Been a few weeks since I’ve posted a free Friday snippet. Apologies. Just a quiet time for me. Today, our snippet comes from the novel, Daughter of the Red Planet. This is the first time we’re introduced to Stone.

The 4th in this series is the next book I’ll be editing. Now that I sent Royal Blood to Jeanie, Under Empty Stars is being moved up in the queue. I’ll be starting to input all the changes I made in the paper manuscript to the digital come Monday. Needed a brain breather.

Enjoy the snippet.

The man was formidable to behold.

He stood near the corner of the fighting ring, completely still. No movements, no change of stance, ready for anything. If he were taken from this place, and inserted anywhere else he would have the same look on his face. There seemed nothing there behind his blank stare. Oblivious to the world around him. Not paying attention to anything, just . . . there.

That wasn’t what Claude saw, and it was clear nobody else did either. Five men stood on the other side of the ring. They trembled from head to toe. They held back what they felt, ready to fight, anxious to get it over with, too afraid to start.

The man stood still as stone, his face unreadable. Dark hair, face looked repaired from many battles. Eyes hard and unforgiving. He wore a blank tank top and black pants. His large thick callused fingers held casually by his side bent into fists.

Scars marred his arms, including a ragged scar that ran from the side of his face, down the length of his body. Whoever made that mark had hopes of flaying skin from bone. He not only healed, but came back stronger.

A shadow passed over his face for the barest of moments. One of his opponents eased back a step, placing him behind the group, not wanting to be the first.

The announcer counted down, “Five! Four! . . .”

Hands down Stone is one of my favorite characters. A lot of his personality and some of his looks, the way he holds himself, acts, etc., comes from a friend of mine. He inspired this character a lot.