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'm sharing another snippet this weekend from The Merchant's Love. It's as close as I have to a holiday book at this point, and I often describe it as a warm hug in book form. In it, Faelen, a bookish royal, and Maxen, a merchant, fall in love over books and baked goods as fall turns to winter. In this snippet, Maxen is shopping for a Midwinter gift for Faelen and has decided to buy him hair combs, since Faelen uses them in his long hair. Maxen's younger brother is with him and has some insights too. The Selene they mention is their sister. (The snippet is a bit long—sorry!)
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'm sharing another snippet this weekend from The Merchant's Love. It's as close as I have to a holiday book at this point, and I often describe it as a warm hug in book form. In it, Faelen, a bookish royal, and Maxen, a merchant, fall in love over books and baked goods as fall turns to winter. In this snippet, Maxen is shopping for a Midwinter gift for Faelen and has decided to buy him hair combs, since Faelen uses them in his long hair. Maxen's younger brother is with him and has some insights too. The Selene they mention is their sister. (The snippet is a bit long—sorry!)
He’d seen Faelen wear combs more than anything else, so he would look at those. Ones that reminded him of Faelen.
Thierry ran a fingertip over a large gold comb set with glittering stones. “Selene would like this one.”
“I don’t think that’s the one for Faelen. It’s a bit…much.”
“That’s why Selene would like it.”
Maxen laughed softly. Selene did like things a little on the extravagant side. “Quality and beautiful work, but not flashy. Elegant.”
Thierry nodded seriously, obviously taking in everything Maxen was saying. “Not that then, or those.”
He nodded as Thierry discarded options based solely on the fact that they were too heavily decorated. Then Maxen discarded a few as too simple or just not right.
“A few more options for you, gentlemen.” The shopkeeper laid out three more sets of combs on the velvet covering the tray.
Maxen’s gaze went to them, skipping over the first pair with large rubies that seemed to drip from the combs. He picked up one of the combs from the second set to examine the fine, delicate thing. It was elegant, of silver filigree with little pearls and pale-green stones. The pearls gleamed in the light, but what really caught his eye were the glittering green stones.
“Peridot?”
The shopkeeper nodded. “Yes, not as valuable as the emeralds, of course, but they make an interesting combination with the pearls and the silver. Unique.”
They were the color of Faelen’s eyes. “Fae is that.”
Thierry leaned closer. “Pretty. Selene would think they were too plain, but they’re not really plain at all.”
“No, they’re not.” They just weren’t too much. “And the combination of stones isn’t something I’ve ever seen before. Yes, I think Fae would like these.”
Thierry ran a fingertip over a large gold comb set with glittering stones. “Selene would like this one.”
“I don’t think that’s the one for Faelen. It’s a bit…much.”
“That’s why Selene would like it.”
Maxen laughed softly. Selene did like things a little on the extravagant side. “Quality and beautiful work, but not flashy. Elegant.”
Thierry nodded seriously, obviously taking in everything Maxen was saying. “Not that then, or those.”
He nodded as Thierry discarded options based solely on the fact that they were too heavily decorated. Then Maxen discarded a few as too simple or just not right.
“A few more options for you, gentlemen.” The shopkeeper laid out three more sets of combs on the velvet covering the tray.
Maxen’s gaze went to them, skipping over the first pair with large rubies that seemed to drip from the combs. He picked up one of the combs from the second set to examine the fine, delicate thing. It was elegant, of silver filigree with little pearls and pale-green stones. The pearls gleamed in the light, but what really caught his eye were the glittering green stones.
“Peridot?”
The shopkeeper nodded. “Yes, not as valuable as the emeralds, of course, but they make an interesting combination with the pearls and the silver. Unique.”
They were the color of Faelen’s eyes. “Fae is that.”
Thierry leaned closer. “Pretty. Selene would think they were too plain, but they’re not really plain at all.”
“No, they’re not.” They just weren’t too much. “And the combination of stones isn’t something I’ve ever seen before. Yes, I think Fae would like these.”
You can find out more about The Merchant's Love, including where to buy it, here. It's 50% off this month (along with my other books) at Smashwords. Thanks for reading today, and Happy Solstice!
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