Please excuse me for jumping into the middle of excerpt week (this also explains why I’ve been absent so far), but I just had to share this: I’m taking part in a huge Goodreads takeover tomorrow as part of Indie Pride Day – do drop in and say hi if you can spare the time.
There will be excerpts there – so I’m sneaking in under the banner of excerpt week after all 😉
Those of you who follow my blog have already seen this blurb, but for those who haven’t, this is the back cover copy for my soon-to-be released sequel to THE PRINCE’S MAN (epic fantasy).
THE PRINCE’S SON
Nessa Haddo has been raised to pursue what every young noblewoman needs: a suitable husband. Unfortunately for her, as a younger twin, her prospects are limited. Things start to look up when she lays eyes on the handsome foreign envoy sent to escort her sister to an arranged marriage, but her romantic fantasies quickly entangle her in events beyond her darkest nightmares.
Compared to his last mission, ex-spy Rustam Chalice’s new assignment sounds simple: wrangle an unwieldy bridal caravan across a mountain range populated by bandits, trolls, werecats and worse, try to cajole a traumatized princess out of her self-imposed isolation, and arrive on time for the politically sensitive wedding. What could possibly go wrong?
Meanwhile, Lady Risada—the woman who haunts Rustam’s dreams—is struggling to adjust to a normal life. All her carefully honed assassin’s instincts scream warnings of foul play, yet she can find nothing obviously amiss.
And deep in the halls of a mountain clan, an old enemy plucks his victim’s strings with expert malice.
Something moved beyond the picket line.
Nessa froze. Her heart stopped beating, and then thudded so loudly she was certain whoever was there must hear it. Surely it had to be one of their party slipping away to relieve themselves? It could not be either Rustam or Sala unless they had circled around beyond the horses, and why would they?
She stumbled an involuntary step back, gave a little cry as metal dug into her back, then realised she was pressed up against one of the ribs of the wagon.
The shadowy figure stopped, appeared to be sniffing the air.
That made up her mind. No human scented like that. She did not know what it was, but it wasn’t one of them. Continue reading
A little longer than my usual excerpts, this is the prologue from my nearly complete (yay!) sequel to THE PRINCE’S MAN, and tells the climax of the first book from a very different viewpoint…
* * * * * * * *
Hungry flames invaded the garlands festooning the roof beams of the palace’s Great Hall. Tiny specks of gold darted in and out of the greenery, setting new fires wherever they touched; miniature dragons with flickering wings—salamanders.
Forbidden magic.
Another cluster of berries exploded, raining hot juices down upon the heads of the panicked crowd. Mykel Dench braced himself as a horde of finely-dressed nobles stampeded towards him. On the raised dais at the front of the hall he could see his master, Hensar, the pretender to the throne, grappling with the loyalist spy, Lady Risada Delgano vas Domn. The stench of burning greenery, the cacophony of screams and clatter of tumbling chairs all faded into insignificance for Mykel when Lady Risada slit Hensar’s throat.
Mykel shrieked his fury but his voice vanished into the crowd. Rage lent him strength and he ploughed into the oncoming mob, swinging the pommel of his sword like a club, not caring if he cracked a bone or three, or sliced the odd gobbet of flesh. He’d worked too hard for this moment; for the downfall of the royal family and their spymaster, Prince Halnashead.
His master might be dead, but Mykel would see Prince Halnashead dead too. And that bitch Risada. Continue reading
Taking my inspiration from Marcia’s earlier posts, I’d like to share my own favourite bookends:
Aren’t they cute?
They are from a limited edition of just 12, and I was really lucky to get them.
Come on people, share your own favourites.
Hey folks, my short story SPRITE NIGHT is free from today until the 25th, so please go ahead and grab yourself a copy from Amazon. It’s a companion story to my Caledonian Sprite novel, DESPRITE MEASURES, but is also a complete stand alone story.
Discover a unique eco-urban fantasy with a touch of romance.
When Scottish water sprite, Cassie, volunteers for an anti-fracking protest, the last thing she expects is to find herself at odds with a druid. But with time running out for the local environment, she can’t afford to be distracted by the handsome hunk of a Highlander.
Intent on a minor act of sabotage, Cassie is totally unprepared to be caught in the cross-fire of a magical battle. Can she avert catastrophe? Or will she become the very agency of an ecological disaster?
***4.8 stars***
“This story flowed smoothly and gave the reader an enjoyable glimpse into the world of Cassie Lake. The author intertwined real life elements into her magical world of druids, magicians and sprites. It was a clever twist to include internet links to various real life sites to bring a touch of realism to this fantasy. I would recommend this story to anyone looking for an easy, quick story that will make you smile.”
“There was a lot to love crammed into this short story. First, there’s the interesting world-building, centered around a water sprite who can dematerialize into her individual molecules at will. Next, the Scottish setting and culture was very vivid and intriguing, like an armchair vacation. Add in the hydrofracking issue that is currently so important on a world-wide level and you have an intellectually intriguing and enjoyable read.”
“Another wonderful Deborah Jay story, proving that she writes short fiction as fabulously as she writes novels! I love her dialogue best – believable, funny, and her heroine Cassie is always sassy. The balance between plot, action and information (who knew all that about water sprites?) is perfect – the writing is truly fast-paced at time, yet still includes such strong imagery to make you wince, or laugh, or both simultaneously.
Perfect follow-up to Ms Jay’s Sprite novel, but works as a strong stand-alone, too.”
” This story gives you an excellent chance to dip your toe into the Cassie waters. Sorry, couldn’t resist that.”
Download your copy from Amazon HERE
First, I’d like to thank Marcia for all the work she’s done, creating this blog and inviting us all to participate – and what a great group of authors this is turning out to be!
Seeing as Marcia has given us free rein on topic, I thought I would write about the greatest writing asset I have outside of my own imagination and learned skills: the fabulous writers group I belong to.
And I mean an honest-to-God, in-the-flesh writers group – less common these days perhaps than virtual ones, but a great way for writers to meet face to face and discuss issues in the here-and-now.
As writers, we tend to tap away on our keyboards in our ivory towers (or an over-crowded home office, in my case), and get most of our feedback after we’ve written our ‘masterpiece’. Working with a ‘live’ group is more than some writers can cope with (we’ve had the odd person join, come to one meeting, and never be seen again, and I promise you, we’re not that scary!), but if you can,
I feel they can be a magnificent resource. I joined my group (he-hem) thirty years ago. Back then, there was no such thing as indie publishing (not quite true – it was called ‘vanity publishing’, and all you succeeded in doing was spending money), so we were all seeking traditional publishing deals. Several members of the group already had professional sales of short stories (SF and fantasy has always had a market for shorts), and at that time I was the only one working on a full length novel. Continue reading
This picture is apropos of nothing.
But who doesn’t love a good dancing bulldog photo?
Hi, folks! Just wanted to let you know that due to the vagaries of cyberspace, Deborah Jay’s REAL Fabulous Friday Guest Blogger post didn’t make it. She sent it to me, but it didn’t arrive. What I got was a link to her recent guest interview with Fiona Mcvie. Due to the time difference between central Florida, where I am, and England, where Deb is, I wasn’t able to contact her, so I went ahead and posted the interview–because 1) it was a great, all-encompassing interview, and 2) it was what I had.
I have since received the post that was supposed to run yesterday, and it’s LOVELY, so it will run next Friday, October 9. You’ll really enjoy it, I know, and I’ll remind you on Thursday that it’s coming. Deb has been a great source of support and encouragement over these last months at TWS, and I’m so grateful to her for taking the time to write such a super piece. (No, I’m not even going to give you a hint. Tune in, and check it out. You’ll be glad you did.) 😀
As you were, folks. Have a great weekend!!
So this time I am treating you to a teaser excerpt from my upcoming release, sequel to THE PRINCE’S MAN, titled (probably) USURPER’S LEGACY.
This is from the prologue, which gives us the climactic scene from the end of the previous book from the villain’s point of view…
“Risada!”
The high voice cut through the crackle and hiss of the burning hall. Mykel spun towards it and saw the one piece of good fortune left to him. When the beam fell, Lady Risada had been forced back from the dais and now stood, wavering on unsteady feet amidst tumbled chairs, two rows over. Mykel smiled. Small compensation, but at least one of Halnashead’s spies would not leave the hall alive. He raised his sword.
“I don’t think so.”
The voice came from right beside him—just before a chair crashed against his shoulder, knocking him off balance. One of its legs caught him along the side of the head and stars sparkled across his vision. The breath that whooshed out of his body was replaced by smoke as he inhaled, and he coughed it back up even as he lashed out at his attacker. His sword swung through empty space as something smacked into the back of one knee, felling him.
He landed in a tangle amidst fallen chairs and smouldering greenery. Heat seared his lungs as he struggled to regain his breath. If he didn’t escape the hall soon he would die, yet he still found his focus drawn to Lady Risada, on her knees now and so tantalizingly close.
Epic fantasy ~ Think James Bond meets Lord of the Rings…
Chapter 12 – TUNNEL CREEPERS
Rustam squeezed past Nightstalker, and scrambled up behind Elwaes. He had no idea what tunnel creepers were, but the fear in the elf’s voice was all too apparent.
“Go Risada, go!”
The grey leapt forward, kicking loose stones from beneath its feet to clatter away down the mountainside, adding to the horses’ rising panic. Sickly pale, bloated creatures swarmed out of the holes, and Rustam gagged on the mephitic stench that preceded them. Risada’s mount spooked sideways and jumped half a length up the left bank to reveal the pallid, segmented body of a creeper blocking the path ahead.
The nightmarish thing, which stood as high as the gelding’s chest, shifted its weight rapidly between its six legs, threatening great speed although the huge body merely quivered up and down with the multiple joints clicking loudly. Tiny eyes glittered from behind its mouth-parts, vanishing as ragged fronds waved under its pincers. Those pincers with their wickedly serrated edges and pointed tips held Rustam’s horrified gaze, and he felt his empty stomach constrict even further: the monster’s exoskeleton looked as tough as armour, probably impervious to steel, except perhaps at the joints. Not that he had any desire to get close enough to test the theory. Continue reading
Hi folks, I’m pleased to announce the release of my short story SPRITE NIGHT – a Caledonian Sprite short story.
This series has been described as ‘Eco-urban fantasy’, which fits it well.
Blurb
Discover a unique eco-urban fantasy with a touch of romance.
When Scottish water sprite, Cassie, volunteers for an anti-fracking protest, the last thing she expects is to find herself at odds with a druid. But with time running out for the local environment, she can’t afford to be distracted by the handsome hunk of a Highlander.
Intent on a minor act of sabotage, Cassie is totally unprepared to be caught in the cross-fire of a magical battle. Can she avert catastrophe? Or will she become the very agency of an ecological disaster?
Now, you can buy this on Amazon here for 0.99c, OR you can get it FREE if you either:
If you are interested in reviewing please leave me your email address and required format in the comments below, or contact me directly via my blog (form below my bio here).
And in celebration of my latest release, I am holding a one week sale (10 – 14 August) for the first book in the series DESPRITE MEASURES.
Blurb
On the surface she’s a cute and feisty blonde; a slender pocket rocket fitness coach. But Cassiopeia Lake has a secret; she’s really a force of nature – an elemental.
Water sprite, Cassie, has lived undisturbed in her native Scottish loch for eons. Now, one encounter too many with modern plumbing has driven her to live in human guise along with her selkie boyfriend, Euan. It’s all going fine – until a nerdy magician captures Cassie to be an unwilling component in his crazy dangerous experiment.
Escape is only Cassie’s first challenge.
She’s smitten by her fellow prisoner, the scorching hot fire elemental, Gloria. But how do you love someone you can never touch?
And what do you do when your boyfriend starts to hero-worship your persecutor? Not to mention that tricky situation of being the prize in a power contest between two rival covens of witches.
So when Gloria’s temper erupts and she sets out to murder the magician, can Cassie keep her loved ones safe from the cross-fire, or will she be sucked into the maelstrom of deadly desires and sink without trace?
You can find DESPRITE MEASURES here on Amazon (remember the sale is next week), an both can be read for free by Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Prime members.
Each story is a stand alone.
Please share, especially next week when the sale is underway.
And what are you waiting for – contact me NOW for your FREE short story
Award-Winning Texas Author
Southern stories of grace and grit
Writing Tips from Valerie Ormond
Author, Artist, Poet
Fantasy Author
Author
Christian Fiction Reviews by Christian Authors
Mystery, magic and mayhem
Passionate Teacher and Future Children's Author
Writing Advice from a YA Author Powered by Chocolate and Green Tea
Humor at the Speed of Life
TELL YOUR STORIES, LOVE YOUR LIFE
From Rat Race to Road Trip: Overlanding With Four Dogs!
Author Page
Random thoughts, life lessons, hopes and dreams
A groovy little website by children's book author Mike Allegra
Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn’t Know
Suspense Lives Here
Embrace your inner child by reading a good book!
WordPress & Blogging tips, flash fiction, photography and lots more!
The Write Stuff 