I finished the final edit and changes to Realizations this morning. I'm ready to do a dance of joy. I can now move forward. My critique partner is already beginning to edit the third Conrad book Rejections. He found it very dark and that took him by surprise.
I've also wrote out the two rough drafts of my next two columns for St. Alban's Tidings. I'm always glad when I have those written and out of the way for a month or two in advance.
I figure I should share a little of my writing on here, instead of just writing about writing. Here's a bit from chapter 1 of Realizations.
Chapter 1: Dreams
She heard only the sound of her heart pounding and her feet thumping. The air burned her nose and throat. Gloria ran as fast as she could. Ebony strands of hair wiped her back. Her dark brown eyes locked on the two figures standing among the wavering, ankle-high grass. Nothing else mattered to her. "No!" she screamed. She watched the translucent purple-violet shield spring up around them. Stumbling, Gloria fell to her knees. Tears flowed down her wind stung face. A searing pain blocked all her thoughts . . .
"Gloria?" Regal’s warm voice called out to her through the darkness of her closed eyes. He pressed a strong calloused hand against her bare shoulder. A connection was made. He experienced her dream as if it was his own.
"No," Gloria whimpered.
"Gloria?" Regal spoke a little louder. "It's only a nightmare. Wake up." As he kept his hand upon her shoulder, Regal sent his yellow energy into his wife’s body. Her heart beat steadied as the warmth of his energy cuddled her.
With sudden alertness, Gloria's eyes opened. Instantly, she rolled over and gazed at Regal, her husband and keeper of the yellow energy.
"It's okay," Regal soothed. He rubbed a hand up and down Gloria’s left arm.
Gloria absorbed the calming energies he directed into her body. Sucking in several deep breaths, she steadied her pulse. Gloria then closed her eyes again. Dear Light, she silently prayed, please protect Thera.
Regal’s eyes opened when Gloria’s did. He had prayed silently along with her. She had not guarded her thoughts from him.
Regal then rose from the bed and lit the granum oil lamp. When Gloria had first screamed, Regal's instinct had been to power pray for a floating light. But then he had remembered their agreement not to use Conrad abilities that could be seen. The simple fuel lamp would have to do.
"She has to win," Gloria whispered. She scooted up as Regal returned to the bed. He handed her a glass of water.
Regal sat down on the thin mattress. "And we will continue to pray to the Light that she does." Gloria cuddled up against him. He turned his gold speckled brown eyes toward the ceiling of their cottage. Shutting his eyes Regal inhaled deeply. He took comfort in the straw scent, as well as the faint smell of Gloria's vanilla-almond perfume on the side table.
Regal couldn’t help but recall how soon they would depart Karna. If he had his way, they would stay forever. He loved the small farming community that had been their home for the last four cycles. Gloria and he had lived in many such villages, but this one felt the most like home, almost like the planet Aleron.
"I can't even imagine what I will do if she loses." Gloria brushed three fingers across Regal's thick beard.
Regal sensed the apprehension radiating from her fingertips. Lovingly he picked up her left hand and expertly drained the tense energy from her body. When he finished, Regal lightly kissed Gloria's smooth forehead. "Better?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"You don't want to leave, do you?" Gloria asked, looking up at her husband and soul mate.
"No," Regal solemnly replied. "You know I want to stay here. I want to raise our future children here."
"We can't stay. They will get suspicious," Gloria pointed out.
Regal sighed. Often he longed to be anything but a Conrad: to always look thirty-five, and never appear to age, was a curse. He ruminated over how most of the remaining Conrads were engaged in teaching the humans of Karna the technology lost to them after the Conrad elders' flight to Aleron. Yet, Regal accepted that it was their duty to prepare the humans in case Xavier won the Death Duel. For if Xavier defeated Thera, he would return to Karna with an immense Carmine force and continue his human annihilation plans.
"Besides, I miss Zeplan," Gloria stated, interrupting Regal's contemplations.
Regal smiled. He too missed Zeplan, his brother-by-marriage. Zeplan was the sole Conrad remaining aboard the Galactic Falcon, their ship, which continually maintained orbit around Karna. It had befallen Zeplan to make certain none of Xavier's followers had decided to return to Karna before the thousand cycle Death Duel ended. Only 328 cycles remained.
"I know we must move on," Regal said, recalling the hundreds of communities they had made their home, only to move on after a few cycles. "But I would find it easier if we had a family of our own."
Gloria pulled free of Regal's embrace. Her dark eyes assessed him. "You know we can't."
"Why not?" Regal questioned, despite knowing the same old argument was about to ensue. He just wished she would change her mind. "Rassar and Disa each have two children of their own. Since they are now married, Sherwin and Kinara are planning a family as well. Why not us?"
"You know why," Gloria accusingly stated. Her teeth dug into her lower lip. Her eyes narrowed. "If he should win, he will come after me."
"But Thera could win," Regal argued.
That's enough of a teaser for now.
I've also wrote out the two rough drafts of my next two columns for St. Alban's Tidings. I'm always glad when I have those written and out of the way for a month or two in advance.
I figure I should share a little of my writing on here, instead of just writing about writing. Here's a bit from chapter 1 of Realizations.
Chapter 1: Dreams
She heard only the sound of her heart pounding and her feet thumping. The air burned her nose and throat. Gloria ran as fast as she could. Ebony strands of hair wiped her back. Her dark brown eyes locked on the two figures standing among the wavering, ankle-high grass. Nothing else mattered to her. "No!" she screamed. She watched the translucent purple-violet shield spring up around them. Stumbling, Gloria fell to her knees. Tears flowed down her wind stung face. A searing pain blocked all her thoughts . . .
"Gloria?" Regal’s warm voice called out to her through the darkness of her closed eyes. He pressed a strong calloused hand against her bare shoulder. A connection was made. He experienced her dream as if it was his own.
"No," Gloria whimpered.
"Gloria?" Regal spoke a little louder. "It's only a nightmare. Wake up." As he kept his hand upon her shoulder, Regal sent his yellow energy into his wife’s body. Her heart beat steadied as the warmth of his energy cuddled her.
With sudden alertness, Gloria's eyes opened. Instantly, she rolled over and gazed at Regal, her husband and keeper of the yellow energy.
"It's okay," Regal soothed. He rubbed a hand up and down Gloria’s left arm.
Gloria absorbed the calming energies he directed into her body. Sucking in several deep breaths, she steadied her pulse. Gloria then closed her eyes again. Dear Light, she silently prayed, please protect Thera.
Regal’s eyes opened when Gloria’s did. He had prayed silently along with her. She had not guarded her thoughts from him.
Regal then rose from the bed and lit the granum oil lamp. When Gloria had first screamed, Regal's instinct had been to power pray for a floating light. But then he had remembered their agreement not to use Conrad abilities that could be seen. The simple fuel lamp would have to do.
"She has to win," Gloria whispered. She scooted up as Regal returned to the bed. He handed her a glass of water.
Regal sat down on the thin mattress. "And we will continue to pray to the Light that she does." Gloria cuddled up against him. He turned his gold speckled brown eyes toward the ceiling of their cottage. Shutting his eyes Regal inhaled deeply. He took comfort in the straw scent, as well as the faint smell of Gloria's vanilla-almond perfume on the side table.
Regal couldn’t help but recall how soon they would depart Karna. If he had his way, they would stay forever. He loved the small farming community that had been their home for the last four cycles. Gloria and he had lived in many such villages, but this one felt the most like home, almost like the planet Aleron.
"I can't even imagine what I will do if she loses." Gloria brushed three fingers across Regal's thick beard.
Regal sensed the apprehension radiating from her fingertips. Lovingly he picked up her left hand and expertly drained the tense energy from her body. When he finished, Regal lightly kissed Gloria's smooth forehead. "Better?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"You don't want to leave, do you?" Gloria asked, looking up at her husband and soul mate.
"No," Regal solemnly replied. "You know I want to stay here. I want to raise our future children here."
"We can't stay. They will get suspicious," Gloria pointed out.
Regal sighed. Often he longed to be anything but a Conrad: to always look thirty-five, and never appear to age, was a curse. He ruminated over how most of the remaining Conrads were engaged in teaching the humans of Karna the technology lost to them after the Conrad elders' flight to Aleron. Yet, Regal accepted that it was their duty to prepare the humans in case Xavier won the Death Duel. For if Xavier defeated Thera, he would return to Karna with an immense Carmine force and continue his human annihilation plans.
"Besides, I miss Zeplan," Gloria stated, interrupting Regal's contemplations.
Regal smiled. He too missed Zeplan, his brother-by-marriage. Zeplan was the sole Conrad remaining aboard the Galactic Falcon, their ship, which continually maintained orbit around Karna. It had befallen Zeplan to make certain none of Xavier's followers had decided to return to Karna before the thousand cycle Death Duel ended. Only 328 cycles remained.
"I know we must move on," Regal said, recalling the hundreds of communities they had made their home, only to move on after a few cycles. "But I would find it easier if we had a family of our own."
Gloria pulled free of Regal's embrace. Her dark eyes assessed him. "You know we can't."
"Why not?" Regal questioned, despite knowing the same old argument was about to ensue. He just wished she would change her mind. "Rassar and Disa each have two children of their own. Since they are now married, Sherwin and Kinara are planning a family as well. Why not us?"
"You know why," Gloria accusingly stated. Her teeth dug into her lower lip. Her eyes narrowed. "If he should win, he will come after me."
"But Thera could win," Regal argued.
That's enough of a teaser for now.
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