Happy Summer! Thanks for taking time out of your hopefully glorious Sunday to stop by Weekend Writing Warriors. This week I’m continuing with snippets from the opening chapter of my soon to be released (June 30th!) m/m contemporary fantasy, Betwixt and Between. Hey, it finally dawned on me I haven’t posted a blurb yet, so today you’ll find that after my 1o lines.
I’ve skipped ahead a bit from last week to Ian’s point of view. Unbeknownst to him, he’s about to stroll into a trap set by a svarta, a dark elf.
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Ian sensed magic afoot and couldn’t pass it up. That was his job, after all—finding and cataloging the magical creatures lurking in Seattle’s shadows. Readers of the tabloid he worked for, The Cosmic Eye, gobbled up his stories, and with every contact, however dubious, he inched a bit closer to unlocking the vast magical mystery that shrouded his life.
A flash there, a ripple here. A haunted rowboat, a flying spoon, a burning book, a talking cat. All these things added up to something. He just didn’t know what yet.
His first impression of the musician in the stairwell was that, yes indeed, he’d stumbled across a magical creature. Shadowed lines resolved into a dark-haired figure in a long, heavy coat and high leather boots. The outfit looked like something a down-and-out musketeer might wear, the coat being old-fashioned, fastened with two rows of brass buttons, and well-worn.
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The Blurb:
Obsessed with magical creatures since childhood, tabloid reporter Ian Evers never experiences satisfying proof that the magical realm actually exists until he falls into an entrapment spell set by a handsome but dangerous elf. Barely escaping with his soul intact, Ian is able to undo the hex, but he can’t escape the very real infatuation he’s developed for the fierce elf.
Ezekiel Stormshadow is a svarta, a dark elf who serves the queen of the dark realm. The realm of darkness needs the power of light to survive, and while hunting the last few magical beings on earth, Ezekiel discovers Ian, a light elf who’s unaware of his true nature and ripe for the plucking. Their brief encounter awakens a great hunger in Ezekiel, and he’s determined to feast on the light elf’s power and body before the queen intervenes and claims Ian for herself.
Driven apart by an ancient imbalance between the dark and light realms, an evil queen starved for power, and their fear of each other, Ian and Ezekiel are relentlessly drawn together even though their union might destroy them both.
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This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com
Love Ian’s job description! And “down and out musketeer.” Rawr. 🙂
Great blurb, too. Looks like we’re sharing a release date. 🙂
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Yeah, us!
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Exceptional snippet. I so enjoyed his inner thoughts flying out.
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A flying spoon? A talking cat? Sounds like he’s found some interesting stories.
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Ian sounds like he’s got a great job!
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Love the snippet! Fabulous description of the coat. I want to read more about Ian and see him unlocking that mystery:). Great 8!!
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Wow, Ian’s got a great job. I liked how you made me believe magic was real in Seattle in just these few sentences. Nice snippet, Alexis!
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There is some great writing here, Alexis. Haunted rowboat–love it. The down and out musketeer paints a strong picture.
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Thank you for the blurb Alexis. Poor Ian has no idea what he is about to trigger. Lovely dark story line, promises some intense scenes.
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I love that “down-and-out musketeer” description.
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The blurb gives the snippets so much more of a different feel… my, how different! Still, I really want to run and tell Ian, ‘stop! don’t look behind the curtain’.
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very interesting snippet and nice descriptions.
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Such an interesting twist that Ian doesn’t realize he’s magic himself. Loving the story (started with this week’s excerpt and came back to read this one too). Cool!
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