Category Archives: Works in Progress

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Dangerous

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Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers share excerpts from their work in ten sentences or less. Don’t forget to click the link to discover a wide variety of really awesome fiction!

I’ve been sharing from my soon-to-released gay shifter romance/mystery titled Prowl.  In this scene, Jacqui shifted into his cat form in order to spy on the sexy new neighbor, Wyatt. A nasty little pair of Pomeranians snuck up behind him and startled into him taking refuge–on Wyatt’s shoulders. Wyatt is not happy.  In the last snippet, the neighbor who owns the dogs just said “I see you’ve met Mr. Whiskers”.

***

Lie! That is not my name! Although I must admit I do have impressive whiskers.

“Is this your cat?” Wyatt asked, his voice now low and dangerous.

“I think he belongs to the old lady in the Victorian on the corner.”

“So not someone I can go rant and curse at?”

“Not unless you want to give her a heart attack. Beyonce, Celine, be quiet!” The woman, a three-doors-down neighbor named Claire, made a halfhearted attempt to corral her dogs. They dodged her hand, intent on barking Jacqui off his perch and chasing him over the fence—Jacqui didn’t budge.

***

Jacqui the Cat Mysteries, the cozy gay shifter romance mystery series the world has  been waiting for~

Jacqui Corleone is a fashion designer, a yoga-instructor and a concerned citizen who selflessly helps the police solve crimes. Oh, and he occasionally turns into a small wild cat. Probably due to a wizard’s curse or an evil government plot to create super warriors.

Or, he’s a cat cursed to turn into a human and only the bite of a sexy alpha lion will allow him to remain in his superior form of Cat.

Jacqui does not have a split personality, but sometimes his cat personality can get rather loud.

Loud? You’re loud.

Jacqui Corleone is a cat shifter who doesn’t know why or how he turns into a cat. He lives a solitary life in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. He’s not afraid of intimacy (yes, he is) but sensibly refrains from potentially awkward entanglements. Unfortunately, the sexy new deputy sheriff just moved in across the street and Jacqui’s vow not to get mixed up with island dudes is sorely challenged.

When the mysterious disappearance of three blue pots draws Jacqui to investigate, he’s drawn ever deeper into danger–and into the muscular but not too bulgy or veiny arms of deputy Wyatt West (you wish).

Join Jacqui (and Cat) in this new exciting and sexy gay shifter romance mystery series from bestselling author (she wishes) Alexis Duran. Coming as soon as Alexis gets her s**t together.

***

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 ~ Big-Eared Death

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Greetings and welcome to another round of Weekend Writing Warriors. If you’re new to this blog hop, you’re in for a treat. Click the link to discover some really great writers sharing excepts from a wide variety of genres.

I’ve been sharing from my current WIP, Prowl, the first in a series of cozy gay shifter mysteries.  My protagonist is Jacqui and he’s currently found himself in a bit of a situation. In his cat form, he was startled by a pair of sneaky Pomeranians and ended up taking refuge on the shoulders of his unsuspecting new neighbor, Wyatt. This is in Jacqui’s POV. You can read last week’s snippet here.

***

A blonde woman in a lavender workout suit scuttled in through the gate with a tiny little leash thingy dangling from her hand.

“Sorry, Wyatt! They saw a squirrel and broke loose again.”

For like the hundred millionth time. Buy muzzle halters you stupid dog loving bitch-twit.

“Make them stop!” Wyatt gasped, as if he was in pain. Oh, right, the claws. Jacqui tried to soften his grip, but he just couldn’t. Not with big-eared death so close, so hyper and so noisy.

“Oh, I see you’ve met Mr. Whiskers.”

***

They’re vicious, I tell you, vicious!

Jacqui the Cat Mysteries, the cozy gay shifter romance mystery series the world has  been waiting for~

Jacqui Corleone is a fashion designer, a yoga-instructor and a concerned citizen who selflessly helps the police solve crimes. Oh, and he occasionally turns into a small wild cat. Probably due to a wizard’s curse or an evil government plot to create super warriors.

Or, he’s a cat cursed to turn into a human and only the bite of a sexy alpha lion will allow him to remain in his superior form of Cat.

Jacqui does not have a split personality, but sometimes his cat personality can get rather loud.

Loud? You’re loud.

Jacqui Corleone is a cat shifter who doesn’t know why or how he turns into a cat. He lives a solitary life in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. He’s not afraid of intimacy (yes, he is) but sensibly refrains from potentially awkward entanglements. Unfortunately, the sexy new deputy sheriff just moved in across the street and Jacqui’s vow not to get mixed up with island dudes is sorely challenged.

When the mysterious disappearance of three blue pots draws Jacqui to investigate, he’s drawn ever deeper into danger–and into the muscular but not too bulgy or veiny arms of deputy Wyatt West (you wish).

Join Jacqui (and Cat) in this new exciting and sexy gay shifter romance mystery series from bestselling author (she wishes) Alexis Duran. Coming as soon as Alexis gets her s**t together.

***

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 ~ Safe

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Good morning, or day, or evening. Wherever you are in the world, welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where a bunch of us writer-types share excerpts from our published work or works-in-progress.  Today I’m continuing to share from my current WIP, Prowl, a gay romance mystery featuring Jacqui, a cat shifter who’s taken an interest in his sexy new neighbor, deputy sheriff Wyatt West.  In last week’s snippet, while spying on Wyatt, Jacqui was startled by a ferocious sounding bark and instinctively sprang for higher ground– the higher ground being Wyatt.

***

Wyatt jerked to the side in surprise and shouted, “What the fuck?”

Jacqui landed on a shoulder, hunkered down around the back of Wyatt’s neck and sank his claws in.

Safe.

Only then did he look back at his would-be assassin.

Two ugly as sin white and tan Pomeranians ran around Wyatt’s yard yapping their heads off. Jacqui hissed menacingly. The poms were unimpressed.

Wyatt grabbed Jacqui’s tail and his scruff and yanked in both directions, turning in circles. Jacqui’s claws extended of their own accord.

“What the fucking hell?” Wyatt shouted again.

His vocabulary was limited—they could work on that too.

***

Wyatt might have a distorted perception of Jacqui after this little incident.

Jacqui the Cat Mysteries, the cozy gay shifter romance mystery series the world has  been waiting for~

Jacqui Corleone is a fashion designer, a yoga-instructor and a concerned citizen who selflessly helps the police solve crimes. Oh, and he occasionally turns into a small wild cat. Probably due to a wizard’s curse or an evil government plot to create super warriors.

Or, he’s a cat cursed to turn into a human and only the bite of a sexy alpha lion will allow him to remain in his superior form of Cat.

Jacqui does not have a split personality, but sometimes his cat personality can get rather loud.

Loud? You’re loud.

Jacqui Corleone is a cat shifter who doesn’t know why or how he turns into a cat. He lives a solitary life in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. He’s not afraid of intimacy (yes, he is) but sensibly refrains from potentially awkward entanglements. Unfortunately, the sexy new deputy sheriff just moved in across the street and Jacqui’s vow not to get mixed up with island dudes is sorely challenged.

When the mysterious disappearance of three blue pots draws Jacqui to investigate, he’s drawn ever deeper into danger–and into the muscular but not too bulgy or veiny arms of deputy Wyatt West (you wish).

Join Jacqui (and Cat) in this new exciting and sexy gay shifter romance mystery series from bestselling author (she wishes) Alexis Duran. Coming as soon as Alexis gets her s**t together.

***

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 ~ Survival Instinct

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Happy New Year! My wish for everyone is peace, prosperity and a bit of playfulness.  Here on Weekend Writing Warriors we get to play by sharing and reading some really great fiction.  Another P word is promotion, and WWW is one of the least painful and most rewarding ways I’ve found to get my work out there, so it will definitely stay on my “to do” list for 2018.  Glad you’re here with me.

I’m continuing to share from my work-in-progress, a new series of gay shifter cozy romances featuring Jacqui, a cat shifter with a knack for finding trouble on little San Juan Island.  When last we saw him, Jacqui was in his cat form and spying on the new neighbor. To avoid confusion, I should remind you that the couch mentioned in this  snippet is outside in Wyatt’s back yard, as he’s just now moving in.

***

Wyatt walked up next to the couch and Jacqui knew he should make a run for it. Or, he could play sweet and maybe get a scratch on the head or even a belly rub.

Oh, there goes another sweat bead. Will it make it around the belly button, or dive into those mysterious depths?

A shrill, piercing bark caused all the fur on Jacqui’s body to puff out like a bristle brush.

Demon spawn right behind us!

Survival instinct took over. He leaped onto the back of the couch but that wasn’t high enough. He needed to climb and the tallest thing in leaping range was…Wyatt.

Jacqui sprang.

***

The little ones are the most vicious of all

Jacqui the Cat Mysteries, the cozy gay shifter romance mystery series the world has  been waiting for~

Jacqui Corleone is a fashion designer, a yoga-instructor and a concerned citizen who selflessly helps the police solve crimes. Oh, and he occasionally turns into a small wild cat. Probably due to a wizard’s curse or an evil government plot to create super warriors.

Or, he’s a cat cursed to turn into a human and only the bite of a sexy alpha lion will allow him to remain in his superior form of Cat.

Jacqui does not have a split personality, but sometimes his cat personality can get rather loud.

Loud? You’re loud.

Jacqui Corleone is a cat shifter who doesn’t know why or how he turns into a cat. He lives a solitary life in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. He’s not afraid of intimacy (yes, he is) but sensibly refrains from potentially awkward entanglements. Unfortunately, the sexy new deputy sheriff just moved in across the street and Jacqui’s vow not to get mixed up with island dudes is sorely challenged.

When the mysterious disappearance of three blue pots draws Jacqui to investigate, he’s drawn ever deeper into danger–and into the muscular but not too bulgy or veiny arms of deputy Wyatt West (you wish).

Join Jacqui (and Cat) in this new exciting and sexy gay shifter romance mystery series from bestselling author (she wishes) Alexis Duran. Coming as soon as Alexis gets her s**t together.

***

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 ~ Peeping

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Hello and welcome to my corner of Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where a bunch of awesome writers share short excerpts from their work. There’s a wide diversity of  genres and styles here, so you’re sure to find something you enjoy.

I’m sharing from my current work-in-progress, a cozy gay shifter romance mystery tentatively titled Prowl.  In this scene, Jacqui is in his cat form and is taking a little stroll through the neighborhood and quite innocently (not) ends up in the backyard of his sexy new neighbor, Deputy Sheriff Wyatt West.  I’ve skipped ahead a bit from last week.

***

At last Wyatt appeared. He was still shirtless, but held one in his left hand, a bottle of beer in the other. He placed the beer on top of the stack of boxes and wiped his forehead with the T-shirt. And he would no doubt put it back on, sweat-sodden and everything. Jacqui crouched down, peeping around the edge of the couch.

Wyatt shook out the shirt, appeared to think better of it, and tossed it on the box next to the beer. Then he stretched.

Oh, yes, he did stretch. He placed both hands behind his neck and leaned back, the smooth lines of his muscular chest clearly defined and gleaming with a sheen of sweat. A tiny bead made its way around the belly button and trickled toward the barely visible trail of dark hair poking out of the low-slung jeans.

***

Jacqui the Cat Mysteries, the cozy gay shifter romance mystery series the world has  been waiting for~

Jacqui Corleone is a fashion designer, a yoga-instructor and a concerned citizen who selflessly helps the police solve crimes. Oh, and he occasionally turns into a small wild cat. Probably due to a wizard’s curse or an evil government plot to create super warriors.

Or, he’s a cat cursed to turn into a human and only the bite of a sexy alpha lion will allow him to remain in his superior form of Cat.

Jacqui does not have a split personality, but sometimes his cat personality can get rather loud.

Loud? You’re loud.

Jacqui Corleone is a cat shifter who doesn’t know why or how he turns into a cat. He lives a solitary life in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. He’s not afraid of intimacy (yes, he is) but sensibly refrains from potentially awkward entanglements. Unfortunately, the sexy new deputy sheriff just moved in across the street and Jacqui’s vow not to get mixed up with island dudes is sorely challenged.

When the mysterious disappearance of three blue pots draws Jacqui to investigate, he’s drawn ever deeper into danger–and into the muscular but not too bulgy or veiny arms of deputy Wyatt West (you wish).

Join Jacqui (and Cat) in this new exciting and sexy gay shifter romance mystery series from bestselling author (she wishes) Alexis Duran. Coming as soon as Alexis gets her s**t together.

***

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 Temporary Lapse of Sanity

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Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where a bunch of really awesome writers share excerpts from their work in snippets of ten sentences or less.

So, it’s December again, and the silly season is officially underway. As usual, I’m in denial, ignoring the hundred and one things I should be doing in order to write, write, write. The crazier things get out there, the more appealing it is to stay in my office in my robe and fuzzy slippers writing about the adventures of a cat shifter named Jacqui Corleone.

I blame Jacqui. He’s very insistent that I get his stories finished so I can publish early next year.  In the meantime, I hope you’re enjoying these in-the-rough snippets.  I skipped a head a little from last week. Jacqui, as Cat, is taking a little stroll to spy on his new neighbor, Wyatt West. He’s now in Wyatt’s back yard.

***

Boxes filled about half the patio, and a couch had been parked in the weeds.

Wait a minute, if Wild West had lived on a sailboat, where the hell did all this shit come from? Why does he need a truck and a moving van?

Clearly, the boat episode was a temporary lapse of sanity. He had his stuff in storage somewhere and is now ready to return to the land of the sensible.

Music thudded softly out of the open patio door: classic rock—seventies—Zeppelin. Jacqui flicked his ears. He preferred classical, jazz, and when he drank too much, Prince, the Eurythmics and an embarrassing selection of Eighties hair bands. Annie Lennox had been his first fashion guru. At sixteen, he’d given himself a crew cut and died his hair neon red, only to be told by everyone he looked like an anemic bozo the clown; it was a defining moment.

***

It’s coming!

Jacqui the Cat Mysteries, the cozy gay shifter romance mystery series the world has  been waiting for~

Jacqui Corleone is a fashion designer, a yoga-instructor and a concerned citizen who selflessly helps the police solve crimes. Oh, and he occasionally turns into a small wild cat. Probably due to a wizard’s curse or an evil government plot to create super warriors.

Or, he’s a cat cursed to turn into a human and only the bite of a sexy alpha lion will allow him to remain in his superior form of Cat.

Jacqui does not have a split personality, but sometimes his cat personality can get rather loud.

Loud? You’re loud.

Jacqui Corleone is a cat shifter who doesn’t know why or how he turns into a cat. He lives a solitary life in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. He’s not afraid of intimacy (yes, he is) but sensibly refrains from potentially awkward entanglements. Unfortunately, the sexy new deputy sheriff just moved in across the street and Jacqui’s vow not to get mixed up with island dudes is sorely challenged.

When the mysterious disappearance of three blue pots draws Jacqui to investigate, he’s drawn ever deeper into danger–and into the muscular but not too bulgy or veiny arms of deputy Wyatt West (you wish).

Join Jacqui (and Cat) in this new exciting and sexy gay shifter romance mystery series from bestselling author (she wishes) Alexis Duran. Coming as soon as Alexis gets her s**t together.

***

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