Michelle L. Levigne's Blog, page 113

Book of the Week: DIVINE KNIGHT

This continues the feature on books set in my weird little town of NEIGHBORLEE, OHIO.
Think of a place that's part Mayberry, part Roswell, part Eureka, and part Buffy's Sunnyvale -- but without the vampires or aliens.
Yeah -- MAGIC!A little creepy at times, a lot of fun, and always something going on. For those who live there, the odd events are kind of shrugged off with a, "Ho, hum, so what ELSE is new?" attitude. And what's really odd is that newcomers don't really notice. Of course, then there's the "we don't want you here, go away" vibe that some people get, so they don't stick around long enough to notice something strange is going on.
All of this is leading up to the release of the next Neighborlee, Ohio book published by Uncial Press: DORM RATS. Otherwise known as Growing Up Neighborlee, Book 2.
DIVINE KNIGHT


Equinox: Maurice has a day of full-size freedom to spend with his true love, Holly. Their day of fun ends in panic, when Angela is attacked and the defenses of Divine's Emporium are breached. In the search to find out who hired thieves to steal books full of inimical magic from the shop and provided them with magic charms to do it, Angela's memories are stirred. Strange dreams disturb her sleep and she asks questions she hasn't thought of in decades. 

Ethan Jarrod, a particularly gifted P.I. with some mysteries of his own, joins forces with local P.I. John Stanzer to identify Angela's enemies. Is Jarrod the knight from her dreams, or the final weapon of her enemies, to destroy all the magic of Divine's Emporium and Angela herself?

Off the Bookshelf: ICE CHILD, by Evangeline Denmark

Want a lovely little Christmas treat?

This short story takes less than an hour to read, although maybe you should try to read it slowly and savor each line. Like the hero, Sipp, the author has proven her master craftsmanship.

Denmark takes a faerie tale trope that appears in many cultures -- a child of ice or snow, a child with suspicious or unknown parentage, a child who all fear because of so many unanswered questions -- and puts her own spin on it. Sipp is considered evil because he looks different, because the fearful and superstitious and self-righteous believe that what makes him different makes him dangerous. Only two people in his short life have given him love and encouragement. The loss of one destroys his dreams ... and when he finds himself, he fears he must give up the other. (Can't tell you any more than that, because then you might not read the story! And you really gotta ...)

Of course, faerie tales do have happy endings, but like many things in the faerie realms, it isn't quite what we suspect or expect.

Sipp hides from the cold, fears snow, tries not to hear the voices in the frozen wind, but like so many of us, he is hiding from his true nature and letting the fears and prejudices of others blind and imprison him. When he breaks free ... watch out.

Beautiful short story. Parable. Lesson. Promise. Like C.S. Lewis talked about in his autobiography, Surprised by Joy , this is one of those moments of near-painful longing and satisfaction, and the hint of otherworldly music. Okay, put another author on my must-read-everything-she's-done list.

BLADE OF INNOCENCE, Highlander the TV series fan fiction

Excerpt from Chapter 8 of the fan novel now available on Wattpad:
            Saturday afternoon, Detective McGee showed up at the old factory building and interrupted Duncan and Josh in a discussion over whether to put a half-wall in the front room of the clinic, or whether to put a service window in the wall.  Neither one knew the man was there until he asked them where he could find Darcy.
            "Hello, Jack," Josh said.  "Darcy?  I think she's in the office, if she's finished with the dishes.  What's up?"
            In answer, McGee dug in his pocket and brought out a clear plastic bag.  Inside was a silver, heart-shaped locket.  Engraved on it were the words: "Darcy, Sweet Sixteen. June 30, 1991."

            "Where did you find this?" Duncan asked, when Josh seemed to go pale, and his fist clenched around the bag.
            "On the body of one of those street punks who beat up on her yesterday," the detective answered.
            Duncan went with Josh and Geneva, accompanying Darcy downtown to identify her assailants in the morgue.  Because it was Darcy's locket, McGee needed her testimony, not just Josh and Duncan's.  Their word was needed too, since they had fought with the gang members.
            The morgue attendant only tugged down the sheets far enough to show the faces of the three dead youths.  Shock was still visible.  They looked very young in death, under the grime and smears of blood.

Book of the Week: HAVE YOURSELF A FAERIE LITTLE CHRISTMAS

Excerpt

Angeloria had a highly inconvenient allergy to mistletoe and holly.

Usually, that wouldn't be much of a problem. How many months of the year did mistletoe flourish, after all?

Unfortunately, Lori's need to run away from the Fae Enclaves coincided with Christmas. The last thing she wanted was to retreat back into the shelter of the Enclave where she had grown up, because that would leave her prey to her matchmaking great-aunts and their odious choices of the perfect husband for her. Lori didn't want to get married to an Enclave wimp--someone who would keep her anchored in the Enclaves for the rest of her life. She wanted an adventurer who explored the Human world on a regular basis. Someone who thought satellite feed and a DVD collection to rival all the major studios were basic necessities of life.

If she went back to the Fae Enclaves any time in the next two months, her great-aunts would force her into dreary formal wear. Then they would drag her through a long chain of visits and teas and social functions that made Socrates' public execution sound like a jolly good time by comparison.
Besides, regular contact with the Human world provided her with a fresh, ongoing supply of dark chocolate and diet cherry cola.

If she could get out of the hotel where she had retreated to hide from the mad proliferation of holiday decorations before she sneezed herself to death, while changing colors and creating rainbow-streaked light shows for a two-yard radius.


"It's not even something a doctor could help me with," Lori explained, when her two best friends snapped their fingers and conjured up boxes of allergy medicine and calamine lotion, and settled down in her favorite suite at the Waldorf-Astoria. "It's psychosomatic. I was traumatized as a child, when Dickens had Scrooge talk about a stake of holly through the heart. I mean, I was there when he wrote it down and read it aloud and laughed at what a clever line it was." She shuddered. "You can't imagine the mental image."

Book of the Week: HAVE YOURSELF A FAERIE LITTLE CHRISTMAS

Excerpt

The communications sphere shimmered into being while Harry relaxed in the hot tub--another wonderful invention of Humans. Fortunately for him, and whoever might be calling at this time of the morning, the sphere remained opaque.

"I gave at the office," Harry said, before his caller could identify himself.

Alexi's rich, rolling laughter made him grin. Nothing like a call from his favorite rebellious cousin to take a morning from interesting and frustrating to fun.

"How's that non-magical betting system working out for you?" Harry asked, as he snapped his fingers to bring a towel over and got out of the hot tub. He tapped the communications sphere, activating it so it shimmered into transparency. Alexi and Megan's faces appeared before him. He was glad he had opted for the towel.

Harry wasn't a skinny geek by any means, but Alexi had inherited the family build and good looks, along with the family curse. Harry was white-blond and buff, but Alexi had it squared. No, make that cubed. Harry wouldn't have minded if Megan, who he really liked, saw him in the altogether--if he just didn't have the awful suspicion she would have been comparing him to Alexi and feeling sorry for him.

Still, despite all the advantages Alexi had in looks and freedom and a real job in the Human world, along with a knock-out wife who hadn't needed to trap him by going into Need, Harry preferred his smaller troubles. Alexi had nearly been doomed to spending eternity without magic. Sure, Megan had rescued him from that, and Harry wouldn't have minded being rescued by someone as smart and gorgeous and fun as Megan, but he was aware enough to know it would have rankled. He had a ridiculous, immature longing to be the White Knight, rescuing damsels in distress.


"What's up, Cuz?" He gave an extra yank to his towel, just in case.

Book of the Week: HAVE YOURSELF A FAERIE LITTLE CHRISTMAS

From Uncial Press

Excerpt:

"Sweetheart, you know that our magic is little more than illusions," Megan began. She squeaked and turned red when Alexi nudged her hard enough she nearly fell out of the booth in the dark corner of the casino where they were currently working.

"I don't know any such thing." Bethany pulled out her ace card. She had held it to herself, a secret treasure, for the past five years. "I know you can do real magic. I saw you."

"Real magic?" Alexi gave her a convincing frown of confusion.

"Just as real as your pointed ears." Bethany smirked when he reached up to yank his tangled mane of silky blond hair down around his ears, only catching himself at the last minute. "I saw you two working real magic, that first time we worked together. I've caught you doing magic since. Of course, I've been looking for it." She played all her cards. "So, are you like witches or wizards? Is there a real Hogwarts?"

"Actually--" Alexi jerked, having received a hard nudge from Megan now. He grinned at his wife. "Whether there is or isn't, that doesn't matter. What makes you want an invisibility spell, in particular?"

"Besides the way you two seem to have some kind of force field or invisibility spell, so nobody ever mobs you?" Bethany sat back in her booth and crossed her arms. "I've seen the groupies come after you, when you finish a show. It's like a switch is flipped or something. One minute they see you and home in on you like vultures. The next, they just don't see you, and they go wandering off. And when we're out like this?" She gestured around the room. "When I'm with you, nobody sees me, either. Why do you think I asked you to come up to my suite, instead of meeting somewhere? If someone sees me out on the street before I meet you, it's a lost cause."

"She's good," Megan murmured.

"We're magicians. Illusion is what we do," Alexi said with another grin.


"You're more than magicians. So, what are you?" Bethany sat forward, elbows planted on the table, projecting belligerence and determination as hard as she could.

Off the Bookshelf: 15 DAYS TO WRITE AND SUBMIT A SHORT STORY, by Joe Bunting

This is a workbook meant to go with the writing book, "Let's Write a Short Story!" by the same author.

Keep in mind that with many aspects of creative writing, what works for one person does not mean it must and will work for everyone else. We all have unique brains and unique viewpoints and approaches to the task of writing. This workbook will be helpful for people who have never tried writing short stories, or those who are novices at writing, period. For those who are "set in their ways" in terms of coming up with a story idea, a plot, organizing, researching, revising, this might chafe in places.

The cardinal rule in writing, once you get past the mechanics, is that there basically are no rules. You have to do what feeds your soul and take the route that works for you.

That being said, this is a handy little workbook that is worth following at least once, just to figure out what you can do, how it can help, and maybe even teach you a new approach -- and new approaches can sometimes solve problems you weren't even aware you had. You know, those brainstorm, bolt of lightning moments.

The exercises take some of the fear and angsting (yeah, I made up that word, so sue me!) out of trying to sit down and write a short story for the first time, because the author starts out by asking for only an hour of your time every day. He chops up the tasks and exercises into bite-size pieces. Very helpful. There's wise advice scattered throughout, such as keeping a notebook or recorder or something at hand at all times to capture those moments of inspiration that always seem to come at the most awkward and inconvenient moments. (For me, that's usually in the 10 minutes before the service starts on Sunday morning. Don't know why ... but yes, I keep a thick notebook in my purse. I've also resorted to the Dragon dictation software for my iPhone, to get ideas down when I'm on a long drive and can't pull over to the side of the road every other mile to write down another idea.)

Along with exercises such as reading assignments, there are resources that could prove helpful, and questions to answer to untangle ideas and fill in blanks.

Try it at least once. You might be surprised what help it can give you.

BLADE OF INNOCENCE, Highlander the TV series fan fiction

Excerpt from Chapter 7 of the fan novel now available on Wattpad:
            "Somebody's there," Amanda murmured. She tugged on his arm, taking the lead in going around the back of the building instead of going in through the front door.
            He nodded, feeling the flicker of Immortal energy.  After a long, boring, melodramatic movie in Italian and two glasses too many of wine with his vermicelli, that wasn't a particularly pleasant sensation.
            "It's probably Richie," he said, when they reached the back door and he unlocked it.  "You go on upstairs and I'll see what he wants."

            "Hopefully not some advice for his love life, this late at night."  She smiled as she headed up the steps. "Don't be too long."  She swung her little shopping bag enticingly  and hurried into the darkness.  Amanda had been dropping hints about what she had bought all through dinner.
             Duncan nodded and smiled, but his smile faded as he pushed open the stairwell door and walked through the storage room of the dojo.   A breath of air warned him.  He ducked backwards, then threw himself into a forward roll as a blade slashed through the air at the height of his neck.
            Scrambling to his feet, Duncan raced into the dojo, through the stripes of darkness and moonlight coming through the curtainless windows.  He snatched at the lowest of the katanas in the display on the wall and turned to face his attacker.
            Icy pale eyes burned in a dark ski mask.  A wide-shouldered figure dressed in black lunged at Duncan.  Moving on the balls of his feet, wearing soft-soled boots, the man was a literal shadow as he attacked.  Duncan threw off the effects of his wine and headache and long day, and let his own blade become part of his arm.
            The intruder's sword moved quickly, a silver blur in the shadows and the red glare of the emergency exit sign.  Duncan could barely see enough to block and feint, let alone discern the style of blade.
            Six times their blades met and clashed, throwing sparks through the darkness. The other Immortal bared his teeth in a silent snarl and threw himself at Duncan, turning at the last moment for a blow more appropriate for football.  Duncan sidestepped and brought his elbow down into his opponent's face.

Book of the Week: HAVE YOURSELF A FAERIE LITTLE CHRISTMAS

Excerpt:

Dawn and Stanzer came through the door, carrying cartons of eggnog and brightly colored fruit pastries to contribute to the party. Something elsecame with them.

Maurice's first instinct was to duck. If his exile spell hadn't bound him to the Human realms, he would have streaked for the closest available slit in reality and taken his chance on whatever dimension he landed in.

The something was alert, sentient, watchful, and buzzed with power. The faint buzz he got from Dawn and Stanzer was soothing and warming compared with this sensation. It made his hair stand on end--on his head, his arms, and his wings. The worst part was that he couldn't see the source of that alertness and power.
Now he had a good idea how Meggie felt, when she knew he was there and she couldn't see or hear him, and they could only communicate when he wrote notes to her. Freaky was a good word to start with.

Then something coalesced into being, walking behind Dawn and Stanzer as they approached the long refreshment table between the counter and the tree. Maurice had an impression of big, silvery teeth and electric blue eyes and...fur?

He nearly yelped and jumped up into the air when the somethingsolidified into an enormous dog, somewhere between an Akita and a wolf, its head level with Dawn's shoulder, walking behind her and Stanzer. It was big and dark blue and black, with electric blue sparks zinging and swooping all over it. What made it worse was that two people walked right through the big dog. It didn't flicker like a bad hologram, and the people didn't react.


"Hey, Angela..." Maurice swallowed hard and wished he had been a smart-mouth again so Angela had exiled him to the position of angel at the top of the tree. Then again, an inter-dimensional big bad wolf could probably find him at the top of the tree, too, without any trouble.

Book of the Week: HAVE YOURSELF A FAERIE LITTLE CHRISTMAS

Excerpt:

The protective net of magic around Divine's chimed pleasantly just then. Maurice had grown sensitive enough to the magic resonance of the people who regularly came into Divine's to sometimes identify them before he saw them.

"Lanie, right?" he said, and spun around in mid-air to follow Angela as she moved out of the room to the main entryway of the store.

The door swung open without anyone touching it--courtesy of Lanie Zephyr's telekinetic talent--and a moment later her wheelchair bumped up the last two shallow steps to enter the shop. The dark-haired woman paused a moment to shake the damp from her hair before rolling through the open doorway.

The weather was cold, but not cold enough to produce snow or even ice yet. The air was filled with a thick, icy fog. Maurice looked past Lanie at the street. So far, her Jeep was the only vehicle parked out there yet. Soon, though, the entire dead end street would be jammed with cars. Hopefully, the soil of the empty lots on either side of Divine's was frozen hard enough to allow parking. Angela's decorating party was the annual kick-off for the Christmas season in Neighborlee.

"So where are her brothers and that goof-ball boss of hers?" Maurice swooped around to keep pace with Lanie as she rolled down the aisle between the shelves to the main room.

The next moment, pressure wrapped around him, not crushing but holding him still. It occurred to him that this was what a tractor beam felt like on Star Trek.


"I'm not crazy, am I?" Lanie mused, as the force pulled Maurice forward to hover about a foot in front of her nose. "Angela, do I get slapped if I clap my hands and say 'I do, I do, I do believe in faeries'?"