So I’m writing this post on Monday because I’m so damn excited and I can’t wait to share. I actually did some massive writing last night. As in, I wrote about 4,000 words in the span of 5 hours, with an hour break in there to watch the newest episode of Sister Wives (yes, I know, that’s another discussion topic for a later time and date).
Since I was writing, I have a great and fantastic excerpt to share. Poor Amy had to deal with me last night and my excitement and me sharing a top of excerpts with her as I went along. Thanks Amy!
I’ve been writing on Fallen from Grace. I’ve also joined up with #ROW80 this round. It’s my first time *bites nails* You get an excerpt from Fallen from Grace this week, book 2 in the Spirit of Grace series, and hopefully to be released BEFORE June 2015, but if not, June works. Anyway, I’m rambling now.
Just an FYI. I probably won’t be here next week. I’ll be in the middle of finalizing packing to move from Texas to Kansas. EEEeeek. That came up so fast.
Okay, so here’s the excerpt from Fallen from Grace. It’s from a chapter called Animaniac. I really wish I could just pick the whole last part of the chapter because I love it. My math is simple, though I tried to find a complicated way and gave up. You’re getting 5 paragraphs from this chapter. 9-4 = 5. Voila!
What you need to know is that Grace was called to a hoarders house by Animal Control. He’s known for being violent and they had a seizure warrant for all animals on property so they asked for police assistance. Grace’s backup said he was “allergic” to cats, so she’s on her own as she goes through the house to find the guy.
Grace moved closer to the bed and feared finding more kittens. With the amount of cats, she’d already seen there were no doubt litters all over the place–it was spring after all, and thus mating season for cats. Grace didn’t call out his name again as she rounded the corner of the bed. She put the light on the ground to guide her as she walked over and gasped.
Barry was laid out on the floor, his large body backside up and in dirty sweats. There was skin missing from his face and exposed legs where his shorts didn’t cover. His hands, where the sweatshirt didn’t cover his skin, was also eaten. Grace held back her revulsion as she inched closer. She had to check, had to see if he was truly dead.
She squinted and reached into her back pouch to grab purple gloves. She put one on her left hand and held the mag light in her right. She shone the light on his face and kneeled on the shit covered and piss drenched mattress so she could lean over and find his neck. Pushing down the collar of his sweatshirt, Grace found his dark skin untouched by cat teeth. Groaning, she reached forward and pressed two fingers to his neck. Nothing. His skin was cold, his body rigid. She couldn’t move him.
Grace stood up as quickly as possible and headed out of the room. She had to call it in, but she had to get out first. She caught Julia and Charles as they came in through the front door with crates in their grasp, thick gloves on their fingers and breathing masks on their faces. Grace shook her head and pointed them out of the building.
Running to the side of the house, Grace held herself up as she puked up the rest of her meal. Hinds came over quickly as did the other Animal Control workers. She was handed water by someone, and Grace chugged half of it before dumping the rest over her head. Her blonde hair stuck to her face and covered her eyes, but she didn’t care. She whipped out her hand sanitizer and washed her hands, shaking her head all the while.
And that be my WIPpet post!
Also…I joined #ROW80 so that means update time!
I have more than three goals because I’m insane, and somehow, I think I might actually accomplish them all. Here are the goals yet again.
1. Fallen from Grace: write 1 chapter a week (moving week excluded): Did this! Chapter 8 “Animaniac” was completed, hoping for a second chapter to get done this week if I’m lucky, it’s called “Probation Station”.
2. Promo: Answer three interview questions a day until done: Did this! about 30 more questions to answer
3. Promo: Write out a guest post a week until done: Did this! This weeks was on How to Write a Believable Character
4. Lovely, Dark, and Deep short story needs to be written/plotted 2k a day due Aug 31st
5. Paranormal Romance short story 2k/day due Aug 9th: Plotted out a bit of it and will write a good chunk Thursday. This turned into a co-written story, so on days we do write, we’ll get 2k-5k words in probably. But the days will be few with many in between.
Ugh. Gruesome. *shudders* But also funny in an ironic cosmic sort of way because, believe it or not, just last week I was engaged in a conversation about how quickly cats will begin to devour their dead owners. Whereas dogs tend to lie by the body and protect it. So…yeah…that.
And welcome to ROW80. It’s great. And flexible. And motivating. 🙂
Lol thanks!
Cats start more quickly but they can make a body last longer than dogs. =P
Oh this is a great excerpt Adrian. Gritty and nasty, but so well written! It’s really exciting and yet stark. I love the way you’ve described the scene that Grace finds; it’s vivid and shocking. I wonder how exactly Barry died – was it just the animals or was it something more sinister? 🙂
Lol the animals didn’t kill him. Just ate him after he was dead. =P
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! Love it!
STILL GROSS. Hahaha! I cannot imagine how Grace got through that and made it out before she puked. *shudders* Is it wrong of me to be glad the cats ate his face?
Maybe. Why are you glad they ate his face?
Because animal cruelty really, really bothers me, and I think hoarding pets is cruel. They likely were not well cared-for.
They weren’t and it is cruel even if the intentions are not cruel.
Oh I like this. Perfect style and combination of emotions. I want to read more – and I will..xx
Next week you will!! =D
Ewwww, gross! And yet, I love it. Not too much detail. You leave it up to the reader to fill in the gross flesh-eaten corpse and how exactly it looks. That’s something that I prefer with gory scenes like this.
Hahaha!!!! I knew you would be grossed out
I got grossed out watching American Grilled bbq competitors stick live crabs in a pot to be boiled live. I had to avert my eyes. And then another bbq guy started tearing apart a live crab, and I had to plug my ears and hum until the hubby tapped my leg to say the crab slaughter was done.
*is still grossed out by the scene*
Ummm that’s how you cook crab. Yummy. So good!
*sniff* yeah, I know. Doesn’t mean I can watch their death. Same with a chicken. Or a cow. I will eat them, so long as I don’t see their demise.
OMG. Don’t visit me in Kansas then
Lol, I won’t watch you prepare dinner. Invite me when it’s ready to eat, and don’t tell me it was the chicken I saw in the yard yesterday…
I’ll be living next to a feed farm
Oh man…
Exactly. 13-15 trucks of cows a day going out to the slaughter house
Nice job sticking to your goals! And — yuck! I certainly don’t blame her for puking.
That’s the second time she puked. The first time was in the main bedroom lol least she made it outside this time!
Ewwwwwww. Fantastic imagery you’ve created there, but gross. Yuck yuck yuck yuck!
Lol I’m thank you for that. Thanks!!
I know an Animal Control officer personally, so I can kinda sorta relate. (He once removed a lion from its “owner.” Yep, I said a lion.) It may be a particularly unpleasant picture, but you did a great job painting it. 🙂
And by the way . . . A GREAT BIG WELCOME to ROW80. You’ll like it here. We’re a friendly bunch.
Awww thanks!!! Lion! I’d be so scared
Uuuuuuggggghhhh!!!! While I know that happens, I’m just going to sit over here and pretend that my babies would never do that to me.
No if you keep feeding them! I have two cats too. I get it. =P
I have worked for a vet, and seen the consequences of animal hoarding. It’s – horrific. I understand that these people often have the best of intentions paired with a psychological issue.
Seems like Barry, who had been violent, incurred the wrath of fate.
Need to go make sure there’s food in the cats’ dish, now!
And yes, welcome to ROW80! I hope yo ulove it even half as much as I have! =)
Thanks!
Yes go feed those cats
I’ve been especially diligent about that food dish, these last few days… =)
Having dealt with hoarders (of many kinds) and been in a house where the owner’s moved outside to live in a trailer because they’d become so over-run by cats, I can … well, I can imagine the scene somewhat. Not sure I believed the mattress. Cats usually don’t pee/poop where they eat, even when they’re starving.
That’s not to say that Grace wouldn’t smell the stench. Just it might be from a room away….
But hey… these are desperate cats and desperate measures. (And while Kathi’s somewhat right about dogs versus cats… it actually devolves to connection. Dogs in hoarding cases tend to eat their owns and each other, and do so just as fast as cats. And some cats will pine away for beloved owners.)
Welcome to the ROW80, Adrian. 🙂
Ew, yep, I’d be puking, too. Having said that, the description is awesome.
Lol thanks!’n =P