Ned Hayes's Blog, page 132

"The fire blazes, sparks rioting above the earth, rising into...

"The fire blazes, sparks rioting above the earth, rising into the night. In the reflected blaze, the masks of the players packed in a cart glimmer behind us, false faces shifting in the light."

— from the novel Sinful Folk sinfulfolk.com

"Do they sense it, these dead writers, when their books are read? Does a pinprick of light appear in..."

“Do they sense it, these dead writers, when their books are read? Does a pinprick of light appear in their darkness? Is their soul stirred by the feather touch of another mind reading theirs? I do hope so.”

- Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale (via bibliophilebunny)

“As the early spring day flattened into dusk, I made my...

“As the early spring day flattened into dusk, I made my way back, a load of heavy wood upon my back, Christian sleeping in my arms. A little wind rushed through the elms, a chiffchaff called, the scent of rain was on the air. Not yet in the village, not on the commons, I saw a little light in a wattled house built in a dark hollow.”

— from the novel SINFUL FOLK 

“The next day brings snow. The black trees all around are...

“The next day brings snow. The black trees all around are edged each one in flakes, a pale white line on every limb. Jagged serrations of ice cover the road, hard as iron. When we move out of the ravine on the straight again, we can see that the manor house has grown slightly closer. The two small guardhouses of the manor stand between the road and the valley of a river.

If only we could reach the manor house, we might be safe. But it is too far away, a mirage on that distant hill.

I pull aside the soles that are strapped to my feet. Underneath, my feet are streaked with cuts and dark abrasions. Thorns, branches, and sharp ice have graved their signs on me, a medley of runes written in some strange tongue.”

— from the novel Sinful Folk

Goodreads Book Giveaway

SINFUL FOLK Goodreads Book Giveaway

Sinful Folk
by Ned Hayes

Giveaway ends January 14, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

"We walk for hours along the top of a ridge, where the curve of...

"We walk for hours along the top of a ridge, where the curve of the road is swept bare by wind. Now, as we descend from the hills, we enter a deep dale. The surrounding bowl of hills shelters the valley, and the sunlight rarely shines here in the winter months.

Months of snow have fallen and frozen, fallen and frozen, in this vale of shadow. The road is a river of ice, slick and unforgiving, a harsh sweep of white iron, cold enough to freeze any uncovered flesh to its surface.”

— from the novel SINFUL FOLK

"People tend to find books when they are ready for them."

“People tend to find books when they are ready for them.”

-

(Merry Christmas from SINFUL FOLK !)

Quote via Neil Gaiman (via acelockstark)

HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM SINFUL FOLK“The wind comes gusting...

HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM SINFUL FOLK

“The wind comes gusting in, seven small snowflakes melt upon the babe’s warm skin. Below, a flowing river of mist fills the basin with a gray light, a color that echoes in the young mother’s eyes. She holds her child close, she wraps him in that linen netting from above her bed. I whisper some words. Oh Alma Redemptoris…

And then the girl lets him go, out the long cold window. In this utter silence before the dawn, I can hear him fall a long way, the linen catching the wind and guttering loud. When he enters the gray vapor below, there is no sound. It’s as if he has drifted out from the cliff on silent wings and floated away into the misty dawn.”

— from the novel SINFUL FOLK

 

PHOTO: Laguna Torre | Argentina

HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM SINFUL FOLK"After the snow of the night...

HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM SINFUL FOLK

"After the snow of the night before, the day is washed clean: all is silver and bright with ice, and a light wind moves us forward. Here and there snow has blown aside, revealing the line of the great white stone road that slices through the hills. It is an unswerving line marked by the Romans, carved straight out of this untrammeled landscape."

— from the novel Sinful Folk

"It is as if time has not passed here at all, over the...

"It is as if time has not passed here at all, over the intervening years. The old stones under my feet, the open breadth of the sanctuary, the over-rich scent of incense, the great lines of white candles flickering in a winter draught, they are the same. My footfalls resound on the flagstones of this great cruciform hall."

— from the novel Sinful Folk sinfulfolk.com