Yes, the sale ends on July 31, and then all my books will go back to their normal prices.
So if you’ve never read one of my books, or if you need to finish a series but were waiting to save money, now is the time.
I have two series, Gambler’s Folly and Esperance. Six books in all and all on sale for just $0.99 each.
I also have Master of the Fleet, a stand alone under the name Sultonna Nadine. It is also available right now for $0.99.
And what else can you get these days for less than a buck?
So head on over to Smashwords and find something you like.
Gambler’s Folly features shape shifters on a futuristic world,.
Esperance is more laid back, but with psychic Talents in abundance.
Master of the Fleet is a world where magic is real, but doesn’t seem to help Richard’s love life.
Just click on this link to go to my profile page. Then scroll down and find the book or series you want. Books are available in several different e-formats.
With the weather we’ve been having, I’m not too sure. A few days ago it was nearly 80 degrees when the Bear and I went walking. Yesterday’s highs were in the 60’s, and it got down to 38 degrees this morning. Glad I didn’t plant anything yet.
Anyway, how is everyone else out there? And more importantly, what are you reading?
I’ve been into cozy mysteries lately, and reading theKnitorious Murder Mystery series, by Reagan Davis. As a knitter, I love the way she weaves the skill into her stories.
But if you’re looking for something more along the lines of fantasy romance, with a little paranormal or magic thrown in, check out my book, MORGAN–The Pixie and the Green Man.
In the first book of the Esperance series, Morgan is introduced as a secondary character. When Jareth went to Clan Belfort to demand repayment of stolen goods, part of the penalty for ignoring his previous communications was The Choosing–a tithe of marriageable women to take back to his clan.
Morgan volunteered to go with him in order to get away from an abusive family situation. But shortly after arriving in her new home, she is assaulted by a young man who’s invitations she had declined. Two men passing the area came to her rescue and when she’s recovered, she testifies at the young man’s trial, but she is even more hesitant around the male of the species.
We don’t hear too much more from Morgan after this, but her story intrigued me. I decided to give her a book of her own, and help her find her happily-ever-after.
“Morgan? Is something wrong?” Mrs. Kennoway asked. “No, I was talking with James Ferguson. He came in for some fruit. I think I need more sleep.” “Did you have breakfast this morning?” “Yes. Coffee, and toast with jam. It’s what I usually have.” “It’s time you had some lunch, young lady. Take yourself into the back room and take your break.” Morgan slowly ate the lunch she’d brought. It wasn’t much—she didn’t usually eat much—just an apple, some cheese, and some bread. After finishing her meal, she made a cup of tea before going back to work. “You look a little better,” Mrs. Kennoway told her. “Did James say something to upset you? He’s usually such a polite boy.” This “polite boy” had to be a little older than she was Morgan thought, and she was twenty-five. “No, he was nice enough,” she answered, looking down at her hands on the counter. “Well, then why won’t you look up and tell me about it?” the older woman asked. Meeting her gaze, Morgan flushed. How could she tell this sweet lady that the idea of going anywhere with a guy scared her to death? “He asked me out for lunch,” she said, embarrassed and exasperated all at once. “And what did you say?” “I told him I would be busy all afternoon.” “You needn’t stay in here all day. A break for lunch might have done you some good.” “I can’t. I just can’t,” said, nearly in tears. “You poor girl. You’ll have to take the first step sometime. I know his father and mother. James is a good boy. He’d do you no harm.” “I know. I’ll think about it, if he asks again.” A few days later, James came back to the market. It was earlier in the day, but his excuse was the same. Could she suggest something for a snack? What was good today? He chose some pears and a little cheese before he walked back to pay for his items. “Could I coax you out of here for lunch today?” he asked. How could his eyes have so much sparkle? And that smile was so warm and inviting. “I don’t know, James. I’m not particularly social. Maybe another time.” Not to be deterred, he asked, “What about dinner after work? You have to eat sometime. We could go to the little place across the square. It’s small and not crowded, but the food is good.” “Maybe not today, but thank you for asking.” He seemed really nice, but she was terrified. “Are you sure? They have roast chicken worth killing for.” “Isn’t that normally worth dying for?” she asked. “Yes, but I’m not planning to die any time soon.”
So if you’re looking for a sweet little romance, with a bit of spice and magic, check out MORGAN–The Pixie and the Green Man.
The Book Sale over at Smashwords is almost over. But don’t worry. There ‘s still time to go shopping. The sale ends tomorrow, March 12.
So, what do I have on discount there this week?
Everything!
The first two books in each series are FREE.
The rest of the books, including Master of the Fleet written as Sultonna Nadine, are $0.99.
But the sale is just about to wrap up, so don’t wait too long.
I’ve been working on taxes all week, so I’m about done in. But I’m going to try to take a walk with The Bear here in a bit. It seems winter is still not finished here in the Southeast, but I’m about done with winter…
Anyway, have a great weekend. Don’t forget the sale! I’m going to work on Gregor Thayne after my walk. Wish me luck!
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.
For several years, I was a member of the SCA–Society for Creative Anachronism. It was fun recreating life from the middle ages, learning new skills, learning about how people lived during those times.
And music! As a musician, I loved learning songs and compositions from this time period. As part of a recorder consort, we got plenty of practice on music from different countries, some of which have come down into more modern times.
I remember playing the song Flow Gently Sweet Afton for my father, only to hear him say his mother had sung the song to him when he was young.
So what has this to do with Master of the Fleet?
One song most people know from around the Middle Ages–though it may be a little later–is Greensleeves. If you’re not familiar with the lyrics, you can find them online. The theme of the song is about a man who has gifted his love with everything imaginable, from jewels to fine linens, only to be cast aside.
Now, my writer’s mind began to wonder what would have happened if things had gone a bit differently.
And then my SCA mind began to create a scene, albeit the scene would have been part of a play put on for the delight of the guests at a feast.
So, putting the two together, I created the sketch for the feast–an argument breaking out between a man and woman, which gets out of hand, and ending with drawn blades.
In the sketch, this would have ended with him binding her to him as a sworn servant.
In the story, which is set in an alternate timeline where magic is real, Master of the Fleet, it goes far beyond that.
How far?
Now that would be telling, wouldn’t it?
To read Master of the Fleet, go over to Smashwords this weekend. The ebook is on sale for only $0.99. The ebook is available in several different formats to fit your reader.
It’s available in Kindle, paperback, and hardcover!
So, that’s it for this week. Have a wonderful, magical weekend.
And Don’t Forget…
…to Share the Romance…
How about an excerpt?
“My good man, were you planning a human sacrifice on the high table? Who are you and what is the meaning of this?” the baron demanded.
A large man, with dark hair turning gray at the temples, and neatly trimmed beard, his presence commanded the attention of the room.
“Your Excellency, I am Lord Sir Richard LeMarnier, from Côte d’Or. The lady and I have traveled for more than a week to attend the festival here in her homeland. At least she claims it as such. After courting her for over a year and asking for her hand in marriage, I dance on her leash while she toys with my affections. Though she hasn’t refused my offer, she has yet to accept it.”
“What do you do?”
“I am in shipping, Your Excellency, with access to goods up and down the coast and from overseas. I have brought her gifts from every part of the world, given her everything she’s asked for, and more. She’s been blessed with everything within my power to give.”
“We’ll agree you’re a generous man. Why are you here?”
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!
Before I get started on a rant, let me tell you the news.
For my thank you to all my readers, and those who follow me, I’m having a book sale.
Starting today and running through November 26, all my books on Smashwords will be available for 0.99 each. So if you’ve been waiting to try one, or aren’t sure, now is the time to take the plunge.
I mean, you can’t go wrong for less than a buck. Right?
Want an excerpt? Click on the Excerpt button at the top!
Not interested in e-books? If you prefer paperbacks or hardcover, go on over to Amazon! All my books are now available in both those formats as well!
Anyway, I think winter is making a comeback, so it is time to sit by the fire, with the cats, and have a nice read. Maybe a nice cuppa to go along with it. Just lean back, get comfy, and go to another place or time–or both!
If I don’t talk to you again before the holiday, have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
And that is a very good question. Where do authors and artists get their ideas?
And for me, it depends on which book we’re talking about. Some of mine have come from recurring dreams of a particular scene. Jareth, First Lord is a good example. I kept dreaming a particular scene over and over until a sat down and wrote the scene out. Of course I then had to figure out where in the story this particular bit occurred, but this was my starting point.
Some start with a “what if” sort of idea, such as Gambler’s Folly. I heard a particular song and wondered how this sort of thing could happen now or in the future. What if…?
But Master of the Fleet was a bit different. For several years I participated in a group called the SCA–Society for Creative Anachronism. The people in this group learned skills used during the middle ages and met to practice their particular skill. I was a musician. Mostly I played in a recorder consort, but sometimes I sang and composed little ditties about the places I’d been.
It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about the various skills the people during that time used in their lives.
And I loved watching the fighters. Some fought with sword and shield, others with staffs. Some wore leather armour, others chain mail. Watching someone painstakingly make chain mail is an education in itself.
So one day as I was daydreaming about this and that, I came up with a scenario for entertainment at a high feast. A scene that would play out in the performance area in front of the high table, which should shock yet entertain those gathered there.
It began with an argument between a man and his lady over something silly, until tempers flared and blades were drawn. As the disagreement escalated, her blade was thrown clear before she was backed up to the baron’s table, sword tip at her throat, as the man demanded justice.
As these things go, it eventually ended up as a book, and while it is in the first chapter, it is only the beginning of the story. There were a lot of questions I had about this relationship.
Why were they at the feast?
Why were they arguing?
Why did they marry, and what about the blood oath which bound them together?
Do they ever find happiness?
What is a weather shaper? And where does magic fit into this picture?
Ready to find out?
How about a short excerpt?
MASTER OF THE FLEET
Richard was angrier than he had ever been. How had she used him for so long without him noticing the hints he should have seen? After a year of courting, he had asked her to marry him, but she’d begged for more time. He’d decided to ask her again, here at the festival. He was so certain of her acceptance, he had bought a ring for their betrothal.
She had never intended to marry him. She had simply used her charms to get what she wanted. When the source dried up, she would have left him for greener fields. Use him would she? He would show her what it was to be used, and he had half a lifetime to make his point. As soon as the priest got here, she would be bound to him, not only by her oath to him and the blood oath, but by her vow to heaven as well.
I mean the one in the world of Lord Sir Richard Lemarnier. The one on the Northwestern coast of what we call the USA, in an alternate reality.
Let me tell you about this world. Grab a cuppa and join me!
The world of Richard and Anne-Marie is a world of magic. Most people are born under two different elements of magic. One corresponds with the year in which they are born. The other from the month. Most people have very little ability and can’t actually train to use them effectively.
But for those who can, they are a boon to society. Crops are grown with the aid of people who can control water and earth to nurture plants. Ships are guided and protected by those with control over wind or water. Suspects are questioned by those trained to use their abilities with spirit.
Those who are adepts use magic to bind contracts, blood oaths, and vows. Priests having abilities with heaven and spirit bind marriages using the elements of creation in the presence of heaven. Vows or oaths bound with blood carry their own penalty when broken.
Richard Lemarnier is Master of the Fleet for his family’s shipping firm, as well as the owner since his father died. In this capacity, he controls wind and water to help shape the weather when necessary to help his ships out at sea. With a little ability inherited from his mother, he has a bit of telepathy to use as well.
Imagine seeing the various air currents as slightly different colors or textures and being able to manipulate them. You could create a small breeze or a raging storm, depending on how much power you had to call on. And the same with water. You can speak to it and bend it to your will, shift the currents or calm the waves. With control over both wind and water, you could create a storm or calm one.
Richard had fallen for Anne-Marie and asked her to marry him, but she kept putting hiim off. Not refusing, exactly, but not accepting either. So when she asks him to come with her back to her home kingdom for the fall festivals, he figures it would be a good time and place to ask once more.
But after too much wine and excitement, things get out of hand at the feast, leaving them bound not only by marriage vows but by a blood oath, as well as an oath of fealty from Anne-Marie to Richard. He is bound to be her husband and protector, and her loyalty is sworn to Richard. Onlh an adept of at least the rank of Baron can unbind the spells.
Anne-Marie had no intention of marrying Richard. But how can she escape now, with all the spells binding them together?
And who is trying to destroy Richard’s company? Anyone with the kind of power this enemy shows should have been bond by the guild oath, forbidding them to do harm with their abilities.
What will it take for Richard to win his lady’s heart and keep his company safe from attack on the high seas? And are the two related?
Those in the wedding party removed their shoes to stand on earth. With hands raised, eyes to the heavens, the priest began to intone the opening words of the marriage oath.
“In the presence of God, I call upon heaven and earth, water and fire, wind and spirit, to witness the union of Lord Sir Richard LeMarnier and Anne-Marie Desplaines…”
They made it through the ceremony without complications. He used the ring he’d bought for their betrothal for her wedding ring. She used his signet ring for his. These represented Earth. Candles lit during the ceremony represented fire, the couple was sprinkled with water, and the kiss represented an exchange of spirit. As the ceremony continued under the stars, the evening breeze swept around them, caressing them and adding its seal to the union. Arcane symbols bound their vows to each of the elements.
Bound by God and the six elements of creation, their human representatives bearing witness and completing the perfect ring of seven, the marriage was sealed by the priest, and recorded.
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