Here's Delila again:
A bulky man let me in. With a jerk of his head he walked down a short hallway to a set of spiral stairs and waved a hand downward.
"You first, muffin," I said. As I suspected, he descended slowly and carefully to avoid the traps that had been set so blatantly in my honor. When a guillotine swung down, he ducked. I leaped neatly onto the chain and smiled at him as it moved back and forth. "I'll take it from here. Thanks!"
She's spunky.
26 February 2011
19 February 2011
Six Sentence Sunday!
A little change of pace this week, as I have a release approaching in thirty days. I'm going to go ahead and put Delila in the spotlight for a few weeks. And here we go!
Some background first: Delila is the main character, a vampire living in Tennessee. She's just been ambushed by three werewolves in her home.
As all was quiet, I approached the door and knocked once. Before leaving home I'd changed into a lovely black dress with a sliver of red at the bottom for color, and red heels. I perceived a presence on the other side of the door, a sensation of lust that faded quickly when I dropped my fangs to the invisible observer. "Delila here to see Malachie."
There came a rustle of movement and several loud footsteps, and then the door burst open and the horrific smell of dog infiltrated my nose. I crinkled it against the offensive odor and walked inside.
Some background first: Delila is the main character, a vampire living in Tennessee. She's just been ambushed by three werewolves in her home.
As all was quiet, I approached the door and knocked once. Before leaving home I'd changed into a lovely black dress with a sliver of red at the bottom for color, and red heels. I perceived a presence on the other side of the door, a sensation of lust that faded quickly when I dropped my fangs to the invisible observer. "Delila here to see Malachie."
There came a rustle of movement and several loud footsteps, and then the door burst open and the horrific smell of dog infiltrated my nose. I crinkled it against the offensive odor and walked inside.
12 February 2011
Six Sentence Sunday
Here's some more from Abby and Kieran:
I actually blushed. “No, my name is Abigail, but everyone calls me Abby. My middle name is Shay.”
“Abby,” he whispered, hovering very close to my face, “even better. Lovely to meet you, Abby. I’ll email you.” I nodded and flashed him my pretty smile, which was far prettier without the gobs of makeup I was usually forced to wear, and he walked off with the Henry book under his arm. I decided to buy it as well so we could discuss it sometime in an intimate setting over coffee (even though I hate coffee) with beatnik poetry in the background or something.
Abby is by far one of my favorite characters to have written. I'm glad to be getting her out there.
I actually blushed. “No, my name is Abigail, but everyone calls me Abby. My middle name is Shay.”
“Abby,” he whispered, hovering very close to my face, “even better. Lovely to meet you, Abby. I’ll email you.” I nodded and flashed him my pretty smile, which was far prettier without the gobs of makeup I was usually forced to wear, and he walked off with the Henry book under his arm. I decided to buy it as well so we could discuss it sometime in an intimate setting over coffee (even though I hate coffee) with beatnik poetry in the background or something.
Abby is by far one of my favorite characters to have written. I'm glad to be getting her out there.
11 February 2011
Guest Blogger Sarah Ann Watts!
Hi, you crazy kids! Today, I'm honored to have Sarah Ann Watts guest blogging with me. Please enjoy her post regarding how the dragons feel. Betcha never thought of that, huh?
Thank you to Lindsay for letting me come play on her blog...
My name is Sarah. I write fantasy and romance and occasional science fiction.
I also write about angels and dragons...
One of my favourite quotes is G K Chesterton – “Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
It’s one of the best explanations for writing about things that aren’t ‘real’ and don’t take place in the ‘real world’ or ‘couldn’t really happen’.
No one asks how the dragon feels about it though.
Imagine it. Let’s just suppose you happen to be a dragon. There you are, minding your own business. Guarding a horde of bright shiny things you’ve spent aeons collecting. Then along comes some knightly enthusiast who has you on his hit list for winning his spurs.
For the dragon it’s a no win situation. Kill the noble youth to defend your territory and you’ll have all his friends and relations taking it badly. Storming your mountain bent on revenge.
It’s hardly your fault if he’s fool enough to think a sword can stand up against a flame thrower.
Let the knight win and you’re toast instead. At best your head’s a trophy on the castle wall. At worst you’re a handbag and shoes for some maiden you didn’t want to eat anyway.
Then there’s the sad tale of Puff the Magic Dragon. You can see his thinking. I’ll play nice, make friends. Frolic by the sea and hope that by the time they let young Jack play with edged weapons he’ll remember ‘Good Old Puff’.
Not a chance. The fickle brat gets bored – wants to go play on his Wii or whatever – and by the time he grows up he’s forgotten you.
And maybe you never meant to be a dragon when you grew up...
As for angels, do they get time off for good behaviour? Playing harps and floating around on clouds being angelic - do they get lonely and long to be loved?
My first MM romance story was about a man who’d lost his lover and an angel he met in the street on New Year’s Day.
My second is about a king who lost his kingdom and a knight who lost his memory. There may be a dragon in it:
Heart of The Kingdom
Please visit my website at http://www.sarahannwatts.com/
And here's an excerpt from Sarah's book Heart of The Kingdom:
(Heart of the kingdom is a story of a king who has lost his kingdom and a knight who has lost his memory...)
“You were a creature of water, and I was a servant of fire. There should be enmity between us.”
When I heard the horse coming up the valley I came out to meet you, my hands empty. The sun was in my eyes so I couldn't see your face, but I saw that you were armed and no casual traveller.
My own clothes had grown ragged— I knew I looked like a peasant.
You drew rein and asked me for water. Then I saw you were hurt. I fetched water in an
earthenware cup. You took it and drank deeply, and then the cup fell from your hand and I caught you, staggering a little with my useless arm, and laid you on the grass. I tethered your horse so she wouldn't stray. Then I took your shield and sword from you and half carried, half dragged you into my cave.
There I tended you. The hem of your cloak was wet like your hair. I stripped the cloak and your shirt and saw the jagged wound on your shoulder where the claws of the beast had torn you. I laid my hand over the marks and sighed. Then I heated water at the fire and crushed herbs to make a poultice to draw out the poison. Even then, the fever held you for three days before it broke. I thought you would die, young and strong though you were. More beautiful than memory. Your dark hair was forever wet, though I did my best to sponge the heat of the fever from your brow. I watched over you for three nights, bringing you cool water to drink and feeding the fire to keep you warm. Finally I rolled myself in your cloak and slept —worn out— knowing I had done all I could and you would live or die. After some hesitation, I laid your sword and shield at your side.
Heart of The Kingdom is available here!
Thanks for coming by, Sarah!
Thank you to Lindsay for letting me come play on her blog...
My name is Sarah. I write fantasy and romance and occasional science fiction.
I also write about angels and dragons...
One of my favourite quotes is G K Chesterton – “Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
It’s one of the best explanations for writing about things that aren’t ‘real’ and don’t take place in the ‘real world’ or ‘couldn’t really happen’.
No one asks how the dragon feels about it though.
Imagine it. Let’s just suppose you happen to be a dragon. There you are, minding your own business. Guarding a horde of bright shiny things you’ve spent aeons collecting. Then along comes some knightly enthusiast who has you on his hit list for winning his spurs.
For the dragon it’s a no win situation. Kill the noble youth to defend your territory and you’ll have all his friends and relations taking it badly. Storming your mountain bent on revenge.
It’s hardly your fault if he’s fool enough to think a sword can stand up against a flame thrower.
Let the knight win and you’re toast instead. At best your head’s a trophy on the castle wall. At worst you’re a handbag and shoes for some maiden you didn’t want to eat anyway.
Then there’s the sad tale of Puff the Magic Dragon. You can see his thinking. I’ll play nice, make friends. Frolic by the sea and hope that by the time they let young Jack play with edged weapons he’ll remember ‘Good Old Puff’.
Not a chance. The fickle brat gets bored – wants to go play on his Wii or whatever – and by the time he grows up he’s forgotten you.
And maybe you never meant to be a dragon when you grew up...
As for angels, do they get time off for good behaviour? Playing harps and floating around on clouds being angelic - do they get lonely and long to be loved?
My first MM romance story was about a man who’d lost his lover and an angel he met in the street on New Year’s Day.
My second is about a king who lost his kingdom and a knight who lost his memory. There may be a dragon in it:
Heart of The Kingdom
Please visit my website at http://www.sarahannwatts.com/
And here's an excerpt from Sarah's book Heart of The Kingdom:
(Heart of the kingdom is a story of a king who has lost his kingdom and a knight who has lost his memory...)
“You were a creature of water, and I was a servant of fire. There should be enmity between us.”
When I heard the horse coming up the valley I came out to meet you, my hands empty. The sun was in my eyes so I couldn't see your face, but I saw that you were armed and no casual traveller.
My own clothes had grown ragged— I knew I looked like a peasant.
You drew rein and asked me for water. Then I saw you were hurt. I fetched water in an
earthenware cup. You took it and drank deeply, and then the cup fell from your hand and I caught you, staggering a little with my useless arm, and laid you on the grass. I tethered your horse so she wouldn't stray. Then I took your shield and sword from you and half carried, half dragged you into my cave.
There I tended you. The hem of your cloak was wet like your hair. I stripped the cloak and your shirt and saw the jagged wound on your shoulder where the claws of the beast had torn you. I laid my hand over the marks and sighed. Then I heated water at the fire and crushed herbs to make a poultice to draw out the poison. Even then, the fever held you for three days before it broke. I thought you would die, young and strong though you were. More beautiful than memory. Your dark hair was forever wet, though I did my best to sponge the heat of the fever from your brow. I watched over you for three nights, bringing you cool water to drink and feeding the fire to keep you warm. Finally I rolled myself in your cloak and slept —worn out— knowing I had done all I could and you would live or die. After some hesitation, I laid your sword and shield at your side.
Heart of The Kingdom is available here!
Thanks for coming by, Sarah!
05 February 2011
Six Sentence Sunday!
Continuing on from last Sunday:
“I may have to call you one day to relieve my back strain.” He smiled again, that wide smile that made the dimples pop, and I felt my own lips spreading in the first real smile I’d given since Pablo had taught me checkers and let me win.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a phone,” I lied again, “but you can email me.” I gave him the email address Josh had since I didn’t want to have to remember too many. Nobody would be the wiser, I thought.
“Is that your name, Shay? It’s pretty. I’m Kieran.” He extended a hand and I took it, but instead of shaking hands he raised my knuckles to his lips and kissed them gently.
“I may have to call you one day to relieve my back strain.” He smiled again, that wide smile that made the dimples pop, and I felt my own lips spreading in the first real smile I’d given since Pablo had taught me checkers and let me win.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a phone,” I lied again, “but you can email me.” I gave him the email address Josh had since I didn’t want to have to remember too many. Nobody would be the wiser, I thought.
“Is that your name, Shay? It’s pretty. I’m Kieran.” He extended a hand and I took it, but instead of shaking hands he raised my knuckles to his lips and kissed them gently.
01 February 2011
Guest Blogger S.L. Danielson
Today, I have a special guest: writer S.L. Danielson. You can find her here or here or here! Enjoy, and be sure to check out her releases! Thanks for dropping by, S.L., and best of luck with your sales.
Thanks for hosting me today, Lindsay! I appreciate it!
Hello, this is S. L. Danielson, multi-published author of m/m romantic fiction.
I was wracking the 'ol gray matter trying to think of a topic for this blog and I have only 1 four-letter word, snow!
Where I live, and most of the country will soon see, we're expecting a massive winter storm to hit our area beginning tomorrow; not looking forward to it! LOL
It got me to thinking about the cruel, hard winter of 2006, the winter that changed everything in our lives.
Imagine this scenario: my mother-in-law was dying, the house we were in had a limb torn from the tree, which fell, taking the power line with it, thereby ripping the siding off the back of the house! It got so cold on the inside, down to 42 degrees! Now try to imagine two cat cooped in there with us (which after it got below 50 we put them into a shelter, and ourselves into a hotel)! We lost the food in the refrigerator and freezer, and didn't have full power restored until I begged the electricians to come out and reattach the line on a Saturday (which they did)!
To add a somber note, the night the power came back on, my mother-in-law lost her battle with cancer at 68 yrs young.
What's most awful is that it happened twice! Once for a week, the next for a few days. What's most ironic? In the year 2001, just months after buying that shanty...we had the ancient woodstove torn out, as well as the flue, due to a roof replacement, because of the world's worst hailstorm!
Shortly after these incredibly inconvenient and painful incidents, any liking I had for the house was gone. My husband didn't share in my disliking of it, but agreed we needed to sell. In doing so, the prep work that is, he ruptured two discs in his neck and has undergone two spinal surgeries, which still have not corrected the problem/pain issues. To this day he cannot work his left arm as he once did, and the pain meds wreaked havoc with his memory.
So...to end this all on a cheery note...LOL...two little ice storms wreaked more havoc than we could've ever imagined! Be safe, careful, and don't go out unless it's an emergency!
Now....about my book...my new release will be out March 26th, a sequel to "Love by the Numbers", AND I'm waiting on word of acceptance for a sequel to last year's major hit, "Ranch Hands"! Now it has it's own sequel entitled "Ranch Hands 2; Jerry's Season", following the all-too-infamous town drunk in his quest for love of his own.
I had a fellow author friend read it and he loved it! Here's what he said:
Ranch Hands Two: Jerry's Season, by S.L. Danielson, is one of those fast moving, well written works of m/m fiction that brings the reader as close to the characters as the characters are to themselves, which isn't an easy thing to do. Jerry is likeable, and yet layered with complicity. But S.L. Danielson makes it all look so effortless. With a neat, compact, smart writing style that I personally love, the story moves forward with a nice even pace. And once the reader becomes involved it's difficult to put this book down.
--Ryan Field
Thanks for hosting me today, Lindsay! I appreciate it!
Hello, this is S. L. Danielson, multi-published author of m/m romantic fiction.
I was wracking the 'ol gray matter trying to think of a topic for this blog and I have only 1 four-letter word, snow!
Where I live, and most of the country will soon see, we're expecting a massive winter storm to hit our area beginning tomorrow; not looking forward to it! LOL
It got me to thinking about the cruel, hard winter of 2006, the winter that changed everything in our lives.
Imagine this scenario: my mother-in-law was dying, the house we were in had a limb torn from the tree, which fell, taking the power line with it, thereby ripping the siding off the back of the house! It got so cold on the inside, down to 42 degrees! Now try to imagine two cat cooped in there with us (which after it got below 50 we put them into a shelter, and ourselves into a hotel)! We lost the food in the refrigerator and freezer, and didn't have full power restored until I begged the electricians to come out and reattach the line on a Saturday (which they did)!
To add a somber note, the night the power came back on, my mother-in-law lost her battle with cancer at 68 yrs young.
What's most awful is that it happened twice! Once for a week, the next for a few days. What's most ironic? In the year 2001, just months after buying that shanty...we had the ancient woodstove torn out, as well as the flue, due to a roof replacement, because of the world's worst hailstorm!
Shortly after these incredibly inconvenient and painful incidents, any liking I had for the house was gone. My husband didn't share in my disliking of it, but agreed we needed to sell. In doing so, the prep work that is, he ruptured two discs in his neck and has undergone two spinal surgeries, which still have not corrected the problem/pain issues. To this day he cannot work his left arm as he once did, and the pain meds wreaked havoc with his memory.
So...to end this all on a cheery note...LOL...two little ice storms wreaked more havoc than we could've ever imagined! Be safe, careful, and don't go out unless it's an emergency!
Now....about my book...my new release will be out March 26th, a sequel to "Love by the Numbers", AND I'm waiting on word of acceptance for a sequel to last year's major hit, "Ranch Hands"! Now it has it's own sequel entitled "Ranch Hands 2; Jerry's Season", following the all-too-infamous town drunk in his quest for love of his own.
I had a fellow author friend read it and he loved it! Here's what he said:
Ranch Hands Two: Jerry's Season, by S.L. Danielson, is one of those fast moving, well written works of m/m fiction that brings the reader as close to the characters as the characters are to themselves, which isn't an easy thing to do. Jerry is likeable, and yet layered with complicity. But S.L. Danielson makes it all look so effortless. With a neat, compact, smart writing style that I personally love, the story moves forward with a nice even pace. And once the reader becomes involved it's difficult to put this book down.
--Ryan Field
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)