Yes, it’s been hot, but not like some parts of the country (or world, for that matter), so I can’t complain too much, and for all who are suffering under extreme weather conditions, you have my sympathy and wishes for a speedy return to normalcy.
At least the nights cool down in the high desert so close to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and we get views like this…
One day, I will again have updates from the writer’s chair, but cross stitching is still holding me together through a rough and strange couple of years, so sharing my bright beauties is the best way to spread a little joy. You might find it somewhat quirky that I put so much effort into cataloging my stitchy progress with Canva, but these graphic-packed blogs are for me as much as they are for anyone. I love having this cozy space to visit snapshots of life’s happenings in the midst of living new adventures or undergoing challenges. I do hope you find something here to enjoy as well.
But first…
Bookish things
Since books and crafting bring me so much peace and joy, I have an interview scheduled for October that features both.
Mark your calendars for a visit with me and The Witchy Stitcher. Not only will you go behind the scenes on writing a truly superb and beautiful craft book (I get stars in my eyes every time I page through it) but you will also meet a unique and vital member of the cross-stitching community.
You won’t want to miss August’s guest, either. Jacci Turner is a wonderful writer of YA fiction, teacher of the craft, and an active member of the Sierra Arts Literary Community, right in my own neighborhood. I really enjoyed her class on character development at the Virginia City Writing Retreat this May.
And this month features a fantastic conversation with Morgan Vayle, who writes Paranormal Romantasy inspired by her surroundings in the Pacific Northwest. The two of us are sharing in another exciting #RomanceBookBlast promotion this week. Don’t miss your chance at FREE romance!
Mini Adventure with the New Hip
The highlight this month was very personal, and I’ll leave most of it to reside in my memories, but I do want to share some of it here because I finally experienced an Airbnb (I do need to get out more) after a mini road trip where I drove for the first time with my new hip, installed only a few short weeks ago. The event turned out to be one of those truly special times with my sisters that make lasting memories.
The California landscape is beautiful and diverse. You’ve got your mountains and rolling hills beautiful, your coastal beautiful, your Victorian city beautiful (San Francisco is in the topmost beautiful cities in the world), and lots and lots of cozy pioneer town beautiful. Grass Valley/Nevada City falls into the last category. That’s where I stayed with my stepsister in an adorable 1930’s cottage that turned out to be comfortable, affordable, and well-equipped. The enclosed back porch even provided a vintage game room. I’ll share a few photos in case you’re ever in the vicinity and want a great place to stay. Look for the pet friendly, adorable Quartz Cottage.
A lovely welcome from Sis!This vintage Pachinko game works!What better perch for a Pachinko game than an antique icebox?An old slot machine that didn’t work, dang it.
The vintage Pachinko machine actually works, and it was fun! Brought back memories from my 70s childhood because for some reason, they caught on as a toy in a lot of American households–maybe as a lark to annoy parents with all that clanging noise. See the history of Pachinko, if you’re curious.
Naomi Valkyrie, author of the Life is Hell series and The Cursed series, is known for her unique writing style, perfectly flawed characters, and chosen family themes.
Naomi is fond of saying she is merely the humble vessel characters choose to tell their stories through. Thankfully, her family forgives her midnight writing binges and plies her with caffeine when the characters won’t stop talking.
Let’s Get Started
Welcome to my Spotlight, Naomi. Tell us a little about yourself and how you began your writing journey.
I don’t remember when, exactly, I started writing my first book. It was in 2018, but the details elude me. I’ve slept since then. The whole thing began when I was driving to work one day. I thought, I wonder if I could write a book? So, I did. And then, as often happens, I developed a taste for it.
What or who was your biggest inspiration, your favorite author. Perhaps you can share your favorite books.
I think everything I’ve ever read is part of the inspiration behind my creativity. Reading was my escape in childhood, I spent more time in books than the real world whenever I could. Reading saved my life in a lot of ways.
By nature, I am a person who loves to learn – on my own terms. If I am interested in a topic, I will absorb as much as I can. It’s given me a deep well to dive into when coming up with story ideas. And because I spent so much time using my imagination as a kid, nearly anything can spark an idea now.
There’s no one favorite author for me. There are so many good books, and just not enough time to read them all!
You write in multiple genres under various pen names. I imagine that allows you to wear many creative hats and let your imagination soar. But what are the practical reasons to designate pen names, and what is your advice to authors in that regard?
Originally, I didn’t intend to write under multiple pen names; and you can see this when you look at my Naomi Valkyrie catalog. I’ve got Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy Romance, Contemporary Romance, and an Alien romance in there.
Then, as happens so often as you grow in your authorship journey, I learned about branding and continuity. The Valkyrie pen name is now focused on Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Romance.
But, I still wanted to write in those other romance sub-genres. The answer was creating new pen names. When I did that, it got overwhelming real fast. Social media platforms for each one. Newsletters for each one. No, thank you! I am one person. I can only manage so much. This overwhelm led me to create the Kaleidoscope Romance umbrella where I run all the pen names in one place.
If there is advice in this area I would give, it would be to start the umbrella from the beginning so you can spend more time on writing than management. Since I streamlined it, I’ve been much more productive.
Do you write full-time? What is your writing schedule like, and how do you balance writing–your creative time–with day-to-day life? Do you have favorite techniques you use to get your creative juices flowing?
I write full time. That is, I write when my brain lets me. Being neurodivergent, sometimes it can get tricky corralling my brain to stay on task. So, unlike a lot of authors, I don’t have a firm schedule. I write when the hyperfocus comes on, and knock out big chunks at a time.
Not only am I neurodivergent, my family is as well. Our daily life looks different than it would in a neurotypical household. Every day can look different from the day before. It just depends on where everyone is with what they can tolerate at any given time. Most of the time, we flow pretty well. And when we hit a hiccup, we pivot until we get back on track.
As for creative techniques, I don’t have any specific ones. An idea pops into my head and I sit down and write. Ideas are never my problem. Wrangling my brain to stay focused is my biggest hurdle.
What are your top writing resources to help with productivity (applications, services, websites, etc.) and favorite methods you’ve gathered along the way? Are you a pantser or plotter?
I go about my writing process a little differently. All of my first drafts are handwritten. It’s the way my brain works best. So, the most important tools for me are pencils and paper. And I have a hoard of them! Oh, and erasers. Because the ones on pencils never last as long as the lead.
My next most important tool, from a writing standpoint, is Atticus. It does everything I need all in one. The first step in my editing process is transcribing my draft into Atticus to create the manuscript. Then, once all my editing steps are finished, I can format it in there for eBook or paperback!
Since I have nearly abandoned social media – seriously, it is virtually impossible to get visibility on any of the platforms without paying now – my primary tools for marketing are FloDesk for my newsletter (the most important piece of marketing), BookFunnel for group promos and swaps, and StoryKeepr, a robust author management platform where I have my to-do list, release calendar, tracking links, landing pages, more swaps, etc.
At this time, the only two social media platforms I still use on a regular basis are BlueSky and Mastodon. After tracking the numbers, I observed these two platforms are the ones that give me the most traffic. I’m not wasting valuable writing time posting anywhere else. So, you’ll probably find my pages on Facebook, but I am rarely ever on there. And most of those pages have a pinned post to direct people to find me elsewhere. It’s unfortunate, but social media sites have become cesspools and a time suck that’s robbing us of both productivity and attention spans.
Community building is where it’s at now, and most social media isn’t doing that anymore. For community building, I lean on my newsletter, and on my Discord server. There’s no feed to keep me side-tracked with scrolling. I am there having productive conversations with other authors and with readers.
Oh, yes. I must mention my website. Having a website is a key tool. If something happens to your account on a publishing platform, you want people to still be able to find you! (This is also why building a newsletter list is important). Yes, maintaining a website can be tedious, but it keeps you available to readers!
Pantser or Plotter? I hinted at this earlier. I am, and always will be, a pantser. I have to let my brain go where it’s going to go. If I try to organize any of it, it freezes me up. I’ve learned to just sit with the pencil and paper and let my brain download whatever is in there. You can fix anything in edits!
Any advice on publishing?
This is a BIG subject, and a lot of it depends on the person.
I think the most important thing is, before you even publish your first book, decide on your path and stick with it for several years. Things take time to ramp up. Publishing is a slow build. It’s not a get-rich-quick scenario. I know a lot of people don’t want to hear that, but them’s the facts.
If you decide you want to publish wide, then stick with it for several years. Give it time to take root. If you decide you want to publish in KU, stick with it. Don’t bail after six months. That’s not enough time to get any real data. Again – slow build.
Another important thing, you have to get used to change in the overall industry. When I first began, Amazon was the king of indie publishing. Nowadays, more and more authors are going wide, and even setting up direct sales to sell their own books (look into Fourthwall for this).
There’s a lot of advice out there. It can be like trying to drink through a firehose. STOP. BREATHE.
Now, what do YOU want to get out of this? What are you ABLE to do? What is in alignment with your goals and values?
Looking back on my author journey, I can see how I burned out hard several times. I was trying to do too many things that were not in alignment with my values. And, I was trying to do things from a neurotypical framing. But, I’m not neurotypical. Those ways don’t work for me.
People are going to give you a lot of advice. It’s your job to figure out what is actually viable for you, and what you can throw out.
At the end of last year, I did a re-evaluation of my authoring. I realized, with their overwhelming lean into AI, Amazon was no longer in alignment with my values. I’ve taken all my eBooks down from that platform. I wish I could opt out of that platform for my paperbacks, but alas! D2D doesn’t have granular opt out options for that.
Sometimes you’re going to have to make hard decisions to stay true to yourself. But in the long run, you’ll feel better about where you’re headed. Did I take a hit in my sales? Yep. But, it’s temporary. I’m just getting into a new groove. I had to pivot for the greater good of my business. Because if my mental state about my writing isn’t good, I can’t put out quality work.
What have you found to be your best marketing path?
This is another one of those areas where the way you market is dependent on who you are and what you can tolerate.
As mentioned above, after looking at the data, social media turned out to be a complete waste of time and an attention span saboteur. A lot of marketing tips out there are social media tips. Not applicable to me. You’re going to have to weed through all the noise to see what is in alignment with your values, and what allows you to maximize writing time. You need to study the hard data to see where you’re leaking time.
What I’ve leaned into is building my newsletter list. Your newsletter list is the only thing you own. A social media platform can tank your account without notice. A sales platform might close your account without warning. But if you have a newsletter list, you have a way to let your readers know what’s going on.
I build my list through group promos and newsletter swaps. Yes, this requires giving away something free (a reader magnet). I know some of you are probably cringing at that. But, a free book (or chapter sample if you just can’t stomach the idea of a whole free book) is a time-tested part of marketing strategy. Now, you don’t want to give away just any free book. You want something that represents your catalog. For instance, if you write sweet romance, this is not the time to try a dark romance freebie. That sets readers up for disappointment.
I put my free books/chapter previews in group promos that match the sub-genre or theme of my book. Niching down this way adds to the chances I’m going to get readers that are actually interested in what I’m writing. I also swap in matching sub-genres or tropes.
My newsletter is weekly. But that works for me. If you can only send something out monthly, do it. Your strategy has to work for you. Otherwise, you won’t keep up with it.
When I do post on social media, I post and run. I’m talking roadrunner speed with dust flying. As long as I’ve got the right hashtags on my posts, BlueSky and Mastodon do most of the work for me. And those posts are mainly visibility posts. I get almost no sales from them.
In addition to promos and swaps through BookFunnel and StoryKeepr, I participate in active Round Robins. This means, I make sure everyone participating is actually going to share on time. It does no good if people aren’t following through.
Most of my networking is done on author-related Discord servers. And I have my own server where we share ideas and support each other. Part of my networking is offering a monthly Featured Reads spot for authors on my website. I am also building a networking database for authors to search to find networking partners.
As they say, team work makes the dream work!
Can you talk about what you’ve got in the works, your latest releases, and where we can find your books?
After several releases, I learned about leveraging readthrough. I love all my previous book babies. They helped me grow! But now, I am focused on building an entire world. My current series is The Cursed. It’s the foundation series that eight other series will branch off from – one additional series under the Valkyrie pen name, and the remaining seven under the Styx pen name.
As of this spotlight, I’m working on The Cursed: Merric, which is book six. I also have projects scheduled for my other four pen names. And by scheduled, I mean, they’re on the calendar, but who knows if the timeline will stick. I’ve already started the drafts for some of theCurrently, under Naomi Valkyrie and Sinister Styx, you can find my books on:
Thanks again for visiting, Naomi. Any parting advice to aspiring writers?
Build a solid community – both reader and author. You might have to try a few before you find one that fits. If you can’t find one, Kaleidoscope Romance has a server for the misfits, neurodivergent peeps, LGBTQ+ peeps, outliers. If it’s divergent, we’re probably okay with it (with some logical exceptions – like what’s in those Files we keep hearing about right now). Our basic rule is – don’t be shitty to each other. If we’re all sticking to that, it keeps the drama down. One other thing is yes to networking, no to spamming. We’re here to have a good time, not weed through ads.
Don’t put up with anyone’s bullshit. If you leave an interaction feeling like crap about yourself, that’s not a thing you need to repeat. Use the block button early and often.
Beware of scams. They are plentiful, especially now with all the AI stuff going around. Writer Beware is a good resource: https://writerbeware.blog/
Filter advice like you would if you had to purify drinking water in the wild. Just because something worked for someone else doesn’t mean it’ll be a fit for you. And if you discover something isn’t working for you, you’re not chained to it. Give it the axe. You want to enjoy your process, not dread it.
One of the most important things I’ve learned on this journey is, no one is walking my path. They may be walking beside me, but they’re not on my path. Ultimately, my decisions have to work with my life. While you will run across people called experts, YOU are the expert on your life. There’s no one right way to do this out there – there’s only the right way for you.
So, there you have it. The thoughts and journey of a Gen X survivor who is too old to give a shit about fitting in and playing by the rules.
Wow, Naomi, what a wealth of resources you’ve gathered. I can’t express enough thanks for sharing your amazing insights and valuable advice gleaned from your writing journey. So many of us get bogged down with the business of writing while all we want is to focus on the joy of writing. This is so helpful in putting it all in perspective and giving us tools to streamline the process. I wish you all the best in your endeavors.
I recently explored the concept of my characters sprouting from alien spoors, seeding my mind with featureless golems that come to life through my fingers and spring over the keyboard. Yes, I live with pods in my head. I really like it in there, and they depend on me.
What I don’t like is having to leave them behind when I come out to do all the mind-bending, endless labor it takes to publish and sell books. Too much time getting headaches when all I want to do is add dimension to my pod family! …And maybe find some time to relax with the hubby. That seems to be a hard-won bonus these days. I mostly get to see him when he comes to visit my pod people. He’s very amenable that way.
But I’m being honest here… I mostly want to run screaming back to the confines of my imagination. There are scenes needing to be written! More characters that lay dormant, waiting for the words to make them whole. Why must I go down a million internet vortexes that lead to galaxies, that lead to universes where it seems I might never find my way back out, just to get them out into the world?
Do they really need to go into print? Maybe my pod people are happier where they are.
The bottom line is, I tell their stories for readers to enjoy.
So, grow pod people, take shape, and fly off the page and into cozy reading nooks everywhere.
Updated Blog, January 2026 – This year is the fifth anniversary of my series launch! Enjoy The Starlight Chronicles... On SALE January 26 – 30!
Artwork above and below by:
Vic DeLeon Art Director, Ark II, Studio Wildcard – ArtStation.com
This story is a single journal entry in Book One, Ursus Borealis, in The Starlight Chronicles series. I found it rather fun to write a story within a story within a story. It nestles in a chapter featuring Kuliana Hada, a character that appears throughout the series, who is an Anurashin Captain of the Guard. Cynthia is her ancestress.
Cynthia’s story is incorporated into an actual historical account about the White Ship that sailed in 1120 as described. Its sinking changed history.
This sounds impossible, I know. You will just have to take my word for it. That is, if you’re from a realm apart from this hidden place beneath a volcano, and if this message manages to reach you, as I hope.
My life began on a farm in the County of Anjou. It was forever changed when I met a bear from Normandy.
After immersing myself in the astonishing world of my mate and the kingdoms of the shifters, learning there was life beyond this Earth before reaching the heavens took only a few extra pints to swallow down. That, and meeting Zigan. It turns out that Zigan and I are old souls who have danced through this journey before in many previous lifetimes.
How my soul was chosen for this repeated Earth-bound destiny remains a mystery, but my magus spent many hours over wine in our chateau, sharing what he knew of our history, or rather, the history of the prophecy of the marked maidens.
As for Zigan, up until we met—in this time—he had spent his life training with the Order, which included studying the records in the extensive archives and all forms of alchemy. He had also been honed into a fierce warrior. Even more astonishing, he could transform into a stunning feline, which I learned was called a tiger.
For eight years, I experienced what it was to be part of the Pack, to be soulmates with its alpha, to be one part of a wondrous whole. We were successful in our purpose, keeping the princes’ machinations from the human population and mitigating the damage.
This is the part at the end of our story. Writing it down is agony because it chronicles the event that halted our purpose violently, tore me from those I loved, and marked the beginning of my slow and lonely death. Still, it must be told.
It takes place starting mid-morning on the 25th day of November in the year 1120. We arrived at Barfleur near the coast of Normandy after confirming the location of the current plot of Aviel Enair, the oldest and most formidable of the three sibling princes.
We lacked the details, but we knew his scheme would involve the sailing vessel known as the White Ship, renowned for its speed and beauty, now carrying the only legitimate heir to King Henry I across the English Channel.
###
Frustration gripped me as I wrapped my arm around myself, trying to catch my breath after running the length of the docks. I called out to my mate, who was approaching behind me.
“It is just as we feared, Aldric. The ship has almost reached the Quilleboeuf!”
As I spoke, three hundred souls sailed away, including other nobles and the heir, and the loss would be catastrophic to the burgeoning English monarchy.
When we learned that the king’s seventeen-year-old son, William Adelin, desired to sail on this elegant vessel while his father sailed ahead of him, and that Aviel had set his sights on it, we considered the hazards the Anurashin prince might exploit. The ship had a good reputation and so did its captain, Thomas FitzStephen, whose father had taken the prince’s grandfather, William the Conqueror, across the same sea.
The only evident risk was sailing past Gatteville, where hidden rocks such as the Quilleboeuf lay waiting for careless sailors. But FitzStephen was surely used to navigating such hazards.
I breathed in the salty air to sharpen my mind while I considered our options. The raucous calls of seagulls ebbed overhead as they congregated, fought, and flew off with morsels of fish as their prize. Despite the size and piercing eyes of the warrior next to me, we stood unnoticed among the throng of bodies rushing toward their duties on the bustling docks.
“You must call Zigan, my love,” Aldric said, drawing me to his side and offering his warmth as I shivered from the urgency of our task and the breeze cooling the sweat of my exertion.
Although we were French, our purpose as part of this prophetic trio was to maintain the balance of power fated for this world in our time. According to Zigan’s archives, when the princes interfered, it fared badly for the human populations.
That meant we were trained to take risks, and we discovered this scheme by becoming captives of the princes at their temporary encampment while each enjoyed inflicting painful retribution on us for our past successes. But Aviel allowed his brothers’ torment to go only so far, which we’d learned to count on, though we didn’t understand it.
Our plan included an escape.
It went perfectly until we ran into a trap and had to leave our pack behind to fight, which also delayed our arrival. A worry was taking hold in me that the last eight years of joy and strife might culminate on these docks. Still, I pushed on.
After placing the insides of my wrists together, my tiger appeared, first as an image on my skin, then as a man stepping out of a gray mist, calmly taking us in with fathomless dark eyes. His markings glowed bright gold against his bronze arms, and his silky black hair waved in the breeze.
“We need to get aboard that ship, Zigan.” I pointed to the sails disappearing north along the coast to Gatteville. “Can you haze us there?”
“Yes, precious one. But I may not have the ability to get you back.”
“Let me go with him,” Aldric said. “If the ship were to sink, and Zigan cannot return us both…” He let that thought trail off as he looked at me in that fierce way that melted my heart.
The powerful love I had for this man, this larger-than-life Norman-born warrior who shared the spirit of a mighty brown bear, still overwhelmed me after all these years. We had not taken one moment of our time for granted, knowing the dangers inherent in my destiny.
“But I must be the one on that ship, Aldric,” I said as I clutched his hand. “We have no idea what is planned, and we need my instincts as a marked maiden.”
“Vous serez remarquée, ma bien-aimée. I can blend in and discern the situation. We must go now, as they quickly approach the rocks.”
I stood on my toes and brought his face close to mine, gazing into his brown eyes to see his bear gleaming at me, a magnificent creature he could transform into at will. Our lips met for an exquisite moment before I stepped back.
“I will bring him back safely,” Zigan said, taking hold of my mate.
They disappeared. I took shelter and waited. They returned in Zigan’s mist in less than thirty minutes.
Aldric and I moved together without thinking, as we did after every parting. Satisfied with the reunion, he gave his report. “Nearly everyone on board was drunk on wine and betting on a race to beat the king to England. The ship sailed fast, pushing its limits. Not more than ten minutes after we arrived, it hit the rocks and foundered.” I gasped in dismay, but he assured me the king’s son had made it to a lifeboat.
Without warning, warriors in the garb of another time appeared in a heavy mist that seemed to roll in from the sea. We assumed battle stances as they surrounded us, Zigan and Aldric drawing their swords. I shouted the cry of the Pack and raised my own blade. The clash of steel rang out across the harbor as bystanders rushed to get out of the way.
We held our own against a dozen until my sword was knocked from my hand. Vice-like arms grabbed me from behind, and Aldric’s roar shook the planks beneath our feet. But the Anurashin warrior kept me from my mate’s reach, letting the others leap in between us, forcing Aldric to slice his way to me.
“The prince has his sights on you, maiden,” the warrior said in my ear. “Did you not think he would succeed?”
“No matter that he tries, I will never be his!”
Springing my knife from my sleeve, I lunged back, shoved it between the ribs of my tormentor, and twisted. The warrior grunted in pain, but his grip did not loosen. Aldric dodged blades, slammed his fists into faces, and rammed bodies while I struggled to pull free.
Zigan moved so fast that arcs of blood hovered in the air where he last appeared. But when he got close enough to reach for me, the warrior jerked us back, and two others lunged for him.
To my utter horror, dual strikes took Zigan’s head.
My knees buckled from the agony tearing through my heart and then through my whole being, as Zigan’s soul was ripped from mine with brutal force. I never imagined our bond could be so viciously severed or that the warrior magus was anything but invincible.
A sickening realization sank like a stone in my belly. This had been Aviel’s plan all along—why he let us escape. He had engineered the entire scheme to kill my magus, seize me, and destroy the Pack de Normande.
What was left of my heart was shattered when Aldric stepped into the path of a blade to reach for me, ignoring the pain, desperate to save me as he felt the agony of my loss and our loss to come.
The mist I dreaded grew thick, and I felt as if I were breaking into tiny pieces. None of this could be happening!
The devastated face of my mate told me he had come to the same incomprehensible conclusion while he watched me fade into bits, so close to him our fingers nearly touched.
I poured my heart and soul into my words. “I will love you forever!”
The sound that followed was the fierce roar of a wounded bear.
Snow might visit us next week. I wanted to share our own splash of fall color, which we look forward to each year. We so enjoy our pistachio tree, which has taken years to reach this fullness. It stands out beautifully against the scrubby olive and locust trees. Don’t get me wrong. I treasure every inch of our two acres—scrubby brush and all—with our view of Mt. Rose, even before the snow caps its majestic peaks.
October is extra special. I have one treatment left to go and then maybe I can grow back my hair.
Reached 46 of 50 in my annual reading challenge. It was easy this month with four great reads. Lovin’ another fabulous urban fantasy series from Lindsay Buroker. Death Before Dragons. No one does page-turning, urban fantasy set in the PNW, featuring witty banter and fascinating, relatable MMFs better!
Tried a new author, Dianna Love. I really enjoyed this no-nonsense, direct writing style with great action and compelling characters. Glad I tried this book out on a deal. I’ll be going on to the next book in this Wild Wolf Pack series set in the urban fantasy world of the powerful Gallize shifters—Corbin.
Check out my September Spotlight interview with Jade Griffin if you haven’t already—lots of great insights and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the life of a TTRPG writer.
Looking forward to more fun books in October, a lively interview with northern Nevada YA author Sue C. Dugan, and at least two short story writing challenges. Oh, and my last two chemotherapy treatments! I should say, I’m looking forward to the end of my treatments. Until radiation that is.
The spicy scent in the air is enough, but then there are the crisp, warm colors, both bringing the coziness that lends itself to all the activities I enjoy—writing, reading a good paranormal romance, knitting, walking with my dogs and husband, taking a drive through the mountains, maybe on a yarn crawl, or going to Apple Hill to pick up a deep-dish apple pie. I’m missing those this year. But my friend and I are already planning for next year.
I mention a drive through the mountains (only miles away) because from my house, the colors are somewhat absent. But it’s only minutes, and I find myself immersed in color. That’s life in the high desert. I’m situated at 5,000 feet amid scrubby sagebrush and elm trees, looking across at Mt. Rose with its tantalizing streaks of orange and yellow. I do have a single pistachio tree that tries to do its brilliant thing before the frost hits or the winds blow off all the leaves. Still, I can’t complain about the views from my two acres.
Fall is also when I order my calendars and customized weekly planner from Personal Planner, an activity I eagerly look forward to all year. Setting up a new planner is the best part. When I need a break from writing, I turn to my neglected cross-stitching, knitting, and crochet WIPs while listening to books or watching movies. I also enjoy coloring in my planner inserts or doing a little Zentangling. So cozy! I signed up for the fall Writing Battle Short Story Contest because I haven’t participated in one of their seasonal challenges in a while, and I miss them! I’m also thinking about writing a flash fiction piece for a contest with Fractured Lit.
Here are a few photo collages to spread the cheer.
My crafts are never carried out alone. This is Fernando, the chihuahua, and Harley the… Well, your guess is as good as mine. Both rescues and my best writing buddies. These are a few of my favorite fall cross stitch projects, two finished, and one I’m hoping to get done by Halloween.
How about a cozy paranormal romance for your fall reading enjoyment? Follow me to stay posted on my October sale.
My writer friend Lucky Noma made me a song. He’s an awesome friend and it’s an awesome song.
Captured By the Hunted is a vampire story set in Central Europe and one of three fantasy threesome romance novellas in Les Romances des Trois. Chapter 10 features a main character, vampire enforcer Gedeon Kadar, recalling his life as a Scythian chieftain before being turned. He gave his human life to save his stolen mate, Taclaema.
Lucky’s song was inspired by Azersarta’s tragedy. Les Romances has been republished on Amazon and is available on Kindle Unlimited and Audible.
I leaned forward again and repeated my question. “Halil Enair, do you admit shooting Ozzy Pruitt with illegal dark magic, locking him in his owl form, and causing him to slip into a coma?”
Recalling my helplessness and nearly losing Ozzy had me clenching my jaw. But we both survived, and two of the offenders below me risked their lives to help. One was the woman eyeing me steadily. She straightened her shoulders, letting out a dramatic sigh.
“Yes. I shot your owl spy, Michael Elliott.” She drew out my name, snark in tact. It still sounded amazing in her husky voice. “I knew the weapon could have killed him. As I explained the first three times, anyone with you was to be treated as collateral damage.” I raised an eyebrow. No less damning, but I had to give the woman credit for sticking to her brazen honesty.
If I learned anything about Halil Enair, it was that although she might speak impulsively, every word had a purpose or was meant to provoke a specific reaction, and the little bee loved to sting. Was I giving her what she wanted? I doubted it. I hadn’t been an alpha this long without mastering my reactions to goading, yet I sensed my fellow alphas’ eyes on me. I upped the sternness of my glower.
“I admitted my actions five times,” Halil continued. “Heizan and I explained to the investigators no less than seven times the workings of my father’s dark magic weapon and his orders to bring you to him. I admitted three times to participating in your torture, describing in lurid detail every act I inflicted on you. Would you like me to repeat those details a fourth…” she cleared her throat, “and fifth time?”
If her hands were free, one would rest on her cocked hip, although the gesture might reveal her slight tremor. I also had another quirk to add to what I was learning about Halil Enair. She quantified things to make her point and didn’t like landing on even numbers. Interesting.
“We can skip…” I started to drawl. She interrupted.
“You blushed each time I illustrated my… creativity in handling certain of your parts. You’re doing it again.” And there was that deliciously throaty voice from that nightmare cavern. “You must feel those cheeks flaming hot like your swoony eyes tend to do when your dragon is riled. You aren’t used to getting red in the face, are you, Alpha?” How did she do that? Turn that sting into allure, her exaggerations into truth.
Her inscrutable amethyst gems, framed by thick blonde lashes, beckoned me like a siren with an irresistible song, and everyone but us might have vanished from this chiseled-out crater. Being alone with Halil Enair in the desert didn’t seem like such a terrible idea…
I gritted my teeth, and the insanity passed. She continued in her smug, honeyed tones. “I promised on that godsforsaken island to submit to an accounting of my crimes. I kept my promise. Now, let’s get on with the sentencing. I’m tired of standing here, getting a crick in my neck looking up at you.”
Halil Enair
I swiped at the irritating copper cuff with my toes. Flush against my skin and feeling more like silk than metal, I hardly noticed it was there except for the incessant hum. I scoffed. The Council thought their magic band would hamper my abilities. I had different ideas that I hadn’t tested because a small part of me wanted to atone. Another part wanted to know how long I could stick it out without cheating, and part of me couldn’t stand disappointing a certain alpha, even if I did think he was arrogant.
I bit back another huff and glanced across the table. The lovebirds were busy canoodling, so I dished out our casserole. Next, I uncorked the wine and poured it into etched crystal glasses—a ritual I’d come to enjoy as much as our post-dinner cribbage games.
That surprising new pastime got me thinking of the more profound reflections I’d engaged in since moving to Ketchikan. Yeah, go figure. I, live-on-the-edge Halil, was having insights. While my frustrations often overwhelmed me, I admitted that my probation, or exile of shame, was serving its purpose, helping me realign my life and embrace the concept of having choices.
I could even acknowledge that the alpha, who suffered the worst from my actions, seemed fine with letting me denounce him as my jailer, as if he understood my need for a bullseye with broad shoulders. Gods, get your mind off that mouthwatering physique, Halil. Still, the analogy illustrated the soul of an alpha—the willingness to shoulder responsibility for so many. But then he did something that made me wonder if there was more to it.
Michael Elliott had attached the monitor to my ankle himself, sealing it with his dragon’s magic while my Aunt Magdalene took care of my brothers.
His face was fascinating to watch as I fidgeted and jerked, jumping up to complain, sitting back down, and fidgeting again just to see that fine, darkly stubbled jaw clench in… well, I’d hoped it would be irritation. Instead, the alpha looked amused. I can still see that glimpse of his tantalizing smile and the glint in his deep midnight-blue eyes. Eventually, I sat still long enough to let him finish, mostly to enjoy gazing at his luxuriant blue-black hair as he knelt at my feet.
Challenging him seemed like a good idea at the time, but I’m sure I came off as a sullen adolescent. I couldn’t stand to make our probationary arrangement easy or give him that oddly intimate power over me: an untenable outcome and the hardest to swallow. Yet, I had the same question every time I went down this path: how could he smile at all after what I had done?
Spero Vic
After sitting half the bloody day in a hazy corner of the Juniper’s Hollow, broiling next to the fire and nursing too many beers while I waited for my mark to show his hairy dwarf face, I was itching to toss a chaos spell into the middle of the crowd to break the monotony. It didn’t help that my butt ached like a mother. Why did pubs never have cushioned seats when the entire goal was to keep their patrons engaged in prolonged alcohol consumption?
As if the hard oak wasn’t bad enough, I was forced to cram my long legs into awkward angles to fit them beneath the shrunken booth.
A shrill laugh pinged off my frayed nerves, and I closed my eyes. The Woody Woodpecker impersonator at the bar was going to be my first victim. Shit.Cartoons?What would pop into my head next? Disrupting the cheer careening around the low-ceilinged oak-beamed tavern was gaining traction as a workable idea.
The hours enduring pipe smoke, beer fumes, burning candles, and dwarf sweat had triggered a throbbing in my left temple. I needed relief, but drawing attention was out of the question. So, I distracted myself with thoughts of the luscious redheaded hellion I’d left snoring in my bed at dawn after borrowing her portal key to hop into this realm… illegally. It wasn’t often that my schemes lined up with a night of acrobatic sex. Unfortunately, I was so over this vigil that my most lurid moments with Ursula weren’t even doing it for me.
My empty stomach clenched, reminding me I hadn’t consumed anything but the dwarves’ superior version of German beer since yesterday. Shit! F##* hunger, f*#% nerves, f%*# Ursula. Meeting the dwarf and talking him out of the thing I’d come for was the only way to satisfy the hollow pit in my stomach, the gnawing ache I’d lived with for too many rune-cursed months.
I was about to run a hand through my hair but remembered just in time to keep both hands wrapped around my tankard, pretending to enjoy my tepid beer. My glamour kicked ass, easily concealing a tall human dressed in a duster loaded with rune magic in a room full of stout patrons who barely topped five feet. However, after so many hours fighting hunger and boredom, it was becoming harder to maintain. I needed to hold it together until Larin Birch sauntered through that oak plank door.
Was it too much to expect a regimented dwarf to stick to his schedule? Had someone gotten to him? I just need to get what I came for, return home, and slip the key around Ursula’s lovely neck before she wakes. Then, I’ll rouse the dryad and send her back to her forest, her memories as hazy as her missing hours.
This plan had been weeks in the making, and this was only the first step, one of many in a series of progressively crazier moves still ahead, which was nothing new for the “batshit-crazy rogue mage intent on his purpose,” as another surprisingly astute lover had said, stumbling out of my apartment, laugh-crying and shaking her head. A night with me between silk sheets often resulted in blissful disorientation and colorful slurs against my character, even from the powerful supernaturals I typically went for.
All but one. A shapeshifter with man-killer instincts: Halil Enair, an especially memorable dalliance, who won’t be pleased to see me on her doorstep. Unfortunately for her, she had a crucial role to play in my scheme.
I unclenched my jaw and took a few deep breaths. No one needed to hear my teeth grinding. Still… “Just a little chaos,” I mumbled, running my hand down my coat sleeve to soothe the marks pulsing hot on my skin. “They won’t know it came from me.”
Hundreds of amazing romance titles are free April 22 at RomanceBookLovers.com. Enjoy the day filling your e-readers, then find that cozy niche and let romance take you over. ☕💟☕
Week Long Sale!
While I am offering Tigris Vetus for FREE (scroll down for its latest review), I never participate in an exciting #RomanceBookBlast event without offering my other books at special prices. Enjoy shopping Amazon for all five books this week, four of them on sale.
By D. L. Lewellyn 