Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Monsters Afoot

August 21, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to another round of Weekend Writing Warriors. This week I’m continuing to share from my upcoming release, Gryffon Hall, an m/m fantasy inspired by the fairy tales Beauty and the Beast, and The Griffin.

In previous snippets, Wryler’s father burst into Wryler’s bedroom and informed his incredulous son that a deal had been made, betrothing Wryler to the notorious master of Gryffon Hall, Lord Rouchet. You can catch up here, here and here, if you like. In this snippet,Wyler’s father speaks first:

“You seemed to like our bloodthirsty barbarian guest well enough last night.”

“I was only trying to make Lennox Arsburry jealous,” Wryler said. He shivered in his nightshirt but stood firm, hands clenched into fists. “You can’t go back on your word to his father, surely.”

“I can, but Sir Arsburry was the first to back out. You’re well shut of the Arsburry clan if you ask me. I hear Rouchet has an impressive library—you’ll enjoy that. And all the nonsense about bloodthirst and unchecked plundering is mere propaganda, I’m sure. One has to put on quite the display of ferocity to keep the monsters of the Black Forest at bay.”

“Are there really monsters afoot near Gryffon Hall?” Wryler asked. One heard the tales, of course, and gawked at the skeletons on display at the university museum in Kirik, but the strange beasts had been driven from the civilized lands centuries ago, off the edge of the earth, according to most scholars.

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Gryffon Hall ~ Release date August 30, 2016

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.

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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

Seductive Studs ~ In The Interest of Science

August 15, 2016 by Alexis Duran

How bad can Monday be when it starts out with some Seductive Studs? Welcome to the blog hop that celebrates m/m romance in all its many glorious facets. This week I’m sharing from a scene in Gryffon Hall where Lennox Arsburry–the man Wryler expected to marry until ambition and financial arrangements intervened– visits Wryler in order to bemoan their fate, and perhaps get a little revenge for being thrown over. Not that it was Wryler’s fault!

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Looking at Lennox set Wryler’s teeth on edge. The man represented all Wryler had dreamed of and now would never have: peace and quiet, civilized company, scholarship, and an unobtrusive relationship without all the alarming passion that barbarians like Rouchet stirred up.

“I don’t think Rouchet is exactly a fiend,” Wryler said, hearing the hesitation in his own voice.

“That’s because you’ve lived a sheltered life here in your tower.” Lennox sat up straighter, eyes gleaming as he warmed to his subject. “I’ve been speaking with some of the traders who travel as far as Gryffon Hall now and again. You should hear their tales! Strange creatures inhabit the borderlands, and Rouchet is among the strangest. The man is a brute. A monster. After a few months in his bed, you’ll be no use to any ordinary man.”

“What on earth are you dithering on about?” Wryler stood and paced. “Rouchet is an ordinary man. Just rather overgrown and lacking in etiquette, is all.” Wryler did have an idea of what Lennox was referencing, and the crude suggestion brought a flush to his cheeks and vivid images to his tired mind.

“Why, he’ll split you in two! I wonder how he’ll manage it without killing you? I’d be interested in observing his methods, if only in the interest of science.”

“Stop teasing me, Lenn. Don’t I have enough woe in my life without your…lurid imaginings?” Wryler’s body reacted, locking up tight, the threatened orifice clenching in defense. If Lennox had been painful, how horrible would the sexual act be with a man of Rouchet’s girth?

“Thank the gods for alcohol,” Lennox droned on, clearly enjoying Wryler’s distress. “On your wedding night, try to relax and imagine you’re with me. Maybe you’ll survive it, though I doubt it will ever be pleasurable. Ah, poor Wryler. What a waste.”

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Gryffon Hall ~ Release date August 30, 2016

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

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Beyond The Edge of Nowhere

August 14, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Welcome fellow Warriors and you normal people–er, I mean, visitors–who are out roaming the interweb this fine Sunday. Weekend Writing Warriors is a blog hop where we writers share bits and pieces from our work in ten sentences or less. This week I’m continuing on with a scene from my upcoming release, the m/m fantasy Gryffon Hall. Last week Wryler’s father informed him that Wryler had been betrothed, not to the man he’d been expecting, but a lord, to which Wryler naturally asked “Which Lord?”

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“Why, Lord Rouchet, of course. He was quite impressed with you and came to my study straightaway this morning to negotiate a deal.” Wryler’s father rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Not only did he accept your measly dowry without a quibble, he’s agreed to open the road through the Black Forest and escort a trade caravan this spring. If we don’t get devoured by trolls, dark elves, and hellbeasts, I stand to make a fortune. The route through the forest will cut weeks off the journey to the coast and save us paying the tolls at Starvale Pass!”

It wasn’t too late to throw himself out the window, Wryler thought. He pulled his quilt to his chin, gulped air, and then experienced a surge of anger that propelled him out of the bed.

“You’d send me to live beyond the edge of nowhere with a bloodthirsty barbarian as a husband?”

“Wryler my boy, I’d send you to the netherworld to wed the king of demons if it would save Glimmerveen from ruin.”

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Gryffon Hall ~ Release date August 30, 2016

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So I googled “bloodthirsty barbarian” and this is what I came up with.

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Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Your Destiny Is Sealed

August 7, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Welcome to another round of Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where a bunch of really awesome writers share excerpts from their work in 8 to 10 sentences. Join us if you dare! Or, just kick back and enjoy some good reads. We like that too.

I’m continuing to share from my m/m fantasy/fairy tale Gryffon Hall, which is coming out at the end of the month. Last week Wryler’s father, Lord Glimmerveen, along with his first minister, barged into Wryler’s bedroom while he was still in bed after a night of too much drinking and flirting. Sir Arsburry is the father of the man Wryler expected to be engaged to.

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“I have good news,” his father said. “Your destiny is sealed, my boy. No longer will you be the useless fourth son of a second wife but a well-situated husband in a grand house of your own.”

Wryler set down his mug on the nightstand with a trembling hand. So the deal was done.

“You’ve finally reached an agreement with Sir Arsburry?” he asked.

“That lowborn merchant? Why would I trade you away to a commoner when I could have a lord as a son-in-law?”

Wryler swallowed with difficulty. “Which lord?” he asked meekly.

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Gryffon Hall ~ Release date August 30, 2016

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My Sexy Saturday ~ Not a Moment Too Soon

August 6, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Hello and welcome to My Sexy Saturday. It’s been way too long since I participated, but life has stabilized (for the moment) and I’m happy to be back. My m/m fantasy Gryffon Hall is set to release on August 30th, so I thought I’d share another snippet from it.

This week’s theme is Sexy Unleashed. Having been forced into a marriage with an alarming, yet sexy stranger, Wryler is about to have some deeply buried passions unleashed. This is a scene in the library of Gryffon Hall, where Wryler gets a taste of things to come.

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Wryler swallowed hard. Rouchet bent down and kissed him. His closely trimmed beard scraped Wryler’s cheek in a not entirely unpleasant way as his hot tongue lanced into Wryler’s mouth.

Wryler had braced himself for this moment, sure that without the benefit of wine and jealousy his fearful body would recoil from Rouchet’s touch, but in fact the opposite happened. His skin tingled, and he found his fingers creeping up the front of Rouchet’s silk shirt.

Rouchet seized Wryler’s buttocks and lifted him onto the table, pushing his wide thighs between Wryler’s legs. Wryler leaned back, and his palm landed on the open book. He fumbled with the cover, closing the book and pushing it aside all while fending off Rouchet’s bulk and his tongue as it drove deeper inside him.

“This is a library, not a bed chamber!” A high voice squeaked from the doorway.

Rouchet broke out of the kiss but kept his hands on Wryler’s waist, apparently not in the least embarrassed by their compromising position. He looked over his shoulder at a diminutive man in spectacles who strode in with an armload of scrolls.

“Hello, Formister. Wherever have you been?”

“Legalizing your marriage! And not a moment too soon!” The librarian shook a scroll at Rouchet. “Now get off that table. It’s for reading, not fornicating.”

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Gryffon Hall ~ Release date August 30th

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Don’t forget to continue the hop at My Sexy Saturday for more sexy snippets!

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Out the Window

July 24, 2016 by Alexis Duran

Happy Sunday, Merry Summer, Good Day. Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where a bunch of really awesome writers share their work in ten sentences or less. I barely made the deadline today, being all caught up in weed pulling and edits, which are kind of similar if you think about it. No? Maybe I’ve been out in the sun too long.

And so to the business at hand. I’m sharing from my upcoming release, Gryffon Hall, an m/m fantasy inspired by the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. I’ve jumped ahead from where we left off. It’s the morning after the feast and Wryler, still in his bed, is feeling the affects of too much wine. Unbeknownst to him, the wheels of his fate kept turning while he slept it off.

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The door burst open and Wryler’s 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.

“Still lounging in bed, I see,” Lord Glimmerveen said in a booming voice. “You did well at the feast last night, so I won’t hold it against you, not on this fine morning. Isn’t it a fine morning, Wryler?” Lord Glimmerveen stood with his hands on his hips, breathing deeply on the wide-sodden funk of Wryler’s room.

“I wouldn’t know, Father, for as you noted, I’m still in bed.” He glared at the intruders, but they didn’t seem to notice. Instead they drew closer and hovered over him as if he were sitting on a couch in his father’s study, dressed and presentable instead of miserable in his nightshirt.

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Gryffon Hall ~ Release date August 30, 2016

Is Lord Aeric Rouchet the barbarian 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.

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