Candles Book Club

September 30 - October 6

Have you seen them?

There's a woman standing at the edge of one of the outcroppings. Every now and again, she steps off, slowly turning in mid-air as she falls to land head first against the road below.

She vanishes before she hits the ground.

Last night, a young boy offered you a lantern with a smile. You looked away, perhaps at some sound, perhaps to see if yours was still working. His seemed unnaturally bright.

When you looked back, he was gone. An instant later, so was your light.

Where there are humans, there are ghosts. It seems this cliffside city is no exception. If you ask, the lady was a priestess, ritually sacrificing herself to appease the raging river below. Records show that it worked. The instant of her death, the waters of the river began to calm.

Where humans dwell so close to the wilderness, however, there are... other things. If you mention the boy with the lantern, you'll be warned to never accept his light, or anything else that he offers. If you reach for it, he will seize your hand and drag you into the earth. "We suspect," they'll say, "that he is carnivorous."

The maple tree with roots that move to trip the unsuspecting. The swimming lady that you see drowning, only to be pulled deep into the water when you try to rescue her. The childlike laughter near your window at night.

There are always lights on at night now, a glittering show of candles, braziers, oil lanterns, and magelights. There are always people around, keeping an eye out for mischief. Every few minutes, someone passes by the vine shielded windows, and it's impossible to tell if they are human or something else.

The vigil continues, and its purpose seems to be a bit more than superstition. 

For us, however, it is time to observe at a less dramatic angle.

Ann of Utopian Rainbows has a story for us in The First Delicacy. She's re-done more than Shilo's chapters, and for those of us who have been here a while, she requests that we look once more at her spicy heroine.

In-Line comments: anything but grammar please.

New readers: (Cipher and Rex, I believe)

Prologue and Chapter 1: What did you think of the prologue? Anywhere to cut? Does it annoy you that it's long? And do you connect the girl from chapter one to the girl in the prologue?

Veterans, please look at chapters 1 and 3 and the changes that grace these pages.

Chapter 1: Does Cayenne's motivation for joining the army seem clearer now? Or is it coming off as not strong enough? Do you think it was wise to make her chapter 1 since she's the girl from the prologue?

Chapter 3: Are the added descriptions of Asylum strong? Necessary? Is the added part where Cayenne throws the dagger and her eyes glow working? Before I had ended the chapter where Jensi hits the bulls eye.

Rex of Xylex and Orbs returns to us with Nalite Hunter and also asks that we keep the grammar pen away.

For Cipher, it's chapters 1 and 2

Chapter 1: What is your first impression of Azarias and how to you view him as a character?

Chapter 2: What do you sense of Azarias' situation, goal, or motive?

And for the rest:

Chapter 3 - is the world forming well or are the new terms throwing it off?

Chapter 4 - have the hints about his 2 powers been picked up?

What about you guys? Do you have any favorite lore you've pulled into your settings?