the Author
June
17
46 Comments

Cast in Flame — Chapter One

Posted in Cast, Elantra, chapters.

Cast in Flame redI managed, due to the laws of physics, to drop a bowl in the kitchen. The bowl did not survive. Sadly, a piece of flying glass decided to avenge the dish, and flew up, cutting my right pinky.

Some argu­ment occurred there­after in the house­hold, because seri­ously, a trian­gular cut on the front pad of the pinky does not consti­tute an emer­gency. I grudg­ingly allowed that I would be willing to go to the hospital to see about stitches if the bleeding had not stopped within a certain time frame.

So, long story short, the bleeding did not stop within that time frame, and yes, I had to uphold my end of the bargain. And now I have stitches.

Typing is slightly chal­lenging, but I expect by tomorrow it will cause zero pain.

Which is not actu­ally why I’m posting, but let’s just say that the past two days have not been the most produc­tive writing days ever…

I am also a little bit late on posting the sample, for which I apol­o­gize — part of my brain is so dead­line stressed it refuses to acknowl­edge that it is June.

So, instead of a one chapter preview, this is two chap­ters. Cast in Flame Preview.

46 Responses to Cast in Flame — Chapter One

  1. Zia says:
    June 17, 2014 at 7:43 pm

    Speedy recovery for your finger. Sorry to hear you had a disagree­ment with the bowl. In my opinion though you still won (if we’re counting?).

    And you have made my very stressful day (got a call that my father is in the hospital) a lot better so thank you, thank you, thank you!

  2. Fyreink (@FyreInk) says:
    June 17, 2014 at 7:54 pm

    Ouch! Hope your pinky recovers soon. Thank you so much for posting two chapters!

  3. Michael says:
    June 17, 2014 at 8:06 pm

    Sorry to hear about your finger. Where’s a healer when you need one? :) It was both kind and unkind of you to post those chap­ters. Kind, because your fans want to get started on this new install­ment, and unkind because it will be even more frus­trating to have to wait for the rest now that we’ve gotten started!

  4. ElizabethN says:
    June 17, 2014 at 8:14 pm

    Thank you for the preview, only about a month and a half then release day! 

    Get better. Glad that it was only one cut.

  5. Christine V. says:
    June 17, 2014 at 8:31 pm

    Thank you for the chapter. Hope your pinky is feeling better and the stitches doesn’t leave a scar. Althrough that could be the bases of another story.

  6. Michael says:
    June 17, 2014 at 8:51 pm

    Such exquisite frus­tra­tion you cause me! I can’t wait until the end of July.

    Speaking of, if I can make it to Conflu­ence, I will. We need a couple of things to stabi­lize before I can commit.

  7. Danita says:
    June 17, 2014 at 8:54 pm

    Hope you heal quickly! Today was a lousy day and getting home to this, and two, two chap­ters no less! I am so looking forward to this book. Wish you sold arcs I’d buy both in a heartbeat

  8. Hilda says:
    June 17, 2014 at 9:15 pm

    You can’t help but write about a cut in the pinkie like a book adven­ture. It really must have been bad if it merited stitches. It must have been also painful. I agree with Michael above you needed Jewel’s healer. Thank you for the chap­ters; I can’t wait to read them tonight.

  9. Kim says:
    June 17, 2014 at 10:27 pm

    Many thanks for the chap­ters!!! I’ve been having a bit of a tricky week and they cheered me up :) 

    I can’t wait for the book! I adored Cast in Sorrow, but I admit that I’m pleased to have Kaylin back in Elantra. 

    I hope your finger heals quickly, and I hope that you get to relax and unwind some­time in the near future. 

    :D

  10. Dallass says:
    June 17, 2014 at 11:33 pm

    Why did I read it?? I just want to find out what happens now! Counting down the days till I can continue the story ;-D

  11. Julie Bailey says:
    June 18, 2014 at 12:00 am

    I’m going to love reading this book. Thanks so much for the two chapter read. You are a great artist!
    Thanks, Julie

  12. Jae says:
    June 18, 2014 at 12:06 am

    Hope your pinky heals quickly. Thank you for the two chap­ters. I’m very excited for this book.

  13. Debbie Holcomb says:
    June 18, 2014 at 12:45 am

    Loved, loved, loved the chap­ters. Thanks for posting them. Counting the days until the release. Hope your finger heals quickly. I have had many disagree­ments with break­able things. I usually loose. I really enjoy you books, thanks for sharing your amazing tales with us.

  14. Estara Swanberg says:
    June 18, 2014 at 3:45 am

    This is me contin­uing to wish you health, birthday or not, heh.

    Also, I am slightly confused seeing you use the tag “Essalieyan” for an Elantra novel — but maybe you’ve gener­ally used it for the fantasy books and I just never regis­tered that before. 

    I haven’t read the sample yet, but I shall do so now and predict I will feel like I feel each time you do this — that I want to read the rest NOW!

  15. Estara Swanberg says:
    June 18, 2014 at 4:20 am

    Yup, I was right. Two thumbs up, so far ^^.

  16. kscappace says:
    June 18, 2014 at 9:46 am

    Thank you! I hope your finger heals quickly. This sample indi­cates a truly awesome book! Good job. Take care of that finger!

  17. Kelli Jones says:
    June 18, 2014 at 10:51 am

    So sorry about your pinky finger. Hope­fully it heals quickly and you will feel better soon! Thanks for the post! I am so looking forward to spending much more time is one of your books!

  18. kat1e1 says:
    June 18, 2014 at 11:32 am

    Too excited to read straight away! Will have to drink a litre of camomile to calm down first 8D

    Thank you Michelle o/

  19. kat1e1 says:
    June 18, 2014 at 11:38 am

    PS I don’t know if this will help, but I often find that having an assort­ment of drinks avail­able (not neces­sarily alco­holic) is very helpful when stressed and having to meet a dead­line. When under that kind of stress my brain keeps wanting to distract me with other things, so I find that if I have an assort­ment of drinks (instead of food, or spending hours web browsing) it’s a quick break — get up from the chair to stretch and momen­tarily allow a brain break, and having a wide range avail­able gives me that little happi­ness I get after I’ve gone shopping. 

    Course it also means that I’m also forever having to take loo breaks, but on the upside it ALSO means I’m keeping well hydrated ; )

  20. michelle says:
    June 18, 2014 at 12:07 pm

    The tag was me hitting the wrong ‘E’ in the tag list >.. Thanks for pointing it out — I’ve fixed it, now. 

  21. Andrea says:
    June 18, 2014 at 12:11 pm

    I would side with the going-to-the-hospital-for-stitches side of the argu­ment. My husband once had a pocket knife flip back on his finger, resulting in a long nasty gash. He absolutely refused to go to the hospital since work would get noti­fied if he did. So by the time we got him to the urgent care clinic the next morning, it was so late (too long after the cut), they couldn’t put in stitches. All they could do was clean it further and give us bandages We were just lucky it didn’t get infected. If you know which finger to look at, you can see the scar.

    I’m glad you went. Even if it currently hurts right now, it will hurt less over the long run because you got stitches. :) Also less chance of a nasty infec­tion which could cause gangrene and loss of limb…

    I’m sorry about the bowl, your pinky, and the argu­ment though.

    Thank you for the chap­ters — I will enjoy them very much until the book comes out!

  22. michelle says:
    June 18, 2014 at 12:15 pm

    That would certainly consti­tute a stressful day, all on its own; I’m glad to be however helpful in a small way.

  23. Shaima says:
    June 18, 2014 at 1:59 pm

    First off, terribly sorry for your injury, hope you get a speedy recovery. (T‑T)o ~ Thankyou for the preview of the next book. Oh man, I always say this but I think the next one will be one of my favourites. lol. so much comedy, brought me to tears. Ah.….And Emme­ri­an’s appear­ance at last…perhaps? :s not to mention Calar­nenne and Annarion wandering the same streets.…too good to be true.…and quite possible fright­ening as well. XD

  24. Kevin says:
    June 18, 2014 at 2:49 pm

    Very much enjoyed the sample chap­ters, but I’m afraid I may have discov­ered a typo. On page 3: ” Even mention of the Emperor was
    prob­ably career-limiting. ” Maybe it’s just me, but that sentence doesn’t seem to scan properly.

  25. Katherine says:
    June 18, 2014 at 3:57 pm

    Thank you for this taste of Kaylin’s next misad­ven­tures. This excerpt certainly made me smile, if not quite laugh out loud. Every char­acter is behaving EXACTLY like them­selves, which promises well for a real page turner.

    Hope your pinky heals quickly

  26. Patricia Harvey says:
    June 18, 2014 at 4:20 pm

    Simply yummy — and char­ac­ters with a sense of humor — delightful. Not missing Severan. I like it when Kaylin is on her own. She’s much more relaxed. I really want to meet a dragon. And I am so sorry about your stitches et al. Not fun. Be safe and thank you for this two chapter treat!

  27. Hilda says:
    June 18, 2014 at 5:21 pm

    The new chap­ters are really wonderful; back in Town as if Kaylin never left. A great begin­ning after the long but rewarding trek into the West Marsh (has been 3 years). I have to agree and disagree with Katherine; most char­ac­ters are “welcome” back as them­selves. Evanton, however, is absolutely not himself. I love it. Can’t wait for the rest.

  28. Jennie sasscer says:
    June 18, 2014 at 7:05 pm

    Rereading and rereading and trying to wait patiently for the rest. I think I will go and reread the first 2 chap­ters again.

  29. Jennie Sasscer says:
    June 18, 2014 at 7:12 pm

    Oh yes, let me add my wishes for your pinky to heal quickly!

  30. Katrina says:
    June 18, 2014 at 9:45 pm

    YAY These are some of my favorite books right now, I’m enjoying rereading the series a couple times each year :D

  31. Deirdre Roeser says:
    June 18, 2014 at 9:53 pm

    Much as I want to read the advance chap­ters, I am going to hold off until the whole book comes out so I can enjoy it all at once. Your books are so good and I love the Elantra series. Please take care of your pinkie, we don’t want your writing put in jeopardy.

  32. David Y says:
    June 18, 2014 at 10:01 pm

    Well, I’ve got through that.

    Have you written anything else, lately?

    ;-)

  33. Tchula says:
    June 19, 2014 at 9:44 am

    Owie! I hope your pinkie feels better soon. Stitches are no fun.

    Love the first two chapters…
    “Kaylin briefly consid­ered knocking. With her head.” Bwahahahaha!

    I also lol’d when Mandoran made his comment about Leon­tines wearing clothes. Ahahahahahaha!

    I’m so looking forward to August! Summer is looking up! ;-D

  34. Dorey says:
    June 23, 2014 at 10:45 am

    More of the story I adore! Thank you so much for the peek! Looking forward to the release date! Hope your pinky is back in the pink of health soon!

  35. Jen says:
    June 24, 2014 at 10:34 pm

    Loved the initial chap­ters. I find that they tend to clarify what actu­ally happened in the previous book, and this was the case here. I thought i knew, but wasn’t sure, the name of the little dragon, so it was great to get a confir­ma­tion. The clar­i­fi­ca­tions about Bellus­deo’s status and and where Annarion ended up were also helpful. 

    Also, they were really, really funny. Kaylin is back in Elantra, and as snarky as ever. This just confirmed how much I like this char­acter and her voice. 

    I’m sorry the ER inci­dent threw a wrench in your week. Let’s hope you get well soon, and are back to 100%.

  36. Marilynn says:
    June 25, 2014 at 4:48 am

    Just found your website. Thank you for posting 2 chap­ters! Love your char­ac­ters and the situ­a­tions that they find them­selves in. Your books keeps me guessing what Kaylin will be up to next! I really like this series! :)

    Hope your finger has healed and that every­thing goes smoothly for you. Take care!

    Sincerely,

    Mari­lynn

  37. Andrea Smith says:
    June 26, 2014 at 2:14 am

    You mention the quote below on a past blog post. I was wondering since CiSorrow has been out for awhile and it shouldn’t cause spoilers, if you could answer which two compli­ca­tions was causing you trouble. On other MSW fans sites we have guessed but with CiF coming out soon, I’d like to see/read how you over came those challenges. 

    “I have been working on Cast in Flame. My simple “Kaylin needs to find a new apart­ment plot” has kind of been hit hard by two unfore­seen compli­ca­tions. Unfore­seen because I had orig­i­nally thought of doing this story before Kaylin went to the West March. After the West March has compli­ca­tions that arise natu­rally from Cast in Sorrow. (I am enough out of it that I actu­ally typed out a chunk of the compli­ca­tions and then real­ized they would be spoilers…)” 

    I tried posting my ques­tion on the Tumblr several times unsuc­cess­fully. That’s why I’m posting it here.

  38. michelle says:
    June 26, 2014 at 2:14 pm

    I can answer it only after CAST IN FLAME has been out for a while, because the spoiler chunk, of course, refers to the writing & events of CAST IN FLAME. I think, on the other hand, it’ll be much more clear after CiF. But I am happy to talk about it when CiF has arrived and people have had a chance to read it, because some people are really spoiler-averse.

  39. elleno says:
    June 28, 2014 at 11:12 am

    So looking forward to this book, it will be released when I am on vaca­tion which is great, I can read it as soon as it is released!

  40. Ta'Lia says:
    July 1, 2014 at 10:21 pm

    I’m going insane waiting for The Oracle!!! Any updates on it?

  41. Michelle Sagara says:
    July 2, 2014 at 8:47 am

    I am working on the last chapter now. Unfor­tu­nately, I’ve been working on the last chapter for 2 chap­ters now T_T. I am certain I will be finished a submit­table first draft in a week. So: it’s almost finished.

    Sorry >.<.

  42. The Deposed King says:
    July 2, 2014 at 9:03 am

    Yeah having your finger on the fritz would suck. I have a hard enough time when it comes to nail trim­ming. I try to do it at night before bed, other­wise if I’m trying to write I end up wincing after too long and my daily word count suffers.

    Best of luck with Flame, I’ve really enjoyed this whole series to date and I’m looking forward to another stellar perfor­mance. Way to go!

    I also think your ‘state of the writer’ tag line for updates is kind of cute.

    Write-write-write on!

    The Deposed King

  43. Tchula says:
    July 2, 2014 at 8:22 pm

    Yay! That sounds like good news to me! Hang in there! :-)

  44. Jennifer says:
    July 4, 2014 at 9:00 pm

    So, how telling is at that after reading these two chap­ters, I refresh Amazon and B&N multiple times a day hoping these release more of it in their preview features? I think one of them had 5 or 6 chap­ters last time…

  45. Hilda says:
    July 9, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    Your July 2nd to message to Ta’Lia is really very satis­fying: working on 3 chap­ters for a “final one”. Which means we will get at least 3 final Oracle chap­ters. That’s awesome. Suspense . I will have to restrain myself not to start reading from the end first. My family does not under­stand why I tend to do that. “Can’t wait”; it may be an older person thing. Given that it (3 final chap­ters) may have been submitted as of today, and given the slow after “final chap­ters” publi­ca­tion process: do you expect we will have” Oracle” as a Christmas present?Please, please.…

  46. Janet says:
    August 18, 2014 at 9:40 pm

    I have a ques­tion how come all the book covers show her arms when in the book she is always wearing long sleeves to cover her arms?

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