The heatwave in NZ continues, and I don’t think I’ve closed the doors to my house this week at all, LOL. I managed to catch up on my word count so I’m on track and feeling good. Things have been crazy busy (as usual) in my world, but there is always time for a walk or a swim in this weather. I’m so lucky to live so close to so many natural treasures.
This week on the blog we have Eden Winters, let’s make her feel welcome.
Author Bio
You will know Eden Winters by her distinctive white plumage and exuberant cry of “Hey, y’all!” in a Southern US drawl so thick it renders even the simplest of words unrecognizable. Watch out, she hugs!
Driven by insatiable curiosity, she possibly holds the world’s record for curriculum changes to the point that she’s never quite earned a degree but is a force to be reckoned with at Trivial Pursuit.
She’s trudged down hallways with police detectives, learned to disarm knife-wielding bad guys, and witnessed the correct way to blow doors off buildings. Her e-mail contains various snippets of forensic wisdom, such as “What would a dead body left in a Mexican drug tunnel look like after six months?” In the process of her adventures, she has written over twenty-eight gay romance novels, lost count of novellas and short stories, has won Rainbow Awards, was a Lambda Awards Finalist, and lives in terror of authorities showing up at her door to question her Internet searches.
When not putting characters in dangerous situations she’s cosplaying for children’s charities or hanging out at the farm being a mother, grandmother, and vegetarian.
Her natural habitats are coffee shops and on the backs of motorcycles.
Eden’s Quirky Questions
Holly: Which of your own characters would you Kill? Fuck? Marry? And why?
Eden Winters: I don’t know about killing, marrying, or fucking, but I’d definitely like to go out drinking with Lucky, Bo, and Loretta from my Diversion series. We’d need bail money.
Holly: What are some day jobs that you have had/have? Do they impact your writing? Share an example.
Eden Winters: I worked for years in the pharmaceutical industry, which inspired my nine-novel, three-novella series, Diversion. All the cases in the stories are based on factual events, with knowledge gained on the job.
The first story, Diversion, features our protag stealing a truck loaded with pharmaceuticals from a truck stop using a dent puller and a screwdriver. Reading about the actual event was what put the story in my head, though I changed the time needed to five minutes because my beta reader thought the actual time, 2.5 minutes, sounded farfetched.
Holly: We know what you like to write, but what do you like to read in your free time, and why?
Eden Winters: I only read gay romance, though the subgenre changes. I love fantasy, urban fantasy, contemporary, sci-fi, you name it. As I get older, I find audiobooks easier to manage than print, though.
Holly: What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Eden Winters: Up until three years ago I had a writing partner who’d let me bounce ideas off her and who’d help steer me back on track when I strayed. She held my hand through nervous release jitters and helped me navigate the world of self-publishing through our shared imprint, Rocky Ridge Books. We’d been friends for years before writing, having met on a book forum, and I miss her dearly. I began drafting Warrior King not long after her passing when I wasn’t quite sure I could continue without her. So continuing my writing career solo without her valuable input would have to be the hardest part.
Holly: Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
Eden Winters: I strive to make each book better than the last, so read them to learn about my writing through the eyes of my readers, like things I can improve upon in the future. Not all reviews, however, provide useful positive feedback. Not all books suit all readers, and reviews reflect that. On the other hand, someone telling me my book helped me in some way inspires me to keep writing.
Holly: How do you celebrate a new release?
Eden Winters: Does having an anxiety attack until I know readers don’t hate it count?
Also, tomorrow is the fourteenth anniversary of my first novel published with a publisher, Settling the Score, originally released by Torquere Press. While there are things I’d like to polish in the book now that I know more about writing, it was a finalist in the Lambda Awards.
Warrior King
Blurb:
One man is a traitor’s son. The other is an emperor’s. Together, they discover the fine line between duty and justice.
Commander Draylon Aravaid doesn’t hide his lineage as the emperor’s son but doesn’t advertise his origins either. Loyal to a fault, he relies on his hard-won reputation rather than his family name, which his duplicitous father uses to full advantage.
Prince Yarif DiRici trained his entire life to become a consort in an arranged marriage—all while secretly yearning for love. The death of his father and older brother suddenly thrusts an unwanted crown upon his head, and Yarif into a whirlwind of dangerous plans within plans as he and Draylon are forced into marriage.
The political game is set, and Yarif is kidnapped. It’s up to Draylon to mount a daring rescue to prevent all-out war.
The two men must get past each other’s mistrust, find common ground, and defeat an enemy neither knew they had…and may not survive!
Excerpt
Draylon sat across the desk from his father in the former king’s office. Tapestries covered the walls, depicting colorful scenes of triumphs for the kingdom. The most notable being the wedding of Draylon’s great-great-great-aunt marrying the king of this land long before it joined the empire, giving the emperor’s family a tenuous route to the throne.
A route many a second son had tried to exploit over the years. The desk and furniture came from better times. One look around the once-splendid room made Draylon wonder where the gold went and how much effort would be required to figure out where the kingdom stood as a business and put plans into motion to make Renvalle efficiently viable again.
Would Yarif know? He’d been his brother’s secretary, after all. And a feisty one. Draylon wouldn’t mind asking a few hundred questions.
To which he’d probably receive nothing but lies.
May had mentioned plans Yarif wanted to implement.
The emperor nodded to the trio sorting through the former king’s papers. “You may go now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the three chorused before doing as told.
Draylon waited until the door closed behind them to summarize his reports. Reports based on information gleaned from servants, officers who’d yet to be charged with treason, and one priest who’d been jailed for not declaring to his followers that the gods blessed the former king’s every action. A priest of the Goddess of Justice, no less. “It would seem the corrupt elements of the DiRici family are either gone or well on their way out the door.” Or to the gallows. “Particularly if it’s still your plan to remove the deposed queen, taking her and her children to the capital.”
“Children should be with their mother,” Emperor Soland said with his typical matter-of-fact attitude. “And I cannot leave her here.”
“Not if she’s nothing of a mother. If you recall, she left her children to the enemy and ran away.”
Father tabled the debate for now, moving on to the next point of the report. “From what you and others have reported, the older surviving prince wouldn’t be a suitable ruler.”
“No. He doesn’t have the backbone necessary for more… unpleasant matters.” After seeing him in action with the secretaries invading his office, Draylon wondered at the accuracy of those words. “However, I’m told he’s well versed in the running of the kingdom and could save your staff weeks of work.” Draylon suspected Yarif would fight to the death for what he believed. If the emperor could harness that passion, it could benefit them both.
Could Yarif prove to be a dangerous, lying serpent? Perhaps. Useful, also perhaps.
“True. We could use the younger prince and princess’s fates to help convince Prince Yarif to publicly relinquish any holds on the kingdom and to cooperate fully.”
It appeared Father wasn’t ready to abandon the subject of the children. Time to drop the professional demeanor and deal as father and son. “Father, I would never deign to use children as hostages.”
“But they can be useful tools.” The twinkle in Father’s eyes hinted at how well he’d manipulated his own children for what he called “the greater good.”
How Draylon hated those words: the greater good. “What about their betrothals to known enemies of the empire?”
“Broken. I’m already considering other options.”
Draylon shot to his feet. They’d only just taken over the kingdom. Father must have been planning this for months. “Other options? Father, they’re children.”
Father nodded. “Your older brother was betrothed before he’d left the cradle.”
“How fortunate for him that he came to love his intended.” It was a damned miracle Father hadn’t yet shackled Draylon into marriage. Then again, Father wasn’t about to lose a crucial part of his war machine. Commander Draylon served the purpose of maintaining order in the empire much better than Prince Draylon would.
“Love isn’t necessary for a successful working relationship,” Father declared.
No, but how many nobles wed against their will only to die young under mysterious circumstances? Or turned to infidelity and the mess that created? “Like yours and Mother’s?” Draylon respected his father or tried to, adored his mother, and they portrayed a happy family when needed. Even so, Father kept, on average, three mistresses at a time. Mother, though more discreet in her dealings, currently bedded her lady-in-waiting—and the captain of the queen’s guard.
Often at the same time.
Draylon didn’t have so many lovers, even as an unmarried man.
“Like ours,” Father said, mistaking an intended jab for a compliment. “Now, the Renvalle army is laughable, the reason we so easily took the castle. Their lands connect with our sworn enemies, Delletina. Delletina separates the empire from Craice, which is also an enemy. If they were to form an alliance with Renvalle, they’d have direct access to the borders of Herix, Glendor, and Draige. Therefore, we need a strong military presence here. Someone with a firm hand to whip the troops into shape and weed out any dissidents.”
“Military men are rarely good rulers.” Draylon recalled a particular fiasco in a neighboring kingdom. Ruling called for diplomacy, though he’d heard of successful warrior-kings back in his family’s history.
“Which is why whoever is chosen will be someone with enough common sense to listen to his advisors. A compatible political match will go a long way into providing balance.” Though Father might be manipulative at times, he also took a step back to consider his actions, studying all angles of a problem before deciding. Didn’t he?
“I’d originally thought about the Duke of Rilekia,” Draylon ventured. “He served in the military as a young man, he’s highly educated, and well connected. Locals might accept a Glendoran leader better than a Cormiran one.”
Father didn’t even pause before answering, “He is needed exactly where he is.”
True. The qualities making him a good choice for Renvalle also made him otherwise valuable. “Yes, I’d thought so as well. You need someone totally loyal to you, and yes, in this case, with a military background, who can gain the respect of the officers here.”
Father smiled. “Yes.”
“You want them unwed, so you can arrange a political marriage, which will go a long way in winning local support.”
“Yes, again. I’m so glad you agree.” Father’s calculating smile didn’t bode well for—somebody.
Chill fingers ran up Draylon’s spine. He couldn’t be thinking… “How about Lieutenant Sompera? She’s young, ambitious, and loyal to a fault. She’s also a baron’s daughter.” Not high in the noble hierarchy, but still noble.
“While political marriages needn’t be based on attraction, I’m not bastard enough to insist our lovely lieutenant marry a man when she’s well-known to prefer women.”
Since when? One side of Draylon’s mouth lifted before he could rein in the humor. “Don’t let her hear you call her lovely. The last man who complimented her appearance found himself lying on his ass in the dirt.”
Father laughed. “Yes, I’ve heard how if I intend to pay a compliment, it should be for her accomplishments, not for something she cannot control.”
“I have other suggestions.” Anything to steer this conversation away from where Draylon feared it might go.
Father ignored Draylon’s words. “I was quite surprised to find Prince Yarif was not a child but a man of marriageable age. I’m also told the prince has a distinct preference for men.” The stubborn tilt of Father’s jaw caused squirming in Draylon’s belly.
His heartbeat kicked up a notch. He strode to the window to hide his sudden terror of what Father might suggest next. If this plan called for someone with a military background… “I’d not heard.” Funny how the servants never mentioned Yarif’s preferences. Then again, they were loyal to Prince Yarif and likely saw no need. “You intend to keep him here as consort to whomever you choose.” Such a move would at least allow Yarif to live—for now.
“I think it’s a suitable solution, don’t you? Those loyal to the family will be appeased, and you’ve said yourself how his knowledge of running this kingdom will be a tremendous help. He’ll be too well guarded to cause trouble, and we’ll have the children to keep him in line.”
Draylon’s stomach soured. He squinched his eyes shut. Long had he dreaded this day. God of Bitter Fate, spare me! “If not the duke, who are you recommending?” Please don’t say it, please don’t say it.
He opened his eyes and turned in time to see Father’s broad grin. “Why, you, of course. Instead of a second son, you’ll be a king in your own right.”
Draylon stiffened. No! No! No! No! No! “Me? Father, I’m a warrior. I’m no ruler.”
Father dismissed Draylon’s objections with a wave of his beringed hand. “You weren’t a warrior until you were. Like battle tactics, you can learn. I’m told the two aren’t dissimilar at times. While you learn your duties, you’ll be surrounded by the finest advisors you can have, as when you learned to fight.”
Married. Made a king.
By all the gods, please, no.
“Are you still involved with Captain Rufe?” The slight sneer on Father’s lips spoke of his distaste for the matter.
“I’ve told you repeatedly, we’re not involved. We’re friends.” Sometimes the friendship became physical but was never going anywhere emotionally. Years ago, Draylon held out hope, but the more time passed, the more he valued Rufe’s friendship. They probably couldn’t maintain the same level of comfort around each other as official lovers. Besides, Rufe would be horrified by the attention and swore never to confine his affections to one person.
His carousing ways were part of his charm—and one thing eliminating him as a possible consort. The tattoo he wore was another.
Rufe’s blood was as noble as Draylon’s, his father a duke and mother a countess. That both had been wed to others at the time of his conception made Rufe a bastard. The younger brother born once the duke and countess married each other now claimed the heir status, leaving Rufe without a title. Society wouldn’t accept a match between the emperor’s son and a bastard.
Also, Draylon couldn’t imagine Rufe enduring the endless society balls required of a royal. Dodging scheming mamas and, in some cases, fathers. If you possessed a title, wealth, or both, someone was always willing to connive them from you.
Draylon would rather fight on the battlefield than in a ballroom, too, but his birthright was inescapable.
Now, his time had run out. “What would you have done if I’d said yes about Rufe and me?” Many thought Father unreadable. Draylon had learned as a survival tool.
“Then I would ensure your relationship with the captain didn’t interfere with our plans.”
Our plans? Whose? Definitely not Draylon’s. From the note of caution in his father’s voice, Draylon knew not to push the topic further, whether Father meant to buy Rufe out, marry him off, or dispose of him. All for the greater good, no doubt.
Hard to miss the thinly veiled threat. If Draylon went against his father’s wishes, he wouldn’t be alone in bearing the punishment. Married. How could Draylon get married? He squeezed his hands into fists. “Father, he’s a possible traitor! How could you ask this of me?”
“The prince must give up direct claim to the throne. His stepmother and half siblings will come to our high court as insurance for his continued good behavior. You two will marry, and you’ll assume the throne with trusted advisors by your side.”
Spies, in other words. No need to make this too easy for the old man. Draylon would attach conditions of his own. “Rufe must stay here with me.”
Father narrowed his eyes. “Swear to me you’ll not publicly cuckold your groom in the first two years of marriage, until the political situation stabilizes, so the brat has no reason not to cooperate. And never with that bastard Rufe. Do I make myself clear?”
What could Draylon say?
Father slammed his hand down on the desk. “You’ll not begin your reign with rumors of an affair with a bastard!” Ah, how the man let his prejudices show when riled. A good portion of the nobility were likely bastards. They’d simply learned to hide the truth.
“I have no intention of Rufe being my lover, as I said.” There would be no negotiating once Father made up his mind. “I agree to your terms. But you want a strong military here. No one is better suited to the task than Rufe. Even your most loyal spies will tell you so.”
For long moments, Father didn’t speak. Finally, he said, “So be it.”
Draylon might as well gain some benefit from his father’s scheming. “When will this wedding take place?”
“Three days from today.”
Not enough time to inform Mother then, let her plan the wedding or have her persuade Father to change his mind. By the time she heard the news, Draylon would be a married man. “Who are my witnesses?” If only he could finagle Mother to be here or postpone the wedding. At least she’d look out for his interests, and even Father knew not to cross her, but the trip from Cormira with an entourage required at least two weeks.
“Myself, your brother, and your beloved Captain Rufe.” Father wasn’t above fighting dirty. For them, Draylon might play nice.
“My brother? Avestan is here?” A bit of relief chased away Draylon’s panic. Avi would stand up to their father if needed. The heir held a lot more sway than a mere younger son.
“He is en route and will arrive soon.”
“Very well then. I suppose all I need to do is show up and make my vows.” Draylon didn’t hide the bitterness in his tone. Father had dictated every other aspect of his life, so why not marriage?
Marriage. Spending his whole life with one person. Draylon shuddered. Spending life with a man who had every right to hate Draylon’s entire family and for whom Draylon could summon no trust.
“The prince will abdicate, and there will be a minor ceremony to prove the union’s legitimacy, followed by a modest banquet. Remember that I have plans for your future husband to benefit the greater good.”
The greater good. Draylon nearly screamed. “King. He’s King Yarif, not a prince.”
Draylon would spend his life with a stranger he had no intention of knowing better. A scholarly type who’d likely cave to Father’s every whim—to keep his family safe. Yet, there was a fierceness…
On the other hand, Yarif also appeared ferociously loyal. If only Draylon could win that loyalty for himself. “Rings? Garments?”
“All provided.”
Meaning Draylon wouldn’t even get any choices. “How do we know he’ll agree?”
“If he values his family, he will.”
I hope you enjoyed this week’s episode of Holly’s Quirky Questions.
I hope whatever you are in the world, you are safe and smiling.
A huge thank you to Eden. You are awesome!
Next week we have B. Ripley.
Until then: Find a Spark of Magic Every Day.
