When I saw the key sitting in my PO box, I stood there with my heart pounding. I was only expecting one parcel in the mail: my proof copy of SOVRAN’S PAWN. My hands were shaking. I snatched that key out and skipped around the corner to the parcel boxes. It took me six tries to get the key in the lock!
It’s a good thing the PO was closed when I got there because I let out a SHRIEK that would have alarmed several people and likely have drawn the attention of the local constabulary.
I raced to the car, pulled out my phone and started taking pictures of the box! Then I realized what I needed was pictures of the BOOK!!
Once I got over the initial squeeing, I drove straight to my mom’s to show her. Yes, I immediately regressed to being four-years-old with a crayon scribble in my hand. I handed her the book and said “Mama!! See what I made?? Put it on the frigerator!!” Which only goes to prove that you’re never too old to want to show off the pretty things you make to your mom.
There are a few changes that need to be made before the paperback version of SOVRAN’S PAWN winds up in your hands, but it looks like everything is a go for August 1st!
While involved in a writer’s discussion several weeks ago, the topic turned to music as inspiration for our writing. I was relieved to find out that I wasn’t alone in listening to music to help me get in the mood to write certain scenes. What I found fascinating was the wide range of musical tastes and genres preferred by the different writers. Some of their choices surprised me, but knowing their books, I could see the influence the songs brought into play.
I started writing BARRON’S LAST STAND first to the soundtrack of artists like Great Big Sea, Dropkick Murphys, and Flogging Molly. SOVRAN’S PAWN was originally part of my backstory notes for what I’d planned as a stand alone novel ~ a last desperate bid at publication. From the first moments Bo Barron and Blade Devon strolled across my imagination, I’d always planned to tell their story as a series. After nearly 30 years, delays caused by personal crises and multiple rejections from agents and publishers, I was almost ready to give up. BARRON’S LAST STAND was in actuality what the title suggests.
A submission call from an editor I admire and wanted to work with came out last October. BARRON’S LAST STAND was nowhere near completion, but I had enough of the backstory written to cobble together a novella. I toyed with the idea for weeks while continuing work on BARRON’S LAST STAND. It wasn’t until a spate of family tragedies hit that I turned to the goal of completing and submitting a novella to escape my own emotional turmoil. I needed a realistic challenge to regain a sense of control over my life and my situation.
With apologies to BARRON’S LAST STAND, I set it aside and threw myself headlong into SOVRAN’S PAWN.
It was about that same time that my husband took me to St. Augustine to see one of my favorite bands in concert supporting their new CD, released six months prior. The band is Duran Duran and the CD they were supporting is ALL YOU NEED IS NOW. As the band who provided much of the soundtrack for my misspent youth, I’ve always found a measure of inspiration in their often obscure lyrics and their haunting melodies. That night was no exception. I came away from the concert as inspired as I had been the night I drove home from their STRANGE BEHAVIOUR tour back in the late 80’s.
The title track touched a responsive chord in my soul and with this CD as my soundtrack, I attacked SOVRAN’S PAWN with an optimism I hadn’t expected to find. One track on my playlist kept returning to haunt me ~ LEAVE A LIGHT ON. The song captured for me the very essence of theme of the book as well as the relationship between Bo and Blade; and I played the hell out of it. Before I knew it, my novella became a full-length novel and I completed it in record time.
***
***
ALL YOU NEED IS NOW started out without a record label as a labor of love and a leap of faith by Duran Duran. I’d followed their progress on social media and was impressed with the grassroots way they rallied their fan base. By the time the tracks hit iTunes in December 2010, they had generated enough buzz to warrant a CD release, a music video and now a concert tour they’ve been on for more than a year.
Inspired by their faith in their own project, and the fact they recorded, released and now support it on their own terms, I decided not to submit SOVRAN’S PAWN to a publisher who wouldn’t have as much at stake, nor be as emotionally invested in the project as I would be. I followed the example Duran Duran set and I’ve published independently, on my own terms. I’m not sure I would have had the courage to do so without witnessing the painstaking progress of ALL YOU NEED IS NOW.
I didn’t set out to link my book to this CD, or to Duran Duran. It just happened that way. I’m so very glad it did.
I am waiting on the proof copy of SOVRAN’S PAWN in paperback to arrive.
The release of the paperback edition of SOVRAN’S PAWN has been delayed due to illness and other unforeseen circumstances. However, the long-awaited email announcing the shipment of the first proof copy of the book has arrived, telling me to expect to receive my copy any time within the next week or two.
If everything passes muster, look for SOVRAN’S PAWN in paperback by August 1, 2012!!
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. On the surface, it’s a web ring of authors who post snippets of their work for comment. In reality, it’s a close-knit group of friends and colleagues working together to support and encourage one another and promote the science fiction and fantasy genres.
This week’s snippet is a departure from SOVRAN’S PAWN. Don’t worry. We aren’t going far. I’ve been hard at work on Book Two of THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES, tentatively titled THE WATCHTOWER. Still in the first draft stage it’s nearly ready for the endless revisions to begin. Here is your first look:
***
“Can you lift your arm?” he asked softly.
“No,” she whispered. “I thought I felt something tear when I landed.”
His hands moved along her neck and collarbone. “I need a medical scanner,” he said softly. “Wait here.”
Before she could ask where he was going, he’d slipped back into the shadows. Straining to listen for any sounds to indicate where he had gone, she was surprised when he soundlessly appeared behind her.
“Don’t mind the blood,” he said offhandedly. Working quickly, he fashioned a sling for her from a black piece of material.
***
Well, that’s the Saturday Snippet for this week! Please don’t forget to comment by clicking on either the blog title or the little quotation balloon in the upper right hand corner. Tell your friends. Stop back here next week for another!
United by extortion, divided by duty, someone wants them both dead. They want each other. The catch is, nothing is what it seems…
Convicted of treason and sentenced to be executed, Bo Barron is the last person who should be infiltrating a Sub-socia weapons auction. But when her father is kidnapped and the ransom demand is the schematics to an experimental weapon, she has no choice but to go under cover with her uncle to get it.
Nobody counted on former-government-agent-turned-holofeature-hero Blade Devon’s infatuation with her. A botched assassination under the guise of a bar brawl leaves Bo blind and Blade wondering if there isn’t more to this job than he was led to believe.
Never able to resist playing the hero, Blade tends her injuries and delves deeper into the intrigue only to find this mission isn’t about a weapon at all. It’s about two Sovrans’ maneuvering for control, with Bo and Blade as their pawns.
All Bo and Blade have to do is figure out how to survive the game they didn’t know they were playing.
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. On the surface, it’s a web ring of authors who post snippets of their work for comment. In reality, it’s a close-knit group of friends and colleagues working together to support and encourage one another and promote the science fiction and fantasy genres.
This week’s snippet is a departure from SOVRAN’S PAWN. Don’t worry. We aren’t going far. I’ve been hard at work on Book Two of THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES, tentatively titled THE WATCHTOWER. Still in the first draft stage it’s nearly ready for the endless revisions to begin. Here is your first look:
***
After an interminable few minutes, Blade eased silently out of the shadows. He lifted the mask that concealed his face, just enough to kiss her.
“You were snoring,” he whispered in her ear. He pulled away before she could reply, resettling the mask over his face, but not before Bo saw his lopsided grin.
Shaking her head, she took his hand and let him help her to her feet. His arm slid around her for support, but when he touched her left shoulder, she tensed and swallowed her cry of pain. He froze, then eased her back onto the rock. Working quickly, he stripped off his gloves and tucked them into his pockets, then ran his hands over her, gently probing, checking for the nature of her injury. When his wandering fingers touched her shoulder, her breath caught sharply. His hands stilled briefly, then more purposefully, probed the tender area.
***
Well, that’s the Saturday Snippet for this week! Please don’t forget to comment by clicking on either the blog title or the little quotation balloon in the upper right hand corner. Tell your friends. Stop back here next week for another!
United by extortion, divided by duty, someone wants them both dead. They want each other. The catch is, nothing is what it seems…
Convicted of treason and sentenced to be executed, Bo Barron is the last person who should be infiltrating a Sub-socia weapons auction. But when her father is kidnapped and the ransom demand is the schematics to an experimental weapon, she has no choice but to go under cover with her uncle to get it.
Nobody counted on former-government-agent-turned-holofeature-hero Blade Devon’s infatuation with her. A botched assassination under the guise of a bar brawl leaves Bo blind and Blade wondering if there isn’t more to this job than he was led to believe.
Never able to resist playing the hero, Blade tends her injuries and delves deeper into the intrigue only to find this mission isn’t about a weapon at all. It’s about two Sovrans’ maneuvering for control, with Bo and Blade as their pawns.
All Bo and Blade have to do is figure out how to survive the game they didn’t know they were playing.
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. On the surface, it’s a web ring of authors who post snippets of their work for comment. In reality, it’s a close-knit group of friends and colleagues working together to support and encourage one another and promote the science fiction and fantasy genres.
This week’s snippet is a departure from SOVRAN’S PAWN. Don’t worry. We aren’t going far. I’ve been hard at work on Book Two of THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES, tentatively titled THE WATCHTOWER. Still in the first draft stage it’s nearly ready for the endless revisions to begin. Here is your first look:
***
Disoriented and panicked, she tried to push him away. He only leaned harder on her, the hand over her mouth tightened painfully.
Bo inhaled as deeply as she could. A faint, familiar scent teased her, chasing away the last of the sleep-borne fog from her brain. Blade! Relieved, she stopped struggling and relaxed against him.
Something large crashed through the brush nearby. Blade released his hold on her and eased away, silently melting into the darkness. In a moment, the crashing sounds stopped.
***
Well, that’s the Saturday Snippet for this week! Please don’t forget to comment by clicking on either the blog title or the little quotation balloon in the upper right hand corner. Tell your friends. Stop back here next week for another!
United by extortion, divided by duty, someone wants them both dead. They want each other. The catch is, nothing is what it seems…
Convicted of treason and sentenced to be executed, Bo Barron is the last person who should be infiltrating a Sub-socia weapons auction. But when her father is kidnapped and the ransom demand is the schematics to an experimental weapon, she has no choice but to go under cover with her uncle to get it.
Nobody counted on former-government-agent-turned-holofeature-hero Blade Devon’s infatuation with her. A botched assassination under the guise of a bar brawl leaves Bo blind and Blade wondering if there isn’t more to this job than he was led to believe.
Never able to resist playing the hero, Blade tends her injuries and delves deeper into the intrigue only to find this mission isn’t about a weapon at all. It’s about two Sovrans’ maneuvering for control, with Bo and Blade as their pawns.
All Bo and Blade have to do is figure out how to survive the game they didn’t know they were playing.
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. On the surface, it’s a web ring of authors who post snippets of their work for comment. In reality, it’s a close-knit group of friends and colleagues working together to support and encourage one another and promote the science fiction and fantasy genres.
This week’s snippet is a departure from SOVRAN’S PAWN. Don’t worry. We aren’t going far. I’ve been hard at work on Book Two of THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES, tentatively titled THE WATCHTOWER. Still in the first draft stage it’s nearly ready for the endless revisions to begin. Here is your first look:
***
The terrain reminded her of her home. Caer Daecus, the millennia old stone fortress in which she’d grown up, sat on top of a rugged mountain, not unlike this one, in the Gallis Highlands of Mondhuoun. From an early age she’d hiked and climbed through the Blue Mountain woods surrounding her home, honing her tracking skills to the point she could move swiftly and silently, barely stirring a leaf in her passing. She’d hiked with injuries before. At least this time it was her shoulder and not her leg.
She smiled to herself as the lush Bluestone valley stretched out in front of her, the river a distant ribbon of gray and white as it tumbled over the rocks. Covered in a light mist, the surrounding mountains were awash in color.
A gloved hand clamped tightly down over her mouth, jolting her awake. A dark shadow loomed over her. The weight of him pinned her immobile against the rock.
***
Well, that’s the Saturday Snippet for this week! Please don’t forget to comment by clicking on either the blog title or the little quotation balloon in the upper right hand corner. Tell your friends. Stop back here next week for another!
United by extortion, divided by duty, someone wants them both dead. They want each other. The catch is, nothing is what it seems…
Convicted of treason and sentenced to be executed, Bo Barron is the last person who should be infiltrating a Sub-socia weapons auction. But when her father is kidnapped and the ransom demand is the schematics to an experimental weapon, she has no choice but to go under cover with her uncle to get it.
Nobody counted on former-government-agent-turned-holofeature-hero Blade Devon’s infatuation with her. A botched assassination under the guise of a bar brawl leaves Bo blind and Blade wondering if there isn’t more to this job than he was led to believe.
Never able to resist playing the hero, Blade tends her injuries and delves deeper into the intrigue only to find this mission isn’t about a weapon at all. It’s about two Sovrans’ maneuvering for control, with Bo and Blade as their pawns.
All Bo and Blade have to do is figure out how to survive the game they didn’t know they were playing.
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. On the surface, it’s a web ring of authors who post snippets of their work for comment. In reality, it’s a close-knit group of friends and colleagues working together to support and encourage one another and promote the science fiction and fantasy genres.
This week’s snippet is a departure from SOVRAN’S PAWN. Don’t worry. We aren’t going far. I’ve been hard at work on Book Two of THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES, tentatively titled THE WATCHTOWER. Still in the first draft stage it’s nearly ready for the endless revisions to begin. Here is your first look:
***
Bo lay there a moment in the darkness, struggling to hold on to her consciousness as the pain threatened to overcome her. Taking shallow breaths, she fought for control.
Above her, the sounds of pursuit spilled through the hole she’d left. She didn’t have the luxury of being injured. Forcing herself to her feet, Bo shook her head in an effort to clear it. She leaned heavily on a large boulder waiting for the world to stop spinning around her. Then, with one last look up, she started painfully down the mountain.
It was slow going. Her left arm hung at her side, useless. She had no idea how long she’d been descending through the rugged, wooded terrain. Wedging herself safely between a couple of boulders, and exhausted, she closed her eyes and rested. All around her, patrols tramped through the woods looking for her.
***
Well, that’s the Saturday Snippet for this week! Please don’t forget to comment by clicking on either the blog title or the little quotation balloon in the upper right hand corner. Tell your friends. Stop back here next week for another!
United by extortion, divided by duty, someone wants them both dead. They want each other. The catch is, nothing is what it seems…
Convicted of treason and sentenced to be executed, Bo Barron is the last person who should be infiltrating a Sub-socia weapons auction. But when her father is kidnapped and the ransom demand is the schematics to an experimental weapon, she has no choice but to go under cover with her uncle to get it.
Nobody counted on former-government-agent-turned-holofeature-hero Blade Devon’s infatuation with her. A botched assassination under the guise of a bar brawl leaves Bo blind and Blade wondering if there isn’t more to this job than he was led to believe.
Never able to resist playing the hero, Blade tends her injuries and delves deeper into the intrigue only to find this mission isn’t about a weapon at all. It’s about two Sovrans’ maneuvering for control, with Bo and Blade as their pawns.
All Bo and Blade have to do is figure out how to survive the game they didn’t know they were playing.
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. On the surface, it’s a web ring of authors who post snippets of their work for comment. In reality, it’s a close-knit group of friends and colleagues working together to support and encourage one another and promote the science fiction and fantasy genres.
This week’s snippet is a departure from SOVRAN’S PAWN. Don’t worry. We aren’t going far. I’ve been hard at work on Book Two of THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES, tentatively titled THE WATCHTOWER. Still in the first draft stage it’s nearly ready for the endless revisions to begin. Here is your first look:
***
The talons of the hook dug into the hard stone with a satisfying thunk. Her downward plunge came to an abrupt halt as the line ran out, the force of it jerking her arm painfully. Like a weight on a pendulum, Bo swung toward the buttress. Ignoring the twinge in her shoulder, she eyed the stone structure, timing her approach. At the last moment, she lifted her legs, taking the jolt of contact with her feet and knees. Moving carefully, Bo edged her way around to the inside of the support structure, away from the edge of the cliff. Once satisfied with her position, she released the line from her wrist launcher and slid down the buttress.
She missed something in the darkness. Either a loose stone, or a protruding one changed her angle of descent. Instead of sliding harmlessly to the ground, Bo was thrown from the structure. With no time to do anything, she hit the ground hard, her left arm exploded in agony.
***
Well, that’s the Saturday Snippet for this week! Please don’t forget to comment by clicking on either the blog title or the little quotation balloon in the upper right hand corner. Tell your friends. Stop back here next week for another!
United by extortion, divided by duty, someone wants them both dead. They want each other. The catch is, nothing is what it seems…
Convicted of treason and sentenced to be executed, Bo Barron is the last person who should be infiltrating a Sub-socia weapons auction. But when her father is kidnapped and the ransom demand is the schematics to an experimental weapon, she has no choice but to go under cover with her uncle to get it.
Nobody counted on former-government-agent-turned-holofeature-hero Blade Devon’s infatuation with her. A botched assassination under the guise of a bar brawl leaves Bo blind and Blade wondering if there isn’t more to this job than he was led to believe.
Never able to resist playing the hero, Blade tends her injuries and delves deeper into the intrigue only to find this mission isn’t about a weapon at all. It’s about two Sovrans’ maneuvering for control, with Bo and Blade as their pawns.
All Bo and Blade have to do is figure out how to survive the game they didn’t know they were playing.
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. On the surface, it’s a web ring of authors who post snippets of their work for comment. In reality, it’s a close-knit group of friends and colleagues working together to support and encourage one another and promote the science fiction and fantasy genres.
This week’s snippet is a departure from SOVRAN’S PAWN. Don’t worry. We aren’t going far. I’ve been hard at work on Book Two of THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES, tentatively titled THE WATCHTOWER. Still in the first draft stage it’s nearly ready for the endless revisions to begin. Here is your first look:
***
“Well, well, Barron,” a synthesized voice broadcast from the speakers scattered around the compound.”I finally have you. I will entertain your request to surrender now.”
It was a matter of time before those black-clad thugs rushed her. If she was going to make it out with her skin intact, she needed to act quickly. Bo adjusted the power setting on her blaster, then the beam dispersal. Her eyes passed over the high walls, orienting herself to the map she’d memorized before she’d embarked on this suicide mission.
Choosing her spot, she leveled her sidearm at the outer wall and fired repeatedly until the thick wall exploded in a mass of molten rock. The concussion drove her back a few steps, but she’d been ready for it. Without waiting for the smoke to clear, she holstered her sidearm and raced for the hole, diving through headfirst. Once clear of the wall, she twisted mid-air, pointed her left arm at one of the buttresses supporting the structure, and clenched her fist, launching the grappling hook attached to her wrist. Silently praying she wouldn’t run out of shimmersilk line before the hook found purchase, Bo held her breath.
***
Well, that’s the Saturday Snippet for this week! Please don’t forget to comment by clicking on either the blog title or the little quotation balloon in the upper right hand corner. Tell your friends. Stop back here next week for another!
United by extortion, divided by duty, someone wants them both dead. They want each other. The catch is, nothing is what it seems…
Convicted of treason and sentenced to be executed, Bo Barron is the last person who should be infiltrating a Sub-socia weapons auction. But when her father is kidnapped and the ransom demand is the schematics to an experimental weapon, she has no choice but to go under cover with her uncle to get it.
Nobody counted on former-government-agent-turned-holofeature-hero Blade Devon’s infatuation with her. A botched assassination under the guise of a bar brawl leaves Bo blind and Blade wondering if there isn’t more to this job than he was led to believe.
Never able to resist playing the hero, Blade tends her injuries and delves deeper into the intrigue only to find this mission isn’t about a weapon at all. It’s about two Sovrans’ maneuvering for control, with Bo and Blade as their pawns.
All Bo and Blade have to do is figure out how to survive the game they didn’t know they were playing.
When I saw the key sitting in my PO box, I stood there with my heart pounding. I was only expecting one parcel in the mail: my proof copy of SOVRAN’S PAWN. My hands were shaking. I snatched that key out and skipped around the corner to the parcel boxes. It took me six tries to get the key in the lock!
Gotta Name My Blog 