And I wish the weather would decide what season we’re going to be in. A week ago, it seemed like late autumn was here. And then two days ago, summer came back.
But in the meantime, what is everyone reading?
As most of you know, I usually write paranormal romance novels. But sometimes I branch out, and this is one of those times. My alter ego, Sultonna Nadine has a new short story out you might want to check out. Set in Wyoming, one of my favorite places, we meet DEA agent Shane Shadowstalker.
But out there in the high desert, among the sage, can you believe what your eyes are telling you? Or is it all an illusion brought about by the wind, the moonlight, and the shadows?
I know. I’m late for last week’s post, so this one will have to do double duty. But let me explain.
My husband had a total shoulder surgery last Wednesday. I don’t now if you know someone who’s had this particular procedure, but it makes life difficult during the recover. In his case, it is doubly so, since the surgery was done on his dominant side. So eating, washing, doing anything really, has been awkward. Everything is set up for him to use his left hand–he’s a lefty–and so everything is out of reach.
Having to do everything with one hand is awkward as well, like getting dressed or taking a shower. Unless you’ve had a shoulder issue of some sort, you don’t realize how much you use those muscles–even when you’re not using that arm.
In the meantime, I’ve finished my latest edit of Whiskey Jug Genie and of Gregor Thayne. One is a stand alone for my Sultonna Nadine books. The other is the next book for Esperance–after Ben of Blackstone’s Forge.
This was my first time through Gregor Thayne, and I’m happy to say it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. Yes, it needs work, and my editor will probably tear out her hair–or mine. But as a first read through, I was happy with the result.
Whiskey Jug Genie is just fun. And I’m so glad my husband came up with the idea. Since it isn’t part of a series, it is written under my pen name, Sultonna Nadine. Imagine, if you will, one of the djinn trapped in a whiskey jug for 200 years. He’d spent considerable time before this in the deep south of the United States and picked up quite a southern accent.
Now imagine him freed in modern day London, bound to the owner of his jug, who is an apothecary shop owner.
Next in Esperance will be Ben of Blackstone’s Forge.
Ben’s family has a way with iron, a particular talent which runs in the family. During his childhood, up until he went away to serve an apprenticeship with another forge, Ben had planned to marry Deborah. They’d always seen themselves together, as had their families.
But while he was away, something changed. The young woman will scarcely speak to him as they pass in the street. But no one can tell him why. His father keeps hinting he should find a wife. But the only woman he has ever wanted to marry was Deborah.
Deborah had always known she and Ben were meant for each other. But while she waited for him to return, something happened which she has kept secret even from her mother. She can’t marry Ben, or anyone else. Her father strongly suggests she at least go out with some young men suitable for her, but he doesn’t understand the situation. And she can’t explain.
So what are they to do when their parents arrange a marriage for them?
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.
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.
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.
As most of you know, I usually write full length novels. But sometimes, I have an idea for a nice short story.
And that’s the case with Moonlight and Shadows.
If you’ve never been out at night, in the high desert around southwestern Wyoming, you simply can’t imagine the magical feel of the area. In the moonlight, everything appears as shades of gray in a world of shifting shadows. It seems that nearly anything could happen out there.
If you get far enough way from town, there is nothing and nobody except the wind in the sage brush and the moonlight casting shadows all around. You may see the occasional jack rabbit or hear the coyotes in the distance, but it is a different world out there. Some people find it intimidating or spooky. Some people hate the sound of the wind.
I’ve always found it a place of mystery and magic. But can you really trust your eyes in the moonlight?
So here is my little story for you. As you might expect, it is paranormal in nature. Meet our MC who is a DEA agent hoping to be on time for a meeting with an informant. And of course, everything is going wrong on this particular evening. But I don’t want to give it all away. And at some point, I may turn it into a full length novel. Who knows?
So go on over to Vocal.Media and click on Moonlight and Shadows. Of course, I would love it if you checked out a few of my other stories there as well.
Wishing you a wonderful, peaceful, and happy weekend.
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.
Yes, it’s that time again. The Read an EBook Week Book Sale!
What is it?
For one week this March, many Smashwords authors will have their books discounted during this week. Some will be 75% off, some will be FREE! It all depends on the author’s choice.
Yes, all of my books will be on sale during this week. The first book in each of my series will be FREE. The rest will be $0.99 each. You can’t even buy a coffee for that these days.
So mark your calendars for March 6–12 and head on over to the sale.
So don’t miss the sale. Now is the time to try new authors, finish a series you started, or just have fun and buy books at random! Okay, maybe not that. But go have fun! Buy books. Escape this reality for a while and go somewhere exciting, or peaceful, or weird.
But whatever you do, don’t miss the sale!
For paranormal fantasy romance, go to my profile! Meet Jareth and Viviane, Damianno and Karianna, Richard and AnnMarie, and host of others.
There is a lot of discussion between those who prefer “real” books and those who like ebooks. And then there are some who prefer an actual physical book, but buy eBooks for the sake of economy or space limitations.
I like a nice hardcover book I can actually hold in my hands. There is something about the smell of a new book the first time you open it, the feel of the cover and the pages as you turn them. I’m not sure what it is, but it isn’t just reading. It’s a sensory experience.
So why do I buy ebooks so often?
Economy. I can buy several ebooks for the price of one hardcover or paperback book. If I’m reading a new author, I might not want to keep it around, so why spend so much on something I’ll never read again.
When I travel, I find it difficult to take along enough books to read in physical form, but I can pack a whole library of eBooks.
I also have eyesight issues which make it difficult to see the printed page. My tablet or Kindle allow me the option of changing the brightness and contrast making it easier to see the words.
Whcih do you prefer? Are you in the e book camp or the physical book crowd? And why?
Whichever format you choose, you can find one of my books to suit your mood. All my books on Amazon are available for Kindle, in paperback, and in hardcover versions. So choose the format you like, pour yourself a cuppa, and enter a fantasy world for a little while.
Check out my book under the name Sultonna Nadine–Master of the Fleet, in a world where elemental magic is real, but won’t necessarily help Richard with his love life.
But it’s also the season for the SmashwordsEnd of Year Sale! Thousands of books all on sale during these last couple weeks of December. The sale begins today and lasts through Jan. 1, 2022.
And all my books, by both Mellie Miller and Sultonna Nadine, are included in this sale! So if you love ebooks, or have started a series and want to read more, now is the time. If you’re like me, this time of year can get a bit tedious. Right now we have rainy weather, which makes it uncomfortable to take a walk. The holidays are here, but you might not want to go visiting just now. Sometimes family can be overwhelming.
But you want to go somewhere…
Why not take a fantasy trip to another world?
And I have three to choose from!
Esperance is more of a frontier world, with not much in the way of technology. But when it comes to psychic abilities, they have it in spades. Ruled by multi-talented First Lords, this is a place where technology is replaced by psychic abilities: telekinesis, telepathy, teleportation, energy healing, and abilities I don’t even have names for.
Gambler’s Folly is a futuristic world, a pleasure world where you can find anything you’d like. The vacation spot for the galaxy, our cast of characters work for the Special Division of Interpol. Composed of agebts who are shifters of various sorts, follow them as they search for contraband and find their soulmates.
Master of the Fleet is written uner the name Sultonna Nadine and is a stand alone book. In a world where magic is real, Richard LeMarnier is a weather shaper and master of the fleet for his family’s merchant fleet on the northwestern coast of what we know as America. He thinks he’s found the woman of his dreams, but she never intends to marry. For Anne-Marie, he is just another rich mark to be taken for all she can get before she moves to greener pastures. When her temper gets the better of her, they find themselves bound not only by marriage vows, but by a blood oath. Can they find a happily ever after?
So take a virtual trip to another world. And if I don’t meet with you again before the holidays, have a safe and wonderful holiday!
