Dreams is now released!

Strange dreams disturb the darkness, and in the midst of it all, the dragon calls.

I have just released my third novella, Dreams, which continues the Siraendis series from the viewpoint of Ahern. Just thirteen years old and already hard as a warrior, he is out to revenge the death of his family, but first he must protect the friends that now surround him.

Ahern's story was particularly hard to write. His language is vulgar and much more vivid than my own, and many of the words he would use, I would blush to use them. In fact, it made me quite uncomfortable to write. But not every character I write is going to be like me.

It was growing dark. "Can't we stop now?" Chester whined. "My feet hurt." The sound of her voice grated on his ears. Couldn't she shut up? His feet hurt too.

"We should gag the whore," Ahern said in a low growl, "or leave her behind for the
emperor to eat—if he can stomach her."

Ahern is a hormonal boy and thinks a lot about things I never thought about, like the curve of a woman's body. I'm not a lesbian. I am a happily married woman with three children. My husband had to tell me where I needed more detail on Ahern's observations and thoughts. And I'm blushing now just thinking about it.

Taking rear guard, Ahern marched at the back. He tried not to watch Lelea's ass swaying in front of him—he needed to focus—but as the monotony of putting one foot in front of the other drummed in his head for hours, his eyes wandered back. If he wasn't so tall, his face would be even with it as she was standing a few steps above him. By the dead, she looked good.

One curvy side would bunch up. Then the other side. The light showed the muscles as they moved back and forth, nearly hypnotizing him with their rhythm. His hand could have cupped it. If she were facing him, straddling him, it would be a perfect handhold.

He also is not sweet and innocent. Think more of a boy who grew up in the streets and whose family is a gang, and then you'll understand a modern version of Ahern. To him, his weapon is the solution to every problem:

He was about to climb into his own bedroll when Cade, poking at the fire, spoke to him. "I've seen the future so many times with so many variations," he said. He sounded like he was almost talking to himself. "I'm not even sure what is real anymore. I know where this is leading, and I'm not sure I can face it."

"You face it like you did that brute of a man—with your staff in hand, ready to
fight."

"That's not always the answer, Ahern."

"Yes, it is."

So please take the time to enjoy Dreams and share it with others!