Category: The Scholar's Heart

Rainbow Snippets July 12-13

7/13/2025

The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend (I'll beg forgiveness in advance for sometimes going over the sentence limit!). 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 A Dance of Water and Air, but I'm taking a break from that because this weekend marks five years since The Scholar's Heart released (it was originally published in 2016, so that makes nine years since this book made its debut). The Scholar's Heart is an estranged friends to lovers fantasy romance, and though I don't write super angsty books, this is maybe the most angsty...? Let's just say it takes Etan and Tristan a while to get their act together. Here's a bit from the very beginning, before everything goes wrong.

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My Books with Ace Spec Characters for Ace Week

10/23/2024

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Happy Ace Week! I'm going to share some book recs for Ace Week in a separate post, but I wanted to do a quick post letting you know about my books with ace spec main (and supporting) characters. While I don't use the words demisexual, asexual, etc on page because these are fantasy worlds, the main characters' orientations are explained on page. With supporting characters, it isn't always as clear but I've explained what to expect with them below.

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Rainbow Snippets July 13-14

7/14/2024

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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.

In July, I'm sharing snippets from The Scholar's Heart, the third book in the Chronicles of Tournai series, though the books in the series do all stand alone. It's a friends to estranged friends to lovers romance between Etan, a scholar and cousin to the crown prince, and Tristan, a merchant's son and best friend of the prince consort. Etan and Tristan become close, but Tristan doesn't notice that Etan has fallen in love with him. And when Tristan announces he's going to marry at his dying father's request, Etan's heart is broken and so is their friendship. After Tristan is widowed, they are drawn back into each other's orbits and Etan has to decide if he can trust Tristan enough to open his heart again. This snippet follows directly after last week's.

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Rainbow Snippets July 6-7

7/7/2024

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Rainbow Snippets July 30-31

7/31/2022

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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'm sharing a few snippets from The Scholar's Heart this month because it has a book anniversary on the 13th. The Scholar's Heart is an estranged friends to lovers romance. Etan is a scholar and cousin to the Crown Prince of Tournai, and Tristan is the oldest son of a prominent merchant family (the older brother of Maxen from last month's snippets from The Merchant's Love). Etan and Tristan were close friends, and Etan had fallen for Tristan, but Tristan broke his heart when he chose to marry the person his father chose for him. This is probably the angstiest thing I've ever written, but they do manage to find their way to each other eventually. This weekend, I'm sharing a snippet of Etan using his magic, a mysterious magical Talent kept secret by Tournai's royal family.

The woods had served that purpose for him many times and would again today. He walked into the trees, letting the cool shade swallow him up, and kept going, farther into the little wood. He stopped in a small clearing containing only a stone bench. The palace and the rest of the gardens were out of sight, and no one could see him.

Closing his eyes, he let out a long, slow breath and pulled up the magic that rested deep inside him. It swirled up and through him, tingling and fizzing in his veins, along his skin. He loved it, the feeling, the magic. The thrill of it, the exhilaration. Always had.

When the feeling died away, he stood on four legs instead of two.

You can find out more about The Scholar's Heart here. This is the last weekend to get The Scholar's Heart and my other books 50% off at Smashwords. Don't miss out on a great sale! Thanks for reading today and I hope you're all staying safe and well!

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Rainbow Snippets July 23-24

7/24/2022

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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'm sharing a few snippets from The Scholar's Heart this month because it has a book anniversary on the 13th. The Scholar's Heart is an estranged friends to lovers romance. Etan is a scholar and cousin to the Crown Prince of Tournai, and Tristan is the oldest son of a prominent merchant family (the older brother of Maxen from last month's snippets from The Merchant's Love). Etan and Tristan were close friends, and Etan had fallen for Tristan, but Tristan broke his heart when he chose to marry the person his father chose for him. This is probably the angstiest thing I've ever written, but they do manage to find their way to each other eventually. I have another kiss between Etan and Tristan for you this week, this one not in the middle of an argument!

Tristan stretched out a hand and snagged Etan’s arm. He used it to pull Etan into the shadows and push him against the wall, the way Etan had Tristan that day in the secret corridor, a memory Tristan still took delight in. He swallowed Etan’s surprised gasp in a kiss.

Tristan poured everything he had into the kiss, everything he’d felt over these last few weeks. His frustration and confusion, his attraction and longing for more after the taste he’d had of being with Etan. He willed Etan to feel all of it in the kiss.

Making a noise in the back of his throat, Etan brought his hands up to Tristan’s shoulders. Etan broke away from the kiss, but he didn’t move, didn’t push Tristan away. “Wait, Tristan, wait.”

“Why?” He leaned forward and nipped at Etan’s lower lip. “It’s your birthday party. Enjoy yourself.”

You can find out more about The Scholar's Heart here. And don't forget that The Scholar's Heart and my other books are 50% off at Smashwords through the end of July (which is somehow not much longer!). Thanks for reading, and I hope you're staying safe and well.

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Rainbow Snippets July 16-17

7/17/2022

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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'm sharing a few snippets from The Scholar's Heart this month because it has a book anniversary on the 13th. The Scholar's Heart is an estranged friends to lovers romance. Etan is a scholar and cousin to the Crown Prince of Tournai, and Tristan is the oldest son of a prominent merchant family (the older brother of Maxen from last month's snippets from The Merchant's Love). Etan and Tristan were close friends, and Etan had fallen for Tristan, but Tristan broke his heart when he chose to marry the person his father chose for him. This is probably the angstiest thing I've ever written, but they do manage to find their way to each other eventually. The snippet I'm sharing today is Etan and Tristan's first kiss, which happens in the middle of an argument.

Against all his better judgment, which was screaming at him unheeded from some small part of his mind, he grabbed Tristan, pulled him close, and kissed him.

The kiss was rough--passionate but rough and almost violent. All lips and teeth and grasping hands. Not at all how Etan usually kissed or liked to be kissed. Not at all how he’d envisioned a first kiss with Tristan to be, back when he’d imagined such things, before he put aside the possibility of anything between them. A shame, since this kiss was likelyto be their only one. But he couldn’t change it now. All his anger and frustration, his thwarted passion and hurt, every feeling that had accumulated over years of loving Tristan and grieving what might have been, was being poured out into the kiss, and Etan was helpless to stop it.

You can find more about The Scholar's Heart here. And don't forget that The Scholar's Heart and my other books are 50% off this month in the Smashwords sale, so it's a great time to read Etan and Tristan's story. Thanks for reading today and I hope you're staying safe and well.

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Rainbow Snippets July 2-3

7/3/2022

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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'm sharing a few snippets from The Scholar's Heart this month because it has a book anniversary on the 13th. The Scholar's Heart is an estranged friends to lovers romance. Etan is a scholar and cousin to the Crown Prince of Tournai, and Tristan is the oldest son of a prominent merchant family (the older brother of Maxen from last month's snippets from The Merchant's Love). Etan and Tristan were close friends, and Etan had fallen for Tristan, but Tristan broke his heart when he chose to marry the person his father chose for him. This is probably the angstiest thing I've ever written, but they do manage to find their way to each other eventually. This snippet is the very beginning of the book, before things come crashing down.

“There you are!”

Tristan’s musical voice made the simple sentence something special, or perhaps Etan’s feelings made it seem so. Etan smiled as he looked up from his book, a glow of warmth and welcome lighting him up inside.

Tristan strode into the small room Etan had claimed for his own in the palace’s labyrinthine library. He had a desk in the university library as well, but these days, out of necessity and preference both, he conducted most of his work in this cozy little room. Obscure history books filled the shelves lining the walls. The table in the center of the room held Etan’s notes on his studies and projects, all neatly organized so he could find anything he wanted quickly. But this morning he slouched on the comfortable couch instead, book propped in his lap.

He sat there, book forgotten as he watched Tristan, the morning sun streaming in through the window and glinting off Tristan’s bright gold hair. Tristan seemed to bring the sunshine into the room with him, brightening what had been an ordinary morning until that moment.

You can find out more about The Scholar's Heart here. And, if you want to give it a try, it's 50% off at Smashwords this month, along with my other books. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well.

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Rainbow Snippets August 7-8

8/8/2021

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She made a little snuffling sound, and he reflexively looked down. His first look at his daughter’s face...and he tumbled headlong into love.

She was perfect, from the wispy pale hair on her head to her delicate little fingers that came into view as the blanket wrapping her loosened. He walked carefully to the rocking chair near the hearth, the chair Dariela had specifically designed, and sat, careful not to wake the baby. He had no idea what to do with a baby, no idea how to raise a daughter, but sitting here, staring down at her sweet little face, he vowed he would learn anything he needed to know. Anything to keep her safe, healthy, and happy.

You can find out more about The Scholar's Heart here. Thanks for reading, and I hope you're all staying safe and well!

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Rainbow Snippets May 22-23

5/22/2021

5 Comments

“There you are!”

Tristan’s musical voice made the simple sentence something special, or perhaps Etan’s feelings made it seem so. Etan smiled as he looked up from his book, a glow of warmth and welcome lighting him up inside.

Tristan strode into the small room Etan had claimed for his own in the palace’s labyrinthine library. He had a desk in the university library as well, but these days, out of necessity and preference both, he conducted most of his work in this cozy little room.

You can learn more about The Scholar's Heart here. Thanks for reading today, and I hope you're staying safe and well.

5 Comments

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Rainbow Snippets July 12-13

My Books with Ace Spec Characters for Ace Week

Rainbow Snippets July 13-14

Rainbow Snippets July 6-7

Rainbow Snippets July 30-31

Rainbow Snippets July 23-24

Rainbow Snippets July 16-17

Rainbow Snippets July 2-3

Rainbow Snippets August 7-8

Rainbow Snippets May 22-23

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