Sunday Snippet: An Enchanted Yule, A Holiday Spirit Short

*meep* Pardon me while I have a small panic attack. It's somehow five days before Xmas and I have nothing wrapped. This doesn't happen, at least not for a long time. All I can say is the sages have been prolific and when they're feeding me words, I pretty much lose all track of time. So… a whirlwind wrapping session is on tap starting first thing tomorrow. Ugh.

I missed the Haven finale. See previous comment about the sages feeding me words. I'll catch it on demand in the near future. I hope. LOL

The Librarians and Agent X had pretty great episodes this week. I'm also in a good mood after watching the magic and mayhem the librarians get involved in. And Agent X makes the conspiracy theorist part of my brain work to figure things out. Two hour finale next week and I'm definitely interested in where the season ends.

That's it for TV this week.

Tonight's post is from An Enchanted Yule, a Holiday Spirit Short, where Hollis Goldstar has to get a sorcerer and wizard to put aside their differences so they can find romance over the Yuletide season.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Mercy, a sorcerer, wants to keep her own counsel and walks away from a relationship to do it. Andre, a wizard, is tired being treated as a lower life form by Mercy's ex. The holiday spirit tasked with bringing the duo together over Yule faces a huge challenge.

And a preview snippet…

Mercy slammed the receiver down and cursed the old-fashioned landline phone for not having caller ID. Décor be damned, she'd be updating and replacing the stupid thing in the very near future. She did not want to speak to Nathanial Ashford right now.

Blowing out a long breath, she put a hand to her forehead, willing the dull throb in her temples away. The doorbell chimed and she made a strangled choking sound. If Nathanial stood on her porch, she'd be hard-pressed not to conjure fireballs to rain down on his head.

Yanking the door open, she yelped when an embossed envelope popped into her line of vision then dropped to her feet. "What the hell?" Stooping down, she picked a card that read Yuletide Greetings on the front.

She stepped back inside the house, closing the door behind her. Slipping her finger under the flap, she opened the envelope and laughed when the enchantment spell blazed to life on the thick card.

You are cordially invited to spend Yuletide at the Goodacre Bed and Breakfast.

The charming, secluded inn has all the amenities and is decorated for the holiday season.

Come and enjoy the quiet solitude and peaceful scenery and reflect on the year ahead.

Send your reply via the shadow realm and arrive during the next meld.

Mercy wandered into her living room and settled down on the loveseat. Why not spend the Yule holiday away from everyone and everything? Considering they all ostracized her at the moment, she wouldn't be invited to share the usual festive season with anyone anyway.

She welcomed the opportunity to get out of town. She'd walked away from a dead end relationship with Nathanial. Her progressive views resulted in too many circular arguments over one particular faction in the netherworld—the wizards.

Her ex adamantly opposed letting the wizards have status in their society. Since the groundbreaking summit with the main groups of the netherworld—the shifters, vampires, immortals, guardians, and other supernatural beings—when the sorcerers were given charge of the wizard populace, Nathanial wouldn't allow any of the "wand-wielders" to hold office or attain rank. His idea that sorcery superseded wizardry went unchallenged for the most part. But Mercy argued each culture had roots in ancient magick and should equal representation within the community.

Nathanial vehemently disagreed and his displeasure colored every decision he made. Yet he wouldn't accept her choice to walk away—calling, dropping by, and being a general pain in her ass.

Mercy snorted. "No more, Nate." She'd accept the invitation and take a few days to come up with a way to make Nathanial see reason. "A bed and breakfast is perfect. I can think without being bombarded with a mix of angry accusations and beseeching entreaties." Reaching into the shadows, she forwarded her affirmative reply then conjured what she'd need to take.

She might not pull off a happy and joyous Yule, but she'd take a quiet and introspective one.

Mercy definitely needs a stress-free season. Too bad a wizard is going to crash her getaway. LOL

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Smokin' Hot—Book Girlfriend Celebrity Lookalike: Cupid's Curse

Welcome to the Hot for Friday blog hop!

Readers: Enjoy posts from authors with fun weekly tasks or a cool question.

Authors: Get in on the fun and join here.

We already got to know our book boyfriend celebrity lookalike. For this week's entry, we get to cast our book girlfriend celebrity lookalike.

FUN!!!

As mentioned in my boyfriend casting post, I almost always have an actor or actress serve as inspiration when I'm writing. It's great to have visual imagery as a point of reference when creating characters.

I'd love to share my vision of hotness for Cupid's Curse, coming soon from Ellipses Press, Ltd.

So… without further ado…

Please meet the truly gorgeous inspiration for Bree Daniels.

Anna Silk

Anna stars as Bo, a succubus, in Lost Girl. Bree is a very sexual being, but she's also got a few vulnerabilities, even if she tries damned hard not to show them. Anna's character—hello, Succubus!—really gave me a needed boost to get inside Bree's head. And Anna's look is what I wanted, too. No hardship to cast Anna as Bree.

Book Tagline: Cursed by the god of love, Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, knows exactly who to blame—his fellow cupid, Bree Daniels.

Series Tagline: When gods and mortals play together… the result is often unexpected.

Bree Daniels had a dilemma. Up next for a turn at the matching chapel—she'd put it off as long as she could—she'd end up face-to-face with Archer Stewart. And he would not be happy to see her.

And didn't that just figure? Because she couldn't wait to lay eyes on him—and maybe her hands and other body parts, too. If he didn't try to strangle her before she had the chance.

She didn't really blame him. Her track record with him sucked so far. First, there were the less than stellar circumstances they'd met under. She'd arrived naked from a beach in Belize. The hook-up she'd had took a weird turn and the guy hid her clothes. Already late, she decided not to waste time and popped into the grotto sans anything but skin… which completely made a bad impression with Arch.

But they'd muddled through that debacle and found some common ground. Enough that they spent some time together. Got to know each other. Spent a glorious week at the Four Corners.

The sex had been incredible.

But Arch wanted more… and Bree didn't feel ready to be tied down.

Her reluctance didn't go over well.

And then came the curse. Poor Arch couldn't leave the grotto until Eros removed it. And she'd been the indirect cause.

Gads… when I screw up, I really do it up right.

She needed some deified intervention and found herself standing outside Aphrodite's private chambers.

If anyone could help Bree fix the mess she'd made, it would be the goddess of love.

Raising a hand, she rang the chimes and waited to be summoned inside.  

The tinkling trill drew Aphrodite's attention away from choosing an appropriate piece of clothing. "I'm not decent, but come in anyway." Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, had no shame when it came to immodesty.

Bree entered Aphrodite's lovely suite and watched as she stepped into a gorgeous frothy robe.

"Bree. How lovely to see you today." The goddess sat down at her vanity and admired the view.

Bree stepped further inside the sanctuary and opted for formal politeness. "Mistress, I seek advice." A safe opening when one didn't know the mood of the goddess.  

Aphrodite raised a brow. "Oh, come on, Bree. You know I don't stand on ceremony." She picked up a make-up brush, waited a beat then laughed. "Okay, I do. But not with you." She waved Bree to a nearby slipper chair.

Bree relaxed and sat down. "Thanks." She started feeling good about coming to see Aphrodite.

The other woman swept a lovely pink color on her cheeks, but watched Bree carefully. "You look pensive, my dear. What worries you?"

Bree blew out a breath and decided to just lay it out. "I'm due for my turn at the matching chapel…" When Aphrodite gave her a knowing look, she hastily added on the truth. "Okay, overdue for my turn, and I've sort of got a problem."

Aphrodite smiled. "Hence the advice seeking part." She laid the make-up brush aside and turned to face Bree. "Okay. Spill."

Bree suddenly didn't know where to start. "Uh, you know the guy who's cursed? Archer Stewart?" When the goddess nodded, she continued. "I haven't had a matchmaking session since he's been stuck there. Purposefully."

Aphrodite's patience wore thin. "And?"

Bree opted to spit it out in one go. "And we had a thing and it sort of went kinda south… and well, now I have to face that smokin' hot guy or lose my privilege as cupid."

Aphrodite mused. "Hmm. You've done it to yourself this time, haven't you?"

~*~

Coming Next Week!

~*~

Series Blurb: Welcome to a world where gods and goddesses of various pantheons mix and mingle with mere earthly mortals—often with unexpected results. Deities can't seem to help themselves and have to meddle with their human counterparts. Sometimes the godly being offers much needed assistance, but occasionally they lash out and cause harm.

But mostly, the amalgamation of deified power and human nature combines to be highly entertaining.

Book Blurb: Archer Stewart, a Cupid of the First Order, suffers the wrath of Eros when he nips the wrong woman with an arrow. Cursed by the god of love, Arch spends his days making perfect matches or he had to deal with some unpleasant consequences.

Bree Daniels is indirectly responsible for Arch's predicament and seeks advice from Aphrodite, hoping to find a way to make amends. After almost two years apart, Bree finally realizes Arch is the man she wants and she's willing to risk her immortality to set him free.

~*~

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Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—A Little Yule Magic #MFRWAuthors #MFRWHooks

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

Since the holiday season is gearing up, I'm sharing a series of excerpts from A Little Yule Magic, coming soon. Over the next few weeks, I'll post a few pivotal scenes between Sygin and Boyd.

This week, we meet the happy couple.

Book Tagline: A Little Yule Magic is needed to get the holiday off on the right start.

~*~

Boyd Lagassi shifted his position and dragged Sygin Ball up to straddle his thighs. "I want your famous fried honeycakes." His mouth closed over her nipple and he flicked his tongue back and forth.

Sygin moaned low in her throat. "Famous only because it's one of the few things I can make and not screw up." She rocked forward, lifting her hips and pushing backwards onto his hard shaft.

Boyd closed his eyes, relishing her warm heat. "And it's tradition. Five years and counting." He flexed his thighs then relaxed and let Sygin control the pace.

She kicked up the speed, her hands planted firmly on his chest. He opened his eyes, loving to watch Sygin. Her passion for him took his breath away, her expressive face showing every nuance, her gaze going darker, the green irises going from a soft leafy color to a deep pine shade.

Her hips rolled back and forth, her breaths coming in short little bursts. Not long now, for either of them. Boyd slid his hands down to cup her ass, urging her forward. Her fingers curled into her palms, the knuckles grazing his skin, digging in to his flesh. He welcomed the mild discomfort, needing the edge to hold off, wanting his release to follow hers.

~*~

Book Blurb: Sygin and Boyd, adept mages, are looking forward to their winter break, being alone in the big manor for Yule is their most cherished tradition. But a series of mishaps may keep them from their celebratory festivities.

~*~

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Banner Thursday—A Magical Affair

Today, I'm featuring the ad banner for A Magical Affair, my upcoming re-release ménage novella.

Tagline: A mansion sitting atop a wellspring of magic lets Romy, Heath, and Stacie live out their fantasies. Heath loves the opportunity, but he really wants one thing—for Romy to give up control and let him call the shots.

Blurb: Romy Bludd and Heath Graystone are very adventurous and happily explore the wilder side of sex. Romy meets Jarvin and Vivica, who give her an opportunity to spend Halloween weekend at Magic Meadows, a mansion sitting atop an ancient wellspring of magic. Romy accepts the offer because she and Heath want to add someone else to the mix and Romy's best friend, Stacie, is back from a ten month stay abroad. The timing couldn't be better for the trio to live out their lustful fantasies.

The mansion and its owners are capable of wondrous transformations, giving Romy and Stacie a wealth of choices to rock Heath's world. A character from his favorite urban thriller, a cougar on the prowl, the plain librarian who wants to hook up with her boss, a roller derby diva with aggression issues, and a reporting duo with blackmail on their minds are on the agenda for the romp-filled weekend.

Heath is thrilled, but he really wants one thing—for Romy to give up control and let him call the shots.

Cover Reveal Next Week

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