Teaser Tuesday: STOUTHEARTED!

I know that this year I've been forced to delay a lot of projects, and this has more than likely frustrated a lot of you... and I get that, I do. But sometimes life is a jackass, and you just have to go with the flow. Which is exactly what I'd been forced to do. On the plus side? Stouthearted, to me, is a very strong book. I actually like it more than Submerged. I worked my butt off on the fight scenes. There's a ton of character development (especially with Taylen). And there's a lot more romance. So I hope that, once it releases next month, you all find it to be worth the wait. *Fingers crossed!*

Anyway, here is a teaser from Stouthearted:

 I could hear Hack’s footsteps as he made his way over towards me; his calloused fingers wrapped around my arm as he shoved me back against what I presumed to be the wall of a Hovercopter. “You were once my main target, yes, but after that stunt you pulled back in Florida? You’re far from my only target, girlie. Soon enough you’ll be with all of the others.”

    It wasn’t hard to decipher who he’d been referring to. It wasn’t just me that Hack’s men had taken. He’d taken the people that I’d tried like hell to protect, knowing that their safety meant more to me than my own. “If you so much as lay a hand on them, I swear...”

    “You swear what?” he teased. “You can’t stop me from doing anything, Taylen. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m not the one with my hands cuffed behind my back. Nor am I the fool with a bag over my head. Not to mention the fact that I have more than enough guards willing to obey my every command.”

    “You mean your weak followers?” Vile coated each and every one of my words as I spoke. “Takeaway their fear, and what reason do they have left to follow you? What reason do they have to fight for you, Hack?”

    “Desperation, the need to survive, the need to protect those that they care about,” he said, a slight wistfulness to his voice. “Not everything is about fear, Taylen. A life built upon fear is a life unlived. I don’t force them to do anything. I simply give them a nudge in the right direction.”

    “Because that’s oh so much better,” sarcasm laced my words as I narrowed my eyes in his direction - not that mattered much with a bag over my head - trying to understand how one man could be so far removed from reality.

     “We need sacrifice. We need discipline, and we need to be reminded that we’re not invincible. That is what I provide them with – a sense of purpose, of life in a world that fell to ignorance. I have no reason to make them fear me, because, unlike you, these folks know what is best for ‘em.”

Teaser: Arabella!

Arabella was never meant to be anything more than a side project when I started working on it. I had no intention of publishing it. So to have it listed for pre-order now, it's kind of crazy to me. But I love this novella. Arabella is a flawed character, there's no doubt about that. She's flawed. She's naive. And she's impulsive. But she's also human - er, superhuman, really.

I'm not expecting a lot of sales once Arabella is officially released next month (yay!), but I'm hoping that the few people willing to give this story a chance will connect with Arabella in some way.

Anyway, enough of that! Onto the teaser:

Bitter Pill

Two days later…

I sat perched atop the building, crouched as I glanced over the brightly lit streets. The warm night air beat down upon me, instantly making me regret my choice to wear a leather ensemble.

Gwen and I used to always sneak out to the Keers building after training to getaway from my father’s watchful eye. Not that it ever made much of a difference, given the fact that the Keers building was only a block away from Bilson Corporations.

But it at least offered a false sense of freedom – just for a little while.

Now? The Keers building offered me a chance to relive those memories.

I rose to my feet with my arms spread at my sides, and closed my eyes.

Part of me wanted to jump, to experience the rush it would bring.

But I knew better than to draw attention to myself.

A person couldn’t disappear if they left behind a trail, I reminded myself.

A few things worth noting concerning Arabella:

1. It is told in two parts: Before & Now. This probably sounds a bit strange, I know, but it is needed. Since this is a one shot story, I needed to establish not only Arabella, but this world that she lives in, and make it feel believable. Splitting the story into two parts helped me to do so.
2. It is a superhero story when it comes down to it, but it's also about self-discovery and relationships.
3. It is a one shot, so don't expect a sequel. I'm trying to get into the habit of writing standalone stories for those that don't want to commit to a series (plus, after writing so many installments of the Emile Reed Chronicles, I'm eager for some standalone stories). There's a chance that, down the line, I may write a Gwen one shot, but that's still up in the air for now.
4. There are some Easter Eggs planted throughout the story. If you've read the Emile Reed Chronicles and Rare Talents, you should be able to spot some. ;)