Hello, all:
This is normally the part where I ramble on about a topic, but in this case let’s just cut straight to the
Writing Update
As I have a bit of an announcement. I have officially finished the first draft of the as-yet-unnamed sequel to The Ballad of Evinrude and Eulalie! Clocking in at 50, 745 words and spanning an entire continent, this sequel follows Eulalie’s battle against a terrifying giant invasion and the return of the villainous Philip from exile, all the while an even greater threat looms on the other side of the world…
Also, there’s a talking sword. Here’s an excerpt that concerns that bit. It contains spoilers from The Ballad of Evinrude and Eulalie, though, so beware:
There, balanced on two silver pegs, was a single sword. No other swords occupied the wall around it; indeed, it seemed the entire section of the wall was devoted to that sword alone. Its hilt was bound in dark blue leather, decorated with pure green emeralds, and its blade, double-edged, bore a golden-white sheen Eulalie had never beheld in any sword before. The blade flashed suddenly and she heard the voice again, clear as a bell. “Hi,” it said. “The name’s Peregrinth, You can call me Perry.”
It waited. Eulalie waited. “You get it?” the voice said. “Perry? Because I’m a sword? Perry, like parry, riposte- oh, never mind.”
“I’ve heard of you,” Eulalie said, “I read it in a book a while ago. Legend says you were forged by angels, and that anyone who holds you can slay a giant in a single blow.”
“That’s me, Perry the Giant-Slay-”
“It didn’t say anything about you talking,” she shot back frostily.
The sword sounded abashed. “It didn’t? But that’s half the legend! I guided people, lots of them, heroes and all, showed them treasure, helped them slay giants, take castles, all sorts of things! How did anyone think I did that if I couldn’t talk?”
“It didn’t say that either,” Eulalie said. “All it said was you slay giants. Thus, Peregrinth the Giant-Slayer. That’s all.”
The sword actually sniffed in high umbrage, which was an interesting trick considering it didn’t have a nose. The sniff sounded metallic, and a bit echoey to Eulalie’s ears; it was an altogether new sound for her.
“Well,” it said, “Whoever wrote those stories was obviously very misinformed. I’m not just a pointy bit of metal that kills off giants, you know. I’ve got feelings. I’ve got a history. No one ever even asked if I wanted to slay giants, maybe I wanted to slay dragons or sea monsters, but nooo-”
“I understand,” Eulalie said. She actually felt a little sorry for the legendary sword. She could sympathize. She’d been pulled out of the entrance line to Heaven and sent back to Loventry so she could patch things up with Evinrude, only to discover that he had sold his soul on a vengeance quest and was no longer the person she’d cared about. To make matters worse, she’d been publicly humiliated at what ended up not being Philip’s coronation ceremony, as Lord Ryan of House Brendan had called her out on her failure to learn swordplay (not that she’d ever needed to until then, mind) and she’d been forced to knock Evinrude over the head with her own corset. All in all, Eulalie could only imagine what the histories would say about her.
She heard the sword snickering. “A corset? Really? I thought you were too…. straight-laced for that. “ It paused. “Get it? Get it?”
Eulalie’s feelings of sympathy for the legendary blade diminished rapidly. “I am not amused,” she said. “Not in the slightest. Now, you called me down here. For the last time, will you get to the point and explain to me why?”
Well, there you are. I did say it was the first draft. Off it goes into the editing pile along with the first draft of a pirate story I banged out last year; meanwhile, my next project concerns gnomes, nixies, elves, and even a banshee! Actually, several of them. It’ll be fun!
Closing Time
I see in the news tonight that composer Richard Sherman has died at 95; he and his brother were responsible for so many wonderful Disney songs. I have to admit, I am always moved by “Feed the Birds”, especially the Cathedral passage. Have a listen:
Until next time,
Michael