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Editing

I haven't done much writing today. Between dreams that made me miss my mother as though her death was fresh, and my IBS causing discomfort, I did not feel like it. Since I am trying to make myself work on the book daily, I read through some parts and cleaned up some of the typos and misused words. There are still some dialogue areas that I need to polish, they feel unnatural to me.

I did get some descriptions and idea down on paper last night that I have to find a way to work into the story. Maybe not in book one. There is a lot of story to go!

Sneak peak

Sneak peak at The first book in the Elvritkin Chronicles! Keep in mind this is still a draft version so the dialogue may change when I finally finish. I only have about 33 pages typed up. I have so much work to do! Don't let me be lazy (haha)!

Chapter One

            It was a beautiful spring morning, too fine a day to spend indoors. Kiashadra, daughter of Kallendria, granddaughter of Kasedra, Clan of Zenobia, children of Alysian, was supposed to be spending the day with the song weavers, but, being just passed her first century, was still young. “A day like this is too good to spend under the cover of trees, and surely I can practice the songs better under and open sky.” she reasoned to herself as she settled her clothing about her- a D'shone wrap that would alter itself according to her needs, mood, and desire. Thus her clothing assisted her as she snuck from the halls of Shalla – heart of the forest and home to the Elvrit, at least those here on Den'Falla, the New world.

            Looking at the Elvrit one might thing they were just frail humans, slight frames with long limbs and delicate features, skin lustrous and the color of fine grain sand. Up close one could see bigger differences, Bright eyes that shown like faceted jewels, in hues ranging from deep emerald, ruby and amethyst, to lighter tones of aquamarine and sparkling diamond. In the shade of the forest their hair was dark of tone, brown, black, deep reds, but in the sun it burst into color, bright red, pink, maroon, green, purple, orange, pale white, golden; as though the sunrise and sunset were captured in the strands.

            Kiashadra, like her kin, was slight figured and tallish, her face was triangle in shape and offset her delicate features, a small nose and lips like two petals of a rose. Emerald eyes were framed by a wealth of hair that favored the color red, deep auburn in the forest, in the sunlight it glowed like a copper cloud.

            She knew of a meadow not far from the forest's edge, there, barefoot, she sang and danced. Flocks of butterflies joined her, entranced by the magic in the song which also enhanced the light nearby.

Prince Mishka had been traveling for month. He was tired of travel and was pleased to learn that the thinning of the forest meant that they were nearing Liadona and his trip would soon be over; He dd not look forward to the return trip being just as long.

            He was tall for a man of Tervold, which meant he was of an average height among the rest of the races of Man. His hair was tightly curled against his head and was a dark nut brown, his eyes were a warm gentle brown and his face was square and determined, though currently weary.

            He had set out from Tervold to Liadona at the bequest of his father to seek a trade agreement for the Dashone fabric which was crafted only in Liadona. Depsite attemps from many nations to learn the secret of its production, even the luring of its weavers from Liadona, Dashone fabric produced outside the country contained subtle differences from the actually cloth and lacked entirely the ability to adjust to the wearers need.

            When the group came to the clearing where Kiashadra danced they halted at Mishka's signal, for he had spied Kiashadra and immediately forgot his urgent desire to reach Liadona.

            He watched her cavorting with the butterflies, the sun drenching her as if it shone for her alone, her dress red and diaphanous like a cloud caressing her as he found himself longing to do. The miles he traveled melted from him, worth it, just for seeing her.

            Kiashadra turned in her dance and saw the group on horseback and Mishka astride his great steed, his bags piled behind him, with retainers to either side, her first thought was that he desperately needed a shave. Mishka, Ignoring the polite cough from his valet that they needed to continue on to the capitol and castle, slid with the grace of a man accustomed to doing as he wish, and walked with the gait of a man who has been riding for a prolonged time. He greeted Kiashadra with a slight bow and a smile. As he rose, he caught sight of her coronet of sunstones, and his face colored slightly, for he had greeted her as a commoner, and the cornet marked her as nobility.

"You must be King Errolds Daughter, Allow me to introduce myself, I am Crown Prince Mishka of the kingdom of Tervold"

Kiashadra couldn't help it, this strange human was addressing her as though she were one herself, so she laughed, and the sound of it was like a spring rain falling on the open leaves of a willow.

"Must I? I didn't think you were of Liadona, for you wear such a heavy fur coat, and must be used to colder weather then our clime ever experiences" she stepped close enough to him to brush the coarse fur lightly with her finger tips "particularly not on as fine a day as this.” She then turned a bit and reached for her shoes which she had kicked of while mingling with the butterflies.

"Forgive me," Mishka uttered a bit flustered “but you have not told me your name, if you are not King Errolds daughter, then please, enlighten me on your name, that I may give my regards to your family."

Kiashadra eyed him seriously as she replaced her shoes, then considered him a moment, walking around him in a single circle before stopping in front of him. She then shook her head "You would not believe me."

Mishka growled "Are you this difficult with everyone, or just on those from outside your country?"

A playful grin crossed her features, and Mishka felt as though his heart would stop "I am Kiashadra Ap Zenobia Dau Kasedra ne Kallendria, though I am certain that name means little to you. If you inquire at the castle, your hosts will inform you of whom and what I am. Though you will likely doubt the truth of it, it is more of my name than I tell most, and I am not certain I know why I tell it to you." Kiashadra then turned from him and faded into the forest, leaving Mishka no choice but to remount, and continue on to the castle.

Blind magic

You know one of these days I am going to get one of these books finished. 

No really I mean it.

The problem is that I lack focus. Or drive. Dedication? 

I had this idea though, about a girl who was born blind, but because she could 'see' or maybe sense would be the better word, but see with her minds eye the magical energies she never knew she was blind. Her parents think maybe she doesn't have magic ability because unlike other potentials she doesn't see random magic sparkles... Because she only sees magic.

She struggles as she goes to the assessment of magical potential. At first the assessors think she must be magically inert, as they describe how to open up the inner eye that allows you to shift your perception and see magic. They almost don't have her take the final exam, where you have to navigate a pitch dark room and sort magically charged items inside glass jars according to the strength of the charge. Not only does she navigate through the obstacles placed in the room, which is set up some what like a maze, but she easily sorts the jars, including placing an empty jar at the end. 

Astounded by her ability to sense magic she is interviewed by a master Mage. He pulls energy out of a conduit lay line and demonstrated how to use it to help heal a small wound, she notices the energy transfer is wasteful how ever, and is the cause of leaving a small scar, she traps the escaping energy and refocuses them into the wound, removing the scar completely. The Mage is dumbstruck at her innate ability. He believes that she will one day be the best Mage they have yet seen.

I don't know yet what kind of struggle she will have to go through. She'll need a challenge, something to further drive her story. I have the basic idea of why she is blind and so fully gifted, her mother, not yet knowing she is pregnant helps stop an energy storm, but an accident occurs and the storm energy flows into her mother, stripping her mother of her magical ability, yet fusing with the child growing inside.

Perhaps as her skill grows, the energy gathering around her might as well, making people afraid of her. Afraid that the storms will grow, and destroy their civilization. Hmm. I may have to play with this one a bit.

Meanwhile I am still working to finish book one of my elvritkin chronicles. I am not happy with the conversation between the dragon and the elf. It doesn't feel natural enough.

New job for the hubby

Yay! Hubs is going to be starting a new job on the 31st! It's very exiting, and has nothing to do with the photo below of kiddo being silly. But we're all excited about that, and the student we are hosting from Korea. To read more about that, head on over to my new blog Culture exchange. I will be posting about my experience with that over there. For now, enjoy a crab!

Mote Academy

Working on a book. Working title is, can you guess? Mote academy tada! 

What is it about you ask? I am glad you asked!

What if magic was the manipulation of motes of energy, motes that had an aspect of fire, water, earth, air, light... And it's opposite, some call it darkness, but no one knows. 

Motes gather around those who have an affinity for the elements inside. When activated, the motes shine, giving off a spark of color letting you know which element has been woken. 

Ages passed, a great civilization stood, from its heart poured wonders wrought buy mote magic. Then disaster struck and the civilization vanish with almost no trace. All that's left is The Academy. A building found later a new civilization, who built their nation around it, over the ruins of the past. Secrets are still hidden within; doors no one has yet been able to open. Lore not yet understood. 

The start of a new age beckons, wonders of old, and wonders of new await, but will it lead to a second great devastation?

Child...ren?

My hubs and I talk about what it would be like to have a second child, joke about names we would name him or her, but our current plan involves getting a second IUD. Any child will come later, or not at all. I am sad, and glad about this. Our first child, my sweet love bug, is so close to perfection, she makes having a kid seem easy. Lulling me into the belief that raising children is easy. SHE is easy to raise. Eminently loveable, strangers find her cute and praise her, but she is not vain, merely accepting of their praise and happy. Like all kids she does get in trouble, refuses to do things, argues with me. Always though in the end she does as she is told and says sorry or please or thank you. She yearns to be praised, so she tries to please. 

it seems almost greedy to want another one. Surely a second child cannot possibly be as easy, as sweet, gently, kind, helpful, and obedient. I cannot be that lucky. This is my fear and what really keeps me from wanting a second child.

I know I have to capacity to love both my children as much as each other, but if my second child is not as easy to raise as my first, if she does not measure up to the high standard my love bug has set before them, how can I truly love her, or him, as much? 

a second child might make her less easy as well, as perhaps she will be jealous of her sibling, not wanting to share mom, her toys, her room, her cat... Her center of attention. Because always she likes to be paid attention. Look at me, listen to me, see what I am doing. To have a second child, would mean less focus on her.

Perhaps that would be good, I know already as she has entered school she must already experience this to a degree, the teachers must pay equal amounts of attention to the children in their class, but also I know from my own experience, that if the teacher is made to notice you, to remember you, you do better, so perhaps this strong desire to be paid attention to will help her drive her self into the spotlight so that she will have the attention she desires, perhaps that will fuel her to succeed. 

ultimately I believe this choice to renew the IUD to mean will will remain a three member family. To much longer and the gap between the two children would be to wide. Plus I am getting older, only four more safe years left. Oh it can be done after 40, but the risks are higher. Every year I wait now for a second child increases the risks.

I am happy with one child, the dream I had som many years ago of me and my three children in front of the temple is so long ago. I feel no great desire to have another, I miss nursing, but I revel in the way my life is now. I cannot imagine being happier with a second than I am with my one. With one I can be sure we can give her all those things we would like, we can save and provide her with them, but it would be much harder with two.

Hubby lunch

I imagined myself, now a stay at home mom and wife, making cute lunches for my husband and child. Reality is far from that. I made lunch for my kid. Which she ignored in favor of school lunch. So I don't make her lunch anymore, why bother when it doesn't get eaten? My poor hubs, without the additional enticement of feeding the kid, my enthusiasm for making bento lunches for him is inversely proportional to how cold I am. I still think of neat lunches for him, but after putting the kid to bed, watching some shows or playing online, I go down to figure out his lunch and go aha! This will work. 

Tomorrow he is getting left over ravioli and pizza. 

At least it is food he likes and I did remember to pack it for him. Maybe tomorrow once I finish the laundry I will make something more creative for Thursday. There are still two slices of pizza though...

Snow week

First off, I was prepared for a four day weekend. Kid had Friday and Monday off for Presidents' Day and a staff day. Then it snowed. Okay Tuesday off because plows were working at clearing the road and many were nasty. Then Wednesday off, ice and still some roads closed. Ditto Thursday. Now tomorrow is also a snow day. Part of it might be why make the kids come to school for one day. I agree with that. Plus, if the outlying areas are still unplowed or iced I would not want kids in busses on them. 

Luckily mom in law made it home from jersey. There are worse fates than being stuck in jersey, she could have been stuck in Utah. 

I don't think I would have liked several days snowed in Utah unable to travel yikes. Sorry Utah family, I know you like it there but personally I'do rather just about any other state.

I could get stuck inoregon, they have been have 60 degree weather. With our overnight low looking to be near or in the negatives, 60 sounds like tropical paradise. My house is running at about 65, but that feels really really cold. 

And I am in layers.

Back to the kid.

She is all happy that she gets to stay home, again. She likes it. What is not to like, you sleep in (I like that too) you get to eat breakfast with mom, which she finished today wonder of wonders, then you play and possible do some of the worksheets mom printed out. Yesterday I was mean and made her do like ten worksheets. My neighbor friend said that snow days are suppose to be fun days. I liked the worksheets. While she did her homework, I did mine. And by homework I mean of course housework. I have much organizing to do around here! 

Tomorrow mom in law is going to take the kid swimming. Maybe I can stay home and re-organize the corner I stole the coffee table now kid desk from. I need another cubby storage shelf thingy.

Bento lunch

Played some d3 and then when we got done, we being online friends as hubs had already gone to bed, went down to make hubs his lunch. Luckily I had checked earlier and found the bread had decided it wanted to be green, so I had rice cooking while I played. Cleaned the wok, got the oil going and mixed up five eggs, mirin, soy sauce, rice vinegar up, poured that into the now warm oil and fried up the eggs. I love frying eggs in the wok. Happy shhh sounds. Fills me with joy. Fried up some spam, turkey flavored this time. Don't judge, it's cheap, but yummmmmm. Separated half my rice so kiddo can have her plain rice, silly child does not know what she is missing out on by not eating my egg and ham rice! Then dumped the rice in and fried that up. Once it was looking all nice and golden brown I added soy sauce. Now, who hubs bought the soy sauce this time he did not buy it in the glass jar like I had gotten used to using, but I a plastic jug which I had no prior experience using to season with. So. Extra sauce. Stole some of the kids white rice to make it less soy saucey. She will live I saved too much for her anyway. Mixed it all up, though I can still see some lighter rice. Added in some mirin fishey sauce, and rice vinegar. Poured in the eggs and ham I had set aside from earlier. Chopped up the egg. Mixed it in. It looks great. Three containers later hubs has the choice of portion size, small, med, large. The small is not that much less than the medium, but the large is almost twice the medium. Oh well.

I might watch something I am now to wound up to sleep.