Ice Floe Excerpt: Chapter 6
We’ve been sitting on the ledge a while now, mostly staring at the view. I steal occasional glances at Tucker. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a force between us. Energy. A pulse. A magnet. Something. Every time I focus my thoughts elsewhere, he pulls me back in. It’s distracting.
“You ready to head down?” he asks.
“You might as well get started. I can’t climb down with all your equipment in the way.” “I have an extra harness. You should come down with me.” He reaches for his pack and
stands up.
I jump up to join him. “No way. I’m not hooking myself into that death trap.”
“Glacia, come on. This cliff is super challenging, and it’s way more difficult to climb down than up,” he says, his voice growing louder. Here we go again.
“I’ll be fine once you get your stuff out of the way.” I raise my volume to match his. “It’s not safe. I would feel horrible if I let you climb down and you got hurt.”
“Let me?”
“Not let you. It’s your choice.” “I choose NO.”
He clenches his jaw tightly and grinds his teeth. I take a few steps back in preparation. There’s enough room up here to land a solid kick to the face. That should knock him out, then I’ll have to figure out a way to climb down his cat’s cradle setup. Tucker crosses one arm over his chest and raises a hand to cover his mouth. We glare at each other – at an impasse.
“Let’s make a deal,” he offers. “You climb down with me using a harness and rope, and I’ll take you on a boat ride.”
This catches my attention.
“That’s right, I saw you light up when I mentioned my dad’s boat shop,” he continues with a cocky air.
He’s more perceptive than I gave him credit for. Volatile and perceptive. A hefty combination.
“Have you ever been on a boat?” he asks.
I shake my head. I would love to go on a boat. Tucker knows how to fix them and can
teach me everything a trainer could, plus more. What am I thinking? This is crazy. I can’t go on a boat with a human. What excuse would I give if I got caught? I can’t pretend I’m seducing.
Everyone knows that’s not high on my priority list, and you’re not supposed to seduce alone. Maybe I could say that I’m collecting information to share with the girls I teach… Hmm. That’s almost believable, given my dedication to the studio.
Tucker can tell I’m on the fence about it and ups the ante. “I’ll teach you to drive the
boat.”
Unfair. Of course, I want to learn how to drive a boat. That’s a beyond useful skill in my
back pocket. I peek down the cliff face to assess the reliability of Tucker’s wedge-rope system. Stupid. Like I know what I’m looking for.
“Fine,” I agree. “We need to be hooked together, so if I die, you die.” “Seems reasonable.”
“AND I get to drive the boat.”
“Deal. Let’s see, today is Monday, and I already have plans tomorrow. Wednesday?”
“What time?”
“Eleven a.m. on the Ula pier.” “I’ll meet you there.”
Tucker flips his pack around, unclips a belt, and offers it to me. “Do you know how to wear a harness?”
I snatch it from him, compare it to his gear, and step into the leg holes. When I have it all clipped in, I throw my hands on my hips.
“Now what?” I ask.
Tucker leans in toward me, rope in hand, then pulls back and reconsiders. “That’s not quite right,” he says haltingly. “Can I fix your harness?”
“I already agreed to this mess, didn’t I?”
He rolls his eyes. “I think that’s a yes. Pull the harness up – it has to sit higher on your
hips.”
I follow his instructions, and he flops the rope over one arm. He moves in closer and
bends down to reposition the harness. His fingers wrap around the loop against my leg as he pulls it up below my hip. My heart beats faster and my insides twists. I evaluate the top of Tucker’s head in an effort to distinguish these sensations from other emotions. He secures the loop and raises his gaze to meet mine.
“Is that too tight?” he asks. His hazel eyes penetrate mine. The edges are a deep brown that blend into a murky green with an amber starburst around the pupil.
I shake my head and look away. I hope he can’t tell how disoriented this is making me. “Pull the tabs on your waist tighter,” he instructs.
I cinch the waist while he rearranges the other loop on my leg. Why is this making me so agitated? He’s only fixing my gear so I don’t fall to my death. Tucker gathers the rope into his hand and reaches out to tie it to the front belt loop. As he does, his fingers brush my skin just below my belly button. A jolt of electricity shoots through my body. I take in a small gasp of air and hold my breath. He freezes, his fingers lingering on my stomach. Did he feel that too?
The Book Junkie Reads . . .Reckless Dreams Interview with . . . Melissa Birling . . .
How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
As a fantasy writer, my goal is entertainment. I want to transport readers into another world where they can forget their day-to-day activities and go on an adventure. I strive to create a rich, imaginary world that’s vibrant in people’s minds. My writing tends to blend action and romance, with a healthy dose of sarcasm. There are deeper themes that guide the stories, yet I strive to keep the novel moving along and plot driven. At the end of the day, it’s about creating an engaging and immersive experience for the reader. I work to keep that vision at the forefront of my mind.
Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?
Definitely a flow for me. For years I had heard phrases like “follow your muse” or “be in the flow.” I understood the concepts on an intellectual level. You’re meant to focus on things that inspire you. Find and pursue your passion. Yet it wasn’t until I found my love of writing fiction that I truly experienced this high-energy state of focus.
The flow is real. I’ll get a story in my head and won’t be able to think about anything else until the guts of it are on the page. I’ll lock myself away for hours. Forget to eat. Neglect my need for sleep and exercise (not a recommended strategy). The idea becomes a fascination. It’s almost like it pours out of me until the story has a life of its own.
Do you take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character during story creation?
I start with the basics of a character, then build through the story creation. Once I have a better sense of the character, I start over and put more personality into the story from the beginning. To aid with this process, I track my characters extensively. I have a large spreadsheet where I document language the character uses in dialogue, their likes and dislikes, goals, motives, etc. It helps me level set when the story starts to get confusing or overwhelming.
Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
Yes, her name is Ottelia. I’m writing her into the Merworld which may cause her story to intersect with the Ice Floe series at some point. Ottelia’s a mid-gen Wild – a mercreature at a different evolutionary stage than a mermaid. Mid-gens are more sea creature, less human. As a result, they teeter on the brink between animal instinct and human intellect. Physically, Ottelia is a unique kind of Wild. I’m not able to share the details yet because it would spoil the fun. Let’s just say, she’s not a standard fish-human mercreature.
Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?
I sent a novella to my editor for a developmental edit this month! I’m also drafting book 2 and 3 in the Ice Floe series with ideas for additional novels in the queue.
What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?
I plan to launch the novella and Ice Floe series, book 2 in the next twelve months. I will also bolster my mermaid-inspired merchandise, as well as launch other fun promotional give-aways, quizzes, and zentangle art!
great excerpt and cover
ReplyDeleteFantastic excerpt, Ice Floe sounds like a book that my daughter and I will really enjoy reading! Thanks for sharing it with me and have an awesome day!
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