Dame Kaz
First of all, thank you for the deluge of comments on Jeaniene Frost’s guest post about e-piracy at the weekend – well over 200 of you entered the giveaway, and many more stopped by. Here are the three winners, courtesy of random.org. Each of you wins a signed copy of First Drop of Crimson – which officially releases today. Please email me with your full name and mailing address and I’ll pass them onto Jeaniene (usual address in the sidebar). Cheers!
#138: Claudia, who said: Please enter me in the draw — I’m looking forward to reading your newest book!
#173: Jessica W. – Book Bound
#191: Amy Stogner, whose comment began: Enter me in the contest Please. Thanks for all the great info Jeaniene. Very informative…
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So I am almost finished with this round of revisions on THE IRON WITCH. Maybe today is a good day to post a teaser. After all, it’s Tuesday! 
This is from near the beginning, so I don’t think it needs much context other than to say that Donna Underwood is at party – and really wishes that she wasn’t. (This is obviously subject to change, depending on revisions, edits, etc. so who knows if it will make the final cut?)
Snippet from Chapter 1:
Curious about the source of the cold air, Donna peeked behind one of the heavy curtains and saw ornate French windows tucked behind them. One of the heavy doors stood slightly ajar, and further investigation revealed a set of iron steps leading towards the roof.
Why not? she thought. She could use some air, even if it was chilled near-winter air. Tugging her gloves up as far as they’d go so they almost covered her elbows, she slipped out onto the tiny balcony and gripped the metal railings.
Donna pulled herself up onto the steps, feeling unsteady on what was little more than a fire-escape. Her sneakers squeaked on the rungs and she could hear distant traffic passing by beneath her feet. As she reached the top she had a dizzying moment of vertigo, realizing how high up she was and how precarious the perch. Her gloves slipped on the metal rungs and she held on tight, for once grateful for the magically enhanced strength in her hands.
And then a head poked over the top and she found herself inches away from the striking face of a young guy who’d obviously found the same escape route as her. His dark blond hair shone under the clear night sky.
“I wondered how long it would take for someone to come and ruin the peace and quiet up here,” he drawled in a flat, bored sort of voice.
Donna saw the hand-rolled cigarette in his fingers, at the same time catching a whiff of something sweet and sickly. It reminded her of when her aunt burned sage to ‘cleanse’ the apartment, but it wasn’t quite the same.
“Well come on then, if you’re going to,” he said. He placed the cigarette in the corner of his mouth and extended both hands.
Donna had a moment of doubt, wishing she was back downstairs with Navin, but shook it off. She certainly didn’t want to be hanging out with that crowd and her friend would be just fine without her.
She allowed herself to be pulled the rest of the way up onto the roof.
Related posts:
- Teaser Tuesday: The Spirit Jar
- Winners of the Tuesday Giveaway & Embers
- Dame for a Day: Moria Rogers
Tags: excerpts, Karen Mahoney
So I didn’t read your snippet and I feel like I need to give a reason why….I like to read things in one hit and I suspect that reading said snippet will drive me crazy with want.
Good luck on your revisions!
Intriguing… but too short!
Adele: You are too funny! Bless. Thanks, doll.
Naomi: I know, I know. But I don’t believe in long snippets – that’s why they are called snippets. ;P
Kaz
Yay! Awesome snippet, can’t wait to read the whole thing.
Good luck with the rest of your revisions!
What a great snippet! I was already dying to read your book, but now…
OMG, your writing is beautiful. And addictive. I can’t wait to read the whole thing.
Wow, that’s awesome! This really made my day! Seriously…yesterday was a bad, bad day. Lol. Thanks so much! : )
Can’t wait to read it!
Kaz,
Interesting snippet. Leaves me wondering many things, like why is she wearing elbow-length gloves? Is she wearing a ballroom gown? What kind of party is it? Why and how and where did she get the magically strengthened hands, and why does she usually not appreciated that strength? Who is the intriguing, bored young man on the roof, and what role does he play in the story.
You weave a good snippet, Kaz! Thank-you for sharing.
Thanks guys. Srsly, it’s so nice to get feedback. *beams*
And Dawn, you have asked ALL the right questions. Phew!
I know it’s a quiet sort of snippet, but there are all sorts of little ‘teases’ and you picked up on all of them. Thanks. The gloves (MAJOR feature), her hands (and yep, she doesn’t normally appreciate her abilities), etc.
Jessica W: I’m glad you’re happy to be a winner!
Congrats to the winners!
Loved the snippet…very intrigued. More please! Oh, shoot! Probably have to wait for the book, huh?
hmmm I”m interested.
What is The Iron Witch about?
Thanks Donna!
readingrush, thank you for reading. Here is a little blurb about The Iron Witch:
http://kazmahoney.com/writing/
Nice!!
Did The Hotness always have blond hair? (not sure if you want his name here or not) He has black in my head, which may be me or may be an earlier draft…? Sometimes my brain ignores peoples descriptions and just invents physicalities for characters.
The hotness always had dark blond hair. The first draft described it as: like toffee… *g*
Oh I like it!
goes to add this to the wishlist