Anyhow, most of the major links on this blog now redirect to their counterparts on the new site, but just in case one doesn't, you can now find me at: http://wendysrusso.wordpress.com.
Hope to see you there!
Death waited for them beyond the veil of smoke.
The wind shifted, Briar dug in his heels, and his horse charged deeper into the burning woods.
It was neither bravery nor desire on his part; he'd never been accused of having much of the former, and the latter he reserved for carnal delights. Anticipation pushed him between the smoldering trees and into the clearing moments before a comet crossed behind him, spooking his horse.
The prince pushed up from the ground just enough to spit out dirt and watched with awe the ring of fire chasing a flurry of leaves along the tree line.
He followed the flame until his eye fell on Shannen standing with her arms outstretched, eyes cast skyward, balanced upon the village well in the eye of the storm.
First of all, I would like to thank Wendy for inviting me over on her blog today. It's a pleasure. *waves at everyone*Thank you for coming, Kate! What gave you the idea for Taste?
The main idea for Taste came from the practice at the school I used to teach at. In the afternoons they would ring this bell that signals to the students that they should all move to the guardhouse to wait for their parents to pick them up. Of course, there was a practical reason for this, but my brain started thinking of something else. Like: what happens at night in this school? So, the Night Students were born.Do you recall the first scene you wrote?
The first scene I wrote was Phoenix waking up in the library to the tolling of the school bell. I knew from the very beginning that it was how the story would start.And that scene is killer! How about a scene that you loved but ended up cutting?
Definitely. It was a scene that involved Phoenix and Luka. Very romantic. Sadly, I couldn't keep it. Sigh.Oh...I have a soft spot in my heart for Luka. And I usually have an a-ha moment, where an insignificant detail becomes something really important. Did you have a moment like that? Will it spoil the plot to tell me what it was?
Yes, I had several of them while writing Taste. I can't share them here because it would spoil too much of the book. Safe to say, when I write, I usually don't know what happens next until I start a new chapter, which is why most of my aha moments are spoilery. *laughs*Are you surprised where the story took you? Or if ended up where you planned, were you surprised how you got there?
That's the thing about Taste. I already knew how it would end from the time I started writing it, so it was just a matter of connecting point A with point Z.I understand that. Finally, what story idea is sitting in the class right now, raising his hand madly, begging you to call on him?
So many. The situation brings me back to my teaching days when everyone wanted to answer the question. But I'm thinking of trying a contemporary YA romance. I've never written one of those yet.
Colette pulled against the knights that held her back but couldn't free herself. The top of the box split, then the walls unfolded and fell to the floor with a series of bangs that silenced the room. Thousands of butterflies fluttered up into the air, revealing Liasneh’s gift as they cleared the space.
[A guest of the king's] young daughter, Princess Vanessa let out a blood curdling scream.
A little girl in a white dress, five years old, perhaps six, lay upon a cloud of wild flowers. It would have been a lovely wake for a soul so young, if not for the massive blade pinning her to the floor.