Michelle Franklin's Blog, page 43

My Birthday Drawing

Nanowrimo ends, and my birthday begins. Usually the day passes without distinction, but this year, Twisk made me this drawing, which I think is just fabulous.

Love from Mr Cluck. Thank you, Twisk!

#NaNoWriMo Day 30: A Father's Joy #amwriting

And in a trice, NaNo is done. I ended with somewhere over 170,000 words. How did everyone else do?
To commemorate the end of NaNo, a story about a father's joy:
They came to the bakery window whereupon Little Jaicobh’s blue eyes instantly flared, absorbing everything on display, ruminating over every bread, every cake, every pie on the shelves.                  “Remember, Cub,” said Sheamas, resting his son in the b...

#Nanowrimo Day 25: King vs. Crumble #amwriting

Alasdair has a longstanding love-hate relationship with baked goods: he loves to eat them, and he hates the inches they add to his waistline. He has the unfortunate business of inheriting his father's appetite but not his father's metabolism, leaving him at a terrible disadvantage when his will finally gives way. If you have never reveled in all the joys of a crumble, you will not understand Alasdair's pain. 
The king came to the oven room to find a lone round crumble, sitting o...

#Nanowrimo Day 21: Frewyn's Glory

Well, the 50,000 word marker has been achieved. Onto the next 50,000. In the meantime, here is a piece from Draeden and Bryeison's return from the Galleisian War Saga:


The season was in its heightened state of alteration: the verdant hues of a lingering summer giving way to the golden flush of autumn, the trees blushing with ripened drupes, the ground misted over with glistening rime, leaves furnishing the forests with their vibrant hues, the bark of the various trees glowing numinous in the s...

#Nanowrimo The Dare

Prince Draeden, Alasdair's father, has a terrible fear of talking to women; he thinks most of them are much too beautiful to be approached with any semblance of composure, and he envies anyone else who is able to walk up and talk to them without any hesitation. 
One song ended and another began, and Draeden returned to the upper end of the table with many good things to devour and demolish. Women warbled and wassailed, men crooned and crowed, Draeden was still eating, the king joined in t...

#Nanowrimo Day 14: Vyrdin meets Bryeison

Word count so far: 32,498
And our story continues...
Draeden found the roast hiding behind Bryeison and moved to take it, bringing Bryeison nearer to the ginger and nettle tea. He filled his own cup, and then held the kettle near to Vyrdin. “Tea?”                Vyrdin swallowed hard and tried not to stare at Bryeison’s gargantuan arms. “Yes, thank you, sir.”               ...

#NaNoWriMo Day 8: Vyrdin and Draeden

In the midst of Draeden’s lamentations, King Dorrin at last called for dinner to begin. He approached the table, kissed his son, and much to Vyrdin’s astonishment kissed Bryeison, whose pale complexion darkened momentarily and he turned aside, smiling abashedly to himself, leaving Vyrdin to wonder at whether Bryeison was considered as much his son as Draeden was. How he had come to deserving of such a position occupied Vyrdin’s thoughts even as the king approached his seat, poured his wine, a...

#NaNoWriMo Day 5: The Great Hall

For the Frewyn holiday of Ailineighdaeth (al-i-nay-de), it's tradition for the king to open the castle keep's Great Hall and welcome all of his subjects to dine with him and the royal family. King Dorrin and King Alasdair keep this tradition, and for those like Vyrdin, who have no family and no where else to go for the holidays, the custom is particularly welcome.  A few splashes of cold water, a doting last look at his gift, and Vyrdin was tolerably prepared for his appearance in the Gra...

#NaNoWriMo Day 1: Vyrdin's Gift

It's here: NaNoWriMo! Here is out first post, a story about Vyrdin's first gift from the Galleisian War Saga. Enjoy!



He returned to his private apartment with a pained heart. All the privations and cruelty he had endured during his time in Farriage had destroyed his powers at happiness. Where his heart persuaded him to celebrate, his head refuted such a claim. His mind wandered through his reasoning, telling himself again and again why he was unworthy of revelry, ill-suited for camaraderie, an...

Story for the Day: Vyrdin's Musings

The Galleisian War Saga is the prequel series to the main story. It begins with the birth of Boudicca's father, and ends with Alasdair's coronation. It's a huge project, encompassing about 150 years of Frewyn history, including the Brennin family feud, the Livanon Civil War, and the altercation with Gallei that brought everyone together. This particular piece is about Vyrdin, Boudicca and Alasdair's commander when they were in Tyfferim Company. He came to the keep as a fugitive and...