n_wilkinson (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
n_wilkinson) wrote2010-11-18 03:08 pm
n_wilkinson) wrote2010-11-18 03:08 pm
Entry tags:
NaNoWriMo & Shady Hill
As promised, today I bring you an update to the word count and a snippet of my NaNo novel, which I was finally able to get started on a week ago. Yep, I'm pretty late to the game. Luckily, I had In Darkness Dwells to boost my word count while access to my notes for Shady Hill was wavering on impossible.
Progress has been proceeding at a steady clip. Today I'm on chapter three and it's moving along swimmingly. I'm quite pleased with the way Shady Hill is turning out actually. It's even better than I could have anticipated.
Today, I bring you an extended description and summary.
Title: Shady Hill
Genre: Urban Fantasy, primarily, but with elements of gay/slash erotica and romance thrown in to spice things up
Rating: M (for lots of violence and erotica, not to mention character death, drug/alcohol use, foul language, etc)
Summary: The two gangs, Rhapsody and Nocturne, have spent decades embroiled in war, both seeking the same mythical object, one rumored to bring absolute power and absolute wealth. Mik, leader of Rhapsody, is tired of the bloodshed and the fighting. Haunted by the shadow of his best friend, he’ll stop at nothing until he’s ended everything. For good.
Jasper is Mik's Repel, his bodyguard and the man destined to stand behind Mik, forever protecting him. But Mik is more to Jasper than just his leader, he's also a friend, and the very man who saved Jasper's life. He holds a healthy respect and admiration for Mik, which border on worship. Jasper is the eye who watches Mik's spiral into darkness, helpless to prevent it, while clinging to Sander for support, a man whose background is as much a mystery as the war itself.
What can I say? I'm a sucker for angst. I love hinting to deeper emotions and connections, and there's a bit of a love triangle in here, but I hope to keep it away from the traditional cliches. I probably won't succeed, but the journey will be well worth it. *grins* All I know is that Shady Hill is a story I want to read some day, so I'm going to do my best to write it.
So enjoy a small snippet from chapter one!
And now for a word count update!
Total Word Count: 46,305
Broken down that is -- Shady Hill (13,292), In Darkness Dwells (~26,400), Iridescent (4,503), and Flash Fiction Friday (1,910)
More snippets and excerpts to come. Next time, it'll be from In Darkness Dwells. I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek!
Progress has been proceeding at a steady clip. Today I'm on chapter three and it's moving along swimmingly. I'm quite pleased with the way Shady Hill is turning out actually. It's even better than I could have anticipated.
Today, I bring you an extended description and summary.
Title: Shady Hill
Genre: Urban Fantasy, primarily, but with elements of gay/slash erotica and romance thrown in to spice things up
Rating: M (for lots of violence and erotica, not to mention character death, drug/alcohol use, foul language, etc)
Summary: The two gangs, Rhapsody and Nocturne, have spent decades embroiled in war, both seeking the same mythical object, one rumored to bring absolute power and absolute wealth. Mik, leader of Rhapsody, is tired of the bloodshed and the fighting. Haunted by the shadow of his best friend, he’ll stop at nothing until he’s ended everything. For good.
Jasper is Mik's Repel, his bodyguard and the man destined to stand behind Mik, forever protecting him. But Mik is more to Jasper than just his leader, he's also a friend, and the very man who saved Jasper's life. He holds a healthy respect and admiration for Mik, which border on worship. Jasper is the eye who watches Mik's spiral into darkness, helpless to prevent it, while clinging to Sander for support, a man whose background is as much a mystery as the war itself.
What can I say? I'm a sucker for angst. I love hinting to deeper emotions and connections, and there's a bit of a love triangle in here, but I hope to keep it away from the traditional cliches. I probably won't succeed, but the journey will be well worth it. *grins* All I know is that Shady Hill is a story I want to read some day, so I'm going to do my best to write it.
So enjoy a small snippet from chapter one!
“Have I told you how he died?”
From his position at the window, Jasper was startled out of his idle contemplations. He turned away from the rain-streaked panes, eyes falling on the bed where Mik was stretched out on top of the corners, staring up at the ceiling and the lazily turning fan. He had tucked both arms under his head as though he intended to sleep that way but Jasper knew better.
It was three in the morning but Mik wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon. It was one of those nights where insomnia proved stronger than the pull of the Sandman.
Jasper shook his head. “No, Boss. Just that he did.”
A bitter laugh escapes his boss’ mouth. “I was the one to find him,” he said, tone conversational, but the tightness of his voice betraying the fragility of his control. “Hanging there like they thought I’d actually believe he’d commit suicide or something.”
Blood running a little cold, Jasper turned fully, leaning back against the windowsill and only half-hearing the water that pinged against the glass, turning it foggy. “They?”
Mik pretended to be nonchalant, casual, but Jasper knew better. He could read the violence, barely restrained, in Mik’s controlled expression, in the taut form of his body. It was one of those nights then, a night for stories. A night for memories of the past, rarely shared except when Mik was feeling particularly loquacious.
Jazz always said that Jasper was lucky. Lucky that the boss trusted him enough to share those stories. He never shared them with anyone else in Rhapsody. Jasper wasn’t sure if luck was what he’d call it.
“Nocturne,” Mik said, his voice sharp and forced, as though he’s spitting the name of their bitter rivals. “Killed their own man for consorting with the enemy. For what they thought to be a betrayal.” His face contorted, a mixture of rage and grief flashing in his stone grey eyes.
Hands folding across his chest, Jasper pretended to be casual himself, but he couldn’t stop the curiosity in his voice. “Why would they think that?”
The bulbs in the room flickered, but Jasper knew it wasn’t because something threatened the power. It was because the shadows were testing their boundaries, railing against the confines of the light.
“Because I was Rhapsody and Jeremiah was Nocturne. It was supposed to make us mortal enemies.” Mik’s eyes closed as he shook his head. “It wasn’t until they killed him that I even realized who Jeremiah was.”
Jasper knew this part of the story. Jeremiah had been Mik’s best friend growing up. Public schools smack dab in the middle of Fugue didn’t care for sides in the war between the two gangs. Children weren’t supposed to be a part of it. So it was relatively easy for the children of Nocturne and the children of Rhapsody to meet. But they always knew to keep to their own or to the Norms.
Jeremiah had looked at those invisibly drawn lines and promptly stepped over them. He’d all but dragged Mik into a relationship with him. The both of them were only connected to their respective gangs by their parents after all. They hadn’t made a conscious decision. What did gang rivalries have to do with anything? They were just children.
“They killed their own man, their leader’s son no less, because he dared look beyond the next battle to what might happen after,” Mik added and then went silent, face lined with emotion.
He was barely thirty, but in the wrong light, Mik could pass for a much, much older man. Jasper only knew part of the grief that drove his boss, and he suspected more was there, seething beneath the surface. He often wondered what it was like, to treasure a friendship so much that you’d be willing to take on the whole world in revenge.
“Did he know?”
Mik’s eyes popped open, brow furrowed in confusion. “What?”
Jasper elaborated with a vague gesture. “Did Jeremiah’s father know? Was it his idea?”
“I don’t know,” Mik said, sounding strangely thoughtful. “I’ve always assumed so but…” He shook his head, untucking one arm to run a hand through his red hair, spiked and sticking out on all sides thanks to his position. “Who knows?”
Knocking interrupted their conversation, loud enough that Jasper jumped a little. He frowned, pushing off the window ledge. “Yeah?”
The door opened, which proved it was one of the echelon and not a mere runner. Sophie popped just her head in, a mess of curls the first thing that Jasper saw. “No time for a nap,” she said curtly, the fingers of one hand wrapped around the door frame, the black of her nail polish gleaming in the dim light. “Nocturne’s just attacked the Twelfth Outpost.”
From his position at the window, Jasper was startled out of his idle contemplations. He turned away from the rain-streaked panes, eyes falling on the bed where Mik was stretched out on top of the corners, staring up at the ceiling and the lazily turning fan. He had tucked both arms under his head as though he intended to sleep that way but Jasper knew better.
It was three in the morning but Mik wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon. It was one of those nights where insomnia proved stronger than the pull of the Sandman.
Jasper shook his head. “No, Boss. Just that he did.”
A bitter laugh escapes his boss’ mouth. “I was the one to find him,” he said, tone conversational, but the tightness of his voice betraying the fragility of his control. “Hanging there like they thought I’d actually believe he’d commit suicide or something.”
Blood running a little cold, Jasper turned fully, leaning back against the windowsill and only half-hearing the water that pinged against the glass, turning it foggy. “They?”
Mik pretended to be nonchalant, casual, but Jasper knew better. He could read the violence, barely restrained, in Mik’s controlled expression, in the taut form of his body. It was one of those nights then, a night for stories. A night for memories of the past, rarely shared except when Mik was feeling particularly loquacious.
Jazz always said that Jasper was lucky. Lucky that the boss trusted him enough to share those stories. He never shared them with anyone else in Rhapsody. Jasper wasn’t sure if luck was what he’d call it.
“Nocturne,” Mik said, his voice sharp and forced, as though he’s spitting the name of their bitter rivals. “Killed their own man for consorting with the enemy. For what they thought to be a betrayal.” His face contorted, a mixture of rage and grief flashing in his stone grey eyes.
Hands folding across his chest, Jasper pretended to be casual himself, but he couldn’t stop the curiosity in his voice. “Why would they think that?”
The bulbs in the room flickered, but Jasper knew it wasn’t because something threatened the power. It was because the shadows were testing their boundaries, railing against the confines of the light.
“Because I was Rhapsody and Jeremiah was Nocturne. It was supposed to make us mortal enemies.” Mik’s eyes closed as he shook his head. “It wasn’t until they killed him that I even realized who Jeremiah was.”
Jasper knew this part of the story. Jeremiah had been Mik’s best friend growing up. Public schools smack dab in the middle of Fugue didn’t care for sides in the war between the two gangs. Children weren’t supposed to be a part of it. So it was relatively easy for the children of Nocturne and the children of Rhapsody to meet. But they always knew to keep to their own or to the Norms.
Jeremiah had looked at those invisibly drawn lines and promptly stepped over them. He’d all but dragged Mik into a relationship with him. The both of them were only connected to their respective gangs by their parents after all. They hadn’t made a conscious decision. What did gang rivalries have to do with anything? They were just children.
“They killed their own man, their leader’s son no less, because he dared look beyond the next battle to what might happen after,” Mik added and then went silent, face lined with emotion.
He was barely thirty, but in the wrong light, Mik could pass for a much, much older man. Jasper only knew part of the grief that drove his boss, and he suspected more was there, seething beneath the surface. He often wondered what it was like, to treasure a friendship so much that you’d be willing to take on the whole world in revenge.
“Did he know?”
Mik’s eyes popped open, brow furrowed in confusion. “What?”
Jasper elaborated with a vague gesture. “Did Jeremiah’s father know? Was it his idea?”
“I don’t know,” Mik said, sounding strangely thoughtful. “I’ve always assumed so but…” He shook his head, untucking one arm to run a hand through his red hair, spiked and sticking out on all sides thanks to his position. “Who knows?”
Knocking interrupted their conversation, loud enough that Jasper jumped a little. He frowned, pushing off the window ledge. “Yeah?”
The door opened, which proved it was one of the echelon and not a mere runner. Sophie popped just her head in, a mess of curls the first thing that Jasper saw. “No time for a nap,” she said curtly, the fingers of one hand wrapped around the door frame, the black of her nail polish gleaming in the dim light. “Nocturne’s just attacked the Twelfth Outpost.”
And now for a word count update!
Total Word Count: 46,305
Broken down that is -- Shady Hill (13,292), In Darkness Dwells (~26,400), Iridescent (4,503), and Flash Fiction Friday (1,910)
More snippets and excerpts to come. Next time, it'll be from In Darkness Dwells. I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek!