Category: A Harmony Of Fire And Earth

Rainbow Snippets February 25-26

2/25/2023

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 month, I'm sharing some snippets from A Harmony of Fire and Earth, the second book in the Elemental Magicae duology. This book picks up right where A Dance of Water and Air ends (if you don't want spoilers, proceed with caution!). Arden and Edmund have reached relative safety in Edmund's home kingdom and are preparing for their wedding, but as personally happy as they are, they know their countries are still in danger. They believe there is a way to protect them, but they need powerful wielders of Earth and Fire magic to help. Arden sends for two he trusts—Rhys and Briallen—and they bring Gaz, a powerful Fire wielder, with them. Rhys fell in love with Gaz a long time ago, but his friend doesn't know it. And almost no one, including Rhys, knows that Gaz is actually Prince Gareth, Edmund's brother long thought dead and in hiding for his own safety. Gareth agrees to return home to help his brother, knowing that it could put him in danger and destroy the relationship he begins with Rhys along the way. A bit of a random snippet this week. Rhys, Gaz, Briallen, and Meraud are in the middle of their journey, made more difficult because it's winter and very cold and snowy. Rhys has a gift for Gaz to help with the cold.

“I have something for you.”

A teasing smile flirted with the edges of Gaz’s lips. “I don’t think we have time for it, but the sentiment is appreciated.”

“Ha. Not what I meant. This is for you.” He handed over the bundle.

Gaz’s brow furrowed in a frown, but he took the bundle of wool and began unfolding it. Both the scarf and the cap were made of the same soft wool in shades of rich red.

Rhys forced himself not to fidget while he waited for a reaction, any reaction at all, from Gaz. “I know you seem to stay a bit warmer than the rest of us, but it’s still bitterly cold. You don’t have a scarf and hat.”

Never mind that Rhys had made Gaz a half dozen sets of each and some gloves and other things as well, most of which sat packed away at home, waiting for the day he would give them to Gaz.

You can find more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today and I hope you're staying safe and well.

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A Belated Rainbow Snippet

2/20/2023

1 Comment

I have a belated Rainbow Snippet for you today. It should've posted over the weekend...but I didn't manage that!

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 month, I'm sharing some snippets from A Harmony of Fire and Earth, the second book in the Elemental Magicae duology. This book picks up right where A Dance of Water and Air ends (if you don't want spoilers, proceed with caution!). Arden and Edmund have reached relative safety in Edmund's home kingdom and are preparing for their wedding, but as personally happy as they are, they know their countries are still in danger. They believe there is a way to protect them, but they need powerful wielders of Earth and Fire magic to help. Arden sends for two he trusts—Rhys and Briallen—and they bring Gaz, a powerful Fire wielder, with them. Rhys fell in love with Gaz a long time ago, but his friend doesn't know it. And almost no one, including Rhys, knows that Gaz is actually Prince Gareth, Edmund's brother long thought dead and in hiding for his own safety. Gareth agrees to return home to help his brother, knowing that it could put him in danger and destroy the relationship he begins with Rhys along the way. In this snippet, Edmund and Arden get a look at each other right before their wedding ceremony.

“What?” Without waiting for an answer, he turned, and everything stopped, everything faded away. He wasn’t even breathing.

Arden stood in a doorway watching Edmund. He’d managed to combine Thalassa’s current fashions with some from Aither into an icy blue and silver wedding outfit, flattering to his lithe frame, which would surely be copied by tomorrow. Edmund hadn’t had any doubts Arden could bend anything to his will, including this. His copper curls were crowned by a glittering tiara that had been in Edmund’s family for years and yet seemed made for Arden. Arden looked at him with a small, soft smile on his face.

He came to Edmund and took his hands. “Breathe, love.”

Edmund chuckled with Arden. “Not my fault. Look at you.”

“I’m too busy looking at you.”

He raised Arden’s hands to his lips. “We’re getting married today.”

“Yes, we are.” Arden’s smile was brilliant and open and just for Edmund. He squeezed Edmund’s hands.

You can find more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today and I hope you're staying safe and well!

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Rainbow Snippets February 11-12

2/12/2023

2 Comments

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 month, I'm sharing some snippets from A Harmony of Fire and Earth, the second book in the Elemental Magicae duology. This book picks up right where A Dance of Water and Air ends (if you don't want spoilers, proceed with caution!). Arden and Edmund have reached relative safety in Edmund's home kingdom and are preparing for their wedding, but as personally happy as they are, they know their countries are still in danger. They believe there is a way to protect them, but they need powerful wielders of Earth and Fire magic to help. Arden sends for two he trusts—Rhys and Briallen—and they bring Gaz, a powerful Fire wielder, with them. Rhys fell in love with Gaz a long time ago, but his friend doesn't know it. And almost no one, including Rhys, knows that Gaz is actually Prince Gareth, Edmund's brother long thought dead and in hiding for his own safety. Gareth agrees to return home to help his brother, knowing that it could put him in danger and destroy the relationship he begins with Rhys along the way. Since Valentine's Day is this week, it seemed like the perfect time for a first kiss snippet.

Rhys turned to him as they stopped near the stables, just outside the circle of lantern light near the door. He watched Gaz for a moment, nerves making his stomach churn. Could he do this? “And what if what I want to do is kiss you?”

Gaz’s indrawn breath was sharp and loud in the quiet of the night. “Do you?”

“I do.”

“It might not be a good idea.”

“I know. But it might be a very good idea too.”

Laughing a little, Gaz shook his head.

“Do you not want me to kiss you? If so, just say, and I’ll never mention it again.” He silently recited every prayer he knew that Gaz wouldn’t say it.

“It isn’t that I don’t want you to. It’s just—”

Rhys didn’t let Gaz finish, and maybe that was wrong. He didn’t even consciously make the decision to close the distance—only a step or two—between them and press his lips to Gaz’s. It was a whisper of a kiss at first, light and soft. But Rhys was stunned to be kissing Gaz after all this time. Just that fact was glorious.

You can find more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today and I hope you're staying safe and well!

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Rainbow Snippets February 4-5

2/5/2023

1 Comment

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 month, I'm sharing some snippets from A Harmony of Fire and Earth, the second book in the Elemental Magicae duology. This book picks up right where A Dance of Water and Air ends (if you don't want spoilers, proceed with caution!). Arden and Edmund have reached relative safety in Edmund's home kingdom and are preparing for their wedding, but as personally happy as they are, they know their countries are still in danger. They believe there is a way to protect them, but they need powerful wielders of Earth and Fire magic to help. Arden sends for two he trusts—Rhys and Briallen—and they bring Gaz, a powerful Fire wielder, with them. Rhys fell in love with Gaz a long time ago, but his friend doesn't know it. And almost no one, including Rhys, knows that Gaz is actually Prince Gareth, Edmund's brother long thought dead and in hiding for his own safety. Gareth agrees to return home to help his brother, knowing that it could put him in danger and destroy the relationship he begins with Rhys along the way. Here's a bit from the beginning, before Arden gets in touch. Gareth and Meraud, his one-time guard and now friend (she would say she's still his guard too), are in the village tavern.

“Rhys and Briallen just came in,” Meraud said.

Gareth looked toward the door without even thinking about it, his eyes seeking out the brown-haired man with the laughing eyes and the bright smile. He snapped his gaze back to Meraud and shook his head. “Stop.”

“I only pointed out that people who are the closest things you have to friends, other than me, just arrived.”

“Of course it’s all you did.”

Maybe it had been her only intention, but Gareth was used to her teasing and pushing him toward men. He resisted every time. He couldn’t see himself forming deep relationships of any kind with such a big secret hanging over his head. He could get away with deflections and vague lies in the kind of polite, superficial relationships he had with people in town. Only Rhys pushed at his resolve.

You can find more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well.

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Rainbow Snippets January 29-30

1/29/2022

4 Comments

“I thought you might like some chocolate.” She came to him and leaned against the edge of the desk, handing him a steaming mug.

“Breaking into the precious stores?” he teased.

“The snowy day seemed to call for it.” She sipped from her own cup.

“We’re going to have a lot of them.”

“I know.”

He laughed softly and settled deeper into the worn cushions of his chair, breathing in the scent of the rich chocolate. There were memories in the scent—of childhood with his siblings, of winters since with Meraud in Aither’s cold. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to revel in them or turn away, and he didn’t much like that he was getting maudlin. He took a drink from his mug instead.

“Everything all right, Gareth?”

He glanced up at her, hating the concern in her eyes. He’d seen too much of it in the months and years at the beginning of their flight from Thalassa. He didn’t want it now.

You can find more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and healthy (and warm, if you're also dealing with this storm!).

4 Comments

Rainbow Snippets January 22-23

1/22/2022

5 Comments

Gareth stared out the window at the falling snow. Fat, soft flakes drifted down from the gray sky, coating bare tree branches and making everything look like a painting, stark and beautiful. This early in the season, he could appreciate the beauty of it, before biting wind and ice made it more painful than anything else, and he wouldn’t want to leave the cottage if he didn’t absolutely have to. Even today, he was content to sit and watch it accumulate, see the little pile against the window glass begin to grow.

He’d been working, reading through a book he’d been sent by a Fire wielder from Damek he’d trained with briefly with a request for his comments, but though the book’s theories were interesting, nothing was holding his attention today. If he were honest with himself, he’d admit his attention had been lacking for a while now. Since the night before Edmund’s wedding. Since the night Rhys had kissed him.

But Gareth wasn’t ready to be quite so honest.

You can find more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well!

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Rainbow Snippets January 15-16

1/15/2022

5 Comments

Gaz’s lips were soft and still under his. Then he made a little noise and stepped into Rhys, bent just a bit, and the kiss became something more. Rhys clutched at Gaz’s hips, slim beneath the thick coat he wore. He wished they didn’t have coats and gloves between them—he wished they didn’t have anything between them. But there was something magical all the same about a kiss in the winter night, stars above them, fresh snow beneath their feet, crisp, cold air nipping at them. Even the bite of the cold disappeared after a moment. He didn’t want the kiss to end, and if his mind was working properly, he would be thinking of somewhere they could go alone for more kisses.

You can find more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well!

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Rainbow Snippets September 25-26

9/25/2021

4 Comments

Briallen shook her head. “Are you ever going to say anything to him?”

“I say things to him all the time. Every time I see him, in fact.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“I do. I’m just not sure why you’ve chosen to say it now.” He’d met Gaz for the first time four years ago and wanted him in his bed from the moment Gaz opened his cottage door. Rhys could still see him in that moment, a tall, lean man with light brown skin and wary dark eyes, wavy hair tipped in the fiery red signifying his Element and the glint of silver at his ears. But Rhys didn’t jump into bed with men he’d just met, and Gaz hadn’t indicated he’d want to anyway. Other feelings on Rhys’s part had followed over the years. He still wanted Gaz in bed, but he wanted so much more as well.

“Because it’s been years.” Briallen’s voice pulled him from the memory.

You can find out more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today and I hope you're all staying safe and well.

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Rainbow Snippets July 10-11

7/10/2021

7 Comments

“Your brother is alive?” The words burst from Arden without thought. Shock wasn’t allowing him to think.

Prince Gareth of Thalassa was alive?

And this wasn’t something Edmund had chosen to tell Arden before now? They were going to be married in the morning, and Gareth was Edmund’s younger brother, whom everyone had thought dead for years.

You can find more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Also, it's 50% off at Smashwords this month (along with my other books!). Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and well.

7 Comments