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Posts Tagged ‘fantasy’

No, no. Nothing like that. The cold war is over, folks.

I’m talking about wolf-shifter Dmitri Ivanovich Volkov, aka The Russian around Interpol’s Special Division.

Over 500 years old, he’s seen a lot, been a lot of places, and learned a lot of things. And one thing he knows–soulmates are once in a lifetime, and he’s already had his chance.

He’d mated with Ilyana a little over 200 years ago, and after 50 years of marriage, she died in his arms, taking his heart with her to the grave. Since then, he has hunted through the universe alone, neither seeking nor accepting any long-term relationships.

But maybe the universe is giving him a second chance, with a little blond she-wolf named Danni, with the most beautiful hazel eyes. And her scent.

Danni’s family was from Earth, but she’d lived on Gambler’s Folly most of her life. After her father died, she’d taken care of her mother, but money was tight. She couldn’t afford another place big enough for both of them, but the rent on her mother’s apartment kept going up.

And now tonight, on her way home from checking on her mother, she’d been surrounded by gang members. Terrified, she was sure she was going to die, until strong, warm hands settled on her shoulders and dispersed the young men.

He insisted on walking her home, but his woodsy, musky scent pulled her mind in another direction.

No, she didn’t have time for a relationship. There was her mother to think of, and needed to put aside enough to get them out of their current situation. But as she turned to say good bye, she simply had to feel his kiss, which was her undoing.

Neither of them want a relationship. Neither of them is seeking a mate. But Mother Nature has other plans for them. Can they open their hearts to the possibility of love?

Watch for The Russian–Gambler’s Folly Book 3–coming out later this month.

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Yes! I finished in the winner’s circle of #NaNoWriMo2019, along with many others who participated this year.

What was this year’s story?

Whiskey Jug Genie--a fantasy about a genie trapped in a whiskey jug, only to find himself free in London, England 200 years later, still cursed and bound to the jug.

Is the story finished?

Not yet. I’m still working on the conclusion to the whole affair. But I’ll get there. And it will have a happy ending for all concerned.

What about those who didn’t finish?

There is a camp in April, one in July, and another NaNoWriMo in November. But even those who didn’t finish the 50,000 words this month have gained a habit of sitting everyday to write, or have gained words toward finishing a project.

There are no losers. We all won something.

Anyway, I can breathe a little more easily now. While I will continue to write daily, I don’t have the pressure of a certain number of words each day.

In the meantime, if you’re a writer, keep writing.

If you’re not, keep reading!

Thank you, NaNoWriMo for making all of this possible.

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Yes, NaNoWriMo is almost over. Tomorrow is the last day. Those who have reached the 50,000 word goal will be declared winners. And there will be quite a few who will not have attained the required word count, who will be disappointed, frustrated, and wondering if they’re really cut out to be writers.

But no matter your word count, the fact that you started a book and worked on it for a month says you’ve won something. Maybe you didn’t finish as much as you’d hoped to.

But you wrote. For a month.

This could be the beginning of a habit that will see your first book published.

Everyone has different ways of staying motivated, or of making time to sit and write. I go for a walk in the afternoon, come back and stretch out, and with a glass of water in hand, I set the timer for 30 minutes.

During those thirty minutes, I write on my WIP. It may not be award winning prose, but I will have taken my project a little further down the road. If it’s a first draft, I can polish it up later. Or delete the passages I don’t like and rewrite.

But I will have made progress.

And you can, too.

If you want to give it a try, just get a cheap little timer from Amazon or Walmart–or any place you shop–put it next to where you are going to write, and choose your time.

Once that time is near, get your mind focused on your project, turn on that laptop, set your timer, and start writing. You may want to read over the last page or two of what you wrote the day before to get into the flow. But write for that half hour.

If you started NaNoWriMo with us, you are a winner. You may not get the certificate or the T-shirt, but you’ve earned my respect for having signed up and given it a go.

Besides, there’s always Camp NaNoWriMo coming up in April…

But for now, it’s time to get back to Whiskey Jug Genie!

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Yes! It’s that time of year. I debated joining in the fun, but finally decided to just go ahead and dive in.

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month. It’s a time for writers or aspiring writers to join together with others and finish a novel in one month.

Sounds fun, huh?

You have 30 days to complete 50,000 words. And there is all kinds of merchandise–and even more if you complete your task.

It’s a way to motivate yourself to begin or finish that novel you’ve had in mind. With pep talks from published authors, online buddies to help spur you on, a daily word count calendar, and all manner of writer’s resources, it’s a good way to get going.

Don’t have a story to write?

You can still donate to the cause!

Want to know more?

https://nanowrimo.org/what-is-nanowrimo

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How is everyone doing with this weather? I don’t know about you, but the temperatures here in the southeast are brutal. With the highs near 100 degrees already, I don’t even want to think about August…

So, what to do when the heat keeps you inside?

Read, of course!

A little romance, a little fantasy, and maybe a little magic along the way.

For books I’ve published as Mellie Miller — http://bit.ly/Mellie_Am

And those under my pen name, Sultonna Nadine — https://www.amazon.com/Sultonna-Nadine/e/B07CQSGKYZ?ref

So go inside, grab something cold to drink, kick up your feet, and settle into a lovely story. Who’s with me?

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Yes, it looks like it’s going to be another wet Friday. After last week’s eight inches of rain, I’m not feelin’ it. Know what I mean?

The sun has been playing hide and seek all day long and we’ve had a few small showers, but tomorrow should be wet.

A good day for reading.

What have you been reading lately? Anything to share?

I’ve been reading The Painted Lady Inn Mystery Books, by M.K. Scott and I thoroughly adore them. I like to write fantasy romance, but my reading preferences share the romance with mysteries.

So if there’s a book or series you just love, feel free to share it with us! I need something to read this upcoming rainy weekend…


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Yes! We have a cover for The Russian! So as soon as I get the final edits done, we’ll be having a cover reveal.

In the meantime, have you read the first two books in the series?

GAMBLER’S FOLLY

DANTE’S ANGEL

If not, go on over to Amazon and check them out!

And watch for the cover reveal for Book 3–The Russian!

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I know. It has been a while, but we’ve been having internet issues. Hopefully everything is a little better now. I don’t think it’s fixed completely, but we can usually get online.

So, how about an excerpt from The Russian–the next book from Gambler’s Folly?

First, the blurb.

He is Dmitri Ivanovich Volkov, a wolf-shifter often referred to as The Russian. Born over five hundred years ago, he has been a lone wolf since his soulmate died in his arms. Since then he has avoided long-term relationships. But maybe the universe is giving him a second chance at happiness.

Danni works for The Agency in Speranza on Gambler’s Folly. Most of her time is spent working or caring for her mother. She’d been lucky up until now, but tonight she’s accosted by one of the street gangs and is sure she’ll soon be dead.

Until The Russian steps in, saves her life, and captures her soul.

 

And now an excerpt:

“Oh, Mishka! What a day.” Kari handed her a tissue to mop up the tears trickling down her face.

“Indeed. Let’s go have lunch with these monkeys, before we head off for our honeymoon. It’ll give you a chance to share the day with your mother. It’s good to see her this happy.”

And it was. She couldn’t remember the last time her mother had smiled, genuinely smiled. For her, it was like the sun had finally broken from behind the clouds to light her day. Sliding into the car, with Dmitri right behind her, Damiano drove them to their favorite restaurant for a celebration.

****

When they reached the restaurant, Dmitri pulled Dam aside and asked, “Seriously, Dam, did you invite the office to the wedding?”

“No, Dima. I swear. I had no idea, but it is a wonderful gesture. Don’t you think? I thought we’d come here with the two of you, Nagi, and Mrs. Peters for a private celebration.”

“Monkeys? Did I hear you say monkeys?” Dmitri heard behind him.

“That is correct.”

“There isn’t a monkey in the place. Leopards, wolves, bears, even a couple of cute little foxes, Dmitri Ivanovich. But no monkeys,” their boss, the chief told him.

“Perhaps not, but in their human forms they can certainly act like a bunch of monkeys.”

“You should try it from behind my desk,” the gigantic bear-shifter muttered. “Let’s get this party started. I’m sure there are several of us who could use a drink.”

Watch for The Russian later this spring.

In the meantime, check out the other two books in the series.

Gambler’s Folly

Dante’s Angel

Ciao!

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Black and white

Yes, editing is nearly complete on the next book from Gambler’s Folly—The Russian.

Dmitri is a wolf shifter and over 500 years old. He once had a soul-mate, but she 200 years ago. Maybe the universe is giving him another chance at happiness.

Danni works in the office at the agency. Coming home one night, she was surrounded by a group of gang members and expected to end up in the hospital–or morgue. Until Dmitri stepped in.

Now it appears they are soul-mates. But she can’t become involved with anyone. She has to care for her mother.

How about an excerpt?

“You should have a woman of your own status, not a little nobody like me. I’m not even

sure how I feel about sex after the assault. Maybe you should finish your work here and

leave. Forget me.”

“There is no one of my status on any planet I’ve visited. As far as I can tell, I am unique.”

“Danni,” Karianna said, “I think you’re forgetting something. If you two are mates, he

can’t simply leave and forget. And if I ever hear you refer to yourself as a nobody again,

I’ll kick your ass.”

“Maybe we’re not mates,” she said. “The whole scent thing doesn’t seem to bother me

right now.”

“And most of that is due to the additional air scrubbers Dam brought up for the evening,”

Kari answered. “Why don’t you come sit next to Dima and try to tell me that.”

“What?”

“Come sit next to Dima and try to carry on a conversation.”

“Fine. I don’t know what all the fuss is about.”

Changing places with Karianna, Danni got comfortable until the scent of autumn leaves

and musk crept over her. Visions of the deep forest at sunset took over her thoughts,

as her nose picked up the earthy, musky scent, with its leather and tobacco overtones.

Heat began to pool at her center as thoughts of being taken by this man played scenes in

her mind.

“Danni?” she heard as if from a distance. “Planet to Danni, come in.”

Shaking her head, she looked over at the amused Karianna. Almost afraid to look, s

he glanced over at Mishka. His knuckles were white on the armrest of his chair, and his

teeth were clenched, as he fought down the mating urges.

Forcing her body to obey, Danni rose from the table and stumbled into the kitchen.

She needed air, but every breath brought her Mishka’s scent. This could not be happening.

“All right, Danni. The scrubbers are back on and you can have your seat back,” Karianna

said a moment or two later. “Now, do you want to argue some more or shall we decided

on a course of action?”

Keep checking back for cover reveal and release dates! Or go to my facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/gamblersfolly

Soul-bound lovers

 

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Do you like author interviews? If you do, go check out the interview I gave Fiona McVie. Discover where I get my ideas, what are my favorite colors and foods. All the trivia you want to know.

Here is my interview with Mellie Miller

Books.1

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