An Interview- Ms. Claudette

 

“Thank you for sitting down with me, Ms. Claudette. How are you doing today?”

“It’s my pleasure, dear, and I’m doing just fine,” she said as she settled into the chair. “It’s nice to step away for a moment. How are you?”

“I’m doing very well, thank you! Shall we get started?”

“Ask away,” she said with a warm smile.

“How are you enjoying your retirement?”

“It’s relaxing,” she said, crossing her legs and leaning back. “My days and my time are my own, and I’m not beholden to much of anything. Spending mornings on my terrace with coffee is wonderful, and I get to see James and Vanessa every morning when they come into the office. I really couldn’t ask for much more.”

“Sounds like you live a pretty happy life.”

“Very much so. I’m incredibly lucky,” she said with another warm smile.

“What would you want to do, hypothetically, if you were to go out and get a job?”

Her brow furrowed as she drummed her fingers on her knee.

“Hmm, that’s a good question. After all I’ve done and all I’ve experienced, I think I’d like to try something different. Maybe working with children in some capacity. I think I might be good at that, watching out for them and teaching them some of the basics of caring for yourself.”

“I think you’d be good at it too. Those would be lucky children.”

“Well, thank you! You flatter me,” she said with a laugh.

“What’s a hobby you have?”

“Oh, I have quite a few,” she said thoughtfully. “I started knitting when I was young. That’s something I’ve maintained over the years. It’s always good to keep your hands busy. I also help out with rescuing cats and, on occasion, nursing them back to health. Those are the two that are at the forefront. It would take me all day to go through all the bits and pieces of everything I’ve started and would like to finish.”

“What got you started on knitting?”

“With how storied my history has been,” she said with a sly smile, “it was just something nice. As a little girl, I used scraps of whatever I could find just to see something happy come together. Once I was able to get myself into stable living, it was a little easier to find materials. It’s just always been a bright spot.”

“I know things were rough for you for a long time. I’m glad you found something to bring you joy. Is rescuing cats how you ended up with four?”

“In a way, yes. I foster a lot of cats, and some of them just decide they are staying here. That’s the thing with cats. They set up shop where they want to set up shop. It’s their world; we’re just living in it,” she said with a laugh. “I just like seeing them happy. Being able to take in a wee one that’s struggling, nursing them back to health, and seeing them thrive and play is a feeling that’s hard to match.”

“That is just so kind of you. You are a lovely woman.”

“You flatter me,” she said as she dropped her chin and smiled. “It’s more selfish than anything. I get to have a lot of adorable kittens in my life and see them off to good homes. They fill my heart.”

“What skill do you have that might be surprising?”

“I’m a very surprising woman,” she said as she threw her head back, laughing. “I’m small and appear unassuming. I’m pretty plain and unmemorable when out. I can see you have something to say about that, but don’t worry… I wasn’t being self-deprecating, just factual. In my opinion, plain and unmemorable is an asset. I know most don’t see it that way, but it lets you move around as you’d like without drawing attention to yourself. You can get up to all kinds of mischief when people’s gaze just skips over you.”

“That’s an interesting take on it.”

“We were all born exactly as we are, and all we can do is use what we have. I’ve made quite a bit of money at poker. No one thinks someone like me could be such a shark,” she said with a wicked grin. “I don’t know if that answers your question, but I can accomplish a lot by allowing everyone to decide I’m not really anything to pay attention to. You know, until you obtain a national reputation…”

“I’d like to talk about that some.”

“Maybe another time, dear,” she said with a gentle smile. “I don’t have much time left before I need to get back.”

“Fair enough. We are almost done here. What does the perfect vacation look like to you?”

“The last couple years of my life have been the perfect vacation. Relaxing mornings, surrounded by my cats, all the free time in the world to fill with whatever strikes my fancy. It’s been really wonderful.”

“But what about places you’d want to go?”

“Why would I want to go anywhere? It’s so lovely here,” she said, holding her hands out, gesturing around. “I have everything I could ever want or need right here.”

“What about a perfect date?”

“Going to the range!” she said excitedly. “Not only can you compete for the best shot, but how someone holds a bow can be telling. I want a sense of adventure, someone that can’t see the adventure in everyday things just can’t keep my interest for long.”

“You really are full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“I never want to get predictable,” she said with a wink.

“I think I’ve taken up enough of your time, Ms. Claudette. Thank you again for sitting down with me.”

“It was an honor, and I’d love to do it again sometime,” she said as she stood with unnerving grace and ambled to the portal that would take her back.

Rage Cover Reveal!

 As the book progressed, I had a vague idea of what the cover might be. However, I was open to anything. My mom asked if she could have free rein on it. She's a fantastic artists, so of course I told her she could. She hand drew the image and did some digital enhancements. I'm pretty excited about it! So, I present to you: The cover of Rage!

Fancy Meeting You Here...

 

It has become very apparent that I'm horrible at maintaining a blog! I always come out here with grand intentions of being right on top of everything… so far, it hasn’t been going as planned. But! Just because there is a lag in content here doesn’t mean I’m not doing the writing/editing thing. Things have gone a little off the rails here in other ways. After a lengthy battle with Naomi’s school over their refusal to protect her from bullies (she was literally cornered into a bathroom, held against the wall, and threatened more than once) and their inability to accommodate her cognitive processing disorder… I’m now homeschooling her. It’s been interesting, to say the least. However, she has made more progress with me in five months than she did in almost eight years in trad school. The rant I could give you about the ways kids with a different approach to learning are treated by school systems is long and full of obscenity. We are in a better rhythm now, so I have dedicated work time again (instead of hard cramming it in on nights and weekends). I have plans to keep the blog up again. We’ll see how that goes.

On to book things! Into the Flames is officially ready to go out once I have a finalized cover! The cover is almost done too! I decided to smoosh the two short stories into the book rather than publish them separately. It’s still rougher than I would like it to be, but I think that’s ok. I’m seriously hoping Into the Flames will be published on February 13. It should be, buuuut we’ll see!

I’m working on final edits to Rage. My beta readers have been amazing and have pointed out a small mountain of things that need to be addressed. It’s a little overwhelming at times, but all of it will make Rage better. I’m excited to get it all polished up and things!

So! Here’s to a better-maintained blog and speedy edits!

PS. I'm starting a new thing with pictures either at the beginning or end of the posts. Why? I think it sounds like a good idea lol

I've started trying to keep my nails done. I feel better when I do, and, I mean, they look nice! It helps that I have LED UV light and gel polish so I can do it myself! 

I've also started changing up my phone screen for each month! (Don't mind the calendar, figured I should remove the names from my schedule!)

Beta and Edits

 After a couple severe illnesses and some personal matters came into play... I am back on here! I have been pushing through with the writing/editing processes! It's been a journey for sure!

Rage is officially up for beta (and has been for about three weeks now)! I'm most likely running the beta through early October. After that I need to push it over to my editor (who is also my cover artist, yay for knowing a professional graphic designer/corporate editor). My mom is still working on drawing the map up for me. Right now it is still just a loose, and kind of sad, paint drawing. I'm seriously hoping for a February release date. My grandma's birthday is February 13th. We lost her this past December She was one of the greatest human beings I've ever known. She was the second person to buy the first thing I ever published (beaten out only by my mom). She always made sure I knew she was proud of me. She is greatly missed, and it would mean a lot to me to dedicate the publication of one of my books to her.

Into the Flames is more than halfway through the massive overhaul I'm putting it through. Even with all the changes I've made to it, it still doesn't quite sound like the writer I have become. I've decided it will just have to be acceptable enough. The second book in the series will sound a lot more like me as I am now. 

Looking forward, the second book in the Spirit of Fire series is up next. Once I have that written and out there for beta and edits, I'll be jumping back to Justified. This blog should start getting back to regularly scheduled posts soon. I'm still trying to find my rhythm again after all of the crazy of the past few months (thanks to scheduling way in advance, the posts continued on for a while after I had to take a step back). 

Rage Excerpt 13: The Interrogation

 I assessed him a minute, glanced to Lexi, and tipped my head toward the door. She only hesitated a minute before getting up and leaving the room. After the door closed behind her, I waited a minute longer. The prisoner was still laughing. I’ve been told I have “Alpha blood” in me. Time to test that. Hopefully Lexi got the hint and would keep Nic and Ty out.

I took a slow deep breath and flicked my wrist, yanking the chair out from underneath him and shattering it against the wall behind him. I leaned back and crossed my arms. He was on the floor, awkwardly trying to get up since his hands were still chained to the top of the table.

Once he was on his feet, he tried to yell something at me, but squinted at the collar on his neck and tightened it. I steeled myself for what was next. Nic was going to kill me if this guy didn’t.

I waved my hand absentmindedly, snapping the chain that was connecting him to the table. He started to move toward me, and I let him.

“You want to know why he “bows” to me?” I asked, with a calm only years of practice had given me. His hands reached out to my neck, and I let them get within inches. I seized the steel cuffs with my magic and yanked them straight up into the air, so quickly and violently he cried out as the strain on his shoulders intensified.

“You see, he didn’t find me very intimidating either. Until he went head to head with me.” He was on his tiptoes, unable to pull his hands back down. I tightened the steel so his wrists couldn’t slide through. I hadn’t moved at all from the causal pose I had taken up when I sent Lexi out. “I want information. You are going to give it to me. Whether it’s by sitting at this table or getting slowly pulled apart by my friends.”

Just as quickly as I flung his cuffs into the air, I slammed them down almost to the ground, bringing him to his knees. I stood up and took a step closer to him. He raised his head defiantly as I stood over him.

“Look at that. It’s your turn to bow.” I walked in a slow circle around him, concealing my shaking hands. “You’ve got 30 seconds to make that decision before I fling your cuffs to the ceiling and invite them in to do as they please.”

“You bitch…” he started.

“Yes, I know. I’m told I can be quite the pain in the ass.”

“I won’t give you anything. Send the wolf in and I will tell him what he wants to know.”

I flicked my wrist and brought his cuffs up to waist height, watching as he struggled to stand. I looked him right in the eye before tipping my head to one side.

“I have that effect on people. Sure you can talk to him. If I’m not happy though…” I clicked my tongue.

I moved his cuffs slowly over to the table, then made the chair I had been sitting in zoom over to his side. Once he sat down, I scooted him and fused the cuffs to the table.

“Be right back,” I said brightly.

As soon as I closed the door behind me, I doubled over. My hands and legs shaking violently. I heard the door to the viewing room open, and wasn’t able to hide the shaking. It was Lexi, with a gleam in her eye.

“The boys would like a word with you,” she said formally.

I shook myself, literally and physically, and nodded to her. I straightened my spine, capped my emotions, and braced for the whirlwind that was about to come out of that door.

This excerpt was taken from a lightly edited first draft. All content here may be changed or removed from the final book. 

Rage Excerpt 12: Open Attack

 I couldn’t get the door open fast enough. Ty and Tray tried to stop me, but after one fierce glare they let me be.

The room was filling with smoke. Nic was already rushing around to bring everyone into the main rom. I looked around, but I couldn’t tell where the smoke was coming from. It just seemed to be everywhere.

“What happened?” I asked Nic.

“I have no idea. The window shattered and smoke started pouring it.”

“Have you seen any flames?”

“None.”

“They want to flush us out. For some reason they don’t want to launch an outright attack on a Committee building,” I said as I brought my sleeve up to cover my face. The smoke was getting thicker.

“Vanessa… we can’t stay in here, we’ll suffocate,” he said amidst a fit of coughing.

“We can’t go outside either. The room next to us, is it empty?” I asked.

When Ty nodded, we all started moving at once. It didn’t take me long to get the lock open with a bit of magic. They really should ward against that. I jerked my head toward the window, and James and I crept up to it. Slowly and carefully I pulled the curtain back just enough to peer through.

There were two witches in the courtyard behind the building. One of them was coaxing a small fire to increase in intensity, while the other was directing the smoke through our broken window.

“Thomas still has his bow and we’ve got your magic,” James murmured to me as we watched. 

“I’ve got a better idea. I was able to catch the signature of one of the Committee member’s magic,” I said with a grin. “That means I can send him a fire message.”

“What will that get us?” Nic asked.

“We can get the Guard to surround them. So far we’ve had to play defense. I’m more than a little ready for some offence.”

James kept an eye on the witches in the courtyard while I slipped away to send the message. I didn’t want to be too close to them, but they would feel my magic either way. At least this would only be a little burst.

It wasn’t long before my phone rang.

“Parker,” I answered.

“I have contacted the Guard. I also warned them you might send something out from the second floor. I wouldn’t want them storming up to get you too.”

“I appreciate that. Do you have any witches on staff?” I asked.

“None that will be close enough to help. What do you have in mind, Ms. Parker?”

“Just little containment.”

“Very well. I shall meet with you in your room soon. We don’t have time to wait.”

“We helped ourselves to the room next door,” I said.

“Very well.”

We both hung up, and I turned to Cassidy.

“You up for a bit of containment?” I said with a grin.

“I would love to be of assistance,” she replied.

“I will aid as well. I would like to see firsthand what we are up against,” Randle added.

The three of us went to the window and watched as the witch’s frustration grew. They hadn’t expected it to take us this long to leave.

I focused on the fire for a minute, trying to gauge the amount of power being used to keep it alive. It didn’t seem like he was worried about it getting snuffed out.

“As soon as that fire goes out get ready to freeze them where they stand,” I murmured.

I took a deep breath, shattered the window with a brief touch, and flung a solid chunk of magic at the flame. It went out immediately, much to the surprise of the witch fanning it. Before they could react, their bodies froze mid movement. I summoned more of my magic and did my best to mimic the bubble they had used against me more than once. I wasn’t as strong as they were, but I hoped it would hold.

“I don’t think we can hold them for long,” Randle said through gritted teeth. “Their magic is fighting hard against ours. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“The Guard needs to hurry then.”

I felt a surge of magic join mine. It surprised me enough that I almost lost my grip on mine.

“I can help you keep their magic in check,” Gus said as he stepped up next to me.

Dex also squeezed in and added his magic to Cassidy and Randle’s. Still, they were focused and strong. I didn’t know what was taking the Guard so long.

“In Vale they train fairies with witches in combat. They learn how to fight each other. It isn’t so much that they are strong, it’s that they are skilled at exploiting weakness in other’s magic,” Gus said. “While their governance is brutal, their unity among races is unmatched.”

“Perfect. That should make this easier,” I snarked. 

This excerpt is taken from a lightly edited first draft. All content here may be changed or removed from the final book.

The Proposal; The other Side

 A glimpse into what happened at the safe house to get ready for the proposal. 

A frenzy of activity started as soon as Vanessa left with James and Ellie. While Vanessa and James had set off to get coffee, Ellie showed Cassidy where her mother’s decorations were kept. Everyone wanted to get moving after we ate. Some of the decorations were too formal, and some were too holiday-centric, but others were just about perfect.

Cassidy sent Gus off to procure some seeds for her stash at their house after Thomas told them what he was thinking, and he was going to stop and grab Thomas one of his suits. While he was gone, Thomas, Cassidy, and Ms. Claudette got to cleaning. The place was well taken care of; Vanessa and Gus reckoned it was some sort of stasis spell that kept dust from accumulating while it was unoccupied.

“The couch will need to be shifted out of the way,” Thomas said. “I want to be able to walk straight through here.”

“We can turn it and slide it up against the wall instead of having it out in the middle. The table behind it can be moved in front of it for the time being,” Cassidy answered.

“I think we should extend the path into the entryway,” Ms. Claudette said. “He will see the flowers everywhere but won’t have the full effect of this room immediately. It would build up the anticipation as he walked around the corner.”

“I love that!” Thomas said excitedly. “Will you have enough seeds to do that?”

“I can generate more,” Cassidy said with a wink.

When Gus got back with pots, vases, and seeds, Cassidy set to work on the flowers while Gus took her place in cleaning. While he didn’t like using his magic for mundane things, they had a lot to do and not much time to do it. He slid the furniture around with ease while Thomas decided precisely where it needed to go. Watching Thomas scrutinize every detail and want it to be perfect for James caused some tears to well up in Gus’s eyes. Thomas was thinking through everything he knew James loved. Everything from furniture angles, lighting quality, flower fragrance, and unique relations and meanings behind it all.

“This is as much for you as for him,” Cassidy said.

“None of those details matter to me. I don’t care about the lighting strength and how it might change the feel of a room. James does. He is meticulous, thorough, and on top of everything all the time. It would make him happy to have all of these things right, even if he would never mention it if I didn’t do it. I want him to be happy.”

Cassidy burst into tears and threw herself into Thomas’s arms. Her tears brought some to Thomas’s eyes too. Ms. Claudette turned away, trying to stop tears from spilling down her cheeks.

“We still have a lot to do,” she said in a carefully controlled voice. “And Thomas still needs to change and grab the stone he picked out.”

“You’re right,” Cassidy said, sniffling as she released Thomas. “There will be time for all of this later. I’m just so happy for them!”

Cassidy went back to the flowers. They were coming along nicely as she coaxed them to keep growing. She caressed their leaves softly and cooed at them as they bloomed. She carefully potted some of them and asked others to release flowers for her so she could put them in various vases.

When Ellie came through the portal, it startled everyone. They weren’t expecting anyone until Vanessa gave them a warning.

“It’s me,” Ellie said quickly. “Oh my Gods, it’s so beautiful! And it’s not even done yet!”

“It’s getting there,” Cassidy said, still sniffling. “The plants should be ready soon, but I’m not sure what else we need to get done. How come you’re back?”

“I have to drop this off. James really wanted to come back to talk to you, Thomas, but Vanessa told him we didn’t have time.”

“He’ll be weirded out by that,” Thomas said, a little worried.

“I know, but he will understand soon enough,” Ellie said. “How much longer do you need?”

“Maybe… like, an hour?”

“Ok, I have to go now, but I’ll make sure we aren’t ready to head back before then!”

Ellie popped back into the portal, and it closed. She was only here about a minute, two tops. Thomas pointed out some of the metallic decorations and, after a discussion with Ms. Claudette, decided the best way to put them up to reflect the lighting the way he wanted. Candles and lanterns were lit and placed around the room to give an intimate feel. He had decided the overhead lights were too bright and harsh for the moment.

Thomas gave a few last-minute instructions before he slipped off to put his suit on. Gus didn’t go by James and Thomas’s house for a suit like he said he was. He bought him a brand new one in charcoal gray. As he slowed pulled it on, he realized Gus had done the alterations himself. The suit fit perfectly. Thomas stood in front of the mirror and turned slowly, looking at it from all angles. He had no idea how Gus managed something like this so quickly, but it was perfect. He could feel his eyes welling up again and tipped his head back to hold them in.

Gus sent vases and pots gliding through the air as he took instruction from Cassidy and Ms. Claudette. He threw in an opinion on occasion, but he thought the flowers looked beautiful wherever they were placed.

“The sweetpeas shouldn’t be in the entryway,” Gus said. “They are his favorite, so he should be surrounded by them when he is asked.”

“Oh, that’s lovely!” Cassidy said. “I think if they are all in there, the peonies should be too. I think that would have the best feel to it.”

Since that was settled. Gus guided several pots into place simultaneously while Ms. Claudette and Cassidy swept away all the unused decorations and the seed packets, empty pots, and cuttings.

As Thomas came down the stairs, they turned to look at him. He looked fantastic. His sandy hair was ruffled and unruly since he kept running his hands through it, but it was charming. An outward sign of nervousness and excitement.

“I’ll be in there,” Thomas said, gesturing to the door leading into the kitchen. “When he comes in, can you guys open the door so I know it’s time for me to come out?”

“Of course,” Gus said as Cassidy sniffled, fresh tears running down her face. “Fire message. Are we ready?”

“Tell her to give us a few more minutes,” Thomas said as he ran his hand through his hair again.

“Everything is perfect, dear,” Ms. Claudette said as she smoothed his lapels. “You look fetching, and you can feel the love you have for him in each and every aspect of this room. Take a deep breath, and go wait behind that door.”

“Thank you,” he said as he pulled her into a hug.

Gus and Cassidy each got a hug before he strode through the door. Ms. Claudette settled herself on a chair in the corner. Gus pulled on a suit coat. His pants were a little dusty, but he wasn’t worried about that. Cassidy straightened her sweater and picked off invisible lint while she waited.

They heard the portal open, and both held their breath. They heard Vanessa mumble something just before James stepped into view. His eyes were wide, and his hands were shaking slightly. You could see the warmth sweep over him as he took in the scene before him. A tear spilled down his cheek as he turned to hug Vanessa. Gus pushed the door open, revealing Thomas. The pure love and admiration that swept over James’s face as he saw Thomas sent more tears cascading down Cassidy’s cheeks. But James didn’t notice quite yet; he only had eyes for Thomas.

It is done!

Ok, not DONE done... Rage is officially written! Now it's on to editing. I have to do a major overhaul that includes: continuity, plugging plot holes, making sure everything is as fleshed out (or vague) as I imagined it, and my technical due diligence. After that, it's off to my lovely betas! They have to let me know what works, what doesn't, and whether or not they would buy it if they didn't know me. Followed by more edits of mine. Finally, off to my editors to make it all shiny and ready for consumption. I'm hoping this process will only take 4ish months, but I can't promise that. 

However, once I get through the overhaul, I will get going on the second book. I won't be getting excerpts out for the second book until a few weeks after the first book's release. I'm going to try to get some extra's rolling, though! There are already two more excerpts from the first book scheduled and a peek into the Thomas and James story! 

But! As it stands now, Rage is 365 pages and 115,669 words! I'm tired and happy and about to go enjoy some very nice apple brandy to celebrate its (sort of) completion! Cheers!

Rage Excerpt 11: The Date

 “Thank you, Vanessa. Now you take care of yourself, and don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”

“I won’t. You enjoy your night.”

When I hung up, I felt lighter.

“I wouldn’t have thought of that,” Nic said, startling me.

“What?” I asked as I turned to face him.

“Asking Raffe for support with the Committee.”

“Well, you don’t work for or with him, so it might be weird for you to call him,” I teased.

“He probably wouldn’t even take my call,” he said with mock hurt.

“What are you doing out here, Mr. Corbeau?”

“Well, Ms. Parker, I’m taking you on a date.”

“You’re doing what now,” I said with a bit of disbelief. “We are camping out for the third day in a row, which means no showers or clean clothes. Not to mention tomorrow is a make or break kind of day.”

“I know,” he said with a mischievous grin.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “I’ll give you this, you sure are persistent.”

“You did tell me you’d let me take you out.”

“That I did… Your timing is impeccable.”

“I know,” he said with an even bigger grin.

He walked slowly toward me and held his hand out, the question in his eyes. I could tell he was afraid I would reject him again. He really was sweet when he wasn’t being an ass. I put my hand in his and nodded. His answering smile made it all worth it.

This excerpt is taken from a lightly edited first draft. All content here may be changed or removed entirely from the final book.

Rage Excerpt 10: The Rescue

Dex gave me a panicked look before scurrying off, no doubt to tell Randle what happened. As soon as the door closed behind us, I pointed to the balcony, and everyone followed me. I created a box of silence for us to talk in.

 “That sadistic bitch! We can’t leave without Cassidy!” Nic growled as soon as the box was covering him.

“We aren’t. We just need a plan,” I replied. “The problem is, I don’t know where they are keeping her…”

Just then, a small rock flew into view and tumbled across the balcony. I held up my hand before creeping to the edge of the balcony and peering down. Randle was looking up at me. He looked disheveled. He started to open his mouth, but I shook my head and held up a finger. I turned and slipped back into my box.

“Randle is down there. I’m going to bring him up,” I said. 

“Is that a good idea?” Nic asked. “He’s one of them.” 

“He helped her before. Maybe he’ll do it again.”

Nic and Ellie both nodded. Tray was silent. I walked back to the edge and held my fingers to my lips. He nodded. I called on my magic and used a gust of wind to bring him up. He was so surprised, he almost called out, but at the last second, he brought his hands to his mouth. He landed harder than was intended, but I was trying to keep from using the magic for too long. I held up my finger again, telling him to wait, and I expanded the box. I made sure he could sit on the table comfortably without touching the box. I gestured from him to get on the table. He looked confused, but nodded and came forward. As he passed through the boundary of magic, he shuddered and quickly scrambled onto the table. 

“What was that?” he whispered. 

“You don’t have to whisper in here. I made a soundproof box. No one can hear us.” 

“That is really amazing,” he said with a touch of awe. “I have heard a lot about you, Vanessa. I have tried to keep tabs on you to make sure Cassidy was ok. You do not disappoint.” 

“Thank you? I think?” I said as I furrowed my brow. “I’m not thrilled about the spying thing… but we can talk about that later. Tell me, how can we help Cassidy?”

“It is… well… I know where she is being held. I do not know how to release her. The Queen will not let me enter, and you cannot leave your room.” 

“Lucky for all of us, I’m not good at following the rules. Does her room have a window?” I asked. He nodded, looking perplexed. “Perfect. How I just got you up here? I can get her down from up there.” 

“But then we will still be trapped. You will never make it off the grounds. Once Cassidy is discovered as freed, I will lose my life for treason, so I will be of no assistance to you.” 

“First of all, you will not be dying today. Not if I can help it.” 

“You cannot. The Queen will not be persuaded by an outsider.” 

“Randle, you underestimate me,” I said with a grin. “Your Queen does too. Do you trust me?” 

“Yes,” he said with no hesitation. 

“Good, then saving your life will be easy. Now, tell me what I need to know about this room Cassidy is in.”

This excerpt is taken from a lightly edited first draft. The content here may change or be removed all together from the final book. 

The 'Rona

Around the beginning of the year, I started paying very close attention to the news. By the time Naomi's school closed for the remainder of the school year, I was already sufficiently inundated with news coverage of how bad the pandemic could be. After schools closed, I became a teacher. The district wasn't prepared to move to online instruction, and the lessons were more than lacking. So, I took over. Months of fighting with a teenager about the importance of History and how even if you think grammar is stupid... you still have to learn it ensued. 

I haven't sat down to write in so long, I can't even remember where I left off. So, this week I've picked up Rage again. I'm taking the time to edit extensively first. I will be trying to get back into the swing of things. It might take some time to get content flowing at regular intervals again, but I'm working on it. 

As a bonus, this is how well editing is going. Alexandria is helping (yes, that is a paper copy of my book she is laying on...)

Rage Excerpt 9

Can you guess who these two are? 

“We should probably head back,” he rasped.

He stood up and offered his hand. I took it and let him pull me to my feet. When he turned to walk back, I stepped up next to him and pulled him into me.

“Not yet,” I said softly.

I slid my arms over his shoulders and pulled him closer. This time he didn’t move quite as slow. He pressed his lips to mine, but I deepened the kiss. I wanted to feel more of him. I wanted to be in this moment with him just a little longer.

Rage Excerpt 8

Context: a conversation between Nic and Vanessa. 

“Walk me through what you’re thinking,” he said softly.

“That isn’t going to help anyone, but I appreciate the offer.”

“Remember how we talked about letting me help you?”

“Yes, I do. However, I’m not just going to jump right in and share all my deepest darkest secrets.”

“I’m not asking you to,” he said softly. “I’m asking you to tell me what you’re thinking right now. Just one.”

I sighed. Pacing around a little faster, I was trying to decide how much to lean on him. He did want to help, but he was expecting too much out of me.

Rage Excerpt 7

The horses came to a stop by a set of blue-green colored glass doors. The way the light shined off them, they almost looked like seawater. The gardens here were the most incredible I’ve ever seen. Flowers from all the seasons bloomed and thrived together. I slid off my horse, still marveling at the beauty around me. As tired as I was, I just wanted to stay right here and admire the view.

Randle came around to my side of the horses, a knowing grin on his face. I could hear the others climbing out of the carriage as I looked around wistfully one more time.

“Your quarters are ready for you. You will have two rooms. They are adjoining. So you may meet and settle without worry of others,” Randle said as he approached me. He placed his hands on both of my shoulders and leaned in to kiss my cheek, a high honor from a fairy of royal blood. “Do not drink the wine,” he whispered, barely audible, against my skin.”

“Thank you again for everything you’ve done,” I said with a smile and a slight nod. Everyone made their way over to us.

“It is my honor, Vanessa. Now, I have business to tend to. Dex will escort you from here.”

Rage Excerpt 6

This is a short one. For a little context, Cassidy and Vanessa are setting up wards in the middle of the woods where they are making camp. 

“Everything will work out, and once we are done, I’ll get us portaled to Gus.”

That got a smile out of her. They hadn’t really been apart since they got to Kadence. That alone had to be hard on them both.

“I can’t wait to see him again. Is that silly?” she asked. “It hasn’t even been a whole day yet.”

“It’s not silly, it’s very sweet. Just a couple more days, hopefully.”

We went silent again as we finished up. When we got back to the shelter, we made the boys go inside before we followed.

We settled in, and I started to drift off, but then there was howling.

It came from everywhere at once. That’s when Cassidy and I felt our magic triggered. We were surrounded. 

Rage Excerpt 5

Originally posted on Tumblr May 18th, 2018

I finished up my shower and decided I wanted a snack. I slipped on my sweats and went up to the kitchen, found a copper pot, and added oil and the kernels. As I was getting butter out, I heard someone come into the kitchen. I turned around to see Nic ambling over.

“Aren’t you supposed to sleeping?” I asked.

“I could say the same to you.”

“Fair enough.” I popped the butter in the microwave and heard him pull out one of the stools to sit. We were both quiet for the time being. I pulled out a big bowl for the popcorn, and coated it in butter. I sat at one of the stool next to him and set the bowl between us. “Help yourself.”

“To the popcorn?” he asked with a smile.

“No, to the mound of bacon I set down next to you,” I quipped. His smile only grew.

“So why are you still up?”

“A lot on my mind,” I said as I tossed some popcorn in my mouth. “You?”

“Same. Cal is looking much better though, so that helps. I can never thank Cassidy enough for that.”

“Cassidy loves to help people, all she asks in return is appreciation. Don’t ever take her for granted and that is good enough for her.”

“What about what’s good enough for you?”

“Don’t take her for granted, show more appreciation than you think is acceptable, and don’t piss me off.”

He took a small handful of popcorn and nodded slightly.

“I feel like that last one is going to be a challenge,” he said thoughtfully.

I laughed and tossed some popcorn at him as he grinned.

**All excepts are lightly edited from a first draft. All content may be changed or removed from the final product.**

Love and Relationships

Originally posted to Tumblr on May 25, 2018. This post was apart of the user created FicFest, and the theme of the day was romance.

I have two relationships I want to showcase today. First is James and Thomas. I really love these two, and this is an excerpt from Rage:

The entry way was breathtaking. Pale pink cherry blossoms interspersed with red honeysuckles lined the walls, and vases of crimson lilies and blue and green dahlias made a pathway toward the living room; it created the most intoxicating scent. It was an incredible display meaning beauty, happiness, passion, and commitment respectively.

James was standing to my left still awestruck. I smiled at him and nudged him forward. His eyes glistening, he started slowly forward. I followed closely behind him, heart racing, hands trembling. James was like a brother to me, and seeing all of this done for him made me love Thomas all the more. As he turned to the living room he came to an abrupt halt, and I bumped into his shoulder. He reached down to take my hand.

Peering over his shoulder I saw why. Red and pink peonies and purple and pink sweet peas covered every surface. Sweet peas were his favorite. Gus and Cassidy were standing on either side of the doorway across from us. Gus was fidgeting with the sleeves of his jacket, and had tears rolling down his cheeks. Cassidy looked like she had been crying most of the day, and her damp lapels seemed to confirm it. They both dipped their heads to James before pushing the door open. Thomas was standing there with a shy smile. His charcoal grey suit looked brand new. His hands were in his pockets, but it didn’t hide his jittery fingers.

I squeezed James’s hand once before letting go. He turned and gave me a hug, squeezing me tightly and whispered, “check out the neighbors my ass.” I kissed his cheek and grinned at him.

“What are best friends for?”

He swiped at his eyes before turning around and walking further into the room. They both walked slowly and deliberately, meeting halfway. Thomas took his hands, and smiles nervously. Ellie and I slipped a little further into the room, but stayed out of the way. I saw Ms. Claudette sitting in a chair in the corner of the room and gave her a small wave.

“Do you remember how we met?” Thomas practically whispered.

“I do,” James said with a laugh. “I called you an entitled jackass after you spilled coffee all over V and tried to make her pay for it.”

“It was a rough day, but I did apologize for that,” Thomas said with a grin.

“You still owe me a skirt,” I mumbled.

He flashed me a smile, before stepping in closer to James.

“That day was one of the best and the worst days for me. I very nearly lost everything, but then I met you. Granted, at first it was my rage at your audacity that kept me going, but then I ran into you a few more times, not literally thank the gods. I started to notice how kind you were to everyone around you, even me. How your smile lit up the room. I think your eternally optimistic view of the world started to rub off on me.”

He looked down, his voice had started to quiver. He was rubbing the pad of his thumb slowly back and forth over the back of James hand.

“You forgave me and convinced Vanessa not to murder me when I asked for your number. You’ve taught me how to cope with the stress of my job. You’ve taught me how important empathy is. You still love me even when I forget those things and lose my temper. James, having you in my life is more than I could have ever hoped for.”

My heartbeat sped up, and goosebumps spread across my skin. Tears were threatening to spill over as I watched the most heartwarming love sweep over my best friends face. Tears had started to slowly slide down his cheeks. I could hear Cassidy and Ellie sniffling, but I was too transfixed by James to glance at them.

“I want to wake up to you every morning. Fall asleep next to you every night. I want to stand in the bright shine of your empathy and compassion every day. I want to listen to your worries and soothe your fears. I want to grow old with you, and build that small cabin on Oasis Lake. I want all your tomorrows.”

Thomas’s voice started to quiver even more. Tears were spilling faster, and it looked like he had started squeezing James’s hands. My breath hitched as I failed to keep the tears back. Thomas reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, vivid purple stone. It was an oval amethyst, jaggedly cut in half. Thomas bowed his head slightly.

“James would you do me the honor of binding your soul to mine for the rest of our days?”

“It would be my honor,” James breathed as he placed his hands gently on either side of Thomas’s face. He leaned in slowly and kissed him. Thomas’s arms slid around his waist and pulled him closer, holding on to him tightly.

I was the first of the rest of us to move. I sprung to my feet, whistling while I clapped. The others followed suit, and when Thomas and James broke apart, Thomas was blushing, but I had never seen him happier. I ambled over to James and pulled him into a hug.

“I’m so happy for you,” I whispered, squeezing him harder.

“Thank you,” he said back. I held on to him a moment longer, but had to let go for everyone else to have a turn.

The second one is Gus and Cassidy. This happens fifteen years before the start of Rage. I decided to write this out for this fest. I think I will write a lot more of their story sometime soon, but for now, the proposal:

It had been a long day, but Gus had seemed so excited to have dinner she couldn’t bear to say no. At least it was cooling down. The setting Harvest sun not quite as harsh as Torrid was. She wished she had time to shower, but she was running late as it was. The park Gus wanted to meet in was in neutral territory. They wouldn’t have to worry as much about prying eyes. The last several years had been rough. Neither of them were able to get their races to understand. They hadn’t meant to fall in love after all. They didn’t even know the sort of chaos it would bring.

When the park came into view, she wasn’t even sure what she was seeing. There were lights strung up over all the trees. They twinkled pale blues and yellows. An archway had been erected just inside the gate. Snap dragons flourished at its base, with lilac and trumpet vine weaving through the wooden spokes. She took a deep breath and held is as she stepped under the beautiful arch. There were candles and snap dragons everywhere. Vibrant colors made it all the more lovely by the twilight.

Randle stepped forward to pull her into a tight hug. Her cousin’s presence here explained having so many off season flowers looking so lovely. He held on a little longer than normal for fairies. When he stepped back his eyes were shining.

“You’re a very lucky woman, Issy. I’m always on your side,” he said softly as he led her over to a table she hadn’t seen before.

Cassidy tried to ask him what was going on, but he shook his head slightly and pulled out a chair. She sat down, looking wide eyed around the park. So much had gone into this.

Gus stood near the entrance of the park mostly shielded by a tree. The look of awe on Cassidy’s face made everything worth it. Without her cousin’s help, he wouldn’t have been able to create this for her. He watched Randle get her settled into a chair and slip out of the park. He took a deep breath and walked out from his hiding spot.

She was breathtaking as always. Her golden hair was piled on top of her head. She would say she looks like a wreck, but this was how she was the most beautiful to him. He ambled over to her, his smile portrayed more confidence than he felt.

“Gus… this is beautiful,” she said softly.

“I’m glad you think so, it looks like I’m off to a good start,” he replied. He dropped to one knee and took both of her hands in his. “The last few years with you have been incredible. Even with only stolen moments and secret dates, it’s been the greatest part of my life.”

“Oh Gus, I love you,” she breathed.

“I want all of my days to be spent with you. Run away with me Issy. Run away and affirm me.”

“It could never work. I love you deeply, but the fairies will never condone an affirmation.”

“It could. Randle has been helping me. We can slip out into the woods outside the city. It would take a few days, but we could make our way to Kadence. Randle found a witch that earned the attention of Raffe. She could help us.”

“Raffe? The gangster that owns almost all the docks in Hearth? How can anyone associated with him be of any meaningful help for us?”

“She has connections that could help, plus she already has a reputation for being bold and defiant.”

“I… is it really possible?” she asked tentatively.

“It is if you want it to be. Run away with me and make me the happiest man in existence.”

“Yes,” she laughed. “Yes, let’s do it! When can we leave?”

“Right now. Randle packed a bag for you and will meet us at the wall tonight.”

He pulled her close and kissed her softly, promising himself that he would always do right by her.

**All excerpts are lightly edited from a first draft. All content may be changed or removed from the final product.**

Rage Excerpt 4.5

Originally posted to Tumblr May 18, 2018

Just a little peak!

“Aw hell no,” I grumbled as I marched over to the corner. “Like I’m gunna just stand here and let some strange wolf protect me.”

“So, don’t get mad,” James said as I glared at him. “Maybe this once you should let someone protect you. They know the area and the people involved.”

I snorted and walked around the corner.

**All excerpts are lightly edited from a first draft. All content may be changed or removed from final product.**

Rage Excerpt 4

Originally posted to Tumblr May 11, 2018

I love Vanessa more than I ever thought I would! Here is a glimpse of the end of a conversation with Nicholai (he’s new, and I can already tell he will be a favorite!)

“Are you always so evasive?” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Are you always so bossy?”

“She is bossy on her best days and downright bitchy on the bad ones,” James said plopping down beside me. “What did I miss?”

“Nic is being evasive. Answering, but not really,” I said.

“Hey now, I answered all the questions,” Nic replied.

“Sure, in the shortest way you could. Is it a natural talent or did you have to learn how to answer questions using as few words as possible?”

He gave me a soft smile before climbing to his feet.

“I’m going to see how Reed is doing.”

I watched him weave his way to the other side of the room and shook my head.

**All excerpts are lightly edited from a first draft. All content may change or be removed from the final product.**

Rage Excerpt 3

Originally posted to Tumblr May 10, 2018

Wrote this one a few days ago, but forgot to post it. It’s a little smaller than the others, but I feel like it captures so much of James and Vanessa’s dynamic!

“Ok, how are we getting in, and what kind of distraction are you going to create?” he asked as he took the stones.

I smiled, and without hesitation, kicked the door open.

“Hey! Assholes! This isn’t how this works, ok?” I said to the room of astonished werewolves.

“That was a little more dramatic than necessary wasn’t it?” James murmured to me.

**All excerpts are lightly edited from a first draft. The contents could be changed or removed from the final product.**