It’s been a quiet week here, I suppose, at least quiet for how things have been lately. Son the younger and his new bride are in for spring break, and I’m still waiting clearance for my first knee replacement.

Welcome to #Rainbowsnippets*! This one is uniquely mine, but there are lots of other great snippets to read, so after you finish here click the FB link at the bottom of the post to discover other great LGBTQIA authors and their works.

The release date for Keeping House has been moved to July 8^th. I’m excited, but I’m also a bit nervous. No more than I’ve ever been before a new release, I suppose, but something about this novel has me tense. Content-wise, Keeping House isn’t the darkest novel I’ve ever released. No Sister’s Keeper (Taelach Sister’s series #4, 2013) takes that prize by far. Perhaps my nervousness derives from the personal nature of Keeping House. There’re more bits of myself inside the story than most of my novels. Cent has my thought processes and shares both my gender identity and sexual orientation. Dane, I’ve been told, shares my rather sharp sense of humor and tendency for one-liners (you don’t see this side of Dane until later in the novel). Stowne shares some of my insecurities. Every character in this series contains a bit of me, more than in my other series. Perhaps this is why I enjoy writing it so much, and it’s probably why the release already stresses me.

Keeping House is with the proofreader and will be available for preorder by mid-April.  (squeals in late-night, caffeinated glee) 

The Setup: I’m moving a bit forward in the chapter. Others are arriving at Stowne’s Brigid celebration circle, and Dane has spotted Betty, who’s just arrived on Pyre’s arm. And do you remember Cent’s cousin Aubrey? Well, he’s there too and Dane’s noticed him, much to Rayne’s chagrin. If you remember, Rayne and Aubrey found each other in Cleaning House. Again, if you want to know the hows and whys… Well, the cover image to your right will take you to the novel’s Amazon page. The ebook is priced at only $3.99.

Remember, Keeping House is written in third-person limited POV but a very close version, so we’re seeing everything through Cent’s eyes.

     “Who the…well, what’ve we got here?” Dane raised her hand to stop one of her guards, a lean, ashen-skinned man with his dreadlocks pulled back and tucked into his coveralls, from approaching Betty. “That tall one’s a medium. She’ll see right through whatever you try, but the short, curly-haired, tan healer boy…” Dane indicated Aubrey. “Go for it if’n you want.”

     “Nah, he’s too small.” The man stepped back. “But I think Kenzie likes the look of him.”

 

     “He’s mine.” Rayne rose as a water pillar that blocked Aubrey from the Hunters’ view. “We’ve danced together before our land spirit so we’re wed. He’s beyond your touch!”

 

 

 

 

Water protects and gives life as much as much as it can destroy so Rayne needs to take a deep, liquidy breath and remember who they are.  They’ve more power than any fey, even a Hunter, so Aubrey’s safe, I’m certain.

 

 

 

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*RainbowSnippets is a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ authors, readers, and bloggers to share 6 sentences each week from a work of fiction—published or in-progress—or a book recommendation. Feel free to join in!