Tag Archives: adventure fantasy

What Secrets Might Remain

02 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by in Fantasy, M/M, Short Story

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From the Journal of Nigel Drusq

We arrived at the manor house of Frederick Carvalle this afternoon. It’s in poor shape, worse than we expected. Vines have obscured much of the east wing. The expansive veranda surrounding the third floor of the west wing has fallen into the floor below it. The gardens outside are nothing but an encroaching forest filled with tall pines that are only now giving way to far stronger oaks and hickories.

Despite all that, I can see what the Carvalle Manor had once been beneath the overgrowth and rot. A sturdy home, a powerful center for astral learning. The signs still persist despite the manor’s dilapidated state. The now obsolete astral marks are still preserved in the sides of the doorways and an ancient marble-based conductor stands, though crookedly, within the courtyard, just barely visible through the partially collapsed colonnade that runs from the west wing to the north crux.

Our boss, Elric Thomston, is less enthused than I. He cursed when he saw that the west wing’s veranda had collapsed, for the library had been beneath. All those records… The records from some of the most famous astral mages to have ever lived. All their knowledge, their creations, their successes and failures. Gone.

He’s drinking in his tent now. Says we’ll start early tomorrow—see what we can salvage.

* * *

Beautiful day. Making this trek during spring was worth all the rain and misery on the way, for now the skies have opened up. Like Frederick Carvalle is welcoming us to his legacy.

I have a picture of him—a sketch really—from the days of his prime. He’d been a handsome man with intelligent eyes that somehow manage to reflect empathy and warmness and not the condescension I would have expected from a man of his caliber. Perhaps it was the artist’s interpretation that makes him look so in this singular sketch, but somehow I doubt it. Or, at least, I hope he hadn’t been worse than the dreams my mind had come up with in all the lonely hours of our long journey. Continue reading →

Murder in Color Published!

21 Tuesday Feb 2017

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Today’s the Day!!

Murder in Color CoverMurder in Color is officially published!

You can find it for sale on Loose Id’s website as of today. I will add links to the novel for Amazon and Nook, as well as other digital sellers as they come available. (Edit: Kobo | Google) As I normally do for novel publications, here’s my list of 6 random things about the book that you might find interesting :)

1) This was the first time I attempted a love triangle or a serial killer. It will be a long (loooong) time before I do either again. When I do, they won’t be in the same novel.

2) A big portion of the ideas in Murder in Color were actually intended for use in a completely different story, one that featured Marona Baino and Lake Meye from Shatter by Glass. However, I came to my senses and realized that mixing and matching M/F and M/M isn’t actually a good thing because the audiences don’t cross over very well. So I scraped the original plan, mined that story heavily for ideas and created a new novel with Salain Dusari as lead.

3) Guess how many characters I had in my original cast of characters that I didn’t use? Four! Four characters that never made it onto the page. Good thing though because they would have been pointless after the novel took a different turn. I cannabalized the poor characters’ names and used them for other people’s last/first names where needed. On the other hand, Calvo’s last name came from a character who had been going to be in that never-to-be-written novel featuring Marona and Lake. Continue reading →

Excerpt from Murder in Color

20 Monday Feb 2017

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Murder in Color Excerpt

Cover by Valerie Tibbs

Cover by Valerie Tibbs

The day didn’t get better. Not at all. The chief capitulated where Baino hadn’t and granted Arman and his partner access over the “case of the yellow paint” as he deemed it. I got the distinct impression that he was having a hard time believing it wasn’t anything more than a joke, but that he wanted to cover his ass. Which was probably why he assigned Baino and Rhodes to head the investigation jointly with the other two detectives from my old station.

And all that meant to me was my lab became a breeding ground for officers, as if I’d hauled open the door and shouted up the stairwell that I had free drinks and strippers for all.

“Can’t you base your operations upstairs at your desks?” I demanded when Arman spread out some files on my counter. “Or maybe in one of the conference rooms? Blazes, take over the break room, why don’t you? This is my lab.”

“We will, we will,” said Arman, his voice soothing as he laid a hand against my bicep.

I didn’t exactly brush him off, but I did swallow down the nasty retort on my tongue and spin around, where I almost ran smack into Jevette Tunalti. Unlike Arman, his hands didn’t seem to have the incessant need to grab me as if I couldn’t stay on my own two feet without his guidance. And unlike Arman, he didn’t seem all that excited to see me.

“Salain,” said Jevette in a terse greeting.

He had a deep, raspy voice. The kind that couldn’t shout across a crowded, noisy room and hope to be heard. But then again, he’d never needed to. People listened when Jevette opened his mouth. Even Arman. Maybe especially Arman since the two of them had been partners for at least nine years and counting, despite all my fumbling, accidental attempts to pull them apart.

“Jevette,” I muttered. “Nice to see you.” Continue reading →

Murder in Color – Cover Reveal

19 Sunday Feb 2017

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MURDER IN COLOR
gay romance/mystery/fantasy
100k words
Coming Feb 21st, 2017

Cover by Valerie Tibbs

Cover by Valerie Tibbs

Medical Examiner Salain Dusari doesn’t like chaos. He prefers things clean and uncomplicated, like the dead. Yet, when he discovers a yellow maze painted on one of his corpses, he gets everything but uncomplicated in the form of the Maze Killer–a serial killer reemerged to haunt the city once more. But that’s not the only person returning to haunt Salain. Detective Arman Omisto, Salain’s old lover, and his partner, Detective Jevette Tunalti, arrive to give the case another crack, bringing a desert’s expanse of memories and lust with them. Between the two detectives, only one is truly excited to see Salain. Problem is, it’s the wrong man.

With Jevette seemingly uninterested in smoothing old hurts, Salain doesn’t think he has a chance of convincing him that the one night they spent together had been the real thing. Yet, when the hunt for the serial killer turns deadly and they only have each other to turn to, he thinks they might just find the trust they need in order to risk their hearts all over again. But with danger blowing in like a sandstorm, violent and sudden, neither of them might live long enough for it to matter.

Murder in Color will be my fourth novel publication :) It is part of my DaSunder Chronicles, and can be read as standalone or after Shatter by Glass.

The Execution of Caliaso Mivalo

18 Saturday Feb 2017

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This is a teaser for my new book, Murder in Color, a gay romance/fantasy/mystery novel of about 100k words. The Execution of Caliaso Mivalo provides some backstory about a situation that happens prior to the novel’s beginning by about four years. Four of the characters listed below in the reports have parts in Murder in Color: Havai Fabriol, Dana Gravaldo, Arman Omisto and Jevette Tunalti.

Every aspect of the desert served a purpose. Even a mirage, by giving hope to those lost and longing so they have reason to take another step forward.

The Execution of Caliaso Mivalo

HOMOCIDE REPORT

Deceased:
Nerio, Rasieri

Specifics of Deceased:
DaSunder Native, Male, 43

Residence of Deceased:
25 Il Alneri St.

Offense:
Murder

Place of Occurrence:
Il Alneri St., approx. 32 m. off corner of Il Alneri St. & Il Perloma St.

Station & Beat:
Hangbody, 63

Officers First on Scene:
Suso, Emeri
Fabriol, Havai

Medical Examiner:
Gravaldo, Dana

Details:
Nerio was found partially buried in the street, two gunshot wounds to his torso. Witness statements pending. Possible gang involvement. Continue reading →

Samples from Salain’s Case Journals

17 Friday Feb 2017

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Whatever the reason, I thirsted like a walking corpse staggering aimlessly about the dunes. I couldn’t say no when someone guided me to a spring, not even if the squished remains of scorpion tails littered the floor, their venom a cloud thick enough to see.

Samples from Salain’s Case Journals

37-2 y. 4206

Hafarra Retoro & Leo Retoro – Double homicide today. Thought it was going to be a fun one. Ha.

First body was a young woman. She’d been shot once through the heart. One of the cleanest deaths I’ve dealt with so far, though the bullet lodged in the back of her ribcage. Hemorrhaging on her back with lividity and rigor consistent where she’d fallen. No surprises.

Second body was found in the next room. Middle-aged man with seven bullet wounds to his face, torso and arm. Four went through, but I dug out a bullet from his jaw and another two from his chest. He also had multiple stab wounds to his face and neck consistent with a small eating knife found at the scene. A lot of force—the detectives said fury—went into those blows. Victim tried to fight even after being shot, as evidenced by the torn and bloody clothing clutched in his fists and the intriguing amount of skin lodged under his nails.

Plenty of witnesses, plenty of evidence. Detectives didn’t have to detect much to crack this one. Boring case. So, so boring.

09-3 y. 4206

Mona Toreono – Today gave me a truly interesting homicide. Woman had been a singer for a lot of local places. Worked within a small group that call themselves the Musician’s Guild though they don’t quite have enough influence to enforce decent wages, or so I’ve been informed.

She was found spread out on a small outdoor stage in the courtyard of a local lounge. She’d been gagged and tied and raped multiple times. No witnesses because the lounge had been shut down for the night and nobody heard a thing because a light sandstorm had been screaming its way through the streets. Continue reading →

First Victim Falls

16 Thursday Feb 2017

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Murder in Color’s main antagonist is a serial killer who has committed a number of murders before the book even opens. This is a bit of a short story/scene about the discovery of the very first victim told from the perspective of a non-character. It doesn’t give a single thing away, so no worries :)

Murder in Color is a gay romance/fantasy/mystery novel (~100k words) coming out Feb 21st, 2017.

“Whispers I couldn’t make out murmured off his lips, like not-quite-silent prayers to the desert rose. Or to me.”

First Victim Falls

Copyright © Emmi Lawrence

That blazing graffiti seemed to mock Mikail as he hurried up to the back door of his restaurant. The black stood in heavy contrast to the beige of the stone walls, the interconnected marks only taking up the width of a woman’s arm and about the same length, yet they somehow drew the eye. Like a stain would.

Mikail licked a finger and rubbed at the edge of the paint, but it stubbornly resisted his feeble attempt to remove it. With a muttered, “I thought I told the closers to take care of this mess,” he pulled free his key and unlocked the back door.

Inside, the kitchen was dark, every window covered tightly. Shadows bounced as Mikail let the door swing as he moved to turn the closest lightstones over in their pocket. Last night’s food trough had been cleaned out to feed local goats and dry rags remained hung above an empty sink. Mikail gave the area a cursory once over to be sure it’d been cleaned properly, then stepped around the partition and into the open kitchen that still smelled heavily of cooked peppers and spice rub.

There he paused when he saw a man sprawled across the floor, the man’s face obscured by his own waterskin. Mikail sighed. “Chava, I told you, you can’t crash here.” Mikail nudged Chava with his foot, then stepped over the man’s extended legs. “I don’t care what’s going on this time, my kitchen isn’t the place…to…”

Mikail slowly crouched by Chava’s lax face and lifted the edge of the waterskin carefully. Shadows couldn’t hide the darkening of Chava’s skin or the bloodshot eyes staring blankly at the lower cabinets. Mikail swallowed hot bile and fumbled away, dropping the edge of the waterskin. The skin slipped off Chava’s face and dragged through his hair. There it sat rocking slightly on its fat bottom, its cord shuddering at the motion and drawing Mikail’s gaze to the grip it held across Chava’s throat. Continue reading →

A Short History of Topoyi

15 Wednesday Feb 2017

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This is a sneak peek for my newest novel, Murder in Color, coming out Feb. 21st. It features paint and murder and sexy men! Genres: fantasy mystery/gay romance.

“Out there, I could smell something other than topoyi paint and feel the grit pelting against my body, reminding me I lived in the real world, that I wasn’t as dead as the corpses I cut open on a regular basis.”

A Short History of Topoyi

Discovery

Topoyi plants were first discovered in the northern wastelands of the Sconda Desert. As of today, only four breeds of the plant are thought to exist.

The largest, the Great Topoyi, is unstudied, but is believed to be indigenous to the land at the base of the north reaches, an area dubbed DaRellino or the Sand that Swallows, by the original nomadic tribes of the Sconda. Oral history states the tribes would give the area a wide berth out of fear from stories told of people disappearing. For many centuries, the legend of the swallowing sand persisted, but was believed to be referring to sinking sand or quicksand pits that might have existed in that territory.

The expedition of Morollini Nattali—dates unknown—is supposed to have discovered the truth in the matter—that the “sand that swallowed” referred to the persistent growth of the Great Topoyi and not sinking sand at all. Unfortunately, there are no texts documenting this expedition and it is entirely possible Morollini Nattali never existed since descendents of the nomadic tribes have differing accounts of the supposed expedition. A few stated that the man was a creation of some storyteller while others believed he perished during his own expedition, leaving only a few survivors to escape south once more across the dunes. Continue reading →

Salain’s Character Interview

14 Tuesday Feb 2017

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          “I’d sunk within his embrace, desperate to take what I’d been aching after, with little regard for tomorrow’s consequences.”

Salain’s Character Interview

He hung back, his eyes narrowed as he glanced around my office. Suspicion sat etched into his very being, his thin frame rife with it. Yet his hands remained steady, carefully placed against his knees as he took a seat on the bench. So he was skeptical, but not nervous.

“Thank you for meeting with me,” I started.

“Is this going to take long?” he asked. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“Not long. I’ve only a few questions.” And since he seemed ready to leave if I didn’t get on with it, I quickly continued, “So, what is your name?”

“Don’t you have it already?” he nodded toward my notes. “You’re the one who asked me here.”

“Yes, I just…”

He sighed. “It’s all right,” he said in a tone that said it wasn’t exactly all that right. “I’m used to having to repeat myself. Salain Dusari. I’m a medical examiner at Wasterli Station. Do a lot of lab work as well. Wouldn’t trust most of the officers to know what they’re doing.”

“And do you like your job?”

His lips twisted before he gave me a wry grin. “Did the chief ask you to ask that? Tell him that I do. I love my job. No, use the word passionate. I’m passionate about my job.” Continue reading →

Novel Announcement – Murder in Color

05 Sunday Feb 2017

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Hi everyone!

So, as I mentioned last month, I have a new novel coming out – a murder mystery set in the desert city of DaSunder. It takes place a year or so after Shatter by Glass. You do not need to have read Shatter by Glass to enjoy this novel though as the mystery and the romance are both separate from it. However, a few characters overlap so if you have read Shatter by Glass you will recognize people such as Brettoni Rhodes, Marona Baino and, of course, Salain Dusari.

Murder in Color will be published by Loose Id on Feb. 21st 2017, so only a few short weeks away!

I am preparing some promo pieces to be revealed during the week before publication in lieu of a standalone story this month. These include journal entries, police reports, and a short story introducing the two possible love interests. And, of course, an excerpt and cover reveal. I reserve the right to shift what is posted when since I don’t actually have the cover in hand yet.

The Murder in Color Schedule:

When Medical Examiner Salain Dusari finds one of his corpses removed from her cold box and painted with a mono-colored maze, he is swept into a dangerous investigation to find a reemerged serial killer along with two men from his past, one of whom loves him desperately, the other who Salain desperately loves.

Feb. 14th: Cover Reveal & Blurb

Feb. 15th: Salain’s Character Interview

Feb. 16th: A Short History of Topoyi

Feb 17th: First Victim Falls

Feb. 18th: Samples from Salain’s Case Journals

Feb. 19th: The Execution of Caliaso Mivalo

Feb. 20th: Excerpt from Murder in Color

Feb. 21st: Murder in Color Published!

This novel will be published in electronic format from most major retailers. Hope you enjoy everything I have planned! :)