Queer Fiction | Alexis Duran

Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors. When last I shared from today’s story, the pandemic was young and I was still rather enjoying my new found free time (end of the world as we knew it notwithstanding). I confidently set aside this manuscript in order to finish and publish Wild, sure that I’d soon return and get the former done in time for a winter release. Well, flash forward ONE YEAR. The pandemic is quite old and tiresome, my free time has withered on the twin vines of anxiety and despondency, and Snow has sat untouched all this time. This week, I opened it up, brushed aside the digital and mental cobwebs and guess what? It doesn’t totally suck. I like these characters, and this story, and gosh darn it, I’m going to finish it.

This week’s snippet is from Chapter Three, with our hero Prince Gabriel returning to his home for the first time in three years, along with the hunting party he encountered on the road to the royal residence. If you’d like to catch up, you can read past excerpts under the obsessions category Snow. If you want to start at the beginning, scroll down to the bottom of the posts.

***

The townsfolk of Emmerich didn’t seem to notice the lack of an impressive stag or elk on display when the hunting party paraded through the gates. They also did not seem bothered by the steady drizzle or the cold that permeated even the thickest cloak.

True, most of them had been celebrating the Festival of the Hunter’s Moon since midday and were bolstered by generous quantities of mead and mulled wine, which Gabriel could smell brewing in every square they passed through. Lanterns burned brightly and fires danced in open pits. Minstrels played lively tunes, young men pranced about with antlers tied to their heads, and young women screamed and pretended to be frightened.

The people were in a gay mood, and to Gabriel’s surprise, some even called his name and tossed flowers to him as he rode by. Actually, many of them did, so many that Tempest’s mane was soon bedecked with the yellow and red fauna of autumn. Gabriel repeatedly brushed petals from his cloak as he waved at blushing clusters of girls radiant in their festival finery.

No one threw flowers at Tristan, who rode at the head of the party. Those still sober enough to have the wits backed away from his huge black horse and bowed low. The people had always thrown flowers to their mother, Gabriel recalled, and dampened his smile. He hoped Tristan was too tired and inebriated to notice the difference in their reception.

***

****

Blurb-in-progress for Snow (working title), a reimagined fairy tale:

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.

****

Weekend Writing Warriors is a blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences. Click the link to check out the other writers participating today. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book.

Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in short experts of ten sentences, with maybe some additional lines to help round things out.

I’m sharing from my new release, Shameless In Seattle. Our hero Aaron has recruited his ex, a Seattle police officer, to help him flush out his stalker. I’ve skipped ahead a little from last week.

***

“So what’s this about a stalker?” Martine dropped his hand and became professional, brown eyes serious and questioning.

Aaron dug into his coat pocket for the photos to gain time. He hadn’t decided if he wanted to tell Martine about Shameless In Seattle. Martine would find the situation hilarious.

“Let’s get in line for a beer, so it looks like we’re here to have fun, not spring a trap.”

“Like a date?”

“Yeah, like that, only no touchy-feely.”

“Then what’s in it for me?”

“My eternal gratitude.”

That’s ten. Here’s a bit more for your reading pleasure:

Martine sighed melodramatically. “Gratitude. Doesn’t exactly help relieve the hard-on, does it?”

“You never know.” Aaron grabbed Martine by the elbow and steered him toward the beer line. The cop smelled so damn manly with his combination of Ralph Lauren cologne and salty sweat. Aaron swallowed the collecting drool in his mouth and brandished the photos. “I have good reason to believe someone I went to school with is following me, gathering info off the internet and most disturbingly, spying on me as I go about my day. These are the suspects. The top three are prime.”

“And why is that?” Martine asked as he took the stack of photos and shuffled through them.

“Due to their connection with a girl who knew something about me, something the stalker knows and shouldn’t, unless said girl told them.”

“How did you discover this stalker? Are they harassing you?”

“Not exactly.” Aaron sighed. There was no way around it. “They’re publishing their findings in a work of fiction.”

“I see. And you’re sure about this?”

“Absolutely. The facts are thinly veiled and there’s way too many to be a coincidence. You’re in there, only you’re female.”

“What kind of fiction is this?”

“Does it matter?”

“If you want me to help you profile the perp, I need all relevant information on their psychological make-up.”

“Actually, I just want your cop eyes to help me scan the crowd for one of these faces.” Aaron jabbed at the photos.

***

Shameless In Seattle is now available. Click here to view on Amazon.

Aaron Schafer, star reporter for the Seattle Times, is shocked to find out he’s the inspiration for a series of bodice-ripper romances written by a reclusive author no one has met. He’s even more surprised, and disturbed, on discovering intimate secrets from his past buried in the pages ofShameless in Seattle. Who is this mystery author, who has clearly been stalking him and stealing details from his life? Are they dangerous? And worse, will they reveal Aaron’s darkest secret to the world? Aaron decides to stalk the stalker, a decision that might change both of their lives.