WIP Wednesday – Clans of Kalquor 10: Alien Hostage

                Her momentary disquiet over the continued issues she had with committing were forgotten as Jessica’s voice rose in irritation. “No, no, no! How many times have I told you I wouldn’t wear that obnoxious thing? Get me something simple, for heaven’s sake.”

                Tasha looked at the necklace one of the Dramok stylists held up, offering it for Jessica’s slender throat. She snickered. The thing was chunky with monstrous amethysts, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies. No doubt each stone cost a fortune, even discounting the rose gold chain they hung from. Tasha thought no one could possibly wear the necklace and hold their head up straight.

                Jessica was not someone to boast of status and wealth, though as empress she possessed them in spades. Had she deigned to wear such a bauble, she would have gone from boasting to flaunting with no hint of modesty whatsoever.

                The Dramok lowered the horrendous piece of jewelry, though he didn’t put it away. “My empress, your gown is minimal. You need something eye-catching.”

                Jessica looked at her image in front of the full-length mirror. “Fine, find something elaborate then. Just not that gaudy thing.” Her reflection caught Tasha’s gaze, and she rolled her eyes. “Don’t think for a second I picked that piece out. It was a gift from the ambassador to Tratsod. Have you ever seen anything so outrageous? Oh yes, this one is better. Thank you,” she added without taking a breath as the Dramok showed her an intricate but not so heavy yellow gold piece. She held still as he fastened it around her neck.

                The attendants went still, looking Jessica over with critical eyes. She looked too, turning this way and that to catch the full effect of her appearance in the mirror. Even though she nodded, her expression was far from approving.

                She stated the subject of her displeasure in a flat tone. “These state functions are such a waste of time. I swear we’d get a lot more done if we weren’t eating dinners and being pleasant to dignitaries who are only interested in watching the Empire tear itself apart.”

                Jessica’s stylists exchanged looks of nervous horror. Every few weeks the news vids recounted a new protest or riot. Outbursts of violence were happening monthly now. The diatribes from those who counted the past and current Imperial Clans as liars and traitors to the Empire were frequent and getting louder.

                Jessica saw the looks and shook her head at the lot of them. “Oh please don’t pretend we’re not on the verge of a civil war. You know it, I know it, I think even Noelle knows it.”

                At the mention of her name, Noelle looked at her mother and smiled. Everyone relaxed to beam at the adorable person of their princess, and some of the tension bled from the room. Noelle had inherited her fair share of her parents’ tempers, but when she was happy, every heart in her vicinity melted.

                Jessica’s gaze filled with love. Tasha saw her eyes brighten with emotion. In a choked voice she said, “That’s my girl. What do you think, gentlemen? If I have you dress your princess up and we blanket all frequencies with a vid of her precious little self, will everyone be too overcome to fight?”

                The men added their enthusiastic agreement, many bowing in respect to their tiny steel-haired princess. Tasha saw in their eyes that they wholeheartedly concurred with Jessica’s assessment. Noelle was as natural a charmer as was possible for a three-year-old to be, just by virtue of her sweet face. Noelle giggled and waved to everyone, unsure why she was the center of adoring attention but enjoying it just the same.

Releasing Spring 2016

Shalia's Diary Monday Post

Saying goodbye. http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/

March 2016 Update

Shalia’s Diary – During the merry month of March, Shalia continues to deal with her least favorite trainer Resan as matters on the transport go from bad to worse.

In other Shalia news, I am considering putting the next storyline (which would be Book 8) in book form and selling it BEFORE posting it on the blog. However, it will be more expensive than usual for me to do it this way. To get Book 8 in advance of the blog, the ebook will cost $2.99 U.S. It will be posted in serial form as usual on the blog for free. Once all entries for that storyline are up, the ebook will be reduced to the usual 99 cents. This is my potential response to all of you who have told me you’d gladly pay for the entire storyline up front rather than wait. Let me know in the comments how you feel about this option, as I have not made a final decision yet.  

Clans of Kalquor 10: Alien Hostage – I have been working diligently on the next CoK book. I am three-quarters finished with the first draft of Alien Hostage, due out mid to late April for North American ebook readers. In this one, Tasha Salter (Cissy’s twin from Alien Indiscretions) is kidnapped by the Basma’s henchmen. Tasha learns the Basma is set to begin his attack on those loyal to the Empire. Her only hope for rescue in time to warn Kalquor lies with the most unlikely of allies: the Basma’s own son Falinset and his clanmates Nur and Wekniz. 

Portals to Risnar – As many of you know from the excerpts posted on WIP Wednesdays, I have begun work on the first book of a new sci-fi series. Portals to Risnar is shaping up to be more romance than erotica. There will be a hot and heavy scene or two, but not on the level of Clans of Kalquor or my other works.

The overall premise of PtR is that victims of alien abduction in our present day world are being taken to a planet called Risnar by a race called the Monsuda. Abductees are subjected to experimentation and then sent back to Earth until recalled for more experiments. In the first book (still untitled), a young woman named Jeannie escapes the Monsudans. She is discovered by other beings on the planet, a couple of hunky Risnarish men. One of the men in particular, Kren Zvanhahz Bolep, is attracted to the exotic Earthling. Unfortunately, the language barrier keeps them from communicating properly. All Kren knows for sure is that Jeannie emerged from a Monsudan hive laboratory – and if she’s judged to be the creation of his people’s greatest enemy, she will have to be destroyed.

Here for your amusement is Jeannie’s first impressions of her new Risnarish friends from the unedited WIP:

              Particularly the one that held her close to his body that had started out as hard as steel and now felt every bit as pliant as her flesh. He smelled like the outdoors, a nice, woodsy scent. He looked down on her now, his pupils as shiny as brand-new nickels with eight-pointed starburst pupils. His pointed ears moved, perking towards her as if he waited for her to tell him something particularly clever.

              If not for those weird eyes and ears and the gold, brown, and white-striped skin, his face would be utterly human. He looked like one of those cosplayers that went to comic book conventions, a kind of tiger-zebra-superhero perhaps. Certainly his physique ran in the hyper-masculine superhero direction.

              Holy smokes, he was naked too. Naked with no genitalia. Jeannie was relieved she wasn’t in danger of being ravished by Super Alien Dude and his friend, but a small part of her mind thought it a shame that such a stunning specimen had no equipment.

              The half dozen other manimals – she kept thinking of them as that with the stripes they wore – converged on the one holding her. Their nickel eyes were wide as they jabbered excitedly. They were various hues of browns, golds, whites, blacks, and even greens. All striped. All with ears that sat on either side of their heads but higher than where a human’s ears protruded from the skull. The ears were mostly pointed, reminding Jeannie of foxes, but they changed shape slightly too, sometimes scooping like cups, as if to catch every sound coming from whatever direction they pointed.

              And they were naked. Though they looked masculine, not a one of them possessed even the most vestigial hint of a sex.

Don’t worry about the lack of genitalia, my friends. Risnarish men have all their important parts, along with a few other surprises.

There is no release date for the first book yet. My agent wants to shop it around to various publishers when it’s finished, which will probably be in the summer.

Speaking of publishers, I am delighted to announce I have signed a contract with Totally Bound Publishing. I look forward to working with this wonderful bunch of people. Totally Bound has one of the best reputations in the erotic/romance publishing industry, and I’m in amazing company with superb authors. More details will come as news develops.

It’s my son’s birthday weekend. He’s discovered monster trucks, so I am off to ear-splitting, mud-splattering, big-wheeled fun today. Everyone have a great weekend!

Shalia's Diary Thursday Post

Resan's story. http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/

WIP Wednesday – Portals to Risnar : Book 1

                The half dozen other manimals – she kept thinking of them as that with the stripes they wore – converged on the one holding her. Their nickel eyes were wide as they jabbered excitedly. They were various hues of browns, golds, whites, blacks, and even greens. All striped. All with ears that sat on either side of their heads but higher than where a human’s ears protruded from the skull. The ears were mostly pointed, reminding Jeannie of foxes, but they changed shape slightly too, sometimes scooping like cups, as if to catch every sound coming from whatever direction they pointed.

                The creature holding her squeezed her a little. She looked at him, and he smiled down at her. He said something, his voice soothing. His body was strong but not hard like it had been when he’d first grabbed her. Human-like, with pliable skin. When she’d banged her fists against his chest, he’d been like a wall of concrete. How was that possible?

                The one who had helped catch her patted her head and also spoke in gentle tones. The others began petting her too, speaking quietly, as if to soothe. It was as if they thought her some little stray puppy they’d found.

                Could that be it? Did they think her some sort of animal, something exotic? They acted more inclined to be nice than not, even if she was bound up in some sort of strange, flexible strap that wound from her chest to her knees.

                Great. With my luck they’ll put me in a zoo and charge admission.

                Still, it was better than being food. Or a lab experiment. Maybe these funny looking fellows would even help her if they realized she was an intelligent being. Maybe they would help her get back home.

                She knew nothing of these – whatever they were. Maybe if she let them know she was a thinking as they were, they would go crazy with superstitious terror and kill her on the spot. But she was caught and not in North Carolina anymore. Jeannie wasn’t even on Earth. She’d have to take a chance.

                She’d been brave these last few weeks, braver than she’d ever known a person could be. Yet it still took every last mote of courage left to her to open her mouth and speak to her captors who continued to pet and chatter to her in voices pitched for a child.

                The one who held her caught his breath and winced. His ears folded in on themselves, much as they had before when she’d screamed. They sprang open when she spoke instead.

                Enunciating carefully even though she knew it couldn’t possibly help them understand her, she said, “Hello. My name is Jeannie.

Release date not set.

Shalia's Diary Monday Post

The thin line between lust and hate. http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/

Shalia's Diary Thursday Post

Cut off. http://shaliasdiary.blogspot.com/

WIP Wednesday – Clans of Kalquor 10: Alien Hostage

                Tasha eyed her surroundings as she stood on the open platform near the top of a blue-leafed tree. The foliage was thick due to the late spring growth, shielding the wood-planked deck from any curious eyes that might be around. And yet she felt watched by avid eyes.

                She took in the platform itself. It boasted little, but enough for her to know it had recently been used. Cushions as long as her body made from furred animal hides lay scattered about. Depressions in their centers spoke of someone – or something – making use of them at some point.

                Tasha inhaled deeply. She smelled the wood of the tree itself, of the deck beneath her bare feet. The leaves had a dusty yet distantly sweet fragrance, much as dried flowers might carry. There was her own light fragrance, a spritz of perfume that wafted from her body. Then there was another scent, something musky and spicy, with a hint of cinnamon...

                She backed toward the trunk of the tree, where the improbable rough spiral staircase wound about its thick circumference. She had padded up its circular path less than a minute before, curiosity about what she’d find driving her forward. Now, feeling those unseen eyes upon her, she headed back that way, trying not to think of the dizzying height that she must descend to reach the ground.

                Tasha turned as she neared the trunk, reaching toward the flimsy-looking railing that wound in tandem with the steps anchored in the massive tree. Her hand froze in midair as her gaze locked with that of a man standing a couple of steps down.

                He was big, his naked torso made of granite muscle. Tasha’s breath caught to see the powerful swells beneath mocha-brown skin. Her gaze skittered down to the tan animal hide tied about his waist, revealing legs as strong as his upper body. His waist-length black hair drifted loose in the breeze, waving like lazy tendrils of fire. His purple, cat-pupiled eyes were narrowed as he looked at her, as if he could drill into her soul with his very gaze. He had sensual lips in defiance of the carved masculinity of his face, and they curled in a knowing smile.

                Tasha took a step back from that ruthless leer. Her legs felt weak all of the sudden. The alien man drained strength from her with the power of that unblinking stare.

                In response to her retreat, he advanced another step, growing taller. His eyes were now at least three inches higher than hers now. He kept climbing, looming bigger. Then he was on the deck with Tasha, towering over her.

                Movement behind him alerted her to the second man on the steps. Tasha took another step back, realizing she didn’t have much room to retreat to. She was going to run out of platform soon.

                The first man’s companion mounted the deck and came around to stand at his side. This one was slighter but no less impressive. His dark face was long. The features would have been haughty had it not been for the warmth in his eyes ... and lust curling his lips. His shaggy hair brushed his wide shoulders, tousled locks that shone blue-black in the dappled light. He also wore a skin loincloth knotted low about his hips.

                And yet a third man appeared. He held Tasha’s gaze more rapt than the first two. Her mouth went dry to see the heavy, brutal brow and the downward scar that started at one corner of his lips, making him seem to scowl fiercely even though she saw a definite smile on his face.

                It was one of many scars which covered his masculine body. He was built just slightly less bulky than the first man who’d gained the platform, and the jagged marks emphasized many of the curves of muscled flesh. Tasha’s gut squeezed tight as she eyed the brute, a savage-looking creature who seemed born to fight and take what he wanted.

                “A Matara has entered our territory,” the first man said. He spoke slowly, as if relishing every word. His low, deep voice struck a chord in Tasha’s body. She shivered.

                The scarred beast lifted his face, his wide nose flaring as he inhaled. “She is ripe for breeding,” he rumbled.

                Tasha’s weakened knees shook even harder. It took all she had to not collapse to the planking.

                The slightest member of the group’s eager smile grew wider still. “Then let us take her.”

Release date not set.