It’s time for Snippet Sunday. I’m trying to get ready for school to start on Monday and it’ll be interesting. I’m nervous and I’m not even the student!
In happier news, I started writing a serial email story once a week back in 2000. In 2015, I published the first section of this tale, The Ivory Road: A Walk in the Sand, as a re-edited story. It’s the first story in a serial set of four. I’m working on #3 now.
I’m showcasing A WALK IN THE SAND and it’s already out where you can grab a copy. It’s only in ebook until I get the other two sections done. You can get caught up with earlier snippets HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. In this snippet, Iliana is trying to ride away on the gray horse but the horse is talking to her while she goes.
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Iliana scrubbed her hands over her face. “No, no, no. This isn’t possible. There is no magic in the world except what Hollywood conjures. I must be dreaming this. I’m on a solo hike in New Mexico, minding my own business. This is just a dream from sunstroke…” She glanced around uncertainly. “Except the sand is golden and Taggart Crowe has shown up.”
“The man you left behind is named Brandon Crowe and you’re in the Karobis Desert, which is in the country of Knalland.” The horse stretched a leg forward and rubbed the side of his muzzle against his knee. “The continent on which this desert stretches is called Absentia.”
“Are you part of the script, too? When did this become a fantasy story?”
The horse snorted. “What makes you think you’re in your desert? Have you seen any equipment from your home world? Have you seen any people beyond Crowe’s raiders?”
Her stomach sank, but she rallied gamely. “And I suppose the planet has a completely different name as well?”
“Actually, in this world the planet is called Earth.”
“No. No way. I so don’t need this right now.” She pinched her thigh, but the world around didn’t change. “I know I didn’t do the best in school, but I did pay attention a little. There’s no such thing as other worlds. That’s a science fiction thing. And talking horses are straight out of fantasy novels. I must have lost my mind.”
“Not in the least.” The horse sounded amused as he carried her toward the top of a dune. “I think you just need to expand your perspective. ‘There is more to heaven and earth than is dreamt of in your philosophy,’ Iliana.”
She snorted. “Did you just quote Shakespeare to me?”
~~~~~~~
Oh yeah, things are going to get weirder. 😉 There are several great authors on the Weekend Writer Warriors list, the Snippet Sunday Facebook group, and the Rainbow Snippets Facebook group. A few of my favorites are, P.T. Wyant, Karen Michelle Nutt, Veronica Scott, Jessica Subject, Karysa Faire, and Iris Blobel.
Here’s the blurb for A WALK IN THE SAND:
Available Now
The adventure of Ivory’s lifetime might just be the death of her…
When it comes to make believe, A-list actress Ivory is a professional. But when a desert hike takes her across a dimensional rift, her real-life self, Iliana Rory, must separate fantasy from reality. The man she swears is the costar in her next movie might share the same surname and appearance, but there are no sets in this Mr. Crowe’s world, no props, and no director to yell “cut” before blood is spilled.
With a fortune in stolen treasure and the forces of the Knalish army hot on their trail, Brandon Crowe and his partner, Ahmad, must cross a desert neither of them knows well. Mistaken for their guide, Iliana seizes any chance to stay ahead of the army and survive in this new world.
Adventure straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster might be on Iliana’s bucket-list, but she never dreamed there’d be the real possibility of death when the end credits roll. A Walk in the Sand is the first story in the four part serial recounting Iliana’s journey along the Ivory Road.
Absolutely love the horse!
I enjoyed the “opposite” perspective … and the horse 🙂
Wierd and more wierd, if that’s a thing, but I love this story and the horse is wonderful. Great snippet!