I hope everyone had
a wonderful holiday season, no matter what you celebrate. And if you don't
recognize a particular season, I hope you had a great week.
Happened to catch a
teaser for Banshee, returning January
9. Gotta say, I can't wait. Also watched Pacific
Rim about five more times. I love that movie. LOL
Other than waiting
for a few more shows to return, I've been spending my holiday with The Doctor.
I gripe about BBC America only showing Top
Gear and Gordon Ramsey cooking shows all the time (seriously, it annoys the
bejesus out of me), but I do love it when they marathon a favorite show.
Anyway, tonight's
post is from Twilight Kingdom, a novella-length loose retelling of Sleeping
Beauty.
Here's the tagline:
Jess Gillian heads to the outer rim planets to get away from
his overbearing parents—the royal consorts of their home planet. When the heir
is away, the evil Magnifica will play, luring Nareen Rhom, a palace ward, into
a relationship so he can get close to the rulers. When Nareen gets wise,
Magnifica casts a spell holding the entire kingdom in his thrall—until Jess
returns and sets things straight.
And a preview snippet…
Jess stormed out of the palace
and caught the closest tramline to the docking hub. He'd damned well do what he
pleased. Nareen followed at a distance, slowly gaining on his location. He
wouldn't let on about being aware of her shadow play. She'd reveal her motive,
but only when she wanted to.
Two stops from the hub, she
darted into his sights. "You're not leaving without me." She crossed
her arms over her chest, facing him eye to eye.
Standing backwards on the
tramline could prove dangerous. "And you'd better turn around or you'll
get zapped by the drones." He grasped her shoulders and spun her to face
forward.
She heaved a sigh. "I had a
good five minutes before they reached us. Stop playing the protector." She
angled her head around. "Unless that's your way of telling me I get to go
with you." Her gaze pleaded for him to give her the okay.
He jerked his head back and
forth. "No way, Nari. I'm going outer rim. Even if I know you can take
care of yourself and you're handy to have in a fight, the slave traders would
take one look at you and fight amongst themselves about who got to kill me to
steal you." He shuddered. "I'm all for adventure, but I don't have a
death wish."
She pouted. "I hate it when
you're right." A calculating look crept into her gaze. "I could shave
my head and wear commoner garb."
The note of hope in her voice
stabbed him. "Nari…" He wrapped an arm around her waist. "No
amount of altering your appearance will hide the beauty you have." He
squeezed her close. "I'll be back… after my father and I have some time to
be on opposite ends of the galaxy for a while." It might take a few years,
but he'd keep that piece of information under wraps.
Nareen frowned. "I don't
want you to go, but I get it, Jess. Your dad's kinda scary right now. Pushing
you to marry so he can get his hands on the mineral rights of Scandavar."
She cocked her head, sliding him a sideways glance. "No one should have
that much power, not even the ruling consort of the planet."
Jess loved her for understanding
his dilemma. "I'm glad you get it, Nari. Just remember that when he tries
to make you wed for his gain. If he pulls anything before I get back, you know
how to contact me. But don't… unless it's absolutely necessary." If she
used telepathy to stay in touch, his father would send an army to drag him
back.
She leaned into his side. "I
won't, Jess. You have my word." She stepped off the tramline when it came
to a stop. "But you are going to let me go as far as I can with you. You
need a proper send off, regardless of why you're leaving." She laced her
fingers with his, tugging him forward.
Jess let her lead him to the
departure area. "You can go as far as the main boarding gate, that's
it." He hated goodbyes, not that he'd had many.
But worse, he fought hard against
the urge to let her come along. Leaving her behind might prove to be the
hardest thing he'd ever do.
Fairy tale settings
are so much fun to play around with and Twilight Kingdom is proving a complete
joy to write.
That's it for this
week.
Cheers!
Skye
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