Saturday 28 January 2012

SFFS 28/01/2012

Welcome back to my humble abode. It's good to have you here again.

This week's excerpt comes from Rebirth (aka The Talisman), and continues directly on from last week's excerpt. I hope that you enjoy!

Kei tells me to call him Daddy, tries to make me use his name – Shackly – as my family name, but I refuse. If I call him anything, it’s Kei. My reward is a beating, so I don’t call him anything, not that it helps. Sometimes he beats Mama too if she doesn’t send me to school when I’m ill. He wants me to get learning.
I know more than he ever will, I’m sure. When I’m down in Great Oxe, I spend all the time I can in the town vaults – to get away from him. As children we shouldn’t go there much, but the curator knows I won’t damage anything. I’ve spent hours reading the Scrolls stored there; the legends, histories, and even the mad writings of the seers.
Please don't just stop at this post. Follow this link to read snippets of a similar length from other speculative fiction authors who take part in SFFS each week.

Saturday 21 January 2012

SFFS 21/01/2012

So it seems I'm taking part this week. I have no idea why! But thanks, peeps, for calling me back each week :-D Or do I call myself back ...? I'm confused.

This week's excerpt comes from The Talisman once again. These are the opening lines of the short story.

I love being with Granma. Her warmth and safety helps me forget the cold and stormy weather battering her cottage, and how things are at home. She’s my refuge; someone I can run to in times of pain and sadness, her smiles and hugs the golden threads running through my favourite memories of her. After Granma and Mama, Dada is my favourite person, but he died in a mining accident two years ago. I remember his kind smile beneath his moustache.
My name’s Carly Shadbourne, I’m eleven and I live in the village of Great Oxe with Mama and Kei. It’s quarter of a day’s horseback ride from Granma’s house.
Please don't just stop at this post. Follow this link to read snippets of a similar length from other speculative fiction authors who take part in SFFS each week.

Saturday 14 January 2012

SFFS 14/01/2012

I have got to be a lunatic, but anyways, here goes. I thought I'd introduce you to The Talisman, my short story that is almost ready for publication. It's a crazy stunt, really, as it's written in the first person, a tough perspective to write from. I have respect for those who can write first person well - and I don't count myself among them. Anyways, I digress.

In this snippet the speaker, an 11-year-old called Carly Shadbourne, introduces you to some of the history of her world.
From my reading I’ve learned that, many thousands of years ago, the Four Kingdoms used to be one big Kingdom that reached from the Veraskya Mountains of the north to the high peaks of the far south. At that time the kings and queens ruled from Partheen, the ancient citadel on the Plains of Al’an. The land was at peace. 
Central to society, and to the worship of Alnar, was the place of the Dahma. I dream of being a Dahma one day. They devoted their lives to Alnar’s service, living and moving among the people as healers, arbitrators, teachers and protectors. Kei doesn’t know these things, though I try to tell him – to show him I have learning. 
There are no Dahma anymore. 
Thank you for reading! To read snippets from other speculative fiction authors, go here.

Sunday 8 January 2012

Muse funk

It must be said that, for the last week and a half I've been walking around with a rather woolly brain. Now, I know I'm pregnant, but that is not the reason for the fog. Rather, my muse met a superior muse! And I think mine has now gone into hiding.

We spent much of our Christmas break watching earlier seasons of Dr Who (mainly the remainder of the Christopher Eccleston era) and the first seasons of the David Tennant era. It's all great stuff, I can tell you that. No doubt that I love the good Doctor. He is amazing (and yes, I know he's fictional). But, as I found previously while watching through the Stargate SG-1 seasons, there are simply some episodes that make you go "WOW!" ... and then leave you stunned as you drink in, absorb and attempt to digest their audacity. And yes, that is the only word that is going through my mind.

And it's one such episode that currently has my muse in a funk. Oh, she knows that her ideas are as good, yet different ... but I think she's just wanting to ... pay respect to others who come up with, to put it plainly, brilliant plots.