Rainbow Snippets August 11th

Rainbow snippets FB page

 

What is Rainbow Snippets? It’s a group of LGBT+ authors who post six sentences (or more) from a current WIP, published work or even something they’ve read that they want to rave about. Click on the link below the rainbow to be transported to a place of wonder where you will find tasters of everything from sweet romance, to hot and steamy, to fantasy and sci-fi.

From my brand new release: Cid.  Here is the blurb for this new work:

Ask 26-year-old artist Cid Walker how he’s feeling and you’ll likely get a snarl, or a glare, but not a real answer. Cid’s soul is so damaged from a brutal and savage ex-fiancé that trusting anyone is out of the question.

Two classmates try to get his attention; Barry and Kellen. Barry is only 18 and a very naïve, sweet boy-next-door type who is young, needy, and anxious to get involved with the mysterious artist. He wants to be with Cid more than anything, but his efforts fail.

Kellen, all of 22, is as snarky as Cid is at first, but soon manages to get across to him. Kellen understands why Cid is acting out because Kellen is also keeping his soul and psyche intact with mere Band-Aids after being attacked a few years ago.

Add in a stalker that won’t take ‘no’ for an answer and you have Cid’s life at the moment. Who can get through his broken heart?

We pick up right from where we left off; and a regulation size snippet to boot 🙂

Cid shut his eyes and let out a slow, measured breath. “Holy crap.”

“Is that a yes?” Barry jibed.

“Fine. Yeah. Have a seat, I guess.”

Not the warmest invitation, but at least he didn’t tell him to fuck off.

They ate in silence for a long moment and Cid eyed what his classmate had bought; a grilled cheese with a side of tomato soup. It seemed an odd choice for a warm day, but why did he care? Maybe his classmate had low blood pressure or something.

 

Available now in ebook and paperback!  AmazonUS  AmazonUK  Smashwords

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to outwit writer’s block … — M.K.B. GRAHAM, author of CAIRNAERIE

Talk to any writer or read any number of writing blogs and you will likely find one universal fear: the dreaded phenomenon of writer’s block — that moment when your brain goes blank and a great chasm opens up between your head and your fingers. Thankfully, I can say I never have writer’s block. Never. […]

via How to outwit writer’s block … — M.K.B. GRAHAM, author of CAIRNAERIE

Rainbow Snippets August 4th

Rainbow snippets FB page

 

What is Rainbow Snippets? It’s a group of LGBT+ authors who post six sentences (or more) from a current WIP, published work or even something they’ve read that they want to rave about. Click on the link below the rainbow to be transported to a place of wonder where you will find tasters of everything from sweet romance, to hot and steamy, to fantasy and sci-fi.

From my brand new release: Cid.  Here is the blurb for this new work:

Ask 26-year-old artist Cid Walker how he’s feeling and you’ll likely get a snarl, or a glare, but not a real answer. Cid’s soul is so damaged from a brutal and savage ex-fiancé that trusting anyone is out of the question.

Two classmates try to get his attention; Barry and Kellen. Barry is only 18 and a very naïve, sweet boy-next-door type who is young, needy, and anxious to get involved with the mysterious artist. He wants to be with Cid more than anything, but his efforts fail.

Kellen, all of 22, is as snarky as Cid is at first, but soon manages to get across to him. Kellen understands why Cid is acting out because Kellen is also keeping his soul and psyche intact with mere Band-Aids after being attacked a few years ago.

Add in a stalker that won’t take ‘no’ for an answer and you have Cid’s life at the moment. Who can get through his broken heart?

Another long snippet here; this is a couple hours later from the last scene:

Lunchtime at last. Cid scoped out the fare today; it didn’t look as awful as yesterday’s, but it still wasn’t up to what his appetite was pining for. Oh well, just one more thing to fix when he had the time.

He chose the California club and a side of sweet potato fries. Most people turned up their noses at them, but he craved the sweet spuds.

After he scanned the room for an empty spot, he was relieved to find one on the opposite side of where he was yesterday when that freak found him. A sudden shudder went through his body and he wondered if that guy was here again today. Maybe he’s part-time? Hopefully? Can he just leave me alone? Shit.

He shook his head and admonished himself for being a scared little girl.

Get a grip, Cid. He’s just an ass; don’t worry about him. Think about the mountain of homework you’ve got due!

After he got a firm grip on reality again, he sat down at the table and dove into his lunch.

Not two minutes later, a pair of pale hands appeared on the chair opposite him. His breath hitched and he glanced up slowly, hoping it wasn’t who he never wanted to see again.

“Mind if I join you?”

It was Barry.

Available now!  AmazonUS  AmazonUK  Smashwords

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cid is here!

Ask 26-year-old artist Cid Walker how he’s feeling and you’ll likely get a snarl, or a glare, but not a real answer. Cid’s soul is so damaged from a brutal and savage ex-fiancé that trusting anyone is out of the question.
Two classmates try to get his attention; Barry and Kellen. Barry is only 18 and a very naïve, sweet boy-next-door type who is young, needy, and anxious to get involved with the mysterious artist. He wants to be with Cid more than anything, but his efforts fail.
Kellen, all of 22, is as snarky as Cid is at first, but soon manages to get across to him. Kellen understands why Cid is acting out because Kellen is also keeping his soul and psyche intact with mere Band-Aids after being attacked a few years ago.
Add in a stalker that won’t take ‘no’ for an answer and you have Cid’s life at the moment. Who can get through his broken heart?
***trigger alert*** mention of past sexual assault

Up for order now at Amazon plus AmazonUK and Smashwords for 99 cents!

Three FIVE-star reviews so far (on Goodreads) look for me under S. L. Danielson)

 

Rainbow Snippets July 28th

Rainbow snippets FB page

 

What is Rainbow Snippets? It’s a group of LGBT+ authors who post six sentences (or more) from a current WIP, published work or even something they’ve read that they want to rave about. Click on the link below the rainbow to be transported to a place of wonder where you will find tasters of everything from sweet romance, to hot and steamy, to fantasy and sci-fi.

From a coming attraction (coming in just four days on Aug 1) Cid.  Here is the blurb for this new work:

Ask 26-year-old artist Cid Walker how he’s feeling and you’ll likely get a snarl, or a glare, but not a real answer. Cid’s soul is so damaged from a brutal and savage ex-fiancé that trusting anyone is out of the question.

Two classmates try to get his attention; Barry and Kellen. Barry is only 18 and a very naïve, sweet boy-next-door type who is young, needy, and anxious to get involved with the mysterious artist. He wants to be with Cid more than anything, but his efforts fail.

Kellen, all of 22, is as snarky as Cid is at first, but soon manages to get across to him. Kellen understands why Cid is acting out because Kellen is also keeping his soul and psyche intact with mere Band-Aids after being attacked a few years ago.

Add in a stalker that won’t take ‘no’ for an answer and you have Cid’s life at the moment. Who can get through his broken heart?

Another long snippet here; this shows Cid’s clear lack of either social skills, confidence, or he’s been so screwed up that he pisses off everyone:

When class was finished, Barry hung around for a moment to let the hordes of others rush the doors.

“Hey.”

Cid closed his notebook quickly. “Hey.”

“You got class now?”

Great English. “Yeah, I’ve got one more then I’m off the rest of today.” Why’d I tell him that?

“Cool. I’ve got business law next; it’s kinda cool, yet a snooze-fest if you’ve been up too late.” He rolled his eyes. He had gorgeous eyes. He was taller than Cid, about 5’11” he guessed, only a couple of inches difference. Cid had to hold his breath back from hitching. Cid had used that shade of blue; he’d used it in his paintings for usually the sky, or water. He loved water just for the color alone.

“I bet. Yeah, I need to nap, that’s for sure. Or get a huge espresso.”

Barry’s eyes widened. “Hey, there’s a thought…”

Oh shit.

“Maybe sometime we could…”

Cid felt his throat all but close shut. The tension was back and it was sky high!

“I’m busy, dude. Sorry,” he spat out and stood to collect his things. He nearly forgot his notebook, which flipped open to reveal the drawings he’d done during class. There was a highly stylized “B” drawn that he hurried to cover up.

“But…” Barry stammered. “Whatever.” He stormed off before Cid could say anything else.

 

This book drops in 4 days (Wednesday) on Amazon and Smashwords. Look for links coming soon!

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Ramblings

 

 

 

Life is in a bit of a holding pattern for me at the moment; my latest book, Cid, is with a final-check beta reader (who is fabulous) so I can’t wait to get it back and create the pre-orders items (plus the paperback setup).

Also, I go to see a medical person today about my high anxiety. Unless you live with it, or have experienced it, it’s not something you can easily explain. Each sufferer is different. Mine seems to be isolated to driving these days; I went out last night (with hubby as co-pilot) and still, had that tight feeling in my gut.

Otherwise, I have one new book in the works, but after that I am considering using Patreon exclusively to showcase my work. The world of book piracy has me fuming (I found a site where one of mine had over 1,000 copies out there for FREE) can you imagine the royalties lost??? I can, and on that book alone, at $3 a copy, that’s a $2,000 loss to me. Money I deserve for creating that book. The blood, sweat and tears involved.

Oy. OK I’ll go all crazytown if I stay on this topic. So let’s move on.

I will say, this is the first day in a couple of months where I actually feel like working. I made some muffins earlier (of the six, two remain), plus hopefully the muse has not left me for good and I will write again. I feel that’s coming sooner than I think. (thank goodness). I did knit some, and have painted too. Job hunting is in there as well, but after this length of time I wonder if anything will ever break this record.

I know this is a long, rambling post for me…so if you’ve made it this far, thank you!

Today is a nice day out, we had rain yesterday, so the plants look happier. My mood is improving and I hope new meds will boost it even more. My husband and cat are my loves and I spent as much time with them as possible. They are my support system in this strange town since I know few others, and my online family. You rock!

Thank you for reading!

Steph

 

 

31 Day Blog Challenge: Day 31

Wahooo! I made it to day 31! I hope everyone has enjoyed these little glimpses into my life. 🙂

Day 31: Weird quirk of mine

Oh my, what a way to end this huh? A weird quirk? I’m not even sure what to put here. LOL  Perhaps too insecure? Or too nervous about everything? Friends that know me, help me out. 🙂

I’ll do another series of these if you’d like…I enjoyed this!

Steph

Rainbow Snippets July 21st

Rainbow snippets FB page

 

What is Rainbow Snippets? It’s a group of LGBT+ authors who post six sentences (or more) from a current WIP, published work or even something they’ve read that they want to rave about. Click on the link below the rainbow to be transported to a place of wonder where you will find tasters of everything from sweet romance, to hot and steamy, to fantasy and sci-fi.

From a coming attraction (coming Aug 1) Cid.  Here is the blurb for this new work:

Ask 26-year-old artist Cid Walker how he’s feeling and you’ll likely get a snarl, or a glare, but not a real answer. Cid’s soul is so damaged from a brutal and savage ex-fiancé that trusting anyone is out of the question.

Two classmates try to get his attention; Barry and Kellen. Barry is only 18 and a very naïve, sweet boy-next-door type who is young, needy, and anxious to get involved with the mysterious artist. He wants to be with Cid more than anything, but his efforts fail.

Kellen, all of 22, is as snarky as Cid is at first, but soon manages to get across to him. Kellen understands why Cid is acting out because Kellen is also keeping his soul and psyche intact with mere Band-Aids after being attacked a few years ago.

Add in a stalker that won’t take ‘no’ for an answer and you have Cid’s life at the moment. Who can get through his broken heart?

Our third snippet is a lot longer than usual, but here he meets boy #3:

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. Last night he was up late working on a new sketch. Maybe 2 o’clock wasn’t a good bedtime when you had a 9 o’clock class the next day.

“Up too late?” a voice asked next to him.

Lovely. Why do all these kids talk to me?

“Yup.” Was his eloquent reply. He sneaked a look at the speaker and was pleased that he wasn’t a redhead, right off the bat. Actually, he wasn’t bad looking. In fact, he looked probably the most normal of anyone else he’d seen there before. He wore sneakers, blue jeans, and a blue tee with a band logo on it; one he’d heard of but not listened to before. He was pale, but had a blush to his cheeks. His straight brown hair was longer, almost to his jawline, which was squared and strong. His eyes…Cid couldn’t tell the color yet, but he felt an odd desire to find out what it was.

A hand jutted out by his side. “I’m Barry.”

Cid regarded the hand as if it were a foreign object. Who the hell shakes hands in college besides the professors?

“Uh, hi,” he answered back and stared at the offered hand. “You shake hands with everyone you meet?”

Barry cocked a brow. “Well, yeah. I’m a business major. They always tell us a good handshake is key.”

A business student. Interesting.

Not wanting to overthink it and leave the guy hanging, Cid offered his hand back and they exchanged a good, firm handshake.

“Nice,” Barry replied.

“Huh?” Cid asked, his cheeks flushed.

“Handshake. You have a really good one.”

“Oh.” He nearly choked. “Thanks. So do you.”

“Thanks.” Barry smiled at him. “So, what’s your name? I told you mine.”

Oy. Cid felt his cheeks flame. “Cid.” Contrite and true at the same time.

“Cool.” Barry replied.

“Yeah, I thought so,” Cid quipped.

 

 

 

 

31 Day Blog Challenge: Day 30

OK let’s see how consistent I am with this 🙂 I may ‘schedule’ posts for the first time in forever.

Day 30: favorite comfort food

Oooh, there are soo many! I love chocolate, potato chips, pasta, basically any carb you can fathom. If I’m depressed, pass the can of pringles, cookies, or just a tall Pepsi.

Steph

Inspiration in strange places

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I recently joined a club where I can meet new people and trade ideas back and forth. I’m a homebody and being unemployed is not helpful, so this has been my one retreat so far. 🙂

One of the people last night spoke of how his wife started one of those subscription box businesses and it got me thinking…I want to do that! But what would I put in the box? How much to charge? Who’s be interested?

So far I have ideas on what to add, but I need your help.  What would you like in a box as a writer? A journal book? Tips? Writing prompts? Inspiration photos? Wine cup? Candy?

Let me know and when I get enough interested parties, I plan on launching 🙂

Thank you!

Steph

#inspiration #subscriptionboxes #boxes #launching #ideas