Saturday, February 25, 2017

Rainbow Snippet Sat Feb 25th

Rainbow Snippets is a group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fiction–a WIP or a finished work or even a 6-sentence book recommendation (no spoilers please!).


In this group you’ll find anything from romance and historical fiction to mystery and YA. The common thread is that every story’s main character identifies as LGBTQ+. The snippets could range from zero flames to full-on sexytimes, anything goes content-wise. The only rule is snippets will be 6 sentences long–one for each color in the Pride flag.

I would invite everyone to please come check out the Rainbow Snippets group, click on a link, read and comment ont he writing available and get involved yourselves in this awesome exercise. The link to the group can be found HERE.  The following Snippet is from The Art of Displacing Nero, a short story set to be released through Encompass Ink on March 24th. 

(Please note, if any bloggers have room to take part blog tour (Early-April) for Serpent's Kiss (Snake Shapeshifter Romance: Snippets have appeared here from that one several times) they can sign up at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGMbf8I5kofE3tcymcYu76CYSyoId1jfb30AOmmGWqnpGkzg/viewform


“Wow, you must be tired.”
Vance jumped, knees hitting the bottom of the table, his bottle rattling in protest, wobbling and spilling several amber droplets of beer. The whole thing would likely have toppled over if not for Nero’s fingers wrapping around it to hold it steady.
“That was almost alcohol abuse.”
That rumbling voice was right beside his ear, when the hell had Nero moved? Vance tilted his head back, caught sight of Nero looking down at him, a mixture of bewilderment and concern on his lightly freckled face.
“Sorry, I guess I’m more tired than I thought,” Vance rambled, as Nero lifted his bottle and drank the last of Vance’s beer down. Vance starred at his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed the liquid, wishing he could run his tongue along Nero’s throat, nip the area where Nero’s neck met his shoulders and burrow against the warmth and softness of the other man.


Friday, February 24, 2017

Wish you were Here


Wish You Were Here
Asta Idonea
Dreamspinner Press
8 February 2017
Novella/Contemporary/Paranormal
Heat Rating: 1

The death of Oakley’s sister has left his family broken and buried beneath their grief. In an attempt to get out from underneath their pain, they rent an isolated cottage in the Cotswolds. For Oakley, it’s an exercise in futility. He doesn’t see much hope for things to get back to the way they used to be, and he’s bored and restless as he waits out the time until he can return to the city and university. All of that changes when he meets local boy Bobby, and the connection between them is instant. Within a few days, Oakley is ready to walk away from everything to stay with Bobby. However, Bobby has problems of his own, and they might be more than the budding romance can survive. But they might also give Oakley a new perspective on his own situation.

Excerpt:

He moved to the lounge and peered out the window. He watched them shuffle along the garden path, his father’s arm around his mother’s shoulders. Then they headed down the narrow laneway and passed out of view. A glance at his watch revealed it was only just gone five. With nothing better to do, he decided to explore the cottage—what little there was of it.
He had no idea where his parents found this place. They had simply announced yesterday morning that they would be spending the next two weeks together in this patch of nowhere on the outskirts of the Cotswolds. Attendance was compulsory—try as he might, Oakley couldn’t budge his mother on that—so he’d thrown a few things into a duffel bag and determined to make the best of it. When they returned home, he’d be back to university. A few months ago, he’d dreaded the thought of his final year; now he looked forward to it as a reprieve from his mother’s tears and his father’s blank-faced stoicism.

SoundCloud Audio Excerpt: https://soundcloud.com/nickijmarkus/wish-you-were-here-by-asta-idoneamm-novella-excerpt
YouTube Audio Excerpt: https://youtu.be/lMz0diTCb1Y
Tablo Excerpt: https://tablo.io/nicki-j-markus-asta-idonea/wish-you-were-here-excerpt
Download Media Sheet: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B57lcvfd2bYkMWdReFNGUm5fc1E

Dreamspinner Press: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/wish-you-were-here-by-asta-idonea-8131-b
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5QYWAZ
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N5QYWAZ

Giveaway:
Prize: 1 x e-copy of my MM Sci-Fi novella Fire Up My Heart
<a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2346625625/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="2346625625" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_k113r1j9">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Author Bio & Links
Asta Idonea (aka Nicki J Markus) was born in England but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist, having studied several foreign languages.
Asta launched her writing career in 2011 and divides her efforts not only between MM and mainstream works but also between traditional and indie publishing. Her works span the genres, from paranormal to historical and from contemporary to fantasy. It just depends what story and which characters spring into her mind!
As a day job, Asta works as a freelance editor and proofreader, and in her spare time she enjoys music, theatre, cinema, photography, and sketching. She also loves history, folklore and mythology, pen-palling, and travel, all of which have provided plenty of inspiration for her writing.

Blog: http://www.nickijmarkus.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NickiJMarkus
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickiJMarkus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickijmarkus/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+NickiJMarkusAstaIdonea
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4567057.Nicki_J_Markus
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolamarkus
Amazon Author US: http://www.amazon.com/Asta-Idonea/e/B00RMGGVYO
Amazon Author UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asta-Idonea/e/B00RMGGVYO


Saturday, February 18, 2017

Rainbow Snippet Feb 18th

Rainbow Snippets is a group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fiction–a WIP or a finished work or even a 6-sentence book recommendation (no spoilers please!).


In this group you’ll find anything from romance and historical fiction to mystery and YA. The common thread is that every story’s main character identifies as LGBTQ+. The snippets could range from zero flames to full-on sexytimes, anything goes content-wise. The only rule is snippets will be 6 sentences long–one for each color in the Pride flag.

I would invite everyone to please come check out the Rainbow Snippets group, click on a link, read and comment ont he writing available and get involved yourselves in this awesome exercise. The link to the group can be found HERE.  The following Snippet is from The Art of Displacing Nero, a short story set to be released through Encompass Ink on March 24th. 

(Please note, if any bloggers have room to take part blog tour (Early-April) for Serpent's Kiss (Snake Shapeshifter Romance: Snippets have appeared here from that one several times) they can sign up at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGMbf8I5kofE3tcymcYu76CYSyoId1jfb30AOmmGWqnpGkzg/viewform)

“Yeah, I switched shifts with Tucker, he needed to stay late at school for an exam, so…yeah. I don’t envy the guy. I wouldn’t want to spend three hours answering essay questions on Willa Cather and her works, then have to go strip for a room full of horny drunks who think the essays in the nudy magazines are literature.”
Snickering, Vance covered his mouth, willing himself not to laugh, it sounded like a donkey braying, and he hated it, especially when it happened in front of Nero.
“I’d much rather a beer and a hottie stripping for me, at least then the night would be worth something,” Nero remarked.
“I’m sure the value is in the grade, provided he gets a good one.”
“He’s wicked smart, I’m sure he did fine,” Nero said. “He was all hyped on Monday when he came in ‘cause his professor had given him an ‘A’ on the essay he’d written about the influence of Dionysianism on modern music culture.”
“Yeah, you lost me at Dionysianism,” Vance muttered. 

Monday, February 13, 2017

Valentine's Day Blog Hop Post


Still plenty of room to sign up to take part in the blog tour for Serpent's Kiss: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGMbf8I5kofE3tcymcYu76CYSyoId1jfb30AOmmGWqnpGkzg/viewform

Exclusive First Peek

Now he wasn’t sure what to think, when three nights in a row the dagger of his dreams reminded him of the one they’d been bickering over. Not like he was going to mention it to Zaiden, hell he didn’t understand why Zaiden believed his gifts so important that the snakeman was willing to do anything to save them and him, especially when Darrell didn’t really want to be saved and he didn’t really care if they saved Zxex from whatever fate was in store for him, either. So maybe apathy was going to kill him, but Darrell figured it would be slower than the cigarettes that Zaiden wouldn’t let him smoke again.
“You’re thinking extremely loud today,” Zaiden hissed from behind him. Darrell whirled around, fists clenched, eyes flashing. Still, he took a deep breath and said nothing, just turned back around and went back to doing the dishes.
“You will have to trust me eventually,” Zaiden said calmly.
“Why, why the hell should I ever trust you?” Darrell growled.
“Because I know the answers to the questions you think but refuse to ask.”
Darrell huffed and turned back around again, picked up a glass, then smashed it on the edge of the sink. He watched the pieces fall to the floor in a shower of bubbles and shards while his hand closed around the largest one. He wanted the ache, the sting of flesh parting, but Zaiden’s grip on his wrist halted his progress and forced him to relax his fingers and let the shards go.
“Tell me what you dream,” Zaiden hissed.
“Something tells me that you already know.”
“It is not a question of whether I know or do not know,” Zaiden said as he maneuvered Darrell until his back was against the wall. “It is a question of when you will begin to seek answers outside of what you believe.”
For a moment, Darrell held Zaiden’s almost hypnotic gaze, before he let his glance slide away to stare out the window. He never saw the strike before he felt Zaiden’s teeth pierce the skin at his throat, and a rush of pure pleasure washed over him. He shuddered and wrapped his arms around Zaiden, let his eyes slam shut and his body relax as he clung, dragged into a sea of calm by whatever the hell was in the snakeman’s saliva.
The fangs retracted and he felt himself being lifted, and didn’t care that he was being manhandled like a child. He lay his head on Zaiden’s shoulder and curled his body against the other man’s once Zaiden had lowered them both to the couch.
“Listen to me, Darrell,” Zaiden said, his voice seeming to come from a long ways away. “However you came to live out here among the humans, there are forces quickly closing in on you that will make it impossible for you to remain separate from the rest of our people. However you came to know Zxex, whatever brought you two together, you need to focus on recapturing it. Was it a thought, did something about him call to you, is there something you glimpsed in his mind, however small, that tipped you off that he was different in the same way that you are different.”
Darrell listened to the cadence of his voice, his words sinking in, even when all he wanted was to feel the achy pleasure of another bite.
“You are rare, with potential that you cannot even fathom, but if they discover you, the only potential you will have to them is how your gifts can be used as weapons,” Zaiden tried to explain. “I need to know the importance of the dagger you dream of. I need to know where you saw it and I need to know who you were with when you were there.”
“Why?” Darrell muttered.
“Because art is not the only thing that interests Zxex,” Zaiden explained. “Artifacts do as well. The dagger you dream of is certainly one that would have held his attention.”
“How do you know what I dream about? At least tell me that. Are you a prophet too?”
“No, I am not. I have never been able to see into the mind of another the way I have been able to see into yours, nor have I ever been able to share a dream with someone the way I am able to tap into yours. But I am not able to hold those connections for long. The bond between us is a tumultuous one, and when you focus, you are able to push me from your thoughts.”
“Why a bond?”
“I do not understand your question.”
Darrell found that he really had to focus. The result of the bite had left him drowsy and wishing for sleep.
“Why is there a bond between us?” He finally managed to ask. “Don’t want one. Don’t want you in my head. Don’t want you in my life. Wanna find your brother and get you the hell away from me.”
“I know. Unfortunately, that is not a wish I will be able to grant.”
Darrell couldn’t be certain, but he detected a hint of hurt in the snakeman’s voice as he spoke those words. He quickly pushed the thought from his mind and focused instead on blessed oblivion, and when it fell like a warm weight over him, Darrell was more than happy to sink into it and give in to the pull of sleep.

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Rainbow Snippet Feb. 11

Rainbow Snippets is a group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fiction–a WIP or a finished work or even a 6-sentence book recommendation (no spoilers please!).


In this group you’ll find anything from romance and historical fiction to mystery and YA. The common thread is that every story’s main character identifies as LGBTQ+. The snippets could range from zero flames to full-on sexytimes, anything goes content-wise. The only rule is snippets will be 6 sentences long–one for each color in the Pride flag.

I would invite everyone to please come check out the Rainbow Snippets group, click on a link, read and comment ont he writing available and get involved yourselves in this awesome exercise. The link to the group can be found HERE.  The following Snippet is from Rockin' Ryker's World (yes it finally has a working title!) The following scene takes place shortly after jesse decides to leave the cabin and take his chances on the road after the storm is over.  (This will be the final snippet from the story for awhile, but I will be presenting snippets from a new story come next week. One soon to be released through CHBB publishing/Encompass Ink) 


(Please note, if anyone would be interested in joining the blog tour for Serpent's Kiss (Snake Shapeshifter Romance: Snippets have appeared here from that one several times) they can sign up at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGMbf8I5kofE3tcymcYu76CYSyoId1jfb30AOmmGWqnpGkzg/viewform)




Yeah, well. I hate to say it but, there are nights when I was glad he was here even if he was shit company.”

“I swear to god when I see him I’m punching his lights out.”

“Well, after you do, try taking some time to hear him out. Maybe I’m wrong and he’s not on something, if that’s the case, then he might really need you.”

“Yeah.” Kyle muttered softly. “I just hate having to wait to find out which it is.”

Ryker laughed. “You never did have any patience. Remember the time you got frustrated because the fish weren’t biting and decided to stretch a net across the creek and try to chase the fish into them. Your lucky you didn’t break an ankle doing that shit.”

Kyle couldn’t help but laugh at the memory, and soon they were trading memories until Ryker’s phone beeped and reminded him that he needed to change it. 

Friday, February 10, 2017

Flash Fiction featuring Sionn and Dare from Desolation Angel

Sometimes, when the music took over and he could hear the rumbling of Sionn’s voice in his ear, trying to get him to come back, he longed to ignore it, wanting to give his full attention to the songs that were rolling through his head.

It wasn’t often, just moments when he wished the real world would blank out and go away. It was too much sometimes. The scrutiny, the questions, the invasiveness of the magazine interviews and the DJ’s on the radio. As Desolation Angel had gotten more and more air time, more and more people had wanted a piece of him. Wanted to know how he made his music, his thought process, his creative muse, and he’d fucked up and been honest, opening a shit storm of questions about his zones and the way his focus seemed to narrow down to tunnel vision.

All he’d ever wanted was just to play and get lost in the fans singing his lyrics back to him. Why did everyone else have to get in the way?

Warm fingers skimmed through his hair, tugging lightly as nails gently raked his scalp and prickled the back of his neck, making him shiver. The music faded out as Sionn’s voice grew louder for a moment, then dimmed again, allowing the music another chance to take over.

At some point it faded though, the tail of the song trailing, leaving him longing to chase after it, snatch it and drag it back. It was safe there, wrapped in the notes, carried away by melody. Realization dawned slowly, as he blinked and sighed and found himself cradled in a strong pair of arms. Sionn was humming, and Dare froze because holy shit, Sionn was humming the song that had just been rolling through his head and how was that even possible?

He wiggled, turning in the embrace when Sionn loosened the hold. Pressing his cheek to Sionn’s chest he listened to the other man’s heartbeat as his thoughts reset themselves.

“Are ya okay now?” Sionn asked and Dare sighed contently at the rolling brogue that accompanied his voice.

“Yeah but…the song, how do you know it?”

“Ye’ve only been hummin’ it for the past hour.”

“Oh.”

“I was nay sure if ye would come back ta me this time or not.”

“Sorry.”

“Are ye nervous about tonight?”

“The show, no, I love being up on the stage, I’m looking forward to the stars and a sea of lighters. I just hate the after show shit, I don’t want to go to the party or do an interview. I just want to shower and go walk by the ocean with you. Why can’t we just do that?”

Sionn hugged him tight and rested his head on the top of Dare’s head, and for a moment, Dare was certain he was going to apologize as he always did and insist they had to do what the company asked of them, and he understood that, he did, he knew how lucky they were to have gotten a contract and how much it had meant to everyone. It was just that sometimes, being the lead singer meant too many things fell on him that he’d never wanted.

“Let’s do that then,” Sionn replied, fingertips brushing down Dare’s back.

He sucked in a breath, scarcely able to believe what he’d heard. “Really?”

“Yeah. I don’t want to go to the party either, I had seeing people try and drape themselves all over you and it sucks that I can’t peel their fingers off your clothes when they get grabby. No one should be touching you 
but me.”

The possessiveness in Sionn’s voice made Dare shiver and snuggled against him, breathing in the woodsy scent of his body wash.

“Go skinny dipping with me tonight?” Dare whispered.

“Och, hell yeah.”


Laughing, Dare gave him a squeeze, remembering now why he always responded to the voice when the music got loud and why he never followed it into the abyss when it was tempting. He had Sionn and that meant more than any song. Together, they could chase the rest of the world away. 


Thursday, February 9, 2017

Interview with Conner from Guitars and Cages

It’s been more than a year since your introduction into Asher’s life and the events of Guitars and Cages, have you ever had a moment where you looked back and thought, wow, this is becoming too much of a hellride even for me?

Connor: Not at all. If anything, this past year has given me a chance to look at my relationship with my own family and see it for the toxic disaster that it truly is. Asher might have his flaws, but he loves the people he considers family to the point where more often than not, he puts their feelings and well-behind ahead of his own. Even when he knows he’ll fail, he tries to make things right for them, and that’s something I can admire. It’s something no one in my family ever tried to do for me.

In the upcoming sequel to Guitars and Cages there is the opportunity for the reader to see a bit of your family situation as your folks make a rather brief appearance. How hard was it to walk into that situation, with Asher, not knowing how it was going to go with them.

Connor: I was terrified, as readers will clearly see, and if it hadn’t been for Asher walking in there at my side, I think I’d have puked in a potted plant, tucked tail and run. It was stressful just talking to my mother on the phone and the whole way there I felt like I was strung out on nervous tension. Fortunately, there were a few moments of levity as we tried to get Asher outfitted for the evening, I think readers will enjoy the side of him they’ll get to see in that scene.

So much of your story is now wrapped up in his, but were you aware that initially, you were only to have a bit part in the novel?

Connor: I know the author seemed determined to slam the door on me a time or two. I doubt she ever expected Asher’s interest to drift in my direction so fully, especially not when she had other plans for him.

Now, speaking of those other plans, you are aware then, that Asher’s initial romantic interest is still very close to him, that it was never Catfish at all, and instead, someone who has played an instrumental part in his life for a very long time. Someone he very well might still have unresolved feelings for.

Connor: I know who you’re talking about, and I think some of the readers have already guessed, if not, the issue is addressed more fully in Guitars 2, and I think all parties involved will be satisfied with the resolution. Asher can’t help what he feels, nor can I help what I feel for him, it is what it is. Right now, he’s mine and we’re taking it day by day and that’s all we really can do. My focus is on helping him stay healthy first, so we have plenty of time later to figure out the relationship issues.

And how has that been working? One of the things that seemed to horrify readers was his tendency towards self-harm.

It horrified me as well. But Dr. Hozman has been working with him and he’s done good. Everyone has a backslide every now and again and I can’t say that won’t happen in Guitar’s 2, what I can say is that it was only once and it was dealt with quickly and decisively and he’s been removed from his biggest trigger right now.

And that would be?

Conner: Look, Cole is Asher’s brother and the last thing I need is him getting pissed at me for speaking ill of the guy, but, they needed some distance. Cole needs to figure out his own issues and Asher doesn’t need someone putting him down for being honest about what he thinks or feels. Maybe if he’d had the opportunity to be honest when he was with Gage, things would have ended far differently. Maybe we never would have met, I don’t know, but what I do know is those memories of Gage haunt him. Knowing Gage never held what happened against him haunts him too. He stayed away for years because he was ashamed. He hurts himself because he is ashamed, and one of the people who tend to have a real easy time of making him feel ashamed, is Cole. That’s all I’m willing to say about that.

Fair enough. Let’s lighten the tone, shall we. Are you finding plenty of things to photograph around the ranch.

Conner: Am I ever, but it’s hard some days to balance wanting to take pictures of everything that’s going into rebuilding, and actually helping with the process. I find myself getting into the zone with the camera sometimes, especially when it’s Asher I’m taking pictures of. He’ll deny it, but he’s amazingly handsome and the camera loves him.

I bet. What moments have you been able to capture so far that just left you in awe?

Connor: God, only one? That’s tough, I can’t narrow it down to just one. I mean, there was the night he took me to the barn to watch a calf being born and I took some photos of him while he was helping with the birth. Those, in black and white, capture something I can’t even put into words. I have black and whites of him mud streaked in just his jeans and workbooks carrying a fence post, others of him lying in the straw beside a mare, stroking her neck and whispering her as she was in labor.  Then there’s one of him laying by the fire pit, face illuminated by the flames while he stared at the stars. There are so many shots, so many moments, it’s just so good to see this side of him.

It sounds like it’s been full of new experiences, at least for you. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today. I’m looking forward to hearing about more of your adventures.


Connor: Thanks for having me. We’re still not done yet. Guitars 2, that’s just another piece of the picture. Guitars 3 is already in the works and that, well…let’s just say it’s shaping up to be epic. 

Note: readers with questions for Conner please feel free to leave them in the comments section and he'll be happy to answer your questions. 


Guitars and Cages is available at all major booksellers.




Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Wednesday Word Vomit Feb. 8


I love words, but it dawned on me recently that my word pool had grown stagnant. Instead of mixing things up during the writing process, I’ve found myself forced to make the changes during edit, turning an already daunting process into an excruciating one. So as part of my efforts to exact some positive changes in 2017, I am introducing a new feature to Rainbow Lyrics and Mellow Mushrooms.

Every Wednesday I’ll take the word of the day from www.wordsmith.org and use it to craft a scene/setting/dialogue for one of my current works in progress.

Today’s word: Mrs. Grundy
Today’s WIP: Gypsy's Rogue

So much to do.
Sighing they placed their hands at the small of their back and arched backward, easing the ache that was forming there. It took them back to their childhood days when they’d see their mother do the very same thing, though usually their mother had been working far longer and far harder than Gypsy had today. In the back of their head they could hear their father telling them that the outside world had made them weak, that modern conveniences had made them soft, his voice harsh with disapproval as he reminded them that idol hands were the devils work or something along those lines. They knew he’d rage that no God fearing man would be caught doing woman’s work but then, he’d been the very one to insist that Gypsy take care of everything around the house after their mother’s passing.
“Seeing as how you see fit to run around shamefully dressed like a woman yourself.”
It hadn’t been all the time, more like half, or at least, whenever the mood had suit them and they’d been able to slip out of the house and from beneath their father’s far too watchful eye. He hadn’t been the only one to disapprove, plenty in town had turned their nose up at them, while others hadn’t even noticed. They’d always worn their hair long and with their trim figure they looked as much like a girl as a boy. They’d always preferred to consider themselves as both anyway, for as long as they could remember, it had just been easier that way. Even their mother hadn’t wanted to hear that sometimes they just felt more like a girl.

They wondered, for a moment, what the neighbors would think about them if they could see them now, stripping off their shirt in the middle of the kitchen and letting their tank top fall to the floor. Sunlight glinted off the piercings in their nipples and belly button, and the red and black tattered wings tattooed on their back and wrapping around to their ribs, tattooed bone poking through between the feathers, would no doubt shock and horrify some. How many Mrs. Grundys would wag their tongues quick to condemn and shame them. 

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Teaser Tuesday Feb 7th

From my WIP:  Gypsy's Rogue



Funny, it had been a long time since they’d thought of Rogue as ‘their ex’s brother’ rather than by name, but there it was, that label that had always been present even when they wasn’t actively trying to think of it. For a brief moment in time they’d covered it up, convinced themselves that their ex was no longer the tie that linked them, but who were they kidding, it always would be, and it would always cloud any interaction they ever had. They closed the distance between themselves and Rogue and stilled his hand, taking the broom from him.
“In the morning, I want you gone,” they told him, and they were proud of themselves, that their voice only shook a little.

“I…” he stammered, then shook his head. “Yeah, I’ll pack my shit and be gone at first light.”

Only…

When first light came, they couldn’t let him leave.

Maybe it was the fact that he’d spackled the cracks in the wall and found some plaster and mesh in the shed to patch the hole, or maybe it was the way he’d fixed their bedroom door, having to move the hinge to do it since the wood had split. Those were little things, really, when compared to the way he’d brewed them a cup of tea when he’d noticed their hands had been shaking too badly to wield the broom properly, and how he’d rubbed Festus’ ears and told the old dog what a great job he’d done jumping in when shit had hit the fan.

They was grateful that he hadn’t tried to take the broom back from them, that he hadn’t insisted on cleaning the mess up himself despite how badly they’d been spreading it around, but they were even more grateful that he’d given them privacy when they’d fallen apart at the table, tears and giant snot bubbles, cursing and great gulping sobs, a moment of utter and complete weakness that they were grateful not to have a witness to. When they were done their moment of panic and self-pity they thought about what it must have done to him, to witness what his brother had tried to do to them. More than that, they had to wonder what his brother had done to him to get him to cut ties when they’d once been so close.

It was the memory of that closeness that made them change their mind about making him go. Whatever secrets he was carrying, they were certain that they were as bad as the things they refused to share. Maybe one day they might open up to one another and make peace with the past, but the only way to make peace with the past was to face it together.  Why they were suddenly so sure of that they didn’t know, just that, as exhausted as they were, it was the one thing that they were certain about.


He accepted their change of heart with a quiet nod, a careful hug and a whispered word of thanks knowing it would take time before things were back to normal again.

                                  -Gypsy and Rogue following Gypsy's ex breaking into the house


Gypsy's Rogue is shaping up to be a story about finding one's self, coming to terms with the past, laying old ghosts to rest, and moving forward with one's true love, despite being too blind to see them for who they were until it was almost too late. 

Monday, February 6, 2017

Those Damn Plot Bunnies


I love them. So cute, so fluffy, with their twitching noses and giant, floppy ears. One look and I’m hooked, addicted on the newness and adorable way they hop across the page.
Until it’s two AM and they aren’t so cute anymore with their fangs stuck in my arm and my fingers aching from pressing so many keys. They’re really not cute at 4 AM when they’re hopping through my dreams or at 6, when I’m just drifting off and one of them decides to beat its foot loudly upon the floor, reminding me there are still words to be written.

I blame plot bunnies for the fact that I spent the entire month of January working on the story arcs for five different novels, unable to decide which one I really wanted to work on the most. There are now five first chapters written and still not a clear idea of who’s story I’ll actually spend the next few months working on.
They’re so different, but more than that, each one speaks to me in a different way.

In Rockin’ Ryker’s World there’s Jesse, who can pen lyrics like there’s no tomorrow but the words that matter, the conversations he needs to have with his bandmates and friends, those are the ones that have failed him. He’s running scared at the moment and I’d so curious to sit down and start writing up the chapter that drove him to that point.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how one wants to look at it, there’s Koda, a digital artist who decided to take part in an interesting little experiment that’s left him feeling like a fish out of water. It isn’t easy living with a stranger, as he’s very quickly finding out, and it’s not easy ignoring them either, especially when they are determined to get to know him. His story is roughly four chapters in, though the words are felling way more like ideas than fluid conversations.

And speaking of fluid, there’s Gypsy, my rather headstrong gender fluid character who’s fascination with the sideshow and performing led to a hasty wedding, a messy breakup, and an ex who can’t seem to stay away. Add to it a soon to be ex brother-in-law who’s seeking refuge at their old family home and what just might prove to be a budding relationship between them, and I’m certainly thrilled to jump into working on their story a little more. Filled with a bevy of characters who are based on people I’ve met in my travels that one is particularly dear to my heart.

Those three I think I could handle writing almost simultaneously putting one down when someone got quiet only to pick up the other and work on that for a bit, moving effortlessly between the three due to my familiarity with the characters, but….

Those plot bunnies

Those god damned demented bunnies won’t leave me alone.  

Somehow or another, during what was supposed to be a movie day, I started working on Takashi’s story. Now somehow or another, he and the Escort he’s falling for have to navigate these rather convoluted waters they’ve found themselves in to hopefully find a happy ending. Either that or the slush pile. I’m hoping it isn’t that though, I’m kind of curious to see where it goes.

The last plot bunny though, he’s…well…I’m still trying to determine if he’s inside the realm of possibility or not. This might be one of those stories that gets written purely for the fact that it won’t leave me alone, and then gets abandoned on a hard drive somewhere never to see the light of day. I’ve got a few manuscripts like that. On one hand, I always feel like I’m wasting my time working on something I never intend to show anyone, especially when I start thinking early that no, nope, not gonna share this one, but on the other hand, I feel compelled to write it, if only to purge it from my soul.


So here I sit, surrounded by five taunting, wiggling blot bunnies that are trying to make my green hair turn gray. Acme worm holes anyone, I could use a few if anyone has them? I could drop in a plot bunny and see where they might pop up in a year or two. 

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Sunday Poetry Corner Feb 5

Last June, I spent three weeks in South Mississippi and the surrounding area, driving along the coast and anywhere the friend I was with chose to take us. We saw a lot of old, ruined graveyards so overgrown by brushes and trees, brambles and thorny vines. I still have the faint scars on my legs from getting tangled in one while picking blackberries on a dirt road. It was a beautiful experience, but it was a shame to see these tributes to the dead in such shabby condition. In places, stones were broken and so moss covered you couldn't read them. As we drove away from one such site, I wrote this poem on a napkin from the seafood shack where we'd had lunch earlier in the day. It was a great lesson in always keeping a notebook handy, even when the plan had been to go to the beach. (The image below was taken at the cemetery that inspired the poem.) 


Earthbound Angels

It’s not enough
To bend without breaking
In the dawn
We laugh at earthbound angels
Crumbling beneath
Savanna summer suns
Where kudzu clings
In leaching vines
Choking even ruined remains
Of old houses of worship
Swamp claimed
Sinking in bubbling marshes
We all drown
In cattails and kool-aid
The echoes of pasts
We’ll never understand
There’s no honor
In remembrance these days

Or anything really.


Saturday, February 4, 2017

Rainbow Snippet Feb 4

Rainbow Snippets is a group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fiction–a WIP or a finished work or even a 6-sentence book recommendation (no spoilers please!).



In this group you’ll find anything from romance and historical fiction to mystery and YA. The common thread is that every story’s main character identifies as LGBTQ+. The snippets could range from zero flames to full-on sexytimes, anything goes content-wise. The only rule is snippets will be 6 sentences long–one for each color in the Pride flag.

I would invite everyone to please come check out the Rainbow Snippets group, click on a link, read and comment ont he writing available and get involved yourselves in this awesome exercise. The link to the group can be found HERE.  The following Snippet is from Rockin' Ryker's World (yes it finally has a working title!) The following scene takes place shortly after jesse decides to leave the cabin and take his chances on the road after the storm is over.  (For more snippets and excerpts from this story, please feel free to scroll through the blog, there are several)



“Kyle, I swear I tried to reason with him but he refused to listen to anything I had to say.”

His cousin’s heavy sigh came through the phone. Sounding weary and defeated, it made Ryker wish he could punch something, or someone.

“Not your fault,” Kyle said. “It was his choice to make. I just wish he’d have called me back, talked to me dammit. The shit at the end of the tour wasn’t like him. Jesse doesn’t do things to hurt the music.”

“Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you but from what I saw up here he looked strung out Maybe he isn’t one to hurt the music but he doesn’t seem to care too much about hurting himself.”

“All the more reason for me to wish he’d call.”

“Well, he wrecked his phone the last time you guys talked, I doubt he gave much thought to replacing it.”


“Yeah, knowing how much he hates the damn things, he won’t bother w/it for awhile. I guess I just have to be patient and hope he’ll reach out.”