Okay, I’ve pleaded for help from tons of Beta Readers and it just dawned on me, at least some of my followers haven’t seen the opening pages of this book and might be willing to humor me with their opinions on this rewrite. I need to know, are you confused by this?
MOURN THEIR COURAGE
By
VICTORIA DIXON
Xing Dynasty: In the Tenth Year of Rebuilt Tranquility
Chapter One
Liu Jie reached the garden beyond the orchard, breathing the rotting peaches’ cloying sweetness as he slid to his knees. The moon’s bony face illuminated the leafless trees, but shadows and fears haunted his thoughts.
We traveled to meet the emperor and stop a civil war. Not fight in one. I cannot kill my countrymen – my brothers. But I must. The Imperial summons he’d just read commanded “the aid of all men as sons might come to their father.” He trembled with revulsion.
After his family and guards had stopped at the Peach Orchard Inn this afternoon, his son had discovered a starving child here in the garden. Jie had taken the Orchard Boy inside and his wife cared for him now. Could the act of saving a life atone for taking thousands? He looked at his hands. Though they’d touched the rich soil, they appeared unblemished in the moon’s cold light.
How bloody would they be before the coming civil war ended?
The next morning, the wood panels of Jie’s small room groaned. Jie shut the door behind the man who had agreed to feed and help train his army. Jie shook his head, smiling. It was as if Tong Zhang’s mere presence pushed against the walls.
“Zhang, this is my wife, Mei.” They bowed to one another, but Mei held a bowl of warm water in her hands, and turned to the bed and her patient. She pulled aside the bed’s curtain and the Orchard Boy woke, squinting through half-shut lids.
Jie heaved a sigh of relief. We did it. We saved one person.
Zhang towered over the boy.
“Are you the Demon King?” The boy’s voice rattled and wheezed as he shrank away under his blanket.
Zhang laughed, and the Orchard Boy tried to sit.
Mei placed a steaming cloth on the boy’s forehead and eased him down. “Careful, young one.”
“I’m so cold.” The boy’s eyes opened wide and he sat up, looking around the room. “Chen? Where’s Chen?”
The floor creaked underneath Zhang. “He’s delirious, Jie. Fetch a priest!”
“No priests,” the boy muttered. “He might do anythin. . .” He collapsed, but turned as if to listen when Jie knelt beside the bed.
“What is your name, child?” Jie said. “Can you hear me?”
“I don’t think he can, husband.”
“The fever took his mind, Jie.”
“I’m Hong Aiyu. Thirteen. Not child,” the boy protested, though his voice slurred from exhaustion. “You want ‘prentice? I bring luck.”
Zhang’s laughter vibrated the rafters. “Luck? Sure! Bad luck!”
“He’ll live, Zhang,” Jie said. “And if his name is any indication, the gods have given us their blessing.” Jie never took his eyes off Aiyu. “We will talk later, War Dragon, but yes. I will take you into my family’s service. Eat and rest, for now.”
They poured tangy chicken broth into Aiyu and bathed him in warm water until he slept again.
Okay, so I’ve rewritten this book so many times I’ve lost track of draft numbers. The opening alone has been through more work than anything else I’ve written and I’m now on yet another rewrite.
Tu Books is launching this fall! And we’re still looking for
submissions. (See
http://blog. leeandlow. com/2011/ 03/17/coming- soon-tu-books/ for
a sneak preview of our fall books.)
Call for submissions
TU BOOKS, an imprint of LEE & LOW BOOKS, publishes speculative fiction for
children and young adults featuring diverse characters and settings. Our
focus is on well-told, exciting, adventurous fantasy, science fiction, and
mystery novels featuring people of color set in worlds inspired by
non-Western folklore or culture. We welcome Western settings if the main
character is a person of color.
We are looking specifically for stories for both middle grade (ages 8-12)
and young adult (ages 12-18) readers. (We are not looking for picture books,
chapter books, or short stories. Please do not send submissions in these
formats.)
For more information on how to submit, please see our submission guidelines
at http://www.leeandlo w.com/p/tu_ submissions. mhtml. We are not accepting
unagented email submissions at this time.
What I’m particularly interested in seeing lately: Asian steampunk, any
African culture, Latino/a stories, First Nations/Native American/Aboriginal
fantasy or science fiction written by tribal members, original
postapocalyptic worlds, historical fantasy or mystery set in a non-Western
setting.
Stacy Whitman
Editorial Director
Tu Books
I’ve received news of three different markets for Asia-inspired literature. Yeah!
I’ve received word that the Community site for the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove” is up and running. For those of you who love Asian Literature, get over there and sign up. It’s a community where the general public can login to discuss all sorts of things regarding Asian lit, though I think the specific focus will be Wuxia.
Which leads to the other exciting news: John, the author of the Seven Sages, is also interested in printing a Wuxia anthology. How cool is that? And to make it even better, it will be a paying anthology. More on that after he opens to submissions. For now, make sure you login to join the Sages.
Do you have anything you plan on submitting?