Julia Phillips Smith's Blog, page 46
January 31, 2012
The Serialists - Scene 84
I'm now posting with The Serialists which appears on Wednesdays.
To recap this dark fantasy story so far:
As a small boy of seven, Scorpius was fetched from the nursery where he'd been raised to live among the nobility - fetched not by his family, but by a falconer to serve as his apprentice.
Scorpius soon learned that a close encounter with a dragon was preferable to the cruelties of the nobles he'd once hoped were family. His master did whatever he could to shield Scorpius from the world outsi...
January 30, 2012
2012 Movie Madness Challenge - January Report
Welcome to my first status report for the Movie Madness Challenge .
First of all - just wanted to say I am having a BALL doing this challenge. The only thing that takes the bloom from this rose: when I heard about it, my first thought was how much my dog Xena would approve of my participation, since it would give us a lot of snuggle time on the couch.
But life had different plans for us, and Xena passed away on Jan. 6th, before I had been able to watch even one film for this challenge. At first...
January 29, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday - 1
I'm joining a new-to-me meme called Six Sentence Sunday . Writers are encouraged to post six sentences from a work-in-progress or published piece. Sign into the Linky, and visit other SSS participants.
Here are the opening lines from my Dark Ages vampire novel, SAINT SANGUINUS, which opens in Wales in 577.
~~~~~~~~
Peredur coughed up blood.
Moans hung in the autumn air as women picked carefully between the tangled embraces at their feet. He could only watch them pass. A spear pinned him to the gr...
January 27, 2012
5 on Friday - Set 103
Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.
My good writing buddy/film producer Tara MacDonald/Tara MacQueen invited me to a concert last Wednesday night, hosted by In the Dead of Winter , an acoustic music festival here in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Here's a little taste of what the evening sounded like:
1 - Swing Song - Don Brownrigg
Don Brownrigg is a Newfoundland-born, Halifax-based singer-songwriter. LOVED his set...
January 24, 2012
The Serialists - Scene 83
I'm now posting with The Serialists which appears on Wednesdays.
To recap this dark fantasy story so far:
As a small boy of seven, Scorpius was fetched from the nursery where he'd been raised to live among the nobility - fetched not by his family, but by a falconer to serve as his apprentice.
Scorpius soon learned that a close encounter with a dragon was preferable to the cruelties of the nobles he'd once hoped were family. His master did whatever he could to shield Scorpius from the world outsi...
January 21, 2012
My book is featured @ ISelfPub today
Melissa Alvarez has launched a new website for indie authors to promote their books.
ISelfPub offers three promo options:
Book of the Day - Five spots featured on the Home page, with a link to an individual, in-depth promo piece for a 24-hour period, plus mention in ISelfPub's daily newsletter/Facebook/Twitter/Google+
Book of the Week - Featured at the top of the Home page in a slideshow format for a one-week period, plus Book of the Day features
Book of the Month - Featured prominently at the top of the sidebar, plus Book of the Day features
I'm very happy with SAINT SANGUINUS' feature there - thanks, Melissa!
January 19, 2012
5 on Friday - Set 102
It's a big day here at A Piece of My Mind!
Two years ago my blog friend Travis started a musical meme that he called 5 on Friday . I joined this Friday event two sets in, and have barely missed a week since. It's one of the highlights of my week.
I've met many good blog friends since then. Happy 2nd Anniversary to all of us as we keep spinning the tunes!
1 - Donauwalzer or Blue Danube - Vienna State Opera Orchestra
2 - Retour de la vendange or The Grape-Pickers' Return - Composed by Adolphe Adam, performed by the American Ballet Orchestra
The piece included for today's celebration starts at the 0:15 mark, and ends at the 2:52 mark. Giselle is danced by Carla Fracci in this clip, and Albrecht is danced by Erik Bruhn.
3 - Etudes - Composed by Carl Czerny, performed by the Royal Danish Ballet Orchestra
The section meant for today's set begins at the 5:03 mark and ends at the 7:19 mark.
4 - Firebird finale - Composed by Igor Stravinsky, Conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, performed by the San Francisco Symphony
5 - Apotheosis from Sleeping Beauty - Composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky based on the pre-French Revolution national anthem Marche Henri IV , Conducted by Laurence Siegel, performed by the Radio Symphony Orchestra
January 18, 2012
The Serialists - Scene 82
I'm now posting with The Serialists which appears on Wednesdays.
To recap this dark fantasy story so far:
As a small boy of seven, Scorpius was fetched from the nursery where he'd been raised to live among the nobility - fetched not by his family, but by a falconer to serve as his apprentice.
Scorpius soon learned that a close encounter with a dragon was preferable to the cruelties of the nobles he'd once hoped were family. His master did whatever he could to shield Scorpius from the world outside their cottage, but the falconer was merely a servant who must obey his own masters.
An attempt on the life of a young noble while on a hunt sent the falconer and his apprentice on abruptly different paths, bringing Scorpius into the service of Lord Thibault's noble house.
We now continue with Scorpius at age nineteen.
You can follow the progress of this story arc by clicking on the Works in Progress link just under the blog header.
Scene 82
"Why would your master suggest such a thing?" asked the leader of this group of Sibiu. He gave no hint as to his own feelings about the contents of the scroll. He merely held it before him, glancing from Scorpius to the message and back again.
Scorpius remembered what Lord Thibault had instructed before sending him to this rendezvous.
"Whatever they say or do, you must not leave until he has given you an answer. Are we clear?"
Scorpius fought to contain the dark chuckle that rose inside him.
"If you suppose my master would tell me what is meant for your eyes only, you don't understand the House of Pruzhnino," Scorpius said.
To his relief, the lead Sibian nodded to one of the others who joined him for a measured conversation in their language. Taking care not to fidget as his heightened state demanded, Scorpius instead stood unmoving, hoping to appear unfazed though he was surrounded by fierce fighting men.
Since his hands were behind his back and out of sight, he allowed himself the luxury of twisting the dukessa's dragon ring back and forth on his finger. It kept him focused, and the connection to the estate gave him the courage he needed.
It was nearly impossible to stop himself from backing up a step as the leader approached with a menacing stride. He met the man's gaze and hoped his rising alarm stayed hidden in the recesses of his pounding heart.
"Your master insults us with his suggestion," the Sibian said, spitting at Scorpius' feet.
His stomach felt like a great weight dropped from a bridge. Drawing himself as tall as he could, he said, "My master honors you with an offer. At considerable risk to his noble house. If my hands were not tied, I would call you out."
A little gleam of respect flickered through the older man's gaze, though his daunting expression remained. "You think you are a match for me?" the Sibian said, and the men laughed. "And after me, all of them?" He stepped back, gesturing to the band of men, all of whom sported scars.
"My master sent me, didn't he?" Scorpius said, shrugging as though taking on six men would be merely a training exercise. In order to gauge his chances if this escalated, Scorpius silently planned which ones he would take down first if it came to that.
To Scorpius' shock, the Sibian leader's posture deflated slightly. Exchanging glances with the man with whom he'd discussed the contents of the scroll, the leader raised the message and said, "We have our own ways of dealing with this, as we have done since before the stories were passed down. Why should your master, or any of you, care about our herd so suddenly?"
Scorpius blinked. Herd? What herd?
Think.
These people who lived everywhere and nowhere obviously had herds of some sort. The duke's estate--and every estate Scorpius had visited--displayed sweeping herds that enriched their holdings.
Once again Scorpius had to fight to hold back a laugh. If he had to take on six fighters over sheep, his master would live to regret it.
© Julia Phillips Smith, 2012
January 12, 2012
Thursday Thirteen - 241 - 10 Questions For Me Plus 3 Things About the New TBR Blog
I'm sharing yesterday's interview over at TBR for today's Thursday Thirteen, because it has 10 questions, plus I've got 3 things to add about this new promo blog.
READ my interview here
And for the rest of the Thursday Thirteen:
11 - TBR was launched just this year by Cate Masters whom I met through The Popculturedivas .
12 - In this new digital age, voracious readers with all manner of electronic devices want to browse around for great reads. New sites are popping up to answer this need, and TBR showcases traditional and indie published authors.
If you're an author with a book to promote, check it out.
If you're a reader with a voracious appetite, check it out!
13 - You can find Cate Masters on Facebook .
January 10, 2012
My Precious Xena Has Gone to Her Final Rest
To all of my readers and friends:
My 11-year-old Nova Scotia Duck Toller/Beagle mix passed away on Friday after a week's illness.
She was a warrior princess to the end. She did not complain, even though she had a hard week. She even continued to make friends in the lobby at the vet's office, even though it turned out to be her final visit there.
When I'm able to post about the glorious time we spent together, I'll share her life story here at A Piece of My Mind.
Once again, Scorpius' latest installment is being rescheduled to next week.
