Wednesday Work-in-Progress: Brother Edmun

In my forthcoming fantasy novel, I make liberal use of flashbacks.  In fact, every chapter begins with a scene from earlier in the life of with Shiloh or Silas.  In the Kingdom of Bryn, the past isn't buried.  It informs nearly every decision the characters make. 

In fact, there is one central character who dies before the book even begins: Brother Edmun.  A brilliant wizard and the bastard half-brother of the king, he chose the wrong side in the civil war an has lived out the remainder of his life in exile in the mountains, with Shiloh as his only student. 

Demanding and grouchy, Edmun is. nevertheless, not without redeeming qualities.  In this excerpt, we get a glimpse of him and of his relationship with Shiloh.



Little Shiloh knocked on Brother Edmun’s door, shaking like a leaf.

“Where have you been, lazy child? You’re late. Did the roosters all perish in the night? Were you picking daisies?” he scolded, pulling open the door. He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her inside.

“I’m sorry, master,” she whispered. “I fell down . . . they were hiding and . . .” Her voice was thick with tears, and he looked down at her in surprise. There was something on her face.

“Are you bleeding?” Edmun exclaimed. He guided her gently into the light pouring through his window and knelt down in front of her. The irritation drained from his face when he pulled back her hood. “Lords above,” he breathed.

Shiloh’s hair was matted with blood, which continued to seep steadily from a deep gash on the crown of her head. Another wound in front of her left ear bled freely, crimson pouring down her neck and staining her collar. A bruise had begun to color her forehead. Edmun pulled out his wand and murmured an incantation. The flow of blood slowed until, soon, it stopped altogether.

The priest felt for broken bones. “Where else did they get you, poppet?” he asked. “Where else does it hurt?”

“It hurts when I breathe,” she admitted.

“Ach, probably a cracked rib. What in blazes happened?” he asked.

“They threw rocks at me,” she replied, a tear sneaking down her face. “Big ones. They hid behind the Temple, so my Da wouldn’t see from his window.”

“Who?”

She shook her head. “It’ll be worse for me if they know I told you.”

Edmun held her by the shoulders. “I know that, Shiloh. I am not an idiot. I worked all my life with obnoxious children. I’ll not be revealing that you told me who they are. We’ll get your justice on the sly; mark my words. But first, I’ll teach you how to make charms to protect yourself from the worthless Teethtrash that inhabit this Godsforsaken village. I should have done it already. Now, do as I say, and tell me their names.”

“Victoh, Meggan, and Karl,” she confessed.

“Sounds about right. Their parents are lazy dolts and mean as snakes.” Edmun gently wiped the blood from her face and kissed her on the forehead, then pointed at her little desk.

“Now, to work,” he ordered. “A girl like you needs to learn to use her pain, or else she hasn’t a chance in the world.”

Wednesday Work-in-Progress: "Stranger things have happened . . ."

This week, a peek at Silas Hatch, the bastard son of a lord and Chief Minister to the king.  In his early thirties, he was just old enough to get caught up in the civil war that raged before Shiloh's birth.  He is an expert in violent magic, and he will do anything to maintain the kingdom's peace.

Anything.

Enjoy.

Before Hatch and his men entered the village of Smoke Valley, there they were: a half-dozen charred skulls on pikes at the edge of the road leading down from the pass, a warning to outlaws to steer clear of the settlement. He squinted and held out a gloved hand as if feeling for heat. A muscle in his face twitched.

“Looks like they’re holding their own against the Feralfolk,” Perce observed. The men grunted with approval after they traced superstitious circles on their foreheads.

“She, not they. Magic killed them all,” Hatch countered grimly, before prodding his horse to continue past the macabre display. He heard retching behind him and turned to find Cyrus, the young priest sent to replace Edmun, vomiting into the brush.

Hatch shook his head. These high country folk are going to walk all over him. Let’s hope he doesn’t pass out the first time he sees one of them chop the head from a chicken.

“A little girl from the Teeth, all by her lonesome, killed six grown men?” Perce asked skeptically. “A girl who hasn’t even been to the Academy yet? Isn’t it more likely this Brother Edmun did them in?”

Hatch fixed his sharp eyes upon his companion. “That is possible, but as poor as his health has been these last years, I find it unlikely. The rumors all say the girl killed them. As to the child’s education, Brother Edmun was the finest professor at the Royal Academy for decades before the war started. He was the youngest headmaster ever appointed. She’ll know more walking through the door than most of our most gifted noblemen know when they finish their studies. You underestimate her at your peril.”

Perce held up his hands in surrender. “Yes, Uncle. It’s just . . . it’s a lot to believe. A hexborn kid that he found in the woods grows up and kills grown Feralfolk without even having a wand to use?”

“She might have used one of his. Stranger things have happened,” Hatch replied. “And my source in South Lake has proved reliable in the past. Evidently, the Feralfolk had just killed her father when the . . . incident . . . occurred. That is certainly plausible motivation.

“You’re not old enough to have been in the war. I saw grieving wizards slaughter entire companies of men after losing a beloved companion on the battlefield; some of them were barely older than this foundling. Power comes in unlikely packages, and rage can unlock any box you try to hide it in.”

“Where do you suppose she even came from?” Perce asked.

“There are a number of possibilities. She was born in the last days of the war. Many of the monks and nuns drafted into the fighting broke their vows in those days. Of those who bore children from such illicit unions, some abandoned or killed them in the hopes of hiding their guilt. Some ran off and became Feralfolk along with their offspring,” Silas explained patiently.

“It is fortunate that the girl was found by someone interested in proving his loyalty. Had she been raised a Feral, or spirited out of the country by the king’s enemies, she could have become a significant problem for the realm. A weapon like that, in hostile hands,” Silas concluded, “could be devastating.”

“Do you think she’ll come quietly, Uncle Silas?”

“I think the chances are good. Edmun claims that she is as devout and patriotic a lass as could be found anywhere. Even if that is an exaggeration, if she were not clever, Edmun would not have bothered with her. He never was an easy man to impress. I doubt he gentled with age,” Silas opined.

“And if she seems like a threat, once we have her in hand?” his nephew asked.

Silas turned his intimidating gaze upon Perce once again. “Then we shall fulfill our duty to kingdom and crown. Why do you suppose King Rischar sent me to handle this myself?”

Wednesday Work-in-Progress: "The dust betrayed them . . ."

My first draft is complete, and I am getting feedback and working on revisions.  I'm very excited about sharing this new world I've created over the next weeks and months.  I love November and the gang; don't get me wrong.  But working with new characters and filling out the world I've built for them is tremendously enjoyable.  I hope you'll enjoy them, too!

Today, I've got an excerpt from the first chapter, just before my two point-of-view characters meet for the first time.  My protagonist, Shiloh, is a fifteen-year-old sorceress who has grown up in the poorest part of the kingdom of Bryn.  She is about to journey to court, to the Royal Academy of Mages, brought there by Silas Hatch, the king's ruthless fixer.  Silas is my second point-of-view character.  You'll have to read the book to find out if he turns out more friend than enemy, but I do warn you: this is not a romance.

I hope this excerpt entices you to want to know more.  Enjoy!


The dust betrayed them. At the end of a long, dry summer in the Teeth, the hooves of their horses stirred up a cloud that billowed like smoke as they traversed the pass. Shiloh made out a flash of blue that she reckoned must be Lord Blackmine's crest. The Lord of the Teeth's men flew a banner with a white horse on a blue field.

Not that we see it much, given his lordship’s lack of interest in defending his lands and his folk.

The spots of red up in front she supposed might be Silas Hatch's household livery: a golden hatchet on blood crimson.

At least the man embraces his infamy.

She’d been packed for weeks, waiting. She could have run. That is what Brother Edmun had urged her to do, from his deathbed . . . Edmun, who had put her in mortal peril long before he'd learned to love her like a daughter.

He had let Shiloh read all his letters to the City, the ones in which he’d begged the Hatchet to find a place for her at the Royal Academy. He had extolled Shiloh’s virtue and her gifts at length, hopeful that his favorite old pupil would have mercy on his beloved young one. But toward the end, Edmun’s fear for her safety had overcome his hopes for her future, and he'd urged the girl to fly away before Hatch’s men came stomping up their mountains.

She had considered it. As she'd wept into Edmun’s blankets after he'd finally breathed his last, she'd considered it. As she’d watched his wands crumble to dust as they died with him, she’d considered it. As she’d prepared him for burial, as she’d put him in the ground, as she had waited for weeks . . .

And, yet, here she stood, waiting patiently for an infamously ruthless stranger to spirit her away.

As she watched the cloud of dust move ever closer to her home, she considered her choice one last time. Her options were limited. No other village would ever accept a hexborn stranger, and a bastard foundling at that. Her own had only tolerated her because they’d feared to cross Edmun and her father, and because her skills had made her useful. She was surprised they hadn’t tried to drive her out of town since her men had died.

If not a village, then where? Living as a hermit in the woods lacked appeal, not least of which because her ill health turned every winter into mortal combat. Besides, the Feralfolk were not exactly fond of her. She would be easily caught if she ventured any further west, closer to the City. She had not the money to go abroad, to Estany.

Thus, she waited, and she hoped that all of her work, and all Edmun’s plotting, had not been in vain. She wondered how the soldiers would react if her village failed to produce her.

Not well, she thought.

It would serve them right.

Spotlight Author Tour: Jennifer Hinsman

I'm delighted to be hosting the current Rave Reviews Book Club Spotlight Author, Jennifer Hinsmann.  Today she is treating us to a peek inside her mystery thriller, Angel of Death.

Excerpt from Chapter 4- Angel of Death:


Everyone sat in his or her usual spots at the huge dining table, and the chef served the first course, lobster bisque. This was followed by a tomato salad and a mint sorbet to cleanse the palette for the wine and Brie that was to come. Finally, the main course of duck with caramelized orange sauce, small roasted potatoes, and asparagus steamed to perfection, with a hint of garlic, was placed in front of each dinner guest and compliments to the chef went around. The family talked business and oil prices, and they also wanted to know about Miles and Stacy Lynn’s plans for children and how the landscaping was going on their new home. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, but Audrey was rather quiet because of her nervous stomach.

Baron asked Audrey to tell everyone what she had been up to, and that seemed like a good time to bring up the dreaded subject of Chicago. She shrugged and talked about finishing her senior paper and studying for finals.

“There is a bit of other news I wanted to share with everyone.” Audrey couldn’t make eye contact with her parents so she looked at Jonathan instead; he smiled at her.

Liza’s face lit up, “Oh Audrey, I bet I know, please tell us you have finally picked a college. I have a feeling it is University of Texas or SMU.” She clapped her hands in excitement. “We spent so much time with applications and touring campuses, they are all really great and I have a favorite, but I did tell you it was your decision.”

“Well, I am glad to hear that you feel it is my decision. I am not really sure how to tell you all, but I plan to leave Texas for college.” She took a deep breath.

Miles spoke up, “You’re kidding, right? That’s funny little sis, seriously though, which did you pick?” His gaze was on her, as was everyone else’s.

“No, I am not kidding, actually. I’ve given it a lot of thought and I’m sure that I want to do this.” She looked at Miles as she spoke and saw Stacy Lynn gasp in surprise. “Don’t act so surprised, Stacy Lynn. It’s not like you know me, and really my decisions aren’t any of your business anyway.” She looked at Miles and he seemed a little hurt.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Audrey,” her father piped in at the end of the table, his tone was even, but she could tell he wasn’t happy about this. “You will stay in Texas, just as all of us have. The schools here are exceptional, so there is no reason to go out of Texas.” He took a sip of his wine.

“First, I’m sorry, Miles, I didn’t mean to snap at Stacy Lynn like that.” He nodded and she knew she was forgiven, at least by him, and that was all she cared about. “I have been accepted to Northwestern in Chicago. Mom and I have traveled there several times for shows and shopping. The city fits me and has so much to offer. I love the culture and diversity there. Plus, there are all four seasons there and I know Texas can’t offer me that.” She smiled, hoping that would lighten the mood in the room.

Her grandparents were very quiet, but Audrey guessed they knew it was Baron and Liza that would lay down the law.

“I don’t remember you saying anything about Chicago for school. When did you apply and why was it behind my back?” Liza glared at her daughter, feeling stupid in front of her in-laws and parents.

“Mom, I know, I knew you would fight me on it and not let me apply. Or dad would call a business friend to make sure my application was denied. I did this on my own and used my own money to pay the application fee.” Audrey took a sip of her water; her throat was suddenly feeling constricted and dry. “I accepted their offer a few months ago.” She looked down at her plate, but defiantly decided to look up at her parents to show confidence in her decision.

“That’s impossible, Audrey, your mother and I are paying for your college education and you may not move up to Chicago. End of story.” Her dad was using his business voice and expected to have Audrey follow whatever he demanded. “Now, after all this foolishness, who wants dessert?” Baron looked around at the quiet table.

Jonathan spoke, “Well, I’m always ready for dessert, but maybe you and mom could hear Audrey out, and look at all the things Northwestern has to offer.” Audrey cringed, knowing her father would probably take his comments out on him at the office.

“No one asked for your opinion, Jonathan,” Baron said with an edge to his voice. “Besides, you got your degree here in Texas, and you seemed very happy about that.”

“True, but Audrey and I are two different people. She’s the most independent of the three of us.” She could see that Miles nodded in agreement. Audrey really loved her brothers, but she didn’t want them to take the wrath for her.

“Look, Dad, Mom …” Audrey sighed. “The boys are not trying to go against you, they just love me and still see me as the littlest, the youngest, and the one they need to protect, so please don’t be mad at either of them. I really don’t think they have a side, so to speak, in this, they know I just want a chance at something different.”

“So, they’ve known this whole time and didn’t bother to let us know.” Liza waved her hand in the air and gestured toward them. “That’s great, all we do for you kids and then you go off keeping secrets like this. I won’t stand for this, Audrey, you are staying in Texas. We are not letting you make this monumental mistake!” With those words, she disappeared into the kitchen and they could all hear her telling the chef they were ready for dessert.

“Dad, they didn’t know anything, I swear. I wouldn’t make either of them keep a secret from you guys.” Jonathan had known for a few weeks, but she didn’t need to tell her parents that.

“Dessert will be served momentarily.” Liza walked back in, acting as if that uncomfortable conversation had never happened. “Who would like some coffee?” She held up a silver coffee pitcher and smiled.

Liza would have made a great actress, Audrey thought. She was beautiful, tall and thin, and she could always mask whatever she was really feeling to be the perfect hostess, business woman, volunteer or whatever she was doing at any particular moment. In a sense, Audrey admired her mother’s resolve, but this was a family discussion, so why did she have to be such a Stepford-wife at this time?

Audrey got up from the table and excused herself. She was too annoyed to be around her parents right now. Jonathan excused himself from the table a few minutes later to check on her.

* * *

Author Bio:



Jenny graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in business. She currently resides in Michigan with her husband, two sons, a furry son (pet dog) and a furry daughter (pet cat). Jenny is an avid reader and loves to escape with a great book. She is a huge animal lover and supports rescue organizations that help save all kinds of four-legged family members and more. All of her family pets have been rescues.



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