A young woman trying to find a safe haven in a new clan, once again the subject of abuse. A young man who fell in love when he first saw her, chose to bide his time to give her some space, all while the two of them deal with the memories of past relationships gone wrong.
James’ family is a leading family in the clan and owns the lumberyard. But they have a special relationship with the forest. One that makes people a little uncomfortable. Morgan is amazed when she is first shown his Talents and nicknames him the Green Man. And that Talent of his is a lifesaver later, quite literally, when they are being hunted through the forest.
Come to Esperance for a little magic, some fantasy, intrigue, folklore, and of course, Romance…
The sale is from September 1 through September 5, so get ready! A full novel for only $0.99. Less than a cup of coffee. Available at Amazon and most other retailers.
It’s a wet and rainy Thursday here, so I thought I would share one of my worlds with you. I don’t know how much you know about this series, so come with me and learn more!
Esperance was settle from Earth after it was discovered by the Seekers looking for habitable worlds to colonize. These individuals had psychic abilities that allowed them to explore the universe without leaving Earth.
At first everything was great. The world was lush, in a British Isles sort of way, with a lot of highland type environments in the more temperate regions. Earth supplied them with whatever they couldn’t yet produce on their own, while they got established. But when those shipments suddenly stopped, the young colony was at a loss. Not only could they not repair equipment which broke down, when a new virus swept through, they had no medicines to fight it. Over half the colony perished.
Those left were scattered and developed an “every man for himself” attitude, taking even more of a toll on their civilization, or what was left of it. But during their years on Esperance, descendants of the Seekers who had come with them had continued to develop their abilities. To safe the settlers fro themselves, they used those abilities to force a rule of law back onto their society. Dividing into clans, each family with the abilities or Talents to hold their clan together gave their name to their clan.
A few centuries later we come to Clan Brannach, ruled by the latest in the lineage, Jareth, the First Lord of the clan. The neighboring clan is Clan Belfort, which is where our story begins.
Jareth is a young ruler, widowed and with no heir as his wife died in childbirth. It has been two years, but he’s not sure he’s ready to seek another woman to be his First Lady. On top of this, thieving parties from Clan Belfort have been stealing from his storehouses. As harsh as the winter is, his people will be seriously short of food and grains if it isn’t stopped. Though he has communicated with the other First Lord, he has heard nothing. It seems the only way to settle it is to make a trip through the ice and snow to demand restitution in person.
Viviane is a young widow in Clan Belfort. Though her family begs her to come back home, she has gotten used to being independent. But without a means of support, once the stock in her late husband’s shop is gone, she needs another option. She had never considered it would come from another clan.
As part of the restitution and penalties, Jareth demands his rights under an old law–the right of Choosing. He can clam up to 10% of the women of marriageable age to take back to his clan. When the women are gathered, one catches his eye. Then and there he decides she will be his First Lady, if he can win her heart. But she has a secret which threatens to throw their clans into armed conflict.
Picking up the story from book 1, Viviane begins to settle in to the routine in Jareth’s house. But these new abilities she seems to be developing have worried Jareth. Once tested for Talents, both Jareth and his head instructor agree. She must begin training at once before all those abilities get out of hand. She never asked for these Talents and doesn’t want the. But it seems once they appear there is no going back.
The headaches are monstrous and the medicine to tame their is horrible, but her companion, Annie does her best to sympathize with her. At least she and Jareth are doing well together. And all those Talents tend to lead to some exciting times behind closed doors! Between his Talents as First Lord and her surprise Talents, tings heat up rather quickly.
Unfortunately they have to go back to her home clan for her brother’s trial for treason, which is where trouble raises its head. In anger, she uses her Talents to lash out at her brother when he attempts to influence her through his mental abilities. Realizing what she’s done, she disappears fight in front of Jareth’s eyes, meaning she has even more Talents to worry him. Now if he can just find her…
When Jareth went to Clan Belfort to confront the First Lord there in Book 1, Morgan volunteered to go to Clan Brannach and leave her homeland. From an abusive background where it seemed every man in her life had hurt her in one way or another, she hoped for a fresh start. But shortly after the move she is attacked on her daily rounds and very nearly raped, saved only by two young men who heard her cries. She was offered another jog in a market, where she wouldn’t have to be anywhere alone. The couple who owned the store were older and quite protective.
One day a young man came in to buy something for a snack. She remembered him from her previous ordeal. He had come to her rescue several months previous. He introduced himself, asked for he items he wanted, and threw a mischievous smile her way on parting. Soon his visits became daily as did his invitations for coffee of tea.
Finally, Mrs. Kennoway, her employer, asked why she never accepted his invitations, to which she answered she couldn’t. Fear of men wouldn’t let her go, even across the street. But James came up with a solution. He brought coffee and scones over to the market, along with a cafe table and chairs from in front and invited her to sit down for tea.
Come with me as these two navigate the perilous waters of romance on this fantastic world. Be prepared for magical abilities, spirit guides, and a bit of folklore!
After her traumatic experience at her brother’s trial, Viviane wants to banish her Talents. Maybe if she doesn’t train them they’ll just go away. Even with Jareth and her instructors explaining why it won’t work, she trains reluctantly feeling that the less she trains them the less danger they will present.
Unfortunately her trainers are right. After a few accidents involving her Talents she relents.Digging deep, she finally agrees to give it her all, even when frustrations get her down, leading to a bizarre game of tag in the snow and the weirdest chess game ever.
Meanwhile, in her home clan, Belfort, her nephew, Connell, is beginning to train his Talents as he steps in as heir to the ruling house. He doesn’t understand why Talents are necessary and he doesn’t like the headaches he gets during training. When his grandfather, the First Lord, suggests he reach out to his Aunt Viviane telepathically, he is amazed. How could they communicate from so far away?
His Aunt Viv was one of his favorite people. But her husband, First Lord Jareth, scared him half to death. The man had never been cruel or harsh toward him. He had tried to reach out and speak with Connell. It was just the incredible amount of energy swirling around him, which seemed scarcely contained at times.
Connell also has difficulties controlling his Talents. And when on of his old friends from home hurts a young girl who is his friend, his anger and need to talk to someone who might understand unexpectedly lands him in Jareth’s front hall. He had no idea how he’d arrived there and was even less certain about how to get home.
Come join the fun and games on Esperance. Another book is in progress, so catch up on the series before its release.
I hope this gives you a little overview of my world Esperance. It’s a great place to visit and dream about Talents and magic.
Are you looking for a getaway? Someplace where life is a little slower, not as rushed, where you can find a quiet place by a stream and relax?
How about…
A rustic, fantasy, highland-like world. Clan tensions. Psychic powers. Slow burn romance. Cross-genre stories. A bit of mischief and magic along the way.
You read that correctly! All my books, under both pen names are FREE today only over at Smashwords!It’s the last day of their Summer/Winter sale, so I’ve decided to gift my books to anyone who has been hesitating to give them a try.
You have nothing to lose. They’re FREE!
Choose from my book series if you like fantasy romance mixed with a little psychic ability or shifters– Esperance or Gambler’s Folly, including Old Flame!
Or get Lady Calloway and Master of the Fleet if you’re a fan of alternate reality, fantasy romance, moral conflict, magic, or psychic abilities–both cross-genre stories.
Maybe you’re in the mood for some lighter reading. Whiskey Jug Genie and Moonlight and Shadows are FREE a well! Choose Whiskey Jug Genie for a humorous novel featuring a redneck genie, who after being in an old jug for 200 years finds himself in modern London. Choose Moonlight and Shadows for a short paranormal story set in the high country of Wyoming, with a bit of mystery and suspense.
But remember, this is for the rest of the day only! If you don’t grab your copies now, you’ll miss your opportunity to get any of my books–or all of them–for FREE! So go on over, take a look at what is available, make your choice, and settle in for a weekend of reading. What better way to start a new month?
Yes, the rain finally got here! They’ve been threatening us with it all week, but the rain kept going around us. The cucumbers were beginning to be depressed about the whole situation. Hopefully they’ll be in a better mood after all this rin.
So, how have things been going in your world?
And what have you been reading?
The Summer Winter Sale is still ongoing over at Smashwords, and most of my titles–under both Mellie Miller and Sultonna Nadine–have been discounted even more! So if budget was a concern, now is the time to go over and browse. Several of my books are $0.99 and a few are FREE!
So whether you’re wanting to go to a fantasy world with a dark underside, with hunky shifters in law-enfocement, shifters finding fated mates in Gambler’s Folly, or a rustic world filled with psychic abilities, mischief, and romance in Esperance, Mellie Miller has you covered!
Looking for something a little darker? Alternate realities where psychic powers and magic are part of everyday life? Some intrigue, maybe deceit and revenge? Check out Master of the Fleet or Lady Calloway!
Something magical and humorous set in London, or a paranormal short story set in the American high country? Go with Whiskey Jug Genie or Moonlight and Shadows!
Whichever you choose, you’ll find a lovely getaway for the weekend. So go browse the offerings, find the one which calls to you,and settle in for a brief respite from reality.
I’m about to head to one of my favorite worlds–Esperance!
It all started with a dream that kept repeating ever night. A dream where a powerful ruler looked out across a crowd of women standing in a field, nervously waiting for him to make a choice. And when his eyes found those of a beautiful, raven haired young woman with sparkling blue eyes, he knew he’d found the woman he wanted to be his First Lady.
Esperance, a frontier type world which was nearly destroyed centuries ago when it lost contact with Earth. What brought it back from the brink of destruction was something peculiar to one segment of the population who had developed psychic abilities. They were able to exert enough influence to restore order once again and bring their people back into a civilized society, ruled by these multi-talented First Lords.
Over the years, others developed Talents in varying areas, which keeps things exciting. I mean, who couldn’t use a little bit of mental telepathy or telekinesis once in a while?
Jareth, First Lord, Book One of the series was born. After that the stories just seemed to flow. I had to tell Viviane’s story, once she’d begun to develop psychic abilities of her own. And in MORGAN–The Pixie and the Green Man, I explored Morgan’s back story. Why she came to Esperance and what happened once she had changed clans. The hesitant romance developing between her and James and all the intrigue which followed.
Of course, we had to delve into Viviane’s family, after her brother was exiled and a new heir chosen, in Too Many Talents.
Come meet these incredible people on one of my favorite worlds, Esperance! All books are right now at Smashwords
Summer heat is here. I don’t know about you, but it seemed summer and spring couldn’t make up their mind about the hand off. And then summer decided to seize control with a vengeance. It was up in the 90’s yesterday and at around midnight, it ws still 80 F. I am not a fan…
But the Smashword’s Summer sale is on again! And as is usual, all my books are discounted during the sale at 50% off regular price!
So if you’ve been looking at anything from Gambler’s Folly or Esperance, now is the time to indulge! For some reason, Old Flame in the Gambler’s series isn’t showing up, but I’m working on fixing the problem.
If you’re a fan of romantic fantasy, paradise worlds with a dark underside, hunky shifters, and a bit of intrigue, check out the Gambler’s Folly series. Shifters of various sorts finding their fated mates, against a backdrop of crime fighting, on a vacation resort world. Some are love at first sight, some slow burn, age gaps, mature couples in a second chance romance. Take your pick!
If you’re into a more laid back world, more rustic than modern, Esperance is for you. A highland type world ruled by First Lords with multiple psychic abilities all finding love and romance against a bit of intrigue. Follow their stories as their powers develop, sometimes causing a lot of chaos!
So stay indoors this summer, at least for part of the time. Grab a book to escape into and enjoy!
Can you help me? I need a little advice from someone on the other side of the reader/writer line.
As an indie author, I do everything myself, not just the writing. The writing is the easy part. Afterwards comes the editing, and it takes time and effort. I am sometimes able to have someone help me with the editing after I’ve been through a book several times myself. And there is a program I sometimes use which helps point out words I over use, or which tone down the emotion of the book.
Now let’s talk about book cover art. I can’t afford to pay someone to put together the cover art. And the few times I’ve tried, I didn’t like the results. So I use an online program, sometimes with AI assist, to create a book cover I feel portrays the story I’m telling inside.
After all the editing is as finished as it can be, and I have the cover art, there is the formatting so I can publish it through Amazon or Draft2Digital–which links all my books to retailers through Books2Read. All the keywords to come up with to help place it correctly for people to locate it. I’m not necessarily the best person to decide this. People who read the books and offer suggestions come up with categories and tropes I would never have dreamed existed in those pages.
And once I get to Amazon or Draft2Digital, I have to decide what price I want to ask for. What is my book worth? There are suggestions in the documentation for each site, which I use to gauge my list price. I don’t want to charge so much people are afraid to take a chance on the book. But at the same time, I don’t want to give it all away for free. I do have sales several times a year. During some of those, I do list a book or two for free, and generally I give away quite a few. While I’m happy when people want to read my books, it is disappointing when they only want them for nothing.
With my last book–Old Flame–I paid several people to help with the promotion and marketing aspects and got absolutely nothing in return. I did just as well by myself. Now with Sultonna Nadine’s new release, Lady Calloway, I am besieged by promoters and marketers wanting to help me get my book out to readers. For anywhere from $200 on up.
I’m not made of money. Never have been. And if throwing money at it worked, you would think Old Flame would have sold like hotcakes.
You might ask why I don’t hire some of this work out. And the answer would be the expense of it. For an editor to do a final editing for me would be over $1000 per book, minimum. Cover art? Anywhere from $150 on up to as much as I want to spend. Formatting? Several hundred dollars. And then there are the book trailers and all the social media posts to put together. Trailers start at around $200 and go up from there. By the time I paid for all that, I would have several thousand dollars invested with no guaranteed return.
So tell me, what am I doing wrong? I get great reviews, when I get them. Most are 5 star reviews. Everyone says the writing is excellent, the tropes are popular, the categories are popular as well. And I’ve reworked the keywords and categories on all the outlets to take advantage of them.
What am I missing? I’m not complaining about the work, except the editing… It’s doing all the work with nothing to show for it, while getting all kinds of emails and reviews with people who love it, but apparently love it only if it’s free.
Go take a look at my author pages and books. And then come back and give me your opinion. Why would you buy or not buy my books? What turns you away?
Welcome to Georgia, where Mother Nature can’t decide which season we should be in. Two weeks ago, it was summertime. I was out walking the dog in shorts and a tank top.
No seriously. I was.
Now the weather has turned colder, with a high today in the mid 40’s F and Monday night’s temperature is predicted to be around 12 F.
You read that correctly. 12 degrees Fahrenheit! With snow and freezing rain. My body can’t shift that fast. I can get accustomed to the cold. We lived in the North and in Wyoming for years. And I can get accustomed to the heat. We lived in the desert Southwest for a while. And freezing rain is total crap. I don’t mind a little snow once in a while. But freezing rain is a whole other story.
The good news is that it seems like a good time to catch up on a few things. Crocheting, knitting, and that TBR stack I’ve been chiseling away at. And let’s not forget the editing.
My alter ego, Sultonna Nadine, is still busy editing Lady Calloway. With any luck, she’ll be able to have it out to you by mid-summer. That is if she ever gets the cover art sorted…
At an rate, if you’re going to be affected by this winter storm, go stock up on some reading material. My Gambler’s Folly series can be good for heating up your evening, with some hunky shifters and feisty women. Or there’s Esperance, where a little Talent might just give your love life a little boost.
Take care out there with this crazy stuff headed in for the winter. Stay safe and warm.
