{"id":358,"date":"2012-09-19T15:11:00","date_gmt":"2012-09-19T15:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bestfantasynovel.com\/2012\/09\/19\/wip-wednesday-and-call-for-beta-readers-for-wing\/"},"modified":"2012-09-19T15:11:00","modified_gmt":"2012-09-19T15:11:00","slug":"wip-wednesday-and-call-for-beta-readers-for-wing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/2012\/09\/19\/wip-wednesday-and-call-for-beta-readers-for-wing\/","title":{"rendered":"WiP Wednesday and Call for Beta Readers for Wing"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n

Wing, Book 5 of the Unfinished Song, is finished. I’ll be announcing the release date next week.<\/p>\n

The manuscript is with the editor and the alpha readers. It’s about 90,000 words.<\/p>\n

If anyone would like to be a Beta reader to proofread and help us hunt down typos, email me and let me know. Ideally, you’d receive a copy sometime be able to read it and get it back to me within a week. \u00a0I might not be able to take everyone who asks, but it’s worth a try if you are interested. I already have a few people on the list.<\/p>\n

I can’t post too long an excerpt from Blood, The Unfinished Song, Book 6, without giving away spoilers for both Wing and Blood, but here’s a scene from the Prologue in which we see Vessia back in the days when she was War Leader of the Aelfae. For the first time, we meet some Aelfae and see things from their point of view during the last stages of the generations-long War with humans.<\/p>\n

Remember, there is still time to sign up for the Newsletter to receive a free copy of Wing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some people have worried they aren’t the first hundred to sign up, and they aren’t. But I’ve extended the number of copies I’ll be giving away, due to popular demand (how awesome is that — I’ve always wanted to say that!) so go ahead and sign up, no worries!<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Vessia (Generations Ago – During the War)<\/p>\n<\/h4>\n
Vessia smelled humans and it wasn\u2019t pretty.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Mud crawlers<\/i>, her people called them. An insult to good, clean mud. The human stench was closer to offal\u2014a whiff of bad blood on top of damp fur and rancid corn. It soiled the wind even from here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
She stood on a rocky outcrop overlooking the grassy fields of the canyon floor, her wings camouflaged like a moth, to blend with the mottled grays and browns. Human warriors filled the valley on both sides of the river with their campfires. This was no innocent sheep drover clan, wandering too far north. It was an army up from the Rainbow Labyrinth, sent to hunt Aelfae. Spells guarded the only pass into the canyon, yet the human Tavaedies had known the dance to remove the boulders in the path.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Vessia crept back from the edge and rejoined the other seven Aelfae scouts. They camped inside a natural circle of huge stones, surrounded by trees that leaned over the stones to touch crowns, forming a canopy of branches. No trees grew inside the circle itself, but the ground was thick with wet, fallen leaves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cThe humans are here,\u201d she said. \u201cI suggest no one take wing anytime soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cThey can\u2019t hit anything past their own noses with those spears,\u201d scoffed Gwidan. He worked the string into his bow, testing the knots and the tautness with a few plucks. \u201cIf they ever figure out how to use my sweet device, then I\u2019ll worry.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t worry even then,\u201d said Xerpen. He stretched out on a log with his legs crossed at the ankle. Like all of them, he wore little over his splendid physique besides a dabbling of paint and leaves that would enable him to blend into the forest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cIf you were the last Aelfae in Faearth, you still wouldn\u2019t worry,\u201d said Gwidan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cNo, and why should I? One look at my handsome face, and they\u2019d probably make me their chief.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cGo on then, show them your face. I\u2019m eager to see an Aelfae become chief of the humans.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cLater maybe,\u201d said Xerpen. \u201cRight now I\u2019m busy with a new song. I can\u2019t seem to get the ending right.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He warbled a bit on his reed flute.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
A dark-haired beauty, Mrigana, sat near Gwidan, whittling arrows for him. Never much for chatter, Mrigana inclined her head, acknowledging the human threat and Vessia\u2019s command. In contrast, Lothlo and Yastara nuzzled by the fire, so lost in mutual appreciation that Vessia wasn\u2019t even sure they\u2019d heard her.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Hest tended a boar on a spit over the fire. \u201cWhat if I fly in the other direction?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not worth the risk,\u201d Vessia said. \u201cI\u2019m sure they have scouts, same as we do. There are probably humans combing these mountains as we speak.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI really need some rosemary, and we have none.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cSeriously, Hest? Rosemary?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cThis boar isn\u2019t going to season itself, Vessia.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI shall season it with song,\u201d Xerpen said grandly. He began to sing, \u201cParsley, sage, rosemary and thyme\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cReally not the same, Xerpen,\u201d said Hest. \u201cAnd, by the way, that is the dumbest song I\u2019ve ever heard.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cOne of your worst. And that\u2019s saying something.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Vessia said firmly, \u201cNo flying.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Hest sighed. \u201cNo rosemary.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
One person was not seated around the campfire, but Vessia had only to follow Gwidan\u2019s disapproving glance to find the last member of their band. Xerpen touched him on the arm. \u201cPlay your bow, Gwidan, and I\u2019ll sing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Gwidan nodded. He added strings to his bow so he could pluck them. The beautiful, eerie sound echoed a fall of water over round stones. In his voice as rich and deep and sweet as cream, Xerpen began to sing an old song:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
To get over a mountain,<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

go through it.<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

To destroy your fear, <\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

go to it.<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

To escape your worst enemy–<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

keep him near.<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

You can only find peace<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

at the point of a spear.<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

What was lost will be found<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

in what remains.<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

What is unwoven shall<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

be regained.<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

To receive the greatest gift,<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

become the giver.<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

To swim, keep your eye on the land<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/div>\n

beyond this river<\/i>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Kia sat by herself with her back to one of the big rocks, almost out of sight of the others. She didn\u2019t acknowledge Vessia\u2019s approach until Vessia touched her shoulder.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI hate you,\u201d said Kia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cStill having trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cYou can turn into anything you want,\u201d said Kia. \u201cA bird, a butterfly, a wolf, a cat. Why can\u2019t I become anything<\/i>? What\u2019s wrong with me?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with you, Kia.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Kia kicked a bare foot at the wet leaf carpet. \u201cIt\u2019s not just shapeshifting. What kind of Aelfae has no wings?\u201d She lowered her voice to a whisper hoarse with pain. \u201cI know what the others call me behind my back. \u2018Kia the<\/i> Human<\/i>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Vessia had heard the cruel nickname. She squeezed Kia\u2019s shoulder. \u201cNobody thinks you\u2019re a human.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cHave you ever thought\u2026what if I am?\u201d Kia clutched Vessia\u2019s hand as a drowning woman would grab a rope. \u201cWhat if I were switched at birth or something? It happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cKia, you\u2019re being ridiculous. Lothlo is your father and Yastara is your mother. I was there on the day of your birth, and even now, I see the light of your parents\u2019 auras flowing in you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t see those threads.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t even have six Chromas. All<\/i> Aelfae have six Chromas. Only humans have less. Except me. The freak.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not a freak.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cThe footprints all lead that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019ve told you before, you do<\/i> have six Chromas. Some of your colors are just\u2026weak. It happens, even to Aelfae.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cNever to you. You\u2019re the perfect Aelfae. Did I mention I hate you?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Vessia kissed her forehead. \u201cKeep trying. Don\u2019t force it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cYou do realize those two bits of advice are mutually incompatible, right?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Vessia laughed and would have retorted, but she saw a shadowy figure move among the rocks on the opposite side of the circle. Swiftly, bone blade already in her hand, she moved to intercept the silhouette.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
It was only Mrigana. A complex asymmetrical braid, sleek and black, cascaded down her right shoulder, decorated with purple Nightshade blossoms. Like Gwidan, she wore a bow across her back. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cA word?\u201d Mrigana asked. She glanced back over her shoulder at the others gathered around the fire.\u00a0<\/div>\n
\u201cApart.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Vessia moved closer and kept her voice low, as Mrigana had. \u201cShare your worry, we\u2019ll eat it together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cThis is not the first time the humans have found us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Vessia had hunted down the same fear. Three times in as many decades, the humans had sent warriors to scour the Aelfae from their supposedly secret settlements. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cTheir hunters are good,\u201d said Vessia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cAgainst our magic? Not that<\/i>good,\u201d said Mrigana. \u201cAnd they showed no hesitation, no scouts, no testing party. They simply threw their whole army at us, all at once. As if they were sure<\/i> we were here. They even knew the dance to part the rocks across the pass.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cYou think there is a traitor.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wing, Book 5 of the Unfinished Song, is finished. I’ll be announcing the release date next week. The manuscript is with the editor and the alpha readers. It’s about 90,000 words. If anyone would like to be a Beta reader to proofread and help us hunt down typos, email me and let me know. Ideally, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,49,124,161,565,568],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beta-readers","category-beta-reading","category-dindi-book-5","category-excerpt","category-wing","category-wip-wednesday"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}