Saturday, January 30, 2021

A Stranger is Watching - snippet from new #Fantasy Romance for #WeWriWa and Snippet Sunday

 


Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday. Reading is a safe pastime during the pandemic. Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.

I’m posting snippets from my new fantasy about a witch and an elf. The book is due to release next Wednesday (Feb. 3rd). The main character, Bridget Bramble, flees her home when invaders plunder the village and kill her brother. Her great-grandparents traveled from the fabled land of Oakenwald where men and elves live in harmony and she decides to backtrack along their path with the aid of their travel journal. After traveling alone for 6 days, she has encountered an obstacle in the form of a landslide that blocks the trail. But somebody is watching her.

You can read last week’s snippet at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2021/01/danger-in-shadows-snippet-from-new.html

The final line was: A hooded figure stood in the shadows under the trees. 

 She stifled a startled gasp. How long had this person been watching her? In this wild region, any stranger might be a threat. Under cover of her cloak, she gripped the handle of her dagger. The blade was sharp, yet it was little defense against a larger and stronger opponent. Subterfuge was her best weapon.

The mysterious individual stepped out of the shadows. The person brushed off the hood to reveal a solemn face as smooth as a boy’s, cold gray eyes and long pale hair. The man was tall and slim. His hands hung at his sides, empty of weapons, although a bow was strapped on his back and a sheathed sword hung on his belt.    

That was the official 10 lines, but I’m sure you’d like to read a little more. It’s slightly shortened. 

He wore a lichen-gray cloak pinned with a bronze brooch fashioned like an oakleaf. Under the loose fold of his cloak, his tunic was the deep blue-green of pine needles, an unusual color for a dyer to achieve, and his nether garments were bark-brown trousers.

He stood on the edge of the trail and stared at her. His cool, handsome visage offered no hint of emotion.

Who was he and what did he want? The longer she gazed at him, the more she sensed his strangeness and a tickle of magic like she felt on touching her locket. Was he a human male or something else? In a flash of insight, she guessed the origin of his weirdness. He must be an elf. How marvelous.

 

Fantasy romance. A young witch escapes the destruction of her home and embarks on a perilous quest for the fabled land where elves and humans live in peace.

In a land threatened by cruel invaders from the east, Bridget Bramble lives in a small village where she barters herbs and carved buttons. When marauders target her village and murder her family, she flees into the woods. Armed with her Granny’s advice and a bag of magic buttons, she sets out on the perilous journey to Oakenwald, the fabled land where elves and men live in harmony. As she travels farther from home, she encounters malicious creatures from the worst kind of folktale.

Lost in the foothills of the mountains, Bridget meets the elf, Windswift the Wanderer. He offers to guide her across the mountain range. But what is the elf doing in human lands? Can an ordinary, or almost ordinary, human girl trust a cold hearted elf to lead her to safety? 

Epic fantasy adventure and romance with darker overtones. This story weaves elements of folklore and a quest for a safe haven in a land where magic is real.  

Pre-order at: AMAZON   iBooks   B&N   Kobo  GooglePlay   Other

[Releases on Feb 3rd.] 

I’ll be happy to reply to your comments. 

Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.

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28 comments:

  1. liked the descriptions. I hope he's able to help her.

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  2. Great description! And she didn't fear him the way she did the strangers who raided her village.

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    1. He's not attacking her and deliberately showed his face.

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  3. Your description of his clothing made me think he'd blend right in with the trees. Pine needles over tree bark. I'm glad she's going to meet this new magical person. Can't wait to see where this goes.

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    1. Yes. He has an affinity for trees as Bridget will discover.

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  4. Great description - love the bit - tickle of magic
    Tweeted.

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  5. I couldn't agree with Bridget more - an elf, how marvelous.

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    1. Luckily for her, he is kind as well as having a touch of elf magic.

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  6. She's traveling in the right direction apparently. Magic is guiding her maybe.

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    1. She knows this part of the route. The next stage is blocked by a landslide of huge boulders.

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  7. Loved the description of the man and his clothing. I could really visualize the scene. I hope she's not going to be disappointed...great snippet.

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    1. He may seem strange and aloof at first, but he is the hero and there is a hea/hfn. I had fun writing the elf.

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  8. Your descriptions are great! And the elf comes across as rather menacing. Is that his usual persona, or is he really concerned about finding this woman? Can't wait to read on!

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    1. Elves in general have cold, haughty expressions and handsome faces. He has come across Bridget by accident.

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  9. An elf-just what she's looking for!

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    1. Too true. But is he prepared to deal with a witch?

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  10. Nice descriptive passage, and she's been looking for elves.

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    1. She's wanted to meet an elf as long as she can remember.

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  11. Great imagery. Love that she felt the magic about him.

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  12. The mysterious stranger doesn't seem like a threat, but one can never be too careful. I suppose I'd say something scintillating and clever such as "can I help you?"

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  13. Gorgeous description. I wonder who's going to break the staring contest first.

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  14. Oh, so much going on in this snippet! I'm not sure it's marvelous. Then again, his weapons aren't in his hands. But...his cold eyes. Hmmm... Assessing her as much as she just did him. :-)

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