Sera Trevor's Blog, page 4
July 19, 2015
A Momentous Day!
Yesterday was a pretty exciting day for me! I caught in a downpour at San Diego Pride, which took everyone by surprise. Everyone knows it never rains in Southern California. It’s kind of our thing. But the parade marched on; as one event coordinator said to the crowd, “You can’t have rainbows without rain.”
While I was getting drenched, my book, A Shadow on the Sun, has been posted! The download is available here. I’ve put up a couple of extra features on my website: namely, the Pinboard and a basic map of the world of Erara. (And I do mean basic. Perhaps for the Amazon edition I’ll actually find someone who can draw to help me out!)
I’ve also finished the first draft of The Troll Whisperer. Final word count: around 40k. It’s currently with my betas; after they’re done with it, it’s off to the moderators. I’ll let you all know when it comes out. I also received the cover for The Troll Whisperer by the amazing Bree Archer! I’m so excited— she was able to get Oscar’s look down exactly. Check it out:
Pretty awesome, right?
That's it for now. I hope you enjoy A Shadow on the Sun; let me know what you think!
While I was getting drenched, my book, A Shadow on the Sun, has been posted! The download is available here. I’ve put up a couple of extra features on my website: namely, the Pinboard and a basic map of the world of Erara. (And I do mean basic. Perhaps for the Amazon edition I’ll actually find someone who can draw to help me out!)
I’ve also finished the first draft of The Troll Whisperer. Final word count: around 40k. It’s currently with my betas; after they’re done with it, it’s off to the moderators. I’ll let you all know when it comes out. I also received the cover for The Troll Whisperer by the amazing Bree Archer! I’m so excited— she was able to get Oscar’s look down exactly. Check it out:
Pretty awesome, right?
That's it for now. I hope you enjoy A Shadow on the Sun; let me know what you think!
July 4, 2015
It's the other most wonderful time of the year!
I hope everyone is enjoying this year's Don't Read in the Closet! I'm still technically on vacation, but I'm taking a break from gazing at mountains and traipsing through ghost towns to let you know that the edits for my contribution, A Shadow in the Sun, have officially been completed! The word count total came to just a little over 70,000 words. My keyboard's still smoking from writing that fast. Here's the blurb:
Prince Theryn and his higard, Sir Atrum, are both bound by duty: Theryn serves the kingdom of Glinden, and Atrum serves his prince. Both would like their relationship to be something more, but the traditions of the Glin prohibit such a love between a master and his servant.
However, all rules are off when the king promises Theryn’s hand in marriage to the enigmatic Prince Lyar of the fierce Soltaran Empire. It appears that Lyar needs Theryn’s Light magic for some strange religious rite— one that might have dire consequences for the entire world. Now Theryn and Atrum must discover Lyar’s scheme before the wedding occurs. They soon learn that Light cannot always illuminate, and the truth often lies in Darkness.
If that intrigues you, I have even better news: the mods have graciously allowed me to give a sneak peek of the prologue and first chapter as an exclusive for subscribers to my newsletter. For those of you who haven't signed up, the link is here. I'll be sending out a super secret link to the preview.
(Btw, I've had some trouble in the past with newsletters getting out properly, so check your spam folders. If you add me to your contacts, that problem can be avoided.)
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
Because I am a crazy person, I picked up ANOTHER prompt. Since A Shadow on the Sun is so serious, I really wanted to write something with some laughs. The Troll Whisperer is a contemporary rom-com, so it's a little different from my typical fare, but it's chock full of lolz. Here's the blurb:
Oscar Lozada is repulsive, and he likes it that way. His apartment is always a wreck, he works at a sewage plant, and he’s an abrasive jerk to just about everyone. The only thing about him that isn’t gross is his smoking hot bod, because he realizes no one will have sex with him unless he at least keeps up with that— it’s not like his personality is going to work for him in that department. And he looooooves sex— hot, nasty, anonymous Grindr sex. The last thing he’s looking for is a relationship.
In his spare time, Oscar likes to troll people on the internet. One night, his friend sends him a link to a video of this weird but hot dude named Noah, who dresses up like a nurse and whispers medical exam questions to the viewer— it’s some weird thing called ASMR, apparently. Oscar has a great time trolling poor naïve Noah, and he figures that will be the end of it.
But the very next day, he runs across Noah in the laundry room of his apartment complex. Noah has just recently moved in, and he is even hotter in real life. He’s a nice guy, too. Disarmingly nice. Dangerously nice, even. Oscar just wants to get in and out of Noah’s pants as quickly as possible, because he definitely doesn't do relationships.
Right?
For a few snippets of both works, check out the prompt thread here for The Troll Whisperer, and here for A Shadow on the Sun.
All right, back to vacation for me. Those mountains aren't going to gaze at themselves, and that ghost town is giving me some interesting ideas... Happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans, and Happy DRitC season to everyone!
Prince Theryn and his higard, Sir Atrum, are both bound by duty: Theryn serves the kingdom of Glinden, and Atrum serves his prince. Both would like their relationship to be something more, but the traditions of the Glin prohibit such a love between a master and his servant.
However, all rules are off when the king promises Theryn’s hand in marriage to the enigmatic Prince Lyar of the fierce Soltaran Empire. It appears that Lyar needs Theryn’s Light magic for some strange religious rite— one that might have dire consequences for the entire world. Now Theryn and Atrum must discover Lyar’s scheme before the wedding occurs. They soon learn that Light cannot always illuminate, and the truth often lies in Darkness.
If that intrigues you, I have even better news: the mods have graciously allowed me to give a sneak peek of the prologue and first chapter as an exclusive for subscribers to my newsletter. For those of you who haven't signed up, the link is here. I'll be sending out a super secret link to the preview.
(Btw, I've had some trouble in the past with newsletters getting out properly, so check your spam folders. If you add me to your contacts, that problem can be avoided.)
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
Because I am a crazy person, I picked up ANOTHER prompt. Since A Shadow on the Sun is so serious, I really wanted to write something with some laughs. The Troll Whisperer is a contemporary rom-com, so it's a little different from my typical fare, but it's chock full of lolz. Here's the blurb:
Oscar Lozada is repulsive, and he likes it that way. His apartment is always a wreck, he works at a sewage plant, and he’s an abrasive jerk to just about everyone. The only thing about him that isn’t gross is his smoking hot bod, because he realizes no one will have sex with him unless he at least keeps up with that— it’s not like his personality is going to work for him in that department. And he looooooves sex— hot, nasty, anonymous Grindr sex. The last thing he’s looking for is a relationship.
In his spare time, Oscar likes to troll people on the internet. One night, his friend sends him a link to a video of this weird but hot dude named Noah, who dresses up like a nurse and whispers medical exam questions to the viewer— it’s some weird thing called ASMR, apparently. Oscar has a great time trolling poor naïve Noah, and he figures that will be the end of it.
But the very next day, he runs across Noah in the laundry room of his apartment complex. Noah has just recently moved in, and he is even hotter in real life. He’s a nice guy, too. Disarmingly nice. Dangerously nice, even. Oscar just wants to get in and out of Noah’s pants as quickly as possible, because he definitely doesn't do relationships.
Right?
For a few snippets of both works, check out the prompt thread here for The Troll Whisperer, and here for A Shadow on the Sun.
All right, back to vacation for me. Those mountains aren't going to gaze at themselves, and that ghost town is giving me some interesting ideas... Happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans, and Happy DRitC season to everyone!
December 10, 2014
Thank you, and an excerpt from the expansion of CwD!
Hello! Hope everyone is surviving the holiday season. I'm in a bit of a holidaze myself at the moment, compounded with a cold. (Why are the winter holidays scheduled at the same time as cold and flu season? Whoever is in charge of that should be fired.)
ANYWAY. I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to those who have nominated Consorting with Dragons for the 2014 Goodreads M/M Romance Group's Member Choice Awards! It's up for Best Debut, Best Fantasy, and Best Love's Landscapes Story. I am beyond thrilled to be nominated! :D Only the top 20% of the nominees will make it through to the next round, so if you feel like my book is worthy of your vote, you can vote here for Best Debut, here for Best Fantasy, and here for Best Love's Landscapes Story. The polls close on – eep!– December 12th!
Okay, onto the second order of business: I come bearing an excerpt! Here's a short scene from the upcoming expansion of Consorting with Dragons, wherein we get to tag along on one of Jasen and Rilvor's previously glossed over dates. Hope you enjoy!
*~*~*
They rode on in silence for a little while, with Jasen trailing Rilvor by a few paces. Rilvor sat straight in his saddle, his form perfect — the very essence of nobility. Jasen tried to reconcile the king in front of him with the small, wild boy he must have been, the forgotten fourth son of a dynasty that thought it would never need him, keeping company with the wild ascetic draeids of Rakon. Who would he be now if his family had survived? Or even more interesting, what would he be like if he wasn’t royal at all?
Jasen nudged his horse to quicken her pace until they were at pace with Rilvor. “What would you do if you weren’t king?” Jasen asked.
“I suppose I would have become a draeid,” he said. “As a younger son, it would have been my duty.”
“But what if you didn’t have any duties? What if something happened where you didn’t have to be the king anymore? What would you do?”
Rilvor raised an eyebrow. “That is not possible. I am the Lord of the Drae; that isn’t a position that one can abdicate."
“But let’s just say you could,” Jasen said. “Would you?”
“I think it would be difficult for a former king and somehow magically displaced Lord of the Drae to find a living to support his children,” Rilvor said with a quirk of his lips.
“What if you didn’t have them to support?”
“My life would be quite empty without my children.”
Jasen rolled his eyes. “Are you being thick on purpose? I’m trying to ask you what you would do without any responsibility."
“No responsibility,” Rilvor echoed. He thought about it for a moment. “So in your scenario, I cannot have a profession?”
“No.”
“And I cannot have my children?”
Jasen shook his head. “Sorry, but no.”
“Could I have you?”
Jasen’s face turned bright pink. He looked down at his hands as he tried to think of a response. As he was thinking, he passed under a low-hanging branch, which got caught in one of the ribbons on the ridiculous hat Rotheld had insisted he wear. He yelped as he yanked on the reins to bring his horse to a halt.
Rilvor immediately stopped his horse as well. “What is it? What’s happened?” he said.
“It’s this damned hat — it got caught in a branch.” Jasen struggled to untangle himself. “Who would put so many ribbons on a hat?” he fumed. “What possible purpose could they serve?”
“Can’t you just take it off?"
“I can try, but it’s pinned in place,” Jasen said. He reached under his hat and pulled out a few of the pins, then tried to pull it off. It barely budged. Worse than that, he could feel his hair getting tangled around the remaining pins, making him more stuck then ever. Jasen nearly screamed in frustration. “I think Rotheld must have used some sort of dark sorcery to stick this damned thing on!”
Rilvor dismounted and approached Jasen’s horse. He waved his hand; Jasen felt the hat break free of the branch.
“Thank you,” Jasen mumbled, still feeling ridiculous. He attempted again to extract the hat from his head to no avail.
“Come down here and let me help,” Rilvor said.
Jasen dismounted and stood beside Rilvor. Rilvor didn’t use any magic this time as he carefully removed the pins from the hat and Jasen’s hair. They were so close that Jasen could feel the heat of Rilvor’s body.
Jasen tried to stand still, but the intimacy of the situation and his own lingering embarrassment made it difficult. “I told Rotheld that it was a ridiculous hat to wear for a ride,” Jasen said as he pulled at his gloves. “He can be so stubborn though; it’s like he can’t stand for me to be completely comfortable. I escaped the corset this time, so naturally I had to suffer in some other — ”
He broke off as Rilvor pulled the hat free. His hair fell around his shoulders. “You can tell Rotheld that I prefer you unadorned,” Rilvor said, his voice now deep and soft. “If I had my way, I would have you always be as I saw you the first time in the draemir, in the simplest garments, free of all this senseless ornament and formality.”
Jasen could feel his face turn even redder. It seemed like he hadn’t stopped blushing since they began their ride, which was absolutely ridiculous. Jasen wasn’t exactly inexperienced. So why was it so different with Rilvor? Why did he feel like a blushing virgin every time he looked at him?
Rilvor brushed his fingers through Jasen’s hair. “You ask me what I would do if I were free. I would take you to Rakon with me, back to the wilderness where I spent my childhood. I would show you the woods that sheltered me when I needed escape from from the dead and dreary castle that was supposed to be my home. I would introduce you to my true family — to the animals and the birds, to the blooming wildflowers and cold, sweet brooks, and of course, the dragons. I would show you the meadows I ran through, the trees I slept under. And then we would make our home there, apart from the pressures of the world, where our only responsibilities would be to each other."
Rilvor leaned in so close that Jasen could feel his breath on his face; it smelled sweet, like honey. Jasen’s heart sped up. He felt both thrilled and terrified, because he realized at last what was different. Rilvor didn’t want a quick roll in the hay — he wanted him, all of him. And he wanted him for the rest of his life. But why? What made him so special?
Rilvor ran his hand over Jasen’s hair again, his fingers combing a tangle. “You are so lovely,” he murmured.
And just like that, the spell was broken. Lovely. Of course. That was it.
Jasen turned his head away and took a small step backward. Rilvor removed his hand from Jasen’s hair and frowned. “I’ve upset you somehow,” he said.
“No, not at all,” Jasen mumbled unconvincingly.
“Was it because I said you were lovely?” Rilvor asked. “Do you not believe that I speak truly?”
“Oh, no,” Jasen said. “No, I know that I’m attractive. Extremely attractive. You might even say that it’s my only redeeming quality.” He turned back to his horse. “We should probably get going.”
*~*~*
Oh, Jasen. You are such a moron.
All right, that's it for now! I hope that everyone has a good year's end, and I'm looking forward to putting out some great new stuff in 2015!
ANYWAY. I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to those who have nominated Consorting with Dragons for the 2014 Goodreads M/M Romance Group's Member Choice Awards! It's up for Best Debut, Best Fantasy, and Best Love's Landscapes Story. I am beyond thrilled to be nominated! :D Only the top 20% of the nominees will make it through to the next round, so if you feel like my book is worthy of your vote, you can vote here for Best Debut, here for Best Fantasy, and here for Best Love's Landscapes Story. The polls close on – eep!– December 12th!
Okay, onto the second order of business: I come bearing an excerpt! Here's a short scene from the upcoming expansion of Consorting with Dragons, wherein we get to tag along on one of Jasen and Rilvor's previously glossed over dates. Hope you enjoy!
*~*~*
They rode on in silence for a little while, with Jasen trailing Rilvor by a few paces. Rilvor sat straight in his saddle, his form perfect — the very essence of nobility. Jasen tried to reconcile the king in front of him with the small, wild boy he must have been, the forgotten fourth son of a dynasty that thought it would never need him, keeping company with the wild ascetic draeids of Rakon. Who would he be now if his family had survived? Or even more interesting, what would he be like if he wasn’t royal at all?
Jasen nudged his horse to quicken her pace until they were at pace with Rilvor. “What would you do if you weren’t king?” Jasen asked.
“I suppose I would have become a draeid,” he said. “As a younger son, it would have been my duty.”
“But what if you didn’t have any duties? What if something happened where you didn’t have to be the king anymore? What would you do?”
Rilvor raised an eyebrow. “That is not possible. I am the Lord of the Drae; that isn’t a position that one can abdicate."
“But let’s just say you could,” Jasen said. “Would you?”
“I think it would be difficult for a former king and somehow magically displaced Lord of the Drae to find a living to support his children,” Rilvor said with a quirk of his lips.
“What if you didn’t have them to support?”
“My life would be quite empty without my children.”
Jasen rolled his eyes. “Are you being thick on purpose? I’m trying to ask you what you would do without any responsibility."
“No responsibility,” Rilvor echoed. He thought about it for a moment. “So in your scenario, I cannot have a profession?”
“No.”
“And I cannot have my children?”
Jasen shook his head. “Sorry, but no.”
“Could I have you?”
Jasen’s face turned bright pink. He looked down at his hands as he tried to think of a response. As he was thinking, he passed under a low-hanging branch, which got caught in one of the ribbons on the ridiculous hat Rotheld had insisted he wear. He yelped as he yanked on the reins to bring his horse to a halt.
Rilvor immediately stopped his horse as well. “What is it? What’s happened?” he said.
“It’s this damned hat — it got caught in a branch.” Jasen struggled to untangle himself. “Who would put so many ribbons on a hat?” he fumed. “What possible purpose could they serve?”
“Can’t you just take it off?"
“I can try, but it’s pinned in place,” Jasen said. He reached under his hat and pulled out a few of the pins, then tried to pull it off. It barely budged. Worse than that, he could feel his hair getting tangled around the remaining pins, making him more stuck then ever. Jasen nearly screamed in frustration. “I think Rotheld must have used some sort of dark sorcery to stick this damned thing on!”
Rilvor dismounted and approached Jasen’s horse. He waved his hand; Jasen felt the hat break free of the branch.
“Thank you,” Jasen mumbled, still feeling ridiculous. He attempted again to extract the hat from his head to no avail.
“Come down here and let me help,” Rilvor said.
Jasen dismounted and stood beside Rilvor. Rilvor didn’t use any magic this time as he carefully removed the pins from the hat and Jasen’s hair. They were so close that Jasen could feel the heat of Rilvor’s body.
Jasen tried to stand still, but the intimacy of the situation and his own lingering embarrassment made it difficult. “I told Rotheld that it was a ridiculous hat to wear for a ride,” Jasen said as he pulled at his gloves. “He can be so stubborn though; it’s like he can’t stand for me to be completely comfortable. I escaped the corset this time, so naturally I had to suffer in some other — ”
He broke off as Rilvor pulled the hat free. His hair fell around his shoulders. “You can tell Rotheld that I prefer you unadorned,” Rilvor said, his voice now deep and soft. “If I had my way, I would have you always be as I saw you the first time in the draemir, in the simplest garments, free of all this senseless ornament and formality.”
Jasen could feel his face turn even redder. It seemed like he hadn’t stopped blushing since they began their ride, which was absolutely ridiculous. Jasen wasn’t exactly inexperienced. So why was it so different with Rilvor? Why did he feel like a blushing virgin every time he looked at him?
Rilvor brushed his fingers through Jasen’s hair. “You ask me what I would do if I were free. I would take you to Rakon with me, back to the wilderness where I spent my childhood. I would show you the woods that sheltered me when I needed escape from from the dead and dreary castle that was supposed to be my home. I would introduce you to my true family — to the animals and the birds, to the blooming wildflowers and cold, sweet brooks, and of course, the dragons. I would show you the meadows I ran through, the trees I slept under. And then we would make our home there, apart from the pressures of the world, where our only responsibilities would be to each other."
Rilvor leaned in so close that Jasen could feel his breath on his face; it smelled sweet, like honey. Jasen’s heart sped up. He felt both thrilled and terrified, because he realized at last what was different. Rilvor didn’t want a quick roll in the hay — he wanted him, all of him. And he wanted him for the rest of his life. But why? What made him so special?
Rilvor ran his hand over Jasen’s hair again, his fingers combing a tangle. “You are so lovely,” he murmured.
And just like that, the spell was broken. Lovely. Of course. That was it.
Jasen turned his head away and took a small step backward. Rilvor removed his hand from Jasen’s hair and frowned. “I’ve upset you somehow,” he said.
“No, not at all,” Jasen mumbled unconvincingly.
“Was it because I said you were lovely?” Rilvor asked. “Do you not believe that I speak truly?”
“Oh, no,” Jasen said. “No, I know that I’m attractive. Extremely attractive. You might even say that it’s my only redeeming quality.” He turned back to his horse. “We should probably get going.”
*~*~*
Oh, Jasen. You are such a moron.
All right, that's it for now! I hope that everyone has a good year's end, and I'm looking forward to putting out some great new stuff in 2015!
October 8, 2014
Contest winners, plus an exciting announcement!
Greeting and salutations, everyone!
First off, I want to begin with the announcement of the contest winners! As you may remember, everyone who signed up for my newsletter was automatically entered to win my books for life. I've selected the winners via random lot, so without further ado...
Congratulations to Kate and Tammy!
If you haven't already, you might want to sign up for my newsletter for the chance to win stuff, plus awesome deals for everyone on upcoming releases.
Onto some announcements:
The production of my next full length novel, Curses, Foiled Again, has been delayed due to a recent cluster of catastrophes. (Seriously, why do terrible things seem to happen all at once? Someone should look into that.) However! I am hard at work on a 10K word expansion of Consorting with Dragons (which will be 100% free), and I am excited to announce a new project: I will be writing a follow-up novella to CwD, starring Larely! The tentative title is Larely Lands a Lover. Here's the blurb:
After Larely had his heart broken (well, bruised, anyway) by Jasen, he returns home to his father's vineyard. He'd gone to the Draelands to escape the dull life his overbearing family had laid out for him, but now he's resigned himself to his fate.
However, his outlook changes when the cold but devastatingly good-looking Lord Renard hires him to teach him swordplay in the hopes of pleasing his demanding father. Renard is notoriously difficult to get along with, but is clearly suffering in spite of his glowering facade. Pursuing him is a bad idea, but Larely has always had a weakness for handsome young lords in distress. And perhaps together (and with a little help of a dragon friend), they'll be able to stand up to their families and create a life for themselves on their own terms.
Are you excited? I'm excited! I'm hoping to have it out by the end of the year.
Okay, that's it for now! As always, I'd love to hear from you: leave a comment, ask me a question, shoot me an email, flag me down via semaphore - you know, whatever.
Catch you all later!
First off, I want to begin with the announcement of the contest winners! As you may remember, everyone who signed up for my newsletter was automatically entered to win my books for life. I've selected the winners via random lot, so without further ado...
Congratulations to Kate and Tammy!
If you haven't already, you might want to sign up for my newsletter for the chance to win stuff, plus awesome deals for everyone on upcoming releases.
Onto some announcements:
The production of my next full length novel, Curses, Foiled Again, has been delayed due to a recent cluster of catastrophes. (Seriously, why do terrible things seem to happen all at once? Someone should look into that.) However! I am hard at work on a 10K word expansion of Consorting with Dragons (which will be 100% free), and I am excited to announce a new project: I will be writing a follow-up novella to CwD, starring Larely! The tentative title is Larely Lands a Lover. Here's the blurb:
After Larely had his heart broken (well, bruised, anyway) by Jasen, he returns home to his father's vineyard. He'd gone to the Draelands to escape the dull life his overbearing family had laid out for him, but now he's resigned himself to his fate.
However, his outlook changes when the cold but devastatingly good-looking Lord Renard hires him to teach him swordplay in the hopes of pleasing his demanding father. Renard is notoriously difficult to get along with, but is clearly suffering in spite of his glowering facade. Pursuing him is a bad idea, but Larely has always had a weakness for handsome young lords in distress. And perhaps together (and with a little help of a dragon friend), they'll be able to stand up to their families and create a life for themselves on their own terms.
Are you excited? I'm excited! I'm hoping to have it out by the end of the year.
Okay, that's it for now! As always, I'd love to hear from you: leave a comment, ask me a question, shoot me an email, flag me down via semaphore - you know, whatever.
Catch you all later!
