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 finishing out May with a couple more snippets from The Artist's Masquerade. The Artist's Masquerade is my second book, published back in 2015 (and rereleased in 2020 with its pretty new cover). This book is the story of Cathal, a royal duke's heir who has spent his entire life doing what is expected of him by his father, putting aside his own needs and wants to do so. When his father tells him that he has to marry—and that his father has chosen his bride for him—Cathal goes along with it but then finds himself far more fascinated by his intended's companion, Flavia. What Cathal doesn't know is that Flavia is in reality Flavian, an artist in disguise and on the run from a bad situation in his home country. His friend—Cathal's intended bride—came up with the ruse to disguise him as her companion and smuggle him out of the country so he can disappear into a new life. Only everything doesn't quite go as planned, and Flavian finds himself trapped in his role and pulled into intrigue. I've picked up right after the last snippet I shared from The Artist's Masquerade.
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 finishing out May with a couple more snippets from The Artist's Masquerade. The Artist's Masquerade is my second book, published back in 2015 (and rereleased in 2020 with its pretty new cover). This book is the story of Cathal, a royal duke's heir who has spent his entire life doing what is expected of him by his father, putting aside his own needs and wants to do so. When his father tells him that he has to marry—and that his father has chosen his bride for him—Cathal goes along with it but then finds himself far more fascinated by his intended's companion, Flavia. What Cathal doesn't know is that Flavia is in reality Flavian, an artist in disguise and on the run from a bad situation in his home country. His friend—Cathal's intended bride—came up with the ruse to disguise him as her companion and smuggle him out of the country so he can disappear into a new life. Only everything doesn't quite go as planned, and Flavian finds himself trapped in his role and pulled into intrigue. I've picked up right after the last snippet I shared from The Artist's Masquerade.
The involuntary comment nearly forced a snort of amusement from Cathal. “I’ll let them know you think it should taste better, shall I?”
“Yes, do.” Flavian looked as if he was fighting a smile as well and then he shook his head. “What do you want to ask me?”
Cathal gestured for Flavian to sit and took the chair across from him. “Are you spying for Ardunn?”
“What? No.” Flavian’s voice held so much shock and insult Cathal might have believed him even without the truth potion. Or perhaps not— Flavian had to be quite the actor to manage the deception for as long as he had. But with the potion, he had no choice. He had to believe Flavian. More of his anger began to ebb away.
“Who is the spy?”
“I have no idea. I didn’t know there was a spy,” Flavian answered immediately.
“Why are you here and dressed as a woman?”
Flavian hesitated. “I needed to get away, to leave Ardunn. Disguising myself and running was the only way. Velia offered to let me travel with her.”
“Why did you need to leave Ardunn?” And why in disguise? Cathal couldn’t understand why Flavian didn’t just leave if he wanted to live somewhere else. Unless he had done something illegal in Ardunn.
“Yes, do.” Flavian looked as if he was fighting a smile as well and then he shook his head. “What do you want to ask me?”
Cathal gestured for Flavian to sit and took the chair across from him. “Are you spying for Ardunn?”
“What? No.” Flavian’s voice held so much shock and insult Cathal might have believed him even without the truth potion. Or perhaps not— Flavian had to be quite the actor to manage the deception for as long as he had. But with the potion, he had no choice. He had to believe Flavian. More of his anger began to ebb away.
“Who is the spy?”
“I have no idea. I didn’t know there was a spy,” Flavian answered immediately.
“Why are you here and dressed as a woman?”
Flavian hesitated. “I needed to get away, to leave Ardunn. Disguising myself and running was the only way. Velia offered to let me travel with her.”
“Why did you need to leave Ardunn?” And why in disguise? Cathal couldn’t understand why Flavian didn’t just leave if he wanted to live somewhere else. Unless he had done something illegal in Ardunn.
You can find out more about The Artist's Masquerade here. Thanks for reading today!
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