Well, it took a little longer than a week, but I am over 50K words in this first draft of this first novel–woohoo! Time for a little celebration.

I have two more milestones to go before the first draft will be complete. Thanks for the all the encouragement from other authors like Ben Galley, Dyrk Ashton, Zack Argyle, Michael Michel, Adrian Gibson, Rob J. Hayes, and more.

As promised, here is a brief and very rough excerpt. I will post one with each milestone (NOTE: the excerpt below contains elements of horror and dark fantasy):

Yuya awoke, sitting up sharply. The fire had burned out. The river’s passage, a gurgling white noise, soothed his anxious mind. He was okay. He was with Jon. He looked around. The tarp was empty.
“Jon?” he whispered.
The Kellin and Jon were gone. Where?
“Jon?” he said a little louder. A rustle in the grass behind him. He looked back as Skrim crawled out of the grass onto the river shore. His lower jaw missing, tongue wagging. Tattered hands and forearms drug his remaining body behind. His torn throat made soft swallowing noises as his head rolled about. Yuya looked in horror as maggots wiggled in and out of Skrim’s nostrils and ears.
His skull, a patchwork of hair, rotted flesh, and bone looked up toward Yuya. One eye missing, the remaining eye glaring blood red with hatred.
A shrieking gurgle from whatever lungs Skrim had left, “You did this to ME!”
Skrim lurched forward on the rock and dirt, desperately clawing toward Yuya with murderous intent.
“YOU!”