I’m a little bit obsessed at the moment. I’ve been having so much fun writing TWELVE DAYS OF FAERY and it’s so very nearly finished! As a result, I’ve been taking the ‘big computer’ to work every day and sitting down at lunch to ignore everyone with my ipod plugged into my brain, then coming home with said big computer just to sit down and ignore everyone here, too. My reward for this is a very nearly finished novella and a slightly messed-up brain, plus the joyous satisfaction of having written 1000 words per day on my off days, and 3000+ on my on days–an unheard of burst of productivity that I’ve never before managed.
Thusly, and in celebration, I’m gonna post another excerpt of TWELVE DAYS OF FAERY here for you guys (cos I just know you were slavering at the bit for this). Enjoy, and tell me what you think!
(Oh, and keep an eye out on Monday next for the Cover Reveal! I’m so excited!)
Excerpt from Day Eight
“Unseelie again,” said Markon, peering into the soft darkness of the Door. “I’m beginning to sense a pattern.”
“There’s not too much difference between Seelie and Unseelie when it comes to humans,” Althea said. “To them we’re more like talking dogs than anything. The Seelie are just as happy to murder us as the Unseelie: the only difference is that they’ll do it with a smile instead of a wink.”
“Ah,” said Markon, grateful for the twin iron bands around his wrists. “Speaking of murder, which particular bit of magic do we have to thank for bringing us to this piece of Faery?”
“Sal was showing me some of the sights yesterday afternoon,” said Althea. “I found a few remnants of magic where Parrin’s first sweetheart and one of the ladies who tried to break the curse were last seen. It’s– well, it seems familiar, but I can’t place it.”
“Does the room look familiar?”
“I couldn’t even tell it was a room,” said Althea, reaching for Markon’s hand. “Familiar or otherwise. Are you ready?”
Markon wrapped his fingers tightly around Althea hand, said: “Oh, about as much as usual,” and stepped through the Door with her.
At first there was only confusion and soft darkness, while they stood together hand in hand to get their bearings.
Then a male voice said: “What a delicious surprise!” from somewhere in the velvet darkness. It was soft, smooth, and entirely seductive.
Althea said: “Bother!”
“Sweetness, that’s not very kind of you,” said the voice reproachfully.
Markon, his teeth set on edge, flexed the fingers of his free hand in an instinctive desire to wrap them around the throat of the speaker. He couldn’t make out anything in the darkness, but as he frowned into the shadows a flare of silvery light burst into being and swiftly formed a swirling ball that gave light to the entire room. In its light, a rather annoyed Althea could be seen, her gaze directed toward the rumpled bed where a half-naked male fae was lounging. He yawned and stretched sinuously for Althea’s benefit, then rolled lightly across the wine-coloured bedspread and to his feet.
“I thought I recognised the magic,” said Althea. “I should have picked another sample.”
“You cut me to the quick,” mourned the fae. His eyes flicked over her in a way that immediately doubled Markon’s desire strangle him, but it wasn’t until the fae strolled over and curled one arm around Althea’s waist that he said curtly: “I take it you know each other?”
“Oh yes,” said the fae, lowering his head in what Markon had no doubt was an attempt to kiss her.
Althea, putting one hand on his bare chest to push him away firmly, said: “Not particularly. Carmine, if you try to kiss me again, I’ll–”
Through his teeth, Markon said: “Again?”
“Sweetness, the company you keep is slipping decidedly,” said Carmine. He released Althea but still stood by far too close.
“This isn’t a social call!” said Althea. She sounded harried. “Markon, this is Carmine. He tried to buy me some years ago. Carmine, this is Markon. He’s my human, and if you even think about–”
“I’m not your human,” said Markon grimly.
Carmine said: “I wanted to marry you, sweetness. There’s a difference.”
***
Oh, dear. You are having far too much fun with this. And your readers reap the benefits, hahaha.
Congrats on the awesome progress! Thanks for the entertaining excerpt, too! 😀
Thanks! I haven’t had quite this much fun since Masque. I love writing all my stuff, but some of them come easier than others. I’ll be well onto the second before I know it 😀
[…] you want to check out a couple of samples of TDOF, click through here and here! Preorder will be up on Amazon shortly, and I’ll be sending out review copies very shortly. […]