I also got some surprise visits from friends and family, which made my day. Shout out to my beautiful sister Amanda and two of her best friends who came by. Plus, my two best friends from forever swung in. So that was really neat. I’m doing one last event this year and then I’m taking a break from fairs, cons, and bookstores until 2025. The holidays are almost upon us and my work overtime is getting the best of me. It’s going to be November 2nd, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Alexandria Holiday Crafts & Treats Fair in Alexandria, VA.
The Monster Within came out on Tuesday. It’s wild to me to see how much of a difference 20k makes in size, which tells me that my current epic fantasy is going to be a chonky boi indeed.
I want to thank the wonderful blogs that posted a blitz about it this week. When you’ve been away from publishing for a few years, you worry that you’re going to have to start from the ground up again. Queer SciFi, Love Bytes Reviews, the Faerie Review, IndiGo Marketing and Design and Rainbow Book Reviews. Some of them have contests which may still be going on. If I missed any, my apologies, I’ll try to catch them next time.
Here is a quick excerpt from The Monster Within. I will fully admit, it took a while for my heroes to meet and converse. There was so much to set up for them both, but when they did, the attraction was immediate, even if the trust wasn’t.
As they poured over the maps and made plans, a knock came at the kitchen door. Salome moved to answer it and returned a moment later. “My lord, there’s a Monsieur Constantin Severin here to see you. The one who’s been sending you the notes. Shall I invite him in or send him on his way? He says to tell you, ‘I know what you search for in your journals when you are alone at night, and I know why you allow no visitors. I have some of the answers you seek.’”
“Oh, him.” Régine made a disparaging sound. “He’s an odd one, if you ask me, impatient and rude. He’s a con man, looking for a payout. What a ridiculous message.”
Michel-Leon glanced up from the maps, intrigued by the cryptic message as the ancestors tried to call out through the barrier he’d erected. What were the chances that his intruder would return so boldly? That was the one person he could think of who would give such a statement. Michel-Leon suspected that at least one mystery from last night would be solved. He lowered the barrier in his mind long enough to send out one query, and the answer came before he’d even fully formed the thought.
“The watcher is here.”
Indeed.
“Go ahead, invite him in and offer breakfast. I doubt another refusal will deter him.”
Michel-Leon sat back and studied the man as he came in. He had the impression of a slim figure swathed in layered and patched clothes. A hat jammed low over his head shaded his face, and long, wavy, gold-shot hair tumbled halfway down his chest. He didn’t appear like a man who could render himself invisible. He appeared to be a harmless vagabond. Someone with abilities such as that could steal whatever they wanted and live like a king. Now, this was interesting.
“There is no point in me staying since our guest has no use for women,” Régine announced as she rose with a glare in their visitor’s direction. “I’ll let Hadrien know we’ll leave within the hour.”
Michel-Leon almost warned her that Severin was their intruder from the night before but stopped himself. He could handle the man, despite his abilities. They needed to move faster on what was happening with the mists. If she knew, she’d insist on staying. “Be careful,” he urged, and she waved him off.
“I’m always careful, Michie.”
Michel-Leon waited until she left and then turned to Severin. “You’re a man who has an uncanny knack for uncovering secrets. Seems like that would be a very dangerous profession,” Michel-Leon said as the stranger sat on the bench across from him. “Almost as dangerous as infuriating my sister.”
“It has its hazards, same as any other.” The voice was husky and then it lightened with rueful amusement. “As I have so recently discovered to my chagrin. My apologies to your sister. I thought you were trying to foist me off with some excuse.” He took off his hat and Michel-Leon found himself staring, to his profound embarrassment.
Monsieur Severin was beautiful, with sharply chiseled features, a sensuous, soft mouth, and dark eyes too old and mysterious for his lovely face. The man gave him a cynical smile as if he knew what Michel-Leon was thinking.
Michel-Leon glanced away, caught off guard. He’d known for years that he was more attracted to men than women. Not that it mattered since he’d taken his vow to not wed, to concentrate on his duties as a chevalier and nothing more.
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