Aldrea Alien's Blog, page 25
January 3, 2020
Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
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I’m done currently neck-deep in the final edits for To Target the Heart in preparation for its April release. After which, I’ll likely be changing my snippets from the sequel, To Poison a Prince.
For those of you catching up… Darshan and Hamish are a pair of thirty-something princes from two vastly different lands who are now travelling through the ginormous Udynea Empire that Darshan is from on their way to the capital.
This one is carrying on from last week with Hamish expressing his opinion on his new attire and ended with the words: “I sparkle. A man should nae twinkle like a bauble.”
Darshan looked down at his own formal attire; the metallic thread and small gemstones glittered upon the golden silk. “Shouldn’t I?”
Hamish gave an exasperated huff. “I didnae mean you. You’re the vris Mhanek, you’re meant to stand out; you’re used to it. I’ve spent me whole life trying to blend in.”
In more ways than one. And the attempt to hide his true self had almost cost him his life. “I’m afraid there’s little chance of you not drawing attention regardless of what you wore.” Even without arriving on Darshan’s arm, Hamish’s height would have him standing literally head and shoulders above much of the court.
Don’t forget to check out the other excerpts at Weekend Writing Warriors, Snippet Sunday or Rainbow Snippets.
With the New Year, it’s also another month closer to the release of To Target the Heart, the story of where Darshan and Hamish first met and all they went through to get where they are now. Currently on pre-order.
Having staved off the idea of marrying a woman for years, Prince Hamish finds himself forced to face its realities when he becomes the prize in a contest of arms. How can he win with the odds stacked against him?
December 31, 2019
2020 Goals
Over the last few New Years, I’ve set myself a few writing goals. Last year, about half of them got done. My goals for this year are few in number, but will require a lot more of my time.
The Goals…
Get To Target the Heart, edited and published. This is complete and has gone through a few edits. I’m currently going through the last one and aiming for a mid-April release.
Tidy up Someone Else’s Shoes. The idea for this novella popped up at the end of October and utterly captivated my muse. The first draft is finished and all set to go through editing.
Write, and maybe finish, To Poison a Prince. Because of the above novella needing to be written and edited within a certain timeframe, TPaP got shuffled to one side.
What goals do you have for 2020?
December 30, 2019
So long 2019
At the beginning of the year, I set myself a few goals in the hopes that it would spur me on to complete things by the end of this year.
Get Dark One’s Bride edited and published.
This was probably the goal I was the most confident in achieving. Completed months before I had counted on it and published in October.
Write more of To Target the Heart.
Not only did I write more, but it’s finished and lined up for publication in 2020. I was planning on March, but April would be a less stressful goal to strive for. All depends on that final edit.
Outline Dark One’s Wife.
Heh… I’ve had a few ideas and some direction in regards to the ending, but other stories have taken priority over fully outlining the final in this trilogy.
Read, for the love of… JUST READ!
I started out strong on this one, but it fell by the wayside yet again as the muse insisted I write. Video games, especially the soothing strategy of Age of Empires, sort of replaced that time.
December 29, 2019
LGBT FANTASY ROMANCE READING CHALLENGE 2020!
I often see these challenges kicking about and thought it would be fun to make one. Specifically, a list that I can follow as I’ve been really slack on my reading. As in I read maybe five during 2019… all in the beginning half of the year.
You’re welcome to join me, all you need to do is read a book from each category during 2020. Easy, right?
Feel free to share this image around (it’s also on my FB group and Instagram) as well as let us know what you’re reading so others can discover some great books. Or just complete the challenge for fun.
December 27, 2019
Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
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I’m done with writing the fairytale novella, putting me back on track for the new year where I finally get back to work on To Poison a Prince in the new year.
For those of you catching up… Darshan and Hamish are a pair of thirty-something princes from two vastly different lands who are now travelling through the ginormous Udynea Empire that Darshan is from on their way to the capital.
This one is carrying on from last week with Darshan busy admiring this husband’s new clothes…
He had to be the luckiest man alive for the gods to bless him with a husband that could’ve easily remained only real in his dreams. His light; his beacon.
“I feel like a right tit,” Hamish mumbled, shaking Darshan from his reverie.
“Well, I think you look positively ravishing.” Darshan lurched to his feet, the wine glass dangling indulgently in his fingers. “But what would I know?” He tilted his head, drinking the vision in even as he downed the last of his wine. “And it seems I was right about the colour.”
“I sparkle. A man should nae twinkle like a bauble.”
Don’t forget to check out the other excerpts at Weekend Writing Warriors, Snippet Sunday or Rainbow Snippets.
Having staved off the idea of marrying a woman for years, Prince Hamish finds himself forced to face its realities when he becomes the prize in a contest of arms. How can he win with the odds stacked against him?
December 21, 2019
Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
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I am so close to being done with the fairytale novella’s first draft. Only the epilogue left now.
I’m still continuing with To Poison a Prince for snippets, though.
For those of you catching up… Darshan and Hamish are a pair of thirty-something princes from two vastly different lands who are now travelling through the ginormous Udynea Empire that Darshan is from on their way to the capital.
This one is carrying on from last week with Hamish finally revealing himself…
Darshan’s throat tightened as his gaze slunk down the vision that was Hamish decked in silken threads the dusty white of hazy summer clouds. He’d been careful in specifying the cut was close in style to his husband’s overcoat, but he hadn’t counted on Hamish’s broad shoulders filling out the thigh-length sherwani enough to give him an intimidating silhouette. His height only adding to the effect.
The trousers were far more distracting. Tirglasian weather asked for a certain modesty in fashion that lighter fabrics couldn’t maintain without excessive, and unflattering, undergarments helping with the retaining of body heat. Darshan had grown accustomed to seeing Hamish in loose woollen fabric, not this snug slide of silk. What a shame that had been for, as glorious as his husband was in his shapeless attire, the new trousers framed his backside splendidly. He almost regretted that the sherwani would hide most of it from view.
Don’t forget to check out the other excerpts at Weekend Writing Warriors, Snippet Sunday or Rainbow Snippets.
December 16, 2019
I got Author Shout “Recommended Read” twice!
Wow! I’m so over the moon.
A little while back, I entered the Author Shout Reader Ready Awards. It’s been part of my goal to enter as many contests and competitions as I could afford over the last few years.
[image error]Yesterday, a little email popped up to tell me In Pain and Blood had won the Gold Badge “Recommended Read”! That makes this the third award and its first top place.
Not only th[image error]at, but Dark One’s Mistress won a Silver Badge. A first for it since the Golden Quill Award quite some time back.
So, double awesome!
December 13, 2019
Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
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I so thought I’d be done with writing the fairytale novella by now and returning to writing this wip. Been four chapters away from the end for three chapters now.
I’m still continuing with To Poison a Prince for snippets, though.
For those of you catching up… Darshan and Hamish are a pair of thirty-something princes from two vastly different lands who are now travelling through the ginormous Udynea Empire that Darshan is from on their way to the capital.
This one is carrying on from last week and came with Hamish’s warning of the new outfit being Darshan’s decision…
They had spent two months travelling across the Udynea Empire. During that time, the finery Darshan preferred had been pushed aside for practicality and warmth. But whilst they’d been in agreement that their travel attires were hardly appropriate for a soirée, Darshan had been greeted with his usual array of choices awaiting his perusal within his wardrobe. Hamish had only the clothes on his back.
Until now.
Darshan had spent a good half hour explicitly stating what his husband’s newly commissioned outfit would require. Complementing his husband’s glorious eyes—the perfect shade of aquamarine blue that so did remind him of the sea near Minamist—had been a must. But not too much. His husband not only detested the colour, but all hues thereof. It was a miracle in itself that Hamish had accepted Darshan’s original, and rather impromptu, gift of a silver ring with a gem that matched his eyes precisely.
Don’t forget to check out the other excerpts at Weekend Writing Warriors, Snippet Sunday or Rainbow Snippets.
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I’m going to be part of this awesome box set, Once Upon Another World, that’s a compilation of fairytale retellings myself and 20 others have written in which the old tales you know and love have been tweaked and twisted in some way to add a new and creative spin to them… and some not so much for the little ones. My particular story is a take on Cinderella set within my spellster series with a half-elven Alla and her princess charming.
All the authors of this set are hoping to hit the USA Today Bestseller list. And, I’m sure you know that sales are crucial. Especially on Nook and iBooks. My current step towards the big goal is to help our box set get as many Nook or iBooks sales as possible on the FIRST DAY the set launches as a preorder.
If you like Paranormal Romance and Fairytale Retellings (EVEN IF YOU DON’T, BUT YOU’D BE WILLING TO HELP ME REALISE MY DREAM), please leave your name and email address (and/or FB PM) in this form so I can ping you to pre-order on that date.
December 6, 2019
Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
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I so thought I’d be done with writing the fairytale novella by now and returning to writing this wip. But I’m still continuing with To Poison a Prince for snippets.
For those of you catching up… Darshan and Hamish are a pair of thirty-something princes from two vastly different lands who are now travelling through the ginormous Udynea Empire that Darshan is from on their way to the capital.
This one is carrying on from last week and ended with: “All this, Hamish knew and he still agreed that attending would be better than just slipping out of the city.”
“Do hurry it along, mea lux,” Darshan muttered. Catching his sour expression in the floor-to-ceiling mirror that made up one wall of the royal dressing suite, he rubbed a thumb and forefinger across his moustache in an attempt to soothe his impatience. His fingers idly followed the itchy path of slightly shorter hairs he was growing down either side of his mouth, before finally stroking his goatee. “We’ll barely have time to make it as it is.” Fashionably late was one thing, tardy was unacceptable.
“Unknot whatever bunch you’ve got your smalls in, will you?” his husband growled in his native Tirglasian. “I’m coming out. Just dinnae you snicker, you hear? This whole bloody outfit was your decision.”
Darshan flicked his attention from his reflection to Hamish, pushing his glasses back up his nose to garner the clearest view as his husband finally exited the wardrobe to examine himself in the mirror.
Don’t forget to check out the other excerpts at Weekend Writing Warriors, Snippet Sunday or Rainbow Snippets.
Hamish is finally free to live with the man who won his heart.
If only someone didn’t keep trying to ruin his happily-ever-after.
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November 29, 2019
Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
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Still continuing with the wip To Poison a Prince for snippets whilst I write a whole other novella.
For those of you catching up… Darshan and Hamish are a pair of thirty-something princes from two vastly different lands who are now travelling through the ginormous Udynea Empire that Darshan is from on their way to the capital.
This one is carrying on from last week and ended with: “You cannae let her have any quarter, nae even to protect me. Hamish’s reminder echoed through his mind.”
Darshan was used to having his words twisted and thrown back at him, he just hadn’t expected it from his husband. He’d been far more preoccupied with wondering if Onella had known they would reach the docks at that time. It seemed more likely that her messenger had sat around for days waiting for their arrival. According to his own network, those under his half-sister’s employ were a useless sort.
Yet, she knew he was married. That alone smacked of her relying on siphoning the dregs from their father’s imperial network of eyes and ears. If she still had access to them, then she was still in their father’s favour and surely wouldn’t jeopardise that position by going back on her promise to refrain from endangering Darshan’s life.
He was confident the protection from her mechanisms would stand as long as their father still lived, just as he had been forbidden to permanently remove her. Their spouses and any children were likewise exempt from a lethal strike, not that Darshan had any desire to drag his nephew into their little spat.
All this, Hamish knew and he still agreed that attending would be better than just slipping out of the city.
Don’t forget to check out the other excerpts at Weekend Writing Warriors, Snippet Sunday or Rainbow Snippets.
Hamish is finally free to live with the man who won his heart.
If only someone didn’t keep trying to ruin his happily-ever-after.
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