Deby Fredericks's Blog, page 40

I Have Returned

Yes, I managed to enjoy my vacation! There were a few flight delays that made the travel portion of it stressful. Once we got there, it was all worth it.

We went to the Grand Canyon, if I hadn’t mentioned that. It was incredible. This national park is world famous, and I think everyone must have seen pictures. To be there in person was so much more. The scale of the place is hard to describe. You stand at the edge and it’s so far down. So far across. It extends both left and right as far as you can see.

There are layers of those colorful rocks — yellow/white on top, then blazing crimson, then a strange gray/green, and this craggy black stone at the very bottom. You see these eroded bluffs, but there’s another layer beyond, and then another and another. So many layers! Even the wind has a different sound in the vast gulf of the canyon.

We also had half a day of layover in Las Vegas. That was mind-boggling in a different way. The huge hotels were covered in lights, and there were these fabulous giant sculptures of tropical plants, Egyptian temples and Roman colosseums. My husband dragged me up and down in the heat, not going anywhere particular, until I set my feet and demanded ice cream.

I kept thinking that if I put something like the Grand Canyon or the Las Vegas Strip into a book, it would be mocked as overly dramatic. And yet, the real world goes beyond what any author could invent.

I didn’t get a whole lot of writing done. It was too far off my usual routine. But I did take my notebook along, and I came home with a few pages of scattered ideas. Something will come of it, I’m sure.

Eventually.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

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Teaser 4

I’m still on vacation, but I’ve scheduled another teaser for you. This character is from Prisoners of the Wailing Tower.

Flames roared and leaped, as if they would join with the lowering sun. It was a farmer’s hut that burned, the thatched roofing a ready food for the blaze. Just short of the flames’ reach, Ar-Lizelle glared down at the body that lay at her feet. Her former prisoner was still shaved bald, scorch marks crossing the clothing he’d stolen to hide himself among the population. A perpetual grin of madness split the stubbled face.

It hadn’t been an easy fight. The fugitive’s madness gave him wild power. However, Ar-Lizelle had been warden of the Larder, Dar-Gothull’s prison for insane mages. She knew how to deal with the likes of him. Haafeth had died choking, her fire whip snaked about this throat. Not once did he stop laughing.

That was no surprise. Haafeth had been closer to madness as any of the escaped prisoners. Ar-Lizelle had no remorse for his death. The list of his crimes was long even before the peasant farmer he murdered, and the widow he had been terrorizing when Ar-Lizelle caught up with him. It was Haafeth who set their roof on fire, a futile attempt at distraction.

No, her only regret was that she had learned nothing about the whereabouts of the other prisoners who escaped on that horrible day.

Ar-Lizelle clenched her fists, controlling her fury. After years of patient work, monitoring reports and questioning new prisoners, she’d finally had the chance to capture her disloyal younger sister. Lorrah had left their father to die. Worse, she had become a renegade, working against the mages who rightfully ruled over Skaythe. But the hunt’s promised ending was merely a ruse. Lorrah had lured Ar-Lizelle out of the Larder, and while she was gone, a bunch of fake hunter-guards had broken all the prisoners out.

Disgraced by the failure of her security, Ar-Lizelle now lived on borrowed time. Countess Ar-Khoreen of Yergha, where the Larder was located, had made it clear that she must bring those fugitives back, or otherwise deal with them. If she failed, she would be cast into the Larder herself, as a prisoner.

Ar-Lizelle stood rigid, gazing at the flames without seeing them. A ghastly creature haunted the Larder, a revenant with slashing octopus arms paired to a human face. That creature called itself a Devourer. And what did it devour? Mages.

No. No, that fate must not be hers.

“Well, that’s one down,” a man joked behind her.

“Only nine to go,” his fellow agreed.

“Are you keeping score?” She whirled to glower at them, screeching in her high voice, “Do you think this is some sort of game?”

“No, Warden,” Endole hastily replied. He and Groff saluted.

By Ar-Khoreen’s order, only two of the prison guards had come with her on this hunt. The others remained with Captain Morthem, who held the Larder for her return. If she survived to return.

“Let’s go,” she snarled, and turned away.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

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Teaser 3

I’m on vacation, but here’s another teaser for you. This character is one you might recognize from The Ice Witch of Fang Marsh. Enjoy!

The mage’s tower was deceptively quiet, showing no lights. You could think no one was there. That was the way they wanted it. He shrugged a little, irritated, and jerked around to watch the sun’s last rays creep up the brown rocks that crowned the hills beyond the Fang Marsh.

That tower had been empty for a long time, but it was Addith’s domain now. Shonn remembered how he had worked to help her settle in. Her and the boy she’d said was a foundling. The surly brat never had taken to Shonn. Despite the kid’s interference, he’d almost gotten to her. Shonn grinned a little, remembering the hunger of her kiss. It wouldn’t have been much longer before he laid her down in the sand…

Unfortunately, Addith was never who she said she was. The water clan she claimed probably didn’t even exist. Her real name was Meven, and she was a runaway mage. He’d seen her throwing ice chunks around, when that mudmaw took a strike at the boy. Then the kid lit himself on fire, too. He was a mageling that she tried to train, while they both hid from the regime in the depths of the marsh.

Mages were dangerous, crazy, never to be trusted. Shonn had tried to hide his reaction, but Meven had turned cold and he’d known it was over between them. There was never really a choice, anyway. He’d had to report to the countess’s guards. If Countess Ar-Torix thought the water folk were in league with a rogue mage, she might destroy Otter and everyone aboard her.

That’s what Shonn had told his parents, and the others who protested that he’d turned against one of the water folk. To himself, he could admit the truth. He’d suspected about Meven, and he’d been toying with her, part of the same boredom that still scratched between his shoulder blades. If he won her trust, he could gather more information, something to trade with the city guards. He could even have blackmailed her, forced her to lie with him, or made use of her in some other way. To what purpose, he still wasn’t certain. It had only seemed like a good thing to have a mage at his command.

He could have done it, if not for that brat of hers wandering carelessly on the bank. But the mudmaw’s attack had made it clear the boy would always come first. It grated on his ego to be second best.

Meven’s parting words were clear: “I don’t want to see you again.” Unfortunately for Meven, hers was not the final word. Countess Ar-Torix had made it clear that she still wanted Shonn to be an informant. He had to be sneaky, given his parents’ disapproval, but maybe he’d have another chance at the ice witch after all.

With a final scowl, Shonn turned away from his thwarted vision. The setting sun cast muted pink and gold rays to reflect from the placid waters around the landing. Fish jumped, raising rings of brighter water. As the water became warmer than the air, mists began to creep over the lotus pools and among the dark mangroves. Frogs and crickets and other night creatures raised their shimmering chorus.

A flickering light caught his eye. Shonn glanced over, expecting to see fireflies or a last ray of sunlight on the far hilltops. Instead, a glow appeared brighter among the rocks. It swelled brighter, and then a brief flash. Yellow light streaked down the slope, with sparks trailed behind it, like coals falling from a fire. Shonn blinked. It moved so fast! Was it coming closer?

He heard no sound of hooves or wheels. No flames rose from that spot. The golden streak, soft and vaguely shaped, curved to follow a pale ribbon across the land. Whatever it was, it followed the old silvery scar that crossed the plain beyond the marsh.

The silence was eerie. There should have been a whistling of wind, or some other noise. Shonn heard nothing. After a moment’s staring, he stamped his sandaled foot vigorously on the roof where he stood.

“Oberim, Kannat!” he called to his father and uncle.

Muffled steps came from below, and the houseboat shifted slightly as the two men emerged from the main cabin. Shonn pointed at the mysterious object gliding ever closer.

“Do you see it?”

“Huh,” answered Oberim.

The three men watched in silence. Whatever it was moved swiftly and steadily, stretched out to twice the length of Otter. In a way, it resembled a cloud of mist lit golden by morning sun. There was no sun to light it, and yet it still glowed.

Uncle Kannat murmured, “What moves it? There is no wind.”

“What moves it,” Shonn retorted. “What is it?”

The angle changed as the creature got closer. There were hints of solid form within the mass. Two branching antlers, a wolf’s head with tousled mane, followed by a long body like an eel’s. Yet any shape dissolved almost before he could identify it.

Then it was past, following the curve of the ancient track that went straight across the marsh. By now, other family streaming out of the cabin, crowding to the rail. Soft murmurs of confusion and dismay came up to the cabin roof, where Shonn stood.

“Have you ever seen something like that?” Oberim asked his brother.

“No, but we know where it’s going,” Shonn replied, hiding his glee with grim certainty. “That path leads to the mage tower.”

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

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Woman At Work, April/2022

What’s Happening? Spring break is here! My usual strategy is to spend the break doing heavy housework or yard work such as pruning roses. This year I’m actually taking time off. The housework can wait.

What I’m Working On. I’m still going at the first draft of The Tale of the Drakanox. It’s about 47,000 words now, or half a novel. My goal of 80,000 words is looking about right.

What’s Next? Not much, honestly. I have a few volunteers for Queen Titania’s Court, so there’s that to keep recruiting for.

Fun and Games. Two years ago, I got my husband a game called The Outer Worlds. He hardly looked at it, so I’m giving it a go. Evil corporations colonizing outer space, what could go wrong? Well, our Xbox appears to be dying slowly, which causes a lot of crashes. We’re looking for a replacement but so far they are not to be found. Good thing I have a Switch and can play Animal Crossing also.

Time to get back to packing. My vacation awaits!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

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“Back to Normal”

About two weeks ago, the state where I live determined that it was safe to take face masks off indoors. As a result, the kids in my school got to take theirs off, too. I kept mine on, though. I have a trip planned over spring break, and it would suck if I got sick right before my trip.

Besides which, I haven’t been sick with anything in the two years since I started wearing a face mask. Why would I want to go through all that again?

Unfortunately, it might not be up to me. Kids have started coming to my groups sick this week. This morning, they went through half a box of Kleenex in three hours. One of them kept sticking his hand into the Kleenex box and squishing around like it was a toy. Another one told the teacher of a different group that she couldn’t smell anything, ha ha.

Notes were sent to classrooms, asking that these kids visit the school nurse, but who knows if they did? We’re back to the “normal” situation when parents sent sick kids to school because caring for them would be too much inconvenience.

Here we go again.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

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Dem Bones

I’ve mentioned working through a long conversation with a big group of people in The Tale of the Drakanox. So here’s a step-by-step of how I write these long scenes.

First, I write it in a very skeletal draft. The “bones” of the scene, if you will. In this scene there are potentially 15 characters in the conversation, so I cut it down to two representatives from four groups, or eight characters in all. I decide things about the setting, like where they are sitting and standing, and what furniture is there. Then I sketch out the dialogue to a tentative conclusion. It will be messy, with broken sentences like, “‘Head to hornwood be halfway there’ Bettain.” I try also to make sure every character has a chance to say something, even if they aren’t leading the discussion.

Once I have the flow of the dialogue, I go back and start putting on the muscles, so to speak. I complete those sentences and add in reactions from characters that haven’t said much. Everything and everyone gets described more fully. I fill in new ideas that have popped up, and make sure that I’m not forgetting important plot threads.

The last pass brings it all into focus and puts on the “face.” I make sure I’m not forgetting any plot threads. If it seems like the dialog is too much “Zathi talks, then Duessa talks,” I’ll switch who is speaking a few minor lines. I’ll also make sure there’s good energy in the scene and have more emotional language if necessary.

After all that, the scene will be finished enough to press on with the plot.

Now I’m curious how others approach this kind of writing challenge. Let me know in the comments!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

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A Kick in the…

Work goes on with The Tale of the Drakanox. I’m in a tangled spot right now because a bunch of the characters from the previous novellas are all together in one place after 40,000 words or so. They all need to catch the others up on what went on in those said novellas.

Zathi and the Badgers are explaining how Keilos died and that they know where a massive store of vitalis is hidden away deep in the Hornwood (The Tower in the Mist). Tisha and Cylass are telling how she broke the curse over Seofan Holl (Dancer in the Grove of Ghosts). Alemin is about to go over his bond with the broken tower of the Larder, and how he knows the ancient tales of the Shining Ones are all true (Prisoners of the Wailing Tower).

It’s a lot! And it’s a challenge to keep this section interesting, when basically they’re all just sitting and talking. I need to throw something else in, maybe a suspicion that someone is listening in on them. Something to keep it lively, but without dragging it out even longer.

At the same time, I’m reading a book that’s reminding me why I made some of the choices I did when I planned out the whole Minstrels of Skaythe series. No names and titles here, I don’t believe in trashing other authors’ work. Let’s just say that sexual violence is all over the place, in a book that’s supposed to be a rebuke to misogyny. I guess they felt like that’s how to illustrate the problem.

Or they thought that’s what the audience would want to read, which… really? Mass rape is gross. That’s a big no-thank-you from me. Some of you might recall that I gender-swapped the whole cast of The Tower in the Mist, specifically to avoid sexual violence. Reading this book is a good reminder of why I did that.

There’s also a lot of fat-shaming directed at male characters. The villains, especially, are grossly fat, while the heroes are trim and handsome. This is such a stale approach, and it made those characters fall flat for me.

Finally, the plot should never hinge upon characters doing things that are foolish and/or will blow their secrets wide open, while proclaiming “I have no choice!”

All of which is to say, it’s kind of kicking me into gear to keep on with The Tale of the Drakanox!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

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Story Share

I have another story to share today, “Random Acts of Magic” by Amy Claire Fontaine. It’s another from Daily Science Fiction, which I recommend so much if you enjoy short SF and fantasy.

This sweet urban fantasy gets me with its intersection of magic and education, plus some pointed comments on how growing up can crush the joy out of childhood passions. Check it out!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

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How Special?

The school calendar is full of minor “holidays” to celebrate, it seems. We had the federal holidays in February (MLK and Presidents’ Day), and Twos-day, when the date read 2/2/22. We’ve also had Hundreds Day, marking the 100th day of school, and Dr. Seuss’ Birthday/Read Across America. Then came the switch to Daylight Savings Time (not a holiday, but still a disruption), followed immediately to No-Mask Monday. We’re coming up on St. Patrick’s Day next.

Each of these “special days” requires teachers to come up with games, puzzles and so on that fit the occasion. Students love them as a reason to have class parties and generally avoid schoolwork, but I’m getting a little burned out, honestly. It would be great if we could just settle into a routine for a while, you know?

I should mention, though, that I did include a holiday in the setting for Minstrels of Skaythe. In The Ice Witch of Fang Marsh, Meven travels through the city of Eshur during a Festival of Visitation. The numerous statues of Dar-Gothull (because what’s a tyrant without statues of himself everywhere?) were paraded to the middle of town to be cleaned and polished, plus the loyal citizens all paid a “donation” to the temple. Due to the holiday crowd, Meven was able to to slip through Eshur almost unnoticed.

I guess some special days are useful after all.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

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It’s That Time

It’s that time again. Time to begin planning for my summer book event, Queen Titania’s Court!

Coming up in June, this humble blog will host Queen Titania’s Court, a celebration of fantasy books. Titania, Queen of all Faeries, summons magical people and beasts from every corner of the fantastic world to join her for a grand ball on Midsummer Night.

This invitation is for any and all fantasy writers, especially independent authors. Each day in the month of June, I’ll feature one author’s book. Pick ONE character from ONE of your books to attend the Midsummer Ball.

The organizing process for Queen Titania’s Court begins in early April, but it isn’t too soon to start thinking about it. If you’re a fantasy author, or if you know some fantasy authors — especially independently published — I hope you’ll suggest it to them.

Check out this page if you want to know more! To see some of last year’s gala, start here.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.

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