T.L. Schaefer's Blog, page 8

Treadmill Playlist Goodness

Been hitting the treadmill for the last two weeks, and have been working on a playlist to keep it interesting.  This is what I’ve got so far…

Run Around, Blues Traveler
Ants Marching, Dave Matthews Band
You Get What You Give, New Radicals
West End Girls, Pet Show Boys
Smooth, Rob Thomas & Carlos Santana
Rise Above This, Seether
Bodies, Drowning Pool
Wild, Wild Life, Talking Heads
The Middle, Jimmy Eat World
Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, KT Turnstall
The Sweet Escape, Gwen Stefani
So What, Pink
Lonely Boy, The Black Keys
Devour, Shinedown
Stupify, Disturbed
Hey Ya!, OutKast
Time Bomb, Rancid
You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid, Offspring

Any other recommendations with the same tempo?

 

 

Ringing in the New Year

This will be the first of my monthly “check ins”.  Obviously I don’t have a whole heckuva lot to report yet

On the writing front, got my cover suggestions and file of Into the Fire up to my awesome cover artist, April Martinez, and really fine-tuned the first three chapters of Shoot to Thrill, which went through some pretty massive changes.  Think I’ve got a good grasp on it, and am now diving into the rest of it.  The additional threads I’m adding in aren’t necessarily huge in wordcount (I’ll probably end up adding about 5K), but they’re vital in expanding my main character’s motivations.

I’d LOVE to get the revisions done by the time I head back to the day job on the 7th (and hand them off to my critique partner), so I can start work on something new, so cross fingers.

Love the energy I feel with the start of the new year, and hoping I can leverage it into a looooong span!

2013 Goals vs Resolutions

So this year, I decided to do year-long goals that were attainable & measurable every month (for those of you who know me in my day job, this makes PERFECT sense ), with the intent of them being long-term, throughout the year.

This last year was difficult for our family, and I’m looking forward to a fresh, new start for 2013.  With no further ado:

Lose 13 pounds
Drink 90 oz of water a day, a minimum of 13 days a month
Walk 13 miles/week
Blog 13 times/month
Write 1300 words/day at least 13 days/month
Review 13  books
Read 13 reference books
Watch 13 movies I keep putting off (and review them)
Find at least 13 new music artists
Find 4 other things I’d like to do…

I’ll be updating my progress the first Wednesday of every month, and if I’m keeping my goals, then you’ll also be seeing a lot more of me in the coming year!

 

Blog Hop Goodness!

 

The oh-so-wonderful folks at the Blog Hop let me hop on the train late–so sorry for being tardy!  If you’re reading this as part of my normal blog, then please head to:  http://justromance.me/naughtynewyear/  and check out the nifty prizes they’re offering.  Many authors are also giving away books and gift certifs, so get to reading and filling your e-reader of choice!

Okay, now onto the excerpt!  This one is from the 4th book in my Runequest series, Breath of Heaven, and is a snippet of Liam and Rhiannon reuniting.  Hope you enjoy!!

Let me know what you think of the excerpt, and I’ll draw for a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate at the end of the hop.

Happy New Year!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He settled onto a barstool, acknowledging the bartender with a nod, and ordered a Hennessey. He had a few moments before his set began, and couldn’t think of a better way to water down his disappointment and anger than with the spirits of his homeland. He was better off on his own, as he had been for over forty human years.

He took a sip, relishing the burn of the liquor as it slid down his throat, leaving a trail of warmth in its wake. The relaxation seeping through his body jerked to an abrupt halt as the amethyst gem he wore at his throat grew warm. A tremor of awareness ran up his spine, rumbling through his body to settle into a low, heavy throb in his groin. He’d only experienced these sensations once before, months ago on the Oregon coast.

He looked cautiously into the mirror and his breathing stuttered as he caught sight of her, framed in the doorway of the bar like a stunning portrait. All of the oxygen in the room seemed to disappear, leaving his lungs clogged and heavy.

She hadn’t changed. Her silvery hair still caught the murky light and seemed to amplify it; her skin still looked like the finest porcelain, as if it would shatter if touched too harshly. When their gazes clashed in the mirror, her eyes were the same; violet, luminescent, as if she were an innocent transported into a world not of her own making. It was a damned good thing he knew she was anything but.

What was she doing here, of all places? The one woman who made him forget who and what he was, what he’d done in the name of kith and kin. The one woman who’d speared a shaft of brutal sunlight into his life, even as she faced him down as an enemy. Rhiannon. Moira to the Fae. His bloodsworn enemy.

He watched as she realized who he was, the indrawn breath that drew the plain woolen sweater tight across her breasts, the fury flashing across her expressive face before she schooled it in a blank expression worthy of a diplomat.

She strode directly toward him, settling onto the barstool next to his, her spine ramrod straight. The bartender appeared as if by magic, and she dipped her head toward the half-empty lowball glass sitting in front of Liam.

The bartender shot Liam a disgusted glance, no doubt damning him for attracting the most beautiful, ethereal woman he’d ever seen. Liam patently ignored the glare, settling his attention on the fae instead.

She waited until she’d been served, taking a long draught before turning to him.

“Pixie,” she acknowledged, the fire he’d seen in her eyes banked now, but still there. Challenge burned in his gut.

“Fae,” he returned impassively. There was no godly reason she should be here, of all places. If this was a fae plot, and it surely had to be, then she could throw down the opening gauntlet. It wasn’t as if he had any information to give. His ties with the Jionagh were irrevocably severed, with the sole exception of his informant within the Jionagh, his best friend in youth, Dell. He’d learned the value of maintaining contacts, no matter how loathsome he might find them now.

He and the fae sat in tense silence, sipping at their drinks until each glass was drained dry. They were like poker players, Liam mused as he waited patiently … on the outside. Inside he was a seething ball of nerves and anger. She may be the very thing he’d been raised to despise, but damned if she didn’t hit every one of his buttons.

The way she looked, the scent of spring that seemed to follow her from the Realm, even here in the wilds of California. When she moved, it was a lesson in sensuality, yet he could tell now, and those months ago on the beach, that she chose not to deploy her sexuality, and instead used her brain.

It was her brain, her intellect, he was pitted against, and instead of the revulsion he knew he should feel, he was stimulated. She would make him think two steps ahead, this loathsome fae, make him question what he’d always wanted to see come to pass … the reunification of the fae and the pixies. A fool’s quest, he now knew. He’d been so close, with the Rune of Inspiration, so close. In retrospect, Fiona-Sidhe’s strength had saved them all, for if he’d done the unthinkable, trading the rune and a large piece of his soul for a foothold within the Jionagh, the world would have been irrevocably changed for the worse.

And now his nemesis, the Moira of the Fae, sat at his side, and all he could think about was the way her silvery hair fell over her breasts, and the fact she smelled like home. He should be contemplating a way to tame her awesome energy and use it to gain retribution against the mix of fae and pixie he had once called family. She would trump a rune, and solidify his claim to the Jionagh throne, where he might actually make a difference.

Rhiannon shifted, reaching into her purse, and Liam involuntarily flinched. Ridiculous, he scolded himself. It wasn’t as if she would employ a human weapon when her power, evidenced in Oregon, eclipsed his.

Instead, she pulled out a wallet, laid a twenty on the table, and stood.

Liam hated to break their stalemate and show weakness, but it must be done.

“Do you have it?” His voice sounded loud in the close confines of the intimate barroom, harsh and accusing.

She turned, facing him fully for the first time, and looked him straight in the eye. Awareness streaked through him, bringing his cock to life, throbbing and insistent behind the placket of his slacks. How could she incite him with just a look? And how could he respond? She was the enemy, the hated fae.

“Why would I share anything with you, pixie?” Her voice had a breathy quality to it he hadn’t heard before, but beneath was pure steel.

“Because the Jionagh would like nothing better than to discover it is still in Fiona-Sidhe’s possession,” he answered honestly, surprising even himself. “And that is a very dangerous position for all of us.”

When she smiled at his response, it was all teeth. “Ah yes, the Jionagh. You would have cause to know much about them, would you not, pixie? Their taint rises off you like a cloud.”

Even though Liam knew she was speaking metaphorically, the insult stung more than it should. She assumed because he was a trueblood he was allied with the pixies … she knew nothing of his now-dead alliance with the Jionagh. “Oh, aye, I know them. More intimately than you could ever dream.”

She inhaled sharply, as if he’d struck her, and he realized he had, at least verbally, in payback for her little jab. Acknowledging he knew of the Jionagh was tantamount to treason for her.

She regained her composure and smiled beatifically. “Die long and slow, pixie.” She turned on her heel and walked out of the bar, taking the attention of every male in the room with her.

Liam smiled in anticipation. This could be very interesting indeed.

Terran Realm Compilation now on sale–wicked reasonable price!!

Promo time (finally) for the Terran Realm book compilation! So here’s the skinny: Liquid Silver Books decided to combo up the entire Terran Realm library (6 books). Original price was $24.99, and from today thru the end of Nov it’ll be $7.50.

Soooo, if you ever had a hankering to read a book by me, Bonnie Dee, Rae Morgan or Jeanne Barrack, now’s your chance!!

http://www.lsbooks.com/terran-realm-vol-1-p709.php

Just Romance Me “The Bewitching” Blog Hop

Greetings, all!  If you’ve come to this site by way of the Blog Hop, then you’re on the right track.  If you didn’t, I highly suggest you hit the banner above and get yourself some blog hop goodness!  Seriously, there’s some great stuff being offered this round, and you know you want a Kindle Paperwhite, right???  My contribution to the main prize was a download of my Keira book Redemption, but play with me on the blog by telling me your favorite Halloween tradition and I’ll sweeten it by giving one commenter the choice of my backlist!

Okay, now onto the writing stuff…  Here’s the first chapter of Gardens of Stone, a book I’m working on in fits and spurts while I finish up a few projects.  It’ll probably be the next “new” book on the horizon for me, after I finish Shoot to Thrill and Duck & Run up. Hope you enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter One

Most fables begin with “once upon a time.”  Since this is no fable, I shall dispense of such frivolity and simply speak what I have witnessed to be the truth…

****

The Adar Llwch Gwin whirled in the air above the battlefield, their great wings slicing through the air.  They numbered seven, and lived only to obey their sworn command on this day…to kill the first man to enter the field of battle.  They neither knew nor cared who that man would be, only that their mission was fulfilled.

Beneath them, men massed on the edges of the great meadow, hidden in copses and behind hedgerows, their hatred all but wafting into the heavens.  But none had yet lifted a weapon, so were safe from the Adar.

And then, from one eyeblink to the next, their mission had a focus.  A man strode forward, gesturing wildly with his sword, bidding his men to follow him.

As one, the seven beasts swooped from the sky, deadly talons outstretched.  They tore the man limb from limb as he wailed and screeched at them to stop, to cease as he ordered, as their owner.

But the Adar paid him no mind, and destroyed the man who had been their master, then perched on that bloodstained ground, awaiting new direction.

The men who had followed their master fled, the clank of their sword and armor loud in the gloaming.  And still the birds stood, emotionless as stone, as they would until a new Lord claimed them.

The opposition held, muttering amongst themselves, until a man exited the forest, sword strapped to his back, hands held out in supplication.  Behind him walked a mage, one whom the Adar knew by bloodline.  He was Merlin, kin to the Fae mistress who had first created, and then gifted the Adar to her husband.

The man leading Merlin halted and spoke to them, as if he understood their sentience.  And mayhap he must, if the magician stood by his side.  And then the Lord, Arthur by name, gifted them with something they’d never even dreamed.  Human form, the ability to put voice to their cognizance, and a noble mission clearer than they’d ever known…to search for, find and guard the Grail…

 

Gavin pressed a splayed palm against his wounded shoulder and gritted his teeth.  This was not how he’d expected to be animated from his prison of stone.

The vandal who’d fainted as soon as he’d become skin and bone—and a griffin at that—laid at this feet.  He’d shifted just seconds after the reanimation, but his defacer was already out cold.

The night swirled, dark and mysterious around them, the Ivy League college campus silent in the summer’s night.

He glanced left, then right, nothing catching his preternatural senses.  The human who’d known the exact words to say, in the exact ancient dialect and accent, was alone.

His stomach roared with hunger now that his perimeter had been cleared.  He ignored it for the moment, choosing instead to focus on the human form sprawled across the concrete stairs.  He’d need sustenance in the very near future, but could “deal”, as the current generation said, for the time being.  Right now he needed to know why his human sentinel, of all people, would attempt to bring him back whilst taking a slice of his shoulder.  It made no sense, and he was a great lover of making sense of things.

He bent, securing the vandal in his arms, surprised by the slight weight.  He focused on the child’s face and cursed foully.  Their sentinels were supposed to be prepared, to have immediate shelter, food and clothing available until the Adar could reach Haven.

As he straightened, he heard the whisper of cloth against leather, smelled the unmistakable scent of gunmetal and cursed silently once again.  Campus security…the very last thing he needed.

He took a deep breath, willing his shift even as he turned.  By the time he faced the policeman…policewoman, his senses corrected, and one he knew all too well…he’d fully shifted, his sentinel cradled in his front claws.  He screamed in the face of the stunned female and lifted himself on mighty wings.

*

Layla O’Neal stood, shell shocked and flatfooted, for the first time in her life.  She had not just seen a naked, incredibly hot man morph into a gigantic eagle, had she?  One who’d then flown away, holding a child in his claws?  No freakin’ way.

She’d no sooner had the thought than her feet were in motion, Glock drawn as she gave chase.  She had no idea what she’d seen, but it sure as hell wasn’t what she’d thought.  What she did know was that something was seriously hinky, and it was her job to figure it the hell out, and fast.

The flying beast—that’s all she would think of it as—was still in her line of sight, but not by much, as multi-story brick buildings and spires hid him—it—for too-long seconds.  And in those seconds that stretched into minutes as she searched, her mind tried to justify exactly who and what she’d seen.  Because before it had flown away, it had looked exactly like the griffin guarding the doors to the School of Finance.  Oh, hell no.

She pushed the thought away as she became more and more winded, her gaze jerking from above to the brick buildings creating a familiar maze and back again, searching for a threat, her nightstick banging against her hip with each step.

She rounded the corner, and instead of the griffin she’d fixed in her mind, the naked man stood again, guarding a clump of clothing she could barely make out as the child she’d seen earlier.

Bringing her Glock to bear, she set him in her sights cleanly.  Maybe a little too cleanly, because she could see…everything.  Including a penetrating amber gaze that caught her eyes like a sci-fi tractor beam.

And then “everything” began to weave.  Naked guy went down as if in slow motion, falling first to his knees, then to his hands, and still he maintained eye contact, as if that were the only thing keeping him alive.  “Protect the sentinel,” he rasped, and then fell face-down onto the dirty brick without another sound.

Layla blew out a holy-crap breath and edged forward, her Glock still at the ready.  Naked guy didn’t even twitch, and neither did the child behind him.  She stopped and lowered her weapon enough to take in the whole scene and considered her action.

Walking a beat in Four Corners had nothing on this when it came to violence, but on the weird scale, it was way up there.  It wasn’t as if she couldn’t call on Boston PD for this one, but since it had been on campus property, they had first dibs, unless the child was harmed.  Somehow she didn’t get that feeling, and not just from naked guy’s last words.  It was more the way he handled himself, as if the child was precious, rather than a commodity.  Harsh, yes, but in real life, a realism.

So instead, she’d fire up her Taser and keep it at the ready while she examined the child.

Then, and only then, would she call in Rick the Prick, her “back up” for this evening’s shift.  Sometimes it was better, safer, to go solo than to follow protocol and call for reinforcements.  Rick, on a good day, would seriously consider ventilating this perp.  On a bad day…all hell would break loose.  At this point, her curiosity was piqued enough to make her want answers more than an uncertain collar, especially when her Taser could take him down in about two seconds flat.

She holstered the Glock and armed the Taser, then got close enough to naked guy to prod him with her nightstick.  Nothing.  Edging around him, she kept the stun gun aimed at his back.  If he got all frisky, then he’d have a hell of a wake-up call coming.

She dropped into a squat next to the child, checking for a pulse at the carotid.  Rapid as all get out, but strong.  And then her patient began to move, swimming to the surface of consciousness.

Layla made a decision she hoped she wouldn’t regret and pulled the child away from the perp.  As she did, his hand closed around her ankle in an iron grip.  “No harm.”  His voice boomed, coming from everywhere, from nowhere, especially since he was still face-down on the bricks.  Freaked her the hell out even as it echoed through every cell in her body.

“No harm,” she agreed, pushing the child behind her back as she tried to extricate her foot and aim the Taser at the same time.

The bundle at her back came to sudden, screeching life, clawing at the hand holding the Taser.  “Not the Guardian,” a boy’s voice sobbed.  “My fault, all my fault.”

Layla wrenched her hand away from the suddenly active “victim” and squared her back against a wall, her ankle still firmly grasped by the “Guardian”.

After five years of being a street cop, handling this should have come easily, but it was so damned surreal that she couldn’t quite wrap her mind around it.  So instead she moved the Taser from one target to the next and wished like hell she’d called in Rick.

The victim crawled to naked guy and pulled his head into his lap.  “Please don’t go back, please don’t go back.  We need you.”

“Shush, child,” that voice came again, seeping through Layla like good single-malt.  Her ankle was suddenly freed, and she quickly stood, moving away from the weirdness that had become her life over the past two minutes.

“On your feet, mister,” she ordered, Taser still aimed for the sweet spot in the high muscles of his shoulder.  If she had to shoot, the barbs would penetrate high and low and create a wicked-ass arc for the electricity to travel through.

“Stand down, warrior, while I tend the Sentinel.” Tall, dark and crazy pushed away from the child, taking care to shield his goodies while he settled into a crouch.

Layla was relieved on a base level, even as she pushed away the command in his voice.  This whole thing might be weird as hell, but she was glad her initial feeling of him not being a perv had been confirmed.  Sorta.  It didn’t stop her from keeping her aim true, though.  This would play out long before Rick could get here.

 

 

TABT…Never Stay Past Midnight by Mira Lyn Kelly

I really enjoyed this one, more than I thought I would, to be honest. Both Elise and Levi were normal folks, with pretty normal problems, which was a really nice change from some of the heroes and heroines I’ve read about recently.

The sex is super-hot, but even more compelling was the emotional component. I *felt* the emotions of these characters, ached for them, laughed with them. Moreso than any book I’ve read recently, so I’ll definitely be looking for more of Kelly’s books.

My only quibble was with the Epilogue, which I felt was kinda cheesy, given the really contemporary tone of the book, and the introduction of characters from seemingly out of nowhere. But those are pretty minor, and didn’t really detract from the overall excellence of the book.

TABT…Holding the Cards, Joey W. Hill

This is my first Joey Hill book, and it certainly won’t be my last.  Hill weaves a magical story of two damaged souls who find redemption together.  The sex (as expected in a story that has three partners) is explicit, but the relationship building between the two main characters, Lauren and Joshua, is what really stands out in this story.  Both are wounded by past lovers, and while each is willing to explore a passionate weekend, neither expects to find more, or to find redemption.  If you enjoy books on the spicier side, then I can’t recommend this one enough.  It explores relationships, boundaries and the concept of self amazingly.  Definitely 5 stars!

Media Monday–Winter’s Bone

I wasn’t sure what to expect of this movie.  I knew it was going to be dark, but how dark? I knew the performances were supposed to be stellar, but were they as good as rumor?  Hell to the F-in Yeah.  I know Jennifer Lawrence started to get serious looks from viewers after the Hunger Games, but she rocks the role as Ree, a Missouri mountain girl with the weight of her family on her shoulders.  Her father is on the run (ostensibly cooking meth) right before his court date, leaving the fate of the family (and their house and land) in question.  Ree, as the real head of the family, must care for her clinically depressed mother and two siblings, all while trying to track down her father.

For some reason I thought this was going to be a ‘searching through the trees, on a righteous quest’ kind of movie, and in a way it is, but Ree isn’t searching through the physical trees, she’s climbing a family tree that’s as steeped in crime as it is tradition.

Dale Dickey was AMAZING as Merab, the head of the female side of the clan, and without a doubt the most dangerous one of the lot.

While this isn’t a gory movie, it is brutal, in that it shows a life that is likely all-too-real, but all-too-easy for city dwellers and suburbanites alike to brush aside as fantasy.

Standout performances by Lawrence, Dickey and John Hawkes (as Teardrop) make this a move well worth your time!!

Media Monday…Drive (2011)

To be honest, this was a movie I stuck with because of the stellar reviews.  The first half is really slow.  Not bad, mind you, just slow.  Definitely brings to mind the 80s—has the vibe, the music, etc.  The soundtrack almost reminded me of Escape from New York, as did the noir aspects.  (Freakish aside…I’ll be damned, but as I was at the gym the next day, Twilight Zone by Golden Earring came on, and it could be directly inserted into this movie).

Anyway, then, at about the 50 minute mark, all hell breaks loose and it’s fabulous.  Seriously reminded me of Tarantino (so yeah, super gory), which was peachy keen with me, because Resevoir Dogs is one of my fave all-time movies, and Inglorious Basterds is ranking in the top 5.

Ryan Gosling was really good as the laconic everyman who’s anything but.  I think this may have been the first movie I’ve seen him in, and I was impressed.  Bryan Cranston was a fabulous (as always) weasely “manager”, and Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman were incredible as the baddies.  Carey Mulligan was nice as the female foil, but she didn’t leave me with much of an impression, so maybe I was missing something.

The violence is chillingly brutal and words few and far between, so much of the tenor and characterization occurs through action and facial expressions.  Even though this is an action movie (kind of), the pace is measured throughout, with intense bursts of adrenaline and a couple of fabulous crash scenes.  So, having said allll that, give this one a try if you’re a fan of Tarantino, you won’t be disappointed!!!