Tracy St. John's Blog, page 17

WIP Wednesday - First Mataras: Irene

 

 

A little music, a little mood...a first kiss?

“Give me.” Sherv set aside the uferliss to take the guitarIrene was again navigating with less than stellar results. “Try this.” Heplayed a variation of the notes she’d thought would work with the third songthey’d been concocting.

“Much better. Show me again?”

“I play. Uferliss not working on this tune, I think. Yousing.”

“Okay, but I still don’t know why you want this song inEnglish rather than Kalquorian.”

“Your language works with sound better. And it easier foryou to sing your words.” He started to play the intro, and Jemi’s trasbu joinedin. Another measure, and Rusp swept in with a gentle drum roll.

Irene had to admit that particular song did work bestwithout the uferliss. “What about adding piano or keyboards, though?”

“We’re going to need a bigger band,” Jemi laughed.

“Or just use backing tracks.”

“Lemanthev never use backing tracks,” Rusp argued

 “This not lemanthev.This music is ours. We do backing tracks if want,” Sherv told him. “I likekeyboards. And in English.”

“Who are you getting to sing with you when you leave,though?” Irene demanded. She stuck her lower lip out in a ridiculous pout. “Areyou going to be chasing other Earther women around to sing for you?”

“We steal you. You sing for us, forget opera.” Shervgrinned.

“And keep me in chains between shows?”

“You do cashool in-u-en-do again?” Rusp’s brows wiggled ather. He chuckled when she blushed.

“Is that a thing for Kalquorians? Keeping their women inchains for perverse activities?” She blushed harder at her own audacity.

Jemi chattered in his own language.

Sherv snickered. “Perversted means good sex.”

Irene gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. Shockedlaughter chuffed behind her palms, then she spluttered, “I didn’t say anythingof the sort! And the word is perverted, you Kalquorian heathen. Whichmeans weird or immoral.”

“Like he say, mean good sex.” Rusp’s strong features litwith mischievous merriment. “More immoral, more better.”

“You three have no shame!” Irene tried her best to sounddisapproving, but the giggles pouring from her ruined the affect. Talking ofthe taboo subject was just as thrilling as sneaking out to listen to bandsplay.

“Sex no shame. Sex like good music. I show if you let meplay you.” Rusp wiggled his fingers over his drum’s skin, making it hum likefar-off thunder, his tongue peeking out between his grinning lips.

Sherv was laughing so hard, he was in danger of falling outof his seat. “Irene so red.”

“Don’t laugh at me.” She swatted his arm. “It isn’t my faultmy government is crazy.”

“You so embarrassed about what’s normal. You think it’sperversted.” His humor quieted, and a hint of sadness drifted over hisexpression. “You even never kiss?”

“No.” A spark of anger greeted his pity. “Is it such a bigdeal?”

“Big deal to me. I be mad if not allowed to kiss.”

“Why don’t you teach me then?” The words were out of hermouth before she realized she’d said them.

Jemi and Rusp stilled. Sherv regarded her, his emotionsimpossible to gauge. “You want learn to kiss? Earth say bad.”

Irene debated walking the challenge back. She was insane todare such closeness. What if Sherv turned lust-crazed? Except he’d done nothingto suggest he was the unrestrained sex fiend Earth insisted all Kalquorian menwere. Except for a few teasing comments, there’d been no hint of depravity.

We die anyway, why should we fear taking chances?

“Earth says everything is bad. I’m already doomed if I’mcaught with you. How can a kiss make it any worse?” She lifted her chin,challenging him. Challenging Earth’s overbearing dictates. Challenging her ownfears.

Releasing Summer 2023

WIP Wednesday - First Mataras: Irene

 The first draft is done! The first round of edits are underway. Plus, we have a cover, courtesy of the brilliant Erin Dameron-Hill!

A woman who wants to experience life

“Is it worth your life?” Sherv took her hands in his.

Irene wished she wasn’t wearing the gloves. She wanted toknow how his skin felt against hers. She wanted the warmth, simple contact withanother. It leant a note of desperation to her tone. “This is life.Getting out, meeting people who aren’t ‘safe’ for me to know, seeing andhearing and touching and tasting what Earth would keep from me. When I run awayis the only time I truly live.” She gripped his hand tightly. “Don’t send meaway. I know the risks, and they’re worth it.”

He considered. Long seconds slipped by as Jemi and Ruspwatched in apprehension, their gazes shifting from Irene to Sherv and back.

“I not know how to decide,” Sherv said at last. “You makesense, but I scared for you. I want you here, but this is hard when you couldsuffer.”

“Give me my own choice, Sherv. Do what Earth won’t, and letme make my own decisions.”

Another pause. He slowly nodded. “You be as happy as youcan. We will help if you want to visit.”

“Thank you.” She felt a soaring lightness to not be shownthe door. “This is a gift you’re giving me.”

  Releasing Summer

WIP Wednesday - First Mataras: Irene

 

                                                                                                                    Photo credit: Jernej Graj

 Unwelcome visit?

Rusp slapped a panel on the wall next to her, and the ship’shatch closed behind her. He stared at her with what appeared to be anger. “Whatyou do here, Irene?”

 A weight slammed inher gut. She swallowed a wad of unexpected hurt at his blunt, almost harshquestion. “I…I wanted to see you guys. Say hello, maybe talk music some more?You don’t want me here?”

Jemi startled her by rushing forward and wrapping his armsaround her. Irene was suddenly pressed close to a strong body, enveloped in hismusky-spicy scent and warmth. “No want you hurt. You in danger, Irene.Shouldn’t come.”

“Rusp learn about Earth. Cruel to women who come too closeto men. We stay away and think you stay away too.”

Irene found it hard to concentrate on Sherv’s speech. Jemiwas holding her tight to himself, his rock-hard chest against her breasts,their stomachs touching, and below…

A stab of heat spiked through her. She’d never been held bya man before, and it was a revelation, her softer curves molding to hispowerful physique. She couldn’t breathe.

She almost grabbed Jemi when he finally stepped back andheld her at arm’s length. His worried gaze cleared the fog of whatever it wasshe’d been experiencing, and she returned to her senses.

“It’s okay. Nobody messes with Odeergins, right? I’mcareful.” They didn’t have to know about her near-encounter with Clan Nil.

“Is big risk,” Rusp said, his anger evaporating in favor ofconcern. “What Earth do to you if you catched…”

“If you were hurt because come to see us, I not stand it.”Sherv raked his fingers through his thick black hair, mussing it. “Why you takechance?”

Still feeling a ghostly sensation of Jemi against her, Irenewent to their dinette and sat on one of the huge chairs surrounding it. “Myworld has been so small. Not Earth, but where I’m allowed to go, what I’mallowed to do. Imagine never going anywhere, never seeing anything except whatpeople tell you is proper. Could you live like that?”

Sherv sat next to her so they could gaze eye-to-eye. Hespoke to her slowly, carefully, as if she were a child. “Your governmenttorture and kill for this, Irene.”

“Do you think I don’t know this? They took me from myparents when I was sixteen. They ripped me from my family to sing for them. Myparents would have been jailed if they hadn’t agreed to it.” Irene choked onbitter laughter. “I know all too well what my government is capable of.”

Releasing Summer

WIP Wednesday - First Mataras: Irene

 

                                                        Photo credit: Jernej Graj

Aftermath of a night playing music with the clan 

 She should have been dropping with exhaustion, but she’dnever felt less like sleeping. She couldn’t get the strange but compellingmusic she and Clan Sherv had composed out of her head. Most of it had beenSherv’s doing, showing he truly did have a talent for music beyond the limitedhowling he’d chosen for a career. He’d written a few lyrics for her to singtoo, showing an astonishing grasp of what she was capable of. Some of the noteshe’d encouraged her to sing were challenging, but she’d been delighted to workon his ideas until she’d executed them flawlessly.

She was in a thrall to the potential directions theirdiscoveries could lead them. If only she had the option of pursuing such an exciting direction! What they’d done delighted her as much as the first timeshe’d stepped onstage to sing before an audience.

There was another component to the night’s thrills. Sherv,Rusp, and Jemi excited her too.

It didn’t matter they’d gone no further than the “cashoolin-wen-do,” as Jemi and Rusp’s stumbling attempts at pronouncing “casualinnuendo” had labeled the trivial flirtations Rusp had begun. His Imdikoclanmate had added to the teasing. In the end, Sherv had given up on trying tostop them and made a few intimations himself. Nothing crude, always in a jokingmanner, but there had been an underlying tension to quicken Irene’s pulse. Itwas in a glance, in a lowered tone, and sometimes in a seemingly unintentionalbrush of fingertips against her hands.

Irene had committed her own subtle sins of attention overthe hours they’d been together. Holding a gaze…wetting her lips and noting howher companions’ catlike pupils widened as they watched…moving so the cloakexposed a flash of knee.

She had only her opera castmates to refer to when it came to theart of seduction, and under the watchful gazes of the government’s and Church’schaperones, those opportunities to witness such had been few. No doubt herrepertoire was laughably miniscule, but she’d found herself ready to dare, evenif a naked knee was so much less than what her companions had displayed earlierthat night.

Such small demonstrations. Yet they would have been morethan enough to put her in an Earth prison if her minders had seen.

Irene sat in her huge bed and ordered the lights off. Shestared into the darkness, her mind cataloguing every precious second she’dspent with Sherv, Rusp, and Jemi.

Was it the call of the forbidden? Would she find them soattractive if she were at liberty to indulge in intimacy? Maybe not, but it washard to imagine feeling less fascinated. They were each beautiful men in theirown particular fashion.

Releasing this summer.

WIP Wednesday - First Mataras: Irene

 Like a bee to honey

Irene found new reasons to be impressed by the Kalquorian band when she entered the club, and not just because they were all wearing very small, very tight black shorts. Sherv had joined Rusp in drumming…pounding, she amended…and he was nearly as good as his Nobek bandmate, who was nothing short of phenomenal. Sweat flew off the pair as beat out complicated rhythms that put Irene in mind of tribal sounds. Near them, Jemi’s trasbusnarled and growled in perfect accompaniment to the primal tempo, accentuating what the pair did rather than stealing the limelight. The Kalquorian audience gathered close to the stage stomped and clapped and grunted along, and the ovation was thunderous at the song’s end.

Irene found a table near the back, where the shadows were deepest. Even so, Sherv, Rusp, and Jemi seemed to catch sight of her at once in her Odeergin disguise. She thrilled as their handsome faces beamed delighted grins.

The show continued for another hour, and she was glad she’d managed to catch the final half, far more than what she’d seen the night before. It solidified her opinion that though what they played had no resemblance to opera, they were talented. Sherv made the best possible use of his voice’s limited range, and she wondered how he’d sound if his vocal cords were healed.

She rose as soon as the band took their bows. Sherv caught her eye and jerked his head, his smile hopeful.

Irene nodded and headed backstage.

Releasing Summer 2023

Where we first met Irene: Clan Companions: Matthew is on sale!

Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and print

His past demons have returned, and only a Kalquorian clan can save him.

Matthew Larsen should be happy. Reunited with the Nobek he fell in love with years ago, welcomed into a clan determined to give him a better life, he has everything he never imagined possible. However, he’s haunted by the hellish past and certainty it will reclaim him.

Nobek Kom spent years searching for Matt. Their reunion and his clanmates’ acceptance of the troubled Earther seemed to be all that stood in the way of the perfect future. His Earther love isn’t so easily rescued, however. Even a warrior can’t protect someone against his nightmares.

Dramok Avir and Imdiko Masok are devoted to the beautiful Earther Kom brought home. Loving such a gentle soul isn’t a problem. Saving him from monsters, real and imagined, is another matter when Matt’s worst fears come true and the terrors of the past rise once again to drag him into the abyss. 

Buy now:

Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and print

 

WIP Wednesday - First Mataras: Irene

 Love at first sing

The human opera was every bit as good as the few Kalquorian motehoperformances Jemi's parents had taken him to when he was a kid. It didn’t matter he couldn’t decipher all the lines they sang. The gist of the story was recognizable: a woman of low rank and a suppressed people rose to become empress and save her race from a ruthless enemy. The costuming and set were as elaborate as moteho stages. It was familiar, and he didn’t feel as confused as he’d expected to when they’d sat in their seats near the back of the theater.

He was impressed by the male lead, who played the emperor Xerxes. The man’s voice was awe-inspiring, and had been the first reason Jemi had been brought to unaccustomed silence. The man’s rich tones were certainly on par with the baritones he’d heard in moteho. His was a presence that filled the room, and Jemi was rapt when he was on stage.

The female lead, a curvaceous, lovely woman, was talented too. Maybe the underlying fire and flare Jemi detected in her personality didn’t quite fit the role she played, especially when she pleaded with Xerxes to save her people, but there was no denying her voice was impressive.

At least it was, until he heard Irene.

Hers was a secondary role, a part of the show’s subplot of another low-ranked woman desperate to save her brother from execution by the villain. She had only one song in the whole performance in which she sang solo…

…but her singing eclipsed the remainder of the show.

Jemi sat in slack-jawed wonder as Irene’s voice soared. Every note was a drop of purest gold to his ears. Chills raced up and down his spine as she sang her hope for her brother and her people, of a god’s love despite the hardships they faced. Jemi didn’t know anything of this god, but he was certain he beheld a goddess on that stage.

She was almost as beautiful as her voice. High cheekbones, dark, slightly up-slanted eyes, a slender nose, all combined to give her an arresting appearance. Her long, mahogany hair, glinting notes of gold under the lights, hung loose to her elbows. She wore loose, pale robes, but unlike the Odeergin cape of the night before, they had no hope of hiding an impressive, statuesque figure. She was every inch as impressive as any of the few Kalquorian women Jemi had seen.

And that voice…that incredible voice…

Releasing Summer 2023

Where we first met Irene: Clan Companions: Matthew is on sale.

Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and print

His past demons have returned, and only a Kalquorian clan can save him.

Matthew Larsen should be happy. Reunited with the Nobek he fell in love with years ago, welcomed into a clan determined to give him a better life, he has everything he never imagined possible. However, he’s haunted by the hellish past and certainty it will reclaim him.

Nobek Kom spent years searching for Matt. Their reunion and his clanmates’ acceptance of the troubled Earther seemed to be all that stood in the way of the perfect future. His Earther love isn’t so easily rescued, however. Even a warrior can’t protect someone against his nightmares.

Dramok Avir and Imdiko Masok are devoted to the beautiful Earther Kom brought home. Loving such a gentle soul isn’t a problem. Saving him from monsters, real and imagined, is another matter when Matt’s worst fears come true and the terrors of the past rise once again to drag him into the abyss. 

Buy now:

Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and print

 

WIP Wednesday - First Mataras: Irene

 Time for a little research

Matara, Dramok, Imdiko, Nobek. One woman mated to three men. It was Kalquorian law; only a completed clan of the three men could legally enter into a committed relationship with a woman.

One woman. Three men. Irene thought of Sherv, Rusp, and Jemi standing before her and shivered.

“Lucky ladies,” she muttered. “If the guys know what they’re doing.”

She took another sip of her water, bathing her throat in its warmth. She moved on to lemanthev music.

It was like any other genre. There were excellent performers and those who were obviously just in it for the fun. Irene listened to the five top bands as acknowledged by fans. Again, she was struck by the exciting raw energy of the music. It was worlds away from opera or symphonic music, but she enjoyed it. She thought her new Kalquorian friends stacked up reasonably well to the recognized performers, though their sound had some noticeable differences to the typical lemanthev characteristics. It wasn’t just the rasp of Sherv’s voice as the band’s eloti, which translated to “howler,” an apt description. There were underlying nuances, a tendency to weave more melodic airs in what was mostly a powerful, driving rhythm.

Lemanthev were always trios. Along with the elotiwere the spenruk, the drummer, and the trasbu player. As far as Irene could figure out, trasbu was a slang term for growler. Jemi’s bassoon-shaped instrument had certainly put out such sounds.

She was tempted to look into more of the intricacies of the music. She was also tempted to see if she could gather more information on Clan Sherv itself. A check of the time warned her she had no business going down rabbit holes of trivia. She was due to rehearse early the next afternoon, and she needed sleep.

It was better not to get too fascinated with either Kalquorian music or Kalquorians themselves. Even off Earth, life could be dangerous for women who didn’t adhere to its laws. With regret, Irene finished her water and dumped her research in the erasing program Fausto had given her, which would destroy any evidence of her illicit interests should Donald or Dolores perform a surprise inspection on the device’s search history.

Fifteen minutes later, her humidifier filling the room with voice-saving moisture, Irene was asleep in the massive Kalquorian-sized bed. Fittingly enough, she dreamed of sharing it with three handsome alien men.

Releasing Summer 2023

Where we first met Irene: Clan Companions: Matthew is on sale!

Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and print

His past demons have returned, and only a Kalquorian clan can save him.

Matthew Larsen should be happy. Reunited with the Nobek he fell in love with years ago, welcomed into a clan determined to give him a better life, he has everything he never imagined possible. However, he’s haunted by the hellish past and certainty it will reclaim him.

Nobek Kom spent years searching for Matt. Their reunion and his clanmates’ acceptance of the troubled Earther seemed to be all that stood in the way of the perfect future. His Earther love isn’t so easily rescued, however. Even a warrior can’t protect someone against his nightmares.

Dramok Avir and Imdiko Masok are devoted to the beautiful Earther Kom brought home. Loving such a gentle soul isn’t a problem. Saving him from monsters, real and imagined, is another matter when Matt’s worst fears come true and the terrors of the past rise once again to drag him into the abyss. 

Buy now:

Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and print

 

 

WIP Wednesday - First Matara: Irene

 When what you thought you saw wasn't what you saw

The woman disguised as an Odeergan didn’t turn to acknowledge the opening hiss of the door she’d escaped through, though she was only steps away. Rusp was on her heels in an instant. “Matara?”

As she began to turn toward him, Sherv and Jemi arrived at his side. Both jerked when they saw the Odeergin breathing mask face them.

“Fuck, Rusp! Get away from it!” Sherv grabbed his shoulder and yanked.

Instead, the Nobek grabbed the skirt of the cloak where its closures ended and swept it wide. He was treated to the sight of a pair of undeniably Kalquorian knees and shins. Definitely a woman’s legs.

Except there was something wrong. He realized the skin color was too fair an instant before she slapped his face hard with a gloved hand.

He blinked at the sting and ache of his jaw…she had impressive strength…but his brain was busy noting Odeergins didn’t have five-fingered hands like Kalquorians. Nevertheless, his heart nearly stopped when she grabbed the respirator snout of her headgear and shoved it upward. Jemi screamed, and Sherv yelled in anticipatory horror an instant before her furious face was exposed.

Rusp gaped at the brown eyes with the odd round pupils. She wasn’t a Kalquorian Matara after all. She was an Earther.

Releasing Summer 2023

Don't forget our other Kalquor Universes musician. Clan Companions: Matthew is on sale!

Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and print

His past demons have returned, and only a Kalquorian clan can save him.

Matthew Larsen should be happy. Reunited with the Nobek he fell in love with years ago, welcomed into a clan determined to give him a better life, he has everything he never imagined possible. However, he’s haunted by the hellish past and certainty it will reclaim him.

Nobek Kom spent years searching for Matt. Their reunion and his clanmates’ acceptance of the troubled Earther seemed to be all that stood in the way of the perfect future. His Earther love isn’t so easily rescued, however. Even a warrior can’t protect someone against his nightmares.

Dramok Avir and Imdiko Masok are devoted to the beautiful Earther Kom brought home. Loving such a gentle soul isn’t a problem. Saving him from monsters, real and imagined, is another matter when Matt’s worst fears come true and the terrors of the past rise once again to drag him into the abyss. 

Buy now:

Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and print

 

WIP Wednesday - First Mataras: Irene

 Nobek Rusp notices an unusual club patron

Nobek Rusp pounded his drums with his usual frenzy as the band neared the end of their show, hours of practice covering for his divided attention.

He’d initially noticed the Odeergin when it entered the club because the species had a tendency to clear an area. His worry the poisoned-breath alien might cause the evacuation of what had become a very passionate crowd proved unfounded. Probably because most of the customers were Nobeks on leave from a destroyer, which had docked at the station that afternoon. It would be a point of pride for the warrior breed to remain in the vicinity of certain death if the Odeergin was riled. Especially since the venue was crowded, which begged for trouble.

The Odeergin had simply stood still for the most part, slowly advancing a step every few minutes as it watched Rusp’s lemanthev band, Certain Death, perform. Who knew Odeergins had good taste in music? Touring and playing gigs in the wide reaches of the galaxy taught Rusp something new every day.

He’d continued watching the cloaked creature in case someone did offend it and it pulled off the long-snouted mask to enact revenge. In such a situation, he’d grab Sherv and Jemi and rush them from the stage to the back corridor.

That was why he noticed the “Odeergin’s” leg when a Nobek fleet officer brushed against it, shifting the concealing cloak so the limb was exposed. Rusp had been so surprised by that long, smooth, female calf emerging from a scuffed brown boot, he’d almost missed a beat…which he’d taken to boasting hadn’t happened in an entire year.

He recovered, automatic muscle memory saving him, as the figure stared after the officer who’d made glancing contact. Then it began to move toward the stage…or rather, to Jemi’s side of the stage, toward the back corridor.

Rusp barely noticed as the ending crescendo boomed over the crowd yelling the approval he usually lived for. He’d seen pictures of Odeergins. They were scaled, not smooth. Their legs were cylindrical, not curved. The only leg he’d seen that matched the figure slipping past the stage was of the rarest being in the galaxy: a Kalquorian woman.

As the last note died away and Sherv bellowed over the applause, “Thank you! We’ll be playing here for the next two weeks, so be sure to come back!” Rusp rushed to Jemi’s side of the stage rather than acknowledge the crowd.

What was a Kalquorian Matara doing in a club on her own? The Beonid station was one of the safer places Certain Death had played, but there were still the sort of ruffians roaming around who’d stoop to holding a member of Kalquor’s greatest treasure hostage.

Releasing Summer 2023

Don't forget our other Kalquor Universes musician. Clan Companions: Matthew is on sale!

Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and print

His past demons have returned, and only a Kalquorian clan can save him.

Matthew Larsen should be happy. Reunited with the Nobek he fell in love with years ago, welcomed into a clan determined to give him a better life, he has everything he never imagined possible. However, he’s haunted by the hellish past and certainty it will reclaim him.

Nobek Kom spent years searching for Matt. Their reunion and his clanmates’ acceptance of the troubled Earther seemed to be all that stood in the way of the perfect future. His Earther love isn’t so easily rescued, however. Even a warrior can’t protect someone against his nightmares.

Dramok Avir and Imdiko Masok are devoted to the beautiful Earther Kom brought home. Loving such a gentle soul isn’t a problem. Saving him from monsters, real and imagined, is another matter when Matt’s worst fears come true and the terrors of the past rise once again to drag him into the abyss. 

Buy now:

Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and print

 

WIP Wednesday - First Mataras: Irene

Please note: this is from the first draft. There will probably be mistakes!

Not your average singer

She’d left the man in the middle of the trio for last. After concentrating on his companions, who were undeniably talented, Irene turned her attention reluctantly to the screaming front man to discover why they’d joined someone so beneath their abilities.  

He was handsome enough despite the livid face his violent efforts produced. In fact, in the moments his features relaxed between howls, he was quite striking. His eyes were large, the most prominent of otherwise well-balanced features. A smile broke out every now and then, increasing how attractive he was. His straight hair, cut to shaggily frame his face, hung to his shoulders. He possessed presence, Irene noted, and his intense expressions, exhortations, and gestures to amp up the crowd between shouts worked to great effect. They responded to his every word with agreeing bellows…whatever he was saying in Kalquorian, they liked…and when his fists pumped the air or he clapped, they answered in kind. As far as performance went, he was terrific.

But that voice…

Because Irene’s life revolved around singing, she knew damaged vocal cords when she heard them. The lead vocalist’s had been injured at some point, producing a raspy quality impossible to miss. She winced as he howled foreign words, his voice showing the strain in every off-note. Why had he not had the damage repaired?

As she tuned into his technique, however, she had to admit that for what he was doing, it fit well with the wild sound of the band. Like the drummer and growly-instrument player, he had technique. He breathed properly and seemed to understand the difference between chest and head singing, because he used both and in-between to produce vocalizations appropriate to the song. His vocal-fold technique was solid when he exploited it. He was howling notes, not merely making noise. It became obvious he’d had some training. Certainly the audience didn’t seem mind the quality she’d initially cringed to hear. It apparently worked with Kalquorian musical sensibilities.

Releasing Summer 2023

Don't forget; Clan Companions: Matthew is now on sale!

Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and print

His past demons have returned, and only a Kalquorian clan can save him.

Matthew Larsen should be happy. Reunited with the Nobek he fell in love with years ago, welcomed into a clan determined to give him a better life, he has everything he never imagined possible. However, he’s haunted by the hellish past and certainty it will reclaim him.

Nobek Kom spent years searching for Matt. Their reunion and his clanmates’ acceptance of the troubled Earther seemed to be all that stood in the way of the perfect future. His Earther love isn’t so easily rescued, however. Even a warrior can’t protect someone against his nightmares.

Dramok Avir and Imdiko Masok are devoted to the beautiful Earther Kom brought home. Loving such a gentle soul isn’t a problem. Saving him from monsters, real and imagined, is another matter when Matt’s worst fears come true and the terrors of the past rise once again to drag him into the abyss. 

Buy now:

Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and print