Like an artist wielding a brush so do we take quill to hand and struggle to leave a permanent imprint in the minds and hearts of many. We are scribes eager to be published, read, and filled with the knowledge that we’ve touched, baffled, and even mesmerized our readers. And it is an honor to share the floor with so many.
I am a writer. It’s what I do to help the monotony of the world fall into place and conform to a more attractive pattern. Having said that, it didn’t seem as a surprise to me at all when I gave birth to a galaxy, conjured it out of the void.
Twelve planets occupied the unusual solar system. At the head was Pantheas. (There is symbolism behind the name. I have based it on the theory of Pantheism, the belief that God is everything, that we are all connected.) To govern this planet, I created Craven. (Also symbolic of his rise from fear.)
He is my protagonist, my hero. The story begins and ends with him. It was my intention to describe him in this post, but maybe the best way I can do that is to include a short excerpt. This material has been tweaked to keep from revealing deep dark secrets.
(I’ve given the man powers, looks, a planet, and a woman. He was happy. Then I started messing with him. The first thing I did was cause his woman to betray him by stripping her of what she loved the most.)
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Craven looked away. “I’ve been called a man of deep passions, mostly because I don’t give my heart to just any woman. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with her.” He stopped talking. The pain was wrenching his ribs apart.
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(This scene begins in the throne room. Consumed with fury over his woman’s betrayal, Craven succumbs to a moment of weakness, an indiscretion. He snatches a palace pet, a name used to describe servant women to the king. Had I not tweaked it, the scene would have revealed his powers and the secret that makes this story unique. This is also a small attempt at smoothing out a hot sex scene.)
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Hands touched her, and a mouth, an oral conduit of liquid fire. He was everywhere, inside her, stretching her, filling her. She leaned back onto the man, intoxicated by the movement of his pelvis and the hand weaving expert torture on the flesh between her thighs.
Dreamy eyes regarded the king of Pantheas. “My lord?”
“Nydia, are you alright? The first time can be difficult.”
She grew a fiery red before sitting up. “I’m fine.”
He tapped her cheek. “Good. Then go now.”
She hurried to her feet and ran out of the throne room. Soon she’d be telling the other women about their encounter. They would gossip happily as was the female tendency. A smile flirted with his lips, but he refused to give in. He stood, glanced at the ground, and inhaled a deep breath. He had betrayed his own code of ethics. Life couldn’t possibly get any worse.
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(And then it did, much worse, but that takes the rest of the book.)
I've just completed editing the first 200 pages of my manuscript. I hope that by the time I finish edits on 500+ I'll have longer dialogue and maybe a scene or two to offer.
I've managed to sketch out a cartoon character of Craven. This is what I have so far. It's black and white and scratchy (kinda ick). I can do so much better. His eyes should be an unusual shade of green, and the scar should be on the other side. His hair is black. If you're wondering about the spots...no, he's not a shifter, but what he is and why he looks the way he does reveals plenty of my plot. (I also know what he looks like naked, but that would be inappropriate.)
Tomorrow I'll post something brief on my heroine.
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Check out something cute. This is my favorite cartoon character and the easiest drawing I've ever finished. "Sentimental Reasons."
See you all tomorrow.
