Weekend #WIP – Where have I been? #Writing, of course!

I bet you’re wondering where I’ve disappeared to. I do want to apologize for my lack of regular postings. When you are two published authors in one, there are times when you have to let the other side of your persona take center stage. My erotica alter-ego R. Brennan had a bunch of shorts released in recent months, and she’s been blogging like mad along with her other marketing efforts.

The good news is, I have been quite busy in the background as well — working on my fantasy romance series. Here is a little snippet of the most recent bit I’ve penned.  (Bear in mind, this is first draft material)

From Destiny’s Trial (WT):

She was cold to the touch, despite the warmth of the fire crackling in the little woodstove.

Worry ate at his features as his mind grasped for ideas. He needed to heat her up. Fast.

Resolute, Domnu climbed between the furs with Jyslin, and careful of her injuries, drew her into his embrace. His legs entwined with hers as he grasped icy fingers, pulling her hands to his lips. He blew hot breath onto her frozen digits as he willed his body heat into hers. *Hang in there*

The image of their bodies still snuggled together, but rotted to bones being found by wayward hunters decades in the future flashed in his mind, sending a shiver down his spine. He pushed the thought away. *Not on my watch*

He let out a sardonic laugh. As if Kasper or his father would allow him to exist outside their reach long enough for either he or Jyslin to even begin to decay. Sound logic, but reasoning out options for why nobody would discover their dead bodies did little to bolster Domnu’s confidence.

A quiet groan from the chilled body nestled against him hijacked his attention from a worn out road.

 
A writer is nothing without readers or feedback, so please share your thoughts in the comments. 🙂

Next Big Thing Blog Hop: I’ve Been Nominated :) #WIP #writing

So, I was recently tagged by fellow author, Terri Rochenski in the Next Big Thing Blog Hop of sorts. This one is for your current WIP, so I thought it would be fun to try and answer the questions posed. On that note, you should stop by her blog and check out her post on Pool of Souls, a story I am lucky to be a beta reader for — You will love it!

So anyway, without any further ado and delay… here we go…

What is the working title of your book? 

Destiny’s Trial and Legend of the Mist

Where did the idea for the book come from?

The idea for this particular tale in what I hope to be a series, is an image file sent out by J.Taylor Publishing as a prompt for short story submissions. The picture got the mental juices going, as it was just perfect for the characters I had floating about in my head in a vague, shapeless form, and the basic premise of the story was born.

What genre does your book fall under?

Fantasy (Romance)

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

That is a tough question to answer at this point in the process, but I guess for Jyslin (pronounced Jice-linn) I would have to go with Olivia Wilde. For Domnu, the male lead character the choice is a bit more difficult. He would have to be somewhat dark and sarcastic, sure of himself…hmmm.. for lack of a better pick at the moment, I will have to go with Colin Farrell — while I dont love him in general, he definitely has the right “look” to pull off Domnu.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Crap… hate doing these things…

Destiny can’t be outrun, but magic opens doors.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I am hoping to ply an agent with the series once completed.

How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Still working on that one. Not quite there yet, but Nano is around the corner!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Well, the idea with this writing thing is to try to be original, so I hope it’s not like anything else. I will give you the pitch line I use for the series, though — that should work.

The Machenwood series is The Chronicles of Narnia meets Grimm’s Fairytales.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My endless love of all things fantasy, fairy tale and Brother’s Grimm.

What else about your book might pique the readers interest?

This story is definitely NOT your mother’s fairy tale. It is a bit dark, somewhat twisted and contorted and gives a whole new twist to age old characters.

Let’s see, now the fun part… nominating other writers to participate.

The nominees are:

Julie Reece

Kelly Said

Elise Brookes

Anna Simpson

Jason Darrick

Can’t wait to see what sorts of things they are working on 🙂

Thanks for stopping in. 🙂

Six Sentence Sunday: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? #sixsunday

Hello again and welcome back to the blog for another installment of Six Sentence Sunday. Thanks for stopping in 🙂

Today’s sample is from my current WIP, and what I hope will end up being my Nanowrimo project this year. The novel is a fantasy, and in this scene, Jyslin (Red) is letting the Lupine (wolf/human race) she just met, Domnu, know exactly how she feels about him. She doesn’t seem to be too intimidated, frankly. 😛

Hope you enjoy.

“Domnu,” he offered. “Name’s Domnu.”

She showed no sign she’d heard him. “I assure you I’m no damsel, and do not require any rescuing today.”

Domnu lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “Suit yourself, Red.”

As always, your thoughts or comments on the above excerpt are welcome and appreciated. Be sure to click the banner at the top of the post and visit the other blogs participating in this week’s Six Sentence Sunday.

Six Sentence Sunday: Back in the Swing! #sixsunday #writing

Welcome to my little part of the world wide web and thanks so much for stopping by for Six Sentence Sunday. As those of you who follow this blog regularly know, I have been absent from the group for a while now, and am just starting to get myself back in the swing of regular postings.

In honor of my actually remembering to write my post this week, I thought I would share a little snipit from my current WIP, MACHENWOOD.

Right now, I am in the process of doing some editing and rereading of the story to this point, as I haven’t really touched the MS in over six months. It’s like a brand new tale to me 🙂 Man, I love that!

Anyway, without bending your ear further, here is my six sentences for this week.

Ana raised a brow. “A Lupine?”

“A mix of human and wolf. They live in the Dark Forest, north of the Glen.”

Ana’s stomach dropped to her toes. Magic wielding goddesses, shapeshifters, dream crystals…how would she ever find her boy?

How’s that for a little teaser? As you can probably figure out, Machenwood is, or will be, a fantasy tale.

Would love to hear your thoughts on the excerpt.

Thanks for stopping in. Please make sure to click the Six Sunday image at the top of the post or visit: http://sixsunday.com and visit with the other bloggers/writers offering excerpts from their stories today. Who knows, you may just find your next favorite author.

Happy Sunday!
~Rebecca

Cinuint: What the Heck is that, Anyway? #blogging #atozchallenge #writing

I swear, I am not cheating by starting my C day post with what you probably think is some sort of strange gibberish or made up word. Cinuint is a word, just not an English one, or well, one of this world–this reality.

I did sort of borrow it from an Irish Gaelic dictionary, though, so it is a real word — just not one I spelled correctly 😛

Cinniúint= Destiny (Irish Gaelic)

This brings me to my little topic for the day.

I have always preferred to play off real languages and socities when sketching out my fantasy worlds and cultures. I enjoy twisting the common and better known into something unique, while still keeping a taste of the original. My whole Machenwood novel series is proof of that– is my twist on the well known fairy tales, legends, and myths we have all grown up with.

But, what exactly IS a Cinuint? We have established the origin, but not it’s new “revised” meaning. A Cinuint, for my purposes is a quest embarked upon by every Etherian (one of the many races of people in Machenwood) who comes of age. Their Cinuint is their “coming of age”. The reward for successful completion of their Cinuint, is a glimpse at their own destiny.

To illustrate a bit, I thought I would give you a few sentences of my WIP where this theme comes into play:

“What time does Myrna expect you at the Hall?” her mother asked as she set a skillet on the cast iron stove.

Just the mention of the High Priestesses’ name sent a fresh batch of jitters through Jyslin’s limbs. She checked the clock on the far wall. “In about thirty minutes.” Releasing a sigh, she set down her half full mug. The legs of her stool scraped across the floorboards as she pushed to her feet. “I should get going, actually. If I’m even a minute late, she’ll have my head, and I still need to collect Angus from the Keeper before heading to the temple.”

Angus, a Frost Owl, and Jyslin’s Spirit Twin would make the Cinuint journey with her. She’d been separated from Angus for her final year of instruction, and she was anxious to see him again.

Mother left the stove and gathered her daughter in her arms, squeezing tight. “No matter what happens on your Cinuint, know that your father and I love you very much. We are so proud of the young woman you’ve become.”

No matter what happens?

Why would her mother say that? Did she know something Jyslin didn’t?

I really think using variations of our own cultures and languages in creating our fantastical worlds really helps the reader connect with the characters we conjure to live in them.

What do you think?

What tricks and processes do you employ when forming your fantasy races and realms? I am always interested in how other writers tackle the same challenges.

Six Sentence Sunday: What’s Up With That? O.o #sixsunday

Hello again, my friends and welcome to another Six Sentence Sunday. Glad to have you back after a short hiatus.

I have been hooting and hollering all over the internet about my debut novel, so I thought a change of pace would be nice. This week’s six comes from my current WIP, a fantasy romance I’ve given the working title of DESTINY’S TRIAL.

With an agitated grunt, the massive beast[grizzly] gave up, turned away from the liquid onslaught, and ran off through the thick bushes.

Jyslin dropped her arms back to her sides, releasing her hold on the water. It splashed to the ground, lifeless and disappeared as it seeped into the sand. She swept her panicked gaze to the injured wolf. Her heartbeat faltered.

The black mass of fur was gone, and in its place lay a naked, bleeding man.

She rushed to his side on weak legs and fell to her knees.

Always interested in your feedback and comments, so don’t be shy.

Clicking the banner at the top of the post will bring you back to the Six Sentence Sunday host site so you can visit with the other authors offering excerpts this week.

Thanks for coming, and Happy Sunday!

Six Sentence Sunday: Cinu-what? From a WIP #sixsunday

I’ve been working on and off for the past week on a new short I hope to have ready to sub for the recent anthology titled MAKE BELIEVE (published by J. Taylor Publishing. For this week’s six, I decided to switch gears and give you all a taste. Thoughts and opinions always welcome.

Enjoy and Happy Sunday!

She[Jyslin] had slept little, thoughts centered on her impending Cinuint. Despite years of preparation and training, Jyslin really had no idea what to expect from the journey. She knew what was supposed to happen, what she’d been told to expect, but each Etherian’s destiny was different, making their Cinuint a completely unique experience.

Jyslin lifted the cup, blew a stream of cooling breath on the liquid and dared a small sip. Sweetened heat trickled down her throat. Her muscles relaxed in slow degrees.

Be sure to click the banner at the top of the post to visit with the other participants in this weeks postings. See you next time.

Six Sentence Sunday: The Pirate and the Selkie (WT) #sixsunday

Since we are coming up hard on the heels of the annual Nanowrimo madness, I thought I would concentrate my Sunday Six on my current WIP, which I hope to finish up during this year’s event. The Pirate and the Selkie is a fantasy romance with historical elements. I am just in love with these characters.

Enjoy!

He [Daniel] held up his hands. “Before you blow that simmering temper of yours, hear me out.”

Ellie settled back down on the edge of the desk, arms folded. “Oh, don’t you worry your pretty head about that. I’ll be happy to listen to you tell me why you think you have a right to decide what I do or where I sleep. You have my complete attention.”