I finished my second draft of The Queens Three a couple days ago.
I'm super happy with how the story is turning out. The extra POVs really seem to enhance the story, and I boosted the word count by ten thousand.
It's not done yet. I've got a few little details to weave in that I figured out as I was writing, so I need to go to the beginning and make sure everything fits together smoothly.
And I'm told I need a kiss scene.
*sigh*
I'll see what I can do.
Today I thought it would be fun to share some snippets with you. I know I've shared some scenes from Molly in the past, so I'm hoping these aren't duplicates. The scenes from Avian and Bunny are completely new.
(On a side note, Molly is the main character, a human disaster who runs a small town diner. Avian is a the conniving usurper queen of the fae realm, and the story's main villain, and Bunny is the displaced heir to the throne.)
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Molly
The little bell on
the door announces an incoming customer. I turn to look and nearly drop the
stack of dishes. What the heck is he wearing? The man who walks in is a
stranger. Blakely Nebraska only boasts a population of two hundred and I know
them all. None of them dress like that.
He wears a ratty
grayish jacket covered in more buttons and zippers than it merits, and perched
on his shaggy brown hair is an honest to goodness top hat that could have
belonged to Abe Lincoln.
**
“Here you go. Can I
get you anything else?”
Not right now.” He
pulls the first burger to him, the other hand holding his book open.
I glance at it again.
It looks like it’s about to disintegrate all over the table. Doesn’t he know
they print new ones? “I’m actually related to him,” I say. “The author. Carroll
isn’t his real name though.”
“Dodgson,” he says
around a mouthful of food. “Charles Dodgson.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “My
mom figured out our family tree a couple years ago and we’re related. Well,
sort of. She traced the line back to one of his brothers. So I’m like his great
great niece or something.”
The guy’s eyes flit
to mine over the pages and he smirks. “Something like dat.”
**
I round the corner
and nearly collide with a tree. Well, a person dressed as a tree, walking down
the sidewalk. I stagger back and stare. The makeup work is crazy. Like some of
the face paint videos I’ve seen online. The woman’s skin actually looks like
brown tree bark. Bits of twigs and leaves cling to her green hair and dress.
“Sorry,” I stammer. “Nice costume.”
The woman just stares
with unblinking eyes.
My throat constricts
and I look down. “Sorry,” I mumble again, feeling totally awkward, and hurry
past.
What is someone doing
in full costume first thing in the morning on a Wednesday in September? People
are getting weirder and weirder. Even out in the Nebraska sticks.
**
The man before me
smiles. “They only hear and see what I want them to. They’re not going to think
you’re crazy. There’s no need to worry your head off. Messy business that,
worrying one’s head off. Don’t try it at home, that’s for sure.”
“Just stop.” I shake
my head. “I’m going to call the police for public intoxication. This is
insane.”
“I am insane,” he
says gravely. “It comes with the territory I suppose, but I’ll admit, I’m quite
fond of it. But I dare say you thinking you can sick your authorities on me is
even more insane. What are they going to do? Catch me?” He vanishes before my
eyes.
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Bunny
“C’mon, Bunny. Aren’t
you even a little glad to see me?” Malechi pushes his hands into his pockets,
but his casual stance and ridiculous new appearance can’t hide the sorrow in
his deep eyes.
I did not think I
would ever see him again. A knot swells in my throat but I wrestle my voice
past it. “Everything is a disaster."
**
“Did you miss the
part where Avian is trying to steal all your magic and kill you?” Malechi jumps
to his feet, slamming his obnoxiously tall hat to the dirty floor. “Believe me
when I say dying isn’t at all pleasant, and you don’t want to do it.”
**
If Malechi waits a
moment longer to transfigure me back, I will execute him myself, and this time
I’ll get the job done.
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Avian
“She can’t have gone
far!” I rake a hand through my hair, caressing the sleek black feathers of a
raven with the other. “Bunny is weak. Her power is taxed. She has to be close.”
The looking bowl is
dim, the smooth water inside showing faint glimpses of trees and pixie glens. Where
could she have run? All of Bunny’s friends are dead.
An image of gallows
flashes in my mind’s eye, but I push it down, keeping my attention fixed solely
on the looking bowl. He deserved it. They all did.
**
“There must be
someone in this realm who understands the workings of humans.” I straighten
from the table and pace the space in front of my throne.
“The magician,
Malechi—”
“Yes, he knew,” I
shoot a glare at the buffoon. “Considering I had him executed I didn’t think he
would be of much help.”
___________
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Malec. The real star of the story. |
There you have it! This story has been full of surprises and first for me, but it is rapidly becoming one of my favorites.
If anyone is wanting to read it, its now available for beta readers.
It is approximately 65k, and I would rate it PG. No language or sexual content, but there is magic and some talk about drug abuse.
What is your favorite fairytale retelling or spinoff?
