Labotomy of a Writer

It has been a while since I participated in a blogfest! I missed them but I always seem to be running late lately!

Anyway, this wonderful blogfest is hosted by Cheree Smith. The purpose of this blogfest is to put the spotlight on the side characters for a little while. One of my favorite side characters is an elf name Jardel. He's just so spunky! So, this scene is something I wrote a while back in his POV but not sure if it will stay in the book or not. (Jardel is from "The Kinir Elite Chronicles")

As expected from me - it's a long entry, but hey. Side characters need a little time in the spot light too, so Jardel can take over this blog post for a while. (For those that don't know, Jardel is an elf warrior. In this scene he and the team are going into the dwarf mines to rescue their Captain and team mate - who are the MC's in the story.)

Dawn was breaking. Jardel smiled to himself. He loved being a member of the Elite. It was going to be a great day. He enjoyed the missions and rescuing beings that needed justice. He hated all wrong doers and in joining the Elite, his dream of ridding the world of evil was one step closer to being true.

They arrived at the clearing near the secret entrance to the mines. Rakan, as the veteran of the team, took command and signaled Jardel, Tyn, and Saphierius to cause the distraction at the front entrance. They left to do as they were ordered.

"What should we do? Just run in making noise?" Tyn whispered as they quickly made their way around the base of Gorgan Mountain.

"Perhaps. Maybe set off some of sort of explosion."

"The explosion would definitely get their attention," Tyn said with a smile. Jardel whistled to Saphierius who was flying above their heads. He landed next to them and walked with them as they continued their way around the mountain.

"Saphierius, could you freeze some things down there for us once we are inside?" Jardel asked.

"Of course."

"All right. We are getting close to the entrance."

Jardel readied his bow, to take out any sentries that might be at the front entrance. There were two standing in front of two very large wooden doors. Jardel popped out from behind the bushes and fired two arrows in quick succession. The sentries fell into the dirt with barely a sound.

Saphierius blew his ice breath onto the door. Tyn did the honors of kicking the door, shattering the frozen wood into splinters. Three more dwarves were standing inside. They were momentarily stunned by the flying pieces of wood. Jardel dispatched one with his bow and Tyn ran the other two through with his sword.

The large tunnel could easily hold five elves standing side by side. Tyn ran along one side of the tunnel, Jardel on the other and Saphierius was in the middle. They made their way down the tunnel dispatching any dwarves that were in their way. The deeper they went into the mines, the more dwarves came swarming at them.

"Behind us!" Tyn yelled.

Saphierius turned around to cover their back while Tyn and Jardel tried to push their way forward. When the opportunity came up, Tyn ducked into a side tunnel, dragging Jardel with him. Saphierius followed and they ran down the tunnel, the dwarves close on their heels.

Jardel tried to remember the map from their mission planning. He remembered one of the tunnels looping back around and connecting back with the tunnel. He hoped it was this one. They came to a large cavern. They stayed on the path that ran along the edge. Below them was what appeared to be a town. They made their way around the cavern. Arrows began to fly up at them. Jardel was hit in the calf and he fell to this knees. Tyn turned around and picked him up, dragging him along. Saphierius did his best to freeze the arrows as they flew at them. The ice made them heavy and they fell short of their intended targets. The small dragon could not get to all of them and many times they had to duck in order to keep from being hit.

Tyn dragged Jardel out of the cavern into another tunnel. Jardel reached down and pulled the arrow out of his leg. He growled in pain and tore a piece of uniform. The wrapped the cloth around his leg. He nodded to Tyn to say he was ready to keep going.

He limped after Tyn down the tunnel. His memory had been right. The tunnel led them back to the main tunnel, but closer to the large cavern with the winding stairs. They quickly made their way into the cavern and started down the stairs. They saw Rakan taking up the rear as he led the faeries out of the cavern through the secret entrance. They whistled to him, to let him know they were still alive and on the chase. Rakan whistled back.

Jardel and Tyn raced their way down the stairs to join with the team. The distraction had apparently worked. Once all the faeries were in the tunnel, Aeli returned.

"Legousulip is leading the faeries to the cabin," she breathed.

"Right, let's go get the Captain and Kie."

The problem was they were cornered. The dwarves had swarmed them from both sides. Jardel and Tyn ran back up the stairs in an attempt to get some of the dwarves to chase them through the tunnels again. Rakan and Aeli went in the other direction with the same idea in mind.

Jardel led the way back to the main tunnel. He took a different side tunnel than the one they were in before. However, it was the same type of route. The tunnel led them to a cavern where there was a small village below them. No arrows flew at them this time however and they made it to the next tunnel in record time. When they joined up with the main tunnel again however, the dwarves were waiting for them. Saphierius turned the dwarves in front into ice statues and Tyn and Jardel shattered them. They slowly pushed their way forward back toward the main cavern.

They finally broke through into the large cavern. Tyn looked down, for a sign of Rakan and Aeli. They were just a little ways down the stairs from them. They pushed their way further down trying to meet up with Rakan and Aeli again. Jardel looked down as well, but spotted Derac and Kie instead.

"I spotted them!" he yelled happiness evident in his voice. They were alive. The faeries were safe and Derac and Kie were still alive. Now all they had to do was get out of the mines in one piece and all would be well.

Jardel was having fun despite the apparent grimness of the situation. Knowing that their mission was basically a success just filled him with joy. Every dwarf he dispatched was just the icing on the cake to him. It meant one less enemy to worry about. One less fight to fight. His leg burned but he ignored the pain. It was a welcome feeling as it meant he was still alive. He worked through it, intent on getting the whole team out of there alive. He would blow up the entire mountain if he could and bury the dwarves in the crushing rocks.

As he continued to fight, pushing their way to the secret tunnel, he laughed maniacally. They were going to get out - alive. Their mission was a grand success and Jardel was ecstatic about it. Aeli picked up on his good feelings and giggled a bit as well, as she fought next to him.

It's a great day to be an elf, he thought with glee. And a bad day to be a dwarf, he added kicking a dwarf in the chest, sending him over the edge. He laughed maniacally again, unable to contain the glee he felt. What is evil for him to enjoy killing the enemy? He did not think so. They were the evil ones and Jardel felt justified and righteous for killing them. He would never regret his killing all those dwarves nor would it keep him up at night. Serving justice was just much too fun to feel guilt over it and Jardel was having a lot of fun being a member of the Kinir Elite.

This blogfest I think was the hardest for me! But, I was in a synopsis workshop this month too so my mind was alredy thinking of "What's really important here?"

Make sure you go to Bryan's blog to see the list of the other entries! I'm pretty sure the other participants have something better than what I came up with here - after all, I did it at the last minute!

So, here we go. I wrote five different ones for this. Tell me what you guys think! This novel is the one I'm desperately trying to rewrite, and have ready to query by the end of this year - so this is perfect practice!

The Faery's Tale: Burden of Prophecy

1. Spurred by an ancient prophecy, Princess Rosyani Celter desperately tries to hang on to her new marriage as they battle old ideals rooted in ignorance and hatred.

2. Princess Rosyani Celter is thrown into an epic journey spurred by an ancient prophecy, but will her marriage survive the onslaught?

3. An ancient prophecy threatens to tear apart Rosyani's new life with a loving husband who saved her from the hatred of her sisters and his own Father.

4. Prophecy and a journey across the world threatens to tear apart Rosyani's wonderful new life with the faery that saved her from death.

5. Will Rosyani's new life, threatened by old ideals and an ancient prophecy, fall apart before it even begins?

I like #4 the best! What do you guys think? You have read the many blurbs I have put out there so you basically know the jist of the story - so please be honest and tell me what you think. I can take it! Give suggestions if you have anything better! I'll take them gladly!

Oh and on a side note - you all know that I have two other series I'm working on "The Kinir Elite Chronicles" and "The Ryn and Ciyme Adventures". I was able to get titles for the individual books the other day AND thought of plot lines for the rest of the series too!

So here they are!

"The Kinir Elite Chronicles"
Book 1: Cleansing Fire (This is the one that is already written)
Book 2: Death Air
Book 3: Water Requiem
Book 4: Earth Blood

"The Ryn and Ciyme Adventures"
Book 1: Incinerating Harmony
Book 2: Broken Ally (This is the one already written)
Book 3: Pack Bonds

I can't wait to come up with some cover art for these - esp the ones for The Kinir Elite - since their titles have elemental themes it'll be great to come up with some cover art covered in flames or raging water! And of course, I'll post them up here so you guys can see them!

*Auto-Posted*

The Flirt Fest Blogfest! Woot! I'll keep this intro short because of course, my entry here is a little long. The characters aren't doing the flirting as much as her Mother is - but it's really the best scene I have for this fest. These two characters flirt by trying to avoid each other so to speak, so I thought I would at least put something amusing. It is one of my favorites scenes only because I got to see Kie, a tough, female, warrior, in a softer light for a few moments.

From "The Kinir Elite Chronicles: Book 1" (Rough Draft)

The small cottage looking home stood off by itself at the end of the street. There were flowers growing in the garden and a white picket fence circled the well manicured lawn. Derac hid in the shadow of a tree in a yard a few houses down.

Kie stood at the gate, staring at the cottage. She turned around suddenly and her eyes zeroed in on him.

"Centurio, I know you're there," she called.

Derac stepped out of the shadows. "How could you possibly know?"

She smirked but turned back to looking at the cottage. Derac came up to stand by her side. "What is this place?"

"My home," she said with a small smile. "Well I suppose since you followed me here, would you like to come in?" She did not wait for his answer. Derac followed her through the gate and up the stone steps to the porch.

Kie knocked three times on the door before stepping inside.

"Matris! Patris!" Kie called. An elf came out of the one of the side doors. A smile erupted on her face when her eyes landed on Kie.

"Kierianna!" the elf said wrapping her arms tightly around Kie.

Derac smirked. He did not know Kie had a full name. He always figured Kie was her name and that was all there was to it. It made him want to laugh to know that she actually had a full, soft, female sounding name.

"Matris, it is so wonderful to see you."

"I am so glad you're home, safe and sound."

The two elves stepped out of the embrace and Kie turned to Derac. "Matris, this is Captain Derac Vidor of the Kinir Elite," she said formally. "Captain, this is my mother, Nynn Shaphros.

Derac bowed slightly. Nynn laughed and shook her hand at him. "Oh please, don't bow to me. I'm not that important. Please come in, have a seat."

She led the way into the living room and Derac made himself comfortable on one of the plush sofas.

"Thank you, madam," Derac said sitting down.

Kie's mother laughed. "Oh please, call me Nynn. Ah, and this is my husband, Wervt," she said welcoming a tall, broad elf into the room.

A smile lit up his wrinkled face. Derac had to hold back a chuckled as he watched Kie run into the old elf's arms for a tight embrace.

"My daughter. I am so glad to see you safe."

"Of course I am safe, Patris," she said with a smile. "Let me introduce, Captain Derac Vidor of the Kinir Elite."

Derac stood and the two elves shook hands.

"Wonderful, to meet you," Wervt said.

Wervt sat down next to the fireplace and lit a pipe. He offered one to Derac, but he politely declined the offer.

"So, Kierianna, tell us what has been happening to you in the past year since you have last been home," Nynn asked.

"Missions, Matris. I am not at liberty to really talk about them in detail. But I can tell you that we are doing great things for Kinir," she said with a smile.

"Of course you are darling. I am so glad to see you in proper clothes," Nynn said with a small laugh.

Kie chuckled and shook her head. Derac smirked.

Nynn heaved a sigh, "You know how I hate to see you in male's clothing."

"Normally I am in uniform. Tonight I though I would humor you." Kie said with a smile.

Derac watched Kie talk with her family with interest. He had rarely seen her genuinely smile in the last year that he had know her. Now, her whole face was lit up, even her eyes sparkled.

"Captain, would like some supper? It is just about ready."

Derac looked to Kie for permission before accepting such an offer. "Yes, Matris. Supper sounds wonderful. I'll help you." Kie and her mother went into the kitchen, leaving Derac with Kie's father.

"Captain Vidor. I have heard great things about you," Wervt said.

"Truly?"

"Yes. Kierianna mentions you often in her letters to us." Derac was shocked. His memory had no recollection of Kie ever writing letters.

"She does? Hm." He did not know what to say. It was odd to be in Kie's family home surrounded by her loving parents. Kie was a warrior and he had never known her as anything else. This side of her was new and Derac was not sure how to act in the situation. It had been a long time for him since he had been in a comfortable home. For fifteen years it had always been the Elite headquarters for him. Home seemed like a foreign thing to him now.

Kie's house was full of comfort, love, and warmth. The sofas were well worn but clean and the rugs showed years of use. A book lay open on a chair and knitting lay discarded in a basket on the floor. The scents of the cooking supper wafted through the house, adding to the homey feel of the place.

Nynn came back into the room and announced dinner was ready. Derac followed her into the dinning room. The table was small, only able to seat six people. Again something homey about the house. The dining room was set up to be close, the family all sitting around talking about their day. It was a very personal setting and Derac felt out of place. This was Kie's place, her safe haven and he felt wrong for following her there. It was like he was invading her space.

Wervt said thanks to the gods and then began to pass around the plates full of steaming food.

"This looks wonderful. It has been a long time since I had a home cooked meal." Derac smiled.

"You poor thing! You will just have to visit more often," Nynn said with a look to Kie.

"Yes, Matris. I know I should visit more often. But the missions keep me busy."

Nynn sighed, "Yes I know. You want to save the world." She reached out and squeezed Kie's hand. Kie smiled at the elf and gripped her hand in return.

"How did you decide to become Elite, Captain?" Wervt asked.

"It was something I had always wanted to do. I was accepted into the training, passed with honors..." Derac shrugged.

"You love the thrill of the hunt?" Wervt said with a smile.

Derac smiled in return, "Yes. But really it is the thrill of success. The beings that I save, that is what makes all the sacrifice worth it. Keeps me going." He nodded in affirmation.

Supper progressed with pleasant small talk. Kie and her mother never let go of each others' hand. It was a sweet gesture that made Derac smile. The hard exterior that was Kie had faded. She was relaxed, carefree, and joyous. It was a beautiful sight. Derac found himself smiling easily as well, the atmosphere of the place making him feel relaxed and safe.

After supper they made their way back to the living room. Nynn served wine and they sat in comfortable silence for a few moments.

"So, Kie when are you going to get married?" Nynn asked suddenly.

Kie choked on her wine. "Matris!" She sent an apologetic smile to Derac.

"What? It's hard not to think of such things when you being home such a nice and handsome elf."

This time Derac choked. Kie sent another apologetic smile to him. "Matris, please. Captain Vidor is just that, my Captain. Besides, it would be wrong of us to be together," Kie said exasperated.

"Oh tosh," Nynn said with a wave of her hand. "Love is love, there are no rules."

Kie gave her mother a glare. She giggled into her wine but dropped the subject. Derac was slightly amused by the whole thing.

Another blogfest! Woot! I just love these things! This is the Primal Scream Blogfest hosted by the wonderful Raquel Byrnes. Make sure you read the other entries!

Many of you remember reading my entry for the Last Line Blogfest! I decided to be nice and post the "inciting incident" - well one of them - and give you all another look at who Palto and Kie are. So, here we go! Again, it's the first rough draft so...

Instead of going to bed as ordered, Kie gathered her things and made her way to the bath house. The large bath house was split into two areas, one for females and one for males. The place was always welcoming to Kie. The stone floors were somehow always warm and Kie loved to walk on them with bare feet. Steam and sweet incense filled the air, making for a very calm atmosphere.

Kie inhaled deeply. The lavendar and vanilla in the air made her mind clear and her soul calm.

Kie undressed and slowly stepped into the steaming water of the. She sighed in relief as the warm water enveloped her and loosened the stress in her muscles. Lilies floated on the surface of the water and they flaoted near her to tickle her skin.

"Kierianna Shaphros."

Kie looked over her shoulder to see Palto looking down at her with hungry eyes.

"Commander, how may I help you?"

"Oh there are so many ways." He eyed her hungrily and licked his lips.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Ya know Kie, there are so many reasons why we should be together." Palto laid down on his stomach so that his lips were mere inches from her ear. "I am a very powerful elf."

"You are the Mission Commander."

"Oh no my pet, I am more powerful than that."

Kie felt the water turn cold. What did he mean? Regarless of his meaning, the thought of partnering with Palto in any way, made Kie sick to her stomach. She tried to keep herself from shivering in the suddenly cold water, but she tembled anyway.

"Ahh, so you do like power."

"With all do respect, Commander, power does not impress me."

"It should. You should seriously consider a partnership with me," he whispered in her ear.

Kie could feel bile rising in the back of her throat. "What would I gain from that?"

"Power of your own. A powerful partner. What better arrangement is there?" Palto chuckled.

"Again, power does not impress me. I have no need or want of it."

"Mmm, why don't you think about? We'll talk again after the mission. The events that happen might cause you to change your mind."

"What events?"

"You'll see. Just pay close attention to what is going on around you. The mission will help you to decide. Trust me, darling." Palto kissed her neck before Kie could react. He left the room as mysteriously as he arrived.

Kie looked around to make sure he was gone. The began to scrub her skin, disgusted by what had happened. She continued scrubbing even after her skin turned red.

So, there it is. Just to give you some insite - the Last Line blog fest scene is towards the end of the story and this one here is in the beginning - so there are plenty of other evil happenings inbetween! Mwahaha!

Hi, my name is Harley and I'm a blogfestaholic - oh wait, that's something else.

Yay for another blogfest, hosted by the lovely Lilah Pierce! I have been waiting for this one for a long time - so excited.

So it's not the end of the novel, but it is the end of a chapter, with a great cliffhanger. It's from my novel "The Kinir Elite Chronicles" Book 1" (Seriously need an actual title for it).

What you say? Not from "The Faery's Tale"? I know! I figured I use that novel so often for blogfests that I would go with a different one this time around! It's the rough draft, so be gentle with your comments! I know it needs work to really make some strong emotions, but it works for now!

So here we go - and make sure you read the other entries! I bet they are going to be awesome!


"Why are you seeking revenge? Did you wife leave you for some elf?" he asked, trying to keep the wizard distracted.

Takurix stilled, every muscles in his body was tense. In a flash, he whirled around and put a knife to Derac's throat.

"You have no right to talk about my wife you elf!" he screamed. "No right!"

Derac leaned his head back trying to avoid the sharp blade that rested on his neck.

"It's your fault she's gone! You killed her! You raped her, took her soul, but that wasn't enough! You took every thing!" the wizard screamed, his voice high pitched and cracking. "Do you know what it's like to watch the woman you love more than any thing in the world die right before your eyes?"

Derac lowered his head to look Takurix directly in the eye. He no longer cared about the knife at his throat.

"I watched as she burned to death. Her flesh fell of her bones and she fell into the cold snow, charred and lifeless. I know exactly what it's like," he said through clenched teeth.

He felt the pressure of the knife come off his neck, but only a little.

"How did you deal with not having a chance to seek revenge from a fire?"

Derac lowered his eyes. He was certain he was going to die, so why lie? The story was going to come out eventually. Maybe it would sway the desperate wizard to spare his life. Derac doubted it.

"I did. Humans set fire to our headquarters building where she and I lived. I chased the ones responsible for three weeks. When I found them, I tied them up in their cabin. I poured water over them and in a circle around them and set the cabin on fire."

"I bet you enjoyed the sight,"

Derac slowly shook his head, still well aware of the knife at his throat.

"No. After it was done, she was still dead. It did not matter what I did, she was not coming back. All it did was make me full of guilt for even though they stole her from me, I was no better as I took them from their wives and mothers just as quickly," Derac said sadly.

Takurix stepped away from his with wide eyes. Derac hung his head, a tear escaping his eyes. Takurix backed up until his back hit the edge of the table. The knife was still in his hand and Derac waited for the wizard to throw it at his chest. He thought of Kie then. He loved her, he finally admitted to himself. He regretted not telling her before. Now, he would never have the chance.

Takurix threw the knife down and collapsed to the floor. He was on his hands and knees, gasping for breath. His body shook uncontrollably. Derac had been there. The total realization that she was not coming back hit harder than watching her die. He did not say anything and let the wizard have his moment in peace.

"How...how do you deal with the pain?"

"I didn't. I hurt every day for ten years. I had been a member of the Elite for five years then. Young and in love," Derac sighed. Memories flashed through his mind as he remembered those times. He sighed again. "But when you're ready to move on and let her rest in peace, the pain goes away a little bit. Nothing will ever replace her, but there is time and room for new love," he said softly.

Takurix looked up at Derac and stared at him intently. He stood back on his feet but kept looking at Derac. Derac watched the wizard's facial expressions change from anger, to confusion, to realization. Finally, Takurix shook his head and stepped up to Derac. On reflex, Derac's muscles tensed up but he relaxed when he realized the wizard was unlatching the restraints. Once they were undone, Derac stepped onto the floor and look at him.

"Go to her," Takurix said softly. "I could tell you loved her when I showed her to you." He waved his hand in a circular motion again towards the mirror. "Just step through," he said softly.

The image that appeared in the glass made Derac fill with a murderous rage.

Palto was leaning over Kie's body. Derac watched in horror as he kissed her neck and tore open her shirt. She did not fight back.

Okay, here is my murder scene. It's graphic, to the point that it scared me when I first wrote it. I've never written anything this graphic in my life!

This is unedited, straight from my NaNo Novel from 2009. I named it originally "The Lost Wars" but I am thinking of changing the title to "The Kinir Elite" in order to turn it into a series.

So here we go, the opening unedited scene for "The Kinir Elite".

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Fire raged inside his soul while the house burned down around him. Derac Vidor struggled to get up the stairs to save the others in the building. He coughed violently and collapsed at the base of the stairs. Derac vagely realized his friend Tyn had thrown him over his shoulder and carried him outside the burning building. Derac landed with a thud in the cold snow, bringing him back to reality. The sight was beautiful, in a dark haunting sort of way. The flames ate the house bit by bit. The smell of burning flesh was thick in the air.

Screams could be heard from inside the building. Derac rushed to run inside but Tyn stopped him before he reached the door.

"You can't save them Derac!"

"Watch me!" Derac punched Tyn in the face. Tyn's head flew back from the force but he recovered quickly, punching Derac in return. Tyn wasted no time as he tackled his friend and held Derac's arms behind his back. Derac struggled but knew if he really fought Tyn's hold, it would break both his arms.

A blood curdling scream peirced the cool night air and a ball of fire exited the door of the house. She was on fire. Derac watched in agony as her flesh turned black and fell off her bones. She collapsed into the snow. The fire that consumed her went out, leaving her burned carcass against the stark whiteness of the snow around her.

Derac screamed in rage. Tyn let go of him and he crawled to her side.

"No! No! Maleena!!" Derac rolled the female elf over. He was horrified when her flesh came off in his hands. He screamed in agony looking at his palms. Every part of Derac's body filled with rage and pain. Tyn came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Derac shrugged it off, not wanting any contact with another being. He stared at Maleena's body, praying that she would come back. He waited to wake up from this nightmare, but he never did. He knelt there in the snow, next to his lover's charred body.

"Derac, there was nothing you could do."

"Yes. Yes, there was. I made a mistake Tyn, but I won't make it ever again." Derac stood.

"What is the plan?"

Derac took one last look at the blazing house before turning. His skin was blackened and he still coughed, but his stride was steady and true. Tyn made the sign of Rosis, the Goddess of Death, on his chest before following after his friend.

"We're going hunting."

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I hope you enjoyed it! Come back tomorrow for the Bar Scene Blogfest! And don't forget to sign up for my Body Language Blogfest!