Welcome to WIPpet Wednesday*. This week, I’m sharing more from the sequel to Cleaning House, Keeping House, which is truly still a WIP. I’m almost finished with the rough draft though. Actually, I’m 96K into the work, and I’ve sketched out the ending, but I’m taking a break to work on a novella from the Surrogate series that I hope to release later this year.

We’ll see.

The focus in the prologue for Keeping House is the character Dane. She has a dark history, and I’m shoving you headfirst into it. The prologue is set in the year 1603.

Here’s how I picture Dane back then: young, desperate, and angry.

 

 

 

Read part one of the prologue HERE.

Here’s my WIPpet math for 8/15/2018 – 5-1=4 paragraphs from Keeping House, book two in the Appalachian Elementals series.

This WIPpet picks up right where the last left off, but I’ve included the final line from last week (in yellow) to help you along.

…“Ah shall take it back tae th’ forest an’ release it.” Dane bends to gather the net, but Duff knocks her aside and pulls back the weave to find a terrified Tsalagi woman nearing Dane’s age, barefoot and clad in a simple deer-hide dress, tangled inside.

     “No mistake, lass. Ye have netted tonight’s meat.” Duff nods and turns away, confident that making his favorite wife’s Human pet into Hunter Fae had been a good decision.

     “Please, Wise King, Ah beg ye.” Dane’s voice is soft but brave as it calls after him. “Please, Ah wish this one for me own.”

     Duff digs his boot heels into the damp ground as he turns to face her. “Is Morag’s pet old enough tae crave a pet for herself?” He laughs at this, at Dane’s gall. She is Hunter Fae and Hunters, even the women, are to be smart and brazen, but they are also to know their place.

     “Indeed, me King. Please. Ah beg ye. This one pleases me.” Dane drops to her knees beside the Tsalagi woman to hold her head in her lap and stroke her disheveled, mud-caked braids. “Th’ men are bringin’ back more than enough for this night, an’ there be none here me age besides ‘er.”

More next week, I promise.

Read more from the Appalachian Elementals series.

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*WIPpet Wednesday is a blog hop hosted by Emily Wrayburn wherein writers share excerpts of their latest WIP. All genres and levels of accomplishment are welcome. The only stipulation is that the excerpt must coincide with the date in some manner. For example, on 10/8/14 you might share 10 lines from page 8, 8 paragraphs from chapter 14, or perhaps 18 sentences by doing WIPpet math and adding the day to the month. We’re flexible like that.

(Singular image of young woman comes from Unsplash)