Ramblings from an Unquiet Mind

 I come with news of a new book. This new work is a first for me and a departure from the norm. Ramblings from an Unquiet Mind is my first collection of poetry and prose, and it's available now from Amazon.

When I write fantasy and science fiction, I am able to abandon reality and live vicariously through my characters. Writing poetry is different. Poetry requires me to dive headfirst into reality and the recesses of my mind. There I try to make sense of the ramblings and hopefully create something beautiful.

I hope everyone who reads it finds a poem or two that resonates with them.

https://amzn.to/3Ch9z7x

Twilight's End Chapter One Sneak Peek

I know that a lot of you guys have had a long wait since the last Val and Irulan full-length story. Since work on their next book, Twilight's End, is in full swing, I have decided that I would share a small snippet of each chapter as I go.

What I share will be unedited from the first draft, so things will change by the time it is released. And some snippets will be larger or smaller than the ones before it. But it will give you guys a sneak peek at what's to come.

So here we go. Here is your first peek at Twilight's End.

...“As a general rule, I’m not scared of a fight. If the past few months have taught me anything, I’ve learned that with enough time, I can punch, kick, or blast my way out of any situation,” I sighed as I turned to look at my wife, “but this is different. I can’t punch my way into making the Vampire Council see things my way. I trust my brother, but putting the arguments in Vedo’s hands makes me feel helpless.”

Instead of the words of comfort I expected Irulan to give me, she frowned and folded her arms across her chest. “Our way,” she said. Her voice was so low that if it wasn’t for my enhanced hearing, I wouldn’t have heard her.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, trying to keep the annoyed tone out of my voice. We’d all been through a lot and I didn’t want to get upset with her. Not now when we had to leave in an hour.

“We want them to see things our way,” Irulan replied. “David is my son as well, or have you forgotten?”

“I can’t believe that you even had to ask me that,” I spat, unable to hide my anger. “I know you love him just as much as I do. Why would you−”

“Because you, Val, and Tamerlane spent half the night going over vampire protocol and archaic rules and never once thought to include me in the discussion,” Irulan huffed. “Did you not think I needed to be a part of that, or am I supposed to show up today and be the supportive, but silent wife and let you all handle everything?”

I was pissed. I wanted to scream and shout, but because of what I’d become since awakening my Fae genes, losing control was dangerous for the people around me. Not only could my ill mood spill over and affect others, if I wasn’t careful I could draw strength from their emotions as well. Feeding from someone's emotions drains them in a way that a few pints of blood never could. I might be irked with my wife, but I would never risk hurting her like that. So I took a moment to pull back my growing anger before I responded.

“Ire, your day was just as fucked up as mine was. Maybe I was just trying to be a good wife and let you get some rest,” I sighed.

“That’s a lie,” Irulan spat, not missing a beat as she touched the side of her head. “Aside from the fact that I’ve known you your entire life, I also have a direct line to your thoughts. So please don’t stand there and pretend that leaving me out wasn’t your way of getting back at me for her.”

She did it. She brought up her ex. I didn’t want to have this conversation now. I’d intentionally avoided it because I need to have a clear head. But there was no way around it now. She’d opened the door.

“Not all of my thoughts,” I grunted as I tried to push by her and head for our closet. But Irulan grabbed my arm, refusing to let me go.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means exactly what I said,” I sighed. “You may be my equal in many areas, but shielding isn’t one of them. If you caught a glimpse of my thoughts it’s because I let you.”

“So why the thoughtful wife line if that’s how you feel, Val?” Irulan huffed. “By the gods, say what you mean. It may sting but at least I can respect the truth.”

The truth. I thought about the many truths that were running through my head and an icy wave spread through me, replacing the anger with cold calm.

“Alight, Ire, here’s the truth. Your demented ex almost killed my grandmother. My family lost good vampires trying to protect her. She helped that banshee cut a path of devastation through the city that will take months and millions of dollars to repair. She could have gotten not only my brothers, and my best friend, killed, but our son and his friends as well, and when it came down to the wire, you hesitated. I could have died and you hesitated. Hell, she was in this realm because of you. So part of this entire mess is on you.”

Irulan gasped and tears filled her eyes as the human glamour faded and was replaced by raging storms. I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. “Oh my god, Ire. Baby, I didn’t mean it.”

I reached for her but she leaned away from my touch.

“Don’t,” she muttered as she wiped away tears. “We both know that you did. At least now it’s out in the open and we can deal with it. But for now, I’ll leave you to finish getting ready for the tribunal. I’ll get dressed in my old room.”.

What's to come

 Now that my writing is back on track (knock on wood), I wanted to stop and take a moment to let you guys know what I have in the works. 

First on the docket is Faeries, Fangs, Fembots, and Fur. This will be my second anthology and it will have more than just stories set in the DarkWorld. There will be a mix of both fantasy and science fiction shorts. I am thrilled to announce that the anthology will include a story from the author, Eternity Philops.

Faeries, Fangs, Fembots, and Fur will be released on July 12th and is available for pre-order now on Amazon.

After Faeries comes the third Freaks title, Goose Creek or Bust, which will arrive in December of this year. Goose Creek or Bust will take us back to the Wolves of Goose Creek through the eyes of Still's younger sister, Maya. If you've read Ascension you'll know that Still and Maya's relationship was left a tad rocky due to the events of the book. (If you haven't read it, what are you waiting for?) Goose Creek or Bust will find their relationship on the mend, but a new set of problems will test the sisters in ways that could leave Still packless.

The first title of 2023 will come in the first half of the year. It will be the long-awaited direct sequel to Black Moon Rising, Twilight's End. Twilight's End will pick up directly after the events in BMR. We will not only find Val and Ire facing off against the Vampire Council to fight for their son, David, but we will also see them back in the FaeLands to deal with the fallout of FaeVar's actions. I know that for some, this one is long overdue. The wait won't be much longer.

2023 will also see the release of The Land of Not, the fourth Freaks title and the direct sequel to The Road the Was. The Land of Not will have an appearance from my favorite vampire/fae hybrid, Valeria Trumaine.

Aside from the third Faeries and Fangs anthology, I am unsure if any other titles will be ready for a 2023 release, but Retribution, the direct sequel to Ascension, The Sea of Is, the sequel to The Land of Not, as well as a direct sequel to Freak Among Freaks have all been outlined.

I can't wait to show you all what I have in store for my DarkWorld.

As always, thanks for the reads.

DarkWorld Timeline

 Here is a timeline for all of my DarkWorld stories. You can also use this as a reading order, but with the exception of Crimson Dawn and Black Moon Rising, you can read them out of order and not be confused. You can also read Ascension without having read any previous DarkWorld stories.

Duty VS Destiny (3 years before CD)

UnSpoken (1 year before Crimson Dawn)

Crimson Dawn

Never Again (Over 200 years before and a few months after CD)

Ascension (Same year as Crimson Dawn)

Ryan's Story (Parallel with Ascension)

Black Moon Rising (6 months after CD)

Freak Among Freaks* (6 Months after CD/parallel with BMR)

Faerie Wishes and Jaguar Kisses (1 Year after CD)

The Road to Was** (1 Year after CD and Ascension)

Goose Creek or Bust** (1 year after Ascension)

 

 

* = Coming Soon

* = Freaks series/ DarkWorld YA

Tales from the DarkWorld and Freaks

 When I first wrote Crimson Dawn, I envisioned it as an ongoing lesbian vampire series. I chose DarkLife Saga as the name for the series. If I remember correctly, the book’s first chapter was written in about an hour. Once that chapter was done, I stopped, went back, and worked on the backstory for the world that my characters inhabited. The more I wrote, I became compelled to delve into the lives of other supernatural creatures and write their stories.

Because of Marcus Daniels and his connections to Val, I intended for those first characters to be werewolves. But David was firmly entrenched in my thoughts, so the wolves had to wait. David’s story became Freak Among Freaks and the first YA DarkWorld story. Freaks picked up a decent audience on Wattpad, and I love YA fantasy, so I began fleshing out more of the teen side of my Darkworld. I was so entrenched in the teen world that I outlined stories for witches and fae and was about to tackle werewolves when I got sidetracked.

That sidetrack was Black Moon Rising. I won’t rehash my struggles with BMR, but I was put off from writing for a while. When I returned, I was still wary of Val and Irulan, so it was finally time for my werewolves to shine. I knew I wanted Marcus to connect the two stories, but I wasn’t ready to tell his story. I considered telling Thade’s story, but it hadn’t come to me yet. And aside from that, I wanted another lesbian protagonist. I don’t remember the catalyst for Still’s creation, but as soon as I had her name, I knew that she would be the opposite of Val.

Where Val was accustomed to living her life in the spotlight, I wanted Still to be the anomaly. In a world where supernatural beings lived their lives in the open, Still would keep her status hidden. Where Val’s attraction to women was a revelation, Still would be an out, loud and proud member of the LGBTQ community. Once that was established, her backstory and supporting characters came quickly. Wolves of Goose Creek was born and would be an entirely new series set in the DarkWorld. Or so I thought.

After a few months of writing, I knew that line of thinking was a mistake. There was no way I would be able to keep up with separate series for each creature and do the same with the YA side. Not and keep my sanity intact. That’s when I thought about Kelly Armstrong and her Women of Otherworld books. She wrote about werewolves, witches, necromancers, and more, and they all fell under the same series title. Bazinga!

My DarkLife Saga became Tales from the DarkWorld. The YA stories would all fall in the Freaks series, and all my creatures, henceforth, would frolic together and live happily ever after. Well, not too happy because that would make for a boring story.

If you’ve read Crimson Dawn and its sequel and decide to read Ascension, you will recognize Marcus Daniel’s and get to see him in a role other than the Sentinel commander. If you haven’t read Crimson Dawn, you can jump into the DarkWorld with Ascension without any confusion. The stories are connected but not intertwined. Not at the moment.

Those stories are coming.

A timeline and reading order will be coming soon.                                                                                                                                            

Black Moon Rising

 It's been a while since I've written a blog post. It took me a long time to return to my novels and stories for many reasons. I stopped to focus on comics and learning the art of comic creation for a few years, which, as a 30 plus year comic lover, I had wanted to do since I was in high school. I found that I love to create comics. The world-building is just as fascinating and rewarding as the world-building I do when I write my stories.

The other reason was Black Moon Rising. I had never felt pressure when I wrote. Writing had always been a joy and an escape. But once Crimson Dawn was released and had begun to find an audience, people began to ask about the sequel. I had always planned one, and it was on my schedule, but when I write, it's like my characters talk to me, and I write because I feel compelled to share the story of whoever is talking to me at that time.

After spending so much time on Crimson Dawn, those characters were taking a break, and I was focused on other stories. But my publisher at the time began to ask me for the sequel. So then, not only did I have readers asking, I had my publisher pushing for another Val and Irulan book. So I stopped working on what I was doing and shifted to what would become Black Moon Rising.

While I love the story, I struggled to get it done. Each month that I wasn't finished, it got harder and harder to work on it. In the midst of working on it, my publisher ceased publishing fiction. My two previous works were returned to me, and I was told that I would be better off publishing myself. I was gobsmacked. Sure, I had self-published two short stories, but that was nothing like publishing a full-length novel.

To say that I felt defeated was an understatement, but I pushed through and finished the book. The version of Black Moon Rising that made its way to Amazon pains me. Reading what I made available to my readers makes me want to cry. I can do better, and I should have. But at the time, I just wanted to get something out there. I deserved every scathing review that I got. The editing is non-existent.

Black Moon Rising made me want to never release another book. So I stopped writing and shifted to comics. I put it out of my mind and moved on. But I love writing. My characters and stories are my babies. I eventually came back to them, but I still ignored the mess that BMR was. I refused to look at it on Amazon or my KDP page. But I can't ignore it anymore. It's time for me to do better.

I have temporarily pulled it so I can edit it. I won't be making changes to the storyline itself. As I said, I do love the story. But it desperately needs some refining. And a new cover.

Black Moon Rising will be back shortly.

My Top Celesbian Actresses. Originally posted at Frogenyozurt.com

In the entertainment industry, an admission of homosexuality was once a career-killer.  Celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and Elton John helped change the idea of what a lesbian or gay man looks like. Today celebs are coming out of the closet and their careers are suffering none for it.  Gillian Anderson, forever and always FBI agent Dana Scully, and the object of many a lesbians affections (including my own), recently came out as having had affairs with women.  You go girl!  Kinda gives new life to my X-Files fantasies.

Anyhoo, with Gillian Anderson’s recent revelation, I have decided to do my personal list of top Celesbian (Celebrity+Lesbian) Actresses. After the top eleven, you’ll also find a few honorable mentions and my ‘wish list’.

Here we go.

Top Eleven Celebsian Actresses

11: Ellen DeGeneres: Lesbian

In 1997 Ellen changed the media’s perception of lesbians when she did the unprecedented act of coming out, not only on her hit TV show, but in true life also. Since then she’s been linked to some of Hollywood’s hottest leading ladies until one, Portia de Rosi, made an honest women out of her by becoming her wife.

 

10: Kristanna Loken: Bisexual

                                

Why is she on this list?  Although she’s not a lesbian, Ms. Loken identifies as bisexual.  The woman first caught movie goers attention as the bad-assed terminator that handed Arnold his tail in T3, played BloodRayne (kick ass vampire, movie could have been better, but it’s a cult hit now), and frequently acts in sci-fi and fantasy based works.  Aside from that, she did a stint on Showtime’s The L Word, as one of the few females to capture Shane’s heart. If that’s not enough, the woman is just insanely hot.

                              

9: Evan Rachel Wood: Bisexual

This bisexual actress makes the list for numerous reasons.  Not only is she beautiful, she’s also played a vampire, bringing Louisiana’s Queen Sophie to life on True Blood, before meeting her untimely death because of Bill.  Not only did she portray a southerner on the show, she’s a Southern Belle in real life.  Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Wood came out in an interviewwith Esquire, stating that when she’s in relationships with women, she’s a perfect southern gentleman, opening doors and such for her companion.  You go girl, representing the Carolinas!

Wood as Queen Sophie from HBO's True Blood

8 : Gillian Anderson: Bisexual

Dana Scully, enough said!

                                

7: Drew Barrymore: Bisexual

Like many people my age, we first saw Ms. Barrymore play Gertie, on ET.  This actress went on to a number of roles that cemented her place as one of the top child actresses of the 80’s.  The 90’s brought on Barrymore’s rebellious teenager phase, but she made it through to go on and become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after, leading ladies.  She has talked about being bisexual on many occasions.

6: Leisha Hailey: Lesbian

This is my list’s second lesbian.  More than just an actress, Leisha Hailey first came onto the entertainment scene as a member of the group, The Murmurs.  From there she went on to star in a series of Yoplait commercials and then onto the cable series, The L Word.  Although she has gone back to her musical roots and become a member of the duo, Uh Huh Her, she will always be Alice Pieszecki, the bisexual journalist who fell in love with her friend Dana and became a scene-stealing, fan favorite on the hit Showtime series.

Leisha Hailey as Alice from the Showtime series, the L Word.

5: Nicole Pacent: Bisexual

Mainstream tv viewers might not know who this actress is, but the star of the acclaimed lesbian web series, Anyone but Me, has hordes of fans.  This bi-actress, along with costar Rachel Hip-Flores, make up the uber cute couple, Aster and Vivian, with Nicole playing Aster. If you’ve never heard of the show, head to youtube and check it out.  It’s a wonderful series.  Nicole is the current ‘it’ girl of lesbian cinema, and has been getting comparisons to Angelia Jolie.  It’s the lips…

4: Jasika Nicole: Lesbian

Don’t know the name?  You’re obviously not one of the legions of Fringe fans who know this lesbian as jr FBI agent, Astrid Farnsworth. On Fringe, Astrid is usually found in the lab with Walter.   An honorary Carolinian, Nicole attended Catawba College, in Salisbury, NC.    More than just an actress, Nicole is also an uber talented illustrator.  Drop by her website and check out her work.

3: Jessica Clark: Lesbian

Jessica Clark as Lillith from HBO's True Blood

This British model of Indian and Nigerian descent has begun to make the transition intoacting.  Her first role was in a 2010 short titled Sara.  Her most recognized role to date, is that of the vampire Goddess Lilith, on HBO’s True Blood (me thinks I see a pattern emerging).  Married to professional trainer Lacey Stone, Clark will bare her fangs in this Sunday’s season finale of the vampire series.

 2: Angelina Jolie: Bisexual

I think Angelina’s inclusion on this list is a given.  No one, straight or gay, can make a list of the top ten lesbian anything, and not include Jolie.  The woman has a heart as big as she is sexy.  A noted humanitarian and UN ambassador, Jolie identifies as bisexual and was in a relationship with lesbian model/actress Jenny Shimizu.  Aside from that, the woman switches effortlessly from dramatic to action roles without skipping a beat.  There’s something about a tough girl that just…sorry, got sidetracked.

1: Michelle Rodríguez…that’s a tough one

Although this actress frequently denies being a lesbian, she was outed by #10, her BloodRayne co-star and ex-girlfriend, Kristianna Loken, in an interview with The Advocate.  She has however, admitted to experimenting with both sexes.  Whatever she is, Rodriguez has made a name for herself with ‘tough-girl’ roles, in which she shines.  She’s beautiful, sexy, and kick-ass; all excellent reasons for a semi-closeted woman to be at the top of my list.  She is my ultimate celeb-crush.  Well…her and Xena, but Xena aint real.

 

Honorable mentions

Anna Paquin: Bisexual

Paquin on the set of Trick R' Treat

This woman has played a mutant, a werewolf, and a mind-reading, vampire-loving, faerie.  What’s not to love?!

Portia de Rosi: Lesbian

 Mrs. Ellen DeGeneres, herself.  This actress has a string of movie rolls and 2 hit tv shows under her belt.

Heather Matarazzo: Lesbian

This actress was in the indie hit, Welcome to the Dollhouse, before portraying Princess Mia’s best friend in the Princess Diaries.  You can see her in season 1 of the lesbian series, Ex’s and Oh’s.

Nicole Pina: Lesbian

This Latina star of the lesbian web series, The Lovers and Friends Show, is gorgeous.  Her show is one of the longest running lesbian web-series out there.  Look it up, people.

Now here’s my wish list (in no particular order)

Gabrielle Union

There are no words to express this actress’s level of hotness. She’s sexy, talented and she’s played a Klingon!  People first took notice of this actress when she played, Isis, leader of the Toro’s rival cheerleading squad, in 2000’s Bring It On.  Since then she’s gone on to star in numerous roles both on the small and large screen.

Sanaa Lathan

Here’s another smoking hot actress who’s played a vampire.  She played the mother of Daywalker, Blade.  Aside from her sci-fi roles in Blade, and Aliens vs Predators, Ms. Lathan is known for her roles in numerous romantic comedies, such as Love and Basketball, Something New and Brown Sugar.

Ashley Greene

Another vampire (I might need help), this one of Twilight fame.  While she has moved on to grittier roles since her time as a sparkly blood drinker, Ashley will forever be known as Alice Cullen…and for those SoBe ads.  Gotta love vitamin water and body paint.

Zoe Saldana

She hasn’t played a vampire, but she’s been an assassin (twice), a cat-faced, blue alien and Uhura.  Although she’s not a lesbian, she has played one in After Sex, in which she starred with another ‘gay-for-pay’ actress, Mila Kunis.

Kate Beckinsale

I’ve got this thing for kick-ass women and this actress has proven herself to be a wonderful action star.  From the vampire Death-Dealer Selene, to ruthless Lori, in this summer’s Total Recall remake, this woman portrays deadly, very well.

Janina Gavankar

 Janina is another alum of Showtime’s, The L Word.  The actress of Indian descent, played the lesbian-Latina-Lothario, Papi.  Since her time on the series, this self-professed sci-fi and gaming-geek, has gone on to play a zombie/ghoul, on the short lived ABC series, The Gates, and is currently starring on True Blood, as the shape-shifting, Luna.

And last but not least…

Kristen Stewart

This is my last pick for my wish list and with the amount of actresses that have portrayed vampires, I think I’m gonna call my therapist in a bit.  But for now, anyone that knows me, knows that I L-O-V-E this girl.  Whatever your opinions are of her acting abilities, or the Twilight films that she’s help build into a billion dollar film franchise, she’s hot.  Now I will take this moment to offer my hand in marriage.  If you see this post, Kristen Stewart, and think about testing the Sapphic waters in the future, I’m your girl!