Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 63

Echoes From The Valley #MFRWHooks

In celebration of All Hallow's Eve, this week's book hook departs from the usual fare to take a trip into the unknown. For your consideration, an excerpt from one of the tales in the collection, Hearth and Sand: Stories from the Front Lines and the Homefront. Like the other stories in the collection, "Echoes From The Valley" reflects a continuity of service from the past to the present.

When the valley echoes with the sound of a popular Civil War tune, two reenactors encounter a soldier from the past and learn the true meaning of duty--in this life and the one beyond.

Excerpt:

Pillars of mist rose like wraiths from the valley below, then danced toward my hilltop vigil. Unlike the chilling mist usually found there, this one’s feather-like touch felt like a warm breath. Although I hadn’t heard any sound beyond my own heartbeat, a swirl in the mist revealed a soldier leaning against a tree not ten feet away. A nod and brief touch of his fingers to his kepi brim was his only acknowledgement of my presence. I thought of returning to the rows of tents, but I wasn’t ready to go back there quite yet.

The eerie quality of his bugle’s first whispery note almost sent me running back to the tenuous safety of people. But I found myself unable to move as the tone seemed to turn into a wail. The bugle’s haunting tones echoed across the valley. Note after spectral note disappeared into the mist to be answered by the sense of unseen souls cavorting in the darkness below.

Lost in the transcendence of the moment, I didn’t notice the last purple flickers of light fade from the now velvet-cloaked valley.

The last echoes of “Taps” faded into the darkness before I found myself able to move again. I looked for the bugler to commend him on his portrayal. There was just a hint of movement and only shadows remained where the man had been.

**  END OF EXCERPT ***

If intrigued, the rest of the tale is available for a free read for the holiday. Click here for a free download.

More on Hearth and Sand. A collection of twelve tales of those who served on the front lines and the stories of loved ones left behind who preserved the home front. Set universes apart and separated by decades in time, the stories in Hearth and Sand reflect a continuity of service from the past to the present and into the world of tomorrow. Although the events are fictional, the voices captured within these pages came from historical notes, veterans’ own words, letters left by their ancestors, or contemporary events. Pen was put to paper while watching fighter planes land in the Philippine Islands and in the shaded woods of a stateside farm.


Buy Links: Amazon  Walmart   More Ebook Sellers

Favorite Heroine and for equal time, Favorite Hero is...

Do you have a favorite heroine? Here's a post on one of mine from the dragonshifter romance fantasy series The Dragshi Chronicles. The dragshi are two beings, one human, one dragon who share one body in time and space. When the dragon soul twin awakes, the human sides gains the freedom of the skies--but at a price.

Or to give the other side equal time, a post on my favorite hero. The spin of the wheel and the winner is Lord Dal, Archmage of the world. Stop by CoffeeTimeRomance to see why he was chosen.



https://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts/adsep2018-helen-henderson/
https://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts/adoct2018-helen-henderson/

~till next time, Helen


Hatchling's Mate  (Books 3, The Dragshi Chronicles)
Hatchling's Vengeance (Books 4, The Dragshi Chronicles)
Windmaster (Book 1, The Windmaster Novels)
Windmaster Legacy (Book 2, The Windmaster Novels)

More Please with Wine #mfrwauthor

The topic list just specified "My Favorite Apps." Wikipedia lists a variety of definitions as to what an "App" is. Several relate to app as an abbreviation for "application." There is the mobile app, software designed to run on smartphones and other mobile devices. Or the web app, software designed to run inside a web browser. In education, APP could stand for advanced  placement program. Or when talking about news, the Asbury Park Press newspaper.

I'm guessing the original intent of the topic was either a mobile app for those with smart phones or since we're writers, software to help with our writing. The program I've used most is Dragon Naturally Speaking when the cold gets into my fingers or PaintShop Pro to create graphics and alter photographs.

But I'm writing this at dinnertime. The family isn't home yet and since I don't know when they'll stroll through the door I'm not going to start cooking until they do. But I'm hungry and there was an advertisement on television for unlimited apps (as in appetizers.)


Pixabay Image
My favorite apps are shrimp cocktail, bacon-wrapped scallops, and parmesan onion bread. Hope you're now hungry. Visit the other posts to see how they interpreted "My Favorite Apps." ~till next time, Helen

Hooked on Windmaster Legacy, Answer Correctly #MFRWHooks

Chose between magic, revenge... or the life of a loved one.
This weeks #MFRWHooks Wednesday snippet is from Windmaster Legacy. To set the stage, Lady Ellspeth has escaped the dungeon of the rogue mage--and has taken the mage's innocent apprentice, Nobyn, with her. To protect the innocent, she left him in a place of safety to lead the pursuers away. He followed and last week's snippet ended with "“Where did you get my wife’s blade?” the savage voice growled in his [Nobyn's] ear."

Now to continue the scene. The answer.

~ * ~
The boy’s ashen face cooled Dal’s anger as much as the youth’s incoherent speech. Only his name, Nobyn, could be understood. Although unvoiced, Dal growled in frustration. I will never get anything out of him this way.

His mercenary side countered. Any man can be broken.

Desperation mingled with compassion. Whoever the boy was, however he obtained Ellspeth’s knife, he did not deserve to be tortured. Dal had been on that side of the blade. His back still bore the scars from his short time in Bashim’s dungeon. Innocents have to be protected, even at the cost of my own life or happiness. He loosened his grip, praying he was not making a mistake.

A strong sense of magic interrupted his internal argument. This youth shows emergent powers. Seconds more were lost in analyzing, recognizing the magic’s signature. There was something in it that tickled Dal’s sense of danger. 
Nevertheless, the more he looked at the boy’s determined attempt to avoid confrontation, the more Dal warmed to the youth and believed him to be an innocent.

Although Nobyn made no effort to move away from the knife at his throat, he raised his hands as if to ward off an attack. His voice broke, but two words were understandable. “Your wife?”

The glitter of gold peeking out as the sleeve fell back tilted Dal closer to an uncontrollable rage. Pressure increased on the knife, pushing it into the skin to release a trickle of blood. Whoever this boy was, he had a captain’s bracelet—one of Ellspeth’s bracelets. Cold death leaked from Dal’s voice with his next question. “How did you get my wife’s gold? She would never willingly give up her mark of rank. No man or mage alive, save me, could remove it without her permission.”

“My mistress gave it to me,” Nobyn stuttered.


Windmaster Legacy Available At:
Ebook and Paperback: Amazon Amazon.uk
One-click link to major Ebook sellers

Click here for another excerpt and a free read of the first chapter.

We're all hooked on books. Click on a link to hop to the next blog.

Out and About, Romancing the Book

Plotter or pantser, a note on my next release and writing process are a few of the topics covered in my interview at Romancing the Book. As a change of pace, the excerpt is from the short story, "The Unknown Patient," that is part of the collection, First Change: Legends From The Eyrie.

To an author, the best gift can be the kind word of a review.  I received a special present with their review of Windmaster which said, "A lovely rose, An enjoyable read, I would recommend it." The rest of the review is at http://romancing-the-book.com/2018/10/review-windmaster-by-helen-b-henderson.html or click on the icon.

Hope you'll stop by and check out the interview and the review.

~till next time, Helen

Out and About at Romancing the Book

Plotter or pantser, a note on my next release and writing process are a few of the topics covered in my interview at Romancing the Book. As a change of pace, the excerpt is from the short story, "The Unknown Patient," that is part of the collection, First Change: Legends From The Eyrie.

To an author, the best gift can be the kind word of a review.  I received a special present with their review of Windmaster which said, "A lovely rose, An enjoyable read, I would recommend it." The rest of the review is at http://romancing-the-book.com/2018/10/review-windmaster-by-helen-b-henderson.html or click on the icon.

Hope you'll stop by and check out the interview and the review.

~till next time, Helen

Do I Need Two Starts? #mfrwauthor

We're at week 42. Where has the year gone?

To have a prologue or not is a personal decision. One reader will peruse it while another will skip it. I did a review of my published and unpublished works and as  rule I don't do prologues. It is just a practical decision. The start of a novel has to hook the reader if not within the first sentence at least within the first few paragraphs. Writing the perfect beginning doesn't always come easy. So why would I want to do it twice? Once for Chapter 1 and once for the prologue.

That said, there was one novel where I toyed with having a prologue. But after an editorial review it was moved from being a stand-alone section and turned into the head of the first chapter. So without further ado, here's the prologue that wasn't, from Windmaster.


This is a blog hop so visit the other authors for their take on prologues. ~till next time, Helen

Hooked on Windmaster Legacy, I Want No Fight #MFRWHooks

Chose between magic, revenge... or the life of a loved one.
This weeks #MFRWHooks Wednesday snippet is from Windmaster Legacy. To set the stage, Lady Ellspeth has escaped the dungeon of the rogue mage--and has taken the mage's innocent apprentice, Nobyn, with her. More than troops pursue her, for the mage has created werehounds that once exposed to someone's blood can track them to the ends of the world. And they are on Ellspeth's scent. To protect the innocent she has left him to lead the pursuers away. In last week's snippet, he was following, but magic was new to him. Now the desperate search continues.

~ * ~
The roar of thunder sounded from deeper in the woods. Nobyn scanned the sky for the cause. No clouds filled the blue expanse overhead. However, Nobyn remembered Ellspeth’s comments about a wizard pulling water from a clear sky. The implication chilled Nobyn’s mind. Could it be Bashim?

Unwilling to risk being caught in the open by lightning, Nobyn slipped off the garang trail and slid down the steep slope. Trees and bushes slowed his descent and caught at his clothes. A rock loosened beneath his foot and sent him rolling down the embankment into a shallow ditch. The scent of stagnant water filled his nose. Reeds pricked through his clothes.

One final roll of thunder reached Nobyn in his hiding place. All the normal sounds of the forest halted within the space of a breath. When he dared to lift his head, Nobyn looked up into a face dark with rage. It’s not Bashim. Relief battled with fear.

The bearer of the angry countenance leaped from the saddle.

Nobyn pulled his knife and tried to scramble to his feet. Wet clothes and the twisted growth around his legs hampered his actions. “Sir, I have no contest with you. Leave me in peace or I will defend myself.”

A sharp pain shot up Nobyn’s arm. The knife he had held so tightly now appeared in the newcomer’s hand. Cold steel pricked Nobyn’s throat and he felt the sharp edge press against his skin.

“Where did you get my wife’s blade?” the savage voice growled in his ear.



Windmaster Legacy Available At:
Ebook and Paperback: Amazon Amazon.uk
One-click link to major Ebook sellers

Click here for another excerpt and a free read of the first chapter. And if you missed Windmaster, an excerpt for the first book in the series can be found here.

We're all hooked on books. Click on a link to hop to the next blog.

Tuesday's Title, The Boss by Abigail Owen, Paranormal Romance

The hotter the fire, the deeper the burn…

Title: The Boss (Fire’s Edge #1)

Author: Abigail Owen

Date of Release: 9/24/2018
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Buy Links:   Amazon  / Barnes&Noble /  Apple iTunes  / Kobo  

Blurb:

Finn Conleth leads his team of enforcer dragon shifters with an iron fist and a cold heart. Every dragon seeks his destined mate, but the process to turn the woman he once thought was his killed her and devastated him. He will never risk his heart again. His team is his family now. When his body eventually gives out, he’ll leave, living his last days alone.

Delaney Hamilton moved across the country to escape the freak fires that plague her. But when another suspicious fire erupts and rapidly escalates around her, her hopes for a new life go up in smoke. She has no choice but to turn to the mysterious men who come to her aid.

Finn knows the fire is dragon-caused, which puts Delaney’s problems directly in his jurisdiction. No matter how her wounded grey eyes call to every part of him, he refuses to risk her life in the mating process.

Until another dragon threatens to claim Delaney for his own, and Finn has to sacrifice everything to keep her alive…

Author Bio:

Award-winning paranormal romance author, Abigail Owen, grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.

No matter the genre, she loves to write witty, feisty heroines, sexy heroes who deserve them, and a cast of lovable characters to surround them (and maybe get their own stories). She currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own personal hero, her husband, and their two children, who are growing up way too fast.

For more on Abigail and her works, find her on the web at:

Website & Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Bookbub

Where's the Ending? #mfrwauthor

This week's topic for the MFRW 2018 challenge is whether to have an epilogue or not?

The first question that came to my mind is what is a epilogue. A common definition is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature. The stated purpose is to bring closure to the work, to help flesh out what happens after the story is done. It's high noon and the gunshots just rang out, the bodies fall. You turn the page and there is nothing. You sit there wondering. What happened to the main characters? How did things work out after the main story ended? That's the purpose of an epilogue - to help flesh out what happens after the story is done. Another reason for an epilogue is after a traumatic or violent climax.

So what is the difference between an epilogue and the final chapter? The final chapter is necessary for the story, the epilogue isn't. An epilogue can also be used when the information it contains is too disjointed from the main plot. The storyline is wrapped up, but there isn't necessarily a clear insight into the future. I'm thinking of the time travel romance, you know the heroine tried to shift back to be with the one she truly loved. But did she make it? The epilogue shows the discovery of a portrait in the attic of the heroine. She's dressed for a different time period and she is happily standing arm-in-arm with the man she went back to be with.

Now as a rule I don't do epilogues. I prefer to have a final ending. And I particularly don't like cliff-hangers. That said, I am breaking both rules with my next release, Windmaster Legend coming March 2019 from BWL Publishing.

We end with the hero and heroine trapped with no escape.

“I’m sorry, Iol,” Pelra said. “It’s my fault you lost your ship, your crew. Now when those of Pirri arrive, they’ll put both of us on the pyre.”

A tilt of his head indicated the waves below. “Trust me?”

“Of course, my love.”

She stepped into his arms. He pulled her close. One finger tilted her head up, he lowered his. His lips met hers. The world fell away, time suspended. For long moments, not even the baying of the hounds broke through.

A deep sigh and Iol broke the embrace. “Ready?”

“Yes.” Taking her hand he walked to edge of the cliff. A narrow path wound its way partway down the cliff. “We’ll climb down as far as we can. If we make the beach, we head north. If we can’t, we’ll jump. That ledge mid-way down the cliff juts out beyond the rocks. It will be like the cliff divers of Tarekus.”

At the flash of fear in her eyes, he squeezed her hand. “It’s no higher than the leap from the yardarm every novice has to make.”

“I never made the leap,” Pelra confessed. “My test was from the bowsprit.”

“Just jump out as far as you can and cross your arms across your chest. After you hit the water, kick towards the light. I’ll come over and get you.”
He kissed her again as if it was for the last time. “After all, it wouldn’t do for the bearer of gold bracelets to let someone drown on their watch.”

“Then let’s go, captain. I have the urge to swim,” Pelra answered.
 
Down the pair climbed. Each step took them closer to the lower ledge and the tentative safety.

All too soon, it became clear. They would never reach the beach. They would have to jump from the ledge.

Iol stopped and turned. Pelra moved into his embrace. They held the position, lovers frozen in time and space. A loud, “There they are,” and they broke apart. “On three,” Iol said. “One… two…I love you, Pel.” A deep breath and, “Three.”
But I wanted to allow a reader to have their own vision of what happened to the star-crossed lovers as well as tying the work to the other books in the series so I wrote an epilogue. The final scene takes place decades later on a ship not far from where the lovers leaped. A child (whose ancestors are featured in the earlier books) asks her grandfather about two bright stars in the sky. Presented is the legend of what happened, the local story, and the official record. She decides the ending she wants and so can the reader.

Rima watched the clouds overhead for several moments. “So they [Iol and Pelra] could have survived the jump. Iol was a skilled swimmer.” Her face pinched in contemplation “A fisherman from the Isle of Mages found them on a floating log far north and took them to sanctuary with Dewin and the other wizards. Or the seidhern tracked them down and took them to Dewin.” Happiness danced in her eyes. “I like that. Pelra and Iol deserved to be with each other. They did nothing wrong, brought no dishonor to their house. And their families changed the records because they regretted their mistake.”

His expression neutral, her grandfather said, “That is one way it could have happened, ramkin.”

“Ok, grandpa, what is the legend.”

“Because of Iol and Pelra’s devotion to each other and to the water gods, the gods brought up a storm to protect the lovers. Then they transformed Iol and Pelra into shipfish. Legend has it they swam together to the end of the world.” He pointed to a pair of stars so bright they were visible despite the shimmering curtain of green lights. “One powerful leap carried them into the night sky.”

Rima studied the sky as the lights gradually faded until only the stars appeared.
This is a blog hop. Visit the other authors in the challenge to see whether they use epilogues or not. And a vote in the comment section as to whether the final scene should be titled epilogue or by chapter number would be appreciated.

~till next time, Helen