Betty Adams's Blog, page 19

Shattered Bones - Excerpt 8 - Flying Sparks - A Novel – Flash Flood

Shattered Bones - Excerpt 8 - Flying Sparks - A Novel – Flash Flood


Drake McCarty’s leg was shattered deep in the wilderness, and as the flash flood closed over him, he looked death in the face.
When he wakes up in a hospital bed, in a military base that shouldn’t exist, he has a whole leg and a furious sister to deal with.
Drake is sworn to keep a secret he doesn’t understand, but whatever pulled him out of the flood, isn’t quite done with him yet, because even if you leave nothing but footprints, the things that walk the forest can still follow you home.


Excerpt 8


Just as it had come the flood receded in a flash. The water abated, flowing down stream and soaking into the ground and he collapsed on his back gasping. For a moment he lay there feeling wild joy and gratitude at being alive as his thoughts reformed into words and reason. But movement in the hollow of a dancing Douglas-fir caught his attention and his eyes struggled to focus on a dark form in a darker space. It was a crow he realized, and it was staring at something just below him in avid fascination. Curious Drake lifted and followed the direction of the corvid’s gaze.
At first his mind simply refused to process what he was seeing and focused on the fact that the flood had taken the shirt he had had wrapped around his leg as well as his pants leaving him in his tighty-whiteys. Annoyance hit him as he factored having to avoid Abuelita into his return plans. Then the pain hit him in a wave every bit as overwhelming as the flood and threatened to black him out. He fought against the darkness, a rough old voice urging him to stay awake and face the bull. Shaking his head he stared grimly at his shattered and lacerated leg. While one was merely cut and scraped from debris the already injured limb had clearly been broken.
“Well, Em always did want to know what a compound fracture looks like,” Drake gasped painfully before breaking into a cough.






Science Fantasy Adventure Story
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#FoundFamily #AlternateHistory #FlyingSparks #ScienceFiction #Scifi #Story #novel #book #Fluff #Angst #AlternateUniverse #Hurt/Comfort #Family #Friendship #love #Violence #Death #FluffandAngst #Parenthood #SupernaturalElements #CharacterDeath #ModernEra #Hurt #Trauma #Domestic #MythicalBeings&Creatures #DrakeMcCarty #AmaLove #Donny #Em #Bard #Bole #Aliens #Spaceships #Crystals #fireflies #NPS #NationalPark #Doctor #Sever #family #storm #writing #reading #drama #literature #author #BettyAdams #DyingEmbers #Dragons #ThingsThatGoBoomp #Indiegogo #CrowdFunding #Injury #Siblings #Enemies


Audio Narration and Animation - https://youtu.be/0IeDviOL254
Indiegogo https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flying-sparks-a-novel-of-dragon-bear-and-boy/x/20737048#/
Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/humansareweird/flying-sparks-volume-1-science-fantasy-novel


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Humans are Weird - Nothing Wrong

​ Humans are Weird – Nothing Wrong


“First Father, may I gather a few of your lines?”

“Of course little one,” First Father replied, dipping his antenna in fond gesture at his child.
She stiffed a bit at the words. He could see her objection to being called little one in the curl of her long graceful antena but she chose not to respond. It was very mature behavior, the behavior of one who had long ago molted out of being called Second Daughter and was very solidly Second Sister to a thriving hive.
“I was observing Human First Father Gordon at the dairy farm,” she said, her frill settling from mildly offended to the droop of perplexity.
“That will set ones antenna twitching,” First Father observed as he bent over the garden lines he was weaving into a wall shrub.
“Human First Sister Susan had been meaning to discuss her medical reactions with him,” Second Sister went on, stooping to help him almost absently.
First Father gave a sympathetic flutter of his psudofrill.
“The way her outer membrane reacts to his favorite foods?” he asked.
Second Sister flicked her antenna in confirmation.
“She tested her sensitivity level recent and simply wanted to inform him of the results,” Second Sister went on. “She told me she was concerned he would feel guilty so we discussed how she should approach the subject with him. She put quite a lot of effort into being soothing but he still reacted badly when she confronted him.”
“Badly how?” First Father asked, very curious now.
“He cringed away as if she had struck him,” Second Sister said. “His pheromones simply flooded the air with stress, and his membrane changed color so dramatically that even I could see he got pale.”
“And what exactly did Human First Sister Susan say and do that frightened him that badly?” First Father asked, tilting his triangular head to the side.
“She walked straight up to him, put her hand on his shoulder, looked him directly in his vision cone, she can do that as she is taller than him, and said ‘I want you to know. You did nothing wrong and I am not angry at you.’” Second Sister explained. “I know it is unusual for a human sister to be taller than her father but why would something so deliberately soothing frighten him?”
First Father felt his mandibles twitch in amusement at the utterly perplexed set to Second Sister’s legs.
“Quite the mystery,” he murmured.  

Audio Narration and Animation  -
 https://youtu.be/xICYAdDy4y8


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Rejection - Excerpt 7- Flying Sparks - A Novel – A Child Runs Alone

Rejection - Excerpt  7- Flying Sparks - A Novel – A Child Runs Alone


Drake McCarty’s leg was shattered deep in the wilderness, and as the flash flood closed over him, he looked death in the face.
When he wakes up in a hospital bed, in a military base that shouldn’t exist, he has a whole leg and a furious sister to deal with.
Drake is sworn to keep a secret he doesn’t understand, but whatever pulled him out of the flood, isn’t quite done with him yet, because even if you leave nothing but footprints, the things that walk the forest can still follow you home.




Excerpt 7


Tears streaked down his cheeks as he stumbled onto a path and turned towards home. He was almost passively aware that his feet followed the patterns they were used to, finding balance, gaining speed as him mind didn’t think.
Bole.
A cry escaped his lips as his foot caught on a vine. Small thorns dug into his palms as he smacked into the ground. Awareness of his surroundings came with a rush when he identified the trailing blackberries under his hands. The heedless flight had led him too far south into a clearing at the base of a granite cliff. A few dozen square yards of rich soil abutted a dry wash under the canopy of Douglas-fir. Years of seasonal flooding had left the earth at the bottom rich in silt and nutrients. The family came here blackberrying later in the summer. Now the youth pushed himself up with a groan.
Drake staggered to the side with a hiss as his ankle folded under him. Bracing on his good leg he glanced over at the spring that bubbled up at the base of the rock. His ears were still ringing but the sound had faded with distance and he couldn’t tell if he could still hear it. Of greater importance was the burning pain stabbing up his leg.
Shaking his head to clear the emotional fog he limped over to the base of the cliff and pulled off his moccasin. Drake eased his aching limb into the crystal clear water and settled down on the mossy bank. The cold began to seep into his damaged muscles painfully but he held his position. A blank look had taken his face. His lips moved slightly but no sound came out. Under the deep red thatch his mind was whirling, processing everything he had seen, heard, and felt.
Bole had rejected; had driven him out of his sanctuary. Even as the thought formed he dismissed it harshly. Bole was a figment of his overconfidence in his own perceptive abilities and overactive imagination. There was no way a tree could even act, let alone act against him; but all the logic in the world couldn’t erase the aching pain in his chest.




Audio Narration and Animation - https://youtu.be/xICYAdDy4y8


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Humans are Weird Books - https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00WQ0MDD4/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=3974e835-72b1-447d-8da0-a11f0b13024d&store_ref=ap_rdr&ref_=ap_rdr Youtube
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The Storm Song - Excerpt - Flying Sparks - A Novel – An Approaching Danger

The Storm Song - Excerpt - Flying Sparks - A Novel – An Approaching Danger


Drake McCarty’s leg was shattered deep in the wilderness, and as the flash flood closed over him, he looked death in the face.
When he wakes up in a hospital bed, in a military base that shouldn’t exist, he has a whole leg and a furious sister to deal with.
Drake is sworn to keep a secret he doesn’t understand, but whatever pulled him out of the flood, isn’t quite done with him yet, because even if you leave nothing but footprints, the things that walk the forest can still follow you home.


Excerpt


Danger.
Warmth fled, reds faded, oranges flickered, yellows weakened, hungry leaves suddenly glowed with green as only the blue and violet fought their way through the atmosphere that was even now heralding the approaching disturbance. The faint atmospheric pressure changes barely registered on his outer surface yet in air this thin. However hard experience had taught him that even this still, thin air could send even rocks tumbling when once it began to stir. The flat taste of the garden would be replaced with the light and pleasant tang of shifting charges and the music of the mountain would pound around him. To experience the symphony was the main reason he had ventured out today. There was very little he enjoyed more in this exile than to plant himself here and listen to the world cry out around him; but the small figure sprawled at his base presented a problem.
He had not had a chance to interact with the young of this world since he had arrived, but it was clear that they were every bit as fragile as the mature members of their species. However, this particular ember had shown sensitivity to the waves that he had never seen in any of the adults he had worked with over the years. Hopefully the little one would feel the oncoming storm and retreat to his home and safety but time rolled on and the human only seemed to grow lethargic. The deep red from the lone star overhead seemed to have lulled the ember into sleep, thought his membrane danced with a vigorous defense at the high violets. After a moment’s calculation he decided that he could not wait any longer. It would be far too dangerous for the human ember to linger in the garden. The laws that bound him forbade him from interacting with any outside of the base but there were more subtle ways to get his point across. He began to sing softly of the approaching storm, hoping the youth would understand.






Science Fantasy Adventure Story
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Audio Narration and Animation - https://youtu.be/8wOHkDy8_sc


Indiegogo https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flying-sparks-a-novel-of-dragon-bear-and-boy/x/20737048#/
Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/humansareweird/flying-sparks-volume-1-science-fantasy-novel


Humans are Weird Books - https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00WQ0MDD4/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=3974e835-72b1-447d-8da0-a11f0b13024d&store_ref=ap_rdr&ref_=ap_rdr Youtube
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The Memorial Garden - Excerpt - Flying Sparks - A Novel – Life

The Memorial Garden - Excerpt - Flying Sparks - A Novel – Life
https://youtu.be/xICYAdDy4y8 


Science Fantasy Adventure Story
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Audio Narration and Animation - https://youtu.be/xICYAdDy4y8 
Indiegogo https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flying-sparks-a-novel-of-dragon-bear-and-boy/coming_soon
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Glitching - Excerpt 4 - Flying Sparks - A Novel – A Conversation

Glitching - Excerpt 4 - Flying Sparks - A Novel – A Conversation
Indiegogo https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flying-sparks-a-novel-of-dragon-bear-and-boy/coming_soon
Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/humansareweird/flying-sparks-volume-1-science-fantasy-novel

Drake McCarty’s leg was shattered deep in the wilderness, and as the flash flood closed over him, he looked death in the face.
When he wakes up in a hospital bed, in a military base that shouldn’t exist, he has a whole leg and a furious sister to deal with.
Drake is sworn to keep a secret he doesn’t understand, but whatever pulled him out of the flood, isn’t quite done with him yet, because even if you leave nothing but footprints, the things that walk the forest can still follow you home.




Excerpt 4


“No little brother, no one interesting,” she replied tiredly, “The only half decent prospect was the IT lead and he was half dead from trying to keep the computers working long enough for us to download the course materials.”
“No!” Drake attempted to drawl the word out. “Don’t tell me that the Park computers were glitching?”
Ama snorted and aimed a halfhearted smack at him.
“Yes,” Ama answered with a yawn, “and this wasn’t just your run of the mill payroll and email problems. The IT guy kept insisting the network was testing his ability to track down new and exotic problems. He spent about an hour ranting to me about the details but all I got was that most of the glitches should have been physically impossible.”
“Sure he wasn’t flirting with you?” Drake asked hopefully only to dodge a well aimed blow with the towel.
“He might have been,” Ama snorted, “but I get the feeling his passion was directed more at the system than me.”
“That reminds me,” Drake stated with a frown. “You old college buddy Pip called to vent a couple of times about their computer system too.”
“Gah, sorry you had to deal with that,” Ama said with a laugh, “Pip can be-”
She made a vague gesture and grimaced.
Drake laughed and shook his head.





Science Fantasy Adventure Story
100K Words
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#FoundFamily #AlternateHistory #FlyingSparks #ScienceFiction #Scifi #Story #novel #book #Fluff #Angst #AlternateUniverse #Hurt/Comfort #Family #Friendship #love #Violence #Death #FluffandAngst #Parenthood #SupernaturalElements #CharacterDeath #ModernEra #Hurt #Trauma #Domestic #MythicalBeings&Creatures #DrakeMcCarty #AmaLove #Donny #Em #Bard #Bole #Aliens #Spaceships #Crystals #fireflies #NPS #NationalPark #Doctor #Sever #family #storm #writing #reading #drama #literature #author #BettyAdams #DyingEmbers #Dragons #ThingsThatGoBoomp #Indiegogo #CrowdFunding #Injury #Siblings #Enemies
Audio Narration and Animation - https://youtu.be/_bOXWdLzHVI
Indiegogo https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flying-sparks-a-novel-of-dragon-bear-and-boy/coming_soon
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The Salute - Excerpt 3 - Flying Sparks - A Novel – From One Soldier to Another Across Worlds

The Salute - Excerpt 3 - Flying Sparks - A Novel – From One Soldier to Another Across Worlds
​

Drake McCarty’s leg was shattered deep in the wilderness, and as the flash flood closed over him, he looked death in the face.
When he wakes up in a hospital bed, in a military base that shouldn’t exist, he has a whole leg and a furious sister to deal with.
Drake is sworn to keep a secret he doesn’t understand, but whatever pulled him out of the flood, isn’t quite done with him yet, because even if you leave nothing but footprints, the things that walk the forest can still follow you home.


Original Post: http://www.authorbettyadams.com/bettys-blog/after-action-excerpt-2-flying-sparks-a-dark-night-a-desperate-hunt-an-alien-surprise

​
Excerpt 3
About a third of the way down the trunk appeared to split. Half glided gently forward; roots reaching out to feel for firm footing before setting down. Then the entire mass of the trunk flowed forward, bark rustling, until all the weight was over the forward leg. Only then would the rearmost portion of the trunk begin its slow, careful way forward again. It was not a fast pace by any means, but by the time the sun set the tree had reached a rusty fence cutting through the forest like an arrow. The tree paused and silver light flickered out from cracks in the rough bark. A few hundred yards away a young guard in woodland camouflage started as his radio let out four piping notes. With a sigh that barely shifted the look of boredom on his face he turned to a rusted rolling gate, set his shoulder against the dirty steel, and pushed. After a crunch and a grind the gate parted with a jerk. The youth turned, saluted the empty forest and marched more-or-less briskly fifty paces into the woods. The tree raised one branch to its crest in the only sudden movement it had yet shown. For the moment the tip of the branch touched the trunk, the end of the limb formed into a human shaped hand, returning the salute. Then the tree strolled through the gate. The soldier returned to his post, wrestled the gate back into place, clicked a tarnished brass paddock into place, and made a rueful face at the damaged fence before resuming a slow steady walk along the perimeter.

Science Fantasy Adventure Story
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After Action - Excerpt 2 - Flying Sparks - A Dark Night - A Desperate Hunt- An Alien Surprise

After Action - Excerpt 2 - Flying Sparks - A Dark Night - A Desperate Hunt- An Alien Surprise


#FoundFamily #ScienceFantasy #AlternateHistory #Scifi #Novel
Indiegogo https://igg.me/at/FlyingSparksVolume1/x/20737048#/
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Audio Narration and Animation
“It was too quiet,” Morgan said, almost idly.
“Master Sergeant?”
“That burn,” he said slowly. “It was bigger than any V2 I have ever seen. Whatever was making it was big, and hot. At da speed it was going it wouldn’t have made a boom but it should have been loud. Too quiet to be a rocket.”
Silence fell over the two and they rode beneath the dark clouded sky for several more moments. The jeep suddenly jerked to a stop in front of a church and the cadet glanced curiously at the stained glass windows, lit from within and depicting some saint slaying what was probably a demon of some sort. The cadet turned back and blinked in surprise. The Master Sergeant stared up at the image, face tight with thought, and his lips moving silently; the normally calm and collected airman’s knuckles were literally turning white where he clutched the jeep’s steering wheel. His voice breathed out over the sound of the engine.
“…called to our duty when the voidwalkers fall.”
“Master Sergeant?” the cadet asked in an uneasy tone.
“Nothing Piti. Nothing at all.” Morgan said curtly, his accent thick as he turned from the image of the struggling demon and started down the road.
The cadet didn’t press the matter but made up his mind to ask around what exactly a voidwalker was.




Science Fantasy Adventure Story
100K Words
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Search and Rescue - Excerpt 1 - Flying Sparks - A Dark Night - A Desperate Hunt- An Alien Surprise

Search and Rescue - Excerpt 1 - Flying Sparks - A Dark Night - A Desperate Hunt- An Alien Surprise
https://youtu.be/oXEopgzcaQA
#FoundFamily #ScienceFantasy #AlternateHistory #Scifi #Novel


Indiegogo https://igg.me/at/FlyingSparksVolume1/x/20737048#/
Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/humansareweird/flying-sparks-volume-1-science-fantasy-novel


Audio Narration and Animation
“I got no ax to grind with the pilot,” the cadet continued, “but you’ve seen more crashes than most of us have see take offs, and some brass head is probably going to send me up in one of those birds. I got skin in the game.”
Chuckling a little Morgan shook his head, sending out a spray of droplets from his cover in the gray evening light.
“March in de Pacific Northwest Piti,” he said with a shrug, “bad weather, damnable cold, and cursed wet. Could be de pilot, could be de plane, could be de sky itself. Saw a p-thirty-five struck by lightning over Morocco once. No way to tell till we get ‘dere. Maybe no way to tell at all if de loggers was accurate about de crash site. One Curtis Helldiver scattered over two hundred yards. Maybe no pilot left at all.”
The tall master sergeant shook his head again and adjusted his cover, a shiver running through his tall frame as a fat drop of water found its way down the back of his neck.
“Might not be enough left of Smedley to send back to Cali in a coffee cup,” he said in a more serious tone.
The cadet grimaced at that mental image and glanced around at the thick stand of trunks.



Science Fantasy Adventure Story
100K Words
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Indiegogo https://igg.me/at/FlyingSparksVolume1/x/20737048#/
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Search and Rescue - Excerpt 1 - Flying Sparks - A Dark Night - A Desperate Hunt- An Alien Surprise
https://youtu.be/oXEopgzcaQA
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Flying Sparks – A Novel

Flying Sparks – A Novel
Indiegogo https://igg.me/at/FlyingSparksVolume1/x/20737048#/
Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/humansareweird/flying-sparks-volume-1-science-fantasy-novel


Drake McCarty almost died deep in the back country wilderness of Elkhorn National Park.
Whoever, whatever pulled him out of that flash flood is now very interested in him, and his family.


https://youtu.be/wi0keygUBzc


Science Fiction Adventure Story
100K Words
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#FoundFamily #SciFi #ScienceFantasy #SienceFiction #AlternateHistory

​ Indiegogo  https://igg.me/at/FlyingSparksVolume1/x/20737048#/
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