Weelend Writing Warriors, Final Snippet from War’s End

Greetings, peeps. I’m scheduling this before my first session of chemo (July 12) so I don’t know how I’ll be feeling as you read this. [update the morning of the 14th–first chemo went fine aside from blood sugar–they insisted on giving me steroids, so BS has been erratic to put it mildly!] It’s entirely possible I won’t be up to much commenting, even if I’m up to visiting. For those of you healthy enough to make the rounds, clicking on the logo above will take you to the other fine authors of Weekend Writing Warriors and their eight-sentence snippets. Clicking on the logo below will take you to the facebook page of SnipSunday.

Coralie’s group have done all they can with heavy rain and nightfall approaching, and Coralie has suggested that in the morning she sends out her dog Bounce, whose senses she is to some extent able to share.

“Then if Bounce finds a better spot, she can take you to it. But she’s pretty tired right now, and it seems to me that it’s getting darker than the storm can account for. Tomorrow?”

“Definitely wait ’til tomorrow,” Kelty agreed. “Meanwhile we’ve got at least enough emergency bars for a few days here. Might as well eat and pass out the blankets. It might cool down at night.”

Wishful thinking, Coralie thought—but she wished right along with him.

End of the chapter, and end of what I’m going to blog from War’s End, at least until I get it edited. I’m going to start putting in bits from my published books, interspersed with bits from Rescue Operation as I get it edited.

Weekend Writing Warriors, War’s End

Back to War’s End, and Madame Irela, who’s just volunteered to feed Michelle until Coralie has milk for her, is speaking. I’m entering this in Cambridge, but should be home (if exhausted) by the time it goes live.

“You concentrate on keeping us alive, at least until you have milk for her again.”

Coralie hesitated, but Michelle had no objections, and Madame Irela clearly knew what she was doing. “All right,” Coralie said once she was convinced that Michelle was as satisfied as she was going to be. “We need to know what we have — let’s check the emergency kit first — and discuss whether we’re going to stay here, look for a better place, or try to find help.”

“I’d say here or within a few hours walk, if we can,” Kelty said as he laid out the contents of the emergency kit. “Michelle would have brought us to some place that felt safe to her. Any ‘help’ we could find on Rakal would more likely than not be Maung-possessed. There may be a Confederation base somewhere on Rakal, but if so it’ll be well hidden and I have no idea of where it might be.”

So they have some idea of what to do once it’s light again.

There are lots of us offering snippets from our work today. Click the logo at the top for Weekend Writing Warriors, and the one on the bottom for the facebook page for Snippet Sunday.

Weekend Writing Warriors, War’s End

I’m getting toward the end of the snippets I plan to post from this scene in War’s End, but I still have a few weeks to go before I switch to my published works. Ginger is speaking, and she’s just said that that young a baby — Michelle’s only a month old — could not possibly mange the energy and momentum matching required for a smooth teleport.

“That’s why we landed a bit apart and moving relative to our surroundings. Just getting us all here alive on pure instinct—wow! She’s Inner Council material, I bet. Here, Coralie, try this.” She handed Coralie a bladder-like object with a nipple.

Michelle obviously considered the bladder’s contents a poor substitute for her mother’s milk, but she was too hungry to hold out for long. “Give her here,” Madame Irela suggested. “I’ve raised four of my own and helped with ten grandchildren, and I’ve had plenty of experience with that kind of feeding.”

At least Coralie’s getting a break from almost non-stop nursing, though she’s still stuck with figuring out what to do.

There are lots of us posting snippets of our work today. Click on the logo at the top for Weekend Writing Warriors; on the logo at the bottom for the Snippet Sunday facebook page. Again, I’ll be really late getting around. I won’t be spending as long in the air today (Ithaca to Boston) but have no idea what internet connection will even be possible at my 50th Harvard reunion.

Weekend Writing Warriors

Welcome back for another snippet from War’s End. The big question for all of them (aside from how to stay alive and get home) has been how they got from the ship (which was getting decidedly unfriendly) to the surface of Rakal.  Now they may have that answer, though the problem of survival is still there.

“Lyra said if she were frightened enough she might teleport to me. But ….”

“Colo was still after her!” Audi exclaimed. “She went farther to get away from him, and since she wouldn’t leave you, and we were all in physical contact, she brought all of us along. No wonder she’s hungry!”

“Poor baby,” Ginger said as she rummaged in her kit. “Nothing wrong with you, Coralie—no Human mammary system could keep up with the energy demands of a R’il’noid baby who’s just teleported that much mass. No wonder she couldn’t quite manage the energy and momentum matching.”

For more snippets, click on the logo at the top of the page to get to the list for Weekend Writing Warriors, and that at the bottom of the page for the facebook page for Snip Sunday.

I’ll be slow getting around today (most will be next week, if at all) because I’m taking off in a plane about the time this goes live at midnight. (The only way to get connections out of Alaska is via the red-eye.) If I make my connections, I’ll get to upstate New York (Ithaca) well into the afternoon and I am not going to arrive in any condition to be surfing the internet and leaving coherent comments.

Weekend Writing Warriors, War’s End

Welcome to another snippet from War’s End. Coralie has just realized she has no more milk for Michelle, who’s been nursing almost continuously. Kelty and Ginger seem to have figured it out, and Ginger is speaking first.

“Coralie, it’s not you, and I have some milk substitute in my kit. Remember what happened the last thing on the ship? Just before we wound up here?”

“That man — he grabbed Michelle from me. She was afraid of him, and — but he was moving away from me! And Michelle was back in my arms! I thought — but he can’t have given her back to me.” Her eyes widened as she remembered the conversation with Elyra.

The conversation was before they were even on the ship, but you’ll have to wait until next week to find out what Elyra said.

For more snippets, click the logo at the top for Weekend Writing Warriors, or the one at the bottom for Snip Sunday.

Weekend Writing Warriors

It’s Sunday again, and time for Weekend Writing Warriors, a blog hop where a number of authors post up to eight sentences from their writing, published or unpublished. Click on the logo above to get to the list of authors. The one at the bottom gives the facebook page for snippet Sunday, with more authors.

My snippet this week is again from War’s End, the story I’ve been giving excerpts from for some time. A group of five adult Humans, a month-old baby and an alien have suddenly found themselves on an alien, hot, unfamiliar jungle planet. Coralie has just asked Audi for clarification of why she referred to the Maung as “she” and “Red,” and Audi is answering.

“It’s a lot more than just ‘Red,’ of course, but we needed a short, easy-to-remember nickname. As for the ‘she,’ I didn’t ask specifically, but the first thing she asked was whether we knew anything about where her children were. If Michelle needs them, I did find the diapers.”

Coralie glanced down at her fussing daughter, and shifted her to the other breast. “Latrine trench,” she said firmly. “Somebody make a note of that. Ginger, is Michelle all right? Am I all right?”

And why is she asking that?

Weekend Writing Warriors

It’s Sunday again, and time for Weekend Writing Warriors, a blog hop where a number of authors post up to eight sentences from their writing, published or unpublished. Click on the logo above to get to the list of authors. The one at the bottom gives the facebook page for snippet Sunday, with more authors.

My snippet this week is again from War’s End, the story I’ve been giving excerpts from for some time. A group of five adult Humans, a baby and an alien have suddenly found themselves on an alien, hot, unfamiliar jungle planet. Coralie (the baby’s mother) has suddenly been told she is in charge.

They were looking to her for leadership? But her lessons in wilderness survival were deep-rooted, even if they applied to a different wilderness. “Inventory,” she replied after only a moment’s hesitation. “We need to know everything we have, no matter how useless it seems. Uh—‘Red?’ ‘She?’”

Audi grinned and tapped out something on the reader. The Maung responded by changing color to a tapestry of reds, threaded with gold and black. “That’s her name,” Audi said.

I’m on the A to Z Challenge this month, introducing some of the characters from my books. Drop in for an introduction. The baby’s father, Roi, was introduced yesterday, and her grandmother will be talking tomorrow.

Weekend Writing Warriors

It’s Sunday again, and time for Weekend Writing Warriors, a blog hop where a number of authors post up to eight sentences from our writing, published or unpublished. Click on the logo above to get to the list of authors. The one at the bottom gives a facebook page with more authors.

My snippet this week is again from War’s End, the story I’ve been giving excerpts from for some time. A group of five adult Humans, a baby and an alien have suddenly found themselves on an alien, hot, unfamiliar jungle planet. The pilot of the ship they were on, Kelty, is summarizing their abilities, and he has just asked the oldest of the group, Madam Irela, what she can do. We are in the point of view of Coralie, the mother of the baby.

“Politics and diplomacy,” the old woman sighed. “I’d probably be of most use as a baby sitter and cook, assuming we can find something safe to eat. And I still want to know what happened. I certainly was not expecting this when I agreed to represent my continent!”

“Immediate priority’s survival,” Kelty said. “Coralie, for right now I think that puts you in charge. What do we do first?”

Coralie stared at him for a minute.

The last thing Coralie was expecting was to be put in charge, though in fact she has been in acting charge for some time.

Weekend Writing Warriors

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, a blog ring of authors posting snippets from their work. To get the list of participants with links to their blogs, click on the logo above. This post is also listed on the Snippet Sunday Facebook list, available via a click on the logo at the bottom of this post. I was going to put it on Skye Warren’s Write Club, heance only six sentences, but I can’t find the list for April 7.

 I’m still posting from War’s End, and Kelty has just remarked that Coralie obviously knows the most about wilderness survival, while Ginger is a doctor and Audi knows the most about Maungs. He continues:

“Neither astrogation nor piloting’s likely to help us here, so I’m grunt labor. Any specialist knowledge I’m missing?”

“Red’s a spice trader,” Audi said. “She says she might be of some use lifting things—this is low gravity for her—but she doesn’t know anything about surviving on the planet except how to recognize some of the botanicals, and she’s not feeling very well. She’s been a prisoner for some time. Madame Irela?”

At least they’re cooperating with each other! But what can a diplomat do?

Weekend Writing Warriors

I’m still posting from War’s End. The castaways have managed a shelter of sorts, but it is now pouring rain. Coralie is trying to figure out what they can expect in the way of weather, and Audi has just told her that they can probably expect a lot of rain.

“Time of day?” Coralie prompted, but Audi just looked at her. “Back home,” she clarified, “we’d have summer thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening, but they’d clear up by morning. Roi said that was because thunderstorms need the sun to heat the ground. Is it the same way here? If it stops raining by morning, I think we ought to try to construct a better shelter. Madame Irela, could you take care of Michelle for a bit so I can work?”

Kelty nodded. “You probably know more about wilderness living than the rest of us together, even though this isn’t quite the same wilderness you’re used to. Audi’s our Maung specialist, and Ginger’s a doctor.”

An inventory of knowledge is indeed as important as an inventory of supplies. What other knowledge do they have? And is it enough?

This post is part of the Weekend Writing Warriors blog circle, a group of authors who post no more than 8 sentences of their work each Sunday. To find other snippets, click on the logo above. There is also a facebook listing, and to get to the facebook page click on the logo below.

One bit of news: I’m participating for the first time in the A to Z Challenge. This will mean double posts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as I plan to keep up with local weather, quotation contexts and Jarn’s Journal, My regular posts go live at 8 am local time; the A to Z posts will be earlier, just after midnight, as is the Weekend Writing Warrior post. On double post days I’ll set up a small logo with a link to the A to Z post on the 8 am post. The theme? I’ll be introducing characters and world building from my published novels, many of whom will also appear in the trilogies I’ve been posting from. For the most part I plan to let my characters do the talking, and you’re all invited to droop by and meet them.