WeWriWa - Old Amarillo (Amish Journeys #1) - May 31, 2015

Welcome back to Katie's journey in this week's snippet from my forthcoming Amish novel, Old Amarillo, Amish Journeys #1. Last week, Katie narrowly escaped a pack of starving coyotes as she trekked along the trail to Texas at twilight by flinging her venison dinner at them and running for a distant campfire . . . 

Katie shook her head and accepted the plate. A sudden, foreign popping sound from suffocating darkness behind them made her jump.

            “I’m Michaela. Michaela Dawson. That’s my husband Jake and my son Logan you heard there.”

            Confusion narrowed Katie’s eyes.

            Michaela grinned. “They’re keeping those pesky coyotes at bay.” Her blue eyes, wide with curiosity, sparkled in the firelight. “What may I ask are you doing out on the trail . . . all alone, at night?” 

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed this little snippet --- stay tuned for Old Amarillo coming September 3rd :-) 

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WeWriWa - 5/24/15 - Old Amarillo (Amish Journeys #1)

Welcome back to Katie's journey in my forthcoming Amish novel, Old Amarillo, Amish Journeys #1, releasing September 3 from 5 Prince Publishing. We left Katie alone last week as the friendly howls of the coyotes that had joined her on the trail turned from musical to sinister.

In the distance, a flickering glow caught her attention. “A campfire!” Plunging her hand into her bag, Katie produced the venison steaks her twin sister Annie had packed for her as she’d broken the news of her travels to their parents.

            Heaving them behind her and not bothering with the biscuits or pie, she ignored the snarling and snapping that ensued almost immediately and took off at a dead run toward the glow of salvation on the horizon.

            “Welcome Miss, won’t you come and join us?” The English woman’s smiling voice was almost as warm as the fire when Katie burst into the camp unannounced. “Coyotes are awful bad tonight. Heard tale myself that they’re being driven north from the devastating drought down south . . . hungry things, they are.” The kindly English woman held out a dented tin plate to Katie. “Have you eaten darlin’?” 

Thank you for stopping by!  Visit my other eight-sentence snippets by following the links below!
An Everlasting Heart, where you can fall in love with Charlotte and Sanderson from the very beginning of my debut Civil War era novel, A Heart on Hold, and find out just how long a heart might hold on . . . before it breaks. 
Back to my first blog, where you can experience post-deployment PTSD in its most raw form, eight sentences at a time in my forthcoming memoir, Missi Wanderin' in the Woods. 
Get back to the other eight-sentence offerings by awesome WeWriWa writers here!

WeWriWa - 5/17/15 - Old Amarillo (Amish Journeys #1)

Welcome back to Katie's journey on this beautiful May day as we see what the coyotes have in store for Katie as she tries to make her way from her Old Order Amish home in Gasthof Village, Indiana to the wilds of west Texas . . .

The coyote pup's fluffy body seemed too large for its tiny head as it paused and looked at her through wide, wild eyes. Then, stumbling over its too-large feet, the young coyote disappeared into the brush that lined the trail.

            Katie giggled. “Go on silly baby, go and find your family . . . they’re all around us.”

            She’d only continued a few more steps before the howls silenced and the feeling of being watched became almost too much to bear. As darkness deepened the sky’s hue, Katie remembered the supper in her bag just as the whuffing sound of curious coyotes met her ears.

            Icy fingers of fear clawed at her stomach as the feeling that came with the coyotes around her changed from strangely cheerful and probing to strangely hungry and hunted. Maybe I should just start for home now and forget any thought of Texas. If I walk quickly, I could even run, and I’ll leave the food for these animals . . . Katie whirled on her heel, ignoring the yellow eyes that peered at her from the lengthening shadows. A low growl roiled out of the surrounding understory.

Thank you for stopping by! Please stay tuned, I will be announcing a cover reveal for Old Amarillo soon! 

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WeWriWa - Old Amarillo - May 10, 2015

Welcome back to Katie's journey. I hope you enjoy this eight sentence snippet from my forthcoming Amish novel, Old Amarillo (Amish Journeys, #1), coming September 3 from 5 Prince Publishing.

Without further ado, let's rejoin our atypical Amish girl, Katie, on the trail to Texas from her home in Gasthof Village, Indiana.

. Instantly, a choir of yips encircled her with their echoing sounds. Katie froze and scanned the world around her. Nothing was out of place and there wasn’t one tell-tale tail, or much less a hair, giving rise to any suspicion of her stumbling into the midst of a pack of coyotes.

            The sky to the west was a splash of pastel colors and a shudder raced down her spine as the incessant yipping continued in varying octaves. Glancing over her shoulder, Katie pointed her nose skyward into the falling darkness and let out a lingering howl. At once, the coyotes silenced before filling the skies with a chorus of haunting howls in answer.

            “What beautiful music they make,” Katie mused, continuing down the trail and pushing thoughts of her brokenhearted mother down deep in her soul. From seemingly nowhere, a gray pup scampered across the trail in front of her. 


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Old Amarillo(Amish Journeys#1) -- WeWriWa -- 5/3/15

Welcome back to Katie's journey! Please feel free to scroll down in blog posts to read Old Amarillo from the beginning! Remember, Old Amarillo is releasing in print and digital formats from 5 Prince Publishing on September 3 of this year! This blog gives you a sneak peek into the book and allows you the chance to fall in love with  Katie, Peter, and all they encounter on their journey before anyone else! Stay tuned for a cover reveal party, as well!

Let us not waste any more time and rejoin our heroine on the dusky twilight trail in 1890, just outside outside of Gasthof Village, Indiana . . .

Carefully, she tucked the taxing strings into the nape of her hand-hewn dress. I could just take my covering off and stow it in my apron, Katie thought.

            Guilt at simply having the thought niggled in her stomach. Even though she was well away from the watchful eyes of her Amish village, it still didn’t feel right to take the white gauzy prayer covering off completely. She gave it a pat as another of what was most likely her mother’s shrieks met her ears. “God, please hear my prayer –”

            As quickly as it gusted, the breeze died off, leaving Katie alone in a vast and eerie calm. The yip of a coyote replaced the melancholy laments of her mother, now lost without the breeze to carry them. 

Tune in next week for eight more sentences from Old Amarillo (Amish Journeys #1). For now, feel free to pop back over to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors and pay homage to their eight sentence contributions to the writing world :-)