Writing Unstable Stud was a challenge for me in a variety of ways, but one of the most challenging was the point of view. It’s written entirely from the point of view of Luke, so we only see Clay, the stable owner and love interest, through Luke’s eyes. Anyone who has read my books knows I rarely write single POV books. The only other ones I can think of are Inherit the Sky, Seducing C.C., Château d’eternité, and Once in a Lifetime. That’s two more than I thought there were when I went back and checked, but four (now five) out of fifty isn’t very many. I like writing both characters’ POV because their thoughts often reveal things to us that the other main character can’t—and may never—know, but one of the rules of category romance, or so I was told before I started this one, was a single POV.
We meet Clay slowly through Luke’s eyes, the handsome, unapproachable stable owner, then the bereaved lover, then the man with magic in his hands where his horse is concerned (where Luke is concerned too, but that’s later). The challenge then is to convey Clay’s grief, his recovery, his interest in Luke, and his doubts when they occur in a way that readers can sense too.
Two of my favorite scenes in the book involve Luke watching Clay with King of Hearts, Clay’s prize stallion. King is all tied up in Clay’s grief and loss, and their relationship is as strained as everything else in Clay’s life, but Luke can see the progress in that relationship in a way he can’t see Clay’s growing interest in him (although hopefully the reader can).
Luke stopped just inside the door, captivated by the picture through the wide opening. Clay stood silhouetted against the gray sky, his black trench coat covering him from shoulders to knees. He wasn’t wearing a hat and had snowflakes caught in his hair. As Luke watched, he reached up and brushed them away, leaving his usually immaculate hair ruffled. Behind him King rolled in the snow once more, then trotted over to the fence where Clay stood and knocked his shoulder.
Clay reached up to stroke his forelock. King dropped his head lower, and Clay leaned forward to rest his forehead against King’s. Luke turned away, feeling like an intruder on the intimate scene.
Whatever else could be said about Clay, he loved King even more than Luke did, and it looked like he was finally remembering how to show it.
Little glimpses like this one let Luke—and through Luke’s eyes the reader—see a side of Clay he has hidden from the world, and even from himself. As he becomes more present in the barn, he begins to heal and to be ready to move forward again, with a new lease on life. Much like King, Clay has been hiding away, silently grieving, convinced life will never be the same again. Luke’s task then is to prove to them that life might not be the same, but it can be good once more.
Blurb
Horses were his passion, until he laid eyes on his boss.
Eighteen months ago, tragedy struck Bywater Farm when a riding accident killed Clay Hunter’s lover and traumatized his prize horse, King of Hearts. Clay and King lingered in limbo, surviving but not really living, until a breath of fresh air in the form of Luke Davis, a new groom in the stud barn, revives them both.
When a fall from King’s back sends Luke to the emergency room, Clay watches the shaky foundation of their budding relationship tumble down. Can Clay really love a jockey again, or will his fear of losing another man he loves keep them apart for good?
About Ariel
When Ariel Tachna was twelve years old, she discovered two things: the French language and romance novels. Those two loves have defined her ever since. By the time she finished high school, she’d written four novels, none of which anyone would want to read now, featuring a young woman who was—you guessed it—bilingual. That girl was everything Ariel wanted to be at age twelve and wasn’t.
She now lives on the outskirts of Houston with her husband (who also speaks French), her kids (who understand French even when they’re too lazy to speak it back), and their two dogs (who steadfastly refuse to answer any French commands).
Planting his Dream
Thanks you Kimi-chan for having me. It’s so great to be here to talk about Planting His Dream. In almost every story there is a message and this story is all about the dream. Javi is the child of migrant workers and he’s moved from place to place his entire life. He’s picked and brought in crops of every kind. He’s used to blending into the landscape, so when he makes a suggestion and Foster, the farm owner listens and takes his suggestion, he’s surprised. No one ever listens to him and his opinion is never requested until Foster.
Javi doesn’t have dreams. No one listens and they’re useless anyway because he sees his entire future in front of him and nothing changes. So when Foster asked and he answers that he doesn’t have a dream, somehow it becomes Foster’s mission to show him that there is more to the world and to life. I have never written a character without dreams before and it was an eye opening experience. I really hope you fall in love with Javi and Foster the way I did.
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Release Date: April 11 2016 Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print Blurb/Synopsis:
Foster dreams of getting away, but after his father’s death, he has to take over the family dairy farm. It soon becomes clear his father hasn’t been doing the best job of running it, so not only does Foster need to take over the day-to-day operations, he also needs to find new ways of bringing in revenue.
Javi has no time to dream. He and his family are migrant workers, and daily survival is a struggle, so they travel to anywhere they can get work. When they arrive in their old van, Foster arranges for Javi to help him on the farm.
To Javi’s surprise, Foster listens to his ideas and actually puts them into action. Over days that turn into weeks, they grow to like and then care for each other, but they come from two very different worlds, and they both have responsibilities to their families that neither can walk away from. Is it possible for them to discover a dream they can share? Perhaps they can plant their own and nurture it together to see it grow, if their different backgrounds don’t separate them forever.
Excerpt:
Foster jumped, dropping the hose. He hadn’t expected anyone.
“Sorry,” Javi said as he stepped forward. He was soaked to the skin, and Foster guessed he’d walked over. “I need some work.” He shuffled his feet nervously. “Things have not gone well.”
Foster had guessed that. “Can you hose down the floor and milking stations?” Foster wondered how Javi kept from shivering, but he picked up the hose and started cleaning everything. Foster went to work on the milking machines, making sure they were spotless. “Mop the floor in the milk room too.” Foster figured he might as well get a leg up on his chores. He went to the loft and brought down some hay for the feeders along with the protein supplements. He added some silage, as well, to sweeten the mixture.
The rain had let up by the time he was done, and Foster pulled out his wallet and handed Javi some cash for the work he’d done. Javi shoved the bills into his pocket. Foster wanted to ask him what had happened and why they were so desperate, but the pride Foster saw in Javi’s eyes told him he could ask, but that answers wouldn’t be forthcoming.
“Do you need help tomorrow?” Javi asked.
Foster wasn’t going to be able to afford someone to help him all week, but he found himself nodding anyway. He knew his mother and grandmother would try to help them any way they could, so it was best to let Javi work and earn the money he needed to help his family. Foster knew that machismo, male pride, was huge in Latino culture. Getting Javi to take charity would be difficult. “If it’s nice, the garden will need to be tended and weeded.” After all the rain, what they’d planted would sprout overnight. “You can also help me shift the hay in the loft to help make room for the new cuttings.”
“I’ll get here early.”
“Do you want a ride back?” Foster asked. Javi shook his head. He left the barn, jogged out to the road, and then down toward the field. Foster watched him the entire time, enjoying the smooth way he moved. He had to force himself to turn away. He shouldn’t be having thoughts like this. He went back in the barn up to the loft and started the process of cleaning and shifting the hay. Moving the heavy bales was just the ticket to work away these thoughts about the gorgeous farm worker.
He retrieved the remaining wayward bales of hay from the edges and corners, placing them near the chute to the main floor, stacking them neatly and then going for more. Foster hated that he had these feelings. He’d heard since he was a toddler all about the evils of alcohol, smoking, and many more prohibitions from the front of the church. More than once he’d heard the prohibition about men lying with men and had sworn the minister had been looking right at him and could see into his soul. In the last year he’d been able to find a lot of chores that had to be done, so he hadn’t been going to church as often. In a roundabout way, he felt better not hearing that he was a godless sinner all the time.
“Foster,” his mother called up. “Your grandmother and I are going to town. Do you need anything?”
He checked his watch and realized he’d been working for hours. “Some snacks would be nice.” He climbed down. “When will you be back?”
“About an hour. We’ll make dinner then.” She left, and Foster went about the process of getting ready for milking, thinking that this was a much easier job with two people, but it was only him, so he might as well get to it. Besides, the work gave him something to think about other than the same set of eyes, light caramel-brown skin, and full lips that had stayed in his mind now for nearly a year. Part of him wished that Javi and his family hadn’t contacted his father about working. Then he wouldn’t be reminded of how he felt and could go on with his life. Not that he knew if Javi felt the same way.
He let in the first half the herd and started the milking process, noting the cows that were going to be getting ready to calve soon. He kept detailed records and made notes in his mind regarding when he’d need to separate them into the calving pens. The work never ended, and Foster got to it, finished the milking, cleaned up the barn, and went inside to have dinner. Afterward, he checked that everything was all set for the night before spending a quiet hour before going up to bed.
That night, as he lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling, tired and worn out, his mind would not let up. All he kept seeing was Javi, worn and hungry looking, at least to start. It didn’t take long before his mind put Javi, not smiling, his eyes filled with heat, standing near him, pulling off his shirt and then tugging at Foster’s. Javi pulled him close, their chests touching, breath heaving, lips finally exploring. The funny thing was that other than on the cheek, Foster had never kissed anyone, not the way that Javi kissed him in his fantasies, like he was reaching down deep to Foster’s heart and soul. As heated as he became, Foster shook his head and put a stop to his fantasy. This was not helping him. He needed to be strong.
Author Information
Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation.
Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Author Links Amazon Author Page Barnes and Noble Page Dreamspinner Press Facebook Facebook Group All the Way with Andrew Grey Goodreads Twitter Website
For Other Works by Andrew Grey
(Please Be Sure To Stop by His Website to See All of His Works)
Twenty-nine-year-old Lucas Thompson is at the top of the corporate ladder. But when his lifelong friend and ex-boyfriend invites him to his last-minute destination wedding in the Bahamas, Lucas realizes his corporate success can’t hide his private loneliness. Nor will he be able to escape seeing his family at the wedding—and having to explain, yet again, why he’s rich, handsome… and still single.
Fate and a taxi ride change everything when Lucas meets the charismatic and clever Jack McQueen, who just so happens to be a male escort. Jack’s presence on Lucas’s arm at the wedding keeps questions at bay, but their pretend relationship turns into something more after ten days of sun, sand, and sex. And before the trip is up, both men will discover that what started as a simple escapade in paradise might just lead to their very own happily ever after.
AUTHOR BIO
Dolce is a thirty year old New Yorker who loves to write, cook, sing, and laugh. She got her start writing fan fiction and is excited, and a touch frightened, to make the jump to original fiction. She is a big fan of the band Muse, who inspired her to choose a single word for her pen name: DOLCE. Plus, Cher has the one name thing going for her, too. Everyone loves Cher.
Hello! My name is Dolce and I’m a fiction writer. My new contemporary romance novel, Escapade, will be released on Monday April 11, 2016 by Dreamspinner Press. I’m very excited to be a guest on Kimi-chan!
I wrote Escapade over the course of about five months. It began in a writing challenge where a friend prompted me to write a story about someone needing a date for their ex-boyfriend’s wedding. Escapade came at a time when I was about to make a jump from working two time consuming jobs to one that had more of a freelance vibe. Something in my gut told me I should move on to the freelance job to free up time for writing. Looking back, I’m so, so happy I did it.
I tend to write more at night, but due to my work schedule, I often had to find pockets of time during the day to sneak a thirty-minute writing break at Starbucks. I think my shoulder is permanently sore from carrying my laptop around. Café workers started to notice that I was always typing things, and I finally earned the honor of baristas remembering my exact order! For the record, I love coconut iced coffee and chocolate chip scones.
I have a background in theatre and music, which makes me moving into writing kind of a shock for family members and friends. They had no idea I was even interested in writing, even if Id been doing it for around nine years. My writing started very script-like, very barebones, but my style has grown a bit warmer through the years. That said, I still tend to prefer simple. I write in a way that mimics, in my mind, the eye of a camera or the view of an audience. We live in a world where most watch television and films regularly, and I definitely try to tell stories in a similar style.
Escapade was inspired by my own summer reading experiences. When I was younger, I would stock up on romance paperbacks from the library before I went on vacation. There were many different genres and scenarios, but the pairings were only men with women—no same sex couples. I wanted to write a romantic comedy that featured two men falling in love in an exotic, beautiful location with lots of adventure and fun. It might sound silly, but it’s always been a dream of mine to have my book published and available in an airport bookstore. Maybe someone who feels left out by the standard romance novel pairings on the shelf would pick up my book to read on vacation.
Research for Escapade was fun, as it involved beautiful locations and lots of decadence. My family is very much a one vacation per year family, and most of the time our vacation was in-state. It was delightful to have an unlimited budget for accommodations, meals, activities, and wardrobe. Some people who have read it have said they’d love to see it as a movie. If that ever happens, we are going to need quite the budget!
Escapade is light and something to read at the beach, but also tackles realistic issues people face. Loneliness, the prick of discomfort you feel when you’re single amongst couples—even if you don’t want a relationship, balancing your personal and professional life, and growing into adulthood with your family.
The main character, Lucas, deals with all of those things. He is wealthy and successful, but in the eyes of his family, he’s still just Lucas. The secondary main character, the charismatic Jack McQueen, deals with the same issues, though he comes from a completely different place compared to Lucas. My hope is that in reading Escapade, readers see both characters growing together to conquer loneliness with love, laughter, and kindness.
Music plays a huge role in Escapade. I love soundtracks and while I wrote Escapade, I listened almost exclusively to music from the eighties. Something about that era of music fit with Escapade. Fun, sexy, a bit silly—songs that when the DJ throws them on, you know all the words (even if you’re a bit tipsy) and want to dance. Here is a link to a playlist I made while writing, that includes lots of songs from my process:
So! What’s your favorite holiday you’ve ever been on? Where would you want to go? I’m in New York and it’s chilly, so I’m dying for a vacation someplace warm right now. Maybe…Hawaii? That sounds good to me!
Leave a comment about your dream vacation for a chance to win an Escapade eBook! I will randomly select the winner in three days.
Thank you for reading my guest post! I hope you enjoy Escapade.
WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT HAPPY ENDINGS?
I’m officially an Old.
I used to fool myself, but as I turned 41 this year I realised I should be picking out caskets for the inevitable. But stay with me, because this is actually going somewhere.
When I was a gay teen it was in the early 90s and AIDS hysteria and homophobia were pretty rife (not that I’m saying it’s eradicated now, but as they sing in Hairspray, “We’ve come so far but we’ve got so far to go.”) and the internet wasn’t even in mainstream existence for one to find knowledge or history about The Gays. One had to do old fashioned things like go the library and try to find books. And Perth, Western Australia, was a little less cosmopolitan in its books choices for public libraries than its bigger sibling cities. So my choice was pretty limited.
And let me tell you, it was pretty bleak. Most of the fiction I found was about AIDS, and it always ended in tragedy. Even if the one of the characters survived to the end of the book, you know they probably didn’t last long after the final page. And YA wasn’t much better. Pan Horizons were eagerly devoured because there were some gay characters to be found within – but man, it was almost always the same fate. One had an older brother who had AIDS and died before teaching his younger straight brother Valuable Life Lessons. Another had a romance between two boys that went sour and then, BANG!, one of them died in a motorcycle accident. There was never a happy ending for a gay character. The closest I ever got was Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, but even Louis seemed to want to be left by himself and Greta Garbo it out in a deserted mansion.
But kids today, WOW. There is a wealth of LGBTQ material out there for them to find, and the internet has made it even easier for those not out to their family. And believe me, I’m not being all get off my lawn about it. I’m so happy that they have it. And sure, there are still the tragic stories sprinkled out there, but there are many more with happy endings and assurances that being gay isn’t an automatic death sentence.
I will admit, however, to a little jealousy. I wish these books had been around when I was a teen. I might not have been so scared of being who I was. So go forth and read, guys! Happy endings are great.
BLURB
There is no Plan B. After being outed in an especially brutal way and briefly running away from home, Micah Johnson has sworn to get his life back on the straight and narrow. Well, not so much straight, but you know what he means. Unfortunately the path to redemption is not an easy one. With fights at school and on the football field and an all-round snarky attitude as his number one defense mechanism, will Micah survive the school year and the training camps to achieve his dream of making the national draft and becoming a professional AFL player? His mentor, Declan Tyler, believes in him, but Micah wishes he had the same confidence in himself. Only time will tell if the ongoing reformation of Micah Johnson will be successful.
EXCERPT
MY NAME is Micah Johnson, and I guess you could say I’m a former arsehole.
If they had meetings for former arseholes, this is how I would introduce myself. I would have to stand in front of the group—I assume it would be a fair size, as there are many former arseholes, and even more who refuse to admit they are one—and freely admit my shame.
But I think I’ve overcome this shame now, or at least, I’m improving myself. I was once described as having “a chip on his shoulder the size of Uluru.” This cannot be understated. I was angry at the world, and truth be told, I sometimes still am. There is a lot to be angry about in the world. But there is also a lot to like.
You just have to find those things.
I felt I had a lot of reasons to be angry. The main one was that I was outed under what some might say were less than ideal circumstances, but the less said about that the better. I felt ashamed, and exposed, and rather than try to deal with that and move forward, I turned it inward. I thought it was better to act like a total shit and make people dislike me straightaway than have people come to dislike me of their own accord. Because I didn’t feel like I was likable. It was normal self-esteem issues, which I’m sure all of you sitting here understand. No teenager ever feels completely good about themselves.
It can be harder when you also happen to be gay. Peer pressure at high school is the worst, and you can find yourself doing or saying things to protect yourself rather than draw attention to yourself. The spotlight was already on me, so I was always on the attack.
I’m probably going off track here, and I know your teachers are probably shitting themselves at the amount of times I’ve sworn during this speech already, and I guess, like Britney, I just did it again. Oops. But I am here to use my powers for good instead of evil, and that’s why I’m doing this talk at your fine school today.
Maybe if I’d had a GSA at my school, like your principal is proposing, I would have found other ways to deal with it. Maybe not. But knowing it was there, that would have made a hell of a lot of difference.
I’m also a jock, as shocking as that may be to some of you who believe in the stereotypes associated with gay people. I’m sure you’ve heard of Declan Tyler, the ex-Bombers player. He runs a charity called GetOut, which has agreed to sponsor your GSA when it begins. GetOut have helped me a lot, especially when it comes to dealing with bullying in school.
Gay students, or even those who are suspected of being gay, are amongst the worst bullied in schools. GetOut wants to help those kids, gay or straight, and combat bullying both on the sports field and within the school environment.
I’m here because I know it works. If you had asked me six months ago, I would have said it didn’t. But that was because I wasn’t really giving it a proper go. Chip the size of Uluru, remember? The thing is, we all need help in our lives. And we have to know when to ask for it, instead of just thinking that we can deal with it by ourselves. Some issues are too big.
So if a GSA sounds like a thing that could help you, I encourage you to join it. If you are a member of the Friends of Dorothy gang like I am, GetOut also holds meetings and get-togethers where you’ll get to meet students from other schools across Melbourne. It may have started out to help gay kids who play sport, but it has become much more than that. And you’ll also get to meet Declan Tyler, and I know from experience that’s a pretty big drawcard.
I also know from experience that he really cares about the kids he mentors at GetOut. I would not be standing here talking to you today if he didn’t. But before I start singing “Kumbaya” and asking you all to hold hands, any questions?
Chapter 1
“I HAVE one” came a voice from the back of the auditorium.
Micah inwardly groaned and shielded his eyes from the light shining directly into them, so he could at least see her better.
Emma Goldsworthy, her long auburn hair tucked into a no-nonsense ponytail, stared at him without remorse. A veritable spider leading the fly into her web. Lucky she was actually his friend.
“Do you even go to this school?” Micah asked.
She waved that concern away. “As a former arsehole, what have you done to redeem yourself?”
At this line of questioning, the principal jumped up and pushed Micah aside from the lectern. “I think we’ve had enough of the foul language. From both the speaker and the questioners.”
“There’s only been one question,” Micah pointed out.
“Regardless,” said the harried-looking woman, who Micah had only been introduced to an hour before. “Maybe you can rephrase your question, Miss?”
“It’s Ms., actually,” Emma said with a wide smile that broached no prisoners.
The principal shook her head and allowed Micah to come back to the microphone.
“I said I was still trying to improve, not that I had magically turned into a better person overnight.”
“Oh, okay. So you think you are better than you were six months ago?”
By now the students were watching with more interest than they had when Micah was speaking before. Of course, they had perked up when Declan Tyler was mentioned, but they soon lost focus again. “I like to think I am,” Micah replied.
“And you think this has been due to GetOut?”
“Yes. I know it has.”
“And—”
“Maybe we should let another student ask a question?” the principal yelled out, her voice carrying amazingly far throughout the auditorium even without a microphone.
“I didn’t know there was a limit?” Emma asked before she was silenced by a young-looking year eight boy standing up in front of her.
“You have a question?” Micah asked. “Hopefully not about me being an arsehole?”
He heard a strangled protest from the principal.
The boy grinned without guile. “What’s Declan Tyler really like?”
About the Author
Sean Kennedy lives in Perth, Western Australia, but his heart still belongs to his hometown Melbourne—which is also the home of Simon Murray and Declan Tyler from his series Tigers and Devils. A disciple of cult leader David Lynch, Sean is breathlessly awaiting the revival of Twin Peaks in 2017.
Hello, Internet! Iím Lex Chase and I want to thank Kimi-chan for having me here today for the Chasing Sunrise Blog Tour!
Chasing Sunrise is a story I’ve carried in my head for years. It’s a high fantasy horror that challenges readers to think outside the box when it comes to heroes and villains. Our hero, King Sevon MaratÈ, ruler of a cannibalistic†aisa is trapped in a domestic violence situation while amidst trying to save his dying people. When the solution presents itself by conquering and exterminating the†windigo race, Sevon is challenged with what’s right and what’s wrong. It’s a tale of war, genocide, and love making monsters of us all.
And the question you’re all wondering right now is†where you come up with this?†It’s a bit of a long story.
Really.†Really long.
The world of Chasing Sunrise I created when I was 13 years old. Yeah really. In fact, it was Valentine’s Day 1992. Yes. The story is that old. Now the story†now is not the story it was†then. There was a particular breed of†aisa that didn’t make the cut (but still might!) There was an entirely different cast, a different main character (who was kind of a completely unlikeable douchebag if you ask me), and would you believe Chasing Sunrise once existed in a†cyberpunk†setting? Cannibals in cyberpunk? Well. I might have to write that book after all.
I elaborated on the DSP Publications blog of why have a hero who happens to be a cannibal. And like I mentioned there, when I was a kid, I suffered†some pretty horrific night terrors. And it’s no secret I live with mental illness. Writing about characters who†we†know as monsters as heroes was kind of my way of dissecting my nightmares. Making sense of the jumbles of images. Putting the feelings in some semblance of order. I was my way of laying out these monstrous things and saying “I see you for what you are, and you can’t scare me anymore.”
But it’s in writing these monstrous heroes, or these people who by†all†of our real world standards we understand as reprehensible and morally bankrupt, what if in the concept of†their world they aren’t at all? What if they too are law abiding citizens with their own form of government? From an outsider perspective anything could be considered “savage” or “evil.” I was explaining to my mother the other day, that as Americans, our country was founded as an act of treason. To my hostess Kimi-chan in the UK, waaaay back in 1776, that was a pretty barbaric act to the British. Now we hold hands and sing Kum-By-Yah. Save when 4th of July rolls around. Um…er…uh…sorry? 🙁 Awkward.
Now, I’d love to say the story of Chasing Sunrise came to me full formed and just magically one day here it is. Of course not. It took many†many iterations. The world of the Darkmore Saga and only five of the characters remain in some form. One of them, Dominic Ravensgrove is the villain. I’ve tried a million times to come up with a different name for him. Because…. Ravensgrove? Are you†kidding me? But it just stuck. Its a perfectly douchey name for such an asshole.
Sevon, his love interest Jack, and the world of the shifters are a completely new invention. The shifters once lived in a tree city. And then James Cameron’s Avatar stole my thunder. (Horrid movie by the way.) Now they live in a highly bastardized land mimicking ancient Rome with a kind of Roman Legion.†Legit, am I right?
Sevon is a funny little bird in I’ve only ever seen the name written. So I say “Seven” like the number. My editor says “Seh-VAWN” like “Dawn” which is actually correct. I say my own character’s name wrong. And I have for years. I’d like to apologize to my readers onto eternity because I’ll probably keep flubbing his name. I’m doing a reading over at Sinfully Gay Romance tomorrow, so you can all gaze in awe and wonder of my flubbing!
Question to you! What was your childhood dream? Did you want to be an astronaut? An archaeologist? A ballerina? (*raises hand to all the above!*) What was it? No matter how absurd, tell me about it.
Come follow me on Facebook and Twitter for Blog Tour Updates!
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Paranormal Series: The Darkmore Saga: Book One Length: Novel Published: April 5, 2016 Publisher: DSP Publications ISBN: 978-1-63476-355-4 Buy: DSP Publications†| Omnilit | Amazon |†Barnes and Noble†
Blurb:
The once glorious aisa kingdom of Darkmore lies in ruins, and King Sevon MaratÈ is trapped. Sevon endures unrelenting abuse and is used as a scapegoat by Lord Dominic Ravensgrove, who rules Darkmore from the shadows. Coping by dressing in gowns and jewels, the effeminate king relishes the scraps of freedom he is given to be himself.
As a verkolai, Sevon possesses the ability to part the Veil separating his world from hundreds of others. His gift provides a chance for escape, but Dominic refuses to relinquish his tool for power. When Dominic forges an ambitious plan to invade the prosperous shifter land of Priagust, he manipulates Sevonís desperation for his peopleís survival. Out of options, Sevon has no choice but to cooperate.
On their foray into Priagust, Dominic’s men abduct a shifter named Jack. Despite being tortured for information, Jack’s loyalty to his kind never wavers. But Jackís knowledge about Darkmoreís history unsettles Sevon, and a curious bond begins to form. Despite Sevonís mistrust, Jack is determined to tame the beautiful kingís wild heart and perhaps earn his freedom.
As war looms, Sevon fears Jackís kindness is another trap. Conflicted, Sevon wonders if he should risk chasing the sunrise or remain Dominic’s compliant prisoner.
1st Edition published by Dreamspinner Press, 2014.
I’m giving away a super awesome $25 USD Amazon Gift Card! What do you have to do? Leave a comment down below and click the giveaway graphic to follow me on Twitter and Facebook or Share, Tweet, or Hashtag! So many ways to enter!
Question to you! What was your childhood dream? Did you want to be an astronaut? An archaeologist? A ballerina? (*raises hand to all the above!*) What was it? No matter how absurd, tell me about it.
Come follow me on Facebook and Twitter for Blog Tour Updates!
About the Author:
Lex Chase once heard Stephen King say in a commercial, ìWeíre all going to die, Iím just trying to make it a little more interesting.î Now, sheís on a mission to make the world a hell of a lot more interesting.
Weaving tales of cinematic, sweeping adventureóand depending on how she feels that dayóLex sprinkles in high-speed chases, shower scenes, and more explosions than a Hollywood blockbuster. Her pride is in telling stories of men who kiss as much as they kick ass. If youíre going to march into the depths of hell, it better be beside the one you love.
Lex is a pop culture diva, her DVR is constantly backlogged, and unapologetically loved the ending of Lost. She wouldnít last five minutes without technology in the event of the apocalypse and has nightmares about refusing to leave her cats behind.
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