Friday 21 January 2011

BIG SECRET PROJECT TEASER

Happy Friday, everyone. Congratulations on surviving another week. It was tough one for me, and probably for many of you as well. Give yourself a friendly pat on the back (if you can reach).

Since I was a big old meanie on Wednesday and didn't keep my world building post promise, and since the reason for that was Big Secret Project, and since everyone wants to know more about Big Secret Project but I can't really give you any details yet...

That's right - today I offer a special, exclusive sneak peek of Big Secret Project, just for you faithful blog readers. And this really is a teaser, because I'm literally on chapter three of the first draft and every single word I post here is likely to change later on. But the response to the FF teaser was so amazing that I thought you'd probably like to see this anyway, so here goes. Let me know what you think. 

     I’d been up in the attic a few times since Sofu brought me there, helping mum fetch down decorations or bits of furniture. It wasn’t spooky, even if it was dusty. I knew what everything was. The twisty shape on the left was an old hat wrack that used to be in the waiting room in the basement, the grey jumble under the window was my crib, filled with old toys that I’d grown out of early.
     I edged carefully between the cobwebby leftovers of Yamato family life and went to what looked like an empty space in the corner where the roof sloped down.
    Crouching carefully – because despite what I’d said to Jack, I didn’t want to have to spend twenty minutes getting dust off me – I reached out into the shadows, my fingers searching for the shape of a metal box with a broken latch hanging off it.
    “Got it,” I whispered. I didn’t stop to ask myself why I was whispering.
    I pulled the box out and opened it, ignoring rattle as the broken padlock fell off, ignoring the fine tremble in my fingers. Carefully I peeled back layers and layers of yellowing silk, covered in stiff embroidery, to reveal Shinobu.
    He was just like I remembered. In a way that seemed wrong, as if I was meeting a friend that I’d known years ago, and they hadn’t aged a day. His saya – sheath – was black lacquer, with delicate golden cherry blossoms drifting across the surface. The grip was black, with black silk wrappings. Golden cherry blossom menuki, designed to create a better grip, peeked through the intricately folded diamond-shapes of the silk. The guard was circular, chased with more of the golden flowers, as was the hilt cap. I stared at him for a long, breathless moment, shivers of excitement tightening my skin. Then I lifted Shinobu from the box and drew him from the sheath.
    The cutting edge of the blade was shining silver, almost too bright to look at. Long, flame-shaped ripples marked the many folds in the metal, shading up to deep black on the blunt edge. Both sides of the katana were marked by a long grove. People called it the blood-letting grove, but its purpose was to make the sword both light and strong. When a warrior struck with perfect precision, he would hear three whistles from the blade. One from the cutting edge slicing through the air, and two from the air moving along the groves.
    I lay down the saya and put both hands on the grip, taking hold of the katana as if to strike. I drew in a deep, awed breath that felt endless. Under my fingers I Shinobu breathed in as well, a gentle shudder of life, like a dog stirring under a stroking hand. The grip heated until it felt the same temperature as my skin.
    The single bulb overhead winked off, on, then off again, and died with a tinkling noise, leaving me in pitch blackness.

28 comments:

Megha said...

This is amazing, Zoe! Especially for a first draft.

Zoë Marriott said...

*Sighs with relief* I'm glad you like it!

Megha said...

I mean, I like all your work. You're a role model!

I especially like the phrase Long, flame-shaped ripples a lot; I'm not sure why that's my favourite, but it is. It reminds me of a pattern, like a tatoo pattern :D.

I know, I'm very strange.

Zoë Marriott said...

You're not strange at all - that's one of my favourite phrases too! You have a good eye.

Isabel said...

Oooh, so intriguing! Thanks so much for the post, Zoe! I can't wait to find out more about Big Secret Project. You're off to a great start!

Alex Mullarky said...

Wow... exciting! Can't wait to learn more about it :)

Zoë Marriott said...

Thanks, Alex. I can't wait to be able to tell you more, but it's all in the hands of Super Agent right now...

Nattasha said...

Ooooooh awesome :)

Zoë Marriott said...

Thanks, Nattasha. Now I have to resist the urge to post more - but then I'd be in real trouble, so I'll just have to think of something else to blog about!

Isabel said...

Nattasha: How far into The Sweet Far Thing are you? I'm on page 713, and this book is SO GOOD!!!! I'm taking a little break to calm myself before I devour the rest of it in one go - I don't want to have to say goodbye forever! Do I sound a bit melodramatic? I'm sorry. It's just that... I've never read anything quite like this. It's unbelievable. However, I'm set on finishing today. My friend who has read two books in the course of waiting for me to finish this book is getting a wee bit impatient, and who can blame her? I gave her PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS to keep her going until I'm done. Prophecy of the Sisters is by Michelle Zink, and I really think you'd enjoy it. Whoever likes the Gemma Doyle series has to like it, because it's so achingly similar. It's set in Victorian times, and there is something extreeeemely similar to the realms. There is also this thing where when you die, you have to cross over, or you become corrupted. There is also something very much like the Winterlands. The main character's mother died, and both she and her mother have to do with this thing of the realms. She has two friends who are girls, who play parts very similar to Ann and Felicity. It's also set in present tense. She also goes to an academy for young ladies, which is where she meets one of her friends. I'm sure that Michelle Zink must have read the Gemma Doyle series and taken a lot from it, but I'm also sure you would love this series (the last in the trilogy is yet to come out) as I did. If you're in the US, you can probably find it at a bookstore, but if not, order it. Believe me, it will be worth it. Gaah, now I'm gonna go read. I'll be back! When I'm finished...

Isabel said...

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! O. M. G!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zoe, guess what????????? I just found out that THE CHARMED RETURN, by Frewin Jones, also the author of the Emerald Flame series, is coming out in TWO FREAKING DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been waiting for this book for one. Whole. Year. I love this series (called The Faerie Path Series) soooo much, and when I learned last year, after finishing The Enchanted Quest, that this book was only coming out in a year, I was devastated. Over the course of this past year, I began to forget about it, until today, when I suddenly remembered and went to check his website. I'm so happy!!!!!!! I can't wait to read this! I'm going to Barnes & Noble with a friend today, and I only wished they could back the release date up two days. Wish me luck in getting my hands on this thing soon! EEEEEEP!!!!

Zoë Marriott said...

LOL, Isabel. I'm glad you're excited and I hope you enjoy your book.

Isabel said...

Do I sound a bit *too* excited? It's just that I *just* found out, and I'm in ecstasies about it. I'll calm down soon enough. I hope this book lives up to my expectations, after one year of waiting. I'll tell you what I think of it.

Zoë Marriott said...

There's no such thing as too excited, unless you pass out. Enthusiasm and passion are good things.

Isabel said...

LOL! Good. I'm glad you think so. Now I have to get ready to leave. Reading will have to wait till later. Wish me luck in braving this -3 degree Fahrenheight (I don't really know how to spell it - is that correct?) weather. *Shiver.* I hope I find something so that the trip is worth it.

Megha said...

That's not so cold, Isabel :D.

ANYWAY. I have SO many books on hand, and I really want to read them quickly. Like I always do, I'm reading the not-so-interesting ones first. I like to do that to leave the best to the end.

I love the weekend. I can read NON-STOP for literally hours. I'm really upset tomorrow is Monday; I won't get as much time to read as I would like. And I can't stay up late to read since I've school tomorrow.

I wish I could read outside in the playground, but my friends like to chat to me, and I like to chat to them, so I'm not sure if I'll have time. I seriously have mixed feelings about life. Le Sigh.

I don't even know why I'm rambling on to you, Zoe. I just really want to let go of my feelings.

(This may be totally unnecessary, but my friend hasn't invited me over to her house for ages and I miss the French toast her mum makes.)

Zoë Marriott said...

Ramble away - if you're feeling conflicted and a little stressed, sometimes you just need to get it out. I sympathise about not having time to read at school, since I had the exact same problem. Why don't you ASK to go to your friend's house? Or learn how to make French toast yourself.

Isabel said...

Megha: I said FAHRENHEIGHT, not Celsius. That's really cold. But I survived. Tomorrow is going to be reeeeally bad. It's going to be -8 degrees Fahrenheight but -28 degrees Fahrenheight in the wind. That's really cold. So cold that if you stay outside for five minutes you may get frostbite. No joke. Aah!

Anyway, no luck at Barnes & Noble. (It's a bookstore—you guys have it in the UK too, don't you? And Borders, too, right?) Too bad. But it's okay—I have a bunch of books to read, too. But I never save the best books for last. How could I possibly? That’s torture.

P.S. How do you do bold and italics on this thing? Even if I cut and paste, it doesn't work.

Emma said...

Wow, this is the most teasing of teasers! I loved it! I think we're all aching to find out more now! Thank you for sharing this Zoe :)

Isabel: I'm glad you survived! And I love how excited you are :) We used to have Borders - and I used to work there, it was the best job (and discount) ever! - but it went into administration and shut down December 2009 *sob* I really miss it! Our major book chain is Waterstones' but it's nowhere near as good!

Zoë Marriott said...

Thanks Emma. Poor you, losing your Borders job. I've always wanted to work in a bookshop, but no luck so far.

Megha said...

Isabel: You should read MikeFitz's post

Megha said...

Zoe: No post yesterday?

Zoë Marriott said...

It's still Monday, right? I didn't get confused and skip a day? I'm writing Monday's post now...*Is worried*

Isabel said...

Emma: Borders is going out of business here. I'm so sad and scared. Borders is one of my favorite places on earth. Today I was going to go to Borders to buy The Charmed Return, but my sister only had $8, so there wasn't enough money. (Books come out in hardcover here, so they're about $18.) Tomorrow. I'm going to Borders with Sadie after school.

Isabel said...

Borders didn't have The Charmed Return in stock, unfortunately, so I'll have to order it. Which is annoying, because Amazon and Kindles are what are destroying all the bookstores. Oh, well. Let's hope Borders makes an unexpected comeback and the one near my house doesn't close down!

Isabel said...

Megha: I read it, (finally) and here's a test:

I really like to read.

That's going to show up in italics, if this works.

Isabel said...

YIPEE!!!!!!!! HALLELUGAH!!!!!!! Thank you, Megha! That's totally awesome that has been bugging me ever since I started posting on this blog. Yeee!

Isabel said...

Sorry, it's "hallelujah," not "hallelugah."

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