The Snip-Whippets of the Season

1940, London. Despite the encroaching shadow of evil from Germany, Jane Wilson's little world consists of the love, memories and happiness of those she loves best... but when she is torn from her beloved father and Grandmamma by a war she does not understand, she finds herself one of many children evacuated to the golden shores of Australia, away from England and all that she held dear there. In a new land, with a new family, Jane discovers, against the grief of loss and difficulty, the truth of her grandmother's words, 'love never fails' in an unlikely way.

You know, Christmas is looming just around the corner and there's been so much to do lately that I had it a bit slow with posting since coming back from my month's absence on the internet. But I decided that I just had to post something today, on the twelfth day of the twelfth month in the year of our Lord, two thousand and twelve, simply because it is such a memorably important date. Those coordinating numbers 12/12/12 will never occur again within our lifetimes! Does that not feel so historical? 

As I shared in my last post, during the middle of November, I chose to put on hold 'The Crown of Life' and start working on 'A Love that Never Fails' until I feel more prepared to take the other story up again. Well, I just want to thank you all for the lovely comments you gave me on my last post and for your sweet encouragement and prayers regarding this decision. I know it was a little disappointing to you to have me put on hold my story, (it was to me too!), but in a way I am glad it was; because I have just realized how interested you have been all along by 'The Crown of Life' and that one day you may enjoy the reading of it when I hopefully pick it up again! Rest assured, with God's help, I hope to pick it up again one day :). I love the story so much--far too much in fact to be giving it up. I simply need a little break from working my heart-and-soul into it (though I will not altogether stop writing in it!) and work on something completely different--a lighter story with a totally new theme and time-period and new characters and new plot lines! It is rather exciting, and nerve-wrecking all at the same time. As 'A Love that Never Fails' is still in its early days, I fear lest I share too much of the story-line or even the characters. I still have to get better acquainted with them and work with them more but I feel so badly like talking about it... 

This collection of snippets (hosted by Katie's Snippets of Story) is from 'A Love that Never Fails' this time around, but I actually did a lot more writing during November in 'The Crown of Life' than in my new story and I would love to show snippets of that writing to you. As it turned out though, the snippets from the two stories need to be in separate posts to be understood and appreciated properly, because they are so very different stories! At any rate, I hope you enjoy snippets of the early seedlings I've been planting in 'A Love that Never Fails'.

The Snip-Whippets of the Season

The bomb shelter stood across the street, a bulwark beckoning her with the faint hope of protection, but to reach it she had to risk the open street and she found she dared not run for it, not while the planes of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, screamed overhead like black devils in the smoke-chocked night sky. 
A Love that Never Fails

Weariness and more than just weariness hung over Jane like a cloud, and she felt the distinct emotion of fear, that kind of fear one awakens to after a dreadful dream accompanied by troubled sleep, wishing against all hopes that the feeling had been stirred from simply an unpleasant nightmare and that all was well with the world after all.  
A Love that Never Fails 


A flame-like light danced off the eastern sky as Jane walked alone towards Mrs. Corrall's property, basking in the warm earthy colours of evening and the whispering beauty of creation about her. The narrow dirt-road stretched like a slithering snake before her for a little way but then got swallowed in the foliage of eucalyptus and ash-wood trees standing as grandiose guardians by the bend in the path.   
A Love that Never Fails


Resting her head against the stone wall by her grandmother’s side, Jane stirred at the sad chiming toll of an electric bell outside, the signal for people to brace themselves and come out of their shelters; the signal that the immediate danger of being blown to bits had passed for the present.
A Love that Never Fails

A sandy-haired gentleman gave a hoarse laugh. ‘Ain’t what I call a quiet night...’ he muttered, lifting his invalid son up the steps, the first to leave the shelter. He turned at the door to a middle-aged woman in a black velveteen dress with an angular face and tipped his hat. ‘Did they make you lose much sleep, those fiendish Nazi monsters, Mrs. Folks?’
‘No,’ the woman said with a brisk shake her head, ‘but your snoring did. Come on, and don’t block the way at the door for other good folk to pass if you haven’t lost all trace of sensibility in your hatred for our enemies.'
- A Love that Never Fails   

The words twisted and screamed dark and ugly before her, tearing her heart crimson with tears. Unwillingly, the flimsy sheet slipped from her hands to the dark basement floor at her feet. “No, no,” she moaned painfully and crouched to the ground. “No, Pappa!” 
- A Love that Never Fails

The metallic cadence of the typewriter keys drowned out the distant rumble of thunder and rain hammering on the roof outside the living-room window, as Jane typed up a scene from one of her old stories and sipped now and again from her glass of lemonade. The crisp white paper with the firm and rounded scrawls her pen had earlier scratched on its surface lay by her elbow as she worked on the story. The images almost shimmered and danced in colourful, splayed banners before her, short glimpses of different lands, ancient times and heroic peoples, so far removed from the small one-butt kitchen she now sat  in alone. 'If only I could reach you,' she said towards the cobalt-and-white sink tiles. She lifted her chin and smiled and with a little sigh lifted her fingers back to those dear old black keys.
A Love that Never Fails   

She turned to look into her grandmother’s eyes and saw a shimmer of tears—transparent grey and delicate—reflected within their pools. She stopped in her track; Grandmamma understood. Suddenly she threw her arms around her grandmother’s neck and buried her wet face in the bosom of the older woman, bitters tears galling her cheeks.  
A Love that Never Fails 

Gently putting down her basket and books down at her feet, Jane took a deep breath, buttoned up her navy cardigan and wrapped her scarf about her head as a tingling bight of cold wind whistled through the rustling leaves overhead and licked at her cheeks. Winter seemed bent on releasing its frosty chill with something akin to impatience this year; for April, as Jane had recently discovered, usually clung to the warmth of summer if not its sunshine with a maternal fondness. But this weather... Jane frowned and thought of Mrs. Corrall and her sickly newborn. Oh, God... please let little Annie live. Please watch over Your little lamb.
A Love that Never Fails 

She shifted her glasses solemnly into place, and gripped the handle of her leather bag between her gloved hands. ‘Could you please take us home, sir?’ she said quietly, casting her eyes from the face of the warden’s to Jane’s stricken figure every now and again. “We are lost—and my Jane is sad and I am unable to find my way about on my two tired legs, old as I am. But where there is a heart, there is a will, I’ve always said. I do not have much strength or will now—not when I see the heart of England crushed before my eyes—but I do have a heart still and if nothing else I want to see my granddaughter safe.’
A Love that Never Fails

'Think of me, Jane, sometimes. Do not forget this moment--ever. Steal it away down in your heart and do not let time or distance ever erase it from your soul.'
'I will, Pappa.'
- A Love  that Never Fails

'Cynthia!' she screamed, but there was no reply, save a dull echo of her voice vibrating against the threshold of the shop. She thrust her head through one of the broken window panes into the darkened building. The main plastered wall of the shop, dappled with ebony flares of soot, had crashed sideways and Jane saw in a mockery of the hellish nightmare she was in phantoms from a happier day. She saw those lovely little Christmas confectioneries that had been the pride of Mr. Oldacres’ shop—caramel fudge, chocolate containers in purple, scarlet and green cellophane wrappings and liquorice sticks in brown paper bags—flung all over the carpeted floor amid glistening shards of broken crystal. A bottle of claret had been knocked down and red liquid dripped from the shop counter in dark pools, wetting the grey carpeting, like fresh blood. Jane chocked down a sob, and fled in terror away
A Love that Never Fails

Comments

  1. Beautiful, Joy! 'A Love That Never Fails' is capturing my heart already, and I daresay that before you have finished writing the story it will have dragged me in with such force and tangled my emotions with heartache, terror, sorrow, and love that I will be unable to get out until I have finished reading the book, rave about it to many, and then proceed to plan how a movie after it would go. ;) They are all very lovely, but these would have to be my favorites:

    "'Think of me, Jane, sometimes. Do not forget this moment--ever. Steal it away down in your heart and do not let time or distance ever erase it from your soul.'

    'I will, Pappa.'"

    "The bomb shelter stood across the street, a bulwark beckoning her with the faint hope of protection, but to reach it she had to risk the open street and she found she dared not run for it, not while the planes of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, screamed overhead like black devils in the smoke-chocked night sky."

    Of course, I dearly like all of them, but these two stood out to me somehow; keep up the good work, Joy, for 'A Love That Never Fails' were turn into a masterpiece yet! I am falling in love with it already.

    Happy writing, dear!

    ~Emily

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  2. Hello Joy!

    What lovely snippets! Your writing is so elegant, and flows quite beautifuly! Your words seem to leap from the page in heart-warming description. :-) Bravo!

    I'm new to your blog, but already I have seen that your writing is impressive and you are striving to glorify God in all things.

    Your book, A Love that Never Fails, sounds wonderful, interesting, and inspiring. I hope that you enjoy the continued process of penning it!

    A Fellow writer,
    Patience

    prc(at)calicoacres(dot)com

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  3. This story sound really nice, I'm not that brave to write about my stories on my blog, but Its so nice to hear, er read about others.
    I have to say this story sounds really heart warming and touching, also I'm glad to hear you set it in australia, because I don't think there are enough book set there. I borderline obsessed :)))
    Your snippets are so well written, gosh it makes me want to read more.
    Lately I have been hearing about writers who have the courage to lay aside a work that isn't gelling at that time. Hmm I've never used that term before.
    Its so great to hear, that means you have the foresight to know it might be better in the future, or it just wasn't working.
    Blessings ~ Rachel Hope

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  4. Here I am at last!

    It's been really neat seeing your writing progress, Joy. Each snippets post seems to reveal something better and better. In this series, I particularly like your mention of "the metallic cadence of the typewriter" - I love that sound! Also the paragraph concerning Jane's walk through the orange dusk, the warmth and sweetness and momentary peace, was beautiful.

    But I think my favourite was probably the last paragraph. I love a sudden shock of emotion which breaks the wall between reader and character. Your description of a familiar world blown to bits by the air invasions, and little, poignant pieces of the old life showing through - the chocolates, the claret, the happy colours - was superb. Well done! ^.^

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  5. Thank you, Emily <3. So much, dear. Your sweet comment was such an encouragement to me, and that little e-mail you sent me with your wonderful surprise... it nearly brought tears to my eyes. Can I give you a big hug? Thank you soooooo much; I am so grateful for a friend like you, Emily.

    I am glad you liked these snippets, especially those two you mentioned. The one about the Luftwaffe was one of those paragraphs that needed a lot of thinking and reworking before it spoke what I meant them to say, but I am glad it came out alright :). The one with Jane's Pappa though was the complete opposite and fun to write.

    Thank you again, Emily! I truly am delighted at how you're getting excited about this story. I know I am, despite the struggles =D. God bless!


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  6. Hello Patience! Thank you for your sweet comment and for stopping over my little blog :D: I am always delighted to meet a new friend!

    I am glad you enjoyed these snippets and my book. As it is a new story, the ideas are coming a little slow, but it is also exciting as I pen it with God's help. Thank you for your encouragement!

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  7. Rachel, it has taken a lot for me too to start writing about my stories on 'Fullness of Joy' but I have found it a great encouragement to share with other fellow writers and it helps keep me motivated to write :). I still try to be careful though on not revealing too much of the story-line to the world :).

    Aww, thank you! I pray that this story will be a blessing to whomever will read it in the future. Me too, I am glad that 'A Love that Never Fails' is set in Australia, because as you said, there are not enough books set in this country. I love Australia! I'd be interested to know what sparked your fascination with Australia though :).

    Thank you for your sweet comment; I really appreciate it!
    God bless. <3

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  8. Hi Jenny!

    Thank you for taking the time to comment on my snippets every time and for your continual encouragement: I appreciate it so much!

    Isn't the sound of the typewriter splendid? That sunset landscape is familiar in Australia so I bet I drew on reality a lot with that particular snippet.

    Aww, I am so glad you liked that last snippet. I believe it is my favourite of the lot too. I guess I felt the same shock of emotion that Jane did as I wrote that scene--a very unexpected scene it was, and the last bit of writing I did during the month of NaNo writing.

    Thank you so much, Jenny, for your encouragement. It put a smile to my face! God bless.

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  9. So, I'm working on catching up on all the comments that I'm behind in. :)

    The synopsis that you wrote for "A Love that Never fails" was so good, Joy! Do you have any advice you could give me? I have a terrible time writing book synopsis's! :(
    Oh, yes, I am certainly still interested in reading "The Crown of Life" but I confess that I'm currently VERY excited about "A Love that Never Fails", probably because I've always found the World War 2 era very fascinating and I love reading about it. :)

    These snippets are beautiful darling, and they flow so well! I agree with Jenny; the last one is amazing and it is definitely my favourite, along with the first one and than the two where Jane is writing and when she is walking under the sunset sky. I also really like the snippet that is third from the last, the one with Jane's Grandma, it made tears come to my eyes.
    Keep up the good work, dear! I can hardly wait to read more!! :)

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