Excerpt Archives - Page 3 of 5

Opening to “Star and Ice” (actual title TBD)

Thea van Diepen

Sema didn’t sleep as well as she used to. Her back ached, the house creaked, and her mind would rise full of thoughts and memories when the stars shone on the ice, which was every night. So, this night, when the crash against the door that made the house shake intruded around the edges of her sleep-muzzed consciousness, she only wrapped the blankets around tighter and curled up on the bed. There was a voice in the wind, she thought

Virtual Girl (excerpt)

Thea van Diepen

Note: This is all I have so far of an experimental sci-fi story code named Virtual Girl. Expect it to be confusing. Faded chalk art makes me think of the things that could have been and might be again. Does that make sense? I don’t know what does it should have been so simple But here I am again thrown back Blackness Immobile The beeping of machines that can never Never Wake me up again When will I see again?

Aish of a Grey Lion: A Storm-Dance Short Story (part 2 of 2)

Thea van Diepen

“Aish of a grey lion,” he said. “Where are your claws?” They stared at each other, Niobe sick to her stomach. He had done it. He had gone out into the eseteij and cried out for change. Why now? No, she knew why. Either the Teeshlawat Fyareng had survived or one of his followers continued in his name. Which didn’t matter. They were recruiting again, both children and from the old ranks of child-soldiers. Even if she rescued the child,

Are You Ready to Enter the Matrix?

Thea van Diepen

We’re only two days awaaaaaay!!!! :D Thank you so much for your shares, social media comments, and emails! I only just figured out this week how to put the share buttons onto blog posts, so it’s been super cool to see that you’ve already been using them! I wanted to use a Les Mis joke about two days more, or Annie and the sun coming out the day after tomorrow, but I’ve been in seven hours of class for a

Why Books Are Like Cake

Thea van Diepen

Wow, you guys have blown me away with your emails, Facebook comments, and other messages! It’s easy to get so lost in the details of creation, and all your comments on the cover and your excitement for Hidden in Sealskin made my day yesterday. Thank you. :) Last Time In case you missed the last post, these are the three words that sum up what Hidden in Sealskin is all about: fun, mysterious, magical (in the “I don’t know if this is