Tag: Emerald Keep

  • Stash Sunday

    Stash Sunday

    I am working on the Emerald Keep scarf for the Keepsake Tour, which of course means that I instantly want to play with something from my stash. Doesn\’t that always happen?

    So here\’s what\’s on my desk right now, that\’s not the Keepsake scarf:

    Top left is my character binder for the novels currently in progress, (Sealed by Duty and Sapphire Dream, in case you\’re curious).  Under that is my Franklin Planner.  On its side is some pretty Caron Simply Soft Paints yarn, which I bought when I bought the yarn for the Emerald Keep scarf but am not using in it.

    Which begs the question, what shall I make with it?  ~rubs hands together~

    Next is my keys.  This is important.  Hard to get into the house without them.

    Don\’t ask me how I know that.  I don\’t want to talk about it.

    Moving right along, we come to the Caron ball band for the light green yarn in the Emerald Keep scarf.  The glue failed and it fell off, so I brought it in here to make sure I have it up on Ravelry before I discard it.

    The grey is for a possible pair of Quill\’s Socks, which were featured in Emerald Fire and remarked upon by every editor who worked on it as well as several fans.  Yes, Teeka finished the socks, yes, Quill liked them, and yes, I\’ll feature a pattern for them when the website redesign goes live – and I might even make a pair of them to give away at some point.  Though, in all honesty, I probably won\’t have time to make them for this Keepsake Tour.

    Next is the yarn I bought to make Rachel a pair of fingerless mitts she can use in the hot climate of the Nevada desert.  I\’ll use some kind of lace pattern on them, probably but right now I\’m just sketching with it.

    I realized I caught the edge of my little post-it note with Rule #11 from NCIS:  \”When the job is done, walk away.\”

    On the right of my desk, I have two needlework kits that I\’m looking forward to starting.  One is a ladybug which is in honor of the fictiious Ladybug Bed and Breakfast.  The other is a lovely peacock I bought while visiting Rachel last month – I adore peacocks.

    What\’s in your stash?

  • Walking In This World

    Walking In This World

    Red Rock Canyon, Nevada
    ©2015 A. Catherine Noon 

    I love the title of Julia Cameron\’s second book in her acclaimed Artist\’s Way trilogy, Walking In This World.  

    When I first did the material in the book, I mis-read the title as Walking In The World, a telling distinction.  I don\’t easily inhabit my body or this plane, having evolved a very deep intellectual capacity as a way of avoiding abuse when I was a child.  I felt that my misunderstanding of the title signaled this separation – that, to me, the world is not concrete and one but ethereal and infinite.  While it makes me an effective writer, because I have a well-developed imagination, it\’s crap for helping me do stuff like, oh, laundry and balancing my checkbook.
    As I take an opportunity to look back on the week and reflect, this week of walking in this world has been filled with a lot of abundance and good things.  Rachel and I finished Sealed by Magic and sent it off to our editor for consideration; we finished the first and second rounds of edits on Emerald Keep; we made a deal for the third book of the Chicagoland Shifters which will come out this summer; and we started work on the keepsakes we will feature in the blog book tour for Emerald Keep.
    It\’s becoming a normal experience for me to have more difficulty the more positive things occur.  I\’m much better in times of crisis, because they are so familiar to me.  I\’m told this is a function of PTSD and of abuse survivors, because we become so accustomed to the chaos and unpleasantness that we don\’t know what to do when it\’s subsided.  So my goal is to become so good at enjoying when things are going well that I make that a habit, instead.  Sounds much more positive to me, doesn\’t it to you?
    I will say this to those of you who have suffered abuse at others\’ hands: there is hope.  Get help, be gentle, and write.  Trust your own memories and not those you are told to have.  You can find your own voice, and you can heal.  It will take time and it will be challenging.  But you can do it.
    Write on!
  • Sizzling Summer Nights

    Sizzling Summer Nights

    Welcome to the Just Romance.Me summer blog hop!  In celebration of the upcoming release of Book II of the Persis Chronicles, EMERALD KEEP, here is a short excerpt to whet your appetite.  Enjoy!

    Teeka spied a skein of silvery grey yarn. An image of a woven headscarf for Quill danced through his head. He leaned over the basket, rooting for another find. His necklace with the carved sandcat dangled from around his neck.

    A small dirty hand darted into his view. Teeka gasped when the sharp tug around his neck registered. His necklace!

    Teeka dropped the yarn and gave chase. No cave rat was stealing Quill’s gift! Teeka dodged and wove around the vender carts, straining to keep the dark, tangled head in sight.

    He rounded a corner and caught sight of ragged silks turning another corner in front of him. Gasping, he tried to increase his speed. His lungs burned along with his feet.

    Quill shouted behind him, but Teeka concentrated on the boy instead. Almost!

    They careened down another alley. The boy whirled when he reached a dead end. Teeka slowed, not wanting to scare him. He stopped in front of the youth, trapping him in the alley. He wheezed and leaned over, trying to catch his breath. His feet throbbed in time to his heart beat.

    Teeka panted. “Give me back my necklace.”

    The boy scowled. “What are you jabbering about?”

    Teeka snorted. “You know. You also know better to steal from a Keeper.”

    A rustling sound behind him caught Teeka’s attention. Teeka glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see an irate Quill. Instead, several bigger youths stalked forward.

    One with missing tooth grinned at him. “A Keeper should know not to get caught alone in an alley.”

    Teeka eyed him. He waited for fear to race through him but only calmness settled. After Ezek’s crazed raving, this boy didn’t frighten him. There was no way they would kill him. Rob and roll him, yes. They might even throw in a beating because of jealously over his Keep upbringing. But could that hurt more than being burned alive on the Great Valley’s heated sands?

    Teeka moved to put a wall at his back. “I want my necklace back. It was a gift.”

    Several more boys appeared. A few dangled from the back staircases of the buildings that hedged them in. Teeka ignored them and only stared at the leader.

    The boy blinked, then narrowed his eyes. He tried to cover his discomfort with a cocky expression. A smirk curved his lips and he held up his hands in front of him. Tiny streaks of lighting leaped from his fingers.

    Teeka tilted his head. “A baby Shiner. You have no idea what you’ve stumbled into.”

    The boy flushed and clenched his fists. His anger made him lose control of his energy and it faded. He scowled. “What do you mean by that?”

    Teeka grinned and pointed past him. “I mean that he’s my lover.”

    The boys whipped around.

    Quill strode down the narrow alley. Even Teeka swallowed a bit at his Intended’s appearance. A gold glow danced over Quill’s skin and silks. Anger tightened the Hunter’s face, making his features stark. His grey robes whipped around him, though no breeze stirred in the cavern. A faint crackling sound echoed from him.

    He shined.

    — 

    “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
    – E.E. Cummings

    **New** SEALED BY FIRE is available from LooseId LLC. An All Romance eBooks Bestseller!

    The Chicagoland Shifters series:
    Book 1 BURNING BRIGHT, available from Samhain Publishing.

    Book 2 TIGER TIGER, available from Samhain Publishing. An All Romance eBooks Bestseller!

    The Persis Chronicles:
    **Coming Soon** EMERALD KEEP, from Torquere Books.

    Check out EMERALD FIRE, available from Torquere Books.

    Check out \”Seeking Hearts\”, available from Torquere Books.


    Check out COOK LIKE A WRITER , available from Barnes and Noble.
    Check out \”Taking a Chance\”, available from Torquere Books! An All Romance eBooks Bestseller!

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