The Little Mouse Has Grown Up 🐭

Nov 09, 2022 4:01 pm

Is it the second week of November already? Leaves are strewn all over the roads in my neighborhood right now, along with the occasional dead snake. And acorns. Acorns everywhere. Even falling on your head. 🌳

My husband and I have started walking in the mornings again. Trying to stay in shape & get the blood flowing in my brain so I can craft exciting stories!

So what can you expect in this week's newsletter? Below, you'll find the first ever snippet—stuffed with family drama—from my work-in-progress, Gift of Fire. Then I've got a short survey you might find intriguing. 🤭 Find the survey above Michelle Bailey's book fair! I hope it gives you a chuckle.

Gift of Fire...Coming In 31 Days!

So how's Gabi's story shaping up in Gift of Fire? Glad you asked! Just yesterday afternoon, I finished writing Chapter 19. According to my outline, I have only 5-6 more chapters to write before everything gets wrapped up in a neat little bow! 💝 Have to admit, it's nice to create a single book with a HEA (happily ever after). Poor Swanie—the heroine from His Name Was Augustin—didn't get one of those until the end of the last book in the series.

Yeah, pretty sure readers weren't super happy about that. 😣

Live & learn! That's why each book in my newest series set in the Teutonic fantasy realm is a standalone paranormal romance about a separate couple. That means you—and I—get to meet & fall in love with different characters every three months! (Reminder: I tend to publish a new novel every 3 months when I'm working on a specific series. 😉)

In case I didn't make it clear enough when I first told you about Gift of Fire, the eBook will be out on all online retailers December 10th, 2022. Not only that, I've decided to treat you all for the holiday season and sell it for only 99¢ during its pre-order period and the first week it's out!

🤩🤩 Less than one U.S. dollar for a complete paranormal romance? 🤩🤩

If you haven't reserved your copy of Gift of Fire yet, you know what to do!

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B691TRW7

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B691TRW7

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0B691TRW7

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0B691TRW7

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6443135511

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=oUiKEAAAQBAJ

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1142281186

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/en/ebook/gift-of-fire-2

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1166664

Universal link: https://books2read.com/ebgiftoffire

Gift of Fire Snippet

Now it's time to share a snippet from the scene when Gabi first comes home to Erlangen, Germany after she spent nearly a decade away. My favorite part of this scene is when she reunites with her big little brother. 😉 As for her parents?

Well, read on . . . .

Seeing that I had reached my parents’ driveway, I shook myself and took a moment to concentrate on the gentle evening air in an effort to calm down. Two cars sat in the driveway, so maybe my father could help deflect whatever criticisms my mother wished to toss my way. Would Dennis be home on a Friday night? A sophomore at the local university, he might be out with his friends tonight, basking in the privileges of youth.

I had been standing beside the mailbox for a good three minutes now, my gaze running over the house’s shuttered windows as I endeavored to regain some courage. This would not get any easier no matter how long I delayed.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing my eyes for a second while I sent a weak prayer heavenward. God, please give me wisdom and patience. Then I straightened my posture and marched toward the side gate, determining that I ought to make peace with the fairy before I bothered confronting my parents. I passed through the gate and secured behind me. Just as I moved to advance into the yard, my fire detected a sizzling heat looming amid the holly bushes that lined the side of the house.

My heart leaped into my throat when my mother stepped into my path, her graying hair darkened with pitch black flames, her hands fisted at her hips. “Just what I can expect from you. Sneaking into the backyard instead of using the front door like a polite guest!”

Her eyebrows slanted downward, her tone hot with fury. All of my courage slipped away from me like water down a drain, and I took an unconscious step back. Clearing my throat, I attempted to answer. “The fairy—”

“You care about trees more than about your family? You should be ashamed of yourself, Gabriela. Your brother came home right away when I called him about what happened today, but it’s been nothing but silence from you! You piled all your rubbish upstairs and vanished without leaving a note, without having the decency to come home for dinner. You’re as selfish as your father!”

I had turned my phone off after confirming my dinner arrangements with Bianca this morning. Guilt speared me a second time, my mother’s accusations cutting down my defenses. You need to stop letting her jealousy control you, my ex used to tell me—right as he settled himself into a similar position over me.

My fire simmered deep within, restive in the presence of a darker, angrier element. After a good ten seconds of silence, I finally managed to say in a small voice, “My phone died this morning. What . . . happened today?”

“Always excuses with you. Come inside this instant. Dennis is making hot chocolate, a luxury you hardly deserve!”

She turned her nose up at me and stomped off toward the back of the house, in the direction of the door to the kitchen. I followed, worry forming a brick in my stomach. My fiery spirit expanded itself to sweep the house and grounds, taking note of my mother’s black fire and my brother’s molten rock. The silver oak tucked away beside the cottage out back shimmered with enchanted life.

I caught no trace of my father’s earth magic.

The fairy had told me that my family needed me, right before it left me high and dry at the end of my job interview. Was this what it was trying to tell me?

What had happened to my father?

In a haze of anxiety, I stepped into the kitchen, the sweet scent of fresh hot chocolate failing to soothe my tense muscles. My gaze fell upon my little brother, who stood at the kitchen table, his fingers placing a steaming mug onto a coaster before the chair I recognized as my mother’s. A slight gasp escaped my lips as I took in his adult form—lean and wiry, straight black hair draping his head in casual disarray, thick brows and a chin dotted with stubble.

The last time I saw Dennis, he was a child, his wide gray eyes staring into mine as he begged me not to leave him. That child had transformed into a man who expelled a gasp when he turned away from the table to face me. “Gabi? You’re really here? I can’t believe it!”

I had not yet come to grips with how mature his voice sounded when he threw his arms around me, the solid strength of his element binding me in security. My fire embraced his molten rock joyfully, recognizing its former playmate. “Looks like my little mouse has grown up,” I said, my nose pressed into his polo shirt. The familiar scent of his smoldering element mingled weirdly with Axe deodorant.

My little brother had certainly attained young adult status.

“Don’t be so sure. I still don’t know what the hell I’m doing most of the time.” Dennis pulled back and looked me over, his cheeks darkening a shade. The dimple I remembered appeared on his right cheek when he smiled. “You look the same. Except for . . . .” His voice trailed off as he gestured at my bun.

“I’m trying to look professional,” I rejoined with a wink.

“You’ve succeeded.”

“Gabriela, come to the table.” Our mother’s sharp command cut through our reunion, bringing my thoughts back to the current problem. Where’s Papa?

A strange expression crossed Dennis’ face, and he cocked his head toward our mother as if he expected her to share his enthusiasm about my return. Bianca’s judgment had been off, for sure. My mother would remain my bane until I left this place once and for all. Maybe I should try to convince Dennis to leave, too.

The two of us went to the table, where my mother sat stiffly in her chair, her darkened eyes chiding our camaraderie. She took a rather pointed sip from her mug as I sat across from her, leaving my brother to play the role of buffer. She had preferred him to me since the day he was born. No point in dredging that up now, not with my father absent while his car occupied the driveway.

“What’s happened to Papa?” I closed the fingers of both hands around my mug of hot chocolate, its warmth granting my element a touch of comfort.

Dennis’ lips parted, but our mother responded before he could speak. “He left us. Just like you did.”

✨ Learn More ✨

📚 eBook Reader Survey 📚

So I've got some ideas brewing in that weird cauldron known as my brain. 🧠Muses about what direction to take my author business in 2023. Whether you've bought or read any of my books or not, I'd love to get your honest opinion on a few crazy ideas simmering away in that cauldron.

If you wouldn't mind filling out a super short survey, that would make my authorly heart sing! It's only 4 multiple choice questions, and you can find it here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lB_N1jr_zkomo-DFYhp6VWjdUU9zAr7K04MaU5X1LDY/edit

✨ Michelle Bailey's Romance Sale ✨

If you didn't check out Michelle Bailey's awesome collection of romance eBooks when I shared it last week, you'd better get a move on! The sale ends early next week, so time's running out to enter the big giveaway at the bottom. Act fast, and show my fellow indie authors some love while you're at it! 💖

✨ Show Me The Books! ✨