Introducing The Shades Below Shorts

Occasionally when I'm writing, certain characters just grab me by the throat.

This happened in a big way while I was writing A World Apart. Well, sort of.  Technically, it was two characters. And once they grabbed me, they wouldn't let go.

Their names are Emil and Puzzle. They exist mainly in the background, doing their own thing and minding their own business. Here's the rub:

Rev. Emil Stone is a curator of knowledge. He's part of a secret organization called The Ministers, whose mandate is to collect, catalog, and study objects of magical origin. 

Misha "Puzzle" Kaslov is a Peer, part of an underground order of knights assigned to protect the Ministers while they jet around the globe hunting down esoteric artifacts.

From the jump, I knew there was more to Emil and Puzzle than what I could show in the Shades Below novels. They wouldn't leave me alone (especially Misha), so...

I gave them their own series.

The Shades Below Shorts are a series of companion novellas all about Emil and Puzzle...and their "more-than-business" relationship.

This is a snippet from the first short, Ptolemy's Tablet:

Misha's face was so close he could taste him.  Emil struggled in his grasp.  Sweat beaded on his forehead as Misha twisted his arm still further.  The other man's face was cool, contemplative, but his eyes blazed hot.  "Do you know how easy it would be to break you right now?"

Emil didn't answer.  Misha tweaked his arm again, and he grimaced.  "So do it, then."

Misha's eyes burned into his.  "What?" His voice was quiet.

Emil didn't look away.  "Do it.  See if you feel better."

It shocked him how much he suddenly wanted Misha to hurt him.  When had he gotten so fucked up?  He didn't know.  Didn't care.  He'd made a mistake.  They both had.  The least Misha could do was punish him for it.

Emil leaned forward without breaking eye contact.  Tendons wrenched in his elbow.  "Do.  It."

He barely registered when Misha released his other wrist.  Then a warm, rough hand clasped the back of his neck.  Emil caught his breath, suspended between agony and bliss.  Misha's eyes dropped to his lips.  "Rasputnitsa," he whispered, "what are we doing to each other?"

***

Just one other thing. THEY'RE FREE.

Each Shades Below Short will be available via Smashwords for $0.99, but if you subscribe to my newsletter, I'll send you a coupon that will drop the price to exactly 0 pennies.

If you're a fan of m/m romance (that's boy + boy, for the uninitiated), I hope you'll check it out!

Find out more:

- The Shades Below Shorts: Extras

- EXCERPT: Ptolemy's Tablet (Shades Below, Short #1)

- Add Ptolemy's Tablet On Goodreads

UPDATE (3.30.15):

You know how some things take on a life of their own?

Emil and Puzzle did that.

I initially threw Ptolemy's Tablet up on Smashwords with little pomp and no circumstance, and what happened? The boys ended up being popular! Who knew?

Thus, while my original offer of a freebie coupon when you sign up for my newsletter remains valid, I am expanding distribution. You can now buy Ptolemy's Tablet on Amazon in both ebook and print form, as well as on the usual Smashwords outlets (Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, iTunes, etc.).

Thank you for this overwhelmingly positive response!

Ptolemy's Tablet Links
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords

TEASER: Season Of The Witch (Shades Below, #1.5)

The next book in Shades Below is officially underway! Here's a peek, then off to the writing cave for me...

It was not accustomed to being summoned.

The night began like any other, not that it normally had much use for mundane notions of time. All nights bled together in the dark wasteland where it preferred to hunt. It was hot on some hapless creature's trail when it first felt the pull.

Ignore.

A gust of unearthly wind carried the unmistakable scent of its prey. Fear was a potent stench; addictive, impossible to mistake. It lifted its nose and drank it in.

Another pull, stronger this time. It snarled. No one, not even The Lady, had ever attempted anything so blatant, so invasive. Invisible coils wrapped around its insides and tightened painfully. Confusion. This was a magic it did not recognize.

But then, no one in its long memory had ever tried to bind it before.

Another gust of wind. Another whiff of fear. It shook itself and continued on, tried to ignore the increasingly sharp bite of this new magic. Surely no one in their right mind could actually be trying to capture it. The very idea was so foreign it barely registered; a distant, amusing flicker on the far horizon of its mindscape.

But there it was again, not a tug this time but a yank. It dropped to its knees mid-stride with a yelp that echoed across the barren terrain. An unfamiliar voice filled its head.

You belong to me.

###

Happy Birthday, Shades Below!

Shades Below, Book #1: A World Apart is now live!

A billion thank-you's to everyone who helped make this release day special. So many of you had nothing to gain from helping me out, yet you stepped up and stepped forward, and offered advice, reviews, spotlights, and support. It has been truly humbling, and not a second goes by that I don't appreciate it.

On that note, here's where you can find the finished product:

"There are things that go bump in the night, Mr. MacMillian.  It's my job to bump back."

Private investigator Jesper MacMillian was sure he'd seen it all.  After all, in a city like San Francisco, strange is what's for breakfast.  Following a long  recovery after a horrific accident, his life is finally the way he wants it- or at least, close enough.  The only monsters on his radar are the ones that keep him awake at night.

All that changes the day he meets Lena Alan.

Before MacMillian has a chance to brace for impact, Lena drags him into a world where monsters aren't just real, they're hiding in plain sight.  Suddenly, everything he knows is suspect, starting with his current case.  For Lena, a psychic medium since childhood, it's just another day at the office.  

For MacMillian, it's the beginning of the end of everything he thinks he knows.

***

Find A World Apart on Amazon

March 21st through March 24th, get your copy for
just $0.99!

Release Date: A World Apart (Shades Below, #1)

Buckle your butts, people! A World Apart now has an *official* release date!

A few links to whet your appetite...

Goodreads
Add A World Apart to your TBR list (and make my day)!

Playlist
Listen to A World Apart's playlist for FREE on Spotify!

Meet The Characters
Get the stats on the cast of A World Apart and the Shades Below series!

Cover Reveal
Check out A World Apart's bitchin' cover, then hop on the blog train and read excerpts up through Chapter 2!

Cover Reveal: A World Apart (Shades Below, #1)

It's that moment you've all been waiting for!

Okay, maybe not. But I'VE been excited for this moment ever since my lovely and talented friend and cover artist sent me her newest creation.

If you're a writer, there are all kinds of questions you face when starting a new series. Questions about characters, questions about theme and plot and story arcs. If you're a self-publishing writer, you have even more questions.

To blog tour or not to blog tour?

Pay for publicity, or try to drum up buzz on your own?

Perhaps most importantly, the cover. What is your cover going to say, not just about the book it's gracing, but about the rest of the series? The first cover in a series is arguably the most important one. It's the first face people see. It's what sells your anchor book long before readers (hopefully) fall in love with it.

A World Apart--and by extension, the Shades Below series--now has a face. And might I just say, I think it's a pretty bitchin' one.

But enough talk.

"There are things that go bump in the night, Mr. MacMillian.  It's my job to bump back."

Private investigator Jesper MacMillian was sure he'd seen it all.  After all, in a city like San Francisco, strange is what's for breakfast.  Following a long  recovery after a horrific accident, his life is finally the way he wants it- or at least, close enough.  The only monsters on his radar are the ones that keep him awake at night.

All that changes the day he meets Lena Alan.

Before MacMillian has a chance to brace for impact, Lena drags him into a world where monsters aren't just real, they're hiding in plain sight.  Suddenly, everything he knows is suspect, starting with his current case.  For Lena, a medium since childhood, it's just another day at the office.

For MacMillian, it's the beginning of the end of everything he thinks he knows.

Excerpt:

Before

It was cold in the small concrete chamber.

A draft whistled through the tunnels, carrying with it the smell of liquid garbage and roast meat.  Duck, if he wasn't mistaken.  The man drew a deep, cleansing breath.  Minutes earlier, the only thing he'd been able to smell was fear.  All he'd been able to hear were screams.

Not anymore.

Now, the slight, dirty figure on the table before him was still and silent.  Now, if he listened closely, he could hear the sounds of traffic, the buzz of the street car lines embedded in the concrete overhead.

The young man's pleas still grated in his ears.  Poor fellow.  He'd tried to end it quickly, but there were certain things required for the ritual, things necessarily obtained while blood still pumped through his unwitting assistant's veins.  He pressed a hand to the man's pale forehead and reminded himself --not for the first time-- why he was doing this.

He glanced at the other table in the far corner of the chamber.  The figure that lay on it was covered with a shroud, but he could picture the face as clearly as if it were his own.  In a way, it almost was.

It would all be worth it in the end.  For the sake of his soul, it had to be.

He moved quickly.  The young man's chest was already laid open, the smooth, white ribs carefully cracked and pried apart.  The entire cavity was brimming with blood.  Its coppery stench hung heavy in the air, like some rare and forbidden perfume.

The rest of the ingredients waited in stinking repose on the cart beside the table: magical elixirs distilled under the full moon.  Marrow.  Stones.  Various entrails of various profane animals.  The ashes of a bird, so long extinct its very existence had passed into the realm of myth.

He'd poured his life's savings into obtaining it all, but after countless failed attempts, his supplies were dwindling.  He glanced at the other table again, and his chest tightened.

He couldn't fail again.  He wouldn't fail again.

The incantation was so familiar now he could recite it by rote.  The ancient words twisted and flowed over his tongue.  As he spoke, he began to move.  All great spells started with movement; he knew that now.  He knew many things now, many more than when he'd begun.  Movement was meditation, a journey into oblivion, a way to connect with the divine.

And so he moved.  He flailed his arms and stomped his feet and whirled around in a circle, again and again and again.  His rational brain started to recede.  Foam flecked the corners of his mouth.  He slipped further and further into the frenzied zen he'd come to know so well.

He was still reciting the incantation, screaming it now.  Just before he lost himself completely, he shrieked out the final, blasphemous word.  The energy abruptly sapped from his muscles.  He collapsed to the ground.  Waited.

Nothing.

He curled his fingers into the cold floor.  The sound that rose from his throat was hardly human.  Of course, after everything he'd done, he was fairly sure he'd sacrificed his humanity long ago.  What was he doing wrong?  He had followed the spell to the letter, every time.  And every time, he had failed.

He sighed, and hauled himself to his feet.  His bones creaked, and he had fresh bruises on his knees.  Failure wasn't enough; now he would be reminded of it for days to come.  He dusted off his trousers and cinched his tie closer to his throat.

At least he still had options.  He reached under the table, retrieved the pocketknife and the blank strip of leather he already had waiting.  Then he gritted his teeth, and drew the sharp edge of the blade across his palm.  Blood sprang to the surface.

He smoothed the leather flat on the table, dipped one finger into the wound, and started to write.

###

Release Date: March 21, 2015!

This is a blog train, and there are more excerpts to read!

I have some awesome friends I'd like you to meet! Each of these fabulous bloggers has volunteered to host a different excerpt from A World Apart on their blog. Stop by, give them some love, and read what happens next!

1st Stop: L.J.K. Oliva Books <<You Are Here

2nd Stop: MadhuriBlaylock Writes

3rd Stop: Home of A.L.Kessler

4th Stop: In APursuit of Publishness

5th Stop: MiaBishop- Author, Artist, Dreamer

6th Stop: The Self-PublishingExperiment

7th Stop: The DarkerSide

8th Stop: Write Bitches

Hit all the stops to read A World Apart up through Chapter 2!

***

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