Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Everything Lovers Can Know

Today Everything Lovers Can Know is released from Ellora's Cave!

http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419911538


Prequel to Mystic Valley Series

From the time they were children Baron and Jade were heart-bonded and mind-linked. But children don’t stay young forever and when they reach adulthood, they yearn for more than a mind-link. They yearn for the bond of physical love.

When Jade’s secret plan to seduce Baron backfires, their families separate them using coercion and blackmail. Jade goes on to a successful career as a musician while Baron completes medical school and begins his internship.

Now, three years later Jade has a new plan to end their separation. Baron arrives at the isolated cabin where Jade is waiting to find out once and forever if the fierce longings and desire they had for each other before are enough to make them truly two-as-one.


The quiet dark haired boy waited alone in the long dark hall next to the huge mirror that hung above an antique table. On the opposite wall an enormous painting depicting nymphs and satyrs at play near a woodland pool occupied most of the wall. Beneath the painting was a long leather bench. At twelve, Baron was very tall for his age and remarkably contained, which was probably the reason that his father had dragged him along on his ill-fated visit to the Alexander house.

For years every one had carefully ignored the fact that Nikolas Alexander was not the son of the man of this house. In fact, he was the result of a brief affair between Rachel Alexander and Baron’s father, Fremont Llewellyn. And that affair was the subject of the blistering argument taking place in the library between Fremont and Alistair Alexander.

Baron wasn’t required to eavesdrop. The neighbors at the end of the block could probably hear the contents of the discussion without opening their windows. With a sigh, he went to the leather bench and sat down. The atmosphere in the library was getting ugly and he wished with all his heart that his father had left him at home.

The Alexander children were crouched at the top of the stairs which were at the other end of the hall from him. He could hear the anxious whispers and faint rustles as they jostled for position. Abruptly, one of the little girls, a tiny red-haired sprite, stood up and slowly made her way down the stairs. When she stepped off the last riser she hesitated for a moment and then ran across the polished floor until she reached Baron.

What happened next became the subject for considerable debate between them for the next few years. In a very uncharacteristic move, Baron reached for the little girl and lifted her onto his lap. She reached up with one tiny hand, patted him on the cheek and then inside his head he heard, My name is Jade. What is your name?

My name is Baron Merlyn Llewellyn. You can call me Baron. For a few seconds, it didn’t even occur to him that he had answered her question in the same telepathic fashion as it had been posed. When he realized exactly what had happened, he leaned back against the wall and peered down at her face. Do you always talk in people’s heads? he asked curiously.

No, just yours. With clear unconcern, she leaned over and snuggled against his thin t-shirt clad chest. You’re special cause you b’long to me. With that odd statement, she slipped her thumb in her tiny bowed mouth and promptly fell asleep.

As he cradled the intriguing little girl in his strong young arms, he struggled with the possessive feelings that swept over him. The sense of inevitability crept into his heart, the sense that she was his destiny and the truth that just as surely as he belonged to her, she belonged to him.



Did you see where Amarinda left me yesterday? No????? Well, here's a hint...

“And you’re no lecturer.” Gabrielle kept her eyes focused on the stapler. The last Omega Force agent had been stapled to death. “I know who you are Marcus and you will not succeed.”

Marcus laughed at her words. “But I have already my dear. I have impregnated half the women on campus. They soon will give birth to a superhuman breed of gargoyles.”

“Oh but you’re wrong,” Gabrielle smiled at his supercilious tone. “They weren’t real women you impregnated.”

“What? I don’t believe you.”

“Oh poor Marcus shall I tell you who you’ve been screwing?”

And my addition...

Marcus scratched the puckered crinkles at his neck. “Hmm. I’m not sure I want to know. I think I would rather keep my illusions.”

She gaped at him in astonishment. “Aren’t you even curious?”

“Nope.”

“But—”

“No, no, I’m sure you’re just dying to tell me, but the truth is, I just don’t care. If you say that the women weren’t human, then I believe you. I was beginning to wonder about the screw-on breasts, anyway.”

Gabrielle’s eyes goggled at that. “Screw-on breasts? Are you sure?”

“Yep. And the ears…” the professor leaned forward to whisper.

“What? What about the ears?” she hissed.

Marcus grabbed her, twirled her in his arms and captured her wrists. “They’re pointed just like yours,” he muttered in her ear before he slowly licked her neck. “Mmmm. Your skin tastes delicious. Just like butter pecan ice cream.”

She squirmed in his arms. “Let me go, you granite ape.”

“Eh-eh-eh. Not nice to call people names.” An older man opened the door and stepped into the room. “How would you like it if I told Sam what you really were?”

“Sam?” she gasped. “Oh, no! Anything but that!”

“Too late!” Sam declared abruptly. “The Omega Force agents have all been rounded up except for you, Gabrielle. We’ve been watching you shapeshifters for some time now.”

Gabrielle scowled at Sam. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Marcus butted in. “If you just kept your pointed ears covered up, you could pass for human. But no-oo. You just had to bare them for everyone to see, flicking and twitching.” He ran his tongue along the outside of her ear and up over the point. “See? That turned you on. I knew it!”

Don't forget to check in at Kelly's blog to catch her coverage of Black Fonzie's blog on Nutella at http://www.kkirch.blogspot.com/ and then you'll want to go on over to Amarinda's at http://www.amarindajones.blogspot.com/ to check out her interview with author Anh Leod.

7 comments:

  1. I read Dancer's Delight - loved it and I am just about to read Travellers Refuge - or I was. I will now put that on hold to read Everything Lovers Can Know first. I want to know where these Mystic Valley people started

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  2. It's payday...as soon as the kids are in school, I'm ordering it! To hell with the housework...I'm reading this morning:)

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  3. I love this excerpt Anny. Such touching details, "strong, young arms", "tiny bowed mouth". You see their earliest innocent beginnings and it's beautiful. I can't wait. Congrats on your release! And way to rock the saga.

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  4. Anny,

    I loved the Excerpts you posted on the EC chat, but this one on your blog was the best. I am waiting for my printer to finish printing my Adobe copy of ELCK. I am in love with Baron (Merlyn) & Jade. I will be offline until Monday the 8th, so I will let you know how much I love it then.

    Congrats on the release.

    Susie AKA Susilien

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  5. Just finished reading, Anny, and I can tell it's one I will reread over and over! Great job:)

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  6. Wow! Y'all are fast! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Susie, babe, enjoy! I look forward to hearing from you!

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