Six Sentence Sunday #8

Welcome to this week’s Six Sentence Sunday post! (Visit the other fab writers here.) I continue to post from Blowing Embers, the second chapter in The Embers Series, a paranormal romance/epic fantasy, set to be released this summer. In fact, as of today, the cover is finished, and now it's time to start soliciting blurbs. (If you're an author and are willing to write one [I'll do the same for you in exchange!], let me know! My email is lauri AT lauriowen DOT com.)

        And now for the setup to this week's snip:

Earlier, Kiera, now governor of Fairbanks, was en route to her apartments with two precious bottles of her favorite wine when she stumbled into the middle of a fight between a shapeshifter and a mid-level mage. A blow she didn't see coming knocked her down. After a tussle with a shifter, she’s righted the wrongs and made her way to the manse, where she’d hoped to sneak back to her apartments and change before a grand dinner. Unfortunately for our heroine, however, Chanda, a naughty ex-beau, found her as she walked in the door, and asked to speak to her about something important. She is about to defer, but now she’s become aware that others have noted her disheveled appearance. Marco is her dear friend, but the others are decidedly not people she would term allies.

Marco’s face held suppressed mirth, true amusement most likely at her disheveled appearance, and she wanted to slap him. Both Allie and Leith avoided her eyes, but Naga openly gaped, and she found herself wanting to slap them all as well. This night was not going well, and it wasn’t going to get any better. Laszlo was going to be really mad when he found Chanda here. And, yeah, he wouldn’t be terribly pleased that she’d fought, either. Kiera heaved a sigh.

The second book's back cover copy

They have won. With help from Kiera, Fire Mage, the shapeshifting slaves of Fairbanks have broken their chains, and then they lifted her to govern their city. To keep them safe. But unrest slinks through the city as Kiera and her co-rulers struggle to integrate the former slaves and the remaining mages.

Worse, a threat outside Fairbanks waits to fracture the fragile peace. Governor Vrishka, the Skani Water Mage of Barrow, has marched an army from the North, and he sends terms: surrender Fairbanks to his superior forces, restore the Skani mages to rule, or he will raze the city and kill all the shifters. He gifts them ten turns of the sun to make their decision.

But halfway through the armistice, Vrishka strikes a devastating blow – one that steals all hope for Fairbanks’ victory, and that utterly crushes Kiera’s heart. Can Kiera summon the strength to transcend her grief, and to find a way to defeat Vrishka? More: should she? And if so, what price is she willing to pay for that victory? Five days, and a city, await her decision.

Welcome to the Alternate Alaska, where those born with the power to control the elements rule as nobility over those who cannot. For now.

. . . and the cover is finished! I'll post it soon!

For now, click here for the video trailer.

Six Sentence Sunday #7

Welcome to this week’s Six Sentence Sunday post! (Visit the other fab writers here.) I continue to post from Blowing Embers, the second chapter in The Embers Series, a paranormal romance/epic fantasy, set to be released this summer. 

Last week Kiera, en route to her apartments with two precious bottles of her favorite wine, stumbled into the middle of a fight between a shapeshifter and a mid-level mage. A blow she didn't see coming knocked her down. After a tussle with a shifter, she’s righted the wrongs and made her way to the manse, where she’d hoped to sneak back to her apartments and change before a grand dinner. Unfortunately for our heroine, however, a naughty ex-beau finds her as she walks in the door . . .

“My lady Kiera,” Chanda smiled, and kissed her hand as regally as if she didn’t have spatters of blood coloring her face, an eye that had nearly swollen shut, and a broken bottle clasped tightly in her other fist. 

And still it took every ounce of self control she could summon not to peel his hand off hers. She had expected to feel rage, and maybe fear when she next saw him, but instead simple embarrassment wrapped her tightly inside a shawl of unease. In lieu of reacting, she hoped anyway, she pasted on her most meaningless smile. “Chanda.”

His eyes crinkled as he smiled, and she wondered whether his heart held humor at her appearance, or something more malignant.

Six Sentence Sunday #6

Welcome to this week’s Six Sentence Sunday post! (Visit the other fab writers here.) I continue to post from Blowing Embers, the second chapter in The Embers Series, a paranormal romance/epic fantasy, set to be released this summer. 

Last week Kiera, en route to her apartments with two precious bottles of her favorite wine, stumbled into the middle of a fight between a shapeshifter and a mid-level mage. A blow she didn't see coming knocked her down. Now throughly angry, Kiera tried to break up the fight. The participants, however, appear to resent the intrusion. 

The shifter tackled her and down they both fell.

With a sharp crack, his first punch smashed her eye closed and ripped a screech from her lungs. “You bastard!” she screamed, and slapped him hard, then again, and tried to shove him off.
She bucked up and slid out her feet, but instead of finding an anchor, her heels slid lines in the slick snow. His next punch was clumsy, she blocked it easily, then locked her fingers and slammed her fist into his nose.

His hand rose as blood spattered across both their faces, then gushed through open fingers and dripped dark circles onto her dress.

Hope you enjoy getting to know Kiera. Hers is a tale that will take many books to finish telling.

Six Sentence Sunday #5

Welcome to this week’s Six Sentence Sunday post! (Visit the other fab writers here.) I continue to post from Blowing Embers, the second book in The Embers Series, set to be released this summer. Visit BE's page for the exciting video trailer!

Oh – you should know that Kiera is walking back to her apartments, carrying two bottles of her favorite wine, when she stumbles into the middle of a fight between a shapeshifter and a mid-level mage . . .

Faster than she could blink, the someone turned and flat-palmed her cheek, then shoved her backward. Without arms for balance, Kiera stumbled back, once, twice, comically, and sat down hard on the ground. Her right hand tried to brace for the fall and glass shards from the broken bottle bit into her palm. The crash the bottle made as it flew apart came after.

Stunned, she sat for a moment on the ground, watching the blackness of the spilled wine soak into the snow. A shadow blocked the scant light, then passed, and she looked up.