Saturday, December 31, 2011

Something For The Pain

Tiernan Kilgrave's catch phrase "What do ya need?" says it all. He's a dealer in all types of illicit pleasures. This song suits Tiernan perfectly.

###

(Excerpt from Donovan's journal with his assessment of Tiernan)

Tiernan Kilgrave swagged with his lazily confident style and his usual smirk of self-satisfaction. Though only a century old his cocky attitude didn't soften even for the head of the Unseelie Elite. Then again, most exiles 'didn't give a shite' about the customs in the Mounds. One thing could be said for Tiernan; he embraced his Unseelie nature with as much vigor as he embraced life on the surface. Those pale eyes just focused on me with all seriousness, never acknowledging the other fey around him. To him 'earthborn' usually was synonymous with 'dumbass.' Although outwardly a laid back individual, Tiernan hadn't established himself in his amoral endeavors and criminal empire by slacking. He had been one of the key informants from some of the most secret and deadly of missions the queen of the Unseelie Court required.

###
enjoy: Redlight King - Something For The Pain

Friday, December 30, 2011

Cursed Blog Tour Schedule


Cursed Blog Tour is coming is January!
Here are the dates and locations we have at the moment:

Jan 5 - Absorbed in a Book (review and 1-week contest/giveaway)
Jan 6 - Mama Kitty Reviews (guest post & giveaway)
Jan 9 - Opinions of the Wolf (review)
Jan 9 - A Simple Love of Reading (guest post)
Jan 12 - Gathering Leaves Reviews (review)
Jan 13 - Gathering Leaves Reviews (interview and giveaway)
Jan 13 - The Book Hook-up (review & interview)
Jan 16 - Chocolate Chunky Munkie (review)
Jan 18 - Urban Fantasy Reviews (review)
Jan 19 - Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy (interview & giveaway)
Jan 20 - Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy (guest post)
Jan 23 - Chocolate Chunky Munkie (guest post & giveaway)
Jan 25 - Fantasy Book Chick (interview & giveaway)
Jan 26 - Kindle & Me (giveaway)
Jan 31 - Full Moon Bites (Spotlight Tuesday)


Thursday, December 29, 2011

Dirty Dancing with the Unseelie

Here's a great Glamour Club song! Hot and sexy! Come on and dance with the Unseelie in the Glamour Club!

Enjoy: Move Your Body - My Darkest Days

Monday, December 26, 2011

Breaking Benjamin - Dear Agony

Malcolm goes through a tough time in his first book, Scars of Silver. A song like Breaking Benjamin's "Dear Agony" captures the emotion of his horrific experience. This is a snippet that fits with the song.

###


Rand circled around until he towered over Malcolm’s head. He planted a booted foot on the chain linking the wrist shackles before Malcolm could flinch away. “Do it quick.”

Flora smeared the salve over his torn back. It burned like alcohol. The chains clinked as he jerked in shock and pain, but Rand’s foot pinned his arms fast to the ground. Malcolm screamed.

The goblins in the chamber clamored to the bars, hopping and laughing.

Malcolm bit back his screams. Hating… Hating how they delighted in his outcries. His throat strangled the sound. He sucked hissing breaths, shoving down the pain as much as he could. Shoving it down. Down. Down. Feel nothing. Feel nothing.

Rand backed off the chain. Malcolm rolled to his side, as he watched Rand and Flora leave the cell. The prickly burn dropped down to a full body throb.


###

Enjoy: Breaking Benjamin - Dear Agony (Lyrics on screen)

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Linkin Park - In The End

I love this song for Lugh in End of the World. Here's a little snippet that fits perfect with the spirit of the song.

###

The hills beneath which the Mounds were buried crumbled in on themselves. Deflated as the hollow caverns beneath lost stability. A cloud of dust and debris billowed out as the hills sunk down, turning instead into a crater.

Lugh gaped at it, dumbfounded. The other fey about him wept and screamed in their terror.

Homes… Family… Friends… Lives… Culture… History…

Everything…

Lost…

Just… Just…

Gone.

Lugh dropped to his knees. The strength drained from his arms and they slumped to his thighs. The lesser fey wept about him, but Lugh could not even reach past the shock to begin to comprehend grief. Pain, though… Pain cut right through him. His heart ached as if the silver dagger had been planted in his chest, rather than in the All-Mother’s. His head dropped back as his pain screamed out to the heavens above. The magic bond to the All-Mother, and to the magic of the Mounds, severed like a dirk sliced through it. Lugh clutched at his heart. Everything he was, was linked to the Mounds, to the magic, to his people.

The world had ended. And he, the Champion of the Sidhe, hadn’t been able to save it.


###

Enjoy: Linkin Park - In The End

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

A Little About Wizards

 Wizards, like most humans, were born without a shred of innate magic of their own. During an exhaustive apprenticeship wizards learn to use magic from external sources. Alchemy. Charms. Spells. Enchantments. All skills to be learned and tools to be used for one purpose.

To gain more power.

Certain forces and creatures are innately magical. These are ideal to use for magical works. Fey creatures are of particular importance. Their organs can be dried and ground into powder for potions. Their bones used to forge magic tools, such as knife handles or wands. Not a single part of a fey goes to waste. Certain tools, such as amulets, can drain a fey of magic, which can then be used by the wearer as their own until the supply of captured magic is spent. This is most commonly used with Glamour, but any magic can be drained and used in this manner. Because fey are such key ingredients, wizards are highly experienced in capturing them.

###

Wizards play a major role in Champion of the Fey and a minor role in Aftershock. Find out more about the world of The Sidhe at SidheTouch.com!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Donovan's Tribute to the Elite

This is an excellent song for Donovan (Jhaer) and his Unseelie Elite. Here's a snippet from "Foreshadow", the free prequel to the Rise of the Unseelie available when you sign up for the newsletter.

###

Throwing himself bodily at the trapdoor, Jhaer burst into the room above. He dove and rolled, narrowly avoiding the blast wave of flame that chased him. No point splitting his focus on his Glamour now. The smoke filling the room swirled around him as he moved, giving away his position.

Behind Jhaer the wooden table and chairs were already kindling. Across from him, Aoife crouched behind the huge bed. A shackle hung from one wrist. A chain draped from it and attached to a ring hammered into the stone wall. A thick area rug blanketed most of the floor on that side, and it smoldered with smoky flame.

Between Jhaer and Aoife, a Sidhe fire wielder flung out a graceful arm. Fire spread across the room in lines of flame that spread in a spider-web pattern. The Sidhe was a Seelie Jhaer didn’t know, with a wicked laugh and a lethal gleam in his eyes. “Burn, baby!” He screamed, “Charbroiled Unseelie!”

The trapdoor angled up, and a Redcap poked his foul face through the opening. Too many oversized and blood-stained teeth gapped in his maul. Jhaer vaulted over the table, using the as-yet unburnt corner to propel himself. He stomped on the trapdoor with all his weight, slamming it shut on the Redcap. As he did so, he drove his magic downward into the stairwell. All of the mortar ran like fresh mud, and the stones collapsed. The steps literally melted beneath the Redcaps, their bodies smashed to the floor with a satisfying crash.


Jhaer moved once more, dodging the series of fireballs whipped at him. The wall holding the chain in place yielded to his magic and dropped the ring.

Aoife, clever enough to flee the flames weaving along the floor, rushed out onto the balcony. She looked out and down, then back. Trapped. The silver of her shackle chained her magic.

“Oh, the Unseelie knows how to dance!” the fire wielder laughed, sounding a touch more than crazy. His sweaty auburn hair stuck to his face in wild spikes. “Dodge this!” A wall of flame swept toward Jhaer with a broiling heat.

###

Enjoy: Disturbed-Indestructible

Friday, December 16, 2011

Scars of Silver - excerpt


Chapter One

Malcolm still smelled like industrial hand soap from his sink bath at the gas station. He wiped the pocket fuzz from the black plastic comb that was only missing a couple teeth and then battled the knots in his too long hair. His reflection in the store window winced back at him. The skater boy hair served a purpose beyond just announcing to the world that he didn’t have the cash for a haircut. The unruly waves covered the telltale point to his ears.

Even after he beat the worst of the dirt off his clothing, Malcolm still looked like what he was, a homeless teen.

It wasn’t like he couldn’t go back. They’d take him back. He knew they would. Only, if he went back home they’d never let him leave again. “For his own protection.” That’s what they’d say. That’s what they always said. Like house arrest was what it was. Some kind of fey witness protection program or something.

Only, if they’d ever let him get out at least once in a while, he probably would know something. Like how to get money. Or food. Or a warm place to crash. Instead of having to figure a way to steal what he needed.


Malcolm crouched down behind the lunch special sign, waiting for customers to venture into the Fairy Circle shop. Probably a waste of time, only Malcolm lacked for any better ideas. Not like he could ask someone for directions to a fey hangout or anything.

Mostly, Malcolm would’ve figured the place for a joke, if not for the smell. The smell turned his head the first time he walked past. The smell promised something. Proved something.

Malcolm couldn’t put a finger on what, exactly. But something.

Something more.

Something not normal.

Something special.

Maybe even magical.

The moment a middle aged woman walked in the shop, Malcolm hopped up. Not the best of distractions, but waiting made him fidgety. The bell on the door clattered way too loudly as Malcolm entered. He clenched it, silencing it, as he closed the shop door.

A mishmash of curiosities crammed every available wall shelf and island display. A short bookcase provided cover and he crouched as he slipped along beside it. He peeked around the far side to catch sight of the customer discussing crystals with the shopkeeper.

Malcolm had seen the shopkeeper through the window before. Probably early thirties, the woman decorated herself in a flowery, gauzy hippy skirt and floppy, knit sweater that somehow screamed both “new age” and “thrift shop” at the same time.

Ducking back, Malcolm scanned the titles. His fingertips danced over the spines. Some had a feel to them, like heat or static, but the titles didn’t jive with his search. His sharp hearing kept tabs on the conversation, trying to note if it was coming to an end or if the speakers moved closer or further away.

Until he found the book.

Malcolm’s palm hovered over the spine. The gold embossed title simply read, “The Secrets of the Fey.” What if it contained garbage? Then why did his hand tingle? His excitement bubbled through him. He had to have the book. Had to find the answers to the questions that clawed at him mercilessly.

He slipped the book from the shelf and tucked it under his shirt.

Only then did he notice the bell clanging at the door. His head snapped up. Had someone come in? Or the customer gone out? Distracted by the search, he’d forgotten to keep tabs on his surroundings. Hugging the hidden book to his chest, Malcolm crept to the edge of the bookcase.

The place was dead silent.

He peered around the bookshelf. Oh… so… slowly… No one seemed about. The place had an abandoned stillness. Creepy.

A hand touched his shoulder.

Malcolm yelped. He spun about, eyes wide. Heart ready to burst from his chest. The shopkeeper just smiled. “Who are we hiding from?” she asked, and then peeked around the shelves herself in a conspiratorial way. “I don’t see any scary monsters.”

He backed away, clutching his chest. The book made an obvious bulge under his t-shirt.

“What are we reading about?” she asked, all kindergarten teacherish.

Malcolm stammered, not making much of a coherent answer as she reached beneath his shirt and plucked out the book. He backed away, ready to bolt.

She simply turned it over and smiled at the cover. “You have questions about the fey?” She flipped to the table of contents. “How to find them perhaps?”

Malcolm gapped at her. After a long pause, he blinked. “Uh... yeah.”

“The fey are real, you know,” she said. “But, of course you do.” She gave him a knowing smile.

Malcolm trembled, the urge to run nearly overwhelming.

She pretended not to notice his reaction, but instead simply flipped through the book. “Ah, yes. So simple, really.” She closed it with a thump. “Let me jot down the directions.”

Chapter Two

Malcolm checked the hand drawn map, then the surroundings. The little stone bridge spanned the stream there. Check. Clumps of trees down the little hill to the left. Check. So far so good. So where the hell was the circle of stones? He turned the map upside down. Didn’t make sense that way, though. Was he supposed to build the circle of stones? Hell, there were not even any stones around.

According to Flora’s supposed expertise, some fey fella named “Rand” hung out around here. Seemed a pretty unlikely place to Malcolm. Not even any houses in sight. She’d said if he followed the instructions it would call him out somehow. Maybe this Rand guy fished the river or something.

“This is so stupid.” He jammed the paper back in his pocket. “So bloody stupid.” Stupid or not, Malcolm hiked back to the stream. He jerked his shirt off and used it to gather a load of egg sized river stones. Back at the trees he spilled them out in more or less of an oval. He kicked them around until the shape was as close to a circle as he could manage.

Once satisfied, he fished out his lighter and the pocketful of herbs Flora gave him. Malcolm thought her name sounded phony, but who cared? She’d not given him the book, just the instructions and a nickel’s worth of dried out weeds.

After a couple of failed attempts to set fire to the fist sized pile in the middle of the circle, Malcolm scooped the herbs back up and wrapped them up in the paper from his pocket. He put the wad on the ground and set it alight. The flame died down to a glow of smoldering ash, threatening to burn itself out, when with a sudden whoosh the herbs ignited into a massive smoke bomb.

Coughing, Malcolm stumbled back. The sooty smoke burned his eyes and he scrubbed at them. The smoke rose through the trees, reaching like a beacon into the clear sky.

Flora instructed Malcolm to hum or sing to lure the supposedly timid fey out of hiding. Seemed about the dumbest thing, on top of all the other dumb stuff he’d done already. Malcolm gave the ring of rocks and smoke signal about five minutes to kick in. When no fey showed up he started humming “Danny Boy.”

“Is your head a Marley?”

Malcolm spun about. “Rand?” The guy glared at him. Whoever he was, he was no farmer peeved at some punk trespasser. Not in those pressed slacks and clean button-up shirt with the purple sheen of silk. Realizing he was shirtless, Malcolm shook out his wet and dirty t-shirt and yanked it back on. “I… Just…” He scrubbed his dirty hands on his jeans.

“Put it out, fey boy.” The guy pointed to the smoldering bundle.

Malcolm stomped out the ashes, choking on the smoke. Fey boy? Without even asking, Malcolm could feel the difference in the guy. Felt the vibe from him like prickling heat on his skin. “You are fey, right?”

“Shut up and come here already.” Rand snatched Malcolm by the back of the neck. Before Malcolm could squawk a protest they vanished from the bright sunny wood.

Chapter Three

One second he’d been in a summer wood. The next second Malcolm found himself in the shadowed depths of a cave. Luminescent moss glowed with ambient light as if by some enchantment. The weak light glinted off the wet cave walls. The place stank like molded socks and over-used cat litter. Malcolm brought the back of his hand up to his nose, as if that might prevent the onslaught to his nasal passages.

“Dark Rot! Get your filthy arse out here!” Rand shouted into the depths of the cave.

Disoriented, Malcolm dropped to his knees, which hurt like heck on the uneven stony ground, but that pain didn’t completely cut through the confusion frying his brain. His questions gasped out so fast they almost tumbled over each other. “What happened? How’d we get here? What is this place?”

The guy only sneered at Malcolm.

Not good.

A scuttling sound echoed from the deep. Malcolm scrambled to his feet and ducked behind Rand.

A platoon of green-skinned creatures scurried up the cave, filling it from wall to wall with their leathery, naked bodies. Goblins? Huge eyes reflected evilly. Sharp irregular teeth protruded from their opened mouths, like their teeth were too big to wrap their lips closed over them. They hissed and snarled, but Rand didn’t appear the least bothered by it. Between the slurping and guttural mumblings one word kept repeating. “Sidhe.”

So not good.

Get "Scars of Silver" on AmazonBarnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Breaking Benjamin - I Will Not Bow

This is an excellent song for Donovan during his journey in the mini-series Rise of the Unseelie. It touches on the loss of the Mounds and the fight to reclaim the future for the Sidhe. Here's a snippet from Aftershock that shows his determination.

###

Lifting the paper Tiernan left, Jhaer read the names. Bryce and Kieran. Both just in their early twenties. Living for thousands of years, the Sidhe bred extremely slowly, a fertile couple only producing a few offspring in their lifetime. To all appearances, though, the exiles bred as rapidly as the lesser fey and humans. For the most part, Jhaer dismissed the outcast youths as no threat to the Unseelie Court, and not even worth keeping an eye on. Especially when matters in the Mounds with the Seelie deteriorated day by day.

But these youths were Sidhe, and by definition the personification of magic. Untrained, perhaps. Undisciplined, to be sure. But wild and free and the very essence of Unseelie. And the earthborn Sidhe almost assuredly outnumbered any surviving Sidhe from the Mounds. They were an untapped power, a resource that practically begged predators to hunt them. Jhaer had not missed the rumors about the wizards, long ago driven out of Ireland, beginning to weasel their way back in. Though by far the worst, wizards were hardly the only threat to the Sidhe. Vampires, and even opportunistic lesser fey like the retched Changelings, would pick off a Sidhe if they could manage it.

If the earthborns and exiles were all that remained of the Sidhe, the race would be extinct inside a year. Word of the Mounds collapse would already be whispering its way into the wrong ears. Though his people may not have been completely destroyed with the decimation of the Mounds, the end was only postponed until the scavengers descended upon the weak and wounded. Any Sidhe from the Mounds who did not link to the earth realm would Fade, and die from it or from an attack as soon as they grew too weak to fend it off. The earthborns, untrained and scattered, would be as easy to pick off as cubs once the pride that protected them was gone. More merciful if they all would have just died in the collapse than to Fade or die at the enemy’s merciless whim.

Tiernan was right. The Mounds were gone. The fey realm was never coming back. It was Earth or death. And Jhaer never for a moment considered bowing to death. Not for him. Not for the Unseelie. Not for the Sidhe.

###

Enjoy: Breaking Benjamin - I Will Not Bow

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Cursed - excerpt




Chapter One

Hanging out with a vampire while she feeds on someone is kinda like being in the room while your best friend makes out. It is awkward as hell. Not that the guy Selena was feeding on wasn’t totally hot. He reclined against the arm of the couch, black shirt unbuttoned and open to reveal the sculpted perfection of his musculature. One of his strong legs was bent and against the back of the couch. The other stretched out so his foot rested on the floor. His hands fisted in Selena’s sleek blonde hair. The vampire was all over him, but the guy didn’t seem particularly aroused, unlike most vampire prey.

His stubble appeared a couple days old, but it was probably more of a fashion choice than laziness. It accentuated his chiseled features. His skin tone had a Mediterranean glow, a stark contrast to Selena’s fair complexion. His dark hair was on the short side yet long enough to have the artistic messiness of a male runway model. Criminally good looking, a guy this stunning stole more than hearts, of that London had no doubt. Scratch the stealing part; the girls probably lined up for him. The direct gaze from his black eyes hit her hard. Oh yeah, this guy knew he was dead sexy. Probably got him most anything he wanted, too, which put him firmly into the “probably a jerk” column in London’s book.

Jerk or not, Selena appeared to be enjoying him immensely. Her formfitting red dress pulled nicely over her bottom, which swayed as she slithered against him. London couldn’t see her friend’s face, but the moans and writhing made her enjoyment hardly a mystery.

London wasn’t the only spectator. One of the vamp bouncers from the club stood guard by the door. His mouth worked some and London suspected that he was licking at his fangs. The stud on the couch apparently didn’t just affect women. Or was it just a blood thing that had the vamp staring like a beta wolf waiting for his chance at the kill?

London doubted that he’d get his turn. Not with the two bodyguards watching the scene from the other side of the immaculately furnished room. Their jackets had been tossed aside so nothing impeded their access to the multiple holstered weapons strapped to their chests and hips. That was fine by London. She was armed, too. Both of the bodyguards were decent looking. London would have even admitted that they were hot, but next to the guy sprawled under Selena, they didn’t even begin to compare. No, he was stunning enough to make a smart woman do stupid things.

This scene had all the earmarks of a business feeding, with both sides bringing backup to make sure the transaction came off smoothly. One of the bodyguards glanced at his watch. “Time.”

The muscles in the stud’s forearms flexed as he pushed Selena back, controlling her by her hair. Her neck arched back as she glanced over her shoulder at London. Blood glistened on her teeth, but had not dribbled down her chin. Uncharacteristically tidy for a vampire. Selena hadn’t permitted even a single drop to escape. Even still, she licked her lips. She turned her glare on the bodyguards as she stroked her hands over the man’s body one last time before dismounting, as if daring them to say anything about it.

Interesting, London thought. She’d never seen Selena give up anything she desired for any reason, and she clearly desired so much more than just the brief feeding. The vampire smoothed her hair to its usual sleek perfection. She seemed to flow in that liquid way she had as she crossed the room.

London,” the vampire’s voice had a breathy tone, as if blood still coated her throat. “You got my message.”

I could have waited until your transaction was completed,” London quirked a smile as she watched one of the bodyguards hand the guy a handkerchief to press to the pinprick wounds on his neck.

This is Rico, your new client,” Selena indicated the guy on the couch. “You’ll regret having met him, I am certain. I know I do.”

With a sharp nod to her vampire guard, Selena directed him to precede her from the room. Selena reached the doorway before turning back to London. “Don’t touch him or you’ll regret it.”

The words had not been a threat. Not in the conventional, “don’t touch my man” kind of way. What exactly she meant by that warning was a mystery, but Selena left without further explanation.

The force of Rico’s striking gaze brought London’s body to immediate attention. She became hyperaware of herself as a woman in the presence of a dominant male. He sat up and gestured for London to come closer. Those dark eyes beckoned and she obeyed. The whole scene had a serious “come into my web”, said the spider to the fly vibe to it. Only she had a sinking feeling that she was already snared in his web.

London settled for the red velvet wing-back across from Rico. With effort she tore her attention from the smooth, muscular chest revealed by his open shirt. His face was just as potent, with eyes as hypnotic as a cobra’s. She crossed her legs, a protective gesture. “Selena may have introduced us, but she does not select my clients.”

Rico pulled a business card from the pocket of his slacks and read it out loud. “London Eyer, Special Investigations and Security.” He held the card between his first two fingers as he grazed his thumb over the raised ink. “This is your business. Money is not enough for you?”

Was it wrong that seeing him fondle her business card made her blush? Or that it turned her on knowing he had been carrying something of hers in his pants? Yeah, most definitely wrong. Something more insidious than just the magnetism of a pretty face was affecting her.

Money is a start, but I don’t just do anything for money.” The two bodyguards wandered closer to her, but stopped when she snarled. “Wanna stay on your own side of the room, boys? I’d hate to have to kick your asses in front of your employer.” Bravado on her part, acting like she was all badass, but it worked. When they retreated a few steps London focused back on Rico. “What’s the job?”

He leaned forward so his elbows rested on his thighs. One hand still cupped the handkerchief against his throat. He turned the card over in his fingers, as if something might be written on the back, then tossed it down onto the coffee table between them. “Selena said you have contacts among many of the parahuman and nonhuman groups. Which ones?”

He’d ignored her question and kept on asking his own, she noticed. Probably a control freak. London let it go for now, but in the end if she didn’t like the job, she’d walk. Period. “Vampires, obviously. Weres. Demons. Wizards.”

Wizards,” he repeated, calmly. As if he’d been waiting for her to reveal that one. “How good is your contact?”

Good enough.”

You worked for them? These wizards you know?” He removed the handkerchief and tossed it down next to the card. His wounds had healed. She could not see any marks marring the perfection of his skin.

That is confidential information.” She gave him the shadow of a smile. “Just like your case would be. Certainly you can appreciate that.”

Rico rose, graceful and swift. “If you work for me, you work for me. No one else.”

London bolted to her feet almost as soon as he started moving. “I don’t work for you.”

The bodyguards flicked out of sight. Teleporters.

Shit.

Get "Cursed" from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Smashwords.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Champion of the Fey - Excerpt




The enchanted gold dust spiraled in a vortex as if a miniature tornado spun within the vial. The glass container itself was not much longer or wider than Lugh’s index finger. Magic twinkled off the dust, as though chips of stars mixed with the gold.

Lugh glanced up from the vial to the row of terraced houses. They had the architectural appeal of bay windows and artistic brickwork. Even still, this neighborhood in Bristol appeared unremarkable compared to most other modern, middle class neighborhoods in England. If not for the reaction of the gold dust in the vial, Lugh would not have guessed that one of the artifacts might have found its way to such an unassuming place. Somewhere in the heart of this mundane humanity, seemingly devoid of even the faintest spark of magic, lay a fragment of the ancient realm of fey.

Even this bit of magic in his hand, this vial of enchantment, seemed ridiculously insignificant in the hands of a Sidhe. And yet held within its simple magicraft it harbored the fragile hope that might save what little survived of the fey. The notion was laughable. The likelihood of success so slim as to be the width of a fairy’s eyelash from total impossibility. Fool’s errand this might be, what else had he? Accept defeat and surrender to the Fade with noble stoicism?

For most of the morning, Lugh watched the house from his perch on the top of a stone garden wall just across the narrow lane. Secure in the belief that his Glamour rendered him invisible to the eyes of mortals, Lugh debated his options. Direct assault? Not his usual strategy, but not beneath him, either. The double-paned, wood-framed windows likely would shatter beneath a precise kick. Then there was the consideration of someone summoning the constables and that was always a needless hassle.

Without having seen inside the building, Lugh could not merely teleport into the house. How ignoble of him to contemplate peeping through the window like a tomcat. Still, if it brought him the prize he sought, then nicety must give way to necessity.

As Lugh debated his options, a young blonde woman emerged from the house. Her loose hair fell in unkempt locks down her back and shoulders. The patchwork peasant skirt flattered her lovely, long legs. The skirt had a gypsy look to it, as did the odd choices of tops. The long, pale blue sleeves flared around delicate forearms, and a dark, tight-fitting top covered it, so the elbow-length sleeves contoured to her thin arms and the feminine curves of her chest.

A seductive grin tugged at his lips. Now charming beautiful women was one of his specialties.

The woman scanned the street with a cursory glance. Lugh remained perfectly still. As her gaze flicked by him he thought, for almost a fraction of a second, she made eye contact.

No mundane human possessed the magic to detect him. And yet her eyes met his. Of this he felt certain.

She flipped her hair back over her shoulder and strolled at a good pace away from him. Lugh dropped down off the garden wall to trail her, his Glamour still tight to him. Her skirt swished in the most fascinating way as it brushed against the maiden’s lovely bum. With casual curiosity, Lugh studied the movement of the cloth as he strolled along behind her, learning the shape of her with each whispered hint of the fabric, a rounded handful that promised a soft surrender.

With each step her skirt swished, giving an impression of the way her hips flared from her narrow waist. The dressmakers of the Seelie Court would encase a figure like hers in lengths of satin that glinted in the light as it drew the eye reverently over every feminine secret. The ladies of the court rarely bothered with a corset, as Sidhe beauty required no augmentation. This woman was no Sidhe, but truly compared to many of the other fair races of fey.

Thinking of the ladies of the court brought back the visions so familiar to him that he could recall every detail perfectly. Rhiannon’s dark grace. Leannan’s shy poise. Kaitlin’s perchance for mischief. Melancholy threatened, as memories stirred of Sidhe lovers who surely perished in the collapse of the Mounds. Depression would only serve to quicken the Fade. Only after he accomplished his mission to restore the power of the fey would he indulge in bittersweet mourning.

Returning to the lovely distraction before him, Lugh firmly silenced that part of his mind for now. Rather, he surrendered to the legionary appreciation of beauty that had his friends teasingly suggesting that his nickname should be changed from The Shining One to The Cad.

He trailed her a mere few blocks before the road ended, spilling into a more populated boulevard lined with shops, cafes, and autos. The Glamour cloaked Lugh in invisibility but did not render him incorporeal. With the grace of the fey as brilliant to witness in dance as in battle, Lugh wove between the passersby without brushing against them. His height, well over six feet, enabled him to keep sight of his quarry.

The woman slowed as she approached the display carts of a flower vender that impinged upon the walkway. Lugh’s strides shortened as he watched her maneuver around the wooden pushcart. A brightly colored canvas created a shading roof suspended above the cart by planks rising from either side of the platform. The effect was of that of a window. The woman turned to examine the flowers, so she faced Lugh. The cart’s design created a frame around her, a suspended bed of flowers between them. As Lugh crossed to stand on the other side of the cart, the woman paused.

Slowly, her eyes lifted from the flowers. Even though the Glamour should have shielded him completely invisible to her, the woman’s gaze lifted. To his chest. Then higher. Until at last her winter blue eyes found his.

There was no mistaking the impact of her intake of breath. “You see me,” Lugh’s resonant voice murmured, so no other than the woman could hear him.

Get Champion of the Fey at Amazon , Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords.

Pitbull - Give Me Everything

Here's another good song for the Glamour Club, with all the sexy fey dancing and hooking up for an evening. Especially for Kieran, one of the playboys of the Unseelie. Watch for him to get more face time in the future in both the Rise of the Unseelie and the Touched mini-series.

Enjoy: Pitbull - Give Me Everything ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack, Nayer

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The Seelie

(A passage from the Chronicles of Lugh, Champion of the Sidhe)

The Shining Court

Although all Sidhe possess beauty, grace, magic and power, the marked differences between the Seelie and Unseelie is in our self expression. The Sidhe of the Shining Court are civilized, polite and gracious in all endeavors. We appreciate the poetry of life and express ourselves with a beautiful language. Though naturally beautiful, the Seelie love flourishes and flairs that highlight our perfection. The Seelie may seem egotistical, even for the bold race of the Sidhe, but it is not ego for ego's sake. We simply are the pinnacle of light magic and as such have an example to set for all other fey who align themselves with the forces of light. Noble and honorable, the Seelie Court reaches out with compassion and to all our fey brethren.

The Unseelie

The Rise of the Unseelie

Since the Unseelie exiles migrated to this earth realm and link themselves to it, there have been a few changes. One of the most interesting has been the baby boom. Fey generally breed slowly. Living thousands of years and yet only having a few offspring in all that time. The Unseelie Sidhe of Earth have experienced a sudden burst in population, breeding as quickly as humans. We 'earthborns' have more than quadrupled the Unseelie population on Earth in just a few decades. The first of the new generation of Unseelie are coming of age. Born and raised on Earth, comfortable with human culture so we can use all the advantages of technology, and having been raised without the dictatorship of the Seelie to restrain our nature. We are the future of the Unseelie manifesting. We are young. We are wild. We are free. We will not surrender.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Hoobastank - Crawling In The Dark

This song works perfectly for Malcolm in Scars of Silver. That one is an intense story. I'll add a snippet below to give you a taste.

(A big thanks to @yagiz who mentioned Hoobastank and reminded me of this song!)

###

The next time the goblins came for him they flooded into the chamber and then spilled through the bottleneck at the door of his cell, filling the space with their leathery, spindly bodies like an army of giant insects, all hive mind with one focus. Even knowing he’d lose, Malcolm never stopped struggling. Never accepted. He squirmed wildly as he bodysurfed along the mass of them, spindly arms keeping him aloft. Only then did he notice the humans beyond the mosh pit of goblins. Three females and a male, huddled close to each other, out of the sea of goblins and staring at Malcolm with starved intensity, like they could eat him up raw.

The goblins tossed Malcolm down on his partially healed back. The silver was released from his wrists. Any relief from the burns vanished under the twisting grip of clawed fingers. This time goblin hands secured his arms and legs, not bonds.

Malcolm twisted uselessly against them, growling viciously. Words meant nothing here. A wasted effort. Nothing could scream his protest louder than the violence of his struggle and the throat ripping fury in his snarl.

And all of it… None of it… mattered.

###

Enjoy Hoobastank - Crawling in the Dark

Friday, December 9, 2011

(The letter left on Malcolm's pillow the night he ran away from home.)

Ma and Da,

I can't believe you blinking lied to me all this time! I'm not even human? What's that about? I'm supposed to have magic and cool powers? When were you even going to tell me this? Why did you have me rounding sheep in the boonies instead of teaching me this stuff? Thanks a whole flipping bunch! And what's up with this whole "we were gonna tell you when you were old enough" bollacks? And I'm not 'old enough' until I am 200? Are you flipping out of your nut? I'm not waiting any 200 years to get out of here. I'm not waiting until I'm 18 either! You can forget it!

So don't try and stop me. I'm grown enough to go out on my own and I am going to do it. I'm going to find out all the stuff you wouldn't tell me. Who I really am. What it means to be a Sidhe. All of it. And without any of your help.

Good bye!

Malcolm

(Read the start of Malcolm's story in Scars of Silver. His story doesn't end there... Not by a long shot!)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Flyleaf - All Around Me

Here's a song for London and all others addicted to the Touch of Sidhe magic. Here's a snippet of a scene from Cursed where London first encounters the Touch.

###

The closer she came to Rico the heavier the air felt. Thick with magic. London trembled. She tilted her head up to gaze into those deep eyes. Body heat spread over her like oil. His hands settled at the small of her back and pulled her body against his. His easy strength supported her even when her legs couldn’t. The first brush of his lips against hers sent a tingle through her. The flick of his tongue made her lips part to inhale him.

The kiss was sensual. Slow and deep. London closed her eyes. Breathing him in, the magic cascaded into her once more. It tasted like rain. His power soaked into her, drenched her body in bliss. London circled her arms around his neck, drawing him deeper into the kiss.

More… She wanted more…

His hands slipped down to grip her bottom. She wrapped a leg around him and ground needfully against him. The magic drove into her core, intense with sexual pleasure. She shuddered as it spared no part of her being. The magic-induced orgasm exploded within her. Power spilled from Rico into her mouth, thick and rich. The scent of storm clouds filled her awareness. The kiss washed away everything. Everything but this moment, this fulfillment, this manifestation of perfect passion. She cried out into Rico’s mouth, but refused to let their lips part so it could escape.

Suddenly, the magic ceased. Just like the flick of a switch. London’s eyes snapped open.


You work for me,” Rico informed her. “You work for no one else. You will tell me all you know, with no hesitation.”

###

Enjoy Flyleaf - All Around Me

New Release: Scars of Silver

 Rise of the Unseelie #2




You’d think the fey would have each others' backs. That’s what you’d think… if you never met any.

Malcolm is Sidhe, the only race that possesses the coveted magic of the Touch. He’s also an untrained teenage runaway who only just discovered that he’s fey. He thought the fey would have each others' backs. That’s what he honestly thought…

Until he met a Changeling.

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Monday, December 5, 2011

Breaking Benjamin - I Will Not Bow

In Aftershock there is a scene in the Glamour Club where a fey rock band does a cover of a 'popular song.' That song is I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin. Here's part of the scene from the book, and the Glamour Club video with the lyrics on the screen.

***

The band of Dark Elves, calling themselves The Fury, started up another set of rock music. Not something Donovan was very familiar with, but he liked the heavy percussion and the determination in the voice of the lead singer as he roared at the crowd that he would not bow and he would not break. Very Unseelie in sentiment. Apparently, the band played popular music because most of the fey sang along during the chorus.

Kieran and Dawn danced among the crowd, undulating against each other with more than a casual familiarity. The view from Donovans private table situated against the simple but elegant guardrail overlooked the dance floor set a couple of steps down from the main bar area of the Glamour Club. Leaning back, he cast a proprietary glance around the rest of the club, not the least surprised to find it packed on opening night. Theyd had trouble keeping the fey out until the construction was completed.

***

Enjoy: Breaking Benjamin - I Will Not Bow

One Month into the Adventure...

We launched The Sidhe just a little over a month ago. For Ravynheart and I it has been an intense time. Chatting with readers and getting the word out about the series has been a lot of fun. A big thanks to everyone who has been generous with your time and your feedback! We are excited to bring this world to you, and it is wonderful to hear you are having fun with it, too.

On top of all this wonderful interaction, we’ve also been working our fey butts off on the next installments on the storylines. The second Champion of the Sidhe story is out, with Lugh being heroic and endlessly Seelie. The second Rise of the Unseelie, “Scars of Silver” comes out this week, and introduces Malcolm, one of my personal favorite characters and I hope you love him as much as I do. Then we have the second and third Touched stories coming out in the next few weeks. Those are called “Addicted” and “Enchanted”. Just finishing up the edits and cover art. Things are getting more desperate for London, with her addiction to the Touch intensifying.

Watch for links in “Addicted” to both Lugh’s story as well as Malcolm’s. As the storylines progress watch for more links and “Easter eggs,” as the bigger picture starts to unfold and connect things.

We are also putting together a month long blog tour and celebration of the Touched series coming in January. The other two series will be getting their tours in the months to follow. We’ll let you know what all is planned when we get closer to that time.

If you want to give us some feedback or suggestions hit me up at Archer [at] SidheTouch.com. We’d also love for you to rate the stories on Kindle, Barnes and Noble or Goodreads. That’d be awesome and greatly appreciated!

-Archer

Friday, December 2, 2011

Usher - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love ft. Pitbull

Here's an awesome song for the Glamour Club itself! Usher dances the way the Sidhe do, with fluid and grace. Especially the young earthborn Sidhe like Kieran and Malcolm, raised with modern music and dance styles. Very sensual and carefree when the music moves through their fey souls. Usher is welcome to party in the Glamour Club anytime!

Enjoy: Usher - DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love

Thursday, December 1, 2011

AC/DC - Back in Black

This song is for Donovan in Aftershock.

S. Ravynheart picked out this Glamour Club feature for his character Donovan. That's his character through and through. Powerful. Dark. Driven. Noble in his own Unseelie way.

Enjoy: AC/DC - Back In Black (Live)