The Tenth Day of Christmas

On the tenth day of Christmas,

This author offered me

Ten Sassy Moments

Nine Tips for Writers,

Eight Printed Printings,

Seven Resolutions,

Six quotes from Rescue,

Five Giveaways!

Four Christmas wishes,

Three Rescues,

Two Free Zoom Visits, and

A title for book five series…

Before that, on tomorrow’s blog I’m answering questions. Things you would ask if we were hanging out. I’ll choose eleven questions to answer, so put `em in the comments!

Now, in no particular order:

10.  From THE SCOURGE

“Where’s your friend?” Brogg asked. “The boy who was with you?”

I kept my eyes straight forward, refusing to look either up or down the river. Weevil would be somewhere nearby—I knew it. But the last time he revealed himself, he ended up with a bump on his head and a long ride in an isolation wagon. 

“We’ll find him,” Brogg said. “We always find the escapees.”

“So a lot of people escape that cell?” I asked. “Does the governor know how bad you are at your job?”

9.  From THE TRAITOR’S GAME

Simon continued searching, next with my hair, possibly checking for hidden pins that might be sharpened to a fine point. I had none, but once this was over I planned to have some made. 

“Enjoying this?” My tone was as bitter as I felt.

“I’d rather search a bear.”

“I wish you would. If I’d known this was coming, I’d have brought one along.”

“But you didn’t know, because we outsmarted you.” For the first time, he looked directly at me. His smile was triumphant. Arrogant. It wouldn’t look that way during his execution. He pointed to my boots. “Remove them.”

“You do it.” All the easier to kick him if he got into the right position.

8.  From THE WARRIOR’S CURSE (TRAITOR’S GAME BOOK 3)

Unnerved, I yanked my hand free and he immediately backed away, eyes wide with alarm. “You considered killing me just now?”

Killing him? No, of course not! Yes, maybe I’d considered draining his strength, incapacitating him for days, but I wouldn’t kill him. How would he have known that anyway?

7. MARK OF THE THIEF

“You will do as I say, Nic!” Sal’s anger echoed inside this small underground chamber. “I’ve tolerated your disobedience far too long.”

                  “Tolerated?” I snorted. If near starvation, beatings, and dangerous assignments were tolerance, then yes, Sal had been excessively generous to me.

                  As part of the grand joke that had become my life, the Gods had given me a master with the wit of a withered carrot and compassion of a wasp. He also smelled like toe fungus, though that’s less relevant. More significant is that of the hundreds of slaves who worked in the mines, Sal hated me the most. This was no great surprise, since Sal had always stood out to me as someone well worth hating back. 

6. RESISTANCE

They were headed for death camps, designed to kill hundreds or even thousands of people a day. I’d seen them. Been sickened by them. Had my heart shattered by them.

The Nazis called these camps their solution to the so-called “Jewish Problem.”

Yes, I very much intended to be their problem.

5. RESCUE

Maybe he was a German spy, one who’d practiced the British language and accent. If he was, better that I find out now.

“If you’re from England, you must know the best place in London to buy bread pudding.” I began stepping around the barn toward the sound of his voice, keeping my shovel ready.

“That’s a matter of opinion,” he replied. “I prefer the puddings of Birmingham to any of those in London.”

I rolled my eyes, irritated with myself. Anyone could have answered that question. Taking a few more steps, I asked, “And how close is Birmingham to Scratchy Bottom?”  

Silence. Then, “Are you sure that’s the name of a place? Or did you only hear it in the schoolyard?”

I hesitated. “I think it’s a real place.”

4.  BLACK INK (unedited)

Before she rounded the last corner to exit Shady Isles, Brick grabbed her pack and gave it a hard yank, stopping her in her tracks. She turned, raising a fist as if ready to fight. He dodged that, then whispered, “Whatever you’re hiding, they’re going to find it.”

Her eyes darted. “My mom would kill me if she knew what I’m doing.”

“Yeah, but I bet the people here would kill you faster.” Brick pulled the backpack off her shoulder and swung it onto his. “Rule number one of shoplifting is not to look like you’re shoplifting.” He forced a grin, and even elbowed her side to loosen her up. “Thought you were a smart girl, Venice.”

3.  THE SHATTERED CASTLE (Ascendance Book 5)

I had already slid the pin out of my belt, but there was no way to hide what I was doing from the vigils, so I simply exchanged glares with them as I worked.

“Stop that!” Weakling said.

I only grinned back at him. “If I stop now, how will I get free of these chains?”

The mean-looking one reached for the keys. “We told you to stop!”

“Yes, I know. I heard you before.”

2.  A NIGHT DIVIDED (Alternate Opening, Deleted Scene)

I had a plan. If they tried to arrest me, I would explain that it was my birthday, which was true. If that didn’t work, I would claim that all I’d wanted for a gift was a banana. Surely that couldn’t be such a bad crime, a single banana.

But maybe it was. Buying anything off the black market was illegal. Everyone knew that.

Thus my plan: Don’t get caught.

It wasn’t the greatest plan ever, but hopefully it wasn’t the worst either.

My best friend, Anna, was at the corner keeping watch for any police in the area while I made the deal with a black marketer in the narrow alleyway. She was fidgeting so nervously I wondered if she might do me more harm than good. But I understood her worries. Even if we didn’t see any uniformed officers, we were hardly safe. As usual, any number of informants would be out this morning, prowling for gossip they could exchange for special favors. And worse still were the secret police. For all I knew, this black marketer was a Stasi official in disguise, trying to trap people just like me.

A banana smuggler. Over the last four years since the rise of the Berlin Wall, apparently that’s what I’d become.

1.  SPACE WOOGLE (A younger, sort-of work in progress about an alien scout searching for a good planet for invasion)

Log No. 000000000000000000000000001

The Invasion of Earth Begins…After Lunch

Everyone knows that intergalactic invasions go better on a full stomach. And that’s not just an old glubsucker’s tale; it’s good strategy. Because seriously, how can anyone focus on conquering a planet when the guy next in line for total submission is only halfway through his bag of cheddar and bacon potato chips? If your instincts are to obliterate the guy, then first ask yourself this, If I vaporize him, then WHAT HAPPENS TO THE CHIPS?!?

The invasion is still happening. Oh, it’s definitely happening.

But first…lunch.