Tag Archives: Goddess

Sacrificing Virgins? What ever happened to Christmas Cheer?

Posted on December 12, 2012 | 13 comments

Wanna see a review?  Make Believe is being reviewed on Jeanz Book Read N Review today. Please hop over and check it out — then let me know in the comments below if I should look at it or not 🙂

ChristmasFiligree

Today I am hosting the lovely and talented Terri Rochenski, Author of “Sacrificial Oath” from the Make Believe Anthology.  Awesomeness.

Here is the “Back Cover Blurb” for Terri’s story:

Sacrificial Oath by Terri Rochenski
An impetuous act unwittingly makes Alesuela the fulfillment of the Sovereign’s Blood Oath to their Goddess. In five days, she’ll be forced to make the greatest choice of her life: become the virginal sacrifice already promised, or force the man she loves most to die in her place.

With an impossible choice in front of her, she searches for ways to undo the oath, and in her quest, finds not everything in her life is as she expects.

ChristmasFiligree

So, Miss Terri… we both looked at the very same picture, and I came up with Last Winter Red, and you came up with Sacrificial Oath.  What gives?

https://i0.wp.com/www.jtaylorpublishing.com/photos/authors/11.jpgThe first thing I thought was how much the landscape (minus the tower) looks like one of the fields below the house I grew up in. Raised on a farm in central PA, there’s lots of corn – and snow. When I was a kid, anyway. 🙂

  1. Ummm… Okay…. So, they sacrifice virgins in the Pennsylvania farmland?  Remind me to steer away from there next time I’m passing through!

 Bwaaaahaaaaawhaaa!  I actually had a story simmering in my mind already concerning a virginal sacrifice and when I saw the picture prompt most of the story fell into place. My mother is my go-to for brainstorming & she shared with me a story from the Bible where a man promised God a sacrifice in return for victory in war. Poor guy got the short end of the stick. I merged the two thoughts together and came up with Sacrificial Oath.!

Oh!  Thank goodness!  For a minute I thought the mild manner farm chic thing was just a disguise!  So, What’s next for you?

My short story, Beginning of Forever, released on Dec 4th with Still Moments Publishing‘s Christmas Magic anthology. It’s an historical romance inspired by my sister-in-law’s life. More info can be found on my website’s media page found HERE.
I have even bigger & better news, but my lips are sealed for 5 more days – PR day.  😉 Be sure to swing by my blog on the 17th!!

OOOOoooo Terri’s holding out on us!

Thanks so much for stopping by, Terri.  Be sure to check out “Sacrificial Oath” in the Make Believe Anthology Available now.  Yay!

How about you?

Sacrifice any virgins lately? (Did I actually ask that?) 

Strike that!!!!!  Where did the inspiration come from for your last work? (Whew!  So much better a topic)

ChristmasFiligree

Make BelieveFor The Love Of Christmas CoverWhy all the hullabaloo? Well, it’s to promote my two new releases “Make Believe” and “For the Love of Christmas”

That’s why!

And don’t forget to click on “Enter to Win” for a chance to win your choice of the two titles! Yay!

Oh, I almost forgot… A few random commentors along the tour path will win their choice of anthologies, too. So be sure to hop on over and say “Hi”

ChristmasFiligree

Hop on over and send me some love!

ChristmasFiligree

Visit my Anthology buddies!  They are celebrating too!

Jenny Keller Ford

J.A. Belfield

Kelly Said

Lynda R. Young

Terri Rochenski

JenniFer_EatonF

Related articles
Advertisement

13 Comments

Posted in Author Interview

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Letting go of your “Little Darlings”. Great Scenes You’ve edited OUT of your novel

Posted on March 29, 2012 | 40 comments

A “Little Darling” is a scene that you just LOVE in your novel, but somewhere along the line, you realize it is just not right… and you need to cut it.

I have TONS of them.  Most of them chapter length.  But here is one of my favorites… just 103 words from HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT.  This is my Main character, thirteen year old Magellan, having a conversation with the Great Goddess.  She basically tells him he needs to save the world:

“Why can’t you just do it yourself?  Aren’t you a Goddess?”

“I can no longer manifest in the world of man.  Darkness has taken
a powerful vessel.  He draws on its strength, and its anger.  I cannot leave
here.”  She raised her arms, and pointed out to the void surrounding them.

“You mean, you’re trapped?”

 

“Darkness alone is nothing.  Darkness in numbers decimates.”

Magellan took a deep breath, and swallowed hard.  “So, what do we do?”

“You are the factotum.  You are my hands, even when they are tied.”

He took a step back.  “You’re kidding, right?  You want me to fight Darkness?”

I don’t know why, but I am really tickled by this short scene.  Even though this didn’t make it into my final draft, I smile every time I read it.

There is just something about a thirteen-year-old boy having a conversation with an ancient, cryptic goddess, and him saying to her… “Say what?”  It just makes me laugh.  I think it’s the pure innocence of a child paired with the ethereal knowledge of a goddess.  I don’t know… it just makes me smile and feel warm inside.

Have you ever written something “short and sweet” that makes you feel like this, but had to cut it for one reason or another?  I’d love to read it.

Send me the link, or post it below (try to keep them to about 100 or so words).   This is your one chance for others to read that special scene that you have stored somewhere because you love it so much.

Artwork by Istvan Szabo:  Preliminary art for HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT (Contracted)

40 Comments

Posted in General Writing Tips, Senseless Ranting

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

“Can you hit a perfect pitch?” Writer’s Contest

Posted on January 15, 2012 | 16 comments

Yay!  I love contests, especially when they mean MAJOR EXPOSURE.  Here’s a great one, sponsored by Brenda Drake.

Here’s the scoop (Copied from Brenda Drake’s website.)

Here’s how the contest is going down …

On January 15th post a two sentence pitch (no more than 35 words) along with the first 150 words (if it falls in the middle of a sentence, go to the end of that sentence) of your finished Young Adult or Middle Grade manuscript to your blogs. From January 15th-16th hop around each others’ blogs and critique or praise them. Revise your entries, if you want, and post them by 8:00am (EST) January 17th to the official entry post. DO NOT POST THEM TO THIS POST. If you want, you may skip the blogfest/critique portion of this contest and just enter the contest. I will have the official post up, along with details on how to format your entries, on January 15th so that you can start posting when you’re ready. To participate, sign up on the linky below. (Go to Brenda’s site to jump on the linky)

You want to know the prizes? The prize (or prizes) is a request to read more from agent, Ammi-Joan Paquette. I’m crossing my fingers for all of you. Have I told you how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE this agent? Okay, well, I can’t say it enough! I totally ❤ her!

What are you waiting for? Sign up now!

Here is my entry.  Please help me decide on Pitch #1 (My original pitch) or #2 (One I came up with tonight)

Please feel free to comment and/or make suggestions.

Title: HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT
Genre: YA Science Fantasy
Word Count: 110,000

Pitch #1:

A common boy unknowingly imprinted with the dangerous powers of the Goddess, must find a way to change his fate and the fate of the galaxy, before a jealous prince manipulated by Darkness murders him.

Pitch#2

A young boy, cursed with a power he cannot control, must save the Goddess before she is smothered by Darkness.  It would be easy, if he could only remember who he really is.

First 150 words:

“I’m not going to sit here locked in a closet all day.” Magellan pulled away from his mother, leaving his whimpering brothers and sisters clinging to her skirts.

“Magellan, come back here.”

“No. I wanna hear Dad’s speech.” He pressed his cheek against a large crack in the door and closed one eye.  Sconces lit the long stone hallway that lead to the auditorium. “I wish I could see something.”

“Get back mine scum!” A guard threw something against the door, slamming the wood against his face.

“Ouch,” Magellan rubbed his cheek. “Jerk.”

Footsteps clomped away, and his mother exhaled. “Magellan, your father said…”

“I know what he said.” Magellan furled his eyebrows.  “Right before they locked us in here.”  He flicked a bug from the damp stone wall beside him. “I’m not a baby anymore. I want to help.”

He ran his fingers across the locking plate, and jumped as flames flashed across the metal, spinning and swirling around it. 

Thanks for looking!

16 Comments

Posted in Writing Contests

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

ROW80 Check-in 10-19-2011

Posted on October 19, 2011 | 7 comments

Well, my first goal was to enter the 50-Word Summary Contest.  Due to the
Nature of the prize, that was my primary focus.  I am happy to say that I took a deep breath and entered.  Thanks to everyone who gave feedback.  Here was my final entry:

Darkness threatens the galaxy from within. Magellan Talbot, a poor miner’s son, is chosen by their Goddess to defeat it.  But a tragic accident erases Magellan’s memory.  If he can’t fight Darkness, it will smother the Goddess and the galaxy with her.  Magellan can prevail, if he could only remember.

Wish me luck!

Goal # 2 was to write a short story.  Unfortunately, I haven’t even started it.  I went off on another tangent, but that’s okay.  If you saw my post yesterday, I made a small change to my novel that had a significant change in the overall “effect”.  So my novel, I hope, actually has an ending now.  To me, this was HUGE.

I am mildly concerned about my short story though.  It was perfectly formed in my head while I was camping over the weekend.  I have the first paragraph scribbled into my journal.  My only hope is that I will still be in the right “emotional state” to write it when I finally get to it.  When you are out in the woods camping, your mind works differently than when you are stuck in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

I missed visiting fellow ROWers on Monday, but I made up for it on Tuesday by tripling my efforts.

Although I am not getting done what I originally hoped to do, I feel exhilarated about what I DID do.  Goals have to change, especially in a creative environment where you never know when Epiphany will hit you on the head with a hammer.  **That’s a Thor reference, for those of you who didn’t see  yesterday’s post.  🙂

7 Comments

Posted in Row 80

Tagged , , , , ,