MeiLin Miranda's Blog, page 16
April 3, 2013
Chapter 2 Episode 1 | The Machine God | The Drifting Isle Chronicles
Hammering at his bedroom door awoke Adewole the next morning. "Adewole! Adewole! Ollie, old thing, get up, the most extraordinary thing has happened!"
Grumbling and sleepy, Adewole shrugged a robe over his nightshirt and shuffled into the sitting room on his long, bare feet. "Please do not call me 'Ollie,' Deviatka. 'Old thing' if you must, but never the other. Especially first thing in the morning before I have had my coffee--oh, damn." He scratched the curls sprouting on his head and peered at the early morning light in the window; Ofira had called him "Ollie," but no one else. "Anyway, do not call me that."
"I knew it would get you up," said the agitated Deviatka. He flourished a newspaper in the other man's face. "Look!"
April 2, 2013
"Lovers and Beloveds" paperback 10% off at Amazon--hurry!
I have no idea why or for how long, but Amazon has the paperback version of Lovers and Beloveds on sale 10% off. It qualifies for Prime shipping, too. If you've been thinking about it, jump!
April 1, 2013
Chapter 14 Part 8 | Son in Sorrow | IHGK Book 2
The plan broke, as plans do and as Tennoc expected it would. Fallik's cavalry waited too long to charge the Kells, giving them time to set up the shield wall so familiar to Tennoc. The Tremontines had no such reliable protection. He gritted his teeth in frustration; he'd warned his cousin, but Fallik was both headstrong and unconvinced Tennoc knew his business despite their previous victories. Magic could puncture the shield wall, but Tennoc's power had deserted him again.
March 29, 2013
Chapter 14 Part 7 | Son in Sorrow | IHGK Book 2
Tennoc took his armies north along the River Cobb toward Gwyrfal, Crymavon's men joining the expedition. The Kellish towns and castles along the way were caught unawares and lightly defended. Some surrendered outright to the Hero of Maalig, others after a brief skirmish; a few chose to fight to the last. The fierce battles at the coal mines of Baltha ended in the fortress's taking, and the slaughter of Clan Baltha's men.
March 27, 2013
Chapter 1 Episode 2 | The Machine God | The Drifting Isle Chronicles
Adewole continued up the stairs to the sitting room he shared with another young professor, Karl Deviatka. Though Deviatka was a newly-made full professor in engineering--the University's most celebrated department--and Adewole held a chair in the most neglected department, they'd become fast friends almost from the moment of their meeting here at Mrs. Trudge's house.
"Do you have a few pfennigs to buy standing-room tickets to the Opera House, old thing?" called Deviatka from his bedroom.
Adewole opened the case of his two-stringed Jerian bansu. "Why?"
March 26, 2013
Author's notes: a new feature on serializations
I just got the blindingly obvious idea that I should write author's notes on serial episodes. So I'm going to do that, starting with The Machine God. I may even go back and do some on the first two History books, in fact, it'd probably be good review for book three. So watch for those. They'll be in the comments section, and I'll try to have them at the top as the first comment or close to it.
March 25, 2013
Chapter 14 Part 6 | Son in Sorrow | IHGK Book 2
When Tennoc arrived at the castle's gates, Lady Flaryn's husband had already thrown them open. "I saw your forces long before you got here, Tennoc ar Sial," said Cror ar Crymavon, "and I couldn't have defended against your war machines had I wished to."
Tennoc smiled, but he drew his lips flat. "You're wise, cousin. In my current humor I am not countenancing resistance."
Lady Flaryn ar Crymavon still lived. In her own court, the cousin Tennoc's mother had remembered as painfully shy had blossomed into an assured woman, still beautiful and like enough to Lassanna that Tennoc's heart ached at the sight of her. "Why did you not stop here in your flight from Gwyrfal, cousin?" she asked him in Kellish at dinner that night.
March 22, 2013
Chapter 14 Part 5 | Son in Sorrow | IHGK Book 2
New Year's Day, 63 KY
King Dunnoc did not appear at the Eddin's Day celebrations for the new year: too ill, said Ulvyn, to leave his rooms. Gwynna sat at her husband's side, hugely pregnant. It was for the best that Dunnoc had not been brought down. He'd begun drooling, and his private conversations with ghosts had become even more incoherent. The Sisters said he might go on like this for spokes--perhaps years.
Her father's condition oppressed her spirits as much as the infant within her did. In the last days its squirming and kicking had subsided. Perhaps it had died. She would not cry if it was stillborn. Nevertheless, she loved children and she feared that one look at a tiny, helpless baby of her own, even one fathered by Ulvyn, would be her undoing. She had resolved not to look at it and to leave it to a wet nurse until she recovered her equilibrium.
March 20, 2013
Chapter 1 Episode 1 | The Machine God | The Drifting Isle Chronicles
Mai 4th
Professor Oladel Adewole put his cup down on the coffeehouse table. Thin, insipid, badly roasted, outrageously expensive--Eisenstadters called this coffee? At least the early Mai day was reasonably warm, warm enough to sit outside; still, scudding clouds just touched Erukso'i, the enormous island floating in the east above the city. The locals called the island Inselmond--he must learn to call it by its Eisenstadter name. He drummed his long brown fingers on the table and resumed nibbling on the sugared biscuit he'd gotten to wash the coffee down. At least these people knew how to make decent pastry.
A tiny rustling brought his attention toward his feet; small birds were searching the cobblestones for crumbs. They resembled the tiny yellow sparrows back home in Jero, but dun-colored and drab--rather a good comparison between Jero and Eisenstadt. A little brown sparrow hopped away from the clump toward him.
"Tsee! Tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee-Hi! You finishing that? Tsee? Tsee?"
Jero's tiny yellow sparrows did not accost coffeehouse patrons. "Pardon?" said Adewole.
March 18, 2013
Possibly the only time Neil Gaiman and I will appear in the same article
I'm featured in an article on Neil Gaiman's Calendar of Tales project over at Tech Hive. The piece isn't about me. But I'm in it. 
