Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Bad Form

May 1, 2021 by Alexis Duran

Greetings and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences. I’m sorry I missed last week, and even sorrier it wasn’t for a fun reason, like a writers’ retreat, but because of the multiple day jobs encroaching on my weekend. I’m always scheming to work less, but somehow, I keep adding jobs instead of shedding them.

Enough whining! On to the snippet. I’m sharing from my work-in-progress, a romantic gay fantasy inspired by the classic tale of Snow White. Last week, as Prince Gabriel is made presentable for the big feast, he decides he’d like to wear his mother’s brooch, but alas, it is not to be found.

***

“I did not see such an item.” Webster whirled around. “You there! Finley? Farley? Search the cabinet for the prince’s silver brooch! If it’s gone missing, someone will answer for it!”

The tray of baubles disappeared and a ruckus ensued as every drawer, trunk and cabinet in the room was opened and searched. By the slant of moonlight hitting his floor, Gabriel knew he was pushing his luck. He couldn’t afford to arrive at the great hall after Tristan. It was bad form.

That’s the official Ten. Here’s a bit more:

He forced down his sudden nervousness. He needed the weight of his mother’s history to bolster him. The silver stag had been crafted over two hundred years earlier. Although crude by current artistic standards, it would help remind Tristan that Gabriel had not just pulled a fairy tale out of thin air and that he’d been right not to kill the stag.

***

But will Tristan appreciate the reminder? I’m thinking not, but then what do I know? I’m just the transcriber of events here 😉

***

Blurb in progress for Snow:

Following the death of his mother the Queen, Prince Gabriel returns home for the first time in three years. Gabriel hopes for a reconciliation with his estranged brother, the new king, but all is not well at Castle Rosenthal. King Tristan has fallen under the sway of a mysterious noble woman with a dark past, and all along the border of the Black Forest, magical denizens are on the move. Gabriel begins to fear for his life. Is the handsome huntsman in on a plot to assassinate him, or is there an even darker, more evil power afoot? A forced flight into the Black Forest may expose ancient magic at work, if Gabriel can survive long enough to uncover it.

***

Don’t forget to check out all the awesome snippets at Weekend Writing Warriors!

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ A Circlet of Gold

April 17, 2021 by Alexis Duran

Hello and welcome to another round of Weekend Writing Warriors. I missed last week, but I had a very good excuse; a three night writers’ retreat on the coast. I can’t tell you how good it felt to get away with like-minded folk to do nothing but write, write, write. And chat of course. It’s great to be around people who “get” me and don’t blink an eye when I talk about characters taking over the story and doing their own thing, plot be damned.

So far Prince Gabriel is acting like a well-behaved character should, but there are others lurking in the coming pages who just refuse to cooperate. We’ll be meeting one of them soon, but for now, Gabriel is still preparing for his big speech at this evening’s feast.

***

Gabriel and his unwanted retinue clamored up a wide, winding staircase and soon arrived at his chambers on the third floor. He was stripped, washed clean of mud and dressed in a close fitting tunic quartered in dark blue and black panels. His father’s family crest, a lion standing on its hind legs, was embroidered in red silk thread over his heart. Around his hips he wore a thick leather girdle that held the ceremonial sword he’d been given on his sixteenth birthday. Wearing this rich attire, he felt slightly less self-conscious about the crown, which was merely a circlet of gold, after all. It did, unfortunately, serve to set off how much closer to white than blond his hair really was.

Servants held up mirrors, and despite the manly outfitting, Gabriel recognized his mother staring back at him. He shared her blue eyes and slight build, which was fine for a queen but less than desirable for a prince.

“Enough of that,” he said, waving away the attendants, who all seemed very busy though he couldn’t imagine why. At Craigmoor, he’d managed just fine with one manservant.

That’s the official ten. Here’s a bit more:

He turned to face an array of adornments Webster held out for him on a silver tray. Gabriel was about to wave those away as well when a thought occurred to him. “Where’s my mother’s brooch?”

“Which one, sire?” Webster asked, face sagging. A dozen fine pendants and pins glinted in the candlelight. Gabriel had left them all behind when he left Rosenthal, tucked away in the black lacquered chest in his sitting room, and he was sure Webster had been delighted to discover them.

“A silver stag’s head.”

Blurb in progress for Snow:

***

Don’t forget to check out all the awesome snippets at Weekend Writing Warriors!

Hop For Visibility, Awareness and Equality

May 17, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Thank you for stopping by my corner of the Hop for Visibility, Awareness & Equality. Today is the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biophobia and I hope you continue the hop to share, learn, empathize, cry, laugh, enjoy and celebrate. And now, on to my post and giveaway~

***

For reasons unbeknownst to me, I get a new headline story from the Washington Post every time I open my Kindle. The last time this happened the insistent little icon declared, “Is it time for a Gay hero?” The fact that this icon appeared side-by side with my freshly downloaded copy of “Hexbreaker” by Jordan Hawk made me chuckle. “Well, duh!” was my initial response.

Gay hero, you say? Interesting concept.

And then I thought of how in their insightful and cutting edge way, mainstream corporate America has once again jumped on the bandwagon after the parade is over and the band has gone home to snuggle. Of course, being steeped in the culture of gay romance literature, I probably have a different perspective than corporate America.

So now I’ve changed my answer to “Yes, it is time.” Not just in romance lit land, but in mainstream media, big budget Hollywood and direct-to-your-screen TV. And furthermore, the gay hero’s sexuality should be a non-issue. Okay, okay, that’s a lot to ask for at this point, but if they’re going to offer us an inch, we really should insist on a mile. I love Amazon’s Transparent, but the main character’s sexuality (and that of his offspring) is at the heart of the story. That’s great. Now how about we have a cop, superhero, PI, whatever, who is gay and nobody gives a damn?

As a professional fantasist, I’ve long believed in the importance of story. In dark times, a vision of a world of visibility, awareness and equality that does not yet exist can be a balm to the soul of the marginalized. In times of change and progress, it can be a guiding light. In times when a question like “Is it time for a Gay hero?” draws a “well, duh” from most people, it can be a celebration.

I’ve always written stories featuring gay heroes, but only in the past few years have my stories been published. I have many, many pioneers and forward-thinking writers who came before me to thank for this, for although I wrote those stories, naturally and without consideration of markets, I never expected them to be accepted – much less read – by anyone. In my mind, the worlds I created where the hero really could be gay and out without consequence were fantasy. I don’t suppose I was alone in that pessimistic view.

I wrote these stories for myself and they gave me great comfort. Always, in times of stress, I turned to these romances, set in worlds I envisioned where the question “is it time for a gay hero?” would get nothing more than a quizzical look, because sexuality was not an issue, nothing to judge nor condemn anyone for. Certainly nothing to stop anyone from being heroic, or others from enjoying the tales of their heroism.

And yes, I fantasized about those stories making it to the big screen, because, let’s admit it, don’t we all dream about who’d be cast as our characters? And now, while still a fantasy for this writer, the dream is at least possible, even if the story isn’t tragic, or filled with ‘fighting the dominant paradigm’ angst and strife. Imagine, a blockbuster movie featuring our favorite gay hero could just be a rollicking good time.

Here’s a fun question; which book or series featuring a gay/lesbian/bi/trans hero would you love to see made in to a major motion picture or TV series?

Post your answer in the comment section for a chance to win your choice of my past releases. Coincidentally, they all feature not one, but two gay heroes! You can check out the books on the sidebar. I’ll randomly select a winner after the hop is over from everyone who comments, so please leave a contact email.

And now, click here to hop on!