Month: March 2017

Chatoyant College, Chatoyant College Book 12: Reemergence

Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 53: Soft Afternoon

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Edie knew she should get working on her homework, since she didn’t know what else the weekend might have in store for her, but with the rain still coming heavily down, making shushing noises out her window, she couldn’t get motivated to sit down and focus. When Corrie suggested going down to the common room to watch a movie, she agreed, and Annie and Roe joined them.

It was very cozy and nice, sitting in the common room while the rain continued to hammer down outside (though they could barely hear it from there), nibbling on popcorn and watching a Jane Austen movie. Edie wondered whether they would be able to do the same thing next year. Maybe if she, Dawn, and Corrie got one of those nice suites in Sayer, they would be able to watch TV in their own room. The common area in Sayer had seemed busy—though if each floor had one of those, unlike Gilkey, then maybe different ones would be more or less busy.

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 53: Soft Afternoon” →

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March Patreon Story

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The March story, “A Bicycle Built for Three,” is available now, exclusively for patrons!

 

Bike on the filed. Active lifestyle

I pull out the last weed and get to my feet, surveying the snap-pea patch with satisfaction. They’re growing well this year; come summer, everyone in town will be able to get a good share of snap peas, even if everyone can’t have them at once. My mouth waters with anticipation as I think of it. As one of the people who actively work the community garden, I’ll get first pick—we’re the first to see what sprouts in the garden, so we’re the first to eat some.

Last night’s rain has made the earth rich and soft, easy to pull out the weeds that threaten our little piece of autonomy. It’s also made me all up and down mud as I worked, but that doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I don’t think my friends and family would even recognize me if I didn’t have, at the very least, dirt caked around my fingernails and smeared on my knees.

I walk over to the compost bin and drop the weeds in, brushing the soil off my hands. When I turn around, I spy a familiar form at the edge of the garden—Jessamyn in her wheels. My cheeks warm as I lift my arm to wave to her, and she rolls forward, navigating deftly along the garden’s paved path.

I take a route slightly diagonal to the path to reach her more quickly, hopping up onto the edge of the stone paving. “Hi, Jessamyn.”

“Hi, Blair.” She grins up at me, her eyes sparkling. “Been digging?”

Read the rest…

Chatoyant College, Chatoyant College Book 12: Reemergence

Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 52: Fun in the Rain

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Edie’s eyes widened. That was a strange thought. But if Elrath thought it was possible for his brother to be revived, then wouldn’t he be trying to do that, instead of “fixing” the magic himself?

Though she wasn’t sure he liked his brother very much. Alaineth sounded like he had been a terrible ruler, and from what Tom had said, Elrath never even told anyone that he had a brother. He must have liked his sister somewhat, though, or at least wanted her back so he didn’t have to rule, so why wasn’t he trying to bring her back? Maybe because she’d been pretending to be human when she died, and done it on purpose, she couldn’t be retrieved.

But Derwen was shaking her head. “No, it’s not like that. You can’t bring back someone who’s been dead for a long time. We can be restored if we’re not completely dead, but it takes longer and is more difficult the longer and more badly someone has been injured.”

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 52: Fun in the Rain” →

Chatoyant College, Chatoyant College Book 12: Reemergence

Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 51: Connected to Nature

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This time, it was easy for Edie to watch Derwen move around the room as she ate her delicious pancakes and fruit. People were giving her a wide berth, even jumping out of her way, as she trailed water across the floor. It was hard to believe that her clothes and hair could have held that much rain, and yet she continued to leave a shining path behind her like a slug.

“Maybe she’s a water faerie like your great-grandmother, Edie,” Corrie said, also watching Derwen.

“I don’t have any urge to go play in the rain,” Edie said. She frowned. “Though I’ve never particularly liked swimming or anything, either. It might just be that I don’t take after her.”

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 51: Connected to Nature” →

Chatoyant College, Chatoyant College Book 12: Reemergence

Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 50: Squelch

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Edie got her pancakes and added some fresh fruit on the side—she wanted to be at least a little bit healthy—and headed back to the table, intending to ask Derwen whether her faerie self was in any way connected to plants. After all, Leila was clearly connected to the plants, but she wasn’t a plant herself… though in some ways her tree could be said to be part of her. Derwen clearly wasn’t a dryad, but maybe she was something similar.

However, when she reached the table, she found that Derwen hadn’t returned yet—but Corrie had, and Roe was sitting next to her. “Oh, hi!” Edie said.

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 50: Squelch” →

Chatoyant College, Chatoyant College Book 12: Reemergence

Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 49: Soaking

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Edie knocked on Derwen’s door and waited for a moment. The door was answered by one of Derwen’s roommates, who squinted at Edie, smiled, and called over her shoulder, “Sarah, your friend Edie is here.”

“What does she want?” Derwen called.

The roommate—Edie still hadn’t learned their names, though they had obviously learned hers—turned back to Edie and raised her eyebrows.

“We’re going to brunch,” Edie said. “Does she want to come along?”

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 49: Soaking” →

Chatoyant College, Chatoyant College Book 12: Reemergence

Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 48: April Showers

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Saturday, April 29

Edie woke slowly that Saturday, wondering as she did so why it seemed so dark and cold. She blinked and sat up as she awakened all the way, still confused. Had she woken up really early? It was still dark.

But when she looked behind her, she understood. It was raining, a heavy, soaking spring rain. She grimaced. The ground was going to be churned to mud, and while she always made a point of staying on the paths anyway, she didn’t want to get soaked. Maybe she could just stay in all day. It wasn’t like she had anywhere to go, except the dining hall, and she had snacks in her room.

But what if Leila had left her a note under the rock? She would have to go outside at least once to check it.

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 48: April Showers” →

Chatoyant College, Chatoyant College Book 12: Reemergence

Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 47: The Corner Room

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Dawn hesitated. She was really interested in seeing the inside of a triple—they were very fortunate to have run into a friendly woman who happened to live in one—but she didn’t want to barge in on someone’s room while they weren’t there. She wouldn’t like it if… actually, now that she thought about it, she wouldn’t really care if Naomi brought a stranger into their room, since Naomi was the only one who might be embarrassed by a mess (and she was never embarrassed). But still, it felt strange.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “I don’t want to go in if they might not be okay with it.”

“It’s okay,” Shannon assured her. “We have people over all the time.”

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 47: The Corner Room” →

Chatoyant College, Chatoyant College Book 12: Reemergence

Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 46: Sayer

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Dawn, Corrie, and Edie had a good time eating dinner together and chatting about their plans for the next year. They’d all signed up for magic classes, of course, and they wondered about what exactly they were going to learn.

Edie worried that she had signed up for the wrong classes, since she didn’t yet know which kinds of magic she would like more than others, but Dawn and Corrie assured her that she would be fine. The school offered few enough different magic classes that they would probably all take most of the classes before they graduated. Anyway, Dawn was sure that if Edie found herself completely incapable of doing one type of magic, the professors would allow her to switch classes. She didn’t have to be stubborn like Corrie, continuing to work at psionics despite showing no talent whatsoever (then again, Professor Rook kept telling her that she might yet find her skill).

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 12: Chapter 46: Sayer” →

Chatoyant College

Chatoyant College Book 3: The Inner Circle–now at Smashwords!

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You can now purchase Chatoyant College Book 3, The Inner Circle, at Smashwords! Like the first two books, it’s pay-as-you-wish, so you can get it for free if you wish, and I am happy for you to do so. However, if you wish to pay a bit as a tip for making the book available, that’s great too!

Here’s the link again: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/707940