Weekend Writing Warriors ~ You Know You Want It

July 23, 2017 by Alexis Duran

Hey, look! It exists!

Cover by April Martinez

Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors. Death by Starlight released on Tuesday, and it has a cover and pages and everything. Sometimes we authors get a little nervous, but then magic happens and there’s this book.

So, on to the snippet. I’ve been sharing from the scene where Zeke and Alistair go out on Alistair’s little motor boat in search of the mermaid Melissa, who Alistair has been crushing on most of his long life. This picks up a little bit after last week’s snippet.

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“C’mon, Mellosa,” Zeke muttered. “You know you want it. Why else have you been hanging out in these human-infested waters, baiting and teasing this sorry excuse for a shaman?”

“What’s the rush?” Alistair asked, leaning over the other side.

“Ian’s about to get himself in trouble.”

“So what else is new?”

They rode the tide in silence, the slap of waves against the boat and the rush of wind the only sound. The clouds parted slightly, allowing a bit of moonlight to lighten the sky and outline the dark bulk of the Olympic mountain range and the landmasses to either side of them. The lights of Port Angeles peppered the distant shore.

The mermaid lure was now a mere pinprick, a remote star in an upside-down sky.

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Edge of Night 2: Death by Starlight

Ian and Zeke fought a battle against the queen of the dark realm in order to be together, but just when they think they might settle into as normal a life as elves living among humans might be able to expect, a new enemy threatens to tear them apart. While Zeke helps the shaman Alistair in his hunt for an elusive mermaid, Ian is called to confront a wicked nymph preying on tourists along Seattle’s waterfront. Zeke and Ian soon discover that the defeated Queen Ysolde has spread her evil into the sea realms, and danger lurks beneath every wave, but it is too late to stop an escalating series of confrontations that lead to disappearances, death and the possible end of light in this world.

As Ysolde plots revenge and a mysterious prince seeks to win Ian for himself, the ancient war between light and dark sweeps Ian and Zeke into its maelstrom of hate, testing their trust of each other to the utmost.

Amazon

Loose ID

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Betwixt and Between: Book 1 is available at these retailers: Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble Books2Read

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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 ~ Mermaid Psychology

July 15, 2017 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors! Well, it’s two days to the release of Death by Starlight and I’m super excited. I had so much fun writing this novel and as I read through it searching for excerpts to share, I can’t help giggling and dreaming up new magical encounters for Ian, Zeke and their pals to endure. Book 3, here I come!

In this snippet, Zeke and Alistair are out in the Salish Sea around the San Juan Islands. Zeke is helping Alistair fish for the love of his life, Mellosa the Possibly Murderous Mermaid. Zeke has crafted a mermaid lure from a blue agate, which he just tossed over the side of their boat. (Ysolde is the evil queen of the svarta, recently deposed)

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“How is it you know so much about mermaid psychology?” Alistair asked, eyes narrowing.

“When Ysolde first sent me into the other realms in search of light energy, I encountered a rather interesting merman and made all the same stupid mistakes human males usually make when it comes to creatures of the sea. Barely escaped with my life.” Zeke smiled at the memory. That had been an affair to remember.

“We need to get drunk together some day and have a nice long chat,” Alistair said.

“Assuming you survive your current folly.”

Alistair cackled and fumbled for another of his wretched cigarettes. Zeke leaned over the side of the boat, elbows on the wet gunwale, and watched the glowing blue stone sink into the depths. It left a faint silvery trail, illuminating the surrounding water.

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Edge of Night 2: Death by Starlight Release date July 18, 2017

Edge of Night: Book 1

Betwixt and Between: Book 1 is available at these retailers: Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble Books2Read

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Nefarious

June 4, 2017 by Alexis Duran

Hello and Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors. So, it’s June already, the weather is lovely, the flowers are going crazy and it’s only six weeks until the release of my new m/m fantasy, Death by Starlight. I’ve had a long dry stretch between releases, and I’m hoping this marks a turning point in what has been a…challenging…year. The snippet I’m sharing this week picks up right after last week, when Dijeree suggested that Ian could use a sort of opposite mood light to beam dark energy at him while his dark elf lover Zeke is away.

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“That’s not an entirely bad idea.” Already, with Zeke’s energy coursing into him, Ian felt less uptight. The crippling worry that had been building ever since Zeke left lightened ever so slightly, like mist burning away at the first hint of dawn. As fear retreated, anger crept into its place. Damn inconsiderate svarta.

Ian tried to form a more substantial link, to find out what was happening, but still, Zeke wouldn’t respond. The tiny piece of Zeke that resided in Ian’s heart and never truly went away, like a speck of smoldering ember, flared and warmed Ian from the inside out. Not seeing what was before him, he walked straight into a garbage can. The resulting clang and clatter echoed off the cement bridge above them and drew the attention of some nefarious types lurking between buildings, the tips of their cigarettes glowing in the murky shadows. There were more creatures than nymphs and fairies on the waterfront to be concerned with… humans were every bit as dangerous.

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Edge of Night 2: Death by Starlight Release date July 18!

Edge of Night: Book 1

Betwixt and Between: Book 1 is available at these retailers: Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble Books2Read

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Mood Light

May 28, 2017 by Alexis Duran

Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors. If you’re in the States, I hope you’re enjoying the three-day weekend, and if you’re elsewhere, hope you’re enjoying whatever sort of break you get!

I’m sharing snippets from my soon-to-be-released m/m urban fantasy, Death by Starlight. Last time, Ian and Dijeree were interrupted during their search for a wayward nymph when Ian received a signal that Zeke had returned from the underworld of the dark elves. Ian sensed that something was amiss.

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“How long has Zeke been MIA?” Dijeree asked.

“Six weeks. He said he’d only be away one.” Ian shouldered the heavy duffel bag and started walking toward Dijeree’s VW bug.

“Seems longer. You’re a bitch when he’s away.”

“I won’t argue with that. He keeps me grounded.”

“Yeah, that whole dark elf, light elf business. What you need is the opposite of one of those mood lights, something that beams dark, gloomy energy at you while Zeke’s away.”

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What a Dark Mood Light might look like. Image by xX-TaintedTears-Xx from Deviant. art

Edge of Night 2: Death by Starlight Release date July 18!

Edge of Night: Book 1

Betwixt and Between: Book 1 is available at these retailers: Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble Books2Read

Weekend Writing Warrior ~ New Year, New Book

January 1, 2017 by Alexis Duran

Happy New Year! Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors. I hope 2017 finds you happy, healthy and inspired. 2016 ended on a bit of down beat, for many reasons, but I’m feeling optimistic and reenergized after a rather unproductive December. Sometimes even manic writers have to take a break.

I’m starting off the new year by sharing from my new WIP, which is nearing completion. It’s the second in the Edge of Night series, featuring Ian and Ezekiel, light and dark elves who somehow manage to form an unbreakable bond. Betwixt and Between is the first in the series. If my excerpt does the trick and intrigues you, you can click the link for more info.

These ten lines are from the opening scene of Book 2 (working title Death by Starlight):

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The skyline of Seattle reared up in a blaze of lights, metal and chrome. Overhead, traffic clattered and roared across the Freemont Bridge, headlights and taillights a stream of silver and red. Ezekiel Stormshadow narrowed his eyes to dim the affect. After so long in the dark realm, such a garish display stabbed into his brain, slicing away the last comfortable strands of shadows linking him to his homeland.

Standing on the edge of the Ballard Locks, he breathed in the mix of gasoline fumes, fresh cut grass and a slight hint of salt water blowing in from Puget Sound. A row of houseboats creaked and bobbed in front of him.

By the position of the moon in the partly cloudy sky, he guessed it was nearly midnight. The date was a murkier thing to calculate. He’d roamed the dark realm for several nights, but time passed differently here in the world of humans, and he suspected he’d been gone much longer than a week or two.

A prickle of concern brought a scowl to his face.

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Here’s the info on Book 1. Next week I’ll put up the blurb for Edge of Night 2:Death by Starlight.

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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 the 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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Available at these retailers: Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Muddled Misery

September 10, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where a fun and diverse group of writers share excerpts in ten sentences or less from their published works or works-in-progress. I’ve been sharing from my new release, Gryffon Hall, an m/m fantasy inspired by Beauty and The Beast. In this scene, Wryler’s father informs him that he’s been betrothed to the notorious Lord Aeric Rouchet. Last week, Wryler found out that he’s to leave for Gryffon Hall three days hence. His father, who is entirely unsympathetic to Wrylers’ misgivings, is the speaker:

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“Cheer up, Wryler. I don’t want my last image of you to be the one of muddled misery I see before me now. When you give me that baleful look, I can’t help but think of your mother.” He sighed, momentarily woeful, then rallied, slapping his hands together. “Let’s go, Cook, we’ve still got a house full of guests with aching heads–all ripe for a little lucrative conversation.”

With that, the two intruders departed, slamming the door behind them. Wryler stood motionless, listening to their fading boot stomps and the grating buzz of Amster’s snores.

Sent away into the wilderness, alone, to live out his days with a stranger. A barbarous stranger who battled monsters for a living. For most of Wryler’s life, Gryffon Hall had been held up as an example of power gone awry—a once great seat of power brought down by greed and black magic.

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Fated to be born the 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 scoundrel 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.

Check out the great review on Diverse Reader.

Buy on Amazon

ARe

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