Jessica K. McKendry is celebrating the publication of her first book, a fantasy, From the Ashes, by hosting From the Ashes Blogfest.
This is what it requires of the participants:
Tell us about a time when you or your character was thrown into a trial
by fire situation. What biggest fears did you or your character have to
face? What sort of situation would test you to the fullest?
I’d rather not talk about my own trials on the blog, so I’ll post a small vignette about my character, Mau.
the boy had learned quite a few from Mau– how to move and when, where
to scrape a meal from, and what to leave well alone. He knew to pad
across the road when it was choked with traffic, to curl up on high
walls when threatened, to steal a nap in someone else’s ramshackle tent
on the footpath— close enough to people to earn a pat or morsel, but
far enough away to bend into a run.
earth shook with noise, window panes on the office buildings shattered,
and the first sirens blared, the boy followed the other people of the
street, to see what was up. But he came back to Mau, who licked him up,
perhaps to warn him off the curiosity that killed cats.
the people in the tent behind which boy and cat shacked up for the
night dwindled their chatter about bomb blasts, and fell asleep.
earth shook again, startling them awake, and all was sound and pain and
darkness for a while, from which Mau emerged unhurt. But the boy did
not. It did not matter how much he had learned from the cat, how hard he
tried.
Mau had nine lives after all, the boy but one.
———
About Jessica’s book:
chance to prove herself a superior and loyal citizen of the Imperial
Alliance. In order to do so, she believes she must win the galaxy-wide
competition known as the Trials. With training at her Gifted School
progressing swiftly, everything looks like it is on pace for her to
achieve her dream…until a boy named Dragon enrolls in her class.
everything she’s been taught to believe, Jaina and Dragon are teamed
with six of their classmates for the chance to compete and achieve their
dream: winning the Trials. Consisting of four different tests, the
Trials are about to challenge these eight young adults to the limits of
their abilities. But learning to work as a team is more difficult than
they ever imagined and dark secrets from Dragon’s past emerge that put
them in mortal danger. Now Jaina must discover what she’s really
fighting for if she and her team have any hope of finishing the
Trials…alive.
self-reliance and self-confidence, McKendry delivers a perceptive,
nuanced portrait of the importance of teamwork and the strain it puts on
individual desires and motivations. Playing with the concepts of dark
and light, her novel is a complex coming of age story that encapsulates
the complicated hero’s journey from student to leader. A dark tale of
love and revenge, From the Ashes is a powerful reminder to think for
yourself instead of blindly following what you’ve been taught to
believe.
I feel bad for that boy. All he has is a cat, which isn't much.
I liked hearing about the trials both your characters had to overcome.
Thanks, Theresa, for stopping by, and taking the time to comment.
Poor boy, having nothing in the world but Mau…
Really exciting for Jess 🙂
Rachel, an overwhelming number of boys in India have even less. Yep, I'm excited for Jess!
I'm glad for Mau, but worried about the boy. Great story! Congrats to Jess. Happy weekend, Damyanti!
Well, cats usually don't need a lot of worrying about, boys do. Thanks, Mary, hope you had a good one!
Thank you for Mau. A bit sad, yes but powerful.
From the Ashes sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks. I dunno if Mau in the book would be powerful. I hope so.
Wow. I loved reading about Mau and the boy. So sad, but that's why we read stories. To care. To feel the sadness, joy and frustrations. Bodacious!
I'll have to read From The Ashes. Sounds wonderful! 🙂
Robyn, I'm told my books is mostly sad..thanks for telling me it can be a good thing.
I bought Jessica's book, I recommend you do, too!
I think I'm in love with Mau! Gonna check out Jess's book.
Kittie, I'm thinking of giving a bigger role to Mau in the book, dunno if that will happen. Jessica is a young author and deserves encouragement.
That is very sad.
That is what you said the first time I posted this 😉
Very excited for Jessica getting a chance to publish her novel. Woot!
I really enjoyed this tale of Mau an the boy.
In Neverlove, my main characters both had to rise from the ashes of their former lives to become something more with the second chances they were given.
Thanks for liking Mau and his friend. Neverlove sounds like an intriguing book!
Great cover- Thanks for posting.
My character is overcoming her society and abusive father.
Happy Friday!
~Summer
Thanks for stopping by, summer. Your character seems to be steadfast and brave.
I loved your vignette about Mau.
Thanks for helping Jess spread the word. 🙂
Thanks, Mau is one of my faves. I bought Jessica's book, and look forward to reading it.