I pretty much have no life right now aside from "authorly" stuff. The only WEIRD item of note is that I've come across a type of German chocolate bar I've never tried before. Böhme brand. 🍫 Anyone have any feedback on that one?

Maybe I should ask Swanie if she'd recommend it. 🤔

I'm supposed to share writing updates, I know, I know. But since this is the last week anyone anywhere can get hold of the Fates & Mates anthology, well . . . maybe we should focus on that instead.

My short story can be found waaaaaaay at the bottom of the anthology, where unknown fantasy romance authors languish in obscurity. 😁 If you haven't read Zephyrs of Destiny yet—or if you read it back in February and don't remember what happens—check out the blurb & the snippets below, and decide whether Ilsa's tale sounds like one you'd like to peruse.

Zephyrs of Destiny: Blurb

My sister was a witch.

The clergy feared her protection spells. They shunned my family and compelled my father to curse her. Now she’s dead, and it’s my duty to honor her memory.

Of course my outcries angered both the clergy and my own people.

The only way I can escape my sister’s fate is to bind my heart to a Teuton priest—a member of an ancient caste that views women as naïve fools too weak to wield magic. Obviously, that goes against my personal beliefs. Someone has to continue my sister’s work, and it might as well be me. I won’t let some mage with a master’s complex hold me back.

Then Horst walked into my life . . . .

Zephyrs of Destiny is a suspenseful paranormal romance set in the Austrian Alps shortly after the Second World War.

Join Ilsa in a fresh fantasy realm replete with elemental witchcraft, spiritual bonds, secret hideouts, and slight vampirical twists!

Zephyrs of Destiny: Snippets

“I’m not having lunch with some Teuton priest.” I reiterated my earlier statement and took a sip of coffee, eyeing my mother over the rim of the mug.

She harrumphed and favored me with a cold stare. “You most certainly will, unless you want the old wretch from Innsbruck to take you away.” Her eye twitched, and she rubbed her forehead. “Don’t let your father know I said that.”

She spoke that final phrase in a whisper, and a portion of my hostility crumbled away. “You said the priests came to talk to him earlier this week. What did they want?” I asked, fearing the worst.

My mother took up a croissant herself, looking toward the doorway to the dining room, as though she feared someone might snoop on our conversation. Unlike me, her skills at elemental magic were pitiful; she had nurtured her talents in art and music throughout her life, while leaving her mystical abilities untouched. “The men are in the library, and Omi’s still in her bedroom upstairs,” I said in a low voice, my air enhancing my senses as I spoke.

My mother’s eyes met mine for a second, and she gave a delicate cough before taking a small bite of her croissant. She doubtless saw the air swirling in my irises. Alix had always gushed that my magic made my eyes look like stormy seas. God, how I miss her . . . .

“The eldest priest on Innsbruck’s Teuton council has a mind to hand you over to someone who can force you to stop speaking out about . . . Alix’s fate.”

My mother hesitated over my sister’s name, as though the fact that my father had attempted the filial curse upon her made it unfit to speak. But I hardly had the chance to react to that, for her declaration sent a chill through me. “Hand me over to someone?” Images of a Teuton priest looming in spirit form, seizing my heart and binding it with his power, transformed our peaceful kitchen into a nightmare before my eyes.

*********************

“My Lady Ilsa von Kaenel, it is an honor to make your acquaintance.”

Horst’s smooth voice carried hints of honest interest, as though he was impressed with me already, having seen me for three seconds at most. I paused at the bottom step and met his gaze; we were on level ground now, but he stood one stair step taller than me. The smile had not left his lips, and I realized that I needed to respond. Where were my manners? My thoughts whirled in a hurricane of unforeseen attraction.

He had called me my Lady. It was a Teutonic term, one usually reserved for a city’s female representative. I had never once imagined hearing that word applied to me, a woman born and raised far afield from the nearest official Teuton city, Innsbruck. His choice of greeting crumbled any defenses I might have thought to build. I smiled back and said, “The pleasure is mine, Herr Vorbach.”

I offered him my right hand, and he took it in his left and raised it to his lips, his cerulean eyes never leaving mine. “You need not stand on ceremony. Call me Horst,” he requested.

When our skin met, my air sensed his element simmering deep within his blood—he was fire. But what color of fire? There’s yellow, red, blue, black, and natural orange . . . .

“Thank you, Horst. Please do the same. I’m Ilsa.” I hardly knew what I said as I stepped down and moved to stand beside him. My air tried to surreptitiously test his spirit, to detect what type of fire he wielded. We had not broken eye contact yet, and part of me felt like he could see deep inside of me, see all of the turmoil that had burdened me since Alix’s death.

My father gave a distinct cough and declared that it was high time to move to the dining room, for the smell of roasted venison tantalized his nose. I had nearly forgotten his presence. Blinking rapidly, I shifted my gaze away from this compelling Teuton priest who had expressed an interest in me. He hardly matched my mental images of Teuton priests; his gray suit would look appropriate at a formal gathering. Horst made a casual remark about the meal, answering my father’s intrusion, and then we followed the older men toward the dining room.

My companion had not yet released my right hand, though he held it lightly. The warmth of his fire enticed me, after long winters in a war-torn land.

“Your air is vibrant and expressive,” Horst said in an offhand tone as we progressed down the hallway toward the dining room.

A soft gasp escaped my lips, and I turned my head to look at him. “You can sense it?”

“You’re hardly subtle about it,” he confided with a wink, his eyes shining. “And fire has an affinity for air, you realize.”

My eyebrows came together, and I pulled my hand away from his. “Fire can’t sustain itself without oxygen,” I heard myself saying, my element refreshing my blood as I spoke.

Horst’s expression implied that he detected every trace of my magic, all of its minute workings. “You want to test that theory?” he asked, turning his left palm upward. A fist-sized flame appeared above his skin, its hues matching those of a campfire. Natural fire.

He grinned, and amusement took hold of me. “Not in the house. Put that out!” I waved a hand at him as we entered the dining room. He snickered, and the flame evaporated.

*********************

Want to know how everything plays out between Ilsa and Horst?

Download Fates & Mates today if you haven't yet, and don't waste time, because it's available ONLY until April 30th. Once it's gone, it's gone!

Remember, you can find Zephyrs of Destiny way at the bottom of the anthology. But don't forget to check out all the other great paranormal romances included in the collection. My favorites are Liza Street's Her Celery Stalker (it's hilarious!) and Dee J. Holmes' & Nova Blake's Wolf, Let Your Guard Down.

Which short story is your favorite, and why? Do tell! 😍

Fun Photo

I took this picture in the summer of 2018 while my husband and I vacationed in the Austrian Alps. Ilsa takes a journey similar to this one toward the end of Zephyrs of Destiny (though the cars likely looked a bit different in her era 😉). Such a spectacular view!

Discount Book Fair

Here's this week's collection of discounted eBooks for hungry readers like YOU to enjoy. Some of them are free, and all of them can be found on a variety of e-reading platforms. Take a quick look & see if any strike your fancy!

✨ Browse The Sale ✨

That's all I've got for now, because I have a box set to format. 📚

Hope you have a great week & enjoy some lovely reading!

Talk to you soon,

C.L. Carhart

Download Fates & Mates before it's gone: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/slvtdnmqw1

Grab Arcane Gateway for FREE: https://books2read.com/hnwaag

Get Veiled Magic, a bonus story: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/jp1vp51i52

Preorder my first box set for 99¢: https://books2read.com/hnwaboxset13