Tuesday Special: Kilts and Catnip

ZOE TASIA

http://zoetasia.com/

Magical danger lurks in the forest.

But Greg Gillie, a handsome Scot with a mysterious past, protects the Shrouded Isle and the lands beyond from the mischievous, dangerous fae.

A woman arrives disturbing the wee folk.

Greg’s task becomes harder when American widow, Becca Shaw and her two daughters vacation there. As each day passes, more fae steal away from the forest hill and menace the people in the village, Thistle.

Can this exodus be stopped? 

As Becca encounters an array of magical creatures, she strives to repair her relationship with her two still-grieving girls and befriend the suspicious villagers. Greg and Becca must work together to solve the mystery of why the fae are escaping and discover how to prevent it while they struggle with their blossoming feelings for one another.

For their sake and the sake of the world, let’s hope they’re up to the task.

Kilts and Catnip, the first book in a new fantasy series, is filled with sweet romance, delightful humor, and exciting adventure.

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An unexpected encounter at the village grocery…

The door flew open with a bang. Two wolves burst from the basement, tumbling over each other in their haste to get out. The smallest jumped on top of the counter. The larger one slinked out from behind it. That wolf, all black except its gray legs and muzzle, bared its teeth. The wolves were huge. Even the small brindled one looked like it outweighed me. I glanced back. Kay and Tate had reached the exit and waited for us. I froze, inanely torn between leaving money on the counter, maybe a note, or just leaving.

“Becca, Jessie. Come now!”

The panic in Kay’s voice and Jess’s tug on my arm decided me. The hackles raised on both animals, making them appear even larger. The smaller one sniffed the air then howled. He leapt to the floor, putting him mere feet away from Jess and me. Jessie gasped as I pushed her behind me.

“Back out slowly,” I whispered as I tried to remember what you were supposed to do around a wild dog.

My mind went blank. I wanted to run, but I didn’t want my back exposed to them. My eyes darted back and forth at the shelves, hoping to find a broom or something. As I crept back, my hand brushed the items on the shelves.

“Here, doggie, come here!” Jessie called.

I turned. Jessie had snuck to the next aisle and torn open a package of tuna. She waved it to get the wolf’s attention.

“Jessica! Get to the door!” I squeaked, managing not to yell. No freaking out the wolves, Becca.

I couldn’t see the large one, but said a quick prayer that it found the meat department. The smaller wolf sniffed and weaved around to the aisle where Jess stood. I backed more quickly and sidestepped to reach her just as the wolf did. Jess placed the package in the center of the aisle and backed away.

“Good doggie—you’re a good doggie. Tuna is way better than icky people,” Jessie crooned.

The wolf sniffed the fish and then lapped up some. Something bumped my hip. I wheeled around. The other wolf had flanked us. This time I couldn’t contain myself and shrieked. The wolves shied, their claws chattered on the tile as they scrambled back. I swallowed an eep.

“Go!” I shoved Jessie toward the door where Tate and Kay waited, Tate’s hands gesturing for us to come. I raced after Jess.

“We tried to get your attention, but we didn’t want to startle the wolf,” Kay said as she threw open the door.

The girls ran out. Kay and I fled seconds later. Just as I was pulling the door closed, the larger wolf leapt up, hitting it, and slammed it shut. The wolf rested its front paws on the wood and stared through the glass at us with intelligence showing in the dark eyes. Raising its head, it let out a spine-chilling howl.


###

As a child, Zoe Tasia idolized Barbara Eden, star of I Dream of Jeannie. However, she would have ditched the astronaut and married Captain Kirk. She can't blink and make magic nor did she wed a Starfleet officer. Instead, life had something better in store for her. She explores her imagination as a writer, is married to an understanding Greek, has two grown sons, and a crazy cat that thinks it's a dog. Zoe grew up in Oklahoma and lived over seven years in Scotland. Now she resides in the great state of Texas, where everything's bigger and better, or so she's told by the natives. When she's not giving her make-believe friends full rein, she enjoys the opera, ballet, well-chilled champagne and books, lots and lots of books. Her fantasy series, The Shrouded Isle, begins with Kilts and Catnip.

Zoe Tasia also co-writes books with Minette Lauren under the pen name Zari Reede.
Daisy Dukes 'n Cowboy Boots, a funny romance
Blinked, a zany fantasy
Sins of the Sister, a psychological thriller

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Co-writing—Double the Fun or Double the Trouble?

The Write Way Café welcomes Zoe Tasia. She opens up about writing as a member of a team.

My friend, Minette says: “Wanna write a book together?”

I say: “Cool. Sure.”

 Then we skipped off singing, 

“Ho height!  Ho height! It’s off we go to write, la-la-la-la!”

Okay, that’s not how it started. I complained to Minette about writing (rather, about NOT writing), so she sent me a few paragraphs encouraging me to add to the story. Yeah, right, I thought. (I got the inside track on snark. *wink*) After numerous nudges, I did. This exercise resulted in our first book, Daisy Dukes ’n Cowboy Boots.  We didn’t stop there. We now have three published books, two completed manuscripts awaiting editing, and are currently working on a time travel romance.

Two! Two! Two writers for the price of one! (I’m the emo one.)

How do you write together? This is the most common question I get. Easy, we bounce the story back and forth like a tennis ball. Really, it’s a challenge and I love that.  The story may (and probably, in our case, will) take weird, unexpected turns. The tricky part is keeping the story going and your writing interesting.

 (I write much better than I play tennis. I swear!)

Our first book is a romance. I don’t read or write romances, typically. I had a character visit the bathroom. No pooping in romance, Minette, who does enjoy romance, told me. (Hey, I live with guys. Potty humor abounds.)

You’d never see this in a bookstore window. 

(Nothing was said about no poop in this article.)

Then, I killed someone. Oopsies, sorry—not sorry. Too grim for a light-hearted romance, Minette said, so that scene was deleted.  (He didn’t die, but the poor guy went through a lot.)

As much as I love it, problems with writing together do exist. Showing instead of telling in a book is crucial. We have to work on this during edits because during writing, we try to get across what we have in mind through prose and dialogue. Telling = bad. It’s tough.

Now this book REALLY is good at showing, not telling.

We don’t want to limit each other creatively. On the other hand, if one of us has a direction we want to go and think would be absolutely cool for the story, it can be very frustrating when that path is cut off.

Let’s go THIS WAY. Follow me!

With co-writing, communication is key. We’re pantsers when we write together up to midway through the book. NOT the way I write alone. But I feel shifting gears and working in a different way makes my writing, overall, much better.

We basically take turns and write approximately 1K words each turn. We’ve tried longer and shorter and just feel this works best for us. We trust each other and we are willing to compromise. Since one of us is always waiting for the other to send the manuscript back, we try to be very respectful of each other’s time. Pantsing is like tightrope walking without a net and kinda scary for me, since I don’t do it. But I tend to be more adventurous when writing as Zari Reede. I’m secure that WE can write anything.

It’s a little nerve-wracking, but I’m doing it!

There are many ways to collaborate. I know people who get on Google Docs (these days, there are numerous options for simultaneous writing on one document} and work at the same time. Slinging dialogue at each other—sounds fun.

Convo nugget comin’ your way!

Other authors agree that each will write one character’s POV (point of view) and alternate chapters. This works very well for romance that often has two POVs, one for each lover. I’ve also seen authors who have one person write the first draft and the other edits. Wowzers, that must entail much co-outlining, discussion, and planning.

I won’t lie. Co-writing isn’t for everyone. But you’ll never know if you don’t try. So, tap a fellow author. Dare ‘em. I’m betting they’ll step up to the plate.

Batter, batter, batter, SWING!

About Zoe Tasia:
As a child, Zoe Tasia idolized Barbara Eden, star of I Dream of Jeannie, however, she would have ditched the astronaut and married Captain Kirk. She can’t blink and make magic nor did she wed a Starfleet officer. Instead, life had something better in store for her. She explores her imagination as a writer, is married to an understanding Greek, has two grown sons, and a crazy cat that thinks it’s a dog. Zoe grew up in Oklahoma and lived over seven years in Scotland. Now she resides in the great state of Texas, where everything’s bigger and better, or so she’s told by the natives. When she’s not giving her make-believe friends full rein, she enjoys the opera, ballet, well-chilled champagne, and reading, lots and lots of reading. Her first book is Kilts and Catnip ~ The Shrouded Isle Book 1. She co-writes books with Minette Lauren as Zari Reede.

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Magical danger lurks in the forest.

But Greg Gillie, a handsome Scot with a mysterious past, protects the Shrouded Isle and the lands beyond from the mischievous, dangerous fae.

A woman arrives disturbing the wee folk.

Greg’s task becomes harder when American widow, Becca Shaw and her two daughters vacation there. As each day passes, more fae steal away from the forest hill and menace the people in the village, Thistle.

Can this exodus be stopped? 

As Becca encounters an array of magical creatures, she strives to repair her relationship with her two still-grieving girls and befriend the suspicious villagers. Greg and Becca must work together to solve the mystery of why the fae are escaping and discover how to prevent it while they struggle with their blossoming feelings for one another.

For their sake and the sake of the world, let’s hope they’re up to the task.

Kilts and Catnip, the first book in a new fantasy series, is filled with sweet romance, delightful humor, and exciting adventure.

Amazon           Barnes & Noble          Kobo

Monday Morsels: Kilts and Catnip

KILTS AND CATNIP

by Zoe Tasia

CHAPTER 1

 

Shrouded Isle, Scotland:

M

om! Mom, wake up!”

I lifted my head as my eldest’s finger jabbed me in the ribs three times in rapid succession. Teen must maintain minimum touching to avoid icky mommy cooties, no doubt. Despite lack of sleep, my inner monologue continued to function well. The dim night-light from the hall glowed bright enough to reveal Jessie standing beside the bed.

“What?” I rubbed my dry, gritty eyes and winced at the soreness. Late yesterday evening, we arrived at the summer cottage after a grueling drive and a vomit-inducing ferry trip. When the bags still weren’t unpacked by eleven, I opted to go to bed and deal with it tomorrow. Hello, tomorrow.

“Tate’s gone.”

As I swung my legs over to sit up, Jessie stepped back. Her gaze alternated between me and the bedroom the girls shared next to mine. Jessie hugged her chest and fidgeted in that gawky, yet attractive way only fifteen-year-old girls can.

I shook my head. “What do you mean she’s gone?” I squinted at the clock, but I had neglected to reset it to the correct time. A glance out the window revealed the star-filled sky. “Jess! It’s the middle of the night! What the—” I said, barely checking myself before I blurted out a profanity. “Did you check the couch? She probably snuck out to read and fell asleep.” I glanced at my pillow with longing.

Jessie’s nails bit into my forearm and drove the sleep from my mind. My cool, unconcerned teen looked panicked. “I saw a boy take Tate into the woods. We gotta go now or we’ll lose her!” she cried.

Fear drew an icy finger down my spine. Jessie tugged at me. Her eyes opened wide, large, like an anime character’s.

“Tate? Tate, honey, where are you?” I received no answer. I shoved my feet into wellies and threw on my green, corduroy jacket I’d left on a chair. Jessie dragged me toward the door, but suspicious, I pulled free. “What exactly did you see? And I swear, if this is some kind of prank, you and your sister cooked up—”

“No prank.”

“Then what?”

Jessie ran to the living room. “Come on!”

I followed, glanced at the girls’ empty beds in the next room as I passed, then turned up the gas lamp, and blinked owlishly.

“I heard shuffling noises. I looked up and the window was open wide.”

I drew close and squeezed her shoulder. “We left the window open, honey.”

“Not wide open, Mom. We left it cracked this much.” She held up her hands, showing a four-inch gap between them. “I went to lower it and saw a little boy dragging Tate into the woods. Tate was moving slowly, like she was sleepwalking.”

I opened the front door and switched on the porch light. The girls’ room was on the right side of the small house. I rushed around the corner in time to see a bluish light illuminate two figures, one in a nightgown and the other so much into the shadows that I couldn’t make out any detail. They disappeared into the foliage. I knew the ruffled, pink pajamas. They were Tate’s favorite. What was she thinking? She had turned ten this spring and knew better than to wander off with a stranger.

Despite wanting to rush after her, I paused. Bad idea to go into a forest, especially in the dark, Becca. I remembered seeing a large flashlight on top of the refrigerator. Ignoring my warning, I raced back into the kitchen and rose on tiptoe to reach the light, so I could follow.

Jessie gripped my arm. “I’m coming too,” she pleaded.

“Jess, if I hurry, I should be able to get her before I get completely turned around. I need you to stay here and call nine-nine-nine, in case I can’t find her.” Jessie opened her mouth ready to protest. Before she could speak, I added, “My cell is in my purse on the table.” Then I remembered the friendly local we’d met when we first arrived. “Better yet, call Mr. McNeil from the grocery. His number is in my contacts, and he’s sure to know who best to call.”

Jessie rushed to the table for the phone.

Yelling Tate’s name, I ran into the night and dashed toward the forest, thanking God the boy hadn’t taken her to the ocean side of the cottage and carried my baby away in a boat. The forest felt too quiet as I dodged around an enormous oak. I ran until my boot heel caught on a root and made me stumble on the uneven ground. Frantic, I swung the light back and forth searching for my youngest. How could they have gotten so far ahead of me?

“Tate!” I called.

Scuffing my feet and tearing at bushes, I hoped to mark my path so we could find our way back or at least be found. The branch on a log snagged my clothes, and I fell to my knees.

Come on, Becca. Stop panicking. I stood, flipping off the flashlight. After listening for a few seconds, I heard rustling ahead to the north. Once more, though much dimmer, the blue light flickered ahead. I was afraid to switch on my light because it dimmed the indistinct blue. The eerie glow grew fainter. I kept calling and blundered forward, crying out as the light vanished.

“Tate!” I screamed, pausing to turn on the light. I spun, lighting up the dark earth around me. My baby’s gone.

Want to read more?

Magical danger lurks in the forest.

But Greg Gillie, a handsome Scot with a mysterious past, protects the Shrouded Isle and the lands beyond from the mischievous, dangerous fae.

A woman arrives disturbing the wee folk.

Greg’s task becomes harder when American widow, Becca Shaw and her two daughters vacation there. As each day passes, more fae steal away from the forest hill and menace the people in the village, Thistle.

Can this exodus be stopped? 

As Becca encounters an array of magical creatures, she strives to repair her relationship with her two still-grieving girls and befriend the suspicious villagers. Greg and Becca must work together to solve the mystery of why the fae are escaping and discover how to prevent it while they struggle with their blossoming feelings for one another.

For their sake and the sake of the world, let’s hope they’re up to the task.

Kilts and Catnip, the first book in a new fantasy series, is filled with sweet romance, delightful humor, and exciting adventure.

Amazon           Barnes & Noble          Kobo


📚  Find Zoe Tasia here:

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