#Excerpt from THE PRINCE’S MAN by Deborah Jay #EpicFantasy

June 7, 2015June 7, 2015 / Deborah Jay / Debby Lush / 1 Comment

Excerpt from THE PRINCE’S MAN – prologue

Risada tiptoed across the darkened bedchamber and felt behind the tapestry for the hidden niche. Her tiny fingers located it and she grinned as the lock tripped with a faint click.

She heard voices in the outer chamber and light flickered around the doorframe. Heart thudding against her ribs, she dropped to her knees and scuttled forward through the swinging panel into the secret room. This was such fun!

Careful to close the panel behind her—Daddy said you must always lock doors when you were going to have your back to them—Risada wasted no time clambering onto the chair she had positioned beneath the spy hole. Her nose wrinkled at the smell of dust. It seemed like ages since Daddy had shown her how to work the hidden catch. Certainly it had been before that woman had arrived.

At thought of Mistress Chalice, Risada scrunched her face up into a ferocious scowl. How she hated her dancing tutor. Oh, the woman was very polite, and she was very beautiful—all the servants said so—but Mummy didn’t like her so Risada didn’t either. And the maids were saying such wicked things about Mistress Chalice and Daddy. Well, tonight Risada was going to see for herself.

Continue reading →

Getting to know you update – debuting ‘that coat’ ;) #author #DeborahJay

May 25, 2015 / Deborah Jay / Debby Lush / 6 Comments

Several people expressed an interest, in the wake of my post about the ‘real’ me, to hear/see ‘that coat’ in action.

So, without further ado, here it is!

And I’m delighted to be able to report that I can now breath while performing – a big improvement…

And it doesn’t look too shabby, either, huh?

Shameless plea for votes – my #SF #shortstory ‘Perfect Fit’ is #FREE to read

April 28, 2015 / Deborah Jay / Debby Lush / 4 Comments

When I entered my short story PERFECT FIT in a contest being held in honor of the late, great Terry Pratchett, I didn’t realize it was open voting. It took me a couple of hours to find a cover, upload and write a description, so when I saw that I needed to also blab about it to gather votes, I thought I’d just chalk up the time spent to experience and move on.

In the process, I did discover a great site where you can download free wallpaper images, which is what I used for the story, so it wasn’t a total waste. You can find that site here.

But then I thought, hell, why not?

So here is my plea: please click on THIS LINK to read the story and vote. In fact, you don’t even have to read it (which makes it rather a poor writing contest, in my opinion, but hey ho), all you have to do is click on the little heart to vote for it.

If you do read it, like it and want to, you can also rate and review.

I shared a snippet of this story during excerpt week here, and it is my contribution to the anthology THE WORLD AND THE STARS, that I published earlier this month.

So here is the mini blurb for the story:

Humanity has the technology to play God, but how far should it be allowed to go? On a generational starship where workers are created to fit their jobs, Roz believes they might have gone too far…

And the lovely cover I found for it:

Now go. Vote.

Please… 😉

Why use #hashtags in your blog post titles?

April 27, 2015 / Deborah Jay / Debby Lush / 11 Comments

If you’ve seen any of my blog posts, you may have noticed that I use hashtags in the titles.

You may be wondering why, as it doesn’t always look that attractive.

But wait! Not so long ago Marcia was exhorting us to ‘share, share, share’ – and rightly so.

Having those neat little share buttons at the end of the post makes it so simple – but how effective are your shares?

If you’re sharing to Facebook, then its likely to be to your closer group of friends; to Google, your like-minded associates.

But to Twitter?

Have you looked at the tweets generated by the share buttons, before you click on ‘tweet’?

They include the title of your piece – but unless the sharer takes the time to add hashtags, they go out with, often, a title that strangers might not find interesting.

If, on the other hand, you put appropriate hashtags into your title, hey presto! There they are in the ready generated tweet, so anybody looking at the hashtagged subjects you’ve chosen will see the tweet, and hopefully come to take a look at your blog post.

And that, dear friends, is why there are Twitter hashtags in my blog post titles.

And if you’re not sure what hashtag to use, here is a post with an exhaustive list of tags just for authors:

http://publishedtodeath.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/225-hashtags-for-writers.html?showComment=1430150581560#c8518488463420417282

Questions anyone?

Virtual part invite – new release THE WORLD AND THE STARS

April 9, 2015 / Deborah Jay / Debby Lush / 7 Comments

Just a quick note to say, if anyone has the time – tomorrow (today? – not sure, what with time differences), Friday 10th, anyway, I’d like to invite you to drop in to the virtual facebook party I’m hosting for the release of my latest book – an anthology of science fiction and fantasy stories by my writer’s group and friends.

And yes, I have a story in there as well as acting as publisher.

We’ve dedicated the book to our founder, Peter T Garratt, who sadly passed away at the young age of 54, and is much missed.

He would have been very proud of this book.

I’m planning entertainment, chat, and a few competitions with small prizes, so even if you only have a few minutes, you’re welcome to just drop in.

8pm – 11pm British Summer Time, BST, (you can find a time converter here) and the party is on facebook here

Hope to see a few of you there 😀

Oh, and in addition, I’m offering FREE copies to anyone who would like to review…

Bet you didn’t know this about me… #Fantasy #author Deborah Jay

April 4, 2015April 4, 2015 / Deborah Jay / Debby Lush / 12 Comments

The (not so) secret life of Deborah Jay, fantasy author

If you are a friend of mine on Twitter, or you’ve visited my ‘about me’ page on my own blog, you may know that I am by profession a trainer of dressage horses.

Didn’t know that? Where have you been?

Now, much as I love my writing and plan to do more as I get older and less inclined to earn my keep standing out in all weathers, or pushing myself physically as my body starts to stiffen up, I don’t ever see myself giving it up completely. As long as I can see clearly, and have a voice I can project (even that’s easier these days, with the use of radio mics), I shall continue to be involved in my sport in one capacity or another – as well as being a rider and trainer, I am also a top level national judge.

Here’s me, competing on the International circuit, in Spain, 8 years ago.

What you really don’t know about me is that I absolutely, categorically, cannot cook. Eating, however, is not a problem!

As a consequence, for many years I have used that lovely tailcoat you see above as my incentive to keep my weight in check. I’ve had the coat since I was 28 years old, and I’m now 55. This year I have finally admitted defeat 😦

I’ve moved the buttons as far as I can, and I can still just do it up, but breathing is not an option!

The new coat, with blue paisley details and smart silver buttons.

As a result, and with much sadness, I asked my lovely partner for a new coat for Christmas this year – made to measure, and up to date fashion-wise. It wasn’t cheap, believe me, and when it arrived yesterday and I tried it on for the first time, I have to admit to a certain disappointment that it is nowhere near as fitted as the old one.

But I’m guessing it won’t be long before I’m appreciating it, when I ride down the centre line later this month at the first show of our season, and find I can draw enough breath not to turn puce while riding my Grand Prix test!

#Excerpt week finale – SPRITE NIGHT by Deborah Jay #UrbanFantasy #ecology #fracking

March 15, 2015March 16, 2015 / Deborah Jay / Debby Lush / 8 Comments

Here is my last contribution to excerpt week – and a fun and informative week it has been 😀

This little offering is from a short story that has not yet been released – maybe next month if I can find the time, once I have the anthology (excerpt here) all sorted.

Back to Urban Fantasy today, and a bit more of Cassie, the Caledonian Sprite, who has a tendency to get tangled up in ecological issues, seeing as they have potentially devastating implications for her element.

This story takes place just after DESPRITE MEASURES, (excerpts here and here), and finds our sassy sprite involved in a fracking protest near Stirling, Scotland.

NOTE: there are live links scattered throughout the Caledonian Sprite stories, taking readers who choose to follow them to informative pages and photographs of all things quintessentially Scottish. My stab at a (slightly) interactive experience.

Excerpt from SPRITE NIGHT

The inn was typical of its type; old, creaky and in need of renovation, but warm with hospitality and a reputation for excellent food and choice of single malts. It’s one of the more frustrating aspects of my human body that consuming food or alcohol is a futile exercise; I can eat, but solid food needs disposing of—let’s not go there—and alcohol, whilst I can take pleasure in the taste, has no affect on me.

Companionship though—that I can, and do, enjoy.

I pushed open the swing doors to the lounge and glanced around. Most of the crowd were locals I’d come to know over the past few weeks, but a rather delectable-looking stranger sat in the snug beside the chimney. My body perked up with interest.

Right now, my DNA stores were high, and harvesting more would be an indulgence, but this guy had the makings of a pleasing dalliance, with or without extra benefits. His shaggy brown hair melded into a luxuriant beard, above which shone a pair of the brightest blue eyes I’d seen in a long while. He was dressed in a heavy woollen sweater, with a thick, quilted jacket and thermal beanie discarded beside him on the bench. Continue reading →

#Excerpt from #SF short story PERFECT FIT by Deborah Jay #readers #books

March 14, 2015 / Deborah Jay / Debby Lush / 12 Comments

Excerpt week continues!

Today, a little snippet from my forthcoming contribution to the SFF multi-author anthology edited by Chris Butler, THE WORLD AND THE STARS, that I will be publishing next month.

You are the first people to see the cover!

I trained originally in life sciences, with specialised interest in genetics, so developments in gene-splicing and genetic modification (GM) are of particular interest to me, and that’s how this story came about.

Roz is a technician in the gene-splicing lab on board a worldship, travelling to set up a new colony. Unfortunately their arrival is long overdue, and the inhabitants are getting restless.

Excerpt from PERFECT FIT, a science fiction short story

Roz sidled in at the back of the crowded meeting hall and slid onto a chair in the hope that nobody would notice her arrival. The wooden seat creaked a protest as she perched on its front edge, and she drew a couple of deep breaths to settle her pounding heart. Accustomed to the sterile atmosphere in the lab, she almost choked on air thick with the smells of so many bodies.

She glanced from side to side to check who else was there, and met a pair of beautiful velvet brown eyes, almond-shaped above sculpted cheek bones. Sam’s lips curved up, and her stomach flip-flopped. She’d met him at her second meeting, and they’d made an instant connection, though under normal circumstances their paths would never have crossed. As a gardener, Sam’s was not a profession normally found in the social circle of a lab tech, but these secretive gatherings defied the usual conventions, and for that, she was glad. Their relationship was blossoming fast, and even as Sam smiled at her, Roz’s mind was darting ahead, imagining how his unique, fuzzy-tipped fingers might feel against her bare flesh. The tech side of her brain speculated what genes might have produced the specialised modification that allowed Sam to pollinate plants with just his finger tips.

Just then, Garth, the huge man responsible for instigating the budding revolution, rose to his feet at the front of the hall, towering over everyone else, even those still on their feet. Roz’s face snapped forward, severing the delicious promise in Sam’s gaze. The assembly—several hundred, by Roz’s reckoning—settled into reverent silence, overawed by the spectacle that was their leader. With the dense double muscling of his bovine GM bulging beneath his skin, Garth looked like he could take on the world and win. Charolais genes, a mutation that had proven fortuitous for the beef industry, supplied the tech side of Roz’s mind. Sometimes she wished she could switch it off.

She’d seen countless modifications, but few as visually impressive as Garth’s. Specially designed for heavy lifting, his super-manly physique had quite swept her off her feet when they’d first met, but things had not gone so well thereafter. She crossed her legs and squeezed her thighs together, recalling their embarrassing attempt at sex.

She’d heard all the jokes about ‘size matters’, but she didn’t think that was quite what they meant.

#Excerpt 2 from DESPRITE MEASURES, a Caledonian Sprite novel #UrbanFantasy #ecology #LGBT

March 13, 2015March 14, 2015 / Deborah Jay / Debby Lush / 7 Comments

Anyone up for a little more elemental mischief?

Yesterday I shared the opening page from DESPRITE MEASURES – a Caledonian Sprite novel. If you missed it, you can find it here.

Today I thought I’d give you a bit from the thick of the action, towards the end of the book, so without further ado

Excerpt 2

“Come on, Wynter, get a grip and get me in there!”

The witch fell to her knees, and for a horrible moment I thought she was going to blubber, but then I noticed the implements on the ground: a small cauldron, some pouches of who-knew-what. The remains of a fire.

Wynter’s hands shook as she tried to re-kindle the fire. For one ironic moment, I wished for Gloria. She’d have lit the charred sticks in an instant.

A tiny puff of smoke wisped upward and Wynter sprinkled dried grass around it, blowing delicately as she coaxed the infant flame. I stopped breathing.

“Find something to burn!” she ordered, and I scanned the hillside, grateful my vision was not as poor as human eyesight in the gloom. I located a cluster of twigs beneath a sheltering gorse bush and scooped them up.

“This do?”

“It’ll have to,” Wynter said, and now I heard steel in her voice. She sounded well pissed off. Finding out that your lover is using you can have that effect.

She poured a portion of oil into the cauldron and set it on a tripod above the little fire. Then she emptied out the contents of her pouches, muttering as she did so. I didn’t listen; I wanted nothing to do with human magic. I stared with laser beam eyes at the invisible spell shield, trying to burn a hole through it. The twined aromas of thyme and lavender swirled around me.

“Cassie, I need your help. Please?”

“What? You know I can’t do magic.” Continue reading →