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I love new stories!

You like to read too, so I’m guessing you understand how much I love being totally involved in a story. A feeling so good, you have withdrawal at the end of it. The only cure is… more story. I have been craving writing some new stories. I’d really like a couple of excellent shorter stories to lead into my longer works. Sounds fun and easy, right? Short stories have to carry a lot of weight. There are a few important criteria:

  1. They must be good on their own!! Who would be drawn into a longer work, if the short story isn’t good?
  2. They must relate to a longer book, without SPOILERS!
  3. They need to fit a whole plot into a small space.
  4. They can’t steal the thunder from a potential sequel.
  5. They need to be able to be read by someone who’s never read anything of mine before, so they have to include all the worldbuilding and set up.

Do you have any areas of story you wanted to know more about? I’d love your input!

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How do you feel about really large spiders?

A really, really big spider!

One time when I was a kid, a spider fell out of the light fixture above me and landed right in my lap. It was so BIG it made a noticeable sound as it landed. I made a sound too. Please enjoy the mental picture of me screaming and dancing around like a crazy person. My brother sure did!

I’m sure that experience had nothing to do with adding spiders into The Ring Keeper! So please enjoy a snippet of the spider from The Ring Keeper Chapter 16…

Out of the corner of her eye, Allia spotted motion. Her head whipped around in time to see something scuttle out of sight between the boxes. Callonen had seen it too. “Let’s get out of here.” Allia dashed toward the door. But a dark brown spider blocked her path. It was at least as big as the one in the container, only this one roamed free. It raised its front legs, displaying black fangs, and skittered a few steps toward her.

Allia stood frozen, her teeth clenched, staring at the spider. Callonen stepped protectively in front of her. When the spider came nearer, he took a swing at it with the pry bar. It retreated out of reach.

They paused, watching it warily. It rushed at them. Callonen waited until it nearly reached his boots, then struck it squarely with the metal bar. It twitched and struggled, but he kept it pinned to the door until it finally stopped moving, and its knobby legs curled up under its body.

Allia clamped her jaws firmly shut to keep from screaming. Her eyes searched every corner of the room. Were there more? When Callonen offered his hand, she clutched it. They edged past the dead spider to run for the door.

If you haven’t had a chance to read The Ring Keeper yet, now is the time! Click here to buy from my Shopify Store!

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He never took his eyes off the leader of the bandits…

Here is another piece of a scene from the middle of the book. If you haven’t guessed yet, the second book takes place in the desert. The more I work on this story, the more I enjoy it. Can’t wait to share the whole thing!

Excerpt from Seven Rivers Book Two

Kylith stared directly at the leader of the bandits. “If I fight you, man to man, will that pay your toll? Just you and I in a fair fight. No one interferes. If I win, the rest of you will allow us to pass. If you win, you can do as you like with us.”

For a moment silence fell. The bandit leader laughed. He pulled down the cloth covering his face. The moonlight revealed a brutal scar running across his cheek and nose. “Do you know who I am?”

Kylith took a step forward, holding his blade ready. “No idea.”

The bandit laughed. “I thought not. No one who knew who I am would dare to challenge me. I am Hakkir. Do you still want to fight me?”

Kylith didn’t move a muscle. “I’ve never heard of you.”

The bandit drew his own blade and advanced. His men stepped back to allow them to fight. Allenthal did the same. Hopefully Kylith knew what he was doing. For a moment all was still except for the hiss of the night wind against the sand.

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“This time you’re not getting away…”

Forgotten Rebellion Chapter 18

Princess Tahlea is injured and trying to escape the outlaws roaming the woods searching for her.

***

The man raised his weapon, smiling coldly as he approached her. “Found you. This time you’re not getting away.”

She didn’t allow any trace of fear to show as she faced the man. Her voice sounded even and sure. “If you come any closer, I’ll shoot you.”

The man stared at her and glanced down at the bow in her hands. His eyes flew to the bandage on her arm. He smirked. “I doubt it. If you could pull that bow, you’d already have done it.” Making his decision, he charged toward her. She lifted the bow and began to draw. A cry of pain escaped her lips. She released the bow string, only half-drawn, and the arrow flew harmlessly into the dirt between them.

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It’s only bad for 15 minutes…

Sometimes, the conditions are a little uncomfortable. Kind of like life.

Living in Utah means lots of dramatic changes in the weather. We’ve had some absolutely gorgeous sunny days, decadently warm for February, and some bitter cold snowy days with icy winter wind. The mountains still have a lot of snow. This hike was one of the warm days. Unlike the week before, when I got to the trailhead and mine was the only car in the parking lot.

The minute I opened the car door and a blast of artic wind hit me, I knew why. But I wasn’t going home without my hike, so I cinched my hood around my face, pulled my gloves up inside my jacket sleeves and started walking. My motto on days like that: “It’s only really bad for the first 15 minutes.” Well, that wind blasted at me nearly the whole way. Hopefully I was building character?

I’m busily editing away on Seven Rivers Book Two. I think you’re going to love it!

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How can you get your editor to work faster?

Make sure she’s so involved in the story, she doesn’t want to do anything else.

I am REALLY excited to share the news that Forgotten Rebellion has a sequel. I spoke with my editor over the weekend and she loved it! Her schedule this month was very tightly packed, but, even so, she finished her first pass through the book ahead of schedule. “Once I started, I couldn’t put it down,” she said. I think that’s a pretty good sign!!! She made some stellar suggestions to strengthen the story, so I will be doing edits over the next few weeks. But in the meantime, get excited to read! We’ll move through the changes as quickly as possible. I’ll soon have some graphics and book descriptions that I’d love your opinion on, so stay tuned! Ok, and here is a glimpse of the cover.

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Holidays = fruitcake and reading

I know that most people cringe at the mention of fruitcake. I’ve never tried to bake it myself, but I actually remember my grandma making it during the holidays. I recall it being quite good. But you know, sometimes the magic doesn’t happen if you try to recreate it.

When I was a little kid, my mom had a collection of beads. They were bright and sparkly, and the minute the Christmas season rolled around, I would take a needle and thread and start stringing beads. What pattern could you make? Who had the longest string? It was very uncool if you acted like a baby and tossed them on in random order. When they were finished, we took the strings and hung them on our Christmas tree. I’m hoping to have a little down time during the next few days to write. I’m deep in the middle of a spectacular sequel to Forgotten Rebellion. Only one person (besides me) has read it so far, but she loved it. I hope to have more to share soon. Have a wonderful holiday season!

Santa wrapping books for Christmas.
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Walking Against the Wind

AJ Park Caught in the first snowstorm of the season

During the first big snowstorm of the season, I went snowshoeing. That might sound crazy, but I just can’t help it. It’s like writing for me. I just do it. The snow wasn’t so bad on my way up, but then I turned around and realized the wind was blasting snow right into my face. I was totally covered with snow! Oh well, maybe I built character, and at least I was going downhill.

I guess it’s not surprising that everything is easier with the wind at your back. But sometimes I take the extra boost for granted. Until I turn around.

Happy reading this week. If I didn’t have to work, I would have spent all week writing. I’ve been totally carried away by wicked sorcerers, cursed princesses, and a few carnivorous lizards. Welcome to MY imagination. What’s running through yours?