Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Cat Stalker

August 15, 2020 by Alexis Duran

Hello 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 or fewer.

I’m so excited! The stars have finally aligned, the curse has lifted, and I have a release date for Wild: Jacqui the Cat Mysteries #4! Jacqui will once again prowl the virtual bookshelves on August 27th! To celebrate, I’ve posted the awesome cover below.

I’ve been sharing from the first chapter of Wild, in which Jacqui encounters a strange cat who isn’t like the normal domestics he’s used to. Last week, Jacqui thought the cat talked to him via telepathy, but surely he just imagined it? I’ve skipped ahead a bit to round out the scene. This is after Jacqui ran off the interloper, or tried to, anyway. Next week I’ll share from a different scene, to give a little taste of what Jacqui’s up against.

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The encounter left Jacqui feeling oddly disturbed. He sniffed here and there, scratched the trunk of a maple tree, knocked over some glass bottles left out beside a trash can, but he couldn’t get into it. His human mind buzzed too loudly and he decided to head for home, or Wyatt’s, that is, for some soothing skin-to-skin contact.

But we’ve only just begun to prowl!

Creepy vibes, gotta get back, shift, think.

One little thing goes weird and you get all human on me.

Jacqui overrode Cat’s protests, which wasn’t easy when he was in cat form, and slinked through the shadows and shrubbery back to Wyatt’s condo. When he reached the overgrown rhododendron, he glanced back, and spotted the mangy tom lurking on the corner. It had followed him.

Creepy cat stalker—Great.

***

Cover by Robin Ludwig Design

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Wild: Jacqui the Cat Mysteries #4 ~ Available for pre-order Now! Release date August 27th.

Jacqui Corleone has finally met his fated mate (Newsflash: it’s Wyatt), but unlike a romance novel, reality has other plans. The dog men are back, and along with their slobber and bad manners they bring a new level of danger to Jacqui’s life, and to Wyatt’s. Jacqui meets other cat shifters for the first time and is tantalized by a glimpse into their strange new world. Only cats aren’t much nicer than dogs, and soon Jacqui must choose if he’s going to run again, or stand and fight against an enemy more powerful than he ever imagined. And that’s saying a lot.

Clicker Here to pre-order on Amazon.

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Monster Hunt

July 27, 2019 by Alexis Duran

Hello 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 or less. I’m sharing from one of my WIPs, a reimagined fairy tale based on the story of Snow White, cleverly titled (for now) Snow.

In this scene, Prince Gabriel and the head huntsman, Gavin Falkner, are investigating what Falkner has identified as a gremlin nest, much to Gabriel’s disbelief. Near the nest, Gabriel uncovered a human skull. I skipped ahead a few lines from last week’s snippet. Gabriel speaks first:

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“You speak so calmly of gremlins and their doings, when there’s not been one seen in half a century.” Gabriel glanced at the skull again and shivered. Had a gremlin really crossed the border and killed a human being? His great-uncle had killed a gremlin in the last war and had its head mounted in the great hall. An unfortunate choice, for it looked like nothing so much as a huge, unhappy toad with fangs. The “trophy” now hung in the darkest corner, its knobby head coated with dust and cobwebs.

“I’ve patrolled the border for most of my life,” Falkner said, and left it at that.

“Whatever the king may suspect, we shouldn’t keep this from him.”

Falkner turned on him, eyes flashing. “Do you really want to ride into the Black Forest on a monster hunt?”

***

Blurb-in-progress for Snow, a reimagined fairy tale:

Following the death of his mother the Queen, Prince Gabriel is called home by his brother, now King. Gabriel hopes for a reconciliation with his estranged brother, but all is not well at Castle Rosenthal. King Tristan has fallen under the sway of a scheming alchemist and 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.

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

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ First Sight

October 13, 2018 by Alexis Duran

Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors. This week I’m sharing from a new work-in-progress. This story is a fairy tale mash-up along the lines of Gryffon Hall, set in the same world and infested with the same monsters, gremlins and shadowy goings-on, but with different main characters. I’m not going to mention the title yet, because I have this crazy idea that leaving the fairy tale it’s based on a mystery might be kind of fun, in an evil author sort of way. This snippet is the beginning of Chapter One.

***

At the first sight of the red-tiled roof of Castle Rosenthal’s tallest tower, Prince Gabriel reined in his horse Tempest, and brought him to a halt. The castle was still nearly half a day’s ride away, at the far end of a long valley, but because it perched on a lone hill, Gabriel could see it from the sunny top of the distant rise where he’d stopped. Today the north watchtower rose up alone out of a foggy soup that clung to the castle like ghostly tentacles. To reach it, he would have to ride into the fog blanketing the valley, and be enshrouded in its dank shadows.

Gabriel shivered. He hadn’t been home in almost three years, and now that his mother the Queen was dead, he had less desire than ever to visit. But his brother, now the king, had summoned him.

Gabriel peered into the fog, attempting to see what awaited him in that cold, shambling pile of ancient stones. Memories, some pleasant, mostly not, crept out of long buried places. Visions of his father, dead so long ago, and now his mother, came and went along with pangs of grief.

***

Home Sweet Home

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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.

***

“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.”

***

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!

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

Betwixt and Between: Book 1 is 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

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ She’s On To Us

May 14, 2017 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to my little corner of Weekend Writing Warriors. I’m continuing to share from my upcoming release, Death by Starlight, a paranormal gay romance featuring sexy elves, vindictive mermaids and nefarious nymphs. This weeks snippet follows directly after last week’s, in which Ian received a magical message that Zeke had returned to Seattle after a long absence in the dark realm.

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The nymph they’d been tracking had vanished the instant Ian blew his cover. In search of tourists to cajole and roll, she’d been roaming the parking area beneath the elevated viaduct that ran along the waterfront.

“She’s on to us now.” Dijeree sighed and pulled the goggles from her head. She peered at him and tugged on his sleeve. “So is Zeke all right? You look dazed.”

A good part of Ian’s mind was taken up with interpreting signals traveling along the lines connecting him to Zeke. Zeke was alive and free, and apparently robust. A hot, tingling energy coursed beneath Ian’s skin, but something was off.

***

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

Edge of Night: Book 1

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

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Through the Front Door

February 5, 2017 by Alexis Duran

Hello and welcome to another exciting round of Weekend Writing Warriors. Can I just say…..aaaaaaagh!? Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. It’s been a rough couple of weeks, the pinnacle of which was me taking on a fourth job. Yup, four part-time jobs on top of writing. At least I won’t get bored. No time!

So I’ve been sharing from my current WIP Death by Starlight, which hopefully will be sent off to my editor soon. If only I can stop getting jobs. You may remember that last time Zeke sneaked onto Alistair’s sailboat and whispered wicked nothings into the sleeping shaman’s ear. This is the result.

***

Alistair gasped, grunted and snorted, eyes flying open.

“Gaaaa!” he shouted, sitting up straight. “Holy Mother of Night, where did you come from, you sneaky bastard?”

“Through the front door. You’re going to need to up your game if you insist on parking on the steps of a portal.”

“F-you, elf, I’m doing just fine here, thank you very much.” Alistair shoved strands of hair out of his face and grabbed up the bottle. He took a big swig, sloshed it around in his mouth and swallowed. “What the hell do you want?”

“Good to see you too, Alistair.”

***

I know I promised a blurb from Death by Starlight, but it hasn’t happened yet. So to tempt your tastebuds, here’s the scoop on the first book in the Edge of Night series, Betwixt and Between:

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