I just won the National Novel Writers Moth contest. The Nanowrimo. For the tenth year in a row.
And now for the first time anywhere, an (unedited) excerpt of Matrix Crystal Deceiver:
Steen strolled down the red packed dirt road. It felt good
to be outside again and taking in the fresh air. His blond hair lay heavy on
his shoulders braded in multi braids that the natives favored. The homespun
clothes scratched his tender skin. He crossed the road and stopped to speak to
a lovely red head in the front yard of a house.
“Good morning,” he said pleasantly in zeeman, letting
himself in the gate. “Are you one of the Namaste daughters?”
She looked up from the rug she was beating and smiled.
“Good morning to you too. Yes I am. I’m called Rain. If you’re looking for dad,
he just left with my brother to deliver some packages.”
The young woman was very pretty with flawless golden skin,
big green eyes and lovely thick strawberry blond hair. “I’m looking for Maya
Namaste.”
“Mom is working with my sister-in-law in the building in
the backyard.” She jerked her head toward the back.
He glanced to the rear of the house to a small building
where a grinding noise was heard, and leaned a little closer to her. “What are
they doing?”
“Making jewelry to sell. That’s their new enterprise, since
they’re both have experience with jewelry and recently came back from a dig.”
He itched to find out what stones they found. It wouldn’t
be matrix crystals, but maybe something semiprecious like amethyst, garnets or…
The rug she was beating, turned with a grunt. With a chill
flowing down his back, he found himself looking at a strange creature. It had
next to no fur expect for a mane that went all the way down its spine. Its eyes
were close together and tusks poked out of its mouth. It snuffled at him and
very slowly got up with a cross between a growl and a snort.
“Be still, Piggy Boy.” She looked up at him. “By the way, I
never asked your name.”
