Yesterday I completed the dare/gauntlet/challenge thrown at me by Laura Harvey. Today, one of the 7 writers I challenged, the lovely TJ Dodd (whose Twitter avi made me laugh so loud I scared my dogs), is borrowing Meanders and Muses to complete her challenge. Whee!  Take it away, TJ.

7-7-7-7 challenge accepted.

7th page of my work in progress, 7 lines down, post the next 7 lines, challenge 7 more writers.

I was challenged by Anna Kyle, who kindly loaned me the use of her blog to post my response, because I don’t have a blog of my own. I don’t have a published book of my own yet, either. Yet.

I’ve been a writer since forever, but have only published professionally as a journalist and have spent most of my energy teaching others to write. I’ve shared some of my fiction with family and friends privately, and in recent years, through free online sites. Only this year, with much encouragement of my fellow writers, have I seriously considered making the leap from writer to published author of fiction.

So when an author whose book I love, and whose next book I’m eagerly anticipating, included me in a writer’s challenge I was thrilled. I even squeaked out loud. (I don’t squeak. Seriously, I’m more likely to growl or curse.)

I’m not an author. But this is a writer’s challenge, and from my first conscious breath in the morning until my last conscious breath at night, and even in my dreams, I’m a writer.

So here it is, my 7 lines from the current iteration of the novel my high school English teacher told me I’d write someday. It’s done and in the editing stage, so who knows what it may look by the time I can call it complete?

“The High Guard is here, in the open. You can destroy the vampire command in one move.”

“In the open and guarded by that.” Lettie nodded toward the swirling cloud of hell-spawned wings, claws, talons, and fangs outside the windows. Every color of the human complexion was represented in that cloud. Evil  has always been colorblind, she thought.

“If I move fast I can kill the vampires and still have time to dust some of those demons before they run for cover.” She was thinking strategy. Her heartbeat quickened as her thoughts turned to the battle ahead. Five centuries of retirement had been far too long. Gods, she missed this!

(Anna here. TJ’s 7 lines look longer on this blog because I can’t figure out yet how to shrink the jumbo font size on this new website. So, no irritated cards or posts please is what I’m sayin’)

Thanks again to my lovely hostess, Anna Kyle, for including me in this challenge. P.S. If you haven’t read her book, Skye Falling, why the heck not? Skye is adorable, Lake is (oooh baby!) dreamy, and their story sings along the pages. There are plenty of hints of things to come in The Wolf King series. I can’t wait!