2021: Day Six

*Update: 1/2/22 -This post was originally written and scheduled late night on Jan. 4th 2021 to publish on this blog on Jan. 6th 2021, without any prior knowledge of what was to occur. 

Fantasy Friday: Quest - Chapter Twelve

Happy Friday! I've kept you waiting long enough, so I'll skip the intro. Here's the next chapter of Quest of No Return....

***

Chapter 12

The second round of horns sounded. Taura still saw no sign of her sister. "I expected her to be back before now. I hope she didn't go out too far."

"Na ahana, Taura. She'll be here." Ziliena reassured her. "She's fine."

"I'd like to think I would know if she weren't."

Fantasy Friday: Quest - Chapter Eleven

Happy Friday, Dear Reader! I do hope this week finds you well. I'm back with another chapter of Quest of No Return help distract you (I hope)  from this crazy time in our world. 

Just a forewarning, this draft is rough. I will update it at a later time, but to keep the story moving, I need to move on to the next chapter for now. Does that make sense? I think it does, but, then again, it's 3 am  as I put this post together. Yeah..

So without anymore nonsensical babble, I give you Chapter 11.... 

*****

A horn blared, and the first group of hunters were released into the forest. The second group took their places on the lawn to wait for the second horn. Aria waited at the table with the others.

Did you manage to learn anything else today? Aria asked Taura and Ziliena.

Yes, Taura replied. They believed her family was killed by our father's brother.

Fantasy Friday - Quest: Chapter Ten

Happy Friday, friends and fellow fantasy lovers! Hoping you're still coping with these strange times....

I almost didn't make it here with Chapter Ten this week. Sleep is essential for my brain to piece words together coherently, and I've been having a terrible time falling and staying asleep the last few weeks. So, I hope you can ignore the typos, I will fix them later!

If you're new to Isiterra, you can catch up with all of the chapters here.

******

Aria lay awake with Hunter stretched out along her side. Her mind was too busy making plans for the hunt to let sleep creep in.

Though she wasn't keeping track of the time, she did notice the light outside changing colors as twilight drew near. Hunter, you awake? She gave him a gentle nudge.

His tail thumped twice on the bed. Is it time to eat?

Yeah. If we hurry, we can save the girls the trip up here.

I'm waiting on you. He jumped from the bed and sat facing the door while Aria dressed.

She pulled on her boots, but didn't lace them up. Do you think I'll need my coat?

I'm planning to wear mine.

#FantasyFriday - Quest: Chapter Three

It's Friday! And (long past) time for another chapter in Quest! (If you haven't read the first two, you can start here.)

Some time has passed since Chapter Two, and the orphaned sisters have settled into their new normal. Until a visitor comes to Aria in her dreams....

#FantasyFriday - Quest: Chapter Two

Quest of No Return

Chapter Two

Taura looked to where Aria pointed; a large patch of choppy, churning water on what was otherwise a sea of glass, moving deliberately toward the sailboat. 

Though Aria knew Corvin or Serranna were too far away to hear the anything but the screams from her mind, she yelled to them. "Danger starboard! Come on!" She jumped up and down, waving her arms. "Steer to port! To port!"

#FantasyFriday - Quest: Chapter One

Quest of No Return: Chapter One A reed flute was singing somewhere near, beckoning Taura from her dreams. She tried to fight off the enchanting melody, but it already slipped her into consciousness, and she opened her eyes in surrender.

Continuing the Quest

When I set out to revise Quest last year, my original intent was to post a new chapter each week. Then, the reality of what needed (and needs) to be done set in, and I fell behind. And now, as I get back to it again, I remember what still needs to be fixed. So I'm still behind. In the mean time, the working draft is up on Writing.com. I'm still considering uploading it to Wattpad - if I ever get them posted here!

Midnight Ramble: Catching Up....

Sunrise 1/30/18

It's been too long again. I figured I better post something before January is over. Which will be about an hour from now.

With the dawn of this last school year, the boy and I started having to rise before dawn to get to school. No one in this house is a morning person. Except for Wookiee (he's my back up alarm).

Where April Went...

April was a busy month for me again, mostly in all areas of life other than writing. Though, I'm making some progress there, too....

Getting back to Isiterra....

I've been scattered all over the place except the internet lately, but, somewhere, elsewhere, I did mention something would be coming last Friday.

Midnight Rambling: Inspiration. Motivation. Purpose.

When I start writing a story, I don't think at all about themes. Characters and crazy plots, sure. But, themes? Those work their way into the story along the way. 

There are probably more underlying themes in my Society in the Shadow of Civilization series than even I realize. Some are more subtle than others. Maybe too subtle.

On the surface, it's a roller coaster of emotions following a woman who finds out nothing about her life is what she thought it was, and her journey to finding her place in both the real world, and another time. It's also a tale of time-crossed lovers. But, there's more to it than that.... 

Behind the Society: The Characters Less Mentioned

For Part Three of my little Escape Day Celebration, I'm sharing a little more about the Characters we meet in Fore Shadows: Escape 2169....

When Time Travelers Bump into Themselves...

I know there's a good deal of debate about whether or not it would be possible, but, in my world, the Society in the Shadow of Civilization, it happens. More than once.

The first instance in the Society in the Shadow of Civilization is in The Shadow Watcher, when Sam and Michael travel to Costa Rica in search of the Flamella tree. They didn't expect to see anyone except Adjatay - but, they see themselves across a ravine...   

A Shadow in Doubt: Chapter Four - Duty Call

Happy Saturday! Today, I'm sharing Chapter Four from A Shadow in Doubt, where Sam ponders her situation, Jay and Kristoff make her want to gag, and you'll find out who I was listening to while writing that part of the book....

Chapter Four

11/18/2006 - Duty Call

A groan near my head woke me. My hair fell in my face when I lifted my head; I tried to push it out of the way, but it just fell back in the same place. A male chuckled softly behind me - from the sofa - and my heart skipped a beat hoping it was Michael. I rolled over, disappointed it was Kristoff smiling at me from the couch.

I couldn’t figure out how he got there, so I asked, “How?”

He smiled, holding out a can of Pepsi. “Artemis let me in when I rang the bell,” he replied. Because it’s perfectly natural for a cat to answer a doorbell in a secret cavern.

I accepted his offering with gratitude, “Thank you.” Two gulps down, I was awake. “I hope you brought something stronger for Sleeping Beauty here.”

He tapped the travel thermos on the end table next to him. “Never leave home without it.”

“Come on Jay,” I gave her a shove, “it’s time to get up.” Then to Kristoff, “Take the lid off, she’s gotta smell it.”

Happy Groundhog Day! (Thank you, Phil. We'll take an early Spring, happily....)

It's been quiet in my little corner of the webiverse lately. Okay, more like silent. Except for the choir of crickets singing. Do you hear them? Oh, and the wind from this last storm system howling like a rabid pack of wolves for the last three days - that was exciting.

Snow blew in with the pack for about forty-five minutes Sunday. It wasn't cold enough to stick, but just enough to run around in and have fun with the kids. It also brought a mountain of tumbleweeds to our backyard, which was not as much fun. (Picture this multiplied by ten.)