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K. L. Stewart's Dark Angels blog gives details into the characters, worlds, and inspirations related to all of the books in my Angels and Shadows series.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

The Ruby Mountains Excerpt


  Chapter one:  Ruby and Sapphire


            Ruby was a fairy with bright red hair, and golden wings.  She lived in the Ruby Mountains, which her father named after her.  He was the king of the land, and when he saw how beautiful his daughter was, he decided to name the most beautiful bit of land in his kingdom after her.  The king had spent many of his childhood days in the Ruby Mountains seeking out gems and playing games with his friends.
            Now that Ruby was old enough to explore the land on her own, she traveled the Ruby Mountains just like her father had done when he was a child.  Her best friend was Sapphire, a unicorn that was white with purple hooves, a purple horn, and a pink mane and tail.  They were always found playing together. Today was no exception. The two friends dashed through the beautiful mountains, over moss covered stones, and soft grass.  They splashed through crystal clear streams and danced under tall flowering trees that swayed in a gentle breeze.
            There wasn’t that much time to play, though.  Today was a special day.  It was the king’s birthday, and Ruby wished to get her father the most beautiful jewel that she could find.  The problem was that she had yet to find the most beautiful jewel.  Her father already had so many, and she wanted him to have the very best.  She wanted his gift to be something unlike what any one else would give him.
Sapphire and Ruby were counting flower petals when suddenly, playtime, and the search for the perfect jewel came to a stop.  Dark clouds blotted out the sun, and thunder rumbled overhead.
            “Oh, no,” said Ruby.  “What am I going to do?  It’s about to rain, and I’m afraid of the thunder!” 
            No sooner than she said the words, rain started falling heavily from the sky.  Ruby screamed.  She was afraid of the storm, and lightning flashed around them.
            “It’s okay, Ruby,” said Sapphire.  “I’m here!” she exclaimed.  “Get on my back, and I will find you a place to stay.”
            Ruby climbed onto Sapphire’s back and the unicorn started running forward, her hooves beating as loudly as the thunder that rumbled in the sky.  She felt so bad for Ruby.  She knew how scared of the thunder Ruby was.  She wished for nothing more than to help her friend to not be afraid.  She ran as fast as she could, and then she saw a cave in the side of one of the mountains.  It was hidden behind a waterfall, but she was a unicorn, so she could see many hidden things. 
            “Hold on!” she shouted over the roar of the storm.
            She leaped forward, and then suddenly they were dry, though the cave was noisy from the combined sounds of the thunder and the waterfall. 
            “It’s loud!” shouted Ruby.
            “Let’s move farther into the cave, where it will be less noisy.” Sapphire responded.  So, the two moved further into the cave, glad to be dry.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

She's Facing Me

This is the first poem featured in She's Facing Me.  If it seems a little arrogant at times, remember that I wrote this in high school.




The Scribe

There was a young lady named Kristy
Whose eyes were always grey and misty
She was a scribe who scribbled her life
Down on paper with blood and knife
She loved to sit by the light of the day
And go about her work in her own way
And woe to he who challenged this girl
For her wrath would send him for a whirl
And although she tried to be courteous to all
Others loved to laugh and make her fall
To buy a horse she had no money
So she walked on foot singing “Honey”
She had a special pen with which she would mark
Words that came to her in the dark
Of the night, so when she would awaken
In her hand that pen would be taken
To her writing paper where it worked a charm
To all who read it the tale would raise alarm
For no one had ever expected her to write such
Wonderful things.  They had not expected that much
To come from the orphaned girl from Four Oaks
Who wrapped herself in coats and cloaks
She wore black boots made of leather
So that if rain should be in the weather
Her feet would not mire down or get wet
She was usually prepared, that’s a sure bet!
She looked upon others as strange, unordinary
Because they said that she was less than extraordinary
She did not believe them, nor to their words would listen
For she had a world on paper, where she would forever glisten

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I Wore Heels for This?

Like many other authors and dreamers around the world, I have found that sometimes another source of income is needed.  I have been job hunting (Jobs are not the same as careers!  I have and always will be a writer first!).  There are some things about looking for a job that have changed for the worse...or maybe better depending on what you like.  Everything is online now.  For me, this is disappointing.

When I go into a store, I want to walk in and scope out a place.  I want to see if the other employees are behaving professional, how they are dressed, and whether or not they enjoy their job and take it seriously.  My first impression of my future is just as important as the impression I make on the employer.  First impressions are supposed to be worth the effort, but I have found that first impressions are only good on a computer screen. 

While I enjoy the idea of searching for a job in my pajamas at home, it is unprofessional in my eyes when no one knows whether or not they are hiring.  On my quest for employment it is ridiculous that when I say, "Excuse me, I was wondering whether or not you were hiring," and I get the response, "We don't know, but you can always go to our corporate website and fill out an application." 

Wait a minute.  What?  They don't know?  They don't know whether or not they need more people at their store?  They haven't recently fired someone, hired someone, or had an unreliable person call in?  Did I just perfectly groom myself, pick out a professional looking outfit, drive thirty minutes to the city and walk in here in heels just to be told (continuously) that they don't know whether or not they need someone to work for them?

Yes.  I did.

That about sums up my day yesterday.

My other problem with online applications is that it takes way too long to fill out.  Companies think that because you're on a computer you don't mind filling out a twenty minute test asking for your high school grades (which for me are hard to remember, since I'm almost thirty), your extra-curricular activities (ummm...not since high school...does writing sci-fi/fantasy novels count?) and what you would do in certain situations (how would I know, unless I've been in that situation?).

I believe that I should be able to walk into a store, ask for an application, fill it out and turn it in.  Is that too much to ask?

It shouldn't be, but it is.

The search continues for a job...until then, I'll stay busy selling my books, and writing my second novel in the Dark Angels series.