This week’s YA Highway Wednesday Road Trip is celebrating the limerick in honor or St. Patrick’s Day.  Followers were asked to write limericks for their favorite book and/or WIP (work-in-progress).  Several months ago the folks a YA Highway issued a similar invitation to write haiku.  I had fun writing for that one so I thought I’d join in this week too.

As with my haiku, I’ve written one limerick for my current WIP and another limerick for the entire series for which it’s a part.

Raven Academy (Book 1)

Connor thinks it’s a school just the same
as all others with different names,
but it’s part of a plan
in which he’ll have a hand
in revealing what pow’r has it claimed.

The Citadel of Kidrodell (the series)

Kidrodell is a land out of time
and the home for a new kind of crime
when the good at first sought
by its exiles is fraught
will the threads of Earth’s history unwind?

Finally, I’ve taken the easy way out of deciding what other books to “limericize” by simply choosing one I most recently finished and which I thoroughly enjoyed.

BONESHAKER (by Cherie Priest)

Briar Wilkes and her son are estranged
by Leviticus’ deed, unexplained.
Now Seattle’s walled tight,
full of zombies and Blight,
and Steampunk will forever be changed!

Corporate life has kept me very busy these past few days!

Nevertheless, I’m still making time to post this this teaser opening from my current (and only) WIP – Raven Academy.

Better late than Wednesday! . . . Continue Reading

(reposted from my private blog: Tuesday, April 3, 2007 – In response to The Aliens are Out to Get You!! from the YA highway on November 13th, 2009.)

After seeing a large bird circling over my old house last night, . . . Continue Reading

Okay, so it’s almost a Teaser Wednesday! Nevertheless, it’s after 5:00pm and my corporate hat is firmly OFF. So before I head home for the day, I wanted to get this post out. Habits, both good and bad, are formed one act at a time, right? I’ll try to make Teaser Tuesday a regular habit. If not a weekly one, at least monthly for a start.

This is the prologue from my WIP ‘Raven Academy’, book 1 in the chronicles of The Citadel of Kidrodell. It’s not much of a teaser, but its a start. . . . Continue Reading

The writing folks at YA Highway have issued an invitation on their blog to turn your writing work-in-progress into a Haiku.  This was too much fun to resist (and who would want to?).  So here is mine!  Well, actually two of mine.  Since I am working on a series I’ve written one about the first book and one about the series as a whole.

Let me know what you think!

Book 1: Raven Academy

Boy finds he’s a part
of a world outside of time
and trouble’s brewing.

Citadel of Kidrodell

A world outside time,
Improving off our mistakes,
’Laws of Hist’ry’ win?

You can also follow my Kidrodell posts to read more about this specific WIP or visit the about page of the Kidrodell website (also a work-in-progress) to see the site which will eventually host the series!

I’ve taken a little time today while my flu-ridden family is resting to steal away and do a little writing.  Here is the opening scene (one of my favorites) which I just finished revising from chapter six of my YA work-in-progress Raven Academy. This is book 1 in the chronicles of The Citadel of Kidrodell.

It’s still just a draft, but please share your thoughts!

Thanks!

Chapter 6: Mrs. Bennett

Connor awoke a half hour later with a wet pillow and a dry mouth. The weakness he had felt in his arms and legs had been replaced with stiffness and pain. With an effort he dragged himself to the edge of his bed and blinked at the clock. Lunchtime was nearly over. He turned to Orville’s bed to wake him, irritated to find that Orville wasn’t there. Despite the searing cramps in his arms, legs and back, Connor forced himself out of bed and downstairs. . . . Continue Reading

Okay, it’s official! 

As part of my snowball of motivation to “get my book on” I’ve officially registered and set up a placeholder website at http://www.kidrodell.com.

Don’t look for much at this site in the near future.  For now it’s serving as a calling card for the work-in-progress and as a kick-in-the-pants for me.  In the meanwhile, I’ll be posting updates about the book here on my blog, so hold me accountable!

I’ve spent the past few years picking away at a book series which has been exploding in my head in the form of notes, journal entries and 20.8MB of content in my Microsoft OneNote “Kidrodell” notebook for the past several years.

The story “The Citadel of Kidrodell” is a time travel epic, which isn’t *about* time travel.  It’s really about one boy’s path to growth and self-discovery where he learns that nothing is really what it seems and that he’s part of a much larger world than he’d ever imagined; a world, he will soon learn, for which he alone may hold the key to its salvation . . . or to its destruction.

Stay tuned!