A Peep Through the Keyhole

What a week. As a brief update, I’m still fighting the wicked clench of the illness that has overcome me, my horse is still lame (and for no apparent reason – expect a second update later, after the vet sees him this afternoon), and Lordy Lordy, the band’s back in town! Another exhausting, fun-packed, bittersweet weekend ahead for this dragon-kissed fiend. I must say, it’s a very good thing I have such an awesome God to carry me through this busy season, not to mention the amazing soldier-friends He’s granted me to bear me up on their shoulders. I don’t know how I’d make it without them. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I know how I’d make it. I wouldn’t. 

Anyways, my real reason for posting right now is that I have been challenged by my fellow scribes to share a sneak peek into my WIP. The complete challenge was to “give us a random sneak peek into your book. Go to page 7 or 77, and copy the first seven lines.” However, I have 5 current WIPs, and felt the random urge to give you a peep through the keyhole of this insane mind with just this small piece of all of them. Enjoy!

Breaking Shadows: Part One

I have the rooks full attention on me now.
Ben calmly takes a bite from the apple, then holds it out and nods. I bring the rifle to my cheek, let out a breath, and return the signal. He tosses the apple maybe a foot straight up, and I pull the trigger.
He catches the apple and tosses it to me.
I hold the gun in one hand, and catch the apple with the other, then look at the neat, round hole in the middle of the apple. I nod casually, and take a bite before throwing it back.
Ben laughs and steps back to the table while I again take my seat. 

Breaking Shadows: Part Two

The cabinet falls over, and glass breaks all over the floor. Mom curls around me, trying to protect me from the pieces flying through the air, and over her shoulder I see them. Five tall men with guns bust in, breaking the door too. When they see me, they start laughing and pointing fingers.
“You! Where does your allegiance lie?” They ask of my mother. She pulls my hands loose of her dress and stands up tall, facing them. I’ve never seen anything like these men.

Hostage 

Any who whimper from the pain are reproved by a swift slap to the cheek, and none dare to respond beyond that. We all know what happens then.
Shouting suddenly fills the room, the sound so loud and unexpected that my ears ring. Everyone turns to see a young girl, maybe 2 years younger than me, being held up almost above the ground by a large guard hefting her chain.
“No! Please! It wasn’t me! Please, you have to believe me! I didn’t do it! Please!” She cries, tears streaming from her eyes.
I look into her eyes, so full of helpless fear.
“Her chain was loose, Sir! Shall I take her to be examined?” He says, voice full of malice.

Silent Tears (bear with me… this was my first novel-length work, and requires a total revamp that I have not yet started. No laughing!)

It had big eyes, and a beautiful lengthy tail. But the tail wasn’t like that of a dog; it was more like, like, like how one of the nurses wears her hair. She holds it back with a rubber band, all of her hair in a bunch and loose at the end.
The creature was mostly a brown-ish coppery color, but its tail was black and it had black points on its legs, ears, nose, and the long hair on its neck. It had a long angular face with a white spot towards the top. As I remember these things, an image begins to appear in my mind. Not of that memory, but of the creature itself.

And, finally, my most recent WIP. It is as of yet untitled, and this is the very first sneak peek to reach the public eye!

I once more feel for the walls of the box, only slightly larger than a coffin. With my left hand, I touch the wood, following the grain, fingering the rough texture cautiously. In a moment, I’ve found a sliver of space, a tiny crack, where the wood feels slightly thinner. The weak spot. Just as I start to withdraw my fingers, something causes me to pause. Around the crack, the wood is wet. Shoot.

That’s all for now folks! Check back later for an update on the Moosketeer, and keep your fingers crossed and eyes closed in prayer that it’s nothing serious!