Time again for Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly blog hop that lets new/indie authors share 8-10 words of their current work. I'm hyped up on leftover ice cream cake from my birthday to give me the final boost I need to wrap up my writing chores for the night. I'm still sticking with snippets from the opening chapters of my upcoming standalone novel Storm Born. The snippet from last week had main character Ava reeling from the shock of the devastation left by the Centennial, but that's not the only shock that Ava will be enduring when she finds her family, who were prepared to declare her missing...
“You were going to declare me
missing? After a few hours?”
Mom froze. Then her jaw began
to droop, her eyes bulging. James had a similar expression on his little round
face.
“Ava,” my Dad said. “You
haven’t been gone for a few hours.”
I looked at him, alarmed by
the confused, scared look in his eyes. A look I’d never seen my father wear.
I understood why when he said, “You’ve been gone for a week.”
***
A single night can change your life… for the worst.
It’s been a century since the last Centennial Storm, the calamitous phenomenon that covered the world in disasters– tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, tsunamis, and dust storms– caused not by nature, but by alien creatures from another realm. The Stormkind.
Ava Reid tries not to think about that night, when she was caught in a hurricane and brought face to face with one of the Stormkind, the man with a dagger, and the agony she felt when he stabbed her with a crystal blade. Yet as she and the rest of Florida’s citizens begin to rebuild their lives, Ava can’t help but notice strange things happening around her. Things she seems to be causing. The gusts of wind and sudden floods attract the attentions of a mysterious stranger who leaves her clues, and the deadlier men following her.
It isn’t long before Ava is swept up into a wild conspiracy, led by a secret society that knows the truth about the Stormkind– and what their enemies have planned for the world she loves. If she wishes to protect her friends and her family, Ava must harness her strange new abilities and become part of the Stormkind society. Because if she loses control, there will be no force strong enough to stop her…
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***
In other news, I'm happy to announce that I finally finished the rough draft for Storm of the Gods. Hence another reason to celebrate with ice cream cake at 11:30pm. I've still got to come up with a synopsis and do some of the larger edits this week, but here's a question for any experienced Warriors coming across the blog: Do you recommend Beta reading before submitting the story to publishers? If so, is anyone interested in reading an urban fantasy novel about the Greek gods and how society would react if we learned that some of us were descended from them? I appreciate any and all advice, and if you're interested in Beta reading, shoot me an email at amybraunauthor (at) gmail (dot) com so we can talk details/swaps.
Next week I'll be focusing on the edits for Storm of the Gods and planning another series, Agents of Limbo. I've got some promotions to set up for Storm Born as well, though I'd like to get Storm of the Gods out and on its way to publishers before I get caught up in the other releases I have planned for this year. Seriously, I have way too much to do, and nowhere near enough time– or chocolate!
Be sure to stop by the other Weekend Writing Warriors blogs and leave the authors some love in the comments. Until next time!
Amy
And she had no idea how long she'd been gone, eh? This leads to intriguing speculations.
ReplyDeleteNope, she has no idea. ;)
DeleteI love the way the reactions of the other members of the family build up the tension before the revelation of how long she's been missing.
ReplyDeleteThank you. :)
DeleteGreat lead up then POW! Nice job, Amy!
ReplyDeleteIt's the end of the second chapter, so I had to end with a bang. ;) Thank you, Nancy!
DeleteExciting finale and Happy Birthday, Amy. My son Beta reads my latest book and he's a wonder. I had no idea of his writing skill until he wrote an article in the Huffington Post about me that resulted in a movie opportunity. If you're interested, authorCharmaineGordon@gmail.com. Good Beta's are very important.
ReplyDeleteI definitely am! I'd love for this story to be at it's best before I send it to publishers and even if it doesn't get accepted, I'd like it to be in excellent condition for when I publish it myself. I'll probably email you in a couple weeks after I do the primary edits. Thank you so much Charmaine! :D
DeleteNice! Great set up for the punch at the end!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteDang it...I hate it when that happens. ;-)
ReplyDeleteShe probably wishes it had happened under different circumstances. ;)
DeleteOh - she didn't notice!
ReplyDeleteNope– she might have picked up a couple clues, but it wasn't like she had a calendar or cellphone nearby. ;)
DeleteOuch, a week! What's changed in that time, we wonder??
ReplyDeleteI guess you'll just have to wait and see... ;)
DeleteAmy, wow! You had me wide-eyed as I read your snippet! What a powerful punch you packed with those few words. Wonderful snippet and wonderful showing!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteHappy Birthday - belatedly. Ice Cram cake late at night - awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteKiller punch at the end of the snippet.
Tweeted.
Thank you so much (and it was delicious. :D)
DeleteGreat snippet. Love the expressions on their faces- I could see it so clearly. And now we get to speculate about what in the world happened to her.
ReplyDeleteExactly! Thank you so much Alexis. :)
DeleteCongrats on finishing your story, and on your upcoming release! The snippet and the fabulous cover have definitely intrigued me. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I'm definitely really excited about both. :D
DeleteWell, that is very odd. :-) I wonder what happened? Congrats on finishing the story!
ReplyDeleteWho knows, it could have been anything! ;) Thank you! :D
DeleteWell that would definitely give a person a sinking feeling in the pit of their stomach. Really a fascinating snippet!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteBrilliant bombshell, Amy. Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteWhat a great hook! I am definitely intrigued. :-)
ReplyDeleteThen I've done my job. Thank you!
DeleteFantastic snippet! I'm totally sold.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! Thank you! :D
DeleteWhat a hook! Nice.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteGreat snippet. You have wondering how so much time had passed without her realizing it.
ReplyDeleteWonderful cliff-hanger to leave us on. So where's she been for the past week? And she had no sense of the passing of time. Does seem like an alien abduction to me. Although she could have hit her head and gone to Oz. I think I'm sticking with the alien theory. Still, it's got to be spooky to have lost that much time. Great job sending cold shivers down my back!
ReplyDeleteYou could be more right than you know... thank you!
DeleteI rather have the reverse question--she's been missing for a whole week, and they're just now thinking about reporting it?
ReplyDeleteA little bit of background info– the country prepared their houses by reinforcing their basements like military bunkers. After the Centennial, they could press a panic button and be dug out by emergency crews. However, due to the multitude of calls, there was a waiting list. Ava was outside when the Centennial happened, and had no way to get back in. Her parents have been recently dug out, and had no way to find her or alert anyone that she was missing. Hopefully this makes a little more sense. :)
Delete