Weekend Writing Warriors ~ He Really Ought to Pay More Attention

May 8, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to another edition of Weekend Writing Warriors. I have valiantly torn myself away from the rewarding task of pulling weeds to come inside and post this snippet, so I hope you enjoy it. I’m continuing to share from Gryffon Hall, an m/m fantasy inspired by Beaty and the Beast. I’ve skipped ahead a bit from last time. The party has moved into the great feast hall and Wryler is surprised to find himself seated at the head table.

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Wryler looked at the place cards and blanched when he saw he was seated next to Aeric Rouchet. On his other side sat the frail Duke of Middlestone, who fell asleep soon after Lord Glimmerveen finished his official welcome to the assembled host.

Rouchet nodded at Wryler, then set upon his meal with the ferociousness of a bear just out of hibernation. The overly large man couldn’t be contained by his chair and his bulk encroached on Wryler’s place setting. Rouchet didn’t notice this as he planted his elbows and tore into a goose leg with fierce, tearing bites.

Wryler picked at his food, nibbling at cheese and bread. His stomach roiled with excitement and anxiety. Would his father announce the betrothal after the meal or was he too preoccupied with trade and politics? Was that the real reason the merchant Arsburry was there, to meet with Rouchet? Wryler thought, not for the first time, that he really ought to pay more attention to what was going on around him.

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Barbarians aren’t all bad.

Gryffon Hall

Useless fourth son of the Lord of Glimmerveen, Wryler dreams of getting married and escaping the rustic confines of his father’s castle. A wealthy merchant’s son seems to hold the key to Wryler’s safe if somewhat dreary future. However, the arrival of a mysterious stranger on the eve of Wryler’s betrothal sends his plans into disarray and Wryler finds himself traded off in marriage to one of the most notorious rogues in the land.

Is Lord Aeric Rouchet the barbarian he appears to be, or is he something much worse? Separated from his family and thrust into a strange and dangerous new life at the foreboding Gryffon Hall, Wryler must unravel the secret of his husband’s shadowed life and defeat the curse which threatens not only his growing affection for the barbarian in his bed, but the lives of everyone the Lord of Gryffon Hall is sworn to protect.

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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

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ A Matter of False Perspective

May 1, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Hey there! Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors. I’ve hurdled another deadline and it feels great to be back. I’m continuing on with the last scene I shared, which is from Gryffon Hall, the novel I just finished. It’s an m/m fairy tale revisited, inspired by Beauty and the Beast. Wyler has just gotten an eyeful of the intimidating Lord of Gryffon Hall, Aeric Rouchet.

This picks up right after the line: The footman, who was no slight fellow, appeared diminutive next to the visitor; Rouchet could have picked him up with one hand and used him to clean the gristle from his teeth.

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Wryler blinked and told himself this was an illusion, a matter of false perspective as Rouchet strode toward them, burgundy-colored hair blazing in the light of a hundred lanterns.

He walked right up to Wryler’s father. Wryler had a hard time not shrinking into the background.

“Greetings, Lord Glimmerveen! I thank you for your gracious invitation and apologize for our lateness. We were fallen upon by bandits on the road from Demmonvale.”

Another gasp went up from the listening crowd. Rouchet grinned and said, “Oh, it was no trouble for us to dispatch the motely crew, but it did slow us down. These two ugly brutes are my cousins, Krull of Dane’s Forge and Phynnias Ledderbrook.”

The two men stood on either side of Rouchet side, forming an impressive wall of manhood.

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Here’s my first stab at a blurb:

Gryffon Hall

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My Sexy Saturday ~ Long Gone

April 30, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Hello and welcome to another My Sexy Saturday. Today I’m celebrating vanquishing yet another deadline (they just keep coming, though). This week’s theme is My Sexy Love and the novel I just completed happens to be all about falling in love (and monsters, curses, and such, but mostly love). Gryffon Hall is m/m fantasy; a revisited fairy tale inspired by Beauty and the Beast. Wyler and Aeric have an arranged marriage. This snippet is from their wedding night. They’re not quite in love yet, but things are looking up.

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“I’ll try not to hurt you, but there will be pain,” Aeric said.

“Don’t hold back.” Wryler wrapped his arms around his husband’s back. It was like hugging a tree. A supple, sweat-slicked tree. “I welcome it.”

Aeric pushed back to his knees, dragging Wryler’s tattered shirt from his arms and flinging it away. He did the same with Wryler’s trousers and crouched over him, doing exactly what Wryler had hoped he wouldn’t; he inspected every inch of Wryler with both eyes and hands.

“Goddess, what perfection,” Aeric sighed.

“I told you, you don’t need to butter me up with false compliments,” Wryler pouted. “I’m perfectly aware of my limitations.”

Aeric cupped Wryler’s cheek in his palm. “Lovely Wryler, how is it you’re so blind? I must return to Glimmerveen first chance and slap your father and brothers across their silly faces.”

Wryler clucked sternly but in fact he warmed inside hearing Aeric’s words. Only Lennox and a few sly knights had complimented Wryler in such a fashion, and that was because they were trying to get into Wryler’s trousers. Aeric didn’t need to try. They were married, and the trousers were long gone.

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Here’s my first stab at a blurb:

Gryffon Hall

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Don’t forget to continue the hop to discover a wonderful array of sweet and steamy romance at My Sexy Saturday.

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ The Barbarian From the West

April 17, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Greetings and welcome to another round of Weekend Writing Warriors. This week, since I’m up to my eyeballs in it, I’ve decided to share from my current WIP, a reimagined fairy tale currently titled Gryffon Hall. Our hero, Wryler Glimmerveen, is reluctantly attending a fancy feast hosted by his father, lord of Glimmerveen castle. Wyler, the fourth son, expects to soon be married off to Lennox, a wealthy merchant’s son, but a mysterious visitor may throw his carefully planned future into disarray.

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A commotion at the wide doors served as a welcome distraction. Three rather large men had entered, shouting greetings and apologies for their lateness. The crowd parted and a footman cleared his throat.

“Lord Aeric Rouchet, Earl of Gryffon Hall!” he announced. The gasp and murmur that rippled through the room would have amused Wryler, if not for the fact that Wryler couldn’t help gasping and murmuring along with the rest of them.

“What is he doing here? Shall we alert the guards?” he whispered into his father’s ear.

The music came to a squeaky halt as Aeric Rouchet stepped forward. Everyone gaped at the notorious barbarian from the west. The footman, who was no slight fellow, appeared diminutive next to the visitor; Rouchet could have picked him up with one hand and used him to clean the gristle from his teeth.

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Gryffon Hall, known in the real world as Eltz Castle, Germany.

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Tranquility

April 10, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to another round of Weekend Writing Warriors. I’m celebrating passing the 10,000 view mark last week, and much of that is due to participating in this fabulous blog hop. Thanks, guys!

Today I’m finishing up the scene from Masters and Mages 2: Blood of Salar that I’ve been posting from over the past several weeks. While confronting rebel soldiers who were desecrating the chapel of Ka’alar, M’lan called upon the long dormant god of death for help and was surprised when the god answered. I’m under the limit this week, so I’ve included the last line from last week.

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The serpent continued to thrash, golden fangs exposed.

“Stop!” M’lan gasped. The air shimmered, the columns trembled, and the walls seemed to warp and expand. Suddenly everything became still, the silence acute. The statue was as it had been before. Only a few broken stones and Raffe’s limp body showed anything had happened.

M’lan stared at the lifeless, graceful statue of the serpent, sacred waters once again dribbling benignly from its fangs into the pool below. Despite its tranquility, it seemed to be laughing at him.

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M’lan, headmaster of the order of Ka’alar and Jamil Jarka, king’s assassin, find their impossible love challenged to the utmost as a rebellion sweeps them apart, sending Jamil on a dangerous mission to assassinate the rebel leader, General Charvat. Unknown to anyone, Charvat is on his way to the temple to exploit the headmaster’s magical abilities.

When the rebel army arrives, M’lan is thrust into a struggle against political and sexual dominance as Charvat attempts to break his resistance. Violence and death mount, awakening within M’lan both the powers of destruction and the desire for revenge.

On the trail of his prey, Jamil begins to question his devotion to M’lan as his once innocent lover transforms into a mage and invades the assassin’s thoughts and dreams. The closer Jamil draws to M’lan, the more he puts his life and his very soul at risk. Jamil soon realizes that his lover might prove to be more deadly than the man he was sent to kill.

A final confrontation between assassin and monk might destroy them both, but Jamil is relentless in his determination to rescue M’lan, for he knows that only his love can master the mage.

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Blood of Salar on Amazon Loose Id

All Romance eBooks Barnes & Noble

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Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Ka’alar

April 3, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to my little corner of Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where a fantastic group of writers share excerpts from their published work or works in progress.

This week I’m continuing with a scene from Masters and Mages 2: Blood of Salar. Last week, M’lan used his powers to perform what he thought was a simple magic trick, making a stone statue of the snake god Ka’alar appear to come to life in order to stop rebel soldiers from destroying the chapel and assaulting one of the monks. But now, M’lan is about to learn the very real consequences of calling upon the god of death.

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The diamond-shaped head of Ka’alar rose in the air, then plunged downward, striking Raffe on the forehead. The blow dropped him to his knees, and he slumped sideways. Blood flowed freely from a wide gash.

Raffe’s men had seen enough. Filling the chapel with echoing cries of terror, they fled.

M’lan would have cried out too, if he could have spoken. The huge white serpent recoiled, thrashing blindly so its head smashed into the ceiling and sent broken stones plummeting to the floor. The columns shook.

M’lan jerked his hands free and stumbled back. The serpent continued to thrash, golden fangs exposed.

***

A final confrontation between assassin and monk might destroy them both, but Jamil is relentless in his determination to rescue M’lan, for he knows that only his love can master the mage.

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Blood of Salar on Amazon Loose Id

All Romance eBooks Barnes & Noble

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