Lauren Dawes's Blog, page 6

Excerpt from Omega ~ Part 3

A lot of you have been asking whether there will be a fifth Helheim book. Well, the good news is YES there will be a fifth book. I'm currently working on writing it, but my life has been crazy so it's taking a lot longer than I expected.

It's Brax's story, but it's also the book that tidies up all the loose ends and hopefully gives you all a sense a satisfaction that the series is over. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to all of my wolves, but like all goods things...

So, without further ado, here's the final excerpt from "Omega".

** Please note that this work is copyright and is unedited and subject to change. **

Brax mentally wrapped a leash around his self-control, holding that motherfucker in a death grip. He was standing in Andrea’s bedroom having found the thing without the need for directions or a detailed map. All he’d had to do was follow his nose, that sugary sweet smell of caramel leading him and his dick in the right direction. He was in over his fucking head. He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to scrub the dirty thoughts from his mind. He’d known the moment she’d made her way into the room. It wasn’t Ulf’s slight nod of acknowledgment that had tipped him off. It wasn’t even her caramel scent. It was his wolf. His wolf had sat at attention and the word ‘mate’ had whispered through his mind.

He forced himself to focus on the task at hand.

Find her bags.

Grab her bags.

Get the fuck out of there.

But it wasn’t that easy. Now that he was there in her bedroom, he had this sick desire to looking around, to inhale her scent from the pillow and bedsheets. Hell, he wanted to mark his goddamn territory. But once more, he tugged tightly on the choke chain and brought his self-control to heel. Sliding his hands through the two handles of her old-school suitcases, he belt at the knees and lifted. As he made his way back to the front entrance way, he paused when he heard voices coming from behind a closed door just to his right. He could hear the soft buzz of Ulf’s voice as he spoke to the alpha. Whatever. It wasn’t his business…right? He tried to listen a little harder, but movement at the top of the hallway caught his attention.

Andrea was standing there with her arms wrapped around her torso, hugging herself until her knuckles turned white. He would have thought she was afraid, except for the heat blasting off her body, the scent of caramel getting stronger by the second.

Mate, Brax’s wolf said again, its coarse voice louder than before.

He took a step toward her and her eyes widened. She sucked in a breath, pressing herself into the wall and looking away. It was almost as if she were trying to make herself smaller, to simply disappear.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he heard himself say, but his voice didn’t sound like his. It sounded gentle and reassuring, not the casualness he usually projected. She looked back at him and his heart squeezed in his chest. She was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. Making a show of being as nonthreatening as possible, he lowered both of her bags to the ground and retreated a few feet. He walked back until the backs of his knees hit the edge of a chair and he sat down.

He watched her from where she was, noting the way she relaxed. Good. He didn’t want to upset her. He had no idea what her story was, but he would totally go all tween girl at a sleepover to find out if she was willing to share. He suddenly got a mental image of Andrea having a pillow fight wearing very little and he groaned. Subtly and, hopefully, unseen, he readjusted his erection pressing against the fly of his pants.

God, he was such an asshole.

Feeling the need to fill in the blank space between them, he asked, “Your name is Andrea?”

Way to go, Jackass. You know her name is Andrea.

“I mean…ah, fuck,” he finished, shaking his head. “Sorry. I’m not usually like this.” He blew out a breath and slumped back into the chair. He’d blown it.

Fucking. Dick.

“You can call me Drae,” she said softly. Brax looked at her just to make sure he’d heard her properly.

“Drae?” he repeated. She nodded and he smiled.

She inched a little closer, but still held herself back from him. Her fear was another entity in the space. She was a timid deer and he was petrified of any movement that would send her running and hiding. What in the hell had happened to her for her to be so frightened?

“Will we be leaving soon?” she asked, rubbing her arms as if cold.

Brax glanced at the closed door between them, trying to see if the conversation was wrapping up or not. He looked back and Andrea’s cheeks suddenly flushed with color. “I’m not sure. I guess all we can do is wait.”

And that is exactly what they did until the door opened and Brax watched Ulf and Avon step out of what looked like a library. Brax looked to his beta, trying to decipher what the expression on his face might mean. Ulf looked incensed. He wasn’t just angry. He was downright enraged by something. He looked at Drae briefly before pinning Brax with a hard stare.

Dropping his voice down low, he jabbed a finger in Drae’s direction and said, “Stay away from her. You hear me?”

What. The. Fuck.

“Yeah,” Brax said, confused. Who was Andrea? Avon’s mate? That would be the only reason for the keep-your-hands-to-yourself speech. He hadn’t sensed anything between them, but maybe they hadn’t mated properly yet. What if…what if Drae was Avon’s mistress and his wife was coming home so he needed to get rid of his dirty secret?

He felt like a douche for even lumping those words together with Drae—dirty secret and mistress. She would never be any of those things. He stared at her, like his stare alone would make all the secrets suddenly appear in thin air.

“Get the bags. We’re going to be late for our flight.”

Excerpt from "Omega" ~ Part 2

A lot of you have been asking whether there will be a fifth Helheim book. Well, the good news is YES there will be a fifth book. I'm currently working on writing it, but my life has been crazy so it's taking a lot longer than I expected.

It's Brax's story, but it's also the book that tidies up all the loose ends and hopefully gives you all a sense a satisfaction that the series is over. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to all of my wolves, but like all goods things...

So, without further ado, here's the second of three excerpts from "Omega".

** Please note that this work is copyright and is unedited and subject to change. **

  Darkness. 
That was all Andrea could see outside her bedroom window.  
Darkness.  
She exhaled, fogging up the glass. She was tired of waiting. Avon had told her she was leaving straight away—last night, in fact—but it was now six AM and she was still at Avon’s house. With her bag packed. And her anxiety was wrapping around her throat and chest, constricting, making it difficult to even drag in the next breath. Her gaze shifted to the horizon, waiting for the sun to penetrate the darkness. Because if it did, maybe it would burn away her unease too.  
Andrea had no doubt Rick was watching the apartment, waiting for her to step outside alone. He would kill her if she did. She knew it like she knew her own face in the mirror. Just then a shiver slithered down her spine, goose bumps breaking out on her arms and on the back of her neck. Someone was watching her. Narrowing her eyes, she swept the space between the boundary fence running alongside the driveway and the forest not four feet from it. A small orange glow appeared in the darkest shadow directly across from her window, followed by pale grey smoke. A cigarette. Andrea’s heart tripped. Rick was out there. She searched her mated bond and found the pulse of his energy close. With her heart pounding in her ears, she let the drapes fall back into place and stepped back from the window. 
Her phone pinged with a message from her bedside table.  She looked in its direction with trepidation. After leaving Rick, Avon had given her a new phone with a new private number. Nobody had her digits, and she had given them to nobody. Avon had told her it was for emergencies only, in case she felt threatened at any time. Andrea picked up the phone, looked at the unknown number first then let her gaze drop to the message.  
The phone fell with a dull thump to the white carpet.   
Her legs gave out, and it was just lucky the bed was there otherwise she would have found herself crumpled on the floor. Her hands were shaking violently. She clenched them into fists, trying to stop the tremor, but it only travelled up her arms instead. Bile burned in her throat as she looked at the illuminated screen. 
I will get you back, Andrea, and when I do, you will realize what pain is. 
It was from Rick. It had to have been. But how had he got her number? 
She stood up and, even though it hurt, she started to pace, her hip stiff and protesting every movement. Her mind was throwing up all kinds of scenarios about when Rick did get her back. The things he’d done to her would be nothing compared to what he’d planned now. How he would make her suffer, he would humiliate her. He would kill her and degrade her body and then throw her away like she was nothing, like she had meant nothing to him. 
Now, Avon’s promise to get her out of there held even more meaning.  
It wasn’t just a lifeline.  
It was a death row pardon.  

Excerpt from "Omega" ~ Part 1

A lot of you have been asking whether there will be a fifth Helheim book. Well, the good news is YES there will be a fifth book. I'm currently working on writing it, but my life has been crazy so it's taking a lot longer than I expected.

It's Brax's story, but it's also the book that tidies up all the loose ends and hopefully gives you all a sense a satisfaction that the series is over. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to all of my wolves, but like all goods things...

So, without further ado, here's the first of three excerpts from "Omega".

** Please note that this work is copyright and is unedited and subject to change. **
The rumble of an engine hummed through the back of Saxon’s skull, dragging him into consciousness. He blinked up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of where he was and what was happening to him. But no matter how much he tried to focus on his surroundings, his mind was too sluggish to keep up. A bump in the road’s surface brought a sharp, distinct ache to his shoulders. He held back the groan when a gentle tug confirmed his arms were tied behind his back. He tried to separate his wrists, testing the tightness of his bonds. He could feel the tell-tale bite of a cable tie around his wrists, and although he should have been able to break the plastic easily, Saxon struggled to do just that. Over the sound of the engine, there were two voices. One belonged to Mark, the bastard who had seemingly fooled him and the entire Helheim pack into believing he was the victim of an accidental biting by a rogue wolf. Mark had shot Saxon with a tranquilizer dart while they tried to move a fallen tree from the road as he, Saxon and Casey had driven back to Casey’s pack over four hundred miles away.At least Casey wasn’t in the van with her.At least she had escaped. “This is a mistake, Vivian,” Mark said, his voice tense. “He wasn’t who we needed.”Saxon tilted his head back, straining to hear the conversation over the whir of the motor and the rush of asphalt racing beneath. The woman replied, but he couldn’t make out the words. “—need to kill him.” Mark spoke again and Saxon’s heart raced in response to the cold tone he could hear in the other male’s voice.“We can still use him,” The woman, Vivian, replied in a dark purr. He had never heard her voice before, and he certainly didn’t recognize her scent.With his heart still pounding in his ears, Saxon knew he had to find a way out of there. His gaze slid to either side of his body, inspecting his surroundings. It looked as if he was in the back of a utility van – a brand new one judging by the new car smell still clinging to the upholstery on the front seats. Saxon tried to bend his legs, but his range of movement was limited thanks to the matching set of cable ties on his ankles. They’d been tightened until the circulation was severed, making his toes numb. Even if he were able to get the ties off, he wouldn’t make it very far on foot. His shoes had been taken off, and the bottom of his jeans had been hacked away, leaving his lower leg – from his knees to his ankles – exposed. The van slowed down, veering to the right as it took an exit. Time was ticking away. Saxon had to find a way out, or at least be prepared for when they stopped because he would come out fighting. The road they were driving on now was far more rutted than the last, the bumps jarring Saxon’s arms, sending the pain roaring through his overstrained shoulder joints. He counted the turns they took, making a mental note of them in case he had to retrace his steps to escape. Left.Left again.Right.He heard a dog barking—a big dog by the sound of it, kept in the yard behind a chain link fence which rattled with every booming bark. Sharp right.The van slowed down to a crawl, bouncing over a deep curb before gravel began pinging the undercarriage. The engine cut, then both doors opened. Playing possum, Saxon closed his eyes and lay still, ignoring the unnatural angle of his arms and the pain radiating out of them. The sliding side door opened, cold air rushing into the back and bringing with it the smell of pine needles and fresh snow. “He’s still unconscious. How much did you give him?” Vivian asked.“He should come around soon,” Mark replied.A strong hand landed on his shoulder, pulling Saxon up. He was hoisted up onto Mark’s shoulders, his head thumping against the small of the guy’s back. Saxon was carried up a few steps, which creaked under their combined weight, and taken into a room that smelled of mildew. “Where do you want him?” Mark asked.“Against the wall, there.”A moment later, Saxon was dropped onto a hardwood floor. He couldn’t stop the groan that erupted from his lips as the movement jostled his arms.“What the fuck?”Saxon opened his eyes and stared at the double-crossing bastard. “I’m going to skin you alive,” he growled, meaning every damn word. Mark’s wolf shifted impatiently behind his eyes. “You’re not really in any position to make threats.”“I’m not threatening,” Saxon replied. “I’m swearing a goddamn oath.”The guy actually had the nerve to grin. “The last I checked, you were the one tied up.” “Stop talking and tranquilize him again,” Vivian said impatiently, handing a small syringe to Mark. Saxon tried to jerk away, but it was useless. There was a sharp pinch on his thigh, then darkness chased away the light.

Book Review: Second String by M.C. Webb

One is lost, the other has the strength to save them both. 

Jett is the the second string quarterback, accustomed to living adrift.

Jesse is the lost war widow, unable or unwilling to take a chance. 

When Jett is blindsided, the two collide in the game of love and loss

The question is; can either learn to win, or risk losing it all once more?



Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Sports RomanceLength: 173 pages 

This the first time I’ve ever read anything by M.C. Webb, and I’ve got to start off by saying that I enjoyed the book immensely. It’s listed as a sports romance, but there was very little sport being played it; however, that is not to the detriment of the story. I think you get a whole lot more than  ‘just a sports romance.’

So, where to start? Let’s go with the characters since it was a character-driven story and Webb has crafted hers beautifully. I was plunged into the story with the introduction to Jett Ingram – a second string quarterback in the NFL. He’s a superstar. His surname demands respect as his father is a Hall-of-Famer. His older brother, Walker Ingram, is also a first quarterback in the NFL. He’s got it made. Until… 
Jett is let go from the team. Following the dismissal, he gets into his car and just starts driving with no particular destination in mind. He winds in a small Texan town, where destiny, it seems, has led him. With no plans for the first time in his life, Jett has nowhere to be and nothing to do. He decides to take up a job managing a local military ‘themed’ bar where he meets Jesse.
Jesse is the beautiful and tragically sad war widow, still mourning the loss of her beloved husband. She’s part owner of the bar with her Marine brother-in-law, Beaux, and is against getting any kind of help while Beaux is on deployment. Jesse has built a wall around her heart, not allowing anyone in. She just gets on with her life, content with the fact that she has had her one chance at love. 
The attraction between Jesse and Jett is instant, but Jesse is in denial, feeling as if she’s dishonouring the memory of her husband. Jett struggles with the rejection, but eventually they strike a deal that changes both of them forever. 
I really liked Webb’s writing style. It’s descriptive and flows really well. That translates to the characters, where their individual voices are distinct. You had Jett, who was confident and cool, yet as the story continues, you get glimpses of his self-perceived deficiencies. He’s struggling with how he feels about his life as it is – he seemingly has everything, but is that really true?
Jesse has her own issues too. She’s trying to find her identity as more than just a widow. She runs herself ragged to make sure she can’t stop and think about how truly lonely her life is. What she needs is to start healing and it takes Jett to show her that.
It was fast-paced and all of the supporting characters really added to the story. If you like books a little more on the steamy side, Second String definitely delivers. Jesse and Jett scorch the pages together, and you’re kind of left craving more. The plot never gets bogged down in redundant details. Everything about this book made it great – characters, plot, writing style, writing devices and the overall moral of the story. 
A highly recommended read if you enjoy well-rounded, believable characters and a story that will leave you unable to not turn the next page. 



About MC Webb
MC Webb was born in Georgia, raised in South Carolina,Tennessee, and Alabama. The author has spent all of her life in the Southern states. MC was first published in high school, but shied away from the attention she received from her stories. Years later, after much interest and encouragement to share her work, MC began writing full time. She lives with her family in Tennessee, loves to dance, travel, and most importantly as a true southern belle - watch football.   

Connect with M.C. Webb
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Amazon  

Series Spotlight + Giveaway: Brandi Kennedy's Selkie Trilogy - Book Two: "Selkie II"

A bit about the series: The Selkie Trilogy is a series of sequential romantic fantasy novels. Each book in this series follows the last, with each new book continuing the story from the last. These books are best enjoyed in order of publication, and this series contains mild/moderate sexual content.



The prophecy begins to work itself out as the war draws near. The world at large is searching for Annie Jacobs, a woman who disappeared unexpectedly – her disappearance the first in a series of crimes set in motion by a chance encounter that changed her life in unimaginable ways. The man she loves is now on the run, the main suspect in her disappearance, as well as countless other crimes. Enemy clans are closing in, increasingly determined and shockingly violent. They want Annie – they want the baby spoken of in the prophecy, the innocent life growing even now in the shelter of her womb. One clan wants the baby dead, one clan wants control of her and everyone connected to her. The clan Killian wants only to protect her as a member of their family. More clans are coming – but whatever they want, they all share one common thread: they’ll stop at nothing to accomplish their goals. The only thing Annie and Malik want is to raise their child together, in love and in peace. Follow them as they struggle to protect themselves, their baby, and each other, in a time filled with fear, danger, and the sheer power of the only magic that can save them … the love of one soul for another.
     

About Brandi 


Brandi Kennedy is an American writer who is finally living her childhood career dream. As a child, books were her world, and through adulthood the love of words has never changed.  A woman of varied interests, Brandi loves photography, music of all kinds, knitting, crochet and of course, mothering her two young daughters.

Currently, she finds her home in the heart of Knoxville, Tennessee, among the mountains and the members of her extended family, where she spends her days at the computer, bringing fresh and incredibly real characters to life.


Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Amazon | You Tube 
Giveaway

Book Review: Behind His Lens by R.S. Grey

Twenty-three year old model Charley Whitlock built a quiet life for herself after disaster struck four years ago. She hides beneath her beautiful mask, never revealing her true self to the world... until she comes face-to-face with her new photographer — sexy, possessive Jude Anderson. It's clear from the first time she meets him that she's playing by his rules. He says jump, she asks how high. He tells her to unzip her cream Dior gown; she knows she has to comply. But what if she wants him to take charge outside of the studio as well?

Jude Anderson has a strict "no model" dating policy. But everything about Charley sets his body on fire.

When a tropical photo shoot in Hawaii forces the stubborn pair into sexually charged situations, their chemistry can no longer be ignored. They’ll have to decide if they’re willing to break their rules and leave the past behind or if they’ll stay consumed by their demons forever.

Will Jude persuade Charley to give in to her deepest desires?
I’m seriously suffering from a book hangover after this story. It’s a story about the pain some people keep locked up inside themselves. It’s about clawing away from that pain and trusting someone enough to let them in and allowing them lead you away from that darkness.
On the outside, Charley Whitlock has it all – her beautiful WASP features have led her into modelling, her well-to-do upbringing made her want for nothing growing up, yet for the past four years, she has been vacillating between pure darkness and trying desperately to pull herself from the greyness bordering on the light. The dark past she carries with her threatens to take over her life more often than she would like, but Charley is a fighter, and she’s determined to not let it rule her life.
Jude…what can I say about Jude? I wish he were real. He’s my new book boyfriend…I wish he were real. Although our first introduction to Jude is not a pretty one, we soon find out that there is a bit more to this cool, sexy photographer than meets the eye. He may shoot bikini-clad models now, but there is much more to his snide demeanour and cool indifference. Masking his pain behind fast women and one-night-stands, Jude is just trying to function. He’s trying to forget. He’s trying to make it through every day without his demons coming out of the shadows to drag him back under again.
Fiercely protective of what he sees as his, Jude is the whole package: sexy, alluring, sometimes smug and completely weak-knee inducing. He is the bad boy, the tease, the sex-god…but he’s also got a sweet side – he’s considerate and kind, protective and loyal.
From the first moment that they see each other, Charley and Jude both know that the chemistry between them cannot be ignored. They play cat and mouse with each other, flirting and pushing the limits of their friendship until it goes past the point of no return. After and embarrassing mistake from Charley, she thinks that Jude isn’t interested in her at all – shattering her self-esteem until Jude sets her straight.
An intense roller coaster of events lands them in Hawaii where the spark between them ignites into a fire that burn white-hot. But Charley can’t seem to push past her own dark past, even when Jude bares his soul to her, and tells her everything about his charred and ruined past. The thing with Jude that is so amazing though is the fact that he see the pain behind Charley’s eyes, yet he’s determined to save her, to stop her hiding away in isolation. Charley is heart-breakingly broken, but to Jude, she’s perfect.
I really couldn’t find any fault with Behind his Lens. The plot is incredibly well-paced. I ravenously devoured the pages until I could get to the end, and when that inevitable happened, I found that I didn’t want it to end. The whole flow of the book was great with spot-on descriptions and intense imagery especially when it came to describing the depth of Charley and Jude’s pain and regrets, their hurt and their trauma.
The chemistry between Charley and Jude is so incredibly well-written – the description of the different scenes and the emotive writing makes you believe in their attraction. With many heart-rate-spiking, panty-soaking loves scenes between Charley and Jude, for the erotica and romance readers out there, there is certainly enough steam on these pages to satisfy you.
Grey did such a great job with building her characters that I truly felt like I knew Charley and Jude. When they were happy, I was happy; when they were hurting, I was hurting. With great supporting characters like Noami and Bennett, they act as the life buoys in both of their lives, keeping them afloat when the waves of their pasts threaten to crash over them completely. It was also refreshing to have both Jude and Charley with their own voices – I love seeing the perspective of a man, to see what he’s thinking.
I would highly recommend Behind his Lens to all those romance readers out there. If you like your leading men strong and dominating, then Jude is the man for you. Charley compliments and softens his rougher edges and Jude’s strength bolsters Charley and makes her want to fight her demons.  
About R.S. Grey  
I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things... everyday.
​
I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors are Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs. 
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New Covers for Dark Deceit

Help! I need help! I can't decide which cover is best for the first book in the Dark Trilogy, Dark Deceit. I'd love to get some feedback on them - what's your favourite? Are there any elements you like in some but not in others? Font? Image? Leave me some comments below!
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Option 4
Option 5
Option 6
Option 7

Series Spotlight + Giveaway: Brandi Kennedy's Selkie Trilogy - Book One: "Selkie"

A bit about the series: The Selkie Trilogy is a series of sequential romantic fantasy novels. Each book in this series follows the last, with each new book continuing the story from the last. These books are best enjoyed in order of publication, and this series contains mild/moderate sexual content.


Annie Jacobs's marriage fell apart, leaving her heart and her trust broken. Even her friends couldn't ease the pain of betrayal and eventually, Annie packed up her life and moved on. In peaceful Bar Harbor, Maine, Annie is finally able to find solace. She makes new friends, she finds a new routine, and she begins to pick up the shattered pieces of her confidence. Just when Annie thinks she's found contentment once again, a series of chance disasters threatens her new life -- and nearly ends her life entirely. When the man who saves her turns out to be something more than Annie ever would have expected, her life is thrust once again into turmoil. A near-death experience takes Annie into an entirely new world, one she would never have believed existed. It seems like death has its sights set on Annie for sure this time, and a war is closing in. Even immortality may not be enough to save her now.

Read an excerpt


     
About Brandi

Brandi Kennedy is an American writer who is finally living her childhood career dream. As a child, books were her world, and through adulthood the love of words has never changed.  A woman of varied interests, Brandi loves photography, music of all kinds, knitting, crochet and of course, mothering her two young daughters.

Currently, she finds her home in the heart of Knoxville, Tennessee, among the mountains and the members of her extended family, where she spends her days at the computer, bringing fresh and incredibly real characters to life.



Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Amazon | You Tube 
Giveaway  

Guest Post: Patricia Leslie on "Rebuilding Past Worlds"

If you're like me and enjoy a bit of history with your fiction, then you’re probably interested in the research side of writing as well. There are three important factors in writing historical fiction; the level of accuracy, level of detail, and character development in a time gone by.
If you're going to include facts that can be checked make sure you check them yourself first. Sure as shooting, if you don't and you're wrong someone will take great pleasure in letting you know. Also, it interrupts the flow of reading and you want your Reader’s total involvement from page 1 to page end. Avoid this by checking your sources. Primary sources are best, but that's not always possible so creditable secondary sources are the next best thing especially if you can find several and they all agree.
When it comes to detail I go for way more than I will need so that I am generally informed on a topic. I find this helps the storytelling. It also gives me other topics to write about for articles and short stories. The vast majority of that detail is kept away from the story. Exposition can be so boring and can make the writer sound like a know it all. Readers want stories not an over abundance of fact.
For characters to move freely around the world you've recreated, they need to respond in a natural way to everything that their time period throws at them. This means the writer needs to know about clothes, the look of the buildings and streets, current affairs, rules and regulations, and customs.
 It's a lot to learn, but looking up old maps and heritage buildings can give you streetscapes, layout and the feel of architecture and interior design. Local government and State archive websites are great for this.
For fashion, I research online through Pinterest (check out my board for my current work) and go to exhibitions of vintage clothing so I can really get up close to see fabric and style detail and colour.
For dialogue and writing styles, old newspapers and journals can give you a gist for language and its uses, and stories written in the time period (1700s onward in particular) are great for picking up the nuances as well as localised observations. But don't take them as a primary source. They can be a window into the past but are not history textbooks.
Here's my recommended reading list for Australian research based in the 1800s:
·       Lady Audley’s Secret (not Australian but a good read, free and something a little different from Jane Austen)·       Trove (newspapers, journals, books, images)·       National Trust Australia·       Dove Maps of Sydney
These may not be the period or location you're interested in but they show just a glimpse of what is easily found online.
                                                                                  ~~~~~~~~~~   Patricia Leslie is an Aussie urban fantasy author with Odyssey Books. Her novels, TheOuroboros Key, and, A Single Light, deal with the major issues of today like mystical magical beings living deep in Colorado's Rocky Mountains and hungry vampire-like spiritsdevouring the population of southern Sydney. Evil powers abound in her next novel set in Sydney and Scotland in the 1800s. Patricia enjoys the research as much as the writing so payno mind to middle aged women with cameras wandering around Sydney. It could very wellbe Patricia Leslie hunting down heritage buildings and their stories.
Drop in on Patricia's strand of the World Wide Web and catch up on her adventures or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. www.patricialeslie.net

Author Spotlight and Giveaway: Tracy M. Joyce

Tracy M Joyce is an Australian author of speculative fiction. Her epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Altaica, is published by Odyssey Books. Tracy has long been a fan of the fantasy genre, but particularly likes novels that deal with deep characterisations
and that don’t flinch from the gritty realities of life. This and her fascination with the notions of ‘moral greyness’, that ‘good people can do bad things’ and that we cannot escape our past provide the inspiration for her writing. Combine that with her love of history, horses and archery and you have Altaica.

She grew up on a farm in rural Victoria, in a picturesque dot on the map known as Glenburn. She spent half of her childhood riding horses and the other half trying to stay out of trouble—the only way she did that was by reading books and writing stories. She now lives in Melbourne with her husband, two cats and two (very) lazy greyhounds.

Tracy holds a BA (Hons) from Monash University, spent many years in a variety of administrative
roles and fortunately never gave up on her childhood dream to become a writer. In her spare
time she tutors a select and unlucky group of students in English.


Altaica (The Chronicles of Altaica Book 1)

'Look at her – she’s Hill Clan. Even the Matyrani don’t like them …' 

Isaura – little is known about her race, but much is whispered. Born to refugees, she grows up enduring racism and superstition within a community that fears her. She has few friends, and those she treasures. Trapped, she longs for escape to a different life.  

Escape is only the beginning of her troubles. Having fled an invading army with her friends, Isaura is faced with heinous choices in order to survive. Secrets from her past emerge to torment her and threaten to destroy all she holds dear. Her struggles forge a bond with an ancient power – a power which may transform or consume her. Old hatreds and superstitions are renewed and at her most vulnerable she learns the true nature of those around her.  

Her only hope lies in a foreign land – a land rich in tradition; ruled by three powerful clans. A land with a history marked by warfare; where magic as we know it does not exist. Instead what is here, in abundance, is a more primal power.  

Survival carries a high price.  

Welcome to Altaica.

   


Asena Blessed (The Chronicles of Altaica Book 2)
At the whims of Gods and Men…

Isaura has emerged from the spirit realm forever altered. No longer a pariah, she embraces the future offered in Altaica, but learns that her survival has come at a price. Her transformation is the perfect weapon for Elena to use against her.

The mysterious Asena and the Lady vie for Isaura. Caught between two ancient powers, Isaura must try to make her own path.

Master spy Vikram launches a counterinsurgency against Ratilal and Faros, weaving innocents into the plot to bring him down. Ratilal prepares to wage war against Karan and Baldev. Desperately, he seeks clandestine means to wreak revenge on them in the very heart of their territory, with devastating results.

With enemies nearing, Isaura must learn to master her powers. Aid arrives from the most unlikely source—one who knows no rules and respects no one.

Having run from one war she will not run from another…

The battle is joined.


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