Sultonna Nadine was the name my parents were originally going to give me, until family insisted I be named after my grandmothers instead. (sigh)
Families, eh?
But part of me always wanted to be Sultonna.
For some reason, when I began writing, it never occurred to me to use a pen name. And after my series got started, I didn’t want to change halfway through. So when I began writing stand alone books, someone suggested I use Sultonna Nadine for those! And since they don’t fit conveniently into my series, and some of them are a bit out there, I decided to do just that.
Sultonna writes of things magical, in alternate realities, or if not magical, at least on far away worlds. Always with at least a hint of romance.
So far, she has published one book, but never fear. Another one should be out this year!
Where can you learn more?
Go over to SultonnaNadine.com. I’m still tweaking the site, so be patient.
After yesterday’s all day and all night rain, today is beautiful outside. Makes me wish I didn’t have so much to do inside, but the Lugnut and I can take a walk in a little while.
Still working away on Tiger’s Tempest in the Gambler’s Folly series. I have nearly 18,000 words down so far and, at the moment, a pretty good idea of where we’re going. Of course, with my characters, the route could change drastically. They are a headstrong bunch. But that’s what I get for writing about alpha male shifters I suppose.
If you could be a shifter, what would you be?
I always thought I would love to be a black leopard. They look so elegant, even if they do seem to have only two attitudes–calm, cool, and collected, or totally pissed off.
So far in my books, including those published and unpublished, I have leopards, panthers, wolves, bears, and now tigers.
What else would you like to see?
From Esperance, the next one in line is Ben of Blackstone’s Forge. As you might have guessed, Ben is a blacksmith. What makes him different is his family’s Talent for shaping iron.
No… That’s enough of a hint. You’ll have to read the book for the rest. But how about a tiny excerpt?
****
Excerpt:
If anyplace could be consider as hot as hell, it was a blacksmith’s forge in midsummer, Ben thought, as he strode to the well. Icy water filled his mug with a cheerful splash, after a couple quick strokes on the pump handle.
The first mugful went down in three healthy gulps. Pulling the folded kerchief from around his head, he rinsed the salt-encrusted cloth in another cold stream of water from the well.
The second mug of water brought a quick gasp as he poured it over his head, but it was refreshing after several hours of heating and hammering steel in the forge, where he worked with his father. Water flew in a circle of droplets as he shook the excess from his wavy brown hair, leaving it spiked in all directions.
Once more he filled the mug. Leaning his tall frame against the pump, he slowly sipped the cool liquid as his dreamy blue eyes scanned the street around the forge.
“Good morning, Ben,” he heard from a familiar voice.
Turning toward the voice, he raised his mug and gave a brief nod to the pretty young woman walking toward him. With her light brown, nearly blond hair, and warm brown eyes, she was a sight to give a man dreams.
“Don’t I rate more than a nod, Ben Blackstone?” she demanded. “You could at least smile.”
“Hardly seems worth the effort, Deborah, when all it will gain me is a snide remark or a new chastisement for some imagined affront.”
“You are the most irritating man I know,” she told him as he took another pull from the mug.
He had no response for her accusation and continued to enjoy the water before he had to go back into the hell known as Blackstone’s Forge. He loved the work, but summers could be downright miserable.
Deborah was still glaring at him, hands on her hips, head tipped to the side, and eyes flashing in anger.
“Did you need something, Deb, or are you just here to annoy me?”
“My name is Deborah, not Deb, and absolutely not Debbie. And yes, I do need something. I’ve got better things to do than make a special trip to annoy you.”
*****
Need something to fill the time until Ben of Blackstone’s Forge is published?
Yes, it certainly is. And I know a lot of you are out there trying to get your shopping done. And if the weather where you are is anything like the weather we’re having, you’re doing it in the rain.
Don’t forget you can shop online to save yourself part of the stress and crazy drivers.
And if you have readers on your shopping list, what better gift can you get them than a book or three for the holidays?
Or maybe you need to unwind with a good book after working and shopping all day.
If you’re looking for paranormal romance, with some fantasy and magic thrown in, go on over to Amazon and check out my author page there. I have two series to choose from. And for magic, check out my book at Sultonna Nadine. All the books on Amazon are available for Kindle or hard cover. Most are available in paperback as well.
But if you’re looking for an e-book, at a discount price, check outSmashwords. Between now and January 1, you can set your own price on any of my books! This includes both series and Master of the Fleet.
While you can choose to get them for free, I hope you’ll feel generous and throw a little something my way. I understand money is tight this time of year, which is why I’m having the sale. And please review them after you’re finished.
So, stay safe out there. Don’t let the stress of the season get you down. Practice some good stress relieving techniques daily and get plenty of rest. Less stress and enough sleep will help you out there in the craziness.
Come share the magic that is Esperance. A world full of people with unusual abilities. Everyone from the First Lord to the common man on the street may be Talented in one way or another.
My Esperance series is now a 4 book series, with the latest addition–Too Many Talents. Also available at Amazon.
Happy weekend everyone! Did you all survive Thanksgiving and Black Friday? It is certainly a crazy time of year out there. We had our daughter, one of her sons and a friend of his, plus a couple other guests to share the holiday with us.
Of course, with all that was going on, I did a bit too much too soon after my surgery, but a day or two of rest should take care to everything. I’ve been catching up on some reading while I’ve been recovering.
So, do you want to buy more books,
,,,but have to watch your budget?
Then you might be interested in my book sale over at Smashwords.
Between now and January 1, you can set your own price for any of my books there.
Just what are Talents anyway? I talk a lot about them in my Esperance books. So let’s take a peek at what I’m talking about.
Generally speaking, Talents are like psychic abilities. You may be familiar with the concept of mental telepathy or telekinesis. On Esperance, this takes a much broader stroke across the population. Healers have a gift for using energy to counter illness and work with doctors to keep the clan healthy.
Take for instance the Ferguson family. The ruling family of Clan Ferguson is known for having an affinity for the forest and wood products in general. In Clan Brannach, a family related to the ruling family owns a lumber yard. They also create works of art from wood in unusual ways, using these Talents.
When it comes to First Lords, those Talents can come in a number of ways. Most are adept at mental telepathy, telekinesis, remote viewing and the like. Some can teleport to places they’ve been to before.
What makes the difference in their strength is the amount of energy they can control to direct this Talent. No one has every found the limits of Jareth’s powers.
Then we come to Viviane, who should have lost any abilities she had during childhood. Nobody knows exactly why, but they resurfaced during the trouble her clan had with Clan Brannach, stirred up by her traitorous brother, Carl. All the Talents one would expect for an heir of the clan became hers, and were completely out of control.
This brought up another issue. Since Talent is tied to emotions in a lot of cases, whenever she became emotional at all, or began to daydream, she affected everyone within reach of her abilities. Maids would be dancing down the hallway as she visualized a dancer while playing her flute. Her anger sent people flying out of her path.
And the stronger her abilities became, the more trouble they were.
Now, picture two people who are extremely gifted when passion ignites in the bedroom…
Yeah…
Both Viviane and Jareth were tired of having to control their emotions during those intimate times, but so far the only solution was to go to the mountain cabin. While Jareth could teleport them up the mountain, it was rather a nuisance.
But Jareth has a plan and it’s almost time for Viviane’s birthday. It will certainly be one she will never forget.
Come with me to Esperance. Maybe we can wish Viviane a happy birthday in person.
And don’t forget Connell, over in Clan Belfort. We’ll talk about him next time.
The story continues for Viviane and Jareth, with more steamy nights, as well as those pesky Talents to tame.
And don’t forget Connell, Belfort’s new heir. He’s having a time getting a handle on his Talents as well. But he discovers he can communicate with his Aunt Viv, which helps a bit.
