Staci Troilo's Blog, page 42

Book Excerpt: Mind Control (Visceral)

Today’s fiction installment is from book two of the Medici Protectorate series, Mind Control. We join Jo and Vinnie as they’re trying to figure out who will stay in which bedroom of a luxury hotel suite they’re being forced to share. How they got in that situation in the first place is a story in … Continue reading Book Excerpt: Mind Control (Visceral)

Short Fiction: The Last

Cap walked cautiously away from the fence and headed into the forest. The trees provided cover for them, but it also offered camouflage for the enemy. His eyes never stopped moving as he traversed the overgrown path. Briggs trailed after Cap, seemingly unaware of the concept of stealth. He nudged a shrub with the toe … Continue reading Short Fiction: The Last

Short Fiction: Things Aren’t Always What They Seem

Kelly burst through the doors. She looked over her shoulder. No one followed. “Whoa!” She heard the exclamation too late. Before she turned forward, she plowed into her father. Her breath left her in a whoosh on impact, then she bounced off him and landed on her backside. Dad bent over and made a groany, … Continue reading Short Fiction: Things Aren’t Always What They Seem

Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links

So, this was a rough week. You may have noticed I wasn’t around much. This was the last week I had to spend with my daughter before she goes away to college. This separation is hard for me—I grew up with extended family everywhere, so I became used to always having people around. I like … Continue reading Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links

Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links

Did you ever use a thesaurus to come up with a better word? Stephen King says, “Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are no exceptions to this rule.” Seems to me Mark Twain would disagree. I don’t want the lightning bug. I want the lightning. My words could … Continue reading Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links

Book Excerpt: Out and About (Glaring)

Today’s prompt is “glaring”. I’m a multi-genre author, but one thing all my characters have in common is conflict. They fight with the enemy, they fight with their friends, they fight with family. Needless to say, people in my story worlds glare at each other. A lot. So I went in a different direction for … Continue reading Book Excerpt: Out and About (Glaring)

Short Fiction: Going in Circles

“His hands are sticky.” Mallory rooted through the diaper bag for wipes. She stooped to be eye-level with their son, and the little girl behind them in line bumped into her. Again. Her knee hit the ground—hard—to keep from toppling over, and she gritted her teeth. Instead of lecturing the girl, she gripped the wipe … Continue reading Short Fiction: Going in Circles

Book Excerpt: Body Armor | Shimmer

Today’s prompt is “shimmer”. As a romantic suspense author, a lot of things can shimmer. Heat can cause shimmering waves to rise off a road. Light can shimmer off all manner of things—weapons, water, women. Because Medici Protectorate Book 3, Body Armor, is releasing soon, I’ve chosen to print a scene from the novel that uses the … Continue reading Book Excerpt: Body Armor | Shimmer

Short Fiction: Poor Form

“Tell me again why you said yes.” Paula peered into the cramped closet and shook her head. Wasn’t much to work with. “I had to.” Valerie pushed her friend aside and grabbed an ivory blouse. “If I declined, he’d think I was jealous. So would all our friends.” “You are jealous.” Paula yanked the blouse … Continue reading Short Fiction: Poor Form

Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links

This week I finally (huge stress on that word) got back to my WIP. I had been so busy updating my site, doing beta reads, editing, submitting to an anthology, and marketing (not to mention dealing with all my “real life” stuff), that it took a back seat for a while. The time away gave … Continue reading Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links