Story updates

May, I think. Fingers crossed. I'm hoping that Totems 3 will be ready for the public eye by May. Of course, that means I have some work to do. I mean, I'm still revising. Then I have to edit. Then I have to send out to beta readers. And then I have to edit some more. Hmmm...hopefully, May. ;)

I've also got a new series in the works. I haven't fully decided on a series name, yet, but the first book is called "The War Captain." I probably won't release this series until 2017. But I'm so excited about them. Connor is the protagonist of the story. Oookay, you talked me into it. A little bit of Totems 3 and a little bit of The War Captain. :D

"Hestia

Hestia leaned over the shoulder of her dragon, staring down at the ground. Her lips pursed together in fury. They had kicked her off the island! She clenched her hands.

:They will regret it,: Saphala commented. She swiveled her head, searching the land beneath them.

:I was their source of power. The only reason the mages had come to be respected!: Hestia seethed.

:It is true,: Saphala agreed. :But this is not the end. It is a new beginning for us.:

Hestia took deep breaths. :Yes, I must focus on the opportunity being presented.: It was true. Saphala was right. They were no longer confined to the Isle of the Mages. She could now return to her kingdom and take her rightful place as queen.

:What about Ethelinda?: Saphala asked.

Hestia’s lip curled into a sneer. :The girl will not be difficult to deal with. She couldn’t even take the kingdom on her own, let alone keep it from me,: Hestia said, dismissing the worry of Ethelinda.


:What will you do with her?:
:That depends on how she reacts. If she accepts me as the rightful queen, then I may keep her as my heir.: Hestia smiled to herself. That would be the key. If her daughter could bow down gracefully to her or not." "Chapter 1
The nursemaid turned maid bustled through the bedroom, one last time. She took a deep breath, clasping her hands to her chest. It was hopeless. She was going to have to tell High Councilor Elenor. She walked through the corridor, the soft carpet muffling her footsteps. Guards patrolled different sections of the hallway, eyeing her suspiciously before they noted her colors.
She walked to the Councilor’s Hall, heart pounding. This was exactly what the High Councilor told her not to allow to happen. She paused, looking at the guards. “I have an urgent message for her ladyship High Councilor Elenor.” They nodded once, pushing the large wooden door open.
Raised voices assailed her ears. Lady Elenor leaned over the table, jabbing it with her finger for emphasis. “I will not cede another ounce of my land to you! You are already getting my son—“
“Your youngest son. Just because your late husband’s blood flows through his veins—“
“It is because my late husband’s blood—“ she cut off, staring at the maid. “Excuse me,” she said, stalking around the table without waiting for response. She crossed her arms, glaring at the maid. “Well? What is it, Tamissa?”
“I apologize, your Ladyship,” Tamissa whispered. “But he’s done it again.”
“Drat the child,” Elenor muttered.
“What is it, Lady Elenor?”
“You’ll have to excuse me for a moment, Lord Jermaine. I will return presently.” She walked from the chamber, the maid scrambling to keep up. “When did you see him last? He must be presented within the hour!”
“He was at lunch. I went to fetch another pasty for him—he loves them so!—and when I returned he had vanished.”
“I ordered you not to let him out of your sight!”
“I am so sorry, my lady,” she whispered again.
Elenor ignored the maid, leaving the main building for the castle courtyard. A group of men in her colors were drilling to the side, weapons banging noisily against each other and against armor. “Cormick!” she shouted above the sound.
A large man turned from the fray, his eyes falling on his lady. He let out a whistle. The men stopped training, many of them leaning on their knees. “Get a drink, take a rest. When I return, I want every man ready to run.” His announcement was met with groans. He did not stay to hear them. He met Elenor partway across the field and half bowed, eyes never leaving the woman. “My lady?”
“He’s done it again.”
Cormick sighed. “Shall I assemble the men?”
“All of them. He must be found and presentable within the hour.”
Cormick saluted, fist to chest. “It shall be done, my lady.” He turned, striding back to his men. “New orders!” he bellowed. “The first one of you to find Lord Connor will get the rest of this afternoon off.” Jaws dropped and men stared. “Well? Get going!”
Thirty minutes later, a scruffy looking six year old was dragged by the arm into the castle. A trail of mud followed his path. Tamissa scurried to him, sending another to inform Lady Elenor. “Oh my goodness, Lord Connor! What have you done?”
The boy scowled up at the maid through the mud dripping off his chin. “I won,” he muttered, wiping at his dirty face with a dirty sleeve. Mud smeared across his face, only his green eyes seemed free of the ooze.
“What, against pigs? What will your mother say?”
“Damnit!” All three jumped at the curse. “What did I tell you, Connor? This is unacceptable behavior for the son of a High Councilor.” The maid scrubbed futilely at his face with a small handkerchief, making swirls in the mud. “There is no time now. He must meet Idrina. Bring him.”
Connor struggled uselessly against the guard still holding him. He desisted when his mother told him he would lose his training sessions if he did not stop. Sullenly, the boy followed in his mother’s wake. Lord Jermaine’s lip curled at the sight of the boy. “I’m inclined to argue for more land.”
“The contract has been signed,” Elenor snapped. Jermaine sighed and beckoned to a second maid.
“May I present, Lady Idrina.” The maid held a tiny bundle wrapped in cloth out for inspection.
“Well?” Elenor said to Connor. He shrugged up at her. “Go say hello to your bride!”"

The Internet

You don't know how much you use the internet until you don't have it anymore! This last month has been a hectic one for my family and me.

We bought a house (Yeah!). Because of how the loan worked, we didn't know until the actual day of signing if we were moving or not. Which means we didn't have anything packed because we still needed most everything for day to day living. So we signed and packed and moved in two days (Not so yeah!). At this point, we're mostly unpacked, but the move did put a bit of a delay on Totems: Clouds of War. Possibly end of November, although I'm still working my tail off.

We have started round 2 of edits. I have to say, I'm excited for this book. There are a few twists that I didn't see coming until I actually wrote the book. Very excited. :)

I'll keep you updated on how the edits are going. Have a good one!

Interview with Arianwyn

JOAL: Today, we have with us Arianwyn, heroine of the Totems book series. Thank you for being here, Arianwyn.

Arianwyn: Thanks for having me.

JOAL: Let's just jump right in. You're engaged to King Rael now, is that correct?

Arianwyn: It is.

JOAL: How did you two meet? I thought you weren't in the nobility.

Arianwyn: Technically, I'm not. Or maybe I am. I Bonded with a dragon, which makes my  nobility status hard to place. I first met Rael when Tess had me bring him lunch. I was just a servant at the time. He was meeting with the daughters of his thanes, hoping to choose the best one to be his wife. I accidentally discovered the entrance to the Dragon's Cave, a secret closely guarded, and met his dragon. Rael recognized me...well, his dragon recognized me through Rael's eyes...and Rael threatened to kill me if I tried leaving.

JOAL: Love at first sight, huh?

Arianwyn: Absolutely not. He was serious about killing me. It was one of the more terrifying moments in my life.

JOAL: Speaking of your life, what would you say was the catalyst for putting you where you're at now?

Arianwyn: I didn't accept what others were going to give me. I had grown up an orphan in my village. I made my living doing whatever odd jobs I could find. Unfortunately, one of the men decided he deserved more from me than I was willing to give. I decided that I wasn't going to be the victim any longer and took a leap of faith. Sometimes, fate decides our future. Most of the time, we decide our fate.

JOAL: What's Parvati, your dragon, like?

Arianwyn: She's very independent. She grew up in the wild, after all. She only Bonded with me to save her own skin. She's made up for her selfishness, of course. We're very close now...even without the whole Bond.

JOAL: How has the Bond affected you?

Arianwyn: Well, I had already started down the path of independence. I left my village before meeting Parvati and was just deciding to search for work in a village. Bonding Parvati gave me a boost to have a little more confidence in myself and it made me feel safer. I took work in places I might otherwise have avoided, knowing Parvati could save me if I needed her to.

JOAL: What's one thing about the world you would change if you could?

Arianwyn: Child abuse. I was orphaned, and subsequently abused, as a child. In my world, there isn't anyone who champions the orphaned or abused children. I plan on changing that as soon as I'm queen.

JOAL: Where do you see you and King Rael headed in the relationship department?

Arianwyn: Well, we're getting married, aren't we? (chuckles) We seem to get along with each other fairly well. So long as Rael keeps his temper and I don't get into more trouble, I think we'll make an effective team ruling our kingdom.

JOAL: Is it true that there was an attempt on your life?

Arianwyn: It seems to be the only constant in my life, the possibility of death. There was a deliberate attempt, however. Thankfully, Rael employs a very skilled healer and I'm doing fine now. We're still working on tracking down the ones responsible.

JOAL: Let's end this interview on a lighter note, shall we? Tell me about the friends you've made since becoming the king's fiancé.

Arianwyn: First there's Lady Alyssa. She's going to be my lady-in-waiting after we are married. For now, she is my main advisor. She's a sweet little girl, eager to please. We get along really well. Next would be Lady Blythe. She's the daughter of the northern thane. She's one of the most honest, straight-forward people I know. And she makes me laugh. Finally, I would have to put Sigurd, Wymond, Edmund, and Halvard on the list. Those four are my body guards. You don't spend that much time with someone without getting to either like them or hate them. Luckily, I enjoy having them around. They don't just watch my back from physical danger, but they've helped me navigate some of the political dangers as well.

JOAL: Thank you again for joining us, today! It's been nice getting to know you better. Can't wait to meet you in your story.

Arianwyn; Thank you for having me.

Totems Editing

Currently, there are 25 chapters in Totems and I just finished editing chapter 19. I have a feeling that there will be a few more chapters by the time I'm finished! I have this nasty of habit of moving to the main scenes of action and miss the opportunity to subplot and what have you. I've got some work to do, but I believe I'm getting better as a writer. Practice, practice, practice!

We all have dreams. Unfortunately, none of us are born with the perfect ability to do what we wish. We have to practice. I think we tend to have a 'knack' for those things that make us the happiest, an inborn indicator of what dreams we should follow. But a sword that has not been sharpened and honed will never be first choice when it comes to battle. Hahaha! Stupid analogy. But I'm not going to erase it. Maybe someone else will get a chuckle out of it. Again, I have practice to do, clichés to break and create.

I also need pictures! I've got to practice creating book covers, for one thing. And the pictures work well as book covers, in my opinion. Of course, I could be horribly wrong. No one has commented yet on my book cover...no news is good news? Or it could be bad in this case.

New Pages

If you haven't already, take a moment to notice the new pages. :) I figure that if I'm going to be an author, I better give you a place to find what I've written and to keep track of what's coming up! It's also an easier way for me to keep track of what's going on. After teaching junior high for a bit, I know that having a lot of names in your head can get confusing...imagine having entire WORLDS stored up in your head! So, here's my little bit of organization. Hopefully I'll get to add more pages to my blog as more worlds come into being.

First Draft!

The first draft of my second book is complete! :) Totems: The Sword and the Shield. Of course, now comes to tedious part that I think does in most authors...editing! Oh well. I love writing. And I get so excited re-reading things that I've already written! And that excites me even more!

Totems: The Sword and the Shield

"Arianwyn is nothing more than a lowly orphan, passed over and abused in a tiny mountain village where family is everything (Hmmm, maybe I need to make that more prominent in the story). When the abuse becomes too much, she flees the village. She has no hope for a future; she only knows that the present is too painful to continue living.

After living on her own in the woods, she comes across an awesome (and dangerous) creature. A dragon. This dragon, however, has been captured under a magical net. In her attempt to rescue the creature, the dragon forms an unbreakable bond between them.

After fleeing still more abusive situations, Arianwyn finds herself living under the nose of King Rael, a man looking for a wife and hoping for a miracle."

How's that for a book reading? I'll have to ask my beta readers...speaking of which, wanna be a reader? ;)

Fantasy

So, I've got a fantasy novel in the works (another trilogy). It will probably be a few months before it's completed. I'm about 65% of the way finished writing, and then I "get to" edit like mad! Any thoughts on how to do a cover for something like this? I'm really hoping to be able to afford a professional someday for my bookcovers. Christmas, maybe? ;)

The title to this trilogy will be "The Sword and The Shield." Of course, that's kind of long and awkward. Maybe I should just shorten it to "The Shield" and add something like ": The Sword" to it. Hmmm... That's the wonderful thing about editing, is the opportunity to change your mind! :)

Just a quick heads up on it... An orphan girl discovers a dragon and accidentally bonds with it. Things are going fine...until she comes to the attention of the king!