Welcome to another Manic Monday!
* * * *
Blind Beauty (Witches’ Mischief Series 2)
Thank you for having me!
Many things inspired the
creation of Blind Beauty, (my love of
fairy tales, The Golden Cock, reviewers…) but as it happens, music also played an
important role.
Crazy as it might sound to
some, I write with music. Words flow easier and scenes become brighter if I
have a tune to go with. When it came to writing Blind Beauty, I found that I needed something folksier and in a way
magical. After all, most of the story takes places in Belmont Forest and there
are strange things going on… (Aka a little nudge from a certain magic user).
James
barely looked his way as they continued to trudge through the forest. Light was
quickly failing, the oncoming night creeping on them. The temperature dropped
and the moon rose, the soft white light bathing everything and creating a land
of ice and shadows before their eyes.
I found my musical inspiration
in German pagan folk band, Faun. Their album Von Den Elben created the perfect mood to create a world full of
love, magic and adventure.
Sunshine
illuminated her features and a soft wind blew her dark locks across her face.
Her little nose was wrinkled and her mouth set in a thin line of concentrated
determination as she saw things behind her lids that only she could glimpse.
One of the songs that
inspired the beginning of the story was Faun’s cover of Schrei es in die Winde, a song originally from Eluviette (another great
group, whose music was also a source of inspiration) and whose melody, for me,
(since I don’t speak German), expresses hope. *Smile*
He
was alone. Alone, in the middle of nowhere, and he was glad. Raising his hand
in silent farewell to everything he left behind, he veered his horse and
continued down the path away from everyone. Here, amidst nature, there was no
one to mock him for his looks. No one to gaze at him with disgust or feigned
interest.
His
lips twitched and he smiled wildly. Kicking his horse’s flanks, he set at a
gallop. He would never return.
I invite you to read Blind Beauty and listen to the music
that brought James and Richard’s story a little more alive.
Enjoy!
Faun Video
Blurb:
James Macintosh is hours away from his new home. He is ready to start a
secluded life away from all the rumors, insults and disgusted faces concerning
his appearance. However, a meeting with a mysterious woman and her child,
mingled with a sudden harsh snowstorm will set him down a very different path
than the one he had originally envisioned.
Richard
Randywine is an accidental fugitive living with a band of rowdy thieves. A good
man at heart, he has gotten used to hiding his emotions behind his strapping
muscles and brute strength. Yet, when the thieves ambush an unsuspecting
rider, Richard is forced to drop his mask and step forward.
Will
both men be able to see what lies before them or will they be blind to the
possibility of happiness?
Available
at:
Losing the battle to the voices in her head is her favorite pastime after annoying her younger sister with her singing. Writing stories full of passion and emotion where love conquers all is her happy pill and she'll forgo sleep to make her readers live the dream.
Blog
Website
Goodreads
Pinterest (Blind Beauty has its own board! Check it out here)
Excerpt:
He climbed atop his horse, as told. His back molded to Richard’s, his body betraying him as it molded into the other man’s embrace. Richard pulled him hard against him, his body enveloping him in an almost suffocating hug.
“Go,” he whispered huskily into his ear, his
breath fanning it. James pressed his thighs against Faith’s flanks, hoping the
animal would understand, considering the strange position she was in. She did,
for she set off at a trot in the direction Richard indicated. They galloped in
silence, trees whirring past them, snow flying when they swept past. James eyes
widened and he barely controlled the urge to order Faith to stop as he realized
their impasse.
“Richard, the hoof prints, the snow.” James
pointed at the visible trail. “They’ll track us down as easily as the king’s
hounds trace a fox.”
Richard’s breath was warm in his ear. His
hair tickled his temple and James had to suppress a shiver.
“I know.” Richard chuckled. “Don’t worry. I
have a plan, besides wishing that they’ll wake up during the night and we’ll be
miles away by then or that it snows heavily again.”
James wished he didn’t have to worry, but he
couldn’t relax. The problem wasn’t so much the thieves that could pursue them
at any moment, but the man behind him. He was too close, too comforting, and
all too desirable. James shifted in his seat again, trying to find a
comfortable position. One in which he wasn’t pressed up tightly against
Richard’s groin. One in which he didn’t imagine he felt the length of his cock
hard against him. Because, he was convinced it was his imagination. Otherwise,
how could a man like Richard be interested in him? It didn’t make any sense. In
his experience, men like Richard were ladies’ men. They seduced, fucked and
discarded women. He wasn’t a woman and he’d been rejected too many times in his
life. He didn’t need this. He didn’t need more pain. Richard’s fingers brushed
against his side, the fingers digging into his flesh and distracting him as
arousal flared in every centimeter of his flesh.
“What got you into thievery?” he asked,
attempting to forget how close their bodies were.
Richard grunted in reply and he fell silent
once more, fishing his mind for a topic of conversation. It came up blank. He
thought about asking Richard to stop. Faith was probably tiring though she
didn’t show it and surely, they were safe by now. He should ask. James knew he
should, but he couldn’t. He was losing his mind, falling prey to the liquid
fire that was consuming him inside and outside. He wasn’t sure if the man was
hard, but he was. His cock was stiff and throbbing, the idea of taking or being
taken by Richard flashing through his mind every time Faith bounced.
What would it feel like?
Flesh both silky and hard as steel brushing
against him, an intimate caress, deep and longing. They’d become one man,
writhing, gasping, and moaning. James’ breath hitched, the tightness in his
breeches becoming uncomfortable. He clenched his teeth together and grasped the
reins so tightly the material cut into his hands. He scrambled to regain his
bearings, to remember whom he was with and what had occurred in the last 48
hours. He couldn’t trust Richard, but neither could he trust his treacherous
body. He was not a beautiful man. Surely the thief didn’t want him. The thief. That’s right, Richard was a
thief. He had no morals, no scruples, no—James groaned as Faith skipped over a
fallen log, throwing Richard’s body against him, the erection he was sure he
was imagining grinding against his bottom.
