Welcome to the Snippet Sunday on the Weird, the Wild, and the Wicked. Thank you so much for visiting. If you choose to comment today, I really appreciate it. The snippets are from my Cloudburst novella, Cloudburst Ice Magic, a paranormal romance sequel to Christmas I.C.E. Magic in the Happy Holidays from the Crescent Moon Lodge Anthology. Cloudburst Ice Magic is out now. You can catch last week's snippet HERE.
In this snippet, Lily is leading the hikers out of the avalanche chute before the day heats up enough to let the snow roll down. The local Ice Demons are ramping up their revels and the way is treacherous. It's not a good time to be distracted.
The ground steepened and she had to shift her path
to a more gentle incline to allow for stable footing. Snow stung her ear where her
hat didn’t cover and the wind increased in intensity. The scents of wet ferocity
filled her nose and she had the sense they were running out of time. The Ice Demons here aren’t fooling around;
Zach, I need you.
She almost berated herself for the wish when her
latest step gave way under her and she slid back into the avalanche chute. Lily
slammed the shovel into the snow above her shoulders, praying it’d catch on
something solid and keep her from dragging the others down with her. Panic
roared through her, but she fought it back as something caught her hand.
The scents of cloves and cardamom filled her nose
and a shadow blocked out some of the blinding snow. Lily tilted her head to
stare up into a shape looming over her, connected to the large hand wrapped
around her arm. Crimson red Gore-Tex added color to her world as the man with
the solid grip dragged her upright against his chest. He wore goggles to keep
out the snow, but she recognized the lips mouthing words at her.
“Oh, thank God, Zach.”
See? Heroes show up when they're needed. ;) There are several great authors on the Weekend Writing Warrior list and in the Snippet Sunday Facebook group. A few of my favorites are Charley Descoteaux, SJ Maylee, Gem Sivad, Goran Zidar, Veronica Scott, and Karla Doyle.
If you're interested in more from Cloudburst Ice Magic, here's the blurb:
Avalanches may bring down
more than snow…
Working
for the Search and Rescue team at the Cloudburst Resort in Colorado, Lily
Sinclair figures she’ll do all the rescuing from now on. When hikers are caught
in a spring blizzard, Lily and her partner head into the storm. Cut off from
communication and facing deadly conditions, Lily fears she’ll never see her Ice
Demon lover before death claims them.
Zach
Snow encouraged Lily move to Cloudburst to grow and learn, but missed her every
day of their months apart. His plans of moving to Colorado get pushed up when
he receives her text explaining her situation, and saying goodbye. He must
negotiate with the local Ice Demon clan to work in their territory to rescue
Lily and the hikers before the Spring Fling blizzard kills them. But he’s
running out of time.
Between
the amorous hiker hitting on Zach, Lily’s self-doubts, and an avalanche bearing
down on them, Zach and Lily must rediscover the love they first kindled in a
Christmas ice cave, and create their own Cloudburst ice magic.
Cloudburst Ice Magic is available at Amazon, All Romance, Barnes&Noble, and Smashwords.
Looks like he managed to get past Madame Elder Demon, then! Whew!
ReplyDeleteExcellent, vivid snippet, Siobhan---as always! I love these characters. :)
Thank you, Sarah. I'm so glad you're enjoying them. :)
DeleteI love the descriptions of the scents and the snow on her ear - very realistic.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Frank. I try to write the scenes as if I'm right there in it. I hate it when my ears get cold. :)
Delete"The scents of wet ferocity filled her nose and she had the sense they were running out of time."
ReplyDeleteEffective description of the aroma, something with which readers can identify.
Kudos!
Thanks, Frank. I like to give my characters a sense of smell, particularly in the paranormal stories. :)
Delete"the scent of wet ferocity" wow love that! and I love how you describe scents throughout the passage, draws me into a feral pov, so great!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, E.E. Lily has gotten a better sense of smell since hooking up with Zach, and she uses it constantly. :)
DeleteThree cheers for Zach. Fabulous descriptions, Siobhan. Really well done. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, SJ. Zach is one of my favorites. :)
DeleteYay! Thank goodness he arrived on time. Great description, Siobhan! (those scents...)
ReplyDeleteYay, Zach! Love how this snippet ends up:)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Eleri. :)
DeleteOh, thank God he's here. Yes!!
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly how Lily feels, Gem. :D Thanks for commenting.
DeleteMy reading tripped over the 'sense' and 'scents' - all in one sentence. This piece presents a great scenic image and a feeling of intense struggle for her life. My only suggestion would be to consider using shorter sentences for more emotional impact.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Judy. It's already published, but I'll take your suggestions into consideration for the next one. :)
DeleteLove it. So descriptive I feel like I'm cheating because I haven't read the first story yet.
ReplyDeleteJust think of it as something to look forward to as a prequel, Emmy. Thanks for commenting. :)
DeleteI loved the intense scene! The visual and the scent... So glad he arrived in time!
ReplyDeleteHe showed up right on time! Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteNice description of the storm.
ReplyDeleteWell I was panicking for her, even as she was keeping her head (but worried)! And I loved the ending of the excerpt, whew! Intense and satisfying, as always.
ReplyDeleteWow, just on time, that was a close call.
ReplyDelete