Kate Warren

Greetings, fellow Sixers!  Thank you so much for coming to visit today, and for coming to visit last Sunday as well.  I'm happy to report that most of my family is much better.  Husband and I are still pretty wiped out from all the illness, but mostly good.  The final member of our family may be coming down with it (no! he had the flu shot! it's not fair!) or maybe he isn't.  Time will tell.

Anyway...last week's Six Sentences got such a great response that I thought this time I'd just pick up where they left off.  That and my random scrolling put me in the middle of mindless ramblings of a blocked writer, and I wasn't about to share six sentences of that.



          The queen hardly drew breath.  The king himself remained riveted on
the combat.
          This cannot go on for much longer, Graciela thought desperately, certain that every moment spelled her betrothed’s injury or defeat, yet equally certain that every moment also held his triumph.  She did not try to understand the contradiction in her mind.  There was no time to consider, to ponder, there was only her knight locked in struggle on the field.  Her Anton.



That's my six for this time.  Next week I'll share Katarina's thoughts, or you know, something else.  See you around visiting all the other awesome Sixers!

Kate

Dear readers,

I have spent the last several days in my pajamas.  One of the advantages of working from home, you might say, but normally I do get dressed.  The flu, however, rather put me off my game.  Actually, I'm still not back on my game.  I feel medicated, but I'm not.  Must be tired.  I am finally starting to get better as the fifth member of my family comes down sick.  It is our hope that our youngest boy does not become ill, as he would likely land in the hospital again.  He's the only one who got a flu shot though (seriously rethinking my anti-flu-shot policy now) so in all likelihood he will be fine.

There was a point to this...ah, I remember.  I felt well enough to get dressed today and have been putting some thought into ways to do better in the coming year.  Writing more is one.  Camp NaNoWriMo in April is a definite possibility.  I'm planning to spruce up the old website a bit.  If you have any suggestions of what you'd like to see here, please do let me know.

Early next year Bridging The Gaps will finally be available in paperback!  Yay!  Oh, and I'll get some photos taken so that you can all see my sparkling personality more clearly.

Other than that, there's not much to report right now.  The WIP has stalled due to illness, I'm back to participating in Six Sentence Sunday through the end of that lovely program, and I'll be resting as much as I can for what's left of 2012.  Also, I'm having a birthday on Friday, but you don't have to get me anything.  I'm good.

Welcome and thank you to those who gather at my humble blog to read my contribution to Six Sentence Sunday.  Thanks also to those who not only read, but comment too!  Your words are invaluable to me.

So, here I am using my random scrolling method once more.  I may alight upon something ridiculous.  Just so you know, this is the first draft, completely un-edited and thus far unfinished as well.

Today we are in chapter... 21, apparently.  The scene is the championship round of swordfighting in a tournament.  The competitors are fairly well matched and this has been going on for a while.


          "It seemed like hours since the bout had begun and still both men fought on as if possessed of serious ego issues.  Neither would give any quarter, and the spectators were yet unsure of who would be their tournament champion.  First Sir Anton would appear to have the advantage, then Lord Allemande.  Feints and lunges, parries and cuts, all in a primal rhythm, an age-old cadence of sweat, something I can’t think of right now, and battle.
          The crowd was deadly silent, listening to the tang of steel catching steel, the grunts of the combatants, even their footfalls on the field where a day of tramping boots had worn the grass away and dirt and dust stood sentinel in place of the green blades that had once reigned in peace over the ground. Two young ladies nearly opened wounds on their hands from digging their fingers into their palms."


In case anyone is wondering, the young ladies are Sir Anton's betrothed, Graciela (you may remember the two of them from previous SSS entries), and Princess Katarina, who has a major thing for Lord Allemande--a man who has been forbidden to her and is ignoring her, two circumstances guaranteed to stoke the passions of her fifteen-year-old heart.

That's all from me for today.   I will apologize in advance if I don't get to all my favorite Sixers' posts.  Feel like I'm coming down sick and I'm hoping to spend as much of the day as possible resting.

Kate

Dear readers,

We have all been touched by the tragedy that took place last Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, CT.  We have felt pain, sadness, anger, bewilderment.  We have mourned for lives lost and hearts broken.  We have sent our thoughts and our prayers to the victim's families and friends.  Now we can do a little something more.

Words for Hope is an auction being put on to benefit the families directly affected by this tragedy.  Authors from all over the country have donated items such as eBooks, autographed copies of print books, critiques, posters, and more.  Each set of items will be open for bids for a period of 24 hours.

I am offering an eBook of my latest release, Bridging The Gaps and the winning bidder will also get to name a character in my next novel. 

Please visit the Words for Hope blog for more details about how the auction works and consider bidding on one or more items.  Also please help to spread the word about this worthy endeavor.  You never know who might be reached if people continue to pass on the information.

Thank you.

Kate

Hello all.  As you probably know by now I did not post for Six Sentence Sunday despite signing up for it.  I just couldn't.  Too much heaviness in my heart, and I was actually asleep past the deadline.  I have a migraine today and my daughter is sick and was up in the night.  Not fun, but at least I have her and my boys.

I keep thinking about the little girl from Sandy Hook Elementary school named Emilie.  She had the bluest eyes and was only a year older than my Emily.  I keep thinking about Victoria Soto, the first grade teacher who hid her students in closets and cabinets and told the shooter that they were in the gym, giving her own life to save theirs.  I keep thinking about the parents, the siblings, the pets even who won't see those smiling faces again.  Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and neighbors whose lives will be forever changed.  A community in shock and in mourning. 

There is no good time for such a thing to happen, but the holiday season is by far the worst.  Presents will go unopened and decorations have even been taken down.  Celebrating anything in such an atmosphere will be difficult, if not impossible, for those who have lost loved ones.  Some families will pull together because of this tragedy, and some will be ripped apart, adding more heartache and more tears.

I pray for everyone affected.  My heart aches for the lives cut short and the families devestated.  I imagine those beautiful children being gathered into Jesus' loving and protecting arms and it eases a little of the sting. 

There weren't six sentences in any of my work that felt appropriate to post today.  I'm sure you understand, and I hope you will visit the other authors who did post for Six Sentence Sunday.  I will.  I'm hoping some of them posted their funniest lines because I could use a reason to smile or laugh. 

Kate

Ah, Six Sentence Sunday!  Feels like home.  It's been a long time since I've participated, but I'm back now.

Well NaNoWriMo was a busy time, as usual, and many of my usual internet-based activities fell by the proverbial wayside.  However, I managed to win, so I'm happy.

While my latest release, Bridging The Gaps makes a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's or other holiday or birthday gift, since I've been working on something else this week's six will be from my current WIP. 

Ladies and gentlemen I give you six sentences from the as yet incomplete first draft of The DeFord Chronicles, Part II, sequel to (that's right, you guessed it) The DeFord Chronicles, Part I.  I will choose this week's six via my random scrolling method partly because it has worked so well in the past, and partly because decision making is not one of my strengths today.  So from chapter 13 I give you the following:

Scene: Chauncy DeFord and his friend Sir James Quinly are preparing to leave the home of Chauncy's cousin in France.  James is complaining that Chauncy did not warn him about the ladies of the house and their enthusiasm for male company.  Chauncy speaks first here.   (please note this takes place in the year 1422)



          "How did you manage to put them off?”
          “I told the first that I had taken a vow of chastity, and breaking it would result in my immediate death. With the second I invented a dread plague that could be caught by kissing.  The third nearly overpowered me.” James shuddered at the memory.  “It was only feigning that her uncle would be arriving presently that saved me from Lady Chrestienne.  Praise God she did not stop to wonder why Monsieur Baricaud would be visiting my chambers [at night].”



That's my six for the week.  Be sure to visit all the other wonderful authors at Six Sentence Sunday.

Kate