Well, the first battle has been fought; now comes the aftermath, which may be harder than the fight was! ----- Chapter 6. Silvertail watched tensely as the pact was fulfilled and Princess Holy Aura was finally reborn. Let it work, he prayed. In the name of all we have sacrificed, in the name of all that was and could be, let this not be a failure. With eyes that could see what ordinary mortals could not, he watched as Stephen Russ' mortal frame dissolved in light, a core of brilliance forming into a new shape both [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 5
August 30, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Well, he'd gone and done it now... time for the henshin (transformation) sequence! ----- Chapter 5. The silver burst from his body and he became the light, flying outward, making a universe of argent and white touched with rainbows, a whirling cyclone of light that chimed and rang and sang a song of triumph and rebirth. Steve felt a body reforming, electric warmth like a hot shower on a cold, cold day curling around and defining every line, every curve that was coalescing from pure light, tingling like a brush of [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 4
August 28, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Steve had a rather momentous decision to make... ---- Chapter 4. The white rat's warning hadn't faded from Steve's mind in the last few days. Though Silvertail hadn't said anything about it since, Steve knew that the one-week deadline was already pushing what Silvertail thought was safe. But there were still questions . . . over and above the ones he'd already been wrestling with. With a sigh, Steve dumped his laundry basket out on the bed before speaking. "Silvertail, I've got another question—one that's been [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 3
August 25, 2017 By 2 Comments
Steve was about to have visitors... ----- Chapter 3. "Hey, he's kawaii, Steve!" Silvertail held himself still as Richard Dexter Armitage reached out a finger to gently stroke his white fur. Kawaii? Japanese quoted in reference to anime, obviously. Not surprising that Mr. Russ' friends have similar tastes. He had already noted the multiple posters of science fiction and fantasy shows of all types, reinforcing his impression of Stephen Russ—along with a wall case filled with weapons ranging from the mundane [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 2
August 23, 2017 By Leave a Comment
We continue snippets of my forthcoming Magical Girl-based novel. When we left off, Steve had been asked to do something that seemed physically impossible... ----- Chapter 2. Steve goggled down at the slightly oversized rat with its overly-shiny white fur, tiny golden crown, sitting on his hind legs and regarding Steve with a far too knowing look. "Become what?" "Mystic Galaxy Defender, Princess Holy Aura," Silvertail repeated calmly. The repetition of the ridiculous phrase left Steve speechless. He would have [ Continue reading... ]
Princess Holy Aura: Chapter 1
August 21, 2017 By 4 Comments
Today I begin snippeting Princess Holy Aura. The book is due out in very early December, and the eARC usually comes out three months before that, so the snippets will probably overlap with the eARC to some extent. Here we go! PRINCESS HOLY AURA Part I: The Princess and the Rat Chapter 1. The screaming came from the alley to Steve's right; it was high-pitched, the voice of a child in terror and pain. Steve found himself sprinting down the alley before he'd even consciously realized what he was going to do. This sure wasn't [ Continue reading... ]
Just For Fun: Deleted Chapters of Phoenix Rising, Chapter 50
January 12, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Now we jump far, far ahead to near the end of the book. This chapter was deleted because the book ended very, very differently. Not only did Xavier only show up for a couple of chapters (being sent off to Idinus of Scimitar rather than the Wanderer, and thus not traveling with Tobimar and not showing up for the final battle), but also there was no "screw you" trap following Thornfalcon's death, and after their meet-and-greet, the three companions did, in fact, burn Thornfalcon's mansion to the ground and didn't confront the remaining Justiciars [ Continue reading... ]
Just For Fun: Deleted Chapters of Phoenix Rising: Chapter 12
January 10, 2017 By Leave a Comment
This chapter followed the introduction of Tobimar and Poplock, and implied some time passed. As you can see, the timeline got shifted some -- in the final draft, of course, it's implied that the first events for Tobimar and Poplock happen after Rion becomes a Justiciar. Chapter 12. Lighter blade parried greatsword with a chiming impact that diverted the larger weapon but also drove back the smaller with near enough force to disarm. Rion cursed mildly as he backpedaled, his fingers clearly stinging. Kyri laughed [ Continue reading... ]
Just For Fun: Deleted Chapters from Phoenix Rising, Chapter 3
December 29, 2016 By 5 Comments
Seeing these deleted chapters gives a feel for how much can be cut from a book without it being immediately noticeable. I'd basically written out the investigation of the Vantages' murder and deleted the whole thing! Chapter 3. "No, Milady." Thornfalcon's face seemed even longer and sadder than usual beneath the silver-beaked helm. The poet and would-be swashbuckler of the Justiciars of Myrionar, Thornfalcon's lugubrious exterior usually masked a playful romantic, ready with a compliment for a lady or a quip to set a room [ Continue reading... ]
Just For Fun: Deleted Chapters from Phoenix Rising, Chapter 2
December 27, 2016 By 2 Comments
These chapters were mostly cut because they kept us from getting to the core action. There's still a fair amount of information in them that might interest readers, though the crucial parts I tried to stuff into the remaining chapters. Chapter 2. Kyri stared numbly down at the remains of the front door; with cruel irony, the fire-charm on the door had remained intact, so the huge portals were unscorched, smeared only with water and soot from the rest of the mansion but otherwise marred only by the deep [ Continue reading... ]
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