An action-packed excerpt from Woman of Honor

Since Woman of Honor is fantasy romance about knights, it is jam-packed full of action and adventure. Here's a piece from one such scene where Duke Harold, Aislinn, and several pages are searching for some bandits. The duke had sent some pages ahead to scout when:


Suddenly, horrifying screams filled the air. The noise stopped almost immediately. “Onward, soldiers, into battle!” Harold cried, triumphantly raising his sword.

The other pages responded and followed the duke to the right. Aislinn rushed her horse but he panicked from the commotion and required precious seconds to calm down. Finally, Dream Rider galloped and they rushed into a clearing.

The two pages were bloodied, lying in a hapless mass in the center. Twenty or so bandits surrounded the bodies, each with a weapon tightly gripped in their hands. Some had weapons in each hand. Hideous looking, with little or no teeth, greasy hair, dyed skin, and wild eyes full of rage and hatred, the bandits made serious foes.

“If you want ‘em,” one stated, nodding to the pages, “come and git ‘em. But ye’ll be needing to git through us first.”

One look and the Arnhemians realized that the pages were dead. Aislinn grew sick and her stomach heaved. The duke had sent them to their deaths at her vision. But if I had not seen the movement, they could have ambushed all of us and we all could be dead now. She slowed her breathing and tried not to let her sense of guilt overwhelm her.

Before the duke responded, a toothless, bald man with eight fingers, threw a spear. It nearly hit Harold, only his shield saved him.
All pandemonium broke loose. Following the duke’s lead, the pages fought valiantly but many fell wounded as the rouges fought as if possessed, as if they did not fear death.

A bandit came up to her, his mouth leering, showing his two teeth. “A girl, eh? I be claiming ya as me own.”

“I think not.” Aislinn, still on Dream Rider, used her added height to her advantage as she kicked his dagger. The weapon stayed in his hand but it served as the diversion necessary for Aislinn to take her own dagger and slice his throat, blooding rushing everywhere.

She felt lightheaded. Although killing another living thing was a reality they had been taught to expect, actually feeling his warm blood on her hands was a feeling she never imagined. She had to look away from the fallen bandit and glanced around. Three men surrounded Adamina. The other girl was on the ground. Where was her horse? They circled her, most likely spewing comments similar to the bandit Aislinn had killed.

Demon Contest Entry

I sent in my entry for the Demon Anthology, Shadow Rage. The story centers on Shadow Rage (the demon) fighting Alessandro, a knight whom I already have another short story about. I'm proud of this short, it's compelling and full of action. Hopefully, it'll be included in the anthology. We shall see!

Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology

Submission call.

Short story (2.5-5k) so even though the deadline is May 27th, you could whip something up for it.

A story about a daring knight or paladin versus an evil demon.

More details here.

I've started a piece and will be submitting myself. Worse they can do is reject me but I think this story will get picked up somewhere, even if not for this anthology.

Excerpt from Woman of Honor

Caelan looked down at their hands, turning hers over so his fingertips could brush her palm. A shiver ran down Aislinn’s spine and her cheeks bloomed hot. She knew the effect of his touch had to be evident to him, but felt no embarrassment because it was clear that he was not unaffected. Caelan drew in a long, deep breath and folded his hand over hers.

"I have been trying to save myself."

"From what?" Aislinn bit her lower lip to stop herself from speaking further. All she'd done was ask him questions.

"Aislinn," he said softly, and his eyes slid for a moment to look at the bookshelf where they had kissed. "Do you remember our kiss?"

She blushed. "Yes. Of course."

"I wanted you very badly then. But you weren't ready to be with me or anyone else."

"Then…"

He leaned a little closer so their faces were only inches apart. In this part of the library, the way they sat, no one would see them unless they intentionally approached the table. It was late and the library was nearly empty, so Aislinn doubted they would need to explain to anyone why the crown prince and would-be lady knight sat so close together.

"Are you ready now, Aislinn?"

Aislinn closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. She thought about Catherina, about how much she loved the little girl, about how cruel the world had been to the child. She thought about her parents, about how happy they were, about the love they shared. And she thought about all the times she’d spent with Caelan since coming to the castle. She'd despised him once, but now she couldn't picture her days without him. She smiled when he came into a room, and she looked forward to dinner just so they could talk. Her heart nearly broke whenever she thought of all the times he'd been hurt, or could have died. Not because he was the prince and would someday rule the kingdom, but because he was Caelan.

She opened her eyes to find him still watching her, waiting for her answer.

"Yes," she whispered.

Caelan smiled, but the smile didn’t quite reach his sapphire eyes. He raised his hand and laid the back of his fingers against her cheek. His skin was warm and Aislinn leaned into the touch. Caelan turned his hand and laid his palm against her cheek, his thumb brushing her lip. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the soft, gentle touch.

"Nothing will save me now," he said softly — so softly she almost didn't hear him — before he moved closer and touched his lips to hers.

If you liked what you just read, here are some purchase links: Desert Breeze, All Romance eBooks, and Amazon (kindle edition)

There's also a yahoo group you can join for all the information about Desert Breeze Publishing and its releases: Desert Breeze Publishing Connections I hope you join!

Rejection

Well, Doomia's Treasure received a rejection letter.

"This is a perfectly good story, but it doesn't quite have the feel I want for Sword & Sorceress. Try it on another market."

So I need to find another market. I'll let you know whenever it does get accepted. When, not if!

SS24

Well, I just sent in my submission for Sword and Sorceress 24. This story takes place before story I had written that grew into a novel idea. Has some of the same characters-Melinda, an adventurer, and Doomia, a dragon who hates humans. The story is called Doomia's Treasure. Basically, Melinda wants to steal some treasure from Doomia so she can have her sword enchanted. But the story doesn't end there, someone has a quest for her where she needs all the magic she can have on her side if she wants to survive. They say they have a fast turn around time, which is good and bad. Keep your figners crossed!

Are you the next Mark Twain?

A contest for fellow writers:

There is an unfinished work by the great Mark Twain, now on sale. The contest is to finish the story ("Conversations with Satan). The deadline is May 31. Visit http://twainia.com/contest/for more details as well as the prize for this contest.

Good luck to all who decide to participate!