The Word Worker

Tag: Books

  • Dark Star

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    wordworkerrussell
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    Her sisters already framed the night sky, swirling gently into the place reserved for them by Zeus. Only she remained, already touched with the stardust of the light she would become. The light she had not chosen. The grasses crushed softly under her bare feet as she walked slowly across her mother’s pasture, their scent…

  • Book Review: Is It Far To Zanzibar

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    Have you ever been on safari? Bought a juicy mango from a street vendor? Searched for the elusive crown of Mt. Meru in the clouds? If you live in Tanzania, chances are you have at least chanted about doing all these things and more while playing childhood games. Tanzania’s rich and varied cultural tapestry is…

  • Symphony

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    wordworkerrussell
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    He flexed his fingers and shifted nervously. He stroked the keys, drawing a deep, ragged breath as he moved his hands into position. The first notes were soft, tentative, sending dim blue tendrils into the darkness of the sound chamber. His pulse quickened, notes grew stronger. The tendrils thickened and swirled, the darkness within their…

  • Book Teaser: Songs of Fae

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    Ballad of the Door, excerpt “With ancient feuds forgotten, and minds with ballads filled, Two worlds long torn asunder will find the door again. Pure of heart and human, a Chosen warrior comes, The barrier shall be broken, two worlds unite as one.” Irvu’s Lullaby, excerpt Born of power, born of flame, The one has…

  • The Chapel

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    wordworkerrussell
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    “Boris, dorogoy, please come away from the window! The hall will not come to you, no matter how hard you stare. We must go to it, and soon or we will be late and the Chinovnik will mark against us.” Boris sighed and twisted his cap in gnarled fingers, his eyes not leaving the hall.…

  • Book Review: The Carp in the Bathtub

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    Harry and Leah have a problem. There’s a fish in their bathtub, but that isn’t the problem. The problem is that the fish is dinner. Mama’s special Passover dish is gefilte fish, special fish balls made from a carp. The best fish always sell out early, and dead fish spoil quickly, so the carp has…

  • Seasons

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    wordworkerrussell
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    She stretched her nearly thawed wings to brush the trees on either side. How much fun dancing among the branches had been, their bare bones crackling beneath the ice of her feathers. How delighted she had been by the cooling that had silenced the world and dressed her in crystal lace. The touch of her…

  • Book Teaser: Chosen – The Vampyr

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    At first glance the figures gliding down through the trees seemed non-threatening, almost human. They wore leather jackets that hung low and had ragged holes worn in elbows and tail. As their feet touched the ground, my skin began to crawl. Three pairs of red eyes stared out of bloodless faces. One of them focused…

  • The Legend

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    wordworkerrussell
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    There he was, in all his lacy glory. I’d heard of the viscount, of course, from every local in every cafe and bistro between Paris and Calais. Quite the legend, apparently, that no one outside of France had ever heard. No one remembered his full title, or even his family name, only that he was…

  • Book Review: The Trumpeter of Krakow

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    wordworkerrussell
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    A legend of quiet courage becomes the centerpiece of a tale of adventure and intrigue in this lovely classic. The Hejnal, still played to the broken note in St. Mary’s today, plays only a minor role in Kelly’s story, but is a symbol for the goodness and innocent courage in the hearts of Joseph and…