Quest for Redemption may be the name of my fantasy novel, but it seems to be a metaphor for the writing process of the book itself. This book, my longest work to date, started out as a novel for National Write a Novel month about three years ago. I completed my 50,000 words and “won”, but then let this book sit for over a year before deciding to try to do something with it.
I cleaned it up and finally sent it off to one of my publishers. It received a revise and resubmit. So I did. It was accepted! My editor moved on and I decided to move on too. So I resubmitted to a new publisher. And it was accepted!
The edits on this novel were not easy. I got sick in the middle of them, being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. My confidence in myself and my writing hit rock bottom and I considered stopping writing all together. This novel was a quest of sorts for me, a way of finding a way back to myself as an author and as a person. It was a long and hard journey. There were tears and a lot of hard work involved. I had some great support from my editor, publisher, and author friends. Without them this book probably would have broken me.
However, I survived and Quest for Redemption has made it out and I couldn’t be prouder. This work in the end helped me grow as an author and as a person. I am stronger now than when I started it and for that I feel like I have already made it so to speak.
Here is the sneak peek!
Zanna stood, stunned into immobility. While with Alana, she would have to travel the human way. The thought slightly annoyed her, yet fascinated her at the same time. "I do not travel by vehicle, so I will be forced to ride in yours." She could still smell and see the fear in Alana, so she tried to lighten the mood. "You know I have never actually ridden in a car before."
"Really?" Alana seemed shocked.
"I have never had the need. I simply come and go in this world when I want. I usually arrive and leave the very spot I wish, and there is never a need for me to travel from place to place while in this realm. Not to mention I find the transportation of humans to be quite slow and cumbersome." Nonetheless, Zanna elegantly bent her long frame into the passenger side, slightly curious to see why many humans loved their cars so much. Sitting inside one, she felt rather cramped and uncomfortable, and while it was a fast means of transportation for a human, she didn't understand what was so special. Maybe one had to be human to fathom why vehicles fascinated them so.
Alana very nervously started her car and began to pull out. "Aren't you going to put your seatbelt on? We don't want to get pulled over."
"Excuse me?" Zanna had no idea what the sprite spoke of.
"The human law enforcement requires all people within a vehicle to wear a seatbelt." She pointed to the belt around herself.
As she pulled the belt and fastened it like Alana's, Zanna asked, "What is it for?"
"Protection in case of an accident. Stops you from flying through the windshield," she explained.
"How curious. You know it is completely unnecessary for me. But if it will keep human law enforcement from interfering, so be it. The less I have to deal with humans, the better."
The drive to Alana's home did not take as long as Zanna expected, especially considering she was used to arriving in places almost instantaneously. She actually found the trip rather interesting, seeing the human world in a way she had never experienced before. The tall metal buildings and the harsh exteriors held a beauty to them in their angles and order that she had never realized before. While she could never give up the open airiness of the magical realm, viewing this realm as a human gave her some insight into humans and their nature. Alana pulled into the parking lot of a very tall and nice-looking apartment building. She turned off her car and Zanna could see that she was once again trembling.
"What are you going to do to me and my mother?" She spoke so quietly that a mere human would have had a hard time hearing her.
"I am going to gather information. The more I hear about how little you know, the less inclined I am to punish you. I would like to know why you and your mother, who have magical blood, cannot enter our world. It is your birthright. If you cannot enter our world and have not been allowed those privileges of being two-natured, then I cannot punish you for not following our laws." Zanna tried to smile and reassure Alana that she meant her no harm. Judging by the look on her face, it worked. Zanna had been told before that when she smiled at humans and stared directly into their eyes they believed whatever she said. It came in handy when questioning them before erasing their memories.
Alana took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. Zanna attempted to follow, but forgot to take off the seatbelt and found herself still restrained. To her surprise, Alana giggled, and after a moment, so did Zanna. That shocked her even more. She rarely laughed, let alone giggled like a young girl. Kalan had been right saying that something was up with her tonight; she definitely was not herself.
As Alana took the lead, she said, "My mom's going to freak out that an elf is coming to our home. She always talks about how strong, powerful, and beautiful elves are. She's going to be so pleased, but mad that I didn't call to warn her that you were coming."
"I told you I mean no harm to your mother. There is no need to warn her."
"No, you misunderstand. She's going to wish she had time to clean and dress nicely for you. To make our home and herself more presentable to you," Alana explained.
Zanna was about to answer that this would not be necessary, but they had just walked inside the apartment building and a young man in the lobby, apparently leaving, walked right toward them. Alana and Zanna both stopped talking, not wanting to be overheard. Zanna also noticed that Alana's posture stiffened, and she could smell a little fear coming off her once more. She could tell that, this time, she was not the one causing the reaction. Zanna glanced and saw that Alana was blushing and peering shyly at the young man coming their way.
About the author:
Sheri Velarde is an author, artist, independent comic creator and jewelry designer out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is a creative soul with eclectic taste and style when it comes to her art and writing. Sheri is a multi-publisher romance author who is now branching into fantasy as well with her Defender of the Realms series. When not creating (which her fiancé argues is never), Sheri can be found spending time with her fiancé and their two dogs, reading, watching fantasy movies, attending metal concerts and just taking time to stop and enjoy life.
You can view Sheri’s work on her website/blog, on her Facebook author page, and on Twitter.
Quest for Redemption will be out on Three Worlds Press April 23, 2015!
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