SUMMER WRITING: Some snippets, stats, and aesthetics from my four summer WIPs!
It's been a crazy busy summer, y'all. I've been seeing friends, flying on airplanes, visiting people, doing all sorts of swimming and outdoor activities, and beta reading out the whazoo. But I did have time for lots of writing, so here ya go, folks! Some snippets, stats, and fun stuff like that. My four summer WIPs.
Enjoy ;)
THE STORIES
A Chill Unbroken (Pentegreens .75, a prequel novella)
Stats
Word Count: COMPLETE at 25,988 words
Page count: 100 (exactly! Wahoo!)
Chapter count: 16
Worst Dad Ever Awards: 23
References to actual in-the-Pentegreen-series stuff: 185
Sibling favoritism: too much
My sons telling me things about their powers WAAAAAY too late: 1
Number of times I've made myself cry over this book: 4
Number of assassins who inserted themselves into this story when they have no right to be present within it: 2 (and a half)
Number of assassins who inserted themselves into this story when they have no right to be present within it: 2 (and a half)
He is not me.
A drop of blood, pale and blue and icy, fell from the end of his finger where his pen tip had stabbed it by mistake. Ice ran in his veins, just like his father’s. He was like his father, yes. He couldn’t help that, not really.
But I am not him, I promise.
I never will be him.
Lights above, help me to never, ever, ever become him. I can barely live with myself now.
If that were to happen, I would lose myself entirely.
Don't make promises to me that you're gonna break//we only ever wanted one thing from this//Bastille
Rishatta plunged into the gardens. All was dark; Burashna hadn’t bothered to put up lanterns in the backyard, as no one was supposed to come out here during the party. It was cold, but he didn’t feel it. He was always cold anyway. A little additional chill barely even affected him.
Trees towered around him, pinnacles of dark cold. Snow crunched under his feet, and tiny snowflakes spiralled from the sky above. All was silent out here in the garden. His house set a background of darkness, and the only light glimmered through the windows of the ballroom.
He was alone. Darkness. Cold. And the seductive, gorgeous, whispering lure of the snow.
With no one to see him, he let the tiniest bit of his power slip through his fingers.
So prepare for the coup of the century//be prepared for the murkiest scam//...I'll be king undisputed, respected, saluted//Jeremy Irons (from "The Lion King")
He crossed to sit beside her on the bed and took her hand in his. “If they’d hurt you, I would have killed them,” he said, letting his inner darkness pour out. “Even if Father doesn’t care…I would have come for you, Anns. I swear.”
“I know.” She sighed and turned her head away. Her hand slid out of his and she shivered, tucking the blanket tighter around herself. “Just…leave me alone, Rish.”
He stood up and left without a word. Three of them. A family. Once, he’d heard that families were united, all striving for a common goal. That was a laugh and then some.
Whoever had said that definitely had not met his family.
Anything you say can and will be held against you//so only say my name//Fall Out Boy
~
The Winter's Chill (now known as The Soldier's Gamble) (Pentegreen Series book 3)
Stats:
Word Count: 120,014
Page count: 456
Chapter count: 73
Outline for draft 2: in progress
POVs: 7
Crying and depression: 23901%
Hugs that might mean something more: 18ish
Nightmares: the whole book
Fake marriages: 1
Overpowered murder girls: 5
“I’m not Rishatta,” Anna said calmly. There was no fear in any of this, just the knowledge that if Elensha tried to attack her, she could win. “And I’m not giving up everything for this boy. On the contrary. I’m using him just as much as he’s using me.”
“It’s true,” Derek supplied from just behind her.
Elensha snarled, showing all her teeth in an almost feral motion.
Without a care, Anna plunged on. “Need I remind you of the time I fought you before all of this happened? I can best you, assassin, and I will do it again. If you try anything, I will murder you and make it look like an accident.”
“It’s true,” Derek supplied from just behind her.
Elensha snarled, showing all her teeth in an almost feral motion.
Without a care, Anna plunged on. “Need I remind you of the time I fought you before all of this happened? I can best you, assassin, and I will do it again. If you try anything, I will murder you and make it look like an accident.”
I'm a weary traveler//you're my heavenly rest...//you're the place I need to find to remember the light//Tommee Profitt and Fleurie
“Promise you’ll come back,” she whispered.
Clarence drew her close and hugged her, only for a few seconds (probably because the heat was unbearable), and then let go. “I promise,” he whispered. “I promise.”
The memory shifted, turning to that moment in the forest. When he’d stared at her like she was a ghost and then pulled her in so tight and kissed her. She knew, even with her lack of experience, that it had been a messy and awkward kiss, but it had felt like so much more.
It had felt like falling in love for the first time, even though she’d been in love with him for as long as she could remember.
Esma shook her head and forced herself to focus on walking.
It was all so strange and so surreal//that a ghost should be so practical//only if for a night//Florence+the Machine
The girl lay a hand on the hilt of her sword. "Let him go, boys. I’ll take him with me.” She snapped her fingers and the men stood back, letting their spears thud to their sides. “Come. Now.”
Derek found his feet moving forward before his brain had even registered her order; he was at her side, offering her an arm, within the space of time it took him to blink. He blinked again and realized he was still walking. She kept pace at his side silently.
“What are you doing to me?” he asked.
“I can’t have you running off. Stay by my side,” she said, her voice thoughtful but commanding. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“Of course not,” he muttered and walked faster to keep up with her, uncertain why his body was so determined to obey her. “What’s your power?”
“That is classified, thank you.”
“Is your name classified?”
She gave him an aloof stare out of the corner of her eye. “I’m Eira. Anything else you care to badger me with?”
Sleeping in the clothes you loved//it's such a shame we had to see them burn//and every minute of every hour, I miss you I miss you I miss you more//Bastille
THE KING'S DAUGHTER: DRAFT 6/7 (Pentegreen Series book 1)
Stats
Word count: as of right now, about 110k on the finished draft (although draft 7 is about 60k thus far)
Page count: 227 in draft 7, closer to 400 in draft 6 lol
Chapter count: 60ish I think
Angsty bois and murder girls: too many
Number of ships my readers have at this point: 9 and a half
Number of people who get stabbed in this book: 3
Occurrences of the phrase "bUt I tRuStEd YoU!": about 43291
Villains who can go die in a hole alone in the Sahara Desert: 2
Rishatta fumbled with the rope for a moment longer where her cheeks burned in stark contrast to the freezing cold of her arm. Finally he let go and jumped back like dropping a hot coal, his dark cheeks flushed almost pink beneath the scruff growing there from a lack of shaving. “That had better be enough,” he said. “And believe me when I say I’m never getting that close to you again, princess.”
She sat down on the bed and drew her knees up to her chest. “That sounds fine with me.” If he never touched her again, it would be too soon.
That's what you get for playing with fire//I wish I was a little bit wiser//never knew my heart would be marked with an "x"//Welshly Arms
“Does it ever get easier, El? Being at war, I mean.”
“Not really.” She simpered and took another sip of the bottle. “You just have to find something that overwhelms the knowledge that you’ve killed people. Drown your conscience, and eventually, it doesn’t prick as much. It’s a nasty little thing anyway. You’ll be better off without it once you reach that point.” She giggled; a bit of the booze trickled down her chin and she wiped it off with a grimace. “I recommend the drink, myself. It’s quite helpful. I’ve used it since I was fourteen.”
No wonder you’re such a heavyweight, Rish thought but didn’t say. She could drink every man he knew under the table.
“Your offer is tempting, I admit. But I’ll pass.” He smirked and stood up. “I’m going for a walk. That’s my vice.”
Elensha hooted. “And what a vice it is! I wouldn’t want to be stuck in your head with no distractions for hours on end. Have fun, lovie.”
Hold on and take a breath//I'll be here every step walking between the raindrops with you//Lifehouse
Esma's stomach felt like she’d forced it across a washboard. Her palms were sweaty and shaky from holding his hand for so long. But she felt lighter, happier, than she had in days. Days that had gone on for an eternity.
It was odd how the misery of being in a sickroom stretched time out to its limits, while being out and laughing with the boy she loved was always too short.
The timeline of friendship and this new, different relationship blurred together, and both of them combined into something precious. Something valuable that no one else she knew had.
Kindness//so many people passed me by, but you warmed me to my core and you left me wanting more//Bastille
NOT THE CHOSEN ONE
Stats
Word count: Still in progress at 31,140 words
Page count: 117
Currently on chapter 15
Number of dragons: 17
Only acceptable ship: 1
Gangstah bois who defy the stereotypes: 3
Cups of coffee consumed: too many to count
Favorite fashion statement of this book: hoodies
“It’s true, Cassie. You know it’s true. The Dark will destroy this entire city if it comes back, and it won’t even stop at that. It’ll take over everything. Imagine everything. Destroyed. This world a howling wasteland of black nothingness. A black pit where the Empire State Building now stands. I like power. I want to hold on to my power and my money and my influence, and my hands aren’t particularly clean. But if I want to maintain power…well, I need a world in which to do so, don’t I?”
Cass snorted. “That’s the worst reason for saving the world I’ve ever heard.”
“What does it matter, if the world is saved?” Keo tossed back the last of his coffee like he was taking a shot and stared her dead in the eye.
You were by design a victor//know in your heart, you're alive//destiny is on your side//UNSECRET and Fleurie
Cass counted to fifteen to give him time to get situated and then clicked to Jeremy. “Ready?”
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, we’ll just say that. Goodness, this beast is hot.”
“You gonna let him talk to you like that?” Cass patted Jeremy’s neck again. “Hang on, Keo. He’ll be mad now.”
Jeremy shook himself and launched off the edge of the building. Cass hung on for dear life as the wind whistled in her ears.
The wind, and Keo’s hysterical, girlish screaming.
“Oh, stop,” Cass grumbled. “You’ll get used to it. It’s fun.” She banked Jeremy right, hard, so that his wing tilted downward and took her stomach with it. “Just hang on back there.”
“I admit that I am not a fan of this!” yelled Keo, but he stopped screaming.
I coulda gave up then but//then again I couldn't have 'cuz//I've traveled all this way for somethin'//Imagine Dragons
“Please?” Myles’s voice took on a plaintive, whining tone. There was no way this boy was eighteen. He had to be five. She’d have to tell Keo to sign him up for kindergarten. “If you don’t do it, Keo will kill me!”
“You sound like you want me to think this is a bad thing.”
Myles whistled, shredding her eardrum. She winced.
“That was low, Cassie. I tried to save your life, remember?”
“Yeah, I do, and you failed worse than I could have even imagined possible. You want anything else?”
“I’m actually, uh, at your school right now.”
“What?!” Cass looked around on instinct before remembering that she was in the ladies’ room and even Myles wasn’t crazy enough to come in here. “If you’re here to make trouble and you get caught, I swear…”
“No, no, it’s all great, I promise!” He coughed into the phone. “Everyone thinks I’m a student now and no one cares enough to check. I’m having a great time.”
“I’m going to end you,” she hissed.
Some legends are told//some turn to dust or to gold//but you will remember me for centuries//Fall Out Boy
Hope y'all enjoyed this post! :D
22 comments
*SCREAMS AT YOU ABOUT EVERYTHING IN THIS POST*
ReplyDeleteYour WIP snippets/aesthetics posts are my favorite thing EVER!!! *heart eyes*
*joins you in screaming*
DeleteTHANK YOU!!!!! <3 I'm so glad you enjoy them!!!!
PENTEGREEN STUFFS. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! All the snippets and aesthetic stuff is SO COOL. And I can't WAIT to hear more about Not The Chosen One. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU MEM!!!!!! I'm so glad you liked it! And I can't wait to SHARE more about NtCO :D
DeleteAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh,THESE ARE LOVELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUU
Delete*SHRIEKS FOR A MILLION BILLION YEARS*
ReplyDeleteTHIS POOOOOOOOST!!!!! THIS IS A GIFT.
*deep breath*
Okay, okay, okay. I just loved everything about this. First of all, your ability to have like 28983948 things going in life and STILL write like a ninja unicorn blows my mind. You are amazing! Secondly, THESE SNIPPETS. That first one though. o.o Why do I feel like this prequel will DESTROY us??? (ButI'msoreadyyespleeease.) And oh my goodness, I am soooo curious (and scared) about what's going on with Derek in book #3. Who is this Eira person??? *wriggles eyebrows* And and and NOT THE CHOSEN ONE. I am just in love with this book idea. The snippets for it were a TREAT. I love that there's a dragon named Jeremy. Like...you don't expect dragon's to have regular human names. It's GREAT!
EVERYTHING IS GREAT. AND PAINFUL. BUT GREAT.
Also your stats give me life. "Number of ships my readers have at this point" Lololol. XDDD
AHHHH CHRISTINE THANK YOUUUUU <33333333
DeleteI don't even know how I write so much, if we're being honest xD But you're so sweet--thank you SO much <3 (The prequel destroyed ME and I wrote it so. Brace yourselves. WINTER IS COMING mwahahahahaha) Eira's an interesting one for sure and I can't wait to introduce y'all to her! I don't even know why that ended up being Jeremy's name, haha...but it's fun and I love it so yeah. xD
THaNK YOU!!!!!!
xD xD Y'all have got to stop shipping okay ;) xD
YES. PENTEGREEN SNIPPETS. (Warning, this comment is going to be a mess) MY BOI RISH!!!!!! Eek!! I love the idea of the prequel novella!!
ReplyDeleteThe King's Daughter!!!! <33333 Ah, I love it!!!
Eira? *is intrigued* I want to know more!!
Can I just mention all of your stats? XD They are the best. Especially:
"Hugs that might mean something more: 18ish" (I'm smiling bc I know who you are talking about even if you don't like it. Heehee.) & "Fake marriages: 1" (Sure, just drop that bomb then don't mention it againg. WHAT???)
And then there's this: "Crying and depression: 23901%" *cries* Please don't hurt my favorites!!
*perks up* New book? Set in this world?? But DRAGONS??? YES!!!!!!
My Rishy boi <3 <3
DeleteI'm so glad xD
You'll like her for sure when you get to her xD
Hahahaha no more information about the stats than what is given *cackles evilly*
Yes!!!! <3
AGH HOW DO YOU ALWAYS CHOOSE SUCH GREAT SNIPPETS?????
ReplyDelete*whispers loudly Deranna*
But yeah... Massie is the only real ship in NTCO and I will fight anyone who disagrees.
I DON'T KNOW TBH BUT I AGONIZED OVER THESE FOR DAYS SO THERE'S THAT
Delete*whispers loudly about wrong ships*
I agree. No shipping ANYONE or ANYTHING else. Massie is endgame mkay
YESSSS these all were so good!! GAH I love your writing.
ReplyDelete- Eleanor
Thank you so muuuuch <3 <3
DeleteLiterally everything about this post is fantastic!!!!!!!!! Seriously, Faith, I CANNOT WAIT until your books are on shelves! Your snippets are incredible, your characters sound amazing, and the way you position the pictures and the lyrics!!! I NEED YOUR STORIES IN MY LIFE.
ReplyDeleteAlexa
thessalexa.blogspot.com
verbosityreviews.com
ALEXA THIS COMMENT MADE MY MONTH *sobs* Thank you so so so much ahhh!!!!! And I can't wait until I do have them published and you can read all of them!!!! <3
DeleteDude you're just such a good writer, and it's amazing how much you've grown since I first found your blog, and wow I'm just rEALLY PROUD OF YOU!!!! <33333
ReplyDelete*sobs* EVANGELIIIINE you are the actual nicest person thank youuuu
DeleteWHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO MAKE ME FREAK OUT THIS MUCH???? (apparently I did 🤷♀️)
ReplyDeleteyeah it's all your fault Nicole ;) xD
DeleteLiving for all this! The snippets, Rish, and Bastille. You have great music taste by the way.
ReplyDelete<3
Thank you thank you!!!!! And awwww, you're so sweet <3
DeleteHello, friends! Do make yourselves comfortable and stay for a while--I'd love to chat with you! I simply ask that you keep it clean. :)