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!)
Happy Mother’s Day by the way!!!
In late March I published a paranormal fantasy romance The Captive Shifter, but since I was in the midst of excerpting my scifi romance at the time, I didn’t share from Shifter. I’m going to do a few weeks from it now. Some of you who go wayyyyy back with me on snippets may remember I shared bits from this when it was a WIP several years ago.
Kyler, the shifter, has been used as a source of magic in a major spellcasting and isn’t recovering well. Caitlyn, the heroine, goes to the kitchen to see what can be done about his diet at least and speaks to the Cook.
Creative punctuation warning!
Nadelma the cook is speaking:
“Strange times we’re in, with the poor shifter caught in the middle. He carved me a special wooden spoon last year for the winter festival, you know—all my favorite flowers and fruits on the handle,” Nadelma pointed at the far wall, where the spoon was hung carefully on display, “It’s far too beautiful to cook with and so I told him.”
“So you’ll allow me to make something proper for Kyler to eat?”
Nadelma pointed one large hand at the chair, “You sit here, at my table, and eat a bite yourself. Been up all night worrying over him, have you?”
“Is nothing a secret from you, ma’am?” Caitlyn asked, sinking onto the designated seat.
“In a word, no,” Nadelma hoisted herself from her chair with an alarming amount of effort and said, “I’ll fix him a breakfast suitable for a warrior with my own hands and we’ll see if my food doesn’t do him more good than what the high and mighty ordered. They do their magic, I do mine.”
The story:
Concealing her own considerable magical powers, Caitlyn enters the service of the northern Witch Queen masquerading as a simple healer. Under order from her goddess, she’s searching for a magical gem stolen long ago from her own people, believed to be hidden in the massive castle. The task is daunting but Caitlyn is sure she can locate the gem and escape, bringing the prize back to the temple where it belongs. Until she meets the captive shifter and her loyalties become dangerously divided.
In payment for her past services to his people, Kyler the leopard shifter has entered into a life of servitude far from his forest home, allowing the Witch Queen to tap his magic to power her ever darker spells. Factions at Court are threatening to turn the Queen to the Shadow. Her increasing demands for magic will cut short his nearly immortal lifespan. Kyler’s resigned to his fate until the day he crosses paths with the new arrival, whose secrets and magic entice and attract both man and leopard. Has he met his mate at last?
The Queen will never willingly release him from captivity. Caitlyn’s goddess refuses to grant her any delay in accomplishing her own task. Can they locate the magical gem, fight the Shadow and win free of the Witch Queen to earn the right to be together?
I love Nadelma. And that last line is true — there’s a magic in food…
I agree with P.T. I absolutely love Nadelma as a character. She’s someone I’d definitely want on my side. Fabulous snippet! 🙂
It’s unanimous, so far.I love Nadelma. She would be a good friend…or a fierce enemy.
Nadelma’s heart seems to be in the right place, though I wonder why she doesn’t want Caitlyn to cook.
Well you know, cooks and their kitchen empires….besides, she could tell that Caitlyn was exhausted after sitting up all night with the extremely ill shifter.
Nadelma seems to be a woman wiser than those in power for sure. Great snippet, Veronica. 🙂
Love Nadelma. My Italian grandmother always believed a good meal could work miracles. 🙂 Great snippet.
We are one, Ms. V. in love with Nadelma. She’s wonderful and so are you for adding a character like her into a story with magical characters, most of them wicked.
Hugs this Mother’s Day and every day,
I bought a friend an ornate spoon as a thank you for opening her home to us for a vacation in Britain, so I completely understand why she doesn’t want to use it!
Yay! And early in the book I established that Kyler is a skilled woodcarver. I thought that was a good hobby for a shifter who usually dwells in the deep woods. His grandfather taught him. 🙂
I love and appreciate all the comments! and I’m so happy people enjoy Nadelma. I keep mulling a plot just for her but so far it seems the story might be a short or a novella. But we’ll see her again in this world for sure.
Nadelma seems very wise. Maybe, like Caitlyn, she also hides hidden talents. Would be interesting to find out. If yes, she would be a formidable ally…or foe.
I love this! Great snippet.
Always good to have the cook on your side. Like everyone else, I immediately liked Nadelma and wished she’d come cook for me!
I like both Nadelma and Caitlyn. Both are so kind.
I like the cook’s confidence in herself.
I’ll join in the Nadelma-love. It sounds like she personally appreciates the power of good food!
Lovely snippet, and I agree with everyone, Nadelma is great! The wooden spoon sounds very much like oue traditional Welsh ‘love spoons’ which were often given by young men to the girl they fancied – and still are, although probably more often bought than made these days.
Oops, I meant our not oue! 🙂
Delightful scene, Jean! I love it when smart women put their heads together!
Too bad his gift was too pretty to use, but it was so thoughtful of him to make it! Love these two interacting, it’s a bit funny for a serious subject.
Everyone is right. Nadelma is great!
Wonderful writing, as always! 😀
I’m already hooked! Love everything about this! And I can see that spoon! =D
Great scene. I love that these women care so much for the shapeshifter. 🙂
Great last line … she’s a great character!