Awesome Excerpt Thursday ~ Enchanted Traveler ~ Gabriella Bradley & Taryn Jameson

A wish upon a star, conjures up much more than Nailah bargains for…

Nailah Guevera, an enchantress and agent for the Galactic Bureau of Investigation, will do anything to find information about her missing father, including offering herself up as bait on a sting operation to capture the linchpin of a drug and human trafficking ring.

When the mission turns sour, Nailah finds herself captive on a ship bound for Earth, her only backup the one man who sets her heart on fire—her new partner, Agent Aragon Benoit.


Together they must trap the criminals before her undercover status is blown.

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Excerpt ~ 

Lightning slashed through the dark clouds illuminating the lake, causing the water to look like a pool of swirling mercury. Another bolt split the darkness above and struck the surface, then spread into a big, round circle, its edges and center a spiraling mass of violet colors. Through the misty substance, a round metal ring became visible. It had glowing symbols on it. Steps appeared leading down to the beach.

It was as if a door had opened to another world, and the thought of it intrigued her. A form took shape in the center of the ring—a man. Mesmerized, Nailah couldn’t take her eyes off him as he made his way down the steps. Fuck if I didn’t enchant a version of my dream man to materialize. Really? Just because I wished upon a star? How many times throughout my life have I made a wish, and nothing ever happened…

He wore a Galactic Bureau of Investigations uniform, the black and blue bodysuit hugging his body like a second skin, showing off his well-defined abdomen and the bulging muscles of his arms and thighs. He had a handsome face with a strong chin and full lips. Her fingers itched to explore every single inch of that smooth ebony skin. She shook herself out of her stupor when she realized he carried a sword in his left hand. What the hell was a GBI agent doing here of all places? Or was he a criminal impersonating an agent?

 “Odd…my paracorder didn’t pick up any significant life signs. Just the bird.”

Nailah heard his deep voice rumble. Her heart beat a tad faster. She didn’t scare easily, but this was freaky, and she wasn’t armed. Illusion or not, she wasn’t about to let him get the better of her. She stood and braced herself for an attack. “Who are you? Where did you come from? How did you—”

 “You shouldn’t be able to see me.” He gave her a perplexed look.

Nailah brushed the hair out of her eyes. “See you? I’m not blind.”

 “No one should be able to see or hear me. If you can, something is very wrong. My invisibility shield has failed.”

 “Invisibility shield? Why? Who are you? Is that thing a portal?” She gestured to the swirling mass behind him but noticed it was beginning to fade. She lifted her arm and tapped her wrist, ready to call for backup.

The man stepped toward her and pointed his sword at her chest. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

 “And how will you stop me? Kill me?” She cocked her chin and raised a delicate brow.

 “According to my paracorder, you’re not here. I can’t kill someone who doesn’t exist.”

The blade of his sword touched her chest, then tapped her on the shoulder. Her heart thundered in her chest. For an illusion, the weapon felt very real, and she was beginning to kick herself in the ass for leaving her phaser at home. I am such an idiot.

 “Tell me who and what you are,” he ordered, the blade still hovering near her chest.

 “My name is Nailah Guevera, and it is who I am that you should be worried about.”

 “What are you doing here?”

The startled expression on his face at her name hadn’t escaped her. “I answered your question. Now you answer mine. Who are you?”

 “I am Agent Aragon Benoit, space detective. My friends call me Ara.”


This was getting better all the time. Not only was he hotter than hell, but he had just introduced himself as the detective assigned to be her new partner.

~

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Friday Author Spotlight Interview with Diana Waters

Friday Author Spotlight Interview 

with Diana Waters 

1. If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?

Despite having lived in Japan for several years in the past, I’ve never written a book with that setting (probably mostly because so far, I’ve written only fantasy, and mostly of the alternative-world variety at that). If I was going to write a contemporary present-day romance though – and I’m not counting out the possibility – it would probably be set in rural Japan, and I know I’d go back there to live in a heartbeat. On the other hand, if I had to choose someplace I’ve never lived previously, I think it would be somewhere in Greece or Italy, and I’d write a historical fiction piece based around one of those settings.

2. How do you come up with names for your characters?

Usually I sit myself down for a couple of hours and write down a whole list of possibilities, just based on certain sounds or meanings that I like and think will suit the characters’ personalities. Using these as a starting point, I do a whole lot of baby name/meaning searches, because I really like my names to also have some kind of historical or symbolic significance to the characters if possible, even if they’re fictional variations of the real-life names.

3. Describe your writing space.

I currently live in a studio apartment under 250 square feet in size, so propped up on my bed with my laptop in front of me is usually my only comfortable option. I don’t like to write creatively in public, and when writing at home, my only requirement is relative privacy, relative quiet, and a soft place to park my butt with a decent amount of back support.

4. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

Five so far (although the fourth isn’t due to be released for another month or so, and the fifth is still currently in the final drafting stages). I’m not sure I have a favourite though. Even though some of my books are no doubt better than others as I’ve continued to grow in experience, I’ve loved them all in their turn. If I hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t have been comfortable having them published in the first place.

5. Does one of your main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?

Probably Daymon from my very first book, A Trust to Follow. He was the first character I envisioned for the story, and although I never base any of my characters on people I actually know (myself included), in many ways, Daymon is probably the most similar to how I usually see myself – bookish, on the shyer side, not especially confident in his abilities, but willing to put his trust in those who prove themselves faithful and don’t think of him as weak, even in those moments where he doesn’t view himself as a strong person.

6. Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?

Right now I’m working on that final draft of the book I mentioned earlier – it’s about a rather snarky incubus and a too-curious-for-his-own-good magician’s apprentice. I don’t want to give too much away (especially since it’s still technically in draft form and some things are subject to change), but let’s just say this particular WIP involves a newly instated apprentice, a secret book, and several spells that don’t work quite in the way they’re intended.

7. What are you reading now?

It’s long overdue since I read the first and second books some time ago, but I’m currently reading the third book in Enlightenment, the M/M historical fiction series by Joanna Chambers. If there’s any genre of M/M I like just as much as fantasy or paranormal, its historical fiction.

8. What famous author do you wish would be your mentor?

Nobody. Not because I don’t have any favourite authors or don’t think I could learn from them – far from it! – but because I’d probably be way too intimidated and be paralyzed into inactivity – the old “better to write nothing than write something horribly disappointing” mentality, which as I’m sure we all know, does not serve any writer well.

9. What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I love to swim. I’m an ex-competitive swimmer from way back, so while I no longer compete now (at least, not to a very high level), I adore being in and around the water and keeping fit that way. Typically, I like to lap swim about 3 times a week.

10. Would you rather be in a room full of snakes or a room full of spiders?

I’ll wrangle them snakes any day – spiders scare the bejesus out of me, even when I know perfectly well they’re of the harmless variety. Then again, I’ve never had to really deal with snakes before. We don’t have any at all in New Zealand, and in Japan, I never had any invade my house (though I did occasionally see one in school, since I taught English in a very rural area. The kids usually chased them back outside).

11. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Travel. I’m not saying that any particular place or country inspires the actual stories I write, but for whatever reason, living overseas did inspire me to finally write at all. Maybe it was about being tossed way out of my comfort zone, or maybe it was just about being in a brand new space. Whatever it was, it definitely lit a creative fire under my ass.

12. What is your favorite curse word?

I don’t have any single favourite curse word, but I do like it when people combine a curse word with something else to create a new insult. Whoever invented “fuck-knuckle” (which is apparently mostly a New Zealand and Australia thing) also deserves a round of applause, I feel. 

13. What sound or noise do you love?

I love the sound of waves crashing on the shore, either from close up or far away, and of rain drumming on the roof at night, and windchimes ringing in the breeze, especially on a hot summer’s day or evening. To work or write to, I like either complete silence or soft, non-lyrical music playing in the background – think calm, casual and slow-paced, like lo-fi hip-hop or jazz-hop. In fact, that’s what I’m listening to as I write down these answers.

14. What sound or noise do you hate?

This goes for writing or otherwise – I just don’t like very loud, sudden noises, especially shouting, doorbells buzzing, phones ringing or cars revving/backfiring.

15. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Not that I’d ever actually want to run my own business (I think the stress of that would probably do me in), but aside from the actual day-to-day financial operations part, running my own used bookstore sounds pretty cool to me. Naturally, said bookstore would come with plenty of spirally staircases, artfully carved gargoyle statues and secret little reading nooks. I’d stock only the weird and indie stuff, of course.

16. What profession would you not like to do?

Accounting. Ew. The thought of anything involving too many numbers frankly terrifies me. 

17. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

I’d want God to be the type of guy (or gal) who’s deliberately casual and prefers to avoid fuss. You know, not much one for fanfare? Possibly also a chill surfer. So I’d imagine him just saying something like, “Hey, brah. You made it. Nice one,” before waving me on in like it ain’t no thang.

Author Bio:

Diana is an M/M romance author from New Zealand, although she currently resides in New York and has previously also lived in Japan and Thailand. She has no idea where in the world she’ll be this time next year and is pretty okay with that. Other than reading and writing, her main passions include travel, amateur photography and competitive swimming.   Author Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/author/dianawaters Author Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/diana.c.waters Author BookBub link: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/diana-waters Author Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/diana_waters

###

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Awesome Excerpt Thursday ~ Renewed ~ Maggie Blackbird

When two former enemies fall in love, family secrets threaten to destroy their fragile union and everything they hold dear.

With their extreme ideas about traditional Ojibway life, the radical Kabatay clan have made enemies in their fight to rid the reserve of Western culture and its religion. Disowned by her family for daring to love the church deacon’s eldest son, Jude, Raven Kabatay longs to put an end to the feud started by her mother, brother, and sisters against the Matawapits…people she’s come to think of as her own since Jude changed her life.


Jude Matawapit suffered a humiliating divorce after his wife left him for another man, but with Raven, he’s created a beautiful, new sanctuary after losing his previous one, and his new haven is everything he’s ever wanted for himself and his children. Only two things could destroy his pristine bliss: the secret he holds close to his chest, and the vengeance Raven’s family wants to exact on the Matawapits. A secret and vengeance that could cost the unlikely lovers their hard-won, much longed for happily ever after.

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Excerpt ~ 

By eleven o’clock this evening, Jude would learn whether his brother-in-law or a man who despised his family and aimed to rework the reserve into a dictatorship would become chief of Ottertail Lake. Although the rich scent of coffee beckoned him to pick his mug off the desk and sip, the tightness in his gut forced him to rise from the high-back chair.

He slid his hands into his pants pockets and stood at the window. Snow covered the school parking lot. Winter was refusing to call it a day and let spring take over.

The office door opened. Jude didn’t have to turn around to see who’d bypassed his secretary—his brother-in-law.

“Did you go to the community center and put an X by my name yet?” A hint of concern lurked in Darryl’s question.

“Not yet.” Jude leaned against the windowsill.

Carrying a mug full of coffee he’d readied at the side bar, Darryl plopped in the chair facing Jude’s desk. “How’s Raven doing?”

“Good, but I think she’s a little lonely.” Jude pushed off the windowsill and sat at his desk.

“Y’mean Clayton still hasn’t tried to talk to her?” Darryl asked in disbelief.

Jude shook his head.

“I thought he might’ve come around when he backed off at the forum.”

“She hasn’t heard anything from them. None of her family’s been around.”

“Then I guess they’re still on the warpath.” The expression on Darryl’s face was a man experiencing a migraine headache. “If I don’t make chief—”

“You’ll win.” Jude crossed his fingers beneath the desk, since he couldn’t sign the cross as all Catholics did. Doing so might unnerve Darryl, and as his campaign manager, Jude’s job was to keep his brother-in-law as relaxed as possible today.

“I dunno, man. Clayton’s change in attitude at the forum really impressed everyone.” Darryl drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair.

“His new face didn’t fool me. He only agreed with you about if a leader can’t take care of his own family, he’s not fit to lead so clan Kabatay wouldn’t come across as jerks for disowning one of their own.” Jude made no attempt to hide his pfft of disgust.

“A lot of people said he seemed sincere.”

“He’s not any more sincere than a crocodile shedding tears after downing a live meal.”

“Welp, I told Em he has to vote for himself. Did you know he wasn’t gonna?” Darryl finally cracked a half a smile. “I mean, yeah, he’s voting for me for chief and band councilor, but not voting for himself? Geez.”

“Uh…that’s Emery for you.” Leave it to Jude’s too-modest little brother to put an X beside everyone else’s name on the electoral roster but his own. “Sometimes he takes fairness too far.”

“I reminded him each vote counts. I said if Clayton gets in, we’re in for a fight. We should get over to the diner. I need to feel everyone out.”

“I imagine it’s busier than the four-o-one during rush hour.”

Darryl set aside his mug. “You wouldn’t catch me driving that highway. Way too busy.”

“Where’s your zoo?” Jude stood and wandered to the coat tree.

“Outside somewhere. They came down with us in the truck.” Darryl stood, not having to bundle up because he’d yet to remove his coat or mukluks. “Em’s in the adult ed. wing. He has a lecture to listen to first. I told him to meet us there.”

Jude tugged on his thigh-length black leather commuter jacket, the one he’d worn last year when he’d still resided in Thunder Bay. The stylish coat was overdressed for the reserve, but just because he lived in the bush didn’t mean he had to resort to plaid and toques like ninety-five percent of the men around here.

“Walking over?” Jude ambled to the door. The school and diner were downtown, what everyone referred to as the main part of the reserve.

“Sure. It’ll do me good to stretch my legs.”

In a few moments, they exited the school. The three dogs converged on them, local strays Emery and Darryl had adopted.

“Hey, Bandit. How ya doing?” Jude petted her black-and-white patched coat while peeking at Darryl. “Have a good smudge when you got up?”

Darryl’s lips straightened to a line of trepidation. “All I can do is leave today in Creator’s hands. I did the best I could. So did you. You’re a great campaign manager.”

“And you’re gonna make a great chief.”

“We’ll find out tonight when the last ballot’s counted.”

Minutes later, they were at the diner and entered to the scent of frying bacon, diesel fuel, and fresh coffee. As predicted, every booth and chair was occupied. The rest of the customers stood, holding their mugs.

“I don’t think we’ll find a place to sit.” Darryl glanced around.

“It’s the chief,” someone called out.

“The chief!” another hollered.

“Laugh it up, you guys. But we won’t know until tonight.” Darryl wormed his way through the mob.

Jude followed.

Raven was at the congested main counter, pouring refills into mugs, a pink apron wrapped her tiny waist. Leggings hugged her slim thighs.

“Hey, I’ll catch up with you.” Screw waiting around for Darryl’s answer, not when Raven was in the vicinity.

Jude snuck around the counter and crept up behind her. A laugh sat in his chest. He placed his hands on her waist and leaned in, whispering, “Need any help, gorgeous?”

Raven jumped. The tail of her black braid hit Jude’s face. “You scared me. I could’ve poured coffee all over George’s lap.” She motioned at the man seated at the counter responsible for the stench of diesel fuel and sans his false teeth.

“Hey, George.” Jude nodded. He squeezed Raven’s waist. “I know what I’m doing, beautiful. I made sure you were done pouring.”


“Just for that, you can start refilling the tables.” She fluttered her false lashes and shoved the pot between his still-gloved hands.

~



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