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 Lady of the Star Wind 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. Sandy is speaking:
“Please, whatever’s going on here, don’t hurt Mark. Neither of us meant any harm or disrespect – take your anger out on me if you must, but not him.” She might be at odds with him for personal reasons, but she didn’t want the foolishness of the younger women to cause his injury or death.
Haatrin shook her head. “There cannot be the one without the other. If you’re the Lady, or to become her, he must be your warrior, your consort. Live or die in unison, the twined fate is inescapable if you claim these titles.”
“Potential and problems, this girl carries both,” said Nuet. She traced lines across Sandy’s palm, her touch cool. Sandy’s skin tingled where the woman’s fingertip had been, and faint golden runes glowed for a heartbeat.
The story:
Are they merely luckless lovers … or a legend come back to life?
Mark Denaltieri, ex-Sector Special Forces, has been hired by the Outlier Empress to rescue her granddaughter, Princess Alessandra, from kidnappers. Since the Empress once had him tortured and banished, she’s the last person Mark wants to work for. But he takes the job. He’ll save Alessandra, his first love, and discover why she didn’t speak for him when he desperately needed her. Then he’ll be on his way, finally free of his past.
Alessandra would rather her rescuer was anyone but Mark–after all, he let her believe he was dead all this time. But when the couple are forced to flee her captors by Traveling via a strange crystal globe, they find themselves in a lovely Oasis on a desert planet, the old attraction sizzling between them again.
They soon discover they are far from alone. The Oasis holds the entrance to another world, one in which the inhabitants are convinced Sandy and Mark are the Lady of the Star Wind and her Warrior, come to free them from an evil Queen.
Mark and Sandy must work together to unearth an ancient mirror, and crown the true king of this land. Can they fulfill the prophecy of the Lady and her Warrior … and this time, will their love survive the test?
Oh, boy! Thing are really getting interesting. Looking forward to seeing Mark’s take on the whole thing.
Sounds like that’s a relationship that’s definitely “until death do us part” there…fun snippet.
So Sandy’s fate is intertwined with Mark’s, like it or not. That’s an intriguing twist!
The glowing runes? Completely intrigued and can’t wait to read more!
Bound to him forever, huh. I don’t know if that is going to go over well. Great snippet. 🙂
Nice twist to link their lives like this. great snippet
Well, it doesn’t sound like they plan on hurting Sandy or Mark, but does Sandy want to be bound to Mark like that? Great snippet!
hahaha she is going to be stuck with Mark, I wonder how that is going to play. Potential and problems sounds like a good pair, nothing should come too easy.
“If” they claim the titles. What happens if they don’t?
Their fates are tied!
This has been a fantastic read, Veronica, and your descriptions just keep getting better and better!
You have us all in a spin and loving it. Good work, Veronica. It boggles my mind. Happy Easter and many more, lovely friend.
Is the enforced link with Mark going to persuade Sandy to accept the title, or guarantee she objects?
Oooohhhh, this is the kind of thing I love to read about– two people connected in such a deep way, caring for each other even before they realize how deeply their lives are entwined. Excellent writing! My favourite snippet so far! 😀
Can’t help but wonder how Mark is going to react to this! Great snippet, as usual.
Oh wow. What a place to find yourself. Well, we all wanted to be the special one when we were kids, didn’t we? Great snippet, Veronica. 🙂
Oooh….a lady and her warrior. ::swoon:: They’re intertwined, despite her efforts to spare him. Love that!
Your snippets are very intriguing, and I can’t wait to see how the story progresses.
Oh my, will that make her reject the titles that she didn’t want in the first place, or will it make her think about a potential future she didn’t dare consider before? Compelling!
Marcia
Intriguing final image with the runes. Nice job 🙂
I can’t wait to find out what Mark thinks about all of this. Intriguing snippet, as always!
“Potential and problems” is what we want for the main characters in our stories.
Oh my, love the excerpt and want to keep reading on. Can’t wait to see what happens when Mark gets an opportunity to speak;).
Very powerful writing! I love this comment in particular, “Live or die in unison, the twined fate is inescapable if you claim these titles.” Pure fire! Nice!
Doesn’t everyone carry a mix of both potential and problems? I like how their fates are tied together–brings up the tension!
Very intriguing snippet. Can’t wait to see what happens next.
Oh, wow. That bonded forever thing really adds a whole new dimension to the story! Great snippet!
Fate, huh? Sounds like a plan! Wonderful snippet.
Uh oh! What do the runes mean? What happens if they don’t accept that fate? I like how she tries to spare Mark anyways, but twined fates are always a curveball in the plans. I want to know what it will mean to be the Lady of the Star Wind now. This just gets better and better!