Can We Guess Your Character's Age? Blogfest Contest.

This is a Blog contest hosted by Brenda Drake. If you'd like to go back to the Linky list on Brenda's blog, please click HERE

On December 8th post the first 250 words of your finished, or not quite finished, manuscript (any genre) to your blogs. This contest is about voice--whether or not your character's voice matches his or her's age. So if you mention the age or school grade in the first 250 words, please edit it out or block it out for this contest. Don't list the genre or title on your posts. 

Here are the 250 words of my story:

As I watch the door waiting for Theodor to walk in, Duster, the boy who makes a point of giving me a daily dose of torture, and my number one enemy keeps darting looks at me. Today, he looks sort of…kind? Suddenly, he jumps up from his chair. I watch him suspiciously as he weaves his way around the group, heading my way. He halts before me, and shoves a rose on my face.

“You like the rose? It goes well with your complexion,” He says. My mouth opens and closes on its own accord. Is this the boy I punched his face yesterday?

Ania, my bestfriend sitting next to me guffaws. A few heads turn our way.

Great! Now we have an audience.

“Is she going to wear it on her skin?” Ania says before I can open my mouth. He glares at her, drops the rose on my lap, whirls around and walks back to his chair. He slumps down on it, right before Theodor walks in. He saunters towards me smiling, and my heart flutters. I wipe my hands on my skirt and realise I don’t have enough courage to tell him the truth.

"Goodmorning, Katya." His voice is low, just for my ears. He lowers his eyes to my lap, the glance up at me. His eyes darken, and both eyebrows shoot up. He glances over his shoulder at Duster, and then back at me. How did he know?

Beside me, Ania chortles gleefully, thirsty for action.

Any Feedback will be much appreciated. Thank you for stopping by.

Blogfest Contest

Below is my entry for Brenda Drake's 'Can you leave us breathless?' Blogfest. It is taken from the second chapter of my debut novel The Grim Reaper's Novice (The Soul Collector series) published by Trestle Press. I hope you enjoy reading it. Any feedback/comments/critique will be very welcome.Thank you for taking time to read this.

Excerpt

Test day. Ten minutes to eight.

Cloaked in a Concealment Spell, I lean against a lamppost opposite Vienna Opera, sipping coffee and nibbling on an apple pie.

Eight O’clock. I dispose of the empty cup, and wipe my mouth clean with a napkin. I scan the area for a pulsating soul ready for collection. I squint and crane my neck, bouncing on my heels. I clench and unclench my hands. The early morning August summer sun and throng of people scattered all over the place make things more difficult. Tourists  with maps and cameras are gathered at the corners waiting at the intersection, impatiently waiting for the light to change. I can’t see anyone in the right age range.

The light changes and the masses of people begin to make their way across the street. It’s obvious the soul I’m looking for is not here after all. Relieved that I would not have to take such a young soul I turn to leave. That’s when I see him, a young man stepping off the curb with headphones covering his ears, bobbing his head to the beat of the music. My heart jolts wildly in my chest.

Suddenly, tyres squealing on the tarmac road fill the air. I whirl to the direction of the sounds. Out of nowhere, I spot a car racing down the street heading straight for him, but he’s so lost in his music he doesn’t even see it. His aura shows no sign of soul collection.

I break into a sprint, which in my high heels is like walking on thorns. I’ve never been much of a runner, but I am determined to save this young man’s life.

Two feet, and the car will make contact. I shake my heels off in the running process.