Update and Pretty

Hello All,
I've a few update items to share!

1. I have written a holiday story for an anthology from Beaten Track Publishing. The title of the Anthology is Boughs of Evergreen: A Holiday Anthology. I'll be participating in a blog hop to introduce one of my main characters next week.

2. I have a release date for my story with Less Than Three Press. The title is Light Perpetual Shines and it will be released on February 4, 2015. More details, and the cover, are still to come.

3. This year I WILL participate in NaNoWriMo. Really, I will. Maybe. Hopefully. I'll keep you updated.

And now, some pretty to make this post worth it. :D

Time Travel, Flavored Lube and Going to the Gym, Oh My!!!

Thing the First - Since we last communed on this here blog I have moved my family 2,000 miles across the country into the frozen northern tundra (aka North Dakota) and started a brand new job! It has been a crazy two months but it has been really good too. The hubby, the cat and I love our new apartment and a job that let's us, you know, buy food and pay rent without worrying about bank overdrafts. YAY for being a proper adult.

Thing the Second - This means that everything in my last has sort of been pushed forward by two months - it is still my plan of attack but beginning now instead of two months ago! In the meantime, I did finish an entirely new project that I didn't mention in that post (see thing the third).

Thing the Third - If you are a part of the M/M Romance Group on goodreads.com, you will have heard of the Scavenger Hunt. For those of you who are not, I will give a brief explanation. Each month ten categories were chosen (books with a green cover, book that starts with a "K", book with a doctor as an MC, etc). We had to pick a book for each category. Then, as we were reading those books we had to scavenge for points. There were ten items (eg jock strap, flavored lube), ten locations (eg mansion, gym), ten themes (eg law enforcement, time travel), and ten items to be found on the cover (eg baby, sunglasses). Those items were assigned point values so each book we read had a total point value based on the items found in that book. The team with the most combined points over the course of six months won!

Katie is the fearless leader who kept everything organized and fielded all the nit picky and ridiculous questions concerning what counted for each thing (eg Does a baby dragon on the cover count for the baby on the cover points?). She did all this while pregnant and then with a brand new baby. As a thank you, a bunch of us got together and decided to create a book that hit all FORTY items, locations, themes, and cover items. This is where Hunting Under Covers was born. Over a dozen of us from the scavenger hunt got together to write, beta, edit, design a cover for, and publish this amazing anthology. You can download it for free on goodreads, smashwords, or Divergent Publishing. Contributing authors are Aimee Brissay, Kaje Harper, MYSELF, Shayla Mist, M.E. Sanford, and Jay Vaughn. There is also one round robin story written by many different contributors. I am in the middle of reading the rest of the stories in the anthology but as soon as I am done, I'll be back with details and reviews.

In the interim - here are pics of the two fellows from my contribution (it's story about a Scottish warrior who travels through time in order to save his true love from death), Home.

Angus:

Brian:

If the list of great authors who are in this anthology don't convince you to check it out - then maybe those pics will succeed! ;) Until next time! 

NaNoWriMo

So, many of may have noticed that I have sporadic at best and then mostly silent lately. I have had a lot of trouble finding inspiration and motivation. SO, I have decided to join NaNoWriMo this year. For those you who look at that and go WTF are all those random letters - it stands for the National Novel Writing Month (which is November btw). The goal is to write 50,000 words over the course of a month. Eeeep!  My goals for the month are twofold. First off - Finish True Love's Kiss (OH MY GOODNESS - IT IS TIME ALREADY). I will still parcel it out to you a chapter at a time but it will come on a regular schedule cause it is, you know, already written. But I am not predicting that to take up the full 50,000 words because I already have a good 14,400 words of it written and it is only meant to be novella length by the time it is done. Second off - get started on my next project. I have decided to write something to submit to an actual publisher. One of my very favorite publishers is Less Than Three Press. They are having a submission call for stories about missed connections for an anthology. I have a plot bunny about country singers that was actually inspired by my brief experiment with Music Mondays (hopefully I will get a few more of those in soon - if anyone has songs they want me to use, post in the comments).

So for the tl;dr version - National Novel Writing Month is a thing. I WILL finish True Love's Kiss and I will start my next project which involves country singers and a missed connection. ;)

Thank you for your time and have some pretty for your trouble.

Announcement Delayed

So I know I said I had an awesome announcement for y'all today but alas, it is not dependent only upon myself and the other party has issued a delay. Tune back in on Friday to see what I was I going to reveal today! I am being mysterious and I love it. ;) Now, as a thanks for tuning in, here is some pretty. :D

True Love's Kiss Update #5

Hello Everyone,
Would you believe that, despite having this blog for almost two years now I have NEVER tried to schedule a future post before. Well, it is true. And it is also the reason I have been incommunicado for the past week. I went out of town where I would have minimal reliable internet so I "scheduled" a week's worth of posts in advance. But alas. Rather than pressing "publish" which I assumed would publish them immediately, I put in the date and pressed save. Well, here we are a week later and none of them have been posted. Mea culpa. I don't want to inundate you with a week's worth of posts in one day so I will do one a day for a few days until I am caught up. So without further ado, I give you True Love's Kiss Part 5.

Click here for the True Love's Kiss main page or click here to go straight to Part 5!

Summary
Be begins to learn to fight from his bodyguard, Cresp and one day, Kalristian is caught watching one of their training sessions. Much to Be's surprise, Kalristian becomes flustered and ends up asking him out to the Fairy Gardens later that evening. While their outing begins rockily, Be and Kalristian open up to each other and decide to start again. They have a pleasant evening and are about to consummate with a kiss when they are interrupted with the news that Nullnomen has caught the shooter who attempted to kill Be.

Behind the Scenes
This was one of my favorite chapters to write. Firstly, because it was sweet and romantic (and I LOVE that) and secondly because I got to torture readers with a cliffhanger ending (muahahaha). Also, until this point, I had a much shorter version of this story planned. As I set up the shooter being caught I had to plan what the shooter was going to say and more explicitly outline how the evil plot was going to play out. Rather than make it a simple power grab (which was what I had in mind originally) I decided to add some complexity to it. No, you don't get to know what that complexity is yet BUT you will get to find out before the end. ;) Because of the plotting and planning that went into this chapter the whole story is probably going to be about twice as long as originally planned. The writer in me hopes that this will please y'all.

Also, some fun for any weapons enthusiasts out there. This is an approximation of the hammers that Be is learning to fight with. They are not the same size/shape as his blacksmithing hammers but it is familiar enough that he feel comfortable wielding them.

And just for a comparison, this is what one of his blacksmith hammers would look like - a little smaller and a little lighter. 

I hope you enjoyed that behind the scenes look and I'll be back tomorrow with some more! :D

True Love's Kiss Update #4

I have been a little remiss in my True Love's Kiss posts this weekend. We can blame the Love Has No Boundaries event for posting my story yesterday. If you didn't get a chance scroll down a bit and click through to read Pickup Lines at the Goodreads.com M/M Romance Group. Without further adieu, I give you a brief summary of Part 4 and a little behind the scenes insight into (dun dun dun) the mind of the writer. *woo woo*

Summary
Be wakes up in bed, after being shot, only to find that King Kalristian has used the healing magic of the royal bloodline to heal him from his injuries. Much to his shock, Kalristian kneels before him and apologizes for allowing him to injured. After staying abed for one more day, Be attends a meeting with the King's inner counsel to discuss the assassination attempt. The King's spymaster, Nullnomen, deduces that Bierni was the actual target. If he is dead then they would be forced to put Kalristian back to sleep. After the meeting, Be and Kalristian share an unexpected moment.

In My Mind
This was an interesting chapter to write because it is the chapter where Be and Kalristian's relationship begins to develop into something less than hateful. I am used to writing short stories so generally things go a bit fast. However, I am trying to make this story longer so I struggled with how quickly to shift their relationship to make it realistic but also not draw it out too terribly.

Additionally, it was also the chapter in which I introduce the mystery - who shot Be and why? In order to do this I introduced Master Nullnomen and Silurianus' son. I admit, I was a bit ham-handed in their introduction and I might edit it a bit in the re-write. I sometimes get a wee bit over excited when naming my characters. I like to research what the name means and be really clever.

That is where Nullnomen came from. I may have taken six years of latin during high school and college and the name - in some horrible bastaridization of romance languages - literally means "no name" or "empty name." Thus, the king's master spy. I can't bring myself to change it despite it's ridiculosity. :D I figure if I'm the one writing, I get to have a little fun with it. ;)

I'll see you back in a day or so with the next update!

Pickup Lines Posted!!

Hello My Readers,
I have wonderful news. My story, Pickup Lines, has been posted. I wrote it as a part of the M/M Romance Group's Love Has No Boundaries event. You can find the photos, the prompt, and THE STORY here.

Blurb

Edmund and Mack have been friends for years. Edmund has been in love with Mack for almost as long. Things finally seem to be shifting between the two until Edmund ruins everything for the sake of petty infighting with his family. Can Edmund prove to Mack that he is more important than all of that or will he loose Mack forever?

If you read it and like (or I guess if you don't) please please please click over to the goodreads story page (linkity here) and give it a rating and/or review. I would love you even more than I already do. :D

True Love's Kiss Update #3

Today you will be getting the summary for Part 3 and some visual inspiration for the Fairy Gardens! Hope you enjoy. :D You can click here for the True Love's Kiss homepage with links to all the chapters or you can click here to go directly to Part 3.

Summary

Be is still locked in the room, as we left him at the end of the previous chapter. Expecting the King or one of his functionaries when the door bursts open, he is surprised when his overly excited sister enters. She convinces him to stay in the capital and give King Kalristian another chance - if only so she has the chance to study under the palace healers and learn more of her trade. And explore the capital some. Promises secured, Be makes the best of being forced into a court dinner by befriending ex-High Regent Silurianus. The evening takes a turn when he is shot with an arrow while viewing the lights of the city from one of the palace towers with Silurianus and Mils. ;)

Fairy Gardens Inspiration

NOTE: I own none of these photos and did none of this art work. Sources are noted where I could find them.

unknown artist

Frederick Grier

Kolonihavehaus by Tom Fruin

Unwanted Visitor by Herb Williams

Enduring Trust by Chuck Peters

Enduring Trust in Snow

I absolutely love outdoor glass sculpture. It is so beautiful and can be lit wonderfully by natural light or by fire (as in the story). These are just a few of an absolute ton of wonderful outdoor glass sculpture that I found. If you are interested bring out the google fu and give a go at it. You won't be disappointed. :D I chose these particular pieces to share today because of their bright colors and bold style. I believe that this most represents the style of art that would be found in the Fairy Gardens. The colors, in particular span the spectrum and are magical to view - especially from above where you would be able to take in the entire garden at once - as Be, Mils and Silurianus are able to in the chapter. Never fear, you will get a closer look at the Fairy Gardens in a later chapter. 

I hope that was a fun detour into the world of True Love's Kiss. I'll be back a day or so with some more! :D

True Love's Kiss Update #2

This is True Love's Kiss special feature post #2! Following you will find a summary of Part 2 and some behind the scene's look at the cover!

Summary
Prince, now King, Kalristian and Be speak for the first time and it isn't love at first sight. Kalristian is shocked by the number of years that have passed since he was put to sleep to keep the curse at bay. After a heated exchange, Be storms out, determined to leave. Instead, he is apprehended and locked in one of the rooms in the palace.

Where did the cover come from?!?!

Initially, I had three separate ideas for this cover. 1. Some fun fantasy background 2. Fire/Swirls/Etc to indicate mystery/magical fun 3. Image of castle/palace. Here are few mock ups that I made along the way to my final version. All images used here have the stock photo watermark because they are just mock ups to decide which image to finally purchase.

In the end - after much discussion with my writing group at the time - I decided I liked the idea of a palace image the best. The scenery ones I could find were just too boring and the magic in the story isn't quite so flashy as all that. I thought the ivory themed palace was a better portrayal of the romantic and fantasy feel of the overall story. And now, this is the one I finally chose.

I chose this font because it had a whimsical romantic air about it. It seemed to go well with the feel I wanted. I chose this picture - as opposed to the ones above - because it was a little less visually confusing than the last one which I always feel like I am looking at upside down for some reason. I rejected the first palace image because it seemed a bit too plain. I did, however, like the chandelier. This influenced what I was looking for as I continued my search. I ended up with this picture which was a suitably nice looking palace, with a chandelier that is not overly ornate. This cover is not quite so story specific because True Love's Kiss is a serial and thus not completed yet. While I have the plot planned out, the specifics will be altered a lot over the course of writing. I did not want to make an overly specific cover and then have it not be relevant. Thus, I went more for a feel, than plot points.

Hope that was enjoyable!! I'll be back in a couple of days. :D

True Love's Kiss Update #1

Now that I have completed my Love Has No Boundaries stories (Falling Apart still needs to go through final edits but it is turned in!), it is time for me to turn back to True Love's Kiss. I am so freaking excited you have no idea. I am going to continue to post chapters every 2-3 weeks (I wish more often but I am being realistic here) BUT I am also going to expand the story a bit - including adding a lot more back story and giving it a prologue. Once all that is done, I will let my betas have a go at it and publish it. I am hoping it will make it to a novella length. So far, I have stuck to short stories but I would really like to branch out.

In preparation for True Love's Kiss to start back up again, I am going to do some "refresher" posts. Every couple of days for the next week or so I am going to do a "special feature" on one of the previous chapters. Today we get to start with Part 1!

Click here to find a main page that links to each of the chapters individually OR click here to be linked directly to Part 1.

Summary
Bierni Nalorna of Sasharin has promised his sister, Milarna, that he would escort her to the capital as soon as she is old enough to make an attempt to break the curse of the crown prince. The royal line was cursed many generations ago to die unless they are bonded to their one true love by the time they are 20 years old (in the revised version I am upping this age a bit because I realized the characters I am writing are not that young). Any citizen can attempt to break the curse with true love's kiss. Be has no intention of kissing anyone, much less a cursed prince - he doesn't believe in all this true love malarky anyway - but events conspire against and he is forced to make an attempt. Much to his surprise, his kiss wakes the cursed Prince Kalristian.

Background
Initially, this was meant to be a standalone ficbit written as a part of my Friday First Kisses (I don't do that anymore...real life has gotten in the way). I absolutely love fairy tales - and had been enjoying reading the Fairytales Slashed anthologies from Less Than Three Press - so I decided to try my hand at a classic. But instead of a cursed Princess, there is a cursed Prince and his love is most definitely a man. ;) After posting it, I got some good responses and requests for more (it did end on quite an interesting note). I thought it would be fun to do it as a serial. Unfortunately, after completing Book 1, I found I didn't have the time I needed to write this regularly so I put it on hiatus. My life has now calmed down a bit and these characters have been floating around in my head so I am looking forward to continuing on.

I'll be back in a couple of days with a summary for Part 2 and some fun insight into the cover! If you have any questions or things you'd like to know about this universe, post a comment or shoot me an email (kchayes54@gmail.com). If it doesn't give away too much future plot I will do my best to answer!! :D

tumblr!

I have a confession to make. I have fallen to the temptations and depravities that are the world of tumblr. On tumblr I am not an author. I am not a reviewer. I AM A FAN(ATIC). I reblog my favorite shows (usually geeky in some way), I set my favorite ships to sail, I coo over the most adorable and ridiculous cat posts I can find and generally post randomness of every stripe. I am just now learning the joys of tagging (and am coming up with some pretty fun and awesome tags if I do say so myself). One that gets used more often than I might like, especially in reference to Janto is "tears to fill the seas of a thousand worlds." I think that pretty much describes tumblr as a whole. So, if you are interested, check me out over there: http://kchayes54.tumblr.com/

And now for those of you who have no interest in tumblr, I give you some pretty to make this post worth it. ;)

I am in a broody man mood today - deal with it.

Love Has No Boundaries Update

Hello All,
Figured an update was in order. I just got back my edits from the LHNB team for Pick Up Lines. It is shaping up well and will hopefully be posted in the near future (not sure when but I am getting really excited!).

Just a reminder, this is a story about the love between these two fellows. ;)

And here's a brief little excerpt to whet your appetites:

"So, you're my best friend, right?"

Mack had sat down at his desk and he looked up sharply with a wary glance. "Yes. But I don't think I'm going to like where this is going."

I smiled sweetly.

"Yeah, I know I'm not going to like it."