Brian Beam's Blog, page 15

Chapter 9 Excerpt

In celebration of finishing another chapter as well as the first short-story for the collection I am working on, here's yet another excerpt from Book 2 of Korin's Journal.  Enjoy!

Brian Beam
**** My head snapped up as Briscott entered the tent with a man dressed in similar dark brown clothing behind him.  The man’s black cloak was drawn back over his shoulders.  Shaggy brown curls framed his rounded, ruddy face, his beard a patchy mess.  Stern green eyes glared at me above a thin line of a nose.  He was almost short enough to stand up straight in the tent, but had a stoutness that would make only an idiot dismiss the man’s strength due to his height.  There were at least two knives sheathed at his belt along with a heavy-headed hammer with a leather-wrapped handle hanging from a strap at his hip.I couldn’t remember if I had just been thinking about the day Max had revealed his ability to talk to me when I was ten years old, or if I had actually fallen asleep.  My head was still a little fuzzy.  If I had been asleep, it was a direct result of the tashave leaf.  Emotionally, I was too worked up to allow myself to sleep, especially when I thought about what the new man’s hammer was for.Briscott crouched before me with a pained expression.  I had viewed his friendliness as an insult before, but now I found that I missed his easy smile and pleasant voice.  “This is Oslen.  He’ll be implanting the rock.  I’ll be right here holding your legs.  It’ll be best if you don’t struggle.”Oslen spit something dark to the side as if chewing pipeleaf.  “Yeah, those that struggled before got a shallow grave for their efforts,” he added gruffly without a hint of a threat.  He was simply telling me the truth of it.  Unlike my first conversation with Briscott, Oslen showed no sign of friendliness in his voice or expression.“Oslen!” Briscott scolded.  “There is no blighting cause for that.”  Briscott reached to the chest across from me and turned back holding a bottle and a cloth.  He wadded the cloth into a ball over the glass lip of the bottle and then flipped the bottle, soaking the cloth with whatever was in it.  “This will give your skin a bit of a chill, but should help ward off infection.”As he rubbed the cloth in concentric circles starting at the center of my chest and then expanding outwards, I shivered.  There was a slight alcohol odor from the cloth, but I had no idea what it was.  The solution was thin, and dried within seconds.  Briscott had been right, though; it was not only cold to the touch, it also sent a chill deep into my skin that did not go away as it dried.  My  naked torso was already cold from the fall-day chill, but where he had applied the solution, it felt as if my skin were covered in frost.My brain shouted at me to beg them to let me go, to simply untie me and send me away.  However, I knew from what Briscott had told me, as well as from my knowledge of Contract magic, that they had been given orders and that they could either fulfill them or die.  So, instead I just dropped my head to the side and closed my eyes.    “Don’t warn me when you do it,” I requested solemnly, fearing the pain while knowing there was nothing I could do to stop it.  “We can at least do that for you,” Briscott replied softly, a hint of his affable voice coming through.  I felt his hands press down at my ankles.  What felt to be one of his shins pressed down across my thighs right above my knees.  “I’m so blighting sorry.”I responded with a deep breath through my nose, keeping my eyes shut tight.  I heard some movement and then felt a pinprick in the center of my chest.  I tried not to think of the gem breaking through the bone of my sternum.  I tried to not imagine the gem accidentally piercing my heart and spilling my life out in pints of blood on the ground below me.  But I did, and my heart sped and my breathing deepened in response.  I could feel sweat beading on my forehead despite the cool air.  I could feel my pulse throbbing at my temples, my bound wrists, and my chest.Then, there was silence.  I could only hear my own deep breathing and the thump of each of my rapid heartbeats.  A cold tear fell down my cheek.  Before it could drip from my chin, there was a rush of air against my chest, the clink of a hammer against stone, pain beyond words, and then, there was nothing.

Progress Bars!

For anyone interested in my progress for Book 2 of Korin's Journal(which admittedly has and will be moving at a slower pace for a while), I have now included a progress bar on the lower left hand side of the page here.  Notice that I have progress bars for two other current projects as well.  Those will definitely be moving at a snail's pace(or slower), but are both projects that I am 100% invested in completing and releasing at some point(more details to come later).  Since I do not fully outline my writing, the percentages are solely estimations, but will still be a good indicator of where I stand on them.

I have just wrapped up the first draft of Chapter 37 of Book 2 of Korin's Journal and am about to get to all kinds of excitement, revelations, and a healthy dose of action.  Someone(s) may even die(gasp!)  Or...maybe I'm just messing with you .  You'll just have to wait and find out ;).

Have a great week, everyone.

Until next time,



Brian Beam

National Buy A Book Day: Part 2

Well, it's National Buy a Book Day in which book lovers are encouraged to go out to their local bookstore(independent or otherwise...as long as it's a BOOKSTORE and not Wal-mart or something) and buy a full priced book to support bookstores, publishers, and authors.  Bookstores, especially independent ones, are struggling in an age of Kindles, Nooks, iPads, and low-priced online retailers, so I fully support this concept.
Today, me and my 22 month old son  to Literary Bookpost, a local independent bookstore here in Salisbury, NC(http://www.literarybookpost.com/).  First of all, I was thoroughly impressed by what they had to offer and their support of indie and local authors.  That, and they had a slide in the kid's section that Jonas focused all his attention on...even though he has the exact same slide at home.
Anyway, I picked up a book called Not So Random from local author, N.J. Simpson ( http://www.njsimpson.com/, http://www.amazon.com/N.J.-Simpson/e/B00501K0DQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1) though it's outside my preferred genres.  I also got Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, the first in a children's series by my favorite author, Brandon Sanderson.  At night, my son actually likes having books without pictures read to him, so I'm going to use it to introduce him to Brandon Sanderson's genius early on :).  Lastly, I got Jonas a picture book called Dragons Love Tacos, because, come on, who doesn't?
 My National Buy A Book Day Haul
Jonas Loves Dragons Love Tacos
If you haven't gone out to support your local bookstore today, I encourage you to do so if you love books.  And, continue to do so through the year, because they are offering something that if taken away, would be truly be missed.  I would hate to see a future in which my son, or my son's children, could not enjoy the experience of a bookstore.  
Thanks for reading and supporting your local bookstore!
Brian Beam

National Buy A Book Day - Sept. 7, 2012

I had never heard of National Buy a Book Day until today - probably because it's only been around a couple  years  and hasn't become fully recognized yet.  However, I love the idea of it.  The gist is that on September 7th, you are encouraged to buy a new book at full price from a local bookstore.  The purpose is to promote the publishing industry as a whole: the authors, publishers, and bookstores who provide us with the books we love.  Buying a new book at full price ensures full profit for all involved.

Of course, I believe that people should support their local bookstores, independent or otherwise, throughout the year, but I look at this like Mother's Day or Father's Day.  You should show them you care year-round, but you should still take a day to really show them exactly how thankful you are for all that they do.
So, on September 7th, go out to your local independent bookstore, buy a full priced book for yourself and/or a friend, and show them that they have your support.  The bookstores, authors, publishers, and your brain, will thank you.
For more info, check out:http://www.graspingforthewind.com/national-buy-a-book-day/
http://www.buyabookday.org/
Brian Beam

Book 2: Chapter 1 Excerpt

Alright, as I promised, here's an excerpt from Book 2 of Korin's Journal(official title coming soon, I swear!).  I really, really wanted to keep spoilers from The Dragon Gem to a minimum, but I also wanted to post a little more than what I'm about to.  Therefore, if you have already read The Dragon Gem, don't plan on reading it, or you just don't care about spoilers, I have put a link on the left side of the page leading to the full first chapter of the next book.  Be warned, there is a literal recap of the whole first book in the full chapter.

Remember this is the first draft.  Things may change.  They may not.  I may just decide to rewrite it as a musical with dance numbers and audience participation(the first 3 rows may get wet)...okay, maybe not.  My point is that there may be some editing needs that haven't been addressed, mainly because nothing in book 2 has been properly edited yet.  If you see an issue, feel free to point it out, but the purpose of this post is simply to reveal a little of what's to come in the story.

So, here's an excerpt from Chapter 1: Recaps And Broken Kneecaps.   Enjoy!

Brian Beam



 ****
There was only one little problem.Actually, that depends on either your definition of “little” or your capacity for sarcasm.Currently, I was being shoved roughly into a wall of rough stone that lined the interior of Galius’ basement.  I could feel the skin of my forehead break open as it snapped back from its collision with the wall.  My body crumpled to the ground, the side of my head now rebounding off the stone-tiled floor.  There had been no chance of catching myself or breaking my fall with my hands tied tightly behind my back to the point of cutting off blood circulation, my fingers long since numb.  The front and side of my head were not numb, however, and flared with pain.  The dank air of the basement gave me a chill as I lay there helpless, securely bound and gagged on the floor.  I couldn’t smell a thing over the odor of horse and saddle leather on my baggy white shirt and tan pants.  My malodorous clothing reminded me that I hadn’t properly bathed in days.  Aside from the bare stone walls, the only features of the room were a simple wooden chair in the room’s center, a tall iron safe in the back corner, and stand lamps in the corners which gave me plenty of light to realize how much trouble Til’ and I were in.Speaking of Til’, he had been shoved down onto the nondescript wooden chair in the center of the room.  To his side, a burly brute in a worn brown tabard pressed down on the diminutive Kolarin’s shoulder to keep him from rising.  Til’ was also gagged.  He wore a white shirt under a brown jerkin with black pants, his clothing dirtied from our involuntary trip to Byweather.  Til’, not one to be forced into anything, struggled against the bonds of his tied hands, kicking at the brute beside him.  The brute simply backhanded the poor little guy with his free hand.  Til’s head snapped forward, his long raven hair whipping in front of him.Til’ twisted his hanging head to the curly-haired brute, his large silver eyes burning with anger.  With a sharp twist of his head, he forced the filthy gag from his mouth.  “You’ll regret that, you two-bit, halfwit, Duncil-blooded, goat farming—”  Til’s insult was cut off by another backhand, this one to his face and splitting his bottom lip.  Duncil is the god of bastard children.  Silly idea for a god in my opinion.  Silly or not, though, Til’ deserved credit for the use of such a god in his curse.  Taking a cue from the fearless Kolarin, I tongued the similarly dirtied gag from my own mouth.  “Leave him alone,” I rasped, my throat raw from having nothing to drink since being magically knocked out by wizards a day and a half prior.  My hunger was a whole other issue.  “You better listen to him,” I continued hoarsely.  “I’ve seen him take on worse than you, Lily Pants.”  My taunt was answered by a violent kick to my stomach by the grime-faced thug who had shoved me into the wall.  Yeah, at this point I still hadn’t learned to keep my big mouth shut.  Actually, at the time of my writing this, I still haven’t learned that lesson.I tilted my head towards the man who had kicked me, feeling blood trickle down my face from the split skin of my forehead.  The double vision caused by my fall made me see two of his greasy, crooked-nosed face.  His oily hair was only slightly less dirty than his tatty leathers.  Dirty or not, his arms were as big around as my legs.  If anything, the other brute—who I will continue to refer to as Lily Pants—was even more muscular.  His exposed arms were proof of that.  I hadn’t been lying to him, though; I had seen Til’ fight eldrhims and live to tell the tale.  What was a simple thug compared to that?  No matter how tough these guys were, it was hard to be scared when we had both dealt with eldrhims, wizards, and a dragon.  Granted, we hadn’t been nearly dehydrated and starving during those times.Well, I say that it was hard to be scared, but I must be one to take the hard road since I was pretty much scared out of my mind.  Not scared for myself, but for Til’, Sal’, and Max.  I couldn’t do a thing to help them, and that drove fear deep into my soul.  I decided to shut my mouth for the time being and put all my efforts into thinking a way out of our current mess.Before the cogs of thought could even start tumbling in my hazed mind, I heard two sets of harsh footsteps slapping down the stone steps into the basement followed by the slamming of the hidden hatch that opened from the room above.  I lulled my head back to see Galius and the third brute who had abducted us, a hazy halo surrounding their bodies as my double vision slowly drew into focus.Galius, as always, exuded about as much arrogance as Rembren, the god of arrogance.  Seriously, there’s a god of arrogance.  His blue velvet coat rested over a highly brocaded shirt.  The fabric stretched taut over his paunch of a stomach that overlapped the top of pleated black pants.  His receding black hair and pointed goatee were as meticulously manicured as ever, glistening with styling grease, but his eyes were sunken and his face even more pale than before.  It looked like Galius hadn’t been able to sleep very well with the threat of losing his money and power looming over his head.  That threat was one of my own doing by keeping the dragon egg’s luck from the bastard.  Galius had been a lowly beggar before obtaining the egg, and without its magic, he was faced with the possibility of going back to that life.The brute behind him was tall, a head and a half over my moderate height.  He was clad in clean but broken-in leather armor over a shirt of mail.  His boots came up to his knees on his leather-clad legs and a sheathed longsword hung from his hip.  His hawkish eyes and stern features gave him a look of silent danger, his shaved head helping to encourage that look.  Starting on his temples before swooping under his dark eyes and down the rest of his face, various swirls and tribal patterns were tattooed in black, stopping just below his chin.  His posture was slightly relaxed, though from my training in swordplay and hand-to-hand combat, I could sense that he could have his sword drawn and in adept use in the span of a breath.  In other words, if I were to guess at his name, I’d figure it to be Mess With Me And Die A Slow, Horrible Death.  It turned out to be Bill.

Book 2 Info

S      So, as I continue through the final third of the first draft of Book 2 of Korin's Journal, I'd like to start posting more information about it.  To start, here's the titles of the first 19 chapters comprising the first major story arc in which Korin  makes his way to Tahron with some little(read: catastrophically major) hiccups including being kidnapped, hunted down by a tattooed Contract Holder, enslaved, and confronted with disturbing revelations about his father and the war in Gualain.  
1.       Recaps and Broken Kneecaps2.       Good Timing By a Bad Guy3.       Day 24.       Out of the Woods With Wood5.       Dead Rumors6.       Ignoring the Gut7.       Day 118.       The Walking Not-So-Dead9.       Briscott To Be Kidding Me10.   Day 1211.   The Lucidity of Stupidity12.   The Ridiculousness of the Gods13.   Blood of the Past, Inappropriate Laughter of the Present14.   Wasn’t One Enough?15.   Day 1416.   Sometimes it Just Takes a Kick in the Ass by a Cat17.   Just Bill Me Later18.   Bill and Til’s Exciting Travels19.   Day 19

R   Again, this is only the first part of the story.  I'm currently on chapter 37.  I'm still hoping to have it ready to be published by the end of the year, but early 2013 may be a little more realistic.  Next time, I'll post an excerpt from the first chapter.  
k    Brian Beam

I
    
s

Remnants of the Past

(Because sometimes we hang out with peacocks and emus)

It's been a little while since I posted a blog.  Seems life has a funny way of getting in the way.
Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to post the prologue to an abandoned book I started back in high school over ten years ago now(hm...does that mean I'm getting old?).  The book was going to be called Secret of the Kolari: Book One of the Broken Cycle Saga.  Ten chapters in, I shelved it, but I found myself looking back at it tonight and decided to share a bit of it.
If you have read The Dragon Gem, you  probably noticed from the name alone that I carried over ideas from Secret of the Kolari to it.  Mainly, I just recycled a bunch of names.  Korin, Menar, Geeron, Kolarin, Ingran, and Kipp are just a few names that made the transfer.  Korin was the name of the protagonist for Secret of the Kolari, though he had a twin brother named Kris.   
Next time, I'll post some information on Book 2 of Korin's Journal.  I'm still a few months away from finishing the first draft, but I'm ready to post some longer excerpts, chapter names, and maybe even a title reveal in the near future. I'm also hoping to find some beta readers to check out the first story arc of it soon to get some feedback, so if you have any interest in participating, drop me a line here, www.facebook.com/brianbeamauthor, or at bbeams32@gmail.com.
I'll end by reminding everyone that I have posted a giveaway for a signed copy of The Dragon Gem on Goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho....  It runs until the end of September.
So, without further ado, and no guarantees on grammar,  here's the prologue to the abandoned Secret of the Kolari.
Best wishes to all,
Brian Beam
Prologue 
       An impenetrable darkness filled the deep reaches of Malakai Cave.  Starting from the land’s surface and then sloping down to unknown depths, dark tunnels intertwined and spread out for uncounted miles underneath the earth.  The passages, which had remained undisturbed for many years, reverberated with an eerie silence.  Moss-covered walls arched into a stalactite-covered ceiling.  A stagnant odor rose from water puddles on the uneven floor into the damp, humid air.  Some areas of the cave provided respite to brown bats fleeing the brightness of day.  The silence was soon broken however, as in a dark, forgotten corner of the cave, the guardian awoke from its slumber.
* * * *                     Surrounding Malakai Cave, a small forest bordered the village of Geeron in the Kingdom of Calthair.    Out from the open door of a smaller residence in this town bounded a young boy, a checkered curtain his cape, and a stew-covered wooden ladle his sword.       “Ingran!” a voice called sternly from behind the small boy.  Ingran quickly spun around to the sound of the voice.  Ingran brushed a lock of blond hair from his deep blue eyes to see a slender, dark haired woman standing in the doorway with her hands crossed over her apron.  “What’s that around your neck?”       The accusing tone brought Ingran to a panic.  “Uh, nothin’ mama,” Ingran blurted out before having time to think.  The guilty look on his face told otherwise.       “Nothing, huh?  Looks like one of my good kitchen curtains.”       Ingran bowed his head and shuffled his feet.  “I’s just borrowin’ it.”  Ingran looked up at his mother with guiless innocence.  “All heroes need a cape.”        The stern look on his mother’s face broke into a loving smile.  “Oh they do, do they? Are you and your little friends planning on hunting rabbits again today?”       We’ve just been doin’ that for practice mama.  The Knights of Justith only hunt dragons now!” Ingran insisted, waving around the ladle to show off his swordsmanship.          Her smile widened as she watched her son playing as the mighty warrior.  “Well you can use it this time, but I want the curtain and ladle back in one piece though,” she compromised, her smile fading to let him know she was serious about it.        A broad smile formed on his fair complexioned face as he nodded in agreement.  “Thanks mama!”       “Now give your mother a hug before you leave,” his mom said as she leaned down.       “Knights of Justith don’t hug their mamas!” Ingran argued.        Ingran’s mother placed her hands on her hips. “Those who want to keep their capes do,” she replied.       Knowing that he had to give in before being allowed to leave, Ingran ran over to his mom who spread her arms and coveted his hug, squeezing him tightly to her chest.  Finally, Ingran broke away from the embrace. “Can I go now?” he asked impatiently.       His mother’s smile returned as she gazed into his big blue eyes.  “Run along dear, but remember to be back by supper.”      At these words, Ingran began sprinting off.  “I’ll bring you back a dragon tooth!” he exclaimed with excitement as he ran.        “And don’t forget the cape!” she called after him.        Ingran dashed through the neighbors’ yards, stabbing his “sword” at chickens, goats or anything else he could pretend was a monster barring his way to his fellow knights.  Ingran emerged into the village square which was filled with people performing their daily tasks: a messenger delivering letters; women taking laundry to the spring; townsfolk buying groceries or other goods; and Tom, the street vendor milling about the square.         Ingran pushed his way through the people, occasionally getting remarks such as, “Out of my way runt!” from the older men, while receiving compliments from the women.  Ingran eventually managed to make his way through to the stone fountain, the center of the town square as well as all of Geeron.  In the center of the fountain stood a statue of an angel with her wings spread and her face looking up to the heavens.  Water poured from her mouth into the sparkling pool below.  The angel’s visage and wings bore chips and cracks from age, but the statue still held a mesmerizing beauty.  The statue was said to contain magical power that purified the water.  This particular statue was the meeting ground for the Knights of Justice.  They believed that by drinking the fountain water they would be protected on their monster hunts.        Ingran looked about and noticed that he was the first to arrive.  Folding his “cape” under him and laying his “sword” down beside him, Ingran relaxed on the edge of the fountain and twirled his fingers in the cool water.  Occasionally, Ingran cupped his hands and drank the angel’s pure water for extra protection.       “Ingran!”  Ingran jumped up from the fountain, grabbed his “sword”, and turned to see his fellow knights Kipp and Molly running towards him.  “The sun is high and we have a dragon to slay!” Kipp yelled, briefly attracting bystanders’ attention.        Ingran, Kipp and Molly formed the Knights of Justice to protect Geeron from monster raids by keeping the woods surrounding Geeron free of all evil creatures.  Ingran rushed over to meet his two friends.  Kipp was Ingran’s elder by two years and Molly was two years older than Kipp.  Molly wore a simple faded blue dress.  Around her neck hung a medallion that she claimed gave her magic powers.  In her hand she held her “magic wand” which was carved by her own hand from a branch of a magic oak they had found on one of their adventures.  Kipp wore a cape similar to Ingran’s, but in his hand was a small wooden sword.        “Wow!  Where’d ya get that Kipp?” Ingran asked in astonishment.        Kipp broke into a smile as he held up his sword for Ingran to get a better look.  “My daddy made it for me.  He says that to be a knight, you have to have a real sword.”  Kipp glanced down at the ladle in Ingran’s hand.  Ingran slipped the ladle behind his back.        Molly, seeing the hurt on Ingran’s face, stepped forward.  “What’s it matter?” she asked, casting an amber-eyed stare at Kipp.  “The sword doesn’t make the knight.  The bravery, honor, and talent they possess do.  The Knights of Justice are all equal.  We are a team.”  Molly turned and smiled at Ingran who did the same in return.  Molly, the wisest of the three, knew the best ways to end arguments and the best strategies to use against the monsters they faced.        Kipp’s grin faded slightly as he considered Molly’s word.  “I guess you’re right,” he admitted.  Then his dark green eyes lit up with excitement.  “We are a team and we will slay the mighty dragon before he can destroy our town!”       All three gave a shout of agreement as they lifted their weapons into the air.  Laying their weapons on the fountain, the Knights of Justice leaned over and cupped water in their hands.  After drinking the water for protection, they grabbed their weapons and ran off towards the woods.       Once they reached the outskirts of town, they came to a halt, staring off into the woods.  “So, where do we find the dragon?” Kipp questioned.     Molly tucked her auburn hair behind her ears as she thought.  After a moment of contemplation, she looked at the other two.  “The dragon would not be out in the open.  If we want to find it, we should look in more secluded areas.”        “Well I scouted ahead this morning an…and I found dragon tracks to the …uh…East!”  Ingran lied, and hurried off to the West, motioning for the other two to follow him. There was no way he was going to let Kipp be the best of the Knights this day.   Molly quickened her pace to catch up to Ingran.      “You went without us?” she asked, a look of disappointment and hurt on her face.       “Umm…yeah!  I…uh…well I was jus’ tryin’ to get an idea where the dragon was, so uh…I came out here to see what we would run into so I uh…could…uh…so we could be prepared.”  Molly’s look of disappointment didn’t change.       “But the Knights of Justice are a team,” Kipp mocked in a girlish voice.  Molly turned and gave Kipp a playful shove before turning back to Ingran.      “Ingran, you shouldn’t just go off on your own like that.  It could be dangerous,” Molly preached.      Ingran thought up a quick excuse.  “B…but when we ‘tacked the goblin camp, you said that one of us should check their numbers first so you could make a strategy.  I was jus’ tryin’ ta help like you.”     Molly flashed Ingran one of her sweet smiles.  “That was very brave and wise of you,” Molly commented.      “I know!” Ingran beamed with pride.      “Don’t let it get to your head!”  she laughed.     After seeing this, Kipp stopped and crossed his hands over his chest.  “Well I’m not going that way.  Mama and daddy said never to go out that far into the woods,” he said with a frown on his youthful face.      Ingran spun around and gave Kipp a condescending look.  “Brave knights put duty above all else,” he taunted. “But if you’re afraid…”       “I’m not afraid!” Kipp interrupted, holding up his sword.  “Let’s go kill the dragon!”  Ingran turned and continued leading the other knights.      Molly and Kipp continued to follow Ingran through the forest for the next half an hour until Molly stopped before an apple tree.  “We need to stop.  Those apples look good and I’m getting hungry.”  Ingran turned to meet her gaze.  “You must have been up early to come out this far.”         “Uh…yeah!  Got up at dawn!” Ingran falsely bragged.       “And I’m very proud of you for doing so,” Molly replied as she sat down on the soft grass beneath them.  “Now which one of you daring knights is going to gather up some apples for us?  We need to eat something to keep our strength up.”        Ingran hurried to be the first to the tree.  Ingran swung his ladle above him to knock down an apple only to find that the apples were out of his reach.  Determined to succeed, Ingran jumped and swung again, but to avail.  Making one last attempt, Ingran leaped with all his might, reaching his arm as far as he could as he swung the ladle, still missing by only inches.  Kipp chuckled at Ingran’s effort.  “Let a real knight handle this,” he remarked, pushing Ingran out of the way.  Molly looked coldly at Kipp, but Kipp just dismissed her with a wave of his hand.  Standing on his toes, Kipp easily knocked down apples with a swing of his longer sword.  Once he knocked down enough for the group, he looked at Ingran with a superior grin.  Kipp gathered the apples and sat down by Molly.  Ingran slowly walked over and sat to the other side of Molly, embarrassed.  Kipp handed an apple to Molly.        “Thank you Kipp.”  Kipp gave a slight bow at her praise.  “But we could have done without your trying to put down a fellow knight,” she continued with disposition.      “Well he couldn’t reach the apples, so someone had to.”  Kipp picked up an apple and tossed it to Ingran.  Ingran stared at the apple, his glazed over eyes blurring his vision.        After they had all finished their snack, they rose to their feet and stretched their muscles.  “Well, let’s go get the dragon!” Molly proclaimed.        Kipp looked to the sky and then back to Molly.  “We need to be getting home.  We’ll get in trouble if we come home late.  Besides, I don’t think Ingran even knows where he’s going.”         “Yes I do!” Ingran quickly retorted.  “It’s jus’ a little farther.”         Molly turned to Ingran.  “Kipp’s right, we do need to get home soon.  Are you sure we're close?”         Ingran knew he had to show them where the dragon was or be thought of as a liar by the other two.  Lying was against the Knights of Justice code and Ingran didn’t want to lose his knighthood.  “Yeah, jus’ a little farther that way.” He stated with uncertainty pointing in a different direction than they had been traveling in.              “All right, let’s go!” Molly commanded following Ingran who was leading the way.         “But…but…” Kipp realized he could not get a word in edgewise and ran after them.        Ingran led them through a more heavily wooded section of the forest, declining into a small gully.  With each step, he hoped to find some sort of place he could say was where the dragon had been earlier.  The Knights of Justice was everything to him.  To lose his place in it would be the worst thing that could happen to him.        Upon reaching the bottom of the gully, Kipp stopped again, causing the other two to stop with him.  “I told you Ingran was lying.  There’s nothing here!  He’s just trying to act like the better knight!”  Kipp complained.        "Then what’s that?”  Molly asked, straining to see something in the distance to her right.        Ingran struggled to keep from showing his surprise as he noticed that in the distance was the mouth of a cave.  “Um…yeah!  That’s where the dragon was earlier!”       “You didn’t go in that cave alone did you?” Molly accused.       “No…uh…I heard the dragon in there though, and then I came back to town to meet you!”       Kipp held up his sword.  “With my mighty blade, I shall slay the dragon!”  he announced breaking into a run towards the cave.  Ingran glanced down at his ladle before joining Molly in trying to catch up with Kipp.  Kipp came to a dead halt when he reached the cave.  Molly and Ingran stopped beside him a few seconds later.         “What’s wrong Kipp?” Molly asked as she stopped to catch her breath.      “I’m not going in there!  It smells like something died in there!” he replied with a look of disgust on his face.        Ingran straightened his back, held his chin high, and in his most heroic voice exclaimed, “I’m not afraid!  I will slay the dragon!”  Ingran darted into the dark cave.       “Ingran!  Stop!  Wait!” Molly called after him.  It was too late though.  Ingran had been swallowed in the darkness.        Ingran stood in the dark cave, trying to see the area around him, but darkness hid all from his eyes.  Behind him he could faintly see the mouth of the cave and could hear Molly calling his name. Ingran wanted to go back to his friends, but he had to prove himself as a worthy knight.        Ingran continued to walk deeper into the darkness, feeling along the wall with his free hand.  The ground beneath him was slippery.  The putrid smell in the humid air was almost nauseating.  Ingran paused when he heard a soft growl in the distance.  Trembling with fear, Ingran desperately tried to get a tight grip on the ladle in his hand.  The growl sounded again, only this time it was much closer.  In his mind, Ingran tried to convince himself that it was only a small harmless animal that he could best in battle with his ladle.  The growling stopped and silence regained its hold on the cave.  Ingran gave a sigh of relief.  He could tell Molly and Kipp that the dragon was gone and that they should get home as soon as possible to make sure it wasn’t on its way to the town.          Ingran switched the ladle to his left hand so he could follow the wall back out with his right.  After only a few steps, Ingran felt something large and furry brush past him with swiftness and grace, emitting a deep growl as if trying to scare Ingran.  Panic overtook all of Ingran’s senses, causing him to break into a blind run through the cave, screaming as he ran.  Ingran could feel the breath of the creature on his neck as he ran.  Ingran, hoping to slow the monster, spun around, swinging his small wooden ladle.  When the ladle struck the thing behind him, it let out a thunderous roar full of pain and anger.         Ingran, believing he had fatally wounded, or at least hindered the creature, continued to run, screaming cries of victory.  His cries were cut off as the creature caught back up with him with unbelievable speed.
* * * *
       Outside of the cave, Molly and Kipp screamed into the cave for Ingran, hoping for a reply.  From inside the cave, they heard Ingran scream in terror.         “Oh no!  Kipp, we have to help him!”       “I told you I’m not going in there Molly!”        Molly prepared to run into the cave, but before she could, a loud roar followed by a victory cry echoed through the cave along with the sound of running footsteps drawing closer to the cave entrance.  “He killed the dragon!”  Molly exclaimed.  “Ingran…” Molly was cut off by another scream of pure terror.  Molly started to run into the cave, but froze at the sound of a sickening thud that was immediately followed by an object rolling quickly out of the cave.  Molly and Kipp rushed to examine the object.  Molly gasped and put her hand to her mouth when she saw Ingran’s decapitated head in a pool of blood looking up at her with big blue eyes opened wide in shock.

Moving On

Well, got all moved into our house in North Carolina(if huge stacks of packed boxes counts as moved in).  Looking forward to getting back to writing on my book over the next few days.  With all the unpacking ahead of us, watching the little guy when my wife's at work, and looking for work myself, my free time will be few and far between, but as any writer will testify, you've just got to make it work.

Anyway, we've moved to Granite Quarry, NC which is strange in that many yards randomly have huge chunks of rock just jutting out of the ground.  It's a beautiful area, though, and I appreciate being a little closer to the ocean(4+ hours, but it sure beats the 10-12 hours from where we lived before).  
I'm just going to keep this brief since I have a good million priorities I should be seeing to over writing posts!  Everyone have a wonderful weekend!
Brian Beam

Feet Back on the Road

So, went for my first run since my appendectomy three weeks ago.  If any reading this are joggers, then you know how frustrating it can be when something keeps you from running.  Runners are of a special stubbornness-the kind where even after surgery, you think "Maybe if I just go for a mile or so, my intestines won't spill onto the pavement..."
Anyway, being a licensed nurse(which brings about a whole other special breed of stubbornness), I tried to be good and wait until at least after my follow-up MD visit before setting back out for a run.  My follow-up went well and with my move to NC coming up this week, this was my last chance to get out there and test the waters, so to speak.
I set out for a slow one-miler in an effort to take things slowly and ended up with two just over my pre-surgery pace!  
For me, this is not just a huge thing for just getting back into the joy of running, but also because running plays a major role in my writing(and writers have yet another unique stubbornness).  When I feel like my plot has run into a wall(or down into a deep, dark hole for that matter), that I'm in a rut, that my creativity has run dry, or I have good ol' fashioned writer's block, a good run is all I need to dig myself out.  Most of my plots points originated during a good run.
So, hopefully this will help keep me a little more focused on my book.  Thirty minutes to an hour of running may take away that much time from writing, but more than makes up for it in inspiration.
Have a great week, everyone!
Brian Beam

The Dragon Gem Book Trailer

Thanks to a handy-dandy(that's right, I said handy-dandy) Animoto tutorial on Indies Unlimited( www.indiesunlimited.com ), The Dragon Gem: Book One of Korin's Journal now has a nifty(yep, nifty) book trailer.  Check it out at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW1qAgbS2Bo
Special thanks to Pluto Revolts for allowing me to use their song, Suffer No Delusions for the trailer.  Pluto Revolts is a great band from the Cincinnati, OH area.  Check them out at http://www.plutorevolts.com/ and show them some love!
Hope you enjoy the trailer!  
Brian Beam