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THE SMELL OF NORTH – #flashfictionmagic

March 6, 2021 by Sheri

Lux made a disgusted sound as his boot sank ankle deep in Bayou mud. “We should have stayed in the northlands.”
“And let the Empress track us through the snow? I don’t think so.” Autumn picked her way around the small bog he was still wading through.
Lux’s mutters turned to a prolonged grumble, one Autumn had learned to ignore. “We’ll be out of the Bayou tomorrow, at the latest.”
He eyed her. Mud smeared his chiseled jaw, and he appeared to have a muddy leaf dried onto his forehead. “And you promise the rest of your homeland isn’t like this?” He swept a narrowed gaze over her face and throat. “Does your skin repel mud or something?”
“It’s just mud, Lux.” Mud that smelled like green life and heady flowers and…a crisp wind?
Autumn froze and Lux’s knee hit her midstride. She would have fallen in a muddy tangle if he hadn’t grabbed her waist. “Give me your knife,” she whispered.
“The orange one you’ve mocked since we met?” His words were careless murmurs, but she felt his muscles tighten as he scanned the low hanging branches around them.
“Do you have another?”
He handed it to her slowly. “Is it a snake? Are you going to stab it with six inch blade?”
She sighed and edged away from him. “You’re going to wish it was.”
His frown loosened the leaf and it fluttered away. “What are you doing?”
She raised her voice. “You can come out, North. He’s unarmed.”
A lithe, dark skinned man flowed from behind a tree, bringing a chill with him. His curls hung impeccably against his shoulders. Six silver knives hung from a belt that hugged narrow hips. His black tilted eyes scraped over Lux.

Lux’s confusion vanished and he slid into his usual languid stance. “I’m beginning to understand why you didn’t want to marry me, Autumn.”

She glared at him while he studied North’s sculpted arms. “I thought we were never speaking of that again.”

He flicked mud from his fingers. “This negates any agreement. You know how I feel about people who are prettier than me.” He frowned.

North cocked a brow at her.

She flushed, fighting a wave of defensiveness. Yes, Lux’s vanity was the size of the sky, but she’d gotten used to it. It was part of him. She cleared her throat. “This is my brother North, Lux. He’s here to escort us to my Grandmere.”

Lux’s frown turned sulk. “You’re bad enough, but two of you at once?”

“Are you admitting I’m prettier than you?” She couldn’t help a grin, though North was icier by the second.

“I’ll take my knife back now.”

 

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About Sheri

Here Goes Something New!

Hi, I'm Sheri Yutzy. I love forests under the night sky, trying new foods, and drinking Irish tea. I've been to 17 countries, and once spent the night in a hotel lobby in Florence, Italy, because the entire city was fully booked for a festival.
I'm married to a musician who looks good in black, mama to three curious kids, and happy resident of a Cape Cod cottage in Ohio.
I write YA fantasy and am acquisitions editor at sparkflashfiction.com.
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I’m still here… Still living life, writing and I’m still here…
Still living life, writing and editing, loving every falling leaf and crisp breeze. I started listening to Christmas music yesterday while baking pumpkin muffins because I just couldn’t resist.😅 This year I’m planning to focus on Advent and the weeks leading up to Christmas, since we’re always traveling out of state over the 25th, and it seems to slip by in the busyness.
I have a lot going on right now, and social media is taking a back seat for the moment. Or the month. But I’ll be back, when I have the focus to spare. Until then, I wish you all a happy, mindful fall.
Love you 😘

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Lovely things await! My contributor’s copy of CO Lovely things await!
My contributor’s copy of COMMONPLACE from @daughtersofpromise has arrived.
I gasped when I saw the artwork with my article on Forest bathing. So rich and beautiful!
As always, they’re a joy to write for. 

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🌚 COVER REVEAL🌚 We finally get to see the b 🌚 COVER REVEAL🌚

We finally get to see the beautiful cover for THREAD OF DREAMS, @embarnettauthor’s upcoming debut from @owlsnestpublishers! 
I can’t wait to get my hands on this dreamy book.

Here is the blurb:

Nova’s sunless planet is sustained by the magic of human dreams. Born as a moon mage, Nova’s job is to harvest dream threads from unaware humans to be used against a dark parasite eating away their land. 

Then, Nova meets Arlo, a boy who not only sees her but whose aching heart permeates his dreams. Desiring deep connection, Nova ignores the warnings of her people in order to visit the beauty of his subconscious.

But nightmares not only seep into minds and hearts, they also stalk the bioluminescent forests of Nova's world. Danger lurks in waking and sleeping, and to fail means succumbing to the parasite while cut off from Arlo forever. But if Nova can find a way to fight back, she and her people could be free to dream again.

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I’ve been reading a lot of books, but not taking I’ve been reading a lot of books, but not taking many pictures of them.🥸 
Mostly because this weather is as anti-inspirational as it gets for me.😭 this happens every year—the last few hot and muggy days of September make me want to hide inside 24/7. But it’s supposed to get cooler by the weekend, thank God.

I saw DREAMS LIE BENEATH at the bookstore and was captivated by the cover. It’s so different from A RIVER ENCHANTED that I didn’t realize it was the same Rebecca Ross. I actually thought, one of them needs to change their name.😅

This one is my next read, I think. Have you read it? What did you think?
@beccajross #rebeccaross 
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