#Writephoto – Silver and Black (an excerpt)

Sue has such a wonderful knack for choosing images that inspire stories. Her photo prompt this week does not disappoint and, once again, it seems to tie in with part of my own WIP. Not Ambeth – this time I’m heading back to the world of vampires, Silver and Black. And so here is my excerpt:

At daybreak, the shutters fall. All over the house, metal doors obscuring even the slightest hint of light. I often sleep during the day – after all, there’s not much else to do. But sometimes, when the guards are changing over, there’s a place I go that is mine alone.

And this morning I need to be alone, just for a moment. No-one to hear me or wonder what I’m doing. How can I sleep after last night, anyway?

I push open my door, looking up and down the hallway. Good. No one there. The shutters are sliding down, early golden light from outside being snuffed out – it’s a dangerous time for vampires. But for me, it’s a chance to be free.

I step out of my room and turn right, following the corridor a short way to a door. It’s different than the others lining the hallway, smaller, and made of thick wood studded with nails. I open it. Stairs curve up and away from me, the small window cut deep into the stone already almost closed off. I flick on my small torch then start to climb the tower, my hand trailing along the wall for balance, stone rough under my fingers. The air smells of cool and damp.

This stairway isn’t really used, because it doesn’t really go anywhere. Except outside. I come to another door, and feel in my pocket for the key. Iron cold, heavy in my hand, I put it in the lock and turn it. Then I step through.

Light falls all around me.

It is glorious. Gold and red and orange and turquoise, the sun a ball of fire just above the horizon. Mist is on the trees below, the landscape spread out below me like a half-remembered dream, green and beckoning. I can see the dark mass of forest on our boundary, stretching beyond for miles towards the faint shimmer of the Safe Zone. Sometimes, on the clearest days, I can see the sea.

The air is like velvet, cool and soft on my skin, and I can hear birds chirping. I have no idea what kind – I only know from old films and books that they live in the trees, nesting and flying during the day, then resting at night.

As I stand at the crenelated edge, looking out at the world, my eyes fill with tears. It never fails to move me, whether sunrise or sunset, the turning of the world an endless wonder. And a power only I, among everyone in the house, possess. The power to meet the sun.

I stand there, my vision blurred with tears, as light fills the world and I am free.

You have until June 8th to add your own entry for this photo, and there have already been some great responses. So head on over to Sue’s to check them out, or add one of your own.

Cascade Poetry Challenge – Longing

Waterfall painting — ‘Silence, Waterfall and Forest’ by Arthur Bowen Davies. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I really enjoyed Jane Dougherty’s Poetry Challenge last week, so I thought I’d give it a go again this week. This time, Jane has challenged us to write a cascade, which consists of four stanzas each with three lines, where each line from the first verse is the last line of each subsequent verse. Jane shared the above painting as inspiration, and here is my cascade poem:

Longing

Among pine-scented shadows,

As water falls

I hear your voice, beloved.

Clad in velvet we wait,

The deer and I,

Among pine-scented shadows.

Cool spray rippling silver

Across a darkened pool,

As water falls.

Bright hair, red cloak,

A flash of light.

I hear your voice, beloved.

————————————————————————————————————

I found this form more difficult than last week’s kyrielle, yet just as enjoyable to write. I found I had to consider the story I wanted to tell in the first stanza, as it would shape the remaining three. Thanks to Jane for another interesting challenge!

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 27 – Vintage

Lace Edwardian dress - bodice. This dress was a gift from a lovely lady I met at a vintage fashion show. — Lace Edwardian dress – bodice. This dress was a gift from a lovely lady I met at a vintage fashion show in Canada – it had belonged to one of her relatives, and would have most likely been made by hand.

This weeks Hugh’s Photography Challenge is ‘Vintage’ and, as I said to Hugh in the comments, he is speaking my language. I’ve collected vintage clothing and accessories since I was a teenager and, several years ago, a friend and I even had our own permanent vintage stall at an antique market. I’ve moved quite a lot over the past two decades, however, so my collection has grown and shrunk and grown again, pieces coming and going as my closet space allows.

I bought these gloves in Sydney, Australia, at a jumble sale. They are suede, elbow length, and stamped ‘Made In France’ on the inside. Beautifully stitched along the seams and edges, the pearl buttons are a perfect finishing touch.

One of the things I’ve always loved about vintage clothing is the detail, which you really don’t see in modern mass-produced clothing. Tiny hand stitches, delicate beadwork, fine embroidery, gathered pleats – I even had an embroidered cotton dress once that had been repaired, yet the repair work was so finely done it was part of the charm of the dress. So, for Hugh’s challenge, I’ve decided to focus on the details.

This bag is, apparently, French, and is beaded in the Art Nouveau style on both sides, with tiny bugle beads. — This French evening bag is beaded in the Art Nouveau style on both sides, using tiny bugle beads. It is probably about a hundred years old, and I found it at a vintage clothing market in Australia.

If you’d like to participate in Hugh’s Challenge, here’s what to do:

1. Take or choose a photo that you’ve taken which shows something that is Vintage.
2. Create a new post on your blog entitled “Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 27 – ‘Vintage’
3. Add the photo(s) you have taken to the post and tell us a little about what you are showing.
4. Create a pingback to Hugh’s post or leave a link to your post in his comments section, so other participants can view the post.

Guest Post: Legends Of Windermere Author Charles Yallowitz on Character Sacrifice

Today Charles Yallowitz is stopping by with a post on the idea of sacrifice in story-telling, and how to make it effective. As a story element, sacrifice needs to be handled carefully, and Charles makes some excellent points on how to do so while keeping the reader engaged. Take it away, Charles!

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

A big thank you to Helen for having me for a guest post to help promote my newest release, Legends of Windemere: Tribe of the Snow Tiger. This is the 10th installment of this fantasy series and the stakes are going to be pretty high for several characters. A core aspect of the story involves the concept of sacrifice and how far a person is willing to go for either a person or a belief. Turns out that this is a very debatable topic among authors and people in general because everyone has different views on sacrificing. In fact, I’ve seen some pretty big arguments on if it’s even a sensible decision.

One of the biggest hurdles with a sacrifice is to convey to others that it is worth doing. Most times this is a crucial part of a story too, which means a lot is depending on the scene. This is an act that you cannot take back and the character might not even live to see the associated positive/negative outcomes. As an author, you really need to think about writing a sacrifice scene and make sure it is the best decision for the story and character. Most importantly, you need to have it be believable. If a reader feels that the character dying to save the others is a fool and the sacrifice was pointless then you could lose them for the rest of the story.

That risk is a big part of why I’ve heard some authors try to steer clear of them. Personally, I like writing those scenes, but I’m careful to make sure they have impact. I’ve also learned that what hits me hard could miss the mark on someone else. The reason for this is because a reader and author may be working off different interpretations of the character motives, personalities, and the concept of sacrifice in general. This is human nature since you have some people who would jump in the way of a moving car to save a child and others who would simply upload the accident on YouTube. Yes, it does come down to morality and how much weight a person puts
on sacrificial gestures.

One thing I’ve noticed is that you can put this spectrum into your characters as well, which can help connect to a variety of readers. For example, say a supporting hero sacrifices himself to allow the others to escape a dungeon with the weapon needed to defeat the main villain. If you have every survivor act the same toward the sacrifice then you can alienate a reader who thinks differently. So have some be angry, others be sad, and even one or two that thinks the deceased was a fool. Try to run even a small gamut of emotions because that is what can bring the scene home. An act of sacrifice is really defined by the impact it has on the rest of the story instead of how amazing it was in the moment.

So, what can you do to make a sacrifice scene work?

1. Relax and let it flow naturally. You don’t’ want to force something like this to happen. It might even reveal itself to be unnecessary.

2. Foreshadowing isn’t necessary, but it shouldn’t be ignored. Some readers don’t like the unexpected shock scene, so putting in even a single clue can help soften the blow. This is especially true if the sacrifice is being done by a favored hero.

3. Think ahead to make sure the sacrifice has an impact on the story. In the previous
scenario, the ultimate weapon not working means that hero died in vain. Might be funny or exciting, but you weaken that earlier scene. So consider the pros and cons of
minimizing something that is typical an emotional moment.

4. Focus more on the aftermath than the actual death. If a character dies then it should
change the mental and emotional dynamic of those they were connected to. For example, the Fellowship showed sadness and crumbled after Gandalf died. It became a driving force in a way. On the other end of the spectrum, you have Chiaotzu self-destructing against Nappa in Dragonball Z. The attack didn’t work and then his friend did a similar sacrifice with the same result and let’s just say DBZ is rather infamous for the failed sacrifice maneuver.

5. Finally, you really do need for there to be consequences both good and bad. I know I
keeping pointing at the death sacrifice, but that is the most common. Still, giving up a
belief system, a loved one, a future, or anything has two sides. One is that it should help
the heroes (or villains if they’re on that side) continue on their path, which is the good
part. The other is that it causes pain. Reader and author have to remember that this is the giving up of something precious. A feeling of loss is probably more important than any other result.

Now, I’ve said all this from my own opinion, which means some may disagree. That’s the
challenge with this topic because it works off what we may do or how we would judge those who sacrifice. So, it’s really a concept that I find better to discuss than dictate because it’s just so different for every person. In other words, feel free to voice your opinion on sacrifices in the comments and let’s see how many angles we can look at this from.

Thank you, Charles, for an excellent and thought-provoking article. So what do you think? Have you ever read a story where a character’s sacrifice has put you off reading the rest? Or where it’s resonated so strongly you can’t stop reading? Or have you written a sacrifice scene of your own? Looking forward to the comments 🙂

Need to catch Legends of Windemere from the beginning? Then click on the covers below!

You can start for FREE . . .

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Or grab the $4.99 ‘3 in 1’ bundles!

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen
3D Conversion by Bestt_graphics

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Also Available:

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Interested in a new adventure? Then grab your Kindle & dive back into the world of Windemere! Don’t forget an apple for Fizzle.

About the Author:

Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you, and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with.

Blog: www.legendsofwindemere.com
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz
Website: www.charleseyallowitz.com

Kyrielle Poetry Challenge – Dreaming Trees

I’ve said before I don’t fancy myself as any sort of poet, nor is it a writing form I’ve much explored. However, lately, there have been a few blog challenges that have led me to respond in poetry, rather than prose, and I’ve really enjoyed doing so. The latest one is from Jane Dougherty, and the challenge is to write a kyrielle based on the image above, using the words moonlight, tread, wary, secret and swaying.

If you don’t know (and I didn’t, I had to look it up), a kyrielle is a poem comprised of four line stanzas, where each line has to have eight syllables and the end line is repeated in each verse. There are apparently other forms as well, but this is the one I went with. And here is my effort:

The road runs soft into the night
Bathed bright in silver-gold moonlight
But hold! Be wary where you tread
We know not what might lie ahead

The way is clear, the path is true
A journey set for me and you
To take us far from home and bed
We know not what might lie ahead

Swaying branches, a voice unseen,
Are we awake? Or do we dream?
The stars are bright, the darkness dread
We know not what might lie ahead

A secret lies where daylight meets
The dark of night in sunrise sweet
A shout of light to raise the dead
We know not what might lie ahead

We know not what might lie ahead.

Wednesday Wander – Paris, France

The first time I saw the Eiffel Tower was at dusk. I was seventeen and just arrived in Paris with my best friend, the two of us having taken a coach, then another coach, then the Hovercraft, then another coach, then the Metro, to find ourselves on the Trocadero overlooking the Champs De Mars as night fell.

We were woefully unprepared, really, other than the fact that I spoke fairly good French. We had an address for our hotel but no real idea where it was, other than that it was ‘close to the Eiffel Tower.’ We’d taken the wrong coach from London to Dover because a group of handsome young men had also boarded it, then found that most of the francs we’d brought with us were out of date and no longer legal tender. However, as we walked across the paved area bounded by statues, the Tower ahead of us lit up as though welcoming us to Paris, and the troubles of the day were forgotten. And we instantly fell in love with the city.

This photo is from a more recent trip to Paris. This time the Eurostar took us there from London in less time than it had taken on the coach from Calais, all those years before. It was winter, but the city sparkled, as it always does, with lights. And this time we came upon the Eiffel Tower via a different route, a short road lined with exquisite apartment buildings opening up to a spectacular view. I still remember the gorgeous girl’s look of wonder when she saw the Tower for the first time.

Thank you for coming on another Wednesday Wander with me – see you next time!

#writephoto – Still Waters

Here’s my response to Sue’s lovely photograph – her #writephoto prompt for this week:

At The Closing of the Day

I’d bought this place because of the view. It was never the same one day to the next; water and sky framed by the window of the ruined cottage, just a short walk from the main house.

It was supposed to have been a place to retire to, one hazy day in the distant future. A little piece of security, bought with what my parents had left me. That was before.

Before needles and tests and disinfectant took over. Before the rustle of robes and the indignity of naked flesh became part of life. Before my body began to fail me in ways I couldn’t imagine.

Now it was a refuge. A place to come to when probing hands and metal and words became too much for my battered soul.

And so I sat, watching sun setting over golden water. My hands, pale in my lap, were also tinged gold, an illusion of health gifted by the setting sun.

And my breath became softer. Until it was gone.

When I saw Sue’s photo, the line from The Lady of Shalott came into my head, which is why I think I ended up with the story I did. I do love how unexpected story ideas can be.

If you’d like to take part in this week’s #writephoto prompt, visit Sue’s blog, copy the image, and create a pingback to your own page. You have until June 1 to post this week.

Meandering Monday Musings

The past few weeks have been quite busy, as I mentioned in a previous post, mainly because I’ve been working through the final edit and finicky formatting of my latest book, Hills and Valleys. Once that was released, my body then decided to go into meltdown with a nasty head cold, just in time for the Bank Holiday weekend. The head cold has now moved to my chest, and yesterday I had one of those days when I wasn’t even sure what day it was, when time seemed elastic, as though I could travel back and forth through the years by simply by thinking about it. No hard drugs, I swear. 😉

I’ve been this way, on and off, for a while now. I had pretty major surgery last summer (don’t ask 🙂 ), and I think maybe this is still part of the healing process. I was pretty ill when I went in for surgery, and I think the recovery, both from the op and the preceding ill health, has taken it out of me.

Still, I’m all right. There are plenty of people worse off than I am. It’s just getting a bit frustrating, that’s all. I said to my husband the other night that I can vaguely remember a time when I felt really well, but I couldn’t tell him how long ago that was. So I’m going to take a look around and see what I can do to make a difference. Kick my health back into shape (no martial arts puns intended). I’m pretty active – walking every day, karate twice a week, Pilates, zumba. I like to keep moving. And I eat pretty well, most of the time. So these endless head colds and coughs and chesty things and blocked ears and general malaise are starting to get me a bit down.

Having been so busy with the book this past little while, I’m a bit behind on keeping up with everyone’s blogs, only having time to dip in and out. I’ve also had a few new followers recently, and I just want to say ‘Hello!’ Thank you for choosing to follow my blog – you’re very much appreciated.

And, last but definitely not least, I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who’s supported the release of Hills and Valleys on WordPress, Twitter and Facebook – I’ve been really thrilled by the number of tweets, reblogs and posts, as well as all the lovely comments. Setting a new book free can be a challenging time, so all your support has made it so much easier – thank you!

And that’s about all for my Monday Musings – wishing you all a good week! Time to go and find the cough medicine again, I think…

New Release – Hills And Valleys (Ambeth Chronicles #3)

Yay! I’ve been a bit busy these past few weeks working on the final edit and formatting for Hills and Valleys, the third book in my Ambeth series. And now I can happily say…. drum roll… it’s published!

Available on Amazon and part of KDP Select (so you can read for free as a Kindle Unlimited member), Hills And Valleys continues Alma’s story:

‘Sometimes things call to us until we can no longer ignore them. And Ambeth is calling you, Alma.’

After the events of the Harvest Fair, Alma is finished with Ambeth – they can find the missing Cup and Crown without her. But Ambeth is not finished with her. First the mystery of her dead father comes back to haunt her, then the Dark reach out, hoping to trap her once more.

And then there’s the strange power she seems to have…

If you’ve been reading along already, you know why she might be finished with Ambeth. If you haven’t? Well, it’s a long weekend, so head over to Amazon and check out the series 😉

New Release – Charles Yallowitz Legends of Windermere – Tribe of the Snow Tiger

Now Available on Amazon for Pre-Order!
Coming to your Kindle on June 1st!

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Timoran Wrath has a shameful secret that is about to see the light of day.

The noble barbarian has always been a constant source of strength and wisdom for his beloved friends. His loyalty has been unwavering and they know that he would never hesitate to lay down his life for them. Even in their darkest hour, the champions know that Timoran will come through and fight to the bitter end. Now they must return the favor as he reunites with his tribe and willingly faces the executioner’s blade.

Is it possible that the honorable Timoran was nothing more than an illusion?

Don’t forget to add it to your Goodreads ‘To Read’ List too!

Excerpt: The Snow Tiger

“The snow is too bright and level for me to see anything clearly,” the barbarian growls. The sound of shuffling and mild cursing draws his attention to Nyx who has sunk up to her nose in snow. “What are you doing, fire sprite?”

Nyx shivers while squinting into the distance, her eyes coated in bronze energy. “The reason you can’t see anything might be because you’re too tall. I’m trying to see if there’s anything that breaks the level ground. My eyes are enhanced right now, but I don’t . . . wait a second . . . I think there’s something buried out there. A beast of some kind? It’s a very subtle up and down motion that reminds me of something breathing. It just stopped moving, but I don’t know what that means. I’ll lead the way.”

Not waiting for a response, Nyx pushes through the thick snow and uses wind magic to gradually shift the powder out of her path. She does her best to move quietly and avoid disturbing whatever they are approaching, but the crunch of frozen grass beneath her boots makes the half-elf cringe with every step. A violent sneeze threatens to erupt from her nose, stifled quickly by a silence spell around her nostrils. Rubbing at her cold legs, Nyx is thankful when Timoran puts a vest made of black fur over her. The Ifrit hair warms her body and drives away the looming cold that has been brewing in her chest for the last few minutes. With renewed energy, the channeler walks a little faster and adds a simple heat spell to the wind that is steadily clearing the path.

“Wow. Such a beautiful creature,” she whispers when she steps into a circular clearing that surrounds the dead beast.

The enormous snow tiger’s blue and black fur is thick, the hairs sparkling when touched by direct sunlight. It has long incisors of glistening white that jut out of its mouth due to their size and sharpness. A slender tail lies limp in the exposed grass and still twitches as the muscles continue to lose their tension. Powerful legs and massive paws are splayed on the ground, giving the body the appearance of having peacefully died in its sleep. The gaping wound in the gorgeous snow tiger’s side is the only sign of an attack, the surrounding fur matted with aromatic blood.

Timoran’s rage boils when he spots the three cubs that are mewling and pushing against their dead mother. Judging from their size and faint, black stripes, he assumes they are no older than three months. Rusty manacles are attached to their back legs, the chains running to a stake that has been driven into the muddy earth. Restraining his anger, the barbarian moves within reach of the animals and gently breaks the metal bindings that are bruising their ankles. Scared and confused, the cubs cower against the still warm corpse and hiss whenever one of the adventurers comes close. One of the snow tigers bravely charges at Timoran and bites his boot, proudly returning to the others when the towering figure moves away.

Need to catch Legends of Windemere from the beginning? Then click on the covers below!

You can start for FREE . . .

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Or grab the $4.99 ‘3 in 1’ bundles!

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen
3D Conversion by Bestt_graphics

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Also Available:

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Interested in a new adventure? Then grab your Kindle & dive back into the world of Windemere! Don’t forget an apple for Fizzle.

About the Author:

Blog: www.legendsofwindemere.com
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz
Website: www.charleseyallowitz.com

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Need to catch Legends of Windemere from the beginning? Then click on the covers below!

You can start for FREE . . .

Or grab the $4.99 ‘3 in 1’ bundles!

Also Available:

About the Author:

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Now Available on Amazon for Pre-Order! Coming to your Kindle on June 1st!

Need to catch Legends of Windemere from the beginning? Then click on the covers below!

You can start for FREE . . .

Or grab the $4.99 ‘3 in 1’ bundles!

Also Available:

About the Author:

Share this:

Now Available on Amazon for Pre-Order!
Coming to your Kindle on June 1st!