Necromancy’s Birthplace (Snippet Sunday 4.19.2020)

April 19, 2020April 19, 2020 / Daelyn Morgana / 2 Comments

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Where writers come together to share a few sentences (8-10) of their current project — whether it’s a recently released novel, a WIP (work in progress), or an older manuscript that’s being revived. Intended to hook readers, gather feedback, and build an author’s fan base, Snippet Sunday is the Facebook group that does all three.

snippet sunday

Hello! Hello! It’s been a LONG time since I have joined in the Snippet Sunday blog hop. My last share was back in April of 2019. Sadly, this will likely be my only share again for some time. Really being able to write in which I have something worthy of sharing on a weekly basis still isn’t going so well for me. For today, though, I am here and we will focus on that.

This week’s excerpt is from something brand spanking new from me! It was that time of the year again when Queer Sci Fi held its annual flash fiction contest. I got pestered to submit again so here I am! This year’s theme for QSF was “innovation” and I came up with another fantasy tale this time. Unlike last year and the one before where I shared from my submission piece in two parts, this year I will only be sharing one part as that’s all I can manage on this piece of flash fiction. So this will be the one and only snippet of this work, considering the whole piece is only 300 words long, too.

So without further ado, here’s the only nine lines you’ll see for now of Necromancy’s Birthplace…

~*~*~*~

Rap! Rap! Rap!

“I’m coming.” The voice that came from within the cottage spoke of age and soon the door opened.

“You are…Voldarin?”

“I am.”

“Good.” Alaric gave a single nod and shuffled past the old wizard, stick tapping back and forth along the floor before him. With MindSight he was able to make out the furniture in blurred tones of grey and heat pockets, and found himself a seat.

“So,” Voldarin’s thermal figure came closer, “I understand you are looking to mend your sight.”

~*~*~*~

And there you have it. The only sneak peak into my submission for this year’s QSF contest. The deadline was April 17th and I just made it under the wire this year. Now all I can do is wait, and hope the third time was the charm for making it into the anthology.

Image belongs to QSF at queerscifi.com

Due to the fact this is a flash fiction submission, I do not have a cover or blurb understandably, neither is it going to be posted to Wattpad in the near future. So there will be no “if you wish to read more…”

However! If you wish to read anything else that I have out for free, you can click the tabs above to browse through my available works and then follow the links to my Wattpad account. I love to hear any and all feedback on my work as well. Comments are greatly appreciated, as are the reads. You can also find me on my Facebook author page and now my Twitter page to keep up to date with all that’s going on in my writing.

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!

So Much Numbness (Snippet Sunday 5.12.19)

May 12, 2019 / Daelyn Morgana / 6 Comments

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Happy Mother’s Day! To all you moms, grandmas, pet moms, figurative moms, all of you! I hope you all have a special day. I can’t believe it’s May 12th already, either. Where has this month been going? Anyways… Camp NaNoWriMo is over until July but I’m still trying to hang around. Hopefully I can build enough of a habit so I stick around continuously again. Only time shall tell here. In the meantime, ready for some more sneak peaks from me?

This week’s excerpt is coming from an oldie but a newbie. My Camp NaNoWriMo project was to work on the revision/rewrite of one of the first short stories I ever wrote. Rivers of Black was written at least six — perhaps seven — years ago and it shows in the original draft. Cringe city, ladies and gentlemen. I shared from the original version of this story ages and ages ago when I first began this blog, but let’s forget all those snippets and start anew on the story! For those of you unfamiliar with the tale, Rivers of Black is a paranormal short story.

(FOREWARNING: This story deals with topics that some may find triggering. If you find depression, self harm, and suicide to be touchy subjects for you please read at your own caution, or don’t continue to read at all.)

Now then, let’s pick up from last week with the next ten lines of the rewritten Rivers of Black… Please allow for errors or creative punctuation; this is a rough draft WiP rewrite thus far. Constructive feedback is appreciated though!

~*~*~*~

It took my happiness. Without me even knowing how or when, the universe took away my spirit. The laughs and smiles were gone, replaced with hollow faces and forced chuckles. No more straight A’s. No more fun family banter. No more adventures with friends. Nothing. I became an empty shell. An empty shell full of dark thoughts and numbness.

So much numbness.

~*~*~*~

It’s a short look into the story this week. I better get my butt in gear working on it again or I’m about to run out of snippets to share.

Like what you read? Have a thought about it? Want to offer constructive feedback? Leave me a comment! And thanks for coming along to read!

Cover made by @_teenagers on Wattpad

Due to the fact this is a WiP rewrite there will no “if you wish to read more…” statement as of yet, nor does it have a working blurb at the moment. Technically the original version does still reside on Wattpad but because of how cringe worthy it is I’m going to suggest not reading it and instead waiting for the polished version to (hopefully) be published by some literary magazine when I finish it.

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!

I’m No Princess (Snippet Sunday 5.5.19)

May 5, 2019 / Daelyn Morgana / 11 Comments

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Welcome to May, folks! “May the fourth bewitch you!” Okay, so yesterday was technically Star Wars Day and that’s not exactly the Star Wars Day motto. But I’m not a Star Wars fan and that version of the saying just suits me better. Now I just need a new name for the day to use my saying with. Anyways… Camp NaNoWriMo is over but I’m still trying to hang around. Hopefully I can build enough of a habit so I stick around continuously again. Only time shall tell here. In the meantime, ready for some more sneak peaks from me?

Now then, let’s pick up from last week with the next nine lines of the rewritten Rivers of Black… Please allow for errors or creative punctuation; this is a rough draft WiP rewrite thus far. Constructive feedback is appreciated though!

~*~*~*~

I had a good family that stayed together, I had a dog, I had great friends, I got straight A’s in school. I had been happy. The kind of exhilarating happy you feel after stepping off the most wicked roller coaster in the country. I had everything I could have wanted back then.

So the answer to “why not me” was, in fact, quite simple. My life had been too perfect in the eyes of the universe. Therefore, the sun, moon, and stars collectively decided to ruin something about it. Because, let’s face it, life is only completely perfect in fairy tales.

And I’m no princess.

~*~*~*~

*Sigh* If only life were like the fairy tales of our childhoods how lucky we would be.

Like what you read? Have a thought about it? Leave me a comment! And thanks for coming along to read!

Cover made by @_teenagers on Wattpad

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!

“Why Me?” (Snippet Sunday 4.28.19)

April 28, 2019 / Daelyn Morgana / 5 Comments

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Okay, I admit, I dropped the ball again. I got a late, late start on the Camp NaNoWriMo train but I am here now! Hopefully in this last week of Camp I will be able to build a habit and stick around continuously since it’s the last weekend of April already. Only time shall tell here. In the meantime, ready for some more sneak peaks from me?

This week’s excerpt is coming from an oldie but a newbie. My Camp NaNoWriMo project was/is to work on the revision/rewrite of one of the first short stories I ever wrote. Rivers of Black was written at least six — perhaps seven — years ago and it shows in the original draft. Cringe city, ladies and gentlemen. I shared from the original version of this story ages and ages ago when I first began this blog, but let’s forget all those snippets and start anew on the story! For those of you unfamiliar with the tale, Rivers of Black is a paranormal short story.

Now then, let’s begin with the beginning. Here’s the first seven lines of the rewritten Rivers of Black… Please allow for errors; this is a rough draft WiP rewrite thus far.

~*~*~*~

I USED TO look up at the stars at night and ask:

“Why me?”

What did I ever do to deserve this pain?

Then one day it hit me, like a brick to the face. The question had never been, “Why me?” The question had always been, “Why not me?” The answer to that question had been much easier to wrap my head around. I may never have believed it back then but I had a pretty good life before the darkness invaded my every waking and non-waking moment.

~*~*~*~

“Why me?” … Isn’t that one of the biggest million dollar questions of all eternity?

Cover made by @_teenagers on Wattpad

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!

The Enemy Trade — Part 2 (Snippet Sunday 3.31.19)

March 31, 2019 / Daelyn Morgana / 10 Comments

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Last day of March? Already? Oh no. That means the first Camp NaNoWriMo of the year starts in less than twenty-four hours! So not ready! I hope to stick around through at least the end of April here, then we’ll have to play things as they go. In the meantime, ready for some more sneak peaks from me?

This week’s excerpt is from something brand spanking new from me! It’s that time of the year again when Queer Sci Fi holds its annual flash fiction contest. I got pestered to submit again so here I am! This year’s theme for QSF is “migration” and I came up with a fantasy tale this time. Like last year when I shared from my submission piece I’m only giving two short previews, so this will be the last snippet of this work considering the whole piece is just under 300 words.

We left off last week with Danny speaking: “The ‘rogue assassin’ bit should really have tipped you off from the start who you were getting into bed with.” So without further ado, here’s the next ~~eight~~ nine lines of The Enemy Trade…

~*~*~*~

“Danika-!”

He shot a glare upwards, silencing the princess with a steel-tipped amber gaze. “Danny. I don’t go by that name anymore. I might bed you though, if you weren’t such a fragile human.” Heat rushed into Selene’s cheeks. Danny smirked then sobered seriously. “Listen, princess, I’m gonna level with you. I didn’t travel across this godforsaken realm to your kingdom just to be told I can’t do what I do best: eliminate problems by killing.”

~*~*~*~

I mean, what else did the princess expect from a ‘rogue assassin’? Also, if you’re interested in submitting to QSF for this contest you still have time! The deadline is April 10th this year. How hard can it be to write a 300 word complete story, right? Wrong.

Image belongs to QSF at queerscifi.com

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!

The Enemy Trade — Part 1 (Snippet Sunday 3.24.19)

March 24, 2019 / Daelyn Morgana / 4 Comments

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Hello! Hey! Hi! *Waves enthusiastically* Wow it’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these. Almost a year ago to be exact. Time just hasn’t been my friend but I’m hoping to stick around at least through the end of April here, then we’ll have to play things as they go. In the meantime, ready for some sneak peaks from me again?

This week’s excerpt is from something brand spanking new from me! It’s that time of the year again when Queer Sci Fi holds its annual flash fiction contest. I got pestered to submit again so here I am! This year’s theme for QSF is “migration” and I came up with a fantasy tale this time. Like last year when I shared from my submission piece I’ll only be posting two small parts of it considering the whole piece is just under 300 words.

So without further ado, here’s the first eight lines of The Enemy Trade…

~*~*~*~

“You killed Aramath?!”

Danny rolled his eyes, pushing runaway red strands of a half-shaved pixie cut aside. “Don’t act so shocked. I wouldn’t sick me on my worst enemy, and you knew my reputation when we made this pact.”

“I signed up for trading enemies! Not killing them! Dragonshifter leverages the dragonshifter, and royalty influences royalty so you can keep going rogue assassin.”

“The ‘rogue assassin’ bit should really have tipped you off from the start who you were getting into bed with.”

~*~*~*~

Oh the snark. Gotta love it. Also, if you’re interested in submitting to QSF for this contest you still have time! The deadline is April 10th this year. How hard can it be to write a 300 word complete story, right? Wrong.

Image belongs to QSF at queerscifi.com

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!

An Unknown Abyss (Snippet Sunday 4.22.18)

April 22, 2018 / Daelyn Morgana / 11 Comments

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Where writers come together to share a few sentences (8-10) of their current project — whether it’s a recently released novel, a WIP (work in progress), or an older manuscript that’s being revived. Intended to hook readers, gather feedback and build an author’s fan base, Snippet Sunday is the FB group that does all three.

Happy Earth day! Sooo… Three weeks into Camp NaNo and I still don’t have a word count to show for it. With only nine days left I better get my butt in gear and finish this short story I switched to. I mean, I dropped my goal to something pitifully small for me, I better be able to pull it off. Here’s hoping the last week of NaNo is going better for all you readers out there than it is for me!

Even though I’ve switched what I’m working on for Camp NaNoWriMo I’m going to continue to share from Embermyst just to finish out the month. For those that have followed along over the last couple years, you know I got my debut publication in 2016 with this short story in an anthology. Since the company went out of business last year and I received my rights back I began rewriting Embermyst into a full fleshed out novel last November.

I’m picking up right where I left off from in last week’s excerpt. If you missed last week, or need a quick refresh, Morticia was feeling some peaceful coming over her fatigued state, like loving arms pulling her close. So without further ado, here are the next six lines to the never before seen prologue of Embermyst…

(Excuse any errors; this is still an unedited WiP. This passage is a bit edited from what I have in the Word document as the whispered speech is actually spoken in Latin. I just haven’t created the exact translation yet so I substituted just the English to avoid looking like an idiot. LOL. If anyone knows Latin well enough to translate or knows someone who does and would be willing to give me a shout on the translation, it’d be greatly appreciated!)

~*~*~*~

“Maiden, Mother, Crone, hear me now for I am thy daughter. Hold me safe in loving arms, guard and bless my steady path,” she whispered under her breath.

In the midst of security something pricked the essence of her being. Alarm coursed through weak limbs and a groggy mind. The safety net surrounding her snapped away harshly like a knife through her soul. Her chest rose and fell with one last erratic breath, arching upwards in a spasm of quiet agony, straining against the ropes that bound her before the unknown abyss snatched her away and reality faded out of existence.

~*~*~*~

And good energy turned bad… Well, it was nice while it lasted? Sorry for the shortness this week, that was the end of the Prologue!

Due to the fact this is still a WiP I do not have a reworked blurb to share yet and the image comes from the original short story (a part that has not changed, mostly, the second question is a little different; I just haven’t fully figured out the new question to change it yet). Nor will the story be posted to Wattpad either as I have all intentions of pitching it for publication upon its completion. That being said there will be no “if you wish to read more” option.

However! If you wish to read anything else that I have out for free, you can click the tabs above to browse through my available works and then follow the links to my Wattpad account. I love to hear any and all feedback on my work as well. Comments are greatly appreciated, as are the reads. You can also find me on my Facebook author page to keep up to date with all that’s going on in my writing.

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!

A Tickled Breath and Promise (Snippet Sunday 4.15.18)

April 15, 2018 / Daelyn Morgana / 9 Comments

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Where writers come together to share a few sentences (8-10) of their current project — whether it’s a recently released novel, a WIP (work in progress), or an older manuscript that’s being revived. Intended to hook readers, gather feedback and build an author’s fan base, Snippet Sunday is the FB group that does all three.

Sooo… Two weeks into Camp NaNo and with my eight day vacation from work and I still don’t have a word count to show for it. Worse yet, I ended up dropping the project I was getting nowhere on and changed to something else. That something else isn’t going too well either. The word count still isn’t coming, the motivation still isn’t there, and the want to write still hasn’t return. And we are halfway through Camp today. Just my luck.

I’m skipping ahead just a few lines from last week’s excerpt. I left out a plea from her fiancé to basically come back to her for explanation purposes. So without further ado, here are the next ten lines to the never before seen prologue of Embermyst…

(Excuse any errors; this is still an unedited WiP. Minor punctuation abuse this week to fit the limit too.)

~*~*~*~

She let her head fall to the side, catching a washed out glimpse of her fiancé in the doorway through spots of black light in her vision; his voice whispered against her senses, so far off and faint she thought for a moment she imagined it. The priest’s babbling had become just as distant as the seconds ticked by.

A strange heaviness began to creep into her limbs, dragging her down to the earth. Her wild heart had begun to still, the roaring in her ears turning to a light buzzing sound; she could almost hear a reassuring call among that buzzing. A tickled breath and promise of release from this torment. She knew the energy surrounding it, recognized it cocooning her in safety like a second skin. Welcome familiarity surrounded her soul, driving out the heightened sensations of pain, grief, and misguided belief suffocating her in the room.

Morticia closed her eyes, relaxing into those open arms. The world around her bled away, coming to a peaceful standstill. No chanting, no pain, no rough hands forcing her down, no stress, no fear.

~*~*~*~

Any guesses as to what energy she’s feeling? I love hearing guesses.

However! If you wish to read anything else that I have out for free, you can click the tabs above to browse through my available works and then follow the links to my Wattpad account. I love to hear any and all feedback on my work as well. Comments are greatly appreciated, as are the reads. You can also find me on my Facebook author page to keep up to date with all that’s going on in my writing.

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!

I Am Not His… (Snippet Sunday 4.8.18)

April 8, 2018 / Daelyn Morgana / 10 Comments

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Where writers come together to share a few sentences (8-10) of their current project — whether it’s a recently released novel, a WIP (work in progress), or an older manuscript that’s being revived. Intended to hook readers, gather feedback and build an author’s fan base, Snippet Sunday is the FB group that does all three.

The first week of Camp NaNo is over and I…haven’t written a single word. *Sigh* I wasn’t at all ready for the start of NaNo this time, and exhaustion coupled with stress has kept me from catching myself up to speed to start writing. Hopefully now that I’ve got eight days of glorious freedom from work I’ll have the time and energy to refresh myself and start writing finally.

With Camp NaNoWriMo back in the swing of things I’m switching up what I’m sharing from. For those that have followed along over the last couple years, you know I got my debut publication in 2016 with one of my short stories in an anthology. Since the company went out of business last year and I received my rights back I began rewriting Embermyst into a full fleshed out novel last November. My project for the month of April is to continue (and hopefully finish) the rewritten story. That means for this whole month I will be sharing from Embermyst as part of the motivational process to write.

I don’t want to pick up halfway through the novel sharing from my current writing location, so I’m going to start from the new beginning. I’m skipping ahead a few paragraphs from last week’s excerpt. So without further ado, here are the next nine lines to the never before seen prologue of Embermyst…

(Excuse any errors; this is still an unedited WiP.)

~*~*~*~

“Oh Holy Father, come forth and save your child from eternal damnation! Come forth and consecrate this sacred place with your presence! Drive this wretched thing from her and make her soul pure again!”

His booming voice cut through the growing haze of reality. With effort she peeled her eyelids open to glance over the priest, arms up to the sky with his head tilted back. A Bible clutched in one hand and a set of rosary beads in his other as he called upon the powers that be.

“I’m not… I am not his…” Her voice didn’t even elicit a whisper amongst his determined chanting. She couldn’t take anymore of this.

~*~*~*~

This might not end well.

However! If you wish to read anything else that I have out for free, you can click the tabs above to browse through my available works and then follow the links to my Wattpad account. I love to hear any and all feedback on my work as well. Comments are greatly appreciated, as are the reads. You can also find me on my Facebook author page to keep up to date with all that’s going on in my writing.

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!

I Am Not Possessed (Snippet Sunday 4.1.18)

April 1, 2018April 1, 2018 / Daelyn Morgana / 9 Comments

Welcome to Snippet Sunday on Darkling Dreams!

Where writers come together to share a few sentences (8-10) of their current project — whether it’s a recently released novel, a WIP (work in progress), or an older manuscript that’s being revived. Intended to hook readers, gather feedback and build an author’s fan base, Snippet Sunday is the FB group that does all three.

Happy Easter, folks! Or, as I’ve been saying all day, happy Easter Fools! Hopefully April Fool’s tricks didn’t ruin the holiday in any way. If you’re participating in 2018’s first NaNoWriMo session, welcome to the madness that is Camp NaNo as well! The descent into the fevered writing frenzy has begun, and probably with a rough start for most seeing as it began on a holiday. I know I haven’t had a single chance to write yet. Not that I was ready for it yet thanks to the “second Christmas” rush Easter brings to retail.

With Camp NaNoWriMo having begun I’m switching up what I’m sharing from again. For those that have followed along over the last couple years, you know I got my debut publication in 2016 with one of my short stories in an anthology. Since the company went out of business last year and I received my rights back I began rewriting Embermyst into a full fleshed out novel last November. My project for the month of April is to continue (and hopefully finish) the rewritten story. That means for this whole month I will be sharing from Embermyst as part of the motivational process to write.

I don’t want to pick up halfway through the novel sharing from my current writing location, so I’m going to start from the new beginning. So without further ado, here are the first ten lines to the never before seen prologue of Embermyst…

(Excuse any wonky punctuation to meet the ten line limit and any errors; this is still an unedited WiP.)

~*~*~*~

“IN THE NAME of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-“

“Quit your chanting!” Morticia shouted over the din of the priest’s rising and falling voice, her own cracking with strain. Sweat dripped down the sides of her face, plastering black locks of hair to her skin. Her chest heaved with each labored breath she took. The stress began to take a toll on her body, sapping her energy, draining her fight. Her heart raced a mile in her chest, “For the thousandth time, I am not possessed by some demon!”

She jerked her head away from one of his disciples attempting to draw another cross on her forehead in holy water. The other waved a cross the size of his hand in front of her face before laying the cold metal against the heated bare skin of her chest. In vain she tried to weakly buck and twist away from them, rough hands forcing her back down on the bed by the shoulders. Coarse rope cut into fragile wrists from her continuous fighting; blood roared in her eardrums, beginning to blur the world with strain and exhaustion.

~*~*~*~

I don’t think they are going to listen to reason.

However! If you wish to read anything else that I have out for free, you can click the tabs above to browse through my available works and then follow the links to my Wattpad account. I love to hear any and all feedback on my work as well. Comments are greatly appreciated, as are the reads. You can also find me on my Facebook author page to keep up to date with all that’s going on in my writing.

And if you’re looking for some other great snippets of fellow authors,
hop on over to Facebook and check out Snippet Sunday!