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One of the finest aspects of fiction writing is the ability to set the scene. Characters act and react, but they don't do so in a vacuum. In their world, they meet, fall in love, solve problems, sometimes horrendous problems. Maybe it's a small town, maybe the big city, the green, humid jungle, dust-dry desert, a mountainous region. On the sea. Under the sea. In space!
Setting the scene sets up the unexpected. It's also done by using character dialogue to paint a picture of loveliness, danger, evil, trepidation, excitement, awe...
Setting the scene sets up the unexpected. It's also done by using character dialogue to paint a picture of loveliness, danger, evil, trepidation, excitement, awe...
Give us six sentences that set the scene. Set the Scene in Six Sentences - Sunday is a new opportunity on the Exquisite Quills Blog to tout your talent. How have you set the scene or the lead-up in your books? How have you put the reader into the life of your characters?
Every Sunday, the blog will be open to six-sentence scene-setting. Just post your six sentences, your name, and one link in the comment box. We can't wait to read you!
Pass the word! Open to all!
Pass the word! Open to all!
27 comments:
From Book 3 of Circles Trilogy – Circles Interlocked - http://www.amazon.com/Circles-Interlocked-ebook/dp/B005S8LI46
Julie waved a hand towards the ocean and inhaled the headiness of the salty air, sighing in contentment.
Now, it was time to get back to the harsh realities of daily class, rehearsals and performances. She was a dancer, and that's what she must do – not lie on the beach, making love. She slapped the wooden arms of the deck chair, stood and followed Vincent into what he called a rustic little thing tucked among the trees.
"Rustic little cottage - the dining room seats eight. It has five bedrooms, four baths, and you could roast a pig in the fireplace."
From The Garnet Dagger - fantasy/ paranormal romance Book 1 and is $1.99 all February at Amazon Kindle:
I delayed my return to my people as I watched human jugglers bounce torches and knifes. It was autumn equinox and the festivities would continue well into the night. Children laughed as they chased each other. A trail of leaves from their costumes twirled after them. It was dark when I reached the forest.
A gasp rustled through the trees.
Amazon Link: http://goo.gl/rMEJ59
From Fly or Fall.
The sitting room was empty apart from his tool belt and reinforced boots, abandoned on the floor beside the rumpled sofa cushions. Upstairs the bathroom door stood open; the glass of the shower cubicle sparkled with water droplets; there were drying puddles of water on the floor and a damp towel over the side of the bath. Thrown in the corner were socks and jeans, and a grubby white T shirt which was ripped and bloodied. Cautiously I checked my bedroom, half expecting a freshly washed, naked man sprawled across the bed, but all I found were recent, damp footprints across the carpet and it looked like he’d used my comb. From the window I saw him in the garden, in his cut-off jeans and nothing else, lying face down on the rug I’d tenderly tucked around him earlier. After my intense anxiety the banality of the scene acted as a release and I laughed.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EWSHCBQ
From Branded By Lust, Book # 4, Night Seekers
The cold Montana wind blew across the desolate landscape. The area was dotted with giant Ponderosa pines and the peaks of the many mountain ranges that made up the rugged Continental Divide glistened in the sun. In the summer, grasses grew fragrantly in prairies between the mountains, the green softening the harshness of the land. But in the winter it was a cruel setting, covered with snow that piled in deeper and deeper drifts.The area was sparsely populated—minuscule towns, often with a population of less than a thousand, with just a few widely scattered larger cities.
http://www.amazon.com/Branded-Lust-4-Night-Seekers-ebook/dp/B00EVVAURW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391956463&sr=8-1&keywords=Branded+By+Lust
This is from my contemporary/fantasy novella set on Cyprus, The Aphrodite Touch by Romy Gemmell.
Intrigued, she followed as he led her down the age-worn theatre steps toward the rock-cut tombs and caves. No one else was about in the blistering heat. Climbing down the stone steps, they soon were inside one of the gloomy, cool chambers. It was a welcome respite from the sun, but she would not want to be down here for long, as she had never liked enclosed spaces. She turned to tell Jamie as much, but paused at his expression in the gloom.
“Come here.” Jamie took Carla's hands, pulling her against him. “I've been longing to do this for a while.”
http://www.amazon.com/The-Aphrodite-Touch-Adonis-Series-ebook/dp/B00CXXBN4O
From Her Highland Champion, set in contemporary Scotland.
In the distance, tourists roamed the ruins of Castle Callagham. Malcolm ducked under a wall of trees and climbed down toward the shore. The path would be more challenging down there, with rough rocks, long grass, and soft sand, but it would be worth it to avoid conversation.
A few feet away, water slurped against the shore in an uneven rhythm. A couple of meters away, he corrected himself. He’d spent too much time in America.
http://www.amazon.com/Highland-Champion-Honor-Guard-Series-ebook/dp/B007PJ1GM0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391964393&sr=8-2&keywords=alexa+bourne
From My Life as a Concubine ~ a Franco-American comedy of errors
Gulping air in my flight through the ruins had caused a painful stitch in my side. I paused, leaned against one of the menhirs, took some deep yoga breaths, and tried to get my bearings. Feeling a tad calmer, I resumed my search for escape when, out of nowhere, a hand snagged the waistband of my pants and an arm encircled my throat. The fine hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood at attention. I sagged against my captor’s body. The moment I’d been dreading had finally happened. Both terror and a fatalistic relief coursed through my veins.
here's the link
http://www.amazon.com/My-Life-as-Concubine-ebook/dp/B00BLUIX2A
Next installment from time travel romance, Thoroughly Modern Amanda.
Excerpt:
The door creaked.
She dropped the pad and rose from the chair, smoothing her skirts. Miss Carson’s heart shaped face appeared, her dark brows lifting.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Miss Montgomery!” She stepped into the office, a stack of papers in her arms. “Mr. Norwood was delayed.
http://www.amazon.com/Thoroughly-Modern-Amanda-ebook/dp/B00AQAIHHW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1355948640&sr=1-1&keywords=Thoroughy+Modern+Amanda
THE BULL RIDER AND THE BARE BOYCOTTER
By Jeanine McAdam
Because, holy hell, it was a naked woman holding a red sign. Something about Blood Sport and the rodeo. Just as Punisher was showing his teeth, the entire arena of rodeo fans noticed the sign too, along with a perky pair of breasts and a well-rounded hind end. Old men stomped their feet and whistled, middle-aged women screamed something about skanky whores while young men climbed the rails panting even heavier than the bulls.
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Rider-Boycotter-Skirts-Spurs-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00C9KWI0E/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391968630&sr=8-1&keywords=the+bull+rider+and+the+bare+boycotter
Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-bull-rider-and-the-bare-boycotter-jeanine-mcadam/1115071910?ean=9781618858016
What a great collection of scenes this week. Well done authors!
Here's 6 sentences from the beginning of my new novel ABSINTHE: A TALE OF MAGIC, LOVE, AND REVENGE, to be released Feb. 15 by Class Act Books:
With a creak of hinges, the wrought-iron gate encircling the cemetery swung shut, the clang as its ancient lock slid into place floating briefly before being absorbed by the fog. As if that faint disturbance of sound were a signal, the clock in the tribunal tower began to chime. Though far away, each separate beat of the hour could be heard clearly.
She said he’d be here at midnight. Taking a deep breath, Rouge Meurtrier turned his attention to the area inside the fence. So where is he?
My scene is from Heartfire, one of the stories in my Vazan Vampires (Collection). In Heartfire vampire meets dragon shifter and things get hot for hunter Daecon Kress.
B.J. McCall
A rumble more plaintive than fierce forced Daecon to slow his step. The sound tore at Daecon, drawing him to investigate despite the important task that had brought him to the planet of Pryidar. Unable to ignore an animal in distress, Daecon strode toward the crowd gathering around a flatbed vehicle. The market teemed with shoppers from all over the galaxy. On Pryidar, anything and everything was for sale, vehicles and weapons, even slaves. This section of the market dealt in exotic animals, additions for private zoos or pets for wealthy collectors.
Vazan Vampires (Collection) available at Changeling Press.
http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?upt=book&ubid=2191
www.bjmccall.com
Nice!
My scene is from TO LOVE AND OBEY (THE DOMS OF CLUB MYSTIQUE).
Addison pulled Cassie to a stop at the entrance to the main room
as she looked around absorbing the sights and sounds of the club.
Taking a deep breath she got an overwhelming combination of scents. Perfumes, colognes, leather, sweat…and sex. The combination of scents reminded her of Cade. Glancing around the room, she saw two bars, one close by on her right and one on her far left at the other end of the room. Along the walls were raised areas where several scenes were taking place. Closing her eyes she listened to the sounds around her. She could hear the deep bass of music coming from somewhere, and the soft clicking of glasses as people put them down on the tabletops. The sound of a hand slapping soft flesh had her holding her breath and tipping her head to the side as her heart beat sped up.
www.bookstrand.com/to-love-and-obey
www.bookstrand.com/mardi-maxwell
www.amazon.com (type in Mardi Maxwell To Love and Obey)
Excerpt from Hearts over Bellham – Two Bellham Romance Short Valentine’s Stories. It’s release week - $0.99! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I9JMOBM
Now here she was, clinging onto a ladder for dear life, high above the hard and unforgiving blacktop, the wind lashing against her fire turnouts, whipping her ponytail, and stinging her cheeks. All because she’d let her heart, instead of her head, control her hand.
Stupid heart.
But she couldn’t blame her heart. Not really. Tim stole her heart and took over the controls the day he moved to Bellham. It wasn’t his tall, good looks that did it – although those certainly didn’t hurt any. It was Tim’s calm, quiet confidence that struck Hillary dead center like an arrow shot from Cupid’s bow.
From Protective Instincts http://amzn.to/1gXSAsv
Sam Samuels rubbed his stiff neck. He'd removed his tie and unbuttoned the top button on his dress shirt. He'd left his sports coat in his truck, but he still felt overdressed. By now, he should have shed his business attire for worn jeans and a tee shirt.
He'd put in a long day. His notebook page was full of ways the school security system needed to be improved.
Loved the last line!
Now I want to know!
Nice description.
Good excerpts!
From: Luck of the Draw www.amazon.com/dp/B0063VOS4E
The shod hooves of the mustang thundered into the yard. The chestnut's flanks were drenched in sweat, much like Royce's brow, but that hadn't stopped him from asking the impossible from his borrowed mount. Paige already had a sizeable head start on him, and he'd prayed all the way home the mare wouldn't pull up short on him.
He vaulted out of the saddle before drawing rein at the hitching post and ground tied Smitty's reliable mustang, a lazy grin tugging the corners of his mouth at the sight of Bessie and the buckboard near the barn doors. He took the steps two at a time, but as his hand curled around the door handle, a thought sobered him.
"She had damn well better be here," he cursed and went inside.
Here are the first six sentences from A Brilliant Marriage, a short Regency--
“Bloody hell, I’m a duke.”
Jack Rawley stared down at the letter and read it again, just to be sure. He was a dark-haired, rawboned man, with a nose that had been compared to a ship’s prow, unfavorably. He had been raised in a London slum by a mother who drank too much to assuage the sorrow of losing her latest pregnancy. Perhaps it was just as well she had failed to provide him with more than one sibling, since he would have been responsible for them, as well as for himself.
For sale cheap ($2.99) at http://www.amazon.com/A-BRILLIANT-MARRIAGE-ebook/dp/B00DQ0QOFG
Thanks for having this!
Here are six sentences from Defiant Pursuit, the latest in my series about sexy, pointed eared elves from Ellora's Cave.
His nude body fascinated her as she stared at him, debating whether to wake him. He was perfectly made. Even relaxed, he radiated strength. His body was so well honed there was not a sag in any muscles. Surely no other male could equal him. His dusky skintone contrasted with the white sheets, and she almost drooled.
Thanks for reading this...Jean
Here are the six sentences that begin my March 11 release - STOLEN DESIRE - erotic paranormal - Samhain.
Two months before her wedding day, Paige Ross hadn’t expected to be fighting for her freedom and her life. Her head pounded with the steady throb of a migraine, its searing pain keeping time with the rapid thumping of her pulse. The side of her neck stung. The skin was puffy and tender from something that had burned or bitten her. When had it happened? Paige couldn’t recall.
Tina
Tina Donahue
“Heat with Heart”
ILLICIT INTENT (5 FLAMES - MY READING OBSESSION)
ILLICIT DESIRE (4 STARS - ROMANTIC TIMES)
SENSUAL STRANGER (BOOK OF THE YEAR 2010)
DEEP, DARK, DELICIOUS (HOLT MEDALLION AWARD OF MERIT)
Website: http://www.tinadonahue.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinadonahue
FB: http://www.facebook.com/tina.donahue.75
FB Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/TinaDonahueBooks
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/authortina/my-books/
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/tinadonahue
Triberr: http://triberr.com/tinadonahue
Nicely done!
Here's the opening scene from my current contemporary WIP, Redesigning Sassy.
“I'm not married!”
How many times would Sassy Prentiss need to repeat the declaration before the loan officer stopped calling her Mrs. and requesting her husband’s name and financial report?
“Our follow up on your loan application produced a marriage license that suggests otherwise. Now I have two options to resolve this Mrs.--”
“It’s Miss. And I don’t need options, I need a loan to expand my interior design business.”
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