Shayla has found her rendezvous point and is waiting for her local contacts to make themselves known. She is exposed, out in the open, but luckily she doesn't have long to wait...
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A tall and gangly man stepped out to meet her. He looked young, barely into his twenties, with dark hair braided into a complex basket around his head. He kept his eyes on Shayla as he approached, relaxing slightly when he glanced down at the pattern of sticks on the ground. He picked up the two that Shayla hadn't moved and kicked the other two aside.
He held the sticks out with a bow. "Cobra," he said.
Shayla accepted them, also relaxing at his correct response, and bowed. "I am Shark."
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Note: Paperback edition of Ghosts of Innocence is now available at CreateSpace. Amazon to follow soon.
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20 comments:
He.sounds interesting. I'm glad he's a friend and she can relax a bit.
An easing of tension, but not completely. I don't imagine Shayla ever relaxes 100% when meeting contacts. You have such an engaging style, Ian.
That was a good scene--edge of the seat scene, I might add. The whole book is pretty much edge of the seat reading!
How long did it take you to paint the artwork at the top of this page?
Millie, he's the person she was planning to meet alright, but "friend" might be a bit of a stretch.
Marcia, you are absolutely correct! And thanks.
Teresa, I did try to keep the tension racked up throughout. I hope I did a good enough job through to the end.
The artwork is a major section of the book cover art. Since I started treating publication as a serious business, I've been tracking time spent on various tasks so I can actually answer that question with confidence! The whole painting took a total of 25 hours effort, spread out over a two-month period. It should have been nearer one month but I started a new job in the middle of it all and lacked the energy to paint for a few weeks.
A very intriguing snippet, as usual. And the art work is fantastic too.
It's the person she was supposed to meet, from the signs--but can she trust him?
Great visual and I could feel the tension of the first meeting. I'm intrigued to know more. Well done.
I hope she keeps her guard up though, this almost seems too easy for the complex world she's in. Great snippet and I'm in awe re the painting!
Great tension and I hope she keeps her senses sharp. After everything we've been through on the way here this seems a little too easy;). Great visual.
Thanks Alexis.
Sue Ann, we'll see more about this aspect soon ;)
Karen, more to come...
Veronica, we'll see just how much she can let her guard down...or not :)
Tina, as above. Hmmm...just wondering where to pick the next snippet from now. Was planning to fast forward a bit, but think these introductions may be worth dwelling on.
Sounds like an interesting hairdo he's sporting!
Why do rebels and assassins always have predator code names? What's wrong with Hamster or Butterfly? Or something inanimate, like Lamp or Table? ...Okay, that's probably too weird. ;)
Really great use of visual clues to demonstrate the tension, it was actually palpable. Great 8.
Intriguing. I like it.
Caitlin, you could have so much fun with that! "Hi, I'm an assassin, my name's Tea Cozy." :)
Chelle, Cara, thanks.
This snippet reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode where a man crashes on a planet, and the only other person on the planet is another woman, but they don't speak the same language. He accidentally scares her off, but she comes back once he proves he means her no harm. As it turns out his name was Adam and hers was Eve ;)
But from reading the intro to this snippet it sounds like they both speak the same language and she's already expecting him. I was about to ask how she knows it's HIM, but that is what the code names are for ;) Looking forward to discovering their relationship and the importance of their meeting.
Perfect, Sir. I expected no less from you this week.
The sticks as part of the code is an interesting addition. The guy's hair is pretty cool, too. I'm definitely intrigued by this snippet. Congrats on having a paperback available!
Fantastic sentences! Love the writing, and just that little bit leaves me quite intrigued. :)
I really like how he seems just as wary of her as she is of him. Great setup for the scene:)
Butterfly, language is an aspect I touch on lightly here and there. Shayla has had to learn the local language and culture, and the fact that it is not native to her causes the occasional problem.
Well, Charmaine, there's some expectations to live up to! :)
Shell, I figured a good protocol should include more than words. Also the sticks on the ground mean Shayla has to recognize and respond in some way before they have to meet in person. If she'd just ignored them, they'd know she wasn't their contact.
Welcome back, Leigh! And glad to pique your interest.
Eleri, there's wariness all round in this undercover world.
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