Guest Post from Mary Waibel--Lucky Break

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Thanks for stopping by today! I have a treat of a post for you from Mary Waibel, and she's hosting me on her blog today, too! Say hello here and swing by her place to see what I have to say about getting luck ;) We are both holding giveaways, too, for one lucky commenter to receive an ebook of your choice from our backlists!

LUCKY BREAK

Guest Post by Mary Waibel

marywaibel.blogspot.com

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, a day when everyone is Irish and luck abounds. A perfect day to talk about lucky breaks, right?

When Meradeth suggested writing about lucky breaks in our writing careers, I instantly thought about getting my lucky break with MuseItUp Publishing.

Back in 2011, I sent out queries to several agents for a manuscript I’d been working on for a couple years. After receiving several requests for fulls, but never any offers of representation, I decided to stop my search and move on with my writing in a different way.

In March of 2012, I sent out a completed manuscript (different from the one I’d been seeking an agent with) to a few small publishing houses. Two e-mailed me back requesting the full, and I sent it off, knowing that it still may not go anywhere.

Four months later I opened my e-mail to find a response from MuseItUp offering me contract, and the rest is history. Since that first lucky break, I’ve published three books with MuseItUp, self-published a novella, and published another book with another house (BookFish Books, where I also work as an editor.)

But, if it wasn’t for that lucky break with MuseItUp, I’m not sure where I’d be today. And you wouldn’t get to read this lucky excerpt from Quest of the Hart.

Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of one of Mary's books!

Up close the sword wasn’t as big as she had first thought, but it was still much larger than a normal sword. Black leather was wrapped around the hilt, and the pommel was a large golden ball. A narrow strip of the steel blade glinted in the sunlight, the edge razor sharp.

She placed her hands around the hilt and squeezed the plain handle. Tugging gently, she wiggled the blade. It didn’t move. Warily, she pulled even harder. Her hands slipped, and she tumbled backwards, arms pinwheeling to keep herself from plummeting over the edge of the twenty-foot drop.

Breathing hard, Kaylee sidestepped around the fist until her back was to the shallow stream. Wrapping her hands around the hilt, she braced her feet against the fist and pulled as hard as she could. Her hands slipped to the pommel, and she fell into the stream behind her, water spraying over her head.

Gasping, she sat up and doubled over in a fit of coughing. She was soaked from head to toe, but nothing appeared to be broken, although her shoulder ached from the jarring impact. She shoved her hair from her face and her breath caught.

Wisps of red swirled in the water and she scrambled away. She let out a chuckle when she realized it was just blood and not something trying to attack her. A week ago, she would have fainted at the sight; now she watched in wonder as it swirled around her.

It took a moment for her to realize it was hers. Yanking her hand from the water, she looked for the source, shocked to find a small blade clenched in her fist. Blood oozed from deep gashes on her knuckles, but the dagger was all she could see.

It was a miniature version of Paladin’s sword—the pommel a small golden sphere, the hilt bound in black leather. The steel blade, sharp on both sides, narrowed to a deadly point. It clearly wasn’t the sword Navon had told her she would need, but perhaps it was enough to work, as she was certain she would never break the other free, let alone be able to carry it.

She slipped the dagger into her boot and sloshed across the stream to the bank. The first part of her quest was over. Now she just needed to reach Dun’Au.

About the Author:

YA author Mary Waibel’s love for fairytales and happy-ever fill the pages of her works. Whether penning stories in a medieval setting or a modern day school, magic and romance weave their way inside every tale. Strong female characters use both brain and brawn to save the day and win the heart of their men. Mary enjoys connecting with her readers

About the Book:

Princess Kaylee has never had to fight for anything. Her entire life has been arranged, even her marriage. But when Prince Devlin falls under an enchantment, she finds she is willing to do anything to save him, even if it means fighting a dragon.

Devlin's own sister, Princess Arabella, is behind the deadly plot. She wants the throne and will use any means necessary to gain it. Her perfect plan unravels, leaving Devlin caught in a magical sleep that is slowly spreading through the kingdom of Breniera. All Arabella needs to finish her spell and claim the crown is a drop of Kaylee's blood, but obtaining the single drop is proving more difficult than expected.

To save her betrothed, Kaylee embarks on a quest to find an ancient sword and gather a drop of dragon's blood, while trying to stay out of Arabella's traps. But Arabella's traps aren't the only danger. Time is everything. For once the last inhabitant of the kingdom falls asleep, the spell will be sealed, and not even true love's kiss will break it.