Sword and Sorcery Book & Web Series: Creatures of Grace

[pkristen]

I'm writing a digital book (pending publishing on Kindle & iTunes) so using this forum to help spread the word.

A collection of feminist sword and sorcery short stories about: Unwanted pregnancies. Gender identity. Sexual orientation. Jaded female friendships. You know, the controversial stuff.

Stay tuned for the announcement of when it's available!

Story List:
“A Sunny Afternoon with Frankie and Lydia” – Draft done (DRAFT teaser down below)
“Damon” – Draft done
“Self” – Draft done
“Burn” – Draft done
“The Mother’s Hex” – In process
“Working Girls” – Pending
“Trophy” – Pending

Watch for an announcement of when it’s available on Kindle and iTunes!

—————————
A Sunny Afternoon With Frankie And Lydia (DRAFT)

Frankie was sooo bored. And she would be the first to admit that she doesn’t handle such states well. But in her own defense, she really doesn’t suffer into such intense restlessness that often given how much she travels.

It’s always the start of trips, when leaving one place for another that her enthusiasm was at its peak. Yet after several days, weeks and sometimes months, the repetition just hammers away at the heart of a self-described city girl. She manages the boredom well, but when the destination was finally so close she could taste it that the deferred restlessness wanted release, and release now.

After five weeks of traveling west across land by almost every means possible, Lydia had calculated that they should be reaching the first true town some time that night, especially with taking passage across a lake in a rowboat they had “found” on the shore.

As she draped against the bow of the tiny vessel, she arched her arm over her eyes to provide shade under the sun in the cloudless sky. The air was a little cool despite the bright light and the only sound was the oars steadily cutting through the calm water. She had loosened as much of her light dress without revealing parts that she didn’t want sunburned. She had pinned up her thick, almond-brown hair to cool off as much as possible while a fine layer of sweat covered every part of her body.

She peaked at the one other occupant in the rowboat.

Always one to react to being watched, Lydia met her look with that unblinking green eyed stare.

Even just sitting in rowing a boat in a well-worn peasant’s dress and her ice-blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, she exuded the aura of one who was both relaxed and yet ready to burst into action at a moment’s notice. Lydia had the lean, sinewy form of a woman raised as a blacksmith’s daughter who was not afraid of doing unglamorous chores to eat. Yet, she had the elegant features that could be breathtakingly beautiful if she were incline to make herself presentable for admiration. And that’s a big “if”.

While Frankie relished the company of people, Lydia was the opposite, content to be in the background and observing. But it was that social reserve in her best friend that Frankie actually thought was a little sexy. Especially the way she looked at you as if you had her undivided attention, like right now.

“You know, we should celebrate being so close to true civilization,” Frankie said with a lazy drawl that slightly mocked her own noble upbringing. She slowly and carefully eased her way across the short distance between them.

The other woman sat expressionless and waiting, pausing in her rowing as Frankie moved into straddling on her lap, draping her arms over her shoulders.

“It’s a gorgeous, peaceful day and no one is around as far as the eye can see. Literally,” she purred as they were almost nose to nose. “We can make as much noise as we want and no one will disturb us. We won’t have such a luxury when we reach town.”

Lydia’s only change in her expression was to narrow her eyes slightly. “To do that would risk us falling asleep and not making the town by midnight. And we would lose our direction in the middle of this lake. Do you want to risk another night sleeping on the ground?”

Frankie frowned at the matter of fact response.

Lydia could say ‘no’ in a way that it actually seemed like your idea.

“And I have to do all of the rowing since you seem incapable of rowing this boat in a straight line. I don’t think I have the energy something extra.”

It was then that Frankie knew the answer wasn’t just a ‘no’ but a punishment for her earlier demonstration of rowing the boat in a circle when it was her turn. She just didn’t want to do the work and her friend was far more suited for such menial things. At the time, Lydia slightly narrowed her eyes and took the oars but didn’t voice her suspicions… until now.

However, feeling provoked and aroused, Frankie pursed her lips to respond when both women suddenly distracted the slight side to side rocking of the boat. Wordlessly, they both determined that the movement was caused by the large wakes rippling across the lake, apparently starting from the middle of the lake, which was still far away from them.

Lydia immediately stiffen, tense for immediate action. “I think we’re about to find out why we’re the only people on this lake.”

A surprised Lydia is rare; an alarmed Lydia is downright bad.

Frankie didn’t need another word to know that this was her cue to get off of her friend’s lap now.

[pkristen]

So I gave this some thought in that I'm going to write ongoing stories in this universe, focusing on the adventures of Frankie and Lydia (and the people they encounter), while I save the more intense stories for book publishing. More details by the end of the month.

[pkristen]

Updated story list due to characters taking over my brain and telling me what to write:

Book Story List:
“A Sunny Afternoon with Frankie and Lydia” – Full story
“Burn” – Draft done
“Franchesca” (The origin of Frankie) - In Progress
"The Devil's Due" - Draft done
“Damon” – Draft done
“Self” – Draft done
“Working Girls” – Draft full story done

I've decided that I will start posting "Franchesca" installments as I write it, kind of as an incentive to write it as well. Expect first set of pages tomorrow.

[pkristen]

"Franchesca" full story but in draft form now done! Yea!!!

Ugh, now it means I have to read the entire collection of short stories in chronological order and do editorial tweaking, corrections, additions/deletions, fixing continuity, etc. The worst part of writing in my mind but a necessary evil.

That being said, I will start another online story in a couple of weeks: Expect “Trophy”, my ‘maybe’ answer when asked the question “So will you actually write a lesbian romance in this sword and sorcery world?” At the least this story will be far more fun than angst but with the usual batch of twists and turns.

Update: Oh, and "The Devil's Due" is being renamed "All Things Equal".

[pkristen]

Decided to add "Trophy" into the first collection. So that may move things out a month or two.

[pkristen]

And so I found out some things this past weekend that made me realize that I don’t have much time to put together the first book collection if I want it available by April/May time frame. So that means “Trophy” is on hold because I don’t want to rush it because I think it’s going to be a great story.

However, because I always have to have something going on in my mind, I’m launching my first real ongoing story of “Road…” because I have the concept but no real firm ideas of where the story is going to go and how long it will be. I just want a story that’s going to be fun and interesting to write.

AND, it finally means that I get to publicly introduce one of my other main leading ladies, Donna the captain of a very, very LGBT pirate crew (herself included.) A very lively bunch that should prove fun for me to write a couple of pages every week and see what happens!

So hope you enjoy the first few pages here on the forum!

[pkristen]

Yet another one of my oldest leading ladies who had been waiting in the wings now wants her chance at the spotlight: Starting next weekend, I'll post the first installment of an ongoing story featuring Petra, in a story called "Purity", which is about her ironic development into a holy knight under The Church. Like "Road", I don't know how long it will take for me to complete writing its first draft. But unlike "Road", I actually know the general story arc and how it's going to end so that may make it easier and faster to write than the other story.

While I know I haven't publicly committed to doing a book collection #2, she's another character who's trying to take advantage of my "in between"time of editing and revisions of the first book.

[pkristen]

I had to give this some thought in that in order to do Book 1, I need to do a complete rewrite of a story that I'm just not that enthused to do (because it's going to be difficult), so I decided I need to write the Petra story "Purity" instead (because it's thumping on my brain.) So sorry, it will not be posted online -- you'll have to wait for the book.

[pkristen]

As an fyi (and for promotion reasons), I've established the new URL is www.creaturesofgrace.com as the series main homepage. I'll still use this forum to post draft stories and information bits if you were bookmarked to this section.

[pkristen]

Readying myself to write not one but two stories online: "Trophy" and "The Mother's Hex".

They're about as polar opposite as possible in terms of themes, settings and characters. So it should save me from becoming extremely confused. And plus, I only plan to write a few pages each once a week or so.