Happy ... Thursday?! Two weeks ago, I did Part 1 of this post, introducing you to my finished works. Today, I wanted to take you on a little tour of the projects I haven't quite finished yet ...
Works In Various Stages of Progress
Beauty Woke the Beast
YA Fantasy
1,337 words
This idea is so unformed in my mind that I don't even have a blurb for it yet. The core idea, though, was to mash together Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast in a Russian-inspired setting.
*****
"There were four of us. 'The wild girls,' the adults who belonged to us used to say. Elena, Sofiya, Mila, and me–Izolda. It’s funny how everyone always put Mila, the baby of the family, first and tacked my name on as an afterthought."
Egypt Story (no title yet)
YA Fantasy
6,338 words
Meryt prays a prayer that leaves her stranded on this side of the afterlife as a ghost. Kasheshta embarks on a vague but perilous mission to bring her brother back from the dead. And Prince Amosis faces losing his forbidden love–and perhaps his crown as well. Connecting them all is a rogue band of desert-dwelling nomads with a penchant for bloodlust, an ancient scroll with a mind of its own, and their own deals with the gods.
*****
"The last thing I see before I die is an innocent-looking, bluish-white orb rising from my dead sister’s chest as she sprawls in a pool of her own blood. The scent of it fills my nostrils, thick and metallic. Oh please no, I pray. Please, dear Istra."
Fake Dating YA (no title yet)
YA Contemporary
4,755 words
Paulie (not Pauline, thankyouverymuch) is an aspiring journalist who wants to travel the world. For now, she's stuck at community college in a sleepy farming community. So when she meets Ben (short for Benedict, not Benjamin), she's not interested in putting down roots. As the two become friends, however, Paulie finds herself more and more drawn to the kind, caring, and funny Ben. But when Paulie's world is turned upside down by a dream-crushing email, she has to choose between Ben and her future career.
*****
"We haven’t gone on a fake date since that first time, when we went to Allegra together. Ever since then, without talking about it, we’ve slipped into a relationship. I’ve been lulled along into deeper and deeper waters and now … Shit, I think I’m in a relationship."
Hunted
YA Fantasy
19,373 words
What if Snow White accidentally killed the prince? And what if the only witness was a dangerous fae creature who also happened to be the queen's personal spy? When Snow White (whose real name is Diana, by the way) happens to find herself in this very situation, she must make a deal with the fae in order to avoid the consequences–but without losing herself in the process.
*****
"Fest closed the gap between us slowly while I forced myself to stand still. He lifted his slim, pale, long-fingered hand and placed it on my chest, and a corner of his mouth quirked up as my heart thudded against his palm. 'I like you, Diana. I think it would be quite a waste to cut out as brave a heart as yours.'"
Thanks
YA Contemporary
21,825 words
Cassidy's life is a mess. Ever since her dad left, bills have been piling up. Cassidy is failing her homeschool. And her dad is stalking them. As the holiday season approaches, her family faces getting evicted from their home. The last thing she needs is to make friends with the very cute rich boy who just moved in next door.
*****
"I scurry away to make his order, forcing myself to breathe. I just met a cute boy. Well, 'met' isn’t really accurate. I’m a barista: people don’t view their baristas as humans that you meet. I just interacted with a cute boy, then. So what? I’m not the type of girl who gets swept off her feet by every cute boy she meets. Focus. Forget the stupid guyliner and make the stupid pumpkin spice latte."
The Creation of Lancelot
Adult Fantasy/SciFi
3,363 words
Lancelot is actually a black woman from 21st century London ... who's having an affair with King Arthur behind Guinevere's back.
I had one clear-as-day image in my head that sparked this story, but it's not the type of thing I usually write, so I've never worked on it seriously. Fun fact: this is, I think, my third time travel book.
Edit: After rereading all 3,363 words, I am smitten once again with this project. It's so good! If you're a writer, let me know if you ever do this–work on something passionately for a little while, get stuck, leave it alone for a while, come back to it a year or two later, and instantly get obsessed with your own writing and want the rest of the story ... but then realize that you have to write it first?
*****
"She has been expecting it, but the sight of her son, now a chunky two-year-old with a head of tight brown curls, sends a thrust of grief through her. She grasps the doorframe to steady herself and Arthur looks up. The joy that floods his face at the sight of her is worth every slap, every criticism, every mistake she’s ever made back in London. Arthur is her only decision here, and Arthur can never fail to be the right decision."
The Legend of Lull
YA Fantasy
149 words
(No pic because I can't find one that fits this story)
Thomas, a young archaeologist desperate to prove himself to the established and "serious" scientists of the Royal Society of London in the Victorian era, accidentally triggers a curse that awakens an Aztec goddess named Lull–and also makes her human. As Thomas and Lull get to know each other, they form a tentative friendship–or perhaps something more? But when Lull is unexpectedly called by her family to return to her goddess form, she must make a choice: protect Thomas, or keep her family from destroying an entire city?
*****
"I have been buried deep, deep under the hills for hundreds of years, perhaps thousands. I have been sleeping. I can still recall the taste of blood and devotion on my lips; I recall the waft of fear in my nostrils, invigorating. I have not been fed for ages. I am hungry.
"I stretch, arching my back and thrusting my arms out. The hills break and shatter and I am finally able to rise to my knees, to stand and let the clouds drift over my shoulders like a cape. I am free.
"I am Lull."
I have other ideas that I've worked into snippets, some longer, some shorter, but these are the main projects that I'd really like to finish someday. Let me know what you think! Would you read any of these?
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