Sara C. Snider's Blog, page 8
March 24, 2017
Hazel and Holly — Familiar Fellowship
Previous: Tormented Love
Holly jolted awake as a scream seared through her sleep-addled mind. Had she dreamt it? She must have, because everything now was so quiet except for the crackling of a fire in a nearby hearth, and the gentle snoring of Hawthorn as he sat slumped in an armchair. She herself lay on a sofa. How had she gotten there?
She sat up and looked around the well furnished room that she now found herself in. There were no windows in the stone walls, but the lavish curtains seem...
March 20, 2017
A to Z Challenge 2017 Theme Reveal
Just when you think you’re safe, Spring rolls around again, and before you know it, it’s time for the A to Z Challenge. I didn’t participate last year due to having too much on my plate, so I’m really looking forward to getting back in there this year. (Remind me in May that I actually wrote that.)
And, of course, you can’t have the A to Z Challenge without the beloved theme reveal. I pretty much need a theme. Without one, the possibilities would become endless and I’d be overwhelmed by the...
March 17, 2017
Hazel and Holly — Tormented Love
Previous: Of Mushrooms and Men
Hazel awoke on a cold stone floor with a pounding headache. She pushed herself upright and looked around, surprised to see she was still in her father’s workshop. She must have fainted, probably from all the smoke. Had something gone wrong with her spell?
No, the spell had worked. There had been a bright light close to Ash’s chest. That had meant something.
She got to her feet and started across the room, but it was like shadows had solidified around her, clin...
March 10, 2017
Hazel and Holly — Of Mushrooms and Men
Previous: A Star Enshrined Heart
Holly gave silent thanks that they never found a corpse on the road. She had spent a fair amount of time holding her breath in anticipation, but nothing ever arose—either in the air or on the road ahead of them.
“Ravens aren’t always a sign of death,” Norman said, perhaps noticing her relief. “They are the world’s oldest messengers, before pigeons and owls and other such birds became more fashionable. They are the eyes of the gods, keepers of gateways and of...
March 3, 2017
Hazel and Holly — A Star Enshrined Heart
Previous: Crossroads Conundrum
Hazel woke up and stared at the ceiling. A jagged crack seared across the stone surface to a corner where moss began to grow. She lay still a moment, savoring the softness of the bed before she realized a lamp had been lit in the room. Someone had been in her quarters. Again.
Annoyed, she got up from the bed and went into the main room. A fire had been lit in the hearth, and the poker that had been lying on the floor had been returned to its proper place. The...
February 28, 2017
Fat Tuesday Swedish Style
Despite Sweden being considered one of the most secular countries in the world, religion still plays a big part in many of the holidays. Honestly, I think Swedes will embrace just about any reason to take a day off work or, in the case of today, eat pastries.
Swedes love pastries.
Like, a lot.
And perhaps king among them is the mighty semla (plural semlor) – a sweet bun filled with marzipan and whipped cream, and dusted with powdered sugar.
Oh, sure, the cinnamon bun might actually top the c...
February 24, 2017
Hazel and Holly — Crossroads Conundrum
Previous: Roadside Meeting
Holly and Hemlock rode atop one of the horses, while Hawthorn and the necromancer rode on the other. The necromancer had refused to give his name, so Holly had taken to calling him Norman. Norman had tried to run for it before they could lift him up onto a horse, and Hawthorn had re-summoned his goose to terrorize the man for a solid ten minutes. Holly knew it had been ten minutes from Hemlock’s watch that the fairy held as it fluttered about. The whole scene migh...
February 17, 2017
Hazel and Holly — Roadside Meeting
Previous: Cold, Quintessential Comfort
Holly hopped off the back of the wagon and dusted off her hands. “Right, then.” She peered out into the nighttime gloom, looking for the runaway horses or Tum, but she didn’t see either.
“Could we hurry this up?” Hawthorn said as he pulled off his necromancer’s robe and dropped it on the ground. “There’s a chill out, and I’m not dressed for cold weather.”
Holly eyed him. “Well, you could start with keeping your robe on if you’re so cold.”
He drew himse...
February 10, 2017
Hazel and Holly — Cold, Quintessential Comfort
Previous: Shadowed Dreams
Hazel awoke on the stone floor of the dark cavern near the bank of the pond. Her head ached, and she rubbed it as she sat up and looked around. Ash stood nearby, watching her.
“What happened?” she said. “How did I get here?”
“You went into the pool, remained there for some minutes, then left and lay down there. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“Where did I go? What was that place? How…” Her aching head increased to a steady pounding. She took a breath and tried to re...
February 7, 2017
Music to Fuel Creativity in Writing
I keep saying how I don’t write to music. But I’m starting to realize that’s not entirely true. It’s true in the sense that I prefer quiet when I’ve got my hands on the keyboard… most of the time. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that music plays a big part in my creative world.
Music for Walking
I’ve mentioned before that I go out walking almost every day for about an hour. I do it in part for the exercise, and in part to process the story-happenings in my mind. It’ll some...
