Welcome to Christian Fiction Friday's - a chance for Christian Authors to post short snippets from their works in progress.
For those who have read SHE'S MINE, you know I end with a teaser about Randy Henderson. No spoiler here - yes, Randy is the co-star of the next Mystique of Naultag novel. Unfortunately, this one has no title yet. I'm calling it "MON2" (Mystique of Naultag #2). Randy's leading lady is Giovana McKenzie. Here's how I picture them:
From MON2, chapter 1:
Gio met Randy’s gaze. “Are you
ready?”
He nodded. Deema blew a nervous
breath as Gio encouraged the mare to lower herself to the straw bedding.
Relieved when the horse accepted her interference, Gio knelt and went to work.
“You’ll need to make sure she
stays down.” Glancing up, she saw Randy was already positioning himself to
restrain the mare. “Try to keep her as calm as possible.”
Labor contractions had wedged
the foal in the birth canal. Gio would fist need to repel the foal, pushing
back gently, then carefully extend the forelegs. After that, she had to bring
the head around to facing forward. Then, and only then, she’d help ease the
baby into the world.
Lord, please help me do this, guide my hands.
“Easy does it now, girl. Dr.
MacKenzie’s gonna make it all better.”
Randy’s soft reassuring tone
grabbed Gio’s attention. He was down on the floor beside Deema’s head, left
elbow on the ground and forearm extending across the mare’s neck, ready to
apply pressure to prevent her from rising. His right hand caressed Deema’s face
and ears while he continued to croon words of comfort and encouragement. He
glanced at Gio and grinned.
Repositioning the unseen foal
required full concentration. Gio adjusted the foal between contractions. The
comforting cadence and low timbre of Randy’s voice calmed her as well as the
horse.
At last the foal’s forelegs
were straight. Gio found the little muzzle and was easing it around when
another contraction clamped uterine muscles. The foal slid toward the birth
canal. Frantically, Gio pushed against the movement with one hand, trying to
maintain her hold on the foal’s muzzle at the same time.
A low growl escaped her.
Randy’s sing-song faltered as he shot a quizzical glance her way. She managed a
weak smile before refocusing on the foal. Randy began softly singing
"Blackbird."
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| Photo by Carey Williams, Rutgers University |
Christian Fiction Friday is a weekly blog hop where authors post snippets from their current Works In Progress. It is hosted by Alana Terry and Hallee Bridgeman - see more at
http://www.bridgemanfamily.com/hallee/christian-fiction-friday-march-6th/#sthash.O5jpyzw6.dpuf
This was a great scene! I could see it in my head!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Hallee :D I'm glad I stumbled on your FB post about Christian Fiction Friday - I really enjoyed reading some of the other posts, too.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be exciting as well as scary to assist in something like this. Well written for sure
ReplyDeleteThank you, Alana! As a veterinary technician, I assisted once in a c-section on a dog. That was very scary but so exciting and rewarding. I used those emotions as I wrote Gio in this scene (I "know" what she's doing and needs to do - but only from textbooks. I was a small animal vet tech). It's nice to hear that I was able to convey what I wanted the reader to feel.
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