Faery Promises, Part 28

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27




Part 28:


Shock covered Lochlan's face. He came toward her, arms outstretched, and Maggie backed away, gripping the sheet more tightly about her. "Don't," she said. If he touched her he might just persuade her to stay. As it was, she had to concentrate on not letting her gaze drift over his nude body. If she really looked, she'd be wanting him again, and if she let him touch her it'd be all over.

"Lass, you cannae drop a bombshell like that an' expect me to acquiesce without a fight." He spread his hands. "What can I do, what can I say to make you stay?"

She shook her head. She didn't want him to do or say anything, because it probably wouldn't take much. This realm was magical. He was magical. The sex had been magical. Why would anyone in her right mind chuck all that away to go back to pollution, crime and crooked politics? But that was her life. What she knew. "There's nothing to say, Lochlan."

“Framaech!” He closed his eyes and scrubbed the back of his neck with his palm. When he opened his eyes, she was shocked at the pain in their depths. "Dearling, please..." He took a deep breath. "I've never begged for anythin' before in my life, but I'm beggin' you now. Please don't leave."

Maggie clenched her jaw and blinked back tears. Staying would be the easy thing to do, but not necessarily the right thing to do. "I...can't." She shook her head again. "Lochlan, I have to get back to my life."

"An' you're so certain this life you're so ready to go back to doesn't have room for me?" His brows drew down. "We're good together, you and I. You..." His fists clenched. "I love you."

There was the heart of the issue. He hadn't seemed that fond of her to begin with, had likened her to an annoying distraction more than anything else. Now that she'd been turned into one of them... "You love me now that I'm Fae."

His eyes widened, then narrowed. "That's what you think?" His chest rose with his deep inhalation. "Then I suppose you're right. There is nothin' to say." He walked past her into the other room.

Maggie turned and slowly followed him, watching him step into his trousers and pull them on. As he fastened them, she whispered, "Don't think this is easy for me, either."

He turned, his expression hard, eyes dark and glittering. He started to say something but stopped, and his face gentled. "I know it's not, dearling. Gods, I've no idea how I'd be reactin' were our situations reversed." He walked to the door. Pausing with his hand on the latch, he said, "Get dressed, an' I'll take you back to your cousin's house." With a last, sad glance at her, he opened the door and left the room.

She gathered up her clothing--her jeans and t-shirt that she'd worn what seemed like years ago--and slowly dressed. She was making the right choice. She was.

Then why did she feel like she was leaving her heart behind?


Faery Promises by Sherrill Quinn - Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Tipsy Tuesday

Most readers today expect a story that is fast-paced, keeping them on the edge of the seat, making them keep turning the page to see what happens next. How do you do that?

Well, here's an exercise to help you with your pacing:

First, take a published novel that you enjoyed reading, one that's similar to your current WIP. Using colored pencils or highlighters, mark narrative summary in one color, another color for action, another for dialogue, and another for factual exposition. (Obviously you're going to do this with a book you own, not one you've borrowed from a friend or checked out of the library! LOL) Then look at the mix of colors to see how the author controlled pacing. Now, do the same on a few pages of your WIP and check the mix of colors on your page. Do you have them pretty much evenly spread out, or are you relying more heavily on one or two? All are necessary, but too much of any of them can slow down your pace.

On the flip side, you don't want to have your pacing so fast that you cheat readers. You still need to make sure you're building their anticipation. After all, you want them to keep turning the pages, right?

Man Meat Monday

Move over, honey. I'll do your...back. Yeah, your back.


LOL

Friday Funny

Some ads that actually made it into newspapers:


FOR SALE BY OWNER: Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica. 45 volumes. Excellent condition. $1,000.00 or best offer. No longer needed. Got married last weekend. Wife knows everything.

Help wanted, singer for rock band. Must be female or male.

For sale, Hope Chest, brand new, half off, long story.

Help wanted, adult or mature teenager to baby-sit. One dollar an hour.

Lost: small brown poodle. Reward. Neutered. Like one of the family.

For sale: a quilted high chair that can be made into a table, potty chair, rocking horse, refrigerator, spring coat, size 8 and fur collar.

Four-posted bed, 101 years old. Perfect for antique lover.

Wanted: Part-time married girls for soda fountain in sandwich shop.

Man wanted to work in dynamite factory. Must be willing to travel.

Christmas sale. Handmade gifts for the hard-to-find person.

Wanted, man to take care of cows that does not smoke or drink.

Three-year old teacher needed for pre-school. Experience preferred.

Wanted. Widower with school-age children requires person to assume general housekeeping duties. Must be capable of contributing to growth of family.

Our sofa seats the whole mob and it’s made of 100% Italian leather.

Nordic Track $300 hardly used, call Chubby.

Joining nudist colony! Must sell washer and dryer $300.

Open house body shapers toning salon free coffee and donuts

Found: dirty white dog. Looks like a rat... been out while. Better be reward.

Exercise equipment: Queen Size Mattress & Box Springs - $175.

Free Yorkshire Terrier: 8 years old. Hateful little dog.

Free puppies: ½ cocker spaniel, ½ sneaky neighbor’s dog.

Free puppies: part German Shepherd, part stupid dog.

Snow Blower for sale…only used on snowy days.

Cows, calves never bred…also 1 gay bull for sale.

Nice Parachute – Never opened. Used once.

1 man, 7 women hot tub. $850/offer.

Another Review for DARING THE MOON

Posted by Jessica S. at Amazon:

"Full of intrigue, suspense, and romance, Daring the Moon is sure to be a bookshelf keeper... The dialogue was easy to follow and flowed well. Before I knew it, I had read the whole book, flying through one chapter after another.

Daring the Moon allows you to slip into another world, losing yourself in a place where werewolves are not only possible, but are easy to love."



Read an excerpt or buy here at 30% off!

Faery Promises, Part 27

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26




Part 27:


Maggie struggled out of Lochlan’s arms and jumped off the bed. Grabbing the sheet, she yanked it, tugging until he moved to free the part that was trapped under his body. She wrapped ythe soft linen around herself, hiding her nudity and ignoring the frown he sent her way. “What the hell do you mean, I’ll only find satisfaction with one of your kind?” She ignored, too, his self-correction that the Fae were now her kind as well.

“Because of the magic that’s released.” His gaze held hers. He looked sincere and regretful and maybe even a little fearful.

That gave her pause. What about this conversation caused him to be afraid?

“You’ll never experience a climax as powerful as the one you just did with me,” he went on, “not if you go back to the human realm. Not if you have sex with a human.” His look turned pleading. “Stay. Here. With me.”

“I…” Maggie shook her head. Turning away from him, she walked toward the wall, intending to lean against it. She needed the support. Just as she reached it, it shimmered and a window appeared. Through it she could see a meadow and, just beyond, a large stand of trees. Blue, yellow and orange flowers dotted the green, green grass, and butterflies filled the air. She reached out one hand and touched the window. It was solid to the touch, just like glass. “Is this real?”

“Aye.” A rustle and then the thud of feet told her that Lochlan had gotten off the bed, though he didn’t come near her. “It’s a part of Fae that lies just beyond the Great Hall. Would you like to go there?”

She closed her eyes. It was so wondrous here--she could easily see herself settling into a life with Lochlan and never wanting to leave it. But just because she could didn’t mean she should. And if the worst that happened to her when she left here was not having great sex…well, she’d deal with it.

She turned around and met his gaze. “I want to go home.” Just to be sure he understood what she meant, she clarified, “Back to my kind. Humans.”


Faery Promises by Sherrill Quinn - Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Tipsy Tuesday

Mark Twain said, "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."

An understanding of word usage, grammar and style is a necessary part of every writer's toolkit. I've said it before--especially in today's economy, with publishers looking for reasons not to publish books, a writer needs every advantage possible over his/her competition (i.e., other writers). Learn the mechanics of writing, and learn them well so that your word choices become almost unconscious, like breathing.

Here are some books to help:

The Elements of Style: Fiftieth Anniversary Edition by William Strunk and E.B. White
Woe Is It: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O'Connor
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser
A Pocket Style Manual by Diane Hacker
A Dictionary of Modern English Usage by H.W. Fowler
The Chicago Manual of Style, published by the University of Chicago Press


Are there any other books you'd recommend?