Tag Archives: Snow White

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Once a Scoundrel

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Welcome to another round of  Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten lines or less.

So, it snowed in Scottsdale, Arizona. It snowed in Maui. But did it snow here? Noooooo.  Winter is slinking away leaving a trial of dandelions and crocuses in it’s wake. Sigh. I know I should be grateful we didn’t get any polar vortexes or blizzards, but I miss winter. I really do. At least I can retreat into my current project, Snow, and enjoy a winter of my own making.

To the task at hand: I’ve been sharing from my work-in-progress, a reimagined fairy tale inspired by the story of Snow White.  We’re still in the first chapter; Prince Gabriel was returning home after a long absence with his servant Webster, when they crossed paths with a hunting party led by an old nemesis, Gavin Falkner.  You can read last week’s snippet here.

***

Gabriel shifted in the saddle to watch the return of Webster, whose horse was being led by one of Falkner’s men. Dogs yapped excitedly at his heels, as if this was the prize they had hunted down. Webster looked miserable, and slightly swollen at the gills.

“I wish to see my brother immediately, but my servant might be in need of medicinal aid.”

“What’s happened to him?” Falkner asked, quirking an eyebrow skeptically.

“The woods happened to him,” Gabriel replied, earning a disarming smile from Falkner. Gabriel inspected him a little more closely. The man had grown from a rangy, scruffy youth to a somewhat more comely aristocrat, but once a scoundrel, always a scoundrel.

Falkner, who’d apparently grown more sensitive as well, seemed to pick up on Gabriel’s disapproval, and dampened his smile.

“Do you remember the way, or shall I lead?”

***

WTF, Winter?

***

Blurb-in-progress for Snow, a reimagined fairy tale:

Following the death of his mother the Queen, Prince Gabriel is called home by his brother, now King. Gabriel hopes for a reconciliation with his estranged brother, but all is not well at Castle Rosenthal. King Tristan has fallen under the sway of a scheming alchemist, the magical denizens of the bordering Black Forest are on the move, and Gabriel begins to fear for his life. Is the handsome huntsman in on a plot to assassinate him, or is there an even darker, more evil force afoot? A forced flight into the Black Forest may expose ancient powers at work, if only Gabriel can survive long enough to uncover them.

****

Weekend Writing Warriors is a blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.  Click the link to check out the other writers participating today.  It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book.

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ On Edge

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Hello and Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share excerpts from their work in ten sentences or less (although how someone can ever come in at less is beyond me!)

I’m sharing from my work-in-progress, a reimagined fairy tale inspired by the tale of Snow White, titled Snow. Our hero, Prince Gabriel, is returning home after a long absence and discovers to his disappointment that some things have not changed.  We’re in Gabriel’s POV and in last week’s snippet, he was thinking about his estrangement from his brother Tristan, now king.

***

But was it irrevocable? Had Tristan sent for him to mend their relationship? Did he now find himself in need of a brother at his side to help solidify his rule and replace Douchay, their mother’s second husband and former regent, as his chief advisor?

“Take me to the king,” Gabriel said.

One of the other riders, a large man with a thick black beard, nudged his horse closer to Falkner’s and asked, “What about the stag? It’s the only one we’ve seen all day!”

Falkner waved a hand in dismissal. “We’ll never catch up to it now.”

The man gave Gabriel a swift but unmistakable look of hatred, then rode off to inform the others. All the men in the hunting party were strangers to Gabriel, but they still bore that familiar attitude of disrespect that set his teeth on edge.

***

***

Blurb-in-progress for Snow, a reimagined fairy tale:

Following the death of his mother the Queen, Prince Gabriel is called home by his brother, now King. Gabriel hopes for a reconciliation with his estranged brother, but all is not well at Castle Rosenthal. King Tristan has fallen under the sway of a scheming alchemist, the magical denizens of the bordering Black Forest are on the move, and Gabriel begins to fear for his life. Is the handsome huntsman in on a plot to assassinate him, or is there an even darker, more evil force afoot? A forced flight into the Black Forest may expose ancient powers at work, if only Gabriel can survive long enough to uncover them.

****

Weekend Writing Warriors is a blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.  Click the link to check out the other writers participating today.  It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book!

 

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Hunter’s Moon

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Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share excerpts from their work in snippets of ten sentences or less.

I’m so excited.  We might actually get a bit of winter here in Oregon. While the rest of the US has been gripped in the icy talons of the polar vortex, we’ve been watching the crocuses and dandelions begin to bloom. But this week, there was a dusting of snow! I had to wear a coat! Thrilling times here, let me tell you.

As it is in the world of Snow, my current work-in-progress. Prince Gabriel has returned home on the eve of The Hunter’s Moon, a celebration that carries dark memories for him.  Last week, Gabriel lied to Galvin Falkner, the king’s huntsman, telling him he didn’t remember him.  Note: the king is Gabriel’s brother.

***

“Well, there was a mob of us,” Falkner said, looking away as if he suddenly remembered what the mob had gotten up to.

“If this is the king’s hunt, where is the king?”

“Back at Greenswale meadow, where the tents are set up for the festival of the Hunter’s Moon.”

Ah, yes, how could Gabriel have forgotten? The most tiresome day of the year. At Castle Craigmoor, where he’d spent the last several years, much less fuss was made over the celebration. Yes, the villagers offered piles of slain rabbits and pheasants to Astrid, the goddess of the hunt, and everyone drank too much, but at Castle Rosenthal, the slaying of a stag on the day before the Hunter’s Moon was considered an essential rite of passage for the nobility, one that Gabriel had never passed.

His mother the Queen had never cared nor pressed him on the matter, but his brother took it as a personal affront, a rejection of all that was manly, noble and respectable. The more his brother taunted him, the more Gabriel dug in his heels and refused to go along on the hunts at all.  The brothers—bonded by the early death of their father—grew quickly and irrevocably apart.

***

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Blurb-in-progress for Snow, a reimagined fairy tale:

Following the death of his mother the Queen, Prince Gabriel is called home by his brother, now King. Gabriel hopes for a reconciliation with his estranged brother, but all is not well at Castle Rosenthal. King Tristan has fallen under the sway of a scheming alchemist, the magical denizens of the bordering Black Forest are on the move, and Gabriel begins to fear for his life. Is the handsome huntsman in on a plot to assassinate him, or is there an even darker, more evil force afoot? A forced flight into the Black Forest may expose ancient powers at work, if only Gabriel can survive long enough to uncover them.

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Weekend Writing Warriors is a blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.  Click the link to check out the other writers participating today.  It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book!

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Long Gone

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Hello and welcome to my corner of Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where a bunch of writers from a wide variety of genres share excerpts of their work in snippets of ten sentences or less. Kind of like channel surfing for the bookishly inclined.

Speaking of bookishly inclined, am I glad to be back here at our happy little little hop. I missed last week because I was at a family reunion. Nice to see everyone and all, but after four hours in a crowded community center with a hundred relatives I see once a decade, this introvert was ready to run and hide!

So I’m continuing to share from my current work-in-progress, a reimagined fairy tale titled Snow.  Our hero, Prince Gabriel, is on his way home after an absence of several years. He’s run into an old nemesis from childhood, Gavin Falkner, and is not inclined to be overly friendly.  You can read the last snippet here.

***

Gabriel pretended to search his memory.

“Are you one of the Falkners related to Lord Valkry?”

“A cousin, here to make a respectable living serving the king.”

Gabriel sincerely doubted if anything respectable was going on, now that the tempering influence of the Queen had been removed. His memories of Falkner were vivid, tumbling over him like rocks in a landslide. One of his brother’s many boyhood companions, Falkner along with the others had conspired to make Gabriel’s life miserable; teasing, taunting, tormenting, and worst of all—when they’d all grown too old for such things—shunning. How oddly appropriate that most of the teasing was due to Gabriel’s refusal to hunt.

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember you,” Gabriel said. He watched with satisfaction as the lone dog that had bolted into the forest came panting back in search of his companions. The stag would be long gone by now.

***

This stag has the right idea.

Blurb-in-progress:

Following the death of his mother the Queen, Prince Gabriel is called home by his brother, now King. Gabriel hopes for a reconciliation with his estranged brother, but all is not well at Castle Rosenthal. King Tristan has fallen under the sway of a scheming alchemist, the magical denizens of the bordering Black Forest are on the move, and Gabriel begins to fear for his life. Is the handsome huntsman in on a plot to assassinate him, or is there an even darker, more evil force afoot? A forced flight into the Black Forest may expose ancient powers at work, if only Gabriel can survive long enough to uncover them.

****

Weekend Writing Warriors is a blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.  Click the link to check out the other writers participating today.  It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book!

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Forgive Me

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Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share excerpts of their work in snippets of ten sentences or less.  I’ve been sharing from one of my WIPS, a reimagined fairy tale titled Snow.  Prince Gabriel is returning home after a long absence, and manages to get in the way of a hunting party. The leader of the hunt, Gavin Falkner, just found out that the man he was being rude to is the prince. You can read last week’s snippet here, if you feel so inclined.  In this snippet, Gavin speaks first.

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“Your brother expected you to take the highroad, where there are inns to stop at. You’re not alone, are you?”

“Of course not—perhaps you noticed your dogs pursuing my servant?” Gabriel gestured down the road, where Webster had long since vanished around the bend.

Falkner ordered one of the horsemen to go chase down Webster and the dogs, then turned back to Gabriel and belatedly bowed his head in greeting.

“Forgive me, Prince Gabriel, you caught me by surprise. We’ve met before, though so long ago I barely recognize you. In the shadows your hair…” He stopped himself, shook his head. “My name is Falkner. I serve your brother now, as military advisor, and on occasion, as head huntsman.”

***

Blurb-in-progress:

Following the death of his mother the Queen, Prince Gabriel is called home by his brother, now King. Gabriel hopes for a reconciliation with his estranged brother, but all is not well at Castle Rosenthal. King Tristan has fallen under the sway of a scheming alchemist, the magical denizens of the bordering Black Forest are on the move, and Gabriel begins to fear for his life. Is the handsome huntsman in on a plot to assassinate him, or is there an even darker, more evil force afoot? A forced flight into the Black Forest may expose ancient powers at work, if only Gabriel can survive long enough to uncover them.

****

Weekend Writing Warriors is a blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.  Click the link to check out the other writers participating today.  It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book!

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ We Didn’t Expect You

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Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide range of genres share excerpts from their work in ten sentences or less. I’m sharing from my work-in-progress (one of them), a revisited fairy tale titled Snow.

Speaking of snow, I wish it would.  I live in the Pacific Northwest and the continued lack of winter makes me nervous. It’s fifty degrees, sunny, and the birds are tittering outside my window with that little gleam in their eyes.  Oh well, at least I can take refuge in the world of Snow. There isn’t any snow in the story yet, but being the goddess of this world, maybe I should make it so (rubs hands together in evil glee).

But anyway, back to the snippet.  On his return journey home, Prince Gabriel has gotten in the way of a hunting party. Last week, the lead huntsman rudely asked him to identify himself. Gabriel recognized the man as an old nemesis from childhood.

***

“I am Prince Gabriel, Duke of Whytehall. Who are you?” he asked, even though he knew full well.

The affect on Falkner was almost comical. He sank back in the saddle and his mouth dropped open, briefly. He snapped his lips shut and then broke into a grin.

“Prince Snow! We didn’t expect you for several more days.”

Gabriel bristled, but held his reaction to the old nickname in check. “I don’t know why not. I sent my reply weeks ago.”

***

Maybe the hunt is about to get a lot chillier (insert evil writer chuckle)

***

Blurb-in-progress:

Following the death of his mother the Queen, Prince Gabriel is called home by his brother, now King. Gabriel hopes for a reconciliation with his estranged brother, but all is not well at Castle Rosenthal. King Tristan has fallen under the sway of a scheming alchemist, the magical denizens of the bordering Black Forest are on the move, and Gabriel begins to fear for his life. Is the handsome huntsman in on a plot to assassinate him, or is there an even darker, more evil force afoot? A forced flight into the Black Forest may expose ancient powers at work, if only Gabriel can survive long enough to uncover them.

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Weekend Writing Warriors is a blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.  Click the link to check out the other writers participating today.  It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book!