Monday, October 14, 2013

No Coffee in Rizkaland



Rachel Heffington of Inkpen Authoress has begun a new link-up called Chatterbox, akin to the Snippets of Story that Katie hosts (and I shall be posting mine the day after tomorrow) and similar to my own Character Encounters. (She also compares it to Beautiful People, but I've never actually done BP, so I can't say that for certain.)

The theme of Chatterbox is showing your characters through conversation. She assigns a theme, and you have your characters talk about it. (Sorta like how I assign a location and you meet your character there.) Who knows - it may even find its way into your book!

This month's theme is coffee ... a topic that none of my characters have ever given enough thought to warrant a conversation. But I've worked through my list of characters and came up with a cast and setting that is at least somewhat logical for such a conversation. So here goes ... Clara and Andrew on coffee. (Told from Andrew's POV, so Clara will be referred to by her title, Water Princess, which is how I keep it straight in my head whose POV I'm using in the book.)

"They don't have coffee here in Klarand."

Andrew's head shot up from the tiny fire to see the Water Princess staring down at him. Even after blinking several times, he still could only come up with one word for his response: "What?"

She smirked as she sat down cross-legged on the other side of the fire. "They don't have coffee in Klarand," she repeated. "In fact, it doesn't exist anywhere in Rizkaland."

He blinked again, glancing helplessly towards their sleeping friends. "And you'd ... like some?" he guessed.

She made a face, and he instantly knew that he had guessed wrong. "Coffee is disgusting, and terribly bad for your health."

"Then ... why'd you bring it up?" He found it almost impossible to even think with her staring at him like that.

"Because we've already discussed how Rizkaland doesn't have chocolate, and coffee follows naturally from that." 

"That was five days ago."

She smirked again. "We've been busy, but now we aren't. So we can continue the conversation."

Andrew glanced towards the dead-end wall along which she had been pacing like a wildcat for the last three of those days. "I've ... noticed."

Her gaze followed his to the wall and a growl rumbled in her throat. "I don't like inactivity."

"Obviously."

"Which is why coffee is not a good thing for me. You think I'm bad now - I'd be a monster if people gave me coffee."

"Except that you don't like it."

"Precisely." She was silent for several seconds, then turned him a sharp look. "So, do you like coffee?"

He looked down at the fire in an effort to avoid that sharp look. "Not plain, but with ..."

She snorted. "Exactly, you have to add SUGAR to make it taste good. And do you know how unhealthy sugar is?"

"I've heard."

7 comments:

  1. Very good, Kendra.
    Clara thinks like a good friend of mine. "It's not worth it if it doesn't taste even a little good before you add sugar." I, on the other hand, think like Andrew.

    ~Robyn Hoode

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    1. Clara doesn't like sugar period. She's a girl of some very strange opinions, and sometimes all I can do is stare at her and scratch my head. There are days I pity Andrew. But once she gets over her (in her words) "determined dislike" of him, they make such a great team. I love 'em to bits.

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  2. Hahaha--I agree with Clara. I tried a coffee-based drink once, and every nerve in my body tingled most uncomfortably for an hour afterwards. It's OK as a mild flavoring agent, but too much and...Ugh!
    I disagree about sugar, though. If it's unrefined (i.e. has all the "good stuff" left in it), it can be fine in moderation.
    But oh, Kendra! No chocolate in Rizkland?? That's just tragic!!! /MELODRAMA

    God bless,
    ~"Tom Wild Rose"~

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    1. She doesn't mind unrefined sugar either ... but most sugar is refined, and therefore fake. You should hear the choice words she has for marshmallows ...
      And nope, no chocolate in Rizkaland. I'm not overly fond of the substance (more of a vanilla person, personally) and truthfully, Bookania is lucky to have it. They do have mistletoe muffins, though!

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    2. *Rizkaland. *doinks self on head* Sorry about that....

      Oh, marshmallows. Ha! Talk about fake--they're not even made of real marsh mallow root anymore! So I call 'em "smooshmallows." :-P

      ~"TWR"~

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  3. This was delightful, Kendra!!!! I read it aloud to Mom and we both enjoyed it.

    Mom can't stand coffee, and I'm not fond of it either. I do like cappuccino sometimes, though.

    I'm not super fond of chocolate either!!!!!! (Regular chocolate anyway- I LOVE white chocolate.) I mean, I like chocolate ok, but I'd rather have something vanilla, caramel, butterscotch. It's nice to meet a fellow vanilla lover. :D

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    1. Long live vanilla and white chocolate!!! (though WC is mostly vanilla anyways ...) Caramel and butterscotch ... yum. Though I have recently discovered I like chocolate covered toffee. Weird.

      And Clara and Andrew have some of the best conversations, especially once they get to know each other better and he can counter her attacks with science!

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Hi! Now that you've read my post, hast thou any opinions that thou wouldst like to share? I'd love to hear them!

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