Welcome back to Sweet Saturday Samples!
Here's a sample from an early chapter of Spinster's Folly, the fourth novel in the Owen Family Saga. Coming soon.
~~~
Rod burst into the cabin, flinging the door wide so it banged against the wall. Marie, placing a stack of washed plates on the shelf beside the fireplace, felt the shaved boards vibrate from the concussion.
"Pa!" Marie let go of the plates and steadied the pair of kerosene lamps teetering on the shelf. "Mind the lamps."
"He's left! He didn't even come say goodbye to his ma."
"What do you mean? Who's left?" Marie went to close the door, a sick premonition washing through her.
"Your brother. He has no more sense than a beetle, pining over a girl who doesn't care for him." He paced around the room, angrily pounding a fist into his open hand.
Marie crossed the distance between them and laid her fingers on her father's arm. The queasiness settled in her stomach. "James? Where's he gone to?"
"North. He has some idea of working your uncle's mine. Darn fool boy." Rod left Marie's grasp and sank into his chair. "He wouldn't even take my coin."
"Oh Pa, does Ma know? She'll be heart-sick."
"Don't I know it!"
Thank you for visiting. Come back every Saturday for more samples. Now, use this list to go to other blogs for more Sweet Saturday Samples. Enjoy!
Nice beginning exchange. I'm kind of assuming this is Marie's story, so I'm interested in how her brother's departure affects her. Good job!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenna. Yes, this is Marie's story, and when James leaves, it knocks her off kilter so that other things affect her quite profoundly.
DeleteLove the descriptions. Good job!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sharon. I find that including the senses in descriptions makes my writing stronger.
DeleteThis really pulls at the heart strings. Nicely written!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sarah. Strong emotions really get the reader into the story, don't they.
DeleteI love your dialogue: "... no more sense than a beetle..." Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteI missed the sign-up for today's Sweet Saturday Samples, but I'll be back next week.
We miss you, Sandy! Yeah, I kind of liked that comparison when it popped into my mind. Beetles have all the sense they need, but that is probably less than James could have used in his situation.
DeleteYour westerns are so much better than "cowboys and indians"
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteNowadays, the term "westerns" includes a whole lot more than stories about Cowboys and Indians. I think what I write, though, are stories about ordinary people in difficult circumstances, doing the best they can to survive and overcome their hardships. Those stories could have been set in any era, but I have chosen the 19th century American West. Why? I don't know. :-)
Love your snippets every week. You should sub to Secret Cravings, they are looking for westerns.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jean.
DeleteI'm pretty committed to publishing my work myself. I earn a much better percentage than I would with a traditional or a small publisher, and Kindle pays me every month, so I'm likely to stick with the path I'm on. :-)
Another emotion packed sample.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sherry. You gotta use those emotions to offer a satisfying read. :-)
DeleteYour stories of the Owen Family make them come alive. Always so interesting. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThey're not alive? . . . .
DeleteThanks, Dianne! I appreciate hearing how you respond to my snippets.
Great emotion in this scene
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lindsay. Emotion always increases reader interest.
ReplyDelete