Hey, everyone! Time for another Weekend Writing Warriors snippet. Every Sunday, I join a bunch of writers through a blog hop and post an 8-10 sentence snippet of my current project. You can click on the link to see what everyone else is up to.
Last week, you got to meet Lotte’s mom and get a glimpse of how she reacts to this insane curse. This snippet wraps up the chapter to show the aftermath and what could come next for Lotte.
Mom wasn’t doing so well; it tore me up to see her so worried about me. I mean, what is there to do? What do you do when one kid talks and the others get painful scarring—is there a psychologist that specializes in these types of things?
Dad and my two oldest brothers didn’t come back home until late that evening. They went to Chris’s house, and with the help of the police discovered that the apartment was practically gutted; no one lived there and nothing was inside the apartment. I didn’t really have an easy time explaining to my dad that when I was there, he actually lived there and it was fully furnished.
In conclusion, Chris disappeared and left no way for us to find him ever again. My dad still wanted to find him and fulfill a plethora of threatening promises. I took the empty apartment as a sign that the whole situation was sealed and done. He took the antidote to my curse with him and at the time I wasn’t sure if I should worry or feel relieved.
One thing I wanted to do with Speechless that I haven’t seen much in other fantasy novels is the involvement of family. Lotte tells her family immediately of the problem, even if it’s confusing and seemingly hopeless. We’ll see as we go on whether Lotte is glad of her decision or not.
Check out other snippets here. You can also learn more about the novel, Speechless, here. Don’t forget to comment below if you’ve got a snippet to share as well! Compliments and constructive insight are equally welcome.
So, if I’ve understood this right from backtracking a couple of snippets, every time she speaks, her brothers get cut? That is downright evil. Ingenious though 🙂
That is just about right! They grow little feathers (which hearkens to the original Wild Swans fairytale by H.C. Andersen) and when they pluck them out it leaves scars. It’s evil all right!
Good point you make, re involving the extended family in the events. Enjoyed the excerpt!
Thank you! It’s been fun trying to create a strong mother and father figure for Lotte where they’re more than just a parent but a person, too.
Interesting. I wonder what’s going to happen with her dad? I agree about including family in the story. Too many fantasy characters seem to exist in a connection-free vacuum, while those very same connections can add so much to a story!
Yes! It adds another element that I’ve always wanted to see in fiction. I mean, you get a strong sense of family with the Weasley family in the Harry Potter series and I would love to see more of that.
I’m not sure where this tale is headed, but you’ve established so many complications that I know it’s headed somewhere interesting.
Awesome, complex snippet. Can’t wait to see what happens next!
Love the last line. Thanks for sharing!
So true about the pain of one scarring the rest of the family. Great snippet!
Wonderful idea to involve her family. Usually if other characters are involved in the main plot, they’re not related or it’s only in a peripheral way. Anxious to see how this story plays out!