Camp Nanowrimo

I'm participating in Camp Nanowrimo!

I've done it before (love it!), but not while I had a blog. Okay, I had a blog but never got around to posting...

My projects this session:

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Dead in Sleep:The two factions—Human and Imp—have always fought. The Humans, with their magic and knack for invention, have always had the upper hand. But their magic has been growing weaker to the point of vanishing altogether. The Imps with their vampire mounts have gained the upper hand, and it doesn’t help matters that their automaton have begun to turn on them. The Human cities are close to falling. Where has their magic gone?
Fayte Hargreave and her two friends--Eldon Rattlebag and Shania Darknoll--do their best to survive the downfall of their city and gain a lead on what is happening to their magic.
Goal: 3K-ish, counting attempts of prose for a scrapbook version

I'd Kill for a Bath:Pearl does her best to aid her friend, Snow--an overworked secretary of Castle Hematite--in winning the right to be queen for a day. In the process, Pearl tries to sort out her life--a life that her supposed father reveals to be a sham.
Set in Convoluted Chronicles.
Although, now I want to try my hand at literary fiction; so I may be exploring just Pearl's relationship to her uncle and father, and having the fantastic elements of fantasy as background props instead of spotlight items...
In which case a title change is imminent. Probably something along the lines of: You did What?!, Who are you?, or So my Father's a Dragon.

Goal: 5K-ish

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Here are small excerpts from each. The excerpt from Dead in Sleep isn't from the main POV; it's the start of a dare (Writer's Truth or Dare is so much more fun than regular T/D), because I read over my starting scene and...well, there are a few unique qualities in this world that I'm having difficulty showing in character.

Dead in Sleep:

Eldon couldn’t wait to visit the Inner ring of the city—there were so many hoity-toities to have fun with.

“The fact that they manufacture the guns you use to keep Imps out means nothing?”

Eldon glared at Fayte, a female soldier who seemed to be favored by the CO. “The mind meld is over. Why are you loitering in my head?”

Fayte shrugged. She adjusted her goggles so that the eye beams dimmed. “Sorry.”

“Upstart little…” Muttering derogatory comments, Eldon leapt aboard a departing tram. He glanced back at Fayte, flicked his goggles so that the eye-beams flashed. When she looked up, he did his best snarling grin. That’s what makes things interesting, pet.

Guns always made things interesting.

I'd Kill for a Bath:

Pearl took solace in the last few moments spent in her organized office. Notepads stacked on the edge of the desk; sparkling filing cabinets (their contents alphabetized and categorized by urgency); the trash can emptied. She took a picture in her mind, sucked a deep breath, and stepped out.

Luckily for her, her office was adjacent the castle’s lobby, so she didn’t have to wade through several levels of bureaucrats. A poster on the notice pillar outside caught her attention. The laminated, purple and orange and black poster reflected the moonlight garishly.

Contest: Queen for a Day.

The modern equivalent of a coliseum. She sneered in disgust, glad she wouldn’t be participating.

“Oh, Pearl!” A girl with the figure and looks of a vampire queen rushed over, her high heels clicking frantically against the concrete.

“Snow. What is it?”

The distraught secretary babbled incoherently. Frantic gestures, bleeding mascara…

Pearl looked at the poster again, took note of the date, and sighed. “You decided to participate?”

Snow latched onto Pearl’s arm, sobbing. “I’ve been stalked, threatened, work piled on my desk…” She paused, swiped at her face with her elbow. Black eyeliner stained the white sleeves. “They even laced my latte!”

Pearl led Snow to the curb. “I’m sorry, but I really don’t want to get involved. Especially not after an extended weekend.”

“It’s okay.” Snow sniffed. “It’s not like…like…oh, I just can’t be sarcastic! Pearl, I’m not alright and I need help!”