#Lila Isabelle Hail

[author-a-holmes]

Two Truths and a Lie Tag Game

Going for a second round on the same tag from the lovely @winglesswriter <3

Tagging forward, with no pressure, to; @authoralexharvey, @sleepyowlwrites, @amewinterswriting

@talesofsorrowandofruin, @isabellebissonrouthier, @afoolandathief, any anyone else who wants to play, consider this an open tag <3

[author-a-holmes]

Darkling Spoilers beneath the cut ^_^

She was almost sure Andric hadn't slept. Despite laying beside her on the bed, his arms curled around her, and eyes closed. Breathing steady and perfectly still, it was that stillness that made her think he'd been awake the entire time. He'd only stirred when the sun began lighting up the hotel room. She'd kept her eyes closed as he moved near-silently around the space, but she'd not been able to keep her breath from catching when he'd paused beside the bed and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. By the time she'd flicked her eyes open, the vampire had blurred from the room, and Lizzy had been left with a thundering heartbeat and a note on the bedside table letting her know he'd be back before lunch and to stay inside the hotel.

Share an excerpt that includes the words "space" or "universe."

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[author-a-holmes]

Time for an update

You might have already seen me mention I'm rewriting my first draft to make some core changes, but its also giving me a chance to fix some parts where I'd left notes for myself.

Like this one...

"I know it seems that way, but—" "Seems?" Lizzy growled, because no matter how much she felt drawn to Andric, he could still get under her skin faster than anyone else she'd ever met. "Stop me when I get something wrong. We've got a decade's worth of journals to hunt through, and for some reason we're starting with the oldest information first. We've gone to eight clans that were mentioned in the first journal, no matter how briefly. We've asked every clan if they've heard or seen or have any leads on Connorbar Moore, no matter how small they were. That last town only had thirty vampires, Andric!"

Googledocs Edit Note; "Make this sound more natural and less like an infodump"

........ Gee, Thanks past me.

But I'm working on it. I'm making progress. And, I feel like each piece I rework is looking, and sounding, and reading... better.

If it wasn't, I think I'd have pulled my hair out by now lol.

Same moment, Draft Two;

"I know it seems that way, but—" "Seems?" Lizzy growled, because no matter how drawn she felt to Andric, he could still get under her skin faster than anyone else she'd ever met. "There's a decades worth of journals for Booker to sift through, why are we starting with the oldest ones first? And why are we going to every single clan mentioned? The last town only had thirty vampires, Andric!" "Working through the information we have methodically is standard hunting practice—" "But it's not getting us anywhere!" As she spoke, Andric sat forward, elbows braced on his knees as his hands slipped round to gently massage the back of his neck, and she tried to calm herself so she wasn't snapping his head off, but the frustration thrumming through her and leaking out into her voice couldn't be hidden. "We've been told wonderful stories, and legends about his skill at tracking and hunting kavians. Most of which make him sound like something out of ancient myth but, as far as I can see, we don't have a single viable lead to actually find the man. We're no closer to a solution than we were when we started!" When she fell silent, the sound of her voice still hanging painfully loud in the quiet room, Andric sighed and dropped his hands to hang loosely between his knees.

And is this increasing my wordcount? Yes. But we're not talking about that. My editing budget is already screaming at me...

[fey-touched-trilogy]

Work In Progress Wednesday - My Most Recent Lines...

The Fey Touched Trilogy

Work In Progress Wednesday; Most Recent Lines

"Lizzy Hail," Andric murmured softly, "the five-foot-three bundle of stubbornness and determination. The young woman who won't back down from anything. Not even a rabid kavian. Not even when I've spent weeks teaching her how to run from one. Whose telekinesis was strong enough to protect herself and her friend."

Carefully Lizzy opened her eyes, and turned to look at Andric. He'd moved even closer, and was now leaning one shoulder against the tree she had her back pressed against, staring down at her with an infinitely gentle expression that made her heart slam against her chest.

"What are you doing?" she asked softly, and the corners of his mouth twitched up into a familiar flash of a smile.

"I'm being honest with you," he answered gently.

- - Changeling by Arista Holmes (Chapter Thirty-Five)

Fey Touched and General Taglist under read-more...

@jezifster @cedar-west @faelanvance @noirepersonal @queen-kass-the-writer @athenswrites @thelaughingstag @talesfromaurea @authorminamoroz @bardic-tales @writeblrsupport

If you'd like to be added or removed from any of my taglists, please let me know <3

[author-a-holmes]

OC Outfit Tag Game

Thank you @talesofsorrowandofruin for the Tag (HERE). I've been meaning to put together an Artwork Comission Sheet for Lizzy Hail for a while now, and this was just the kick I needed to complete it. I figured, if I was looking up clothing anyway, I might as well finish something on my todo list :D

With that in mind, I'm going to do two versions of Lizzy. Her clothing in Arbaon, and her clothing now she's been in the mortal realm for a few months ^_^

Tagging Forward, with no pressure, to; @duckingwriting, @oh-no-another-idea, @faelanvance,

@elliottsbigstrongboyarms, @mr-writes, @pluttskutt

And anyone else who wants to play! Consider this an open tag <3

Clothing for Lizzy Hail under the cut...

Lizzy Hail in Arbaon...

Lizzy Hail in The Mortal Realm...

What stays with Lizzy, no matter what, is her pendant. It's introduced in the first chapter on Changeling. It was her mothers, but her mum got it from Lizzy's father. And, as far as Lizzy knows, it's the only thing she has that belonged to her dad.

[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.

[fey-touched-trilogy]

Last Line Tag...

I saw an open tag, and then Tumblr decided to refresh my feed, so I don't know who I actually snagged the open tag from...

But consider this me passing it along! Open tag to anyone who see's this. <3

My last line was actually the end of Chapter Twenty-Six

But first, she had to tell Gladstone about the information she'd accidentally eavesdropped on. She needed to warn her that the hunters knew about the kavians in the forest. It was possible, probable, that the woman knew already, but just in case… Lizzy couldn't risk it, and she quickly adjusted her path through the school, making directly for the Deputy Headmistress' office, and pushing everything else she'd overheard to the back of her mind.

[moryann-stolen-stories]

Reblog to Archive...

Trick or Treat? 🦇

(Event Post)

After ringing a door bell the door slowly creaks open and out jumps A GHOST! 👻

Trick my friend, trick

[author-a-holmes]

Height Comparison Tag Game

Thank you @winglesswriter for the tag! (HERE)

Tagging forward, with no pressure, to; @jasmineinthenight, @tyne-sharrow, @rumeysawrites, @world-of-fire-and-flight-admin,

@cycleofash, @innocentlymacabre, @aalinaaaaaa, and anyone else who wants to play, consider this an open tag <3

Link to the Height Comparison Website

How To Play: List the heights of your OCs, add any notes you'd like, and make a chart

Lizzy Hail; 5'3 or 160CM

Lizzy's small, but mighty. Her mum's short too, so not knowing who her father is, she assumes she gets it from her mum.

Booker Reed; 5'10 or 177CM

Booker is in the upper end of height for a Fey. When he shot up in his early teens, he enjoyed lording it over Lizzy for a while, and it's where the habit of slinging his arm around her shoulders originated.

Nameer Khatri; 6'0 or 182CM

Nameer is exactly one inch shorter than his best friend, Andric, and it pisses him off. I think he'd have tolerated it better if there had been a bigger gap, but that one inch is so negligable, it irritates him.

Andric Roche; 6'1 or 185CM

Andric doesn't really think about his heigh much. It is what it is. It's why Nameer's only brought up his irritation once. The genuine look of confusion on Andric's face had been enough to deflate Nameer's whining.

Cara Evelyn; 5'6 or 170CM

Cara wishes she was taller. Mainly because she hates being forced to look up at people. She's fought long and hard to be respected in her kavian training classes, and she thinks if she were more imposing she wouldn't be underestimated or dismissed as easily.

You can meet Lizzy, Booker, Andric, Nameer, and Cara in Changeling.

[author-a-holmes]

Proud Of Tag Game

Thank you @oh-no-another-idea for the tag! (Here)

Tagging forward, with no pressure to; @kittensartswriting, @vesper-roux, @shellyscribbles, @charlesjosephwrites

@moonscribbler, @dyrewrites, @winglesswriter, and anyone else that wants to play, consider this an open tag <3

How to Play: Post a snippet you’ve written that you’re pleased by/proud of and tag some friends

Darkling Spoilers Beneath the Cut, proceed at your own risk <3

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. He let her in, but his emotions were almost overwhelming. The pain, the regret, the self-disgust over the way he’d ravaged Olwen’s mind. But there was more buried there. More than Booker’s natural dislike of fighting, or the fears she’d managed to pull from him when he could hide parts of himself in the shadows of the night. But this tremulous fear; this was about his parents.

[fey-touched-trilogy]

Reblog for Archive...

Trick or Treat? 🦇

(Event Post)

👻 Trick! :D

[author-a-holmes]

OC In Fifteen - Lizzy Hail

Highjacking on from @oh-no-another-idea's post (HERE), I loved this idea so I want to fill it in for a couple of characters <3

This one's for Lizzy Hail, from Changeling...

Tagging Forward, with no pressure, to; @ashen-crest, @world-of-fire-and-flight-admin, @tisiphonewolfe,

@talesfromaurea, @withlovelunette, @worldsfromhoney, and anyone else who wants to play, consider this an open tag <3

How To Play: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well!

Lizzy Hail

"Rot and termites."

"It's not the first time we've argued. We fight, we don't talk for a while, but we always sort it out in the end."

"I'm not scared, I'm freezing."

"Does it have to be our full name?"

"If you won't help, I'll keep looking without you. I'll keep looking until I find her."

"You seem to know a lot about fey. Do you really think you could stop me tearing down the wards, if I was sufficiently motivated?"

"I trust you. I'm with you. We're a team."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Booker, move or I'll make you."

"In case you've forgotten, we've done this dance before, Booker. I won that time too."

"We're not going to let that happen."

"No," she said slowly. "No, because... because he'd have told us." [...] "You'd have told me..."

 "I need you, but that doesn't make it easy to trust you."

 "Haven't you ever had anyone you'd go to the rim of the realm for?"

"Andric just... He makes the world go quiet."

[author-a-holmes]

Friday Kiss Tag Game

Thank you for the tag @winglesswriter (Here)

Tagging forward, with no pressure, to; @cwritesfiction, @theunboundwriter, @foxys-fantasy-tales

@acertainmoshke, @avrablake, @lassiesandiego, and anyone else who wants to play, consider this an open tag ^_^

How To Play: From your Story/WIP, post a kiss. It can be any kiss, from familial pecks on the cheek, platonic smooches, forehead kisses, to full-blown makeouts.

Darkling Spoilers beneath the cut. But only Little Ones. I chose a scene that didn't give too much away :D

[...]he paused as he tried to think of something that would reassure her. It was difficult when he was fairly sure he was about to get a painful lesson in humility, but after a moment Andric tugged his leather jacked off and draped it around her shoulders, the leather half drowning her as he offered her a playful wink. "Look after that for me, alright?" he asked her, the ache in his chest easing as she slipped her arms into the sleeves and the hint of a smile tugged the frown off her face. Andric let one hand rest on her elbow before he dropped a gentle kiss to her temple. Turning, he stalked after the other vampire, refusing to let himself glance back at the fey woman and taking comfort in the fact that at least his beloved jacket would come out of this encounter unscathed.

[fey-touched-trilogy]

Reblog to Archive...

Trick or Treat? 🦇

(Event Post)

AHHHHH THANKS FOR THE ASK🥰💜😆

I'm so tempted to choose trick solely because I haven't been around for a while and need Darkling updates😅

*shaking a magic 8 ball because I can't decide*

Trick👻 please!

[author-a-holmes]

Find The Vibe Tag Game

Thank you for the tag, Moshke @acertainmoshke <3

My vibe to find is; "I won't do it."

I've been trying to schedule tag games so they post in order, but this is... pefect. I know exactly the scene I'm gonna share, so I can resiist posting it immediatly :D

Tagging forward, with no pressure, to;

@ashen-crest, @isabellebissonrouthier, @storycraftcafe, @talesofsorrowandofruin

@duckingwriting, @afoolandathief, @elliottsbigstrongboyarms and @avrablake

And anyone else who wants to play, your Vibe to find is; "Because I care about you, god damn it!"

My snippet is from Darkling, so potential spoilers beneath the cut, although I'll try and redact anything that would be TOO spoilery <3

"Booker... I need you to do something for me. And you're not going to like it," she muttered, watching his expression turn wary, but he never stopped watching her. "I need you to sta—" "I'm not staying here, Lila," he interrupted voice firm, and Lizzy couldn't stop a tiny flinch at the anger there hovering just beneath the words. "Someone needs to contact Nameer and Cara, find out what's going on there," she tried, but the glare Booker was beginning to fix on her made her swallow hard. "You want me to stay here and make phone calls while you walk into a meeting with[Redacted]?" Booker asked, voice cold and hard, like brittle ice and Lizzy found herself licking her lips nervously, before sitting up and bracing her elbows on her knees.

[author-a-holmes]

Random Headcanon Generator Tag Game

Thank you @rumeysawrites for the tag (HERE)

Tagging forward, with no pressure, to; @duckingwriting, @oh-no-another-idea, @faelanvance, @elliottsbigstrongboyarms,

@mr-writes, @pluttskutt, @thatfunkylilfey, and anyone else that wants to play, consider this an open tag <3

How To Play: Use this headcanon generator to make headcanons for your OCs! Then talk about how accurate they are.

Lizzy Hail

"Lizzy drank an almost toxic amount of coffee once"

While this isn't actually true, I could believe it to be true. She is not a morning person. She relies on coffee to move from conscious to awake. I could believe it.

Booker Reed

"Booker is a horrible liar."

Untrue! Booker is actually a really GOOD liar. The fact that he doesn't like to, is probably his saving grace, but Booker could excell the two-talking, double-speak, that is natural within the Fey Court.

Cara Evelyn

"Cara will remind others in the midst of chaos how good they're being."

I can see it. Cara's quite a naturally sweet person. If she thought someone needed to hear it, to get them up and fighting again in the midst of said chaos, the words would come easily to her.

Andric Roche

"Andric can drive."

This one is so simple it feels like a cheat. Yes, Andric can drive. It's seen in the first book, and it's important to the plot in book two as Andric's car is the only way Lizzy and Booker can get to all the places they need to be.

Nameer Khatri

"Nameer has chronic nightmares."

Not something I'd thought about but, again, I can see it. Nameer is a kavian hunter. He's very good at his job. But that does mean he's witnessed, and done, some truly horrendous things. But Nameer's also a genuinely good soul, so I think they could definitely weigh heavy on his mind. Might also explain why he's so often laughing and joking, and taking those small pleasures where he can.

Mia Harris

"Mia does not know what sleep is"

This is an interesting one. It's true. Sort of. Mia does work herself to the bone, but it's not entirely willingly. She has a lot of demands and expectations placed on her from her home life. So she pushes, and she should sleep more than she does. And while her attitude isn't naturally the friendliest, all those sharp edges are only eenhanced by the pressure she's under, and the drastic lack of sleep she operates on.

Connorbar Moore

"If Connorbar was presented with an intergalactic portal, they would enter it without question."

If 'Intergalactic' was 'portal to Arbaon', then the answer is yes. 1000%. Without question or hesitation. Unfortunately for you all reading this, the reasons why are spoiler territory.

Olwen Pryce

"Olwen has fallen asleep at their desk while working in the middle of the night."

Another easy one to end on. Yes. Olwen is Connorbar's right hand, and she takes it very seriously. She's absolutely fallen asleep trying to keep on top of work, and Connor has absolutely ordered her to bed when he's found her.