Category: Dragons Of Ivria

Rainbow Snippets July 15-16

7/16/2023

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.

I'm currently sharing snippets from To Love the Dragon King, which is being proofread while I figure out the details of self-publishing it so I can (finally!) release it into the world this summer. To Love the Dragon King is the first book in a new series, the Dragons of Ivria, which I believe will be a trilogy. In this book, dragon shifter Lysander, the king of Ivria, has come into the knowledge of a treasonous plot against him and the kingdom and has set out to discover the extent of it and its participants. When he arrives to arrest one of the conspirators, he finds Sascha. Sascha was not born with the magic to allow him to transform into a dragon, and therefore, to his (horrible) parents, his only purpose is to enter into a marriage or a contract as a concubine that will benefit his family. To that end, they've contracted him to Jannik, the man Lysander is about to arrest. Sascha has no knowledge of the plot, or that he's being used in it, or that he's about to be caught up in the orbit of the king and the scheming and danger that revolves around him. This snippet follows directly after last week's.

Physically, he wasn’t imposing. His build was average, and he was older than Sascha’s father. Gray streaked his thick blond hair. But an aura of menace surrounded him. His eyes were hard and cold, his lips set in a mean twist. His movements were sharp and authoritative. This man was in complete control of his household, of his affairs, of all he considered his—and his control would not be kind or fair.

Sascha understood Triana’s warning now.

You can find more about To Love the Dragon King here. And don't forget that my other books are all 50% off at Smashwords this month, which is a fantastic sale. Thanks for reading today!

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To Love the Dragon King Cover Reveal!

7/14/2023

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I have been waiting so long to share this gorgeous cover with you! My plan had been to finish and publish To Love the Dragon King ages ago, so I've been sitting on this gorgeous cover that the amazing Natasha Snow made for me for what feels like forever. But we're getting much closer now—I don't have a firm release date yet, but the plan is August, which is so very soon. Fingers crossed everything works out as planned. Take a look at the fabulous cover:

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Rainbow Snippets July 8-9

7/9/2023

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His resolve didn’t stop him from jumping when a voice bellowed from deeper in the castle. It didn’t stop his hands from trembling when he realized the owner of the bellowing voice was coming closer. And that, from the reaction of the staff, the bellower had to be Lord Jannik. No one had taken Sascha’s cloak, so he clenched his gloved hands together beneath it and strove to regain his tattered self-possession as he was left alone in the center of the hall, the servants scattering, the man of business halting several feet away from him.

Sascha’s first sight of Jannik did not inspire calm—nor did it inspire feelings like desire or infatuation or even interest, and so he let go of any dream of such things he might’ve had. No, the man who strode into the hall inspired nothing but fear.

Stay tuned this week for the reveal of the gorgeous cover of To Love the Dragon King! In the meantime, check out the Smashwords sale in which all my other books are 50% off through July. Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippets July 1-2

7/2/2023

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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 switching over to snippets from To Love the Dragon King, which is currently being proofread while I figure out the details of self-publishing it so I can (finally!) release it into the world. To Love the Dragon King is the first book in a new series, the Dragons of Ivria, which I believe will be a trilogy. In this book, dragon shifter Lysander, the king of Ivria, has come into the knowledge of a treasonous plot against him and the kingdom and has set out to discover the extent of it and its participants. When he arrives to arrest one of the conspirators, he finds Sascha. Sascha was not born with the magic to allow him to transform into a dragon, and therefore, to his (horrible) parents, his only purpose is to enter into a marriage or a contract as a concubine that will benefit his family. To that end, they've contracted him to Jannik, the man Lysander is about to arrest. Sascha has no knowledge of the plot, or that he's being used in it, or that he's about to be caught up in the orbit of the king and the scheming and danger that revolves around him. This snippet follows directly after last week's.

“You need to go inside.” The man’s clipped tone drew Sascha’s attention once more. “You don’t want to keep Lord Jannik waiting.”

Sascha raised his chin a fraction in an effort to appear calm and dignified. “Of course.”

Heart beating wildly, he concentrated on his breathing, on taking measured, graceful steps across the stones and through the open door. His heels clacked loudly on the marble floor, the sound echoing in the large entry hall. He almost flinched at the noise, but servants still hurried around in the wake of his arrival and the departure of the daughter of the house and the stern-faced man had followed him inside—Sascha refused to show such weakness in front of them.

More info about To Love the Dragon King coming soon! Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippets June 24-25

6/25/2023

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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 switching over to snippets from To Love the Dragon King, which is currently being proofread while I figure out the details of self-publishing it so I can (finally!) release it into the world. To Love the Dragon King is the first book in a new series, the Dragons of Ivria, which I believe will be a trilogy. In this book, dragon shifter Lysander, the king of Ivria, has come into the knowledge of a treasonous plot against him and the kingdom and has set out to discover the extent of it and its participants. When he arrives to arrest one of the conspirators, he finds Sascha. Sascha was not born with the magic to allow him to transform into a dragon, and therefore, to his (horrible) parents, his only purpose is to enter into a marriage or a contract as a concubine that will benefit his family. To that end, they've contracted him to Jannik, the man Lysander is about to arrest. Sascha has no knowledge of the plot, or that he's being used in it, or that he's about to be caught up in the orbit of the king and the scheming and danger that revolves around him. This snippet follows directly after last week's. This week's snippet is a little longer than it should be, but it made sense to break it here...

He straightened his spine against the fine tremors moving through him and waited, watching her approach.

She flicked her gaze over him briefly once she stopped in front of him. “So you’re my father’s new concubine?”

“If your father is Lord Jannik, then yes. I’m Sascha of Clan Sapfir.”

If anything, she looked more troubled. “I can’t say you’ll like it here and mean it. I’m grateful my marriage is getting me away, and I have no idea what it will be like. I can only wish you good luck.”

Sascha blinked at her, shock robbing him of words.

“Lady Triana.” The stern voice had them both looking toward the man of business. “It’s time for you to go.”

Triana nodded regally, but she turned back to Sascha instead of moving toward her waiting carriage. When she spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper. “My father’s man of business is horrible, but the housekeeper and the maids and kitchen staff are all kind and helpful. Take care of yourself.”

He took the hand she held out to him, let her squeeze his nerveless fingers. “Thank you. You take care of yourself as well.”

With a brisk nod to him, she moved away, sailing past the glowering man of business—Sascha had been told his name, hadn’t he?—to the carriage where a footman assisted her inside. The driver got the horses moving immediately, and Triana was on her way to an uncertain future…but one she’d rather confront than the past she’d left here. What was Sascha walking into?

More about To Love the Dragon King (including a cover reveal!) coming soon. For now, don't miss out on a great sale on the rest of my books: use code PRIDE23 to get 50% off my books and lots of others at NineStar Press through the end of June. Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippets June 17-18

6/17/2023

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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 switching over to snippets from To Love the Dragon King, which is currently being proofread while I figure out the details of self-publishing it so I can (finally!) release it into the world. To Love the Dragon King is the first book in a new series, the Dragons of Ivria, which I believe will be a trilogy. In this book, dragon shifter Lysander, the king of Ivria, has come into the knowledge of a treasonous plot against him and the kingdom and has set out to discover the extent of it and its participants. When he arrives to arrest one of the conspirators, he finds Sascha. Sascha was not born with the magic to allow him to transform into a dragon, and therefore, to his (horrible) parents, his only purpose is to enter into a marriage or a contract as a concubine that will benefit his family. To that end, they've contracted him to Jannik, the man Lysander is about to arrest. Sascha has no knowledge of the plot, or that he's being used in it, or that he's about to be caught up in the orbit of the king and the scheming and danger that revolves around him. This snippet follows directly after last week's.

He took a long, slow breath, searching for calm despite the sick roiling in his stomach. Then, gathering his cloak and his dignity around him, he stepped down from the carriage. Another couple of servants were coming to deal with his trunk, and he thanked them, receiving nods in return. Moving away from the carriage a few steps to get out of the way, he surveyed his surroundings. The castle looked no less forbidding up close, but perhaps the place would be more pleasant in spring. Late winter meant bare trees and no flowers or color anywhere. Even the snow—something Sascha usually saw the beauty in—didn’t help.

A young woman about Sascha’s age hurried through the castle doors. Her hair shone gold even in the weak sunlight before she flipped the hood of her green cloak up to cover it. She was halfway to the carriages before she stopped abruptly, her gaze landing on Sascha. Her rosebud lips turned down in a brief frown. When she moved again, it was in his direction.

I'll have more information about To Love the Dragon King for you soon. In the meantime, don't miss out on the great Pride Month sale at NineStar Press—use code PRIDE23 to get 50% off my books through the month of June. Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippets June 10-11

6/11/2023

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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 switching over to snippets from To Love the Dragon King, which is currently being proofread while I figure out the details of self-publishing it so I can (finally!) release it into the world. To Love the Dragon King is the first book in a new series, the Dragons of Ivria, which I believe will be a trilogy. In this book, dragon shifter Lysander, the king of Ivria, has come into the knowledge of a treasonous plot against him and the kingdom and has set out to discover the extent of it and its participants. When he arrives to arrest one of the conspirators, he finds Sascha. Sascha was not born with the magic to allow him to transform into a dragon, and therefore, to his (horrible) parents, his only purpose is to enter into a marriage or a contract as a concubine that will benefit his family. To that end, they've contracted him to Jannik, the man Lysander is about to arrest. Sascha has no knowledge of the plot, or that he's being used in it, or that he's about to be caught up in the orbit of the king and the scheming and danger that revolves around him. This snippet follows directly after last week's.

Sascha wouldn’t have chosen any of the circumstances for this journey, and the manner in which it was being made—not to mention the sight of its endpoint—was not helping Sascha hold on to any hope that this portion of his life would be good. And hope was something he’d been determinedly clinging to since his parents had told him of the contract they’d signed, making him Lord Jannik’s concubine.

The carriage rattled over the cobblestones of the road leading to the castle’s imposing front doors and slowed to a stop behind a second carriage. There was a flurry of activity around it, as servants loaded and secured baggage. Was Lord Jannik leaving with Sascha arriving today?
The door beside him was pulled opened abruptly. The stern-faced man of business—what was his name?—stood there, looking particular dour.

“We’re here.” He didn’t offer assistance or wait for Sascha to climb out before walking away. Concubines were supposed to have status and respect on par with that of spouses—both traditionally and contractually. Sascha hadn’t been treated that way so far.

I'll have more for you about To Love the Dragon King soon. For now, don't miss out on the fantastic Pride Month sale at NineStar Press. You can get all my other books 50% off with code PRIDE23 through June. Thanks for reading!

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Rainbow Snippets June 3-4

6/4/2023

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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 switching over to snippets from To Love the Dragon King, which is currently being proofread while I figure out the details of self-publishing it so I can (finally!) release it into the world. To Love the Dragon King is the first book in a new series, the Dragons of Ivria, which I believe will be a trilogy. In this book, dragon shifter Lysander, the king of Ivria, has come into the knowledge of a treasonous plot against him and the kingdom and has set out to discover the extent of it and its participants. When he arrives to arrest one of the conspirators, he finds Sascha. Sascha was not born with the magic to allow him to transform into a dragon, and therefore, to his (horrible) parents, his only purpose is to enter into a marriage or a contract as a concubine that will benefit his family. To that end, they've contracted him to Jannik, the man Lysander is about to arrest. Sascha has no knowledge of the plot, or that he's being used in it, or that he's about to be caught up in the orbit of the king and the scheming and danger that revolves around him. Here's the beginning.

Forbidding was the word that came to Sascha’s mind at his first sight of Grau Castle, which would be his home for the next several years. The gray stone and high walls were bleak against the slate-colored clouds blanketing the sky. Sascha shivered and huddled deeper into his fur-trimmed cloak, despite knowing the reaction hadn’t been entirely—or even mostly—caused by the raw chill in the air.

But he couldn’t stop staring out the carriage window as they approached the building. He schooled his features carefully into the serene mask he’d practiced for long hours until he could hold onto it even if everything inside him quaked, as it did now. Deliberately forced his breathing to even out. Best to prepare himself when he was alone, Lord Jannik’s man of business having chosen to ride up with the driver the whole journey from Sascha’s family home where the man had retrieved him and turned over the contractual payment to his parents. It had made for a long and lonely trip—all day yesterday and overnight in the carriage—but Sascha wouldn’t have chosen the company of the other man anyway.

I'll have more information about To Love the Dragon King, including the cover reveal (of the absolutely gorgeous cover that I've been sitting on for way too long!), soon. For now, my other books are on sale at NineStar Press for Pride Month—use code PRIDE23 to get 50% off your order through June and grab some fantasy romance cheap! Thanks for reading today, and Happy Pride!

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Rainbow Snippets July 17-18

7/17/2021

3 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+

I decided to finish out my first lines theme with the first lines of To Love the Dragon King, my dragon shifter work in progress. I meant to be finished writing this book...well, last year, but 2020/2021 and my brain have not gotten along well. Progress is inching along, though, and I hope to be finished soon. Especially since I have a gorgeous cover from Natasha Snow that I can't wait to share! The book is the story of Lysander, a king trying to uncover those plotting against him, and Sascha, son of a minor branch of a noble family who discovers he's being used as a pawn in that plot. In the first lines, we're in Sascha's point of view as he gets a glimpse of the home of the man his parents have contracted him to and doesn't much like what he sees. (Unedited, so please excuse any errors!)

Forbidding was the first word that came to Sascha’s mind at his first sight of the castle that would be his home for the next several years. The gray stone and high walls seemed bleak against the slate-colored clouds blanketing the sky. Sascha shivered and huddled deeper into his fur-trimmed cloak, despite knowing the shiver hadn’t been entirely—or even mostly—caused by the raw chill in the air.

But he couldn’t stop staring out of the carriage window as they approached the building. He schooled his features carefully into the pleasant mask he’d practiced for long hours until he could hold onto it even if everything inside him quaked. Best to prepare himself now even though he was alone in the carriage, the man of business having chosen to ride up with the driver the whole journey from Sascha’s family home where the man had retrieved him and turned over the contractual payment to his parents.

Hopefully, I'll have more to share from and about To Love the Dragon King soon! In the meantime, my other books (including my other two dragon shifter books--The Dragon's Devotion and The Envoy's Honor) are all 50% off in the Smashwords sale this month. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and well!

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Rainbow Snippets May 1-2

5/1/2021

4 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+

I decided to finish up the first kiss theme with a glimpse at my next release, which I am still working on well after I thought I would have it done and self-published and be on to something else (this past year has made a mess of every writing plan I had!). To Love the Dragon King will be the start of the Dragons of Ivria series (more dragon shifters—yay!). In this first book, King Lysander has discovered a plot against him and his kingdom and is trying to find its masterminds, during which he meets Sascha...a gorgeous young man who is unknowingly being used a pawn in that plot by his family. Sascha becomes concubine to the king, and things develop from there. This is their first kiss, as it stands now—I'm sure there will some more editing and polishing before this makes it to its final form. (To Love the Dragon King already has a gorgeous cover by Natasha Snow, but I'm not quite ready to share that yet, so here's one of the many aesthetics I've made, often when I should've been writing.)

Lysander wanted to just take, but he wouldn’t. “May I kiss you?”

Sascha blinked his large eyes, his lips parting again in surprise. But his voice was sure when he spoke. “Yes.”

He couldn’t help his smile—satisfied, anticipating—as he bent closer to Sascha. He slid one hand around the back of Sascha’s neck, the other around his trim waist, and leaned down to touch his lips to Sascha’s. The contact was like lightning arcing through him. Sascha made a little noise in his throat and brought a hand up to Lysander’s chest, but he didn’t push Lysander away. He just pressed his palm there, perhaps anchoring himself, perhaps keeping a little bit of distance so Lysander didn’t do all the things he wanted right then and there.

I'll have more about and from To Love the Dragon King (hopefully) soon! Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and well.

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Forward>>

Rainbow Snippets July 15-16

To Love the Dragon King Cover Reveal!

Rainbow Snippets July 8-9

Rainbow Snippets July 1-2

Rainbow Snippets June 24-25

Rainbow Snippets June 17-18

Rainbow Snippets June 10-11

Rainbow Snippets June 3-4

Rainbow Snippets July 17-18

Rainbow Snippets May 1-2

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