What is on the Reading Radar? #WishList #TBR

What am I doing? I have been working on Constant and Assassin's Retirement. Not much else. :)

Title: Fall From Grace
Series: Exile of Angels, 1
Author(s): Ron C. Nieto
Length: 342 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Paranormal / Urban Fantasy / Angels & Demons / Antihero / 

Notes:

Blurb: Hell was meant to be a timeless prison. It’s not.

Henry Black, former Archangel of Secret Knowledge, wants some peace of mind after untold millennia locked up in Hell, but the guilt of inhabiting a body that is not his own and of having left behind his brothers and sisters still damned to solitary confinement eats him up inside.

Old sins are hard to cleanse.

He thinks he can atone by doing the right thing—play the older brother to his host body’s kin while upturning every secret buried in Creation until he finds a way to free every single angel who fell—but with every fact uncovered, he finds himself one step further from the release he craves and one step closer to more chains that bind.

Maybe the only way to be at peace with himself is to face a new war head on…

Title: Nightblade
Series: (The Nightblade Epic 1)
Author(s): Garrett Robinson
Length: 366 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: LGBTIAQ Lead / Fantasy / New Adult / 

Notes:

Blurb: Loren's dagger holds incredible power—but something keeps her from using it.

Loren dreams of escaping her cruel parents and becoming a great thief: Nightblade, a warrior of darkness and a champion of the light. Following the fugitive sorcerer Xain out of her forest home, she wears a stolen noble's cloak of fine black cloth and carries a dagger the world has not seen in centuries—a blade that can turn enemies to allies when she least expects it.

Yet something keeps her from using that dagger to take a life.

Soon she crosses paths with the smuggler family of Yerrin, invoking their wrath by stealing their most precious treasure. Yerrin’s reach is long, and they will not stop until they silence Loren forever.

If she can survive, Loren may become the most infamous thief in the world. But if she fails, she will be only the first to burn in a war that threatens all the nine lands.

Title: Firestorm
Series: 
Author(s): Maria Br
Length: 682 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Action Adventure / Bisexual / Gay / Space Opera / 

Notes:

Blurb: Life is fire. The fire of passion and the fire of loss. Beautiful fire... and ugly fire. The fire of shame burning through a soul gone astray. And the fire wielded by the hand of a mage.

Kai and Jericho have controlled the Eternal Empire for several years, now. For Jericho, life couldn't be better. He has a home, and he has the constant companionship of the man he loves. But Kai wants more. He longs for the excitement of adventure, the challenge of making a difference.

Nobody saw the firestorm on the horizon. From stability, insanity. Powerful change is coming fast. Can Kai and Jericho survive it?

Title: Tribe: Outsider
Series: (Chosen Series Book 2)
Author(s): Stacy Jones
Length: 330 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Sci-Fi / Aliens / Reverse Harem / 

Notes:

Blurb: Despite being dumped on a primitive alien world, Lily is adapting to life there, with the help of Frrar, Tor, and Arruk. But they can’t stay in the safety of the caves forever. The flood waters have receded and it’s time to join the rest of the tribe… 

While traveling, their group meets a familiar face from Arruk’s past – a man half feral and covered in vicious scars. Something about him draws Lily in, despite those who already hold her heart. But that isn’t her biggest concern.

Can Lily keep the Tribe Mother from discovering just how much being with her has changed her new mates? Will the tribe accept her, a stranger in their lands? Or will Lily have to fight the very people who were supposed to offer her safety and a home?

*This is a full length novel, but it is part one of two and ends on a slight cliffhanger.

Title: The Cursebreaker Countess
Series: 
Author(s): Sasha L. Miller
Length: 125 pages
Publisher: Less Than Three Press (August 15, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Steampunk / Fantasy / Lesbian / Biseual / 

Notes:

Blurb: Kas is a wanderer, exploring the country and keeping out of the reach of her stepfather's plots to marry her off and steal her fortune. When she stumbles across a field of towers one stormy night, she promptly takes shelter in the sturdiest-looking of the bunch, only to find a woman trapped in a bespelled sleep.

Breaking the curse takes seconds, but dealing with the aftermath may force Kas to return to the home she's been avoiding—and right into the sights of the mage who cursed the princess sleeping in the tower...

Title: Ryland's Inferno
Series:  Pryde Shifter, 2
Author(s):Giovanna Reaves
Length: 383 pages
Publisher: 

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Fantasy / Gay / 

Notes:

Blurb: He ran because of fear, but was found because of love . . . 

The moment Blayze McKnight joins the Pryde pack he knows it is only a matter of time before everyone finds out that he is not what he claims to be. Being the last of his kind, Blayze was never taught the way of the dragon. Because the man he wants he can never claim as his. After shifting into his true form to save the man he deeply cares for, he runs. Fear of being rejected, Blayze turns his back on the friends and the pack he once called home. And giving up on ever finding his draco corde. His dragon heart.

Ryland Burnett has never been wrong before, especially when he follows his gut. The day he met Blayze McKnight he knew the man belonged completely to him. And they are mates for life. After being injured in a fight, he wakes up in the hospital expecting to see his mate by his side, only to hear the man is gone. Ryland wastes no time and goes in search of his soul mate.  Finding Blayze is the easy part, but what happens next neither expected. Will Ryland and Blayze's love be strong enough for what they face next?

Disclaimer: This is not a standalone. This book starts directly after the first book in the Pryde Shifter Series. This book also contains Mpreg but is not the focus of the story. This book contains explicit language and is intended for adult readers over the age of 18+

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Pact Days: Series Update & A Fun Excerpt #ValespianPact #Constant

Welcome back to Pact Days! I was kind of at a conundrum, looking for something to post today. I thought an excerpt from Constant would be fun.

Constant is the unexpected 3rd book in the Valespian Pact series. Unexpected because I was sure Bespoken would be next and was writing on Bespoken when I realized I needed some background details on Zeus's brother, Prince Mestor Vondorian and Warlord Sohm'lan. I had planned for there to be a sort of sneak peek of their love affair in the following books with a culmination in the final book, Legends. But I needed a bouncing off point because things didn't really heat up for the two until the Vondorian twins, Azaes and Mestor, go to pick up Zeus from the space station only for Zeus to be kidnapped by Captain Dargon Kal-Turak. It is during Striker that the true love story between Mestor and Sohm'lan begins. 

I decided to do a couple of flash fictions during the Striker time period and before I knew it, those flashes turned into a short story, then a novella and I decided to just take it all of the way. I thought I was finished when the book hit 65k but the beta feedback was extremely helpful in pointing out missed opportunities and other problems. I was fighting my way out of depression when I started writing the flashes for Constant and it showed. Depression does funny things to the brain, and unlike Hemmingway (who I think wrote most of his works in his depression), it hindered my creativity. I have been doing rewrites and adding new words when I can. I spent a lot of time editing May, June, and July, first for Caledonia Destiny, which released on July 9th, and then on Alpha Trine for its new contract period for LT3 Press. 

Now I'm back to working on Constant. It has unintentionally become a pivotal book in the series... I really didn't mean for so much of the Mar'Sani history to come to the forefront, but as I write I can now see why this is so important. Some things that I was going to mention in future books, I pulled back into Constant, and now the book is well on its way to being 100k words. I don't know when it will be done. I keep setting deadlines and I keep blowing by them. But with other projects now off my desk, I will be working primarily on this book.

That being said, this is an excerpt from Constant. It is a memory told from Mestor's POV when he and Azaes were five summers old. The time period is before Canry was lost in the Waters of Poseidon. The part I want to share is almost 3k so I'll split it between today and next Thursday. Enjoy!


Copyright Lexi Ander

Mestor was attempting to sneak by the nannies. He wanted to go to the nursery and see his little brother. Canry was only six moons old and Mestor had heard the adults talking about introducing Canry to the Waters of Poseidon. He wanted to be there too, but the nannies were guarding the doors like they were Giante elite Mukene warriors guarding the high king.

His twin, Azaes, peeked around the doorjamb to the room of the nannies' bedchamber. Nanny Notus was still at the exit of the main room, speaking to a Basilisc guard. Earlier, Nanny Kalika went to the kitchens to order their midday meal. Mestor gestured to Azaes, giving him the 'all clear'. His twin walked from the nannies' room, not run. The nannies always sensed when Azaes or Mestor were running and they did not want to draw the attention of Nanny Notus. He and Azaes had learned that lesson the hard way. Mestor suspected they were always caught running because their tails crashed into everything. Their waterfather, Sohm'lan, promised they would learn how to control their tails better when they grew older. But for now, he and Azaes knew not to run when they were trying to accomplish something of the utmost importance.

::All set,:: Azaes signed with his hands. ::The fuses are really long—::

A loud bang went off in the nannies' sleeping quarters followed by several more pops. The Basilisc guard brushed by their startled nanny. Nanny Notus followed the guard, his hands fisted in the shirt over his heart. Once their backs were turned, Mestor bolted, in a fast walk, not a run, out the door and into the large, grand hallway. The nursery where Canry and Shaneva stayed was around the corner. A little over a summer ago, he and Azaes and graduated to their own rooms and the days were spent with tutors instead of playing in the sand. They missed spending time with Shaneva, and now that Canry would be introduced to the Waters of Poseidon, he and Azaes would be allowed to play with Canry more.

Azaes took the lead as they hurried down the hallway. Around the corner coming toward them, was the sound of clumping footstep. The explosion, which shouldn't have been that loud, would have brought more Basilisc guards and they were hurrying, coming toward Mestor's and Azaes's room. Mestor's heart sped. They had to find a place to hide before the guards rounded the corner. He rushed to the nearest pot, and Mestor climbed over the side of the planter, turning to grab Azaes's hands. Once he hoisted his twin over the rim, they both scrambled into the middle where the large fronds hid them from view. Something grabbed his tail and when he looked, Azaes was holding both of their tails in his fists.

The sound of boots rounding the corner caused Mestor to instantly still. The guards were talking about the report of a loud noise, and they were stopping at all the rooms, checking for more hidden incendiary devices before advancing on to the next room.

Staying still was so hard. Mestor thought hours passed before the guards rounded the opposite corner that lead to a different wing of the palace. Scrambling out of the giant pot, Mestor accidentally spilled some of the black soil over the side. Somehow both he and Azaes got their clothes dirty as well, but he could not worry about that now. They needed to get to the nursery before more guards came down the hall.

Again, Azaes took off and Mestor tried to mimic his twin's soft steps on the yellow-veined, red tile. At the corner, Azaes got on his belly and looked around the edge. Mestor paused and crouched behind Azaes. He was startled out of his excitement when his tail cracked against the tiled wall. He bared his teeth when Azaes scowled over his shoulder in a silent reprimand.

Once Azaes deemed the way clear, he scrambled to his feet. Mestor glanced behind to ensure no one had spotted them before he ran after his twin. The door to the nursery was all the way at the other end of the hallway. Mestor sprinted like he was in one of the annual mountain races that Sohm'lan anticipated in every year. He could practically hear the cheers, his waterfather shaking his fist in the air as he urged Mestor to move his feet faster.

He was not sure what happened, but he crashed into Azaes, and they tumbled in a knotted-heap through the open doorway of the nursery. Mestor hiss-clicked at Azaes's shushing noises punctuated by grunts as they rolled. They disentangled themselves only to hear more footsteps. Mestor scurried to one side of the doorway while Azaes took the other. To be safe, he trapped his tail between his legs so it would not thump anything. The clomping slowed as a passerby glanced into the quiet nursery and then continued on without entering. When the noise was gone, Mestor helped Azaes slide the ornately painted door almost closed. The nursery was remotely monitored for sound. Something they had learned before graduating to their new rooms. Even though they did not dare speak, Mestor and his brother use the language of their hands, taught to them by the People of the Longing.

::How long before Nanny Notus and Nanny Kalika noticed that we are gone?:: Azaes gestured as he crossed to Canry's birth bed. Mestor shrugged. How would he know?

Canry's halfshell was intricately carved with whirls and spirals surrounding the drawing of a four-legged raptor. The wings spanned the length of the oval cradle. Mestor's father told them how he climbed Mount Rhodes and haggled with the Gatekeeper for the birthbed made from the eggshell of the Pegasus, the largest flying raptor species on Atlainticia. Mestor had trouble imagining a bird so big.

Inside the birth bed, Canry slept on his stomach, his hind-end sticking up in the air. ::His tail is starting to grow,:: Azaes pointed out.

Canry was born without a tail. Meme said all youngling came into the world tailless, but still Mestor and his brother worried. They sometimes talked about it long into the night and neither remembered being without their own tail.

::It is really thin.:: Mestor replied. ::Maybe Canry needs to eat something special for it to grow thick and strong.::

Azaes made a face. ::Unca seaweed is nasty.::

The nannies were always pushing them to eat more of the greens, claiming it would strengthen their limbs and tail.

Azaes sighed deeply. ::I guess we should eat more of it when we spend time with Canry so he would eat more himself.::

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

What's on the Reading Radar? #WishList #TBR

What have I been doing? Getting over con-crud. This is the first convention that I have been to that I came away with con-crud. It's not fun. Other than that, I have been attempting to work on Assassin's Retirement and working on some plotting for the Valepsian Pact and I.O.N. I have friends coming in a couple of weeks so I'm going to need to take some time to do some serious cleaning before I have house guests. I think I need a hazmat team to tackle the husband's bathroom. LOL!

What has caught my eye, reading wise?

Title: Be Fairy Game
Series:  Starfig Investigations, 2
Author(s): Meghan Maslow
Length: 378 pages
Publisher:

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / High Fantasy / Humorous / Gay / 

Notes: Releases August 30th

Blurb: They’re baaacckk! 

When a simple ‘find & fetch’ case throws private investigator Twig Starfig and newly-minted wizard, Quinn Broomsparkle, into the middle of an EBI murder investigation, it’s just another day in the Elder Realm.

If murder were Twig’s only problem, he’d be the luckiest half-dragon in the land. Murder he can handle. Fulfilling his promise to his scheming, power-hungry father to run for a seat on Lighthelm’s city council? Meh, he’d rather face a demon with a toothache.

On top of their case going sideways, and Twig running for a council seat he really doesn’t want, Twig and Quinn are forced to face some unpleasant realities about their budding romance, while still learning how to handle the wizard-familiar bond they now share. Throw in a red fury with abysmal taste in boyfriends, a ghost pirate-parrot who drinks too much, a murderer who will stop at nothing to get what they want, a host of new friends and enemies, and you’ve got a situation where no one is safe and everyone is Fairy Game.


*This book is part of a series but can be read as a standalone.

Title: Under the Midnight Sun
Series: 
Author(s): Lore Graham
Length: 35k
Publisher: Less Than Three Press

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Gay

Notes: releases August 14th

Blurb: The eldest son of Thunderhill's warrior-kings, Otto Johanson lives for battle but has forsaken love since the death of his partner three years ago. Still when the Midsummer festivities bring nomadic reindeer herders back to town, Otto can't help but notice the handsome, if sullen, Lukas.

Tension rises between them during the annual tournament, but when a terrible attack devastates Thunderhill, Otto and Lukas must put aside their burgeoning rivalry to embark on a dangerous quest that may be the town's only hope of survival.

Title: By Flame
Series: Witches of Portland, 2
Author(s): T. Thorn Coyle
Length: 219 pages
Publisher: PF Publishing (May 8, 2018)

Genre: Urban Fantasy / Gay / Romantic Elements? /

Notes: I didn't realize this was the second book in a series. The first book is By Earth (The Witches of Portland Book 1) Each book seems like it is a standalone and about different characters in this urban fantasy world.

Blurb: He forges justice from the fires of love.

Tobias's life looks perfect: perfect herbalism business, perfect household, perfect coven. But it isn't. His favorite client has just died, and he fears that he failed her, that he's not the healer he wants to be more than anything in the world.

Then Aiden, a shy and gorgeous man with a passion for serving the homeless, stumbles into Tobias's arms and asks for help:

The homeless communities of Portland are under threat. They need healing and protection, and the magic that Tobias has buried deep inside.

With Arrow and Crescent Coven – and the divine intervention of a Goddess whose plan threatens to change all their lives from the inside out – Tobias and Aiden are thrust into a situation that’s out of their control…

Title: Chosen
Series: Chosen Series, 1
Author(s): Stacy Jones
Length: 412 pages
Publisher:

Genre: Romance / Sci-Fi / Aliens / Reverse Harem / 

Notes:

Blurb: One minute Lily is trying, and failing, to run her grandmother’s farm—her last remaining connection to her family. The next, she wakes to find herself in a cold, sterile cage surrounded by monsters, with no memory of how she got there. Accidentally abducted by alien poachers, unsure if she will live or die, she is dreading the worst. What she doesn’t expect is for her captors to dump her on an alien planet to fend for herself. Now, she must fight to survive the planet… or die trying.

Frrar, Tor, and Arruk have been searching endlessly for a mate to belong to, someone to finally accept them, but they are losing hope. The time of cleansing, when the great waters drown the land, draws near. They are on the verge of abandoning their search and fleeing the forest when they spot a strange, tiny, two-armed female. They are immediately drawn to her, fascinated by her differences, but they must act fast to save her life, and their own, from the coming flood.

Title: Night Raven
Series: 
Author(s): Lyssa Hart
Length: 208 pages
Publisher: New Concepts Publishing (September 1, 2009)

Genre: Erotic Romance / Futuristic / Sci-Fi / Paranormal / Reverse Harem / 

Notes: I thought this was a menage. The cover on amazon seems to have been updated.

Blurb: Woman with genetically enhanced male harem/warriors/reverse harem

The pheromones made it possible to track the vixen to lair, but it also wreaked havoc with their sex drives-which no one had counted on. As squad leader, it was Raven's job to keep a cool head, whatever the circumstances, but the ease with which Nika decimated the control of his squad members was unnerving enough to make him wary anyway. 

The woman was dangerous!

Title: Forged in Fire: Paranormal Dating Agency
Series: (The Phoenix Pack Book 1)

Author(s): Sheri Lynn

Length: 125 pages
Publisher: MTW Press (July 18, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Gay /

Notes:

Blurb: Sypher Delacroix is the leader of a pack of winged creatures that even some shifters believe don’t exist. Their numbers may be small, but pack Alpha has a plan to change that. He knows only one person can help this reclusive group find their mates, Paranormal Dating Agency owner and genius, Gerri Wilder. 

Daegan McKenzie’s life revolves around two things, his grandmother and vengeance. When she asks him to escort her good friend Gerri to visit friends, he reluctantly agrees. Now he is searching for the clues to bring his friend’s killer to justice and travelling with a perceptive and slightly scary woman who just might know more about what makes him tick then he does.

Two lives are about to entwine in ways neither of them expected as they learn that sometimes the ashes of your past can be the foundation of your future.

Title: Changed: Mated to the Alien Alpha
Series: The Omega Colony, 1
Author(s): Robin Moray
Length: 209 pages
Publisher:

Genre: Romance / Sci-Fi / Alpha-Omegaverse / Mpreg / 

Notes:

Blurb: The Company said Omega IV was uninhabited. They said Omega IV was safe.They were wrong.

The giant humanoid inhabitants of Omega IV are conditioned to the Change—a biological event in their development that designates them altha or amekha—but for the new colony of humans, the Change comes as an unpleasant surprise.

Dr Cameron Grant, bitter after a turbulent break-up, finds himself in a first-contact situation that was never covered in training. The alien warrior Tal'jen, seven feet tall and distinctly male, has taken an interest in him, an interest with a clear and pressing conclusion. Dr Grant can't deny his attraction, even as his body undergoes strange and frightening changes. Whatever is happening to him, it's obvious that Tal'jen understands it instinctively. He will have to place himself in the hands of an alien and hope that Tal'jen's interest is as benign as it seems.

Meanwhile, Tal'jen, chief-in-waiting of his people, seeks a mate. The handsome and strange Cam'ren of the newcomers calls to him powerfully, though he has not yet gone through his Change. To be chief Tal'jen must mate with a bearer, so while he longs to claim Cam'ren for his own, he must be patient and hope that Cam'ren's Change will grant him the gift of bearing young.

As the Change spreads through the human colony, leaving chaos in its wake, Cameron and Tal'jen must fight to protect both the delicate bond growing between them, and each other.

This book is first in the Omega Colony series, however it can be read as a stand-alone title. This book features adult content and language, sexual situations, and male pregnancy.

Title: Rabbit on the Run
Series: Dry Lake Pack, 1
Author(s): Jamie Lynn
Length: 137 pages
Publisher:

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Gay / 

Notes: This one peaked my interest with the shifter going blind. Rarely do we see paranormal beings with disabilities.

Blurb: Rohlin, the rabbit shifter is on the run from his former warren after being drugged and attacked by the alpha and his son. Afraid for his life he seeks the relative safety within human civilization. His strong suspicion that he was now pregnant from the attack only adds to his desperate situation. His only hope was to hide where no shifters could find him. That was his plan anyway!

When his failing eye sight causes wolf shifter Kai and his brother Connor to flee their home pack they find themselves part of an unlikely family of humans brought together by a human named Pops. Pop’s crew are motorcycle loving mechanics who become the family and support system that Kai and his brother needed to survive. When there is a shooting in Pop’s Shop that lands Connor in the human hospital, Kai must struggle to hold together his crew while hiding the truth about shifters from the humans around them.

Rohlin never expected to find his true mates scent in the aftermath of a bloody crime scene. While trying to track the scent of his mate he is found by members of the Dry Lake Pack and is taken to their pack lands. Meanwhile Kai, Connor, and the rest of the crew struggle with the aftermath of the shooting. They soon join the Dry Lake Pack and when their two paths cross, they both know they have found their true mate.

Can they overcome their own pasts and their current challenges to make a future for themselves with the Dry Lake Pack?

Title: The Horned God
Series: Crown Jewels, 3
Author(s): Ophelia Cox
Length: 137 pages
Publisher: MLR Press (July 12, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Fantasy / 

Notes: Whoops! I thought this was the first one in the series when I pulled it off the MLR website. Amazon says its the 3rd. Looking at thes closer, Prick of the Spindle (The Crown Jewels Book 1) is the first book in the series. 

Blurb: Prince Lewin has to spend his days walking two steps behind his brother, the future king of Bavaria, and pretending to enjoy it. His life is a series of dull days of being the spare and not the heir. He has resigned himself to the fact that no one prefers him, when they could have someone else. Until he meets Krampus. The God from the Alpine tribefolks' winter stories is alive and well in the Bavarian mountains, and has set his sights on the younger prince. Lewin soon finds himself falling for the man who is supposed to be a myth. But it has its own set of consequences. And with the Black Plague spreading fast across the continent, can Lewin and Krampus find some middle ground to grow their love?

Title: The Harem
Series: 
Author(s): M.H. Silver
Length: 430 pages
Publisher: Silver Heart Publishing (June 4, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Poly / Omegaverse / Urban Fantasy / Paranormal / Gay / 

Notes:

Blurb: Lust. Love. One omega, the three men who want him in their beds. And a spell so dangerous it might kill them all.

Elliot is an omega working with three powerful men. His skills make him invaluable to creating powerful spells. The men he works for want to take down the Order, the organization that betrayed them. With their abilities put together they just might pull it off.

Sweet and wicked Jacob, brimming with magic that draws Elliot to his bed.
Refined and intelligent Taryn, who shows him what it means to make love.
And enigmatic Matthias, destroyer of all he touches—including, maybe, Elliot.
Every moment he spends with them only increases his desire.

Together, they’re powerful beyond all measure. And their plan to destroy the Order just might work.

Elliot said yes for the money, but now he’s in over his head. It turns out that when you sleep with three powerful men—you just might wind up pregnant.

Getting out alive will take everything they’ve got. Elliot swears to protect all of the men he loves—and in doing so, bargains with his child’s future.

Because the only thing more powerful than all of them is the baby he carries...

***

The Harem is a novel about an omega who can’t choose between three men. But he doesn’t have to choose. He gets them all.

This is a 100,000 word steamy novel in a hot new subgenre. Welcome to the harem!

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Pact Days: Atlainticia Maps #ValespianPact

I drew my first map of Atlainticia while writing Alpha Trine. Since then, I have been expanding on it, bit by bit. There is only one land mass on the planet and it has four major cities along the coastline and many hamlets inland that serve the farmers and cultivators, but those are never far from the Waters of Poseidon. Most Mar'Sani need water and chose to live by lakes and streams but they do travel to the coastline at lease once a week. The oceans covers about 70-71% of the planet and divided up in seas and oceans. Waters of Poseidon is all the water claimed by Poseidon, so to speak. 

With each book and the additional world building and plotting that I have been doing, I needed to expand my meager map which only included Thrace, the mountain range, and the military base. I needed Mount Rhodes where the Mar'sani climb a cliff to obtain the birth bed for the youngling on the way. In Alpha Trine, Zeus compares something to Inferno which is a volcano in the center of the content. In Striker it is mentioned that sages live in the desert. Mar'Sani have been exiled away from the Waters, so there will be other communities more central to the continent. So as the story grows, I will create a bigger map showing more about Atlainticia and her people. 

I think as it expands I'm going to have to start taping pages together. This second photo is an expanded part with more detailed map than the first. The paper is too big for my scanner so I had to take a picture. I will have to make a scaled down version of the continent as a whole and then make 'zoomed in' portions, I think. I won't go so crazy and make a city street map of Thrace. I really don't need it since nothing major will take place there... but I can't say it hasn't crossed my mind once or twice. :)

The one thing I like to do is make parts of the map on scrap paper. I can test out size and placement before putting them on the main pages. This one was drawn because I needed figure out what was where for an 'adventurous' crash landing. It's still a work in progress and I think as I write it, there will be more details because though I have to plot a little bit (lot), I still end up pantsing some as I write. 

Well! I hope you enjoyed the look into the maps of Atlainticia. Making maps for my world is a fun thing that I like to do, but the maps don't always make it into the front of the book. Sometimes they are only necessary for me so that I get the details right every time I write about the area. It is fun sharing them, though. :)

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

What is on the Reading Radar? #TBR #WishList

What am I doing? Well, the beginning of the week, I finished up the edits and starting Thursday I've been at GenCon playing games and making dragon scale dice bag and box. Getting autographs from Mercedes Lackey and Elizabeth Bear. And drooling at all the things in the Vendor Room.

Title: Salt Magic, Skin Magic
Series:
Author(s): Lee Welch
Length: 217 pages
Publisher:

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Gay / 

Notes: releases on August 9th

Blurb: Lord Thornby has been trapped on his father’s isolated Yorkshire estate for a year. There are no bars or chains; he simply can’t leave. His sanity is starting to fray.

When industrial magician John Blake arrives to investigate a case of witchcraft, he finds the peculiar, arrogant Thornby as alarming as he is attractive. John soon finds himself caught up in a dark fairytale, where all the rules of magic—and love—are changed.

To set Thornby free, both men must face life-changing truths—and John must accept that the brave, witty man who’s winning his heart may also be about to break it. Can they escape a web of magic that’s as perilous as love?

Title: Shades of Circle City
Series: (Circle City Magic Book 1)
Author(s): Stephanie A. Cain
Length: 393 pages
Publisher: Cathartes Press (October 29, 2016)

Genre: Paranormal / Urban Fantasy / 

Notes: Because the location is Indianapolis

Blurb: Chloe is Catholic, a cop, and conventional, not necessarily in that order. But when a run-of-the-mill burglary arrest goes bad, she ends up dead. Turns out there are worse things than having a bra that doesn’t fit right.

When she wakes up alive–yeah, she’s as surprised as you are–she keeps seeing people her friends can’t see. She can’t get those people to talk to her, though, and one of them looks hauntingly familiar, even though it’s no one Chloe actually knows.

A handsome Indiana State Trooper with secrets of his own tells her that her would-be killer is tied to an open robbery case. While they work together to bring a relentless killer to justice, Chloe has increasingly disturbing encounters with the shades only she can see.

She finally realizes her death (and subsequent resurrection) has given her a connection to the restless dead of Indianapolis, and with a recent homicide rate over a hundred a year, there are a lot of restless dead in Indianapolis. What’s a conventional, Catholic cop to do?

Catch the crook, get the guy, and say a few Hail Marys just to be safe.

Title: Dragons and Healers
Series: Enukara, 1
Author(s): Nina R. Schluntz
Length: 311 pages
Publisher: MLR Press (January 12, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Gay / 

Notes:

Blurb: A simple act of kindness from a human toward a dragon triggered the Enukara--giving the human the ability to heal the wounds of others. The dragon bonded to him was granted immortality. The price for this gift was simple. The dragon's life was bound to the human.

The greed of dragons and humans was underestimated. For if an Enukara's life was taken by another, they would inherit the immortality blessed to the dragon. Both human and dragon could steal this gift. The slaughter of all Enukaras quickly ensued, until one dragon killed his own Enukara.

The power he inherited was unfathomable. He hunted and killed every immortal who had slain an Enukara.

A new Enukara emerges who challenges the mindset of the immortal dragon and the Enukara hopes to alter the fate of humanity, by showing the dragon how to love once again.

Title: Blood-Bound
Series: Ace Assassin, 1
Author(s): Kaelan Rhywiol
Length: 272 pages
Publisher: NineStar Press (June 11, 2018)

Genre: Paranormal / Urban Fantasy MF / MM / Ace / Bisexual / Genderqueer / Demisexual /

Notes:

Blurb: Rhian is content in her life. As a pwca, a Welsh shapeshifter, she is bound to the Dark God Arawn as an assassin. So when he assigns her as ambassador to oversee Ontario for him, it's a shock.

Her new job? To find out who murdered her predecessor and bring them to justice, as well as to oversee the otherkin and clean up their messes before the humans find them—all to preserve the illusion that magic and supernatural creatures do not exist.

The problem? One of the otherkin she's supposed to oversee is her estranged husband, Kai, the only person Rhian never regretted having sex with, and the only one she can't forgive.

Title: Bound by Love
Series: (Duncan's World Book 2)
Author(s): TA Chase
Length: 90 pages
Publisher: MLR Press (July 12, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Contemporary / Cowboys / Gay / 

Notes:

Blurb: Tyler Newsome is heading home to the Lazy N, tired of the rodeo and tired of always being his charismatic twin's shadow. It's time he gets a life of his own -- and maybe the man he's always dreamed of, too.

Ren Alston's attracted to Tyler, but never made a move because of his own mental and emotional baggage. But after years spent taming his demons and gaining control in every aspect of his life, Ren sees the younger man's return as a sign of good things to come.

But first, they have to deal with Tyler's twin, past indiscretions and Ren's brothers. Will these cowboys manage to build a strong foundation of trust and love? Or will their problems be too much for them?

Title: Shotgun Bastards and Other Stories
Series:
Author(s): Andrea Speed
Length: 155 pages
Publisher: Less Than Three Press, LLC (July 17, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Anthology / Science Fiction / Contemporary / Paranormal  / Fairy Tales / Fantasy / Bisexual / 
Aromantic / Asexual / Gay / Lesbian / Trans
Notes:

Blurb: A collection of tales filled with monsters, be they human or beast, ranging in setting from dystopia to pitch black noir and even general silliness. From the ludicrous to the frighteningly plausible; from deep space to after the end of the world. There are clumsy werewolves and bloody revenge, monster sleep overs and a dieting fad sure to kill your appetite. Whether looking into the past or the future, you're sure to find that stuff gets really weird.

Title: Hyena Queen
Series: (The Legend of Synthia Rowley Book 1)
Author(s): Ann Mayburn
Length: 316 pages
Publisher: Honey Mountain Publishing (July 15, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Shifters / Myths & Gods / Reverse Harem / 

Notes: I was on the fence about this book for a while, unsure how it would treat the asexual, intersex, and trans characters. I will probably write a review.

Blurb: My name is Synthia Rowley, and so far I really suck at saving the world.

I’m a latent shifter, a human that randomly became a hyena Queen. Crazy, right? You have no idea. When I turned twenty-five some magical chastity belt that had been completely blocking my sex drive snapped. One minute I was the ultimate shy science dork, the next I had curves that kill and a libido that won’t quit.

Good thing, ‘cause I’m supposed to have four husbands.

Yep, four. I’m destined to marry them all and they were all born to love me and only me. My own little harem. Here comes the really insane part. My husbands? The four men that I’ll be mated to for the rest of my life? They were born female and my pheromones will turn them into men. You heard me right, my hyena Queen pheromones will literally change my mates from women, into hulked out sexy studs. But if I don’t find and transform my mates, and soon, my world and everyone in it will be slaughtered by demons from a different dimension.

Good times.

Title: His Wicked Love
Series: Lords of Spells and Steel, 1
Author(s): Mila Benson
Length: 202 pages
Publisher:

Genre: Romance / Fantasy / Gay / 

Notes:

Blurb: As a warlock, Corbin trusts only himself and his master, Nereza. When that master is stolen from him by the kingdom that has long terrorized his kind, vengeance is the only answer. He has traded everything for the power to avenge her, and nothing will stop him. Being arrested is a minor setback. The paladin who arrested him is a bigger obstacle—but not even the heavily muscled, devastatingly gorgeous man who managed to slip past his defenses can keep him from his dark purpose. 

Leonid, a paladin of Sithia, obeys the Archmage’s orders without question. It’s the least he can do to make up for his failures in the past. So when he stumbles on a warlock breaking into a Crown outpost, he doesn’t hesitate to arrest him. Between the warlock’s teasing touches, captivating eyes, and heart-stopping smile, it will be all Leonid can do to deliver him for judgment without yielding to temptation.

But all is not well in Sithia, and neither man can face the chaos alone. If they cannot learn to trust each other, neither will live long enough to see his mission completed.

His Wicked Love is a stand-alone M/M fantasy romance with a happily ever after and no cliffhanger.

Title: Badlands
Series:
Author(s): Morgan Brice
Length: 296 pages
Publisher: Darkwind Press (June 26, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Urban Fantasy / Gay /

Notes:

Blurb: Medium and clairvoyant Simon Kincaide owns a Myrtle Beach boardwalk shop where he runs ghost tours, holds séances, and offers private psychic readings, making a fresh start after his abilities cost him his lover and his job as a folklore professor. Jaded cop Vic D’Amato saw something supernatural he couldn’t explain during a shootout several years ago in Pittsburgh and relocated to Myrtle Beach to leave the past behind, still skeptical about the paranormal. But when the search for a serial killer hits a dead end, Vic battles his skepticism to ask Simon for help. As the body count rises, Simon’s involvement makes him a target, and a suspect. But Simon can’t say no, even if it costs him his life and heart.

Title: Kidnapped by Her Husbands
Series: (Wings of Artemis Book 1)
Author(s): Rebecca Royce
Length: 234 pages
Publisher: Rebecca Royce (July 4, 2018)

Genre: Romance / Science Fiction / Reverse Harem / 

Notes:

Blurb: Alone in prison.
No recollection of the past.
A baby grows inside her.

In a futuristic world where women are scarce and only the wealthy can afford a wife, Melissa Alexander is trapped in a prison rehabilitation center with no memory of who she is. The unborn child growing inside her is all that keeps them from making her pay for the sins she's committed--sins she cannot recall. But when five sexy strangers, claiming to be her husbands, kidnap her and bring her to safety, Melissa fears she can't trust them. All she can remember is what she was taught under the prison's watchful, vengeful eye: to hate them. But how can she hate--or love--what she can't remember?

Title: Starring Role
Series: (shifters and partners Book 20)
Author(s): Hollis Shiloh
Length: 227 pages
Publisher:

Genre: Romance / Paranormal / Gay

Notes:

Blurb: It's his dream job—if he can survive it.

Cooper Hayes has finally landed a great role as the main character on a TV show about wolf shifters working with the police. The only problem? He's not a wolf—and the character he's playing is.

Some people aren't happy about that, including the showrunner, Sahil Singh, who's looking for an excuse to get rid of him. Between that, issues with his unfriendly costar, and his own fragile sense of self-worth, this is no time for Coop to be falling for a hot security guard—who just happens to be a wolf.


~67,000 words – very low heat
A Shifters and Partners story

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Pact Days: Star Charts #ValespiaPact

Welcome back to Pact Days. I wanted to talk a little bit about maps. 

I like to draw maps for some of my story so that I can keep track of what is where. For my blog story, Assassins' Retirement, I drew his house floor plans so that I wouldn't get locations wrong or contradict myself. With The Valespain Pact, I found that I needed to make a star chart. Some of this story takes place in space and I had tacked on travel times in Alpha Trine and Striker, not realizing that it could become a problem.

The hardest question to this star chart situation was how do I draw one because space and that in it are not one dimensional. And I don't have the skill to draw something that would be similar to a holographic image in the movies. 

I googled and googled and my google-foo brought up a lot of beautiful pictures and diagrams of space but it really didn't help me. But as i was looking around the house for ideas, I stumbled upon an ancient notebook of graph paper and an idea sparked. 

I needed to draw not only the galaxy that The Valespian Pact covers, I also needed the Milky Way and the galaxy that the Arthro War took place. The graph paper was great because the light years could be equally counted. The Milky Way is 100k light years across and Andromeda is 220k light years across. In between the two sits a small galaxy that is only 3 million light years (Triangulum) that is the Arthro Galaxy.

There are sheets of graph paper joined and it's too big for my scanner. Pictures will have to suffice. :) This is the Milky Way. I bit anti-climatic, right? I've only pinpointed a few things in the Milky Way: Earth, Earth 2.0, the prison planet, and the location of another planet for one of the future books. You can also see the GryFalconi planet, Aries 7. Sidonia is the planet that Dargon and Alpha fought V'Saar on when Dargon was in the military. Cypress, which will be important later on but not a spoiler. And Triangulum according to the Terren star charts but a.k.a Arthro Galaxy by the survivors of the Arthro Way. 

I didn't put a neat circle around Andromeda because it is more filled out than the Milky Way and I wanted to respect the spiral tails of the galaxy shape. These are the primary planets that make up the Cypress Council of Neighn and the Valespian Pact. I even put the space station where Zeus worked on the chart. I'm going to add more space station and transportation buoys that are used for space travel. I might even insert the smaller coalitions outside of Andromeda that Atlainticia has to deal with.

Together, this is what the three galaxies together look like. It's not a "WOW" map but it's a map that will be able to serve a purpose for me and the story. I wouldn't want to get lost in space... LOL!

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!