Kristy Brown's Blog: Always writing...

So, a year on for Covid and I have to own up! I haven't written a word since this awful time began. I was about 8 chapters in to a modern day Romeo and Juliet retelling with gymnastics and lots of 80's references. I was really enjoying the process, and then nothing. My head wont focus on one thing for long. I guess I'm not on my own there. I figured if I wrote this post, it might give me a good kick up the backside into getting going again!!! Anyone else having problems focusing, not with just writing, maybe reading, doing tasks? Anyway, I MUST stop this procrastination. I did edit book 3 in my PNR series, which I guess is sort of writing?? SEE, excuses!!!

Hi all,
Here's a short excerpt from my fairy tale retelling :) Hope you enjoy. x

I take the stuff back to the bathroom. Ellie’s singing. She has a sweet, calming voice. Leaning against the doorframe, just listening for a few verses before knocking. No answer. I open the door and cover my eyes, dumping the clothes and boots on the floor before leaving. I wanted to look, but I made her a promise. I always keep my word, no matter how tempting it is to break it. The shower stops running.
“You okay?” I shout through the door.
“Great, thanks!”
“I left some clothes; they look about your size. Hope they’re okay? Couldn’t find anything fancy.”
“They seem fine,” she shouts back. A few minutes pass. I hear the shuffling of fabrics and Ellie cutely chuntering to herself. “Ash?”
“Yeah?”
“Would you come in here for a moment please?”
“Err, sure…hope you’re decent?” I laugh. Opening the door, she’s sat on the side of the bath with one boot on and the other in her hand, looking sorry for herself.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t get this one on. I’ve tried but it hurts. Will you help me?”
“Sure.” I kneel at her feet; pull her sock down to give her foot the once over. “It’s still pretty swollen. We just need to loosen the laces.” I go to work on them. Carefully taking her ankle, I help to glide her foot into the boot. “There it fits!” I chuckle, as she throws her arms around my neck and embraces me.
“What was that for?” I ask, when she pulls her warm cheek away from mine.
“Because I felt like it.” She beams, and that gap between her front teeth makes her smile ten times more enticing.
“It’s just a shoe.” I shrug, getting to my feet.
“Well, to me it’s so much more.” She stands.
“You look great.” I take in her casual jeans and jumper look. Like this, she doesn’t look above me; in fact, we look like we fit. She could easily pass as a country girl.
Cinderfella

Zakk’s throat grew tighter. Barely able to breathe, sweat dripped from his brow.
“What…what did I do wrong?” He gasped, seeing only darkness. Invisible hands clamped around his neck. “Please… stop.” His limbs became heavy like lead weights. Knowing this to be the end, he managed to push out with a shallow breath, “I’m sorry.”
The vice around his throat loosened, discarding him like a crumpled tissue. Maybe an apology was all ‘it’ needed. Minutes passed, feeling like an eternity. All seemed quiet in the icy air. Zakk dare not move. Trying to collect his thoughts, attempting to regulate his breathing. Straining to catch a glimpse of his jailer but was unable to see past his own shadow. The presence watched, enjoying the show. Waves of emotions passed within; pain, loneliness, emptiness, dread, but most of all fear. Fear seeping in, like black ink coursing through every vein, devouring all consciousness. For the first time ever, Zakk felt totally alone. He knew if he could scream, no one would hear. If he tried to run, his legs would not aid him.
“Who are you?”
“Who am I? Who am I?” The voice somehow seemed strangely familiar, as it broke into a spine-chilling laughter.
“Don’t you know?” it mocked. “Look hard, deep into yourself. You know who I am. I am your darkest fear when you close your eyes. I lie in wait at your very core. Who am I?”
Zakk fiddled with the dull glass ring on his middle finger. It had belonged to his mother, just touching it reminded him of her warm smile, her golden silky hair, and the lullaby she sang to tuck him up each night.
“You’re the Witch Queen!” he realised. He’d waited so long for answers but still was not face-to-face with this cold-blooded murderer. “You killed my mother.”
“Clever, clever Zakky. Clever child,” she hissed. “Your mother would be so proud of you.”
Silence fell upon him. Aching with sadness, skin burning in anger. If he was about to die in this cave, he needed answers.
“Why her?”
“I should have ruled this world. I should have been queen. She was useless. I’ll do better. It should have been me at your father’s side. She never loved him.” Spitting out the words as if they were poison.
“But you did?” Zakk asked. “You loved my father?”
“Silly boy, silly little, Zakky. I do not love. It’s a weakness which eats you alive, swallows you whole then moves on to dessert.” Had she tasted this bitter pain? “I got sweet revenge on sad, cowardly Helen by pushing her into a D’rog pit. They tore into her like a yummy treat.”
Tears pushed under his eyelids. Unable to swallow, for the boulder-like lump blocking his windpipe.
“Tossed from one to the other, like a little raggedy doll,” she sang, with great malice.
Zakk, now broken, wept. No longer able to hold the tears at bay. Giving in to the despair, picturing his mother’s gruesome death. The Witch Queen poked a spindly leather finger into Zakk’s cheek. Her face still covered by a veil of darkness. Watching his tears run down her long, ugly finger, he noticed a very familiar glass ring at the end of it. Shaking in disbelief, he looked again, recognising his father’s ring. Time slowed. Sweat gushed over him like hot rain.
“Father!” he cried. “Father?” knowing the only response would be that of his own echoes chasing each other around the stone cave walls.
“He’s gone,” she said, stepping a little closer, he could just make out a pair of empty eyes. Searching them wildly for a hint of compassion, but there was none to be found. Like hard coal, these eyes were dead inside.
“No, no,” he pleaded, kneeling on the floor, arms clasping his chest.
“I will rule Zantar; it is meant to be. All will live in fear of my gaze upon them. I thought you might have been my biggest barrier. But as I look upon you, crying like an infant, I find you weak, boy. It will be easy to send you to join your parents. It’s only fair after all.”
The Witch Queen took a step back; he could see her boney outline as she held her hands aloft and chanted. Flames shot from her hands and bolted toward him. Vibrant reds and dancing oranges licked at his heels, engulfing him, he stumbled back. The chanting became more urgent. Zakk raised both hands to shield his eyes. This is it. I am finished. I couldn’t save my family, or my people. I am nothing.
At that moment, the air cooled. Opening an eye, feeling safe from the heat. A pure force of light shielded him, bringing the fire to a halt. Bizarrely, the force poured out from his mother’s ring, which now shone all the colours of the rainbow. In her own way, she still watched over him and protected him. Feeling the wrath of the Witch Queen sliding away. Strength glided back through his being once more. Slowly rising to his feet, feeling strangely confident. This new resolve seemed to anger the witch further. She tried once again to execute her enemy, throwing arrow upon arrow of flesh stripping fire, but to no avail. Her efforts bounced off the protective shield, like hail against a windowpane.
“Damn your wretched mother and your proud father. If I cannot kill you, I’ll make you wish I had.”
A high-pitched squeal, a flash of white light, and Zakk began to fall. Unable to feel his body or open his eyes. There were no sounds. The heartbeat pounding in his chest moments ago, fell deathly silent, and all went black.
Kiera's Quest #Part One

So, because of the current awful situation, I've revamped my Middle grade/teen fantasy series and I'm giving the E-book away FREE on Amazon for the next three days!!
If you like shifters, magical realms, evil villains and a chosen one, this may be for you!!

STAY SAFE!!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...
Kiera's Quest #Part OneKiera's Quest: Awakenings & Sacrifices

Hi
Hope everyone is safe and well during this pandemic. There are thousands of people on the front line we should be thankful for, and in my opinion should be paid so much more, but that is a question for the future. Maybe the people in charge might take a long hard look at where all the funds are going.

I, like many am struggling to concentrate. It's taking a lot longer to get through a book, never mind writing one! But at least I have the opportunity to do both. These past few weeks I'm re-editing my first books, KIERA's QUEST, as I'm still not happy with the overall finish and formatting.
I've also managed to read Where the Crawdads Sing and Cinder, both very enjoyable.
My two boys are off school and missing it now, even though they thought they wouldn't!
Trying to keep active and positive is a constant pressure, but nothing compared to the world's doctors, nurses, care home workers, retail staff, lorry drivers etc. My uncle is a frontline worker at a hospital in the UK who is currently self isolating with this awful virus. Hopefully he won't be out for long.
I'm also very early on in a new wip, a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but that's all I'll say for now :)

Anyway, thinking of you all in this time of heartache. Please stay safe and well.

K xx

I've always loved a fairy tale, from the minute my mum bought me a Snow White pop up book, I was hooked. I remember falling in love with pretty much every prince in every story, cos after all there's a princess/prince/ hero in us all, right? :)
My top three ultimate favourites are:

1. The Little Mermaid. ( I must have watched the Disney version 200 times! Ahhh, Eric...)

2. Cinderella. (Because of the hidden identity stuff, proving anyone can follow their heart, or simply rise up.

3. Beauty and the Beast. ( Stay groomed guys :) Basically all about opening your heart and seeing the beauty underneath.)

But I'm also very fond of the old regulars, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan and so on. Speaking of, how amazing does the Live action Mulan film look??!

With all the remakes and retellings, I decided to write my own, CINDERFELLA. I wanted to keep the original magic, but as an adult I also wanted others like myself to enjoy. So, my version has a little passion and a darker edge, as well as comedy moments usually coming from the delightful Fairy Godfather, Gerry. All roles are reversed!

As I enjoyed writing this one so much, I'm thinking of retelling a few more, but which one to do next???

Anyway, if you like a modern take, then Cinderfella is FREE on KU, or as cheap as chips over on Amazon ;)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...Cinderfella

So, I started writing quite late on in life. I've always had a vivid imagination, so when Kiera popped into my head I knew I had to write her. Saying that, this was my first ever published story, and even if the plot was great, my writing needed work!
I found an amazing publisher and editor who I've worked with for many years now, and feel that my writing has got so much better and I know what I'm doing now!
I decided to revisit Kiera's Quest, my Middle grade/ teen fantasy series, as the first part in particular 'Awakenings' needed a little rework and a bit of updating.
Finally I've got it into paperback. Part one and two are now in one book and the second two parts will be having the same treatment very soon.
As a writer I don't think you can ever stop learning and improving, and my love for this series has made me realize just how far I've come...

Kiera's Quest

Hi, so a few people have messaged to ask when book two is out, which is lovely, thank you! Edits between my publisher and I are currently happening, but it's a little slower than we'd hoped as she's based in Canada and they are suffering a lot of power outages where she lives. But hopefully, the e-book will be out in the next few months.
I'm using the time between edits to write the third and final book in the series, which is over 72,000 words so far! Nearly finished, only three, four chapters to go. Admittedly stringing it out a little as I've grown pretty fond of these characters, well maybe not all, as some are nasty and wrong!
Anyway, time to get on and write. I always have a few tears when I finish a story, am ISummer's End weird?

I never really liked sports, well not the actually doing part. But as a kid, some of my earliest memories are sat watching #Wimbledon with my mum whilst she explained the rules etc. So, now I'm a mum myself, I did the same with my two boys. The oldest, now a tennis freak, who plays and watches it every chance he gets. It was whilst watching him I got the idea for JUST SAM. Don't be fooled, you don't have to like tennis to enjoy the story. Sam is a teen who wants to make tennis her life, but along the way she suffers a great loss and has to try trusting in love and herself again. It's a coming of age story really...
Anyway, thought I'd post the first chapter, if any one has a chance to read it :)

1: The Secret Club

I remember watching my first Wimbledon grand slam with mum. I could only have been around four or five, but I knew it was something special. The look on her face was one of pure joy as she sat on the edge of her chair, completely engrossed. Of course, I didn’t understand any of the rules or the weird scoring system, thirty- love and what on earth was a deuce? But as I watched my mother becoming bright red in the face, yelling at the TV and jumping up and down, I knew I wanted to join in with her happiness. I understood that this game was something that she loved. I remember it like it was yesterday. The way she turned from the screen and smiled at me so widely, that I knew right then, that I too wanted a piece of this special thing called ‘tennis’.
For the next few years we’d sit together and watch the magic of Wimbledon. I waited for it, like I waited for Christmas. Two weeks in a year when my mum became almost giddy and more importantly for me, it was ‘our’ time, our unbreakable thing that no one could ever intrude upon, our little club for two.
Each year, she’d try to explain the rules and stuff to me and as I got a few tournaments under my belt, I finally started to get it. The game took on a whole new meaning when I knew that ‘love’ equalled zero and ‘deuce’ meant forty - all. It was like I’d cracked long division; I’d finally got the tennis code. I became a member of a very elite club and in my head, I was as clever as my mum, cleverer than my perfect sister.
I asked if I could join a tennis club, which seemed to please mum no end. After some ringing around, she found a suitable one just twenty minutes away by car. She asked my sister Claire if she’d also like to come along. I recall holding my breath for the entire thirty seconds that it took her to decide. She, to my utter delight, decided she’d rather hang out at the shops with her friends, which was what she did whenever she wasn’t in school or in bed. Mum told me that teens needed a lot of sleep, but to me, she was just lazy. This meant I got to keep Mum all to myself, at least on a Saturday morning anyway. After every visit, we’d stop at Maccies for a sneaky cheeseburger — another secret for just us.
I was nervous at first. I was eight years old and all the kids there seemed to already know each other and play amazingly well. I never thought I’d match up to any of them.
After my first session, I ran off the court in floods of tears. In my head, I’dJust Sam believed myself to be the best player ever, because I’d played a few games in the garden with my best friend, Molly, so, surely, I’d be winning trophies straight away? I worried mostly that I’d disappoint Mum. I wanted to see her light up, the way she did when she watched her favourite players on TV. She held out her arms, I ran into them. Stroking my hair, she told me that I’d soon get better with practice. She was right. I did get better, a lot in fact. At the age of ten I was one of the top players in the junior division. I was never happier than on a court, hitting the ball as hard as I could. The racket became a mere extension of my arm. I was good, really, really outstandingly good! Without sounding like a big-headed jerk, I was meant for it. I’d look across to my mum who’d watch every point from the side-lines; she had the biggest grin on her face. That smile told me that she was proud of me, and that meant more than I realised at the time. My dreams of getting to play Wimbledon were not so far away. Of course, being ten, I really thought I’d just rock up to the most famous court in the world and say that I wanted a go. Hmmm, to be ten again.


Tears shed – a few along the way.
Points to Life: Three Games. Zero sets.
Points to me: Six games. Two sets. I’m winning!

So, I thought I'd do a giveaway over on my FB page. One signed paperback, five e-books. Just like the page, comment and share!
It's hard getting your work out there when you haven't got a massive publishing house or agent backing you, so thank you to all those who have supported me by reading my stories or simply liking my page etc. It means a lot!

https://www.facebook.com/KristyBrownW... Summer's End