First Drafts and Distractions

The world is a weird place right now. Honestly, it feels like I'm watching the start of a movie thriller, only this is reality and not fiction.

 In my area, they've closed bars and restaurants and are recommending people stay at home as much as possible. My husband is now working from home and we've made two runs to the grocery store for essential items.

A few years ago my introverted self would have grabbed hold of the prospect of not leaving my house for several weeks and rejoiced, seeing it as an endless opportunity to watch anime and read books. The current version of myself, the one who already spends copious amounts of time alone except for a couple of cats is looking at the yawning span of isolation and hoping she doesn't go stir crazy.

At the moment, I don't have time to create a full short story since I'm in the final scenes of Aileen 5, but I wanted to offer a short respite from the outside world.

Below is a short, deleted scene from Age of Deception. It is an alternate version of how Kira learns where Jin has gone when he was supposed to be safe in her room. Hopefully when I finish the current book, I can take a short break and write something for the blog. Maybe a Fallon POV or something set in Aileen's world.

Until then, I hope you enjoy.

Deleted Scene

“Jin,” Kira hissed in a low voice.

Not low enough as several people looked in her direction. Great she’d drawn notice because she was acting like a crazy person.

“Kira,” Jin sounded groggy and confused.

Kira released the breath she’d been holding. “Where have you been? I’ve been trying you for the last twenty minutes.”

“I--” There was a long pause.

Kira got moving again, this time careful to keep to a sedate pace. She glanced around her noticing as Devon and Rheya seemed to shadow her on the other side of the hallway.

Were they following her? If so, they weren’t doing a very good job. They were much too young to be playing these games.

“Uh oh.” Jin's guilt and panic were unmistakable.

Kira felt her stomach drop.“Uh oh? What uh oh? There should be no 'uh oh' if you’re safe in the room which is where you're supposed to be."

“Yeah, about that," he started.

“Nope, nope, nope." She shook her head. She refused to hear what he was about to say. He was safe in the room and that was all there was to it.

Devon and Rheya veered toward her, no doubt drawn by her sketchy behavior. She watched them come with gritted teeth. As if she didn't have enough problems already.

“You can deny all you want. It doesn’t change the facts,” Jin pointed out in a pragmatic voice that made her want to scream.

“Where are you?” she snapped, picking up her pace. Maybe if she moved faster they wouldn't stop her.

She really didn’t need anyone taking an interest while she was having a mild panic attack.

Moving briskly without giving the appearance of fleeing was difficult. She had a feeling she wasn't entirely successful either.

Two other Tuann that she recognized from Joule’s training class started in her direction.

Damn. Things just kept getting worse and worse.

“You know that place on Ta Da’an they call the Nexus?"

Kira sucked in a sharp breath. No--even Jin couldn’t be that stupid.

“Well--I wanted to see if there was anything like that here.”

She resisted the urge to bang her head on the nearest wall. "Get out. Get out now."

“I can’t; I’m stuck.” The confession seemed ripped from him.

A high pitched noise escaped her. This was a nightmare. An awful, awful nightmare.

Devon and Rheya stopped in front of her, blocking her path. "We need to talk."

Age of Deception Small Teaser

To celebrate the completed proofing and formatting of Age of Deception, I've decided to give you a small teaser of what's coming.

Enjoy!

13 days until the book goes live!!

Teaser

Kira's smile was hard. "As I said before, this is a private party. We'd appreciate you leaving."

The leader settled a heavy hand on Kira's shoulder. "How about you be the one to leave?"

"Uh oh," Raider said, alarm snaking through his expression.

He had a right to be concerned. Kira had a thing about uninvited touching, and this Tuann had crossed her invisible bubble in a big way.

"If I were you, I'd take your hand off my shoulder before I break it." Kira was no longer as concerned with playing diplomat. Quickly she calculated the possible consequences of starting a fight, for once wishing Jin would chime in with his thoughts and opinions. He'd studied Tuann law. He'd likely know the possible repercussions.

Quiet fell, spreading throughout the bar as the patrons focused on the unexpected drama. Kira spotted Rheya and Devon among those present and stuffed down the part of her that would like nothing more than to start a bar fight.

"I'd watch your mouth, mongrel. You and your humans are a travesty. They should have put the lot of you down. It would be a mercy." He raised his voice so the rest could hear. "I question Roake's strength if they accept one such as you within their ranks."

Tension filled the air as no one moved.

Kira's lips quirked. "Raider, do you hear yapping?"

He stuck one finger in his ear and jiggled it around. "Yeah, it's kind of high pitched. Sounds like one of those little toy dogs—or maybe a puppy. It's hard to be sure."

ARC Sign Up

For those interested in signing up for an ARC, please visit the link below. Slots are limited.

Sign Up Form

Age of Deception Release

It's almost time! The cover is finished. The preorder is up. A last edit of the copy is currently being conducted.

That means it's finally time to unveil the next book in the Firebird Chronicles which will go live on February 5. Enjoy!

War hero and daughter to two Houses, Kira is just beginning to learn how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Agreeing to accompany her father’s people back to their homeworld, Kira Forrest prepares for the fight of her life. She’s agreed to undertake the Trial of the Broken, a rite of passage every member of her father’s House must pass. It offers a path to independence and freedom that is too tempting to deny.

Not everyone welcomes this lost daughter of Roake. There are those who fear what her presence might bring to light. Betrayal stalks the halls of Kira’s birthplace—its roots embedded deep in the events that claimed her parent’s lives and set her on her current path.

Walking the wire’s edge between truth and deception will test the person Kira has become as she separates ally from betrayer. An old enemy has put into motion a plan that could topple the balance of power in the universe. Letting them succeed spells doom—but the price might be more than Kira is willing to pay.

Click here for Chapter One. Warning--the chapter ends on a minor cliff hanger!

Preorder on Amazon

I will add other store preorder links on my website as they go live.

The Perils of Inspiration

Most of the time I love the way my brain works. The twists and turns, the way random conversations in my head will make me laugh for no reason. It's what makes me, me. It's why I create the stories I do. It's why I'm rarely bored. There's always some bad guy to thwart or battle to win in the stories I tell myself.

It's not so fun when my brain offers up a brilliant stroke of inspiration that if followed would require me to scrap a good portion of the work I've already crafted in Aileen 5. Nearly all of it, in fact.

I'm early enough in the process that this is doable. On the other hand, the last two books where I've tried to "fix" a beginning, I've screwed the book up more. It's left me in a bit of a quandary. I'm frozen in place until I make a decision one way or another.

Some people think writing a book is a straight shot from A to B. It can be. For most of my books, it largely is--but not always. Sometimes, it takes a few false starts and an odd tangent or two to find my way.

Decisions both large and small, especially at this stage, set the scene for the rest of the book. There's a reason my writing is slower at this stage; why I don't achieve the high word count I'm used to. I haven't built enough momentum for the story to carry itself forward. Making a wrong decision will make the middle and back half of the book torturous to write and lead to more extensive rewrites when it comes time to edit.

I don't quite know which direction I will go yet. Perhaps what I've already written can be re-purposed into a short story. Perhaps my brilliant idea only seems brilliant because I haven't started working with it yet. Only time will tell.

Firebird 2 Deleted Scene

I'd planned to do a beginning of year post detailing what books are coming up, but I'm not feeling it today. Here is a deleted scene from Firebird 2 instead.

It takes place right before the last scene of Rules of Redemption in which Graydon completely upsets Kira's plans to ride off into to space. It features a character that will play a big role in the next book.

As soon as I get the cover finalized, I will post the first chapter and the release date of Firebird 2.

Until then, hopefully this tides you over.

Firebird 2 Deleted Scene

Beta Readers Wanted!

Edit-- the spots have been filled. 

Firebird 2 has reached the stage where it would benefit from having eyes other than my own on it. For those interested in beta reading, this is your chance.

Below is a link to where you can sign up. Be aware, not everyone will be chosen as a beta reader so if you sign up and aren't picked, please try again next time. I only take a few, otherwise there would be too much feedback to shift through.

For those unfamiliar with what a beta reader does, keep reading.

The definition varies by author, but for me a beta reader is someone who takes the temperature of a book. They let me know if the concepts and worlds I've created resonate with a reader. Mostly, they give me honest feedback regarding the characters and plot. They don't focus on grammar or anything like that.

Their job is quite important as they catch things that I won't because of how close I am to the material. I've rewritten prologues and endings based on their feedback.

For example - if character B spoke at the end of a scene they hadn't been in until then. Or, if Aileen used a magic weapon but you had no idea how she got the weapon.

Beta reading is not for everyone. I don't beta read for people because it can be work. I like getting caught up in a story and not paying attention to the things that irk me. Be assured, there will be advanced copies coming so if you want to read the book without the work, please sign up for that instead.

Beta Reader Sign Up