Blood · Lily

Draft version, but it provides a bridge between this book and the second one, and we start with a character we know rather than one we don't. I need to make it less infodump-y, I think, maybe just pull the "what Elata's been up to for three centuries" thing down to one paragraph.

So, you know, draft. But I like it.

( A shadow fell between the lamp and the page Elata was making notes on... )

230,132 words. 13 months of my life. And a story that was generally an honest pleasure to tell.

The first draft of The Ice Rose is finished!

The cold hand stroked his hair gently. "I am still angry with you, child. You could have prevented this. So here is your punishment: you will never again forget her. No matter how long you live, you will remember her, and when you die, your last thoughts will be of her and how you lost her. Goodbye, Mordred. Serve Me well."

Then she was gone, and Mordred was alone except for the sword. He did not move, but tears trickled from his eyes as he thought about the loving cruelty of the goddess who he served with his entire soul.

He thought about his granddaughter, who had been lost to the darkness, and he grieved.

Chapter Ten: The House of Cold Stone and Chapter Eleven: To Sail You Home have been posted! And with that, the first draft of the book is done!

It wasn't exactly the book I thought I would be writing...but when are they ever?

Yes, I'm still working on the book. I'm actually most of the way through the last chapter, visiting a number of the characters and wrapping up a bunch of loose ends. I haven't decided if I like something I'm currently doing, so i may take some time to revise it. I think i'm currently writing what will be the the very last bit; i have at least one and maybe two sections to go before this one. But Elata got annoyed that I wasn't writing her--little diva that she is--so i'm working on wrapping up her story now before I wrap up Sorcha, Juri, and Tennant, and put a bow on the book.

Speaking of, I've been listening to Vienna Teng a lot lately, and I've discovered a new song for Morgan.

( Vienna Teng, My Medea )

I know i've been quiet, but that's because I've been busy writing. Chapter 10's done except for the final readthrough, and Chapter 11 is well-started. Chapter 11 is my loose-ends-tying chapter; I'm working on what I hope will be a very amusing exchange between Seraphim and Arcanis, as they take a break from fighting. I *think* that's going to be the last chapter, it feels like this is where the book wants to end.

I'm pleased with Chapter 10, really. It stays with Elata the whole time, which is a pleasant change from keeping track of six different people in different locations. Good practice for editing The Blood Lily, which is one of the next things i'm going to do. I even know where i'm going to start the new version, a place that short-circuits all of the places I hate in the first four chapters. I have some world-work to do, as i'm going to remove some of the last traces of other people's intellectual property (drow are the property of Wizards of the Coast, sigh), and i'm going to rename a few characters.

Should be fun work, and at the end I think i'm going to have a book i'm happy with. Then I'll go back and edit *this* one. Eventually. Maybe after i finish the Victoria book.

...not by a long shot.

I could tell that the weeping and wailing was about to begin again, and called it quits on the book until such time as I could devote enough time to it so I could keep the writing moving through the weeping and wailing section.

Miraculously, over the last couple of days, I have. I've been pouring out the events of one day into the chapter's file, and surprisingly enough, it's working. It's really, really working. There's very little I write that I am thinking as I write it, "This is not half bad, not half bad at all," but this is one of those things. Writing has its rewards, and one of them is that moment when everything begins to pull together, when you finally understand what you were doing way back in Chapter Three, when you were putting in character fillips that were slightly baffling at the time.

I am awed one last time by Cainnec, and sad that I won't get to write him any more. I am grieving right along with Elata, and feeling a vast sympathy for Neus, who is devastated by her father's death but cannot show it.

And so the events are spiraling downward to the end, and I've found a few places to emphasize that there is still light in the darkness. It might be faint, but it's there.

They walked towards Beatrice, and it was then that she realized why a chill of fear had touched her the moment that she heard Jonas's voice. It was not her father who walked in that body. And why did Cicely have that look in her eyes?

She took a step back. "What?" She held her son closer to her chest, and Kiranth began to scream, feeling his mother's fear. "What do you have to tell me?"

Jonas took two long steps toward her. "Put Kiranth down, Beatrice, and we can discuss it."

He was too close to Beatrice, and her nerve broke. Silently, she whirled and began to run.

Chapter Eight: The Stars' Choir Vanished (password required, check in back posts)

This is a rough one. Three or four more chapters to go, I think; the next chapter's going to be nearly as rough, and then we get some good stuff happening.

And, surprisingly, it's short. Only about 12k words, but some of the most difficult 12k words I've written in some time. Once I got everything lined up, it went pretty quickly, but it's a pretty draining chapter overall. I keep reading it over and wanting to makw it go longer, but it's just what it is. There's a time jump between this chapter and the next one.

Next chapter is the setup for Hastings, and that's going to be a brutal chapter as well. I have a couple of ideas for lights in the darkness, though. There needs to be a little bit of hope, at least, to carry through till the next book.

Anyway, it should be posted later this week.

She reached out and picked up the figure of Morrigan. "Can you hear me?" she murmured. "Ender of all things, I need a favor. I need you to hold your gift back from Cainnec. For a while. A few years. I can't lose him just yet."

She looked down at the figure and traced the edge of the axe. She felt very silly, and profoundly selfish. Who was she to say that it wasn't Cainnec's time to die? One of the things she remembered from her childhood religious training was that death had its own season, and every mortal being had its time. It was why Morrigan was not a popular goddess among the elves.

But, oh, her heart hurt. She wanted to say, send me something, send me a sign that you're listening, but she forbore.

Chapter Seven: Old Sins and Interlude: The River God's Weapon.

Note that password information can be found a few posts back.

I think chapter 7 is actually done. As in, the story's reached a resting place, a place where everyone gets to take a little breath. I've got maybe another three paragraphs to write and a bunch of editing to do, but whoa.

Looking ahead, the next chapter's going to be long, but this one's short (about 16k words) and largely focuses in on Scotland. We get to say goodbye to Elata for a little bit and go spend some time with Aru and then Marcus. I had a subplot in mind for Aru, but i think i'm going to drop it for a slightly more streamlined story here. I have a scene in mind to showcase exactly how bad Aru's temper can get even without severe provocation, and then a message gets delivered and everything goes all to hell.

This is going to be fun.

I'm about halfway through the chapter, and I thought I'd share with you all a smidge of what I'm working on.

I've mentioned before that I like Selket. It's still true. However, this is the chapter that's going to make me adore Mordred. He is going to be such fun to break.

( Here follow spoilers, if you care about that sort of thing. Also, very first draft, but it'll give you a feeling for what's going on in this chapter. )