Antonia Aquilante
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Rainbow Snippets February 4-5

2/5/2023

1 Comment

 
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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.

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

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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.
1 Comment

Rainbow Snippets January 28-29

1/29/2023

2 Comments

 
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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.

This month, I'm going to share some snippets from A Dance of Water and Air, the first book in my Elemental Magicae series. This book has a demisexual cis m/bisexual trans m pairing. Prince Edmund is informed that he must marry the queen of a neighboring country in an alliance marriage. When he arrives, the queen is distance, but Edmund grows close to and ends up falling in love with her brother, Arden. Then Edmund is accused of attempting to kill the queen, and he and Arden flee. They have to unravel a plot that endangers both of their countries, and find a way to be together too. This is a sweet little moment between Edmund and Arden, a little break from the worrying and strategizing happening after their escape from the palace.
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Edmund asked to see more of the house. It was probably just to distract them both, but Arden was happy to show him, both for the distraction and because he was proud of the house, even if it wasn’t quite completed. The structural work was long finished, the floors laid and polished, the walls painted and plastered.

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“You have hardly any furniture,” Edmund said as they left an empty room Arden envisioned as a study.

“But I have books.” Arden gestured to the volumes lining the shelves as they stepped into the library.

“That you do.” Edmund stopped just inside and looked around. “I know where your priorities are.”

“Of course.”

“I like that you filled the library first, and made sure there are chairs to read in.” Edmund walked to the closest set of shelves, but he looked over his shoulder at Arden, eyes soft with affection. It warmed Arden through in a way he was utterly unused to—but he wanted to bask in that affection.

“Well.” He struggled for his wits and words. “You have to know what’s important.”

Edmund’s laughed tumbled out, threatening to drown him in warm sweetness.

You can find more about A Dance of Water and Air here. Next week, I'm going to switch over to the second book in the Elemental Magicae series, A Harmony of Fire and Earth. Thanks for reading and I hope you're staying safe and well.
2 Comments

Rainbow Snippets January 21-22

1/22/2023

1 Comment

 
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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.

This month, I'm going to share some snippets from A Dance of Water and Air, the first book in my Elemental Magicae series. This book has a demisexual cis m/bisexual trans m pairing. Prince Edmund is informed that he must marry the queen of a neighboring country in an alliance marriage. When he arrives, the queen is distance, but Edmund grows close to and ends up falling in love with her brother, Arden. Then Edmund is accused of attempting to kill the queen, and he and Arden flee. They have to unravel a plot that endangers both of their countries, and find a way to be together too. After walking through the night, they arrive at a house where they can spend some time safely and get their bearings. But the lack of enough beds means sharing...
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​He could feel Edmund standing just inside the door, looming somehow larger behind Arden. They’d been alone before, but in the darkened bedchamber, it felt different, more intimate. He steadied his hands, which wanted to tremble, and got the fire going. Standing, he turned to face Edmund, who drooped with exhaustion but seemed frozen where he was. Suddenly, the odd awareness didn’t seem so important, or not as important as taking care of Edmund.

​
“The bathing room is through there.” Arden gestured at a door. “It’s probably warmer to change in here, though, for now. Are you sure this is all right?”

Edmund seemed to come out of whatever thoughts had held him, or perhaps he’d been asleep on his feet. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Did Edmund not feel what was between them? Arden warmed just thinking about their kiss, and not entirely from embarrassment that he had been so brazen. So inappropriate. But Edmund had kissed him back; he had to feel the same pull that Arden did.

Didn’t he?

You can find out more about A Dance of Water and Air here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well.
1 Comment

Rainbow Snippets January 14-15

1/15/2023

3 Comments

 
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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.

This month, I'm going to share some snippets from A Dance of Water and Air, the first book in my Elemental Magicae series. This book has a demisexual cis m/bisexual trans m pairing. Prince Edmund is informed that he must marry the queen of a neighboring country in an alliance marriage. When he arrives, the queen is distance, but Edmund grows close to and ends up falling in love with her brother, Arden. Then Edmund is accused of attempting to kill the queen, and he and Arden flee. They have to unravel a plot that endangers both of their countries, and find a way to be together too. I've skipped ahead just slightly for this snippet from last week's. They've gotten out of the dungeon and the castle and are on foot, trying to get away before they're discovered missing.
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Their breath puffed in clouds, visible in the sharp cold air. Even with the steady pace they kept to, Edmund was still cold, and he was glad for the foresight of whoever had stuffed a pair of warm gloves in the pocket of his coat. The others had similarly drawn on gloves as they walked, and Arden pulled one of his scarves from a pocket and wound it around his neck. Unlike some of the delicate, beautiful creations he wore, this scarf seemed to be made for warmth before fashion.

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After a while, the trees thinned again, depriving them of some of the cover they’d been using, but Ciaran and Arden kept them all walking just inside the edge of the forest. Loud barking suddenly split the silence of the night, and they froze. Edmund wanted to turn and run, but he had no idea which way to go. Arden wrapped a hand around his arm, holding him in place. He shook his head and held up his hand to them all, a signal to wait. Then he closed his eyes. A slight breeze stirred the air around Arden and ruffled Edmund’s hair. Edmund had to be crazy, because it felt as if the breeze twined and slid around them, tugging at hair and clothes and something more. Or maybe he wasn’t. Arden had to be pulling on some magic.

Edmund waited, frozen in place and barely daring to breathe. Had they been discovered missing already? Had Arden and Ciaran been wrong about the tunnel being forgotten? Were hunters’ dogs about to burst out of the trees and run them down? Peregrine’s eyes were wide and frightened; Edmund held his friend’s gaze as interminable minutes passed.

You can find more about A Dance of Water and Air here. Thanks for reading today and I hope you're staying safe and well.
3 Comments

Rainbow Snippets January 7-8

1/8/2023

0 Comments

 
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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.

This month, I'm going to share some snippets from A Dance of Water and Air, the first book in my Elemental Magicae series. This book has a demisexual cis m/bisexual trans m pairing. Prince Edmund is informed that he must marry the queen of a neighboring country in an alliance marriage. When he arrives, the queen is distance, but Edmund grows close to and ends up falling in love with her brother, Arden. Then Edmund is accused of attempting to kill the queen, and he and Arden flee. They have to unravel a plot that endangers both of their countries, and find a way to be together too. I'm jumping in after Edmund has already been accused. He and his secretary Peregrine and guard Seren have been thrown in the dungeon. But Arden has been scheming to get them out (the kiss is unplanned!).
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​He had no idea how much time had passed when he heard the scrape of a key in the lock. Seren scrambled to her feet with less than her usual grace, but far more quickly than Edmund expected. Edmund was slower to move on legs gone stiff and cold. He squinted into the light as the door swung open. Seren tensed, as if ready to jump at whoever might come through, never mind how well that had worked before. Two figures crowded into the doorway; Edmund had just realized who they were when one of the men spoke.

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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 reading today and I hope you're staying safe and well.
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Rainbow Snippets December 31-January 1

12/31/2022

3 Comments

 
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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.

​Since it's December, I've decided to share some snippets from the closest thing I have to a holiday romance so far. The Merchant's Love is a cozy fall/winter fantasy romance in which a bookish demisexual royal and a bisexual commoner (who is utterly besotted with him from first sight) fall in love over books and baked goods. The Merchant's Love is mostly just a warm hug in book form, but there is a bit of magic gone wrong. And that's how Maxen finds out about Faelen's magical Talent, a magic that runs in his family and is kept secret from anyone outside it.
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​One moment, Maxen was nearly giddy with happiness and anticipation for the future, and the next, Faelen was pulling out of his arms and...he wasn’t sure. A glittering cloud had enveloped Faelen, and where he’d been,  there was now a black cat so large its head came up to Maxen’s hip. Part of Maxen was screaming that he needed to run away, but he could only stare, frozen.

The cat stared back, but it looked...worried. Could a cat look worried? They’d never kept cats in his family, and really, this was no house cat anyway.

“Maxen?”

He jumped and fell back against the mantel. The cat drew back, appearing...well, a bit hurt actually. But the cat had talked. And it continued to watch him with large eyes the exact same shade of peridot as Faelen’s. Maxen frowned.

That was crazy, wasn’t it?

“Faelen?”

You can find out more about The Merchant's Love here. The Merchant's Love and my other books are all 50% off at Smashwords through January 1st—not much time left, so don't miss out on a great sale! Thanks for reading, and I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2023!
3 Comments

Rainbow Snippets December 24-25

12/24/2022

1 Comment

 
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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.

​Since it's December, I've decided to share some snippets from the closest thing I have to a holiday romance so far. The Merchant's Love is a cozy fall/winter fantasy romance in which a bookish demisexual royal and a bisexual commoner (who is utterly besotted with him from first sight) fall in love over books and baked goods. In this snippet, Maxen is giving Faelen a Midwinter gift.
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​Maxen cupped his cheek, stroking his thumb over it lightly. “Just open 
it.”

Faelen turned his head and kissed Maxen’s palm. Then he began to 
carefully work the wrapping free. He could tell Maxen was smiling without looking at him, but Faelen had always been deliberate in opening presents. Not that Faelen wasn’t eager to know what this package held—he just liked the anticipation.

Finally, the colorful paper fell away to reveal a velvet box. Jewelry? Slowly, he lifted the lid, and gasped. Inside, on a pad of more dark velvet, lay a set of combs. The intricate silver filigree was set with little pearls and sparkling peridots. Faelen didn’t know what to say for a moment. The way he wore his hair wasn’t the fashion in Tournai, but Maxen had given him something he knew Faelen would love. A token perhaps, as were all gifts exchanged at Midwinter, but one he’d use happily.

“Maxen...” Faelen finally looked up to find the worry back in Maxen’s eyes. “They’re beautiful. I love them.”

You can find more about The Merchant's Love here. The Merchant's Love is 50% off at Smashwords, along with my other books, through January 1st. You can also find a bunch of LGBTQ books on sale or free at Smashwords here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well. And Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating!
1 Comment

Rainbow Snippets December 17-18

12/18/2022

1 Comment

 
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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.

​Since it's December, I've decided to share some snippets from the closest thing I have to a holiday romance so far. The Merchant's Love is a cozy fall/winter fantasy romance in which a bookish demisexual royal and a bisexual commoner (who is utterly besotted with him from first sight) fall in love over books and baked goods. In this snippet, Faelen and Maxen have gone to the Midwinter festival, but Maxen is upset by some family issues and Faelen decides to try to help.
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​He bit his lip. “Will you let me distract you for a while, then?”

A slow smile curved Maxen’s lips. “What did you have in mind?”

​“Well, I think we’ll go to the festival, and I’ll drag you around the 
market and to all the entertainments and ply you with sweets.”

“I thought I would be the one plying you with sweets, Fae.”

Faelen narrowed his eyes and glared at Maxen, but inside he thrilled 
at the pet name and that Maxen’s eyes had some of their sparkle back. “Last I checked, you weren’t indifferent to them either. Now, the change of plan is that instead of staying out as long as we’d planned, I would drag you back to your house and up to bed.”

Maxen’s gaze went hot, the sweep of it over Faelen’s body almost a tangible thing, making him shiver. “And what will we do when we get there?”

You can find out more about The Merchant's Love here. Also, The Merchant's Love and the rest of my books are all 50% off at Smashwords through January 1st, so don't miss out on that great sale. You can find other LGBTQ books that are on sale or free during the Smashwords sale at this book funnel promo too. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well!
1 Comment

Rainbow Snippets December 10-11

12/11/2022

1 Comment

 
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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.

​Since it's December, I've decided to share some snippets from the closest thing I have to a holiday romance so far. The Merchant's Love is a cozy fall/winter fantasy romance in which a bookish demisexual royal and a bisexual commoner (who is utterly besotted with him from first sight) fall in love over books and baked goods. 
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​When they stepped out onto the street after their meal, Faelen’s breath caught in his throat, and he stopped dead just outside the door, looking up in wonder. Maxen walked right into him, knocking them off-balance. He caught Faelen by the waist to steady them as they both wobbled.

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“Sorry!”

“No, it’s my fault,” Faelen said, covering Maxen’s hand with his own. “But look. It’s snowing.”

It was little more than flurries, but there was something magical about them nonetheless. The tiny flakes danced in the air, glistening in the glow of the streetlights. Faelen turned his face up to them and laughed as another little bubble of joy burst inside him.

“I guess you were right,” Maxen whispered. His arms were still around Faelen, holding him back against his chest. Faelen made a little noise of contentment and snuggled into Maxen’s solid warmth. Despite the chilly night, he could’ve stayed right there until morning, just him and Maxen and the snow flurries.

You can find out more about The Merchant's Love here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well!
1 Comment

Rainbow Snippets December 3-4

12/4/2022

1 Comment

 
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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.

​Since it's December, I've decided to share some snippets from the closest thing I have to a holiday romance so far. The Merchant's Love is a cozy fall/winter fantasy romance in which a bookish demisexual royal and a bisexual commoner (who is utterly besotted with him from first sight) fall in love over books and baked goods. This snippet is longer than it should be (sorry!), but it seemed so perfect for these two—and chilly nights this time of year—that I had to share it all. Early on in the books, Faelen has arrived unexpectedly at Maxen's house one night.
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​“I interrupted your evening. Wine and a book. And...are those cookies?”

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Maxen choked back a laugh. He snagged the plate off the table and offered it to Faelen. “Have a cookie. And you didn’t do anything except improve my evening. I like your company.”

Faelen’s cheeks pinked. “Still.”

“So let’s spend an evening in each other’s company with our books.” It might be a mad idea or utterly silly, but it was the best he had. Besides, Faelen fit so well in the picture of his perfect evening.

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s read for a while. We can discuss the book too if you like. And eat cookies.”

“That sounds...wonderful, actually.” Faelen handed Maxen back his copy, keeping his own, and kicked off his shoes.

Somewhat surprised that Faelen hadn’t said—in a polite, kind way— that he had no interest in the idea whatsoever, Maxen slowly resettled himself in the corner of the couch. He couldn’t stretch out again with Faelen next to him, and there was no way he was asking Faelen to move. “Do you want a blanket?”

“Do you have another?”

“I can get one.”

Faelen shook his head before Maxen could move. “We can share.”


Faelen moved closer to Maxen until they were pressed together side by side and laid his head on Maxen’s shoulder. “Is this all right?”

Maxen let out a long breath at Faelen’s hesitant words and forced himself to relax. “It’s fine.”

Perfect. It was perfect.

​Find more about The Merchant's Love here. Thanks for reading today and I hope you're staying safe and well.
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    Antonia is a writer and a reader. She loves books, travel, art, photography, baking, pasta, and shoes.

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