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Marketing for Romance Writers is a peer mentoring group for authors. It was founded in 2006 by Kayelle Allen.

Meet the heroine of Crystal Clear Truth #SciFi #Romance #MFRWhooks

Shohn Lexius is a Kin, a catlike alien who looks mostly human. She's been in multiple books, but always as a supporting character. She has a major supporting role in A Stolen Heart, the first book in the Antonello Brothers series. It seemed fitting she should get a starring role in the final* book of the series.

This is her first time having a point-of-view role, and she was full of surprises.

In this excerpt, we meet her at the start of her journey in Crystal Clear Truth.
*"Final" subject to character approval ;)

Excerpt edited for most current content - Mar 2022

Though she ached to slam it, Shohn Lexius eased her office door shut, then took a civil and polite step back. Hissing, she swiped the air with her claws and stuck the smallest ones straight up.

Claws retracted, she stalked to the narrow window, braced her hands on the sill and pressed her forehead to the glass. The spring sun offered no heat. And why? Because on human worlds, builders installed special glass so their precious little sun wouldn't hurt their precious fragile skin.

Humans. Honestly.

Oh, all right, she'd admit human skin was sleek. Nice to stroke. She even liked its smoothness against her tongue, but come on. Would it hurt so much to let in a little heat?

Humans protected themselves from such trivial 'dangers' as sunbeams. On this world, indoor temperatures never fluctuated. And forget opening a window.

Not on the seventieth floor of the city's tallest building.

She laid back her ears, aching for the fresh air of her homeworld. The freedom of a hynder beneath her, galloping full speed in sunshine along the beach. Charging through the forests, cantering in the rain. A purr rumbled in her chest at the memories.

Working up an honest sweat mucking out stalls, tending the stock, shoulder to shoulder with family, everyone laughing and singing. Accepting her word that when she asked for something, she should get it. No one telling her how much money she could spend or asking why she needed it. She reined in her thoughts. That was her old self talking.

The person of privilege her family had reared her to be, not the fighter for equality she'd become. Sometimes, though, living off-world rankled. Here she was, a Kin warrior with the honor blade at her side to prove it, stuck working in a human-oriented office on the capitol planet of what she'd once considered her people's enemy.

Well, she'd brought this on herself, hadn't she? She'd left her homeworld of her own accord. It was her fault she spent every day with round-eyed humans whose ears could hear a third less than her own. A race oblivious to the overpowering reek of its own species.

Not that humans stank, individually. At least, not once they shed themselves of the cloud of cleaners and so-called deodorizers that added more scent to what was already there. But put a crowd of 'clean' humans in a room?

She hissed at the thought.

A Kin's sense of kahlah caught the scent of human lies no matter how small. A handy skill during interrogations. She knew before a human spoke if they would try to pull a fast one, and they all tried. As for the tartness of their fear, well, a clawed Kin had better get used to that pretty fast, because a fanged smile was no help whatsoever.

A knock at the door pulled her back to here and now. She picked up a notereader tablet and fanned herself, dispersing any scent of frustration she might have released.

After straightening her green-and-black uniform jacket, she squared her shoulders. "Come."

Here's the blurb so far for the new book. I plan for this to be the last book in the Antonello Brothers series. We'll see! Sometimes characters have other plans.

Crystal Clear Truth - Antonello Brothers series #5

His entire life, Joe worked for this moment: Terraforming Specialist First Class, assigned to the firestorm planet. Yet tragedy mars the day with the accidental death of both parents. Grief-stricken, he plods through family decisions and moves forward, surviving day by day. While reading his mother's handwritten diary, he discovers a folded flatpic of a teenaged girl and the cryptic words, "our son's mother." He searches for details, determined to know more.

When a friend asks Shohn to help a locate someone, she jumps at the chance. She's researching the firestorm planet for her employer, who seeks access to eyes-only information. Helping Joe might be her opportunity to uncover long-hidden secrets.

A window on a new world. Sneak peek at Crystal Clear Truth #SciFi #Romance

As their unexpected friendship deepens into more, each mystery they solve reveals yet another hidden layer. The truth they seek could immobilize interstellar commerce in the empire. To protect the Empire they both love, they must solve the riddle behind the elusive young woman in the picture, and trust one another.

But how can they trust when the "truth" they've been fed is a lie?

A slow-burn, forced proximity romance set in the far, far future in an empire full of treachery, mystery, and long-hidden secrets...

Antonello Brothers

Click covers for the buy link. Click text for the website page and excerpts.

#SciFi #Romance


JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly cooperative meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.

You'll find these characters mentioned in many books in my story universe.
Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

Characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!


To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join me on Ream Stories!

Crystal Clear Truth - a slow-burn, forced proximity scifi alien romance set in the far future, in an empire full of treachery and secrets

Crystal Clear Truth is supposed to be the final* book in the Antonello Brothers series.

I said that when I wrote book #2 also, so there's that.

This excerpt introduces the hero, Joe Townsend.

In this excerpt, we meet him at the start of his journey in Crystal Clear Truth.
*Subject to character approval ;)

Meet Joe - Crystal Clear Truth

Tarthian Empire, Kyrenie
Fenris City, Taskya District
Birit 53

 

The barren house echoed the void inside. Empty places looked back, demanding a reaction. But Joe Townsend the third had nothing left to give.

From the moment he'd learned of his folks' accidental death, life had screamed past him like a banshee. The never-ending whirlwind of people needing around-the-clock decisions sucked his energy dry. He leaned against the inside of his parents' front door and slid down.

Today, he'd said his formal goodbyes at their memorial. He'd smiled like a wooden soldier at the unending I'm-so-sorrys and the non-stop oh-poor-Joe-how-are-you-doings.

How did they think he was doing?

Life had plunged him into a lightless, inescapable world of sympathetic platitudes.

How could he move forward when everywhere he looked, the past held him fast?

How could he move forward when every step led him further away from the people he'd loved most?

How could he move forward and lever past this pain?

There had to be a better way to handle heartbreak. A saner way.

Joe stood and dusted himself off. He would throw himself into his work. That's what his dad always--

A fresh ache swept over him.

"Whatever you can't change, accept and work through, Son. Focus on what you can do, what you have to do, and don't waste time looking back."

Joe braced an arm across his stomach. Would he ever think of his father's words of wisdom again without this foreboding sensation of loss? This sense that part of himself was missing? Or of his mother and her strength? Her abiding belief in him, encouraging him, guiding the way?

Dragging his feet, Joe staggered through the house, back to the room that had been his when he lived here as a boy, now stripped bare. His parents had put the house on the market and accepted an offer weeks prior to their deaths. They'd put everything in storage, preparing to move. The new owners would arrive tomorrow.

Nothing remained of the place Joe had once called his haven.

There was no home to go to. Starting tomorrow, this place would be someone else's. Not his parents'. Not his. Not anymore.

This sterile room symbolized everything he'd lost.

He couldn't think about this tonight. Couldn't think about work, even work he'd been preparing for his whole life.

Joe had longed for the opportunity to work at his father's side. The pride he'd felt when appointed had rivaled the thrill of collaborating with him. The joy of raw discovery, uncovering new truths while pushing the frontiers of knowledge to the nth degree.

Now, he was taking his father's place instead. Trying to fill shoes he would never be worthy to wear.

Right this moment, success was a meaningless distraction.

Exhausted, he curled up in the middle of the floor, surrounded by nothing but loss. He'd spend one last night in this empty shell of a place he'd once considered home.

Come morning, he'd walk away forever.

Antonello Brothers

Click covers for the buy link. Click text for the website page and excerpts.

#SciFi #Romance


Welcome to Book Hooks!
Book Hooks is a weekly cooperative meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.

You'll find these characters mentioned in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

Characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!


To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join me on Ream Stories!

He should eat. But he headed for the bar #Excerpt Surrender Love by Kayelle Allen #SciFi #GayRomance #MFRWhooks

Surrender Love
Antonello Brothers: Immortal

Reprint - previously published under the same title (as erotic)
Genre: Scifi Romance, Gay Romance

Length: Full novel (130k words)
Heat level: Mainstream, sweetly sensual (PG13)

A little feral, a little innocent, all male, Izzorah Ceeow flees a world that denies him basic rights. Forced into a human society blind to his needs, the young Kin male lives for his music. When a freak accident throws him into the care of Luc Saint-Cyr, the most powerful human in the empire, the attention Izzorah receives is beyond anything he'd ever dreamed. But is the attraction he feels toward his rescuer gratitude, lust, or a deeper, abiding call to yield all that he is?

The prestige of Luc's power, wealth, and influence direct an empire scattered across the stars. His word shapes the foundations of business and his financial prowess is of mythic proportions. Yet beneath the myths beats the heart of a man who craves what he has never given and is certain he will always be denied -- steadfast, faithful love.

This will take more than love. It needs full out surrender...

(This heavily edited second edition includes many new scenes and over 7k additional words).

Excerpt from Surrender Love

In this scene from the beginning of the book, Luc is arriving home from work, where "friends" have spent the day telling him how sorry they are he recently broke up with his lover. Aggravated beyond words, he runs into McDoth, his android major-domo, a stickler for rules who's been appointed watchdog by Luc's king, who is worried about him.
---

Outside the entrance to his home, Luc stopped, fingertips against his brow. He lifted his head, straightened his shoulders, and opened the door. The scent of polished wood and fresh flowers greeted him. A hint of baking bread beckoned and his stomach growled in answer. He should eat.

Instead, he headed straight for the bar.

As usual, McDoth lay in wait. The attentive butler / major-domo was as predictable as his immaculate tuxedo uniform. With his graying hair and wrinkles, most people mistook him for human. A kindly, aging grandfather who still worked for a living. Like his driver, James, the android was firepower mixed with grit. More tyrannical than a nagging wife and more tenacious than a steel weed. No matter how far Luc went, McDoth would follow, protecting him, serving him, while refusing to let him forget a single detail, rule, or obligation.

Were it his choice, Luc would fire McDoth tonight. In truth, the android deserved a medal. His tolerance and patience knew no bounds. Their relationship had lasted centuries and would for a thousand centuries more.

If their king had his way, Luc would never be rid of the human-shaped ball and chain. Which was the point of a referee. They kept you honest. At least...as much as they could.

"Welcome home, sir." The refined accent programmed into McDoth for this lifetime fit the look of a staid butler.

"McDoth."

The android dropped a few ice cubes into a tumbler and set it on the bar. "For your whiskey, sir. Do try to limit yourself to one this evening."

And there it was. The daily lecture. You drink too much. You eat too little. You work too late. You never stay home.

Luc reached past him and picked up a fresh bottle of his best whiskey, a Kelthian brand from a distillery he'd bought a few years prior.

"Allow me to take your overcoat." The butler reached for it.

He turned to give his servant access, changing the bottle from one hand to the other as he slipped off the garment.

"It's quite late, sir. You must be tired." McDoth folded the coat over his arm. "How was your day?"

"Same as yesterday. Busy, but I accomplished nothing." He darted toward the stairs.

"Sir?"

He halted, gripping the banister so hard he expected to see marks when he let go. The promise of solitude in his chambers above beckoned, but there would be no ignoring the interrogation. He checked an impatient sigh and turned back. "What?"

McDoth came to even sharper attention, his habitual passivity giving way to concern. "It is good to have you home, sir. We see little of you. Shall I bring you dinner? No records show you ate today, unless the earlier visit to your club included dining on someone else's account."

"I'm capable of asking for food if I'm hungry and I don't need a reminder you keep electronic tabs on me. I have no illusions about being your true employer. I'm not hungry. I'm fine. Stop fussing over me."

"As you wish, sir." The butler brought him the tumbler. "Remember, just one."

Luc lifted the bottle of whiskey and wagged it right in the android's face. "I will."

Surrender Love is due to release the last week of February 2021

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The Antonello Brothers Series

These books are in the same universe as Surrender Love, and feature Luc Saint-Cyr.

You'll find these characters mentioned in many books in my story universe.
Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.

Sneak peek at the Pietas halberd cosplay @nitsvetov_cos #cosplay #malecosplay #SciFi #MFRWhooks

Pietas - Halberd Cosplay

Nik Nitsvetov will recreate Pietas in a special cosplay in a  live stream on Instagram the weekend of Oct 10, 2020.

The costume and weapon are finished and we're awaiting a final time for the studio where the cosplay will be performed.

Nik lives in Russia, 7 hours ahead of us, so when it's 4pm here, it's 11pm there. Best way to know the time? Try Time.is I've linked this to show Moscow time, which is where Nik will cosplay Pietas.

Enter your email below to get an email when the date and time are confirmed.

This is the scene Nik will cosplay live. Julia will photograph the event. You're getting it out of context, because to give more would give a huge spoiler.

Halberd

Pietas walked into sight, dragging a massive steel halberd inlaid with turquoise stones, a cross between a battle axe and a sword.

The pointed tip screeched along the steel floor.

The image of Pietas in black, knowing he represented Luc, affixed itself in Luc's mind.

With that bright silver and turquoise halberd at his side, the forbidding darkness of his masked king channeled awe straight through him.

-- A Stolen Heart

Follow Nik

Nik Nitsvetov is a photographer and award-winning cosplayer who often serves as judge at conventions. A gamer and anime fan, he often cosplays characters from popular series. He lives in Russia and is a strong supporter of Russian Cosplay. His personal photography ranges from cosplay to portraits and often includes animals and nature. You will find him online through various social media.
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/nitsvetov/posts
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nitsvetov/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nitsvetov.photo/
Twitter https://twitter.com/nitsvetov
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nik.nicvetov
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OnframeCosplay/
World Cosplay https://worldcosplay.net/en/member/Onframe

Check the links below to find more authors in this blog hop.

Pick up an original short featuring Pietas, Lights Out, free by joining a reader group!
https://kayelleallen.com/reader-groups

You'll find these characters mentioned in many books in my story universe.
Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.

#Excerpt Luc needs a solid plan to defeat evil #PietasFans #SciFi #MFRWhooks

A Stolen Heart is science fiction with male/male relationships.

An ex-lover brings his constant drama back into Luc's life, just as Luc's trying to find a safe home for a toddler he has somehow acquired. There's no way the child can become a permanent resident.

Luc has no time for a family.

But once this adorable little tot enters Luc's life, his heart is well and truly stolen...

 

How can taking children from their families ever be right? There is no way to justify that kind of evil.

After learning that his apprentice had been stolen from his family, Luc vows to never let it happen to anyone else. But how?

In this scene, Luc must dig deeper into the truth. The truth he'd heard was heartbreaking. His foster son, Kaydn, had been stolen from his family as a toddler.

A plan to make it right

Luc and Kaydn talked most of the night. His Deshai showed him evidence gathered by the older sister Kaydn had never known. While Kaydn had been learning how to circumvent the law, Orella Vettov had learned to enforce it. First as a cop, and then as a detective specializing in missing children. She'd supplied her kidnapped brother with names, dates, and statistics.

It wasn't only Kaydn who'd been taken. There were at least fifteen others, and Vettov wasn't through digging.

The realization that this had begun while he was Grand Master struck Luc down in shame. It was his duty and responsibility to know everything the Guild did under his command, and he'd failed to flag it.

Kaydn was right. Luc not only wanted to burn down the Thieves' Guild, he wanted to crush it to the last ember.

Three mortal lifetimes he'd invested in that institution: first as Cyr de Tomasson, centuries ago, then in his previous life as Neene St. Thomas, and now as Luc Saint-Cyr. Lives spent hiding his true nature to carry out the mission: protect humanity.

Different identities. Same skill. Same talent. Same passion. Same utter devotion.

Someone had tarnished everything he'd lived for. And for what?

"Kaydn." Swallowing hard against the breath lodged in his throat, Luc clasped his Deshai's hand. "I didn't do this to you, but I apologize for it."

"I know." He braced his other arm alongside Luc's. "Right now, I hate the Guild. But Sen'dai, I know the Guild could go back to what it was. We're thieves, but honorable." Kaydn pulled away. "I can't stay. It's not personal."

"I'd want to leave, too, in your situation. I can't. Not until I fix this."

"What are we going to do, Sen'dai? It's not like we can invite the police to investigate the Guild."

"I can imagine how that would go over. I'll think of something. I have contacts and there's idBot."

"Sen'dai, I don't want to destroy everything you and my brothers have worked for. And I wouldn't skip Nikko's graduation for anything."

"Until I can dig into this and figure out who knew what, don't do anything different. Take some time off. Let me do what I do best. I'll know more by Nikko's big day."

"Luc." Kaydn pointed toward the door. "What if that little HalfKin was taken?" The agony on his Deshai's face crushed Luc's heart. "What if my brothers were?"

"I'll find out." Luc set a hand on Kaydn's shoulder. "I will stop this. Nothing I can say or do will make up for being torn from your family, but I will try to make it right."

Kaydn gave him a soul-searching look. "I trust you."

Fans of the Antonello Brothers series will enjoy seeing the characters Luc Saint-Cyr, Pietas, and Dessy (the Empress Destoiya). Plus, they'll meet Senth, the playful future hero of At the Mercy of Her Pleasure, when he is a three-year-old boy.

Check the links below to find more authors in this blog hop.

You'll find these characters mentioned in many books in my story universe.
Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.

He has 2 problems: his ex, and everything else in his life #SciFi #MM #MFRWhooks

The immortal Luc (Cyken) and his king, Pietas, have not been a "couple" for nineteen-hundred years, but neither is over the other.

His ex is his biggest problem...

Luc is wearing the scent Pietas created for him. So far in the story, Luc had shot down any attempt at seduction and the last time he saw Pietas, told him it was over forever. So Pietas has no idea what prompted this sudden change of heart.

Invading Pietas's space, Luc took a step closer.

The king drew a breath and held it, back ramrod straight. "Cyken? Talk to me."

Luc took in Pietas's dimpled chin and strong mouth, straight nose and bright turquoise eyes. His dark lashes and brows stood in sharp contrast to his white hair. Inhumanly perfect. No man should be this beautiful.

Their people called Pietas the Bringer of Chaos because his strongest Sempervian gift was Chaos, the ability to create chaotic feelings with no outside source. In battle, it mind-dazed an enemy. But with a lover, his gift rendered a partner helpless, inundating them with overwhelming pleasure.

Only Luc ever dared call him by that title--to his face.

"The thing is, Bringer, I will never be over you." Luc drew back one silky lock of the man's shining platinum hair. "I think of you every single day. And every single night. And every time I wear your scent, I long for you." Curling a hand behind Pietas's head, Luc stretched upward and pressed his mouth against his king's.

For one breathless moment, Pietas remained detached, but then he yielded into the kiss, slipping his arms around Luc, pulling him close, close, kissing him back. Not a ravaging kiss. Not all-encompassing desire. Tender, sweet with longing.

The kind of kiss Luc remembered when he was alone at night. Hungry for touch. The kiss--not of a conqueror--but a lover. Instead of shouting, "Mine!" this kiss whispered, "Yours..."

Pietas broke away, bracing his hands on Luc's shoulders. "No." He wiped his mouth with the back of a hand and turned aside. "This isn't what you need."

"Wrong." The heat behind his eyes had nothing to do with his inner beast. "You're exactly what I need."

"No." Pietas stepped further back. "You're lonely. You think you need to be with another person and lose yourself with sex."

Luc smiled. "Two points for you. That is what I want." He reached for Pietas.

"No." The man stepped out of reach. "It isn't."

Must Pietas fight with him over everything? "Bringer--"

"No." Pietas held out both hands in front of him. "You're vulnerable. You're in pain and you think being with me will take it away."

"I know it will." Pain was what he needed. Chaos. Who better to give it to him than the bringer of it?

Check the links below to find more authors in this blog hop.

You'll find these characters mentioned in many books in my story universe.
Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.