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.

Amazon           Barnes & Noble          Kobo



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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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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An Interview with Beth Caudill

The Write Way Café welcomes Beth Caudill with her Enchanted by Destiny, Paranormals of Arilase series. She shares how she finds fantasy in reality.

When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a book? Was that first thought related to writing romance?
     After my second child was born and I knew I was going to be a stay-at-home-mom for several more years.  I’ve always had stories in my head but I never considered writing them down until I’d been going stir-crazy at home.
     My first thought was writing science fiction but I didn’t have the brain cycles to deal with the research. (Anyone with kids will tell you that the mind becomes Swiss cheese.) I love the idea of space exploration but dragons and magic kept popping into my head.  Fantasy romance became my focus after that.

What was your path to getting this book written and published? What type of research did you do?
     I had some initial ideas for the story, but it wasn’t right. I put it aside to write the first story in my fantasy with romantic elements series.  Once I came back to it and decided to change the setting to Arilase the story progressed much faster.
     Because it is a novella, I’m self-publishing the whole series.
     I did some minor research into treehouses, gemstones and private lake settings. The majority of my research centered on creating spells for my heroine to use. I’m not very good with rhyming and wanted some ideas on how to get what I wanted out of the spell and still have it sound like a spell. The reference source I used was Deborah Blake’s Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook.

Where did the idea for your story come from?
     It is hard for me to define inspiration for Enchanted by Destiny because I started and stopped the story a few times. However, I was influenced a bit by the release of the live-action version of Maleficent.  Sleeping Beauty has always been a favorite fairy tale of mine.  The Dark Elf’s curse and my Hero falling into a coma was influenced by this.
     Also the evil mastermind at the end of the story was influenced by the Cheshire Cat from Disney’s animated movie.  The image of the smiling cat disappearing has stuck with me.

Why did you pick the setting you did?
     I’m not sure where I developed the idea, but for me, elves belong in a forest.  Archery, grace, stealth and a bit of magic all fit.  They can exist in a small town if they have too, but not a big city.  Most of all, I wanted to create a small village of treehouses.

Are your main characters completely imaginary or do they have some basis in real people? Do they reflect aspects of yourself?
     The characters in Enchanted by Destiny are imaginary.  I found a few pictures on shutterstock that matched the image in my head and off I wrote.  Caitlyn from Assassin’s Soul and especially Evelyn in Tethered possess the most qualities that I identify with.
     Clairessa - https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-sensuality-teen-girl-long-straight-69791017
     Rowe - https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portrait-young-handsome-guy-on-beach-113805649

Did you face any blocks while writing the book, and if so, how did you handle them? If not, what's your secret?
     My initial idea for this story involved werelions and city streets.  Yet I couldn’t really come up with a plot that worked.  When I decided to ditch the lions and place the story on Arilase (my fantasy supernatural world), everything came together.
     Time seems to be the best thing for me and solving the issues I come up against while writing.

What have been surprises you've encountered while writing the book and after?
     The biggest surprise was discovering that the spell book company Claire worked for existed within a living tree. The computers connected to the tree and could reach a collective knowledgebase.
     It’s a minor detail in one of the chapters but it was my biggest surprise while I was writing.

What did you learn? For instance, what did you learn about yourself, your process, the writing world; about elves and spell books?
     From this book, I know I can complete a story and publish it.  Lately, I’ve been having problems completing stories.  Because I worked through the plot issues in Enchanted by Destiny, even if I need to change something…I will eventually be able to write The End.
     While my elves may be a bit secretive, they are very traditional and protective. There are some basic spells that everyone learns but the more proficient enchanters will create their own spells.   Creating spells should be undertaken with reverence for the Goddess and beneficial intent.


Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you.
     My main writing space is a desk upstairs in my bonus room. I like being able to close the door and lock out most of the noise from my boys.  When I sent my oldest to a private school last year, I coopted his desk in my downstairs dining room. A lot of natural light comes in through the front windows.

What are some of your favorite books and why?
     The Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop. I love the characters and magic.
     Wars of Light and Shadows series by Janny Wurts. Long epic fantasy series. I love the politics, magic and worldbuilding.
     Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews.  I love the characters.
     Psy/Changling series by Nalini Singh.  I love her worldbuilding and politics

What are you working on now?
     I’ve completed the first draft of the third book in my Paranormal or Arilase series. I need to complete a few rounds of edits before I can release it.
     I’m behind on my deadline for the second in my contribution to the Zodiac Shifters books.  This one is supposed to be a Gemini character.  We’ll see how it goes.

Would you like to try your hand at writing a different genre?  Which one and why?
     I’ve considered stories in science fiction or gothic romance.  I’m apprehensive about the Gothic story because I’m not sure I can write it dark enough.

If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be?
     My dream job would be to have someone pay me to research stuff.  I love learning new things—as evidenced by my own library. I use any excuse to buy some cool book. Shhh. Don’t tell me husband.

What aspect of writing gives you the most trouble?
     Knowing my characters. It’s always a journey for me to learn about them as I write.  Then I have to go back and make sure I fix the beginning because usually something was left out or I disclosed it the wrong way.

Who is your favorite hero/heroine?
     My favorite hero is Liam from Healer’s Fate.  I have a soft spot for Alpha werewolves. He can be strong and protective but still empower Corliss to act for herself.
     Evelyn from Tethered is my favorite heroine. I’ve always wanted to fly and it’s her favorite activity. Plus, she has traveled the world which my introverted heart envies.

     In a land ruled by magic, can two elves break a dark curse and forge a new destiny together?
     Clairessa Bellehaven may be a princess, but she’s also the loneliest elf in Wildeloch. She spends her days analyzing spell books, and her nights dreaming of someone to share her life. This seems unlikely, after her betrothed, Prince Rowe deserted her and her latest beau betrayed her trust. Surely just one night of passion with a handsome elf will do no harm … that is, unless the Goddess finds out.
     Rowe Calder, elf clan prince, can no longer delay returning home if he is to save his family’s livelihood. But once there, he finds himself under the spell of his lovely bondmate, Princess Clairessa—the woman destined to cause his death. He’s a powerful elvish prince, surely he dares risk one tryst with her.
But there is no hiding from the vindictive curse cast long ago. Rowe will have to fight for the safety of everyone he loves, including Clairessa. And Clairessa must use the most powerful spell of all to save her prince—love. Will it be enough when the dark elf comes to claim a soul?

Excerpt

     Claire watched him walk to the bar. The view of his back, particularly his ass, was almost as enticing to stare at as the front. His long amber honey hair swished behind him and his scent, the tangy zip of orange, hung in the air like the fragrance from her orange-scented geranium. On his way back, blue, green and gold colored eyes held her gaze, and her insides quivered with nervous energy. He was a delicious sweet, mixed with the allure of a hunter's confidence, like the tree lynx in search of prey.
     A moment of indecision gripped her. Dating an elf would be problematic with the betrothal contract hanging over her head. But he tempted every part of her and their liaison would be fleeting. For one night, she could revel in the touch of another elf and embrace the wildness he called within her.
     He returned with a cone-shaped glass, filled with a white liquor colored with the faintest tinge of blush and placed it in front of her. She twirled the toothpick with a winterberry on the end and raised an eyebrow at him.
     "I didn't order this."
     "It's a club special." His eyes and smile dared her to turn him down. "I hear they're very popular with the female guests. Surely tonight is a time for experimentation?"
     Accepting his lure, she drained half the concoction. Tartness exploded on her tongue and burned her throat, but she was never one to back away. Staring into his eyes, she licked her lips. "Delicious."
     His quiet moan sent a distinctly feminine thrill through her. Knowing a man appreciated her attributes brightened her mood.
     Group laughter and the stamp of many feet heralded the arrival of at least ten people. Quickly, the remaining tables filled and they could hardly hear each other above the din. Her spirits took a downturn with the numerous arrivals. She'd enjoyed the quiet privacy.
     A loud clatter disrupted every conversation as a lion shifter shoved a satyr into a table and it splintered under his weight. The goat-man rose, stomped his hooves and laughed, oblivious to the unhappy stares directed his way.
     "Perhaps you'd like to take this elsewhere?" Rowe whispered in her ear.

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Find Beth here:

Website       Newsletter       Email: beth@bethcaudill.net        Twitter        
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Although Beth grew up in West Virginia, she currently resides in North Carolina with her husband, two sons and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who makes an excellent lap warmer. Blending the analytical and creative sides of her brain, she delights in creating fantasy worlds for others. Catch her online most days except when NCIS and Once Upon a Time air.