A new direction or at least new additions

All of a sudden I realized what my novel needed. The other side of the story. All of my chapters were from the protagonists point of view. While I had developed the antagonist in a character sketch most of these details were missing from the novel itself.

I have set about adding the necessary chapters into my novel. Yes this will add time to me completing the manuscript but it will make it better much better. I also feel that this will make the novel more likely to be published. With the knowledge that all of the great thrillers and even the Harry Potter novels contain such chapters I write on with a new intensity I have not felt for a long while.

As a reward for following my blog here is yet another excerpt.

Kate wandered around taking in her surroundings before sitting with her back against the well. Her head was pounding and she was exhausted, but it was not yet time for sleep she needed a plan. After a short while the puzzle pieces began to fall into place a picture of what was to come was forming in her head. Her thoughts gathered she stood and started to head back towards the monastery. The sound of an approaching vehicle stops her. It was way to late for normal people to be out wandering these back roads, was the only thought that flashed through her mind, as she lay prone near the gravel path. Her eyes are sweeping the area when she thinks she sees someone out of the corner of her eye. Just then the car began to slow, it turned off its headlights.

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My absence….

First I must apologize to my readers. I am sorry for my long absence in blogging. While many things have been going on they have not been suitable for blogging. I don’t like blogging about other peoples issues I have been busy with a large number of things, just when they were calming down the Jewish High Holidays arrived. The arrival of the holidays extended my absence.

That being said the novel is progressing though it is going a bit slower than I would like. As a reward here is an excerpt from the thriller ….

With her Sig drawn and an extra clip in her back pocket, she got out of the car and cautiously entered the bar. Seeing no sign of the old men or anyone else, she began to search the entire building. Dread built in the pit of her stomach. Was she too late? There was evidence of bullets and shotgun blasts marking all of the walls. Broken glass mixed with booze crunched under her feet as she searched. Finding nothing on the lower floor, she headed cautiously up the stairs.

Upon reaching the apartment on the upper level of the bar, she encountered a locked door. Just as she was about to knock, she heard the distinct sound of a shotgun being cocked.

Well that’s it for now. I will write again soon.

8 sentence excerpt from my WIP

I’m glad I didn’t miss the linky list for Weekend Writing warriors this week. (I did last week. For those of you who missed my excerpt about the radio click here.)

Upon reaching the apartment on the upper level of the bar, she encountered a locked door. Just as she was about to knock, she heard the distinct sound of a shotgun being cocked.

“Stop!” yelled Kate “It’s Claire. I brought a friend. We have come to get you out of here.”

“We thought you were those fools returning,” said Paul.

“We need to talk, but not here. It’s too dangerous,” stated Kate.

“Okay,” Paul said. “We will go with you, but we have to take Sam.”

“Sam,” repeated Kate with a puzzled look. Just then a large cat wandered into the room and started sniffing Kate’s shoes.

“That’s Sam,” explained Paul.

“Okay. Sam can join us. Just hurry. I overheard them planning to come back.”

Kate, hearing three blasts of a horn, scooped up the cat and said, “We must go now!”

Here’s the 8 sentences I promised a while back…

First an apology I’ve been swamped with stuff to do other than my blog or any kind of writing. I did miss the chance to get my link in with Weekend Writing Warriors but here are my 8 any way. (Yes this tells you why the radio wasn’t used.) To view my previous 8 for context click here.

I would have answered, but it took the brunt of a knife attack.” Collin replied as he produced the broken radio. “Lets get everyone down stairs before anyone else shows up.”

“Agreed,” replied Kate as she radioed Dominic that they were reentering the church. With everyone cleared out of the church and loaded in the back of the van Collin drove it around behind the church to the monks’ entrance. Using Dominic’s keys Collin unlocked the door. Before entering he called out, to alert the old men. Just then Sam the cat ran out. Paul scrambled after Sam, who was distracted by a bug. Paul retrieved the cat as the last of the prisoners was being carried down the steps.

The Night the lights went out…

It was late, we will just say 0-dark thirty (oh dark thirty) which is slang for late or really early in the military. I was pounding keys, hubby was napping on the sofa. (I gave up on him going to bed hours before this.)

When all of the sudden it went dark, not just the room I was in but, the entire neighborhood. Given I was working on a particularly violent scene, this truly startled me. With some effort I roused hubby from his sleep, but the spell was broken, even after securing an oil lamp I could not go back to that scene.

Normally I would have begun pacing, however since I’m recovering from ankle surgery this was not an option. After contacting housing, hubby dutifully went back to sleep! I was stressed the scene I had been writing began playing itself out in my mind. (Remember I’m writing a thriller, this happened to be one of most intense scenes in the novel.) I had to stop the scene in my head, it was haunting me.

I finally managed to get Philip (one of our cats) to join me in the recliner. His lovely comforting purr was soon chasing the scene from my head. Then I was able to drift off to meet with the zzzz monster.