Aldrea Alien's Blog, page 28
April 12, 2019
Dark One’s Mistress (Dark One’s Trilogy 1) by Aldrea Alien and Meet the Character
It has been some years since Clarabelle Weaver bombarded me with her story, but with Dark One’s Bride due to come out later 2019, I thought it fitting for her to give us an interview.
A great re-telling of one of my favorite fairy tales.
The book is Dark One’s Mistress (Dark One’s Trilogy 1) by Aldrea Alien, a Young Adult Gothic Romance.
When you’ve spent all your life in the same quiet village, what is there to fear?
As Clarabelle Weaver passes her seventeenth year, she still lives under the protection and shadow of the Great Lord’s fortress. The lord’s men patrol the land and keep the villagers safe, but no one has seen or heard much from the lord himself for years.
Then the Great Lord passes and Clara is abducted and taken to the fortress that has overshadowed her entire life. Lucias, the new lord, is hunting for a woman to bear his heir and ensure the safety of the kingdom, and Clara is his choice.
With nowhere to run and no one to trust, Clara must match her will against…
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April 6, 2019
Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
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Sticking with continuing on from last week’s snippet from my wip, To Target the Heart.
For those of you catching up… Darshan and Hamish are a pair of thirty-something princes from two vastly different lands who have both never been in a relationship before.
Darshan is the spellster ambassador from the ginormous Udynea Empire sent to negotiate trade relations with Tirglas. Whereas Hamish is the third eldest child of the Tirglasian queen who has been kept on a tight leash by his mother.
The prior sentence was: Hamish bit his lip, his mouth disappearing beneath his ruddy moustache as both it and his beard seemed to merge. Punctuation tweaked to fit.
“Dar…” The name escaped in a gentle puff of breath; soft and intimate, the sort of sound Darshan could listen to over and over. “I think I made meself pretty clear that what I prefer rarely comes into it.” So quiet, those words. “I always make the wrong choice.” So convinced and dejected.
That simply won’t do. If Darshan had been made of weaker stuff, maybe something inside would’ve cracked slightly; his chest did ache dreadfully, but it was an old sullen anger that bubbled in the depths. How dare they twist such a gentle man like Hamish and make him believe he couldn’t be trusted to do what felt right to him. The very nerve.
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. But one contestant promises a way out. Can they win against all the odds?
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March 27, 2019
Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
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Sticking with continuing on from last week’s snippet from my wip, To Target the Heart.
For those of you catching up… Darshan and Hamish are a pair of thirty-something princes from two vastly different lands who have both never been in a relationship before.
Darshan is the spellster ambassador from the ginormous Udynea Empire sent to negotiate trade relations with Tirglas. Whereas Hamish is the third eldest child of the Tirglasian queen who has been kept on a tight leash by his mother.
The prior sentence was: [Darshan] wished he had an objective enough stance on the matter to answer that truthfully.
Darshan took hold of Hamish’s hands, coaxing the man to turn from the tower parapet. It wasn’t his choice to make alone, if at all. “I would understand if your preference is to remain as you are.” He wouldn’t be pleased, but he’d rather not begin at all than to prematurely part because he’d made life worse for Hamish. “You just have to say and that will be the last you hear of it from me. I am not in the habit of forcing those who decline the offer into my bed.” Not that he generally had to offer. Or even try that hard when looking for a little fun. Someone was always willing to lay with their vris Mhanek and they generally weren’t backwards in coming forwards about their intentions.
Hamish bit his lip, his mouth disappearing beneath his ruddy moustache as both it and his beard seemed to merge.
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. But one contestant promises a way out. Can they win against all the odds?
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March 25, 2019
A Finalist in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Still waiting on the tippy-top results for The Wishing Shelf’s 2018 Book Awards, but I’ve a new logo to add to In Pain and Blood‘s modest award collection…
Ehehehe!
March 22, 2019
Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
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Sticking with continuing on from last week’s snippet from my wip, To Target the Heart.
For those of you catching up… Darshan and Hamish are a pair of thirty-something princes from two vastly different lands who have both never been in a relationship before.
Darshan is the spellster ambassador from the ginormous Udynea Empire sent to negotiate trade relations with Tirglas. Whereas Hamish is the third eldest child of the Tirglasian queen who has been kept on a tight leash by his mother.
The prior sentence was: Punishment he understood—being in Tirglas was his punishment—but it was what he’d done and with whom, not that the act had been with a man.
[Darshan] gnawed on the inside of his lip as a frustration-laced sigh whistled out his nose. Why—Gods, why?—couldn’t the man he found utterly irresistible have been someone who had not spent almost two-thirds of his adult life forced into celibacy by their wretched mother? Their damn queen, no less. With a head full of ancient scriptures and her intentions only on ensuring her brood filled the world with more of her clan. Disgusting.
I could walk away. That had been an option since he’d first kissed the man. Not that he’d been able to shake Hamish from his dreams no matter how hard he tried. Were a few nights of pleasure worth dragging Hamish into a worst situation than the man was already in?
He wished he had an objective enough stance on the matter to answer that truthfully.
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. But one contestant promises a way out. Can they win against all the odds?
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March 15, 2019
Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
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Sticking with continuing on from last week’s snippet from my wip, To Target the Heart.
For those of you catching up… Darshan and Hamish are a pair of thirty-something princes from two vastly different lands who have both never been in a relationship before.
Darshan is the spellster ambassador from the ginormous Udynea Empire sent to negotiate trade relations with Tirglas. Whereas Hamish is the third eldest child of the Tirglasian queen who has been kept on a tight leash by his mother.
The prior sentences were: “Aye, but tonight? It’s nae that I’m adverse to the idea, it’s just… real soon like.” And were spoken by Hamish…
Darshan bit the inside of his cheek, chasing his thoughts. He supposed engaging in a second night of intimacy in a row would seem an extremely short time after being forced to abandon any sort of intimacy for… How long had Hamish said?
Thirteen years.
He still couldn’t quite get his head around that scenario. To have to pretend, to constrain his emotions, to keep any friendship with another man at a distance least the worst was thought of such closeness… Darshan had some experience with the latter, but the rest was foreign. Not once had he ever been made to feel that he needed to hide any part of his being from the world.
Punishment he understood—being in Tirglas was his punishment—but it was what he’d done and with whom, not that the act had been with a man.
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. But one contestant promises a way out. Can they win against all the odds?
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March 8, 2019
Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
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Sticking with continuing on from last week’s snippet from my wip, To Target the Heart.
For those of you catching up… Darshan is the magical prince and ambassador from the ginormous Udynea Empire sent to negotiate trade relations with Tirglas. Whereas Hamish is the third eldest child of the Tirglasian queen.
The prior sentence was: “Neither have I,” Hamish blurted as if such a fact could be open to contestation.
Darshan inclined his head in acknowledgement. “Then this will be somewhat virgin ground for the both of us.” He stressed those last few words, making sure that detail had reached Hamish. “And we have yet to figure out each other’s tastes beyond a few fumbling moves.” On his part, at least. Hamish certainly knew what he was doing orally and Darshan was more than happy with that performance—the very thought of it sent a pleasant shiver through him—but it wasn’t much to base any sort of relationship on, even one forged solely for sex. “If we are to become paramours, we should perhaps see if our previous attempt at intimacy cannot be improved upon.”
“Aye, but tonight? It’s nae that I’m adverse to the idea, it’s just… real soon like.”
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. But one contestant promises a way out. Can they win against all the odds?
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February 23, 2019
Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
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We’re continuing on from last week’s snippet from my wip, To Target the Heart.
For those of you catching up… Darshan is a prince and ambassador from the ginormous Udynea Empire sent to negotiate trade relations with Tirglas. Whereas Hamish is the third eldest child of the Tirglasian queen.
The prior sentences were from Darshan: “That was a poor comparison. You need not answer.” And the following begins still with him…
He rubbed at his temples with a single hand. “How about you come to my quarters tonight?”
“What?”
He tilted his head, peering up at the man through the outer edge of his glasses’ lens to find Hamish staring back at him. Those blue eyes should not have been so wide, especially after his actions last night, nor should they carry that hint of trepidation. “I would suggest your room, but I get the distinct impression that you would prefer it maintained its off-limits aura.” He could work with that; it’d make things tricky, but interesting.
Hamish nodded.
“And, whilst I might not have had someone I could actually claim was my lover before, I—”
“Neither have I,” Hamish blurted as if such a fact could be open to contestation.
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. But one contestant promises a way out. Can they win against all the odds?
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Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
[image error]
We’re continuing on from last week’s snippet from my wip, To Target the Heart.
For those of you catching up… Darshan is a prince and ambassador from the ginormous Udynea Empire sent to negotiate trade relations with Tirglas. Whereas Hamish is the third eldest child of the Tirglasian queen.
The prior two sentences were: “And you’re how old again?” His open smile took off what could’ve easily been a harsher edge to his words.
Grinning along with Hamish, he bumped their hips together. “You are never too old to attempt sneaking things past your parents.”
Whilst there was definitely a smidgen of agreement in the curve of his mouth, his thick brows lowered. “You’d risk getting caught with me again and possibly exiled?”
That last threat would’ve held more weight if exiling him didn’t also carry the definite recourse of angering his father and the Udynean senate. “Would you?”
Hamish’s frown deepened.
Darshan held up his hands, pleading forgiveness. “That was a poor comparison. You need not answer.”
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. But one contestant promises a way out. Can they win against all the odds?
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February 16, 2019
Weekend Writing Warriors – #8sunday
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We’re continuing on from last week’s snippet from my wip, To Target the Heart.
For those of you catching up… Darshan is a prince and ambassador from the ginormous Udynea Empire sent to negotiate trade relations with Tirglas. Whereas Hamish is the third eldest child of the Tirglasian queen.
The prior sentence was: He certainly hadn’t meant to unleash his magic when he’d braced himself on Madaara’s statue, much less reduce twenty feet of carved marble and gilding to rubble.
“It is not as bad you might think,” Darshan murmured, struggling to ignore the unfamiliar flush of heat invading his face over the memory. “Restraint is a highly prized trait.” One he routinely failed at displaying. “And, as you can see, I am more than capable of not ravishing you whenever we are alone.”
Hamish laughed with a deep throaty rumble, “That’s a shame. I’ve nae been ravished before.”
“How about starting small? It seems to me that sneaking more than a few kisses behind your mother’s back in the vein of a pair of horny teenagers is a thing that is long overdue.”
“And you’re how old again?” His open smile took off what could’ve easily been a harsher edge to his words.
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. But one contestant promises a way out. Can they win against all the odds?
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