K.N. Lee's Blog, page 60

Writing challenge with author, K.M. Rice!

Introducing the author of Darkling , this week's guest, KM. Rice!
The Challenge: In 3000 words or less, write a story about a girl that has been forced to live with her odd aunt and uncle. What secrets does she discover and how does she escape?
The Result: Rainbow WormBy K.M. Rice
Leila had expected the time with her aunt and uncle to pass slowly while her parents were away on a cruise. After all, Marietta was significantly older than Leila’s mother, and as such, visiting the home she shared with her husband, Benjamin, often felt like paying respects to grandparents. What Leila hadn’t expected, however, was that the doilies on the backs of the armchairs and cantaloupe-smelling kitchen hid a deep, dark secret.“Pass the salt, please, Benjamin,” Marietta said at the breakfast table one fine summer morning in mid-July. Leila chewed her scrambled eggs cautiously, having learned from experience that her uncle’s shaking hands often left behind pieces of the shell. As if his wife’s request had just reminded him of the presence of the seasoning, Benjamin grunted as he grabbed the shaker and attempted to salt his eggs. Yet, true to form, his hand shook so much that Leila wondered if his breakfast was even palatable by the time he was done.Marietta glared and swiped the shaker from him, her penciled-in eyebrows furrowing. Leila pretended she hadn’t seen at thing. At fifteen, she was usually good at negotiating other people’s moods, but her aunt and uncle’s constant bickering made her feel awkward, as if they’d forgotten she was in the room. “This is great,” she offered with a small smile. “Much better than FrootLoops.”“It’s too salty,” Benjamin griped. Marietta sneered at him before giving the salt a good shake, sending it spraying into his face. Benjamin gasped and leaned back in his chair so far that it fell over, causing both his wife and niece to bark in surprise. Being the most agile of the three, Leila scrambled to her feet first and hastily knelt to help her uncle back up, the floorboards squeaking below her.“Are you all right?” she asked.“That witch,” Benjamin hissed as Leila took his hand. Marietta merely continued to eat her breakfast as if she hadn’t just caused her husband to narrowly miss a concussion. “She knows I hate it when she does that.”“You mean it happens often?” Leila asked as she hauled her uncle up by the forearm, the tip of her sneaker pressing down against a weak board. “He deserved it,” Marietta mumbled. “It’s his fault that we’re in this mess to begin with.”“What mess?” Leila straightened her uncle’s chair and felt the toe of her shoe sink again. Testing the board with more weight, she realized that it wasn’t just weak, but loose. Like the kinds of loose floorboards that hid sacks of gold in castles and magical medallions in palaces. “Something wrong with your foot, dear?” Marietta asked. Leila met her eye and found her aunt fixing her with a peculiar gaze. It was enough to make the girl slide her foot off the board. “My shoelace got stuck,” she lied before she could even figure out why she had the compulsion to do so. “Now look what you’ve done,” Benjamin whined. “My eggs are covered in salt!”“That’s not from me, that’s from – oh, never mind, you dunderhead!”Leila was hesitant to resume her seat between the two of them who were locked in a silent staring contest. With her uncle’s bulbous eyes and her aunt’s upturned nose, it was quite the sight to see. In fact, looking at her now, Leila saw very little family resemblance between her mother and the woman at her side. Marietta’s hair was fiery red (albeit dyed) and her features were sharp and delicate. She was an odd sight when paired with Benjamin, who from most angles looked like he was melting.Once the dishes were cleared and her aunt and uncle had left the kitchen, Leila eyed the floor. What could the two be hiding under there? Marietta had wanted to divert her attention, surely, so it must be something. Kneeling beside the loose board, Leila attempted to catch the end with her fingernails to pull it loose, but it only gave so much. She would have to get a crowbar or something else to use as leverage. If only she had… wait. What was that splash of color?Barely visible on the side of the board was what appeared to be hand-painted writing. Vibrant letters in all shades of the rainbow peeked out at her from the dull oak. If she could pull it up farther, she could read what they said.“Leila!”Startled, Leila shoved the board back into place then hurried into the living room to answer her uncle’s shout. “Yes?”“We’re heading down to the senior center for our water colors class. Grab your permit and you can drive.”Leila’s face split into a grin. Forgetting the board, she dashed upstairs and headed back down with her wallet and learner’s permit.The senior center was only five blocks away, but Leila felt very adult as she parked and turned off the engine. A senior citizen’s watercolors class wasn’t exactly her idea of an afternoon well-spent, but she didn’t have any friends who lived near her aunt and uncle, anyway. Once in class, Marietta and Benjamin decided they liked each other again and began teasing and elbowing each other as they painted. Leila couldn’t decide what to paint, so she watched her aunt’s hands bring to life the colorful curves of flowers. At first she thought Benjamin had picked the same subject, but instead, his alleged flowers took on squiggly legs and antennae. Bugs.Biting her lip, Leila turned her paper this way and that until she decided what to paint. Drawing upon her memory of what she had seen, she dipped her brush first in the red, then in the blue, pink, and yellow as she mimicked the writing she had glimpsed on the side of the floorboard.“All right, class,” the instructor cheerily addressed the audience after their hour and a half was up. “Time to finish. Why don’t you share your paintings with each other?”Leila glanced around the room. Half of the participants ignored the instructor and continued to paint, while several more were asleep and the remaining few looked as if they were shocked to suddenly discover their whereabouts.“Roses, what a surprise,” Benjamin chuckled as he looked over his wife’s watercolor. “About as original as yours,” Marietta quipped with a wink. “How about you, squirt?” she asked Leila. Leila slowly held up her painting. Benjamin narrowed his bulbous eyes. “Are those worms?”“They’re letters,” Leila corrected. She kept her eyes on her aunt’s face, gauging her reaction. The red-headed woman merely adjusted her glasses and peered at the painting before arching a brow. “Letters, huh? Don’t look like any letters I’ve ever seen.”“They’re only half finished,” Leila pressed.Marietta sniffed and looked away, admiring her own art instead. Leila peered at her work as a chorus of oohs and ahhs rose around her as several of the other participants shared their paintings with each other. On the drive home, Leila’s aunt and uncle were so busy arguing over how to best get back to the house that neither noticed Leila’s near-silence. Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe the board she had found was just recycled from a painted structure. After all, Marietta hadn’t even reacted to her watercolor.The three ate at a local diner that night, and when they returned to the house, Leila realized that she’d left her artwork in the car. Benjamin spotted her coming down the stairs. “Looking for a midnight snack?”“I’ll be right back!” Leila chirped as she headed outside and to the driveway. Opening the car, she spotted two drawings instead of three. Furrowing her brow, she snatched them up to find Marietta’s flowers and Benjamin’s bugs. After looking under the seats and by the console, she gave up and headed back inside.“Loose something?” Marietta asked.“My painting,” Leila said, handing the two surviving pieces over to her aunt. “It’s gone.”“Hmm,” Marietta said without a hint of surprise. “Must’ve blown out the window.” The older woman shuffled the paintings and carried them out of room. Leila knew when she was being dismissed, and was filled with a mixture of excitement and anxiety over having, apparently, struck a nerve. So, her aunt had gotten rid of her painting, had she? Two could play this game.Leila decided to wait until the couple went to bed before she would try to once again discover what was under the floorboards. The problem was, they both had a habit of falling asleep in front of the TV until the wee hours of the morning when one or the other’s snoring would inevitably awake them and they’d shuffle off to their room. As the TV blared downstairs, Leila laid awake in bed. By midnight, she was convinced that her aunt was actually a witch and the writing on the board was a protective spell. Breaking such a magical seal could cause her to become cursed, but Leila was willing to risk it. In an attempt to hurry along her aunt and uncle’s bedtime process, she first got up and listened for a lull in the conversation on the crime drama then flushed the toilet, hoping the noise would stir one of the two. Nothing happened. Pursing her lips, Leila tried again, this time faking a stumble down the stairs, stomping the whole way. Benjamin twitched but that was it. Realizing that the TV was making enough noise to mask any sounds that she would create in the kitchen, Leila gave up on trying to shoo the couple to bed and instead grabbed a hammer and headed for the floorboard. Wedging the end of the hammer claw into gap between the loose board and the others, she hesitated.This could be it, she thought. My last breath as a human. For all I know, I’m about to be turned into a toad.Toads weren’t so bad. In fact, she’d always thought they were kinda cute. And so, she gripped the handle of the hammer and yanked.The board squeaked and gave a little, once again revealing part of the colorful writing. Waiting and listening to make sure she hadn’t disturbed her aunt and uncle, she yanked again, prying loose even more of the board. She could now clearly see the writing and furrowed her brow as she read. Sharp be spine and wet be slime, it read.Repositioning the hammer, Leila gave another yank and pried the board free. Wincing at the squeak, she trained her ears on the other room for movement, but there was none. Rotating the board in her hands, she read the continuation of the writing. With this ball, you are mine until whensoever you wish to end your time.“I guess that rhymes,” she muttered, her knuckles white against the wood. A ball? Could it be a golden ball like in the fairy tale about the princess and the frog? Or possibly a ball of golden yarn like in the story of Rumplestiltskin?Gently setting the enchanted board aside, Leila peered into the hole… and saw nothing. Deciding that it must be too dark, she tugged a lamp off of the mail table and set it on the floor beside her before switching it on. In the rush of light, she was able to see the dirt beneath the house, and nestled amongst it, a brown ball!Grinning, Leila snatched it up, surprised by how light it was and the amount of dirt and plant matter that had stuck to it, as if it had been beneath the house for a very long time. Picking the debris off, she frowned as it began to crumble in her hand. Just then, the lights switched on. With a gasp, she looked over her shoulder, the crumbled ball in her hands, to spot her aunt and uncle glaring at her from the doorway.“I can explain,” Leila sputtered. “I heard a rat and –”“I said we should’ve just told her,” Benjamin griped. “Said it from the start, I did.”“Hush, you dunderhead,” Marietta snipped. “Told me what?” Leila asked.“Do you have any idea what you’re holding?” Marietta asked. Leila looked down at the flaking plant matter in her hands and shook her head. “That’s a ball of horse poo.”“What?” Leila hissed, flinging the substance from her. “Why the heck would you have horse poo buried under a floorboard?”Sighing, Benjamin shuffled into the room. “Take a seat. I’ll make us some tea.”“And wash your hands,” Marietta added.Baffled, Leila did as she was told. Ten minutes later, the three of them sat at the kitchen table with steaming mugs before them. No one spoke.“Sooo…” Leila ventured.“You ever hear of the Salem Witch Trials? Or seen Wizard of Oz or Hocus Pocus?” Marietta asked.Leila nodded, her eyes growing wide. “So you area witch.”“Oh, hell no,” Benjamin said with a chuckle. “One of those brazen bitches did this to us.”Leila leaned back in her chair a little, both from what her uncle had just said and from the fact that he swore. “Back in 89, I was young and lonely,” Marietta began. “Until your uncle came along. I had thick skin, you know. He was the first person I ever really felt.”Benjamin gazed at his wife lovingly and rested his hand on hers. “And you were so beautiful, with those red flowers on your head.”Leila tensed. If her uncle felt loose enough to swear, who knew what else would come out of his mouth next and their story was growing personal.“You loved those flowers, so much.”“They were delicious.”Leila furrowed her brow and looked between them. “Wait, you ate them? Never mind, I don’t wanna know.”“Sweetheart, I was different back then,” Benjamin explained. “Oh so very different.”“How were you—”“He was a slug,” Marietta stated. “And I was a cactus. We were so in love that when a witch happened by and asked if we’d like to be of the same species, he agreed. We just didn’t know that we’d be stuck as, well, you know, hot dogs with legs.”There was so much wrong with what had just come out of her aunt’s mouth that Leila didn’t know where to begin, and all that came out was “Hot dog with legs?”“Humans,” Benjamin clarified. “We’d thought she’d make us both cacti, or slugs.”“But….” Leila dug her hands into her hair. “What do you mean a witch just ‘happened along’?”“Happening along is what they’re good at,” Benjamin said. “Keep your eyes peeled for one happening along by you one day.”“That ball of horse poo was chosen because it is symbolic of the strength of our love: it feeds both the plant and the terrestrial gastropod mollusk.”Leila arched a brow. “An alien?”“Slug, dear. That means slug.”“It’s why she punishes me with salt,” Benjamin explained. It doesn’t hurt me anymore, but it’s a fear that’s hard to ever really shake…”“And your red hair…” Leila whispered, going unintentionally cross-eyed until she shook herself out of it. “Why don’t you like being humans?”“It’s exhausting,” Benjamin groaned. “So much talking and walking and doing.”“Not enough being still and just, well, letting yourself and everything around you be,” Marietta added.Leila pursed her lips and nodded thoughtfully. “Does my mom know?”“You really think she’d believe us if we told her?”“Then where does she think you came from?”Marietta sighed. “An orphanage.”Leila looked down at her mug. “And the horse poop?”Her aunt and uncle exchanged a nervous glance. Leila furrowed her brow. “You probably shouldn’t have touched that,” Marietta offered. “It was supposed to turn us back when we were desperately done as people, but –”There was a loud poof and a puff of purple smoke. In the chair where Leila had sat was now a rainbow-colored worm.The two senior citizens leaned over the table to peer at their niece’s new shape.“Ah, the hell with it!” Benjamin declared before snatching up what was left of the horse poo and popping it into his mouth. Marietta did the same. Two poofs of purple smoke later, and a worm and slug were crawling on a cactus, and Leila and her aunt and uncle were never seen again.

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Darkling

 

Little Creatures Creeping- A Poem

Little Creatures Creeping K.N. Lee
Little creatures creepingInto my bedWhile I'm sleepingTugging on my hairTricksy little fellowsTickling my toesWhispering secrets...No one knows
When I awakeI shiver and I shakeBut somehow I'm inspired ExcitedAnd a tiny bit tired
But when I takeA pen and a padI jot down magicI never knew I had 

Book of the Day!!

Surprise! Guess what book is "The Book of the Day" on the awesome website, First Chapters! Mine! WoooHooo!  About First Chapters is a book discovery site where readers can sample the first three to four chapters of great books free of charge.First Chapters promotes books in all categories and genres, including poetry and short stories. It includes works of both fiction and non-fiction.There are biographies of contributing authors and recommendations for similar books.First Chapters uses ‘crowd power’ techniques to publicise the site. Authors and readers are encouraged to promote First Chapters on their own blogs, and on social networking sites.

So...Go! Check out, The Chronicles of Koa: Netherworld and read the first 4 chapters...for FREE!www.FirstChapters.net
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An interview with author, Zachary Katz-Stein!

K Nycole Lee Good evening!

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
Hey!How are you this evening?

  K Nycole Lee
I'm doing very well. And yourself?

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
Also quite well, thanks!

  K Nycole Lee
Great! Ready to get started?

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
Absolutely, fire away.

  K Nycole Lee
Excellent!Thanks for joining us this evening on Write Like A Wizard. Can you tell us a little about yourself? Where are you from? What do you do for a living?

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
Thanks for having me and sure! I grew up in the small hippy town of Yellow Springs, Ohio, where my mother began my love of fantasy with the simple childhood rule: you're allowed toy swords but not toy guns. I am currently somewhat nomadic. After graduating from Kenyon College in December I lived with my family in Berkeley California. I spent my summer working odd jobs in Columbus, and I'm about to move to Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
I am a certified yoga instructor, English major, and art enthusiast.

  K Nycole Lee
Wow. That's great! So when did you start writing?

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
I always enjoyed storytelling, but I started writing more seriously my senior year of high school. I took all of the AP classes my school offered and would still have had two study halls my senior year, so I arranged an independent study in creative writing with my English teacher. Basically, I had to turn in 8-12 finished pieces each quarter and in exchange I was given 50 minutes per day to write. I wrote mostly (bad) poetry, but by the end of the year I wrote the prologue and the first chapter of The Grey Heir, a book I just published June 2nd.

  K Nycole Lee
That is incredible. Tell us about The Grey Heir. What is it about? What inspired you to write it?

Zachary David Katz-Stein
The Grey Heir is a boy-based, young adult, fantasy adventure. Essentially, the main character, Rayne Drehmer, is pulled into a massive power struggle between a religious order, The Order of Trel, and a group of aristocratic mages. 

The problem is: it's really hard to tell who the "good guys" are at first and, even at the end, no side is purely "good." That was one of my major goals for the book - to create a fantasy world where all the factions were, if not entirely justifiable, at least understandable. 

My other major inspiration was the desire to write a boy-based fantasy series. You see, I grew up in a world of female heroes (as unlikely as that might sound to some readers). My favorite series was The Protector of the Small Quartet by Tamora Pierce, in which young Keladry of Mindelan struggled to become Tortalls first acknowledged female knight. My second favorite was the Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nyx, for which two of the three books had amazing female protagonists. 

 Overall, until I read Eragon, I was left thinking, "Where are all the boy heroes?"

K Nycole Lee
I love that. What a great premise! Can you share an excerpt with us?

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
Absolutely!

 A rough canvas bag was thrown over his head and he felt a sharp point touch his back. 

Rayne stiffened. Growing up the son of one of the wealthiest merchants in Kresain, he had been mugged before, though since Keegan, one of the ally rats that Rayne had grown up with, had taken over the city’s sewer gangs the attempts on Rayne’s belt pouch had stopped. 

 Clearly, Rayne thought, this poor sap didn’t recognize me. Probably just saw decent clothes and made assumptions about the contents of my pockets. Rayne raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. The dagger nicked his back and his captor whispered, 

"Don’t move your hands, just walk the way I point you." 

Jumpy, Rayne thought dryly, though if he really doesn’t know who he has...He allowed his captor to lead him around the corner of Fredrick’s shop and into a presumably unoccupied alley, which Rayne recognized by both the smell of garbage and the small amount of light the that got through the canvas sack. 

Casually falling forward, Rayne caught himself on his hands and, twining his legs around his would be captor's ankles, wrenched left. Rayne smiled at the satisfyingly loud sound of the boy falling into what he assumed was a pile of garbage. 

Rolling backwards onto his feet, Rayne tore off the canvas sack and was reaching for the throwing knife he always kept up his sleeve when he heard an odd huffing sound from the boy he had dumped in the trash. 

Was he crying? No, Rayne realized, he was laughing and he was not alone. Rayne spun around to see two other dirty adolescents almost doubled over in their attempts to smother their laughter. At the sight of these two, Rayne relaxed. He recognized them. 

"Andreth," Rayne said reprovingly, though the two teens’ laughter was infectious and he felt his mouth twitch upward. 

"Does Keegan know about this?" 

 "He does," an amused, confident, voice said. Rayne’s eyes flicked left to the tall young man leaning against the stone wall of the alley. 

Keegan was dressed in a battered brown leather jacket, loose fitting black paints, black boots, and an aura of power that Rayne had always found impressive. 

"I see you haven't gotten too rusty," Keegan commented, his mouth quirking upward. 

Rayne returned his friend’s smile, though he was still a little annoyed. "Don’t you have something better to do than have your friends jump me? I could have hurt the poor boy!" 

A quiet rustle from behind tipped him off, allowing Rayne to side step as the boy rushed at him, tapping the youngster as he rushed past to make him stumble. 

Keegan shrugged unconcernedly as his young accomplice fell to his knees, "We don’t have money, Rayne, we don’t have errands or work or really anything to pass the weary time away." His eyes met Rayne’s for the first time and he was positively grinning now. "We were bored. Besides," he added gesturing toward to youngster, "the next generation needs you, Rayne. Who else will teach them to throw knives and all those sneaky moves you know?" 

 "You," Rayne said bluntly, though he was smiling now as well. "You taught me to throw and tumble. Besides," he added, imitating his friend’s airy way of talking, "weren’t you just saying how bored you are?" 

Keegan laughed shortly, "Oh, I have been teaching them," he said, nodding to the two younger teens and the preteen struggling to his feet. "I even told them exactly what you were going to do to get away and he still messed it up." 

The older boys laughed outrageously at this until Keegan silenced them with a look. 

"Not that I blame him. You were always good, Rayne." He sighed, 

"If only you hadn’t turned legitimate." Rayne smiled; it was a common source of banter between them. 

"I was never crooked," he reminded Keegan. "Whenever I went out with you we always returned anything we took." 

"Anything really valuable, yes," Keegan agreed. "Although I do remember some strawberry pastries that never made it back to their shelf." 

Rayne smiled and put his fists on his hips. "And I remember some coins that happened to appear in a certain pastry chef’s till before we left." 

Keegan laughed. "I had forgotten about that," he admitted. "Still, everything was more fun when you ran with us." 

Rayne’s smile wilted a little in regret. "It was," he agreed. "Though maybe it just seems that way because you have people to do the running these days. You’re wasted as an administrator." 

"That’s true enough," Keegan said with another quick grin. Stretching his back, he added, "This is the first time I’ve left the nest this week." 

 "Well that’s the problem," Rayne said. "You need to get out more. " An idea suddenly occurred to him. "Say, " he added, eyes shining, "Do you want to do a city run to stretch your legs?" 

 Keegan pushed himself off the wall. The motion was fluid, catlike. "Now we’re getting into my area of expertise. You could never beat me before, but hey," he said, rolling his shoulders and shaking out his legs, "if you are eager for a beating, who am I to disappoint?" 

Rayne cracked his neck. "So confident? You’ve been sitting in a dark hole in the ground running your little kingdom while I have still been out and about in the city. Roof tops only?" he asked. 

Keegan nodded. "Some things you don’t forget." He bent forward and touched his toes. "To the monastic gate?" When Rayne nodded, Keegan straightened and, turning to his younger companions, said, "You lot go ahead of us so you can be at the gates to judge who gets there first." 

The three youngsters scrambled away, whooping in delight. A few seconds later, Rayne heard a distant crash and then shouting. He assumed one of them had tripped into a merchant’s wagon or knocked a pole out of an awning. 

"Nice crew you got there," Rayne said, smiling over at his friend. 

Keegan grinned. "They’re fun. One…" He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Two… " 

Rayne walked over to stand back to back with Keegan, mentally preparing for the run ahead. 

"Three!" they said together, each jumping onto an alley wall and starting to climb."


  K Nycole Lee

Thank you for sharing that with us! It sounds like a great story. I cannot wait to read more! How did you go about publishing The Grey Heir?

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
I started by starting a blog, theinkslinger.org, and a twitter account while doing the final edit of the book. Those were enormously helpful to have already set up when I launched The Grey Heir, though I think I could have done even more with them. They're both works in progress.

I published with Book Tango because I wanted to be able to publish on Amazon, Nook, and iBooks. Full disclosure, however, I have not been very satisfied with them. My book still isn't available on Nook or iBooks (though I understand that getting on iBooks can take months). The other thing I'm not entirely happy about is their sales reporting. Although they say they compile reports for distributor sites (basically any site that's not the Book Tango store) at the end of every month, I JUST got my first sales report for June about a week ago and the only reason they gave me that was because June was a quarter end and they pay quarterly (with a two month time delay). 

At this point I'm a little frustrated with everyone but Amazon (who posted my book two days after I submitted it to them) and I'm seriously considering taking my book and making it Kindle Select.

  K Nycole Lee
Very interesting. I've never heard of Book Tango. Thanks for sharing that experience with us. Amazon is pretty good about sales reporting and publishing quite quickly. Kindle Select would be great for your book. Everyone loves the free days and that means more books in reader's hands and a greater chance for reviews!

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
Exactly what I was thinking, I'm just still trying to figure out the logistics of switching over.

  K Nycole Lee
Yes, that does sound tricky. Good luck!Have you ever been to a writing conference or anything like that before?

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
I have not, though it's definitely something I'm interested in! The closest I've come is the Nanowrimo Website, which is pretty much what I imagine a conference to be like (except quieter). Do you have any to recommend?

  K Nycole Lee
There is one coming up in California! The Writer's Digest writing conference. I'd definitely recommend looking for local writing conventions/conferences as well. I'm going to the World Fantasy Convention this October. You should come! It's in Brighton, United Kingdom.

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
Unfortunately, being a recently impoverished college student (and only getting rid of one of those adjectives), I don't think I'll be able to make it to the UK this year. However, I will definitely look up local conferences and see what I can do about The Writer's Digest conference!

  K Nycole Lee
Excellent! I can relate to the impoverished part as well. I actually used www.gofundme.com/koabooktour to raise money for my trip! Give it a shot!

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
Conventional wisdom says, "write every day," and that's absolutely fantastic advice. I would, however, like to add a little nuance: write what you love everyday. People often say "writing is writing," implying that any kind of writing will make you better.

 This is true.

However, only writing what you love will nourish your soul.

  K Nycole Lee
Oh my. That was profound. Thank you, Zachary!Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about The Grey Heir? Are you working on any new projects or books?

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
The Grey Heir is the first in a series called The Edge Walker Chronicles, and I'm already working on the second one! Its working title is: The Exile.

I am also editing a book I wrote for Nanowrimo that I'm planning on sending to agents in the near future. I figured, why not pursue both paths? I'll publish The Edge Walker Chronicles myself while shopping my other work around to agents and publishers!

  K Nycole Lee
That is a great idea. You should totally try both paths. I'm doing the same thing right now with my fantasy trilogy, Rise of the Flame. Time to work on that query letter!If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

Zachary David Katz-Stein
For a while at least I would love to live in New Zealand - preferably on the remains of The Lord of the Rings set. Really though, I'm not sure. There's still so much of the United States that I haven't explored (let alone the world!) that I don't have a clear idea of where I might eventually end up.

  K Nycole Lee
Oh yes! I must see The Lord of the Rings set as well. Good choice.If you could have any super power, what would you choose?

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
My classic answer to this question is a little bit of a cheat. I would choose to be Force Sensitive. For those readers who have never seen Star Wars (or better yet played the Knights of the Old Republic games), being Force Sensitive allows some telekinesis, amazing reflexes, visions into the future, and (if your evil) the ability to shoot lightning out of your fingers.

 It's a cheating answer because I get multiple powers.

  K Nycole Lee
Yes! I love it!Thank you so much for joining us tonight, Zachary. This was fun. Good luck with everything!

  Zachary David Katz-Stein
Thanks again for having me! Good luck to you as well!

For more on Zachary Katz-Stein and his debut novel, The Grey Heir:



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**TOP SECRET** (Leaked file #1) Koa Ryeo-won's interview for a Netherworld division agent position

**Top Secret**
Netherworld Division #265Potential candidate for agency Rank: #2 out of 44 Name: Koa Ryeo-won Age: 17Sex: Female Hair Color: Black Eye Color: GreenEthnicity: Asian/Caucasian descent Height: 5’6 Weight: 122lbs
Interviewer: Captain Patrik Kramer
Cpt. Kramer: Good evening, state your name. Please speak clearly so that Marlina can hear you. She’ll be typing everything you say tonight.
Koa:Sure. I am Koa Ryeo-won. And good evening to you too.
Cpt. Kramer: Thank you Miss Ryeo-won. Where were you born?
Koa:Daegu, South Korea
Cpt. Kramer: And your parent’s name?
Koa:Eunju Park-Fox and Atticus Fox
Cpt. Kramer: And your parent’s race?
Koa:My mom is Korean and my father is…well, I guess he’s just white. Like you.
Cpt. Kramer: No, I mean, what race are they: human, vampire, War-Breeder, Syth, etc…
Koa:Oh. My mom is human and my father is a vampire
Cpt. Kramer: Interesting. I looked over your profile and I was quite impressed. You ranked fairly well against the other candidates. Skilled in the sword, dagger, and martial arts. Where did you get your training?
Koa:My father taught me everything I know.
Cpt. Kramer: And you speak, French, Korean, English, and Russian?
Koa:Yes, and Spanish. And a little German.
Cpt. Kramer: Impressive for a seventeen year old.
Koa:I guess. I grew up isolated from others. My early life was spent in a one room cottage in Korea with my mother. When my father came to claim us, he moved us into his massive manor in France, but still, I wasn’t allowed to go to school. I didn’t have friends. What else could I do but read and study?
Cpt. Kramer: But I see here, that you can walk in the sun. No other vampire can do that.
Koa:I’m not full vampire. I only have to drink blood once a week. Of course I prefer human blood, but it can be blood from any living creature. But, Wryn Castle has changed that. I will find myself a pet and I won’t have to hunt anymore. But don’t let that influence your decision. I assure you, I can do this job. I can do many things that even full vampires cannot.
Cpt. Kramer: You can fly.
Koa:Yes. I can fly. How many of your agents can do that?
Cpt. Kramer: Quite a few actually. We are mainly comprised of angels, but I see what you’re getting at. None of the other candidates can fly. But, why should we accept you into the Netherworld division when our main goal is to reform or exterminate the vampire race?
Koa:Because it needs to be done. Someone has to keep order in this world. I may be half vampire, but I am more human. I’ve seen what some vampires can do. I want to protect the humans.
Cpt. Kramer: But you killed a human.
Silence
Cpt. Kramer: Do you wish to stop the interview now?
Koa:No. I’m fine. I just don’t like to think about that.
Cpt. Kramer: You cannot have any secrets here. We know everything.
Koa:I see that. It's kind of creepy.
Cpt. Kramer: Well, you see that knowing things is our job. Now, tell me about Bartov Gorski, the Polish student you killed.
Koa:It was an accident. I was trying to date for the first time. I swear, I didn’t mean to kill him. I got a little carried away when I was feeding. Trust me, I’ve punished myself enough for that. I will never let that happen again.
Cpt. Kramer: You come highly recommended by Agent Halston.
Koa:Yes. He saved my life. He found me at my lowest point and helped me get my life back together. I’ll never be able to repay him. I want to do this job, and do it well, to prove to him that I was worth saving.
Cpt. Kramer: And yet, we still have that human murder on your record. What would you suggest we do about that?
Silence
Cpt. Kramer: Miss Ryeo-won?
Koa: How the hell should I know? Lock me up. Kill me. That won’t bring Bartov back. But let me be an agent and redeem myself. Let me use my skills, skills that you need, to bring vampires to justice. There are many out there that need to be shown that there is another way. I want to be a part of that more than anything.
Cpt. Kramer: More than finding the demon that killed your father?
Koa: How did you know about that?
Cpt. Kramer: I told you, Koa. We know everything.
Koa: I will find him. And I will kill him. Until then, I will do what it takes to keep the humans safe. Even if you don’t make me an agent, I will be out there. I’ll do it alone if I have to, but trust me, you cannot keep me or my Lyrinian sword from seeking out and destroying the evil of this world.
Cpt. Kramer: I see. That’s all the time we have. You can see yourself out. Call in the next candidate, a Miss Galena Volkova, and we’ll contact you if you’ve made the team. Otherwise, you will never hear from us again, unless, you kill another human. Then, you will be punished. Have a good night, Miss Ryeo-won.
Koa:There’s nothing good about the night Captain Kramer. The night is filled with demons, vampires, and creatures from my worst nightmares. I’ll be out there, hunting those monsters…one by one.
Cpt. Kramer: You’re a determined young lady, aren’t you?
Koa: You have no idea just how determined I am.
Cpt. Kramer: Right. Here, take this letter to the receptionist. Tell her to show you to Agent Halston’s office. 
Koa: What is it?
Cpt. Kramer: You’ll see when you get there. 
Koa: Sure. Bye, and thank you for considering me.
Cpt. Kramer: Goodbye, Koa.
**Results**Status: AcceptedTeam: Agent Halston Trainers: Agent Halston and Agent AliceLocation: United KingdomRestrictions: None
Special Notes: **Signed by Viktor Smead, Head of the Netherworld Division** The half-blood, Koa Ryeo-won will be accepted on a probationary agent visa. Until more information is acquired on the “human” mother, Eunju Park-Fox, she will be allowed to live. Keep a close watch on them both. The mother is considered extremely dangerous.

Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble onlineChapter 1 of The Chronicles of Koa: Netherworld

Tainted Warrior- Chapter 3

Chapter 1 of Tainted Warrior (catch up)
Chapter 2 of Tainted Warrior (catch up)
Tainted Warrior
Chapter 3

The red sun was setting and Alice felt the cool night air chill her pale cheeks. Shelter, Alice thought. She needed to get somewhere warm and safe. She looked down at the brush laden path. She knelt and pulled thick grass away from the dirt. There was a faint trace of an old road. A smile spread across her face. “Hatter…” Alice whispered. “I hope you’re up for a visit.”There was a quick drop in temperature as the last light of the sun faded. Alice rubbed her arms and braced herself for the first gust of cold wind. She trudged through the thick underbrush of the forest and kept her eyes on her surroundings. She held tight to the hilt of her dagger…just in case. She didn’t know what creatures lurked in the shadows, but she would be ready for them if they jumped out.Her mind was sharper than when she was back at the asylum. She had been drugged every morning with multi-colored pills that barely allowed for her to stay lucid. She would sit in a chair with her knees drawn into her chest and stare at the door. Who she expected to walk through the door…Alice didn’t know.Her nose felt numb and she began to shiver. The wind seemed to beat at her. She had to fight to stay on the path. The bushes reached for her. Yellow eyes blinked at her from all around. 
She was afraid. Alice was used to being afraid. She knew her challenge would be to harness that fear. Her enemies had no idea what was coming. Alice flexed her fingers. Her eyes widened with joy when she saw lights in the distance. The Mad Hatter’s house.She smiled. Her smile faded when she heard a low growl behind her. Alice was too afraid to look. Instead…she ran.Her heart raced as quickly as her legs. Crashing thumps chased her. Alice ground her teeth as she ran for the house. Alice heard teeth gnashing behind her. Her eyes widened. She could only imagine what chased her. Whatever it was, refused to let her free.Alice closed her eyes and let out a long, slow, breath. With a cry out, she swirled around and slashed her dagger through the darkness. Blood squirted into her face as the sharp blade cut through the throat of a monster that could have only existed in her deepest, darkest, nightmares.Four large eyes looked back at her in pain, and the wolf-like creature slumped to the ground. Alice breathed with relief. Her heart thumped so hard that she had to put her hands over her chest to calm herself. She closed her eyes. Her mother’s blue eyes looked back at her. The woman smiled. That smile was burned away by violent flames. The screams made Alice cry out. “Mama! Papa!”
            She screamed their names into the night. She sat up and rubbed the tears from her eyes, and only smeared blood onto her face. Alice was angry. She hated that asylum, but at least the pills they forced her to take kept the memories at bay. At least she didn’t have to face her family’s ghosts. “Welcome home, Alice,” a familiar voice said into the night. Alice swirled around, searching for who had spoken. A smile began to form on her face. This was his game. She would play. She would do anything to forget the screams of her dying family.            “Hatter,” Alice called. “Come out so I can see! It’s been too long!”            She heard snickering behind her. She swirled around. Nothing. No one. Darkness.            Alice folded her arms across her chest and pretended to pout. “No fair. You cannot vanish on me like that. Can’t you tell that I missed you?”            Before she could blink, he had her by her forearms. Large blue eyes looked at her from under a large, purple, top hat. Alice gasped. He kissed her, quickly, full on her lips. Then, the Mad Hatter vanished again.            Breathless, and speechless, Alice looked for him. She hopped over the dead body of the beast that had chased her and ran towards the Mad Hatter’s house. Now, all of the lights were lit in every window of the house. There was loud, cheerful, music.             “A party,” Alice squealed as she grinned and ran for the front door. When she reached it, it swung open and there he was, leaning against the door frame, with a long pipe in his mouth.            Alice paused. Something was different about him. She felt her body tensed and her face flush.             “Hatter?”            He took the pipe out of his mouth, removed his top cat and bowed. “At your service, my lady.”            Alice gulped. He looked…different. She realized that all of Wonderland had changed. This Mad Hatter made her forget her words and want to clean the blood and dirt off her face. His large blue eyes were the same, but somehow that smile of his was just a little more charming than she remembered. His hair, as golden as the sun, was pulled back into a ponytail at his nape. Blonde brows furrowed as he looked at her.            “Why are you staring at me like that?” He stood and put the top hat back on and the pipe back into his mouth.             Alice shook her head, mouth agape. “Hatter,” she said again, feeling stupid that she couldn’t think of something better to say.            “Ah, come now, just call me Mads.” The Mad Hatter reached an arm out for her. Now, come, let’s celebrate.”             Alice nodded. “Sure, Mads.” She locked arms with him. She couldn’t stop staring as he whisked her away into his old house and closed the door behind them. Oh my, things have surely changed, she thought.           

Love at Last- writing prompt

For years they were kept apart. What kept them apart? Tell their story!

Musings- micro poetry

Musings K.N. Lee
 Musings of a bitter pastMy heart stops coldI'm free at last...

Melodies- a poem

Melodies K.N. Lee
Gazing into the sky
I sing to you a lullaby
Melodies
Soft and sweet
Your hand in mine
I am complete

Pixie Dust- a poem

Pixie dustThirst And lustHow can they stop the two of us?Our hearts are oneOur faith combined How can they stop the love they find?