The short story, Facing the Mirror is nearly finished. It introduces two of the secondary characters who appear throughout the Guardians of the Pattern series, and another character who will probably inspire a book of his own, because I found him so intriguing. He's been whispering in my ear ever since he came barging into my head when I wrote the first draft of this story, and he's been getting louder. I don't think he's willing to wait much longer for his turn in the spotlight.
Facing the Mirror is now in the hands of my long-suffering, overworked beta reader (to whom I really need to send a nice, large box of truffles), and I'm hoping to have it out during the first part of November. I do have a blurb to share, and next week, I'll post a sneak-peek at the cover art. Chinchbug did his usual awesome digital magic on it, and it looks great.
Blurb:
Special Agent Cameron Asada has spent four years deep undercover in an attempt to deal a death blow to the Sapphire Guild, the largest drug cartel on Alpha. The things he's done in the name of his mission weigh heavily on his soul, and Cam is reaching the point where he's not sure he recognizes the man he sees in the mirror anymore.
Things come to a head when Cam finally gets the break he's been waiting for: an invitation to work for the boss himself as a psionic interrogator. While working at the boss's estate, Cam meets Miko, a powerful psion trapped behind a wall of silence. It doesn't take long for Cam to realize that Miko is a slave, handed around to the boss's associates as a reward for a job well done.
Miko's plight tugs at Cam's heartstrings, forcing Cam to examine just how many lines he's willing to cross in the name of serving the greater good. Will Cam risk his life and his career to help Miko? Or is the trail of broken minds and bodies he's left in his wake worth the possibility of victory over the Guild?
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Friday, October 4, 2013
Guardians of the Pattern
The next thing on the agenda is to get my M/M science fiction series, Guardians of the Pattern, all nice and shiny and ready for consumption. The series consists of five novels, all of which are in first draft form at the moment, and all of which run around 85 - 95K right now.
There is an over-arching plot that runs through the entire series, but each story will focus on a different couple. The same core group of characters appear throughout the series, which covers the events of several years, so the characters from the first book will be making appearances throughout the series, and have important roles to play in some of the later stories.
Without further ado, here is the blurb for Psi Hunter, the first book in the Guardians of the Pattern series:
Blurb:
In a future where humanity has spread out among the stars, those few possessing psychic abilities are looked upon with suspicion at best and murderous intent at worst.
On Aurora, one of the more tolerant worlds of the Federation, Pat Cottrell works for Federation Security as a psi hunter, tracking down and neutralizing dangerous psi criminals.
Kyn Valdari works for the Institute for Psionic Research, running search-and-rescue operations, in which psions in distress are offered the chance to learn how to control psychic abilities that can threaten sanity and ruin lives.
Kyn and Pat used to be best friends, closer than brothers. Three years ago, one passionate night that never should have happened left both of them shocked, confused, and desperately wanting more.
They haven’t spoken since.
Now, the silence between them must be broken. Kyn and Pat have been ordered to investigate a string of murders that may have been committed by a psion powerful enough to kill with a thought. In order to succeed, they will have to work together to save an abused, traumatized young psion from being taken advantage of by the very organization that is supposed to save him.
Author's Note: Speculate all you like, but I refuse to explain the similarities in the last names of one of the main characters in this book and the name of the evil dude in Human Frailties, Human Strengths. Stick around… all will be revealed… although it might take us a while to get there!
I'm planning on having this out early next year, and sometime before the end of this year, I'll have a short (about 10K) prequel story coming out.
There is an over-arching plot that runs through the entire series, but each story will focus on a different couple. The same core group of characters appear throughout the series, which covers the events of several years, so the characters from the first book will be making appearances throughout the series, and have important roles to play in some of the later stories.
Without further ado, here is the blurb for Psi Hunter, the first book in the Guardians of the Pattern series:
Blurb:
In a future where humanity has spread out among the stars, those few possessing psychic abilities are looked upon with suspicion at best and murderous intent at worst.
On Aurora, one of the more tolerant worlds of the Federation, Pat Cottrell works for Federation Security as a psi hunter, tracking down and neutralizing dangerous psi criminals.
Kyn Valdari works for the Institute for Psionic Research, running search-and-rescue operations, in which psions in distress are offered the chance to learn how to control psychic abilities that can threaten sanity and ruin lives.
Kyn and Pat used to be best friends, closer than brothers. Three years ago, one passionate night that never should have happened left both of them shocked, confused, and desperately wanting more.
They haven’t spoken since.
Now, the silence between them must be broken. Kyn and Pat have been ordered to investigate a string of murders that may have been committed by a psion powerful enough to kill with a thought. In order to succeed, they will have to work together to save an abused, traumatized young psion from being taken advantage of by the very organization that is supposed to save him.
Author's Note: Speculate all you like, but I refuse to explain the similarities in the last names of one of the main characters in this book and the name of the evil dude in Human Frailties, Human Strengths. Stick around… all will be revealed… although it might take us a while to get there!
I'm planning on having this out early next year, and sometime before the end of this year, I'll have a short (about 10K) prequel story coming out.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
I'm an "Arthur"!!!
So when I was about four, I sauntered into the living room where my parents were having tea and announced, "I want to be an arthur."
Fast forward more years than I want to admit to, and I can finally say that yes, I'm an "arthur". Human Frailties, Human Strengths is finally finished, and is available on Smashwords and on Amazon.
Now I'm going to crawl under the rug and have a nice, long nap. And a metric crap-ton of chocolate.
Fast forward more years than I want to admit to, and I can finally say that yes, I'm an "arthur". Human Frailties, Human Strengths is finally finished, and is available on Smashwords and on Amazon.
Now I'm going to crawl under the rug and have a nice, long nap. And a metric crap-ton of chocolate.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Human Frailties, Human Strengths: Cover Art
Husband-Beast (aka Chinchbug, to his artist friends) has done a gorgeous cover for Human Frailties, Human Strengths, and I wanted to share it before the story comes out. He's currently hard at work on covers for the five-book sci fi series, the first book of which will be out in early 2014, if all goes according to plan (shh... don't tell the Universe I said that...). The nice thing about having my cover artist living in my house (and dependent on me for meals, laundry, bathroom cleaning, and kid-wrangling) is that we can have conversations like this:
Jaye: Dude, can you make Ash look a little more evil?
Chinchbug: (not Husband-Beast, because he's in Artist Mode, and we have to Respect that) Evil?
Jaye: Yeah, you know, like he eats puppies for breakfast, or something.
Chinchbug: Hmm... I think I might actually have a template for that...
Jaye: (impressed) Really?
Chinchbug: After reading your synopsis and character descriptions for that sci fi series, I figured I was going to need a lot of shocked, terrified, and generally miserable dudes for the covers.
Jaye: (shuffling feet) Er... they get happy endings...
Chinchbug: Yeah, well, let's just say I'm glad I don't live in your head and leave it at that, shall we?
So yeah, it's like that at my house. Anyway, here's the new cover:
Jaye: Dude, can you make Ash look a little more evil?
Chinchbug: (not Husband-Beast, because he's in Artist Mode, and we have to Respect that) Evil?
Jaye: Yeah, you know, like he eats puppies for breakfast, or something.
Chinchbug: Hmm... I think I might actually have a template for that...
Jaye: (impressed) Really?
Chinchbug: After reading your synopsis and character descriptions for that sci fi series, I figured I was going to need a lot of shocked, terrified, and generally miserable dudes for the covers.
Jaye: (shuffling feet) Er... they get happy endings...
Chinchbug: Yeah, well, let's just say I'm glad I don't live in your head and leave it at that, shall we?
So yeah, it's like that at my house. Anyway, here's the new cover:
Friday, September 6, 2013
WIP Excerpt: Human Frailties, Human Strengths
I’m coming down the home stretch on this project. I’m on the final proofread and polish run now, and a lot of the formatting is figured out (I can make very pretty .mobi files now). I’m still planning to have Human Frailties, Human Strengths available on Smashwords and Amazon at the end of this month or early next. I’ll be updating here, and closer to the time I’m ready to release it, I’ll post the new cover (it’s gorgeous!). For now, I’ll leave you with another snippet of Fun with Tor and Ash:
Excerpt:
Inside the shelter, Tor sank down and sighed with relief as the warmth began to sink into his chilled flesh. “You know, I can put up with an awful lot,” he said, glancing briefly at Ash, “but I’m getting pretty tired of being kept in the dark. Especially about things that concern me.”
Ash gave him a grim smile before dropping his pack on the ground and squatting down beside it. “It’s probably a good thing you can put up with a lot. You’ll have to, bonded to Carrik Tarn as you are.”
Tor scowled. “You say that like I had a choice about it.”
“You’re the one who picked up the sword.”
“What? I should have let the rhyx eat me?”
“It might have been more peaceful if you had.”
“Asshole.”
Ash pulled a cloth-wrapped bundle of travel cakes from the pack and passed it to Tor. “Of course I wouldn’t have wanted the rhyx to hurt you.” Ash’s voice held a note of exaggerated patience that had Tor gritting his teeth. “But I could wish that if you were going to make the acquaintance of a leythe-blade, it had been any but that one.”
Always thinking of your own comfort, eh, Vaya? Seven hundred years, and nothing much has changed, has it?
Ash rolled his eyes. “I was wondering when you’d wake up and take notice.”
Tor set the packet of travel cakes down, unopened. He wasn’t going to let Ash distract him with food or sex like he usually did. Not until he had some answers, at least. “Ash. You turned your lover into a sword. That doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence when I think about what might happen to me in the future.”
“Rest assured there would be little point in doing the same thing to you. You don’t have the skills.” Ash shot a dark look at the sword as he passed a waterskin to Tor. “Or the temperament.”
Why don’t you tell the boy what happened, Vaya? Oh, sorry, it’s Ash now isn’t it?
Tor took a long drink and then passed the skin back. He gave Ash an expectant look. “I told you earlier you owe me an explanation.”
Ash narrowed his eyes.
“I can ask Blackfang,” Tor said. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to tell me every smutty detail. Blond slut, did you say, Carrik?”
Blackfang was only too happy to comply. Ah, yes, the blond slut. Pretty little thing, he was. He promised me immortality.
“And seven hundred years later, you’re still here, shooting your mouth off,” Ash muttered. “I’d say I delivered.”
As long as one disregards such inconveniences as complete dependence upon my bearer, I’ll concede the point. But that doesn’t change the fact that you never said anything about spending the rest of eternity trapped in a fucking sword.
“Ungrateful bastard. Seven hundred years has done nothing to improve your attitude,” Ash snapped.
Nor yours.
“You’re immortal. What the hell else did you want?”
Full disclosure would have been nice. And perhaps a chance to refuse your… gift.
“You wouldn’t have refused and we both know it.”
You never gave me the chance.
Ash rolled his eyes. “It wouldn’t have made any difference. Your brain never was anywhere near the size of your ego.”
“Shut up!” Tor clapped his hands over his ears, even though he knew it wouldn’t do any good. “Both of you just… shut up!”
Ash shot the sword a threatening glare, then let out a long-suffering sigh. “Humans. You have to know every single insignificant detail, don’t you?”
Tor stared at him in disbelief. “The reason why you turned your ex-lover into a sword is hardly insignificant. Considering I’m your current lover, it seems very significant to me.”
That earned him an eye roll. “Even though it has no bearing on your relationship with me. Even though it’s none of your business. Even though it was so long ago, I’ve practically forgotten it—”
Humph. Surely I made more of an impression than that?
“Shut up,” Ash snapped.
“I’ve already told you why it’s my business,” Tor said, adopting the same perfectly reasonable and utterly condescending tone Ash often used with him. “If you don’t want to come clean about it, you can damn well sleep alone tonight, because I won’t be warming your bed.”
Excerpt:
Inside the shelter, Tor sank down and sighed with relief as the warmth began to sink into his chilled flesh. “You know, I can put up with an awful lot,” he said, glancing briefly at Ash, “but I’m getting pretty tired of being kept in the dark. Especially about things that concern me.”
Ash gave him a grim smile before dropping his pack on the ground and squatting down beside it. “It’s probably a good thing you can put up with a lot. You’ll have to, bonded to Carrik Tarn as you are.”
Tor scowled. “You say that like I had a choice about it.”
“You’re the one who picked up the sword.”
“What? I should have let the rhyx eat me?”
“It might have been more peaceful if you had.”
“Asshole.”
Ash pulled a cloth-wrapped bundle of travel cakes from the pack and passed it to Tor. “Of course I wouldn’t have wanted the rhyx to hurt you.” Ash’s voice held a note of exaggerated patience that had Tor gritting his teeth. “But I could wish that if you were going to make the acquaintance of a leythe-blade, it had been any but that one.”
Always thinking of your own comfort, eh, Vaya? Seven hundred years, and nothing much has changed, has it?
Ash rolled his eyes. “I was wondering when you’d wake up and take notice.”
Tor set the packet of travel cakes down, unopened. He wasn’t going to let Ash distract him with food or sex like he usually did. Not until he had some answers, at least. “Ash. You turned your lover into a sword. That doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence when I think about what might happen to me in the future.”
“Rest assured there would be little point in doing the same thing to you. You don’t have the skills.” Ash shot a dark look at the sword as he passed a waterskin to Tor. “Or the temperament.”
Why don’t you tell the boy what happened, Vaya? Oh, sorry, it’s Ash now isn’t it?
Tor took a long drink and then passed the skin back. He gave Ash an expectant look. “I told you earlier you owe me an explanation.”
Ash narrowed his eyes.
“I can ask Blackfang,” Tor said. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to tell me every smutty detail. Blond slut, did you say, Carrik?”
Blackfang was only too happy to comply. Ah, yes, the blond slut. Pretty little thing, he was. He promised me immortality.
“And seven hundred years later, you’re still here, shooting your mouth off,” Ash muttered. “I’d say I delivered.”
As long as one disregards such inconveniences as complete dependence upon my bearer, I’ll concede the point. But that doesn’t change the fact that you never said anything about spending the rest of eternity trapped in a fucking sword.
“Ungrateful bastard. Seven hundred years has done nothing to improve your attitude,” Ash snapped.
Nor yours.
“You’re immortal. What the hell else did you want?”
Full disclosure would have been nice. And perhaps a chance to refuse your… gift.
“You wouldn’t have refused and we both know it.”
You never gave me the chance.
Ash rolled his eyes. “It wouldn’t have made any difference. Your brain never was anywhere near the size of your ego.”
“Shut up!” Tor clapped his hands over his ears, even though he knew it wouldn’t do any good. “Both of you just… shut up!”
Ash shot the sword a threatening glare, then let out a long-suffering sigh. “Humans. You have to know every single insignificant detail, don’t you?”
Tor stared at him in disbelief. “The reason why you turned your ex-lover into a sword is hardly insignificant. Considering I’m your current lover, it seems very significant to me.”
That earned him an eye roll. “Even though it has no bearing on your relationship with me. Even though it’s none of your business. Even though it was so long ago, I’ve practically forgotten it—”
Humph. Surely I made more of an impression than that?
“Shut up,” Ash snapped.
“I’ve already told you why it’s my business,” Tor said, adopting the same perfectly reasonable and utterly condescending tone Ash often used with him. “If you don’t want to come clean about it, you can damn well sleep alone tonight, because I won’t be warming your bed.”
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Update: Back from Beta
Human Strengths is back from the beta readers (thanks, guys—awesome job!), and I’m pleased to say it is not a steaming pile of crap. I got some wonderful suggestions for additional content, so I’ve been working on that, and it’s sitting at around 88K now. I rewrote the end of Human Frailties so it transitions better into the new material, and I’m pretty happy with it so far. The title of this expanded version is Human Frailties, Human Strengths (see what I did there?).
Chinchbug, my tame cover artist, is reworking the cover for me. It’ll be similar, but you know, Tor really needs to have a sword, so he’s getting one.
I’m still hoping to have this out late summer/early fall, but it’s going to depend a lot on how quickly I get the formatting figured out. And, you know, I’m kind of tech-stupid, here, so… yeah, that might be optimistic.
Chinchbug, my tame cover artist, is reworking the cover for me. It’ll be similar, but you know, Tor really needs to have a sword, so he’s getting one.
I’m still hoping to have this out late summer/early fall, but it’s going to depend a lot on how quickly I get the formatting figured out. And, you know, I’m kind of tech-stupid, here, so… yeah, that might be optimistic.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Update: A Novel Idea
Human Strengths is now in the hands of my beta readers, so I will soon know if it's a steaming pile of crap or not. Hopefully not, but you never know. I might have had a bad hair month.
Early feedback is telling me exactly what my gut has been suggesting: that the two stories really want to be a novel. With that thought in mind, I've written up some new content for Human Frailties, mostly concerning Tor's background.
Once Human Strengths comes back from the beta readers, I'll be working to meld the two stories together into one long one. Expect at least 85,000 words, possibly more (my drafts seem to get longer with each edit pass). I'm still hoping to have it available on Smashwords by the end of the summer (that's officially September... right?).
Early feedback is telling me exactly what my gut has been suggesting: that the two stories really want to be a novel. With that thought in mind, I've written up some new content for Human Frailties, mostly concerning Tor's background.
Once Human Strengths comes back from the beta readers, I'll be working to meld the two stories together into one long one. Expect at least 85,000 words, possibly more (my drafts seem to get longer with each edit pass). I'm still hoping to have it available on Smashwords by the end of the summer (that's officially September... right?).
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