Guest Post: Riders of the Lightning Storm by @JenniferMacaire @Evernightteen @bloggerbees

 Please welcome Jennifer Macaire with a guest post !!!

You want to write a novel. That’s not unusual. A lot of people love to write and many excel at it. I’d like to give you the best advice possible though before you begin, and this is it: finish what you start.
Yes, that’s it. Finish what you start. Carve it in stone or write it in indelible ink and paste it over your keyboard, but don’t forget it. It sounds so anodyne, so uncomplicated, and so easy. But it’s going to be the hardest part of writing a novel.

Starting a book is easy. Inspiration comes as quickly and easily as a breeze through an open window or a dream. Even characters are simple to create; after all, they are living in your head and you know them better than anyone. A plot is important and it’s as easy as a beginning, a middle and an end.
So, you ask, what is so hard about writing a novel?

I’ll tell you. Writing a novel is sitting down every single day and writing. It’s writing when you are not inspired. It’s writing when you have something else to do. It’s writing when there is a movie you want to see, a dog barking, the telephone ringing, and your kids clamouring for their dinner. It’s writing until you’ve attained your word count, and then wrote the last two words…‘The End’.
It still sounds deceptively easy. But how many would-be authors write twenty, thirty, even a hundred pages and then get stuck. “No, this isn’t going right.” They say. Or, “I can’t seem to get into the story anymore.” They decide to put it in a drawer and finish it later.
Later?

More likely they will have another inspiration and start writing a totally different book. They will invent newer, more interesting characters and start again. And then, after a few chapters, the same ennui will set in. The same doubts. The same urge to just stick the manuscript in a drawer and start anew.

Don’t.

Finish what you have started.
The best advice you can get is this: No matter what happens to the characters, plot, and conflict—keep writing. Finish that book! The first book a novelist pens is rarely a gem. It’s often full of too many ideas, too many plots and characters. The very best thing an aspiring author can do is to finish that first book…and put it in a drawer. Then, start another one. But never, ever, start a new one until you’ve finished writing your first book.

Finish that first book for several reasons.
One, it means you are an author. You have written a novel. No matter what kind of book, be it a masterpiece or a disaster, it is a novel and it is finished. You have done something many people set out to do and few accomplish, so give yourself a pat on the back. Two, it will give you the confidence you need to start another book and to finish that one too. Book two will be better, I promise. It will be easier to write. The words will flow effortlessly. The characters will stay in character. You will have freed yourself to write. So you want to write a novel? Go ahead, start one…but whatever you do, finish once you’ve started.  

 

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RIDERS OF THE LIGHTNING STORM

~ Horse Passages ~

Jennifer Macaire

YA, Sci-Fi, Romance, Adventure

Evernight Teen Publishing

Twins Carl and Meagan Cadet are the youngest herders in the Federation. Their parents and younger sister were abducted by the enigmatic Raiders, and now they are alone with their horses. Aware of the dangers, they continue to herd the horses that somehow open passages between planets. 

They are on Tauii 3 when Luke Jeffries arrives on the scene with his herd. Luke and Meagan are pulled together as they come to grips with their losses. When raiders capture Meagan and Luke, they become prisoners working in mines on an isolated asteroid. Escape seems impossible, but they encourage each other to keep up the hope even as they begin to fall in love. 

But before they can escape, they must somehow unlock the mystery of the horse passages. 

Buy Links:   Evernight Teen     ARe     Amazon

Excerpt:

The Jeffries' had moved their herd to the south end of the lake. Today, the boys had started breaking in the two-year-olds, and Meagan decided before swimming she'd go have a look at their work.

It was a ten-minute walk along the shoreline, and as she walked she gathered eggs from the many nests she found. She only took one egg from each nest, putting them carefully in her pouch after admiring their speckled amethyst coloring.

Luke saw her coming and waved. He sat astride the lead mare and her presence calmed the young horses his brothers rode. They cantered slowly around a circle of bare earth worn in the grass. Luke led, with his brothers right behind him. Their mounts snorted loudly and swished their tails, unused to having riders on their backs. They cantered a while, slowed to a bouncy trot, and dropped to a walk. Skittishly, the younger horses tossed their heads and pranced sideways.

"Let's go faster!" cried Luke, urging his mare into a gallop. She pinned her ears back, as if annoyed to be acting the part of schoolmistress, but set off at a fast pace. The three boys galloped after Luke, sitting astride their horses with practiced ease.

Meagan sat on a nearby log and watched. She admired the way the brothers rode. Everyone had a different style, but the Jeffries looked both athletic and graceful.

In the distance, across the lake, she could see Carl walking toward their camp. He waved his hat in the air, and she waved back. Meagan rose and picked up the eggs. She should get back if she wanted to swim before dinner. Luke and his brothers wouldn't be finished for a while yet.

She'd just finished adjusting the strap on her shoulder pouch when a clap of thunder made her jump. Frowning, she looked around. There were no storm clouds in sight. A faint sparkle caught Meagan's eye, and she stiffened. A mist curtain, no more than three feet wide, appeared in the middle of the plain. Her heart seemed to stop, then start again, pounding frantically. "R-r-raid . . . Raiders," she whispered. She had to warn Carl and the Jeffries brothers. She tried to shout, but her voice stuck in her throat. She couldn't say anything. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out at all.

Panic-stricken, she screamed, and her voice shattered the air around her. She tried to call to Carl, to tell him to watch out, but all she could do was scream. A flock of birds rocketed out of the long grass, their wings whirring around her. She tried to stop, dragging air into her lungs and clapping her hands over her mouth, but she screamed again, and all of a sudden the words poured out. "Luke! Carl! Raiders! Raiders are coming! Get the horses! Get out of here!" She started running for her camp.

The boys fought to control their young mounts as strange horses surged out of the mist curtain. Upon their backs, cloaked riders crouched low. They held long poles with lassos attached. Without pausing to look around, the Raiders galloped straight for Luke and his brothers.

Shouting, Luke motioned at his brothers to save the herd. The untrained horses, frightened by the noise and sudden panic of their riders, took off at full gallop, clods of dirt and grass flying in the pursuing Raiders' faces.

Meagan saw Carl running toward their herd. He leapt through the tall grass and whistled for his horse. She knew he had to get the lead mare out of the way. If he could catch Boo, then he could herd their horses across the plains and out of the Raiders' reach. The Raiders never let their mist curtain close behind them, so they could get back home. Because of this, the Raiders couldn't venture beyond a certain perimeter. If Carl could get their horses far enough away, they would be safe.

Meagan held on to that thought as she ran, her breath coming in sharp gasps. Behind her, she heard hoof beats. She turned. Two Raiders were swooping down upon her.

She uttered a frightened scream and dodged, flinging herself toward the lake. Perhaps she could swim away from them. But the Raiders, anticipating her move, rode to cut her off. She swerved again, her lungs burning and her legs aching as she ran. Then someone called her name, and she saw Luke galloping toward her, his hand outstretched.

"Jump on!" he shouted. His expression was grim.

"No!" Meagan screamed back at him. "Go away! They'll catch you!" Already the Raiders were closing in.

Luke paid no attention. Kicking his mare, he leaned over and snagged Meagan's arm. She felt as if it had been yanked out of its socket as she was jerked off her feet. Instinctively, she swung her legs over the mare's back and grabbed Luke's waist. A second later a lasso zinged through the air, just missing her head.

Luke had just turned the mare toward the lake to try to lose their pursuers, when another rope shot overhead and settled on the mare's neck. With a harsh cry, Luke pulled her back before she was knocked off her feet. The Raiders were too quick. They hauled back on the rope, sending the mare tumbling. Luke and Meagan fell heavily to the ground, and the last thing Meagan saw were the mare's kicking feet.

#Note & Recipe:

Herders travel light. Their staple diet is beans – “dried beans are easy to carry, easy to fix, and have lots of vitamins and iron”, as Herders like to say. When they get to their campsites, they usually put a handful of beans in a pot of water to soak, and then cook them over an open fire. Here is one of Meagan's favorite recipes:

Meagan's Bean Stew with Leftover Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups dried pinto or cranberry beans

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 celery stalks, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes

2 tomatoes, diced

1 pound kale, trimmed and coarsely chopped

2 cups vegetable stock (Herders carry lots of bullion cubes to help flavor their meals)

6 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste

fresh ground black pepper

3 or 4 slices of stale or lightly toasted Italian or French bread, cut into crouton-size pieces

Instructions:

Rinse the beans and soak overnight covered in several inches of cold water with a little lemon juice or vinegar added. Drain and rinse. Place the beans in a medium saucepan. Cover with several inches of fresh water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until the beans are tender but not falling apart. Drain and lightly mash some of the beans with a potato masher. Set aside.

Heat a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil, wait a few moments, then swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Toss in the celery, carrot, onion, garlic and chili flakes and cook, stirring, until the onion turns a light brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes are slightly reduced, another 10 minutes. Now stir in the beans with the kale and add the vegetable stock and water. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the kale is tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and season with salt and plenty of fresh ground black pepper. Serve hot in wide shallow bowls and scatter with pieces of stale or lightly toasted bread.

~ Enjoy! ~

About the author:

Jennifer Macaire lives in France with her husband, three children, & various dogs & horses. She grew up in upstate New York, Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. She graduated from St. Peter and Paul high school in St. Thomas and moved to NYC where she modelled for five years for Elite. She went to France and met her husband at the polo club. All that is true. But she mostly likes to make up stories.

Where you can find my book Website

Where I write on my Blog

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jennifermacaire

 

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