SCRIBBLES

Wonderful Blog Award!

2012-01-18T08:27:00.000-08:00

This blog as been awarded the "Good Blog Award", and will be posted on: http://pmterrell.blogspot.com/

Thank you!

DAETHE FAERIE

2012-01-05T12:18:00.001-08:00

DAETHE FAERIE

(pronounced day-eff)

SHORT STORY OUTLINE

Told in Ashpin's POV - 12-year-old boy, curly, light brown hair, green eyes

Master Wisdom - Prince, albino, Healer Shape-shifter, sapphire eyes

Fritz - Daethe Faerie, impish humanoid creature, frizzy blond hair, lavender eyes, potions

Ashpin is excited to accompany his close friend, and current Prince of the Eastern Clan, to discover a potion to heal the sick-minded. The two seek out Fritz, a so-called Daethe Faerie in hiding. In a comical debate to figure out how the concoction works, Fritz reveals information while gaining ingredients as payment for his concoctions. Yet the final results of the trade-off may still leave the two visitors with more troubles than answers…

SHORT STORY

Ashpin reached the cave entrance first, his eagerness mounting as a white-headed hawk glided down to the mouth of the hideaway. On a fallen boulder it landed, its head turning back and forth to glance about the area.

"I didn't see anyone come out," Ashpin said, hand ready on the hilt of his short sword. "Could he get by with illusion?"

"I would've sensed it," the hawk responded with a thought. A soft glow of blue light enveloped the bird's brown and white body. When it faded, a young man dressed in a casual magic-user's robe slid from the rock to the boy's side. "He's in there; I can smell him."

"Wish I could do that," Ashpin murmured, locking his eyes on the entrance.

As long as he had known the shape-shifter, Ashpin's world had turned upside down. In a one night's decision to leave home after his mother's sudden death, twelve-year-old Ashpin Agecroft was soon picked up by the magic-user after losing his way in the dark and appearing next morning, huddled in some back alley in the town of Trully. Master Wisdom, as the townspeople called their shape-shifter prince, not only acted as guardian over Ashpin, but taught him in the ways of combat. It was a swift change, from mundane firewood collecting to care for his ailing mother, to sword practice and other adventures around every bend.

Wisdom's pallid features contrasted to Ashpin's finely tanned skin. Long afternoons outside practicing sword maneuvers had seen to that. Yet Ashpin also knew the albino look came from the prince's family bloodline, a race of shape-shifters known as Lo-ans'rel. It was a race the prince was trying to reintroduce to the human population, and what better way than starting with a child!

Ashpin grit his teeth. If only I'd met him sooner…

He cleared his mind when he realized Wisdom was probably trying to link with the surrounding area. Sight-reading was a way to read anyone's current thoughts. If the faerie tried to slip past, its thought process was sure to be detected.

Out of curiosity, Ashpin stole a sideways glance to the prince.

"I only hear thoughts of those I'm trying to find, if that's what you're wondering." Wisdom gave the boy a quick grin before proceeding to the cave's opening.

"You obviously heard something in my head, or you wouldn't have said that." Ashpin stepped beside the prince, who sighed.

"It's one thing to heal a cut or mend bones, but a broken mind is something out of my range."

"Is that what you came to find?" Ashpin looked up at the prince. "A potion to heal a mind? Nature can't do it for you?"

"Physical and mental energy stay separate, I'm afraid. As long as you've been with me, you should know that by now."

Ashpin stared into the cave, thoughtful, when he felt his companion's gaze upon him.

"I could've have saved your mother at the time, Ashpin. But perhaps I can save another now."

The boy met the prince's gaze with a slow nod. "I understand."

"Good! Shall we proceed?"

At the prince's gesture to enter, Ashpin stepped through the gaping mouth of gray and black-lined rock. Somewhere near the back of the cave, he could hear water dripping.

REST OF STORY TO BE CONTINUED…OUTLINE

So Ashpin and Wisdom find the hidden doorway within the cave, and it leads them to Fritz. Fritz is a goofy character who looks like a girl, is flirty with Ashpin, but holds a dark secret. Wisdom inquires about a potion to heal a sick-minded person. Fritz then demands payment of either spit or piss from the prince, which ends up in a comical resolution because Fritz is running low on Lo-ans'rel pee, but it completely out of spit. When Wisdom comments that he'll only do one or the other, Fritz chooses spit. So throughout the whole conversation Wisdom is constantly spitting into a glass jar (and purposely misses the jar if Fritz doesn't answer the prince's questions). Then comes the big reveal! Fritz admits to being a Daethe Faerie, pronounced day-eff. Ashpin learns that Fritz's kind were created during the reign of the Dark Unicorn, but after its destruction the race broke from its lust for blood to (somewhat) co-exist with Nature. Even now, there's a fine line the prince and faerie walk to be near one another. Wisdom wants to get what he needs and leave before the true nature of the faerie clouds its helpful side. The story closes with Ashpin and Wisdom receiving the potion with strange instructions how to use it.

The Penny-Snatcher

2012-01-05T11:47:00.000-08:00

I had a dream, and based off of that I came up with this story idea:

The story opens with a grandmother tucking in her granddaughter for the night. She tells the girl not to hang her foot over the bed, or the big brown bear with get it! At that moment, a paw sweeps across the edge of the bed! Then (Nona, as the grandmother is called) simply picks up the teddy bear and snuggles it next to the girl. To the bear, she warns it to stay in bed or the Penny-Snather will get it.

Now, this is the type of story where magic happens because the young girl believes. There's really no talking toys at all. But because the girl believes it, mostly due to her grandmother, the teddy bear can also speak its mind. When Teddy asks Nona about the Penny-Snatcher, Nona explains that it comes in the night to snatch up belief.

"Belief in what?" the girl asks.

"Magic," replies Nona. "Belief is just as valuable as coins. That's why it's called the Penny-Snatcher. It's looking for that precious treasure to snatch up!"

So basically, the girl begins to wonder about Nona's story when she starts having trouble hearing Teddy. Believing the Penny-Snatcher has stolen her belief of talking toys, she tries to get it back.

In the end, the Penny-Snatcher is nothing more than personified disbelief. Since the girl is approaching an age where childhood magic would start to disappear, the grandmother is trying to prepare her for that. But Nona has one more lesson to teach:

"No matter how old you get, always keep the belief with you. In that way, you'll always be able to access the magic."

Book Two "Prince" Releases January 2012

2012-01-02T15:37:00.001-08:00

Make your own slideshow with music at Animoto.

Free Ebook - Ends January 3, 2012

2011-12-29T15:30:00.000-08:00

Make your own slideshow at Animoto.

Christmas Horse Complete

2011-12-20T18:39:00.001-08:00

Christmas Horse WIP

2011-12-20T14:46:00.000-08:00

My mother asked for a Christmas Horse to hang on the wall. This is being done in Prismacolored Pencils on textured paper. Ah, feels so good to work traditionally at times!

Bringer of Light

2011-12-07T21:11:00.001-08:00

Coming Storm WIP

2011-12-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

Oil painted horse horse and then scanned into Photoshop to do the rest...

Then and Now

2011-12-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

Some artists were doing this "Then and Now" pieces at deviantart.com, so I thought I'd take one of mine and do the same thing. Kind of interesting how I work on stuff now, huh?

30 minute speed painting in Photoshop.

Declan Commission WIP

2011-11-29T14:25:00.000-08:00

Zombie Spoof

2011-11-21T14:55:00.000-08:00

Delcan Tilt

2011-11-10T14:52:00.000-08:00

Just playing around with frame tilting - just need a zombie in the background...lol

Declan Commission WIP

2011-11-10T14:19:00.001-08:00

Adding the FAce WIP

2011-11-06T21:36:00.001-08:00

Face Sketch Commission

2011-11-06T21:35:00.000-08:00

Lips Logo Commission

2011-11-06T21:30:00.001-08:00

Painted from scratch - Photoshop CS5, lip texture filter applied.

Declan WIP3

2011-10-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Ember Mage Meriona

2011-10-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

The Fire Healer, Meriona, character in Book One of Red Moon Rising Trilogy. Meriona owns a series of islands off the coast of Dragon's Ridge. It's not specified on the map yet because the location is relatively new to the story. I've mainly focused on the mainland thus far. In the second trilogy, Keith must explore the outer edges of No'va in order to contact other Healers of different elements to help aid him against the Darkness of the Horn.

Photoshop CS3, Wacom Tablet
Painted from scratch, some downloaded brushes used

Meriona WIP6

2011-10-14T08:10:00.001-07:00

Meriona WIP6

2011-10-10T20:39:00.001-07:00

Meriona WIP5

2011-10-06T20:20:00.001-07:00

Background Commission WIP

2011-10-05T18:02:00.001-07:00

Meriona WIP4

2011-10-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

Meriona WIP2

2011-10-02T11:38:00.001-07:00

2nd Work in progress...

Meriona Character WIP

2011-10-01T10:51:00.001-07:00

Work in progress....

Meriona Line Art

2011-10-01T10:50:00.001-07:00

Declan Character Commission

2011-10-01T10:47:00.001-07:00

Work in progress...

Merionous with Background

2011-09-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

Merionous Sketch4

2011-09-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

Commission WIP

2011-09-26T21:43:00.001-07:00

Merionous Sketch3

2011-09-26T11:11:00.001-07:00

Merionous Sketch2

2011-09-25T11:20:00.001-07:00

Merionous Sketch

2011-09-24T11:13:00.001-07:00

I haven't sketched anything in so long it felt good just to pick up a pencil again. It's a sketch of a character that will be present coming up in the second trilogy. I'm still working on the longer version of his name, but he goes by Meriona for short. His elemental is Fire. He's all Healer, like Keith, but fire is the most dangerous, most powerful and challenging of all the elements. It takes great patience to train with it.

Cottage Encounter

2011-09-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

Artwork being used as Limited Edition prints for anyone who purchases a copy of "Wisdom" Book One or a Kindle version. For more details, please visit www.WisdomNovels.com

Prince Cover Update

2011-08-31T13:13:00.000-07:00

Cover - Unicorn Progress

2011-08-26T21:01:00.001-07:00

Book Cover "Prince" WIP3

2011-08-25T23:05:00.001-07:00

Book Cover "Prince" WIP2

2011-08-25T22:53:00.001-07:00

Wisdom Novels Banner

2011-08-24T10:35:00.001-07:00

The Banner across the top of the new web design: www.wisdomnovels.com

Web Template Sketch2

2011-08-17T21:49:00.001-07:00

Web Template Sketch

2011-08-17T21:41:00.001-07:00

Cover Sketch & Prototype

2011-08-17T12:44:00.001-07:00

Montezuma's Revenge Complete

2011-08-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

Monty Cover - Progress5

2011-08-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

Feather Study

2011-08-03T20:42:00.001-07:00

Monty Cover - Progress4

2011-07-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

Monty Cover - Progress3

2011-07-25T11:50:00.001-07:00

Grab My Gun

2011-07-24T09:13:00.001-07:00

Monty Cover - HOTNESS

2011-07-22T20:05:00.001-07:00

Everest Complete

2011-07-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

Grab My Sickle

2011-07-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

Meme that's going around on Deviantart.com, so I had to try it too!
These are author's Terry Prachett characteres, Rincewind and Death from the Discworld series

Art Slide Show

2011-07-20T10:12:00.001-07:00

Everest WIP2

2011-07-19T23:10:00.000-07:00

Montezuma's Revenge REVAMPED

2011-07-19T21:11:00.001-07:00

Much better pose, better face. Was told the publisher deals more with romantic characters, so the evil impish look had to go, replaced by this one. Sexy, no?

Everrest Portrait

2011-07-18T21:56:00.000-07:00

Corrigan’s Black Wing mother, Everrest…Work in Progress. I’ve attempted to paint her only once, which ended in complete failure (will not attempt to repost that picture). Since I’ve gotten better at portraits, I think this will come out much more realistic than past paintings. I eventually want to do a portrait of Corrigan, since he’s the least painted of all characters and most liked, so I’ve heard.

Here’s the link to the blog that contains the picture in case you can’t view here: http://wisdomnovels.blogspot.com/

Excerpt from novel:

“Everest, dear,” he greeted, holding the door open for his guest to enter the room.

It took a moment for Glory’s eyes to adjust to the dimness. The mantle contained lit candles with long strands of beads draped under each one. The bedding’s dark covers were nearly impossible to make out, save for the beads littered overtop. The same could be said for the vanity desk and mirror. It was then that she noticed a rich black plume on the desktop resembling the one she wore around her neck.

“So fair looking.” A female’s voice penetrated the silence, rich with a deep ascent that hinted another culture entirely. Shadows moved and pulled aside, of which Glory was certain she had seen feathers pull to the back of the woman as she stepped at last into the candle lit area. Amber eyes glowed in the light’s reflection, and although Glory tried not to stare, she could not help but notice the abundant of patterned tattoos under each eye, around the cheekbones, and further down the neck to the shoulders. “I should hope this isn’t business, Lorens.”

Something moved behind her back. A flash of gold, then it was gone. She raised a hand to adjust one of the beads along the mantle, her skin a dark mahogany which helped conceal her figure if out of the candle’s circle of light.

“Not this time, my dear,” Mr. Schevolsky’s tone softened with the conversation. “May I introduce to you the Lady Elite.” He swept a hand in Glory’s direction. “Do you mind helping her find something more…suitable to her tastes?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll be waiting outside.” Mr. Schevolsky bowed to Glory before retreating from the room.

Left alone with the unusually tall woman, Glory shivered slightly when she felt those eyes upon her. She turned to be greeted with a gentle smiled, and was offered a seat while the woman moved back into shadow. There was a rustling of fabric and several clicks as racks were shoved aside.

“Do you not need a light?” Glory asked after a few moments. “How can you possibly see in the dark?”

“I’ve learned to adjust,” came the reply. The sound of tugging clothing, then a swinging of a rack yielded a sigh of triumph. She returned shortly with a gown as lovely as the ones Glory would have worn at home. “This might do. It would compliment such pretty hair.”

Glory blushed as she accepted the dress. A folding panel nearby provided the perfect place to change, with enough light shining through the cracks so Glory could make final adjustments.

“It fits perfectly!” She stepped out to admire the jeweled gown in the mirror. The simple white pattern did compliment her dark hair.

“I rarely misjudge the figure.” Everest moved behind the girl to inspect the selection. The neck was not as high as the other garment, and easily revealed the feather around the girl’s neck. That caused a grin. “It’s quite unusual to find someone of wealth wearing feathers, my dear.”

Glory lifted a hand to cover it. When she turned away from the mirror, she gasped at what she realized was a wing moving behind the woman.

“You’re a harpy!” She stared as the woman spread both wings. “But…why so short?” It was not until she realized the wings had been cut at the joint that she regretted the comment. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I speak before thinking.” She lifted her eyes to the taller woman’s face. Black lips smiled back.

“Black Wings pride themselves for their wings. But not to worry. I’m a slave no longer.” The woman gently lifted the girl’s necklace. “This one looks about finished.” She let it slip between her fingers as she released it. “It must mean something to you, doesn’t it? There’s no human who would wear the mark of slavery, let alone a Black Wing’s feather.”

“At the time, it had been from another slave.” Glory watched the woman bring a wing around to pluck a feather, a rich black to the raggedy looking one Glory wore. It did not take long to fasten the feather to a silver chain used for her beads.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Glory admired the bead draped over the feather to add more appeal.

“A feather lost is a gain for me. I become more human that way.” She gestured to the door. “Lorens will be waiting for you. Better hurry before he starts worrying.”

Glory laughed. “Why would he worry? He knows I’m with you.”

Everest only smiled and opened the door for her.

“When I asked if this was business, it’s because you’re what I eat.”

Book Cover - Montezuma's Revenge

2011-07-12T22:11:00.001-07:00

Work in progress!

Katalina Work in Progress

2011-05-24T14:16:00.001-07:00

Just need to put in the bar beside her and she's done!

Katalina Work in Progress

2011-05-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

Katalina Work in Progress

2011-05-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

Note to Self-Publishers

2011-05-16T11:17:00.001-07:00

(Excerpt from a ‘LinkedIn’ posting sent to me by another author)

Perhaps the one-stop shop is not the best option for you. I agree with many other posters on the list that the more you amplify the “self” in self-publishing, the more you can control the outcome. So, if you plan to self-publishing with LightningSource or some other POD, I would suggest that you do your homework and find other dedicated professionals to assist you with production. For example:

–a good copyeditor who knows industry standards for book publishing (Chicago Manual of Style)
–a graphic designer/desktop publisher who is familiar with the POD service with which you choose to work and can format and package book contents based on the POD’s specific parameters
–a proofreader (who also knows book publishing standards)
–book marketing and promotional specialists

Publishing a to-standard book can be an arduous process. If you are committed to having your book in the best shape possible, you should do your homework and find the talent that will make your dream a reality.

I have a blog that may assist in answering some of your questions: www.scriberia.blogspot.com. It talks about how to choose editors and designers.

Best of luck to you!

Thomas
Posted by Thomas Hill

Katalina Work in Progress

2011-05-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

Prince - Latest Chapter Snippet

2011-05-05T18:15:00.001-07:00

Dusk brought about a mix of deep purple across the sea, causing the two to pause on their way back to the clan, and gave Keith time to reflect on the day's happenings. Glory's decision to run away provided the perfect excuse to explore Trully's boundaries. After their visit with the Phines, Keith took Glory to see the Landing family, explaining what happened with their crops along the way. The Landing's had been more than happy to welcome Keith as their new prince, and treated Glory like royalty. The prince recalled her beaming face as they asked to know more about her. Time had seemed a mere droplet of water lazily deciding to drip off the edge of her cup when they offered her a drink. Every move she made, every breath she took, every swallow causing the faintest twitch to that pale white throat, was a distraction. Conversation was lost in the moment her eyes locked with his.

Keith scarcely remembered visiting the neighboring farm to pick up Glory's clothing still hung out on the line. With the promise to return to get more acquainted with the family, they then took the long way back to Harbor's Point to avoid the Schevolsky territory, to Glory's relief.

"It's very open here." She continued to admire the fading colors reflecting in the water from above. She turned her head gracefully to look over one shoulder at Keith. "I'm glad I came."

"As am I." His breath nearly caught in his chest. The light fading from behind cast her in silhouette, with the slightest glow outlining her slender form. "Best we be heading back." He hated the moment to end. If only time could stand still for a moment more.

Passing clouds faded into a blanket of darkness over the horizon. The last of the gulls settled in for the night, signaling the day's end. As the two started up the hill, Keith felt a hand slip into his.

Alexander was waiting for them at the gated entrance, and was thanked multiple times for his dedicated work. As the three started toward the Western Clan for the night, Keith paused to take in the night air. A passing breeze carried the scent of Lo'ans'rel.

"Keith?" Glory tried to discern his expression in lantern's light.

The Healer flicked an ear her way.

"I just want to check the clan real quick," he replied. "You two go ahead. I'll be along shortly."

"In the dark?"

"I'll be right back. Promise!"An aura of blue light consumed his body, and in an instant he was gone in the form of an owl. He was not far from the wall surrounding the Eastern Clan, and alighted with a soft click of talons clamping over stone. A few moments passed before another owl joined him.

"Enjoy your evening?" Shy hooted in greeting.

"Chanté all right?"

"Of course! He's been watching humans all day; they fascinate him."

"And you?"

His brother shook his feathers in an act of shrugging off the question.

"Seems you're more aware of that girl."

"So you followed me," Keith returned, bobbing his head up and down. With owl eyes only capable of gazing in one direction, he turned his head to find his brother preening his chest feathers. "You saw the storm?"

"I only heard your thoughts, brethusus." Shy spat a few unruly feathers from his beak.

"I need to find out why it's growing." A flap of wings positioned his body in the direction of Sapphire.

"You're not thinking of going in there again, are you?" Shy screeched in concern.

"No. Abraham's there. Dream-channeling should be enough."

"The memories you shared with me showed you were discovered by this Jenario. Would he not be expecting your return?"

In response, Keith puffed up his chest feathers. The memory encountering Jenario in another mind nearly cost his life.

"He was expecting me then. I…haven't tried since."

"And how do you know the person you plan to contact still exists?" Shy asked. "Jenario could have killed him!"

Keith sighed. "It's a risk I'll have to take." He waited for a reply, but there was only the rustle of leaves in the breeze. Shy's mind remained closed to current thoughts so, taking it as a sign of leave, Keith prepped his wings for flight.

"You know, you don't have to shift back to dream-channel," came the sudden thought.

"What?" Keith hooted.

"I could link to you, keep a connection here in case you need to pull out."

Keith paused in thought. "That possible?"

The owl puffed its feathers out as though taking in a deep breath, then slowly pulled then back.

"We're shape-shifters. It should be."

Keith hesitated, but his brother seemed confident.

"I'll try it, but the moment you sense a third person, pull me out!"

"Then don't be long," Shy warned.

Keith was faintly aware of his brother's physical presence as he released a mental probe into the night. It was same process as before, and even easier to find Sapphire with the roar of never-ceasing storm acting like a beacon of light. Like a moth drawn to flame, he followed the waves of sound until he had passed into an interior of silence. Inside the walls of Jenario's home, the passage was a blur of gray haze and dark shadows. The throb of his heart constrained the path, teetering on the edge of collapse to a world where sight and sound no longer applied, and Keith began to wonder if entering dream-channeling while in another form might have something to do with it. He continued, though cautious, expecting the swirl of darkness to unveil its true keeper of the night.

A quickening of breath conveyed anxiety when his probe reached what he hoped to be its destination, then plunged into the mind of the sleeper. No incantations this time. This was not the mind of a mage. No hunter's rush to target prey, so the assassin was out.

"That only leaves one person," he thought aloud, and tried to conjure an image of himself so he could easily be seen. To his disappoint, however, only the owl form appeared. "Abraham? Can you hear me?"

Fan Art Request

2011-05-05T18:07:00.001-07:00

A new website revamp is calling for some fan art for the author's latest novel. If interested, please check out this link:

http://news.deviantart.com/article/149535/

There's free-bee's involved!

Katalina WIP

2011-04-28T08:49:00.001-07:00

Influenced through Music

2011-04-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

I recently heard Katy Perry's hit song called E.T. and immediately got an idea for a Science Fiction story. We've all heard stories about aliens and Area 51, government hiding creatures and all that mish mash. But no one ever tells the story of how aliens came to be. I like to know how things work. Why do people look and act the way they do?

What if aliens were originally people? Just normal, every day human beings, ripped apart and transformed when exposed to the unknown forces beyond Earth? What if that force happens to be pulls of magnetic fields, gravitation, or centrifugal force? What if all this manipulates the body to be more adaptive of these things? And what if it takes years to accomplish this?

This is the story behind a private government owned and operated plan. The only aliens that exist...are us! We make them. We feed them to newspapers and journals for the sake of something new and exciting for the everyday person. We send them on missions for the sake of creating new stories with thrilling action so readers can buy the latest Star Trek novel. It's all real.

But no one thinks it is.

The actual story to this centers around a family whose husband and father of a teenage daughter was sent to work on a project for two years on one of the space stations. Shortly after departing, the family receives word that his shuttle exploded when the engine malfunctioned. Believing him gone for good, the daughter continues to reads her favorite sci-fi books that her dad used to read to her when she was little, while the mother disapproves of such and wants her to grow up.

Ten years later, a UFO crash-lands close to the house. It's the father, but he's....well....changed. The unique type of aircraft needed to brave the forces of the universe resembles that of the stories the daughter likes to read. She recognizes him, but he has trouble remembering her.

Basically, we don't know whether he's the good guy or the bad guy. Recall how strange metal from outer space causes strong magnetic pulls on mechanical objects or makes compasses go crazy? He can do this. It seems like he has powers, but it's just the magnetic force in waves of energy surrounding him, making him capable of doing the "Jedi" thing. He has two eyelids, like owls do. A side lid and an upper lid. This helps block out strong light, say from the sun or other sources. It also looks really cool when he blinks. The eyes themselves seem more almond shaped, slightly larger than normal, as though he's in the midst of transforming into the goggle-eyed aliens we know today.

I don't want Avatar look!!! So he's slightly shorter than his average human height. But he's one bad-ass alien! He's discovered the secret behind the government's plan, and he's ready to stop it. Ever wonder what crop circles mean? This would be a great way to advertise the message, send officials into a questioning frenzy, and expose one of the greatest scandals in history.

How Cute Am I

2011-04-09T19:28:00.001-07:00

Wisdom Novels Characters Sample Page

2011-04-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

Characters from left to right: Keith, Nathaniel, Jenario, Glory, & Osha

Portrait WIP3

2011-04-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

Leah's Niece WIP2

2011-03-30T19:34:00.001-07:00

Leah's Niece - WIP

2011-03-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

Wisdom on the Web

2011-03-24T08:46:00.001-07:00

My novel, Wisdom, first in the Blue Moon Rising Trilogy, has just come out on Barnes and Nobles and Amazon websites.

Barnes and Nobles
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Wisdom/Bonnie-Watson/e/9781458359476/?itm=1&USRI=wisdom+bonnie+watson

Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Bonnie-Watson/dp/1458359476/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300981789&sr=1-1

Elementals - Short Story Idea?

2011-03-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

Elementals (work in progress title)

Azrael thought his days as an Elemental were over, until he comes across a 15-year-old girl called Vee. For three days, Vee has searched for her missing brother, claiming that he was kidnapped by an Elemental. Not wanting to revisit the past, Azrael is hesitant to assist in the rescue until he realizes the same thing that happened to him is about to happen again...

Story Outline

Azrael is angry with the High Elementals because they are responsible for giving power to younger users, and not explaining how any of it works. After receiving the element of fire, Azrael returns to his love to explain his absence. But upon their reunion, his untested power consumes her in flames. To save her, the High Elementals grant her the power of Ice. Yet fire and ice can never be together, so Azrael forsakes his power to wander the land in misery and lonliness.

True Elementals can conjure up their powers without needing to have the element nearby. Azrael can only use his if it's available, and only lost it when he went up against the Lord of Elementals.

Ending?

He'll probably end up losing the rest of his power too as he tries to help Vee reach her brother. Maybe then he can be with his love again...or at least wind up freezing as one of her statues....

Kat Face Detail

2011-03-16T17:45:00.001-07:00

Katalina WIP3

2011-03-16T10:51:00.001-07:00

Katalina WIP 2

2011-03-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

Katalina

2011-03-10T13:07:00.001-08:00

Rough sketch of Kat from the Western Fantasy series of short stories called "Weapons Casters"

Video Game Concept - from a dream

2011-03-06T09:50:00.000-08:00

I had this really weird dream the other night about creating a video game, called "Tumbling". Now, maybe that doesn't sound all that amusing, because in all honesty it sounds like a lame version of a building block game. But after I woke up and thought about it, it began to sound a little better.

The storyline goes as thus: (sorry I don't have any location names for a map, but would probably make a cool RP type game by building your character).

You play a character living in a world where a huge mudslide has covered up one of the most precious natural resources known to man - water. The government of your homeland is seeking out people called Tumblers, similiar to magic-users familiar with the Elements, to seek out air pockets within the mud and pick out bubbles of this precious liquid. People are starving, lack of rain, and crops are wearing out. The government, of course, is making a huge profit getting their own water supply and selling it.

This is where you come in. You have the option of becoming a Tumbler yourelf, either reaping the benefits of getting paid and keeping the money or helping the people get their natural resource back. So you journey across mud-ridden landscapes, occasionally coming across pockets of greenery and ponds, hacking and slashing when you need to claim resources for yourself, but mostly you use your tumbling skills.

When you first start out, you're not very good at locating pockets of air underneath mud. Until you get better, you have to find locations where the mud isn't very thick. What happens is, you call upon vines to bring forth a bubble of water out of the mud. But you have to be very careful with it, because when you first start, you're only in control of one vine, and you have to balance the bubble on the vine until you can properly capture it. If the bubble breaks or falls, you loose money. The more advanced you get, the more vines you can control until you don't have to worry about balancing at all, just holding it. But be careful. The vines can still damage the bubble if you hold it too tight.

So you go through the land and collect as many of these resources as possible. Once you discover larger lakes, you can mark locations for groups to come out and collect, or try to clear the mud away and sell the land for farming, building, etc.

Apart from collecting water, a rumor is spreading through the towns that a large landmass survived the mudslide, and is apparently unowned, with plenty of farm lands available, water and everything else the people would need. It is also claimed that government knows its location but is withholding it from the people. Your job is to find this location, claim it for yourself, or begin helping the people rebuild their lives.

There was plenty of action in the dream. You had ways of getting through the mud by taming different mounts, horses, dogs, or other creatures. The flying creatures looked cool. And there are things in the mud that you don't want to cross, either.

There were other themes to the dream, like making friends, accepting other tasks and quests, stuff like that. The funny this is, no one spoke English. Very weird, since I haven't taken any foreign languages, LOL.

In all, it seemed a pretty cool video game concept.

Ain't Tipped Yer Hat to Me

2011-02-28T18:48:00.001-08:00

I caught a smirk under the shadow of his hat. His coat was a rich black and silver. Stunning, especially with that neatly trimmed beard. Made me almost want to trim mine. But, as I was never one to think about shaving first thing in the morning, I reckoned it looked just about as good as the hair on my head.

“It has been a while. Long enough to keep my coat in order,” he replied. “You look like a coyote threw up!”

I just shrugged. “I get around.”

“Looks it. So you brought a live one today. Don’t you normally spill their guts on sight?”

“I didn’t think Guilds assigned other Casters to an already assigned town,” I changed the subject.

“Who said I was on assignment?” he returned.

That bothered me. Masters were not allowed to leave their assigned towns. If Jaemason wasn’t working, then he wasn’t with a Guild. Not good.

“Fine time to be taking a vacation, then.” My finger was already on the trigger, and he knew it. “I don’t need another body to clean up tonight.”

“Manners, manners, Azri.” He straightened and strode to the saloon’s entrance. “You ain’t tipped your hat to me yet.” He pushed through one side of the swinging doors and disappeared inside.

Jaemason WIP3

2011-02-25T18:55:00.000-08:00

Jaemason Update

2011-02-21T20:43:00.001-08:00

"Prince" Chapter 5

2011-02-21T15:17:00.000-08:00

There was no one at the gated entrance when Glory paused to inspect the initials carved on either side of two stone columns - the letter “S”. Mr. Schevolsky had been kind enough to give her directions and what to expect the clan to look like. However, instead of an abandoned, frumpy looking yard, the entranceway consisted of trimmed grass, with rose vines gently curved over a stone wall surrounding the clan’s property. Up ahead came the distinct sound of voices, and when she looked she saw a multitude of people coming and going from inside a great mansion. It was unlike her home back in Lexington, a comparable version to Luxor itself.

As she approached, several people emerged from a side door to toss furniture out in the yard. Most of it looked old and worn out, and fit and description Mr. Schevolsky warned she might see.

“Can I help you?” someone asked, and Glory turned toward a gentleman heading for the pile with arms loaded down with wooden drawers. “Watch out,” he said, then tossed them on top of the pile. A few spiders crawled out from the bottom of the heap.

Glory quickly sidestepped.

“I’m looking for a friend of mine. Can you help me?” She lifted her chin in a proud stance as she spoke, having seen her stepmother do it when feigning importance. Glory was pleased when the man obliged her in the same fashion.

“‘Of course.” He glanced over her fashionable gown. “Who are you looking for?”

“His name is Keith. I was told he was the new prince here. Can you tell him he has a visiter?”

There was a moment’s hesitation. “No ‘Keith’ that I’m aware of, although we do have a new prince.”

Glory stood in puzzlement. “This...is the Eastern Clan, isn’t it?”

“Is it.”

A pause. “Is the prince albino looking?”

“Albino, yes.”

Glory started to ask another question, but was caught off in mid-sentence when the man interrupted and began moving toward the main dwelling.

“Maybe I should just fetch him for you instead,” he insisted, then walked briskly to the side door and disappeared within.

Left in doubt, Glory waited with a look of irritation quickly spreading across her face. She turned so her backside faced the building, having seen several others peering from windows down at her. Men! She could not imagine anyone else fitting Keith’s description, especially being the only albino magic-user she knew of in the area. Silent anger erupted within. Had the farm woman lied to her? Maybe the Schevolsky’s were right. Poor people don’t how to handle rich things.

*****

Keith had just finished cleaning up pieces of broken glass on the second floor when Alexander hurried into the room. The shortness of breath from the Western Prince cued Keith in to the importance of the matter.

“Hey, Alex,” he calmly greeted. “Something wrong?”

Alexander just laughed. “What could be more wrong than a beautiful woman asking for someone who doesn’t exist?”

“What are you talking about?” Keith got off his hands and knees to brush his pants off. He took the pan filled with glass shards and dumped it into a nearby bucket. “What woman?”

“I didn’t get her name. She apparently knew your appearance, but the name was different.”

When he mentioned the name, Keith stiffened.

“Really pretty face, too,” Alexander continued. “A little demanding, if you ask me. I said I’d find you just to make sure. I didn’t think you knew that person.”

Keith closed his eyes, picturing the woman from Alexander’s thoughts. Dark hair, maple-brown eyes; there was no mistaken her identity.

“I don’t believe this!” He left the pan and bucket near the window and pushed passed a few members bringing in a new sheet of glass. In his haste, they nearly dropped it. “Sorry!” he apologized quickly as he flew down the stairwell. He knew Alexander and others would be puzzled by his sudden behavior, but explanations could come later.

Her back was turned when he finally stepped outside. A slender arc in the way she held herself caught his breath, for the drape of fabric allowed a glimpse of smooth skin beneath the length of dark hair. Unconsciously, he lifted a hand to the necklaces hidden beneath his shirt. The ring was still there. As he approached, memories of their first encounter flooded his mind. His chest felt heavy with the way his heart throbbed to say something, to get her to turn and see the loveliness he had always seen in her. Only a few feet remained between them. Her body showed impatience by the tapping of a foot.

“Still spoiled, I see,” he finally said.

Startled, Glory turned her head with a graceful slip of hair falling off one shoulder.

Keith grinned. Alexander was not wrong in his description of her face. She was as lovely as he remembered.

Emotion caught her words, leaving her struggling for a proper response. Her shoulders shivered in the warmth of afternoon sunlight. When tears threatened to fall, it was Keith who took her in his arms to try and calm her.

“You have no idea what I’ve been through,” she finally said, and turned her face away so it wouldn’t bury in his neck.

“I’m here now,” he whispered. The smell of her hair was intoxicating.

When they finally pulled away, Glory wiped under each eye. That smile beamed up at him, then suddenly switched to surprise.

“You do have them!” The touch of fingers to one of his ears was enough to send him back a step.

“You knew?” he asked in confusion. “But...I never...”

Because she traveled with me, that’s why.

Glory whirled around at Shy’s mental thought, with Keith stunned into silence at his brother’s sudden arrival. The two watched as a hawk swooped in, transforming mid-flight to land in front of them. When the green glow of shifting faded, the hawk had vanished, replaced by Shy’s true form.

“Surprised to see me, I’m sure.” He nodded to his brother.

“You!” Glory accused. A well-placed slap caught Shy off guard. He rubbed his aching cheek, emerald eyes meeting her angry maple-brown gaze. “You left me in a swamp!”

“I didn’t leave you,” Shy returned. “I told you to swim to the other side.”

“But then you never came!”

“Well, excuse me for not abandoning Chanté sooner, your royal highness.” He took a mock bow. “You don’t have the luxury of added weight to your back pulling you down in filthy muck!”

Glory leaned in closer, her face mere inches from the tip of Shy’s nose.

“Like it was my decision to go through it in first place?”

“Wait, Chanté is-” Keith began.

“Would you have rather gone through the storm?” Shy interrupted.

“Well, that’s where Keith went, didn’t he?”

“Keith?” Alexander questioned.

“Not to mention the men who saw me bathing naked, or those Shevolsky’s in town!” Glory went on.

“You went to the Shevolsky’s!” Alexander demanded, with Glory and Shy carrying on at the same time.

“Eee-nuff!” Keith threw his hands out, causing the earth to tremble under his fiery temper.

Everyone hushed.

“As if I don’t already have enough problems!” The prince let his fingers work the remaining magic from the tips, then clapsed his hands together at his waist. He glanced over his shoulder where members had ceased work, distracted by the sudden argument.

Put off by Keith’s statement, Glory started to argue, but the prince held up a hand for silence.

“No, no. Let’s start over, shall we?” He pointed to Glory. “Now, you know my brother?”

“We met in Lexington.” She did not bother hiding that aggravated tone.

Keith’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You went to Lexington?”

“If you let me explain, I’ll tell you why.” Shy’s gaze slid over to Alexander. “In private, of course.”

“Meaning you didn’t come on your own, I take it.” When his brother did not respond, Keith took a breath and turned to Alexander. “Okay. Alex, may I introduce you to Lady Glory Elite, Roland Elite’s daughter. Glory, this is Alexander, Prince of the Western Clan.”

“The Elite family?” Alexander took Glory’s hand and raised it to his lips. “A pleasure.” He lightly planted a kiss before releasing it. Keith noted her temper slightly fade as she seemed to accept the new recognition.

“Thank you,” she said in a much softer voice. Her gaze traveled to Keith, who cracked a smile.

“Alex, would you mind showing Glory around the clan for a bit while I talk with my brother?”

“Wait a minute!” Glory exclaimed. “You’re not just putting me off like your brother did. I came here explicitly to find you.”

“What I have to tell my brother is far more important than why you came, which wouldn’t have happened if you never met me.”

Keith just shook his head. “Please, Glory. You can come with me to the shipyard, if you want. There’ll be plenty of time on the way to say anything on your mind. Until then, I need to hear what’s happening with my family, as I have no other connections with them being in the human realms.”

Glory eyed him a moment before finally acknowledging his request.

“And another thing, for all three of you,” Keith glanced around to make sure no other had approached during the conversation. “While I’m here in the human realms, I only go by one name. Wisdom, or Master Wisdom. That’s it. Not Keith.”

“Wisdom?” Glory inclined her head out of curiosity.

“I’ll explain later.” He gestured to Alexander. “If you please?”

“Not to worry about a thing.” Alexander had Glory take his arm, then led her away to point out things about the clan.

Keith waited a moment until the two were out of hearing range before speaking.

“You want to tell me what’s going on?”

I’d prefer someplace solitary, came the thought from his brother.

No sooner had the word, “Fine,” escaped the prince’s lips, then the two shifted into birds and flew together toward the nearly woods. Linked with his brother, Keith allowed thoughts to guide him to a secluded location where the two shifted back once on the ground. With arms crossed, he waited for Shy’s explanation.

“Have you read her mind yet?”

“Can’t say I have,” Keith replied flatly.

Shy spread his fingers to emphasis his words. “She’s got this whole vision about the two of you. It’s quite—”

“—Cut the dramatics, Shy! There’s no way you’d be here without Chronicles somehow involved in this.”

“Possibly, but not the way you think it is.”

Keith felt his brother open his thoughts to him, felt the anarchic power churning within a ravished landscape, and he cringed.

The valley!

Father believes it’s human involvement, but I know otherwise. Shy then relayed the moment upon the cliff where the Dark Unicorn attacked him. Whatever it did to me, it erased memories of its appearance. I had to prove I wasn’t crazy; otherwise, Chronicles would have made Jangus his heir.

Keith remained silent as he was continuously fed mental images: Chanté currently in hiding while his wings dried, how they met Glory, and the decision to go around the storm that led into the swamp. When there was no more to be told, and the last of the thoughts lingered within the prince’s mind, Keith felt his brother pull away and the link close.

“Thank you for helping her,” Keith’s voice was barely a whisper. “But Chronicles was not far off about humans. At least…one in particular…” A sly smile crept across his lips. “Allow me to show you what only a handful know.”

Keith poured his thoughts into Shy, so fast the Healer flinched. There came a gasp when he learned Osha had given up her horn for protection, then a gurgling growl at Jenario’s attempts to take over his brother’s body.

It’s the horn that’s controlling him, Keith warned. My greatest fear is the Purification. While we have no say-so in what unicorns do, if the wrong one tries to purify the land, we’d all be in trouble. That’s why she came to me.

Unicorns are not made fools by anything, not even their own kind, Shy returned with a sigh. This complicates things a bit.

You think?

So what’s the plan?

Keith nearly laughed. What plan? If there’s something I need to know, Osha will tell me. Right now, the only thing I’m concerned with is getting our two kinds back together. When he received no comment from his brother, Keith continued. Most humans that do remember us are willing to have us back. With us balancing Nature, we were greatly appreciated during harvest time.

What about the girl?

Keith flattened his ears. “Leave her to me.”

Shy grinned. “With pleasure.”

Characters for Wisdom Novels

2011-02-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

Jenario accidently creates a Black Unicorn by giving it a potion to drink that would allow its power to tranfer to Jenario's body. Instead, it sours the magic, causing Jenario to destroy what he thought would be a power boost. What he doesn't realize is the soul of the creature exists within the horn, so when he picks up the broken tip it gets inside of him and starts controlling his mind and body.

Jenario Onyx

Keith is effected by the behavior of the unicorn because he descends from a race of shape-shifters known as Lo'ans'rel, guardians of Nature. The Dark Unicorn wants out of Jenario's body and into another who is One with Nature. Keith is the perfect target because he's born away from his kind, with his parents murdered before they have a chance to tell him his heritage.

Glory runs away from all her problems, until she runs into Keith, and the two form a bond of everlasting friendship. Although her wealthy family would rather see her married to the successful fish merchant Valor, Glory is determined to have things her way. But love can be a hard decison to make when she discovers Keith's kind want nothing to do with humans, and would rather see them destroyed. Believing its her falt, she does the one thing to help solve her problems...run!

Corrigan is a halfbreed Black Wing searching for his captive mother in the human realms. When he's approached by the newly powered mage, Jenario, who offers to help him in return to be his lab rat, Corrigan agrees. He meets Keith during a visit to a slave owner. Keith's eyes give away the power hidden within, but the harpy doesn't want to tell Jenario this as he simply wants to ask Keith if he's seen another Black Wing female in slavery. It's not until later that Jenario gets wind of this, and sends the harpy on several missions to try to obtain the boy (or rather, the horn itself tries to obtain him since he wants another body).

Sister unicorn to the now degraded Black Unicorn, Osha knows it's only a matter of time before her twin sibling takes over Keith's body. With no way to protect himself, she offers her horn to keep him safe, and herself, until the time of the Purification during the phazes of a Blue Moon come to pass. The balance of magic has been upset due to Jenario's careless procedure. Osha cannot have the land fall to chaos. The duty of the unicorn is to keep that balance, but only one unicorn is allowed to ascend to begin the purification.

The countdown begins...

Happy New Year!

2011-01-31T14:39:00.001-08:00

Dance of the Firebird Complete

2011-01-26T21:03:00.001-08:00

Dance of the Firebird Series 2

2011-01-21T09:17:00.001-08:00

Work in Progress

Traditional: Watercolors

Digital: Photoshop CS3

Dance of the Firebird 2 WIP

2011-01-14T11:31:00.001-08:00

Portrait WIP3

2011-01-13T20:13:00.001-08:00

Work in Progress - portrait2

2011-01-13T10:24:00.001-08:00

Speed Painting

2011-01-12T09:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Portrait WIP

2011-01-06T11:05:00.001-08:00

Weapons Caster Jaemason

2011-01-02T18:12:00.001-08:00

I caught a smirk under the shadow his hat. His coat was a rich black and silver. Stunning, especially with that neatly trimmed beard. Made me almost want to trim mine. But, as I was never one to think about shaving first thing in the morning, I reckoned it looked just about as good as the hair on my head.

“It has been a while. Long enough to keep my coat in order,” he replied. “You look like a coyote threw up!”

I just shrugged. “I get around.”

“Looks it. So you brought a live one today. Don’t you normally spill their guts on sight?”

“I didn’t think Guilds assigned other Casters to an already assigned town,” I changed the subject.

“Who said I was on assignment?” he returned.

That bothered me. Masters were not allowed to leave their assigned town. If Jaemason wasn’t working, then he wasn’t with a Guild. Not good.

“Fine time to be taking a vacation, then.” My finger was already on the trigger, and he knew it. “I don’t need another body to clean up tonight.”

“Manners, manners, Azri.” He straightened and strode to the saloon’s entrance. “You ain’t tipped your hat to me yet.” He pushed through one side of the swinging doors and disappeared inside.

Peaceful Unto Death

2011-01-02T10:52:00.001-08:00

Western Fantasy Story Update

2010-12-28T18:12:00.000-08:00

A Partner in Crime
© 2010 Bonnie Watson

Up before first crow; rode out to meet the sun cresting the tops of Mount Glory. I tilted my wide-brimmed hat to block out most of the rays, then turned my horse to face town. The grass tip I'd stuck between my teeth early on was beginning to taste bitter. I slid it over. Wasn't tobacco, but it would do - now that I was on patrol.

I could feel the heat building into the morning, and I cracked a grin only a passing Horned lizard could see. A few moments more and my Duster would activate. Not the most complicated defense, but useful when scouring the desert in pursuit of possible outlaws. Supposing I was thankful to have been given the chance to redeem myself. All those years of criminal acts – the Guild must have known. They wouldn't have accepted me, let alone granted such a fine coat to display my Weapon Caster skills. Mighty thankful, if not a bit haughty.

Story Link: http://bonbon3272.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d317l9a

Story Related Images

Time of the Unicorns

2010-12-20T11:39:00.000-08:00

Himalayan Ice Dragon

2010-12-19T19:43:00.001-08:00

Remember When Complete

2010-12-17T11:46:00.001-08:00

Christmas Commission

2010-12-13T13:11:00.001-08:00

Merry XXX-mas!

2010-12-13T13:10:00.001-08:00

Whimsical Harpy Complete

2010-12-13T13:07:00.000-08:00