Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Author Interview - Dean Mayes




Dean Mayes is an Intensive Care Nurse who is fascinated by philosophy and the paranormal, so his stories weave an element of magical realism with deep humanism. He grew up near Melbourne, Australia, and now lives in Adelaide with his wife, Emily, his children, Xavier & Lucy, and his writing partner – a 10 year old spaniel named, Sam. Dean loves outdoor cooking, anything to do with Star Wars and (insanely) long-form podcasts.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Thriller Fiction, Romantic Fiction.

Q&A:

Q1: What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?

My most recent novel “The Artisan Heart” (2018) is a contemporary romance novel. Having bounced around in different genres for the past few years, I wanted to return to my romantic roots and write a novel about relationships. Familial relationships, romantic relationships and relationships between people who have different communication styles – for example, there is a lovely relationship that develops between the protagonist of the novel and a deaf child. Both are able to communicate in sign language, which coaxes the child out of her shell.

Q2: What are five words that describe your writing process?

Chaotic, Messy, Inspired, Rambling, Insane!

Q3: What authors, or books have influenced you?

Recently, I’ve discovered the works of French author and philosopher Albert Camus and poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Camus especially writes in a vivid, visual style that is evocative for all the senses. Because he wrote in the 1920s through to the late 1950s, his use of language, adverbs and long sentences is quite different to the clipped, often frenetic sentences you see in a lot of writing today. It’s a style that I have sought to emulate in my own writing.

Q4: What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?

I often find that playing classical music softly in the background helps me to focus. I usually have a note book and a pencil beside me to take notes as ideas come to me. More generally, it’s a mental state that I’m constantly searching for. There’s a head space I get into where I’ll write and write and write and time just falls away. It’s a beautiful thing when I touch it.

Q5. What, to you, are the most important elements of good writing?

A cohesive structure and a consistent narrative flow comprising set up and pay off. If you are hitting those benchmarks, I think you can get most stories to work really well. There also has to be a character to the writing. Some of the best stories I’ve read are ones that have a character to them – even if I haven’t necessarily liked the stories.

Q6: What is the best advice you have ever heard?

Don’t be afraid to produce lots of content – knowing that you’ll edit the heck out of it later. I think that helps in staving off writer’s block while also helping you produce material that can be used elsewhere in your work in progress or indeed, another project that you might haven’t even conceived yet.

Q7: What is your favourite genre to read?

Oh wow...I’m pretty much open to most genres these days but I guess I remain fond of science fiction first and foremost. I’m reading The Expanse series of novels presently and I’m enjoying the hell out of them! They’re big novels but they’re so engaging, I find myself reading like a machine! I mentioned Albert Camus earlier and I’ve become a firm fan of philosophical writing. I read “The Plague” last year (an apt title given our current Covid situation) and it blew me away. His grasp of character and character motivation in the face of overwhelming circumstance is quite outstanding.

Q8: What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?

I think I have gravitated toward character development in my own writing. Plot, for me at least tends to develop from that – even though I’ll have a rudimentary plot outline that I’ve established. I think if you have well defined characters who you get to know well, they’ll drive the story forward for you.

Q9: What are you working on now?

I have been working on a sequel to my political thriller “The Recipient” over the past couple of years but progress has been slow due to some personal circumstances here at home. My wife Emily was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in the middle of last year and as you can imagine, that had a profound effect on our family. I mentioned earlier that I am an ICU Nurse and with the pandemic still a major concern, I’ve been working a lot harder. My writing has inevitably been affected. But I haven’t given up on it. I’m doing little bits here and there and I’m still committed to producing a story that I think is exciting and worth reading.

Q10: What are you currently reading?

I have two titles on the go at present – “Personal Essays” by Albert Camus and “Nemesis Games” - Book 5 in “The Expanse” series by James S.A. Corey. Both are very different books that appeal to my love of philosophy and science fiction and sometimes – they even cross over!



Dean Mayes knows I am a huge fan of his work, and I have read all of his published stories, so he has truly honoured me by giving me an exclusive peek at his next book, The Recipient - Pandora's Chest.

Excerpt from “The Recipient – Pandora’s Chest” by Dean Mayes.

It’s so vast! It’s so, so vast…

Settle Saskia, we’re okay. We’ll be okay…

Forcing her eyes open, Casey risked a glance outside her window at the boiling sea far below. Her breath caught and she hurriedly had to recall a technique to calm herself. While she had grown accustomed to ocean going flight in the comfort of a jumbo jet, cruising over the white caps in a noisy and comparatively small Victoria Police Eurocopter was something else entirely. Casey had to stop herself from gasping as the pilot jinked suddenly, banking the helicopter towards a vast stretch of coastal limestone cliffs. In the fading afternoon light, Casey spotted the towering, monolithic sentinels of the Twelve Apostles, suddenly recalling a piece of trivia that recounted the relentless march of the sea had actually reduced their number to 8.

As the Eurocopter began its decent, rocking through a patch of turbulence, Casey gripped her harness tighter. She tried to hide her action from Whittaker who was sitting across from her and a young dark skinned detective sitting beside him, who Whittaker had grudgingly introduced as Jeremy Delfey. Thought still angry at Casey for having pestered her way onto the chopper, Whittaker broke his rancorous expression with a knowing grin in her direction and seemed to lighten in his mood. The young detective, seeing Casey’s discomfort, caught her notice with an enquiring nod of his own to see if she was okay. Distracted from her fear momentarily, Casey nodded back.

Through the window, Casey could see human figures moving back and forth across the landscape, close to cliff face. A bright orange crane had been stationed at the edge of the precipitous drop; its thick boom arm was extended out and over into the air. As the chopper drew closer, Casey could see an object being hauled up from the beach below and it took her mind several moments to register that it was the wrecked form of a vehicle. A trio of police vehicles, their blue and red lights flashing were positioned along what appeared to be a rough track that led into a bluff from the nearby Great Ocean Road. A pair of civilian four wheel drives were stationed on the bitumen - facing away from one another, their headlight beams shining in opposite directions as a warning to approaching traffic. Between them, Casey saw a pair of dark lines on the bitumen, tyre tracks suggesting a vehicle had served suddenly before leaving the road.

Dropping fast now, the chopper pilot circled away from a cluster of personnel about halfway in from the road, then it swung its tail around. It hung for a moment before setting down finally. Casey felt the bump of the tires as the aircraft touched ground followed by the deceleration of the rotors above her head.

Thank God, she mused, her anxiety tapering away. She steadied her breathing. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned to Whittaker, who flashed a knowing grin.

“You can let go of your harness now,” he said above the noise of the rotors.

Casey blinked then looked at her hands gripping the harness. Her knuckles were white. Flicking her head up, she appraised Whittaker. “Have you gotten over your tantrum yet?” she countered shakily.

“Maybe,” Whittaker tilted his head from side to side. Helping her unclasp her restraint, he patted her shoulder. “Come on.”

Opening the door, Whittaker crouched low and gestured to Casey to follow closely. Offering his hand, Casey took it and ducked as she climbed out. Touching the earth, Casey’s leg gave a short wobble as Whittaker escorted her from the chopper.

Rounding to the front of the aircraft, the pair came up alongside the pilot and Delfey who surveyed the scene. Local police – who had been rallied in anticipation of Whittaker’s arrival – were doing their best to prepare the site, while supervising the precarious operation of the crane, which had now swung its arm around in an arc with the shattered vehicle in its grip. At a signal from an officer wearing a white jumpsuit and hard hat, The crane released the wreck and it crashed to the ground in front.

Shuddering, Casey turned away towards a uniformed officer who was speaking to a subordinate over by a 4WD. Upon seeing the new arrivals, he dismissed his colleague and turned towards them. He was middle aged, with a friendly face and large eyes that were magnified by a pair of coke bottle bottomed glassed. Hitching his trousers up by the belt, he approached, holding out a meaty hand to Whittaker.

“Senior Constable Graham Adams, Port Campbell Station,” the officer greeted in a heavy Scottish accent. “Deputy Commissioner Whittaker, yes?”

Whittaker nodded and glanced over Adams’ shoulder. “Thank you for accommodating us at such short notice. I apologise if we've inconvenienced you.”

“Not at all,” Adams adjusted his spectacles. “I appreciate the interest. We’re flying blind here so if anyone can assist in shedding light on this accident, I appreciate it.”

Whittaker gave a thoughtful nod, which didn’t escape the Senior Constable’s notice.

“I have to admit, I was surprised when they informed me you would be coming," Adams observed. “Do you have any ideas?”

“I’m not sure,” Whittaker replied, gesturing either side of him. “This is Detective Jeremy Delfey and this is civilian observer Casey Schillinge.”

Adams acknowledged both in turn, his gaze lingering on Casey a beat longer than Delfey. Casey saw his brow furrow, as though he recognised her, or perhaps her name. Her eyes darted away and towards the vehicles.

Adams gestured with an outstretched hand, inviting the trio ahead of him. Together they made their way over the uneven ground towards the wreck. The crane was retreating from the edge of the cliff on it’s tracks, the operator inside the cabin clearly relieved his task was over. Though it was blackened and twisted, almost folded back on itself, Casey could see that the wreck had once resembled the Holden utility she’d observed in the CCTV footage from the Blue Heeler Bar.

“We extracted the human remains from the wreck last night,” Adams explained. “I handed it over to the Warrnambool Detectives. There’s not much left, I'm afraid. The driver met a fiery end.”

“What about the other body?” Whittaker asked, glancing sideways at Casey. Her eyes bored into his. “The report said their were two bodies.”

The Senior Constable betrayed a note of confusion in his expression and he nudge the brim of his hat, shaking his head. “Single occupant only. There was no passenger.”

Casey felt her knee give way but she steadied herself before anyone noticed.

Lone driver?

Whittaker proceeded forward, prompting Casey, Delfey and Adams to follow. They passed by a Police 4WD and came upon the rough track she’d seen from the air. Personnel were moving back and forth, erecting bright yellow police tape.

The track was little more a pair of grooves in the sandy earth, made by a vehicle that had, apparently, left the road in a hurry. Looking back along its length, Casey noted the impression of tyre prints at various points where the sand and gravel morphed into the mud of traditional top soil, but the tracks themselves were broken, probably as a result of the vehicle having bounced over the uneven ground on its trajectory towards the cliff

Scanning towards the cliff edge, Casey saw a ruined section agricultural fence where the vehicle had crashed through before careening over the edge. All told, it was a distance of no more than 100 meters, from road to cliff.

It had all the hallmarks of a suicide run...

To find out more about Dean Mayes follow the links below:

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Author Interview - Sophie and Chris Brousseau

 

Sophie and Chris Brousseau form the husband and wife writing team behind Maple Lion Fiction. Together they have published five novellas which have now been released as a full-length novel: Isle of Chaos. Sophie honed her writing skills working in behavioural science research and Chris developed his storytelling prowess over the past decade working in video games. They each bring their own unique experience to the table, but it was their shared love of regaling others with a good story and quirky humour that inspired them to venture into the world of fiction writing together.

Genre: Dark, Humorous, Action & Adventure



Q&A:

Q1: What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?

Chris: Isle of Chaos: Golden Age Tales is the name of the book, and what inspired it is a little bit of a story…

In 2011 I noticed a severe lack of good pirate themed movies, books, tv series as well as video games and I’ve always loved pirates. The chaos, the fun, the lawlessness of it has always attracted me, so I decided that I would write some sort of pirate novel. Around the same time Game of Thrones aired and I was hooked. I loved the multi character, dark themed semi-fantasy styled tv show, so I thought I’d go down that road with the book and that’s it, that’s how it started. I had written a few characters, written about 20,000 words or so and then I put the whole thing on pause and for some reason never went back to it.

Sophie: Many years later we met in Australia, got married and decided we wanted to work on a project together. We both think very similarly, and I had been writing research papers, so I’d got used to writing professionally but certainly not fiction. It was all very new to me. When Chris mentioned the draft and the pirate world I jumped at the chance! I’ve always loved pirates. I read the draft of what he had written all those years ago, killed off a couple of characters, wrote a second draft, then a third… and the rest is what’s out in the world today.

Chris: As for the story itself, what inspired it was a love of drama. The idea of things happening to the characters where the audience or reader knows how bad something is going to turn out, but the characters don’t. In Isle of Chaos there are six main characters and each one accidentally causes problems for another, but they have no idea they are doing so.

Sophie: Yes, everything has a knock-on effect and it makes for an exciting story.

Q2: What are five words that describe your writing process?

Chris: Research, planning, plotting, re-writing, crying.

Sophie: Coffee, scattered, structured, fidgety, immersive.

Q3: What authors, or books have influenced you?

Chris: We aren’t actually avid readers, certainly not ‘bookworms’ TV shows have actually influenced me more, shows like Breaking Bad, Seinfeld and the Sopranos. 

Sophie: It’s true. Neither of us are ‘bookworms’ more TV viewers, our writing is very dialogue heavy, non-traditional some might say. We do read, just not the amount people might assume.

Chris: I love action packed writing. I’m a fan of Joe Abercrombie’s books, specifically the First Law trilogy as well as the new ones from that same world.

Sophie: For me, Stephen King and Clive Cussler through to Enid Blyton have all influenced my writing style. Though recently I’ve been getting more into contemporary and that may influence future works.

Q4: What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused? 

 Chris: Music for me, and a keyboard and screen.

Sophie: Coffee, water and ideally my double screen desk set up. I’m not a fan of working on the couch or somewhere romantic like a coffee shop. No work is getting done there for me!

Q5. What, to you, are the most important elements of good writing?

Chris: Strong and interesting characters and a good story, people can overlook a lot if you have those two first things.

Sophie: Agreed. I think you want to be able to connect with those characters quickly too, otherwise the interest is lost. 



Q6: What is the best advice you have ever heard?

Chris: Nobody knows what they’re doing, not even the pro’s and personally after working in some of the top video game companies I know that is the truth. You just gotta do your best, forget the rest!

Sophie: Try your best given the circumstances. It’s sort of simple, but I apply it to all aspects of my life. I spent a lot of time in my life striving for perfection and it was actually stifling, so now I reflect on things and ask myself that.

Q7: What is your favourite genre to read?

Chris: I’m open the any genre really as long as the writing is to my style, so no long descriptions. I don’t want to have someone explain to me what a wall looks like for two paragraphs.  No offense to those that do, some people really like that style, I’ve had a few friends tell me that our style is good, but too fast paced for them. It’s just a personal preference.

Sophie: I’ll give most things try, I typically lean towards darker subject matter or humorous or both! I don’t tend to read fantasy, hardcore horror or straight up romance, but that’s about it.

Q8: What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?

Sophie: This is a Chris question; he handles the plot and first draft…

Chris: Loose plot first, I want a story where this kind of thing happens. Then the characters to fit the scene. As for why? I don’t actually know, stories are usually sold as more of an event, so it’s like, hey remember when this thing happened? Remember when we went to the ice cream shop, and someone dropped their ice cream and found a golden coin which led them to buried treasure? Remember when the cruise ship got overtaken by pirates? Etc. That usually gets them into the story, but then they fall in love with the characters and remember the characters if they are good after. So, I suppose that’s how I think of stories as well, interesting plot first, then make them fall in love with the characters.

Q9: What are you working on now?

Chris: I’m working on our second detective novel, just the first draft, I’m in the research, plotting and character creation phase.

Sophie: Chris likes to stay one book ahead! I’m about to jump into our first detective book which explores the origin story of one of our characters from Isle of Chaos, Jane Hatch. Turns out she was a pirate turned detective in her early days. Should be a fun one!

Q10: What are you currently reading?

Chris: Headphones and Heartaches by Wesley Parker, I’m just about to start it, I’ve read his first one and it was amazing so looking forward to this one.

Sophie: I have two on the go. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and Diary of a Shy Backpacker (part three) by Bruce Spydar.

To find out more about Sophie and Chris Brousseau of Maple Lion Fiction follow the links below:

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Writing About What You Know

 We have all heard the adage that a writer should write about what they know. I have always felt like the saying should be altered to say: "Write about what intrigues you". However, for the latest story I have been working on I have taken the advice to write what you know to heart when I am writing the setting for this new Urban Fantasy. I thought I would introduce you to a few of the settings I have been dreaming about so often lately. 


Melbourne


The beginning of my story takes place in my beloved home city, Melbourne. I have travelled to many places and I have never quite found a place like it. I feel like this part of the story is a love letter to the gardens, buildings and people of the city; the kind-heartedness of the locals, the safety you feel when walking around. Writing about a place I love and miss made beginning the story so much easier for me. 

The Mountains


Just outside Melbourne you will find winding, forested mountains. My grandparents lived there and I always loved visiting. There is something about the mountain air that refreshes me, washing away the air and stress from the city. Much of my story takes place in a fictionalised version of the mountain township my grandparents lived in. As I write I can smell the leaf litter and snow on the air. I never thought I would add such a personal place to my stories, but it has been a really lovely experience. 


Bars and Pubs

My husband used to be in a band, so throughout the past decade or so I have visited many of Melbourne's music venues, from the sticky-floored band rooms out the back, to the sticky-floored bars out the front. I have sat on bar stools, crates, broken and torn lounges across so many dimly lit bars that I simply had to have a scene that took place at a gig. This scene was not originally part of my original plot outline, and once it was written it completely changed the trajectory of the story. I am so glad I went with my gut on this one, and it was great to be able to write an amalgamation of all the hours I have spent watching noisy bands I know nothing about. 

So, tell me. Do you enjoy reading about real places that the author obviously loves, or would you rather read about new places that spring out of the author's imagination? I think I like a little bit of both.

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Author Interview - Erica J. Kingdom

 

Always having a book to hand, Erica J. Kingdom (they/them) is convinced that they are from a fantasy realm. They started writing when studying for their GCSEs, in addition to being an English teacher in training. Their works can be found in journals such as The Paper Crane and Honeyfire Lit. When they embark on a larger project, they love writing about challenging topics such as revenge and the importance of responsibility within society. When Erica isn't writing, they love to take walks through the local forests and casually plays the piano.


Their favourite books are those that present adventure, explore the complexities of the human condition and let them delve into the millions of worlds that stories have to offer.

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Q&A:

Q1: What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?

The Burning Throne is my latest piece of work. There wasn’t really a specific event in my life that inspired it, but mostly there was a myriad of influences - mainly from Derek Landy’s Demon Road books, which are some of my favourite. The characters within it were mostly taking elements from my own life and dramatising them.

A certain character, Nate, is somewhat loosely based on me as a teenager, having gone through many revisions to make it more dramatized. After all, I do not condone murder or killing.

Q2: What are five words that describe your writing process?

Random. Ordered. Chaotic. Silent. Aggressive typing.

This is mostly because my writing processes are very weird for my various projects. For longer works I tend to either write with music or without, smaller ones I tend not to. I do plan some of my longer projects and not my shorter ones. And the aggressive typing ends up being a feature of all my projects - as I’m told I’m an aggressive typist, whatever that means. Basically, I type really fast. That said, apparently Queer people type really fast, so I fit that stereotype.

Q3: What authors, or books have influenced you?

Derek Landy and V.E Schwab are my main influences as of late. Derek Landy was the first author I really got into seven years ago (god I feel old) and Schwab has been a more recent influence in terms of descriptive writing. I particularly love Schwab’s book, Our Dark Duet.

Q4: What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?

I find that an abundance of tea works best. I also need silence if I’m writing a really long scene. If I’m bored, podcasts tend to work really well for me, honestly, so there’s that. But really, my laptop, phone or tablet and then motivation are key cornerstones of my writing space.

I find that motivation is best gotten if you make a to-do list the day before. A tip from me is to try and clear as much of your to-do list as you can. Also take self-care days, they’re super important. I know that I don’t have enough of them, which is something I’m trying to work on in the second half of the year (as I’m writing this, we’re still in 2021).   

Q5. What, to you, are the most important elements of good writing?

Writing, as this question says, is completely subjective. Honestly, for me, there is a lot of characterisation that I need. Good writing comes from a few places. Personally, the narrative voice needs to be good, otherwise I lose interest. The world needs to be well built and everything needs to be engaging.

Q6: What is the best advice you have ever heard?

Derek Landy once told me that “sometimes you create the character and then the world”. It was something that I used in my university personal statement. Also, I use that advice when creating my books, thinking about the character and then the world that I’m building them around.

Q7: What is your favourite genre to read?

Fantasy.

Q8: What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?

For me, I find that the characters and plot come together. Plotting the character arc tends to give me the plot of the book. Otherwise the danger is that the plot will move the character and not the other way around.

If we are taking a character like Nate (from my book The Burning Throne), I had his arc of responsibility throughout the novel planned from the start. I needed to work with Erica’s role (no, she’s not a self-insert) within the book a little bit more to get it right. By this point, though, she was an integral character to the plot.

Q9: What are you working on now?

A lot of what I’m working with at the moment is the second instalment of The Burning Throne. More details for that will be coming soon. Hint: it involves a TV, a man cloaked in black and a bunch of voice notes. And a lot of letters.

Q10: What are you currently reading?

The Monsters We Deserve by Marcus Sedgwick

To find out more about Erica J. Kingdom, check out the links below:

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Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Author Interview - Mandi Oyster

 

Mandi Oyster lives in Southwest Iowa on her very own forest reserve with her husband, two kids, four cats, and two chinchillas. She is sure that fairies, unicorns, goblins, dragons, and other mythological creatures live in those woods, and she hopes to one day see them. By day, she works for a local print shop. At night, she dreams up worlds and adventures to share with her readers. Mandi writes YA Fantasy, and her latest novel, Book 7 of the Dacia Wolf series, Dacia Wolf & the Phouka’s Curse, is coming soon.


Q&A:

 Q1: What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?

My books are all in the same series. The latest is Dacia Wolf & the Wings of Change. I was inspired to write the first book, Dacia Wolf & the Prophecy, after reading the first three Harry Potter books in one weekend. After reading them, I kept having a scene play in my head, over and over again until I wrote it down. Once I did, the rest of the book came out. That original scene was wiped out in edits, but I’m glad it came to me. If it hadn’t, I wouldn’t be working on book 7, Dacia Wolf & the Phouka’s Curse now.

Q2: What are five words that describe your writing process?

I don’t know why, but questions like this are always really hard for me to answer.

Impromptu. Daily. Chaotic. Important. Satisfying.

Q3: What authors, or books have influenced you?

J.K. Rowling’s books made me want to write after years of not wanting to. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the best world-building ever. Becca Fitzpatrick writes exceptional body language. John Flanagan is great at writing a long series. Janet Evanovich’s books for their humor. Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Melissa Marr, and Sarah J. Maas for memorable characters. M.H. Woodscourt, C.T. Ortega, Alexis Johnson, Ava Cates, and Kristin Ward for writing outstanding indie books.

 Q4: What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused? 

Either a computer or a pen and paper. Sometimes, it will look like I’m not focused, but I’m a pantser, so I stare off into space a lot.

Q5. What, to you, are the most important elements of good writing?

You have to have a plot, but no matter how great your plot is, if your characters aren’t well-written, your story will fail. It’s also important that you find your own voice. There are so many “rules” to writing, but if everyone followed them, books would sound like they were written by robots.

Q6: What is the best advice you have ever heard?

Write every day. You can’t edit a blank page.

Q7: What is your favourite genre to read?

Fantasy. I like to deal with problems that don’t really exist. You can learn something from what the characters are going through, but you don’t have to worry about coming across them in your own life. I prefer young adult because I listen to people talk like sailors all day at work. I don’t need to read it, too.

Q8: What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?

Like I said before, if your characters aren’t realistic, it doesn’t matter how great the plot is. People won’t get behind it.

Q9: What are you working on now?

I’m close to 60,000 words into book 7 in the Dacia Wolf series, and I need to hurry up and finish it because I have readers waiting to see what happens next.

Q10: What are you currently reading?

Legends of Astraea, by Sophia Alessandrini.

Keep reading for a sneak preview of 
Dacia Wolf & the Phouka’s Curse:

Nathan sauntered across the rocky outcrop toward me. There was something about him that, despite his size, made him seem friendly instead of intimidating. He took in my measure, smiling when his cornflower blue eyes met mine. “I can see why Liam stayed.”

Heat burned my cheeks, and I imagined my whole face was scarlet. 

Before I could think of anything to say in response, Nathan was continuing, “A beautiful girl who hangs with demons and dragons”—he held out his hand, waiting for me to take it—“the excitement must be unending.”

To find out more about Mandi Oyster, follow the links below:


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