Tag Archives: twisted fairy tale

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ The Black Forest

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Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors.  I’ve been missing in action for a few weeks; I was actually on vacation! In Hawaii!  I even got a  twee bit of editing done, but nothing like I’d imagined. Sun and sea are so distracting…

When last I posted, King Tristan had got it into his noggin that he wants to hunt with his brother Gabriel, knowing full well that Gabriel detests the idea of killing for sport. But now that Tristan is king, there’s not much his brother can do but obey.  You can read the last excerpt here.

***

Tristan didn’t wait for a response, but announced to the milling lords and knights, “The king and his brother shall ride into the Black Forest and bring back a trophy worthy to mount in the feast hall—a stag or perhaps a gryffon.”

Gabriel took a deep breath and released it slowly, aware of his brother and Falkner gauging his reaction while he did everything he could not to react at all. Part of him was glad that his brother wanted him along, but there was so much wrong with what Tristan had said, he hardly knew where to begin.  He started with the safest objection.

“The Black Forest? It’s impossible for a hunting party to penetrate its brambles.”

“It’s true,” Falkner said quickly. “The chance of getting close enough to bring down anything in that mire is remote.”

“It mocks us,” Tristan said, glaring toward the river and beyond, where if one squinted and used their imagination, one could see the treetops of the Black Forest raking the belly of the clouds.

***

Not exactly the germanic forest of my imagination, but suitably ominous and impenetrable. (This is the Ko’alau mountain range on Oahu, btw)

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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 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 ~ Misgivings

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Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less. I’ve been sharing from my current work-in-progress, a gay romance fantasy inspired by the tale of Snow White.  Prince Gabriel is my hero, and he’s just returned home after a long absence. As luck would have it, he encountered his brother the king out with his hunting party during the festival of the Hunter’s Moon. Gabriel, having a special affinity with the creatures of the woods, has always refused to hunt. As an adult, can he continue to refuse the wishes of the king?

***

Tristan glared into the ever-thickening fog. “The festival is an abysmal failure. The animals have gone to ground, as our good Gavin has pointed out. I bagged a pheasant early on, but that will hardly do for our triumphant return to the castle. Imagine thirty knights divvying up one scrawny bird!” He chuckled because of course the larders of the castle would have been stocked to the rafters ahead of time; the hunt was merely symbolic.

“You know what would salvage this day and assuage my grief?” Tristan asked, standing straight and sharp-eyed again.

Gabriel instinctively shivered and, without much hope, asked, “A nice fat boar?”

“To have my brother hunt by my side. Surely you’ve outgrown your tender misgivings by now?”

***

***

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 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 ~ A Suitable Trophy

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Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of  genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less. First of all, thank you to everyone who tracked me down last week even though I forgot to sign up. Doh! Perhaps you heard that scientists have been able to capture an image of a black hole: turns out, it is located in my brain.

Second of all, let me apologize in advance for the blatantly run-on first sentence. Sometimes a writer’s got to do what a writer’s got to do (i.e.: cheat).

And now, to the snippet. I’m sharing from my reimagined fairy tale inspired by Snow White, cleverly titled Snow. Our hero Prince Gabriel is having a reunion with his brother Tristan, who might be more than a little drunk.  You can read last week’s snippet here.

***

Tristan’s smile turned into a toothy grin, a signal that Gabriel had learned long ago meant he should run and hide, but Tristan still held him in a firm grasp and besides, as a grown man, he couldn’t really use that tactic anymore; whatever his brother the king dished out, he would have to take.

“Gavin!” Tristan shouted, “You’ve returned empty handed. What good are you, huntsman?”

Gavin Falkner walked up behind Gabriel, boots swishing through the grass.  “All sensible creatures have gone to ground on this dreary day.”

“Then find me a nonsensical one. Perhaps if we ventured into the Black Forest, we’d find a goblin or troll to bring down.”

“Hardly a suitable trophy for a king,” Falkner said as he stepped up to stand beside Gabriel. “I found your brother instead.”

***

If Tristan leads them into the Black Forest, he might not like what he finds.

***

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 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 Warrior ~ A Changeling

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Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less. It’s a great way to find your next impulse buy!

I’m sharing from my current work in progress, a reimagined fairy tale inspired by Snow White.  Talking mirrors, surly dwarves, and possibly poisoned apples all to appear soon! Well, soon in writer time, meaning between a few months and, um, many months.

In this scene, our hero, Prince Gabriel (nicknamed Snow by his brother) is reuniting with his brother Tristan after a long absence.  You can read last week’s snippet here.

***

Gabriel stood his ground, returned the embrace, and silently gave thanks that his brother, although soused, was in a good mood.

“Three years!” Tristan shouted in his ear. He pushed Gabriel back and held him at arm’s length. His watery gaze sharpened and he peered into Gabriel’s face intently, as if he’d been informed this wasn’t his brother in his arms, but a changeling. “It’s been too long.”

“Yes,” Gabriel said, although under his brother’s withering inspection, he guessed it wasn’t nearly long enough.

“You’ve gotten taller,” Tristan said accusingly, and then as suddenly as a summer storm passing, a twinkle sparked in his eye and he was once again the affectionate brother. “But not as tall me, that’s all that matters.” He squeezed Gabriel’s biceps so hard it would surely leave bruises. “Grown some muscle, put on a little weight—don’t have to worry about you blowing away like a feather anymore, I see.”

***

An eerie castle to help set the mood.

 

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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 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 ~ My King

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Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide range of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.

I’ve been sharing from my  work-in-progress, a reimagined fairy tale inspired by Snow White. My Snow is a prince, and Snow is his nickname, one he’s trying hard to leave behind. But like his troubles with his older brother Tristan, some things just refuse to go away. In this scene, Gabriel and Tristan are reuniting after a years long separation. Much has changed, only not in the way Gabriel hoped they would.  You can read last week’s snippet here.

***

The normally robust Tristan appeared to be in poor health, but perhaps his pallor was due to the stress of their mother’s unexpected death and his hasty elevation to king.

Tristan had longed to be king ever since their father died, and had fought and argued for his right to the throne, but the queen hadn’t budged, and the nobles stood by her. Tristan was too young, too unseasoned, too wild, and the queen was hugely popular.

Now that he had obtained the lusted after crown, it did not appear to suit him.

All in time, Gabriel supposed, and remembered to drop to one knee.

“My King,” he said, bowing his head.

“Oh, don’t be foolish, Snow,” Tristan said as he strode up to him, grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him to his feet. “Save the rigmarole for the court.” He threw his arms around Gabriel and pounded him on the back. A sweet brine of brandy, damp leather and sweat enveloped Gabriel as his brother’s unsteady weight threatened to topple him over.

***

Portrait of French King Dagobert by Emile Signol (1804-1892)

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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 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 ~ 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?

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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.

****

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.