Out and About at the BWL Blog, M is for ...

 Some thoughts on outdoor life over at the BWL Authors Blog. Hope you will stop by to check out "M is for 'Not Murder'"

~Until next time, Helen 

And don't forget Fire and Redemption, now available in print and ebook.

2024 Q : Queen

 

No, the topic of this post is not about the woman who rules a land. Instead, the queen referred to is a female dragon. From Hatchlings Curse, Crisiant, the blue dragon queen rises in a mating flight. (No, this is not erotic. Not even a true closed door event.) And this mating flight not only included queen and her mate Drak. In addition to the two true dragons, Branin and Liam of the dragshi took part as additional suitors. The problem? According to the ancient glyphs, suitors had been known to die.

Between one heartbeat and the next, Crisiant rocketed herself skyward. Speed enhanced by her mating urges quickly carried the blue dragon past the waiting males. A powerful kick thrust Drak into the air close on her tail.

Crisiant pulled away. Then hovering, snaked her head over a wing, teasing her rapidly-approaching mate. Before he got close enough to twine necks, she winged away.

Drak arrowed in close pursuit.

Lost in urges as ancient as time, Crisiant folded her wings and dove, pulling out above the tree line. She rose higher. Her hide, vibrant with arousal, blended with the sky. The smaller object that was Drak closed the distance between them.

Branin fought to keep up with Drak and chased after the pair. His muscles burned as he continued to mirror the true dragons’ intricate maneuvers. Finally, his chest heaving, he slowed, letting Liam take up the competition.

The other dragshi surged forward. His hide glowed gold from his exertions.

Drak swooped down on Liam. The dragon’s teeth closed around the shifter’s neck.

Trying to save his friend, Branin screamed, <Drak, stop.>

The dun-colored dragon ignored the order. A wing’s distance away, Crisiant hovered, watching to see which of the pair she would allow to mate with her.

Branin tried another approach. Ignoring the pain in his joints, he drew upon hidden reserves and surged past Drak. <Crisiant,> he whistled in a lover’s croon.

Crisiant answered with one of her own.

Fighting the urge to succumb to the lure, Branin called out again.

Drak released Liam and charged Branin. <Crisiant is mine.> He reached out with a claw as he passed, ripping flesh from Branin’s shoulders. In almost the same motion, Drak grabbed Crisiant around the waist and twined necks. Their silhouettes rose until they were nothing but small black motes against the clear sky.

I hope you enjoyed this excerpt of the flight of a queen. The price to cure childlessness is high. To see the full price, read Hatchlings Curse.

~till next time, Helen

 

The Dragshi Chronicles-- action-filled, romance-laden fantasies.

Buy Links:   One Click Link to major book sellers.

 

 

If you're following other blogs in the challenge, here's the master list of the other participants.

 

2024 P : People

 

Earlier this month I was one of the authors at Bookstock 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee. The event at the Memphis Tennessee, Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, featured exhibits and book signings by 60 authors. This post was supposed to be a photo array, but time behind the table precluded having any photographs other than the official ones. I wasn't in the group photo. After hobbling to the rally point three times, I couldn't stand any longer. There were individual shots taken, but the library hasn't posted anything newer than 2020 on the website, so those were out. So I will share a few thoughts of the event.

It was a chance to talk to readers of all ages. There was a young man in a wheelchair who said "writing is hard." And a teenage girl who loved fantasy but who was young enough her mother checked books for heat level because not all dragon shifter tales were as I used to say, 'wouldn't make my mother-in-law blush." Several veterans from various fights from Vietnam to the desert of the Middle East stopped by the table to look at the military tribute and were thanked for their service before they left.

There were others who made the rounds of the tables. A few were handing out business cards for their friends. Others were promoting author services. Some offered advise. One piece was to get out from behind the table. That you had to stand in the aisle to engage the people. They failed to acknowledge that it was hard to do when in a wheelchair.

The event was a lot of people watching and a few discussions of how to get published intermixed with handing out handcrafted bookmarks. Like many of these events, you never know what sales will result from them.

If you missed the event, all my books are available at Amazon and other sites. Just click on the cover in the banner or the series pull-down menu.

~till next time, Helen

 

If you're following other blogs in the challenge, here's the master list of the other participants.