Kate Warren

Last week hero Chauncy DeFord shared a tender moment with the lovely fifteen year old Elizabeth Brighton, belle of the Frandian court.  This week's Six Sentences come after their conversation has been interrupted and he's beaten a hasty retreat, leaving young Miss Brighton alone with an ambitious social climber and a clueless court maiden. Elizabeth immediately goes in search of her best friend, Sarah Milton.  Not finding her, Elizabeth instead retires to her own chambers.


     "Flopping on the bed, she twirled the rose in her fingers and sighed.  Much as she enjoyed being at court, she sometimes wished to return to the country.  It seemed that everyone had an ambition here and thought her a perfect pawn for their stratagems. It was a lonely place for having so many people present.  Only Sarah and her brother cared for her here.  The only times she’d felt truly happy and sure of herself were when she was with one or both of them ... and when she’d been speaking to Chauncy DeFord just now."


Hope you enjoyed it.  Be sure to visit all the other wonderful authors who participate in Six Sentence Sundays.

I've been tagged.  Having never been tagged before, I don't have a speech prepared...

I'm new to memes in general but this looks like serious fun, so I'm going to play.  The rules follow.

Once you are tagged:
*go to page 77 of your current WIP
*go to line 7
*copy down the next 7 lines/sentences as written and post them on your blog or website
*tag 7 other authors
*let them know they've been tagged

I'm taking this literally and copying a full 7 lines, even though it leaves most of a sentence hanging.  Chauncy has just arrived at his cousin Jacqueline's home in France and been shown to the rooms he will occupy during his visit.  He's also on a mission for his King, but no one else knows that.

"There was nothing else for him to do.  Other than Jacqueline, no one had deigned to welcome him to Chateau du Gloire.  He went to the double doors leading to his small balcony.  The air was sweet with bird song.  Sunlight warmed the land, sending up a subtle fragrance of grass and flowers.  Sheep grazed in the distance.  The landscape seemed a contrast to the formality of the chateau.  Looking out upon such a vista, one could hardly imagine secrets and manipulation to live in this place.  Chauncy allowed himself a few moments to breathe in the simplicity, the peace of it.  Soon enough he..."
The seven authors I'm tagging are mostly new friends who have been kind enough to comment on my posts for Six Sentence Sundays:

Jes Langan
Babette James
Kate Meader
Joya Fields
Teresa Cypher
Elaine Cantrell 
Lorraine Paton 

And thank you to Angela Quarles for tagging me. 

It's another Six Sentence Sunday in The DeFord Chronicles, Part II.  Last week you met the Duke of Langdon and his friend and vassal Lord Ian Deveraux.  This week I offer the hero and a potential love interest.

We find Chauncy DeFord seeking out his favorite spot in the palace gardens: a bench surrounded by rose bushes, only to be confronted with the belle of the court, Elizabeth Brighton, who also happens to be the only girl who has ever captured his attention.  They converse briefly and share the following moment.

"A rose made its way toward her face and she looked up to see that it was held in Lord DeFord’s hand.  He was offering it to her. She knew she should not accept even so small a gift from a man she did not know, but his eyes entreated her.  Her hand lifted, seemingly of its own accord and she grasped the stem, careful not to touch his fingers.  A faint blush stained her cheeks but her eyes did not leave his as she murmured her thanks.

Chauncy stepped back, just looking at her."

I apologize for the lateness of my post.  At the time when I would normally have been blogging today I was in an IEP meeting for my second oldest.

This week I'd like to cover the basics of setting up your writing space.  You can call it an office, a writer's lair, a creativity zone.  Whatever the name, it has to serve its purpose.

If you're lucky enough to have space to dedicate an entire room for your writing space, that's fantastic and I'm happy for you.  This post is really for everyone else.

Finding space
This can be tough.  We'd all like to have a library or at least a smallish room where we can go to indulge our creativity.  But what we want and what we need can be vastly different creatures.  A corner of a room can often work just as well.  Try adding screens or hanging curtains (sheets work too) to visually separate your workspace from that of the home.  You may think this part is unimportant...you would be wrong.  Even if you can hear what is going on around you, not being able to see it really does help.  Ok.  Let's say there isn't even a corner of a room available to you.  How about a closet?  My "office" currently resides in my bedroom closet.  I have a desk with a front that folds down and a chair.  That's my space.  I can see electric wiring, clothes, shoeboxes, things that have no other home.  Not my dream office, but it works fine.

Necessary items
Whatever you use to write, obviously.  Computer, typewriter, paper and pens/pencils.  Even if you use a computer I recommend keeping at least some paper and writing utensils nearby because you never know when you'll need to quickly jot something down and step away from the keyboard.  If you use electronic devices you will need to have in your space or be close to an outlet.  It's good to have a desk and chair or stool as well, and by all means get the most comortable seating you can afford because if you're going to write you will be sitting a lot.  That's all you really need.

Nice to have
Various small office supplies (paperclips, stapler)
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Books about writing
Things that inspire you
Music of some sort (radio, personal CD player, iPod)
Snacks (because there's no way you are leaving your creative haven in the middle of a crucial scene just because you are faint with hunger)

To be continued next week with decorating tips.   And I know you're all just dying for my advice on that, right? ;o)

Kate

Had a terrible time deciding which six to post today, but that could be because my youngest two decided 4 AM was a good time to get up for the day.  This week's six are once again from The DeFord Chronicles, Part II, the second book in a trilogy of historical fiction.

Context--the Duke of Langdon and two of his men are discussing the return of Baron Spencer from his self-imposed exile, and more specifically the fact that he has brought his half-Aragonese (Aragonian?) granddaughter with him in hopes of finding her a husband:

“Do you object to foreigners, Devereaux?” The duke asked.

“Not I, my lord.  But others at this court do.  The maid will be a target for men who lack a fortune, and other maids who wish to practice with their sharp tongues upon new blood.”

“You are a very cynical man, Devereaux.”

Not really news per se but, I am now on Facebook.  Visit my page and Like me, if you wish.  Kate on Facebook  Can Twitter be far behind?  

Actually, yes it can.  I have no clue what I would do on Twitter or why anyone would want to follow my tweets.  Facebook, the blog, the website, and my writing I can understand.  But what could I have to say in 140 characters or fewer that would be worth reading? 

Speaking of reading, I've been working my way through a collection of Douglas Adams' major works, and having a blast doing so.  I love his writing, and really, who in the 'verse wouldn't?  Adams was a brilliant pioneer in the genres of Science Fiction, Humor, and Humorous Science Fiction.  He's also inspirational in a way.  

I'd like to share with you what I've learned from reading his works: dare to be ridiculous!  This doesn't mean ignoring all the rules of writing but don't be afraid to go out on a limb and just be downright silly, but most of all creative.  The whimsical ramblings of the creative mind can be brilliant.  Without Douglas Adams and others like him, could there ever have been a Firefly?  And where would we geeks be without Firefly?  That's right, we'd be Firefly-less.  And that would just be so sad.

Kate

Note: if you haven't seen Firefly, get thee to a website or rental site that carries it and be thou entertained.  No thanks necessary.  May the Browncoats be with you.

I meant to post this earlier but the kids grabbed the computer.  As this is the first time I've participated in Six Sentence Sundays, I felt it was appropriate to give you the first six sentences of my current WIP, The DeFord Chronicles, Part I :

"Chauncy DeFord kept his eyes trained on his surroundings and his back to the wall as gaily attired people floated past him.  His vantage point gave him a view of most of the hall.  His senses were engaged at every level for this was a most perilous situation—this was a court ball.

It was his second visit to court in his four and twenty years, and the atmosphere was far more festive than it had been on his previous visit.  The celebration of the Crown Prince’s marriage, a month previous, was still ongoing in his and his new wife’s absence.  While the bridal couple was on honeymoon, the noble youth of the kingdom continued to flock to the court in search of romance and adventure."

What do you think?

Here I am, posting late again.  But it's not entirely my fault.  My internet was out for most of yesterday, as were my phones.  And while some people possess the ability to blog from their cell phones, I do not.  My phone makes calls, sends texts, and has two games.  That's it.  No camera.  No internet.  No apps.  Not even the ability to download cool ringtones (admittedly this last one bothers me a bit).  The lack of landline phone service was ok but I really missed my internet connection.

Anyhow...today is a day where I have no choice but to act like a grown-up.  I usually do that anyway but I'm feeling especially like a parent this afternoon.  Just got home from taking the youngest for some shots.  I had a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach all the way to the clinic and I didn't tell her about the shots until we were back in the exam room.  Yes, I am a total chicken.  I didn't want her to panic and I can't stand the thought of my baby girl in pain, psychological or physical.  She actually did better than I did; wasn't happy, but the only time she came close to crying was when the nurse didn't get back in a timely fashion with her sticker.

In less than an hour's time I will be on my way to Parent-Teacher conferences at the middle school for our oldest.  We don't have to panic as he's doing well in his classes, but we aren't looking forward to standing in line in the buffet style set-up they use.  I learned my lesson on the last round and will be taking a book with me to pass the time.

Got my taxes done and nothing else is looming just yet, so I anticipate getting a lot more writing done in March, which curiously did not come in like a lion unless it was confused by Leap Year and thought it was supposed to be here yesterday, in which case it roared quite well and gave us the first snow day of the year.

Until we meet again,
Kate