I thought I'd offer up a glimpse of my WIP, Crow's Rest, with a teaser from the opening of Ch. 1:
Mom woke me as we hit the outskirts of Crow's Rest, saying, "Brace yourself, Avery." It's what she'd said the first time we'd come to visit Uncle Tam, and every time since, as we got close to Crow's Rest and the Castle. A tingle of anticipation and dread rushed through me and I sat up.
For weeks I'd begged her to let me drive part of the way on this trip; bicycling was nearly a cult in Davis, and I hadn't gotten much use out of my new driver's license at home. But I'd been so wiped out from last-minute packing that instead I fell asleep as soon as I settled into the passenger seat.
As I opened the window, the June air streamed in, tasting of iron-rich dust and heat. Houses flashed by: a few McMansions that had probably been foreclosed on before they'd even been built out, along with the farmhouses that dated from the 1840s on. Buzzing insects circled the weeds, already drying and brittle among the oaks.
As we took that last curve on the approach, tree branches arched over the road, blocking our view until suddenly there it stood—a castle, an anamoly glowing red in the afternoon light. Looming over the Gold-Rush-era town from the top of a hill, making my shutter finger itch. The usual complement of turkey vultures and ravens soared above it, sinister-izing the turrets even more.
I adjusted the vanity mirror, watching the Castle recede for as long as possible as it flashed through the trees, and slouched into the seat with my feet up on the dash.
Blatant fishing: What do y'all think, am I onto something good?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
A castle! With vultures! I'm already hooked. When can I read more?
I simply must go and see this castle!! Really great imagery in this piece, I was definately drawn into the setting.
Looking forward to reading it all the way through!
Road Trip! Forget the movies, we need to see this place you so beautifully, yet creepily (love that word) describe!
Don't worry, Alison, you'll get to beta this one (you just volunteered, didn't you?) But not until I'm finished or at least further along.
Christina and Rachel--I think we dodged a bullet by missing Beastly yesterday. I saw more reviews that said it was bad. Maybe we better wait for reviews of RRH.
For the castle, here's the tour schedule http://www.prestoncastle.com/tours.html
Howdy, Angelica. I gave your blog some AWARDS! Yay!
http://marierearden.blogspot.com/
:), Marie
OK, just read it! Love the description, I could taste the air, and you cleverly packed lots of anticipation into a few first paragraphs. I want more!
Thanks, Marie! Loved reading your bucket list.
Well, Nancy, you'll just have to start coming back to the group, won't you? ;P Thanks for the feedback!
the setting--superb! would love to read more, definitely. :)
Thanks, Aleeza, and welcome to my blog!
Post a Comment