Happy Wednesday

Welcome to another Wednesday and another WIPpet! Today you're getting another snippet from Nephil's Destiny, which is the final book in my The Chosen Chronicles Series. In this excerpt, it is about ten years after the scene from last week, so Amaya and Deacon are adults now. 

For those of you new to WIPpets, it is a snippet of your Work In Progress. The only rule is that it has to be associated with the date somehow. For example, today is 8-13-2014. You are getting 20 lines for the first two digits of the year. If you want to join us for a WIPpet, go here and post your link. Make sure to read everyone else's contributions and don't forget to comment on as many as you can. The more comments you leave, the more you'll get in return! Enjoy!

Amaya's eyes drifted shut in anticipation of the kiss. Deacon released her hand and slid his down to her hip and around her waist, drawing her closer to himself. Her lips tingled as she waited anxiously for his to make contact and her heart pounded so loudly that she was afraid he could hear it. Just before he made contact with her, someone clearing their throat from behind them made them both freeze. 

"Sorry to interrupt." Dev stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked sheepish. 

Deacon didn't release Amaya. He turned his head and looked over his shoulder. "Then don't." 

Dev chuckled. "Sorry, dude. Zeke sent me to get Amaya. You'll have time to do whatever you were going to do after you leave. I'm not going to be the one to piss off the lady who just gave birth." 

Deacon glared at his friend. "I want to do it now, not later. Go away." 

Amaya laughed and ducked under Deacon's arm. "Pack some canned food for us, would ya?" 

Dev waited to speak until Amaya had disappeared up the stairs. "Want to talk about that?" 

"It's none of your business." 

"No, it's not. Want to talk about it anyway?" 

Deacon opened the pantry and starting yanking out cans at random. "I was going to kiss her. You interrupted. End of story." 

"We both know that's not what I meant. Dude, you and Amaya? When did that start?" 

"Eight years ago." 

            Dev choked on a gulp of water. "Eight years ago and I'm just hearing about it now? Jesus fucking Christ, why in the hell haven't you said anything?"

WIPpet

Hey all! I happen to be in the midst of a killer bout of writer's block, but I'm going to post anyway. After all, there's nothing in the rules that says I have to write my WIPpet on the day I post(or even the week), so this is from the Prologue to Nephil's Destiny the LAST book in my series.

For those of you new, a WIPpet is a snippet of your Work In Progress. The only rule is that what you post has to have something to do with the date. Today is 8-6-14, so you are getting 22 paragraphs. 8+14=22

"Nah. You just had a bit of an accident. Dad'll smooth things over with Gabriel and it'll all be fine. They were screaming at each other in the office when I left to come find you." He draped his arm around her shoulders. "It's cold out here. Much warmer back home." 

"I don't want to go back yet." 

Always the amiable sort, Deacon jerked one shoulder. "Okay. We'll freeze then. No biggie." He toyed with the ends of her hair. "What did you think running away would accomplish?" 

Amaya leaned her head on his shoulder. "I wasn't thinking. I can feel so much stuff inside me and I don't know how to control it. I don't know when it's going to come out and I don't know what to do with it. Everyone keeps telling me how special I am and how I have this particular thing I was born to do and all I want to do is go home to be with my parents and my brother and sisters. I miss them! I don't want to have to do this, Deacon!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried. "I don't want any of it! I wish they'd never let me be born!" 

Uncomfortable with tears, Deacon patted Amaya's shoulder awkwardly. "It could be worse." 

Sniffling, she sat back and stared at him. "How? How could it be worse?" 

Wryly, he smiled. "Do you know who my mother is?" 

Amaya shook her head. "No. I didn't think you did, either." 

"I didn't until a few days ago. My dad finally told me. It's Lilith. The Devil." 

Amaya sat back and stared at the lake again, unsure what to say. After several moments of silence, she looked at him, studying the side of his face for a long time before speaking. "You win." 

Deacon laughed and shook his head, grabbing her hand in his own. "Yeah. I win." He squeezed her fingers. "They're going to come looking for you." 

"I know." 

"Do you want to be here when they come?" 

She shook her head. "I don't want to see him, Deacon. Not now, maybe not ever. What he did, I just can't." 

Deacon stood, pulling her to his feet. "Let's go then." 

"Go where?" 

"Anywhere. Let's be stupid and reckless and have some fun. Where do you want to go?" 

The beach lit up as Gabriel and Michael appeared. Gabriel strode purposefully toward the two young Nephilim. "Amaya Samantha Winslow, you will return with us right this instant." 

Deacon looked down at her, a grin on his face. "Well, what's the verdict?" 

Amaya looked between Deacon and Gabriel, her heart pounding in her chest and her stomach twisted in knots of excitement. Leaping into Deacon's arms, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. 

"Let's go!" 

Deacon flashed an instant before Gabriel reached them. 


Now that you've ready my contribution go here and read all the rest of the WIPpets. If you want to post your own, put your link on the page there, and don't forget to comment on the blogs of the others. We all thrive on feedback and the more you give, the more you get. 

It's Wednesday

I almost didn't post one of these today. Not because I'm having problems writing. In fact, with the exception of yesterday, I've been blazing through Nephil's Destruction. But yesterday my 14 year old Lab, Lilli, died, and that's made it hard for me to want to do anything other than mope and pout.

I won't dwell on it too long, and I don't want everyone else to be depressed with me. She was a very old dog, who lived a very good life. She died in my arms in the back of the car on the way to the vet, surrounded by those who love her, and she's with very good company at the Rainbow Bridge. But that doesn't make me miss her less, and it doesn't make the loss easier to take. Seeing her empty spot this morning was hard. The only thing harder is explaining to my two year old where "Lil-Lil" went and why she can't come back.

But I'm pushing forward, and writing has always been a place for me to escape, so I'm forcing myself to post today and I'm going to go enjoy everyone else's WIPpet as well. For those who don't know, a WIPpet it a once weekly post of a current work in progress. The rules are simple: the amount you post must have some correlation to the date. After you're done reading mine go here and read all the other fabulous posts.

So, without further ado, here's the WIPpet of the week. Today is 7-16-2014 so you get 16 paragraphs from book 6. I went with a humorous scene, so I hope you all enjoy.

“Only Gabriel could sound like a complete pretentious prick while apologizing.” Zeke stared up at the ceiling as she spoke. “I think he seemed honest enough about it, and I’m glad he did it, but damn can that Angel sound like a dick no matter what the occasion?” 

Amaya giggled. “Yes, he can.” She folded her arms under her head. “Deacon said that after he left you, he went down and told Michael that he’d had a change of heart and would like to start working with some of the Nephilim. He’s going to start training some of them and commanding some of the squads. He didn’t even try to talk to me. It’s like there’s an alien living in his body or something.” 

Zeke groaned. “Don’t even mention aliens. That would be the last fucking thing we need right now. God, what are those old shows people used to watch in the middle of the afternoon when they weren’t working?” 

Amaya wrinkled her nose. “Soap operas?” 

“Yeah! That’s the one! Can’t you just see that as the plot to a soap opera? The world is at war, demons and Angels battle for dominance when out of the sky comes..dun dun dun…the Kardashians!” 

Amaya snorted and rolled onto her side to laugh. “Oh my God, Zeke, you are awful at pop culture! The Kardashians used to be a family. It’s the Cardassians that were the aliens!” 

Zeke waved her hand dismissively. “Close enough.” She yawned. “Dev’s going to be coming up to bed soon, and he won’t want to sleep with you.” 

“Then his taste is questionable.” 

“I think he has good taste, personally.” She propped herself up on her elbow. “Seriously, though, I wish I knew what was going on with Gabriel. He’s not acting like himself.” 

Amaya shrugged carelessly. “Good. Who he is hasn’t been working for a while. Maybe he’s making a change. God knows he needs to. I hope he is. Whatever the reason, he’s apologized to you, which is a plus. He’s taking an interest in the war, which is an even bigger plus, and he didn’t even try to talk to me which means, for the moment anyway, he’s respecting me enough to keep his distance from me. All of those are bonuses are far as I’m concerned.”  

“I hope he’s changing for your sake. If he comes down here, gets involved, and starts being who your mother has always claimed he could be, you might get to have a relationship with your father worth having.” 

Amaya made a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat. “I don’t know if I want one at all, but I certainly don’t want one with the way he’s been acting for the past few years. He was different when I was a kid. Then when we got old enough to fight, he changed and got to be like he is now.” 

“I believe him when he says he wants to protect you.” Zeke sat up and flipped on the lamp. “Though for whatever reason, he’s trying now, and I think you should at least wait and see if he fucks it up. I’m certainly not a Gabriel fan, but I’m curious to see how this goes.” She looked over her shoulder at her friend. “I’m going back to my room.”  

Amaya yawned. “Okay. I’ll see you in the morning. Do we know what’s going on with Lux yet? Did Gabe say anything about Zane?” 

“No, he didn’t. If I’d have thought about it, I’d have asked him. Maybe he said something to Michael. We’ll check on it in the morning. Right now, I want sex with Dev, and then I want sleep.” 

Amaya laughed and jerked the blankets up to her chin. “Have fun.” 

“Oh don’t worry. I will.” 

 

WIPpet Wednesday

I know I haven't been around in a LONG time. There's been a lot going on and I'll write a post outlining some of that at a later date once things are settled and I'm able to see through it. It's been a rough couple months and my desire to post here, and even to continue writing my series, has been seriously in jeopardy. Thankfully, though, I've been pushing through on the writing, and I'm now determined to do something with this blog, so I'm kicking it back off with an excerpt from my current work in progress, Nephil's Destruction, Book 6 in my series.

So here is an excerpt from my current work in progress. The rules for a WIPpet are these: it is a once a week excerpt from a work currently in progress. The amount you post must have something to do with the date. For example 7-9-2014 7+9+20+14=50 therefore you are getting 50 lines from my book, or about a page.



“What are you doing?”

 Lux lowered her sunglasses and peered over them, looking up at Zane with a small smile. “I’m tanning.”

 “What are you wearing?” She looked down at the royal blue bikini. “A bathing suit.” She grinned at him. “I could conjure you some trunks if you’d like to join me.”

Zane glared down at her. “You’re out of your fucking mind. What if someone sees you out here? What if you get attacked? What if the Cambion come?”

Amused, but not yet mad, Lux lifted her eyebrows and settled her sunglasses back onto her nose. “And what if an asteroid crashes into the house while we’re sleeping? Being alive is a risk right now, Zane.” She waved a hand. “I put up a shield. That’s the joy of being a witch and a Nephil, darling. I can protect myself very well. As can you, seeing as you have the same heritage I do.”

 Zane snorted. “Last time I checked, I don’t have a drop of vampire blood in me.”

 Lux smiled and flashed fangs she hadn’t had even seconds before. “Lucky for you, I don’t need blood to survive.” She patted the sand next to her. “Sit down, enjoy the sun. When’s the last time you got to lay on the beach and just enjoy?”

“Never.”

 “Exactly. Take advantage of it, Zane. Relax and live a little. Think about it. Zeke and Dev are happy, healthy, and nesting. Two of Beelzebub’s Hell-spawn are dead, and we’re less than forty-eight hours away from taking out a third. That’ll mean we’re a third of the way done. After that, it’s our turn to relax and lay around Michael’s while Amaya and Deacon take us in for the home run.”

 “You’re over-optimistic and reckless.” Zane shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “You need to put on some clothes and come into the house.” He glanced down at her. “Did it occur to you that you might get sun-burned?”

Lux snapped her fingers and a bottle of sun screen appeared in her palm. She extended it to Zane. “Wanna do my back?” When he didn’t laugh, she pushed herself into a sitting position and angled her face upward to study him. “I’m teasing you.”

 “As you’re constantly reminding me, you’re a witch. You can coat yourself in that crap with absolutely zero effort.”

“It was a joke, Zane. Lighten up a bit.”

“There’s nothing light about this, Lux. We should by laying low and staying out of sight until this Cambion gets here. If we don’t, then we’re going to end up getting ourselves killed.”

 Starting to get annoyed, she waved a hand, gesturing to the beach. “It’s not like the place is teeming with tourists. We’re miles from the settlement, and I used a shield. I could run around out here naked with my hair on fire and no one would see me!”

Zane actively fought off that mental image. “Did you put up traps and protections?”

 “I’m not going to spray paint the sand.” She huffed. “If you’re just going to stand there and lecture me, go back inside and hide. I’m not coming in until I’m done tanning.”

 He snapped his fingers and watched with a hint of humor as clouds formed and thunder clapped. Lux ripped her sunglasses off her face and climbed to her feet, eyes flashing with annoyance.

 “That’s petty and immature. Just because I’m doing something you don’t like doesn’t mean you get to use your pansy-ass magic to make me fall in line.”

 Zane chuckled. “You’re just mad because you can’t control the weather, and I can.”

 Her voice regal, and just a touch defensive, Lux spoke. “All witches have limits to their powers.” She shoved her feet into sandals and stalked toward the house. “You win this round.”

“When it comes to the beach, I’ll win them all, Lux. I can make it rain. You can’t make it stop.”

“I could cast a spell.”

“Which would attract attention, and you know it.” He caught himself reaching to support her as they climbed the slope back to the house and made himself shove his hands back into his pockets. “We’re supposed to be laying low. Not tanning on the beach.”

Lux grinned at him over her shoulder. “Don’t even try to convince me you don’t like watching my ass in this bikini. Or the rest of me, for that matter.”

“That goes without saying, of course.” He glanced at the ass in question and admired the curve of it in blue bikini bottoms. Just because he couldn’t touch, didn’t mean he couldn’t look.


What did you think? Sound off in the comments!

Etta Jean Blog Tour

Hey everyone! After a LONG absence, I am here with a blog tour spot for the wonderful Etta Jean. She's releasing her new novel, and has agreed to be featured here. Check it out!

Here's a bit about the author:

Etta Jean was born in Sacramento, California and destined from birth to be a bard. She told tall tales while devouring the creative worlds of others until she finally had to create her own. She has seen both good and evil in her life, and her stories, like life, have no half measures. Her happy endings never come without cost, though, for she truly believes we can't appreciate the good and the joy without the bad and the pain along the way. Her current haunt is a comfy house in her beloved hometown where she wrangles three feline fur-kids while constantly overbooking her calendar. If she's not chained to her desk, she's stomping through the scenery in search of equally fantastical photographs.

She's been nice enough to give us an excerpt of her novel to read: 

"It's that balance thing again. Opposites or identical." She took a breath and grabbed for her courage. "And on that note . . ." She firmly began to unlace his tunic. "You promised."

His heart began to beat harder and desire tightened his body. Unconsciously, he curled his power around her in a seductive call as ancient as time. Her power softly rose to curl around him, and his knees went weak with delight. "I suspect," he managed to say roughly as her hot hands softly spread across his bare chest, "I may be in the most trouble for reasons other than you being the youngest in development."

"Why's that?" The perfect line of his strong muscles was so tempting that she couldn't resist leaning forward and tasting it with the tip of her tongue. He was as pure and sweet as water in the desert. She loved the desert, and she loved the water. Her Fury was perfect for her.

"I think when you are fully grown, fully sure, you are going to be a force to be reckoned with."

The look she shot up at him from under smoky lashes was like seeing a promise of eternal, smoldering, passion. Her crystalline blue eyes were now more the eyes of a woman than a girl. "Does that scare you?"

His lips curved. "I'm shaking in my boots."

 

Now that I know you're hooked and NEED to read this, here's where you can get it!

CHRONICLE OF SUMMER is now available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IFAZK16 for Kindle or http://www.amazon.com/dp/1940938198/ for paperback. Etta's Summer Fest blog tour continues through February, and there are prizes to be won by commenting on the stops along the way.

CHRONICLE OF DESTINY, the original Chronicle tale, can be purchased from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1940938104/

@ettajeanfantasy on Twitter

www.ettajeanfantasy.com

www.ettajeanfantasy.wordpress.com

www.facebook.com/ettajeanfantasy/

Thank you, Etta Jean, for sharing with us and I hope everyone reading this heads to Amazon and picks up a copy of the book!