When I Return

Reminder of Vacations:

I'm going to be out of touch from Wednesday, May 13 to Tuesday, June 2nd and will start to check email and get back into the swing of things on June 3rd. I'm going to the Colorado Christian Writing Conference (CCWC) in Estes Park and then going on a road trip with my husband.

When I Return:

When I get back, I will be able to devote more time to this blog, and writing blogs about The Hunt for Tanpres and Cammi's Story. I'll also start to write the second book of each.

Take care.

Stacy Duplease

What I'm Reading

I'm on a fantasy kick at the moment and just finished reading James Patterson's Angel Experiment: Book 1 of the Maximum Ride series. It was fantastic. I'll wait a bit before I purchase book two. I have other reading to do. Are there any fans of this author or series?

Now, I've started to re-read:
A Game of Thrones/A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

It's been so long since I read it I forget most of it. Therefore, I might as well say this is my first time (again). Are there any fans of this author or series?

Don't forget to check out my other blogs at: www.storiesbystacy.blogspot.com and www.momstoreisbystacy.blogspot.com.

I'm also on Twitter at: Storiesbystacy

Getting ready to add my new installment of The Hunt for Tanpres.

What I

The Hunt for Tanpres #3

Chapter 1 Cont.

Why was it that she felt more at ease now. He did seem to be friendly and was almost cute. His face was playful and endearing; although, she assumed that when he was angry, he would be formidable. He was an animal in appearance, but he took on human qualities. "Are you real? If so, how can you be? Dragons are a myth and can’t speak because they are only myth. What I’m experiencing is a hallucination that makes me think you’re real. You can’t be. Great! That means I’m hearing voices, too. This is not good. I don’t have time for a nervous breakdown or to develop schizophrenia. So I guess I don't need to ask the question in the first place." She tried to take some deep breaths and re-center herself.

"You doubt." The huge dragon face about 2-1/2 feet up and down and 1-1/2 feet side to side frowned.

How was that possible? How can a dragon express emotion? She couldn't help but notice how he was displeased. Gulp. She just upset what could be a man-eating fire-breathing dragon. Clearly, she was out of her mind.

Bakari shrugged his shoulders. "That's fine. You won't have any other choice shortly." He had no doubt whatsoever about that. The truth would be seen square on and she would have to face it.

Megan could tell that he was almost hurt by her doubt. She took a step closer as she felt the desire to comfort him. Her reaction was odd, she thought. He moved his long neck and brought his face a little closer to her. She wanted to touch him and see if he was solid in form. He looked it, but he had appeared, disappeared, and reappeared, after all. When she took another step toward him, she held out her hand to touch his face.

"It's okay." He bat his eyes at her and moved his head closer to her after he offered her reassurance. She cupped what would be his cheek with her palm and he swung his head into it like a cat and let out a loud rumble that showed pleasure and was almost like a purr. His skin had ripples from the scales, yet was soft. She felt a bond with him. That was strange. Why did she?

"I can change my coloring and skin. I make my skin hard like this in battle or in danger." Megan felt that happen underneath her palm. "Now, please remove your hand. I'm going to sharpen my scales. Carefully touch them and see for yourself. Don't be cut, though."

She saw silver blades outline each of the scales, but as she felt them, they were even harder skin with rough areas that could slice whoever touched him. She observed that the armor would keep him safe. She was absolutely intrigued. "Wow!" Then, Bakari made his skin soft once again.

He was glad to see her amazement. It did his heart good. Soon, she'd learn that he would do anything for her and would risk his life for her. She was his queen. He had known her for a long time. "Megan?" His voice was soft.
"Yes?" What did he want?

The dragon would slowly explain things to her. "Have you ever had the impression that you had more of a story than you could ever put your finger on? Like there was more to you than you knew or understood? Like there was something different about you?"

"Yes." She didn't have to think about it. She already knew.

"You were an orphan from day one, here in this world. We took you in a basket as a baby and put you in a police car where you were safe from the elements and where we knew he'd find you." Bakari the dragon started to fill in the gaps for her.

Megan knew that she was adopted, but not much else. Her parents wanted her to remember that they chose her and chose to keep her and make her part of their family. "Yes. My father, Jonah. He's a cop. My mama is Daphne. They adopted me. How did you know?"

"We chose them. They couldn't have children and wanted them so desperately, but couldn't afford it because of your mother's cancer treatments. They paid $100 for court costs and raised you with the values we hold dear." Bakari knew that she would feel confused and would need to rectify her uneasiness.

"Huh." She was intrigued and still wondered how he knew these things. "Where are you going with this?"

"You live in the Other World here on earth and you are known as an Other. We live in the Outlands in the Outer World, which we call the Outer or the Outlands. We have five kingdoms: the Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Middler. You're the chosen queen of the Northern Kingdom."

She felt like an alien or like she was in a science fiction type of time warp or something. This kept growing more strange by the second. She felt as though it were true somehow and couldn't help but wonder what it meant exactly. "Why do you say chosen?" She realized that making this remark inferred that she believed in any portion of his story. She hoped he knew better.

He cut to the chase. "You were voted to be the new Queen, girl."

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms. May it be a blessed one. Enjoy.

Tanpres #2

Here's the next installment:

The dragon sighed and disappeared from sight the moment she drew near. She heard the whirling whoosh again and she was pleased with herself for conquering her inner demon. She just needed to get a good night's sleep; although, that couldn't happen for a day or two. Work kept her busy right now since the President upped the amount of troops in Afghanistan. Megan felt better when she got to her loft and locked the front door with four deadbolts. She felt instant relief. She had made it home safe--paranoia and inner demons aside.

She turned around to walk to the bathroom to take a bath and ready herself for bed. The dragon reappeared in front of her just as she started to head in that direction and she let out a huge, "Yikes!" She tempered it with, "Who are you, what are you, and what do you want?" She challenged as she tried to figure out how to make it further into her home rather than pinned against her door with the dragon was in her way. She was now pretty convinced that she had indeed put too much time and of herself into her work lately, she needed a break, and she was clearly not necessarily of sound mind. She would make an appointment with her general practitioner tomorrow. She clearly needed a physical at least and her health checked. She rubbed her temples as she felt a headache start to burn from the stress.

The dragon cocked his head. "Are you all right, my Queen?" His deep voice showed his concern. He stepped forward to move closer to her and check her condition, but she took five steps backward until she ran into her front door.

That did it. Between his declaration and apparition, she found that she was quite anxious. She clearly had lost it. She closed her eyes and told herself to awaken from her bizarre dream. Then, she opened her eyes. The giant monster was still there. So, she pinched herself. That didn't wake her either. Hence, she decided to confront him.

"Again, who are you and what precisely do you want from me?" She pointed her finger and nudged it at his chest. That was a mistake. He was a fire-breathing dragon, she assumed anyway, in her home and could burn her body and loft into a crisp like either a marshmallow or a steak. He felt solid underneath her touch and that allowed her to distinguish that he just might be real. But, how could he be? There was no such thing as a dragon, except in any decent children’s book or fantasy novel.

He studied her closely as she appeared more and more uneasy. She was not well. It was quite obvious. "Again, Queen Megan Astoria, you have no reason to fear. I will be with you. I will show you the way."

“That’s part of the problem.” She spoke to herself, she justified, because dragons were a myth and hardly real for any sane human being. However, his voice soothed her down deep in her innermost being. She felt peace surround her and it took her over rather than the edginess. "Do you have a name? And, please don't call me queen. I'm an American military and war journalist, am Middle Class, and am hardly royalty."

The multicolored dragon sat down like a dog. "Hmm." He appeared reflective and he cocked his head as he looked her in the eye. "I’m Bakari. You’re indeed what I say. I’m here to tell you your destiny and will be with you along your journey."

Why was it that she felt more at ease now. He did seem to be friendly and was almost cute. His face was playful and endearing; although, she assumed that when he was angry, he would be formidable. He was an animal in appearance, but he took on human qualities. "Are you real? If so, how can you be? Dragons are a myth and can’t speak because they are only myth. What I’m experiencing is a hallucination that makes me think you’re real. You can’t be. Great! That means I’m hearing voices, too. This is not good. I don’t have time for a nervous breakdown or to develop schizophrenia. So I guess I don't need to ask the question in the first place." She tried to take some deep breaths and re-center herself.

Check List for Conference

Wow. Four days and counting for the Colo. Christian Writers Conference (CCWC). Yikes! My heart begins to race in excitement and nervousness. Presenting five novels to publishers is a little--overwhelming. Will I be able to keep them straight in my mind? I've decided to bring a one-page proposal to help me with this endeavor.

I need to:
A. Finish editing Tanpres (and come up with a new name for it).
B. Re-read Cammi's Story
C. Print out my proposals
D. Print out the first 50 pages of each times three copies.
E. Work on my pitches.
F. Do some housecleaning.
G. Bathe the beagle. (Lord, help him. Anything with grooming, he despises. Claws, bath, and brushing. He prefers to be an old smelly dog.)
H. Pack for conference.
I. Get some writing and blogging done, too.
J. I'll take lots of pictures while I'm at the conference and will share them with you.
K. Call my mom and grandmother on Mom's day.
L. Drink more coffee.
M. Pray a lot about the CCWC. Not just for myself, but for fellow writers and everyone involved in the conference.

Huh. Better get to the list and Tanpres.

Shackled in Dungeon

I've shackled myself in my dungeon and won't see the light of day until next Wednesday. I kept getting too sidetracked upstairs with the sunshine, blue skies, trees, birds, flowers, and grass. Beagle is still snuggled at my feet, but the lack of windows only add to my focus. There are times you have to admit to your limitations and Spring appears to be mine. I'm having to wear a jacket since it's 20 degrees cooler, but the sacrifices we have to make for writing...

I will try to hurry and get some editing done and do a real blog. But, for now, know that I'm freezing and shackled to my chair at my computer and desk. It's self-preservation really as I try to ready myself for the Colorado Christian Writers Conference. At least Beagle is sacrificing with me, so I'm not too lonely (still a little sidetracked, but not as much).

Have a great day!

Writings of Stacy

Here's what I have written in the spec lit genre and am presenting at the writers conference in Estes Park next week:
* Cammi's Story
* Tanpres
Both are fantasy.

What I'm writing now:
*Zeagar (Sci-Fi)

What I will work on soon:
* Ramey's Story (Cammi's Story book 2)
* Book 2 of Tanpres
* Book 2 of Zeagar

I will start to give you each book from page one to the end over the period of the next year. I'll start that in June.

Tanpres #1

Here's the first portion of my book, "Tanpres." I'll give you more of it later. I hope this is a good teaser. Grab a cup of coffee or tea. Then, read and I hope you enjoy.

(I'm still working on title of this book and series, by the way.)

TANPRES

Chapter 1

MEGAN ASTORIA WALKED THROUGH THE dark Downtown Denver streets of LoDo as she realized her foolishness. She worked later than she intended at her newspaper, The Denver Patriot. She was a columnist and her specialty was war and the war on terror in particular. Her heels clanked on the concrete as she heard a noise behind her.

She reprimanded herself for not spending the extra money on a taxi rather than taking the light rail so particulary late in the evening. She kept her ears peeled for that noise in back of her. It sounded as though she was being followed. Wearing a three-piece skirt suit, trench coat, and heels didn't exactly make her feel safe.

Megan couldn't help but wonder if she was paranoid or if her hair standing on end was an accurate assessment of the situation. It could easily go either way for her right now. Her breath was erratic as she tried to keep it under control so she could listen. She held her pepper spray in one hand and had her keys extended in her coat's pocket just in case. They were her woman’s weapons of choice. She knew a few self-defense moves, but figured a heel to the shin or stomach might give her the best chance to escape unharmed. She just hoped that she deceived herself. She didn't know how she'd really hold up if she had to fight off an attack. Her nice set of lungs could scream loud if nothing else.

She heard a whirl in the air or a whoosh. It was something she couldn't identify. She kept her forward momentum and increased the pace as she heard it again and looked over her shoulder. Nothing. She turned her attention homebound. One block to go. She felt victorious and lucky.

It was premature, however. The footsteps behind her made four thuds on the concrete and that was all it took. Megan started to run as fast as she could--heels, skirt, and all as she prayed that she could get away and not make a face plant into the concrete sidewalk.

Immediately, her heart beat as fast as it could and she felt sweat bead on her back and across her forehead. She didn't want to be caught or imagine what unspeakable act might happen to her if she was. Therefore, she took care in every fast paced step.

The whirl sound swooshed by her left ear and she felt her hair move from a force like wind that rushed by her. "Megan," a voice called her name. "Stop running. I wish you no harm." It was a deep masculine voice that boomed. If she were to give God a voice, it would be that voice. Who was it and what did they want? Then, she got angry. How dare they follow her and scare her to death. She ignored it until she heard a pop.

After the pop noise, a dragon of all things, appeared from nowhere in front of her. She watched his mouth move and he said, "Don't be afraid. I wish you no harm and am quite real. I'm not a figment of your imagination. I need to talk with you."

The top of his head was even with hers and the top of his back was about chest level for her. He was roughly six feet long and was overall a dark forest green color, but he had metallic periwinkle and plum coloring on the bottom of each scale over his entire body. His tail added another four feet to his size. He was both the most beautiful creature she had ever seen as well as the most frightening. His teeth looked like large daggers and were numerous. He had a few wild curly and coarse hairs that came out of the top of his head and looked almost like a Mohawk. His eyes were the size of baseballs and his mouth was as large as a trash can lid or a tire of a car.

She did a double-take. Surely, it was a dream or a hallucination. She had kept a horrendous work schedule for a while now, so wasn't surprised. She ignored it and pretended like she didn't see it. If she ignored it, it would hopefully go far, far away.

The dragon sighed and disappeared from sight the moment she drew near. She heard the whirling whoosh again and she was pleased with herself for conquering her inner demon. She just needed to get a good night's sleep; although, that couldn't happen for a day or two. Work kept her busy right now since the President upped the amount of troops in Afghanistan. Megan felt better when she got to her loft and locked the front door with four deadbolts. She felt instant relief. She had made it home safe--paranoia and inner demons aside.

Question on Blogs

I am still debating on doing another blog... On journaling.

But, I'm also debating one on patriotism.

Would any of you read either one of them? Let me know. Drop me an email or leave a comment, please.

Thanks!

Walking Amongst the Stars

Thought for the day: Have you ever wondered what it was like to walk amongst the stars?

Cammi's Story and Tanpres Editing

I'm going to the Colorado Christian Writers Conference next week and am presenting two books from this blog: Cammi's Story and Tanpres. Then, I'm going on a two week vacation.

Therefore, I'm in the middle of editing each. Please bear with me while I am a busy woman and will make it up to you when I'm on the other side of this time.

What speculative fiction books are you reading? Which do you prefer: fantasy or sci-fi or either?

What television shows or movies do you watch in these genres?

Talk with you soon.

Prayer and Support

I hope that this blog can also be a way to help people connect and pray for one another and to support one another. Do you have any prayer requests? Let me know.

Writers

Does anyone want to form an online writing group? Let me know. I would love to start one of our own where it's all led by one another. What do you think?

Editing, Editing, Editing

My blog will be updated later today. I'm in the middle of trying to get editing done in preparation for the CCWC next Wednesday. Thanks for your patience. I hope you had a great weekend!

Thought for the day for Christians: Matthew 6:33

For others: What do you seek? Rest? Happiness? Peace? Seek it with all of your heart.

I hope you were able to escape for a while this weekend.

Blessings,

Stacy Duplease

Carefully Orchestrated

With Speculative Fiction, it's very easy to write an overly done, trite, and cliche story. Therefore, it's essential to avoid the pitfalls and to know when to get rid of scenes or chapters. I've decided to start Zeagar over again because it started to have that feel for me. I've adjusted the plot and have some new ideas. I'll share them with you later today.