Saturday, January 27, 2024

Introduction to The Sunken Oath

 You might remember that I'm working on a sprawling series of fairytale retellings. Each follows a different royal in their own story. Well, the fourth tale, The Sunken Oath, is now on preorder, with a release date of March 1st!


I'm excited to introduce you to Dylan, the prince of Merlandia. He has no tail and he's not a maid, but he's representing The Little Mermaid in this collection. He's fun and improper, ready to experience the world.



Here's the official blurb:
Dylan never wanted to be king, but he’ll have to accept his title to get his voice back. The rest of the royal family hate humans, who don’t have water abilities like the Mer, but he’s fascinated, especially by an ocean-eyed pirate girl. The rift between humans and Mers grows almost as fast as the one between Dylan and his mother, the ruling queen. How much would he sacrifice to control his own voice?

I had a lot of fun writing Bianca, the pirate girl, who is sweet and quiet in temperament, yet can endure anything without batting an eye and has no qualms about using a pistol. 

Old readers will enjoy the return of Innis and Alvis from the previous book, The Cousin Pact. If you haven't read that one, you might want to finish it before starting The Sunken Oath, since Cousin Pact's mystery will be spoiled in this book.

Try out a sneak peek here.

Sneak peek: The Sunken Oath

Enjoy this sneak peek from The Sunken Oath, book 4 in the Spectra Crown Tales. This series is interconnected but not interdependent, so you can pick up the story in whichever fairytale retelling strikes your fancy. 


SMOKE ROSE IN A BLACK PILLAR, far out to sea. “I’ll check it out," Dylan said. "Any of you want me to send you back to shore first?” He studied the passengers in his canoe.

“That could be our ship,” one of the humans said. “We’ve got to help if we can.” 

Dylan aimed toward the smoke. The smell hit him first, sulfur and burning wood. The air grew hazy. Then a black blur appeared at the base of the smoke. Jagged pieces of wood, blackened and charred, escaped to stab at the smoke. 

A feeble voice called for help. Dylan leapt out of the canoe and shot off toward it. He angled his body into a straight line, not bothering to swim. His magic control of the current did all propelling for him. Bubbles dashed around his nose, bringing air so that he had no need to surface. 

Dylan popped above the water. The waves bobbed him up and down, along with a layer of black ash. He didn’t hear the voice anymore. He didn’t like to think of anyone drowning, but it happened sometimes.  

A huge mass bore down on him. Dylan ducked out of the way. A large chunk of boards, once a deck, floated past. Blackened in places, splintering apart, it was on its way down. Dylan resurfaced and looked around one last time.  

“Help?” 

He almost missed the cry, barely more than a whisper.  

“Where are you?” he called. 

No answer. Dylan surged back toward the ship fragment. He summoned the currents to hold the whole thing up. Instantly, fatigue spread through his body. He was approaching his limits. 

There! A small figure clung to one side. Masses of dark hair hid her face from view. Dylan rushed over. Her tiny, pale hands clung to the wood. 

“Let go,” Dylan said. 

She shook her head. Her face appeared, and Dylan gasped. The ocean-eyed girl he'd danced with last night. Her eyes were open but vague, her whole body shivering. He wrapped one arm around her waist. The wood creaked, threatening to break apart.  

Carefully, Dylan reached for her hands and peeled them from the wood. They fastened on his arm instead. He brought her close against him and shot away from the wreckage. He let go of the currents holding up the fragment, and instantly it dropped. Within a minute, it was gone, leaving an unbroken surface. 

The girl still clung to his arm. He couldn’t see her face but felt her breathing. He couldn’t name the emotions rolling through him, holding her so much closer than at the dance, except that he knew he had to keep her safe.

Preorder on amazon for a release March 1st, 2024!



Friday, January 12, 2024

Poem: Selfish?

 "I should be more unselfish, like Grandma,"

I say as I trudge into the snowy night.

"I think about myself far too often,"

I say as I retrieve the baby's snacks from the car.

"I need to do better,"

I say as I return to the house

and the people still warm in their beds

and the baby wailing for a snack.

In the morning, I realize,

I might be a little like Grandma,

after all.

Enemies to lovers?

  Enemies to lovers. What does that even mean? I've seen multiple definitions. One is that the main characters are political enemies, bu...