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Weekend Writing Warrior 12/6/20 #8Sunday

Sleeping Shaman cover

I’m continuing this week with that next release, Sleeping Shaman, which is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Protagonist Nyah has taken a job as a maid and is so preoccupied with how she and her sick sister will make ends meet, that she ends up throwing a bucket of water on Domnhall, a man she traveled with in book 1 when she was with the barbarians.

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Domhnall simply chuckled. I blinked at his unexpected reaction. But Lord Hankes, the nobleman I served, wore a bitter scowl from beside Domhnall.

“How dare you address his lordship so informally!” Before I could react, Lord Hankes slapped my face, then turned to Domhnall. “I’m so sorry, Lord Domhnall. The girl is new to us, and she’ll be let go immediately.”

I bit back an angry retort, trying as well to push down my shame at Domhnall seeing me like this, and dropped my eyes in what I hoped came across as contriteness.

Domhnall’s mirth disappeared as he addressed Lord Hankes, his eyes flashing. “Is this how you treat the servants in your house? You owe the apology to m’lady, not to me.”

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And the rest of this scene:

Lord Hankes mouth dropped open. “But, my lordship….” He gestured at the front of Domhnall’s tunic, which was soaked through.

“If my clothing concerns you so much, then go fetch me something to dry myself.”

“Yes, yes,” Lord Hankes stammered before quickly walking through the hall, calling for his butler and another maid.

As soon as he was gone, Domhnall broke into his familiar smile. “Nyah! How have you been? I’d hoped that you’d come by the castle to see us, but we haven’t heard from you in weeks. Are you well?”

Me, a commoner, try to go to the castle to speak with the crown prince of Karjaland and his friends? I stopped myself from laughing in his face. “Yes, we’re well.” And by well, I meant tired and worried about Payton’s health, our finances, and the future in general. I sighed. “I shouldn’t be talking to you when Lord Hankes comes back.”

“You shouldn’t be working for him either. Of all the households in the city, how did you end up here?”

“I most likely won’t be working here much longer, not after this.” I gave him what I hoped was a genuine smile. “I’ll try to find a better lord to serve next time.”

“You shouldn’t be working like this at all.”

“And how else can I support my sister? There’s only so much honest work for a village peasant.” The words came out more bitterly than I’d intended, but I dinnae apologize. If I was dismissed from this position, who would want to hire me next?

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About Sleeping Shaman, available now for preorder from Amazon:

The desert holds many secrets. Will death be one of them?

Nyah thought she’d fit in better in the capital rather than in her tiny village, but life in the big city is tougher than she anticipated. When she stumbles across a familiar face, she gladly jumps at the chance for a new adventure with her barbarian friends. They’re headed to Egwu’s home country where they hope his scholar father can translate Heartsbane, the book that holds the cure for Prince Brandulfur’s debilitating curse.

Their plans change as soon as they arrive and discover that Egwu’s family is missing, most likely cursed as well. And meanwhile time is running out for Brand, who grows weaker every day.

Nyah vows to save her friend by solving the mystery of Egwu’s missing family, but she didn’t anticipate all the obstacles in her way: a deadly rivalry between two families, a clash of powerful cultures, and a budding romance that seems destined for heartbreak. She’ll need all her wits to outsmart her opponent—that is, if she can even figure out who it is.

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Post a link to your eight-ten sentence blog entry or join the fun at the Weekend Writing Warriors website.

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Heartsbane Saga – fairy tales retold in a world of Vikings!

Book .5: “The Maiden in the Tower” – Carys has resigned herself to a life of servitude, locked away in a tower, until a chance encounter with a stranger leaves her daring to hope for more.

Book 1: Captive and the Cursed – When Nyah’s sister is kidnapped by barbarians, Nyah offers herself in her place. But she soon learns the barbarians aren’t what she expected, especially their cursed leader.

11 Comments

  1. I’m pretty sure as soon as Domhnall is out of the way, Lord Hankes will make her life miserable for being embarrassed like that!

  2. He is a true hero. :-) Looking forward to reading this.

    Just preordered it. :-)

  3. Is Domhnall really so clueless as to her position in society? I’m interested to see where this relationship goes.

  4. Domhnall has the makings a great book boyfriend! Love he acts in this scene.

  5. Her next employer? How about the crown prince of Karjaland?

  6. She’s definitely in a tricky situation. He seems a bit naive as to what her life must be like. “Come by the castle” indeed. LOL at that! Great snippet!

  7. I love your development of these characters. The contrast between him and her employer is rather . . . grim!

  8. Love getting to know these characters and seeing more of their true selves shining through. Nice snippet!

  9. I’m thinking Lord Domnhall needs to step in and take her away from this life of servitude. But maybe that’s the intention all along! Great snippet!

  10. I have a feeling Domhnall will have a better option for her. Nice snippet!

  11. Dombnall needs to get a clue! And possibly offer her a position himself.

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