Weekend Writing Warriors ~ This Isn’t Fae Magic

April 2, 2017 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors. Good-bye March, Hello April. In Oregon, Spring is afoot and flowers are blooming everywhere. It’s enough to make a writer want to leave the keyboard to go outside and frolic . . . Nah, not really. I’ll wait for warm weather. In the meantime, I’m eagerly awaiting the release date for Death by Starlight while penning a follow-up novel to Gryffon Hall.

This week,I’m continuing to share from Death by Starlight, the sequel to Betwixt and Between. The shaman Alistair has discovered that some entity or other has cast tracking webs on Zeke. (FYI, svarta are dark elves, and liosa are light elves. They’ve been at war for centuries.)

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“This isn’t fae magic, it’s too metallic, too…” Zeke rolled his eyes skyward, searching his senses for the taste, sound and texture of the magic. His blue-grey eyes— distorted in the surface of a glass float hanging from the ceiling—stared back at him. “Cold, hard-edged, but light-weight; tastes of glacier and rock salt.” After a moment he said hesitantly, “Liosa?”

“Ian?” Alistair asked. “Keeping tabs on you?”

“I would recognize his magic.”

“I thought the svarta hunted down all the other liosa and killed them.”

“There have always been rumors of a few who escaped.”

***

Untangling magic can be complicated. Image by Xyee.deviantart.com

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.

Edge of Night: Book 1

Available at these retailers: Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble Books2Read

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

Seductive Studs ~ Unfortunate Encounter

September 26, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Hello and welcome to Seductive Studs, the hop that celebrates m/m romance in all its many wonderful forms. This week I’m sharing a snippet from my latest release, Gryffon Hall, a fantasy inspired by Beauty and the Beast.

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Morning arrived on the plodding feet of ill-tempered giants. Glimmerveen Castle ground into a tumultuous, clanging upheaval as the harsh light of day crept over the castle’s outer walls and poured into Wryler’s window with relentless persistence.

He sat in bed with his hands wrapped around a mug of tea, recounting the evils of alcohol and swearing off the foul brew for the rest of his days. Amster snored loudly, stretched out on the settee beneath the window. Wryler had to summon a kitchen maid to bring him his breakfast—hot, spiced tea, dry bread, and a few sad-looking pieces of fruit. He nibbled on the bread and listened to fifty-odd guests loading their carriages, shouting at the servants, and generally making a very pointless racket. He wondered if Lord Rouchet was among those leaving and, with a creeping dread, recalled their unfortunate encounter.

Wryler’s body stirred, and he grimly ordered it to calm down. Thank goodness he hadn’t succumbed to Rouchet’s impetuous advances. It was a small miracle the brute hadn’t taken advantage of Wryler’s obvious drunkenness. He dimly recalled Rouchet threatening to hoist Wryler over his shoulder and carry him off to ravish him, at which point Wryler had said something devastating enough to send the barbarian running off into the night.

To his extreme irritation this muddled memory did nothing to soothe his body. His troublesome cock just kept growing harder and harder no matter how much Wryler conjured terrifying images of being abducted by the lord, manhandled, forced to do… Well, his imagination wasn’t that lurid… Oh dear, yes it was.

He nearly dumped the tea in his lap when someone thumped loudly on his door, and for a second he thought it might be Rouchet come to make good on his threats.

Then the door burst open and his father marched in, followed closely by his first minister, Fenwale Cook. They were both smiling, which made Wryler want to leap from the bed and throw himself out the window. No good ever came from his father smiling.

***

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.

Amazon

ARe

Loose Id

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Don’t forget to continue the hop at Seductive Studs for more steamy m/m goodness.

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Not Even a Life

September 18, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where a bunch of really great writers share excerpts from their published work or work-in-progress. As I hope everyone on the vast interweb knows by now, my m/m fantasy Gryffon Hall released on August 30. I’ve been sharing from the scene where Wryler finds out he’s been betrothed to the notorious Lord Rouchet. He’s been left alone to pack and roil in his own worry and misery. I skipped ahead a bit from last week.

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And the master of Gryffon Hall, Aeric Rouchet, destined to be Wryler’s protector and husband, what of him? Wryler could only think of the man tearing into the greasy flesh on his plate and wonder how he behaved when out of the company of refined men and women.

Wryler forced himself to move. There had to be some way out of this cursed fate. He went to his wardrobe and flung it open. He could run away. But where on earth would he go? As a youth he’d harbored fantasies of returning to his mother’s people, but now a very harsh truth hit him. His mother had been traded off to Wryler’s father just as Wryler was now being traded off to Rouchet. A life in exchange for an advantageous trade agreement, and not even a life, in the eyes of the dealmakers, but a title, a name.

***

Check out the great review on Diverse Reader.

Amazon

ARe

Loose Id

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My Sexy Saturday ~ This Undeniable Fact

September 10, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Hello and welcome to My Sexy Saturday, the blog hop where a host of writers share steamy snippets from their published work or work in progress in either seven words, seven sentences or seven paragraphs.

This week I’m sharing from my new and shiny m/m release, Gryffon Hall. The theme is My Sexy Dilemma and on Wryler’s wedding night, he unexpectedly finds himself right in the middle of one. His groom has become irritatingly respectful all of a sudden, and what happens next is up to Wryler.

***

Wryler rolled onto his side and felt horribly, dreadfully lonely. Dratted wine.

Rouchet’s touch, his kisses, his heat…had been so convincing, so passionate. Rouchet had awakened a fire in Wryler only to douse it with politeness.

How dare Rouchet be so polite all of a sudden? So irritatingly considerate? There was, if one wanted to open one’s heart to further humiliation, the tiniest possibility that what Rouchet had said was actually true. He wanted to give Wryler the choice.

Wryler flopped onto his back again. Perhaps, not only was Rouchet not a monster, but quite human. Maybe he wanted to be wanted just as Wryler did.

“Ridiculous,” Wryler muttered. “You’re only thinking that because you want it to be true.” He sat up and, after a moment, pulled off his boots. Then he tore at the cravat. He nearly choked himself, but got it off and threw it aside. Damn it. Rouchet was supposed to be doing this. Wryler’s husband was supposed to be peeling his clothes off, lavishing him with kisses, groping him with abandon.

“Oh, stop it,” he said to his traitorous cock, which stiffened and swelled, entirely unaware that it had been rejected right along with the rest of Wryler’s body. His breathing grew ragged.

He wanted Rouchet. All Wryler’s arguments against this undeniable fact crumbled to dust.

***

Check out the great review at Diverse Reader. (And check out the blog tour giveaway)

Buy on Amazon

ARe

Loose Id

And finally, don’t forget to continue the hop for more sexy snippets at My Sexy Saturday

Seductive Studs ~ Wed This Very Night

September 4, 2016 by Alexis Duran

A new week, a new round of Seductive Studs. I’m sharing from my new release, Gryffon Hall, a fantasy inspired by Beauty and the Beast and spiced up with an m/m romance. In this scene, Wryler has arrived at Gryffon Hall with his aunt Otillia. They’ve found out over breakfast that Rouchet insists on proceeding with the ceremony right away. Wryler speaks first.

***

“Lord Rouchet—”

“Please. We’re to be wed this very night. Call me Aeric.”

Mouth suddenly quite dry, Wryler looked up at Rouchet. Wed this very night. He licked his lips and formed the word with difficulty.

“Aeric.” He’d forgotten what he was going to ask.

“That sounds much nicer.” Rouchet had a hand on the back of his chair and with the other reached out for one of Wryler’s. Wryler nearly jumped in surprise but held still, blushing only a little. Rouchet’s hand was rough and hot and could snap all of Wryler’s fingers with a squeeze, yet his grip was gentle. “You have a request? Whatever you wish, I will do my utmost to satisfy.”

“I… It’s nothing, really. I wondered if I might see the library.”

“Wryler!” Otillia exclaimed. “You have no time for sightseeing. Now that Lord Rouchet insists on having the ceremony tonight, we must away at once to your chamber to finish your—”

“I would be delighted to escort you there myself, Wryler,” Rouchet said, speaking over Otillia as if she hadn’t uttered a peep. Wryler’s aunt flushed a deep red, and Farina’s eyes looked like they might pop out of her head. “Please excuse us, Lady Otillia. It will only be a brief excursion, and I will return your nephew to you in ample time. Unless you wish to join us?”

“As if I had a moment to spare!” Otillia looked like she might leap to her feet, but sighed and reached for another jam tart. “If you’re not at my door in an hour’s time, Wryler, I’ll send that useless manservant of yours to fetch you. If I can find him.” She shook her head and muttered, “So much to do in one day.”

Rouchet stepped back and gestured for Wryler to walk ahead of him. Wryler bowed to his aunt, who released him with a testy wave. He walked stiffly down the long stretch of the room, aware of Rouchet on his heels. He’d wanted to escape to the library, to be alone with his favorite people—dead scholars in books—and gather his thoughts. He’d certainly had no intention of prolonging his contact with Rouchet. It was damn awkward, is what it was.

Get through the wedding night. Submit to whatever has to happen, and then hopefully Rouchet will go on his way, ignoring his spouse like so many husbands do.

Ah, little chance of that Wryler.

Buy on Amazon

ARe

Loose Id

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Don’t forget to continue the hop at Seductive Studs for more sweet and sexy m/m goodness.

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Better Get Packing

September 4, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Greetings and welcome to another round of Weekend Writing Warriors.

I’m forging ahead with a scene from my new release, Gryffon Hall. Wryler has just found out that he’s been betrothed to a stranger, the notorious Lord Aeric Rouchet. The arrangement is very advantageous for Wryler’s father, but that’s cold comfort to Wryler. The “they” in the first sentence is Wryler’s father and a government minister.

***

They both smiled broadly, completely unconcerned with Wryler’s feelings or the terrifying fate they’d bound him to.

Wryler lifted his chin and put back his shoulders. “And when is the ceremony set to occur? Sometime in the summer?” he asked, mind racing. There was still a chance he could talk to Rouchet and explain that Wryler had no interest in marrying him, that he loved—or at least was fond of—another. Maybe MacFarlane would reject the Arsburry offer and Wryler’s father could be persuaded to reconsider—

“Seven days hence at Gryffon Hall. Lord Rouchet has already taken his leave in order to prepare his household. You’re to follow in three days. Better get packing.”

***

Buy on Amazon

ARe

Loose Id

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