Works in Progress

This is the place to see all of my works in progress! Here, I will periodically post portions of my writing for my readers to see!

NOTE: PLEASE NOT NOT DUPLICATE OR REPOST FOR ANY PRUPOSE WITHOUT PERMISSION.

Dear Mr. Avalon
Dear Mr. Avalon is my first book in the world of Hollow Mortes. It is my first full novel. I’ve written short stories before and this was originally supposed to be one, but it grew bigger and bigger, and I convinced myself to make it into a novel. I’ve been working on it on and off for about 3 years now. It is currently being edited before moving on to draft #4. I am also making all of the art for this as well. I know I can commission a pro, but there is something about doing it all myself that I can’t let go of. Regardless of how well the book does, I know that it is something that I did 100% of. I will be doing a cover reveal soon and I am expecting to indie publish this year.
Here is a summary of the novel.

Monsters are real. They live and breathe among mankind. Many live normal lives. They work normal jobs and blend in perfectly with the human population. And there are instances of humans and monsters living with and loving each other. But that does not mean they do not have a world of their own, hidden from human eyes. 

The realm of Hollow Mortes, a world built with magic, exists for the prosperity and longevity of monsters of all variety; Vampires, Werewolves, Demons, Skinwalkers, the undead, and so much more.

Gretchen Daumier is a young woman who is thrown into the world of Hollow Mortes and must learn to adapt. She must fight and survive, being turned into a werewolf against her will and struggling with her new altered humanity, and learning that trust is often a luxury one can ill afford. Gretchen sets out to reunite with her younger and sickly sister, who goes on her own small adventure of discovery. 

Both sisters attempt to navigate this world in hopes of reunion, not knowing what Fate has in store for them.

Chapter 1 (Draft)
Spider threads caught at her face, a sign that no one has been there yet. Gretchen cringed and wiped her face frantically. She hated spiders, and the crypt was full of them. Her heart began to race. She was nearly there. Months of research countless dead ends had led to this. If her information was correct, the necklace would be here. Her employer Mr. Avalon had been searching for this artifact for years. He would be so pleased! The air in the crypt was cold and stale. It hadn’t tasted the outside world in God knows how long. 

For the last six months she’d been hunting for the crypt of a wealthy Baroness from the eighteenth century. But it was not the corpse she was interested in, but the necklace she was supposedly buried with. She walked through the crypt carefully. She had no idea how structurally sound the place was or what else besides spiders were down there. The only light in the crypt was that of her flashlight which flooded the place with artificial white LED light. 

Gretchen came to the end of the underground hallway like structure. There, coated in cobwebs and dust, was the coffin of the Baroness. Made of white marble, the family crest emblazoned on the front in faded red and blue. She stood there a minute to compose herself. She remembered what Mr. Avalon had told her when he sent her here to collect the artifact. “If this is a successful mission you’ll receive a generous bonus.” She desperately needed a bonus. Her sister had medical bills that were making a small mountain. She took a deep breath and moved closer to the dust covered coffin. 

She set her flashlight down facing the ceiling, and pulled off her back pack to take out her tools. Gretchen was not one for grave robbing. She was a researcher, not an adventurer. Her job was to research historical artifacts and occasionally travel to auctions to acquire them. But this was the best paying job she’d ever had. Her lack of education wasn’t an issue. She didn’t want to lose it. If she did she’d lose her sister. Gretchen couldn’t let that happen. She pulled a flat head screwdriver and a hammer. After wedging the screwdriver into the coffin between the side and the lid, she drove it in deeper with the hammer, then twisted the screwdriver and lifted, detaching the lid. She gave it a good shove and the lid slid off and hit the stone floor with a loud thud that echoed through the crypt.

“Shit!” she whispered hoarsely to herself.

She peered into the coffin to see the corpse. It was remarkably well preserved, save for the eyes which were heavily sunken in. The skin was taught and wrinkled with a few patches of decomposition. But the body was not the concern. She scanned the body and found her prize attached to the corpse’ neck; A beautiful ten carat diamond and ruby encrusted choker. It was magnificent! Its gems glittering in the dim light of the crypt. Gretchen did not have a chance to admire it for long as she heard muffled voices and footsteps. She turned her head to listen and see if she could tell how close they were. The crypt had a number of winding hallways and dead ends which made it difficult to navigate. She couldn’t figure out how far away they were. It was time to go. She reached into the coffin and attempted to remove the choker from the corpse. But she recoiled quickly, stifling a yelp. She examined the source of pain that radiated from her finger. A small gush of blood flowed and dropped onto the lips of the body in the coffin. Gretchen pursed her lips. “Sorry” she whispered.

Another unexpected sound sent shivers down her spine. There was a grotesque gasp for air from behind her. Gretchen froze. What the fuck was that? She mustered all her strength and slowly looked into the coffin. Sitting upright in it was the corpse, breathing deeply and staring her down as though she were a piece of meat. The next thing Gretchen knew she was on the ground and a sharp pain radiated from her neck. The flashlight had been knocked over, leaving the crypt in total darkness. Something like a hand was pressing on her mouth, keeping her from screaming or calling for help. Even though she could not see, she felt the world spinning as her strength left her. She felt her eyes grow heavily and the world went black. 

The monster sank her teeth deep into Gretchen’s neck and drank with a ferocious thirst. She hadn’t had a drink in what felt like a century. She was suddenly distracted by a voice that cut the silence of the crypt like a knife through butter. 

“My lady, stop!” She looked up to see Hugo, her Butler. He stood in the doorway. He approached her, kneeling beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder. “It is good to see you after so long.”

“Hugo,” she said slowly, “How did I get here? What is this place?”

“It is a crypt in the human world my lady. Mr. Avalon put you here to hide you from the Brotherhood. But they have been on the move lately, getting closer to finding you. We need to get you back to the estate. Mr. Avalon will explain in further detail.”

“How long has it been, Hugo, since I was put here?”

“Just over a century My Lady.” The Barroness sat on the floor, stunned. A century had passed. Her husband had done this to her. She felt dirty, and hurt. Hugo had risen from the floor and took out a piece of chalk. He drew on the stone wall of the crypt while mumbling a spell under his breath. The woman marveled for a moment at her servant’s skills. Making a temporary bridge to another world was no easy task. It required extensive stamina and understanding of runes, sigils which predate runes by thousands of years, and their properties. When he was finished he took a step back to show  a sigil which glowed a remarkable green. He turned to check on Gretchen. She was unconscious but still breathing. Hugo took out a large bandage and placed it on her bite mark, lifted her in his arms and turned to face the sigil which had appeared to open a doorway made of green glowing light. It was a soft light which glowed but did not overpower. The doorway seemed almost fluid as it slightly wiggled and quivered. 

“Please my lady, we must go.” He stood aside for the woman to go first. Her heartbreak began to burn inside her heart as she gritted her teeth at the thought of seeing her husband again. She had a number of questions and she intended to get answers. She rose from the floor and walked through the doorway, followed quickly by Hugo. As he walked through the portal he could hear the voices of their pursuers advancing. But the portal closed before anyone could follow them.

Gretchen was slow to wake the next morning, in a room she did not recognize. Sunlight poked through the thick, dark green curtains. Her arms and legs were heavy and she felt cold all over. She was scared to move and tried to take in her surroundings from her current position.Gretchen laid flat on her back in a large, soft bed. From the little light in the room she could tell the bed had four bed posts with curtains. She turned her head to see the room. There was some vintage style furniture, almost antique looking, but without more light or sitting up, she could not tell much else. She tried to recall what had happened. She remembered the crypt, the corpse, the necklace. She moved a shaky hand toward her neck. There was a square bandage placed on the side of her throat. So it was real? She thought. 

There was a knock at the door and before Gretchen could try to answer, the door opened and in walked a maid with a tray. Placing the tray down on the bedside table, she gave Greatchen a smile.

“Good morning Miss. How are you feeling today?”

“I’m not really sure. Where am I?”

“You’re at Mr. Avalon’s estate. You had quite the rough night from what I hear. I have breakfast here when you’re ready.”

She moved to the window and began pulling the curtains back to allow more light in. Gretchen flinched at the sudden influx of light, but her eyes adjusted quickly.

“Where is Mr. Avalon?”

“In the library Miss. He told me he’d like to speak with you when you are ready. I’ll lay some clothes out for you.”

Gretchen felt her heart leap into her throat. This is it she thought, This is the day I get fired. What am I going to do? I don’t have a degree of any kind. This is really the only work experience I have. I could go back to waiting tables? Maybe bartending? Both probably. Oh God and what about Lizzie? This bonus was supposed to pay for her last hospital visit. If I lose this job, who knows what’ll happen. I need to beg  for this job. That’s it. I’ll apologize, and say I’ll do better next time. I’ll work harder and hope he agrees to keep me. God, if this goes south please look after Lizzie.

She mustered what strength she could and sat up. The maid put the tray on her lap. It was Eggs, bacon, and toast with orange juice and a cup of fruit. She scarfed down her breakfast, realizing quickly that she was very hungry. Then she managed to climb out of bed. Her limbs were still shaky and heavy but she could manage. She dressed in the black t-shirt and jeans the maid had put out for her. The maid had also laid out her cross necklace for her. Gretchen nearly had a heart attack when she realized she wasn’t wearing it but the maid had explained the chain had broken and needed to be replaced. It was sitting on top of the dresser. It was a cross roughly one inch wide made of black steel with an ornate trim around the edges and a green gem in the center. It once belonged to her mother, who held onto it after Gretchen’s father had died. Gretchen put  the necklace on and stared at it in the mirror. The memory of her mother visited her as she stared at her reflection. But she brushed the thoughts away along with the tears that would have followed if those thoughts were allowed to linger, and made her way to see her boss. 

She’d only met Mr. Avalon a handful of times in person. He had a serious disease which prevented him from leaving the house. He told her the name of it once, but she couldn’t remember the name of it. He did all of his work from home. She mainly spoke to him through email and zoom. She had only been to the estate a few times. Each time she was a guest who was invited to dinner. They used the time to discuss business and the latest artifact he had her researching for his collection. The house was a lovely massive mansion on several acres of private land in rural Lancaster PA. The place was filled with window rich hallways and ornate rugs. Paintings from all eras lined the walls. Some were as old as the Renaissance, others were more modern pieces Mr. Avalon had commissioned himself. There was one of him and his late wife Maria in the center of the Foire at the top of the steps.

Gretchen took a moment to admire the painting. Maria was an absolute beauty with her hazel eyes and wavy raven hair, dressed in a royal blue gown. Although her gaze made her seem intimidating. It was as though her painting threatened to summon her ghost to haunt you should you disrespect her. Mr. Avalon was very handsome and had kinder eyes. His pale green eyes were soft, almost melancholy. Gretchen could have spent the whole day studying and over analyzing the piece. But she had a job to beg for. She turned from the painting, feeling Maria’s image glare at her as she made her way down the stairs, holding onto the railing for support. Her legs felt as though she had spent the week on a treadmill. Every step made her legs feel structurally unsound. But she persevered and made her way down the stairs. 

She finally made it to the library, which she was always in awe of. As far as libraries went, Gretchen always considered this one to be exceptional. Floor to ceiling bookcases lined the walls. Ladders were speckled throughout the place for easier access to the higher shelves. Across from the side entrance where Gretchen had entered, there was a balcony sat on the wall, with a small spiral staircase on one end by the library’s main entrance.On the far end of the library stood a massive window that stood nearly as tall as the wall itself. Morning light from the front garden flooded the room, filling it with a soft pale light that made the room twinkle slightly.

Standing at the window facing the waking world was Mr. Avalon. As Gretchen approached she noticed he was holding someone in his arms. To her knowledge he lived alone save for staff. But then she froze. She recognized the royal blue dress. The mystery person’s hair was dark and wavy, cascading down to her waist. For a moment she thought it could have been Maria. But that’s impossible, she thought, he told me she died a long time ago. 

Then her employer raised his head off of the mystery person’s shoulder, turning to face Gretchen. It was then that Gretchen took a step back, heart racing. The mystery person turned to see what Mr. Avalon was looking at and Gretchen was struck with fear and confusion. The woman was dressed in a royal blue dress, the same one from the painting. Her hair was the same. Her face and eyes were the same as well. And the thing that made Gretchen begin to sweat was the choice of jewelry the woman was wearing; A beautiful ten carat diamond and ruby encrusted choker.