Antonia Aquilante
  • Home
  • About Antonia
  • Books
  • Coming Soon/In Progress
  • Blog
  • Contact

Rainbow Snippets May 14-15

5/15/2022

1 Comment

 
Picture

​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 a few snippets from The Artist's Masquerade, which was released two years ago this month by NineStar Press with gorgeous new cover art. I feel like picking favorites among my books is like picking favorite children and I can't do that, but I do adore The Artist's Masquerade and Cathal and Flavian's story. This is an opposites attract romance between the uptight and duty-bound duke's heir and a sharp-tongued artist who is in disguise and on the run. There are also spies and intrigue and magic and an exploration of family. When the book begins, Cathal's father has informed him that he has arranged a marriage for Cathal with a relative of the emperor of Ardunn. When she arrives, Flavian is with her disguised as her female companion and prepared to slip away as soon as possible. Things do not go to plan. I've skipped forward a bit for this snippet. Cathal now knows who Flavian is and isn't shy about showing his attraction. (And apparently, I lied last week when I said I would keep to sentence limits this week—I'm sorry!)
Picture


​“Cathal.” He meant it as warning, protest, but he couldn’t make 
himself step away. Why was Cathal standing so close to him? A hand came to rest on Flavian’s back, warm and large, fingers drawing slow, caressing circles Flavian felt all the way down to his toes.

​
He needed to move. He needed to step away from Cathal right this minute and go back to the party where there would be other people and he would be safe from himself. Yet he still couldn’t make his feet move. He just stood, staring up at the lights, while Cathal’s hand moved slowly on his back.

Mesmerizing. The lights swirling and sparkling above them, the slow movement of Cathal’s fingers...the rest of the world faded away. Beautiful though they were, even the lights couldn’t hold his full attention, blurring together in front of his eyes as his focus narrowed to Cathal’s touch. Those strong fingers drawing random patterns up and down his back, the heat of them burning through the layers of fabric separating them from his skin. He tried to make sense of those patterns, tried to anticipate where Cathal would move, but he lost even the attempt in the sensations, the heat shivering through him.

“Flavian...” It was a whisper of sound, and Flavian barely heard it over his own heart beating in his ears.

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

Rainbow Snippets May 7-8

5/8/2022

1 Comment

 
Picture
​​​
​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 a few snippets from The Artist's Masquerade, which was released two years ago this month by NineStar Press with gorgeous new cover art. I feel like picking favorites among my books is like picking favorite children and I can't do that, but I do adore The Artist's Masquerade and Cathal and Flavian's story. This is an opposites attract romance between the uptight and duty-bound duke's heir and a sharp-tongued artist who is in disguise and on the run. There are also spies and intrigue and magic and an exploration of family. When the book begins, Cathal's father has informed him that he has arranged a marriage for Cathal with a relative of the emperor of Ardunn. When she arrives, Flavian is with her disguised as her female companion and prepared to slip away as soon as possible. Things do not go to plan. I have another snippet that is far too long, but I thought all of it was necessary for context—I promise I'll do better next time.
Picture

​Flavian was beginning to feel as if the entire situation was getting out of 
hand. He hadn’t planned on spending even one night in Tournai dressed as Lady Flavia, and here he was, weeks later, still pretending to be her. And every day, he wondered if this would be the day someone discovered who he really was.

​
He tried to go unnoticed, to stay out of sight, but doing so wasn’t always possible. Velia insisted he accompany her as a real companion would, so he had to attend court social events. And it became increasingly difficult to fade into the background while at them. Prince Amory, who seemed too kind to be quite real, often tried to include him in conversations, even turning the subject to art since he knew Flavian enjoyed it. Not to mention Prince Amory had taken to showing him some of the palace’s art collection.
And then there was Cathal.

Cathal, who had spent time with him when Prince Amory was delayed and showed every evidence of enjoying the time. Cathal, who tried to dance with him. Cathal, who watched him when he didn’t think Flavian was looking. Cathal, who hardly smiled but was proper and courtly and charming when he wanted to be. Cathal, who was tall and strong and so very handsome.

Cathal, who didn’t know Flavian was a man.

You can learn more about The Artist's Masquerade here. Thanks for reading today and I hope you're all staying safe and well.
1 Comment

Rainbow Snippets April 30-May1

5/1/2022

2 Comments

 
Picture
​​​
​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.

Somehow, it's May and both the weekend and last month got away from me...so I'm very late posting this week's Rainbow Snippet, but at least I'm posting one! This month, I'm sharing a few snippets from The Artist's Masquerade, which was released two years ago this month by NineStar Press with gorgeous new cover art. I feel like picking favorites among my books is like picking favorite children and I can't do that, but I do adore The Artist's Masquerade and Cathal and Flavian's story. This is an opposites attract romance between the uptight and duty-bound duke's heir and a sharp-tongued artist who is in disguise and on the run. There are also spies and intrigue and magic and an exploration of family. When the book begins, Cathal's father has informed him that he has arranged a marriage for Cathal with a relative of the emperor of Ardunn. When she arrives, Flavian is with her disguised as her female companion and prepared to slip away as soon as possible. Things do no go to plan. Here is Cathal and Flavian's first meeting. (This is much longer than it should be...I'm sorry!)
Picture
The duke introduced him, but Flavian hardly heard any of it. He was too busy looking at Cathal. He was tall. Very tall. Without these stupid heeled shoes, Flavian probably would barely stand as high as his shoulder. Deliciously broad shoulders. In fact, Cathal’s whole body seemed well muscled, thick but not bulky. Flavian could only imagine the lines of those muscles hiding under his fine clothing. The thought made him yearn for a sketchbook or, better, a canvas and paints. He could see the lines of those muscles taking shape on the page...but he would never paint them. He couldn’t even let himself think of painting them.

The rest of Lord Cathal was just as nice. His hair was dark and thick and wavy, well ordered at the moment, but Flavian wondered if that was always true. It had the look of hair with a mind of its own. Cathal’s features were chiseled and quite handsome but set in serious lines. There was an easily identified resemblance to his father, but despite its seriousness, Cathal’s expression seemed to have less rigidity than his father’s. And his eyes...

Flavian nearly jumped to find himself the focus of Lord Cathal’s unusual gold eyes. Flavian had been so engrossed in studying the man that he must have missed the formal introductions making it around to him.

“Lady Flavia.” Cathal’s voice was deep and smooth, and Flavian shivered just hearing it. But the shiver was nothing compared to the heat flaring inside him when Cathal took his hand to bow over it. The heat rushed through his body and left him biting back a gasp. No. Not good. He could not be attracted to Cathal of all men.

You can find more about The Artist's Masquerade here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and well!
2 Comments

Rainbow Snippets July 31-August 1

8/1/2021

4 Comments

 
Picture

​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 a little late posting a Rainbow Snippet this weekend, but I didn't wanted to miss. Today's snippet is from The Artist's Masquerade. In The Artist's Masquerade, Flavian is an artist on the run from his home country disguised as a companion to his friend Velia. She has come to Tournai to marry the son of a royal duke, Cathal, in an arranged marriage. Flavian assumes he'll disappear once they arrive, but things don't go quite as he imagined, especially with regard to Cathal. This is Flavian's first sight of Cathal as they arrive in Tournai. (I went over six sentences—sorry!)
Picture
The man was Umber, duke and father of the man Velia was to marry. Which probably made the other man his son, Cathal, Velia’s betrothed.

And so it was. The duke motioned, and the younger man stepped up beside him. The duke introduced him, but Flavian hardly heard any of it. He was too busy looking at Cathal. He was tall. Very tall. Without these stupid heeled shoes, Flavian probably would barely stand as high as his shoulder. Deliciously broad shoulders. In fact, Cathal’s whole bodyseemed well muscled, thick but not bulky. Flavian could only imagine the lines of those muscles hiding under his fine clothing. The thought made him yearn for a sketchbook or, better, a canvas and paints. He could see the lines of those muscles taking shape on the page...but he would never paint them. He couldn’t even let himself think of painting them.

​
The rest of Lord Cathal was just as nice. His hair was dark and thick and wavy, well ordered at the moment, but Flavian wondered if that was always true. It had the look of hair with a mind of its own. Cathal’s features were chiseled and quite handsome but set in serious lines. There was an easily identified resemblance to his father, but despite its seriousness, Cathal’s expression seemed to have less rigidity than his father’s. And his eyes...

Flavian nearly jumped to find himself the focus of Lord Cathal’s unusual gold eyes. Flavian had been so engrossed in studying the man that he must have missed the formal introductions making it around to him.

You can find out more about The Artist's Masquerade here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and healthy!
4 Comments

Rainbow Snippets May 15-16

5/15/2021

6 Comments

 
Picture
​
​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 gotten on a new theme, I guess, after last week's first lines from The Prince's Consort, and I'm giving you the first lines of The Artist's Masquerade. This is an opposites attract romance between an overly proper and dutiful duke's heir and a sharp-tongued artist, who is in disguise and on the run. Plus magic and spies and intrigue. In the first few lines of the book, Cathal's father the duke drops a bombshell on him.
Picture









​“It’s time you took a wife.”


Cathal managed to keep his surprise hidden with some difficulty. That blunt statement was not what he’d expected when he received the summons to his father’s office. A discussion of family business, perhaps, or questions about happenings at the palace, even a diatribe about one of his cousin’s choices--since Father seemed to hate every one of them since the prince’s marriage to Amory--was what usually precipitated a call to Father’s presence.

He’d never imagined Father would bring up marriage. Cathal had seen no indication Father was even thinking in such a direction.

You can find more about The Artist's Masquerade here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're all staying safe and well.
6 Comments

Rainbow Snippets March 13-14

3/13/2021

2 Comments

 
Picture

​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 with first kisses. This week is Cathal and Flavian's first kiss in The Artist's Masquerade. Cathal is a proper, (overly) dutiful duke's heir whose father arranged a marriage for him to a cousin of a foreign emperor. But Cathal finds himself attracted to her companion, Lady Flavia. What he doesn't know is that "Lady Flavia" is actually Flavian, a sharp-tongued artist who is in disguise and on the run. When they first kiss, Cathal doesn't yet know Flavian's real identity—but he finds out just after this snippet. (We're in Flavian's POV here.)
Picture








​Flavian froze, his mind going utterly blank the instant Cathal’s lips 
touched his.

Because Cathal was kissing him.

Cathal was kissing him. Flavian never, ever, expected it to happen, or for it to be like this. A passionate, uninhibited kiss with Cathal’s firm body pressing against his, pushing him into the unyielding surface of the door. Who would have thought a man like Cathal would kiss like this? And for an instant Flavian drowned in it—the feel of Cathal’s smooth lips on his, the firm grip of his hands on Flavian’s waist--as Cathal devoured him.

But then reality came back in a flood. “We can’t do this.”

You can find out more about The Artist's Masquerade here. Also, The Artist's Masquerade is 50% off at Smashwords (along with all my other books) through today (March 13th). Thanks for reading, and I hope you're staying safe and well.
2 Comments

Read an Ebook Week Sale!

3/7/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture

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!
0 Comments

Rainbow Snippets June 13-14

6/13/2020

3 Comments

 
Picture

​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+

​One last snippet from The Artist's Masquerade before I switch over for a while to The Scholar's Heart (which will rerelease in one month!). I've skipped ahead a little again. This snippet is Flavian thinking about Cathal and the mess of emotions he's provoked.
Picture







​Cathal confused him. So much. His heart still beat too fast as he 
remembered the look in Cathal’s eyes, all simmering heat and impishness. And Flavian liked it, far more than was good for him. He liked other things about Cathal too--flashes of heart and humor that came through at the oddest times, past the outer shell of propriety and rigid adherence to duty. And his smile--not the practiced, polite smile Flavian had seen often, but the real one that had graced Cathal’s lips tonight...it had been beautiful.

But Cathal was rigid and overly proper and infuriating at times and betrothed to Flavian’s friend

You can find more about The Artist's Masquerade here. And The Artist's Masquerade and all of my other books are still 40% off in ebook at NineStar Press if you need some summer reading. Hope you're all staying safe and well!
3 Comments

Rainbow Snippets June 6-7

6/6/2020

4 Comments

 
Picture

​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 snippet from The Artist's Masquerade for you this weekend (I may switch over to The Scholar's Heart soon, though, because it will be rereleased next month!), but I've skipped ahead a bit again, this time to Cathal and Flavian's first kiss. It's a little over six sentences, but they're not very long sentences, so maybe it's okay...?
Picture






​Flavian froze, his mind going utterly blank the instant Cathal’s lips 
touched his.

Because Cathal was kissing him.

Cathal was kissing him. Flavian never, ever, expected it to happen, or for it to be like this. A passionate, uninhibited kiss with Cathal’s firm body pressing against his, pushing him into the unyielding surface of the door. Who would have thought a man like Cathal would kiss like this? And for an instant Flavian drowned in it—the feel of Cathal’s smooth lips on his, the firm grip of his hands on Flavian’s waist--as Cathal devoured him.

But then reality came back in a flood. “We can’t do this.”

You can find more about The Artist's Masquerade here. Also, The Artist's Masquerade and all of my other books are still 40% off if you buy them from NineStar Press's site. Hope you're all staying safe and well!
4 Comments

Rainbow Snippets May 30-31

5/30/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture

​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 snippet from The Artist's Masquerade for you today. I've skipped ahead a little from last time. In this snippet, Flavian has found himself required to go with Velia to the royal palace, still in his disguise. And he's definitely caught Cathal's attention.
Picture






​Flavian froze under his gold gaze, so intense. He found himself staring back at Cathal, helpless to look anywhere except those eyes, and he had no idea why. He clenched his hands into fists hidden by the skirt of his gown. He wanted to look away; he had to look away. He didn’t understand, had never felt a compulsion like it before. It was bizarre andhe didn’t like it and he needed to stop before Cathal peered too closely at him and realized things Flavian didn’t need him to know.

​
Why was Cathal looking at him anyway?

You can find more about The Artist's Masquerade here. The Artist's Masquerade and all of my other books are still 40% off at NineStar Press if you haven't picked them up yet. Thanks for reading and I hope you're all staying safe and well!
2 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    Antonia is a writer and a reader. She loves books, travel, art, photography, baking, pasta, and shoes.

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    Categories

    All
    A Dance Of Water And Air
    A Harmony Of Fire And Earth
    Autumn
    Baking
    Blog Tour
    Bookstores
    Christmas
    Chronicles Of Tournai Series
    Cover Art
    Dragons Of Ivria
    Elemental Magicae Duology
    Events
    Giveaway
    Guest Post
    Halloween
    Holidays
    Inspiration
    Libraries
    My Books
    New Year
    NineStar Press
    Rainbow Awards
    Rainbow Snippets
    Reading
    RWA Conference
    Sales
    Spring
    Thanksgiving
    The Artist's Masquerade
    The Dragon's Devotion
    The Envoy's Honor
    The Merchant's Love
    The Prince's Consort
    The Scholar's Heart
    The Sorcerer's Guardian
    The Spymaster's Secret
    To Love The Dragon King
    Travel
    Turn The Page Anthology
    Winter
    Writing Updates

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly