CLOAK GAMES: SHATTER STONE excerpt
A few people asked what CLOAK GAMES: SHATTER STONE will be about, so here are the first few paragraphs of the book:
A mistake caught up to me.
To be blunt, I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I almost always wriggle out of them.
Some of that is because I’m clever and a very good liar. Some of it is because I have magic, and I know spells that no human is supposed to ever learn. Some of it is because I’m in good shape, and I can run faster than a lot of the things that wanted to kill me. A lot of it is because I always assume the worst is going to happen and prepare for it as thoroughly as I can. That saved my life a lot of times.
Though some of my ability to wriggle out of mistakes – if I’m honest with myself – is because I’m pretty, and I can smile and stand up straight and stick my chest out a little and flirt my way out of trouble.
A pretty smile at the right time can smooth over all kinds of problems.
But not this. Not this mistake. This time, the mistake caught up to me, and there was no way I could avoid it.
It caught up to me on the day I had coffee with my brother’s girlfriend’s grandfather.
Yeah. It was kind of awkward.
-JM
Ummm. Nice start and all, but you don’t really expect us poor ignorant readers to be able to discern what the book “will be about” from that, do you?
The mistake Nadia is talking about is from CLOAK GAMES: FROST FEVER. So we shall seem some of the characters return from that book.
Hmmm. You musta taken an extra dose of cryptic pills with breakfast this morning. 🙂
I thought from the epilogue of Shadow Jump that the Lord Inquisitor is gonna have her run some errands? What mistake could possibly cause worse trouble than that? (The only reference to a mistake I remember from Frost Fever was a reference to hanging out with a boyfriend whose name I can’t remember but who was a rebel).
But I’d like to add that I’m really glad you’ve started writing Shatter Stone and I’m looking forward to it.
Thanks!
The Lord Inquisitor Aravaleon hasn’t actually located Nadia yet, and he hasn’t completely decided what he is going to do with her once he does find her. The High Queen gave a serious problem into his care, a very serious problem, and if it isn’t handled properly, a lot of humans and Elves are going to die. In fact, Aravaleon has come to realize that the problem is much worse than the High Queen thought.
Nadia might be the tool to help him deal with that problem.
If not…well, she might die, followed shortly thereafter by a lot of other people.
Hrmm. What could this mistake be?
Off the top of my head, I’d have to say something related to the Grey Knight, or perhaps one of the Rebels Nadia was acquainted with under another name who’s still alive. It seems unlikely that it’s the Frost Giants. Unless the mistake is connected to what’shername, the woman who Nadia hauled around.
But I don’t know.
Clearly, a reread is in order.
Nadia does owe the Knight of Grayhold a BIG favor. 🙂
Not sure I’m buying the last comment about Nadia owing the Knight a BIG favor as being a clue – I think it might be there to throw us off…but I could be wrong. Because owing him a “favor” wouldn’t be consider a mistake as the opening line of the book refers to, because he really did her a solid when she really needed help. There was, of course, caveats attached to it – but he could have really screwed her over.
I’m really glad to hear that there is another Cloak Games coming out, it is one of my favs in your book series…it will also give me an excuse to do a reread of the series too!
But I’m not going to try to guess. I’m one of those annoying people that are perfectly willing to wait and be surprised. Just like The Walking Dead season premier, I haven’t been guessing who got Lucille, not worth trying. You can analyze all the angles and the writer can decide at the last minute what is going to happen
I have to admit that I’ve never actually seen the Walking Dead.
And the Knight of Grayhold will indeed be in CLOAK GAMES: SHATTER STONE. 🙂