Month: December 2019

Howling at the Moon – The Surprise Ending

Featured Ariel Paiement

Introduction

To start off with, let me say that Howling at the Moon is a short story, not a book. So my review on the writers’ end of things will be a little bit shorter than it would normally be since there wasn’t as much in the book to dig into. But we’ll still go over that section, so let’s just dive right in!

Reader’s Review

Amber offered me a copy of this story when I mentioned I did book reviews on The Fantasy Nook and was looking to build up the content in that area. This was an already published work she had out, and I’m so glad I took her up on the offer of a free copy to review! This short story was over way too fast. I loved it, and I was really sad to see it end. The story drew me in from the start and held my attention through to the finish. The ending is a little bit unexpected, or, at least, it was for me, so I was a bit surprised by it. I had mixed emotions as a reader on the ending side of things. A part of me was glad that things worked out how they did, but another part was worried it might end nowhere good for the characters in the future. But, hey, it’s a short story, so the beauty of the ending is that we don’t know either way what happens as a result. All in all, I would definitely recommend reading the story. You can get a copy through Port & Key’s website or use the Amazon and Kobo links posted there to grab a copy.

Writer’s Review

Okay, those of you who are still with me are probably here looking to see what you can learn. If you’re just interested in reading the story or, at the very least, want to read it before I spoil it, please don’t read any further! There will be discussion on the story’s techniques and specific details, so please take the time to read the short story if you don’t want it spoiled. Then come back here.

Still here? Okay, let’s get started then!

The main thing I saw that was done extremely well was the twist ending Amber gave the story. At the beginning of the story, we have our protagonist, a witch who bakes cakes and cupcakes, and a woman who comes into the shop. The woman ends up having a tarot reading done by our protagonist, claiming she wants to know if her husband is cheating on her.

At this point in the story, I’m assuming that the main character might somehow help this poor woman or, since I didn’t realize it wasn’t a full-length novel, that the woman was just part of scenes to set up the main story. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Turned out the guy our protagonist was dating was married to the woman who came in for a reading, and they’d split, so the woman was trying to kill him. Now, I’m not entirely sure if she did it because she wanted to make sure that if she couldn’t have him nobody would or if she just did it out of spite and anger. Who knows. But I wasn’t expecting her to actually kill him, using the spelled cake made by the protagonist to fulfill the woman’s wish. The protagonist’s sympathy was misplaced, apparently.

None of this was anything I expected, but I really didn’t expect the finale. The protagonist tries to bring her lover back from the dead, and Circe, the goddess of magic the witches are bound to in this story, agrees upon the condition that our protagonist becomes immortal and acts as her hand to remind the other covens who is really in control. Yup. She ends the story with a shade for a lover, whom she can only see during witching hour, and immortality for herself. Not at all what I was expecting to happen.

But, it worked really well. Amber set it up beautifully, and even though I never saw it coming, it made sense later after I’d finished the story. For those of us trying to achieve a similar effect with our endings, this is a good lesson in doing so. Set up the clues, make them subtle but still there, and then surprise the reader with the ending those clues led to. After you do that, you’ll have the certainty that most readers will understand why the ending was what it was, even if they didn’t expect it at first. 

Work-In-Progress Wednesdays #30

Ariel Paiement

This week’s main work-in-progress has been Pathway of the Moon. With eleven chapters left to a total of sixty chapters, this books has been a major undertaking. It’s the longest project I’ve ever worked on, and it’s hard to believe that, a little more than a year after I started it, it’ll be finished, at least in its rough draft form. I’m really excited! This week’s WIP section comes from the last chapter I completed.

~~~

LEO rubbed his eyes and stared at the pages in front of him. They’d come no closer to answers with their night of studying than they were the day before. Books and scrolls donated to their work by the scholars from the Argos Records Library and their new friends among the Disciples of Rith lay scattered everywhere. Amadeira had fallen asleep at some point, her head resting atop one of the smaller tomes they’d received. He sighed and set aside the diary.

He’d learned a great deal more about the things he was, supposedly, capable of, but in all that searching, nothing to explain the problems with the Pathway. His blood should have opened it. And it had, but now the Pathway was broken, allowing no further travel to and from their world. He’d discovered only one thing in all his searching. 

Pages were missing from the diary. Who knew what they’d contained or where they’d gone. Maybe they were another prophecy. Maybe another explanation to help him, the Son of Shadows, find his true path. But so far, he just felt like his head might explode, and he wanted to throw the book across the room.

He stood and rubbed his temples. Maybe fresh air would help. He glanced over at Amadeira. Still asleep. She shivered slightly in the draft coming from the window. He walked over and latched it shut before snatching a blanket from the seat beneath it. Then he returned to Amadeira and settled the warm, scratchy wool over her sleeping frame. She whimpered but didn’t wake up.

Satisfied with that, he left her to sleep and meandered out into the halls. His aimless walk led him to the gardens, the still crisp air of early morning washing over him. He settled onto a bench with a sigh. All the things he’d learned about himself and the frustratingly elusive solution he needed permeated his mind, refused to let him relax. Two days of searching for nothing. Leo buried his head in his hands with a groan. What good did it do him to know he could use the shadows to teleport or that he could quite literally touch another person’s soul with them if he was unable to solve the issue they most needed to solve?

“You look restless.”

He glanced up to find his mother staring at him with arms crossed. “What are you doing up so early?”

“I’ve been an early riser for quite some time.” She settled beside him. “But you were too busy dispensing justice to others to notice.”

He frowned. “What?”

She fixed him with a stern gaze. “Did you think I had no idea what you were doing? What you were trained to do?”

His frown deepened. “You mean you knew the whole time?”

“Suspected at least. And when you went traipsing off on some secret mission, I guessed the rest. They’re saying you defeated Kiarhsu while you were away. The least you could have done was tell me the truth.”

He sighed. “I couldn’t. They wouldn’t allow it.”

“Before that, you could’ve.”

“I didn’t want you involved.”

She smiled and took his hands in hers. “I know you didn’t. I just wish you hadn’t gone through everything alone. I heard from Amadeira that the king’s making you his liaison with the nobility.”

He nodded. 

“So what has you so down?”

“Honestly?” He sighed. “Too many things.”

“Very well.” His mother squeezed his hands and stood. “Walk with me, and tell me what you can about it.”

He complied with a worn out smile. “Where to start?”

“How about with the trip? I’m certain that’s where some of these troubles are stemming from.”

He laughed sadly. “Yes, some of them. Actually, most of them.”

“What’s troubling you most?”

“The Pathway. We found it, and I opened it because I wasn’t given a choice.”

“Weren’t given a choice?”

“Well, when it’s between letting the one who owns your heart die and saving them by sacrificing yourself to open a Pathway… What would you do?”

She smiled. “You love that girl a great deal. A very large change from when you first met her.”

“I was just trying to protect her back then.”

His mother snorted. “You just didn’t want to pull anyone else into your fight. You were afraid of getting attached and losing her.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. That was part of it. But that’s beside the point. The point is, I couldn’t let her die just to avoid opening that Path. So I let it happen. We barely made it out alive, and this time, she saved me. But ever since I went undercover out there, I’ve been finding more and more things that unsettle me.”

“Like what?”

“Well, first of all, I’m the object of numerous prophecies written by Queen Bane of Ashkarith. Did you know that?”

She raised a brow. “Is that accusation I hear in your voice?”

He glared at her. “Mother, for the love of Albrith! Did you or not? I’m having an existential crisis here. I don’t need to add to it.”

She patted his arm with a sweet smile. “I didn’t know anything about it, no. Your father suspected your potential back when you returned from the woods that night at six. But he never confirmed those suspicions.”

“He confirmed them,” Leo muttered.

“The night you killed him?”

“You knew about that too? Why am I not surprised?”

“I know more about you and your life than you realize. So, you opened the Path?”

“And now it doesn’t work. I’m supposed to figure out why using the diary and books given to me by the Disciples of Rith and the king’s scholars. But I can’t find anything. All I’ve done is uncover the ways my power can be used and all the ways it can go wrong.”

“Go wrong?”

“Plainly put, I need a tether of some sort. I need to be grounded the same way the strongest of those with Controdene abilities do. Even though mine isn’t a mental power, it could still consume me if I’m not careful, and my tether pulls me back from the edge of insanity.”

“That tether is Deira.”

He swallowed and scuffed a foot through the gravel of the path before lifting his head to watch the rising sun. “I think so. I can’t be sure, but she was able to bring me back from the edge of death back in Dubarin. My powers were consuming me and my mind, and she followed me into the dreamscape I was in.”

“Does she know what her part in this is?”

He shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets. He still hadn’t brought it up with her. Didn’t know how to, if he was honest. How would he tell her that she was in the prophecies right alongside him? That she would be the difference between his salvation or damnation of himself and all of Alcardia.

~~~

Hope you all enjoyed! What have you all been working on? Did anyone finish out their NaNoWriMo projects? I did, though I didn’t manage to finish all of the things I was working on when I started. However, the important thing is that I met my goal of writing at least 50,000 words in November!

As always, feel free to share bits of whatever you’ve been working on or to offer feedback to others here. Just remember to keep everything polite and friendly.

Sunday Sub-Genres: Dying Earth Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

Alright, everyone! We’re back this week with another sub-genre to examine. This time, we’ll be looking at dying earth fantasy. This one’s fun if you like apocalyptic fiction with a dash of fantasy or science-fiction. Obviously, the focus here is on fantasy, but science-fiction also has a firm hold on this sub-genre, so that’s a nice crossover if you like both genres.

Defining Dying Earth Fantasy

Dying earth fantasy mainly has to do with the idea of a far-future, apocalyptic world where everything, including the natural laws governing the universe, fails or is failing. It all falls apart in these kinds of novels, and it comes as no surprise to find our heros and heroines struggling to survive in these tales. One important note here, though. Dying earth fantasy is not the same as apocalyptic fiction in that, rather than having some catastrophic disaster occur to cause the dystopian, apocalyptic world, dying earth fantasy has the earth’s depletion as the center driver for everything going wrong in the world. It is the result of long periods of disuse and abuse of a planet, not some unforseen catastrophe like a deadly virus or alien invasions.

Writing Dying Earth Fantasy

Whether you’re writing dying earth fantasy or science fiction, there are some common elements and themes you should consider and include when writing this sub-genre. It isn’t a feel-good type of genre at all, so given that, you have to provide the readers with another reason, some other value to gain, from reading your work. These elements are commonly used to do that and to make dying earth fantasy/sci-fi what it is.

Characterization

With dying-earth fantasy, unlike other sub-genres, characterization doesn’t run extremely deep. The story’s focus is on the dying planet and the struggles faced because of it, not on any one or two characters. The timeline for these books can also end up being quite expansive, so characters can easily come and go, leaving readers with only a bare impression of them. 

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t spend time developing characters at all. Obviously, characterization and development is still important, but it won’t be your main focus, so if it’s a little more general than it would be with other sub-genres, that’s alright.

Plot and Timeline

Remember what I said about long stretches of time in the previous point? Well, it holds true with your plot and timeline both. Most dying earth fantasies will have broad plots that cover large amounts of time. We’re watching as a planet dies, so we don’t expect to find that the time is small. This is part of what separates this sub-genre from apocalyptic fantasy. A catastrophe can cause these same difficulties and more for characters in a much shorter span of time. It takes a lot longer for a planet to die.

Lofty Ideas or Social Implications

Okay, so this sub-genre is huge on this area. Dying earth fantasy almost wouldn’t be dying earth fantasy if it didn’t contain grand ideas and social implications. We’re talking messages about Earth’s future and the way we’re headed or reflection on our past and what it has done to our future. Really, anything within those realms goes, but dying earth fantasy isn’t itself without a theme on one of these areas. So if you’re looking to write this, you better believe you’re going to need a social impact topic that you’re passionate about and can relate to the story of how the world dies. Maybe the book is reflecting on several of those topics, even. But the book will have to reflect on and remark upon the human state and human history in order to extrapolate out to the grand ideas of our future and why it has become as it has. You’ve got a lot of room to work here though because dying earth fantasy usually happens so far in the future that you aren’t restricted to what we have now or what we know now. Whatever your choices in this area, your goal will be to make the reader think about life and human history as well as where it may lead.

Science

I know, I know. We’re talking fantasy here, not sci-fi. But science often plays a role in even the fantasy stories, so we can’t really leave it out of the discussion. Usually, for this sub-genre, science isn’t really hard science. If you’re not a huge science nerd, this is good news. Pretty much, the tech and science that shows up in dying-earth fantasy is going to be forgotten technology or science that is a novelty or seems magical to those now discovering it. So for those of you who aren’t so fond of hard science, this genre is still accessible to you!

Conclusion

Hopefully this has helped you to understand more about how to write this sub-genre. If you’re the type that enjoys really provoking thought in your audience, particularly on social themes and issues, this sub-genre might be a good fit for you. Try your hand at it. You never know where you might end up! As always, if you have questions, feel free to comment below! The list of further reading is below, as usual.

Further Reading and Resources

**Disclaimer: I haven’t read any of these, and as such, I am unsure of the appropriateness for children. Please exercise good judgment and common sense before giving them to or recommending them for children.**

Jack Vance’s Tales of the Dying Earth

George R.R. Martin’s Songs of the Dying Earth

Wilbur Smith’s Dark is the Dying Sun

M. John Harrison’s Virconium

Flash Fiction Fridays – Sinking

Ariel Paiement

This week’s flash fiction is about Ansiel again! Hope you guys enjoy! If you haven’t read the last post on Ansiel, you can go read it here.

~~~

Ansiel stared as she spun away from him into the arms of another man. He barely caught his newest partner in time. She batted pale lashes at him, her pastel pink gaze darkening with interest. He kept his attention firmly fixed on her. On Queen Saeread. She was the only reason he was here in England at all. But he could only curse the purpose that tied him to her now. That purpose was the reason she was untouchable.

He left his partner dancing with another man and wove through the crowd, left the party to find some place of peace and quiet. The festive air everyone else possessed weighed him down, made his heart freeze and his lung seize. He should be happy right now. Should be glad for the reprieve from court back in Ireland. But he couldn’t find a single spark of thankfulness inside his sinking heart.

Hurrying out onto a balcony that was sheltered by an overhang and the wall, he found his sanctuary. Out in the darkness, listening to the pounding of the rain on the cobblestone below, he tried to regain control. She wasn’t his. She never would be. 

A soft footfall sounded behind him. He didn’t turn around. Didn’t need to when he already knew who it was. “Queen Saeread. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

She came to stand beside him at the rail, stood in the shadows and let the wall block her from view of those in the party. “Do I need an excuse to see you, Ansiel?”

He winced. No, of course not. But he needed a good excuse to stay. Temptation flared. He could excuse it because his King should be wedding his mate, not some random Fae Queen from London. He could excuse it because he knew the pain his sister would endure if this woman was wed to his King. But he also knew the price for betrayal was high, and he couldn’t bear to start a war that would most definitely involve his sister. So, he remained silent.

“Why don’t you speak?” Saeread’s arm brushed against his. “I hadn’t thought I’d done anything to make you angry.”

He shook his head and glanced over to find her watching him with a pout. “Nothing at all, my lady.”

She sighed. “Do you hate me?”

He tensed. Of course not. “Why would you ask that?”

“You tease me more often than not. And you look at me with something burning so hot in your gaze that I assumed you must. Besides, you spend more time running from me lately than you would if you liked me. Is my company that wretched?”

He couldn’t bear this. Groaning, he turned to face her. “Do you know what it feels like to feel as if, with every step forward you take, you might be taking your last? To feel as if you walk on a razor’s edge?”

A dainty frown creased her brow. “I–“

“No, I’m not done.” He pressed closer, didn’t care that he shouldn’t. “Do you know what it’s like to have a weight sitting on your chest every day? To be torn between two decisions? To feel as if you are sinking down, down, down until you don’t know which way is up? Until you feel like you can’t hold your breath any longer?”

She sucked in a breath, her pretty eyes brimming with tears.

“You don’t. You don’t know what it’s like to see what you want right before your eyes and to know that it’s yours but be unable to take it. You don’t know what it’s like to feel as though you’re sinking deeper into the bottomless sea of despair each day with no chance of rescue.” He shoved past her and paused in the doorway. “And until you do, Saeread, you can’t understand why I look at you the way I do.” 

She sucked in another gasping breath, as if he’d wounded her to the core. But he didn’t wait to hear her response. He just fled. Fled from her, the party, himself, everything. It was all that was left to him now, after all. If he couldn’t have the one woman who should be his, then what was left for him, anyway? 

~~~

That’s it for this week, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed. Have a great weekend!

The Mage’s Apprentice Anthology

Featured Ariel Paiement

Hi, everyone! I’m just giving a quick update for everyone on an anthology I’m in. I was just given the green light to share about it and to share the graphics. The anthology is fantasy and is based on the premise of using, learning, or teaching magic. It will be releasing on December 13th of this year. As soon as I have the blurb and the buy links, I’ll share those here for everyone. For now, I’ve just got the graphic I was given to share. There’ll be more on the book once I’ve got it. My particular story is high fantasy set in the same world as Bane of Ashkarith. So if you guys enjoyed that, you’ll probably enjoy this new story. If you haven’t read Bane of Ashkarith yet, then my short story, Rith’s Disciple, will be an awesome introduction to the world and will add new layers of depth to the novella.

Work-In-Progress Wednesdays #29

Ariel Paiement

This week, I’ve got an excerpt from Unseen, a short story I’m working on for the short story collection I’m hoping to release in 2021. Yes, I know that’s a long way off. But I want a headstart on things because I have so much on my plate. Anyway, Unseen connects most obviously to Revelar’s Queen, though it also connects to In Darkness Lost in a roundabout way and to Leap of Faith, which will be in the anthology Glimpses of Time and Magic, an anthology myself and author Joanna White are compiling with a group of other authors.

~~~

Saeread blinked. Her ears popped, and voices pressed in on every side. But the only one she really heard was the smooth baritone of the young man with the glowing amber eyes. Those molten pools pierced into her and held her in place while his silken voice lured her like a moth to a flame. She jolted into a ramrod straight position on her throne and stared at him. In the back of her mind, something nagged at her about this man, this ambassador from Ireland. But she brushed it away the next instant and smiled warmly before allowing herself to sink back against the cushioned seat. “It is wonderful to have you here, Ambassador. I trust you found the young woman I sent to your master’s court pleasant?”

He grinned. “Very affable, mi’lady.”

She nodded. “And your accommodations here?”

“More than generous, truth be told. I have been received far more warmly than I had anticipated.”

She laughed. “What did you expect, sir?”

“Certainly not a woman of such ravishing beauty and wit. And certainly not the warmth with which I have been greeted.” He bowed with a smile. “After all, you didn’t have to stoop as low as to notice an unworthy descendant of the Unseelie. In the fae world, we are the least of the least, after all.”

She grimaced. “Sarcasm doesn’t befit you, I think, Ambassador.”

He lifted his head. “Then if I may be so bold, mi’lady, it’s Ansiel, not Ambassador.”

She rolled the sounds around in her head. Ahnshiel. It was a nice name. But she shouldn’t encourage such a public display of forwardness. “An ambassador is what you are, and so you shall be respected as such when in formal settings.”

A gleam entered his bright gaze. “And might there be an occasion for an informal setting?”

She crossed her arms with a smirk. “Around here, Ambassador, we have more than our share of informal settings. I am certain you will run across more than a few if you remain this charming.”

He ducked his head. “I have offended already. Forgive me, mi’lady. On occasion, I forget myself and am, as a result, too blunt.”

“Honesty isn’t a bad thing.”

“Only when it is presented to those it could most benefit. For I fear, they are the least happy to hear it.”

“Perhaps.” She cocked her head to the side. “You’re a strange one, Ambassador Ansiel.”

He smiled at her, and it held a subtle, feral note to it. How odd he was! But, he was King Feread’s chosen liaison, and she couldn’t turn him away, so she ignored the strangeness of his behaviors and the smile he now bestowed upon her. His grin widened when he saw she wouldn’t remark on it. “If I may, mi’lady, I wish to retire to my chambers. I find myself more worn than I anticipated.”

She stifled a laugh at how formal he made everything sound and gave him a brief nod. “Do as you like. A servant will fetch you later. I wish to dine with you and speak with you of the state of matters for King Feread’s court. It has been some time since he and I last spoke.”

There was that curious glint again. It was almost as if he was mocking her, but she didn’t know what the misstep was. More than likely, she was being to sensitive. She brushed it off and watched him go with a soft sigh. There would be time enough to figure him out later. For now, there wasn’t a point to giving herself a headache in trying.

~~~

That’s if for me this week, everyone! What are you guys up to? Anything interesting? Feel free to share about your projects in the comments below!

Giveaway Winner Announcement and Book Update

Featured Ariel Paiement

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway! The winner for this giveaway is Joanna White. For those who didn’t win this time, keep an eye out for future giveaways!

And in other news, everyone, Pathway of the Moon is almost finished! I’m really excited about this since the book has been over a year in the making and will be closing out at a total of 60 chapters. Yup. 60 chapters. It’s the longest piece I’ve ever undertaken, and while I’m not sure just yet what will happen with the sequel, with what I currently have in mind, I’m guessing the second book will be pretty long as well. So that’s fun!

Last update for everyone! Next July, the anthology myself and author Joanna White are compiling. We’ve got lots of interesting stories and great authors with us! My particular story is historical fiction set in Victorian England in the countryside. The anthology is historical fantasy. I’ll have more info on that once we’ve got a pre-order link and are releasing our cover art for the anthology. I’m just about bursting with excitement to share that, but I can’t yet, so we’ll all just have to wait. The hope is to have the pre-order link out in February or March and to release the book in July. So it’ll be a bit before I can share.