Ruth Ellen Parlour's Blog, page 11

Friday Snippet – Faith

I think I’ve lost sight with this novella. When I sit down to write it I don’t want to. Not sure if it’s the characters or the plot but I’m just not feeling it which isn’t a good sign. I might be scrapping or reworking this project and try to find a new slant. Anyway, here’s a short snippet. Enjoy! (warning – first draft rough)

~*~

Faith leaned against the stone wall of a house, feeling the rough material press her skin through her dress. She stared at the cobbles, watching a black beetle wind its way through the maze of stones. She let the shouts wash over her and didn’t dare gaze through the window. Why do I feel so powerless? I can’t do or say anything to help. I just have to listen to it pass and pick up the pieces. Her heart and stomach felt tight as if a snake was squeezing them.

More shouts erupted from the house and the bang of furniture. One young, high pitched voice battling against a deeply drunk one.

‘Get out of my house you whore!’ The voice shouted. Faith’s breath caught in her throat. Please Gods, cool his temper. The front door clattered open and slammed as Saffron, Faith’s best friend, stormed into the street. Her feet were bare under the hems of her white dress. Her face looked akin to a squalling baby: red, puffed and tear tracks coursing her cheeks. She marched across the path, ignoring the stones under her soft feet. Her gaze strictly cursed the cobbles as her blond curls trailed behind her like a standard.

My Review – Make Believe Anthology

Make believe is an anthology of six short stories inspired by the cover of the book by J. Taylor Publishing. They are all fantastical in some way, some urban and some high fantasy. Overall I really enjoyed the collection. My favourite story was Sacrificial Oath, the writer gripped me from the start and controlled my emotions throughout the story. Her attention to detail brought the story and the culture alive. Sacrificial Oath shows the relationship between a father and daughter and their faith in each other in a difficult circumstance. The author’s blurb from Sacrificial Oath:

An impetuous act unwittingly makes Alesuela the fulfillment of the Sovereign’s Blood Oath to their Goddess. In five days, she’ll be forced to make the greatest choice of her life: become the virginal sacrifice already promised, or force the man she loves most to die in her place.

With an impossible choice in front of her, she searches for ways to undo the oath, and in her quest, finds not everything in her life is as she expects.

Another one of the stories I was particularly fond of was Birthright by Lynda R. Young. The modern urban setting made a nice change to the historical settings and the author has such an ease of sinking the reader into her setting and characters. The story was engaging and I felt it could have been carried on into a novel. I wanted to know what the character would do next! The author’s blurb from Birthright:

Christa can mask the pain and hide the scars, but running from a birthright is impossible. She’s tried to escape her grief by fleeing to a small town in Florida. Much to her frustration, the locals think they recognize her even though she’s never been there before. To make things worse, a man named Jack spouts outrageous theories about her.

Both spur Christa to bolt, to start fresh yet again, but there’s something about Jack that intrigues her enough to stay. The only problem? Someone else wants her to leave, and they won’t stop until she’s dead. 

The stories were entertaining and engaging. Although they were all complete, some of them I felt could have been carried on into novels. I would have liked to know what would happen next with certain characters and stories. I did, however, feel that my suspension of belief was stretched in a couple of the stories but that might just be me.

Escort to Insanity by J.A. Belfield was really entertaining, especially if you like hunky guys! The Amulet of Orimisez by J. Keller Ford had some very loveable characters and an engaging plot. Petrified by Kelly Said had a historical world and magical culture that was very intriguing. Last Winter Red by Jennifer M. Eaton had a very unique culture and world which was strangely eerie in her descriptions. The characters were engaging and the development arc was touching.

Overall I enjoyed the stories and would recommend them to any fans of fantasy who want an entertaining read.

Make Believe is available from:

Make Believe" target="_blank">Amazon US

Make Believe" target="_blank">Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble

Blurbs for the other 4 stories:

The Amulet of Ormisez by J. Keller Ford

There is only one way to save Elton Fletcher’s brother from an insanity-ridden death.

After years away from home, fighting for his people, Elton returns to discover his only sibling, Cayden, possessed by greed and malice, and responsible for malicious, unthinkable deeds. Cayden, though, isn’t the only one afflicted by the Amulet of Ormisez, and Elton finds himself in yet another battle, where the price of failure could be his own life.

Petrified by Kelly Said

A mysterious storm has replaced summer with winter, devastating crops and smothering Castle lands in snow. Prince Sterling August stands alone as a leader, lost in personal grief as well as a desire to help his people but with an inability to do either.

The answers he needs await him, but without Lochlyn, a woman who’s just as isolated as Sterling, he’ll never see what stands before him, cloaked in illusion.

Last Winter Red by Jennifer M. Eaton

Emily is a Red, a woman whose sole purpose in life is to produce offspring. When her husband dies and leaves her childless, she risks her life and forsakes the safety of Terra—a disease-free city born after the nuclear holocaust. Beyond its boundaries, she knows, survives a man with whom she can be properly paired.

The Outside, though, holds secrets the government struggles to keep, and what Emily discovers on her quest for a mate will change her life forever.

Escort to Insanity by J.A. Belfield

From a charity auction, to a stroll in the park, to the craziest night of her life. Nicole Harrington can’t help but wonder how a simple event went so drastically wrong.

Of course, the male escort she booked is wholly to blame. Not only charming but shrewdly intelligent, Benjamin Gold drags Nicole into a platoon of unimaginable problems—ones from which she’ll have to find the courage just to survive.

Friday Snippet – Faith

Friday Snippet this week is from my second novella staring Faith. Please be warned this is first draft so VERY rough. Enjoy!

~*~

‘This does not belong to me, but I feel it belongs to you.’ The woman stretched out a hand and placed the pendant in Faith’s. It was a tear drop shaped gemstone, polished to a high shine. Layers of white and grey glimmered in the sun with flecks of gold and green. The stone was carved with the same four pointed star as the wooden disk hung from a silver chain.

‘This isn’t mine,’ Faith said, holding her hand out to the woman. Although the stone was beautiful, Faith couldn’t claim it for her own.

‘It is now,’ the gypsy replied with a smile. What kind of trick is this? Faith thought.

‘I can’t afford it,’ Faith replied.

‘It is not a thing that should be bought or bartered with. It is a gift but not from me. I found the pendant on my travels and I knew it was meant for someone else. I know it was meant for you,’ she said.

Faith stared at the gypsy, not sure what to say.

‘What’s wrong with it?’ Faith asked. The gypsy laughed then, her musical tone shook her belly.

‘It is not cursed or broken, it will not give you bad luck. It is yours,’ she said. Faith still wasn’t convinced so she pressed her coin into the gypsy’s hand before the woman could refuse.

‘This is my gift to you,’ said Faith.

‘Thank you child.’ The woman gave a small bow.

~*~

Thanks for reading! Feel free to take part in #fridaysnippets

Friday Snippet – Gabrielle

Another Snippet from my novella – Gabrielle. I’m currently planning another novella for Faith’s back story. Be warned this is a first draft so it’s rough!

~*~

A shadow fell across the alley entrance and Gabrielle glanced up. The Hypatian guard had removed his helm and red cloak, revealing the bronze and leather armour underneath. Gabrielle stood up and turned to face him as he took several steps into the alley. The guard’s hair, like all guards, was tightly cropped and his chin shaven. His face was pot marked and rough, as if he’d seen too many fights. The silver tail of an old scar lined his jaw.

“The usual?” Gabrielle asked. The guard nodded.  Gabrielle rummaged in her satchel for the cloth pouch and slipped into it, the guard’s usual amount. She held her hand out and the guard reached out, as if he could not come within two stepped of her, lest he catch her disease of being poor. He dropped ten coins into her palm and Gabrielle checked the amount.

The boss had taught her how to count money. A skill she needed, and was grateful for having, even though it reminded her of what she would never have. She slipped the coins into her satchel and gave the guard his parcel.

The man nodded his thanks and returned to his post.

~*~

Thanks for reading!

11 Tips on Writing Romance

I wrote this post as part of the Earth Angel Blog Tour, but thought I would repost here, on my blog.

One of my readers made an interesting comment on the romantic subplot in my fantasy novel, Earth Angel. This particular reader was an older woman and not interested in sappy love stories or erotic scenes. She brought up the point that romance doesn’t need to be either of those things; that a romance can bloom without the characters even touching. This got me thinking about romance in books. I did a bit of research and found some useful tips to consider when writing romance. As a YA writer these tips do not include writing sex scenes!

1. Individual. The romance should be as unique as the characters. Romance is not a cliché, it is individual and personal. The two romantically involved pairings in Earth Angel couldn’t be more different. Pair 1 – a teenaged girl smitten by a young man who doesn’t even realise. Pair 2 – a man trying to win affection from a woman by driving her nuts. Both pairs have an entirely different relationship and conflicts.

2. Tension/conflict. Conflict is often a good tool to develop the relationship, whether the two characters have conflicting traits or they are put through a conflict together that brings them close. Tension between characters is good to generate an emotional response from the reader, for example, if they want to touch but can’t.

3. Climax/raise the stakes. Throughout the novel it might be an idea to raise the stakes of the romance or relationship to a climax at the end for added drama. Start off with small steps and increase the romance throughout.

4. Exaggerated awareness. From the perspective of the smitten character, they note looks, movements, speech of their loved one with exaggeration. A simple touch is heightened, tense and emotional. This is called Exaggerated awareness and draws the reader into the romance.

5. Genre. Genre can be used to add drama to a romance. The genre I write is fantasy so romantic elements are always subplot but I use the setting and plot to heighten the relationships. People are brought together through epic, life changing scenarios.

6. POV.  Perspective can be a good tool to add mystery. Telling the story from only one character’s POV in one scene, we don’t know what the other is thinking or feeling which adds tension and mystery.

7. Details. This can be related to the point about individuality. What are the characters backgrounds, traits, personalities, wants, needs, issues that can affect the relationship? Details are a way to ground the romance in believability.

8. Dialogue is an essential tool to utilise that can generate a myriad of emotions. The way the characters speak and the words they choose can add drama easily.

9. Humour. Humour can work if it fits in with the character. One of my characters fancies himself as a joker and pokes fun at his female fancy. This point also relates to the individual aspect.

10. Character development. Don’t shoehorn a romance into the story for the sake of a romance. What does it add to the plot and to the characters? Your characters should develop and change through the story as the romance and plot does.

11. Other emotions. It’s not just about romance, what other emotions are in play? What issues do the characters have that affects the relationship: anger, sadness, fear? These tools can be used to add drama or bring the characters together through hardship.

Romance is about the relationship, not just physical attraction. It doesn’t have to be all about kissing and touching. Relationships are built on more than just the physical. The journey the characters take and issues they have to face and can more heart wrenching. This point is related to other emotions and the character development.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this article. Do you have any other tips to share on writing romance? What is your favourite fictional romance and why?

Sources;

http://shalleemcarthur.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/writing-romance-for-young-adults.html

http://shalleemcarthur.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/5-tips-for-writing-memorable-romantic.html

http://www.writing-world.com/romance/love.shtml

http://maxhelmberger.com/characterromance.html

http://writeromanceright.webs.com/

Friday Snippet – Gabrielle

Friday Snippets this week is from my novella, Gabrielle. Be warned this is a first draft and still rough. Enjoy!

~*~

Gabrielle felt a new wave of anger sweep through her as she squeezed through more people to reach him. It’s no use, he’s spent our money already. Oz did not see her approach, his eyes were glued onto the fight. Gabrielle grabbed him by the elbow. He swung round and caught a glimpse of her angry expression and dismissed it instantly.

‘Not now Gabs the fight’s nearly over!’ he yelled over the din. The sour stench of beer wafted on his breach and made her nose scrunch. Poor and drunk was a bad combination.

‘Have we got anything left?’ she shouted. Oz’s gaze was fixed on the fight, his body tight like a whippet in the stocks.

‘If I win I double my money!’ he replied without even looking at her.

‘How much did you bet?’ she asked, clenching her fists. He ignored her as a yelp of pain careered through the building to a chorus of cheers. Gabrielle peered over the balcony and caught a glimpse of the fighting pit. Packed earth scattered with sawdust, red blood slashed the floor. One of the dogs was limping, cowering in a corner while the other snarled. Oz was ready to leap in the air.

‘How much?’ She demanded again. He briefly glanced at her with his blank, alcohol filled gaze and she knew what he meant: ‘All of it.’

Long Term Perspective

I’ve recently had a shift in perspective and procured a different outlook on my life.

I published my first novel, Earth Angel, before I left university, thinking that when I did leave, I could write full time, publish two books a year and make a living off that as well as freelance book cover designs. I was in a hurry to get out there and I made mistakes along the way. One of those was not having Earth Angel professionally edited. I thought I could do it myself. I couldn’t. Money was, and still is, tight but an outside source is currently proofing my book and I will released the updated version soon. I won’t make the same mistake again.

At the time, I felt EA was as good as I could get it, which I still believe, but now I’ve come to understand that I need to do better to reach my audience and my writing needs to improve. That takes time. I resigned to the fact that I needed to get a real job in order to live while I made myself a better writer, that I would work as long as it takes to become as good as I need to be to sell my books. I need beta readers, critique partners, editors and proofers (paid for or otherwise.) My perspective changed from short term to long term. That was a big thing for me. Unfortunately I learned the hard way.

I won’t make the same mistakes with future novels, I know now what I need to do, and I’m going to have to part with my cash to hire someone to help improve my work. I can’t do this alone. No one can. I’m in it for the long run. I want to be doing this for the rest of my life. Writing is like a massive learning curve and the more I do, the better I’ll become. When you love doing what you do the outcome is logical.

Friday Snippets – Gabrielle

I don’t know where the days… or my sense… is going to, I almost forgot to post again. I know I’ve been neglecting my blog for a while and haven’t posted any new content but hopefully I’ll rectify this. I have been busy no less, nearly finished my grammar course and have had a few jobs for clients, and of course, I’ve been reading and writing (almost) every day.

So here’s this week’s Friday Snippet from the first draft of my novella, Gabrielle. Please be aware this is first draft so it will be rough. Enjoy!

The blue cloak had become a symbol among the lower classes of Hypatia. Those didn’t know walked right past without a second thought, only to wonder why such a poor person would wear something of just fine quality. Those who knew seemed to glare with a longing and desperation in their eyes. Gabrielle expected to be grappled or clung to by broke beggars. That was why she carried protection. A crude wooden baton hung from her belt on one side, and the leather satchel sat on her other side, hidden under the blue cloak.

She wandered through the streets of Hypatia, passing by the poor stragglers that stared at her penniless. She needed to reach her regular customers. Those that paid.

Friday Snippets – Gabrielle

It was Clare Davidson’s great idea to post our Friday Snippets as videos for a change. Let me know if you like the idea, or if you just want me to shut up

My snippet is from a Novella I’m writing staring Gabrielle. Enjoy!

Feel free to join in and share your own #fridaysnippets, here’s the rules;

The #FridaySnippets twitter hashtag must be included when tweeting the link to the snippet, so all tweets can be grouped easily. Yes, I know it’s horribly obvious, but this is important and kind of the point of the whole thing, so I prefer to stress it just in case. The game is also on tumblr under the Friday Snippets tag.
Writing must be the focus. Any writer can link to snippets of anything they feel comfortable sharing, hosted on any convenient blogging or text uploading service, as long as writing is the focus: finished works, drafts, original fiction, fan fiction, worldbuilding and character notes, poetry, screenplays, scripts for comics… even old and embarrassingly bad stuff if they like to make fun of it (in that case though, best add a disclaimer or some comments in the text). The snippet can also have a visual element (e.g. an illustration, a reference image, a sample comic book page…), as long as writing is the focus.
Snippets also have to be short, of course. I can’t think of a good rule of thumb for “short”, so that’s left to individual judgement, but please keep in mind that the risk of “tl;dr” is stronger on the Internet than on printed media.
A disclaimer in case of mature content will be appreciated.
The material should be as spoiler-free as possible, or at least have a disclaimer if spoilers are unavoidable. You want to engage and tantalize, but not ruin the fun for your readers when eventually the book will be published!

Earth Angel Deleted Scene 14

I wrote this passage to explain where my hybrids came from (half human half animal creatures) it was a good exercise for me to get my head around the history and culture but it is also a MASSIVE info dump and did not make it into the final draft.

*Warning. Scenes were deleted before the final edits and may contain errors and inconsistencies.*

Hundreds of years ago when there were no big cities, no kings or queens, when people lived in huts in small villages and worked from the earth, this was when they began to meld human and animal. Pregnant women had their unborn children blessed by shamans with the spirit of an animal. It was to make them stronger and faster for working and hunting. It became known as ‘the great experiment’ as shamans travelled between villages to practise their old magic, perfecting their technique with every try. Babies began being born with physical characteristics of animals, a meld of two species. The mothers often abandoned their hideous deformed children or gave them up to the wilderness. Shamans grew more ambitious with their blessings, mother’s died giving birth to monstrous animal babies. The children that survived grew up and eventually clans began to form of hybrid creatures, at first there was canine and feline but then other animals were thrown into the crucible; lizards, hares, bears, elk, elephants, even the spirits of birds and dragons were blessed into babes in an attempt to take man into the sky. Hybrids were shunned by humans, rejected to live in the forests like animals. The Hybrids bred and tried to live like the humans and through the years as civilisation progressed, humans and hybrids learned to live as one within the growing community. The only hybrid clan left today are the Cashan; great wolf hybrids that live in harmony with animals on the snowy mount Phoenix. They developed their own language and culture and worship the wolf God Morrae and the faced moon.

Earth Angel is available on Amazon