Running its Course

As I sit here penning (typing) this blog post, I have a very, very strong feeling that this blog has run its course. I know it was short. There wasn't very much written save for the sparsest of entries on some days, and long rambling entries on others, but I feel like I've learned a decent amount during my span of writing this blog. It often helps to keep a written record of these things, and going back over the months, I can see a lot of mistakes I've made, along with a lot of things I might have accidentally stumbled on to doing right (and maybe even a few things I've done intentionally right!). I managed to get a limited run of the hardcover out and about, oh, and the paperback AND ebook versions of the book are also now available on Lulu.com

Links to both books can be found on my Lulu Author Spotlight.

I am giving some thought to making short stories available in ebook format as well for sale (probably at a cost of $0.99 or something similar) but there's nothing to substantial on the horizon.

I have also branched out into the arts and crafts world, creating a few things (and hoping to do more) for an Etsy shop (The Rogue's Chest of Holding). Please, feel free to take a look around and see if there's anything you like.

Don't get me wrong, I do not think I'm going to abandon this blog all together. My experience has been a positive one, and I enjoyed writing everything that I did (even the not so flattering parts) but I think it will become more a venue for announcements than anything else. I (to some degree) documented my journey over the last year with writing and pregnancy and the baby, so I feel there's little else to say aside from... "Mission Accomplished"

Thanks for following, and stay tuned at least to some degree. I promise there will be announcements about future fiction (and possibly artistic) endeavors.

The Biggest 'THANK YOU' I Can Manage!

So, now that I've managed to get everything organized, or at least organized enough to get some things done, I've finally gotten back to working on the novel. The first one, not the one that is going on now (oh National Novel Writing Month, you are such an addiction!). I wanted to offer a very, very, very sincere, warm, and overwhelmingly gracious 'THANK YOU' to everyone who helped and donated to the Kickstarter, all those months ago. Here's the list, in no particular order (as you are all equally awesome):

Diane Stafford, Elliot batTzedek, Kristina Ruane, Michael Bross, Tara Holland Fourre, Sarah Meacham, Doneen Mills, Alana Smith, Chrisula Tasiopoulos Bain, Stephan Szabo, Susan Wherley, Suzanne Earley, Dacia Boegning, Joshua & Amanda Jenks, Amanda Quevedo, Caitlin Stinneford, Laryssa, Norah, Alexandra Sessler, Teresa Noel, Amber Beck, Juliet Meyer, Mariealaena, Colby Williams, Erin Quevedo, Eric Smith, Ami Sallee Corley, Carole Devine, Jacqueline Prasse, Dianne Sanchez, Karen Lesch, Dorothy Gioia, Paul M. Zahorosky, Tara Vivian, Tessa Quevedo, Lane Quevedo, Aunt Susie & Uncle Jimmy, Joe Gaiteri, Dylan Rackley, Aunt Diane & Uncle Tony, and my mother, Theresa Pratt.

... and thank you to everyone else who also helped me by sharing the information or buying a copy of the novel and everything that anyone has done for me.

Thanks again!

Short Fiction

Quick and dirty backstory for those unfamiliar with Ephany Cyre (which is most of you lol). Ephany married Silas when she was fifteen (he was seventeen). They had a beautiful marriage and loved each other very deeply, but something was driving Silas mad and he eventually tried to kill her. Despite this, she hoped he would seek help and he seemed to be doing so when she was abruptly brought the news that he had killed himself. This was four years before the beginning of our D&D campaign (fantasy, of course), which is set in Eberron (which actually has a bit of a steampunk touch to it, sort of like a Final Fantasy game) and Ephany isn't the cheerful young girl she used to be.

Slightly PG-13 rated for brief nudity ;)

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Of Happier Times
Copyright © by Adrienne Bross, 2012

It was unseasonably warm for the month of Barrakas, and while the people in the lower echelons of Sharn were eager to do a lot of nothing, this had not stopped the Tain Gala from once again delighting the wealthy upper class of Sharn. The heat and humidity of the Khorvaire evening was forgotten once inside the gala ballroom, the air cooled magically to keep its partygoers happy and comfortable. Just as every year, the event was better than the one the year before. Even by Lady Celyria ir’Tain's standards, the gathering glittered. The royalty of Sharn had never seen a social occasion quite like it. The clothes, exotic foods, the diamonds, the crystals, the wines, the artists, artisans, and performers all made it an evening to remember, their colors, smells, and music going on long into the night.

Ephany could not remember the last time she had been so enchanted by an evening. It had felt like something out of a fairy tale and she wanted to remember every detail of it. 

It had begun the day before, when she and Silas had arrived in Sharn. Her sister Sophia had sent servants to greet them and they were immediately whisked away to the royal living quarters. Sophia, upset that the rest of her family could not come to Sharn when she had worked so hard on getting them all invited, had decided to throw herself into the project of getting her sister and brother-in-law completely decked out for the event. 

In the space of a day, Ephany had been crafted the finest, one-of-a-kind gown she had ever worn. With a lovely short-sleeved ruffled chemise of a deep emerald color, an ornate corset, and two full circle skirts that flowed effortless around her as she walked, she felt like a queen. Her hair had been painstakingly curled and spun into an elaborate chignon. A small net of spun silver was wrapped around it and glittered in the light when she moved. The shoes were also one-of-a-kind, a soft, durable fabric with silver stitching that glistened. She had been beside herself with amazement at the expensive trappings of royalty in the capital city. She and Silas were Khorvairian nobility, but they did not have the same wealth that her sister enjoyed and was now heaping on them. Ephany could not keep the joy from her face and Silas could not seem to keep himself from smiling while his young wife twirled in the mirror, viewing the skirts of her gown from every angle she could.
Silas had also been given the royal treatment. His leather jerkin was finely crafted and rested over a silk shirt of a matching color to Ephany's gown, and a pair of velvet pants. He kept his own boots, however, preferring familiarity and use over stiff, unused boots.

To say that the gala itself had been memorable was a severe understatement. This year, Lady Celyria ir’Tain had decided to make it a masque ball. Ephany had never seen anything to ornate and elaborate. She felt like a princess from a romance story, there to meet the man she had prayed would be sent to her. The masks they wore adding to the mystery of the evening. Silas played the part of the mysterious noble well. He swept her across the dance floor for the dances that she knew, and she couldn’t help but feel that all eyes were on them as everyone in the ball must be jealous of the pair who looked to be out of an epic romance.

Now… now the music and dancing of the ball were a distant memory. The comfort of the magically cooled ballroom had been replaced by the damp heat of the Sharn nighttide. Despite being given upper class quarters in the finest inn in Sharn, it was also reported that the inn’s temperature controls were not working. Neither Silas nor Ephany had been up to the task of being moved to other quarters. They had been too preoccupied with other endeavors. Now, the heat in the elaborately decorated room was stifling, despite the open windows, and their only relief from it was the bottle of champagne that sat chilling in a nearby bucket, its ice melting away to cold water.

Ephany languished on the bed, lying stretched out on her stomach amid the silk bed sheets. Her head rested gently on a plush pillow, her hair now free from its confines, splayed out across her naked back. Silas thought she looked like some ethereal painting, a goddess in repose. Lying next to her, he moved his hand slowly up from the back of her thigh, tracing its way up the swell of her backside and following the path of her spine, all the while marveling at the woman in bed with him. Her skin glistened in the soft full moonlight that filtered in through the sheer drapes of the balcony window and it made her seem, to him, some figment of his imagination. One he had to hold on to.

“Mmmmm.” Ephany giggled at her husband’s touch, his fingers slow trail up her back giving her a slight shiver. She pushed herself up on her elbows, reaching for the goblet on the bedside table and taking a sip. The champagne inside it made her nose tingle and only added to the inebriation that kept her spirits high and her lust fueled. She moved to offer some to her husband, but he had other plans, moving to surprise her with a kiss. As the kiss deepened, he pushed her onto her back and lying atop her with his naked form. She moaned softly before laughing into the kiss, careful not to let her goblet spill as she broke the kiss. “Again, my love? It would make it the fourth time this evening!”

“You have only yourself to blame, Ephy. You know what seeing you all dressed up like you were this evening does to me,” he murmured, trailing kisses down her throat.

“Tear them off of me?” she asked, an innocent tone for a not-so-innocent question. She managed to take another drink from her goblet but had to stop, gasping slightly as Silas reached her breasts with his lips. Still in a teasing mood, she wriggled away from him, moving to hop off of the bed and to her feet. With the goblet still in her hand and safe from spilling, she crouched down next to the bed, resting her head on the side and looking at Silas. “I like that we are like this, husband. It is… refreshing to not have to be so formal all of the time.”

Silas reached out, cupping her face in his hand. “You can always be yourself with me, Ephy. Always.”

Ephany opened her eyes when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder, dismissing the dream with her moment of waking. Gone were the elegantly decorated walls of the inn she and Silas had stayed in, replaced with the slowly rotting wood of the lower class establishment they now stayed in. Silas was gone and Ephany was no longer the optimistic and cheerful girl of so long ago. She nodded to tell Nyvanna she was awake and pushed herself to sitting, taking a moment to collect herself before even attempting to take on the day ahead of her.

Almost Too Excited To Wait

Ahhh, October. The changing colors of the trees are in full bloom. There's a chill in the air that carries with it the scent of wood-burning fire places and freshly fallen leaves. This really is the month of warm, comfy sweaters, hot apple cider, and cuddling up with a good book... or writing one.

Speaking of, you can still pick up a hardcover copy of "Dominion Legacy: The Book of Grace" over at Lulu.com.

Also, progress on getting everything together to fulfill the Kickstarter rewards is well under way. I plan on shooting a short video for everyone, so keep an eye out for it.

Now that the self-promotion is over and done with, I'm going to gush about something that I've been looking forward to all year. That's right, we are less than one month away from National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I find it somewhat amusing that I'm so excited about something that I was absolutely terrified about this time last year. It's pretty intimidating, writing 50,000 in one month. Last year I didn't know if I would do it, and every day was sometimes like wringing blood from a stone in order to keep up with the word count. This year I've got my idea ready, I'm working on my outlines and my characters, and I'm confident that I'll not only beat that word count, I'll overshoot it. My personal goal is 65,000 words.

What is my novel about, you ask? Well, it's a sequel to "Dominion Legacy: The Book of Grace", and that's all I'm going to say about. Well, maybe that and inform you that you'll learn so much more about the enemy and exactly what is going on in Grace and Eli's new world. There will also be two new characters, so that's something to look forward to. I love writing another story within the broader story of the Dominion Legacy series (it's like Inception, only with writing).

Anyone else participating in thirty days of literary abandon?

Hardcover Now Available

Smaller update in length, but larger in news. I've finally finished and managed to get everything up and running for the hardcover edition of what used to be my 2011 NaNoWriMo project and is now my first completed novel, "Dominion Legacy: The Book of Grace". It is currently available at Lulu.com for $18.95 USD. I will be getting everything together to start shipping out the Kickstarter rewards and they should all be out by the end of October.

All that being said, please feel free to share with anyone who you think might be interested in reading. I want to share this with as many people as possible. I have a great fantasy about having this little cult following. Help me make it a reality?

Keep Moving Forward

It is nice to be able to post and have good news at this point. I feel like the past couple of months have been a string of bad news. Delays and serious road blocks popping up, both creatively and for my family, in real life. It is difficult to focus on a project like this when everything else around you feels like it is falling apart. Well, never fear, because things are slowly (SLOWLY) coming back together. I have finally finished going over the final draft of this novel. Thanks to the three people who were kind enough to proofread it for me, and the final look-through that I gave it, I think I am finally ready to take the next step with this.

The best news about that is the simple fact that it FINALLY frees me up to start working on the next project. I have been gathering my notes and ideas for the second book in this series. I will most likely be writing the bulk of it during National Novel Writing Month, as I seem to thrive on the challenge. No worries, I will be keeping up with this blog as well. I believe it will be turning in to a running tally of all of my writing. It's nice to keep track of; helps remind me of where I've been and where I might be going.

Breaking the Silence

First and foremost, I have to apologize for my long absence from this blog. I would love to say that I had buried myself in my craft and spent all this time spinning a web of stories that any author would be utterly and ridiculously impressed by, but the reality is much less inspiring and much less creative.

My daughter, Ariadne Marie Bross, was born July 24, 2012 at 6:31PM. She weighed in at 8lbs 5 oz and is, by far, one of the most adorable little babies one could ever lay their eyes on. No, really, I'll show you.

See? What did I tell you? That photo was when she was (I believe) only two weeks old. She is now almost five weeks old! How time flies.

Anyway, with her she brought a lot of emotions that ran higher than ever expected, and thanks to that I soon discovered that I needed help with dealing with a lot of them. To make a long story short, I was diagnosed with postpartum depression and anxiety, and have since been dealing with them with a mixture of medication and therapy, both of which are going very well. To be honest, it also helps that the older she gets, the easier things get. Every day I am getting slowly better, thanks to the people around me who are there to support and help me through this time.

Enough of that stuff, though, and on to the novel! I am currently about 1/3 of the way through the final edit. I am pushing myself as hard as I can to be able to maintain the deadline I set for myself and have a completely finished manuscript by the first of September. With any luck, things will progress quickly from there, and I will be able to have it printed and ready to ship to all of the lovely people who helped me on my Kickstarter much earlier than originally anticipated. I'd say 'fingers crossed', but at this point this is about me getting in gear and getting things done, and less about luck and hoping. With that being said... I should stop blogging and get to editing!

Until next time.