Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts today…a fun way to sample new books and find new authors! (Also welcome to the Sunday Snippet visitors!)
The WIP is an epic portal fantasy, which is undergoing a final edit and will be released after Star Cruise: Outbreak in the late April/early May 2016 time frame.
Sandy and Mark have been transported to an unknown world. This snippet is from quite a bit further in the novel, after they’ve left the mysterious mountain oasis, in the company of some new friends… Sandy, who picked up an odd stone key in the Oasis, was bitten by a snake named Sherabti, went into the green light with a woman unknown to her and now is sitting in a room she’s never seen before, with four women who seem to think Sandy is someone else…the Lady of the Star Wind…A new player, Haatrin, entered the chamber and scolded the Moon Sisters, after which an even more senior goddess, Nuet, arrived to scold them ALL and sent the Moon Sisters fleeing.
Haatrin stepped to Sandy’s side, taking her left wrist and gently rotating her arm to display the angry puncture wounds. “Here is Sherabti’s mark, Mother of Us All.”
The elder leaned closer, peering at the bite. “My servant is never mistaken, regardless of the foolishness of those girls. Sherabti saw potential.”
“And the woman and her mortal companions were in your temple,” Haatrin said as if citing a point in Sandy’s favor, “She made proper sacrifice.”
“We took shelter there from a sandstorm,” Sandy felt compelled to clarify. The stakes in this room were high, with her life and maybe Mark’s in danger. She didn’t want any further misunderstandings between these beings and herself. Had her simple gesture helping Tia place water and fruit on the broken altar gotten her into this jeopardy?
More from the scene next week. I apologize if anyone is growing bored with the same scene but it seems logical to give you all of this one…
Exciting news – I’ve released Healer of the Nile as a standalone (it was in a boxed set) for $.99. I had run excerpts from that novella here (remember the dreamspace and the omens?) Here’s the lovely cover, if you missed my reveal last week!
The story: When Pharaoh sends injured warrior Tadenhut home to die, his noble family asks Mehyta, the local healer, to ease his path to the Afterlife. Mehyta discovers he’s trapped between Life and Death, caught in the dreamspace. Touched by his fighting spirit and will to live, Mehyta vows to use all the powers Shai, god of fate, gave her. Together Tadenhut and the brave healer battle to overcome his injuries, as well as threats from devious family members. While struggling to rescue her patient, Mehyta comes to realize he matters more to her than any man ever has before. But even if his life can be saved, what do the omens say about a match between a highborn soldier and a simple healer?
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LOL. Clearly ‘proper sacrifice’ doesn’t include any particular reverence in the performance of the sacrifice.
I don’t think it all can be a coincidence. She might have done things without knowing but that doesn’t mean she isn’t the one they are looking for pulled by a destiny of some sort.
I’m guessing there are even more misunderstandings coming down the pike, if the previous scenes are any indication!
Observance of the letter of the law! It didn’t even have to be voluntary. I still think she should perhaps have not said anything…
She just keeps getting in deeper and deeper.
Sandy’s been in deep doo and now I see a light at the end of the tunnel-maybe.Interesting tale you’ve woven here, my friend. My new Kindle appears to be broken As soon as hubs fixes it I’ll get your book.
Who knew something so simple would come back to bite her in the end… Pun not really intended. 😉 Great writing!
Terrific tension in this scene!
So, her simple act of helping Tia brought all this down on her? Hmmm…great snippet, Veronica/
She was only trying to help someone, and she ended up in this situation. Yikes! I hope it works out well for her or she may never help someone again.
That’s interesting – how her simple acting might have started the ball rolling. Great snippet.
Tweeted.
I am loving this, Veronica. I guess the old truism rings true here — no good deed goes unpunished! I love that the snake was given a prestigious role as Mother to Us All <3 Wonderful, wonderful snippet!
I’m glad you’re continuing with this scene. I’m in the doesn’t-know-she’s-the-one camp. Great writing Victoria. It’s obvious by the comments as well. All the readers have theories and we don’t know which one is right yet. Exactly what a writer is suppose to do.
I love how you connect the dots – helping Tia and being bitten by the snake lead to assumptions by the Moon Sisters, and it snowballs from there. Great excerpt!
Marcia
Heh, who knew being helpful could make you a candidate. Great snippet, Veronica. 🙂
Thanks for the comments, always MUCH appreciated. I’m enjoying sharing this entire scene with you all and we’ll probably finish up in time for me to switch to Star Cruise: Outbreak when it releases in April. I hadn’t shared any of that one here as yet. This novel I’m sharing now with Sandy will be out in May. but of course I’ll keep you well posted LOL!
It’s a good thing she helped with the sacrifice. You evoke potent beings without showing their powers!
Ooo this is sounding like a discovery story. I loved the snippet and can’t wait to see where her journey leads her.
Well, if the snake thought she had potential…I guess karma will out. No good deed goes unpunished it seems, on this world or others. At least we (and Sandy) know what started all this rolling. Nice way to gather the threads back in, Veronica. 🙂
Wow. Intriguing snippet. I need to catch up with the story. 🙂
You have a wonderful imagination. Such beings and events would never even enter my brain. I have enough trouble writing about the Earth, right now! Great writing.
Not bored at all. I’m enjoying how the scene is playing out. I’m intrigued to know why she’s the one.
Not bored either! I want to find out what happens in the rest of the scene.
There are always two sides to every perception…hope they can work out their differences. Good snippet.
Intriguing snippet. I definitely hope that her actions were the right ones and did not put her or Mark in additional jeopardy. Definitely want to read more.
Congratulations on the release. The cover is beautiful. It looks like I need to get my ereader fixed;)
Alarming for Sandy! So the snake saw potential in her? Is that good or bad?
““My servant is never mistaken, regardless of the foolishness of those girls.”
“Those girls” are danged lucky they didn’t suffer a far worse punishment.
Congrats on the release! 🙂
Glad Sandy spoke up in this snippet! Congrats on the release!
It was fated to happy. Great snippet. I’m not at all bored. 🙂
This could go either good or bad for her. I’d be afraid to say a word.
With the whole venomous snake thing, it’s probably best that the mark is never wrongly given. Except does ‘potential’ keep you from dying? Or just mean you might die, or might not?
Intriguing snippet … and no, not getting bored at all!
Absolutely NOT bored with this! I’m really enjoying the story and it’s picking up even more layers this week.
Sounds like a case of no good deed goes unpunished.
Bored? Bored by this? Hell no! None of your snippets bore me. This just keeps getting better and better every week. Funny how one little harmless action can start a snowball of effects, huh? Sandy is so way in over her head.
I like it. It’s wild how all it takes is one simple decision– albeit aided by the storm– to find oneself in an entirely different reality.
Intriguing. Can’t wait to read more.