feygan | Several different things

Several different things:

Hey, go check out the Winter Warmers Giveaway Hop stop at Harper Kingsley's blog.

Pick a title off the backlist and mention it in the comments for a chance to win an ebook copy. Follow the rest of the hop and check out everyone else's stops. This thing runs from December 12-16th, 2013.

Includes an excerpt of Once When I Was Young, a f/f/m romance story. It's an attempt at first person perspective. Basically this woman had a kind of sucky first romance with a girl that dumped her for someone else, and ever since then she's been a little bitter and burned and made a vow to never love again. Except there's this awesome friend that enters into her life and she finds herself once again welcoming the idea of romance into her life.

There's tons of other stops on the hop and people are giving away all kinds of stuff. It's basically this big celebration of romance books and romance stuff -- no kids allowed, so no YA books, though NA are a-okay.

Here's an excerpt of that vampire romance thing:

EXCERPT: Harsh Buzz [mm, vampire, romance]

Title: Harsh Buzz
Author: Harper Kingsley
Genre: mm, supernatural, urban fantasy
Summary: Marmalee has been named Prince-Elect. Guests from all over have come to enjoy his coronation ceremony, including the devastatingly attractive Rogue, Ward, and a bunch of assassins with bullets and machetes.

Ward has been wooing a human woman. More for the entertainment factor than anything like love. He immediately drops her on meeting Marmalee.

"There's just some essential shift in want and need when you meet the right person. I'm sorry, Eva. In another time and another place we could have been something magical. But I've seen my future, and he's going to be my everything."

"And does he know it?" she asked, only a little bitter.

Ward shrugged. "I know it, and for now that's enough. I will woo him and win him and he will see that I am everything that he will ever desire."

Even though she was still giving him that shocked looked, there was also a spark of humor in the twist of her lips. "So, you're going to pitch some woo, huh? In typical creepy stalkerish vampire fashion?"

He grinned, a bright flash of teeth. "He's a vampire too. To him it won't be creepy or stalkerish; it will be romantic. He will fall into my arms, swooning from passion and mad lust. It will be brilliant."

She cocked her head. "Why do I suddenly feel as though I dodged a bullet with you?"

He was grateful that she was so entirely blase about things. High histrionics had lost all appeal to him decades ago. "Oh darling, I'll find you someone to be your crazy sex lover."

"Why do you think I need you to find me someone?" Eva asked. "I'm a grown ass woman. I can find someone for myself."

"I will find you someone," he said firmly. "Someone worthy of your brilliance and your beauty and your terrible sense of humor."

Eva shoved him gently. "You don't know what you're talking about. I'm fucking hilarious."

"Sure you are. Make a list of attributes you want your new love interest to have. And nothing too far-fetched."

"What's wrong with a twelve inch cock and a self-lubricating anus?" Off his look she hastily added, "And a love of romance novels, chocolate pudding, long walks on the beach, flowing Fabio hair, and a British accent so I don't sound like a complete weirdo as your expression suggests I currently do."

Ward smirked at her babble. "It's typical of you that your ideal perfect mate would be more of a unicorn than a man. I will do my best to find you someone."

"But he won't be as good as you," Eva said sadly.

"I'm sorry," Ward said. He gently touched her hair, just a brush of his fingertips. "I really do love you, you know?"

"But this other guy is the One for you?"

He nodded. "He is."

She stared down at her feet for a long moment, then she drew in a deep breath and looked at him out of clear gray eyes. "You're buying me ice cream and a crappy movie. I'll charge it to your card."

"Okay," he said.

/EXCERPT

EXCERPT: Leviathan [mm, fantasy]

Title: Leviathan
Author: Linnea Kingsley
Genre: fantasy
Summary: Taeyon is traveling and finds himself entering a strange underwater world with an odd companion.

Taeyon had been traveling for what felt like days when he found the beautiful glade, the grass lush and green, inviting him to stop. He dropped his pack next to a large tree with overhanging branches ornamented with lacy white puffs and wandered around the area. He breathed deeply, drawing in the scent of flowers and the ripe purple berries on the overgrown bushes framing the glade. And there in the center of it all a peaceful spring bubbled up from the depths of the earth, smelling of mountain and sky, the water caught in the rough bowl shape of smoothed rocks.

There was no thought involved. He just kicked off his boots and tugged off his socks, then sunk his bare feet into the tall grass, wriggling his toes. Already he felt somewhat refreshed, though he had far to go before he would be completely at ease. Traveling for so long had brought aches to his shoulders that he had never experienced before and the soles of his feet had become callused from walking. He didn't regret the necessity of his journey, but more than ever he missed his home and the hearth his mother always kept tended.

He missed the sound of her voice and the gentleness of her hand as she brushed roughened fingers through his hair and sang songs in the Old Tongue that sent a shivery chill down his spine. He missed his father and the stories he would tell of life in the army. He missed the commonsense lessons Daeson would impart as they went about chores around the farm. Most of all, he missed the carefree days he would spend down at the lake, swimming and fishing with his friends, frolicking in the sunshine, their bare skin taking on a golden glow as they relished the bright days of summer.

He walked to the spring and knelt down, crushing the blades of grass and the leaves of the wild dandelions and daisies. He felt the moisture in the plants soaking through the cloth of his trousers, small spots of dampness against his kneecaps.

Taeyon leaned over the spring, seeing his own face reflected in the lightly rippling surface. He reached out a hand and brushed his fingers through the icy water, raising it up to his mouth for a quick taste. Clean, clear water.

He bent closer to use his cupped hands to scoop up some of the water, raising it to his lips. It was as he was sipping that he spotted a strange movement beneath the surface. It was a large shadow moving around, much too big to be a fish, though he thought he caught a glimpse of dappled silver scales.

Curious, he leaned closer and closer, peering down beneath the surface, squinting to see. He leaned down so far that his chin almost touched the water, his bare toes digging into the grass of the bank as he leaned his weight on his left hand to maintain his balance as he tried to see what was moving around inside the spring.

There was no warning, no change in the size or shape of the shadow to show that it was getting closer, just a sudden rush upward and he didn't even have time to cry out before he was plunging down and down, an iron grip clasped tight around his right arm.

He kicked his feet and tried to use his other hand to free himself, but whatever had him was too strong. All he ended up doing was blowing most of the air out of his lungs and he could feel himself going weak and he could not break free. He was helpless in the face of such immovable strength.

His struggles weakened and finally stopped, the last of his air escaping him in a burst of bubbles. He felt himself sinking down and there was nothing he could do to stop it as all the light was pulled from his world and he was left empty, swirling into the darkness far below, a strengthless passenger in the shell of his own skin. His eyelids fluttered and fell closed.

/EXCERPT