Category: Elemental Magicae Duology

Happy Anniversary, Edmund and Arden! (And a Giveaway)

10/1/2019

A Dance of Water and Air has been out in the world one year today! I love this book and this world and these characters, and not only because it got me writing again at a tough time. The beginning of the idea for this book came with the question: what if a prince was supposed to marry a queen but fell for the wrong sibling? Everything in A Dance of Water and Air spun out from there. We have Edmund, prince and heir to the throne of Thalassa, obligated to marry the queen of neighboring Aither to create an alliance between their countries. Upon arriving in Aither, he finds intrigue he didn't expect and friendship with Arden, the queen's younger brother, that deepens in ways he doesn't anticipate. When Edmund is accused of trying to assassinate the queen, Arden helps him escape, and they run, trying to get Edmund to safety and pull two kingdoms from threat of way...and acknowledge that they've fallen in love. There's also elemental magic, found family, and MCs who are cis and demisexual and trans and bisexual. The romance ends happily in this book, but the fantasy plot is continued in A Harmony of Fire and Earth along with a new romance (and more of Edmund and Arden too). The story ends there for now, but I already want to revisit this world, so we'll see what happens...

Leave a comment below for a chance to win a copy of A Dance of Water and Air. I'll pick a winner in a week.

About A Dance of Water and Air:

Edmund is heir to the throne of Thalassa and a wielder of Water magic. Devoted to his kingdom and his duty to it, Edmund can do nothing but acquiesce to an arranged marriage with the queen of a neighboring kingdom. The marriage and the child it is required to produce will seal an alliance between Thalassa and Aither that is vital to Thalassa’s safety, and far more important than Edmund’s personal misgivings.

Arden is the younger brother of Aither’s queen and a wielder of Air magic. Raised in the politics of the court to support his sister’s rule, he understands the alliance is important to Aither, even as he worries about his sister marrying someone she’s never met. When Edmund arrives in Aither to prepare for the wedding, Arden is tasked with helping him settle in at court. As they spend more time together, Edmund and Arden develop a close friendship, then stronger feelings, but with Edmund’s wedding approaching, they must hide their feelings, even from themselves.

When someone tries to assassinate the queen, Edmund is blamed, and Arden rescues him before he can be executed for a crime he didn’t commit. To prevent a war between their kingdoms and protect them from a dangerous enemy, Edmund and Arden will have to discover who wants to pit Aither and Thalassa against each other and mend relations between the two kingdoms as they evade those searching for them—all while finding a way to be together.

Add A Dance of Water and Air to your Goodreads shelf.

Buy A Dance of Water and Air:
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Travel and Inspiration

9/20/2019

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If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you may have seen me mention my recent trip to France and Barcelona. I posted some pictures here and there, but I've been meaning to write a post about it since I got back earlier this month. I've put it off because of day job work and writing and preparing for The Spymaster's Secret coming out and adjusting back to my home time zone (I mostly have my sense of time back finally!).

But I didn't want to forget to talk about it because it was a lovely trip. I went with family and met wonderful people and saw beautiful things and learned lots of history and ate amazing food (so much pastry!) and drank so much wine. I was ridiculously lucky to get to go. I've always loved travel, but recent years haven't seen me able to travel as much as I would've liked. This trip was a fantastic opportunity...and also reignited my travel bug, which might not be such a great thing depending on when my next chance to get away is!

It was also a really inspiring trip in a lot of ways. But here's one very fun and exciting one. Does something look familiar about this particular chateau?

I got to visit Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley, which you can probably tell from the cropped cover photo above is the castle used on the cover of A Dance of Water and Air. I was so exciting I was absolutely shaking when I realized where I was! I only wish I'd know—I would've brought a copy of the book along and taken some pictures with it! This is absolutely one of my favorite of my book covers, and Chambord makes a lovely palace for Edmund and Arden. Not having the book didn't stop me from taking a bunch of photos anyway. It's a such a beautiful building! Here are a few more photos (including one of my in my very large summery hat) and one of the whole cover.

Travel has always been so inspiring for me. Being in new places, experiencing new things, learning, soaking up culture and art...all of those things have always sparked ideas and creativity. The worlds and characters in books owe so much to the bits and pieces I've absorbed on travels. I think this trip will do the same. This year has been a difficult one for writing for me—I've talked about why before, and I'm not going to go into it again here because I'm trying to be upbeat and ride on the giddy wave this recent trip caused. I'm hoping the little sparks of story and character and setting ideas that began floating around my head during this trip will get me writing steadily again. The Chateau de Chenonceau and Carcassonne's walls and towers struck me as sort of magical and fairy tale, and the countryside and coast were so beautiful. Returning to Paris makes me finally want to write that story set there that's been floating around in my head for too long. I need to finish the next Chronicles of Tournai book (and maybe this trip did shake some things loose because the end of that is finally coming together!), but after I finish, we'll see where my imagination takes me...

In the meantime, while I let my subconscious decide where we'll go next, here are a few of the (hundreds of) pictures I took while I was away.

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Rainbow Snippet July 20-21

7/20/2019

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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+.

Today, I'm sharing a snippet from A Harmony of Fire and Earth. The main characters, Rhys and Gaz, have known each other for a few years at the beginning of the story...and Rhys has been pining a bit for Gaz for most of that time. Here's Rhys remembering the first time they met. (I went a little over the sentence limit, but I thought it was necessary. Sorry!)

Rhys had thought he was beautiful from the first moment they met. He and Briallen had been on the lands of a count not far from town so Briallen could do some work for him when she’d encountered something that called for the help of a Fire wielder. Someone had suggested Gaz, and since Rhys hadn’t been needed for anything else at the moment, he’d offered to fetch the man. He hadn’t expected to knock on the door of the modest cottage and nearly swallow his tongue when it opened to reveal Gaz.

Rhys didn’t remember exactly what he’d expected but, from the descriptions, some sort of older semi-recluse. Certainly not someone so young and striking. Rhys had managed to convey the reason for his arrival on Gaz’s doorstep articulately enough, and Gaz had gone with him, even if he’d been a bit taciturn as he did. Rhys had taken his manner in stride, and Gaz had been polite if not overly friendly. Gaz had taken care of the problem Briallen had discovered and worked with her to finish up. Rhys had been captivated by that too. He hadn’t seen many magic wielders who worked as effortlessly as Gaz did, obviously controlling a vast power. He hadn’t been tired when he finished; in fact, he’d looked exhilarated, and Rhys had been knocked back again at how alive and alight his face had been.

They said everything and everyone who came into contact with Fire came out of it changed. Rhys could attest to that.

If you'd like to know more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth, you can find it here. And A Harmony of Fire and Earth, along with three of my other books (A Dance of Water and Air, The Dragon's Devotion, and The Merchant's Love), is 50% off this month at Smashwords. Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippet July 13-14

7/13/2019

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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+.

Today, I'm sharing a snippet from A Dance of Water and Air, the first Elemental Magicae book. Edmund is demisexual and the heir to the throne of Thalassa, and has to make an alliance marriage with the queen of a neighboring kingdom. Arden is bi and trans and the queen's brother. He and Edmund absolutely should not fall in love, but of course they do. Then Edmund is accused of trying to assassinate the queen, Arden frees him from the dungeon, and they both run. But before any of that happens, this is when Arden first sees Edmund.

The tall doors, polished wood with silver and gold set in a fluid pattern over the entire surface, were pulled open, and Prince Edmund stepped through.

Arden hadn’t expected the punch of instant attraction and didn’t much care for it. He had certainly been attracted to people before and had a couple of discreet liaisons when he’d found a potential lover he could trust, but he’d seldom felt an attraction so sudden and visceral, one that had him wondering what it would be like if he dragged Edmund off to bed.

But this was his sister’s intended—for an alliance marriage that was meant to secure the safety of their kingdom.

Still, Arden understood his own reaction. Edmund was breathtaking.

You can find out more about A Dance of Water and Air here. Also, A Dance of Water and Air (along with its sequel!) is 50% off at Smashwords this month, so it's a good time to give it a try. Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippet June 8-9

6/8/2019

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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.

If you'd like to know more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth, you can find it here. And through June 30th, you can buy Harmony and my other NineStar Press titles (and lots of other great books too!) at NineStar with code PRIDE. Thanks for reading!

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Rainbow Snippet May 25-26

5/25/2019

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“Edmund,” Arden gasped. “Are you all right?”

“Arden—”

Arden rushed forward and pulled Edmund into a kiss, a kiss that tasted of fear and desperation and a brilliant sweetness underneath the rest. The suddenness of it, the impulsivity of Arden’s kissing him in front of others—in a dungeon of all places—froze Edmund for half a second, but then he was kissing Arden back, and he never wanted to stop. Edmund brought his hands up and held on to Arden’s arms with chilled fingers, anchoring Arden’s slim, strong body to his. The feel of it went a long way toward warming Edmund through.

You can find more about A Dance of Water and Air here. Thanks for stopping by and reading!

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Rainbow Snippet May 4-5

5/4/2019

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 share a snippet from A Dance of Water and Air, the first Elemental Magicae book, today. Edmund and Arden are princes from neighboring kingdoms, and Edmund is supposed to marry Arden's older sister in an alliance marriage. Which is a problem as the two princes become closer. (This is a little more than six sentences. Sorry!)

Arden took hold of the curtain and tugged it from Edmund’s hand. He let it fall back across the window, shielding them from the sight of the fog. Edmund finally looked at him, blinking owlishly. But something in Edmund’s eyes made Arden melt just a bit. He put a hand on Edmund’s arm, biting back a gasp at how good it felt to touch Edmund, even so innocently. Edmund’s eyes widened, but he didn’t move. “I don’t think you’re being ridiculous, Edmund. Not at all.”

They stood like that for—well, Arden wasn’t sure how long. Just looking at each other, their only contact Arden’s hand on Edmund’s arm. Arden wanted so much to kiss Edmund, ached with the want of it, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t move away either.

You can find more about A Dance of Water and Air here. NineStar Press has another coupon code for 50% off a purchase through May 17th (use Narrative0503), including on A Dance of Water and Air and my other books and lots of others. Thanks for reading!

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Rainbow Snippet April 13-14

4/12/2019

5 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 have more from A Harmony of Fire and Earth for you today, though I may start mixing it up and snipping from other things again next week. This snippet follows not long after last week's. I went a little over six sentences—sorry!—but I thought it was necessary with this one.

“I don’t want to stop kissing you,” Rhys gasped out.

Gaz’s breath hitched. He buried his face in Rhys’s neck. “We have to.”

Before Rhys could begin to tense, Gaz continued, “You left your sister in there, and sooner or later, she or Meraud will come looking for us. I’d rather neither of them caught us doing what we know will follow if we keep kissing. I’m trying not to think about the risk we’ve taken already. Just imagine it.”

“I’d rather not.” Rhys laughed at Gaz’s dramatic shudder. “And you’re probably right. But...we can find time to keep kissing later, right?

Find out more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippet April 6-7

4/6/2019

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Gaz stared at him, his brown eyes serious and intense, as if he were weighing something. He was silent for so long that disappointment crept over Rhys. He began to drop his hand from Gaz’s cheek and step back, but Gaz’s hand came up. It closed over Rhys’s and held it in place as he stepped in close and wrapped his other around the back of Rhys’s neck, pulling him into a kiss. Rhys made a soft sound of surprise that was lost in the kiss and then closed his eyes and let himself sink into it.

Find out more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading!

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Rainbow Snippet March 30-31

3/30/2019

6 Comments

Rhys lifted a hand hesitantly and brushed a lock of Gaz’s fiery tipped hair behind his ear. A fine shiver went through Gaz’s body. Rhys didn’t think it could be because of the cold in the snug, warm stable. “Gaz...”

“We shouldn’t do this.”

“You’ve said that before.” He cupped a hand around Gaz’s cheek, gently, and a rush of warmth spread through him when Gaz leaned into it just slightly. “I won’t touch you again if you don’t want me to. I would never do anything you don’t want. Do you want me to kiss you?”

You can find more about A Harmony of Fire and Earth here. Thanks for reading today!

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Happy Anniversary, Edmund and Arden! (And a Giveaway)

About A Dance of Water and Air:

Travel and Inspiration

Rainbow Snippet July 20-21

Rainbow Snippet July 13-14

Rainbow Snippet June 8-9

Rainbow Snippet May 25-26

Rainbow Snippet May 4-5

Rainbow Snippet April 13-14

Rainbow Snippet April 6-7

Rainbow Snippet March 30-31

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