Tag Archives: Fantasy

October ’17, Briefly

01 Wednesday Nov 2017

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What have I been up to this past month, you ask?

Just getting into the holiday spirit!

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Taylor Yeristan has been at war with Santa’s nefarious helpers for over a decade. To him, kindergartner Mandy Westmill is merely one more kidnapped child in need of his help, and her father, Greg, just one more distraught parent to comfort and cajole into heading off to the police, far from the real battle.

Only, Taylor doesn’t reckon with Greg’s unflinching determination or his refusal to leave Taylor’s side until Mandy is safe. Nor does Taylor anticipate the fierce desire Greg’s intensity sparks. For he’s been battling the lies of Christmas alone for so long that opening himself to a potential partner is a vastly seductive idea.

Yet, allowing Greg to help comes with a risk, for he has a stake in this war now, one that compromises him heavily. But it’ll be Taylor who pays the ultimate price for their desires.

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Cover designed by Perie Wolford

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Those Bloody Christmas Elves is coming November 14th.
You can Pre-Order it now.
If you’re on my ARC Team you shall be getting your link ~Nov. 7th.

~~~

Also, Happy Halloween!

My kids are stocked up on enough candy to put them into a coma. So many horrifying clowns out this year :) And a few Captain Americas, though there was a dearth of Iron Man’s. I don’t blame them–the Captain is my favorite too ;)

Cover Reveal of Lost Isle (The Ocean’s Aviary I)

22 Sunday Oct 2017

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So, I’ve been itching to share this with you because I think it’s absolutely gorgeous! Island adventures with hidden magic and awesome birds! I know, right. Birds? But it’ll be cool. I promise! :)

Lost Isle: The Ocean’s Aviary I

When Edwin Vlaris is tossed off the ship The Torrent, he’s left to die with just his wits, his knowledge and his companion, a hard and handsome sailor with an incredible power of his own.

Coming December 2017!

EDIT: And I forgot to say who designed the cover!  The great team over at Deranged Doctor Design are responsible for this awesomeness!

Lines to Read By (Sept)

08 Sunday Oct 2017

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This month I’m spending the first two weeks writing on that ‘somewhat secret’ project I mentioned last week. I’m not very good at keeping secrets though, so be prepared to get into the holiday spirit a little early next month :)

As for the teasers for today, these are a few I posted last month while writing Storm Dancer (Living Metal I). Now, be aware, I altered a few lines so they could be read and understood independently since I wasn’t posting character names. However, Storm Dancer was written in 3rd POV and was most definitely about two men named Oskar and Cristofer (despite me having a female pronoun in one of these teasers).

That’s one of the challenges when writing about two men in 3rd–you have to be a little more careful with your he/him/his pronouns so everyone knows which man is doing the touching and which is doing the groaning, etc, etc, etc… XD

Continue reading →

First Date Taboo

01 Sunday Oct 2017

Posted by in Fantasy, M/M, Short Story

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“Technically, yes.” A pale flush crept up Charlie’s neck and spread across his cheeks, the color clashing with his long, flaming red hair. “But we ended up only getting fined for trespassing.”

“And?” prompted Terry.

Charlie shook his head marginally, glancing around the restaurant before refocusing on his dessert plate. “And nothing.”

“You blushed harder than this wine. Don’t tell me nothing. Tell me the story.”

“Uh…” Now Charlie’s discomfort ramped up to a ten, making Terry reevaluate his pushing. He was just about to recant his demand when Charlie went on. “It sort of involves an ex and that’s a taboo topic for first dates so…”

The gentle clinging of silverware on china and the hum of the saxophone in the bar in the next room finished Charlie’s sentence. He then opted for a gulp from his water, bypassing his wine glass completely. The discomfort lingered, though the flush under his freckles began to diminish.

Wanting to put Charlie at ease, Terry chuckled and leaned against the table to say, “No taboo topics with me. I won’t judge.” He lifted his brows. “But only if I get the juicy details.”

Charlie’s shoulders relaxed and his lips curved. Most of his self-conscious behavior faded. “All the juicy details? Because it wasn’t exactly a PG night.”

Terry waved a hand nonchalantly before picking up his glass. “I’m an NC-17 type of guy.” Continue reading →

September ’17, Briefly

30 Saturday Sep 2017

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Back to school season! That means words can be completed without distraction! Massive editing can be taken on! Research doesn’t become a befuddled mess in my brain! Means I finished a bunch of work :)

1) Lost Isle (The Ocean’s Aviary I)

Received Cover files and Teasers! And oh, my gosh I’m so excited to share with you. It’s gorgeous and awesome and…and won’t be revealed until Oct. 22nd!

2) Pup Games (A Houndmaster Novel)

Finished! Sort of! The words are all there at least. It’s waiting on further editing phases, but I’m really happy with how it turned out–except that one scene that needs the prose massively cleaned up. I must have been having a ‘wat r wurds’ day when I wrote that. So plenty of work left to accomplish to keep me busy! La’vii is a sweetheart compared to some of my last few MCs.  Definitely a nice change of pace :) And Co’mil is… He’s the kind of man who pretends to be harder than he is because he’s been hurt too many times. But maybe I’ve said too much :O

This one isn’t a grand, journey-style adventure like The Wilds Duology, but I think it’s fun to add pieces to the world. Extra character introductions and wider possibilities. There’s another standalone Houndmaster Novel in the works as well that is also mostly set in Crafton–Doghouse Negotiations. Only about 15% of the way through this one, but it has more to do with the city and some of the darker things going on there.

3) Storm Dancer (Living Metal I)

This was that Steampunk story I told you about. You know, the one I claimed was just a novelette. Yeeaahh, it’s now the first in a novella series. I finished this as well. Coming mid-to-late 2018. It’s about a mechanic and his favorite, and famous, client.

4) Somewhat Secret Project

Mostly I did brainstorming/outlining for this one. Have a couple thousand words completed as well. No clues.

~

Hope you are all having a productive autumn as well :) Just in the past two days, around where I live has finally come out of a humidity spike and the heat has been lingering around 70F. It’s pumpkin spice time and colorful leaves…and boots!

PS: Full disclosure, I don’t actually drink pumpkin spice. I’m a Christmas peppermint kind of gal.

The Choice in the Inevitable

06 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by in Fantasy, M/M, Mini

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Fate & Destiny

In the province of Scuvorya there exists a prevailing belief in both fate and destiny. A strong enough belief that two of their most revered gods are the Dual Lovers of the Pre-Ordained. When texts were translated and the tenants of Scuvoryan ideology were introduced to the provinces that would one day make up the northern counties of the Merandin Empire, the Lovers were turned into a male/female pair, their names altered to ones more acceptable to older Meranish sensibilities.

However, the original Scuvoryan texts indicate the gods of the pre-ordained, Ahcton and Dvid, were sons of two warring goddesses—Vlerica and Lialornca. Continue reading →

July ’17, Briefly

01 Tuesday Aug 2017

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This past month I didn’t keep as good of records of my hours spent working unfortunately, partly due to the fact my computer decided to die on me. Hard drive seemed fine and backups had already been made so all my work was completely good. I’ve learned that lesson already. However, I was bumming computer time for a couple of weeks. I’m actually typing this up on a brand new computer that finally came in yesterday :)

1) Bridle the Unicorn Published

Still need to finish up my New Release Alert newsletter and send that out by the end of the week. Given how a few distributor platforms work and a couple other experiences with unavailable links at first publication, I decided giving a habitual week leeway after publication for the newsletter would be beneficial for certain publications in the future.

2) Outlined and Began a Novelette

This WIP I started because I didn’t have my main files with me at the time, but there’s always a notebook. It’s steampunky/metalpunky, with a sports feature.

3)  Worked on Pup Games (A Houndmaster Novel)

Yes, you read that right; Pup Games has officially become a novel :) Still due out early ’18.

Here’s another teaser from chapter one that introduces La’vii’s pack.

~ ~ ~

I crouched and wrapped an arm around Sed, her light brown coat long enough it’d been picking up debris all day from her time in and out of the soggy edges of the marsh. The rest of my pack–Ris, Mit and Aim–still sniffed around the bushes, searching for a recent trail. They sent flashes through our collective consciousness, reminding me the hares were more numerous further in, away from the salt and tang of the marsh.

“I know,” I said as I pressed my cheek against Sed’s dirty coat. “We have to check everywhere though, you know that.”

Then they sent me images of Co’mil from the night he’d bested El’mik. As if I needed their help to remind myself how he’d looked. Like a dog blessed by the ancestral bitch herself, his hair holding the tiniest hint of red as it curled in an unruly mop on his head, his eyes a piercing gray I wouldn’t have minded staring into as he’d thrown me to the sand.

~ ~ ~

Bridle the Unicorn Published!

28 Friday Jul 2017

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Happy Publication Day!

I always reveal a couple of neat tidbits about the writing of a novel on publication day. I figure that’s better than just saying Whoo-hoo! or something to that effect.

1) Bridle the Unicorn was never meant to be a novel. Though this happens so much to me I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise when characters in a short story start waving their hands and shouting about how they are most definitely not finished. In this case, it was Ari. Roan probably wouldn’t have cared had I stopped his story after chapter one, though I think he’s far happier having it told in its entirety.

2) Bridle the Unicorn takes place in the town of Mattateque. This is the setting for the three short stories, Kiss. Mouth. Red., Aura of Happiness, Aura of Love, and Wish Delivery. It was also the main setting for the trilogy featuring Clay and Jacob: Alley, Grave and Dream.

That being said, only one character (from Wish Delivery) made an appearance in the first draft of Bridle the Unicorn, though I added another small mention of another later.

3) I didn’t know any of the reveals/twists when I started, since it was only going to be a single short story. I had to figure out where I was going by adding details that ended up being clues, both for me and for others.

4) This one is a little more personal. I caught a lovely case of pneumonia and fractured a rib while writing this particular novel. I think I went two months barely writing anything at all. I’ve never had that long of a span where I didn’t write, not since 2008. And then, of course, I finished Murder in Color first since I’d begun to feel guilty that poor Salain had been left in limbo for almost two years.

5) This story has sooo few characters. If you’ve read any of my other novels you’d think I use every letter of the alphabet twice over to start names. This one, not so much. This is mostly because Roan is anti-social by choice and the plot itself is quite narrowly focused on him and Ari most of the time.

So if you prefer more contained, micro-oriented romantic stories over sprawling adventures and/or a dozen suspects in a murder mystery, then Bridle the Unicorn would be more your kind of book.

And like always…

6) My favorite character is Ari Nix. He was a blast to write from Roan’s perspective.

I’ve obviously done some from Ari’s perspective on his Tour, but I seemed to have difficulty catching his personality from the inside since now you (and I) know exactly what he’s thinking and how he gets there. It’s like watching a magician’s tricks from behind where you can see exactly how he does everything. Makes it all less…magical.

Bridle the Unicorn is now on sale at Amazon for 4.99. The novel is also available through Kindle Unlimited. If you have the time, I would greatly appreciate reviews :)

And if you want first crack on my newest novels in return for your honest reviews, please consider signing up for my ARC Team via my newsletter!

The Sighing of Dead Butterflies

02 Sunday Jul 2017

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He owned his stride, a strut, all attitude and self-assurance that marginalized his limp. The crookedness of his nose and the twist of an upper incisor added to a rugged charm that clung to him like a subtle cologne. And his hair, a loose, curly head of it, could never be tamed by any oil.

Imperfections, unique gambits that tugged my heartstrings hard enough I fell into that deep, immutable abyss that is love. A madness claiming me with its tantalizing assertiveness. It happened over time, that fall. A stumble so slow I did not even realize I had tripped, could not envision that his arms would be as hard and unforgiving as the concrete of the sidewalk where we’d first met.

And that seems too harsh for him. He had not meant for his body to cause me those first days of lust, nor his manner, his morals, those amusing discussions and even more enjoyable frolics we shared to transform that lust into its emotive cousin. I felt like a man trapped, unable to see beyond the desire for something that had never been mine and never would be.

It took time to heal from my foolhardiness. Time away from his ever-present grin and those daring eyes always giving me the attention I craved. I eased into a new pattern, fresh habits replacing the ones I had allowed him to invade.

Steps outside my comfort zone became larger, more like leaps into places I’d never considered until a world cut off from him was not unnatural. Unwanted, maybe, in the darkest hours when I’d lay awake imaging the way he had felt lying against my side, his head tucked upon my shoulder, his unruly hair tickling my cheek. An unwanted loneliness, though it became my norm.

I’d see him sometimes, around. The dead butterflies in my stomach would give sighs, their wings listless, but somehow coming alive for the briefest of moments. His grin never faltered, though the fakeness behind mine must have been evident to all those who saw it. I did not avoid him so much as pretend not to see him. And his charming self, never alone, would do the same most times. Or perhaps he truly did not see me. My presence in his life as fleeting and worthless as yesterday’s headline. Continue reading →

June ’17, Briefly

30 Friday Jun 2017

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June accomplishments:

1) Created Newsletter

It finally happened. This is something I’ve been meaning to do for a long while, but I admit to being technologically challenged so it took me time to figure out how to create one.

However, it’s here now!

And since I don’t plan on waxing on about myself in a newsletter, I’ve set it up so anyone who subscribes will have the option to choose whether they’ll receive New Release Alerts, Sales & Promo opportunities and/or join my ARC Team.

I would love it if you joined my ARC Team so please consider helping me out!

2) Wrote in Pup Games (A Houndmaster Novella)

This has been what I spent the bulk of the month on. I started this story two years ago, back when I was knee-deep in that A-Z challenge for The Wilds Duology and came back to it in June because I wanted to publish a completed houndmaster story. Pup Games was actually almost done this month until I decided I wanted to add, oh, two more chapters or so to flesh out a section I’d originally been going to gloss over.

It’s a story about La’vii, a young houndmaster hailing from the marshes to the east of the city of Crafton. Special appearances by an annoying brother, Cha’ree (Ni’vaa’s sister), and puppies!

Here’s the first paragraph:

The first time I saw Co’mil he’d been schooling my brother on the sands of a doghouse. He won that fight with only three dogs, one of whom had been gravely pregnant and had mostly just stood growling on the sidelines. My brother, a good seven years older than me with a pack of nine, had been left embarrassed, bloody and bitter in the center of the sands. I’d been left hard and gaping, my gaze locked on Co’mil’s wry expression as he shared a loving, celebratory kiss with one of his dogs.

In early 2018, you’ll be able to follow La’vii’s journey as one of his dogs gives birth in close proximity to his puphood crush and watch as his youthful adoration dissolves into something different.

3) Ari’s Tour

As you can see, I’m falling down a bit on this challenge. I have to delete a whole section because I decided I hate it and deleting whole pieces like that always sparks the desire to write in something entirely different. Which is why Pup Games is almost finished.

More words to write. Will update you again in July :)