Antonia Aquilante
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Rainbow Snippet February 29-March 1

2/29/2020

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​It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+

This week, I have a snippet from The Prince's Consort for you. The Prince's Consort was my first published novel, which I requested and received my rights back to from Dreamspinner in the fall. It will be back out in the world through NineStar Press on March 16th with a gorgeous new cover. I'm so excited for it to finally be available again! This snippet is the first time we meet Prince Philip in the book.
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​Philip Alexander Stefan Mael threw himself down into his office chair with a long sigh, forcing the weight of responsibility that came with each of those names from his body. Audiences had been long that afternoon, some of the petitions complex, others tedious and frustrating, but he’d insisted on presiding on his own. He wasn’t alone with the petitioners in the audience chamber—there were any number of people with him—but he refused to have his uncle whispering in his ear. Uncle Umber, his father’s brother, had become a source of counsel and support when his father died. But Father had been gone over a year, and Uncle Umber needed to let Philip be the ruler of Tournai. He had been trained and prepared for it his whole life, but no one would ever see him as a ruler if his uncle was perceived to be the power behind the throne

You can find more about The Prince's Consort (including a longer excerpt and preorder links) here. Thanks for reading today!
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The Prince's Consort Cover Reveal

2/27/2020

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The Prince's Consort will finally be back out in the world on March 16th, and it has a gorgeous new cover by Natasha Snow! Are you ready to see?
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Release Blitz: Havesskadi by Ava Kelly

2/25/2020

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Title: Havesskadi

Series: Dragon Souls, Book One

Author: Ava Kelly

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: February 24, 2020

Heat Level: 1 - No Sex

Pairing: No Romance

Length: 52900

Genre: Paranormal Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, fantasy, paranormal, dragons, mythical creatures, magic, shifters, sentient castles, asexual, slow burn, #ownvoices

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Synopsis

The red dragon is hunting her own. Up in the icy peaks of the northern mountains, Orsie Havesskadi spends his days hiding from her, but eventually he is found and his dragon magic stolen. Cursed to wander the lands as a mortal unless he recovers his magic before twenty-four rising crescents have passed, Orsie embarks on an arduous journey. Spurred by the whispers in his mind, his quest takes him to a castle hidden deep in a forest. Arkeva Flitz, a skilled garrison archer, discovers an abandoned castle in the woods. Trapped there, he spends his days with his two companions, one cruel, the other soothing. One day, a young man arrives at his gates, and soon they are confined by heavy snowfalls and in danger from what slumbers in the shadows of the castle.

Excerpt

Havesskadi Ava Kelly © 2020 All Rights Reserved Full of rich autumn colors, the market square bustles with life, hooves, and shouts and clatter. In the middle near the fountain, an old man stands on a crate waving his cap at the gathering crowd. Orsie hides his face further behind his long hair, with only half a mind to listen to this unexpected storyteller. His voice is loud over the midmorning racket, though, drawing Orsie’s attention. “Hear me, hear me! In an age long ago, far beyond the Quiet Lands, there lived a dragon. He wasn’t a mighty dragon—” Laughter fills the square and covers the voices of the merchants for a while. Orsie frowns, eying the derision that sweeps over many of the onlookers. It’s unpleasant. Orsie remembers from past visits that it’s a rare occurrence for the village to be this animated, but he doesn’t recall its inhabitants being so malcontent. Haumir, sitting at the foot of the Ahrissals’ highest peak, is isolated for most of the year. No trade roads pass through, even though they used to back when the Seaborn were friendlier. Perhaps that’s the reason. Their lives aren’t easy this far up north, but it’s not something Orsie can change. Not really. “—or a mean dragon—” Someone hoots and Orsie stifles a grimace. So much for storytelling. He turns his attention back to the row of tables displaying his favorite autumn fruit. Apples, red and yellow and sometimes green, brought north by the caravans that begin their journeys in the hills of Uvalhort. They carry the excess of the plentiful orchards there, sure to be sold quickly in this barren land. Overpriced, too, by the look of it. Orsie only has a few amethyst shards with him, more than enough to pay for his indulgence, but not too polished and not too pure. He wouldn’t want to raise suspicion. “—but he liked the frost and the cold bite of the highest mountaintops!” Orsie shrugs as he sniffs at an apple. Some dragons do like the snow. He spares a glance at the storyteller. His hat now sits on the ground before him collecting donations, ineffectively. Orsie sighs. Dragons aren’t very loved in these ages. “And his name was Havesskadi, the shadow of the icy peaks. He has graced our village from his home above the clouds,” the old man continues, arms raised to point at the mountain standing tall to the north. “There’s no dragon up there, you old fool,” someone shouts, “or we’d be rich!” The old man waves a hand, annoyed. “Havesskadi lives, you’ll see. He’ll fly down from his castle and shower us with gems.” “Dragons don’t care about us,” the other yells back. “There’s a reason for that,” the old man says. “We hunted them and they hid.” “Don’t remember no hunting,” someone else says, but Orsie stops listening. Shaking his head, he slips out of the square. He can shop for apples later, after the ruckus has died down. Instead, he makes his way through the narrow streets, dropping some of the smaller amethyst shards on doorsteps or windowsills. Not enough to make the dwellers rich, but just what they’d need to push through winter. The cold season comes early, here, the icy winds of October around the corner, and Orsie can’t help himself. He’s been observing the villagers for the past few days, lodging at the inn; now he knows just where to plant these lucky finds. Of course, Orsie could do more. Bring them better gems, shinier, brighter. He could, if he wanted, keep them clothed and fed for lifetimes, but as the past showed, it’s never a good idea. If he gives too much, avarice takes root in people’s hearts, settling deep enough to darken even the kinder souls. Others, both younger and older than himself, have made this mistake before with dire consequences, and Orsie doesn’t need crowds gathering at his gates for undeserving charity. He’s finishing his meandering and rounding back to the square when he sees the old man from before. The storyteller is sitting at the edge of a narrow street outside the hustle and hurry, surrounded by children. “A gem,” the old man says, gesturing widely, “carved from the essence of magic, was given to the very first dragon at the beginning of time for safekeeping.” The children let out an “ah” in unison, and the old man’s smile grows. He’s enjoying his story, it seems, and Orsie leans against a wall, poised to listen. “After the dragon passed away, the gem divided among his sons and daughters, on and on, until each dragon held a small one right underneath their ribs, tied to them by the force of their heartbeats. Legends grew and spread, and the gems became known as anasketts. Do you know what that means? It’s dragonsoul in the old language of the north.” A collective blink follows the reveal, the kids mesmerized. “But the kings of other creatures hunted them!” the old man adds, causing various degrees of frowning. “Why?” a little girl asks. “Because, you see, the anasketts have such magic that they carry inside them the longevity of their dragon owners, their big castles, and all their treasures— unending flows of precious stones harvested through hundreds of centuries from the very core of time.” “Davbak, what’s longevity?” A boy elbows another while the old man chuckles. “It means dragons have long, long lives.” “Like you?” “Longer!” One of the bickering boys speaks up then, arms crossed. “King Ag never hunted a dragon.” “No,” Davbak tells him, “but his great-grandfather did. It’s why our lands are left barren. See, many many years ago, King Ag the Fourth stole a dragonsoul. He lived for centuries before Red Mist, the dragon warrior, came and took back what belonged to her kin.” “The anaskett?” “Yes, indeed. Red Mist,” Davbak continues, lifting both hands in a semblance of claws, “came and laid waste to the land, cursing it to be forever arid.” “Would you cut it with that drivel,” a woman scolds Davbak before she grabs two of the kids by their elbows. She shoos the other children to their homes and leaves with her own, but not without glaring as much as possible at Davbak. Orsie finally moves toward the square, slipping a small piece of onyx in the old man’s pocket as he goes. At least someone is trying to remember the dragons.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Meet the Author

Ava Kelly is an engineer with a deep passion for stories. Whether reading, watching, or writing them, Ava has always been surrounded by tales of all genres. Their goal is to bring more stories to life, especially those of friendship and compassion, those dedicated to trope subversion, those that give the void a voice, and those that spawn worlds of their own.

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Rainbow Snippet February 22-23

2/22/2020

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​It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+

This week, I have a snippet from The Spymaster's Secret for you.
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​They lingered over kisses
--long, luxurious kisses that spiraled out around Alexander, leaving him almost dizzy with them. He had no idea how long they kissed and lazily touched, holding each other close and reveling in the feel of skin on skin, but it was long enough for Alexander to feel heavy and drugged on the pleasure of those kisses. Finally they slowed, then stopped, and Marcus settled at Alexander’s side, gently gathering him close and tugging the blankets up over them.


The care in the gestures had Alexander’s chest going tight. He wasn’t used to it in his affairs, but he didn’t care to examine that tonight. What he wanted to do was snuggle in even closer and let sleep pull him under, warm and safe in Marcus’s arms.

You can find out more about The Spymaster's Secret here. Thanks for reading today!
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Release Blitz: Behind the Sun, Above the Moon

2/17/2020

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Title: Behind the Sun, Above the Moon

Author: Ziggy Schutz, Paige S. Allen, Brooklyn Ray, J.S. Fields, S.R. Jones, Alex Harrow, Emmet Nahil, Sara Codair, Anna Zabo

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: February 17, 2020

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: M/NB, F/NB

Length: 91300

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy, LGBT, contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, trans, nonbinary, magic, short stories

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Synopsis

A Queer anthology inspired by magic and the cosmos, a vast and beautiful place where planets, stars, comets—entire galaxies, even—live without borders, specifications or binaries. Stories span science fiction, science fantasy, contemporary, fabulism and magical realism, and celebrate Non-binary and Transgender characters. twice-spent comet by Ziggy Schutz From Dusk to Dying Sun by Paige S. Allen Lost/Found by Brooklyn Ray Awry with Dandelions by J.S. Fields The Far Touch by S.R. Jones Ink and Stars by Alex Harrow Horologium by Emmet Nahil Death Marked by Sara Codair Weave the Dark, Weave the Light by Anna Zabo

Excerpt

twice-spent comet On an isolated asteroid, Fer serves out their sentence with a found family of ramshackle criminals. Life takes an exciting turn when they befriend Ophelia, a beautiful humanoid creature with a tail like a comet. From Dusk to Dying Sun Jay Morrison almost believes the rumors of magic and mischief haunting the US-50. But their partner, Luis Inoa, has made a career guarding the dusty Nevada trails. According to him, the only scary things on the highway are the silences, until a group of tourists break open the sun and disappear into a fiery blaze. Lost/Found When Hollis Griffin, a lonely sex worker living in Venice Beach, forms an unlikely friendship with a fallen star, she begins to face the truth about her life, her past, and what the future holds. Awry with Dandelions For thirty seconds every night, a disembodied specter named Mette visits with Orin who has long since written the ghost woman off as a recurring dream. But when Mette suggests meeting in real life, Orin’s inner world turns out to be more substantial than imaginary, and xie embarks on a journey to discover the truth of Mette and their strange connection. The Far Touch A long-standing coven of witches trek to their sacred space and accidentally discover life on another planet when their Solstice celebration interferes with a lone practitioner. Ink and Stars Locked in a contract to steal their ex-lovers ship, Chaz Neoma comes face to face with consequences, lost partnership, and the chance at a future, after discovering they aren’t the last Weaver in the universe. Horologium In the far reaches of the Horologium Supercluster, an astronaux is stranded alone on a long-distance astral ship where they’re visited by three apparitions, telling stories of ancestors who traveled space before them. Coeie must decide whether to follow the ghosts of the past, or forge their own path through the cosmos. Death Marked As chief security officer in the Lunar Guard, Enzi is in charge of the security for their sister’s coming of age ceremony. A fragile relationship with their family doesn’t make keeping Ulsa safe any easier, and neither does a group of pesky drones or a hidden plot to overthrow their sister’s place in the family. Weave the Dark, Weave the Light On a crisp night, Ari, a supposed elemental witch, meets Jonathan Aster, a powerful being they desperately want to understand. As they explore an intense, intimate and passionate relationship, Ari unearths long-hidden mysteries about themself and their magic.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

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Rainbow Snippet February 15-16

2/15/2020

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​It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+

​Today's Rainbow Snippet is from The Merchant's Love. Maxen has a gift for Faelen.
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​He leaned over and retrieved Maxen’s book from the floor, turning it to read the title. “Oh, this is new, isn’t it? What do you think so far?”


Maxen hadn’t gotten more than a few pages in, as distracted as he was, and he’d only bought the book that day. “I’m enjoying it so far. I bought you a copy too. I was going to send it to you tomorrow.”

Faelen turned to him, surprise and pleasure in his eyes. It was a small enough gift, but from the look on Faelen’s face, it was as if he’d brought him diamonds or something equally valuable. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Maxen ached so much to kiss him in that moment as the firelight teased out the red in Faelen’s hair and reflected in his large, wide eyes.

You can find out more about The Merchant's Love here. The Merchant's Love and all of my other books are 40% off at NineStar Press this weekend with code Valentines40 if you'd like to give one a try. Thanks for reading today!
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Happy Valentine's Day! (And a Sale!)

2/14/2020

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Happy Valentine's Day, my darlings! I hope your day is filled with sweet treats and swoony romance novels! And if you need a few more books, use coupon code Valentines40 at NineStar Press for 40% off through February 17th. All of my books are included, so it's a great time to catch up if you missed one...
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Rainbow Snippets February 8-9

2/8/2020

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​It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+

​This week, I have a snippet of The Dragon's Devotion for you. Bastien has had an upsetting evening, and he's gone to see Corentin. Corentin speaks first. (And it's a little more than six sentences—sorry! I thought it was necessary.)
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​“I didn’t expect to see you tonight. Did something happen?”

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He stared down into his glass. How to answer that...because yes, something had happened, but it wasn’t something monumental in the grand scheme of the world, only to Bastien himself. And he really didn’t want to think about it any longer. But he couldn’t deny the allegation that something was wrong. Was Bastien so transparent tonight? Or had Corentin come to know him that well? “Something happened, but I don’t want to talk about it.”

“What then?”

Bastien looked up into Corentin’s eyes. The concern there warmed him in an odd way, but it wasn’t what he wanted at the moment. “Distract me.”

Corentin watched him closely for a moment before his lips curved slowly once more. Bastien felt the force of it straight to his gut. “I take it you’re not looking for an engaging conversation.”

You can find more about The Dragon's Devotion here. Thanks for reading today!
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My January Reading

2/5/2020

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January was a tough reading month for me, not because I read a bunch of books I turned out not to like but because I just couldn't decide what to read. Even with my TBR pile so high it could probably fall over and crush me, I had a difficult time finding books that I felt like reading. So I read a lot less last month than I usually do. No idea why it happened, and I really hate that it did, and I really hope the slump ends because I don't like it. I did read some books last month, though, and there were some I liked very much:

Rago by Kasia Bacon: An m/m fantasy romance short story with a dragon shifter and fated mates, and it was just lovely, like all of Kasia's books.

A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian: Cat Sebastian's latest historical romance came out in December, and though I bought it then, I put it off until January while I wallowed in holiday stories (actually I did that with a few of these...). It's an m/f with bisexual main characters. Amelia, dealing with anxiety, and Sydney, dealing with grief, keep meeting on their morning walks and slowly fall in love. I really enjoyed how they found their way to a HEA that worked uniquely for them. I also loved the family they built around them. 

When the Moon was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore: There is such beautiful writing in this young adult fantasy, which I've come to expect from this author. McLemore paints gorgeous pictures with words. I loved Miel and Sam, and I loved how the setting in the book came alive. If you're looking for YA fantasy/magical realism (and one with a trans main character), I definitely recommend this one.

I Buried a Witch by Josh Lanyon: I enjoyed this second mystery in the Bedknobs and Broomsticks series (you should probably read the first one before this one). Cosmo and John are back from their honeymoon, and John finds out Cosmo is a witch. There is a bit more angst in this one, and the mystery moves along, some things solved but some questions left. Looking forward to the last book.

Open House by Ruby Lang: I enjoyed first novella, Playing House, in the series very much, and this one didn't disappoint either. (The novellas are only tangentially connected, so jump in wherever.) It's a warm book centered around efforts to save a community garden in Harlem. Magda and Tyson are on opposite sides of the issue, but there isn't a lot of conflict over it. The story is more about finding a way to be together despite family trouble and personal issues.

​What have you been reading lately? (I hope your month did not include a book slump like mine did!)

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Rainbow Snippet February 1-2

2/1/2020

2 Comments

 
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​It's weekend, and time for more Rainbow Snippets. The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ+

Does anyone else feel as if January lasted six months yet also flew by in about ten seconds? Just me? All right. It's February 1st (finally or already), and I'm diving into the New Jersey Romance Writers' JeRoWriMo challenge today, trying to write 30k words this month and hopefully jump start my writing on a new book. It's also the first Rainbow Snippet of the month. Today I have a snippet from The Spymaster's Secret for you.
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​Alexander was beautiful and vibrant--he drew other people to him, and Marcus wasn’t immune—but it didn’t mean every man he was with was a lover or potential lover. And really, Marcus had no right to be jealous or possessive now. He and Alexander had shared a few kisses, although the description paled in comparison to what they’d actually felt like, and were going to have dinner. Which, well, Marcus was almost positive would end with them in bed together. But he had no claim on Alexander, and he shouldn’t want one. His life was not conducive to having a lover, especially one like Alexander. He shouldn’t even be looking at the young royal.

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Knowing that didn’t stop him from anticipating their dinner.

You can find more about The Spymaster's Secret here. Thanks for reading today!
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    Author

    Antonia is a writer and a reader. She loves books, travel, art, photography, baking, pasta, and shoes.

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