Necronomicon

Oct

2019

Works in Progress, Week Eight: Blood Bound and Bones of Earth

Blood Bound
Flesh and Blood, Book 1

37681 / 95000 (39.66%)

***

Bones of Earth
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 3

23620 / 95000 (24.86%)

Busy week behind me, busier week ahead of me. Busiest week next week, ending with Necronomicon. I’ll have a table in the dealers room, so if I’m not on a panel, that’s where you’ll find me. (Please come find me — ALL of the print books that I ordered have come in all at once! I have TOO MANY BOOKS!!!)

I do have to say that I really like the quality from Draft2Digital’s new print service. The covers are crisp and shiny (okay, I’m not so fond of the shiny — I like a matte cover). But the quality is VERY good. I’ll have copies of both Heir to the Firstborn books at the table, from both printers, so you can come check them out.

Why was last week a busy week? Well, partly because of life jumping around and yelling “Pay attention to ME!” and partly because inspiration struck and I had THREE writing projects going last week.

I don’t recommend that.

I really don’t recommend pulling together a four thousand word short story in two days, hitting SEND at 11PM on the night the submissions period closes, and realizing the next day that you misread the call. That’s a doozy of a mistake — the editor did like the story, but it was not what she wanted for that anthology. Which, yeah, I understand that. Total brain flail on my part. So I have this story that doesn’t have a home. I’m shopping it around, and if it doesn’t go anywhere, I’ll publish it myself. Watch this space!

I’m trying to focus more on Bones of Earth, even though Blood Bound is still being a lot more fun. Last week, I asked the question about if a vampire feeds on someone other than his bond, is he cheating? I posed this question in the forums of the Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of the RWA. Several votes for “No, he’s not cheating, he’s having lunch,” one vote for “He’s totally cheating,” and, surprisingly, one vote for “It’s abuse!” Now, considering that in a later book, I’m going to be exploring an abusive vampire bond relationship, that one was interesting.

I also ended up post the first ten chapters in our private crit group because people wanted to know more about the worldbuilding. No feedback yet, but it hasn’t even been a week yet.

Here’s the scene where Hiro wrestles with the idea, asking an older and trusted vampire for advice:

“Then you must call me Hiro.” Hiro glanced toward him. “You have had many bonds, I assume?”

“Yes,” Marcus answered. “As old as I am? Too many. None at the moment, I’m afraid. My sweet Benjamin had the markers, and we were both hopeful, but he didn’t turn.”

“I’m sorry,” Hiro said. “You were together a long time?”

“Fifty-three years. You have questions about bonding?” Marcus asked.

“I have never had a bond—”

“As young as you are? I’m not surprised. You’re only just come of age, haven’t you? I seem to remember granting a waiver to allow you to becoming a full Justiciar long before your majority.”

Hiro smiled. “And for that, I do thank you.” He merged onto the FDR, seeing Grigori’s Land Rover ahead of them. He nodded. “I know I do not know all the intricacies of relations with humans. But I am… concerned. I took living blood from Clara tonight.”

“She’s a delightful bond,” Marcus said. “Is there an issue?”

“Not with Clara, no. Never with Clara.” Hiro hesitated for a moment. “Do humans consider taking living blood from another to be adulterous?”

“Oh, I see. You’re asking if you’ve cheated on your Daniel by feeding from Clara. Because, I presume, she took pleasure from the act?”

“Yes, that is what I am asking,” Hiro said. “My Daniel… he’s been badly used. Has Grigori told you?”

“About the problem with Anton LaSalle’s bond? Yes. He’s also assured me that he’s handling it,” Marcus said. “I can understand why Daniel is skittish.”

“That is the word he used,” Hiro said. “It was not just Jethro Cantrell who hurt him. To quote him, Jess was not the first. He was the latest. And, as far as I am concerned, he was the last. No one will ever hurt my Daniel again.” He looked at Marcus, saw the king nodding. “He trusted me enough to bring me to his home. To his bed. When I left him today, he asked me to be safe, and to come back to him, because we had paperwork to do. I do not want to hurt him. And I had not considered before tonight that taking living blood from another might do just that.”

Marcus hummed softly, melodically. Hiro recognized the melody as something he’d heard on the radio, something with a wonderful piano bridge. He followed Grigori’s car off the FDR and onto a bridge, and they crossed into the Bronx.

“We only have a few minutes before we get there,” Marcus said. “So let me tell you what I think. I also had not considered that someone might be hurt by the… side-effects of taking living blood from another. To us, it is… a meal. But I can see why a human would be disturbed by it. Does he know how a vampire’s bite affects humans?”

“I do not know,” Hiro admitted. “He did know I would be feeding today. I told him as much. And… he offered.”

“You refused him?” Marcus asked. “Why?”

“Because he is not yet ready. He is still very wary.” Hiro frowned. “He used the phrase once bitten. Is there more to that?”

“Once bitten, twice shy,” Marcus answered. “Your restraint is commendable. I do not think there are many who would be able to turn down a throat offered willingly, from someone to whom they were going to bond. And especially not after not having fed for four days. So, I think that your first question to ask him when you see him next should be if he knows how humans react to our bite. If he does not, then explain it to him. Has he met Clara?”

“Briefly, yes.”

“He should speak with her as well. And any other bonded pairs you may trust with his welfare.” Marcus sighed. “I wish he could have sat down with Benjamin.”

Hiro licked his lip, then asked, “May I bring him to you?”

“I would be delighted, Hiro. We will talk more on this later. For now, we’re almost there, and we need to focus.”

Sep

2019

Works in Progress, Week 5: Blood Bound and Bones of Earth

Blood Bound
Flesh and Blood, Book 1

25254 / 95000 (26.58%)

***

Bones of Earth
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 3

14790 / 95000 (15.57%)

Slow work week this week. Again. I’m going to get into the swing of things soon, I swear! But not this week, I don’t think. Final edits are back on Forged in Fire, so I’ll be getting that ready to upload for presales. And I’m also trying to convince my body that it hasn’t caught a cold…

Part of my slow week was my non-writing life. Scholastic Book Fair volunteer on Thursday, personal eek on Friday, Keiser Supercon on Saturday and a 5K Sunday morning. I was hitting my wordcounts until Thursday!

Keiser Supercon was an awesome little convention, and I enjoyed myself greatly! For a first year convention, they really outdid themselves — one of their media guests was George Lowe, the voice of Space Ghost from Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. And, in an very unusual turn of events, I was the “name” fiction writer. I’m not used to being one of the headliners on the guest list.

One of the other comic guests was someone VERY impressive — Athena Finger, granddaughter of Bill Finger, co-creator of Batman. She was the one who finally beat DC and forced them to recognize her grandfather’s work, after he was shafted by Bob Kane. She did a panel on the history of Batman in the media, which I have to say made the convention for both my husband and my son!

It was a good convention, and I hope we have a second one next year!

On to an excerpt. They’re all from Blood Bound, because anything I post from Bones of Earth is going to have spoilers in it. So those will have to wait until after Forged in Fire comes out.

***

“Daniel, you told me that your college major required a language,” Hiro said as he took his seat and picked up his mug. “You didn’t tell me what your major was.”

“Political Science,” Daniel answered. “With an emphasis on human-vampire relations.”

Hiro stared at him for a moment, then started laughing. “And you are not a bond why?”

Daniel shook his head. “I didn’t finish college. And I told you I didn’t have the money for the prep school. I have no degree, no certificate, and no family connections, which means that I don’t qualify for the lottery.”

Hiro shook his head. “That is not the only way to become a bond.”

“It’s not?” Daniel asked.

“No. It is the most common, but it is not the only way.” Hiro took another sip from his mug. “A vampire can choose their own bond, independent of the lottery. It is then their responsibility to provide their bond with anything that they lack.”

“I didn’t know that,” Daniel murmured. A sudden suspicion dawned, and he looked across the table. “Hiro—?”

Hiro smiled. “Eventually. It would please me a great deal,” he answered. “But I will not press you. Not so soon. You must be comfortable with me, with us. Just know that I am interested.” His smile broadened.
“Very interested.”

Daniel felt his face grow warmer. “I… I really don’t understand why.”

“Because you are not seeing yourself the way I see you,” Hiro answered. He picked up his mug and drained it, then leaned back in his chair. His smile slowly transformed into a leer. “Finish your tea, Daniel.”

Aug

2019

Works in Progress, Week Two: Bones of Earth and Blood Bound

Blood Bound

10227 / 95000 (10.77%)

***

Bones of Earth
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 3

3179 / 95000 (3.35%)

Things are a little slow here — there have been lots of back to school related things that have kept me away from my desk. Here’s hoping things calm down a little so I can focus.

Blood Bound is moving quite well, for all that I keep having to stop and do the worldbuilding that I didn’t really get done over the summer. You’d think that with as long as this has been on the back burner, I’d have done some of it. Umm… nope!

Part of the problem, which isn’t REALLY a problem, is that Daniel, the main character, is a bartender at night, but during the day he teaches yoga and pole dancing. Now, I know from yoga. I’ve been doing yga for years. Pole dancing is entirely a new thing for me. So I’m watching lots of YouTube videos on male pole dancing. For research. Really.

With Bones of Earth, I have a good idea where things are going to go. It’s just sitting down and getting them there. Once I get into the swing of things again, we should be good. And in the meantime, I’ve finished my initial editing pass on Forged in Fire, and handed them off for another set of eyes. I’m still thinking that we’re looking at an October publication date and new books on the table at Necronomicon.

Since I can’t give an excerpt from Bones of Earth without spoilers for Forged in Fire, let’s meet Itami Hiro, our vampire love-interest from Blood Bound.

***

It was still early, so it wouldn’t be busy for hours yet. Especially since the performers didn’t start until eight. Right now, it was a couple of the regulars, mostly humans, who called out greetings and went to claim their usual spaces. Several of them called out drink orders, and Daniel was busy enough with them that, while he noticed the man take a seat at the bar, he didn’t really see him until Sarah had taken the drinks away. Then he turned with a smile, wiping his hands on a bar towel, and tried not to stare. He immediately recognized the man as a vampire — he’d gotten good at that over the years. But he’d never seen this man before. He’d remember those looks, and that hair — pure white, straight and hanging loose over the shoulders of his perfectly tailored suit. Definitely not a bleach job. He wore dark glasses, and Daniel wondered if it was an affectation, or medical. He was betting medical.

“Welcome to The Blood Bank,” Daniel said as he walked over. “First time?”

“You can tell?” The vampire took off his glasses, revealing not red irises as Daniel had expected, but pale purple. Daniel nodded.

“I’ve never seen you here before, and I’m always behind the bar. What can I get for you, sir?” He watched the man as he took a snifter from the warmer. He was Asian. Albino Asian vampire. Not familiar. From somewhere other than New York, Daniel decided. Who was he? And he was alone. Where was his bond-slave? “We’ve got lamb, veal, venison and ostrich on tap. The ostrich is new and small batch.”

“Ostrich?” The vampire sniffed. “Is there someone who drinks that?”

“Between you, me and the bar? I really doubt it,” Daniel said, and the vampire laughed. Daniel wiped his hand again on the bar towel, then held his hand out. “Daniel Remington.” The vampire took the offered hand and shook it, but didn’t offer his own name. “What can I get you, sir?” Daniel repeated.

The vampire looked at him for a moment, studying him. He was squinting slightly, and Daniel reached out and turned off the task light closest to him, cutting the glare off on that portion of the bar. The vampire looked surprised. Then he smiled.

“A drink,” he said. “Not blood.” He looked Daniel up and down, almost appraisingly. “Surprise me.”

“Surprise you,” Daniel repeated. “Okay.” He nodded, thinking. He was starting to suspect that he was talking with the new owner. Which meant he needed to impress. Flash. He grinned. “Sweet or savory?”

“Surprise me,” the vampire repeated. Daniel nodded.

“Sure. Give me a minute.” He turned, studied the bar for a moment, then decided and started picking things up. Vodka and coconut water, cranberry juice, blue curacao, and simple syrup. He could feel Trace watching him as he filled a rocks glass with ice, then filled the Boston shaker with ice, and measured his ingredients. He changed the proportions just a bit, just enough, and shook the drink up. Then he carried the glass and the shaker over to the vampire, set the glass down, then broke the shaker open and deftly poured the contents into the glass. The drink, which would normally be a pale blue, was instead a light shade of purple.

“There you go,” he said. “On the house. Welcome to The Blood Bank.”

“On the house?”

“First timers get welcomed in. And besides, it matches your eyes.” Daniel grinned and winked at the vampire, who looked stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud.

Aug

2019

Indie Book Fest!

This past Thursday we headed off to Indie Bookfest! It’s a fun event for readers and writers and people in the publishing industry, and this is my second year doing it (you may remember me talking about last year’s event — I got food poisoning?) We were in the Caribe Royale hotel this year, and The Schechters took the extra precaution of bringing all our own food for the weekend. (Not even kidding here.)

Thursday night started with a Bar Hop at Disney Springs. Our group went to Raglan Road, which is a favorite of mine, and then on to three places I had not yet visited. Two of them, I’ll happily go back! The third… not so much.

Raglan Road is an Irish pub that was built originally in Ireland, and then relocated to Disney Springs. VERY noisy, very friendly, and very safe if you have food allergies — it’s one of the safest places to eat in Disney Springs if you’re gluten-free. We’ve eaten here often.

After Raglan Road came Jock’s Hanger Bar, which is Indiana Jones themed, and hilarious. And where they apparently no longer take artifacts as payment.

There’s a story there…

They also have this dish called the Temple of Bacon — chocolate covered hickory smoke bacon. Sadly, not gluten free, because the chocolate is cross-contaminated at the chocolatier (remember this…)

However, the presentation is amazing! (and dark. It’s dark in there.)After

After Jock’s Hanger Bar came Wine Bar George. They have one dessert on the menu that is supposed to be gluten free — The Chocolate Experience. It’s a wine and chocolate tasting.

Supposed to be….

Remember how I said that the Temple of Bacon wasn’t gluten free because of the chocolate? Cross-contamination?

The Chocolate Experience doesn’t say on the menu that they use THE SAME CHOCOLATE! The waiter announced it when he brought the wine (some twenty minutes after they brought me the chocolate…). And then he caught an attitude when I pointed out that their gluten free dessert wasn’t.

Needless to say? Not going back to Wine Bar George.

Our last stop was Enzo’s Hideaway, which is supposed to be a speakeasy, but reminded me of my grandmother’s basement in the Bronx. No, my grandmother didn’t have a speakeasy. She did, however, have a party room with a bar. Enzo’s is like that. We had a lovely bartender named Manuel, from Rome, and it MORE than made up for the horrible service at Wine Bar George. Although… two espressos at 9PM might have been a mistake. (I didn’t get to sleep until 1AM).

Friday was Industry Day, and hearing from representatives from Kobo and Draft2Digital, learning about the work that goes into writing and maintaining shared world series and seeing people I haven’t seen in ages. Not a lot of reader stuff, other than some sponsored parties.

Saturday was my busy day — two reader panels back to back, then an interview with the Hanging With Show. I’ll post the link to that when it goes live. I was interviewed by them at SF:SE in 2015, and we’ve both come a long way since then! (And, according to GW Pomichter, the host, I was apparently the inspiration for the show — he said it in the interview.) A quick lunch, then a meet and greet. Then it was set up time for the signing!

Three hours and a few books sold later (and one donated to the Titusville library system!), it was time to be off for the final event of the day – the Festival of Fandom! It was a costume party and a silly competition (trivia and silly party games, and J. greatly enjoyed his first grown-up party).

Sunday morning pack out, one last round of hugs and goodbyes, and then home and crash. Tired writer is tired!

Indie Bookfest is moving to the end of August in 2020, which means it’s not going to work into my schedule for next year. (sad trombone) I do enjoy it, so we’ll see in the future if we get back there.

Our next show is next month — Keiser SuperCon, here in Orlando. Then we’ll be heading out to Tampa for Necronomicon to end off the appearance year. But for now? I’m going to bed! Gnite!

Jul

2019

Work in Progress; Forged in Fire, week twenty five

Forged in Fire
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 2

88851 / 95000 (93.53%)

I can see the end from here!

There are, I think, perhaps five more chapters. Maybe six. I have to finish that part, then drop the rocks, then everyone has to recover from the rockfall before I drop yet more rocks. Then there’s the final black moment, and the end. Yeah, maybe six chapters.

Which means that I have to admit it. Forged in Fire is not going to be done for Indie Bookfest. Right now, it’s looking like I’ll be editing at Indie Bookfest, and I will have a shiny new book on the table at Necronomicon in October.

However, this isn’t a bad thing. Rushing makes for bad books and horrible edits. I’ll finish it, and edit it, and it will be out when it’s good and ready.

And if I keep telling myself that, then maybe I’ll stop trying to have this book done by this Friday.

There’s other stuff in the works. I’m working on the synopsis for Bones of Earth (Heir to the Firstborn 3), and I’m going to flip a coin on which book to start once school starts — Blood Bound (aka BDSM Vampires) or The White Raven: Morrigan’s Wrath. Considering that I haven’t sold The White Raven: Morrigan’s Heir yet, it’s probably going to be Blood Bound. There’s also some stuff simmering behind the scenes that I can’t say anything about yet.

All right. Back to work. This book still isn’t writing itself.

Jun

2019

Work in Progress: Forged in Fire, week twenty three.

Forged in Fire
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 2

81805 / 95000 (86.11%

Here we are, nearing the end of June, and I’m still not done. I think it safe to say that I’m probably not getting this book done for Indie Bookfest. Considering that my “If I have it done by X date, I can still have it finished” date is this Friday? It’ll be a miracle if I have copies on my table at the signing.

Not impossible, mind you. Just increasingly unlikely. I don’t want to rush the story or the edits. So it might very well be that I’ll have a brand new book at Necronomicon.

The one thing that I don’t have to rush is the cover art. That’s done. Wanna see?

Here you go:

Feb

2019

Works in Progress: Table of Stone and Forged in Fire

Table of Stone
Swords of Charlemagne, Book 4

Forged in Fire
Heir to the Firstborn, Book 2

Had a busy week this week, both in terms of writing and in terms of promotions. I posted about playing with memes, although I didn’t post the last of the set.

This quote is the source of the title of Written in Water. We’ll come back to that theme in later books.

There was also a bit of research into Victorian cartomancy this week. I wasn’t planning on having a character do any sort of card reading, but the words flowed out of my fingers. So I stopped and started researching, only to find that someone reading cards in Victorian England might very well be reading regular playing cards, not tarot. So I went with it, and found a reference on what the cards would mean, and how to do a reading. So we’ll have an excerpt of that tonight.

Cameron is the butler in Margaret and Douglas’ household, and is first introduced at the very end of book 2.

***

Cameron looked momentarily nervous. “You know I practice, correct?”

“I know that everyone in this house practices, and that Mister Mystere taught most of you,” Margaret answered. He nodded

“My practice is a bit on the eclectic side. We have a coven, and I do some divination work. So I’d like to draw cards, if I may,” he said.

“Draw cards?” Margaret looked at the box. “Oh! You practice cartomancy?”

His brows rose. “You know of it?”

“I’ve read a little, but I’ve never seen a tarot deck before.”

Cameron smiled. “I don’t use a tarot deck. I use a regular deck. It’s harder to be charged with vagrancy if you might very well be playing Snap.” He opened the box and took out a deck of normal seeming cards. “These are my cards. You may look, if you like.”

Margaret took the cards from him, and felt an odd, fleeting tingle in her palms as the cardstock touched her fingers. She spread out the cards, then frowned. “They aren’t all here.”

Cameron picked up the deck and drew one card, then shuffled the rest together. “That’s because for divination, I only need the cards from seven to ten, and the royal cards.” He laid the deck down, then set the single card face up on the table. The King of Clubs.

“That’s Doctor Keith’s card,” he said. “It means an honest, liberal man, one who is loyal to his friends and his family.”

Margaret smiled. “That’s my Broc,” she murmured. “What would my card be?”

Cameron studied her for a moment. “The Queen of Clubs,” he answered. “A loving woman, but fierce in her temper, especially when her family is concerned.”

Margaret laughed. “That does sound like me. Now what do we do? Will you explain as you go?”

Mister Cameron shuffled the remaining cards, then laid them out face down in three columns — three cards to the left of Douglas’ card, one above his, one below his, and three cards to the right. Cameron laid the rest of the cards aside.

“This is a very simple reading,” he said. He tapped the left column. “The past.” He touched the middle column. “The present.” He touched the last column. “And the future.” He turned over the card at the top of the first column. “The Nine of Diamonds. Roving in other lands.” The next card revealed the Ace of Diamonds. He smiled. “This means a wedding. With regards to the journey, I would presume to say that they combine to mean the journey to Germany, where the Doctor and the Master met you. And a better journey they’ve never taken, nor are likely to take again.”

“You’re a flatterer, Mister Cameron. Do go on,” Margaret teased. She leaned forward as best she could, watching as Cameron turned over the card at the base of the column. He frowned.

“The King of Spades. An enemy to be feared was also discovered on that journey.”

Margaret nodded. “Caedda.”

Mister Cameron took a deep breath. “Now, for the present.” He turned over the topmost card, then gasped, “Good Lord!”

“Mister Cameron?” Margaret asked slowly. “Why does your deck have two Kings of Spades?”

“It doesn’t,” Cameron answered. “My lady—”

***

And I’ll leave that there!

On other fronts, this week I was invited back to Necronomicon to be a guest again. This will be in Tampa in October. So that give me three chances this year to be out and about and meeting people!

One week and two days before Written in Water releases! There have been some lovely reviews on the ARC over on Goodreads, and I’m really on pins and needles waiting for the book to drop. I posted the picture of the paperback last night, and I eventually do need someone to tell me how much is TOO much for an author to pet their new book.

Not yet, though.

Oct

2018

Work in Progress: Ashes and Light, week ten

Yes, I know there was no week nine. We had just gotten back from NecronomiCon, and I was tired. Also sore — I managed to break my toe on Wednesday the 17th… two days before we left for Tampa!

Ashes and Light
Swords of Charlemagne, Book 3

66361 / 85000 (78.07%)

The convention was amazingly fun, and I had an awesome time. Saw some friends, met a bunch of new people, got to sit with Mickey Zucker Reichert for our mutual signing, and succeeded in not fangirling at her.

And, amazingly enough, some writing happened last weekend. I wrote nearly 2K words longhand for Written in Water. And I find myself in the very odd position of being able to see from my chair the ends of two simultaneously written books. Patrons will see the end of the first part of Heir to the Firstborn in about three months, more or less — chapter 12 went live this past Friday, and I’m working on 19 now with a projected end by chapter 25 or so.

Then what? Well, then I put in the sex scenes that at the moment fade to black, polish it up, and publish the book. Patrons who get the ebooks or print books will see that first book probably at around the same time that the last chapter goes live in the Patreon.

I can also see the end of Ashes and Light from here. I’ve discovered that I have a favorite character who isn’t one of my main characters. I mean, really, I love Roland and Olivier and Turpin in the 800s, and Douglas and Margaret and Mystere in the 1890s. But I’ve had one character step forward and just win me over. He’s a Frank in Charles’ court, and his name is Engelier. His is one of the names that came straight from The Song of Roland — he’s one of the Twelve Peers. We first hear his name in Hidden Things, but we don’t meet him until The Lady and The Sword.

He’s a bit of a character. He has been a retainer in Charles’ court for a while, so he has, in his own words, seen some things. (In a more modern setting, he’d been the stoner in the corner saying “I’ve seen some shit, my dude. You would not believe the shit I’ve seen.”) He’s a bit of a smartass, too.

“Roland?” Olivier touched his arm. “Now what?”

“Now?” Roland leaned down and kissed Olivier. “Now that.” He turned, and saw Engelier standing with Nasir. The other Frank held his hands up.

“You don’t have to kiss me. I’m fine,” he said. Roland burst out laughing.

When I’m writing Engelier, I’m never quite sure what’s going to come out of my fingers.

So, what now?

Writing all the words. Same as always.

Sep

2018

Work in Progress: Ashes and Light, week seven

Ashes and Light
Swords of Charlemagne, Book 3

43796 / 85000 (51.52%)

Half a book! Woohoo!

Things have been going really well on all fronts. I made my weekly words last night, so there was no writing done today. I made my monthly goals in the FFPRWA Monthly Challenge. It’s been a successful week all around.

In Ashes and Light, we now have a villain. Well, we’ve always had a villain, but now he’s on-screen, as it were. Here’s the grand entrance, with a little explanation. A church grim is a black dog that heralds a death, and it was not invented by JK Rowling. They’re part of old English folklore.

We’re once again at the place in the story where it’s going to get harder to post excerpts without also posting spoilers. I think I’ve avoided major ones in this week’s excerpt, though.

***

They made their way through the dark streets, listening for any sound that might be another church grim, and testing at crossings for the right path. It felt to Douglas as if they’d been walking for hours when Gerald stumbled and nearly fell.

“Gerald?”

“I’m sorry, Doctor,” Gerald said. He shook his head. “I’m knackered. I can’t remember ever being this tired before.” He reached into his pocket and took out his pocket-watch, tipping it to try and read it by the light from Hauteclere’s emerald. He blinked, raised the watch to his ear, then looked at Douglas. “Doctor? What time did we come up here?”

“Around seven. Why?”

“Because it’s past two.” Gerald listened to the watch once more. “And this is ticking, so it’s not run down.”

“Wind it again,” Douglas said, looking around. “I’m a fool, Gerald. You warned me about the confusions spells, and I should have taken precautions. We’ve been blundering around like drunkards for hours.” He looked at the sword. “And you couldn’t have done something about that?” he asked, and the emerald dimmed in response.

“Doctor?” Gerald said slowly. “Are you talking to your sword?”

“And I’ve apparently embarrassed it.” Douglas looked around. “I’ve no idea if we’re close to Mrs. Keith or not. And I don’t want to shout. In this place, it would sound like a riot.” He sighed and looked at Hauteclere again. “Let’s try this again, shall we? And this time, let’s do something about the spells, hm?”

The emerald flickered, flared alarmingly bright, then went dark. Magic flared all around them, leaving Douglas dazzled for a moment. A moment too long.

“What—”

Gerald’s voice trailed off as growling came from all around them. Douglas swore softly and threw shields up around himself and Gerald, then set a mage-light floating overhead. It revealed what Hauteclere had tried to warn him of — they were surrounded by church grims. There were five of them, and as Douglas watched, a sixth one appeared out of nowhere.

“Well, now,” a familiar voice crooned. “Visitors. How nice.”

***

I still haven’t decided on the final order of the chapters. I have time — the book is only half done!

In Heir to the Firstborn, the words didn’t come quite as fast as last week. Instead of 8K words, I wrote just over 4K. I’m into chapter 13 now, and Owyn’s backstory. Aven and Aria have been sheltered. Owyn has not. This starts in the middle of one of his lines.

***

“…So… that’s me. Orphan, thief, whore, slave.”

“Smith. Smoke Dancer,” Aven said.

“Companion,” Aria added, her voice firm. “In case you were thinking I’d change my mind about that last, once I knew.”

“You’re serious?” Owyn asked. “You really mean that? You still want me? After everything? I mean, I’m a marked criminal, and a slave. Mem, he treats me like his son, but I’m not, and I know it. I’m his slave.”

Aven slid his arm around Owyn and pulled him tight to his side. “Owyn, do you know what the Water tribe says about success and failure?”

Owyn’s brow furrowed. “No, I don’t think I’ve seen that in any of my books.”

“My mother says that the Mother has a ledger where she makes note of all of the deeds of all of her children. The successes, the times we come out ahead, she writes in ink.”

Owyn nodded. “And the failures?”

“She writes in water.”

Aria blinked. Then she smiled. “I like that.”

“I don’t understand,” Owyn protested. “If you write them in water, then when the paper dries, the marks… oh.” He stopped. “Oh. Really?”

“Really.” Aven turned, and found himself nose to nose with Owyn once more. “It’s written in water, Owyn.”

Owyn smiled slightly. “And all over the skin of my back.”

“You’re being obtuse,” Aven protested. “Your past is written in water. It happened, we know. It was written in the Mother’s ledger. But knowing it doesn’t mean we want you any less.”

***

The theme of failures being written in water will be coming up again in Heir to the Firstborn, and it’s all because of Van Canto. I own this album, but I hadn’t listened to this one song until it came up on Spotify. And it immediately became Aven’s song.

Tomorrow is the First of Halloween. A new month, with new goals. I’ll be a guest at Necronomicon the weekend of October 19-21st, which means there will be very little writing done that weekend. If you’re in the area, I’ll be on several panels that weekend, and will be signing books on Saturday morning at 11AM. Come see me!

Necronomicon

Works in Progress, Week Eight: Blood Bound and Bones of Earth

Works in Progress, Week 5: Blood Bound and Bones of Earth

Works in Progress, Week Two: Bones of Earth and Blood Bound

Indie Book Fest!

Work in Progress; Forged in Fire, week twenty five

Work in Progress: Forged in Fire, week twenty three.

Works in Progress: Table of Stone and Forged in Fire

Work in Progress: Ashes and Light, week ten

Work in Progress: Ashes and Light, week seven

Works in Progress

Appearances

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