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Lucky 7: Lines from the 7th Page
Tonya tagged me in this fun meme, and I’m happy to play along. 🙂
Here are the directions:
- Go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscript
- Go to line 7
- Copy down the next seven lines (sentences??) as they are – no cheating
- Tag 7 other authors
My current manuscript is, of course, Thorns of Decision, which is due out June 1st. I have started initial writing on Book Four, but it’s definitely not ready for public viewing yet. 🙂
So here you are … this is from page 7 of the Word document — I don’t yet know what will be on page 7 of any other version. 🙂
“No, he doesn’t.”
“But I can’t tell him the truth!”
“Not all of it, anyway.”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
“Okay, so obviously you can’t tell him everything. But maybe we should think of what parts you could tell him that are true.”
At that instant, the small black phone sitting next to her buzzed. The tiny sound seemed strangely ominous. Quinn jumped away from it as though it might somehow bite her.
So … guesses? This conversation is between Quinn and ? Who are they talking about? 🙂
Comment below if you don’t yet have a digital copy of either Seeds of Discovery or Roots of Insight. In keeping with the “7” theme — the first 7 people to ask can have a copy of the book of their choice, in the e-format of choice (Kindle, .epub, or .pdf — basically any e-reader or computer).
Oh, and, nope, you don’t have to have the right answer to win — just ask! But play along for fun, anyway? 😉
Now for the tagging! I can’t wait to see seven lines from some of these folks. 🙂
- Kristy K. James
- Cara Michaels
- Morgan Dragonwillow
- Danni Menard
- Jayrod Garrett
- Steven P. Watson
- Lillie McFerrin
Sample Sunday (#SampleSunday)
Happy Sunday everyone! If you’re looking for new and entertaining reads, head on over to Twitter, and search for the hashtag #SampleSunday. You’ll find all kinds of interesting stuff every week. 🙂
Here’s my first February contribution. 🙂 An excerpt from Seeds of Discovery, which is on sale for just 99 cents through Valentine’s Day at Amazon!
Don’t forget, during the month of love, to spread some love to your favorite authors by leaving them reviews on any review site you frequent, especially Amazon, Shelfari, and Goodreads. Authors appreciate every single review, even if it seems like they already have many.
When she reached Maggie’s house that afternoon, Zander’s familiar truck was sitting next to the curb. When she pulled up behind it to park, she could see the outline of Zander’s head through the rear window; he must have arrived just before her. She pulled her keys out of the ignition and then hesitated, suddenly nervous about seeing him. She took an unnecessary minute to check her cell phone for text messages she might have missed. Small words flashed in the corner of the screen, “NO SERVICE.” Quinn sighed. One bad thing about living in a small mountain town was the unreliable cell phone service.
Finally composed, she took a deep breath and reached for the door handle. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the door opened on its own. Zander was standing there, grinning.
“Hey, Quinn,” he said, reaching for her hand to help her climb out.
“Uh, hi, Zander. Thanks.”
“Sure,” Zander smiled cheerfully, but he didn’t start walking to the house. He stood there for a long moment, looking like he wasn’t sure what to say.
The nervousness that Quinn had started feeling in the car was growing.
Finally, Zander spoke.
“Quinn?”
“Yeah?”
“I wanted to ask you something.”
“O….kay?”
“Will you … I mean, would you like … would you like to go to the Valentine dance with me?” he said the last part in a rush, in a hurry to get the words out.
Quinn was stunned. Did she want to go to the Valentine dance? With Zander? Maybe she did. “Um, I can’t dance, you know,” she stalled, trying to regain her composure.
Zander chuckled, “Neither can I. It could still be fun, though.”
“Um, okay…” shoving her hands in her pockets so he wouldn’t see them shaking, she choked out her answer. “Sure.”
She watched Zander’s eyes widen, “You’ll go with me?”
“Yes, I’ll go with you.”
Zander’s face lit up with a smile that did strange things to her insides… She had to work to catch her breath as she walked with him up to the porch.
Sample Sunday (#SampleSunday)
It’s Sunday again, and today I’m sharing another excerpt.
This time, it’s from Seeds of Discovery, which is the first book in the Dusk Gate Chronicles. This scene is the first moment that Quinn actually decides to go for it — she closes her eyes, and steps into the nothing over a broken bridge.
Quinn gasped. The broken end of the half-missing structure was no longer broken, and it no longer ended. Instead of the disintegrating, broken concrete-and-stone edge, a wide stone walkway arced across the entire river. Cautiously, she put her other foot forward. The stone and mortar that should not have been there held firm. She spun around, ready to run back down the stone steps, but the sight stopped her cold.
The sun that should have been directly in front of her had moved, and now dipped below the tree line far to her left, casting strangely long shadows that cut obtrusively across the landscape. Even in the fading light of the irregular dusk, she could see that everything was different. Where the rocky riverbank should have sloped up to the highway, there was now a vast expanse of trees and open fields. Lights from unfamiliar buildings glimmered and sparked to life in the distance.
Slowly, Quinn let her eyes scan the area around her. The river was no longer a rocky, mountain creek underneath the bridge. Now, a wide expanse of water flowed lazily between the bush-covered banks on either side. Downstream, the river continued uninterrupted to the southwest but seemed to widen significantly just past a break in the tree line. The view upstream was the most shocking. Instead of sloping up into the familiar peaks of the mountains she had seen all her life, a long valley spread out before her, sparsely populated by stands of trees and varieties of grass and wildflowers. In the distance where the horizon began to merge with the night sky, Quinn could just make out the outline of a thick forest.
“Now you’ve done it.” The sound of the voice below her jolted her like an electric shock. In the same instant that she registered the frowning face of William Rose, Quinn stumbled and fell down the steps at the end of the bridge, right into the bushes.
In case that interested you, Seeds of Discovery is on sale at Amazon right now, for just 99 cents. You can also read the first three chapters of this book by clicking on the Dusk Gate Chronicles link at the top of this page. 🙂
Sample Sunday (#SampleSunday)
Happy Sunday, everyone. 🙂 Thanks for reading and following along. For those who don’t know, on Sundays, on Twitter, you can follow along with the hashtag #SampleSunday as authors post samples and excerpts of their work. It’s a great chance to find some new authors you like and find fun new things to read.
I’ve decided I’ll start participating in a new way, too, by posting #SampleSunday excerpts on my blog. 🙂
Here’s the first one …
An excerpt from the middle of Roots of Insight.
She stood there, still as a statue, consumed half by a paralyzing mixture of terror and anger, and the other half by another emotion entirely. Though she was rigid and unmoving, his arms still wound around her back, holding her tight. “We can’t think like that, Quinn. We don’t know what’s going on; let’s not make this worse by jumping to conclusions. Let’s assume, for now, that we’re okay. That she’s hidden us only for our safety, and we’ll find out what this is all about later.”
She swallowed, trying to get past the fear and aggravation. Her fingers trembled. It wasn’t working, trapped here in the dark and silence.
“It’s going to be okay,” he murmured against her hair.
She snapped. “Since when are you so Susie Sunshine about everything?”
He was absolutely still for just a second, before his entire body started shaking, in great, heaving motions coming from his chest. She was startled, confused, and then the silence was broken by his snorting, and the laughter overtook her, too.
Once she started laughing, she couldn’t stop, and it was clear that neither could he. They both stood there shaking, trying to keep quiet, trying to stop, but every time one of them calmed down enough to take a breath, the other would snicker, and it would start all over again. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, her stomach was aching, and she could hardly breathe, but the laughter kept coming.
Finally, finally, she managed to pull in a breath at the same time he did. They clutched each other’s arms tightly, trying to regain control. They hysterical giggles kept threatening to break through, but at last they were calm.
William softly cleared his throat. “Only one of us can freak out at a time.”
She nodded. “Agreed.”
And then, somehow, his lips were against hers. Softly, at first, his bottom lip grazed her top one. She knew, in the part of her brain that was still capable of rational thought, that she should have been surprised by this, but it wasn’t thought that drove her now. Her mouth responded on its own, as did her hands, reaching around him, clutching the back of his thin shirt.
He pulled her body closer with one hand, the other finding the back of her neck, under her hair, his fingers gently caressing, twining in her hair …
There was a loud thud directly overhead. They jerked apart, as if shocked by a jolt of electricity. After an eternity, his hand found hers again, squeezing it tight as they listened to the footsteps crossing the floor above.
Don’t forget, you can always check out more samples from the Dusk Gate Chronicles by clicking on the menu bar above. You can also check out the books on Amazon by clicking on the pictures of the book covers to your right. Happy Sunday! 🙂
To My Nook and Other E-Pub friends…
For a number of reasons, at this time I am releasing Roots of Insight only on Kindle at this time (paperback will be released in a couple of weeks). Seeds of Discovery is also currently only available in Kindle format.
You do not need to have a Kindle in order to read a Kindle-format book. You can also read it on a FREE Kindle App on your smartphone, iPad/iPod or on your Mac or PC with either a Kindle App or the Cloud Reader.
The Dusk Gate Chronicles books are also DRM-free, which means you can choose to convert them to a different file format (there are free software programs that will do this) and load them onto any kind of e-reader using the USB cord.
Loading the book using a USB cord is known as side-loading, and is extremely easy. Once your e-reader is plugged into your computer with the USB cord, it will show up as a drive or storage device. You need only to drag and drop the book file into the right file on your e-reader, and it will show up in your library with all of your other books.
Finally, if you don’t want to convert it, or can’t figure out how, you can also contact me, by e-mailing me at
breeanap at gmail dot com
If you forward me a copy of your e-mail receipt from Amazon showing your purchase of Roots of Insight, I will be more than happy to e-mail you back with an .epub version of the book that can be loaded on your Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, or other .epub-based reader using the USB cord (again, you can do this yourself, but this way, you won’t have to figure out how to convert it.)
At the current time, Seeds of Discovery is under an exclusive distribution agreement with Amazon, so I cannot send you the .epub file, but you can convert it yourself.
If you need any other help or assistance, please feel free to comment here or to e-mail me.
I appreciate the support of ALL of my readers, regardless of what type of device you own, and I will do my best to keep my books accessible to all.
Happy New Year! 8 More Days, and More Happy Hunting! :)
Happy New Year everyone. I hope you’re all as excited as I am about starting a new year fresh.
I’ve decided this year that resolutions are a bad idea. Most of them are about taking some part of yourself that you currently see as “bad” and trying to change it. For me, the new year is going to be about taking what’s good, and growing it.
2011 was monumental for me. It was the year I finally stopped buying into the myth of “security,” or doing “what I’m supposed to do.” The year I stopped believing in should be, and started asking what could be.
My dream for 2012 is that it will be a year of exploring that further, and really coming to terms with what it means, and then, just living it.
One dream that came true this year was finishing a book and actually allowing people to read it. That has been more fantastic than I ever imagined it could be, and I am so grateful for everyone who has shared that with me. The writing community is AMAZING.
If you are a writer, and it’s part of your “could be” to see where that journey takes you, then something you NEED to check out is Cara Michael’s #WIP500. I will be doing this, starting today. Every day, growing at least 500 words closer to my writing dreams. 🙂
Tomorrow, starts my first ever blog tour! And you’ll be able to party right along with me!
Starting tomorrow, check back right here for a blog to visit, and a question to find an answer to! I’ll be giving away fun prizes to those who can answer the questions! 🙂
Speaking of prizes, don’t forget to enter the contest for
a $10 Amazon.com e-gift card by clicking here.
And, if you are a blogger or an author, don’t forget to comment below or send me an e-mail to participate in the upcoming blog hop scavenger hunt for the release of Roots of Insight! Bloggers … all I will need from you is a few questions about content you ALREADY HAVE POSTED on your blog, and I’ll be sending people over. Authors … I could use e-copies of your books or anything else you might like to give away (and links to your blogs, too!) 🙂
Dusk Gate: Roots of Insight
I’m starting to get excited. Dusk Gate: Roots of Insight releases in just 11 days. That’s right. On January 9, 2012, you’ll be able to read more of Quinn’s adventures in Eirentheos. (Of course she’s going back. Twice, in fact.) 😉
As a treat for those who follow my blog … here is an excerpt for you to enjoy today. 🙂
She gasped when she saw the three small, colorful stones in his hand. She had found them near the river on one of her first days in Eirentheos, the first time she had gone horseback riding with William and his brother and sister. She had put them in her pocket, intending to bring them home to give to Owen, who collected unusual rocks. But they had been forgotten when she’d packed to leave the castle in a rush.
“Mia found them when she was cleaning your room. I thought you would probably still like to have them.”
She nodded, a sudden lump in her throat as she thought about “her” room in the castle, and Mia, the kind servant who had taken such diligent care of her. She picked up the stones and rubbed her thumb against them. They were smooth, like marble.
“And this is from me,” he said, holding out another small object. “I figured you might like to have a little something to give to your little sister, as well.”
Quinn was stunned. The object was a small horse, expertly carved out of soft, Eirenthean wood. She examined the tiny details carefully. “It’s Dusk,” she said in surprise. Dusk was the horse that William’s mother, Queen Charlotte, had given to Her to ride during her time in their world.
“Yes, do you like it?”
“You carved this?”
He nodded, “Nathaniel says carving is good practice for surgery and stitches.” His eyes followed hers down to the inside of her right leg, where he had stitched a cut after she had fallen on the night she had followed him through the gate.
She swallowed hard. “It’s beautiful, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He looked up at something over her shoulder. She turned and followed his gaze.
She hadn’t noticed how many people had come into the hallway during her conversation with William. Watching them, from a few feet away, was Zander. Though his eyebrows had been knitted together as he watched them, his eyes lit up when they met hers.
“You’d better go,” William said quietly.
She nodded, “Thank you so much.”
“You’re very welcome.” His eyes were soft as he closed his locker and headed down the hallway.
Also, to help celebrate the launch, and make next week go more quickly while we wait, I am doing my first-ever blog tour!
Check back starting next Monday, January 2nd for details about the blog tour! And be sure to follow along at the blog sites for reviews, interviews, character interviews, giveaways, and more!
Let it Snow, Let it Snow …
We’re getting our first big snowfall of the year here in Denver. The ground is sparkling white and it’s beautiful. Little Goose is desperate to get outside in her snow pants and snow boots to make snow angels and a snowman.
I don’t love snow, although I can appreciate the beauty of it much more when I don’t have to go out in it! 🙂 However, I still wish a pleasant, sunny walk to the park was in the plans for today.
So, for those of you who, like me, aren’t yet ready for summer to end … an excerpt from Chapter 19 of Seeds of Discovery!
Nobody said anything as William walked over to Thomas and Quinn and sat down. “Gorgeous day,” William finally broke the silence. “A little warm, though.” Quinn heard Thomas’ quiet sigh of relief. “Yes it is.” He answered. “Want to go for a swim?” “Sure.” William was actually smiling. “What? In the river?” Quinn was surprised. “Where else?” Thomas asked. “Is it … safe?” “Definitely… it’s wide here, and the current’s not strong at all.” It was William who caught her concern. “Water’s safe here, Quinn. No pollution in our world. You could drink right out of it. Warmer than Colorado, too.” Quinn looked down at the brown short-sleeved shirt and woven pants she was wearing. “I don’t have a swimming suit.” Thomas shrugged, “Wear your clothes. It’s warm enough today, you’ll dry. There’s some extra stuff packed, anyway.” Quinn still wasn’t sure. “I’ll think about it,” she said. “Suit yourself.” Thomas stood and pulled off his shirt, then waded into the river. William followed him. Quinn stayed on the shore and enjoyed the sunshine as the brothers walked out almost to the middle of the river, into water up to their waists. Thomas, always the bolder of the two, was the first to disappear under the surface and bob up a second later, shaking his head and splattering William. William responded by using his hands to send a huge wave of water rolling toward Thomas, who failed to move to the side quickly enough. Within seconds, it degenerated into a full-blown water fight, both boys laughing and splashing water. Quinn found herself laughing as well.Recalling Inspiration…
Or at least I’m trying to! 🙂 There has been so much going on lately that my brain is not yet where I need it to be. (And, dangit… the ‘a’ key has come detached from my keyboard, and I can’t get it to stay on! Gonna seriously mess with my wpm).
So, in honor of working on becoming inspired again (and so I can at least post something!) I am posting a link to a very early rough-draft version of Book Two. Please enjoy, COMMENT and help me get back into the swing of writing. 🙂
breeanaputtroff 