Book excerpt – tagged for #luckyseven

Writers do interesting things to support each other while trying to sludge through the writing, revising, publishing process. Twitter is one refuge, even when you get tagged – a la hashtag – to participate in a mini-exercise. Marie Loughin included me on #luckyseven and as she notes, it’s a way for readers to get a glimpse of our writing.

The rules for #luckyseven are:

  • Go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscript
  • Go to line 7
  • Post on your blog the next 7 lines or sentences – as they are!!
  • Tag 7 other people to do the same

So here goes. This is a little more than 7 lines from Keeping the Family Peace – aren’t you lucky! The setting: it is Thanksgiving 1992 and Admiral Chuck Bailey, an old friend, is visiting the family…

Chuck cuddled Jamie in the crook of his arm and wandered across the room to look over Pete’s shoulder. “They gave my assistant one of these new-fangled machines a few months ago. When she realized she could throw away the white-out, you’d have thought she’d won the lottery.” He shook his head. “I had one of those old dedicated terminals back in the seventies. At the NSA. A roomful of power and memory – probably what this one little machine holds.”

“And Windows 3.1. No more DOS,” Pete said. “Internet access. I’m going to buy one of these babies for Christmas.”

“You are?” Emma asked, surprised.

“Windows?” Chuck appeared to take it all in stride and held his own against Pete’s computer-speak. “That’s the operating software, right?”

Pete nodded.

“There goes my diamond necklace,” Emma sighed.

You’ll have to wait for the rest! But if current mainstream family sagas aren’t your cup of tea, how about a little historical fiction? A bonus! I can’t give you lines from p. 7 of this one because, in it’s current state, it’s a 5 page short story. But I will give you a taste of Battle Scars: England, one of 3 short stories set during the 1190s, where Henry, a young knight, has recently returned from Outremer where he served Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade:

Pulling his cap down tightly, Henry stared across the fog certain there was a low, deep hum coming from somewhere on the water. Ships, troops—Prince John’s mercenaries.

He buried his head in his hands. His heart beat rapidly throbbing loudly in his ears. It drowned the thrum of noise around him but the nightmares of fighting the king’s enemies and the sounds of battle remained, painted vividly in his mind. How often had he awakened with sweat beaded across his forehead remembering the times they’d come within a whisper of dying?

Memories stirred of Saracen war cries in the Holy Land, scars from that godforsaken desert. They were as clear as if they’d come off the water.

Oh God’s heaven, the chanting. Stop the awful chanting.

Watch for Battle Scars in 2013.

Check out many other authors participating in #luckyseven via links from Twitter at the hashtag here. And I know I’m supposed to tag 7 authors but most of those I follow have already participated.

  1. Marie Loughin Avatar

    Oh, Windows 3.1! The glory days.

    I like the excerpt from the short story. Your new project looks exciting. Can’t wait to hear it!

    1. Char Avatar

      Thanks, Marie. Yes, Windows 3.1 – I can’t remember if my first computer was a 286 or 386 – those were the days. 🙂

  2. […] also participated in a twitter exercise with other writer friends in #luckyseven. Go check out my blog post for short excerpts from my novel and one of my 12th century short […]


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