Category: A Harmony Of Fire And Earth

Rainbow Snippets January 29-30

1/29/2022

“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!).

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Rainbow Snippets January 22-23

1/22/2022

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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

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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 another wintry snippet for you this week, this one from A Harmony of Fire and Earth, which follows A Dance of Water and Air in the Elemental Magicae series. Gaz is a wielder of Fire magic with dangerous and Rhys is an Earth wielder who has been his friend and in love with him for quite some time. They get pulled into a risky magical undertaking, and all those secrets come out and danger and conflict follow. But in this snippet, none of that has happened yet, and the two men are sharing a first kiss on a snowy night.

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

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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 snippet from A Harmony of Fire and Earth today, the second book in my Elemental Magicae series. It continues the story of Edmund and Arden from A Dance of Water and Air and their quest to save two kingdoms. Edmund and Arden marry in A Harmony of Fire and Earth, but this book includes a new romance between Rhys, an Earth wielder who has been enamored of his friend Gaz for years, and Gaz, a reclusive Fire wielder with secrets that have kept him from acting on his own attractive to Rhys. Rhys and Gaz met long before the beginning of the book, but in this snippet, Rhys remembers their first meeting, prompted by his sister Briallen questioning him about whether he'll ever let Gaz know how he feels.

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

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's snippet of first lines comes from A Harmony of Fire and Earth, the second book in the Elemental Magicae series. This book picks up right after A Dance of Water and Air, which I shared a snippet from last week. Edmund and Arden's story continues in this book, though they've gotten a pretty solid HEA at the end of Dance. Harmony resolves more of the fantasy plot and introduces a new couple who need their own HEA, Rhys and Gareth. The first lines of Harmony give us Arden's reaction to a bombshell Edmund dropped on him at the end of the previous book (so this snippet probably counts as spoilers!).

“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.

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Read an Ebook Week Sale!

3/7/2021

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All of my books are 50% off in the Smashwords Read an Ebook Week sale through March 13th. You can find them all here. Go grab some books!

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Rainbow Snippets February 27-28

2/27/2021

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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 continuing to share snippets of first kisses today with Rhys and Gaz's first kiss in A Harmony of Fire and Earth, the second book in the Elemental Magicae series. Rhys and Gaz have been friends for some time...and Rhys has been in love with Gaz for some time too. Gaz has feelings for Rhys too, but he also has secrets that keep him distant. In this scene, Rhys has finally decided to do something about what he feels. He's just told Gaz he'd like to kiss him. Gaz speaks first in this snippet.

“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 all staying safe and well.

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Bleak Midwinter QUILTBAG Funfest: Gold Rings

12/30/2020

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A bunch of authors from the QUILTBAG Historicals Facebook group have gotten together to try to brighten this dark midwinter time with some posts based (loosely) on The Twelve Days of Christmas. There's also a fantastic giveaway, which you can enter here!

Today is the fifth day, which means gold rings, and in my post, gold rings mean a wedding. This one is Edmund and Arden's wedding in A Harmony of Fire and Earth:

“Your Highnesses?” the priest asked. “Are you ready?”

Edmund smiled. “More than. Arden?”

Arden reached up and settled his hands on Edmund’s shoulders. He looked into Edmund’s eyes. Arden’s green gaze was serious and searching—though for what Edmund wasn’t sure—and worry twisted in Edmund’s stomach. But then it softened, became achingly tender. Something turned over inside Edmund, and he was amazed once more that this man loved him, would be his. And he would be Arden’s.

Arden nodded, as if Edmund had said something, answered whatever question Arden had. He smoothed his hands down the front of Edmund’s jacket. “Yes, we’re ready.”

They didn’t take their eyes off each other as the doors were opened once more; Edmund was caught in Arden’s green gaze. He could have imagined them all alone, could have wished it, but he barely noticed anyone except Arden anyway.

“Shall we?” Arden asked in a whisper.

“Yes. Let’s get married.”

They walked through the doors into the temple proper side by side, arm in arm.

Edmund should be paying attention to the people who lined the aisle of the crowded temple, but the faces were a blur. Everything was a blur, indistinct, unreal—everything except Arden. They walked the long aisle together and up the three steps to where the priest and priestess waited at the altar. Kerenza and Ciaran stood on the second step. Neither Edmund nor Arden had made politically expedient choices in their witnesses, nor did they care.

The priest and priestess began the ceremony. Edmund’s heart was racing; he could barely hear what they said, but he stared into Arden’s eyes, reading the emotion there, the fight not to let too much of it overflow—which Edmund shared. They were in full view of a court who thought their marriage a political matter, and, sadly, too many people would seize upon excessive displays of emotion as a weakness.

It didn’t matter so much, though, because he was marrying Arden. Edmund’s feelings for Arden were not things he needed to showcase or have judged by the members of his father’s court, by diplomats and nobility and dignitaries invited to the wedding because of their titles not their relationship to Edmund. He loved Arden, and Arden loved him. Nothing else mattered.

They said their vows to each other and exchanged rings—bands of gold set with diamonds and pearls, made new for them instead of taken from Edmund’s family’s collection. He’d wanted new for this new beginning. He slid Arden’s ring on with hands that trembled only slightly. Edmund wanted this so much, wanted Arden forever so very much. All that want had him nearly vibrating out of his own skin.

Arden’s hands were cool and sure as he placed Edmund’s ring on his finger, his voice even and strong as he recited his vows. He kept hold of Edmund’s hand after. Edmund couldn’t remember if they were supposed to, and he couldn’t much care—Arden’s hand in his felt right. Arden gave him a small smile, just a slight curve of his lips, but for Edmund alone.

About A Harmony of Fire and Earth

[Note: The following blurb contains spoilers for book 1, A Dance of Water and Air.]

Prince Edmund of Thalassa and Prince Arden of Aither are eagerly anticipating their upcoming wedding, but the danger to their kingdom hasn’t lessened. They have a plan, but they won’t be able to carry it out alone: they need a strong wielder of each Element, whom they can trust implicitly, to carry out the magic.

Rhys is a commoner and wielder of Earth magic. He and his sister have made a living from the use of their magic for years and have become highly respected in scholarly circles, though he prefers a more simple life with his plants. When a message from Prince Arden reaches them asking for their help, they don’t hesitate. They stop only to request that Gaz, a strong Fire wielder and the man Rhys has long been enamored of, accompany them on the journey to Thalassa’s royal palace.

What no one knows is that Gaz was once known as Prince Gareth of Thalassa and is Edmund’s younger brother, long believed dead. He fled his home after his Fire Affinity made itself known and put him in danger, and he had no intention of ever going back. But he can’t keep himself from going to his brother’s aid, despite the risk of discovery and of the weight of his secrets potentially crushing his fledgling relationship with Rhys.

Working against time, they must find a way to come together in a magical working the likes of which none of them has ever imagined, or their homelands will surely burn.

Buy A Harmony of Fire and Earth:
NineStar Press
Apple
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords
Kobo

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An Anniversary and a Giveaway

3/11/2020

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A Harmony of Fire and Earth has been out in the world for one year today! I thought it might be fun to mark the day with a giveaway. Comment below for a chance to win an ebook of A Harmony of Fire and Earth or of the first book in the series, A Dance of Water and Air, if you'd prefer. I'll pick a winner in a week.

About A Harmony of Fire and Earth

Prince Edmund of Thalassa and Prince Arden of Aither are eagerly anticipating their upcoming wedding, but the danger to their kingdom hasn’t lessened. They have a plan, but they won’t be able to carry it out alone: they need a strong wielder of each Element, whom they can trust implicitly, to carry out the magic.

Rhys is a commoner and wielder of Earth magic. He and his sister have made a living from the use of their magic for years and have become highly respected in scholarly circles, though he prefers a more simple life with his plants. When a message from Prince Arden reaches them asking for their help, they don’t hesitate. They stop only to request that Gaz, a strong Fire wielder and the man Rhys has long been enamored of, accompany them on the journey to Thalassa’s royal palace.

What no one knows is that Gaz was once known as Prince Gareth of Thalassa and is Edmund’s younger brother, long believed dead. He fled his home after his Fire Affinity made itself known and put him in danger, and he had no intention of ever going back. But he can’t keep himself from going to his brother’s aid, despite the risk of discovery and of the weight of his secrets potentially crushing his fledgling relationship with Rhys.

Working against time, they must find a way to come together in a magical working the likes of which none of them has ever imagined, or their homelands will surely burn.

Buy A Harmony of Fire and Earth:
NineStar Press
Apple
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords
Kobo

Excerpt

After they finished eating, Rhys and Gaz bundled up against the cold night and left Briallen and Meraud chatting and finishing the wine. Gaz needed to retrieve his and Meraud’s horses from the stables. Rhys went along to check on his and Briallen’s and make sure they’d been made comfortable for the night. He could admit to himself it was just an excuse to spend a few more moments with Gaz. If the others knew, they kindly didn’t mention it.

“So we probably won’t be seeing you for a while, then,” Gaz said after a few moments. They were strolling, despite the chill. Rhys didn’t envy his friends their ride home in the dark. “Since you want to get home before the worst of winter sets in.”

“We don’t really want to have to travel then, so probably not.” As much as he regretted it. There was nothing to say they couldn’t travel, but Aither’s winters meant a lot of snow, even here in the foothills, and it wasn’t pleasant to try to get through it, even though he wanted to see his friends. “It’s best for us to go directly home from this last job.”

“And you miss your greenhouses.” Gaz was smiling when he said it, the look almost fond.

“I suppose I do.” Both Rhys and Briallen were Earth Affinities, but his was far more in tune with plants—growing them and strengthening their healing and magical properties, as well as doing some healing himself. So, yes, he did hate having to leave his plants in the care of others. Winter gave him time to tend the greenhouses and experiment, tasks he found both soothing and fulfilling.

“No shame in that. It’s part of who you are. You should do what you’re passionate about. We all should.” Gaz’s voice was quiet but intense.

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.

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Rainbow Snippet January 25-26

1/25/2020

6 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+

Today, I have another wintry snippet for you, this one from A Harmony of Fire and Earth. It's also a first kiss.

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.

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.

You can find more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today, and have a wonderful weekend!

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Rainbow Snippets January 29-30

Rainbow Snippets January 22-23

Rainbow Snippets January 15-16

Rainbow Snippets September 25-26

Rainbow Snippets July 10-11

Read an Ebook Week Sale!

Rainbow Snippets February 27-28

Bleak Midwinter QUILTBAG Funfest: Gold Rings

About A Harmony of Fire and Earth

An Anniversary and a Giveaway

About A Harmony of Fire and Earth

Excerpt

Rainbow Snippet January 25-26

Author

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