MeiLin Miranda's Blog, page 26
August 23, 2012
Lots of new stuff for patrons, a preview for everyone!
I promised patrons the draft writing of The Machine God, and now it's up through chapter seven. Remember, this is beta writing; anything is liable to change, and it hasn't been edited for typos or story yet. The same goes for the preview of chapter one accessible to everyone. If you find something wrong or want to ask a question, please do. That's what comments are for. 
And if you want to become a patron, here's how you do it and here's what you get.
August 20, 2012
Chapter 7 Part 2 | Son in Sorrow | IHGK Book 2
The two priests of Harla unrolled the canvas: a stretcher, a red silk tassel tied in black thread dangling from the ends of its black poles. They spread it on the hearth rug as the priestess manipulated the corpse's arm back and forth at the elbow. "Still somewhat bendable, but not for long," she said.
The priests positioned Pawl's Mistress on the canvas as best they could, and the priestess spread the white sheet over her; all four Friends raised their hoods and the two junior priests picked up the stretcher poles. Somehow the tassels' sway and the lump under the sheet broke free the whimper Pawl had been holding back for two hours. Mistress was dead, and he was responsible. If he hadn't helped Mr Adrikov and Miss--but how was he to know this would happen?
August 17, 2012
Chapter 7 Part 1 | Son in Sorrow | IHGK Book 2
Arren, Corland, the Second Day of Spring's Ending, 991 KY
The tidy little townhouse in Arren was filling up with strangers, unusual at this early hour but then this was an unusual day. Rodder Pawl the footman grimaced at the hallway carpet: one big track of grime. Mistress Ambleson would be very upset were she to see it. The bell rang, and he opened the door to a tall figure wearing the hooded black robes of a priest of Harla. Pawl tamped down his dread and let the priest in.
Once inside, the figure pulled off the hood to reveal a kind-faced older man, hair shorn very short--almost bald--in the manner Friends male and female alike preferred. Behind him followed two men and a woman, dressed and shorn alike. The largest man carried a pair of poles wrapped in canvas; the woman carried a folded white sheet. "Where is she?" said the lead priest.
August 15, 2012
New for Patrons: Access to the draft of "The Machine God"
If you're a patron, you now have acces to the draft of The Machine God, my novel in the shared-universe series The Drifting Isle Chronicles. Mine is the last chronologically in the series; the other writers are Joseph Robert Lewis, Charlotte E. English, Katherine Tomlinson and Coral Moore.
Only the first chapter is up. I'll be putting the rest up as I have time and as they are finished, but the first eight should be up within a week. I'm on chapter ten now, closing in on the end of the second act. I'm on track to finish the whole thing in early September, in time to ship it off to Annette Ribken, the fabulous editor.
And I'll be starting a Kickstarter campaign to fund the cover and editing in the next two weeks so mark your calendars! Among the rewards will be half-pounds of coffee from Portland's own read more
August 14, 2012
The Blurb Doctor Once-Over
Got a bad book description? Don't want the Blurb Doctor's full service? Try the Once-Over.
For $25, the Blurb Doctor will go over your book description, once. I'll rewrite what I can, give you a framework for your description and a set of questions that your blurb needs to answer. Sometimes you'll get a complete, useable blurb; sometimes you'll have to finish it up yourself. It depends on what you give me.
When the back-and-forth process of full service is more than you want, give the Once-Over a try.
Tell me in the order comments the title of your book, and I'll be in touch.
$25.00
Quantity:
August 13, 2012
Chapter 6 Part 7 | Son in Sorrow | IHGK Book 2
Temmin usually missed having windows in his bedchamber, but this morning--whatever time it was--he was perfectly happy to wake up to nothing but low lamplight. His head was three sizes too big for his body, and his lips were crusted and dry. He flailed his arms in an attempt to get up and hit something warm and lumpy on the outer side of his alcove bed. A deep grunt issued from the lump's closest half: Mathanus. The other half said, "You just hit me in the nose, clumsy boy." Anda.
He was not surprised to find them in his bed--last night was the Spectacle, after all--but why couldn't he remember what happened? Anda and Mathanus at the same time? How could he not remember that? "What happened?" he croaked.
August 10, 2012
Chapter 6 Part 6 | Son in Sorrow | IHGK Book 2
Ansella paused, remembering their early marriage. She had loved him, though she thought she'd schooled herself out of it by now. She wondered if he'd loved her then or simply wanted her. He couldn't possibly love her now, not after so many years apart. "I'm surprised you're nostalgic for that time. I know I'm not."
"You never think back on our early days?"
"Not in the way you seem to." She moved away from him onto her back to stare up at the canopy again.
Harsin twisted onto his side and propped his head on his hand. "What do you think of?"
August 6, 2012
Chapter 6 Part 5 | Son in Sorrow | IHGK Book 2
This section is NSFW.
Temmin stumbled through the shadowed gardens, swatting away worshippers eager to be one with him. Where was the girl with the sapphire eyes? He should know her name, but what did it matter? Neya said she was his, he would find her, and when he did--
There! She was running towards him, she was in his arms, she was clawing at him. "Wait--wait," he said. He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder; passers-by cheerfully hooted congratulations. Where could he take her? He shifted her weight with a grunt and headed for a nook few knew about, where the grass grew long and bushes blocked the wind.
August 3, 2012
Chapter 6 Part 4 | Son in Sorrow | IHGK Book 2
This section is NSFW.
They were in range of the lights now, and Twenna could see her rescuer was a man in late middle age wearing a Lover's rose-colored clothing; row after row of elaborate embroidery at the hems marked him as high-ranked, very high-ranked indeed and yet he still patrolled on Neya's Day. Close-cropped, graying hair crowned his balding head but for a little curl of a queue at his nape; limitless kindness filled his large brown eyes. "Who may I thank for my rescue?" she asked.
"My name is Barik Lover, and it's customary in the Temple to say 'thank you' with a kiss. May I?"
July 30, 2012
Chapter 6 Part 3 | Son in Sorrow | IHGK Book 2
This section is NSFW.
Twenna watched them leave in horror. He'd cut her. He'd cut her in front of his wife and hadn't given her a backward glance. It couldn't mean what it appeared to mean. This had to be something about appearances, but why had he gone to so much trouble to have her admitted if he'd intended to leave with his wife? There must be a reason, a reason she wasn't clever enough to understand. He loved her; she took comfort in that certainty. He would send for her later, surely.
The swaying lanterns planted in the lawn took on a cold look, less like soft yellow moons and more like predatory eyes. What would she do now? She knew no one in the crowd who might protect her, no man she might trust not to take advantage of the Neya's Day festivities. She stayed close to the fierce-looking Lovers in armor still standing beside the royal dais, in hopes one of them might have been given instructions to escort her, but the workers disassembled the dais and took it away, along with the Temple's Own and her hopes.
