*Pulls up a chair and places their feet on the table* This has been a hard week. Got any coffee?
Welcome to my 118th #Rainbowsnippets*. This one, as always, is uniquely mine, but there are lots of other great snippets to read so after you finish here click the FB link at the bottom of the post to discover other great LGBTQIA authors and their works.
Striking Balance: The Peculiar Making of Beatrice Benjamin Sophia Scott Schnell Gow is a queer Historical Paranormal Fantasy set in, you guessed it, Appalachia. This Appalachia, however, is the frontier, and the story takes place during the Revolutionary War era and the time after, meaning the late 18th century. This explains the narrator’s voice. If you’ve read the letters and journals of the period, you’ll recognize that it is reflective of those. That said, the preface is set some 200 years after the story begins and is written by the main character. We began last week, and this week picks off where that one left off. The section in orange come from then.
Striking Balance Preface Part One
May that metal monstrosity branded a Royal Arrow typewriter rust to nothingness in the hole where I buried its worthless, ribbon-eating, key-locking carcass. And if it requires assistance I shall happily aid its demise by shoving energy at its grave until it liquefies into a satisfactory puddle of subsoil goo.
But I digress. Yes, there is an official record. There is almost always an official record of a community. Ours is a record of who was made, who passed, who faced punishment, and who married who, though the last is a rare occurrence. But our record does not detail how I came to be here, only that I did, and it certainly does not speak from my point of view.
So she’s writing both off and beyond the official record? Interesting, but why? Therein lies the story, I think.
I’ll share part three of the preface next week.
*RainbowSnippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in.
I cannot express enough how much I emphasize with raging at the typewriter. (wry grin)
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Yeah, me too. The first time I went to college – typewriters. I failed the class. When I went back fifteen years later – no typewriters. While that was a relief, it also meant I couldn’t replace the grade. Ah well, I got my degree then two grad degrees regardless. Still, raging a typewriter is always justified IMO.
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Intriguing. I love “it certainly does not speak from my point of view” — it makes me feel that she’s determined to let her point of view be heard.
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Oh, being quiet even when she should, isn’t one of Bea’s strong suits.
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Quite a strong character! I’m curious to see where this goes…
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It’s going marvelous places. I’m 85K in and finishing it for NaNoWriMo!
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I’m almost feeling sorry for that typewriter now, much as it probably deserves the hate. 🙂
This is so intriguing! ❤️
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Aw, thanks. This has been a lot of fun to write (I’m finishing it for NaNoWriMo) and it seems to be catching a lot of interest.
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I love the voice in this! 🙂
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Yeah, Bea is a terrific character to write.
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Intriguing start!
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Thank you!
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She has a striking voice. Looking forward to see where this goes…
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It’s going great places thus far (I’m 85K in)!
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[…] Striking Balance Preface Part Two […]
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Really intriguing. Also, strong feelings about that typewriter!
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Yes, Bea has definite opinions about that Royal typewriter. Not one of them are fond.
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I shall happily aid its demise by shoving energy at its grave until it liquefies into a satisfactory puddle of subsoil goo. – I absolutely loved that
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Thank you. Bea’s voice is unique in ways I never imagined it would be.
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