All right, who else remembers the musical, Camelot? With Julie Andrews?
Every time the first of May comes around, I think of the song from Camelot–The Lusty Month of May. It is such a happy, upbeat song as we head into spring and look forward to summer.
Now if the weather will cooperate… I put tomatoes out, thinking it would certainly be warm enough at night for them. But I’m keeping an eye on the temperatures. Last night it got down to 42 out here. If it gets much lower, I’ll have to start covering them.
In the meantime, I’m still working on Tiger’s Tempest. I’m also revamping Moonlight and Shadows as a novella for Smashwords.
So stay tuned for all of those coming up. Tiger’s Tempest will be a while. It is in progress and waiting in queue behind three other Gambler’s Folly books yet to be released.
Monday started with an appointment with the eye doctor, which wasn’t bad, but takes at least half the day with the drive time. And since my husband had a business trip the next day, once we got home we were packing all his stuff so he could leave early the next morning. By early, I mean 4 am. Yeah, he’s one of those.
Wednesday our 12 year old kitty, Magellan crossed the rainbow bridge, so I had to deal with that, so all the stuff I was going to do was postponed until the next day.
That night, one of our other kitties, Monster, started sneezing. Afraid she might have caught what Magellan had, Thursday was a rush to the veterinary hospital to check her out. Fortunately, it seems she has seasonal allergies. And I will admit, the pollen this week has been terrible. Once again, things got pushed back to take care of the kitties.
So that brings us to Friday. I was finally able to get in and order new glasses and do some shopping. And after a couple weeks of nice cool temperatures–like in the 50’s and low 60’s F–the day turned hot. Like 85 F hot. And I’m not a fan of heat to begin with.
So my blogging has been put on hold while I dealt with life in general.
Never fear! I am writing, although I may not have done as much as planned.
Tiger’s Tempest is moving right along. I’ll keep you posted.
But in the meantime, how about a peek at Ben of Blackstone’s Forge–next in the Esperance Series?
Excerpt:
Moire had accepted his invitation to the Gather dance eagerly. After a nice dinner, she took his arm as they walked to the dance. At least she wasn’t awkward and could follow his lead. Not as well as Deborah, but well enough for the experience to be enjoyable.
After dancing for quite a while, he suggested a break for refreshments. Weaving between the tables, they carried tall glasses of lemonade to a free table and sat down to relax while they enjoyed their drinks.
He knew it couldn’t last. Something always came up when he began to enjoy himself too much.
“Ben Blackstone! What are you doing with her?”
It was Deborah, of course. She wouldn’t come out with him, but resented it when he dated anyone else.
“Drinking lemonade. Good evening, Deborah. Yes, I’m fine and enjoying my evening. Kind of you to ask.”
“Ben, I’m sorry. Do I need to leave?” Moire asked nervously.
“No. You don’t. Could you sit here and wait for me? I’ll be right back. Let me take care of this.”
Rising to his feet, he stretched to his full height and glared down at the source of his irritation.
“Shall we?” he asked, motioning her toward the open ground outside the refreshment area.
With a swish of fabric from her ankle-length skirt, Deborah turned and stormed away in front of him. Once they were away from the crowd, she whirled, hands on her hips, and fire in her eyes.
“How dare you ask Moire to the dance?” she demanded.
“Why is it any business of yours?” he demanded in turn.
“But Moire, of all the women you could have asked.”
“Look, I know you two are rivals. But since I figured you wouldn’t come out with me, I chose to ask her.”
“Why do you think I wouldn’t have come?”
“Let me see,” he stated. “It could be something to do with the fact that you’ve turned me down three dances in a row, and won’t even accept an invitation for coffee. What do you think?”
“I think… I hate you, Ben Blackstone!” she shouted.
Her wrist smacked into his palm as he prevented her from slapping him. He caught the second one, too, and smiled at her, as her eyes flashed angrily.
“Now, Deb,” he began. “You know better than to slap me.”
“Let me go, you bastard.”
“I’ll let you go when I figure you won’t try it again,” he answered.
“Fine! Can I have my hands back?”
“First, let me explain something to you,” he said softly. “I will see anyone I care to see. You do not have a say in the matter. If you won’t accept my invitations, you cannot dictate who I may ask. Are we clear on this?”
“Let me go,” she answered just as quietly, temper seething beneath the surface.
Releasing her wrists, Ben stepped back a pace.
“Good evening, Miss Wills. It was nice talking with you.”
Deborah turned, nose in the air, and strode away from him. Ben hurried back to the table he’d left and found it empty.
“Sir?” the owner of the stand said.
“Yes? What is it?”
“The young lady who was sitting here said to tell you she was sorry, she’d had a nice time, but she was leaving early. She didn’t mean to cause you any trouble.”
“Damn it all to hell,” Ben growled. “Why does she always do this to me?”
“I’m sorry?” the man asked.
“Not the lady at the table. The one who came bursting in shouting accusations.”
“Oh. Yes, sir. She is a bit forceful, shall we say.”
“She’s a gold-plated bitch,” he replied, startling the man.
Not sure what’s been up with this week, but I’m frazzled.
Maybe it’s the weather. The weather has been strange for the past little while. First it’s chilly, then warm. And then it turns cold, with evenings down in the 20’s F.
But then today, it was up to 80!
No wonder people were acting strangely in town today.
Seems like a good evening to sit and read. Or maybe sit and write. I have some work to do on Tiger’s Tempest. It’s a new book in theGambler’s Folly seriesand I’m about 26,000 words into it. So there’s a ways to go yet.
In the meantime, you could check out the other books in the series–Gambler’s Folly, Dante’s Angel, and The Russian.
Go over the SulltonnaNadine.com for Master of the Fleet. And watch for Whiskey Jug Genie later this year!
In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend, wherever you are. If you happen to talk to Mother Nature, remind her to get her prescription refilled. I think she’s off her meds…
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. It is a beautiful day out here today, so I’m thinking of taking the Lugnut for a walk.
And then tonight, I’m going to find something to read. I just finished The Forgotten Witch by Jessica Dodge and loved every page of it. Elements of magic and romance, past and present lives… I would definitely recommend it if you’re a fan of the genre.
What are you reading tonight?
Can I interest you in something romantic, with a twist of the paranormal?
Mother Nature, please make up your mind. This back and forth is making me crazy.
I don’t know what the weather in your part of the world is like, but we go from temperatures in the 70’s to temperatures in the 50’s overnight. And then the lows go from the 50’s to the 20’s.
Could someone please check on Nature’s medications? I think she needs a refill…
Sorry I haven’t been here in a bit. I’ve had surgery and have been trying to catch up on everything I had to let slide. But I’m back now! Watch out world!
As for what I’m working on, my editor has a new book in the Esperance series, and one from Sultonna Nadine which should both come out this year.
Ben of Blackstone’s Forge is another paranormal romance from Esperance. And as you might guess, Ben is a blacksmith. But the love of his life turned cold when he had to leave temporarily to finish his apprenticeship. Nobody knows why, but the woman he was sure he would marry will have nothing to do with him.
Or anyone else, apparently.
And his father is determined Ben should marry soon, going so far as to set a time limit on finding someone suitable. When Ben doesn’t meet his deadline, the man arranges a marriage for him–with the girl who shuns his attentions.
And from Sultonna Nadine?
Whiskey Jug Genie!
Martin runs an apothecary in London. Taking his holiday in the American Southeast, he comes across an old whiskey jug which would be ideal as part of the decor in his shop.
How could he know it housed a genie, who had been trapped for over 200 years? And that the only way to rid himself of his new guest is to remove a curse cast by a long dead witch?
Watch for these two books this year. I’ll keep you posted on release dates.
In the meantime, why don’t you catch up on the Esperance Series?
But at long last, I think autumn is on the way. I hope this heat wave over the weekend is Mother Nature’s last hurrah for summer.
So what’s in the works?
Too Many Talents, the fourth book from Esperance, should be out soon. I know, I keep saying that, but we’ve had to go back for more rewrites. Me and beginnings just don’t seem to get along. I’m fine after the first chapter. For some reason, most of my ideas start somewhere around Chapter 3. Weird…
And hopefully by the end of the year, there will be another Sultonna Nadine book out. I’ve finished my last edit on Whiskey Jug Genie before the editor gets her hands on it. It isn’t as long as most of my novels and while it deals with magic, the romance is sort of low key.
Martin runs an apothecary shop in London. While on vacation in the southern USA, he finds an old whiskey jug to add to his collection of old bottles and jugs. What he doesn’t realize until he gets it home is that a genie is trapped inside. And once Bubba is released, things become…complicated.
So watch for Whiskey Jug Genie. And yes, Sultonna Nadineis the correct spelling of the name, no matter what Amazon says.
If you’re like me, you like to read. And the fact that you are here says you do as well.
But sometimes, it’s easier to listen.
Did you know I have the first two books from the Esperance series available in audio? You can go over to Amazon and order them, or get them from Audible.
The reason I’m asking is that I’ve been considering narrating some of my own books. They won’t be as good as the first two, but I know a lot of people who love audio books. While I have no problem with narrating them in general, I can’t do the male voices properly, and I’m afraid it will be off-putting to those listening.
If you want an example of my narration, go over to my podcast of my blogs at Anchor.FM. Several of my posts have been made over into podcasts, and I hope to do a few more.
Drop me a line in the comments, or send me an email and give me your opinion.
The three book series, Esperance, will soon be joined by a fourth book–Too Many Talents.
How about a little background?
The world I call Esperance was settled during a very disturbed time on Earth. People with a particular remote viewing ability sought new worlds to colonize, as it seemed Earth might not survive. On this new world, these individuals, called Seekers, also helped discover minerals for mining concerns, new food which could be used by the new settlers, and many other things.
As the colony would take time to become self-sufficient, Earth subsidized them with shipments of necessities they couldn’t manufacture yet. Machine parts, medicines and the like were at the top of the list.
Until the shipments stopped coming. The colony struggled to keep going until a mutated virus wiped out over half of the colony. Without the medicines from Earth, they were at the mercy of nature. Many skills were lost, machines broke down with no way to repair them, and the remaining settlers descended into chaos, each man for himself in a bid to survive.
After several decades of this confusion, a few among them developed Talents–psychic abilities such as telepathy, teleportation, telekinesis, and a host of others. Using these new abilities, they got together to impose the rule of law to save what was left of their world.
Dividing the world into clans, each named after one of the original talented men, the colony slowly began to revive. New Talents, which took the place of mechanism and medicines, began to emerge among the people. Some had abilities relating to wood and the forest. Others for various sorts of metal or stone. And those who could heal using energy became the new medical professionals among them, while the herbalists researched various plants to add to the mix. Some had very minor abilities, others became masters in their field.
Until we come down to the time of Jareth and Viviane, several hundred years after the end of the confusion.
Viviane has Talents she should never have developed. Though she has struggled for control, an unfortunate outburst of temper at her brother’s trial nearly takes a life. Now terrified of her abilities, she begins to resist her training, which only makes the outbursts of uncontrolled Talent more frequent. Jareth and her instructor struggle for a way to make her understand how important her training is, as her uncontrolled manifestations of Talent become a daily concern.
Follow her continuing story in Too Many Talents.
We are also introduced to her nephew, Connell.
When the original heir of Viviane’s home clan, Belfort, turns traitor, another heir must be found. He should be of the family line, and still able to access his Talents. The only one who fits the bill is Connell, her sister’s son.
Connell, who is only ten and a half, isn’t sure why he needs Talents to be a ruler. After all, what could go wrong which would require it? And why does he have to come live with his grandparents for this training? But when his friends from home come to the clan center for the Gather, he learns a lesson about jealousy, friendship, and Talent he won’t forget soon.
He also learns how helpful it is to keep control of his thoughts, when he accidentally finds himself in Jareth and Viviane’s study, unannounced and quite confused, after letting his temper get out of control.
Fogg, one of the kitties we’ve had for twelve years, passed away Sunday night after a brief illness. He seemed fine, then was off his food for a little bit, and then just gave up and crossed over. As hard as it can be, sometimes we have to say goodbye.
But on the same weekend, we had another arrival–a little eight week old puppy who is just starting out. We don’t have a name for him yet, but he is a cute little thing.
And so in the cycle of life, there are beginnings and endings. One life gives way to another and the cycle continues on.
Mr. Fogg, we will miss you so very much. The front porch where you liked to sun in the afternoon seems much emptier without your presence there. And I miss the little chirp of a sound you made when you said hello.
Little pup, whatever your name will be, you liven up the household with your sunny, happy personality.
In the meantime, I will get back to more regular posts, and back into Gregor Thayne. If I turne my back on him and Caela for too long, there is no telling what they’ll get up to.
That is definitely the question these days. So I thought I would give you a little insight on my decision.
When I first published Gambler’s Folly, I did so through a traditional publisher of romance/erotica. For quite a while after the book came out, it was in the top 10-25 for it’s category, which was Mainstream Sensual.
When I wrote Dante’s Angel, they decided not to pick it up, because sales had been too low for Gambler’s. Most likely, I could have done better with another publisher. This company’s sales were mostly from their erotica–menage and fairly graphic stories. Since then, they have discontinued their Mainstream line altogether.
I published Jareth and Viviane through a hybrid publisher. But again, even though they liked the book and seemed eager to pick it up, it didn’t do as well as I’d hoped. And again, part of that was due to the nature of their other books. Mine was quite different from the rest of their line.
My books are paranormal romance. They also contain elements of fantasy and magic at times, and some intrigue. One series deals with a team of shifters who form a department for Interpol on another world.
The other series is set on a world ruled by multi-gifted First Lords who have several psychic powers. Running through the series is the main story line begun in Book 1, so there is a bit of an intrigue running through it, along with the romance and paranormal.
Under Sultonna Nadine, we get into magic. The book which is out now deals with elemental magic. Our MC controls wind and water as Master of the Fleet for his company. The next book out will deal with trying to remove a curse put on a genie by a witch several hundred years ago.
I understand cross-genre books can be tricky to market, and publishers and agents are a bit skeptical. So what could I do?
I went to Amazon’s KDP and self published all of my books, including the ones I got the rights back for. The process can take a little time, since the different versions, ie. Kindle, paperback, or hardcover, have to be differently formatted. And you have to design your own cover and do your own editing.
Is it worth it?
For me, I feel it is. I have control over the whole process and I don’t take months or years trying to find someone willing to take a chance on me.
Is it right for you?
Only you can answer that.
In the meantime, if you’re a writer, KEEP WRITING.
Mellie's Books 