Antonia Aquilante
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Rainbow Snippet September 30-October 1

9/30/2017

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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+.

A bit more from The Dragon's Devotion today. This snippet follows not long after last week's. Corentin has gone to Bastien's house to invite him to the theater that night, and they're interrupted by Bastien's three siblings, Griffen, Mathis, and Ligeia. Who are all happy to meddle and were a lot of fun to write. (I've cut this snippet down, but I still went over six sentences. Sorry! I'll do better next week!)
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“Is it the new comedy?”

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“It is.”

“I saw it the other night with some friends. It’s very good.” Griffen glanced between Corentin and Bastien. “You’ll enjoy it.”

“No, Griffen. Corentin, you’re very kind to invite me, but I don’t think I should go out this evening,” Bastien said.

“Why?” Griffen asked the question that Corentin couldn’t in politeness ask himself, especially not in front of others.

“You know why,” Bastien said with a pointed look at Griffen.

Well that was mysterious. Something to do with the undivulged family matter, perhaps?

Griffen didn’t seem affected by the look. “That is no reason for you not to go out and enjoy yourself for an evening.”

“After everything we’ve all been through this afternoon, I believe it is,” Bastien countered with an air of finality.

One that Ligeia decided to ignore. “We’re fine, Bastien. Or we will be. I plan to have a quiet evening here, but there’s no reason for you to stay in for my sake. Griffen? Mathis?”

Mathis shook his head. “I have studying to do.”

“I’m staying in as well,” Griffen said. “You should go. Enjoy the play and Master Corentin’s company. We’ll be quite all right on our own for an evening.”

Bastien’s eyes narrowed, and a significant look passed between the two brothers. Corentin couldn’t interpret it, but it left Bastien thoughtful. Corentin hoped thoughtful turned into an acceptance of his invitation.  



If you'd like to know more about The Dragon's Devotion, you can find it here. Thanks for stopping by and reading this weekend!
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Writing Updates and News

9/28/2017

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First off, I wanted to say thank you. The Dragon's Devotion has been out for almost a month, and I need to express my gratitude to everyone who has bought the book and read and reviewed and to everyone who gave me such love on release day and shared about the book on social media. You all are wonderful! Thank you so much! If you have or are going to read The Dragon's Devotion, I hope you enjoy Bastien and Corentin's story. I love this book and these characters. I've been waiting and waiting to write the dragons in this world, and now I'm excited to write more of them as the series goes on. If you haven't read yet, the book had bisexual main characters, romance, magic, political intrigue, family drama, and a dragon shifter. If you've read other Tournai books, you'll catch up with some familiar faces. If you haven't visited Tournai yet, this book stands on its own and is a great introduction. I hope you'll give it a try.

On to updates, I'm still working away on Tournai 6 (no title, of course, because I'm horrible at titles and leave them to the very end). This is Maxen and Faelen's story, and I'm having fun getting to know them better. It's in a million pieces right now because I never write in linear order, but I can see that it's going to come together well (I think so...I hope so. They always do...). I want to have it written and edited and ready to send to the NineStar by the end of October, so fingers crossed for me, everyone. It's later than I meant to have it finished already, but this year has not been good for writing quickly.

In other news, the NJ Romance Writers conference is in a couple of weeks. I'll be attending, and my books will be on sale at the NJRW table during the trade show. If you're there and want me to sign one, I'll be around so just grab me and I'll be happy to. I'm also attending NJRW's Hearts & Sparks reader/blogger appreciation brunch on Sunday October 15th. There's still time to register if you want to have brunch with me and a bunch of other great authors. Join us! It's going to be so much fun!

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Rainbow Snippet September 23-24

9/23/2017

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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+.

I'm sharing a little more from The Dragon's Devotion today. Corentin has arrived at Bastien's house, surprising Bastien when he was seeing someone else out. I went about a sentence over the limit today, I think. Sorry!
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​“Corentin,” Bastien said. “Come in.”


Corentin wanted to laugh because the question of what he was doing there colored Bastien’s tone more than a little, but he bit back the chuckle and stepped inside.

Bastien closed the door and turned to him. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I wanted to see you.”

Bastien drew in a sharp breath, his eyes widening briefly before he pulled himself
back under control.


​

You can find out more about The Dragon's Devotion here. Thanks for stopping by and reading today!
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Books & Brew Book Signing

9/18/2017

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On Saturday September 23rd, I'll be at Jersey Girl Brewery with a bunch of other romance authors for a book signing and beer tasting. I'll have copies of The Dragon's Devotion, along with my other books, and I'll probably have cookies too. If you're in the area, come by and say hello!

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Paperback Sale at DSP

9/18/2017

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Dreamspinner is having a paperback sale this week—30% off all paperbacks, including mine!
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Guest Post: Honey and Heat by Rian Durant

9/17/2017

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Fellow NineStar Press author Rian Durant is visiting today and sharing an excerpt from Honey and Heat. Welcome, Rian!
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Author: Rian Durant
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: September 4, 2017
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Category: MM, Romance, Contemporary
Word Count: 60400

Blurb:
Linden has only one thing on his mind a few days away from Christmas—his pending university exams. That is, until he meets his neighbors’ son who has returned for the holidays. Brice Stevens is gorgeous, but he’s insufferable.
It’s Linden’s first love, and he falls hard for Brice, despite Brice’s occasionally aloof and cool behavior. It’s an emotional ride for both of them while Linden takes a crash course in real love and Brice learns to trust in a relationship.

Buy links:
NineStar Press ||Amazon.com || Amazon.co.uk || Amazon.de|| Smashwords

Excerpt

“Linden, wait!” 
He turned to Auntie Jane, who pointed with the dough roll toward one of the doors. 
“Please don’t go in there as Brice is still sleeping. He’s evil when someone tries to wake him up.” 
His guts tied in a knot when he imagined Brice sleeping. He wished he could go in that room and wake him up with kisses, evil or not, even if he was the devil incarnate. He bit his lip as his imagination heated up all too quickly, making him picture the man ready for action early in the morning. His cheeks burned and by the time he reached the row of flowers, his skin was redder than the Euphorbia. 
So he was here but he might not even wake up and… 
“Good morning.” 
He gulped and turned around, recognizing the voice in an instant. Brice cast him a glance which, as if it was magical, rendered him unable to speak. Auntie Jane chirruped in his stead. 
“Good morning, lovely. I hope we didn’t wake you up. Good thing you did, though, as the breakfast is almost ready.” 
“Mmm, it does smell nice. Thank you, Mother.” 
Brice looked splendid. He either held his liquor well or hadn’t had much to drink because he looked more like someone who had just come back from a good morning walk. 
“Good morning, Brice.” 
He wished his voice didn’t sound so faint and apologetic, but it did. Brice’s assessing look pierced him through to the core. He had to find a good excuse and go home as quickly as possible. 
“Watering the flowers again?” 
His voice was overtly sarcastic and his eyes seemed darker. He was so, so mad at him. But why? Neither of them belonged to the other, so there was no explanation needed, but probably Brice didn’t like being played around. Linden bit his lip and then quickly let it go for fear that Brice would interpret that in a wrong way. Like, as if he was trying to seduce him. He had to speak. Now. 
“Yes. I… I should—” 
“You promised you’d stay for breakfast,” said Auntie Jane with a touch of disappointment in her voice. “It’s enough Brian ran away on me this morning to meet his mates in the Nautical Club, and now you.” 
“Did I?” He managed a smile. “Okay, I’ll stay.” 
He didn’t dare look at Brice at that moment but was sure he heard a grunt from his end preceding his statement, totally lacking emotion. “I’m going to take a shower.”

​

About Rian:

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Rian is one of those who are both blessed and cursed by the insatiable desire to write, primarily M/M (insert more Ms if you like) stories.

Always having a plot in mind is hard when having a day time job but Rian manages them currently, assisted by the priceless support of her soul mate, lots of coffee and pure obstinacy.

What makes Rian smile is anything that could be the reason for that spark in the eyes, accompanied by the exclamation: “Oh my, I just saw something!”

Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Blog / Goodreads

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Rainbow Snippet September 16-17

9/16/2017

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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+.

I have a little more from The Dragon's Devotion for you today. This time, I decided to share a snippet in Corentin's point of view when he uses his magic to transform into a dragon after not having done so for quite a while. I was so excited to write the dragon scenes in this book, and now I kind of just want to more dragons!
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​Closing his eyes, Corentin let out a long, slow breath and smiled as he reached for his magic. The change was immediate and glorious. He grew and changed under the cover of silvery purple light. When he opened his eyes again he looked out on the world from a far different perspective. He stretched his long neck, his back, even his tail, working out all the kinks and relaxing into this body. His wings came last, large and strong and the thing he’d thrilled to when he came into his power years ago. 



If you'd like to know more about The Dragon's Devotion, you can find it here. Thanks for reading!
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August Reads

9/14/2017

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My reading post is a little late this month due to all the promo posts for The Dragon's Devotion during the blog tour. But we all probably need a little break from promo, and I read some great books last month, including a bunch I got at RWA. So here we go:

Chasing Destiny by Megan Erickson: The second book in Megan's werewolf/dystopian series (with zombies), and it's just as good as the first. Looking forward to more. I'd say read these in order to get the most out of them.

Agents Irish and Whiskey series by Layla Reyne: This is a fun romantic suspense series. I've had the first on my Kindle for ages, but I waited to read them until I could glom them all at once. I'm glad I did because of the story arc that connects the three. Also, I adore Jamie (even if he did go to Carolina, and I went to Duke and that means I'm not supposed to like anything Carolina).

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare: I got this book at RWA (signed! ah!) and dove into it as soon as I got home. I love Tessa Dare's books. They make me so happy, and this one was a warm hug. Just what I needed.

A Daring Arrangement by Joanna Shupe: This book isn't out yet (look for it in October). I got an advance copy at RWA and devoured it too. Joanna is a fellow NJRW member, and her Gilded Age historicals are wonderful. 

Treasure by Treasure by R. Cooper: Dragons and so much tension and longing, which R. Cooper does so well. It's part of the Being(s) in Love series but stands alone (the series is really good though).

Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins: I meant to read this ages ago and then Beverly Jenkins (who is fantastic) signed a copy for me at RWA and so I read it almost immediately and it was as good as I expected.

Some Kind of Hero by Suzanne Brockmann: The Troubleshooters series is one of my favorite romantic suspense series, and I was so happy to return to it in a new book. It stands alone, so you can start here—then go back and read them all. The only thing I missed was that Jules and Robin aren't in this one (I still love them so much).

Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan: Her Every Wish won the RITA in the novella category, and I can see why. 

Spectered Isle by KJ Charles: Spectered Isle is the beginning of a new series that is set in the same world as The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal, You don't have to read that to understand this, but it's wonderful so you should (fair warning: it absolutely wrecked me). I loved Spectered Isle, which isn't a surprised. Definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.

The Heart of the Lost Star by Megan Derr: This is the latest book in the Tales of the High Court series. I would say it stands alone well enough. I always enjoy returning to this fantasy world, and I very much enjoyed learning more about it in this book, including more detail on how the society in this world views gender. I loved the characters (especially Kamir), and I'm already waiting for the next book in the series.

Marian by Ella Lyons: This is a lesbian YA Robin Hood story from the point of view on Maid Marian, and it was a lovely story with great chemistry between Marian and Robin and some funny moments. I feel like this was just the beginning, though, so I'm hoping for more.

What have you read lately and loved?

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Rainbow Snippet September 9-10

9/9/2017

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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+.

The Dragon's Devotion came out on Monday, and I thought I would share another snippet from it. This snippet is in Corentin's point of view and takes place a little after the kiss in last week's snippet.
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Had it been so chilly a few moments ago, or was he only now feeling it? He couldn’t deny being wrapped up in Bastien to the exclusion of all else. It had been a surprise...a lovely, pleasant surprise.

He wanted more.

More of the kisses, more than kisses, more time to linger and savor, more of everything with Bastien. He’d almost asked Bastien if he could come in or if Bastien wanted to join him in his rooms. The impulse had been so very tempting since he hadn’t wanted the evening to end.

But as much as he wanted more, the evening had been rather perfect as it was. 


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You can more about The Dragon's Devotion here. Thanks for stopping by and reading today!
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Last Day of The Dragon's Devotion Blog Tour

9/8/2017

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Today is the last day of The Dragon's Devotion blog tour, and you can find me at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words, Boy Meets Boy Reviews, and Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews. Thank you so much for following along on the tour! I hope you've enjoyed it, and that you enjoy The Dragon's Devotion too!

Today is also the last day to buy my Dreamspinner books 30% off in their Labor Day sale.

About The Dragon's Devotion:

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Corentin is a scholar with a secret—his magical Talent allows him to turn into a dragon, and he isn’t alone in that ability. Long ago, dragons were hunted fiercely, until they went into hiding, becoming things of legend. Corentin has traveled the world with one aim—to protect his people and keep their secret safe. Drawn to the principality of Tournai by news of someone close to discovering that secret, he hopes to avert suspicion. His attraction to the too-serious Bastien isn’t convenient for his purpose, but it isn’t something he can ignore either.

Lord Bastien, Earl of Ardesia, inherited his title unexpectedly when his parents were killed in a sailing accident along with the parents of his cousin, Prince Philip. Since then, Bastien has devoted his life to the obligations of his family and estate—so much so, that it has caused tension between him and his siblings. His world is further shaken when he receives an anonymous letter informing him that the tragic boating accident may, in fact, have been murder. Bastien throws himself into investigating whether the allegations are true and finding out who killed his parents.

As Corentin and Bastien become closer, the mystery of Bastien’s parents’ death draws him further into danger. Corentin feels compelled to protect Bastien, but the threat is closer than they know. Now, Corentin must decide whether preserving his secret—and potentially his people’s safety—is more important than saving the man he loves.

Buy The Dragon's Devotion:
NineStar Press
Amazon
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords
​
Kobo

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

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