Category: Rainbow Snippets

Rainbow Snippet September 15-16

9/15/2018

“I assume you know about the outcome of the negotiations.”

“Of course.” It wasn’t even a question. Never mind that the existence of the negotiations was supposed to be secret; she would know, and so would Ciaran. The twins were two of the best spies he’d ever heard of, and he was grateful they were his—nearly as grateful as he was that he had their friendship at all.

“What whispers have you heard on the wind about Prince Edmund?” Arden didn’t expect much more than the generalities he already knew—the twins were far more effective for him close to home—but it was worth asking. Once the prince and his retinue arrived, they’d most assuredly hear more quickly.

“Worried about Her Majesty? You always were a protective brother, no matter that you’re younger than she is.”

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

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Rainbow Snippet September 8-9

9/8/2018

8 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+.

A Dance of Water and Air will be out in about a month, so I'm sharing some snippets from it in the lead up to release day. This is the first book in a fantasy romance duology that isn't connected to my Tournai series. It's the story of Edmund, a prince who must leave his kingdom to marry the queen of a neighboring kingdom to seal a necessary alliance, and Arden, the queen's brother. They become friends and then fall in love, which is a problem considering whom Edmund is supposed to marry. Then someone tries to kill the queen, and Edmund is blamed. Arden saves him, and while on the run, they have to figure out how to keep their kingdoms out of war and somehow be together. Edmund is cis and demisexual; Arden is trans and bi. The fantasy story carries over to the second book (expected to be published in March 2019), but Edmund and Arden get their HEA in this book. Today's snippet picks up not long after the last with Edmund's reaction to what his father told him. (Peregrine is his private secretary and friend.)

Edmund wasn’t stupid or naive; he knew the best way to seal an alliance such as this one was with a marriage and a child. But, somehow, he hadn’t consciously thought about it. Perhaps he hadn’t wanted to because if he’d thought about it, he’d have to accept that the marriage would be his.
“Are you all right?” Peregrine hovered for a moment before sitting beside Edmund on the couch.
“I’ll have to be, won’t I?”

I hope to have a final cover to share with you soon. Thanks for reading today! I'm off to work on copy edits...

8 Comments

Rainbow Snippet September 1-2

9/1/2018

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+.

How is it September already? I don't know where the summer went! Not only that, but A Dance of Water and Air will be out in about a month, which I am not at all ready for. But, I thought I'd share some more snippets from it in the lead up to release day. This is the first book in a fantasy romance duology that isn't connected to my Tournai series. It's the story of Edmund, a prince who must leave his kingdom to marry the queen of a neighboring kingdom to seal a necessary alliance, and Arden, the queen's brother. They become friends and then fall in love, which is a problem considering whom Edmund is supposed to marry. Then someone tries to kill the queen, and Edmund is blamed. Arden saves him, and while on the run, they have to figure out how to keep their kingdoms out of war and somehow be together. Edmund is cis and demisexual; Arden is trans and bi. The fantasy story carries over to the second book (expected to be published in March 2019), but Edmund and Arden get their HEA in this book. Hopefully, I'll have a final cover to share soon (the draft was so pretty!). For now, here's a snippet in which Edmund finds out the terms of the alliance from the king (it went over six sentences. Sorry!). Edmund speaks first.

“Is something wrong?”

“Not at all. However, the promises of increased trade and mutual protection were not enough on their own to secure the alliance we needed.”

Edmund wasn’t surprised, though he hadn’t been privy to the particulars of what Father wanted, aside from Aither standing with them should Tycen press their aggression. “What did they ask for?”

“Queen Hollis and her advisors required more assurance of our compliance, and truth be told, I wasn’t upset to have more of theirs. They’re Air wielders, so they’re different from us, but Water and Air are compatible. Even if I would have preferred an alliance with no deeper entanglements.”

“Father?” A rush of cold spread through Edmund’s veins.

“You and Queen Hollis will wed with the expectation of a child being born within two years. The alliance will be secured by blood and all the stronger for it.”

Thanks for reading!

5 Comments

Rainbow Snippet August 25-26

8/25/2018

6 Comments

After, Corentin let himself rest against Bastien for a moment. He wanted to stay there, cradled on Bastien’s body, but he’d crush him soon. It was just that if he stayed, right there, he didn’t have to think about how being with Bastien this way had shaken him. He’d been thinking about what he and Bastien would be like together, imagining having Bastien like this, but he’d never come close to the reality of it. He’d done his best to drive Bastien insane with wanting, to drive the sadness from his eyes, and ended up utterly undone himself.

You can find out more about The Dragon's Devotion here. Thanks for reading!

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Rainbow Snippet August 18-19

8/18/2018

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When Loriot woke, he thought it was still night, and it took him a moment to get his bearings. The bedchamber was dark, lit only by the embers of the dying fire. His sleep-fogged mind was slow to identify the sound of rain pounding at the shutters. Then he remembered—the storm, the inn. Savarin.

He became aware of a weight across his chest, another over his legs, and turned his head. In the dim of the room, he could just see Savarin sleeping sprawled out on his stomach beside him in the rumpled bed, an arm thrown over Loriot’s chest, a leg over Loriot’s. Half of Savarin’s face was buried in the pillow, his fine hair mussed. The covers tangled around them, those that hadn’t slipped to the floor anyway. They’d spent most of the night awake and doing their best to consume each other, something entirely unexpected but quite pleasurable all the same.

You can find more about The Sorcerer's Guardian here. Thanks for reading!

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Rainbow Snippet August 11-12

8/11/2018

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“What am I about to see?”

“A demonstration of the royal family’s Talent.” Cathal’s smile was a bit smug, a touch gleeful, as if he was enjoying Flavian’s reaction or perhaps anticipating what it would truly be.

“What kind of demonstration?”

“I’m going to show you what I can do.” Cathal stepped back several paces and stood facing Flavian. He smiled. “You’ve read the legends. Don’t be afraid.”

Cathal was enjoying the whole thing far too much, which did not alleviate Flavian’s confusion or his rising annoyance. “Why would I be afraid? And what legends? Do you mean the cat legends? What do they have to do with—?”

Cathal hushed him and laughed quietly. “Just watch.”

Flavian folded his arms over his chest and glared at Cathal, which only made him laugh more. Not the reaction Flavian had hoped for, but before he could say anything else, Cathal closed his eyes and a shimmering amber-gold light surrounded him, swirling, sparkling, obscuring Cathal from view. A moment later, the gold faded away. Cathal wasn’t there anymore.

You can find out more about The Artist's Masquerade here. Right now, The Artist's Masquerade and my other Dreamspinner books are all 30% off. Thanks for reading!

5 Comments

Rainbow Snippet August 4-5

8/4/2018

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+.

I've been sharing snippets from The Merchant's Love for a while now, and I though it was time to mix it up a little. Today, I have a snippet from A Dance of Water and Air for you. Dance will be out on October 1st from NineStar Press. This is the first book in a fantasy romance duology that isn't connected to my Tournai series. It's the story of Edmund, a prince who must leave his kingdom to marrying the queen of a neighboring kingdom to seal a necessary alliance, and Arden, the queen's brother. They become friends and then fall in love, which is a problem considering who Edmund is supposed to marry. Then someone tries to kill the queen, and Edmund is blamed. Arden saves him, and while on the run, they have to figure out how to keep their kingdoms out of war and somehow be together. Edmund is cis and demisexual; Arden is trans and bi. The fantasy story carries over to the second book (expected to be published in March 2019), but Edmund and Arden get their HEA in this book. And after that long introduction, here's a snippet from the beginning of Dance.

Edmund swam, long limbs slicing through the clear, warm water. His mind quieted in the repetitive motion, in the weightlessness and the comfort of being surrounded by his Element. Everything washed away, leaving him calm and relaxed, the only time he ever was lately.

If only he could stay there.

He imagined it for a moment. Spending his life swimming and sailing. All his time in the soothing embrace of the water, or at the shore or bank, feeling Water’s power, learning to use its magic. It was a lovely dream. A lovely, impossible dream. With that thought, tension—the tension his morning swim had briefly dispelled—came flooding back.

I'll have more for you about Dance soon. Thanks for stopping by today!

7 Comments

Rainbow Snippet July 28-29

7/28/2018

10 Comments

Etan probably didn’t know about all the notes Maxen exchanged with Faelen, or he would have told Tristan about that too. “Nothing, or nothing that you’re implying. We’re friends.”

“Mhmm.”

At Maxen’s look, Tristan shrugged and did a poor job of looking innocent.

Maxen shook his head and muttered, “Someone save me from annoying older brothers.”

“I heard that.”

“You were meant to.” And even with Tristan’s teasing, Maxen couldn’t help taking one more peek at Faelen.

If you'd like to know more about The Merchant's Love, you can find it here. The Merchant's Love and The Dragon's Devotion are still 50% off at Smashwords, but only through the end of the month. Don't miss out!

10 Comments

Rainbow Snippet July 21-22

7/21/2018

7 Comments

His perusal was interrupted when he caught sight of a familiar figure winding through the group, and he nearly tripped over his own feet. Faelen stopped to exchange a few words here or there, or responded to greetings with regal nods and a practiced smile as he walked. He finally joined a cluster of a few people, his twin one of them. Alexander was talking animatedly with a similarly talkative young woman, the others listening more than speaking. But Maxen couldn’t help staring at Faelen. Even when one of the other men in the group—tall, blond, handsome in a bland way, undeniably of the nobility—leaned down to whisper something to Faelen, who smiled. Faelen fit easily into this picture, a part of it. He even fit with the young courtier flirting with him in whispers, and as much as Maxen hated to think it, perhaps better than with Maxen, sharing a picnic on a park bench.

“Are you all right? What’s—oh.”

Maxen had almost forgotten about Tristan, but he turned to his brother and realized he’d stopped walking at some point. “What?”

Tristan raised his eyebrows in an inquiring look. “I think that’s my question. What’s going on with you and Faelen? Etan says you’ve been meeting for lunch quite a bit.”

You can find out more about The Merchant's Love here. Don't forget that The Merchant's Love (along with The Dragon's Devotion) is 50% off at Smashwords through the end of July. Thanks for reading!

7 Comments

Rainbow Snippet July 14-15

7/14/2018

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"Don’t you have to go back to your office?”

“But we haven’t finished lunch. We still have the best part left. Unless you have to get back to the palace.”

Faelen tilted his head. “What’s left of lunch?”

“Dessert, of course.” With a grin, Maxen retrieved the pastries from the bottom of the basket and unwrapped them to reveal spirals of dough sticky with honey, nuts, and spices. “We should have something sweet, shouldn’t we?”

Faelen’s eyes were wide, and he bit his lip. “I suppose we should.”

Maxen handed over one of the pastries, and Faelen bit into it immediately. The noise he made—a quiet little sound that was almost a moan—hit Maxen like a punch in the stomach. Faelen’s eyes closed as he savored the sugary bite. Would his face look that way if he were lost in pleasure of another kind? The thought flashed like lightning through Maxen.

If you'd like to know more about The Merchant's Love, you can find it here. Both The Merchant's Love and The Dragon's Devotion are 50% off this month over at Smashwords if you'd like to give them a try. Thanks for reading today!

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Rainbow Snippet September 15-16

Rainbow Snippet September 8-9

Rainbow Snippet September 1-2

Rainbow Snippet August 25-26

Rainbow Snippet August 18-19

Rainbow Snippet August 11-12

Rainbow Snippet August 4-5

Rainbow Snippet July 28-29

Rainbow Snippet July 21-22

Rainbow Snippet July 14-15

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