Monthly Archives: May 2013

Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday: Old Wounds #12

Another Saturday has arrived! That means it’s time for another SFF Saturday Snippet! What’s SFF Saturday? It’s a group of authors who post snippets of SFF prose and poetry for comment. You can check out other SFF Saturday posts, too.

I’m at WisCon this weekend, so I’m in beautiful Madison, Wisconson, soaking up the sites, the panels, and the companionship.

So while I’m running to and fro and staying up waaaay too late, here’s another snippet from Old Wounds! This is the twelfth part. You can find the other parts here.

When we left Master Sorne, her mysterious guest has finally lowered his gun.

Sorne moved with care. The gun, while not aimed at Dilan’s head, was still cocked. One slip of his finger and the damn thing would go off. “Please put that down.”

The man looked at the weapon, then placed it on a nearby counter, its muzzle pointing toward the wall. Tension eased between Sorne’s shoulder blades and she lowered her arms. “Dilan, get out of here, but don’t tell anyone what has happened.”

“Master?”

She snorted. “If he’s being watched and you tattle, what do you think happens to the girl?”

Ah, Sorne. She’s clever. Or experienced. Which do you think?

 

Categories: SFF Saturday

Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday: Old Wounds #11

 

Look at that! It Saturday again! That means it’s time for another SFF Saturday Snippet! What’s SFF Saturday? It’s a group of authors who post snippets of SFF prose and poetry for comment. You can check out other SFF Saturday posts, too.

My good news for the week is that the manuscript I submitted to Harper Voyager waaaaay back in October during their unagented digital submissions open window has made it past the first cut! But I’m one of 948 (out of 4,500+ originally) so still very much long odds. But hey, I made it that far! (Yeah, I have an agent now, but back then I didn’t.)

This weekend will be full of writing and housework and packing. I’m heading out to WisCon next weekend! But I’m packing early, as the cats get bent whenever I take the suitcase out. Or clean. So I want to give them a chance to calm down before I leave them.

So while I’m folding laundry, here’s another snippet from Old Wounds! This is the eleventh part. You can find the other parts here.

When we left Master Sorne, her mysterious guest (still holding Dilan at gunpoint) just told her he was doing all this because “they” had his daughter.

“And you have someone’s son.”

There it was, the waver. In his face and in his arm, telling her that he did not want to be here. “She’s three,” he said.

Fire and ash. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do either, then. “Put down the gun and tell me. Perhaps there’s another way out of this.”

The man did not move for several long moments, then he lowered his arm. “I have no other hope.”

Categories: SFF Saturday

Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday: Old Wounds #10

 

Holy Cats! It Saturday again! That means it’s time for another SFF Saturday Snippet! What’s SFF Saturday? It’s a group of authors who post snippets of SFF prose and poetry for comment. You can check out other SFF Saturday posts, too.

It’s Mother’s Day in the US and, as it happens, my parents are visiting this weekend, so I’ll be running around with my mom and seeing my grandmom and doing other related family activities.

But while I’m out and about, here’s another snippet from Old Wounds to keep you entertained! This is the tenth part. You can find the other parts here.

When we left Master Sorne, her mysterious guest wanted her to break into the Palace. She said no. Very decisively, despite the gun still pressed to Dilan’s head.

“She won’t betray the King. Not for my life, not for her own.” Dilan opened his eyes and met Sorne’s gaze. “You could bathe the streets red with the blood of the town’s residents, and it wouldn’t sway her.” He’d gained some of his color back.

The kid had a spine after all. If they survived this, she’d work with him on building that up. “Dilan has the right of it.”

The stranger pulled back the pistol slightly. “They have my daughter.”

Categories: SFF Saturday

Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday: Old Wounds #9

 

Is it Saturday all ready? That means it’s time for another SFF Saturday Snippet! What’s SFF Saturday? It’s a group of authors who post snippets of SFF prose and poetry for comment. You can check out other SFF Saturday posts, too.

It’s been an eventful week for me. If you didn’t see my Wednesday post, I accepted an offer of representation from Jennifer Udden of the Donald Maass Agency. I’m still kind of in shock. And thrilled! But in shock. She’ll also be representing the other me, who writes steamier books.

We’ll be working on getting a fantasy novel called Duty to the Crown ready for submission. Old Wounds, the short story I’ve been posting snippets from, is set in the same world, with some of the same characters. So I’m not sure what will happen to this piece in the future…only time will tell!

But for the time being, here’s another snippet from Old Wounds. This is the ninth part. You can find the other parts here.

When we left Master Sorne, her mysterious guest complained that he didn’t have time for an appointment. She noted that she didn’t either.

Silence, but for Dilan’s gasps for air. She sighed. “What do you want, then?”

“I need to break into the Palace—”

“No.”

The stranger parted his lips in shock, then pressed the gun harder into Dilan’s skull. “I don’t think you understand what I’m willing to do…”

Dilan closed his eyes. He knew, of course.

…and that’s it until next week!

Categories: SFF Saturday

News! News!

Some of my most read posts on this blog are the series of posts I wrote based on a workshop I gave last June on Deep POV at the In Your Write Mind workshop, which is held at Seton Hill University every year and sponsored by the alumni of the Writing Popular Fiction graduate program.

What I didn’t blog about was that I met an agent there. We invite agents every year, and there are pitch sessions and talks and all of that. So last year, I pitched to Jennifer Udden of the Donald Maass Literary Agency and she asked for two partials, and I sent them off in July.

Time passed. Some more time passed.

Last Monday, Jen contacted me for the fulls. And from then on, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind culminating with her offering representation today and me accepting. The actual paperwork hits the mailbox tomorrow.

I’m excited and astounded and a bit dazed. I’m very glad I got to meet her in person for a couple of days, because that made the decision easy, since we clicked so well.

So that’s another step on the journey! I’ve got work ahead of me, but I’m really looking forward to what happens next!

Actually, I am totally like this:

kermit-yay-flail-o

Yeah. Dignified and all.

Categories: Writing

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