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 can't believe it's this is the last snippet of the year (or perhaps the first of the new year depending on when you're reading this!). I decided to give you a little more of The Artist's Masquerade this week. This snippet is from a little later on the same night as last week's snippet, and things have progressed between Cathal and Flavian. You also should know that Flavian is disguised as a woman at this point as he tries to escape a very bad situation. Cathal has already found out the truth, but Flavian still has some doubts.

​It was... odd. What Cathal’s mouth was doing to that spot on his neck sent shivery heat racing through his whole body and tore a moan from his throat that was almost embarrassingly wanton. But he was also being held firmly yet so carefully, Cathal’s arms curving around him in a way that was almost protective. He didn’t understand it. Cathal had thrown him against a wall moments ago, and now, he was... what?

“I’m not really a woman, you know,” he rasped out.

“For the last time, I’m quite aware of that.” Cathal’s voice was lower, rougher, enough to send another shiver through Flavian, and that was before he felt Cathal’s low chuckle rumbling through the places where they touched. “Come to bed, Flavian.” 

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If you'd like to know more about The Artist's Masquerade, you can find it here. Thanks for reading, everyone, and Happy New Year!

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+.

December 21st marked one year since The Artist's Masquerade was published, so I thought I would share a snippet of that with you this weekend. In this scene, Cathal has drawn Flavian away from a party that neither of them was enjoying (but both should be present at) to show him a room in the royal palace created to house a particular enchantment. Or perhaps just to be alone with him...

If you'd like to know more about The Artist's Masquerade, you can find it here. And The Artist's Masquerade and the other Tournai books are included in Dreamspinner's 30% off sale this week. Thanks for reading! Happy Holidays, everyone!

I feel a bit like the holiday season snuck up on me this year, and in truth, I'm struggling some for the holiday spirit—the past couple of months have not been the best for any of us. But I'm trying because I really do love the holidays, and I love the feeling of joy and wonder and peace and hope that they bring. I could do with some of all of that.

The tree has been up since the Saturday after Thanksgiving and everything is decorated, gifts have been bought and wrapped...and I'm still baking and will be probably right up until Christmas Eve morning. I've made so many batches of Christmas cookies, from old family recipes and newer ones that I've found myself and made into new traditions. Somewhere in there, I've made time for reading (often curled up near the tree with a cup of hot chocolate, which is often spike with peppermint schnapps). You may recall that I love holiday romances. I told you a bunch of my favorites in a blog post last December, and I thought I'd do another this year to tell you about some good ones that I've read since that post that I haven't mentioned elsewhere. 

Take Me Home by Lorelie Brown - This is a Thanksgiving to Christmas novella in which one of our main characters decides she needs to bring a fake girlfriend to Thanksgiving to annoy her aunt and cousins. Only she starts falling for the fake girlfriend. There's also an adorable dog.

Glass Tidings by Amy Jo Cousins - The story of two grumpy loners who don't realize how lonely they are until they're thrown together and begin to fall in love. It's a lovely Christmas romance.

Wrapped Together by Annabeth Albert - Oh my gosh, I loved this book. It gave me all the warm, happy feelings I want from a holiday romance. Christmas reminds Hollis too much of his parents' deaths a few years ago, so he tries not to participate in the season, but Sawyer, whose brother is married to Hollis's sister, makes it his mission to give Christmas back to Hollis. I only read it a couple weeks ago and I already want to reread.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles by Eli Easton - A Christmas romance between librarians. I loved this, and I loved Sean Miggles.

The Ugliest Sweater by Gillian St. Kevern - This was a very cute, sweet short story in which an ugly Christmas sweater brings two people together. I only wish it had been longer, but then I tend to prefer longer reads so that might just be me. If you're looking for light and short, this might be perfect.

Of Christmas Past by Teryn Day - This is a lovely, poignant Christmas story. Jon can see ghosts, and Cecil is one of the ghosts haunting an old mansion that belongs to Jon's family. I loved learning Jon's and Cecil's stories and watching them grow closer. My one issue with this story is that asexuality seems to be equated with having a low sex drive, which is not the same thing.

The Mistletoe Effect by Cate Ashwood - I just finished this one, and it was warm and sweet and all the good things about holiday romance. Danny and Merrick are just such good guys, and the snowy little Colorado town was the perfect setting for a Christmas romance.

I'll stop there, even though I could probably list a bunch more. I tend to binge read holiday romances this time of year anyway, but 2016 has left me especially needing the particular joy a holiday romance brings. I'm not even finished with my stack of new stories to read and old favorites to reread. I think I may be reading them through New Year's this year. I'll tell you about everything else I read in this month's regularly scheduled reading post.

Do you have favorite holiday romances? Or any wonderful ones that you've just discovered? Tell me (because apparently I can never have enough holiday romances to read!).

And, just for laughs, have a picture of me wearing reindeer antlers while I helped decorate my parents' tree.

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 of The Sorcerer's Guardian for you today. Here's another moment between Savarin and Loriot on their journey.

Thanks for reading! If you want more info about The Sorcerer's Guardian (which is on sale through the 17th), you can find it here. If you're in the middle of the cold, wintry weather, stay warm and safe. 

​This wrap up post is a little later than it should be for which I apologize, but I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who followed the tour. I hope you enjoyed learning more about The Sorcerer's Guardian and Tournai. I also wanted to announce our blog tour giveaway winner: Susana! Susana has her copy of The Scholar's Heart, and I hope she enjoys Etan and Tristan's story.

So much gratitude as well to all of you who have already bought and read The Sorcerer's Guardian and perhaps even left a review. Reviews help authors so much, and I really do appreciate it when you take the time to review. And if you haven't picked up your copy of The Sorcerer's Guardian yet (or perhaps you have and you need to catch up on other Tournai books), they are all on sale at Dreamspinner today and tomorrow (December 16th and 17th). It might be a good time to treat yourself or someone else. Books make great gifts...

Anna Butler is visiting today with an exclusive excerpt from her new book and a great giveaway. Welcome, Anna!

About Passing Shadows

Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.
Psalm 144:4

Passing Shadows is a trilogy of short stories with a lesbian main character, Li Liang, who is one of the sole surviving witnesses of the destruction of Earth. The stories tell of the beginning of a long exodus across the galaxy looking for a haven where mankind can start again.
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The stories are:
        Overthrown By Strangers
        Habitation Of Dragons
        Winterlight

​Book Title: Passing Shadows
Publication Date :  12 December 2016
Publisher: Self-published through Glass Hat Press
Cover Artist: Kellie Dennis at Book Cover By Design
Wordcount: c 29,400
Category: Sci Fi, Gay mainstream, Short Story trilogy


Blurb

Li Liang has found a berth to suit her: chief pilot and first officer of the all-female crew of an old space freighter, the Sappho. Then one ordinary, unremarkable morning, Liang retunes the Sappho’s communications systems just in time to catch the breathless, terrible accounts from Mars of the total destruction of Earth.

Earth’s a cinder. The unknown alien race that destroyed it has left Mars, too, in flames and is ravening outward from the solar system, devouring every human colony on the way.

Liang’s one of the few survivors, racing ahead of the Devourers, rescuing as many frightened, shocked people as she can. Will Liang and the pitiful remnants of humanity find a new haven, somewhere to start again? Or will she, too, echo the dreadful last message coming out of their dead home?

​They’re coming. Oh God, they’re coming.

From Habitation of Dragons:

We’re silent for a very long time, just looking out at the city. When Earth went dark, we heard the Martian broadcasts of the attack, heard the despair and the terror. I’m willing to bet that every single one of us has jack-knifed up in bed, roaring up out of nightmare. We hear those anguished screams in our heads and imagine we’re the ones screaming, that we’re trapped there and dying in torment and pain. And I’m willing to bet we’ve done it more than once.

​And now we can see it, or something close to it. This is what a desolate wasteland looks like, when war has burned across it.
I don’t realise I’m crying until Thom’s hand brushes over my face, wiping it clean. His own eyes are wet. I hadn’t even noticed him swopping seats with Penny King, but I’m glad he’s there. I tuck my hand into his and hold on.

“What do you think happened?” Kit isn't usually subdued, but the deserted, desolate city streets must impress even him. He's quiet and withdrawn and that's not usual.

The Major looks grim, his mouth drawn down so hard it looks as if nothing will ever make it turn upwards again. “Nothing good. That doesn't look like something that just fell into disrepair. It looks like explosive damage to me.”

He points to a domed building at one end of the plaza. The dome is shattered, great shards of it missing, like an egg shell cracked open, the jagged edges biting up into a smoky sky the colour of ash. Rubble lies scattered across the stone pavement.

Thom shifts in his seat. “Most of the buildings show the same sort of damage.”

“Do you think...?” I stop, shake my head, squeeze my eyes tight shut against the stinging. “Is it like this there? At home? I can’t picture home anymore.”

Thom’s hand tightens on mine. He puts his other arm around my shoulders.

“From everything we heard and saw before Mars went, there won’t be this much left.” Matt Harrington’s voice is cold, his tone a little distant. “This city is a greater memorial to its people than anything we have left.”

“Don’t!” someone says. One of the troopers.

“War, then,” Kit says. "Looks like they're long gone, both the victors and the vanquished."

"Sometimes I wonder if we'd be able to tell which is which." There’s a deep sadness in Thom’s voice.

The city could probably tell. The city of the victors isn’t likely to be this bleak.

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Buy Links:


Links at Amazon.com  and Amazon.co.uk


Passing Strangers will also be available on Kindle Unlimited.
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Win $25 (or equivalent) gift card at Amazon
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Anna was a communications specialist for many years, working in various UK government departments on everything from marketing employment schemes to organizing conferences for 10,000 civil servants to running an internal TV service. These days, though, she is writing full time. She recently moved out of the ethnic and cultural melting pot of East London to the rather slower environs of a quiet village tucked deep in the Nottinghamshire countryside, where she lives with her husband and the Deputy Editor, aka Molly the cockerpoo.

Website and Blog
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Sign up for Anna’s quarterly newsletter
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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 of The Sorcerer's Guardian for you today. Here is Savarin trying to rationalize away the moment he and Loriot had in last week's snippet.

He’d noticed that Loriot was an attractive man the first time they’d met, but when they’d met, Savarin had been working on an assignment for the crown and Loriot was the new captain of the guard, also working. It hadn’t been the time to pursue something back then if he’d wanted to, and it certainly wasn’t the time for an affair now. He had far too much to do with his work on the protection spells, on top of everything else he always concerned himself with, to jump into a casual affair with anyone. And Loriot was someone he worked with from time to time in the service of the crown, not someone to think of as a potential partner. His initial offhand observation of Loriot had receded in his memory. Loriot became Captain Loriot only.

​Until that strange moment between them last night. Which was best forgotten. 

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You can find out more about The Sorcerer's Guardian here. Thanks for stopping by and reading today! 

I read a lot of books in November (Am I the only one who needed to escape from reality this past month?), and all of them except one were fantasy, paranormal, or historical (I really needed to escape from reality). Here are some books that I especially enjoyed in November:

Vespers by Liv Rancourt and Irene Preston: Vespers is an intriguing take on vampire stories. I loved Thaddeus, a religious demon-hunting vampire, and Sarasija, hired to be his assistant for the year without knowing what that really means. The New Orleans gothic setting is gorgeous. There's action, suspense, and a group of monks I find a bit suspicious. We also have a bit of tension between Thad with his Catholic faith and Sara who isn't Catholic and sees things through a different lens. Bonfire is a holiday novella that gives us a bit more of Thad and Sara. I enjoyed it immensely too, and I'm excited for more in this series.

Do You Want to Start a Scandal? by Tessa Dare: I so enjoy Tessa Dare's historical romances, and this one was lovely. Witty, sexy, and delightful. A light, fun historical read with a hint of both James Bond and Clue to it.

​Resistance by Amy Rae Durresson: I have had this book on my Kindle since it came out, and I don't know why it took me so long to read it. I loved Reawakening, the first book in this fantasy series (with dragons!), and I loved Resistance too. This is a really wonderful world. I can't wait for more of it.

​Daring Fate by Megan Erickson: Megan Erickson is another author whose books I always enjoy. Daring Fate is her first paranormal romance, and it was so good. It has werewolves and zombie werewolves and really interesting worlbuilding and characters I loved. I'm looking forward to the next in the series. 

The Soldier's Scoundrel by Cat Sebastian: I actually started this book back in October, but then I got sick and I couldn't concentrate on anything so I put it down. I'm so glad I picked it back up in November because it was a fun enemies to lovers type romance with great banter and characters. I'm looking forward to the next in this series too.

Ash and Echoes by August Li: Here's another book that I've had on my Kindle for way too long without reading. This is the first book in a fantasy series with excellent worldbuilding and an intriguing plot. I'll be picking up the rest of the series soon since this one ended on a bit of a cliffhanger and I need to know what happens.

Lessons for Suspicious Minds by Charlie Cochrane: The Cambridge Fellows is one of my favorite mystery series. They're enjoyable historical cozy mysteries with wonderful characters that I'm always happy to visit over and over again.

A Christmas Hex by Jordan L. Hawk: I think I love anything Jordan L. Hawk writes. This short story takes place in her historical paranormal Hexworld series, though you don't have to have read the others to understand this one. I found the characters lovely, and my only complaint is that I want more of them!

A Family for Christmas by Jay Northcote: This is the only contemporary romance I read in November, and it was a nice start to my holiday reading. A sweet, sexy, light read about two adorable, awkward characters, a fun family, and some cute animals at Christmas.

As you can see, I started my holiday reading at the end of November. Most of the books I read in December will be holiday romances. There's just something about them and the warm, giddy, happy feeling they provoke. I'll do a separate post with some of my favorites soon.

What have you been reading? What's next up on your to be read?

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 of The Sorcerer's Guardian (out now!) for you today. In this scene, Loriot and Savarin have walked into a dark room. Loriot moves to light the candles, but Savarin grabs his arm to hold him back while he lights them with magic. We're in Loriot's head here.

If you'd like to know more about The Sorcerer's Guardian, you can find it here. There's also still time to enter the blog tour giveaway. Thanks for stopping by today!

Today I'm at the Dreamspinner Press blog talking about the importance of family in my characters lives. The giveaway is open for a few more days if you haven't entered yet. I hope you've enjoyed following the blog tour, and I hope you enjoy reading The Sorcerer's Guardian. 

​Savarin, the most powerful sorcerer in Tournai, has honed his Talent through years of study and made magic his life. Among the wealthy and noble circles he moves in, no one would suspect the handsome, refined, and arrogant sorcerer’s humble beginnings, which is how Savarin prefers it. Tournai’s princes task Savarin with studying and strengthening the spells that protect the principality from magical attack. They are complex, centuries old, and exactly the type of puzzle Savarin is eager to solve. To his annoyance, the princes insist Loriot accompanies him.

Loriot worked his way up the ranks of the royal guard to captain and takes pride in his service. He must obey the princes’ orders to protect Savarin, despite believing his skills would be best used elsewhere. And despite his wariness of magic. UnTalented himself, he has learned not only the benefits of magic but also its potential for harm—and how to counter it. Loriot and Savarin clash during their journey, but there’s another reason for the tension between them, and passion develops into feelings neither expected. But Savarin must still fortify Tournai’s magical barrier, and his only solution endangers both him and the royal family.


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Buy The Sorcerer's Guardian:
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