Guardians of the Pattern, Bundle 2 Now Available

Volume Two of the Guardians of the Pattern Bundle is now available. This 313,000 word digital-only release contains the complete texts of Books 4-6 in my M/M Sci-Fi/Romance series: Wildfire Psi, Eye of the Storm, and the series finale, Closing the Circle. The bundle is available now at Amazon and Smashwords, and will be coming to other retailers soon.

Wildfire Psi (Book 4): When Luka Valdari and Damon Korsov find themselves at the center of an attempt to activate a dangerous artifact, they’ll have to confront more than just their captors. Can they overcome a dark, shared history and work together? Or will all the human worlds burn in the flames of wildfire psi?

Eye of the Storm (Book 5): When Ajhani exile Vaya Rhivana saves the life of wealthy Federation playboy Nick Romani, he thinks he has all the bargaining power he needs to negotiate the return of his kidnapped clansmen. Falling in love with his hostage was never part of the plan, and in the end, Vaya’s choices could change the fate of his entire world.

Closing the Circle (Book 6): With anti-psion sentiment spreading through the Federation like wildfire, Director Cameron Asada has some tough decisions to make. The last thing he needs is for Draven, a Guild assassin on the run, to show up hoping to redeem Cam’s promise of sanctuary. Can Cam reconcile his conflicting loyalties? Or is everything he’s worked for destined to go up in flames?

Closing the Circle - Series Finale - Is Live

Closing the Circle (Guardians of the Pattern, Book 6), the final volume of the Guardians of the Pattern series, is now live at Smashwords and Amazon, and will be coming to other retailers soon.

This book not only marks the end of a series that's been alive in my head for literally decades, but also puts me at over a million words published since I started this journey in 2013. I think I need to celebrate... after I've collapsed in an exhausted heap. This is my favorite of the bunch. Hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Slave. Assassin. Bodyguard. Draven has played many roles within the notorious Sapphire Guild, but one man has always controlled his destiny. After the man who shaped his world betrays him, Draven exacts his revenge and flees, pinning all his hopes on a promise of sanctuary made long ago.

Director Cameron Asada is responsible for the safety of every psion affiliated with the Institute for Psionic Research. When a vid-clip of a psion destroying an industrial installation goes viral, the citizens of the Federation demand action. With anti-psion sentiment spreading too fast to contain, the last thing Cam needs is for a dangerous figure from his past to show up, drug-addicted, psi-damaged, and seeking to redeem a reckless promise Cam never should have made.

Sheltering Draven could cost Cam everything he’s worked for, but Cam owes the man his life, and Draven might be just what Cam needs to protect his people from an increasingly hostile government. When it becomes clear that it may take more than a job offer to secure Draven’s trust, Cam finds himself walking a dangerous line as he struggles to reconcile his conflicting loyalties. Can Cam be the man Draven needs? Or is everything he’s worked for destined to go up in flames?

Closing the Circle: A Snippet

Coming in May is Closing the Circle, the final episode of the Guardians of the Pattern series. This one features Cameron and Draven, who first met way back in the prequel short story, Facing the Mirror. At end of Facing the Mirror, Cam makes a promise. At the beginning of Closing the Circle, he's called on to make good on that promise.

Here's a tiny taste to keep you going until May...


The decision to act was frighteningly easy to make, which Draven took to be a sign that his judgment was already badly compromised where Cam was concerned. He considered the pros and cons, weighed the risks, then grabbed his coat and stood by the door, waiting.

“What are you doing?” Cam asked.

“Coming with you. You said Miko wanted to see me. Once we’ve taken him to safety, you can give me a ride back to the campus.”

“For what? What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to fix it.”

“How?”

Draven gave him a faint smile and shook his head. “What you don’t know, you can’t be forced to tell to a Federation investigator. Or Cottrell, if he starts asking inconvenient questions.”

“Draven—”

“You do your job, Asada. Let me do mine.”

“What job?” Cam asked faintly.

“I’m your feral dog, aren’t I? Isn’t that what you told Cottrell?”

“How did you—?”

“I was in your mind. You let me in.”

“I let you in,” Cam murmured.

“Don’t worry.” Draven moved behind Cam’s chair, where he set his hands on Cam’s shoulders and leaned down to whisper, “The blood won’t be on your hands. That’s what I’m for.”

Cam shuddered. “I wish there didn’t have to be blood.” He leaned his head back against Draven’s chest and closed his eyes.

Update, October 2016

Some update things...

1. Shadowspire is coming in early 2017. This is book 3 of the Wytch Kings series, and sets the stage for the coming conflict with the Wytch Council. Shadowspire is Prince Jaire's story, and takes place about five years after Blackfrost. The cover is done, and it's as gorgeous as the rest of the series. I'll be sharing the cover art in December, along with an excerpt and a firm release date.

2. The Guardians of the Pattern series will wrap up in 2017, with the final installment, Closing the Circle. This is Cameron's story, and it looks like it's going to be the longest of the six novels. This is not the end for these characters, though. They are still talking to me (some of them never shut up--I'm looking at you, Luka), so I think it's safe to say there will be more. How much more? Possibly another series, but I haven't really mapped anything out yet. At the moment, it's all vague ideas and random scribblings.

3. Once Closing the Circle is out, I'll be turning my attention to Kingmakers. This M/M fantasy trilogy chronicles the adventures of Kerry McKinnon, a Minnesota boy who stumbles across the Veil Between Worlds and discovers the world of Aion. During the course of his adventures, Kerry learns to identify the business end of a sword, falls in love, and attempts to save the world. Kingmakers takes place a few years after Leythe Blade, and Jace, Sasha, and Eredwyn are all important secondary characters. I'm looking forward to seeing what they've been getting up to since Leythe Blade.

4. I also have a couple of F/F stories in the planning stages, and at least one those could see the light of day in 2018. The Plot Rat and I have much to discuss.

Eye of the Storm is Live!

When Ajhani exile Vaya Rhivana saves the life of wealthy Federation playboy Nick Romani, he thinks he has all the bargaining power he needs to negotiate the return of his kidnapped clansmen. Falling in love with his hostage was never part of the plan, and in the end, Vaya’s choices could change the fate of his entire world.

Eye of the Storm, book 5 of the Guardians of the Pattern series, is now available at Amazon, All Romance, and Smashwords. It will be coming soon to other retailers.

Print will be coming soon, too. I'm hoping to have the entire series available in print before the end of the year.

Eye of the Storm Cover Art

Eye of the Storm (Guardians of the Pattern, Book 5) is in the final edit stages, and due to be released in early September. I just got the final cover art from Chinchbug, and here it is:

Book Description:

Wealthy playboy Nick Romani is a trouble-magnet. When the local news net obtains compromising pictures of him with a prominent politician’s married son, Nick’s exasperated father exiles him to a remote research facility until the scandal dies down. When Nick learns what kind of research he’s expected to do, he balks. Instead of obeying his father’s orders, he heads out alone into the wilderness.

Ajhani Guardian Vaya Rhivana has chosen exile over a slow death by the drug that binds his uncontrollable power over the mythe. Before Vaya finds the strength to leave his clan, his sister’s son is kidnapped by the Sky People. Heartbroken, but too weak and sick to help rescue his nephew, Vaya heads off into the mountains, not expecting to return.

When a storm dumps an injured Nick at Vaya’s feet, Vaya’s first thought is to kill him. Only a whisper of prophecy stays his hand. An uneasy bargain is struck, and as the two exiles journey through the dangerous wilderness, Vaya finds his feelings for Nick slowly changing. Can Vaya keep his promise to Nick and see the bargain through? Or will the power he struggles to control destroy both himself and the man he’s beginning to love?

Closing the Circle: WIP Excerpt

Closing the Circle is book six, the final chapter of the Guardians of the Pattern series. This one features Cameron and Draven, who first met in the free short story, Facing the Mirror.


The explosions weren’t nearly as loud as he’d hoped, which was a little disappointing, but the resulting fire was all the hell he could have wished for. From the shelter of the trees on a hill overlooking the place he’d worked so hard to return to, Draven watched golden tongues of flame stroke the dark velvet sky.

There would be screaming, oh, God, let there be screaming…

Too bad he was too far away to hear it.

Didn’t matter. Those whose screams he’d most appreciate were no longer capable of screaming. DeMira wasn’t. Neither was Vorzana. They’d both drunk too deeply of the drugged wine at dinner.

The flames warped and blurred. Draven blinked as hot tears slipped down his cheeks. The games here hadn’t been all bad. There’d been a few good ones. Only a few, though, not enough to balance. The pain on this side weighed so much more than the sense of home on the other.

He wouldn’t name it revenge, because it wasn’t.

It was balance.

This single act flattened out all the spiky, jagged pieces that had been irritating him for the past few weeks. Everything was smooth and calm now, no ripples, no waves, no shards of glass floating just below the surface, waiting to slice his flesh if he moved the wrong way or thought the wrong way.

He could rest now. Maybe even sleep.

The song of fear and pain that had been threading through his awareness for the last hour finally became loud enough to intrude, causing little ripples to shiver across the smooth surface of his mind. The smooth surface he’d only just managed to create.

Annoying.

Draven reached into his pocket to pull free a needlepak of riptide. He slapped it against his arm and closed his eyes, waiting for the rush, waiting for silence, waiting for peace.

He should probably be worried about the fact that it took twice as many needlepaks a day to quiet the voices as it had when he’d first returned to Alpha. He wasn’t.

Turning his back on the blaze, he walked deeper into the forest until the drug turned his legs to rubber and his mind to liquid. He staggered to a stop and leaned against a tree trunk, helpless to stop himself from sliding down to the ground as his legs gave way.

The last conscious thought he had was a voice whispering, Aurora. Institute for Psionic Research. You can find me there if you ever need help. Or a place to hide.

Cameron’s voice.

In drug-laced dreams, Draven reached for that voice as if it were a lifeline.

Wildfire Psi is Live!

Today I'm over at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for the release of Book 4 in my M/M Sci-Fi series, Guardians of the Pattern. There's an excerpt and a giveaway. This is Luka's story, and it's a slightly different take on one of my favorite setups: enemies-to-lovers.

Things are finally going well for Luka Valdari. He’s found a home and family at the Institute for Psionic Research, and he has a job he loves. When a training mission takes him back to the streets of downside Riga, he’s got plenty of reason to be uneasy, and when a psionic cry for help leads him to a nightmare from his past, Luka’s ready to bolt.

Things are not going so well for Damon Korsov. He’s got voices in his head, a hole in his memory, and strange dreams that may or may not be glimpses of his past. The one man who might hold the key to Damon’s past is the one man he can never ask. Because somehow, Luka knows Damon, and it’s clear to Damon that Luka hates him.

Unwilling to expose anyone else to the danger Damon represents, Luka volunteers to train him. He wants to hate Damon, but instead finds himself fascinated. Before they get a chance to sort things out between them, the two men are thrown into the middle of a terrifying plot that puts every human life in the galaxy at risk. Can Luka and Damon confront both of their pasts and work together to prevent disaster? Or will all the human worlds burn in the flames of wildfire psi?


Wildfire Psi is now available at Amazon, All Romance, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords.

Guardians of the Pattern: Release Day for Bundle and Cover Reveal for Book 4: Wildfire Psi

Today I'm over at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words with some shiny new stuff to show you.

It's release day for the Guardians of the Pattern Bundle, Vol. 1, which includes the short prequel story Facing the Mirror and the first three novels of the Guardians of the Pattern series, Psi Hunter (Book 1), Gremlin's Last Run (Book 2), and Ghost in the Mythe (Book 3) is now available at Amazon, All Romance, and Smashwords.

To celebrate, I'm giving away a copy of Psi Hunter, the first book in the series, so head on over to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words to enter.

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is also graciously hosting the cover reveal for Wildfire Psi, Book 4 in the Guardians of the Pattern series, and there's an exclusive excerpt to keep you going until it's released on January 29th.

Coming Soon: Guardians of the Pattern Bundle

Coming on December 14 is Guardians of the Pattern, Volume 1, a digital bundle that includes the prequel story, Facing the Mirror, plus the first three novels of the Guardians of the Pattern series: Psi Hunter, Gremlin's Last Run, and Ghost in the Mythe. That's over 320,000 words of sci fi goodness to kick back with over the holidays.

Facing the Mirror (Prequel): When undercover agent Cameron Asada meets Miko, a psychic slave kept by the drug lord Cameron is investigating, he starts to question his mission priorities. The choice is clear: complete the mission or help Miko. Neither option is easy, but only one will allow Cameron to face himself in the mirror.

Psi Hunter (Book 1): Sparks fly when ex-lovers Kyn Valdari and Pat Cottrell are ordered to team up on a murder investigation. When they discover an abused, traumatized young psion powerful enough to kill with a thought, they must work together to protect him from being enslaved by the very organization that is supposed to save him.

Gremlin’s Last Run (Book 2): When independent freighter captain Rhys Tyler finds Alek McKinnon hiding in his cargo hold, he has a choice to make: help a wounded Federation agent escape from his captors, or shove him out the air lock. One look at Alek’s pretty brown eyes is all it takes to convince Rhys to take a chance on the man. Now they’re both on the run from a shady organization that wants Alek back at any cost.

Ghost in the Mythe (Book 3): Exiled from his home world, Tarrin Rhivana stows away on a Federation ship, and finds himself lost in the terrifying place-between-worlds where jump ships navigate. There he meets a beautiful ghost who might be the only one who can help Tarrin save his world from outside forces that would strip it bare.

Update, September 2015

1. Leythe Blade is on track for an end of October release... look for the cover reveal in the next couple of weeks.

2. Wildfire Psi is back from beta, and it's in good shape. Hoping for an early 2016 release on that one.

3. The next release after Wildfire Psi will be a fantasy story. The Plot Rat and I are still fighting about in negotiations regarding which story that will be.

4. Print books are coming! Burn the Sky will be first... more news on that when we get closer to completion on that project.

5. And in case you missed it last month, we now have a timeline that shows how everything fits together, and where some upcoming stories will fit.

Wildfire Psi: WIP Excerpt

This is a snippet from Wildfire Psi, Book 4 of the Guardians of the Pattern series. This should be out either late 2015 or early 2016, depending on how many Real Life Intrusions(TM) occur between now and then...

The vid had finished and Kyn had started another when Damon finally started to feel something. It felt a lot like the slow-burning, simmering arousal that stirred low in his belly whenever his thoughts drifted back to last night.

Only he was fairly certain it wasn’t his.

He turned to look at Luka, and caught the man watching him out of the corner of his eye. For a long, frozen moment, their gazes locked.

Luka bit his lip and looked away. Damon felt a surge of lust followed by denial and the tiniest hint of fear flooding through him.

“Luka…” he said in a voice that cracked. “I feel—” Damon stopped, glancing at Kyn, who had turned to look at him. “I feel you,” he whispered, face heating.

“Sorry, man. I can’t…” Luka grimaced and shook his head. “My shielding pattern is locked solid. You shouldn’t be getting a damn thing.”

“But it’s not hurting him,” Kyn said. “Is it?” He glanced at Damon.

“No,” Damon said softly. “Not hurting. Not exactly comfortable, though.”

“Do you need Anarin?” Kyn asked.

“Not… no. It’s not that bad. Nothing like last time.”

“Good,” Kyn said with a nod. He turned to Luka. “Good job.”

Luka didn’t acknowledge the compliment. He rose and said to Damon, “I’m going to bed, then. Once I’m asleep, you won’t get much of anything. We’ll get started in the morning. But if you do find yourself getting uncomfortable in the night, it’s probably best to wake Kyn. I don’t know what kind of crap you’ll get from me, but you won’t get a thing from Kyn.”

Damon watched as Luka headed up the stairs. He wanted to talk to Luka in the worst way, but he wasn’t comfortable having that conversation in front of Kyn.

He waited a little while after Luka had gone upstairs before saying, “I think I’m going to bed now. The sooner I sleep, the sooner morning will come.”

“Like Luka said—wake me if you feel bad in the night. We can give you more Anarin if you need it.”

“I will.”

Damon headed up the stairs and went straight to Luka’s room. He knocked on the door before he could talk himself out of it.

This time, Luka opened the door right away. He wore nothing but a pair of sweats hanging low and loose over narrow hips. Damon couldn’t take his eyes off of the man. Luka’s chest was smooth and nearly hairless, and Damon could see the evidence of his erection under the sweats.

Luka pulled Damon into the room and kicked the door shut. Damon wasn’t sure who moved first, but a moment later, his back was up against the door and Luka was in his arms, mouth seeking Damon’s.

The kiss was hot and hungry, and Damon’s hands wandered over Luka’s bare back and down to his ass. When they finally pulled apart, Luka stared up at him.

“Guess I don’t have to ask if you feel it, too.” His voice was a husky growl that sent a bolt of heat through Damon.

“I feel it,” Damon said in a low voice. “I’ve been feeling it ever since last night.”

“Fuck.” Luka’s eyes met his, intense and hungry. “I want you.”

Damon’s breath clogged in his throat, and the only answer he could give Luka was to pull him back into his arms and kiss him again.

Update, August 2015

Some update things...

1. Next release is Leythe Blade, a stand-alone M/M fantasy that takes place in the same world as Human Frailties, Human Strengths and Human Choices. I'm hoping to have it out by the end of the summer/beginning of the fall.

2. Just finished the revision of Wildfire Psi, book 4 of the Guardians of the Pattern series. It's another big one, coming in at a hair under 100,000 words before it goes off to the beta readers, which should be in the next couple of weeks. This story features Luka and Damon. Look for it this winter (late 2015/early 2016).

3. Next year, I'll have another fantasy story out, but it's still a toss-up as to which one. It might be a Burn the Sky sequel, as Kian has been whispering to me rather insistently of late.

4. Further out than that, we have Eye of the Storm, book 5 of the Guardians of the Pattern series. This one will feature Vaya and Nick, and will take place almost entirely on Aion. First draft on that one is done, but it needs a lot of clean-up.

Ghost in the Mythe is Live!

Exiled from his home world, Tarrin Rhivana stows away on a Federation ship, and finds himself lost in the terrifying place-between-worlds where jump ships navigate. There he meets a beautiful ghost who might be the only one who can help Tarrin save his world from outside forces that would strip it bare.

Book 3 in my M/M science fiction series, Guardians of the Pattern, is now available at Amazon, All Romance, and Smashwords. Links for other retailers coming soon.

This 104,000 word novel continues the adventures of the psions employed by the Institute for Psionic Research as they struggle to uncover a sinister plot that has much more frightening and far-reaching implications than they originally thought. From the campus of the Institute on Aurora to the Vashi Wastes on Aion, this story follows the adventures of Miko and Tarrin as they fight to prevent a disaster that threatens Tarrin's home world, and has the potential to wipe out all of the human worlds in the galaxy.

The series begins with the free short story, Facing the Mirror, and continues in Book 1: Psi Hunter and Book 2: Gremlin's Last Run. All four books are available at your favorite ebook retailer (or will be very shortly), and for the month of June, Psi Hunter is priced at $2.99.

Ghost in the Mythe: Cover Reveal and Excerpt

Ghost in the Mythe, Book 3 of the Guardians of the Pattern series, is nearing completion, and is on track for a June release. Chinchbug did up an awesome cover for it, and here it is:

And just to whet your appetite, here's another little taste:

It didn’t seem like very long before the flickering shades of Cameron’s concern filtered down through the depths. He felt it as a gentle tug on the thread he’d left connected to the place where his body rested.

It hadn’t been nearly long enough, not for Miko, but he forced himself to follow the currents back up. When he opened his eyes, he found Cameron sitting on one of the couches that lined two of the walls of Miko’s office.

Cameron looked tired. Dark smudges shadowed hard, brown eyes, and his usually neat auburn hair was tousled, as if he’d been running his fingers through it. The realization that he had no idea how much time had passed while he’d been drifting sent a twist of guilt through Miko’s stomach.

The moment Miko’s eyes opened, Cameron leaned forward. “Are you all right?” he asked quickly.

Miko blinked as the lights of the office and the intensity of Cameron’s concern jerked him fully out of the mythe. The transition into reality was sharp and cold, leaving his body shivering and his mind reeling.

He dipped mental fingers back into the net and flicked on the voice synth unit. Miko forced an apologetic smile and said, “Drifting.”

The synthetic voice coming from the speakers on the walls was flat. Miko rarely bothered using the inflections the software was capable of. He’d never got the hang of making the voice match what he wanted people to think he felt, and it was far too easy to be misinterpreted.

Miko’s own voice was gone, taken from him when he’d first touched the raw mythe during a routine passenger run gone horribly wrong. The ship he’d been on had been thrust into jump space unexpectedly, and Miko had been the only survivor.

He still wasn’t sure that survived was an accurate description of what had happened to him. Warped, perhaps. Changed, for certain. But survived?

Hardly. Not when all he wanted was to drift back into the mythe.

“I’m fine,” he added, realizing belatedly that Cameron needed that reassurance.

“You’ve been gone a long time. I got here just before dinner to meet with you. It’s nearly midnight now. Another hour or so and I was going to carry you down to the infirmary.”

Miko checked the net. Cameron was right — he’d been gone for hours that had felt like mere minutes. He bit his lip and looked away. He’d done it again — worried Cameron without meaning to.

“I’m sorry.”

“You were gone long enough to have me worried.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. The same words could mean so many different things. Delving deeply enough into someone else’s mythe-shadow to discern an emotional context that didn’t always make sense to him was both exhausting and painful. Miko found it so uncomfortable that he’d given up trying, except where Cameron was concerned.

In the back of his mind, the soft colors and textures of the mythe beckoned, and he reached for them, entranced by the songs that touched the edges of his awareness.

“Miko!” Cameron’s voice penetrated his thoughts, his mythe-shadow flaring hot and spiky with fear. It hurt, and Miko flinched.

“Yes?”

“You went away again. I thought…” Cameron shook his head. “Never mind what I thought. Do I need to help you to bed?”

Miko had never seen the point of bed — he’d just as soon sleep here — but part of Cameron’s definition of normal included sleeping in a bed at night and eating his meals in the Institute’s communal dining room.

“I’m not sleepy,” Miko said, struggling to focus his full attention on Cameron. “I’m sorry I missed the meeting. What did you need?”

“It’s midnight, Miko.”

Miko cocked his head and frowned, unsure what the connection was.

Cameron let out an exasperated sigh. “I have to be up early, so we’ll make this brief. I’m meeting with the Command Council tomorrow to report on our progress in locating the missing psions. Have you found anything more? Anything I can legally use, I mean?”

“Anything your net could show you? No.”

Cameron leaned forward again, his expression eager. “Anything it couldn’t?”

“Echoes and shadows. Whispers in the mythe.”

“Nothing solid, then.”

“Connections… but… deep inside of data structures that exist mostly in the mythe. Your net only sees the simplest of the shapes and patterns. The tip of the iceberg. Your Command Council… they want things that human senses understand… surveillance vids and tracking logs. You can’t put the color of a thread or the flavor of a whisper in your report.”

“No. I can’t.” Cameron’s mythe-shadow shimmered with the colors of disappointment.

“I’m sorry.” Miko forced a smile. “I’ll keep trying.” He hated letting Cameron down. He did his best to please the man who had been his savior. Cameron had sacrificed much to free Miko from the hell of slavery: career, livelihood, reputation… all those things that Miko couldn’t quite grasp the importance of.

All the same, he did his best to go through the motions of being human so that Cameron would believe he was normal. And happy. Even though Miko knew he never would be.

He loved Cameron for wanting those things for him.

And he hated him for it, too.

Update, March 2015

1. Ghost in the Mythe
I'm about halfway through the big content edit on this story. I expect it'll run around 90-95,000 words when it's done, and I'm aiming to have it out in May. This one has taken longer than I'd like, but it's Miko's story, and if you've been following the Guardians of the Pattern series, you know that Miko is both complicated and damaged. This one has been hard to write.

2. Leythe Blade
This is my next fantasy story. It's a stand-alone, and it fits in with the Guardians of the Leythe novels, but is also going to lead in to a fantasy trilogy I have in the works, tentatively titled Kingmakers. The first draft on this story is done, and I expect it to run around 65,000 words, about the same length as Burn the Sky. This will probably be available late summer or early fall.

3. Facing the Mirror
Amazon has very kindly price-matched Facing the Mirror, so you can now download it for free there.

4. Wildfire Psi
Book four in the Guardians of the Pattern series is Wildfire Psi. This is Luka's story, and I'm hoping to have it out at the end of this year or the beginning of next. The first draft is done, but it needs some work before it's ready.

5. The Big Picture
If you've read all my stories, you might have noticed that there's an underlying interconnectedness there. Little hints that all of these stories fit together somehow. I'm currently putting together a timeline for all the books so you can see how the puzzle might look when it's finished. Assuming, of course, that it ever is... The ideas keep coming, and I'm nowhere near done with this world yet.

6. Other projects
I've also had a couple of large, ugly plot rats start gnawing on my leg and bugging me to write other stories, one of which is Draven's (working title: Tangled Threads). I imagine I'll be compelled to write it sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, I don't get to have cute, furry little plot bunnies like the other writers. No, I'm stuck with these hungry, hairy rodents with glowing red eyes, scaly tails, and sharp, pointy teeth. I suspect it's got something to do with karma, but I'm hesitant to investigate.

Ghost in the Mythe: WIP Excerpt

Now that I'm into the edits on Ghost in the Mythe, Book 3 of the Guardians of the Pattern series, it's time to share a snippet. This is unedited, subject to change, blah blah blah...

Miko clenched his hands into fists. He shouldn’t have come here, should just close his eyes and not look. But he couldn’t look away. Tarrin’s sword dance was the most beautiful thing Miko had ever seen, and even if watching him did make Miko feel like his blood was on fire, not watching would be worse.

Wouldn’t it?

Tarrin continued to move through his routine, faster now, muscles stretching and flexing as he worked, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on that golden skin. Miko licked his lips and wondered what it would feel like to lick the sweat from Tarrin’s skin. Heat pooled low in his belly for a moment until he remembered where he was and what he was doing. His chest tightened painfully, and he clapped a hand over his mouth.

How could he even think something like that?

That was sex he was thinking about. DeMira had made him do things like that, and even the seemingly harmless things that didn’t hurt had always led to pain. Sex, in Miko’s experience, always ended up hurting, even if it started out feeling good.

He scooted deeper under the pile of mats on belly and elbows, folded his arms in front of him, and buried his head, determined that he wasn’t going to watch anymore.

It was only a few moments before he lifted his head to peek again, unable to keep his eyes off of Tarrin.

Except Tarrin wasn’t moving anymore. He was standing in the center of the gym, sword lowered, eyes narrowed as they scanned the pile of mats in front of him.

Miko worried his lower lip between his teeth. Had he let his mythe-shadow slip loose when he was imagining the taste of Tarrin’s skin?

Tarrin set the sword down on the floor and strode across the gym, straight toward Miko. He stopped right in front of Miko’s hiding place and peered in. “I know you’re in there, Miko. You can come out. I don’t mind you watching me.”

Miko froze. His face felt hot, and he could feel the shakes starting. He scooted forward and slipped out. Tarrin took his hand and helped him to his feet, then looked down at him, a crooked grin on his face.

“Was there something you wanted, or do you just like watching me?” Tarrin asked in a voice that sounded soft and easy, not sharp or biting.

Miko thought fast while he loosed his mythe-shadow and sensed, with relief, that there wasn’t any anger spiking through Tarrin. Amusement, perhaps, though Miko wasn’t sure what was funny. And something else — something warm and glowing that Miko couldn’t quite read.

<Will you teach me?> Miko asked, hoping to shift Tarrin’s attention away from the fact that he’d been spying on him.

Tarrin raised an eyebrow. “Teach you?”

<How to move like you do. How to fight with a sword.>

“Why do you want to learn to fight?”

Miko set his jaw and hoped his face wasn’t as red as it felt like it was. <So nobody can hurt me.>

Tarrin nodded, his expression grave, belying the prickles of excitement Miko could feel lancing through his mythe-shadow. “I can teach you how to fight, but I don’t think a sword is the best weapon for you. They’re heavy, and you’d have to be a bit stronger and taller to use one effectively. A sword isn’t the sort of weapon you’d be allowed to carry with you all the time, either, not in the Federation. You’re more suited to learning to fight with a knife or a dagger, and those can be concealed quite easily.”

<So you’ll teach me?>

“I’ll teach you. Shall we begin now?”

Miko nodded slowly. Anything to keep Tarrin’s mind off of why he’d been watching him.

“Then the first thing we should do is get your hair out of the way. May I braid it for you?”

Miko blinked and nodded again. Tarrin moved behind him and began running his fingers through Miko’s hair. Usually such close contact with another person was uncomfortable for Miko, often to the point of pain. All he felt now was the intoxicating song of Tarrin’s mythe-shadow as it mingled with his own.

There was a gentle, calm feeling about Tarrin as he stroked Miko’s hair, massaging his scalp with strong fingers. It felt good, and Miko closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

The massage didn’t continue nearly long enough before Tarrin swiftly divided Miko’s hair into sections and began weaving them together. Miko had to fight the impulse to turn his head and watch what Tarrin was doing.

When Tarrin was satisfied that Miko’s hair was out of the way, he moved back to the center of the gym and pointed to the spot where he’d been standing. “Come, then.”

While Miko made his way across the gym floor, Tarrin bent to pick up his sword and carried it to the wall where he’d left his clothes and the sheath. When he returned, he stood before Miko and looked him up and down, studying him with a faint frown. Miko looked down at himself. He wasn’t wearing anything different—a pair of white jeans, a T-shirt, and a pair of battered sneakers that were too comfortable to throw away, even though Cameron kept hinting that he should order new ones.

“Tomorrow, wear something looser,” Tarrin said. “Sweats or shorts. Something you can move around in easily. Today, I’m just going to show you some basic positions. We’ll do some warm-ups first. For now, try to mirror me.”

Miko watched Tarrin move and tried to copy his movements. It quickly became apparent to him that what looked as easy as breathing when Tarrin did it was not so easy at all. Miko hadn’t ever done much in the way of exercise. He spent most of his time hiding in the net, so he was sweating and panting and after only a few stretches.

Tarrin didn’t say anything about how out of shape he was. He set his feet a little bit apart, one forward a little, one back, and bent his knees slightly, saying, “This is a good, loose stance—knees bent a little, with your weight resting on the balls of your feet. Feel how stable you are.”

Miko studied Tarrin’s stance and attempted to copy it.

Tarrin shook his head. “You need to distribute your weight more evenly, otherwise you’re off-balance, and it will be too easy for your opponent to knock you over.” He moved toward Miko and set his hands on Miko’s hips, shifting him a little.

The moment Tarrin put his hands on him, something wild and wanting flared through Miko, and something in Tarrin’s mythe-shadow answered. Miko’s groin felt hot and tight, and his breath quickened. He needed... needed...

He stared up at Tarrin, and saw heat and hunger flaring in the blazing violet eyes that locked onto his own. Flames twisted through Tarrin’s mythe-shadow and spilled over into Miko’s, licking along his limbs and making him want so badly he could hardly stand it.

Tarrin’s hands tightened, gripping his hips as he drew Miko closer. “Miko...” he whispered.

Miko could only stare at him in horror. The burning-needing-wanting that twisted through Tarrin’s mythe-shadow was far too familiar. It was the same thing DeMira and his men had felt when they looked at him, and it had always led to pain and humiliation.

But it was Miko’s own feelings that frightened him the most. Because there was a part of him, deep inside, that wanted Tarrin’s hands on him, wanted nothing between them but skin.

His body burned with the same feelings he’d had when DeMira had drugged him, except this time there were no drugs—everything he was feeling was coming from inside himself. His own body was betraying him, and the only way Miko knew to stop it was to get away from the thing that was making him feel so crazy with want.

With a cry that made no sound, but cut through the mythe in a keening wail of anguish, Miko wrenched himself from Tarrin’s grip and fled. He heard Tarrin’s bare feet slapping against the floor, heard him call, “Miko! Wait!”

But he couldn’t wait. He couldn’t bear to be near Tarrin for one more moment. The things his body wanted right now could only lead to pain. The last thing he wanted was to watch the colors of pain and suffering infusing Tarrin’s beautiful mythe-shadow. He couldn’t stand the thought of hurting Tarrin, and he couldn’t understand how people could possibly want to do those things to each other.

Update, January 2015

1. Burn the Sky is set for a mid-January release. It's back from my copy editor, and I'm doing the final proofread now. Then I get to spend a day in Formatting Heaven. *happy sigh* (yeah, I'm weird... so sue me...)

2. Ghost in the Mythe (Book 3 in the Guardians of the Pattern Series) is in the rewrite stage (77,000 words out of a projected 100,000 words as of this morning). It's in much better shape than the last two were (she says hopefully), so I'm thinking I might be able to get it out for beta reading by mid-January.

3. Leythe-Blade. NaNo Project. Epic. Fail. But that's okay--it was meant to be a distraction during the early part of the month so I could think about something other than Husband Beast's upcoming Super-Scary Brain Surgery Adventure. I did get 17K into the story. This is another Guardians of the Leythe novel, and I'm guessing it will end up around 50K, time I've had my way with it. The whole thing is outlined, and I'll pick it up again later this month, while Ghost in the Mythe is out for beta reading.

4. Adventures in Brain Surgery. Went surprisingly smoothly and successfully, much to the relief of all concerned. Seriously, who would have thought one could come home three days after brain surgery? Husband Beast is well on the way to recovery, and should be getting back to work soon. It'll be a relief to have things back to normal (or as normal as they ever are around here!).

Gremlin's Last Run is Live!

For those of you who have been patiently waiting, Gremlin's Last Run, Book 2 in my M/M sci-fi series, Guardians of the Pattern, is now available at at Amazon, All Romance, and Smashwords (and will soon be available at other retailers).

This book is 100,000 words of sci fi adventure and romance, much of it taking place aboard a small freighter out in the deep dark of interstellar space.

Here's the book description:

Rhys Tyler, captain of the Gremlin, is no stranger to living on the edge: the edge of solvent; the edge of legal; the edge of sane.

An empath so sensitive that he cannot bear human touch, Rhys makes his living hauling cargo through the deep dark, the interstellar emptiness between populated star systems. And if keeping his aging freighter in working order means resorting to smuggling, well, a man does what he has to in order to survive.

Alek McKinnon is a Federation agent in trouble. Everything that could have gone wrong with his latest mission has. He's been ambushed, kidnapped, imprisoned, and forced to participate in an illegal experiment that has crippled his psi and left him bonded to an ancient artifact that has already proved itself deadly.

When Alek stows away aboard the Gremlin, all he's looking for is a way home so he can report to his superiors. He's not expecting to find a psion in desperate need of training. And he's sure as hell not expecting to fall in love.

Update, October 2014

Just a few things...

1. Gremlin's Last Run (Guardians of the Pattern, Book 2) is in the final polishing stages. Look for it mid-month.

2. For the month of October, Psi Hunter (Guardians of the Pattern, Book 1) will be priced at $2.99.

3. Burn the Sky (the dragon shifter story) is back from my beta readers. The next big project is to tear into it and get it ready for an end of the year release--maybe (see Item 5 below).

4. Ghost in the Mythe (Guardians of the Pattern, Book 3) will be next up after Burn the Sky, Look for this one in the spring of '15--again, maybe (see Item 5).

5. The release schedule after Gremlin's Last Run is tentative and nebulous at the moment--I have some Family Stuff I need to deal with, and at this point, I'm not sure how much it's going to impact my writing schedule. Check here for updates.