New Story and Characters in development

            Since setting up shop at home I’ve begun work on a D&D based story. The full story and major characters are still in development. I’ve also decided to do the same with my Lunar Revelations book as well. Some of the characters felt a little under developed and as the main vehicles of showing the worlds that I’m working on I wanted them to be a little more flushed out. I wanted them to feel more real to you as readers of my stories. However, some major edits will be underway with Lunar Revelations to cut out some of the backstory I placed in. I don’t want to hit my readers over the head with a ton of backstory from the beginning. The stories I aim to tell should focus less on the characters' backgrounds and more on the world they find themselves in and how the learn about it and learn to survive in it. 

            However, I wanted to give my readers a chance to meet my two newest characters. These two adventurers will be the main stars of my D&D story. First, there’s Leslie Williams. A 25 year old college student who finds herself pulled into an amazing but dangerous fantasy world and fights to return back to the modern world from which she came. As some of you may note, her first name is my own. It’s for three reasons I gave this character my name. One, I like the meaning of my first name. Boiled down it means strength and that’s the trait I want this character to have. Two, I identify with this character. To be honest on some level all my characters come from some part of my own personality. So, this is an acknowledgement of such a connection. Three, it’s also a little vanity. My first name is very rarely used and I love it. So, I at least wanted one character to bear that name even if nobody really gets to see my work.

            Leaving the modern lead and going to the second, Kalandorl Rilynana is a drow warrior that risks his life to flee the life he’s been leading in the Underdark. For those who don’t know much about Drow or D&D, the Underdark is an underground realm that exists in Dungeons and Dragons where many evil, banished races live. The Drow are also known as dark elves. Their culture is cutthroat and violent. Most drow tend to live only a few hundred years or so due to the chaotic nature of their culture which is led by a tyrantical matriarchy that sees the males of the race as a step above slaves. Kalandorl wishes to leave this world of betrayal and bloodshed behind him.

            Both characters find themselves thrown together in an evil fey King’s dungeon and must try to escape but more dangers await them outside of the castle. However, to give you a taste of what these two characters are like here’s a little information on both of them.

Leslie Williams

• Age: 25 
• Race: Human 
• Height: 5’ 1”
• Build: Petite 
• Skin tone: ivory white 
• gender: female 
• ethnicity: White
• identifying features: pixie-cut dark brown hair and pixie-like features with extremely dark eyes 
• Profession: College student/Medical Assistant (her other world profession ends up a being a ranger)
• hobbies: writing, reading, gardening, video games, watching anime and tv, and art
• Habits: sleeps in late (isn’t a morning person), keeps clean and organized room, quiet person unless around the right person (ambivert tendencies)
• Faults: shy, pessimistic, often fights depression, has trust issues (especially with men)
• Clothes: At work: medical scrubs and tennis shoes; At school: jeans, graphic t-shirt, and converses; At home: loose t-shirts and shorts
• Body language: eye contact level: eyes constantly scanning or focused forward on her path or glued to her phone or writing journal; gait: smooth; carriage: slightly nervous; posture: upright with head held straight and often moving; hand movements: often flourishes hands when passionate, movements can be jerky or smooth depending on mood; nervous ticks: bites lower lip, often has a nervous laugh or messes with her hair when nervous

Kalandorl Rilynana

• Age: 126
• Race: Drow
• Height: 6’ 1”
• Build: slender but well-muscled
• Skin tone: Obsidian black
• Gender: Male
• Ethnicity: dark elf
• Identifying features: piercing lilac eyes that almost seem to glow in the dark and a scar on his right cheek from an old duel
• Profession: Drow warrior
• Hobbies: gambling, playing cards, training physically, and music
• Habits: Sleeps little (due to elven heritage), practices his fighting skills on a regular basis to keep them sharp for battles with enemies (often other Drow), often likes to gamble with fellows in his patrol to trick them out of treasure he wants, only does anything musical when he’s alone but enjoys what music he can find, constantly on the lookout for threats to him
• Faults: Distrustful of others due to the culture he grew up in, Defensive about his hobbies that aren’t in line with the life of a warrior, has deep rooted prejudices against other races from his upbringing
• Clothes: at “work”: black leather armor, belts, and weapons with all tools he needs; At home: a simple red tunic with leather belt and black cloth pants and leather boots
• Body language: Eye contact: Holds the gaze of anyone he sees as an equal except when it comes to women were he looks away or down to show respect; gait: long strides that are smooth and precise; Carriage: confident and proud; Posture: stands up straight with shoulders squared as if in formation, Proximity: keeps a fair distance between him and those around him; Hand movements: deft and flowing but almost minimal when not fighting; nervous ticks: glances around the room when nervous and often will mess with the hilt of his sword

Hope you guys enjoyed learning about these two! See you next week with another post!

~ChildofCourage~

Lunar Revelation Chapter Six Excerpt

It’s been a while since I posted any of my original writing. Live has just been so crazy. However, I wanted to give you a look at what I’m working on right now. This is still a first draft but it’s starting to take more shape the further I go with it. Please feel free to leave a comment on my work. Any little suggestion helps. Enjoy!

(Taken From Chapter Six)

I curled into a ball on top of the soft quilt and relaxed. It had been a rough day but the soothing silk of the blankets helped to comfort me. After a moment or two happy snuggling, I sat up and looked down at the spell book. The flutter of wings filled the air and Serafin swooped over to the night stand beside my bed.

            He cocked his head to the right in an almost comical manner. A tiny chuckle escaped my lips. He was just so cute that way. Most hawks did when they made that classic expression. However, he didn’t take it so well. He puffed up in indignation at my giggle fit which only made things worse. He looked even cuter with his feathers all ruffled up. He looked like a soft stuffed animal not an intimidating hawk.

            “What is so funny?” he demanded.

            After settling down from laughter that shook my body, I replied, “You just look so cute.”

            “Cute!” he exclaimed, his feathers ruffling more. “I am not cute!”

            I laughed even harder at the sight of how puffy Serafin had become. My stomach was starting to hurt from the pain of laughing so hard. It took a while for my laughter to subside. Laying on my back, I stared up at the canopy that hung over my bed. The sheer fabric sparkled in the candle light.

The translucent cloth almost seemed to twinkle with little stars that had been woven inside of it. Closing my eyes, I let out a sigh. My body now felt more relaxed than before. The laughter had relieved the tension from everything that had happened. Perhaps I laughed a little too hard, I pondered, looking over at Serafin. He still looked very perturbed by my sudden outburst of laughter. Sitting up from the soft blankets, my hand brushed across the soft leather of the spell book.

Wrapping my hand around the binding, I picked up the book and set it down in my lap. I played with the latch a little before looking up at Serafin. He had unruffled his feathers a bit but still looked upset. I stretched out my hand to pat the top of his head.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

He pushed his head up against my hand and nuzzled it softly, “It is alright. You needed it.”

His feathers were extraordinarily soft. They felt almost like my favorite fuzzy blanket, fluffy and smooth to the touch. The feeling of touching animal was a comforting sensation. The last of my worries left as I continued to stroke Serafin’s head. Pulling my hand back, I glanced back down at the book in my lap. The soft leather that bound the pages of the book reminded me of a simple journal.

My fingers flicked the latch open and pulled the cover open. The scent of paper and leather filled my nostrils again. Inhaling deeply, I grinned and relaxed. That smell always made me happy. It was better than the smell of my mom’s chocolate, butterscotch chip cookies and was twice as addictive. How anyone could just read on a kindle was beyond me.

A Spirited Story

            During a recent bout with the disease known as writer’s block, I got an idea for another story. This story would harken back to my oldest and most beloved fandom. “Which fandom is that?” you may ask dear reader. The fandom I’m speaking of is my deep love for Disney. You may start wondering which movie I might be doing. However, I’m not writing about a film but one of Disney’s well-loved rides from the parks.

            This ride is my personal favorite and will come as no surprise to my family that I’ve chosen this as the subject of my newest fan fiction. The ride in question is known for having “999 happy haunts that are just dying to meet you”. The one and only Haunted Mansion. This ride has been a favorite of mine since I was nine years old when I first rode the Florida version of the mansion.

            Now, with the 60^th Anniversary Disneyland past, I decided to throw my hat into the hatbox of this mysterious and spectral mansion. I love this ride and the story and imagination that went into creating it. Also, I’m really happy that they finally put the Hatbox Ghost back on the ride. If you don’t know who he is I recommend you look it up. Especially since Guillermo del Toro back a few years ago announced that he’s going to redo the movie of the mansion. He’s reported to be a huge Haunted Mansion fan and he was partly responsible for the Hatbox Ghost’s return since he said he was going to make him a main focus of the film.

            So, to get in the spirit of both these events, I am writing my own creepy rendition to the tale of the mansion. I won’t be posting it until Halloween but keep an eye out for art from the story and excerpts from it on my Tumblr and here on my blog.

            In parting I leave you with the cover art of my story. Its working title is “Lost in the Mansion” and a little greeting from the ride itself. Happy Haunting!

"Hurry back! Hurry back! Be sure to bring your death certificate, if you decide to join us. Make final arrangements now! We've been dying to have you!"

Little Leota 

(from the end of the Haunted Mansion Ride)

Excerpt from Lunar Revelation

                Recently I’ve been working on a different section of my book. It’s a more horror in nature. In fact, the genre of my book is more of a dark fantasy book. I combine the fun of fantasy with the suspense of horror at different parts of my book. This excerpt is to show my command of how horror feels. I hope I pulled it off well. Please feel free to leave a comment. Any type of constructive criticism helps. I really want to publish this someday. Enjoy the reading!

Lunar Revelation Excerpt

Tentatively, I put my hand into the blackness. The sensation that could be sensed from this was one of complete nothingness. Not hot or cold but total emptiness. I pulled my hand back and felt unsure about stepping into the portal. The hollow feeling of the portal made me nervous. It seemed like I could potentially be walking into a trap. I can’t turn back now. Fin needs me but I can’t help but feel scared of this portal. It doesn’t feel right. Come on! You can do this! I steeled my nerves and put one foot into the portal.

            The feeling of vacancy engulfed my body as the rest of me came into the portal. Part of me wanted to go backwards out of it but I had to press on. Moving forward through the portal the sensation persisted for a few moments. When I emerged on the opposite side of the portal my hands touched cold metal. Torch light greeted my eyes and I could see the wrought iron door that stood in front of me. Putting my shoulder against, I shoved the door open.

            The heavy, iron door was reluctant to move. It made the horrible metal on metal screech as it slowly opened. Once it was finally open, I was able to see where the portal had taken me. A haunting landscape was now spread out in the eerie light of the half moon. Mist choked the tombstones that line the field in front of the building I was now standing in front of. The mist itself seemed to move about like spectral hands clawing about for living flesh. It was completely silent. Not a sound could be heard in the surrounding area.

            I shivered a bit from a chill breeze that swept through the yard. Scanning the gloomy headstones, it was obvious that this would not be as quite as it first appeared. I was standing in a real haunted graveyard. A feeling of dark dread wrapped its icy fingers around my heart. This isn’t what I was expecting. I feel like I’m walking into a horror film…

            I stood frozen for a moment, not sure if I should step out into the cemetery. The graveyard had mostly remained in its state of unnerving silence as I'd started making my way through the ghastly fog. I could barely make out the outline of the huge French château. It made Coşmar mansion seem tiny by comparison.

The burial grounds were an immense morass. Normally, I liked the challenge of navigating a maze but this was a cemetery. A haunted cemetery at that. Who knew what terror awaited me around the next row of tombstones. This was worse than getting the sword back at Avalon Island.

I picked my way through the rows of headstones. My nerves were as tense as piano wires. Any step could be my last. The ground shook the minute my feet stepped over a certain grave. I fell on my side as the earth beneath my feet started to rise. A coffin was revealed from under the rubble. A moment later the sounds of groans and scratching came from inside.

I sat there a moment, staring at the grisly sight in abject horror. Then the wooden lid of the coffin exploded. The stench of rotting meat and decay met my nostrils. A corpse shoot up out of the coffin. Wasting no time, I ran at full speed away from the zombie. That wasn’t my best idea. As I ran down the row more graves burst open. Soon I was surrounded by zombies. I had no choice but to stand and fight.

I drew my sword and began hacking my way through them. There weren't too many but there was less ahead of me than behind. After a moment a path was cleared and I ran for it. When the groans and gurgling faded I relaxed. I collapsed on the steps of a mausoleum.

Heaving in huge gulps of moist air, I leaned against the cold stone of the building. My heart began to thud less and less in my ears. It was quiet again in the cemetery. Quiet was good. Quiet meant it was safe. I breathed a heavy sigh and slumped further back against the chill stone of the mausoleum.

Once I'd calmed down enough to try again another nasty surprise caught me off guard. I was looking out at the fog trying to make sense of where I was when someone spoke.

"Lost?" asked a dry, raspy voice.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I ran so far from where I started I have no clue how to get back. Or to where I want to go."

"Where do want to go?" The voice asked.

"The mansion," I replied. "You wouldn't know how to get there would y-" I had turned to look at the person I was addressing and saw a hideous skeletal face behind me.

I screamed and scrambled backwards. I raised my blade at the specter and glared at him. The ghost wore clothes from the Victorian era. His wispy hair stuck out from beneath a large top hat. He was almost six feet tall and the skin that remained on his bones clung to them like tightly stretched taffy. 

Lunar Revelations- Chapter Four Excerpt

I recently changed the name of my book. I liked how the new title fits with the theme of the novel better. Here's an excerpt from a chapter that I'm currently working on enjoy!

It took almost until sundown to find the river inlet. I actually had to ask for directions. When I stepped out onto the veranda the sunset had begun to paint the sky with strokes of red and bands of gold and dark orange. “Wow!” I breathed. “This is what I’ve been missing in the city.”

I heaved a deep sigh. It was good to see a full sunset again. The crowed buildings of the city often choked the beauty of the sunsets. The only thing that would block the view here were the clouds and a forest that sat on the opposite bank of the river. The leaves of the trees danced in the dying light of the sun. As it began to darken small lights began to flicker among the trees.

The lights moved about in a way that seemed like they were alive. They threw their glows haphazardly across the bark of the trees. Sometimes a light would land on a limb or a branch and seem to pace around. After the sunset, sound soon drifted across the water towards me. It was playful and happy in its tone. It was entrancing. I wanted to find the source of the music.

Screw looking for clues! I’m going to find that music! I raced down the stairs of the veranda and into the inlet. The moment my feet touched the water something strange happened. My head began to spin and my legs turned into jelly. Losing my balance, my body twisted as I fell. My body slapped the surface of the cold water and the force of the hit caused me to pass out.

The next sensation that I remembered was a feeling of warmth, burning almost. I opened my eyes to find myself hovering several feet off of the water. My clothes were soaked but I couldn’t feel the weight. My body itself felt completely weightless. The warmth that I felt flowed over my back. It almost seemed liked I was close to an open fire.

I glanced up and saw a pair of burning blue wings stretched out over my head. I could feel claws holding onto my shirt. Whatever creature had pulled me from the water was now flying me back to the veranda. Above us the stars in the sky glittered like a jewel box. I enjoyed the feeling of flight as I was carried back to the earth.

Placing me on my feet, the winged creature loosed its hold and swooped over to the railing. I followed its movement and when the being came to rest I saw what it was. An azure phoenix rested on the railing. It preened its feathers carefully and plucked a damaged one from its wings. It floated gently away when it was plucked and came to rest lightly on the floor of the veranda.

“Were you trying to drown yourself?” said a voice.

I looked around but saw no one but the phoenix. The magnificent bird was the size of a red tailed hawk. Despite the fact that the bird was not on fire its plumage shimmered in such a manner that it appeared to be on fire. I took a step towards the bird when the voice came again. This time I saw who spoke. It was the bird.

“It’s very rude to not answer a question,” it squawked.

I almost tripped backwards over my own two feet. It could talk! I was in shock. I’d assumed that phoenixes were like normal animals. This one was apparently intelligent enough to speak. I gripped the railing, just staring at the bird with wide eyes.

“You can talk,” I quavered, my body shaking from the adrenaline now pumping through my body.

The phoenix ruffled up its feathers in indignation, “Of course I can talk.” It seemed to deflate a bit as he added, “But only to you.”

“Why?” I inquired, tilting my head slightly.

The phoenix shifted nervously and then replied, “Because I was born from your spirit.”

“Huh?” I blurted, not sure if my ears were working right.

The Phoenix launched into the air and flew over towards me. It circled once and came to rest on my shoulder. I was expecting for its claws to clench down and hurt me but there was no pain. It must not have been gripping my shoulder very hard.

“You heard me right,” it urged. “I was born from your soul.”

I blinked and looked into the sapphire eyes of the creature, “Does that mean you’re my spirit guide or something?”

“Yes,” it nodded. “I am your spirit animal.”

Excerpt from Chapter One of The Defender of Legends

I closed my eyes and sighed. I had to stop beating myself up for what was going on. It wasn’t good for me. I had to let go of it and try harder to leave it behind me. As I was trying to quiet the myriad of questions and worries that often filled my mind before sleep banished them, I heard someone call out to me again. My eyes popped open and I looked around the room.

No one was there and my phone was off. I opened the door and called out into the darkened apartment. “Diana? Are you home?” I called into the blackness. I got no answer. I shook my head and closed the door once more. “I have to stop jumping at every sound I hear,” I muttered and turned back to the window.

I stood frozen to the spot when I saw what was in the glass. A beautiful woman had replaced my reflection in the window. She wore a high crown of stars and moon phases. She called out to someone but I couldn’t make out what she was staying. I’m dreaming…this can’t be real. My sleeping meds must have screwed with my perception of reality. I can’t actually be seeing this!

I rubbed my eyes in hopes of banishing the vision but it didn’t work. The woman was still reflected in the window. This time I could hear her. “Please,” she pleaded, her voice sounding like it was coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. “Please, come back. Help us! We need you!”

Her cry was repeated at least three or four times. As I listened to her I looked around the room. The place seemed to become liquid. Everything in the room looked like it was melting away. I tried to reach for my bed but my arm could hardly move. It felt like I was trying to swim in deep water. The next thing I knew, I was sinking beneath the floor. Not like sinking in quick sand where it’s slow but the fast sinking that happens when you’re going underwater.

I kept my eyes on my room until it faded and all I had left was the dancing light of the moon that was refracted in the water around me. Soon, that faded too and I closed my eyes. I couldn’t fight what was going on so I surrendered to the current. I prayed that this was just something generated by the medication. Yet, it couldn’t be. I felt the wetness around me and it saturated my clothes and hair. That sensation couldn’t be faked or at least I didn’t think it could.

I remained in oblivion until I felt my head break the surface of the water. I gasped for air and took in huge gulps of it. Once I felt satisfied that I was alive, I opened my eyes. The first sight that caught my attention was that I was standing in a shallow river inlet. I heard the sound of running water and looked behind me. A great river flowed just a few feet away. The far bank was a good twenty or thirty feet from where the inlet and the river connected.

The far bank had tall grasses that waved emerald green in the moonlight. Just barely visible above that was a line of trees that formed a forest. I shook my head and tried to make myself wake up. You’re dreaming. Come on, wake up! As I was trying to do that a shout rang out.

“You here! Stay where you are!” cried a gruff voice from behind me.

I spun around and saw a heavily armored man standing on a stone veranda. Steps led from the veranda down into the waters of the inlet. The man looked like a medieval knight but one thing made him stand out. He had large, translucent, blue, dragonfly wings that jutted out of his back. I also noticed that his features reminded me of elves from the Lord of the Rings films. He had the hair and pointed ears to match.

“I’ve got to be dreaming…” I muttered under my breath. What I was seeing couldn’t be real. I couldn’t actually be speaking to a fairy. There was no way. I was rooted to the spot just staring at the fairy guard.

He fluttered down into the water and grabbed my arm roughly. “We’ll see how the King and Queen deal with you, spy,” he growled and began hauling me up the steps into the massive palace that lay before us.

As we got within the walls, my mind just stopped working. This can’t be real. I can’t be in fairyland… I just can’t be.