#olwen pryce

[author-a-holmes]

Trick or Treat. 🎃

Using a coin flip this year; Heads = Trick Tails = Treat

Sooo.... *drumroll*

TREAT! 🍭

Let me introduce you to Olwen Pryce.

I only have a celebrity faceclaim for her right now, but...

She is the right-hand of Connorbar Moore, the legendary kavian hunter that Andric, Lizzy and Booker are seeking out in Darkling.

And she's also the first time I've ever needed to redesign a character from the ground up.

It's no her fault, it's entirely mine, but in the first draft of Darkling, I specifically wrote her so that people would dislike her. The intention was for her stand-offish-ness to be revealed later as an overprotectiveness of Connorbar, since she knew him both pre-and-post his broken heart, and refused to ever let him be hurt like that again.

But, between the first and second draft I wrote myself into a bit of a corner where I needed to raise the stakes. I wanted someone injured, or possibly to go missing, and the only character I had available, that I didn't need in the next scene, was Olwen.

Not ideal when... at this point of the book, most people would have been rooting for her death.

So I knew, for the second draft, I was going to have to restructure her entire character into someone sympathetic. I have someone else for people to hate on now, and I can't wait.

Olwen is a much kinder soul in her second iteration; still withdrawn and cautious, but more willing to bend than break herself on her own ridig rules.

[author-a-holmes]

Trick or treat? 🥸

Using a coin flip this year; Heads = Trick Tails = Treat

Sooo.... *drumroll*

TREAT! 🍭

I'm running out of idea's for treats! So have a snippet/excerpt that doubles as some Lore and Worldbuilding! Booker explaining to the vampires how fey wards function...

"Strong wards," she muttered in explanation, but while Andric and [Redacted] seemed to accept her explanation, it only made Booker frown harder. "Not that strong, I didn't think," he said, but Lizzy just shrugged. "I find it interesting that the pair of you can sense them at all," Moore interrupted, in between pulls on the oars, his smooth movements working in tandem with Olwen to propel them across the ocean towards Osyth. "Why?" Lizzy asked, looking past Andric in time to watch Connorbar break out into what she'd almost call a playful grin. "Well, they're my wards—" Booker's scoff cut him off, and Lizzy could feel a grin of her own brewing at the hint of exasperation she could hear in his voice. "They're not your wards," Booker said, rolling his eyes, but it was the startled look of surprise he pulled from Moore than made her laugh. "What do you mean they're not my wards? They're linked to me, I—" "They were made for you, sure," Booker interrupted again. "You probably control their range, what they project to keep people out, the specific pass phrase to allow entry, who can use it, things like that, right? But you didn't make these wards, they were crafted for you. They belong to the fey who crafted them."

[author-a-holmes]

Heads Up, Seven Up Tag Game

Thank you for the tag @coarsely <3

Rules: Share seven recent lines you've written. Tag up to seven people (Or more, or less, Whatever you're comfortable with ^_^)

Gonna share some from Darkling today, so I'll pop it under a cut so that people can avoid spoilers.

And if this doesn't FEEL that close to the end of the story, that's because it's not. I've been working on adding an extra chapter between the current chapters 12 and 13 ;-)

Tagging forward to; @authoralexharvey @sleepyowlwrites @amewinterswriting @talesofsorrowandofruin @isabellebissonrouthier @cwritesfiction @theunboundwriter

And anyone else who wants to play, consider this an open tag ^_^ <3

“Then you must learn to fight as a vampire would.” “I’m about as good at that as [Redacted] is!” Booker snapped, and Lizzy flinched, surprised at the bitterness to his voice and although Olwen didn’t recoil the way Lizzy had, she went very still. One eyebrow arched slowly, and Booker backed down almost immediately, running both hands through his messy hair. “You want to place a blade in my hand and teach me to kill,” Booker muttered, and Lizzy’s breath caught as the pieces began falling into place. “And I… I can’t even lie and say I want you to. I don’t.” “Booker?” Lizzy asked softly, waiting until he looked at her, before reaching out unsteadily to touch his mind.

[author-a-holmes]

Happy Blorbo Blursday!

Your characters are in a cafe/bakery for snacks. What is each one of them buying? 🥐🥞🥪☕

--@oh-no-another-idea

Ooo! Interesting question! Thanks for the ask <3

Answering for the Darkling Cast...

Lizzy Hail - Pain Au Chocolat

Lizzy doesn't have a huge sweet tooth. A little bit of indulgence now and then, but overall she's not one for sweets. If she was buying something from a bakery she'd lean towards the more savory options like the actual bread, but if it was specificlally for a snack she might pick up a pain au chocolat.

Booker Reed - Bakewell Tart

There's a nice balance to a bakewell tart that Booker really enjoys. The sweet jam, the almost savory edge of the almond base, the bite of the cherry. He likes the layers and textures, and the way they work together.

Andric Roche - Carrot Cake

Cheese cakes are usually found in stores not bakeries (at least here in the UK), otherwise that what would have been Andric's 1st choice, but nothing beats cream cheese frosting as a second option for Andric, and that rarely comes on anything other than a Carrot Cake. It helps that he also enjoys how moist carrot cakes tend to be.

Edward - Cinnamon Bun!

Not just because he's quite close/adjacent to the "Cinnamon Roll" trope, but also because he loves the sweet/savory mix of a well iced cinnamon bun.

Connorbar Moore - Scottish Shortbread

Connor has simple tastes. Flour, Butter, and Sugar, baked to perfection. Nothing beats a crumbly piece of shortbread for this vampire.

Olwen Pryce - Millionaires Shortbread

Olwen doesn't indulge herself often, but if she's walking past a bakery and catches sight of some Millionaires Shortbread, it's almost an impulse to stop and buy one. It may bring back memories of her mother baking in the kitchen. It might be a little bit off bittersweet nostalgia. It might just be the caramel-chocolate combo.