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UNSEELIE QUEEN: Sneak Peek #1

After publishing my debut novel Seelie Princess back in September, I went on to write the sequel during NaNoWriMo 2019. Though I hit the 50k at the end of November, I didn’t finish the first draft until mid-January of this year. I took a short break from my book before starting the editing process. I’ve still got a long way to go, but in the meantime I’d like to share the opening scene for Book 2 in The Crown of Tír na nÓg series titled Unseelie Queen. (I sent this out to my lovely mailing list subscribers about a month ago; if you’d like to join that list too, click here.)

Kayla hadn’t known she was prone to seasickness.
As the waves crashed against their tiny boat, carrying it any which way, Kayla clutched a hand to her stomach. The other tried to reach for Fay, who grabbed the railing of their boat.
“Don’t let go!” Fay cried over the roar of the waves.
Opposite of them, Nooa’s face turned the sickly color of a green Faery Light. Even Maeve looked pale. No one spoke as another gust of wind howled across the sea, tossing the boat left and right. The waves grew higher and higher before crashing onto the boat.
Before Kayla could as much as scream, she was doused in salt water. The force of the wave shoved Kayla back, away from Fay. Flinging her arms, Kayla tried to get a hold on someone—or something—when another wave knocked into her.
Kayla lost all sense of which way was up as she tumbled through the water. Salt water burned her eyes as she forced to keep them open, trying to make out any shapes and shadows. She glimpsed something in the distance and started swimming toward it. The waves thrust her back and forth as she kicked with her legs. Her chest ached with the need for air.
Something closed around Kayla’s ankle, and she screamed, sending up bubbles. Whatever had hold of her foot swam with impressive speed, and soon they broke through the surface.
Kayla hit the packed ground, spluttering and gasping. As she rubbed saltwater from her eyes, her surroundings shifted into focus. She sat on a rocky shore, facing the wild sea that raged underneath the dark sky. No sight of their boat or any survivors. Until Kayla lowered her gaze.
She yelped, crawling backward. “Who are you?!”

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SEELIE PRINCESS: Excerpt #2

One week to go! In honor of the upcoming ebook release I’m now sharing Chapter 2 with you. In Chapter 1 (which you can read here) you met Kayla, the human girl who is desperate to find her father. Read below to meet the Seelie Princess!

2
MORE THAN CHANCE ENCOUNTER

It had been some time since Fay last visited Chicago—or since she’d been to this world. Cool fall wind tugged at her hair and clothes as she hurried across the Millennium Park and toward the nearest subway station. No matter how long she stayed away, she would always remember the L train and the sharp wind off Lake Michigan. They were old friends greeting her and for a moment, as she stood at the crossroads, a feeling of warmth spread through her.

The light at the crosswalk switched to green and the flow of people carried her to the other side. She walked in a daze and suddenly the city felt less like an old friend and more like a recurring nightmare.

A car to her right honked. Fay flinched, startled by the unusual noise. She’d forgotten how loud Chicago was, and the air was stale and smelled of exhaust.

Another gust of wind swept across Chicago, carrying along a drizzle of rain. Fay drew her jacket closer around her. She’d put on a floaty black dress and a denim jacket, something she thought humans would wear in the summer, but she’d misjudged the weather. It was never easy to tell what season you were heading into when coming to this realm. Luckily, Fay didn’t get cold as fast as humans did.

She reached the subway stop and rifled in her jacket pocket for her ticket. Or at least what she would use as a ticket. She pulled out a large leaf she’d plucked from a tree, cast a quick Glamor, and pressed it against the scanner. With a peep, she was admitted.

She filed onto the platform with the other commuters. No one was paying much attention to her, which was a nice change for once. Back at the court, Fay was often the center of attention. And if she bowed to the queen’s wishes, she’d be of even more interest.

Not if she could find the girl first.

Fay took out the stone the queen had given her. It was opaque, about the size of an egg, and it fit smoothly into her hand. Deep pulses emanated from it in a slow, rhythmic pattern. She turned south and the pulsing faded, but when she faced north, it gave off powerful beats. She was on the right track then. The train rolled into the station and Fay got on. As it rushed north, the beating of the stone grew more intense. At one stop, the beating got so fast that Fay pushed through the crowd and out of the train seconds before the door shut again.

Using the same technique as before, she walked up to each crossroad, turned each direction, and followed the one that the stone indicated. Even after all the time she’d spent at the court, she didn’t fully grasp what made the stone work. It was a kind of magic she hadn’t seen before. One that only the queen had access to.

On and on Fay went, houses and unknown faces flashing past her, but even without looking, she knew where she was heading. The area around Lincoln Park Zoo had always been one of her favorites. Years ago, when she was little.

The stone was now beating fast and hard; it was hot to the touch. Fay turned a corner and hurried down a one-way street with brick houses. One last beat and the stone fell quiet.

She had found it.

Continue reading → SEELIE PRINCESS: Excerpt #2
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SEELIE PRINCESS: Excerpt #1

With only three weeks left until the ebook release of SEELIE PRINCESS, I want to give you a sneak peek at what’s waiting for you. You can read the entire first chapter below.

1
ACORN

On some days, missing her father was only background noise. On others, the hole he’d left behind sucked all the sound from the world around her.

Today was one of those silent days.

Kayla was gazing out the window at the dull sky, her reflection blurred by the glass vibrating as the train rushed over the tracks. The image vanished as a ray of sunshine broke through the thick clouds, making Kayla squint. Her eyes took some time to adjust to the sudden brightness, but when they had, the train was already approaching the station.

“Kay, are you even listening?”

Turning away from the window, Kayla blinked at her friend Abby, who had her phone held out toward Kayla. “Did you see this? It’s a new club opening tonight,” Abby said. “We should go.”

Kayla frowned. “Can’t you ask Meghan?”

“No,” Abby said curtly. She took her phone back and shoved it into her handbag. Kayla glimpsed several textbooks, all dog-eared and worn, but that was what happened when you took a handbag to school. “Meghan’s not my best friend, is she? Besides, we didn’t go out for your birthday last week.”

Kayla hugged her backpack closer to her chest. “We went to the movies,” she said. “With popcorn and everything.”

Abby raised an eyebrow. “That’s not the same as partying. Anyway, I’ve got to get off.” Tossing back her long hair, she leaned in for a hug. Kayla held on for a second, the scent of Abby’s coconut shampoo tickling her nose.

“Text me if you change your mind,” Abby said. She stood and filed out of the train, waving at Kayla through the window.

Kayla watched Abby grow smaller and smaller as the train pulled out of the station. Once she was out of sight, Kayla took out her phone, scrolling up and down without reading any of the words. Her eyes stung with an exhaustion she couldn’t shake off.

People around Kayla rose to their feet as a crackling voice on the intercom announced their next stop and the train slowed down again. The platform was packed with commuters, impatiently waiting for the arriving train.

The brakes squealed, and the train came to a stop. As soon as the doors slid open, people pushed outside, while those waiting on the platform tried to squeeze inside. Kayla let her gaze wander over the crowd, taking in all the different people: short and tall, thin and thick, young and old, black and white. Unfamiliar faces. Except…

Kayla gasped.

Brown eyes, tousled russet hair. A face she hadn’t seen in years. As the platform cleared, her father turned the other way.

“Dad, wait!” She leaped to her feet. People cursed as she pushed her way through to the exit, her eyes fixed on her father out on the platform. He was heading toward the stairs. A voice sounded from the speakers, announcing their departure. Kayla pushed and shoved.

“Dad!” She stumbled out of the train, the doors slamming shut the moment she stepped outside. The wheels of the train screeched as it left the station.

The platform had cleared. Kayla hurried over to the stairway where she’d last seen him and sprinted down the stairs, almost slipping on the last step. She skidded to a halt on the sidewalk.

Cars were rushing by, people walking along, but her father had disappeared. Heart thrumming in her chest, Kayla spun around, scanning the area. She could hardly breathe, and the rush of her blood was so loud in her ears that she couldn’t hear either.

Tears stung her eyes. She sank to the curb, hugging her trembling arms tight to her chest. After all this time, had it really been him?

It couldn’t have been him. He hadn’t been standing on that platform, just like he hadn’t been in the crowd of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade five years ago. Or in that restaurant back in her home town. Or at the lake where they went camping when she was younger.

It never was her father, just a ghost she kept chasing through the dark.

Kayla reached into her jacket pocket for her phone, but her fingers brushed something round and rough. She pulled it out and stared at the object in her hand. It was an acorn, larger than any she’d ever seen. Not that she’d held many acorns before.

Frowning, she looked up and down the streets, but the sidewalk was empty. As she twisted the acorn in her fingers, the cap came off, revealing a hollow inside. Stuffed within was some paper, which Kayla pried from it and unfolded.

For a second, the entire world stopped, shrouded in white noise, and Kayla stared at the paper in her hands. Only four words were scribbled on it.

Your father is alive.

Continue reading → SEELIE PRINCESS: Excerpt #1
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The King’s Daughters – Snippet #2

“The King’s Daughters” is the first installment in Tales of the Seelie Court and will be released THIS month. Below is another snippet of the story. Enjoy!

The king followed the path a little bit more until it made a slight turn to the left and descended. A few feet down, in a hollow, stood a tall oak tree. He sank to his knees in front of it and extended a hand to gently trace a finger along the engraving on the stone.

Eyela. Faerie Queen. Loving mother.

Every night since her death, he had taken a walk down to her grave, but never before had it hurt him so much. The recent events weighed heavily on him and dragged him down even further at the thought of his dead wife. Once more he was filled with despair and, above all, remorse.

He pressed his palm onto the cold stone beside her name. “My love, if only you were here.”

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The King’s Daughters – Snippet #1

Welcome to this very first post of mine 🙂 I’ve known for more than ten years that I wanted to be writer, but finding the right story to start out with was difficult. I’ve recently discovered the exciting world of Irish Fairy and Folk Tales and it inspired me so much that I decided that I wanted to write stories about faeries. So I embarked on the journey of writing my first short story (in English, I have written some in German before, but they are the worst, let’s hope no one ever finds them!). It will still take some time for the story to be finished, but I will start you off with a little sneak peek. Enjoy! 

In the faraway land of Tír na nÓg, where the weather was always bright, the flowers bloomed endlessly, and the water sprouted  plentiful from wells, there lived a hidden people. They were faeries; tall, human-like creatures with unearthly beautiful faces and pointed ears. Their beauty never wilted; in Annwn, time stood still.

The faeries were ruled by a Faerie King who had two gorgeous daughters that were his pride and joy, the essence of his being. He would’ve given his life for them, more than he would’ve ever given it for his people. If ever he were to lose his daughters, he would be heartbroken.