Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Magic Afoot

June 21, 2015 by Alexis Duran

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.

***

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.

***

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.

***

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

My Sexy Saturday~ Face the Fire

June 20, 2015 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to My Sexy Saturday, the hop where writers share in seven words, lines or paragraphs, a snippet of their smokin’ hot fiction. This week’s theme is Our Sexy Best, inspired by the Tina Turner song, The Best. Personally, when I heard the theme I thought of Carly Simon’s Nobody Does it Better, especially the refrain, Baby, You’re the Best. And because it’s a song from the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me, I think danger and excitement, and how when you meet the one who really is the best, no amount of risk or common sense will stand in the way.

My seven paragraphs are from the soon-to be-released (June 30th!) contemporary fantasy, Betwixt and Between. I thought I’d share a moment when Ian begins to admit to himself that Zeke is definitely the best.

***

Ian sensed heat radiating next to him as if he slept beside a campfire. His heart started to pound. Which was real, the bed or the fire? Was he still trapped in the dark realm? No use putting it off. He opened his eyes and turned his head to face the fire.

Zeke lay beside him, eyes wide open, staring at him.

“That’s kind of creepy, you know, watching someone sleep,” Ian said.

Zeke didn’t respond but reached out and brushed sweaty hair out of Ian’s face. Ian’s skin instantly electrified. He stopped himself from grabbing Zeke’s hand and kissing it. Having the amazingly fierce and powerful svarta in his bed scared Ian more than the dark realm had. If he didn’t set some boundaries right away, Zeke would overwhelm him, dominate him, enslave him. And the pathetic thing was, it sounded so good Ian would have a hard time standing up for himself.

“Listen, Zeke, we need to talk.”

Zeke grabbed his shoulder and pulled him close. He pressed his lips against Ian’s, and all thoughts of talk vanished in a surge of lust. Zeke nibbled on Ian’s lower lip, then thrust his long tongue deep into Ian’s mouth. The flow of dark energy was like a nectar Ian couldn’t get enough of. Just when he thought he never wanted to stop kissing, Zeke broke away. He slid on top of Ian and began to kiss and bite his neck. The weight of Zeke’s body pressing him into the mattress and immobilizing him reminded Ian of his fears.

“I know you’re used to being in charge and all, but we need to set some ground rules—”

***

Don’t forget to continue the hop to check out more sexy snippets from the other participants. Seven words, seven lines or seven paragraphs of steamy fun await at My Sexy Saturday main page.

Weekend Writing Warriors~ As Good As Caught

June 7, 2015 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, a great place to share, discover and enjoy an amazing range of fiction. This week (and the rest of June) I’ll be sharing from my upcoming release, the m/m contemporary fantasy, Betwixt and Between. I hope to have the blurb and cover soon! Release date is June 30th.

This is from the opening chapter. Last week we watched as Ezekiel used his violin to spin a musical trap for an unsuspecting liosa (light elf).

***

Ezekiel pulled some of the liosa’s essence toward him along the strings and conjured a clearer picture. Human male, slim and tasty. Ezekiel’s favorite form. The man had the dark mocha-colored eyes of a High-Wood alfar, but Ezekiel recognized no clan markings, no talismans, no link to the past. This was most excellent. No one would miss him. A fresh, unclaimed source of power, his for the taking. Even the dark queen Ysolde might not be aware of him.

The liosa held a camera and was about to take Ezekiel’s photo. He was as good as caught.

***

This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post 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