May/June Snippets

It’s time for snippets, thanks to Katie Sabelko of The Whispering Pen and her Snippets of Story. Mine will all be from The Alice Quest this month. I am 56,000 words into it, which makes me very happy because it is at last officially novel-length. It’s hard for me to say how far along I am; my guess is halfway, but you know how plots can expand and contract at will.

Pulling out snippets from a mystery is somewhat difficult, since I don’t want to give anything away, but since each one is so short, it’s quite possible they’ll leave you even more mystified. First, the plot synopsis, in case you don't know: Amy, a homeschool graduate, is determined to help her grandmother discover what happened to Alice Prescott, a great aunt who disappeared over a century ago.

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It was 8:30, and Amy was starving; Lisa and Grandma had eaten on the road. Lisa avoided her once in the house. They told their adventures in separate rooms—Amy claimed the kitchen so she could fix a salad and warm the leftovers from the family’s supper for herself. After that, her royal-blue bed tempted her, body and soul; Simpkin didn’t help by being curled up on top in a big, cozy ball.
“Many thanks, Simpkin. You’re not even lively or loyal enough to greet me after I’ve been gone all day.” Amy stood, crossing her arms and staring groggily at Simpkin as he yawned like a lion and tucked his head back down after she entered. “Just for that I should hustle you off and deposit you outside. I bet you haven’t been out at all today.”

*

Now what? Genealogical records, that’s what came next. A place name coupled with a person’s name could catapult you into valuable knowledge; it was much more likely than with just a single name.

*

Well then, time to go help make lunch, if Lisa hadn’t already commandeered the kitchen. Then she [Amy] would put on her teacher’s hat and give Lewis his piano lesson … the boy had skill, if he would siphon some of his energy from sports and computer games (not his reading and history playacting; anything but those) into practicing. Not all his respect and, yes, fear—she was a tough teacher—for his oldest sister would influence him.

*

Lisa sailed into the room, fluffing out her hair in little quivering motions, like she always did when she was on a hurried, important mission. “Where’s Mom?”

*

They had expanded Alice’s life story more than Amy had dreamed possible; how could they stop now, especially when this journey may be their last chance to find many of the missing pieces?

*

Grandma beamed. “I knew you’d come around. Thank heavens I don’t have to drag you with. I was thinking we’d leave tomorrow. We have enough time to—”
“Tomorrow!” Amy and Mom exclaimed, both sitting up ramrod straight.
“No way can I be ready by tomorrow,” Amy declared. The very thought made her queasy.

*

She needn’t go into overdrive; she could do this. Leave for two weeks in less than forty-eight hours to a destination thousands of miles away; yes, it was possible. She wouldn’t have chosen it, but she was up to the challenge. On top of everything else … well, it would be hard, but she was up to the challenge. For Grandma, for Alice, for her own satisfaction. Alice, maybe I can know you after all, she thought. 

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed them. Are your own projects, be they writing or otherwise, going well?