An Elf, A Pirate And His Ship. 'Steele Your Soul' by Decadent Kane.

Blurb

Stolen souls, an evil drow elf, a dark eyed beauty named Pepper, and a king who doesn't take kindly to the loss of his goods...Captain Joren Steele has his hands full.

When Pepper set out for the day, the last thing she expected was to come face to face with a pirate. But when she locks eyes with the Captain, she's ready to let him pillage or plunder whatever he wants. At least until his drow shipmate decided to steal her for himself. 

Captain Joren Steele has a love for his ship, money, and females, usually in that order. When Pepper steps into his life, he's certain his love 'em and leave 'em status will remain intact. But when he discovers she's a victim of the drow, he has to make a choice: his ship or the elfess.

Excerpt

Pepper slammed into something solid. "Oaf." She fell on her rear and looked up.

Joren stood in front of her, tall, dark, and so hot. 

"What are you doing, Tide?" His voice came out low. 

Pepper peeked behind her. The drow had stopped. 

"She's mine, pirate. Hand her over. You work for us. You have to do what I say." 

Joren grinned. "Ye poxy bilge-sucker. I don't listen to ye. I help your king. He pays me to carry the cargo, not to hand over ladies to ye." His chest puffed out, and he set his legs apart, ready for a fight. 

The drow didn't comment. Instead, he stepped over Pepper and slammed himself into Joren as he stomped off down the deck. Joren didn't budge or turn around to watch the elf go. His features softened, and he bent down on one knee in front of Pepper. Her heart skipped for an entirely new reason. 

"Three saves in one day, me beauty. Ya owe me." He smiled and held out his rough hand to her. 

She took it. "Three? I recall two. The crates and just now. Besides, I had the drow under control, so really, you saved me from the falling crates." She smoothed out her clothes and flipped her hair back. She should thank him, but he was so smug, looking over at her as if she was on the menu of his sexual dining experience. 

Joren chuckled. A low sound, which lifted his shoulders. "Three, elfess." He pulled her grandmother's bag of spice from his front pocket and dropped it into her hands. He winked at her. "Iffin' ye had that drow under control, then what ye be doin' at me feet no more than a moment ago?" 

Pepper raised an eyebrow. "You stepped in my way." She tucked the brown pouch into her pocket. She wanted off this wretched boat. She turned around and stormed away. The last thing she needed was to encourage a pirate. What did they do again? Oh, kill and loot, or pillage and plunder? 

A hand spun her around by the elbow, and she found herself face-to-face with Joren and those blue eyes. He grabbed hold of her chin with his fingertips. "Wait a minute. I don't even get a thank you?" He frowned. 

"Thanks." Pepper set her jaw. 

"I be needin' something a little better than that. Tide will be back, and I will pay the brunt of saving your sweet little ass." 

"What do you want?" She tried to break free, but he held fast. 

"This." He bent over and claimed her lips with his own. 

~~~~~~~

Buy Link:

http://www.breathlesspress.com/index.php?main_page=product_free_shipping_info&cPath=13&products_id=564

Come Read About an Epic Tale of Love, Romance and Fantasy by Rachel Haimowitz from Her Book Entitled "Counterpoint"

Scribal Love Welcomes Rachel Haimowitz

Rachel Haimowitz is an author of M/M erotic romance.  Her M/M epic fantasy, Counterpoint: Book I of Song of the Fallen, is available from Guiltless Pleasure Publishing.

How did you come up with the title?


As with most titles for me, this was a pretty painstaking process. Music plays a huge role in the book—it’s both the foundation of elven magic and the filter through which elves perceive the world—so I knew I wanted the title to reflect that. I made a huge list of musical terms, and wavered between a good half a dozen of them, but “Counterpoint” kept standing out as the one truest to the story, which is very much about two individuals and two peoples who are in opposition to each other but also deeply linked together. 


What is this book about?  And what genre is this book in?


Counterpoint is an epic fantasy adventure wrapped around a gay love story. It’s found traction among fans of both M/M romance and fantasy, including a surprising number (to me, at least) of straight men. 


In this world, elves and humans have been enemies for three centuries, and the humans are fighting (and losing) a war of survival against a race of dark beasts whose creation they blame on the elves. Ayden is an elven border guard, bitter and solitary but for his younger sister, whom he loves more than anything. She gets captured by humans, and in trying to free her, he gets captured as well. They’re both presented as gifts to Freyrík Farr, the crown prince of the human border province. 


Things sort of go downhill there for a little while, but Ayden and Freyrík end up teaching each other a lot about their respective cultures and the danger (and foolishness) of prejudice and preconception. Hatred turns first into grudging respect, then affection, then love, all against the backdrop of a coming surge of dark beasts upon Farr and an intolerance among the Farr people that puts not just Ayden’s life in danger, but Freyrík’s as well. 


Who is/are the main characters?  And why did you choose them?


Freyrík and Ayden are definitely the stars of this show. In a way, they’re the best and worst of their respective worlds, and also represent some of the largest and smallest thinking: Freyrík as the fair, noble, open-minded ruler wearing the weight of an empire on his shoulders; and Ayden as the bitter, sarcastic, closed-off, xenophobic soldier concerned primarily for his sister’s safety. They’re both deeply wounded in their own way, but again, on completely different scales—Freyrík by the slow but seemingly inevitable death of humanity, and Ayden by the shocking and honorless death of his father at human hands. They make for lovely contrasts all around, and in almost all cases, they teach each other how to meet in the middle, how to balance love with duty, the personal with the greater good. 


What is the coolest or best part about your book?  (Any Favorite scenes, the world-building etc.


For me, that’d be the elfsong. The primary sense through which elves perceive the world is hearing (whereas humans rely first and foremost on sight). Everything has its own song, some simple (like water), some insanely complex (like people). This is the foundation of elven magic, since elves can interact with and manipulate the songs around them. For instance, they can draw water from the air by untwining the airsong from the dewsong; or alight a pile of leaves by speeding up the leaves’ song until they burst into flames. In a way it’s just simple physics—the faster molecules move, the hotter they become—but the elves don’t understand it that way; they understand it as a function of music. They can also “hear” emotions in others once they’ve learned to recognize how things like sadness or excitement or joy affect the tone or tempo or timbre of a person’s song, which makes it very difficult to lie to (or sneak up on) an elf. 


Do you have a favorite character in the book?  If so, why?


Definitely Ayden for me. He’s so snarky, and despite being 802 years old, he has his childish moments. But he’s fierce and loyal and full of surprises, and there’s quite a bit of hidden depth beneath the armor he puts on for others.


Is this book part of a series?  If so? What can we expect in future books?  


Yes. The second book releases this fall, and will conclude the story of Ayden and Freyrík. But it’s not the last book I have planned in this world, and hopefully over the next few years readers will get to see both a younger and an older Ayden than the one they knew from Counterpoint.


If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in Counterpoint?


Actually, no. I’m very pleased with it, thanks in large part to my amazing editor at Guiltless Pleasure, Tal Valante, who rooted out issues from the macro structure to the smallest line detail.


Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?


Writing is a constant learning process. I certainly learned to become a better writer through my experiences working with my editor; she had a way of charting (literally!) the flow of beats in a scene that got right to the heart of any problems you might have with it. Her technique was a totally new way of looking at things for me, and helped me to evaluate a scene less on gut feeling and more with clear logic. 


I also did quite a bit of research for the book, so I picked up a lot of useless trivia.  :)


Do you have a publisher?  And if so, why did you choose them?  


Counterpoint is published with Guiltless Pleasure Publishing. They’re a new house, and though writers are generally warned to avoid new houses for at least three years, Tal presented such a compelling business plan—including marketing support and the most brilliant editing I’ve ever seen—to entice me in. I haven’t regretted that decision for a single second, either artistically or financially. 



What are the current writing projects that you are working on?


It’s a pretty long list, although Crescendo: Book II of Song of the Fallen is taking up most of my time these days. I have a full list of projects in all their various stages of conception and completion at my website, here: http://www.rachelhaimowitz.com/in-the-works.html


Do you write full time?  If not, do you hope to do so one day?


Yes and no. I don’t write novels full time, but my day job is writing and editing for other people, so I suppose in a way that is writing full time. I do very much hope to be a full-time novelist one day, and though I only have two novels out so far, my experience with those two books has shown me it may well be possible to make a living with it. It probably won’t ever be a particularly lush living, but that’s not so important, especially if I’m getting to do what I love every day.

A quick blurb from Counterpoint:



It is the twilight of mankind. Depleted by generations of war with a dark race, the human kingdoms and their ancient alliance stand on the brink of extinction. The outlands are soaked with the blood of the fallen. The midlands are rotting with decadence and despair.
Elfkind, estranged by past crimes, watches and waits for nature to run its course.


And then the two collide.


Ayden's life has long been guided by two emotions: love for his sister, and hatred of all things human. When he's captured in battle, he must for his sister's sake swallow his pride and endure slavery in the service of a human prince. To his dismay, this close-up view of his enemy is nothing like he expected. Now curiosity and contempt make a battlefield of his soul, even as he struggles to pick up the pieces of his shattered worldview.


Freyrik Farr, Crown Prince of Farr Province, finds his new elven prisoner puzzling. He's always known elves to be beautiful and dangerous, but never has one affected him as deeply as Ayden. Can his life of service to his people leave room for this attraction? Dancing on a dagger's edge between duty and high treason, Freyrik discovers that some choices can change a life, and some an entire world.


Between prejudice, politics, pride, and survival, Ayden and Freyrik must carve a new path, no matter how daunting. For nothing less than the fate of both their peoples rests on the power of their perseverance -- and their love.




Thanks Rachel for dropping by!


You can find Rachel on the web at:

Direct from publisher: http://www.guiltless-pleasure.com/affiliate/Rachel%20Haimowitz/novel/song-fallen

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AHKCCK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=rachehaimo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004AHKCCK

B&N (paperback only): http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Counterpoint/Rachel-Haimowitz/e/9789659151103/?itm=1&USRI=rachel+haimowitz

ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-counterpoint-500272-143.html

My website is RachelHaimowitz.com, my blog is Rachel-Haimowitz.blogspot.com (updated M/W/F), and I'm on twitter as @rachelhaimowitz.

An Interview with Scifi Fantasy Author Nick Krimp, He Discusses His Novel "The Last Mage: Dragon's Mouth"

Scribal Love Welcomes Nick Krimp!

Nikolai Krimp is an author of Sci-Fi Fantasy. My newest work “The Last Mage," is available from Mobi Pocket in E form. 

What is the name of your latest book?  And how did you come up with the title?

“The Last Mage” is the title of the series, with a sub title called “The Dragon’s Mouth” The idea came to me as I was looking for a picture for the cover and I stumbled upon a volcano. Since just a volcano wasn’t enough for the cover I chose a photo of a ship sailing in the night to an island, which is described in the book.

What is this book about?  And what genre is this book in?

Ever since I was a child I have loved to read fantasy and so I chose to write a story that originally started out as a game, but quickly turned into a novel.  The story is about a young girl named Jennifer Wells, who lived in our present day and had her mind magically transferred into the body of an elf woman in the far future, after a cataclysm had almost destroyed the earth. 

Who is/are the main characters?  And why did you choose them?

Shannon Brightstar and Roma Connors are the two main characters in this story, along with another elf named Kirin Foxhunter a Halfling named Rufus the Mighty and two dwarfs Duncan and Blick.  I chose the two female characters to be the heroines because many books that I have read in the past always had male heroes. 

What is the coolest or best part about your book?  (Any Favorite scenes, the world-building etc..

My favorite scene has to do with the competition, where Duncan, who is an old dwarf, has trouble trying to compete with the younger men of the village.  Also I enjoyed mapping the world so the reader can get a better idea of what and where the characters are heading.

Do you have a favorite character in the book?  If so, why?

That is a hard question, as I did enjoy all the characters in the book.  They are all favorites of mine, since I created them.

Is this book part of a series?  If so? What can we expect in future books? 

At present I am working on a third book.  The second in the series is called “The Home Stone,” and the third is called “The Shadow Lord.”

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I really can’t say, except maybe a few more encounter scenes.  No I would say that there is enough in the first story to introduce the characters and the theme of the story and future books to come.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Did I learn anything? Oh yes.  It’s not that easy to write a novel.  There is a lot of preparation involved even before you start and sit down to write.  Character planning is the hardest and I found that I changed some of the characters in the book as fast as I could dream them up. Trying to stick to the character’s behavior and to have them stay in character was the hardest.  For I always came up with something new.  One could say that in the first book I developed them as I went along.  I think that this process was easier and more permanent. 

Do you have a publisher?  And if so, why did you choose them?

No I have no publisher and I am presently looking for one.  This first novel I self published through my own company, Best Book Publish, which is now no longer operating, mainly due to the costs involved. 

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

There are many writers that I enjoy reading and not all are in the fantasy genre.  But if I had to choose one it would be Terry Brooks.  His book the Sword of Shannara was the main reason I became a writer.  It’s all his fault ha ha. I have read every one of his books in a very short time.  The problem was that I had to wait a whole year for the next one to be published.  So I began to pen my own and found out very quickly, why it took a year for him to bring out his next novel.  

What books are you reading now?

I have read all kinds of books, but mostly in the Fantasy, Sci-fi, Mystery and Thriller genres. Every so often I like to change and read a good Steven King or Mary Higgins Clark story, while other times Piers Anthony come to mind.  I can’t say that I have any other favorites.  

What are the current writing projects that you are working on?

Book three, “The Last Mage”, “The Shadow Lord.”

Do you write full time?  If not, do you hope to do so one day?

A few years back I injured my back at work and was forced into early retirement. This allowed me to write full time.  If you can call it that.  It’s not easy to sit in front of a screen, when your mind went shopping.  So I play games, or talk to people on Face Book, or on Twitter,(which BTW I just started).  I do hope to be able to continue writing and that some other publisher will pick up my book some day.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

Oh yes. I got angry because I read Terry Brooks’ book so quickly and thought, “I can do that too.”  I never thought that it would be so difficult, but I persevered and now when I write it’s like I am reading another writer’s book, because I sometimes do not know what lies ahead in the next scene.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

As I said before.  The most challenging part of writing a novel is character building.  It is hard to keep the same rules for the person as the series goes on.  So I have to constantly go back into my notes to check to make sure I didn’t change gender or race of any of my characters.

Do you have any advice for other writers seeking to get published for the first time?

One and only one.  Don’t get discouraged from all those nasty rejection letters.  Remember you are writing for yourself and there is someone out there who will like your work.  So keep on writing and enjoy your craft.

http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/eBookDetails.asp?BookID=64841&Origine=3374 
You can find Nick and his book 'The Last Mage' on the web at: