I'm working hard on the final edits to Sarya's Song, but want to take just a moment to shout-out to all the nice folks who are supporting me this week while I'm the featured author at the Paranormal, Fantasy, Dystopia, and Romance Writers and Reviewers group on Goodreads. Go check them out; maybe you'll find your new favorite author or book! Aoife Sheridan Steve Downes Antoinette J. Houston Lisa Marie Gabriel C.J. Wright J.J. DiBenedetto Lynn Thompson Brandy Isaacs Neely Powell A.S. Johnson Jamie Eubanks D.A. Rhine Catherine L. Vickers Heather Heffner Shannon Pemrick H.M. Jones Lenore Sagaskie Lyn C. Johanson Baine Kelly Sharon Stevenson Billy Wong Denna Holm Alyson Dunlop Also, one of my favorite book extras - here's the playlist for Sarya's Song. Kind of a variety here, pop to country-ish (as close as I ever get) to symphonic metal. "Another Heart Calls" ("I'll never ask for anyone but you") and "The Golden State" ("You are the hole in my head, I am the pain in your neck, You are the lump in my throat, I am the aching in your heart") are especially good for Sarya and Adan's rather... complicated relationship. "The Story" would be from Sarya's point of view, and this sounds a little like how I imagine her voice. "Sunshine" is how Adan sees her hair, and how he feels when she leaves. "Sleepwalker's Dream" and "Angels" are for Sarya's dreams about the chained man. "Crash and Burn" is Adan's point of view, to Sarya, and "All I Need" is Sarya in the aftermath of everything that happens. Enjoy! Sarya's Song playlist on Spotify
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Welcome to this week's weekend sneak peek! Here's another peek into Urdaisunia: After being sent on an errand by her village to the Royal Palace, Rashali was taken to a guest room and left to cool her heels for three days. Finally, she's summoned to meet with Prince Eruz, to find out why he's been keeping here there: “I’m sure you’ve been wondering why I’ve kept you here.” Rashali’s heart pounded; finally she would learn what her fate was to be. During the last two days, she had wanted only to find out, just to get it over with, but all at once she wished she could go on wondering a little longer. Delaying the knowledge wouldn’t change her fate, though; the only thing she could do was face it. “I assume that if you meant to imprison me or put me to death, I wouldn’t be in that room. Therefore it seems more likely that you mean to make me a slave or a concubine, though it would seem strange for a slave to be given such a room.” “A concubine, then. Is that what I should do with you?” Her face burned, and she found herself shaking; whether more from anger or fear, she couldn’t tell. “I’d rather die than be made a harlot.” “Would you really?” She didn’t want to die, but there was no other possible answer when being given such a choice. Her heart pounded harder, and she swallowed as she tried to gather her courage to say yes. Urdaisunia
$3.99 ebook/$10.99 trade paperback Available from: Amazon | AmazonUK | AmazonCA | Barnes & Noble | Apple Smashwords | CreateSpace | OmniLit For more Sneak Peeks, visit the Sneak Peek Sunday blog. #SPeekSunday on Facebook and Twitter. It's time to unveil the cover art for City of Mages, book 5 of Daughter of the Wildings! Help yourself to some virtual cookies and punch from the refreshment table, and have a look. (And a big thank you to Mominur Rahman (me-illuminated) for the wonderful art!) And don't forget to enter the giveaway down at the bottom of the post for a signed paperback copy of Urdaisunia or an ebook Estelend 2-pack of Chosen of Azara and The Warrior and The Holy Man! And now for City of Mages: First, here's the full wrap-around version, for the paperback: And the ebook version: If Silas looks like he's been through a rough time, that's because he has. Poor guy. I'm so mean. I'm working on putting the lettering on, for the official book covers, but I also wanted to show off the pretty art without any lettering in the way (except for the watermarks). Congratulations to the winners of the giveaway, Tambra and Rowena!
Winners have been notified by email. For this weekend's sneak peek, here's the opening of Sarya's Song (still not the final version, but getting closer!): On a small rise on the gently rolling prairie, Sarya sat with her battered lute in her arms, picking out the new melody that she could hear in the wind. The breeze was sharp with coming winter, and the grass was dry and brown. With the cold weather coming on, it was time to head south again. She hadn't done as well in the northeastern prairies as she had hoped; the region's rich farming and herding had suffered from the last several years of increasingly long and harsh winters, and though it wasn't as poverty-stricken as the bleak and destitute Burnt Hills, where she had grown up, there was still little paying work for a traveling minstrel. She turned her mind away from the grim mining town of her childhood and the poor prospects ahead of her, back to the haunting music that teased at her mind. She had always been able to hear music no one else could hear, but it wasn't until she had come to the Skola at Sucevita when she was fourteen that she had learned that these melodies, called tropes, were part of the natural world, and, when sung as chants, they could be used to control the world and all things in it. The last several years, she had begun to hear music that couldn't be found in any of the collections of the known naturally-occurring tropes. Over time, she had come to realize that the new tropes she was hearing seemed to herald disasters like none ever before known: long, dry, scorching summers and harsh, bitterly cold winters unaffected by any of the the weather-control chants; great shakings of the earth; exchanges of bloodthirsty hostilities between nations that until then had always been peaceful. When none of the natural tropes succeeded in controlling these catastrophes, new chants had been Composed, to no avail. And then there was the last wedding ritual Sarya had Arranged. A chant intended to protect against tragedy had not only failed utterly, it seemed to have brought about the very calamity it was supposed to prevent. Sarya could only conclude that the chants were failing, or else there were new forces at work in the world that were beyond their influence. But both were impossible. The music that controlled the world, both naturally-occurring and Composed, was a gift from Eshalarian the Creator himself, which He had given to mankind before moving on to new worlds and new creations. As a gift from the God, this music was perfect and eternal and couldn't fail. And unless Eshalarian had returned His attention to this world, no new forces could come into existence. Surely, if the kind and generous Creator did return to His work here, He wouldn't do so by bringing death and destruction. A gust of icy wind rushed across the prairie, blowing strands of wheat-gold hair into Sarya's eyes. She lifted her hand to push the hair away from her face. As she did so, the wind rippled across the lute strings, bringing forth the melody she had been hearing in the wind in its fullness. Her breath caught at the beauty of the music even as it chilled her heart with fear. Sarya's Song, coming in April 2014. (Or maybe late March.) For release news and to make sure you don't miss out on the special low introductory price, sign up for my email alerts!
For more Sneak Peeks, check out the Sunday Sneak Peek blog! #SPeekSunday on Twitter and Facebook. Here's another sneak peek inside The Lost Book of Anggird: Perarre and Professor Rossony have had a serious disagreement over a book he found that he isn't supposed to have, and Perarre has to make a difficult decision about their relationship: PERARRE LAY AWAKE in the dark bedroom. Roric was sound asleep, his body warm and still against hers. She shifted away from him a bit; he didn’t move. Where his words hadn’t convinced her to open the book, his lovemaking almost had, though she was sure he hadn’t meant it that way. She was sure he had only meant to mend the rift between them, to comfort her after upsetting her so badly, to assure her of his love even though he couldn’t agree with her. But when she was with him she couldn’t think straight. She couldn’t think at all; she found it impossible to refuse him anything he wanted. He wasn’t going to listen to her. And maybe he was right. Maybe opening that book was the only way to find answers. She didn’t know. What she did know was that there was something terrible inside that book, whether it was whatever had frightened the Triumvirate so much or what it said about what really happened between them and the Benefactor, and that opening it would lead to disaster one way or another. If Roric wouldn’t listen to her, there was only one thing left for her to do. Carefully, hardly even daring to breathe, she slid out of bed and dressed as quickly as she could. She looked at Roric for just a moment. The memory of the night he had opened up to her, exposing all of his pain and shame to her, tugged at her heart. He had trusted her with the secrets he had hid from everyone else, trusted her not to turn away from him and his terrible past. She felt like she was betraying him in the worst possible way, but she was afraid that if she stayed, he would wear her down and persuade her to open the book against her better judgment and all her instincts. She didn’t dare kiss him, lest she wake him up or change her mind about what she had to do. Without looking back again, she opened the door and slipped out of the room, feeling as though she had ripped out her heart and left it behind in that bed. In her room in the Assistants’ Hall, she packed her clothes, her letters from Laydra and Samale, and as many books as would fit into the single valise she had brought to the University nine years ago. She should have known the affair with Professor Rossony was a mistake. She should have known it would end badly. What in the world had made her think that sleeping with her employer was a good idea? That was the problem; she hadn’t been thinking at all. She bit her lips to stop herself from crying as she jammed her belongings into the bag, but tears still ran down her face. Angrily, she pushed them away. When would she ever learn to stop and think things through before jumping into trouble? The Lost Book of Anggird is available at: Amazon | Apple | Diesel | Smashwords | CreateSpace | All Romance eBooks For more Sunday Sneak Peeks, check out the Sneak Peek Sunday blog.
Wrapping up Love & Magic Week with sneak peeks into two of my to-be-published works, Sarya's Song and Daughter of the Wildings. First, here's a look at Adan and Sarya's complicated relationship from Sarya's Song (please keep in mind this is still not the final draft!): As she tried to make her way through the press of people back to the door that led outside, the last voice she wanted to hear called out, "Sarya! Sarya dyr-Rusac!" Panic drove her to push her way faster through the crowd, but Adan caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "Where have you been?" he asked. "Have you come back to stay?" There was an urgency in his voice as though his questions were a matter of life and death. She tried jerk her arm away from him, but his fingers dug harder into her arm. "It's none of your concern. I just need to speak to the Council of Masters about a bit of research I need to do, and then I'll leave again." "You left without a word to me or anyone--" "I didn't realize I needed your permission to leave." Around them, people were stopping to stare. Sarya tried again to pull herself free from Adan, but he refused to let her go. "I didn't know where you were or what had become of you. I didn't even know if you were alive or dead!" "What does it matter to you? You said yourself I don't belong--" "Damn it, Sarya!" He pulled her close to him and pressed his mouth to hers. Sarya's legs nearly went out from under her. His mouth was warm and hungry against hers; his upper lip and chin were scratchy with late-afternoon whiskers. She told herself she should push him away or something, anything but melting against him like she was doing while he kissed her as though he were starving and she was his banquet. Love & Magic Week continues! Here's a magic lesson with Roric and Perarre from The Lost Book of Anggird: “All right, then. I’m ready,” Perarre said. “Let’s get this over with.” He positioned himself behind her and took her hands in his. She was tense and trembling. “Breathe deeply and slowly,” he said, shaking her hands to loosen them up along with his own. “The most important thing is to not fight it. Be aware of it, the heat, the colors, the nature of fire, but don’t let it have power over you. Do you understand what I mean?” “Yes,” she said uncertainly. “Remember what I told you,” he said. He kept up a soothing murmur, reminding her of the things he had told her, trying to encourage both of them as he moved their hands towards the fire. Each time he felt the slightest hesitation or tension in her arms, he stopped and helped her relax again. “Would I be doing this with you if I thought you would get hurt?” he asked. She looked up at him. “Oh, Roric, I’m sorry. This has to be even harder for you than it is for me.” “It’s not as hard as it looks.” He hoped he sounded at least somewhat convincing. “Just let the warmth — not so hot as to burn, just warm — just let it flow around you… It helps a great deal if you close your eyes.” She closed her eyes. Roric tried to make himself keep his own eyes open, but finally he couldn’t watch any longer. Keeping up his encouraging words, he slowly extended their arms, bringing their hands closer to the fire and then into the dancing energy and distant warmth of the flames themselves. The Lost Book of Anggird is available at:
Amazon | Apple | Diesel Smashwords | CreateSpace All Romance eBooks Welcome to another couple interview for Love & Magic Week: Roric and Perarre, from The Lost Book of Anggird. 1. How did you meet? Perarre: We met when I interviewed for the position of translating old books for him. He didn't want to hire me, for some silly reason, but I talked him into it. Roric: I remember wondering, immediately after I engaged her for the position, if I hadn't just made a terrible mistake. As it turns out, hiring her was probably the most intelligent thing I've ever done. 2. What was the first thing you noticed about the other person? P: His looks. He's very handsome, in a slightly exotic way. And then I noticed that his reputation for being a sanctimonious prig seemed to be completely justified. Fortunately, he's grown out of that. R: I noticed that she was a woman, which I thought made her unsuitable for the position. Then I took note of her qualifications, and changed my mind. Male or female, I couldn't have asked for a more highly-qualified and competent assistant. 3. Did you know when you met that you would end up together? R: No. I had no intention of ever entering into a romantic or carnal relationship with anyone. P: [laughs] I was just hoping that we could work together without strangling each other. I had my sights set on foreign lands and exotic lovers once my work for him was over. 4. What do you like best about the other person? P: There's a very sweet and gentle side to him that he never used to show anyone. He had his reasons for that, and I felt very privileged that he finally opened up and let me see that side of him. He also has great integrity; he will do what's right no matter how hard it is. He can be absolutely trusted to tell the truth and keep his word. And when he does decide to offer his love or friendship to someone, he is completely loyal. And he treats me with respect. R: Her warm, straightforward nature, along with the fact that she forgives me so easily for my more difficult traits. And I have the greatest admiration for her intelligence. 5. What is something you enjoy doing together? (Besides the obvious!) R: In spite of a rather difficult beginning, we found that we work very well together on scholarly research. P: We also like reading together. Roric has a fondness for the mythologies of different lands, and it's fun to read out of collections of myths to each other. And also, yes, "the obvious." 6. How has the other person changed you? R: She got me to open up my heart to friendship and love, to start truly living instead of living only for my work and to protect myself. P: All the things I once thought I wanted - traveling to exotic places and having love affairs with exotic men - started to seem shallow and meaningless. With Roric, I learned to want something bigger and deeper, something greater than my own immediate, self-centered desires. 7. What are the biggest differences between you? How important are these differences? R: There's quite a difference in our ages. I'm thirteen years older than Perarre. But that doesn't seem to matter; we relate to each other very much on equal terms. And she was far more experienced in some things than I was when we first... when our relationship began. P: There's also the difference in our personalities. He's very neat, fastidious, really, and reserved, and I'm... not. But I think the differences between us are less important than what we have together. We just seem to complement each other. And anyway, if we were both the same, it would be boring! 8. What do the two of you have in common? [long silence] P: Not much. But that's ok. R: We do share a dedication to scholarly work. We've also been through some unique and difficult experiences together. But mostly what we have in common is our feelings for each other. 8a (new question!). What is the biggest challenge you've faced in your relationship? R: We had a rather serious disagreement over some avenues of research I was pursuing. P: You were looking at books you weren't supposed to have and you lied to me about them. R: I didn't lie as such, my dear. I simply... held back some information that I thought it would be better for you not to know. That incident nearly ended our relationship, but after some time apart we decided not to let it come between us. P: Hmm, that's an interesting spin to put on it. But, all is forgiven now. *smooch* There was also the time when we had to go our separate ways for a while, to do some things. That was hard. But each time we've had to be apart, we've come back together with our relationship stronger than ever. 9. What does your family think of your partner, and what do you think of your partner's family? P: My mother didn't think much of Roric when she first met him, but he wasn't at his best at the time, all things considered, and anyway, she was still pushing me to marry a man who was the last man in the world any girl would want to marry, so her judgment is pretty questionable. I'm much closer to my sister Samale and her family than I am to my mother, and Samale and her husband Luka like Roric very much. As for Roric's family, his brother Khaian is a good man. The rest of them, well, with family like that, who needs enemies? R: My father was horrified that I had married a woman of a different heritage from ours. On the other hand, my brother Khaian and his wives seem fond of Perarre. I quite like Samale and Luka; they are good, sensible people. Perarre's mother, on the other hand, in my opinion, failed as a mother when she tried to force Perarre to marry a young man who was not only unsuited for Perarre but an entirely objectionable person. 10. What role does magic play in your relationship? R: We met when I engaged Perarre to assist me in research concerning a difficulty with the magica, the magic power found in the Vorunne Dominion. P: And then, the first year and a half of our relationship was spent trying to find the roots of the problem and correct it. We went through a lot of experiences, magical and non-magical, that really bonded us together. 11. What are your plans for the future? R: Raising our children, of course. Also, due to the circumstances surrounding what happened to the magica, I'm considered the foremost expert on how to use magic as is currently exists. So there is no end of courses to teach, lectures to deliver, and books to write. I love my work, so this is a very exciting time. P: There are also books to be translated which have never been translated before, and I'm very excited to have the opportunity to do this, and to keep working with Roric. 12. "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts" How is this true for the two of you? P: Working together, we changed magic and the way the Vorunne Dominion is ruled. So there's that. R: As well, Perarre and I are both better, stronger people together than we are apart. And the two of us complement and complete each other. P: [smiles at the toddler running around the room] The most important thing is that together, we made something that didn't exist before - a new family. For Love & Magic Week, I've put together a playlist of songs for my story couples. Some of these are love songs, some are maybe not exactly love songs but they go well with the relationships. There's a variety of artists and styles, from old-school Dire Straits to the symphonic metal of Myrath, from country-flavored John Doe to Social Distortion's punk cover of "Ring of Fire." Whatever your listening pleasure, there should be something for everyone! (by the way, I'm still experimenting with these embeddable/shareable Spotify playlists, so if anyone wants to drop me a line and let me know how it works, I'd appreciate it!) And don't forget to enter the giveaway to win a signed paperback copy of Urdaisunia, Chosen of Azara, or The Lost Book of Anggird! Songs and couples they go with: Eruz and Rashali, Urdaisunia: -I Want You (Savage Garden) -Silent Cries (Myrath) -New Dawn (Visions of Atlantis) Sevry and Lucie, Chosen of Azara: -Possession (Sarah McLachlan) -Truly Madly Deeply (Savage Garden) Roric and Perarre, The Lost Book of Anggird: -Damn I Wish I was Your Lover (Sophie B. Hawkins) -Where Would You Like Them Left? (Blaqk Audio) -Undisclosed Desires (Muse) -(Silent Cries would also go here again) Adan and Sarya, Sarya's Song: -The Golden State (John Doe) -Another Heart Calls (All-American Rejects) Silas and Lainie, Daughter of the Wildings: -Ring of Fire (Social Distortion) -Angel of Mercy (Dire Straits) -Summertime (My Chemical Romance) WHEN PERARRE RETURNED to work after being out for a week, the Professor greeted her with a slight lift at the corner of his mouth that might almost have been a smile. “Good morning, Miss Tabrano. I hope you are feeling quite recovered from your cold.” “I’m feeling much better, Professor, thank you. And you?” “I’m quite well, thank you.” “Thank you for helping me that day,” she said. “And for the book.” She wanted to ask if he had recovered completely from his own sickness, but was reluctant to embarrass him by bringing it up. She decided she would leave it up to him to mention if he wanted to. “You’re quite welcome,” he said, glancing through the papers on his desk. Perarre took her seat at the work table and began looking through the translation she had been working on, trying to figure out where she had left off. She was wearing her hair in a braid; she was still too fatigued from her illness to wrestle with pinning it up. She wondered if the Professor would say something to her about it. “It’s good to have you back,” he said after a moment. “I had become accustomed to working with you present, and found it difficult to adjust to working alone again.” He shuffled his papers a little longer, then set them down. “I am not a bad person, Miss Tabrano,” he said, still without looking at her. “Of course you’re not,” she said, surprised that he would say such a thing. “I know I’m not popular, or even well-liked, but…” He trailed off awkwardly. Cold, impersonal, unpleasant Professor Rossony had missed her, and cared about what she thought of him? Perarre suspected that trying to figure it out would give her a headache. “I’m glad to be back, Professor.” The Lost Book of Anggird, available at:
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