Monday, January 23, 2023

New Year, Not Much News

 Happy belated New Year!



This is a commission by Eurephora that I had done last year. It is Faye, the protagonist of my long suffering Work In Progress (tentatively titled "Priestess", but will probably, most definitely, come up with a better title). I am being sarcastic of course; I am having fun writing it, when I actually get to work on it. I made some progress over the holidays but it's still not close enough to being published. 


Last August, I participated in the #FantasyIndiesAugust challenge. Thought I'd post some of the snippets here that I shared there, in case you don't follow me on Twitter



Sarika pulled me away gently and I leaned into her while I caught my breath and clutched my belly.

“Was it worth it?” she asked.

“It doesn’t have to be worth it in order to do it. It is my duty.”

Sometimes I wondered if this was all my life was going to be. Pain and duty. Momentary feelings of having done good from helping someone other than the duke couldn’t keep me going forever. Indeed, I didn’t think my life would be long if things kept up like this. But I didn’t know any other way.


-JOY DEMERS, PRIESTESS WIP, AUGUST 6, 2022



Candles, sconces and chandeliers were lit all around the hall. The duke’s family mingled around with wine glasses, dressed in finery and frills. The old duke himself stood in the center of the room. I could tell his pain was returning for he leaned on his left side and his twitching smile at our appearance was one that masked a grimace. Beside him, however, stood the peacock of a general, the man who’d ridden in on the crazy black stallion. The general’s gaze fell onto me and I nearly recoiled backward if Urdie hadn’t still locked her arm around my elbow. She brought me to her grandfather and the man of Valderon. I dropped my cane so Urdie would let me go. But no sooner had it hit the floor than the general leaned down to pick it up. 

“Heavy, for a simple walking stick,” he said, bouncing the cane in his grip as if to belie his statement. 

“It was a gift from my brothers and sisters at the Sanctuary.” I held my hand out for the cane. I didn’t always need it to help me walk, but I carried it with me all the time anyway. The general passed it over to me. His fingers brushed against my hand and I felt their coldness even though I wore my gloves. “Thank you.” 

“You are the priestess of San,” the general said. Up close, his eyes were dark, like pools of the blackest water. And though his expression was bemused, I felt those fathoms held many secrets. 


-JOY DEMERS, PRIESTESS WIP, AUGUST 13, 2022


So, that's about all the news I have for now. I hope next time I update, I'll have some good news :)


-Joy

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