Wheeee, a new fantasy romance! SWORD AND LUTE (Alaia Chronicles)

Waaay back in February (heh), I released Swords and Scimitars, a historical fantasy short story about the origins of the realm of Kad. (When the immortal twin brothers Kismet and Taso fought over an enchanted sword, tragedy ensued for them both. The guilt of the fight drove Kismet into the realm of Kad, where he became its first sultan and redeemed himself through love. If you don’t have Swords and Scimitars yet, it’s FREE at most ebook stores…)

Now it’s Taso’s turn! Sword and Lute is a 16,000-word novelette (think of that as a really long short story or a very short novel) about Taso’s awakening from stone—and his unlikely rescuer, the musician Amara. Sword and Lute is a true fantasy romance, complete with a sweet love scene. 🙂

When a cursed sword slashed the god Taso, his immortality gushed into the grass along with his blood. He escaped death—barely—by transforming into stone. Centuries later, the aspiring musician Amara stumbles across the stone and inadvertently morphs Taso back into his dying body. To save him, she must sacrifice her precious lute and her life-long dream. But in return, she might find her heart’s desire…

Swords and Scimitars and Sword and Lute are the first two stories in the Alaia Chronicles: Legends series. (I consider them part of the Alaia Chronicles, but since they occur so much earlier, I’ve added “Legends” to distinguish them from the main timeline.)

Want a taste of Taso’s story? Here’s a wee excerpt for you:

“Lie down,” she said. “You lost too much blood.”

He gave her a mulish look.

She hastened over, put her hand on his chest and gently pushed him down to the earth. A mistake, because once he was down, he captured her wrist in his warm palm.

“Who are you, maiden fair?”

She shrugged, striving to keep her face composed. “You first. You’re the interesting one.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” His fingers softened their grip and caressed her skin. “Not at all.”

She gave a noncommittal smile, tugged her hand from his, and stepped away to tend the fire.

“My name is Taso,” he said at last into the silence. “And what is yours, milady?”

Her teeth clamped over her name, and then she flushed. Why should she keep it from him? It was simply a word.

But each piece he knew of her was leading to someplace larger. Deeper. Perilous.

“I’m Amara.” She sprinkled a few grains of precious salt over the meat and didn’t turn around.

“Amara,” he repeated, as if he liked the sound of it. Hells, she liked the sound of it when he said it in that mellow voice.

“This will need to cook a while, but I’m sure you’re hungry,” she said briskly, and knelt to rummage in her pack for the bread and cheese.

“Amara,” he spoke again, stopping her as easily as if he’d bespelled her. “Thank you. For your help. For your kindness to a stranger.”

She looked at him at last, and shivered. “Did I truly break a spell?”

“You did.”

“Why? How?” She rose and took a step closer to him. “Who are you?”

“I’m Taso.” He smiled, teasing her as firelight danced across his face.

She held still. “Are you a god?”

His chest rose with a long breath and he rolled his gaze up to the star-dusted sky. “I’m not sure.”

Right now Sword and Lute is just 99 cents!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/VcdEjB
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/BN-Lute
Kobo: https://bit.ly/Kobo-Lute
Smashwords: https://bit.ly/SW-Lute (use coupon LM38S)
All Romance eBooks: https://bit.ly/ARe-Lute
Apple’s iTunes: D’oh, it’s on the way via a distributor, but might take a week or so. Keep your eye out for it here.

And more good news…

Kismet’s Kiss is now in production as an audiobook…and the narrator is AWESOME. We hope to have it out in January or February of 2013. And I hope that not long after that, the audiobook of The Source of Magic will also be published.

Want to check out what else I have available? Amazon has the scoop.