Seasons and a small teaser

So, it hailed today, which always makes me laugh because for some reason, despite living here their entire lives, people in my city are always surprised when the weather goes completely bat-shit crazy. Every spring, without fail, it hails, and every spring, without fail, people around here are like, "WTF? WHY IS IT HAILING?"

I love seasons. Winter, especially, is my favorite, which confuses people immensely. I love winter for the snow, but also for the sense of silence and stillness that it brings. I always end up transfering this love into my writing, and Shell and Crash are no exception. Shell is especially heavy in the whole "OMG, SNOW" factor, and Crash carries similiar traits.

So, in honour of the annual hailing, I thought I'd share a teaser from Crash, my current WIP and the sequel to the book currently on sub. If you've been listening to me whine at all these last few months, then you know I'm having problems with it, so it took a lot of courage to just pick something to share and hope it wasn't crap. Hope y'all like it.

This is (pretty much) how I introduce Arthur, one of my MCs. He is in an underground boxing ring.

“Next match,” the announcer’s voice boomed from overhead. “Trapjaw versus Artie. Gentlemen, this is the fight you’ve been waiting for! Our king of the ring is back to defend his title. Let’s see if Trapjaw’s got it in him to take the crown! Bets are closed once the fight starts, so if you haven’t yet, make your way to the betting booth.”

Trapjaw turned and glared at Arthur through the cage that ran around the ring. His square face pulled into an ugly grin.

“Fuck this guy up, Artie,” Hutch said.

Arthur stepped into the ring. The blood staining the mat sloshed under his bare feet. Arthur heard the cage door close behind him. For the next five minutes, there was no getting out.

Just the way Arthur liked it.

“What do you think you’re doing here, kid?” Trapjaw asked him, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “You see what I did to the last punk who thought he could take me?”

“Yeah. It’s kinda why I’m here.”

Trapjaw threw his head back and laughed. “You think you’re some shit-for-brains hero, dontcha?”

A smile quirked on Arthur’s lips. The chanting of the crowd grew to a crescendo, the sound of his name ringing on the putrid air.

Ar-tie! Ar-tie! Ar-tie!

“I’m a hero all right,” Arthur said. “Waving the white flag of justice.”

The siren rang and the timer started. The fight had begun.