Category: The Merchant's Love

Rainbow Snippets December 31-January 1

12/31/2022

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.

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!

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Rainbow Snippets December 24-25

12/24/2022

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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!

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Rainbow Snippets December 17-18

12/18/2022

1 Comment

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.

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!

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Rainbow Snippets December 10-11

12/11/2022

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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.

“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!

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Rainbow Snippets December 3-4

12/4/2022

1 Comment

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.

“I interrupted your evening. Wine and a book. And...are those cookies?”

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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Rainbow Snippets June 25-26

6/25/2022

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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.

I decided to share a few snippets from The Merchant's Love this month because it's four year book birthday is June 18th. I always call this book a warm hug in book form because that's how it's always felt to me (and what I needed when I was writing it). It's the story of Faelen, a demisexual bookish royal, falling in love over books and baked goods with Maxen, a bisexual merchant who is utterly besotted with him from the start. There's also some family drama and a bit of magic gone wrong. Here's another moment between Faelen and Maxen to finish out the month.

When Maxen got to the bedchamber, he kicked the door shut behind him—the servants may have witnessed his playfulness, but they would see no more—and carried Faelen to the bed. Maxen tossed him down among the still mussed blankets. Faelen laughed, his cheeks flushing a delicate pink, his eyes dancing with mirth. Maxen went still and just looked at him, marveling that someone so beautiful inside and out wanted him—was, perhaps, his. He was beginning to realize how completely he belonged to Faelen.

He wouldn’t think about how terrifying that was.

“Maxen?”

“I just needed to look at you for a moment.” He lowered himself to the bed over Faelen, feeling Faelen’s arms come up to hold him, his legs lift to cradle him. “You take my breath away.”

You can find more about The Merchant's Love here. And don't forget that The Merchant's Love and my other books are 40% off at NineStar Press through the end of June. Thanks for reading today and I hope you're staying safe and well.

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Rainbow Snippets June 18-19

6/19/2022

1 Comment

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 few snippets from The Merchant's Love this month because it's four year book birthday is June 18th. I always call this book a warm hug in book form because that's how it's always felt to me (and what I needed when I was writing it). It's the story of Faelen, a demisexual bookish royal, falling in love over books and baked goods with Maxen, a bisexual merchant who is utterly besotted with him from the start. There's also some family drama and a bit of magic gone wrong. I've skipped ahead quite a bit this week. I did some baking in honor of Faelen and Maxen's anniversary and thought this snippet the perfect one to go with the cinnamon rolls I made. (I went long again—I'm sorry! I promise I'll stick to the line requirements next week!)

Bundled up against the cold night, they walked hand in hand toward Maxen’s house. They didn’t stop in at any of the taverns along the way. By mutual agreement, it seemed they wanted something else. Faelen did anyway—to be alone with Maxen somewhere quieter. But Maxen tugged him into a bakery that was still open and bought two pastries, swirled through with cinnamon and spices and topped with sweet sugary icing.

Faelen hadn’t thought he’d be hungry after the filling stew, but the pastry was warm and smelled delicious...perhaps he might have room for something sweet.

Outside, Maxen grinned and pressed a kiss to his temple. “I know how you love your sweets. Go ahead.”

Faelen blushed, even as a delightful shiver traveled through him from the place Maxen’s lips had been so briefly. He ducked his head, letting his hair fall forward to shield his face.

“All right, Fae?”

At Maxen’s concerned tone, Faelen looked up at him. He didn’t want Maxen concerned for him now. “Fine. Should we go?”

Maxen looked at him for another few breaths and then nodded. He held his hand out and Faelen put his in it, letting Maxen tangle their fingers together.

You can find more about The Merchant's Love here. And don't forget The Merchant's Love and my other books are 40% off in ebook at NineStar Press this month. Thanks for reading today and I hope you're staying safe and well.

1 Comment

Rainbow Snippets June 11-12

6/12/2022

1 Comment

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 few snippets from The Merchant's Love this month because it has an anniversary coming up in a couple of weeks. I always call this book a warm hug in book form because that's how it's always felt to me (and what I needed when I was writing it). It's the story of Faelen, a demisexual bookish royal, falling in love over books and baked goods with Maxen, a bisexual merchant who is utterly besotted with him from the start. There's also some family drama and a bit of magic gone wrong. In this snippet, Faelen and his twin Alexander are at their cousin Etan's wedding to Tristan. Tristan's brother has been spending a lot of time looking at Faelen, and Alexander noticed. (I'm sorry this is a bit long!)

"Tristan's brother. Maxen, was it? He seems quite taken with you. Kept stealing glances through dinner.”

“He couldn’t be taken with me since he hasn’t met me.” He and Alexander garnered their share of attention, and Faelen supposed it was flattering. He just never knew what to do with it, had never felt quite comfortable, especially if attention turned into something with more intent behind it.

Alexander rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. He’s taken with the look of you. He’s certainly handsome himself. Did you see?”

He deemed it safer to ignore most of what Alexander said. “Then he’s taken with the look of you as well. Are you sure he wasn’t looking at you?”

“No, dear, he was very much looking at you.” Alexander covertly glanced around the ballroom as they walked inside. “He’s there. Talking with Tristan and Etan.”

Alexander hadn’t needed to point Maxen out. Faelen had seen him during the ceremony, and, objectively speaking, Alexander was correct— Maxen was a handsome man. His shining blond hair gleamed like antique gold, and he shared his older brother’s vivid blue eyes. Faelen glanced at him anyway, cataloguing those characteristics once more, taking in the brilliant smile and the crinkle at the corner of his eyes while he laughed at something Tristan said. Etan and Tristan held hands and seemed to be drawn toward each other by some invisible force, but Maxen didn’t look as if he felt like the odd one out. He just looked happy.

Faelen looked away before Maxen caught him staring.

You can find more about The Merchant's Love here. The Merchant's Love and my other books are all 40% off at NineStar Press this month, so don't miss out on a great sale! Thanks for reading, and I hope you're all staying safe and well.

1 Comment

Rainbow Snippets June 4-5

6/4/2022

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 share a few snippets from The Merchant's Love this month because it has an anniversary coming up in a couple of weeks. I always call this book a warm hug in book form because that's how it's always felt to me (and what I needed when I was writing it). It's the story of Faelen, a demisexual bookish royal, falling in love over books and baked goods with Maxen, a bisexual merchant who is utterly besotted with him from the start. There's also some family drama and a bit of magic gone wrong. This snippet is the beginning of the book, when Faelen, his twin Alexander, and their mother and brother arrive back in Tournai after a long absence.

In the last decade since his father was appointed ambassador to the kingdom of Teilo, Faelen had been on the grounds of Tournai’s royal palace three times, if he included today. The relief, happiness, and utter sense of home flooding through him as soon as he stepped off the boat had been shocking in its intensity, but not surprising otherwise. Sometime in the middle of the journey, he’d been hit with the bone-deep certainty that he needed to be back in Tournai. He’d mentioned it to Alexander, who admitted feeling the same—which Faelen was happy to hear from his twin, even if it did make the whole thing stranger.

He tried not to dwell on it, which was made a bit easier because of his discomfort that they were arriving unannounced and uninvited.

Well, not entirely uninvited. Faelen’s cousin Etan was getting married in a couple of weeks, and the entire family had been invited to the wedding, but Faelen couldn’t imagine Philip, the crown prince, and Amory, his husband, expected them to descend on the palace for it.

He and Alexander would be staying in Jumelle longer than that if they had their way.

You can find more about The Merchant's Love here. The Merchant's Love and the rest of my books are 40% off at NineStar Press this month, so don't miss out on a great sale! Thanks for reading today and I hope you're staying safe and well!

3 Comments

Rainbow Snippets February 5-6

2/5/2022

4 Comments

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.

“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 more about The Merchant's Love here. Thanks for reading this weekend, and I hope you're staying safe and healthy (and warm, if it's winter where you are too!).

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Rainbow Snippets December 31-January 1

Rainbow Snippets December 24-25

Rainbow Snippets December 17-18

Rainbow Snippets December 10-11

Rainbow Snippets December 3-4

Rainbow Snippets June 25-26

Rainbow Snippets June 18-19

Rainbow Snippets June 11-12

Rainbow Snippets June 4-5

Rainbow Snippets February 5-6

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