Tag Archives: LGBT

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

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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.

Lines to Read By (August)

10 Sunday Sep 2017

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Here are some of my favorite teaser lines from last month :)

All from Pup Games (mm fantasy romance/coming of age novel) except for the one with the picture. That one was a writing prompt I had fun with.

<3 you all! Hope your weekend has been going well :)

 

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Tall, Dark & Handsome

03 Sunday Sep 2017

Posted by in Contemporary, M/M, Short Story

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Every coffee shop needs three things: black coffee, free Wi-Fi and a hot barista. The trifecta for all our caffeine-addicted, lust-driven and connectivity issues.

Perfection is not easy to find.

That place off Mackle Street has spotty internet. The cafe down on the corner of Humble Way and 4th has burnt coffee and a stream of loud teens. The place a street off of that—Cloud Coffee and Tea—is so quiet you’ll know every bit of drama between the two baristas before an hour is out.

The discovery of the century is this narrow cafe called Tall, Dark & Handsome—or TDH to us regulars. The windows have navy blue, yet sheer, curtains that both let in the light but stop nosy window gazers from seeing computer screens. The hum of activity, while just a murmur, is enough to give a sense of cover. The tables are small but rounded, hard wood yet curved comfortably, obviously meant to entice a person to sit for long lengths of time because they don’t numb backsides or leave lines of pain behind the knees.

Small shelves, each filled with a spattering of books, are scattered throughout, some of the tables having them built into their single center legs. The unwritten rule is you take one, you leave another. One kind, though likely anal, older gentleman has taken it upon himself to keep those shelves sorted. There’s a fantasy and sci-fi table, another with romance and paranormals and two more with dramas and thrillers. The non-fiction fills the largest shelves by the bakery window.

The coffee beans are ground by hand in-house, the occasional humming of that pestle no where near as ear-splittingly painful as the machines in other places. The baristas make hot cocoa from scratch as well, their pots of melted chocolate and warm milk a constant aphrodisiac.

They wouldn’t be, if it weren’t for the lean specimen of male beauty always standing behind that stove. He wears no name tag, though his apron is as black as his hair and his coffee-flavored eyes are as hypnotizing as the real thing. His smiles are brief, his attention briefer. His hands move deftly in their work, skills that likely translate well into the bedroom. His book bag is filled with computer and textbooks when he leaves at noon and the occasional overheard conversation puts him in law school.

A man like that is sure to be attached. His ability to be an ardent lover a byproduct of all that unwavering focus and intense ambition. How he must feel, hot and willing, sweet and strong, moving over his partners… Continue reading →

August ’17, Briefly

01 Friday Sep 2017

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Considering I knew August would be a low-output month, I’m pretty pleased with what I was still able to accomplish. Libraries with Mine-craft to eat into children’s brain cells are the best.

1) Worked on Steampunk Novelette

Still unnamed, but here’s crossing my fingers I can get it finished by the end of next month despite everything else I have to do.

2) Houndmaster WIPs

I have words completed in two more novels. Wrote about 12k total between them, some fleshing out of outlines. My hope is to spend a good chunk of 2018 finishing up this monster of a trilogy that terrifies me.

3) Pup Games (A Houndmaster Novel)

Another 20k done. Did edits on what I’d completed sometimes when the library was loud. Also created the base rules for a game in the story since I’d only had the bare bones before.

As a side note, the name on the room is literally “Quiet Study Room” and yet there are people who insist on having full-on phone conversations in there, loud enough I can hear the people on the other end. People who come in, claim a table and chat. People who bring in small children despite the library having a huge, and pretty good, kid’s section–I should know since mine were over there. One day there was even a woman in there tutoring an elementary-aged kid in math. I passed not one, not two, but THREE empty tables outside the quiet room in the main part of the library that day. I just don’t get it. Is there something difficult about the definition of quiet? This was torturous some days when I was desperately trying to get work done.

4) I also beta-read a novel for a close friend, set up some promo, a few read-through edits, worked on a relaunch idea, wrote a few poems, and (this last isn’t technically writing related, but still managed to eat into a lot of my time) prepared for back-to-school.

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 →

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!

Lines to Read By (June)

09 Sunday Jul 2017

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Hello All! These are just a few of my favorite lines that I shared in June. Most are from Pup Games, some are from other WIPS. Of course, a number have been altered already, or were cut from larger lines so they might not appear the same in their story :)

 

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