enemy. 

~*~

Who is your favorite fantasy side-kick? 

I would have said Samwise Gamgee, but since I've already used Middle-Earth in this questionnaire, I'm gonna have to go with Elmont from Jack the Giant Slayer. I recommend the movie with caution since there is some language and fantasy violence. But hands down, Elmont is the best character. *spoiler* He's basically the guy you expect to die at every turn, but survives everything. *end of spoiler* He's stubborn, full of humor and sass, loyal, and all the awesome things. Plus, he's played by Ewan McGregor, so it almost feels like a fairytale/Star Wars crossover. 

~*~

Who is your favorite fantasy villain? (the one you most love to hate?) 

I have a very sneaking suspicion I'm going to hate Grimmel from HTTYD: The Hidden World. I love the HTTYD films, and I've already teared up watching the trailer and clips on Youtube. Once I get the full film, I feel like it's going to stab me right in all the feels. So yes, I will relish hating Grimmel. 

~*~

What is your favorite fantasy sub-genre? 

Fairytale retellings! I am a huge fairytale enthusiast, if you hadn't noticed. That's mainly what I write, and I do tend to read a lot of them (when I can get my hands on one). If you're looking for some epic fairytale retellings, might I suggest With Blossoms Gold By Hayden Wand, The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson, Five Poisoned Apples collection by Rooglewood Press, and my own The Rose and the Balloon

~*~

What is your favorite thing about fantasy? 

Dragons! No further comments needed. 

~*~

What is your favorite fantasy realm? 

Neverland! Peter Pan has long been a favorite story, and at night I would tell myself stories of Neverland. I mean, c'mon -- pirates, Indians, mermaids, adventures, hollow tree homes, fairies. It's got basically everything! 

~*~

What is your favorite fantasy magic system? 

I'm really not into magic, so I'm gonna have to back out of this one. Not that I disapprove of magic in books/film, but after doing a lot of study on the subject, I've learned one has to be very careful about the magic systems built into stories. 

~*~

Sell me a fantasy book! Have you written a fantasy book? Give me your best pitch for it! Have you read an exceptionally great fantasy book recently? Convince me to make it my next read! 

The story I've written is a Cinderella mystery retelling, as of yet unpublished, since I'm still wading through editing and trying to decide how I want to query and find agents. Pitch: Legends claim Cinderella went to the ball to find a husband. In reality, she went to find a murderer. 

Exceptionally great fantasy book? ALL THE ILYON CHRONICLES! It's everything you want in an epic fantasy: family, dragons, adventures, romance, dragons, action, humor, dragons, incredible worldbuilding, dragons. It'll tear your heart out and you'll never regret it. Also, did I mention the DRAGONS?!

~*~

Alright, folks, that's it! Since it's no longer February, I'm not going to tag anyone else with this, but feel free to snag it if you so please! All credit, of course, goes to Jenelle

God bless!

Friday, March 1, 2019

February 2019 Book Haul

Happy March! Can you believe we're already into the third month of the year?? 2019 is flying by.

Well, since we're finished with February, you know what's up next: Book Haul Post! February was a slow month, shopping-wise, so I don't have nearly the impressive haul that I did last month. But I did manage to snag a few books passing quickly through my local thrift stores.


~*~

Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery 

I think I may have read my mom's copy of this book years ago, but I can't exactly remember. Every time I read the synopsis for this book, I'm reminded of the Little Mermaid in a sense. Even though this is strictly NOT a fairytale retelling, you can't help but draw the similarities between Kilmeny and Ariel: both beautiful, both mute -- though the latter for very different reasons. Still, a sweet story, and a must-have for any respectable Montgomery collection.

~*~

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

Last month I scored on a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, and this month I was excited to find this little gem. I've not read any Dumas YET but I fully intend to, and now the debate is whether to start with the Count or the Musketeers. That, m'dears, is the question.

~*~

The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book #11) by Lemony Snicket 

Can you believe that I've never read ANY Lemony Snicket? I keep seeing books from the Series of Unfortunate Events in thrift stores, and I never thought to pick one up until this month. Me, lover of comedy and good stories, ignoring Lemony Snicket. *shakes head* Now I just have to find the first ten books so I can read this one.

~*~

Everland by Wendy Spinale 

This was a brand-new book for me. Not purchased new, since it was a Goodwill find, but new in the sense that I've never heard of it before. It's a Peter Pan story set in steampunk-ish/dystopian-esque WWII London era. I flipped through it quickly this morning and discovered that it's written in present tense (not my favorite to read, if I'm entirely honest), but the premise looks intriguing. Plus, I've not read any Peter Pan stories other than the original and Peter Pan in Scarlet (which was pretty amazing, I must say), and if I'm to say I'm any fan of the infamous crowing lad who flies, I must branch out.

~*~


What about you? Have you read any of the books I mentioned above? What new books did you add to your shelves this month? I'd love to know in the comments!

God bless!