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Shadowed Love
Amethyst and silver
Glitter around your beautiful neck
– Forbidden and wild –
Soaking in the heat of your heart.
That heart which belongs to me,
Though I can never hold it
For all to see.
I’m left in the shadows
At your side
Watching, as you press my gift
– My heart –
Closer to yours.
*Originally posted as Unsigned Letter: Volume 1 Letter 2 on 1/21/2013
The closest to restless spirits my Realm of Light novels (Believe, Prophecy, Ashes, and others) get…
Image From Google. All Rights Belong To Artist.
The Water Maiden
She had lurked in the rolling, pounding depths for nearly a thousand years, a presence under the undulating surface with no true form beyond a vague sense of being. Lolling and drifting, she spread like a drop of ink, but never left the waters surrounding the ruins of what had been a mighty castle, the home of the ancient gift-bearer kings. Her memory, still perfect after all this time, recalled those days when the iolite-laced walls were tall, unscarred, and whole and when torches blazed with life and light. She had been born here, in that time once upon a time and had spent her life among the people who had lived within the stone walls. She’d walked the derelict stone corridors, smelled the fresh sweetness of the night-blooming flowers in the gardens, sat on a throne in the great hall, and slept in a lonely tower. That tower with secret winding steps…
She had lived here, loved here, hated here, and died here.
And now she waited, as she had waited for a millennia. All but one had passed beyond her senses, vague as they were beneath the icy waters. When she first woke to this existence all those years ago, it was with no knowledge of what she waited for, merely the awareness that she must wait. It did not take long for understanding to come. At first she felt them almost unceasingly. For centuries the consciousness of what she’d set into motion filled her until the flood slowed into a trickle, then a slow, steady drip. Friends, enemies, strangers, she felt them all and knew she would continue here until all those alive when she last drew breath were gone from the Realm of Light. The passing centuries gave her time to think, to reflect, to know. Her new life was no punishment, but a chance to heal, not just her own Spirit but countless others. And so she waited as the waves washed her Spirit clean of hate. They broke over her, broke within her, shattering and reforming her with each new tide. There was pain but she welcomed it. Centuries more passed with endless tides until only one remained. Only one. Just one.
Until now.
He was here, on the beach beneath the ruins. She sensed it. She sensed him.
At last, she and the water breathed with a releasing sigh. A ripple stirred across the frothy surface as she drifted upwards, gathering into a solid form that coalesced in the breaking of a white-capped wave. Suddenly she was, again for the first time in an age.
He watched the crashing waves, watched the violet-blue water crash down upon itself and turn white. He saw the water gather and fall and the woman form from the sparkling droplets. The fire of her hair caught the scant sunlight and shone, as vibrant as he remembered. It framed her ivory face beckoningly, and for that moment he believed she could truly be a sea siren, a being born of the depths and wilds of the water. By all the Spirits she was just as achingly lovely as ever, so beautiful, pain lanced across his chest, leaving him breathless. Her full wine-colored lips pursed in thought and her golden eyes bore into him as only hers could, leaving him feeling foolishly young – a sensation he had neither felt nor remembered in nearly a lifetime.
For moments they did nothing but stare, lost in thoughts and memories at the sight of each other. Years, centuries, a lifetime faded until they were once again the two people from a story lost to time.
Unused to speech, she fought to remember how to form the words that she must. With slow deliberateness, she opened her lips and thrilled at her voice – a strange tinny thing she no longer recognized above the waves. “Hello little boy,” she said with only a hint of mockery. Kindness, familiarity, and a deep respect echoed in her words. He grinned nervously and ran an elegant hand through his short dark hair. There was still something within her, even now, that left him with that embarrassing sense of immaturity. No one but she had ever made him feel that way, and now nearly a thousand years later he slipped back into the awkwardness of youth.
She smiled seeing his sudden uncertainty and knew she was a bit naughty to tease him so. The boyish vampyre she had known was no longer, this man before her was a hero, a legend in his own right. Even she had heard whispers of his greatness on the depths of the darkness. She had seen the possibility of such a man shining in the boy’s eyes all those years ago and now felt a strange pride in knowing he had become the man she thought he could be.
“I knew it would be you,” her voice carried across the water effortlessly to where he stood on the shore. The air was still and cool against her exposed flesh, but she did not shiver in her thin silk gown. The surging water kept her warm, tugging and pulling at her waist before rising again to brush the underside of her breasts. The tide was slow, hypnotic. “I knew.”
He nodded, not bothering to ask how, there was no point. He had known she was here, not at first, but over the centuries he felt her, heard tales of a water maiden, and knew she waited.
“I’m sorry to have kept you,” he replied, not sorry to have lived his life but that hers had not been. That she had been kept from him for all this time, even after all they had suffered before those last dark days. The injustice of it flashed like a fire beneath his pale skin. Had they not suffered enough in life? Was this really…
“Yes,” she nodded peacefully, knowing well where his thoughts were. “This was necessary.”
A stubborn gleam filled his onyx eyes as his sensuous mouth turned downwards. “But…”
“Nothing. What’s done is done my friend, and for a greater purpose than we may ever understand.” Spoken aloud, the truth of it all reverberated deep in their bones. The last of whatever kept her tied to the sea faded, releasing her to take one small step towards land, towards the fallen castle, towards him. One step, then another, and another until breathless and invigorated she stood in the shallows with only wavelets lapping at her toes. She hesitated then, frightened now that freedom was so close. What if she had it wrong? What if it was taken from her now when she wanted it most?
The man who had been the greatest vampyre king noted her sudden fear and held out a strong hand for her. The foolish youth was gone, he was once again the man he had been for centuries now. The man who never forgot the suffering and strength of this woman he had so missed.
She took his hand with a determined grin, exhilarated at his strength as well as her own as she stepped onto the sandy shore, walking a few steps until she was sure she was free. Joy, elation, excitement, and a small taste of sadness at leaving her home nearly overwhelmed her, crashing over her head like a breaking wave. He squeezed her hand questioningly and realizing she held her breath, she let it go, opening her eyes. Her lips curled into an adventurous, triumphant smile that was mirrored on his own up-turned lips.
“Are you ready My Lady?” he asked, feeling now an insistent tug on the edge of his consciousness. It urged him onward, their time was almost at an end. He did not want to forget her, but perhaps oblivion would right the wrongs of all those years ago. Perhaps they would all do better, be happier, this time. He certainly hoped so, for their sake if no other.
She felt the same tug, the same hint that time was finally coming to an end on this life. What would the next one bring for them all, all the players in the game that was her old life? “Yes,” she said slowly, turning towards the sun. Whether it was rising or falling, she struck out to meet it and he fell into step beside her. “Yes, I’m ready.”
They walked in silence for a time, the tug growing more persistent with every step, until he spoke one last time. “Did you ever see him?”
“No,” she whispered, picturing his face as she remembered it, knowing this was the last time Elesain would remembered Fallon. Their story was finally over, no one would remember him again as she did now. No one would remember her. With a sigh, she met Treyuston’s gaze as they continued walking, hand in hand.
“But I will.”
*This is set in the same land as my first novel Believe and is a short companion story to a future novel I haven’t written yet. I don’t normally jump ahead to future books (usually, though I have done so a bit with Ashes), but this was playing continuously in my head and I wanted to get it down before it disappeared! Hopefully it’s not too confusing, though I know you have no idea who these people are or what happened to them. Suffice it to say the title of the novel this goes with is Wrath, and that should give you some insight 😀
Dear —–
This is all your fault.
Can I never escape you?
You stare back at me with my own eyes
And I wonder…
How long have you known?
How long have I known?
I am what I hate…
I am what I fear…
And there is no escape.
—–
(Prophecy) WIP
*Prophecy is the sequel to my first novel Believe
Image From Google.
All Rights Belong To The Artist
Good morning my lovelies! I figured since today’s Friday I’d post a little poem that I wrote a few years ago; it’s one of my favorite things I’ve written and was inspired by the protagonist in my first novel Believe. The Ice Queen was originally published in an anthology entitled Serendipity, which was put together by the writing class of my High School (I was the Editor…squee!) and features some truly amazing poetry, short stories, and art work, for more information regarding Serendipity click here. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!
The Ice Queen:
She drifted,
lost in the mist of uncertainty —
a snowy eclipse of life and death.
Looking down, she sees herself,
her back against an old oak tree.
Lovely red lips turned to ghastly blue,
skin once as honey now shimmers,
dusted in a fine pallid silver.
Ice bathes her hair lovingly, possessively,
while a crown of purest snow rests atop her head.
Marking her, claiming her as the queen of the winter forest,
The Ice Queen of Death.
Image From Google. All Rights Belong To The Artist.
Dear —–
This is all your fault.
Can I never escape you?
You stare back at me with my own eyes
And I wonder…
How long have you known?
How long have I known?
I am what I hate…
I am what I fear…
And there is no escape.
—–
(Prophecy) WIP
*Prophecy is the sequel to my first novel Believe
Image From Google.
All Rights Belong To The Artist
Dear —–
Amethyst and silver
Glitter around your beautiful neck
– Forbidden and wild –
Soaking in the heat of your heart.
That heart which belongs to me,
Though I can never hold it
For all to see.
I’m left in the shadows
At your side
Watching, as you press my gift
– My heart –
Closer to yours.
—–
(Believe)
Image From Google
I have something to admit…I’ve never seen snow before. *Gasp* I know! Here I am in my twenties and I’ve still never seen more than a single flurry of snow, and that little flurry was such a big deal my second grade teacher stopped the entire class on our way to lunch that day and had us gather around to stare with bated breath at the awesomeness that you could barely see floating in the wind. It’s a memory I treasure, though it makes me thing of that scene in Finding Nemo I swear. (If you don’t know what scene I’m referring to you can remedy that by clicking here.) A part of me still wonders if snow’s just a hoax/conspiracy thing, because…well I’ve never seen it and it looks too good to be true (you know, except for the whole blizzard and avalanche thing). I mean, I’m sure it’s real (it is real right?) and I have big dreams of one day building a snowman and an ice-fort, but in a way snow and icicles seem as mythic and fantastical to me as dragons and mermaids do to other people. I fully believe in them, I’ve just never seen them either, lol. I’m now sensing a bit of a theme here…I seriously need to go somewhere where they have snow, and dragons, and mermaids…are you thinking what I’m thinking?! Let’s book the tickets!
Photo From Facebook
Funnily enough though, my first novel Believe is set almost entirely in the winter in an England-esque environment and is therefore filled with snow and freezing winds and all that delightful wintry stuff that I have yet to experience. I always found it amusing that while I was writing those snow scenes and describing how cold it was…it was the middle of summer for me and I was usually sweating my butt off! But hey, I’m a writer! And if a writer can’t pull BS out of nowhere and make it sound believable then they’re in the wrong profession or they didn’t get enough practice in college! You English majors know what I mean. But still, I can’t wait to one day experience snow for myself, to touch it, smell it, avoid the yellow stuff, and generally have a sensory overload and then come back inside and sip hot chocolate by a roaring fire. Cliche…maybe, but I’m betting I’ll be so cold I won’t mind. 😀
Photo From Facebook
So what about y’all? Any fun snow experiences you’d like to share? Or do you have doubts as to the existence of snow as well?
The lovely ladies over at Mystic Cooking tagged me in The Next Big Thing yesterday (thank you ladies!) and after I finished squealing with delight and smiling like a crazy person, I realized that it meant I would have to describe my novel…and then I was a bit torn lol. I am by nature a secretive writer, no one sees anything I’ve written until I say so and I’ve had to chase away my brother a time or two when I caught him reading over my shoulder while I was typing. I don’t know why…it’s just who I am; call it mistrustful, insecure, or whatever but I guard my laptop like a fiend. That being said, I think it’s about time the world gets a little peek into a world that I love with all of my heart. I hope you enjoy…
What is the working title of your book?
The title of my novel is Believe.
Where did the idea for the book come from?
I actually don’t remember! I’ve had the idea and the characters in my head since I was thirteen and I think I dreamed about them or something first but it was so long ago that I don’t actually remember what made me think of this story, lol.
What genre does your book fall under?
Fantasy
What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Calahada (Hada for short):
Image From Google
I have the hardest time casting Hada, there isn’t anyone I know of that looks enough like her, and I know that sounds so pretentious and stuck-up but I don’t mean it that way, honestly. I’ve just had this picture in my head for eight years and there is no one who really jumps out at me and screams: I am Calahada! But, for the sake of this post I will do my best and select someone so you can get a general idea. After hours of deliberating (and some help) I think Gemma Arterton is the best choice. She resembles her a bit and I think she is capable of portraying the different emotional and physical changes that Hada endures over the course of the story. The character of Calahada changes drastically over the course of Believe, starting out a relatively happy, stable young woman who later succumbs to an overwhelming grief that whittles her away to practically nothing emotionally and physically before finally coming back to life wielding a sword and ready to defend her right to love the man that she does. There’s such a mixture of strength and fragility within her that truly inspires me.
Mytheous (Myth):
This isn’t the actual picture I used but it’s close!
Image From Google
This one was much easier to cast, thankfully! When I was writing Believe, I made background posters on my computer for inspiration and one of the pictures I used was Garrett Hedlund in Eragon, he had the right coloring (sort of) and I loved the leather vest he was wearing. It wasn’t until later when my mother (who was my first reader) and I were discussing who would be a good fit for Myth that she pointed out that the guy on my computer screen was almost perfect. I didn’t agree with her at first (I had only used the picture for the clothes and the feel, not the actual guy), but after thinking about it for a few days, I had to agree that there was no one better that I could think of. Mytheous (to me) is such a sweetheart; he’s kind, loving, hot-tempered, and absolutely determined to love Hada no matter what anyone says.
Elithium (El):
Image From Google
El was another hard one to cast, but that’s purely because his features (hair/eye color) are hard to pin down. Elithium is Hada’s best friend and he truly knows her better than anyone; he’s a bit of a mother-hen but that just adds to his lovability. When Hada is all but lost in her despair and grief (and then the anger that follows), he is the only one (who knows the truth) who can reach her. He is willing to risk his life to protect his best friend and it’s his devotion and love that make him who he is. After watching Lost In Austen, I think Tom Mison could pull off El’s sweet-nature, though he might have to drop Bingley’s “blond”-moments (as I call them) as Elithium is sharp and watchful and slightly less head-in-the-clouds-ish as Mr. Bingley.
Eelisha:
Image From Google
Ah Eelisha, tricky…so very tricky. Eelisha is supposed to be devastatingly gorgeous, vain, highly possessive, and very, very jealous. She has that look, that haughty you’re-so-far-beneath-me-I- can’t-be-bothered-to-notice-you-other-than-to-make-my-revulsion-for you-known-because-I-want-you-to-know-it’s-me-who’s-making-your-life-miserable look. You know, that look. When I think of Emmy Rossum, I immediately think of the Phantom of the Opera and how sweet/clueless Christine is but I think she has the potential to be a very effective villainess, just check out the trailer for Beautiful Creatures if you don’t believe me!
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Sigh…I hate synopsis’s, I’m no good at them. This will probably come out sounding contrived and cliché. I apologize.
Death awaits Mytheous and Calahada after they fall in love in a realm where love is bound and constrained by rules dictated by an ancient prejudice; the two are determined to prove that love is more powerful than any law, though the cost may be more than they realized as they discover their fear of death pales in the face of agonizing pain.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I would prefer it be represented by an agency and I’m currently looking into finding an agent who will love Believe as much as I do!
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
That’s a hard question. Like I said, I’ve had this story in my head since I was thirteen and I did start writing it back then but the disk I was writing it on got lost during a move and I didn’t pick the story up again until I was (late) sixteen I think. My writing teacher was making us do NaNoWriMo, so I figured it was the perfect time to try the story a second time. I wrote a lot that year (my senior year of high school) and I continued to write when I was in college though I only worked on the manuscript on holiday and summer breaks. The summers of my sophomore and junior college years are when I wrote the most I think and I finished Believe the summer before senior year. So you can say it took me eight years, five years (if you go by my starting over in high school), or something less than that considering I only wrote for four months out of the year for three years. I don’t really know how to answer this one 😀
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I have no idea! 😀 The people I’ve had read the manuscript says it reminds them of Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwater’s series and Catherine Asaro’s Lost Continent Series. That’s a mighty big compliment (for me at least), and I’d be happy to think my book is anything like theirs!
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The characters are my inspiration. They had a story to tell and I wanted to badly to tell it. My mother also kept me going because she was so excited to read the novel once it was done, I knew I had to keep writing no matter what!
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Hmm, well I guess if you haven’t already figured out by the genre and the odd names, this book is set in the past and there are quite a few surprises to be found lurking within the pages that I hope you will enjoy (I can’t tell you anymore or I’ll give things away!). Also, this book is the first in what’s looking like a very long series, so there are many more adventures to be had and new characters to meet! I also make a playlist for every novel and if anyone is interested in getting a feel for the story before you read it, let me know in the comments and I’ll list a few of the most influential songs 😀
And in the interest of keeping this going…
I always enjoy reading these blogs, so I’m tagging:
and
Always in motion is the future
I am a Lightsaber designer and a Jedi Survivor!
the official blog of Faith Mudge
A nerdy girl blog
moonstonemaiden 