777 Writing Challenge (with the first ever snippet from Knight of the Blue Surcoat!)

Deborah O'Carroll @ The Road of a Writer tagged me for this challenge a couple weeks ago (and I'm actually getting to it pretty quickly, for me! Thanks Deborah!). Anyhow, the 777 challenge is the first writing challenge I've been tagged for, so I was pretty excited. Now, since I have a few more tags to get to, I'm not tagging anyone - however- if you are a writer and you read this, feel free to post seven sentences from the seventh page in your current WIP in the comments. I'll read them :)

Anyhow, the rules are basically this:

1. Go to your current WIP's seventh page.
2. Select seven lines and post. (Some variations have you going seven lines down, and all that).
3. Tag 7 People to do the same

Since this tag is so simple, I decided to do it twice: and the second snippet is my first ever posted for my upcoming novel, Knight of the Blue Surcoat!

Photo Source

But first, a snippet from The Last Coffee Shop in all of its unedited glory. And some context, because words without context make me a little batty. (Click the links to learn more about these characters and the novel premise) Note: The art/pics do not belong to me. They are credited/sourced to the artists and are not being used for any profit :)



My protagonist, Mads Capot, owns and works in The Last Coffee Shop in the world. The setting is post-apocalyptic parallel Earth. The Alan referenced in the snippet is one of Mads' two best friends, and son of the local business tycoon (they basically live in a giant terrarium), and he's showing off the shop to some of his dad's clients.

Mads rolled her eyes at the obvious pitch. If Alan were alone, he would have the morning news, both local and galactic. He'd chat until his father paged him, calling him back to his duties as the only heir to the prestigious Dekker firm and fortune. But Alan was someone else every time he came in with a group, it was something Mads had never liked about him. 

"And here she is: ma petite Madeleine Capot le Roux, herself,"Alan proclaimed behind her, making Mads jump. She turned the motion into a spin, and set his steaming latte in front of him with a practiced flourish. 

Mads turned her scowl into a tight smile, "No one calls me that, and I'm anything but little," she kept her eyes on the newcomers, studying their unfamiliar faces and guessing what sort of coffee they'd order, if any.

Okay, so that was my random TLCS snippet. If you're interested, I have been featuring it for Beautiful People each month as well. There's also a fun Pinboard of TLCS inspiration (where the pic is from).

And here's the snippet from The Knight of the Blue Surcoat (coming Summer 2016) - Note: Text is in pre-published form and subject to change. Copyright Rebekah L. Hendrian 2015

Enid and Geraint - Rowland Wheelwright 1907- Public Domain

This snippet is actually Orlando's introduction in the text (read more about him here), so it goes along well with last month's post:

Orlando grabbed another apple from the half-open sack. His stomach felt like a grave, ever anxious to devour. Or at least, what Orlando assumed a grave would feel like, if they could feel. Maybe he’d write an epic poem about it someday, in the style of Homer. 

Orlando glanced at his manservant, a sturdy fisherman from Crete. “You’re still not hungry, Horace?” 

The man sighed. “Highness, watching you eat takes away my appetite.” 

Orlando bit a chunk out of the rosy red fruit. “You were born old and fat, then?”

Okay, so it's technically eight lines, but since I'm disregarding the rules anyway . . . And if you are a Pinterest nut like me, here's the board for this one.

So, what did you think about the snippets? They're pretty sparse, but I think they did show a little bit about my characters. Again, if you'd like to share a 777 snippet, feel free to post them in the comments!

Character Spotlight: Orlando of Thessaly (Knight of the Blue Surcoat)

I am working through some posts on my upcoming novel, Knight of the Blue Surcoat (description here), and last month, I did a post about the protagonist, Melora. However, Melora isn't the only important character in the novel. In fact, there is a second main character, Prince Orlando of Thessaly, and it's time to introduce him to the blog. (All pictures are either in the public domain, or my own, and were inspirations for Orlando)

A Macedonian statue of Alexander the Great (link)

Who is Orlando?

Orlando is the third (and youngest) son of King Gustavus of Thessaly. Thessaly, of course, was a large region in the middle of Ancient and early Greece, and was known as Aeolia in the writings of Homer (and other early writers). It was famous as the home of "heroes" Jason and Achilles, and was renowned for its horses. Both of those facts actually come up in KotBS.

As the youngest son (or the spare*), Orlando has devoted much of his time to besting his brothers Jason and Heracles in every subject, in the hopes of getting Gustavus to acknowledge him. This has backfired, making his brothers despise and envy him. To escape his gloomy home, Orlando studies Greek, Latin, and history, and horse training. This has left him little time for socializing, and he has only one real friend, his manservant Hector. Of course, if you asked him, Orlando would say the stallion Pégosos was his best friend. Orlando raised Pégosos from a foal, and has trained him into one of the most spirited and excellent war horses in Thessaly.

Image Source

Image source

 Pégosos is said to be descended from Poseidon's horses (like Pegasus, his namesake), and I imagine him as a cross between the traditional Thessalian horse (left) and the White Friesian (right).

Orlando's Family:

Orlando's mother died when he was five, and like all children, he was devastated. His brothers and father mocked him for his easy emotions, and Orlando quickly learned to hide his feelings from them (though he finds it unnecessary and fatiguing).

Jason and Heracles are significantly older than Orlando, and model warrior princes. As such, they used Orlando as a whipping boy until the latter became skilled enough to defeat them. After years of incessant training in everything from hand-to-hand combat to javelin throwing, Orlando is a phenomenal soldier and warrior. His brothers, if possible, hate him even more than before.

Gustavus, as king of Thessaly with a healthy heir and second son, was indifferent to Orlando from the beginning. He views his easy-going youngest son as superfluous, and has little in common with him. Despite this, Orlando has always striven for his father's love and favor, even when Gustavus continues to ignore him.

Naturally, Orlando chafes under these conditions, and he decided to seek his fortune elsewhere. Word from Rome was that the British court was the place for a man to prove his mettle, and Orlando decides that he'd rather chance the cold northern shores than stay home any longer.

Orlando and Melora:

Fun loving and mischievous, but just a little arrogant, Orlando expects the Britains to be a pack of savage brutes. He is surprised to find them more welcoming to a man of his talents than anyone in Thessaly, and he becomes a bit of an overnight celebrity. 

The attention doesn't go to Orlando's head (it embarrasses him). Instead, Orlando is intrigued by the grim-faced Princess Melora, who observes silently and dislikes him from the beginning. He decides to befriend her, but his good intentions get misconstrued by Melora's serious suitors. The intense Sir Mador, in particular, seems offended by both Orlando's easy manner and careless skill.

I colored it :) However, thanks to my pesky scanner, it looks a lot better in real life.
The crayons and colored pencils (belonging to my little sister) didn't blend so well, but what can you do?

Orlando and Tournaments:

As a newcomer to Arthur's court, Orlando is expected to take part in any tournaments or competitions. This is partly so the others can watch his skill for sport, and partly so he can prove himself their equal. He came all the way to Britain trying to prove himself, so he's eager to compete against the legendary Knights of Arthur. Still, he isn't combative by nature, and he has zero desire to make enemies.

However, he can't stop other people from feeling threatened by him.

I don't even know . . .

A note on the names and setting:

The Knight of the Blue Surcoat is a novelization of a Irish-Arthurian ballad. All of the main characters' names come from this ballad and Arthurian lore, but I've basically anglicized them, or used a more standardized spelling. The Red Hall (my equivalent of Camelot) is in early medieval Wales, and the rest of the books locations are also based on real world, early medieval locales.

Footnotes:
*I keep referring to Orlando as "the spare," which isn't very nice of me. (Note: this is not an authorized definition). Basically, a spare is a royal back-up plan. If you lose the heir to battle or treachery, the next son can still take the throne and produce his own heir. A third son is even better, like a back-up for the back-up. And that's Orlando.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! My Book Will Be In Print, 2016!

So, peoples of the internet, I hinted a few weeks ago that I had big writing news, and here it is:

My debut novel, Knight of the Blue Surcoat, is scheduled to be published with Neverland Publishing in Summer 2016. This is really early on (ink fresh on the contract and all that), but it is a huge deal to me and a major life goal!

Neverland is a small, independent house out of Florida, specializing in print (paperback) editions and ebooks. Indie, of course, means that there is no machine behind things, and I'll have to do a lot of promoting and marketing myself. And that is fine with me! I have a book, and the book is getting published, I will shout it from the mountaintops if I must. (See what a life goal can do to an introvert?)

So details, details. I haven't mentioned Surcoat (I haven't mentioned a lot of my books) on the blog, but today I aim to change that. Starting right now, you can expect a weekly post about Knight of the Blue Surcoat, the characters, and why I think you might like it. I'll start with a blurb:

Knight of the Blue Surcoat by R. L. Hendrian 

 Being King Arthur’s daughter isn't easy, but being his only heir is a nightmare. Sixteen-year old Melora has struggled with her role ever since her older brother was trampled to death in a hunting accident. Her father raised her to be a warrior queen, but Melora is too valuable to be allowed to test herself beyond the castle walls. She is trapped, surrounded by suitors who want her kingdom, and suffocated by her parents’ love. She wants to escape, but how can she leave when even the sight of a horse makes her paralyzed with fear?
Prince Orlando is expendable. His arrogant brothers and distant father were thrilled for him (and his prize stallion) to leave tiny Thessaly. Orlando heard tales of Arthur’s court, where men are measured by their worth. He came to prove himself; he didn’t plan on Melora. Her fear of horses is a challenge Orlando is willing to take, but befriending the princess earns him powerful enemies, including the wizard Merlin and Melora's many suitors.
When Merlin curses Orlando to eternal imprisonment in the Celtic Otherworld, only Melora can save him and break the curse. But first, she’ll have to get on a horse. Melora travels from British shores to the coast of India on a madcap quest to find the keys to unlocking Orlando’s prison. Melora must overcome warriors, outsmart kings, and face her deepest fears if she wants to get Orlando out alive. Even if she can break the curse, will there be anything of Orlando left to save?

So, there you have it, my debut novel, and I'm SO EXCITED!!!

Granted, the publication process is a long one, so I'll be bursting at the seams for about a year. Assuming all goes well, I should have an exact release date by next Spring. Having seen a bit of the process from the inside, I know just how much time this all can take, but I wanted to spread the word now.

This announcement also serves as a call for future readers. If you love fantasy or King Arthur and are interested in reading review copies, I am starting a list. If you are a blogger or reviewer who thinks they'd like an (eventual) ARC, comment here, and I'll put you on a list for later contact.

SO EXCITED!!