I just keep having more and more good news on here, don't I?
My good news for today is that I just got an email reply from my editor, informing me that I should please consider printing out the contract enclosed and send it back to the publisher for my follow up novel to Unity.
Where Unity tells the story of Darcy's first awareness of the world of Faerie, and her struggle to find balance between it and her real life, Awakening follows her story as she leaves Kinvara and tries to make a life for herself in Killarney. Little does she know that the world of Faerie will follow her down into that town, and Faerie itself will not remain so removed from her world as it used to be.
The story is set in Ireland and shares the mystical history that the land is rich with. I'm very excited to be told that this story has a tenuous release date of March, 2009. So keep a look out for it!
And Unity is still currently available at http://allromanceebooks.com/product-temperanceunity-9894-140.html
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label Nikki Watson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nikki Watson. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
What does my Dark Tarot card mean to me?
I seem to be posting a fair bit in this half of the month. Must be a sign that I have more time available to me. Or maybe, since I just started university last Monday, it's a sign that I'm starting to better manage my time.
We can hope. :D
I'm really enjoying the promo for my newest release, Unity. I think it's because, of the novels I have published, this one is the one where I really feel that I have come out into my own. On one of the the chat loops to promote our books, a very good question was asked. "What does your card mean to you?" And it got me thinking.
I was very lucky when I finally submitted my story into the Dark Tarot series. The Temperance card was still available to submit FOR! Unity was already on my computer and written, and I knew the sorts of themes that it explored, yet there were a few cards that I thought it could fit well under.
For me, what cinched it was the wonderful cover art. I mean, look at
it.
Those colors, and patterns, my name there in the middle of it. *grins* Isn't it beautiful?
In Unity, I explore the idea of two girls falling accidentally into
the world of Faerie, a fantasy world above or behind this world. As
fairies and elves are commonly attributed to have wings at their back,
what better for me to find than a cover with that very same
illustration? Add to that the fact that the Temperance card itself
means balance -something that my girls Celeste and Darcy find through
the passage of their travels- and I was sold! I hope you all are too. ;)
I'd like to thank the creative team at Tease for creating something so
perfect. I know I'm not the only author here to think so.
Unity, published by Tease Publishing. Available Now!
http://allromanceebooks.com/product-temperanceunity-9894-140.html.
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/
We can hope. :D
I'm really enjoying the promo for my newest release, Unity. I think it's because, of the novels I have published, this one is the one where I really feel that I have come out into my own. On one of the the chat loops to promote our books, a very good question was asked. "What does your card mean to you?" And it got me thinking.
I was very lucky when I finally submitted my story into the Dark Tarot series. The Temperance card was still available to submit FOR! Unity was already on my computer and written, and I knew the sorts of themes that it explored, yet there were a few cards that I thought it could fit well under.
For me, what cinched it was the wonderful cover art. I mean, look at
it.
Those colors, and patterns, my name there in the middle of it. *grins* Isn't it beautiful?
In Unity, I explore the idea of two girls falling accidentally into
the world of Faerie, a fantasy world above or behind this world. As
fairies and elves are commonly attributed to have wings at their back,
what better for me to find than a cover with that very same
illustration? Add to that the fact that the Temperance card itself
means balance -something that my girls Celeste and Darcy find through
the passage of their travels- and I was sold! I hope you all are too. ;)
I'd like to thank the creative team at Tease for creating something so
perfect. I know I'm not the only author here to think so.
Unity, published by Tease Publishing. Available Now!
http://allromanceebooks.com/product-temperanceunity-9894-140.html.
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Unity pre-release and an excerpt
Well, it's that time you've all been waiting for. Well, it's what I've been waiting for, at least!
All Romance eBooks now has my novel Unity on pre-order. http://allromanceebooks.com/product-temperanceunity-9894-140.html Come Tuesday this week, you could have a copy all of your very own for the reading!
Now that I've wet your appetite for that much, let me share with you an excerpt from the novel.
***
Night art classes were held at the local dojo twice a week. Celeste's teacher was a slight blonde woman who had missed her calling as a teenage cheerleader and, through affiliation with the younger--and therefore cooler--students of the class, was trying to recapture her youth. Currently, Susanna was strolling up and down between the crooked rows of canvases in her class, murmuring, “Yes, very good, very good”.
When Susanna arrived by Celeste's canvas, the dark haired girl looked at her expectantly. As Susanna stared at the half finished painting, Celeste expected her to make some original comment. When Susanna only smiled accommodatingly and told her to “Carry on”, Celeste deduced her teacher was quite blind or very deluded. She had been trying for something abstract against the central figure, but the perspective was all wrong, the colors didn't quite mesh, and there was a weird thing going on with the eyes that she couldn't quite seem to fix.
'Creepy, 'Leste,'
Jasper said to her, taking some time apart from his current work of art as Susanna moved on to another round of appreciative, “Ooh, very good” to other students.
Celeste shot him a sideways look at his sudden appearance there. Jasper shrugged.
'So, who's he supposed to be?'
Celeste looked back at the canvas. There was no salvaging it now. The best she could hope for was that Susanna's blind streak would continue into the marking phase, but at the same time, she didn't really want to depend on an ignorant eye for the benefit of her marks.
'I think I saw it in a dream.'
Celeste answered him shortly, pulling the canvas down from the board and turning to the paints on the table behind her to start putting them away. From the floor, the man stared out in all his magnificence, garbed in a medieval style tunic bearing some sort of intricately designed crest on the front of it.
As Celeste moved away and started sorting through the brushes she was going to have to wash, Jasper stepped closer to the discarded canvas, still staring, bringing his hand to cup his jaw as he studied Celeste's work.
'His gaze is striking… and the colors…'
'You're my friend; you have to say that,'
Her words were dismissive. Celeste walked to the sinks and started soaking her brushes before washing them there.
'Anyway, are we on for tonight?'
'Photography at the beach? Wouldn't miss that for the world. What time were we meeting up again?'
Jasper didn't pause at her change of subject as he answered. He straightened, easily coming back to remembering there was a whole other world outside of Celeste's painting.
All paints were packed, and Celeste stuffed the ones that were hers in her bag. The others she returned to the cupboard in the back of the room.
'After dark. Say about ten?'
Jasper nodded. When she returned to the stand she had borrowed, Jasper had her canvas in his hands and was holding it up to her attention with curiosity.
'So, what are you going to do with this?'
'Nothing. I'm heading off now. It's not like I'm going to get anything more from today. If you want to come around to my place early, Natalia's making chicken curry, mild.'
Celeste was busy picking the canvas and the stand up as she spoke. She laid the stand next to the others on the rack and then the canvas, she put with the rest of the used canvases, ready to be painted over and used anew. Jasper had his eyebrows raised; she was not usually so dismissive of any artwork she made. However, he returned his expression to normal well before she turned to look at him again.
'Ooh, just the way I like it. Tell her to make lots. I'll definitely be there.'
Unity, published by Tease Publishing. Available from July 15th.
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/
All Romance eBooks now has my novel Unity on pre-order. http://allromanceebooks.com/product-temperanceunity-9894-140.html Come Tuesday this week, you could have a copy all of your very own for the reading!
Now that I've wet your appetite for that much, let me share with you an excerpt from the novel.
***
Night art classes were held at the local dojo twice a week. Celeste's teacher was a slight blonde woman who had missed her calling as a teenage cheerleader and, through affiliation with the younger--and therefore cooler--students of the class, was trying to recapture her youth. Currently, Susanna was strolling up and down between the crooked rows of canvases in her class, murmuring, “Yes, very good, very good”.
When Susanna arrived by Celeste's canvas, the dark haired girl looked at her expectantly. As Susanna stared at the half finished painting, Celeste expected her to make some original comment. When Susanna only smiled accommodatingly and told her to “Carry on”, Celeste deduced her teacher was quite blind or very deluded. She had been trying for something abstract against the central figure, but the perspective was all wrong, the colors didn't quite mesh, and there was a weird thing going on with the eyes that she couldn't quite seem to fix.
'Creepy, 'Leste,'
Jasper said to her, taking some time apart from his current work of art as Susanna moved on to another round of appreciative, “Ooh, very good” to other students.
Celeste shot him a sideways look at his sudden appearance there. Jasper shrugged.
'So, who's he supposed to be?'
Celeste looked back at the canvas. There was no salvaging it now. The best she could hope for was that Susanna's blind streak would continue into the marking phase, but at the same time, she didn't really want to depend on an ignorant eye for the benefit of her marks.
'I think I saw it in a dream.'
Celeste answered him shortly, pulling the canvas down from the board and turning to the paints on the table behind her to start putting them away. From the floor, the man stared out in all his magnificence, garbed in a medieval style tunic bearing some sort of intricately designed crest on the front of it.
As Celeste moved away and started sorting through the brushes she was going to have to wash, Jasper stepped closer to the discarded canvas, still staring, bringing his hand to cup his jaw as he studied Celeste's work.
'His gaze is striking… and the colors…'
'You're my friend; you have to say that,'
Her words were dismissive. Celeste walked to the sinks and started soaking her brushes before washing them there.
'Anyway, are we on for tonight?'
'Photography at the beach? Wouldn't miss that for the world. What time were we meeting up again?'
Jasper didn't pause at her change of subject as he answered. He straightened, easily coming back to remembering there was a whole other world outside of Celeste's painting.
All paints were packed, and Celeste stuffed the ones that were hers in her bag. The others she returned to the cupboard in the back of the room.
'After dark. Say about ten?'
Jasper nodded. When she returned to the stand she had borrowed, Jasper had her canvas in his hands and was holding it up to her attention with curiosity.
'So, what are you going to do with this?'
'Nothing. I'm heading off now. It's not like I'm going to get anything more from today. If you want to come around to my place early, Natalia's making chicken curry, mild.'
Celeste was busy picking the canvas and the stand up as she spoke. She laid the stand next to the others on the rack and then the canvas, she put with the rest of the used canvases, ready to be painted over and used anew. Jasper had his eyebrows raised; she was not usually so dismissive of any artwork she made. However, he returned his expression to normal well before she turned to look at him again.
'Ooh, just the way I like it. Tell her to make lots. I'll definitely be there.'
Unity, published by Tease Publishing. Available from July 15th.
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Unity - Dark Tarot
I have just handed in my line edits for Unity and I'm feeling just fine!
It's getting close now, due out in e-book later this month, with Tease Publishing's imprint, Tease Tarot.
:D
And here's a synopsis for anyone who's missed it previously posted:
Obstinate Darcy and artistic Celeste lives cross, starting them both on a path into the world of Faerie, which draws them in and comes alive for them. Their lives become those of true ladies, of balls and gorgeous men in dark cathedrals, as the world of abusive stepfathers and fits of depression are left behind them. As they change for their experiences, they realise that they a balance must be found between their Faerie travels, which they visit in their dreams, and the Real Life of their waking world.
I'll be back soon with excerpts!
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/
It's getting close now, due out in e-book later this month, with Tease Publishing's imprint, Tease Tarot.
:D
And here's a synopsis for anyone who's missed it previously posted:
Obstinate Darcy and artistic Celeste lives cross, starting them both on a path into the world of Faerie, which draws them in and comes alive for them. Their lives become those of true ladies, of balls and gorgeous men in dark cathedrals, as the world of abusive stepfathers and fits of depression are left behind them. As they change for their experiences, they realise that they a balance must be found between their Faerie travels, which they visit in their dreams, and the Real Life of their waking world.
I'll be back soon with excerpts!
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Reader/Writers
I still would like to maintain, that after the last three years that I've been finding ePublishers around the place who want to publish my writing, the best part about the ePub industry are the people you come to meet and get to know. It's hardly a controversial statement to make that ePubs open and close, will give you grief and tears of happiness, but the friends you make, people who you can trust to read your work and give you an honest opinion, and the people who's work you can read in return, are the most valuable part of the ePublishing industry, and indeed, the most valuable part of any writer's art.
Having just finished a previous project (a project set after Unity, titled Awakening) which took me the better part of half a year to write to its completion, I have recently started on a new project, the next in that series. I like to think that the series I am creating has something of a Charles De Lint slant. I've spoken about him before. Just check the tags for previous posts I've made about the fantasy author. All of the stories I am writing right now are a part of the same universe, but the characters who are main shift and change and accommodate include new characters that bring new life and interest to a series that I think would be much less if it depended on previous novels.
But these are my novels. Of course I think they are something special.
After coming out the other end of a horrible stint of writer's block, with the help of one of my reader/writer friends, I only want to thank all of the people who are patient with me, who love to read my writing, who love that I read theirs. I think that all of you know who you are. I dearly appreciate you.
Thank you.
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/
Having just finished a previous project (a project set after Unity, titled Awakening) which took me the better part of half a year to write to its completion, I have recently started on a new project, the next in that series. I like to think that the series I am creating has something of a Charles De Lint slant. I've spoken about him before. Just check the tags for previous posts I've made about the fantasy author. All of the stories I am writing right now are a part of the same universe, but the characters who are main shift and change and accommodate include new characters that bring new life and interest to a series that I think would be much less if it depended on previous novels.
But these are my novels. Of course I think they are something special.
After coming out the other end of a horrible stint of writer's block, with the help of one of my reader/writer friends, I only want to thank all of the people who are patient with me, who love to read my writing, who love that I read theirs. I think that all of you know who you are. I dearly appreciate you.
Thank you.
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/
Friday, April 25, 2008
What a pretty description, doesn't it completely make the story?
I was having a positive conversation with a friend of mine about this old description in an as yet, woefully... foolishly? unfinished story that was started almost a year ago.
Con lifted her head, shifting the blonde bangs from her eyes. Her walk, she had down to a fine art. Even her mother could not fault it.
From behind, she appeared as a boy. Thick, platform Mary Jane shoes covered her feet, and were covered over by straight black suit pants of a boy’s cut. With that combination, Con looked as tall as many of the boys who walked the halls, and a little taller than some. That her blonde hair cropped up against the back of her head, and only a scant amount of fringe flopped over her eyes, was exactly the look she was going for. She knew she could dip her head and smile at any of the first year girls, and they in turn would smile, and blush, before finding their friends to talk about the very effeminate boy who had just flirted with them.
Con had met up with a Swedish student by the name of Kjell a little bit into her first year at uni. Brunette where she was blonde, Kjell’s walk was nothing like her own, for all that he was a member of the male species. His hair was tied back in a ponytail to the length of his shoulder blades.
‘Trying to impress the newbies?’
His deep voice made her smile, and look up into his kind green eyes.
‘Whatever would make you think that?’
‘The poets shirt. You always wear that when you’re trying to impress someone.'
It got me to thinking of other descriptions that I have used for characters over the last few years, and I was looking at a small book that I had stopped using until recently.
It's only large enough to jot disjointed ideas down in note form when I'm nowhere near a computer or completely in the mind track of doing something else, like sleeping, or being on rickety PT, or having a conversation with someone. But these were some I found, and some characters that I want recreate just based on the fractured descriptions.
Her usually bright eyes were bloodshot above high cheekbones.
Blonde hair that he'd forgotten to tie up that morning framed jaw line and compassionate blue eyes in a disheveled mess.
Chocolate brown eyes asked her a silent question as his dark fringe fell into his eyes, again.
The line of his nose and mouth were thinner, perfect for the look of distaste he pulled when he was displeased.
It seemed like she was only moving to stop herself from curling in a corner and crying the rims around her eyes even redder.
His eyes were watchful, even when his attention seemed to be elsewhere.
Con lifted her head, shifting the blonde bangs from her eyes. Her walk, she had down to a fine art. Even her mother could not fault it.
From behind, she appeared as a boy. Thick, platform Mary Jane shoes covered her feet, and were covered over by straight black suit pants of a boy’s cut. With that combination, Con looked as tall as many of the boys who walked the halls, and a little taller than some. That her blonde hair cropped up against the back of her head, and only a scant amount of fringe flopped over her eyes, was exactly the look she was going for. She knew she could dip her head and smile at any of the first year girls, and they in turn would smile, and blush, before finding their friends to talk about the very effeminate boy who had just flirted with them.
Con had met up with a Swedish student by the name of Kjell a little bit into her first year at uni. Brunette where she was blonde, Kjell’s walk was nothing like her own, for all that he was a member of the male species. His hair was tied back in a ponytail to the length of his shoulder blades.
‘Trying to impress the newbies?’
His deep voice made her smile, and look up into his kind green eyes.
‘Whatever would make you think that?’
‘The poets shirt. You always wear that when you’re trying to impress someone.'
It got me to thinking of other descriptions that I have used for characters over the last few years, and I was looking at a small book that I had stopped using until recently.
It's only large enough to jot disjointed ideas down in note form when I'm nowhere near a computer or completely in the mind track of doing something else, like sleeping, or being on rickety PT, or having a conversation with someone. But these were some I found, and some characters that I want recreate just based on the fractured descriptions.
Her usually bright eyes were bloodshot above high cheekbones.
Blonde hair that he'd forgotten to tie up that morning framed jaw line and compassionate blue eyes in a disheveled mess.
Chocolate brown eyes asked her a silent question as his dark fringe fell into his eyes, again.
The line of his nose and mouth were thinner, perfect for the look of distaste he pulled when he was displeased.
It seemed like she was only moving to stop herself from curling in a corner and crying the rims around her eyes even redder.
His eyes were watchful, even when his attention seemed to be elsewhere.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Changeling: Of Elves and Men. Excerpt One
Hi all,
I just thought I would give readers a bit of something special to read, an excerpt from my first book published with NCP, Changeling: Of Elves and Men.
Please enjoy this excerpt, involving the very hot couple on the front cover! :D
Excerpt:
Shane never once looked over his shoulder to acknowledge Ivy there so close behind him. Only once he strode in through the French doors and into the hall where the bedrooms were located, did he spin around to face her.
“Damnit, Ivy. I told you you weren’t to come tonight.”
“And I told you what you want has nothing at all to do with me!”
Looking up into his raging eyes, Ivy lifted her head higher and reminded herself that she was not afraid of his fury. She had just followed him back here to tell him that he had no right to tell her what to do, that was all.
With a growl, Shane took a step forward and wrapped an arm around her waist before she could step back nimbly to avoid him. As his lips crushed hers, he felt any resistance she felt toward him wavering. This hadn’t been what he had planned to have happen at all. When they pulled away from each other, Shane’s eyes raked over her body, taking in her reddened lips that looked like they had been well kissed.
His jaw tightened, as he told himself to stand away from her.
“If you followed me just because you wanted to sleep with me, there were better ways of doing that,” he said, trying to turn his frustration into sardonic amusement.
This time, it was Ivy’s turn to growl her frustration. “You stupid, stupid man!” she told him, though Shane noted with interest that it was not exactly a denial of his supposition.
With the hint of a smile playing the edges of his lips, he stepped toward her again, curious to see if she would dodge him the second time around. His fingers found her hand, and silkily, laced their way between her fingers. The simmering heat in his eyes drew her in despite herself, and when the door closed soundly, Shane wasn’t the only one behind it.
Again, he swept towards her, and ravaged her lips, forcing them to move under his as he wished them to, claiming them for his own. Ivy would have moaned if she had been given the breath to do so. As it was, she had to press her body against his to keep herself upright. The rising bulge at the crotch of his jeans told her he didn’t seem to mind. Eventually, she would have to go back to using her own balance to keep her upright. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that.
Shane maneuvered them slowly around in a half circle, directing them ever intentionally toward the bed where they would make their consummation of this union. Ivy’s eyes fluttered shut, and she allowed him to guide her where he would. Within the strength of his arms around her, the thought occurred to her that she had never felt safer.
Her breath rushed out of her when Shane picked her up. A second later, she was placed reverently on the bed, a throw back, she thought, of the injuries he was so convinced he needed to protect her from. Before she could complain, Shane began to undo the buttons of her shirt. She arched up a moment later, so that he could cast first it, and then her bra, aside, somewhere between the bed and the door. Then she was reaching up to him, and his kisses moved down from her lips, to her neck, in an unrelenting trail to the waistband of her pants.
He looked up at her for a moment, as if waiting for Ivy’s signal that it was okay for him to go on. Willingly, she gave it to him, and her tight, black pants were unbuttoned, then eased down her shapely legs, and forgotten on the floor beside the bed.
Morning found the two bodies still entwined around each other. It was Shane who woke up first, lifting his finger to flick a strand of Ivy’s dark hair out of her face, which in turn woke her up, too. He had a ready smile on his features, even as Ivy looked around herself in disorientation.
“What I want has nothing to do with you, huh?” Shane asked. It was the ill-timedness of her comment, just before they had fallen into bed with each other, that amused him.
Because it so clearly amused him, it angered her, and Ivy immediately pushed him away from her, as much as she could with their legs still entwined. Another moments’ trouble took care of that problem, too. She sat up, grabbing the pale sheet against her chest.
The smile never left Shane’s lips. “I reckon it’s too late to do that now,” he said to her with a wink that made her flush with embarrassment and anger at the same time.
* * *
"Changeling: Of Elves and Men" Now Available at NCP
http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/changeling.htm
For more excerpts, take a look at my personal blog. I promise it won't bite... hard!
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/
I just thought I would give readers a bit of something special to read, an excerpt from my first book published with NCP, Changeling: Of Elves and Men.
Please enjoy this excerpt, involving the very hot couple on the front cover! :D
Excerpt:
Shane never once looked over his shoulder to acknowledge Ivy there so close behind him. Only once he strode in through the French doors and into the hall where the bedrooms were located, did he spin around to face her.
“Damnit, Ivy. I told you you weren’t to come tonight.”
“And I told you what you want has nothing at all to do with me!”
Looking up into his raging eyes, Ivy lifted her head higher and reminded herself that she was not afraid of his fury. She had just followed him back here to tell him that he had no right to tell her what to do, that was all.
With a growl, Shane took a step forward and wrapped an arm around her waist before she could step back nimbly to avoid him. As his lips crushed hers, he felt any resistance she felt toward him wavering. This hadn’t been what he had planned to have happen at all. When they pulled away from each other, Shane’s eyes raked over her body, taking in her reddened lips that looked like they had been well kissed.
His jaw tightened, as he told himself to stand away from her.
“If you followed me just because you wanted to sleep with me, there were better ways of doing that,” he said, trying to turn his frustration into sardonic amusement.
This time, it was Ivy’s turn to growl her frustration. “You stupid, stupid man!” she told him, though Shane noted with interest that it was not exactly a denial of his supposition.
With the hint of a smile playing the edges of his lips, he stepped toward her again, curious to see if she would dodge him the second time around. His fingers found her hand, and silkily, laced their way between her fingers. The simmering heat in his eyes drew her in despite herself, and when the door closed soundly, Shane wasn’t the only one behind it.
Again, he swept towards her, and ravaged her lips, forcing them to move under his as he wished them to, claiming them for his own. Ivy would have moaned if she had been given the breath to do so. As it was, she had to press her body against his to keep herself upright. The rising bulge at the crotch of his jeans told her he didn’t seem to mind. Eventually, she would have to go back to using her own balance to keep her upright. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that.
Shane maneuvered them slowly around in a half circle, directing them ever intentionally toward the bed where they would make their consummation of this union. Ivy’s eyes fluttered shut, and she allowed him to guide her where he would. Within the strength of his arms around her, the thought occurred to her that she had never felt safer.
Her breath rushed out of her when Shane picked her up. A second later, she was placed reverently on the bed, a throw back, she thought, of the injuries he was so convinced he needed to protect her from. Before she could complain, Shane began to undo the buttons of her shirt. She arched up a moment later, so that he could cast first it, and then her bra, aside, somewhere between the bed and the door. Then she was reaching up to him, and his kisses moved down from her lips, to her neck, in an unrelenting trail to the waistband of her pants.
He looked up at her for a moment, as if waiting for Ivy’s signal that it was okay for him to go on. Willingly, she gave it to him, and her tight, black pants were unbuttoned, then eased down her shapely legs, and forgotten on the floor beside the bed.
Morning found the two bodies still entwined around each other. It was Shane who woke up first, lifting his finger to flick a strand of Ivy’s dark hair out of her face, which in turn woke her up, too. He had a ready smile on his features, even as Ivy looked around herself in disorientation.
“What I want has nothing to do with you, huh?” Shane asked. It was the ill-timedness of her comment, just before they had fallen into bed with each other, that amused him.
Because it so clearly amused him, it angered her, and Ivy immediately pushed him away from her, as much as she could with their legs still entwined. Another moments’ trouble took care of that problem, too. She sat up, grabbing the pale sheet against her chest.
The smile never left Shane’s lips. “I reckon it’s too late to do that now,” he said to her with a wink that made her flush with embarrassment and anger at the same time.
* * *
"Changeling: Of Elves and Men" Now Available at NCP
http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/changeling.htm
For more excerpts, take a look at my personal blog. I promise it won't bite... hard!
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Fairy Folklore
I don't know when it was that my interest in the fantasy genre became a little bit more particular. I remember it wasn't that long ago that I couldn't conceive of a workable urban or mythical fantasy story. It was like the perfect vampire story. I'm intrigued by the idea of writing an epic vampire novel. I just don't think that what I could put out there could compete with the multitudes of vampire fiction already in circulation. Maybe one day...
When I started with my "Of Elves and Men" trilogy, I remember taking a very loose look at the difference between such a magical race as the elves, in comparison to the men who perhaps were less magically inclined, and how the interrelation between the two kinds would work in a modern setting. That was the premise for "Changeling". I spent hardly any time going into the background of the magic used. I gave more time to the background mythology, which I suppose was why I couldn't leave it there, and soon went back in time, to approximately the Dark Ages, where "Ascent" starts. I endeavored to write a story over how magic was first passed between elves and men and how it was kept from being abused. "Haunted" will be the third book in that trilogy, and that tells of how the magic was lost in the rush forward of technology, within a Georgian setting.
I only ever meant for that to be a standalone trilogy of three books, but this idea of another race existing alongside our one is something that still fascinates me, even now I've finished writing the "Of Elves and Men" books. There is still so much on the subject to be said. Not to mention read about, and researched, and explored. All things I delight in doing every time I find an interesting subject! :D
In Celtic mythology, the Sidhe (pronounced "shee") are seen almost as god, or spirits of ancestors and nature of that culture. European folklore sees fairy kind as the sort who would steal human children and sometimes leave one of their own in their place. There have been countless stories and poems written around this folklore, including
"The Stolen Child" by Keith Donohue, based on the William Butler Yeats' poem of the same name. William Butler Yeats wrote "The Stolen Child" in 1886 and it was not the only thing he wrote on the Fairy Folk. "Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry" and "Fairy Folk Tales of Ireland" were written in 1888 and 1892 respectively. W. B. Yeats was an Irish poet who grew up in Sligo.
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/
"Changeling: Of Elves and Men" Now Available at NCP
http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/changeling.htm
When I started with my "Of Elves and Men" trilogy, I remember taking a very loose look at the difference between such a magical race as the elves, in comparison to the men who perhaps were less magically inclined, and how the interrelation between the two kinds would work in a modern setting. That was the premise for "Changeling". I spent hardly any time going into the background of the magic used. I gave more time to the background mythology, which I suppose was why I couldn't leave it there, and soon went back in time, to approximately the Dark Ages, where "Ascent" starts. I endeavored to write a story over how magic was first passed between elves and men and how it was kept from being abused. "Haunted" will be the third book in that trilogy, and that tells of how the magic was lost in the rush forward of technology, within a Georgian setting.
I only ever meant for that to be a standalone trilogy of three books, but this idea of another race existing alongside our one is something that still fascinates me, even now I've finished writing the "Of Elves and Men" books. There is still so much on the subject to be said. Not to mention read about, and researched, and explored. All things I delight in doing every time I find an interesting subject! :D
In Celtic mythology, the Sidhe (pronounced "shee") are seen almost as god, or spirits of ancestors and nature of that culture. European folklore sees fairy kind as the sort who would steal human children and sometimes leave one of their own in their place. There have been countless stories and poems written around this folklore, including
"The Stolen Child" by Keith Donohue, based on the William Butler Yeats' poem of the same name. William Butler Yeats wrote "The Stolen Child" in 1886 and it was not the only thing he wrote on the Fairy Folk. "Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry" and "Fairy Folk Tales of Ireland" were written in 1888 and 1892 respectively. W. B. Yeats was an Irish poet who grew up in Sligo.
Nikki Watson.
http://nikkiwatson.blogspot.com/
"Changeling: Of Elves and Men" Now Available at NCP
http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/changeling.htm
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Nikki Watson has a new release!....
If you love a little dark fantasy with your romance, then you ought to check out Nikki Watson's Newest release Of Elves and Men: Changeling from New Concepts Publishing, which looks to be a fantastic read!
Here's the blurb:
In Dominion, descendants of elves and magicians walked among the human inhabitants, unknown to them, but controlling them, contemptuous of those weaker than them. But Mark, head of the council, had ambitions beyond the magic he held, the determination to bring back the 'old ones' to gather their powers to himself.
Shane, once second on the council, had no intention of allowing that to happen.
Ivy hadn't expected, or intended, to join forces with Shane, a
changeling-not when she'd vowed to slay all of his kind that she could.
Get your copy today!
Here's the blurb:
In Dominion, descendants of elves and magicians walked among the human inhabitants, unknown to them, but controlling them, contemptuous of those weaker than them. But Mark, head of the council, had ambitions beyond the magic he held, the determination to bring back the 'old ones' to gather their powers to himself.
Shane, once second on the council, had no intention of allowing that to happen.
Ivy hadn't expected, or intended, to join forces with Shane, a
changeling-not when she'd vowed to slay all of his kind that she could.
Get your copy today!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
A world of reading and writing - Nikki Watson
I found myself with enough time, today, to lie down on my bed and spend a fair amount of time reading. It's a past time that I used to indulge in vastly more before there was this thing called the internet *smiles* and it's a past time that I realised today I had quite missed.
I managed to finish off two of the books I've been reading, Widdershins by Charles De Lint, and Kelley Armstrong's first novel Bitten. Of course, I couldn't finish two novels without starting another one, so I figured Diplomacy of Wolves, because it's been clearly too long since I last read that. The book is the beginning of the Secret Text trilogy by Holly Lisle. Clearly I didn't fill my shape changing fix by finishing Bitten. *grins*
Of course, I should probably spend some of this first post promoting my own writings. I write what I love reading, which is fantasy, and have a fantasy trilogy coming out with New Concepts Publishing. I also play my hand in social realistic writings, and currently have the novel Spiral out with Aphrodite's Apples Press.
Here is an excerpt:
She kissed him, and it was perfect. It was unlike every practice kiss that she had made with boys at holiday houses over the summer, or ones she had had in her dreams over crushes in high school. It was nothing like the boys she'd kissed to try to make some spark happen after they asked her out and she was too polite to say no. It wasn't like anything she'd ever experienced, and then it was over, and Elena had to try to hide her pout this time.
'I dunno. I've had better than that.'
Sam's silhouette was stroking his jaw in contemplation. Elena arched her eyebrows, feeling a sense of déjà vu come upon her as fun was made at her expense. She propped herself onto her elbow, supporting her head with her hand and looking down at him daringly, even if he could not see her expression clearly.
'Have you?'
'Maybe.'
'Really?'
'Possibly. Okay, no.'
'No?'
'No.'
'No what?'
Sam smiled up at her, taking her arm out from under her and positioning himself so she fell almost on top of him—and certainly into easy kissing position—when she lost balance.
'It was a great kiss. I'd like to do it again.'
And he did, this time taking the lead himself and stroking her hair out of her face with a gently caressing hand. Elena closed her eyes, not that it made much difference, but in the midst of the mood, it seemed like the thing to do. And then there was no thinking, only instinct, and Elena was placed on her back, with Sam's hand stroking down her side...
Buy Spiral Here!
Nikki Watson
Dark Fantasy and Romance Writer
http://www.nikkiwatson.110mb.com/
I managed to finish off two of the books I've been reading, Widdershins by Charles De Lint, and Kelley Armstrong's first novel Bitten. Of course, I couldn't finish two novels without starting another one, so I figured Diplomacy of Wolves, because it's been clearly too long since I last read that. The book is the beginning of the Secret Text trilogy by Holly Lisle. Clearly I didn't fill my shape changing fix by finishing Bitten. *grins*
Of course, I should probably spend some of this first post promoting my own writings. I write what I love reading, which is fantasy, and have a fantasy trilogy coming out with New Concepts Publishing. I also play my hand in social realistic writings, and currently have the novel Spiral out with Aphrodite's Apples Press.
Here is an excerpt:
She kissed him, and it was perfect. It was unlike every practice kiss that she had made with boys at holiday houses over the summer, or ones she had had in her dreams over crushes in high school. It was nothing like the boys she'd kissed to try to make some spark happen after they asked her out and she was too polite to say no. It wasn't like anything she'd ever experienced, and then it was over, and Elena had to try to hide her pout this time.
'I dunno. I've had better than that.'
Sam's silhouette was stroking his jaw in contemplation. Elena arched her eyebrows, feeling a sense of déjà vu come upon her as fun was made at her expense. She propped herself onto her elbow, supporting her head with her hand and looking down at him daringly, even if he could not see her expression clearly.
'Have you?'
'Maybe.'
'Really?'
'Possibly. Okay, no.'
'No?'
'No.'
'No what?'
Sam smiled up at her, taking her arm out from under her and positioning himself so she fell almost on top of him—and certainly into easy kissing position—when she lost balance.
'It was a great kiss. I'd like to do it again.'
And he did, this time taking the lead himself and stroking her hair out of her face with a gently caressing hand. Elena closed her eyes, not that it made much difference, but in the midst of the mood, it seemed like the thing to do. And then there was no thinking, only instinct, and Elena was placed on her back, with Sam's hand stroking down her side...
Buy Spiral Here!
Nikki Watson
Dark Fantasy and Romance Writer
http://www.nikkiwatson.110mb.com/
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