I had a professor in college who often said, “Inspiration will fail you.” She was very right about that. Many authors wait around to be inspired. They wait for the muse to appear with an amazing idea, one that fills the page with vivid prose and vibrant action. And when inspiration fails to appear, those […]
Writers, Inspiration Will Fail You
STORM DWELLERS
Chapter 3 excerpt
Instead of diminishing, the smoke increased, the ground shimmered red hot where the lightning hit. Rain poured down; the ocean stirred violently, and waves rose. A supernatural storm surge rolled toward the island. Lightning struck the water and it roared and foamed in response. Water vapor rose high as the sand glowed as if it were boiling. The vapor turned into a thick, smoky wall. Multi-colored energy illuminated the sky, dancing with the radiance of a strobe light.
Lynn sprinted toward Darcy.
“Darcy, the PIN!”
“34343!” Darcy answered over the wind. “Benny! Move it. Run!!”
Lynn finally got the phone unlocked. She saw the GPS was on, so she opened the Facebook app and typed ‘help me s padre send cops’ on his timeline, tagging a few random people then hit the send button, then dialed her mother, Angela’s, number.
Benny screamed, “Darcy!” Then took off running, but in the wrong direction.
“No, Benny,” Darcy yelled, “go left. To your left!”
He veered left, but abruptly stopped once again. Directly in front of him, a gruesome, yellow-eyed creature emerged from a wall of smoke stemming from a magma puddle.
It was a sight to behold, and Lynn stood frozen with Benny’s phone to her ear, listening to her mother’s phone ringing; the ring staticky and broken.
“Hello?” Angela answered. “Ben…th…you? What’s that noi…”
“Mom?” Lynn said. “Mom, help us. We’re on SPI. Near UFO. Send help.”
“Lynn, why…you have Benny’s…” the phone crackled, “…on the island..”
“Mom, please, this is not a time for questions. I’m begging you, send help!”
“Help? To you?” Angela’s voice turned sinister. “You’re a big…girl…now, witch!”
“What the hell…” Lynn said.
The phone popped and sparked and got hot in Lynn’s hand. She pulled it away from her ear and dropped it onto the sand just as it burst into flames.
Lynn growled her frustration and stomped her foot on the phone dowsing the fire.
Copyright 2023 Wanda S. Paryla
STORM DWELLERS – an excerpt, chapter 2
“I don’t know,” Darcy said. “Maybe we should’ve invited Sam.”
“Can Sam make waterspouts?” Benny queried.
Darcy shrugged.
“I don’t know.”
“We can do this,” Sybil said. “It’ll only be for a few minutes. Once the sunrise is complete, it’ll be over.”
“Well, let’s just be careful, Sis,” Terry said.
Sybil hugged her.
“I’d never do anything that hurt us or our friends,” Sybil explained. “Never.”
“I’ll miss you when you go off to A & M in the fall,” Terry said, misty eyed.
“Oh, Terry Marie, I’m just going to Galveston. Not like I’m moving to Saskatchewan,” Sybil smiled, and they hugged again.
“Where’s…Sesketchiewan?” Benny mispronounced the word.
“Saskatchewan,” Sybil corrected. “Never mind.”
“If we’re all ready, let’s rock and roll,” Lynn said. “The night’s burning away.”
Copyright 2023 Wanda S. Paryla
The most recent thing I searched for online was book editors. I was researching them because I will need an professional editor soon.
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WANDA PARYLA 