There are times when I must admit that
I go beyond being crestfallen about the pace toward my career goals
and drift toward being a touch homicidal. Worry not, my gentle
readers are not guilty of anything that would cause such violent
feelings from me. However, these people who occasionally infuriate me
do inhabit my orbit and have known me for at least a decade. And it's
not like I keep my various pursuits a secret. Still, I have well
meaning souls coming to me with great excitement and telling me
things like 'I just saw something called a book trailer. You should
make those to promote your books.' I have four of them online at
this moment. This is the latest one I did for the Demonspawn books. Ultimately, I didn't start yelling over this advice, because I
haven't pushed the book trailers as far and wide as some of my other
marketing efforts.
The latest observation and advice is
all about 50 Shades of Gray and its author EL James. I've had a number of people writing me about how this author went
from writing fanfiction to writing successful fiction that sprung
from the fan works and have a bdsm emphasis. Perhaps, they suggested,
I should be doing something like that, too? EXCUSE ME??? In my
earliest blogs (SIX years ago), I talk about my creds as a romance fan
and that of a fanfiction writer in the creation of my first book.
Geez! What does it take? Okay, I'll grant that I tend to write in
niche markets. And perhaps I don't toot my own horn a lot. But I was
in a feature film documentary (Trekkies) talking about writing bdsm
fanfiction while wearing a corset
!!
Okay, that blog was a long time ago.
And it was very brief. Maybe I didn't make myself clear. Back in
2005, I was very much in the throes of an obsession with Legolas
Greenleaf of he Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy. Legolas was
everything I adore in any given yaoi character – lithe but very
strong and incredibly beautiful while absolutely masculine. I had
seen the films almost often enough to recite them, but wanted to do
more. At that time I was reading LOTR fanfiction. Most of it was
awful. There was some very good stories, but they were still not
satisfying. For a long time, I toyed with writing my own fanfiction.
I would be entering another fan arena where I was not very well
known. Those who knew me would be expecting a certain bent to my
fiction – humor mixed with bdsm. I didn't really want to write that
sort of thing for my Legolas inspired fiction. Beyond that, I had
sold a feature film. I could no longer justify taking the time away
from professional creative endeavors in favor of writing fiction for
its own sake.
Thus, The Gift of Surrender was born. I
created a realm called the Hanyanoor (a Finnish word for The Known
Lands). On the Eastern end of that realm was a prosperous kingdom
where the King was weakening with each day. He could not really
function must past noon on any given day. The kingdom is at peace
with its neighbors, but anyone of them could exploit the king's state
to overrun it. Princess Sarianna, the sole heir to the throne is
persuaded to marry to strengthen the throne. Though she agreed,
Sarianna knows nothing of men and is terrified that marriage would be
the end of her personal freedom and the right to have any say in the
running of her own kingdom. The prospects do not look good.
Sarianna
rode long and hard every day following the departure of her first
suitor. She rode until her horse was exhausted. She drove the
sentries mad keeping up with her. There was no help for it. Riding
was the only way the Princess could blot the previous fortnight out
of her memory. The thunder of the hooves and the howl of the wind
kept his voice out of her head. The jarring, breathless rides made
her forget the feel of his hands on her skin. The problem was that
the rides ended throwing Sarianna into a spiral of anger and despair.
She was a thundercloud when she was not on her horse. For days on
end, the Princess said nothing that wasn’t absolutely necessary.
On
the fourth day, when Sarianna stormed from the stables, she found
Neuvoja waiting instead of Hanna. While she didn’t want another
silent, tense bath with her chambermaid, the Princess really did not
want to talk to her advisor.
“I
cannot hear any words about my demeanor right now, Neuvoja,” she
muttered. “Please go. We shall speak in the morning.”
“Princess,
I come with news,” the advisor replied. “A messenger from Ritvala
arrived with news that King Magnus is journeying here with his three
sons.”
Sarianna
found her legs had no strength. She sank onto the nearest chair.
“Three? When will they arrive?”
“Two
days hence at the most,” he replied.
The
Princess sighed heavily. “Tell me of these sons of Ritvala.”
“They
are accomplished warriors all and said to have their father’s fine
looks and bearing,” Neuvoja replied. “The youngest one was born
of the Suurimetsa.”
“The
Forest People?” Sarianna asked. “I thought no one from the
Hanyanoore ever had contact with them.”
“King
Magnus did and took one as a hostage bride,” the advisor replied.
“I
am to meet three warriors whose father has taken a bride and made her
bear him a son,” Sarianna muttered.
“Ritvala
would be a good alliance for Arinpera,” Neuvoja said.
“But
you still think Rowsdower would have been a better one,” the
Princess pointed out.
“I
am sorry, Princess,” he said quietly. “I was thinking that they
are close to our borders, and the Queen is an ally of your father’s.
Perhaps among the three princes there could be a suitable match.”
“Please,
say no more of it. I must find a way to do what is required,” she
said quietly.
“All
the kind words and advice cannot change the fact that I must face
these… suitors… alone.”
“Princess…”
“Have
their chambers been made ready?”
“Yes,
Highness. All is ready for their arrival.”
“Thank
you, my dear teacher. Please, send Hanna to me.”
“Princess,
it breaks our hearts to see you in such a state.”
“It
is the way of things. You had your trials to test your knowledge.
Warriors must tax their bodies to prepare for battle,” she said.
“There is little being asked of me by comparison. We can talk
further in the morning. I grow weary.”
There
was much more he wanted to say. Sarianna knew this. But she could not
talk about what had happened to anyone. If she talked about it, she
would dwell on it. If she dwelled on it, she would never be able to
face those brothers.
Neuvoja
relented. “Very well. Sleep well, Princess.”
“I
will try.”
Meanwhile, Prince Nikulainen or
Niku, is not any happier with this situation. He had thought he'd get
to choose a mate for love as he was third in line for the throne at
best. He and his mother were, as far as he knew, considered hostages
at worst. Despite the songs sung by many travelers about Princess
Sarianna's beauty, he was loathe to compete against his older
brothers for the hand of a woman he'd never met. But his mother told
him that things were never what they seemed between them and King
Magnus, and Niku always wanted to please his father. Still, he never
expected his life to be upended in one instant.
“Highness,
help me close the stable! We are under attack!” He shouted.
Sarianna
quickly closed the heavy wooden window shutters as Minos closed the
great main doors to the stables. Sentries arrived as they finished.
The Princess knew they were startled and upset to find her so far
from the main building. It could have been far worse. She could have
been out riding.
“Don’t
try to get me back,” Sarianna called out to them. “There is too
much open area. As far as strangers know, I am a stable girl. Go!”
The
men took positions nearby to defend the back entrance and the King’s
horses. Sarianna didn’t expect an attack there. It was nearly
inaccessible to those who were not very familiar with the roads. And
the terrain was such that no heavy weaponry could get through. Still,
Minos picked up a short sword and gave Sarianna a large hunting
knife. They anxiously looked though narrow slats in the door toward
the main gate straining to hear what was happening.
The
noise was not coming from that far gate. The walls near the back
entrance were being scaled. Whizzing arrows viciously struck down the
sentries on those walls. The battle was engaged before anyone from
that gate could sound an alarm.
“This
is madness,” Sarianna hissed. “Who would attack in such a
manner?”
“Assassins,”
Minos replied with quiet certainty. “I feel it in these old bones.
They know you are here or would be nearby.”
“What
are we to do? No one has sounded the alarm from this gate!”
“This
building will hold. If they try to burn it, help will arrive,” he
said.
The
Princess looked at him balefully. “Burn?”
“Worry
not, Princess. I do not think it will come to that,” he said.
Suddenly,
black-clad men with bows and swords dropped down from the wall where
the Sentries had fallen. There were ten of them with more on the
wall. The guards near the stables were soon overwhelmed with fighting
them, leaving the Princess completely vulnerable.
Just
as suddenly, the assassins on the wall were falling with arrows in
their chests. Sarianna saw a flash of someone running along the wall
shooting arrows with incredible speed. Swift footsteps were heard
crossing the stable roof. Then, the figure was in the middle of the
battle in front of them with a sword drawn. He was very tall with
long, pale golden hair. That was all she could see, for he moved so
quickly dispatching the assassins two at a time. Her own guards had
fallen, but were not dead. This stranger kept killing blows from
them. He took up the horn of alarm and sounded it when his last
combatant had fallen.
“He
is here to help!” Sarianna exclaimed, moving to the door.
“Nay,
Princess,” Minos whispered urgently. “It may be a ruse.”
“He
has sounded the alarm. I shall meet him before others arrive,” she
stated. Minos opened the door, but kept his sword and stood close to
her.
Sarianna
stepped out of the stable as the young man turned toward the
movement. In the light of the sunset, he was the most beautiful man
she had ever seen. He had a tall, lithe body, but he was muscled
where Rowsdower had been soft. He had large, expressive dark eyes,
fine high cheekbones, a firm jaw and a well-formed mouth. He was
masculine indeed, despite the long, thick fall of pale gold hair.
Yet, he was very beautiful. The man gazed at her for a long moment,
and then he sank gracefully onto one knee.
“I
am your servant, Princess,” he said in a quiet, rich voice.
“She
is my stable girl. The Princess is not here!” Minos exclaimed.
“Do
not fear me, milady,” he said softly.
Sarianna
found she did not. “What is your name, sir?”
“I
am Nikulainen, son of King Magnus and Lady Reija of Ritvala,” he
replied.
She
found she liked listening to him. She found it would be hard not to
look at him. Her breathing became more difficult. Her cheeks colored,
but her gaze never wavered. “I am Princess Sarianna, and I owe you
a great debt.”
He
smiled then, and her breath quietly caught.
“Nay,
Princess. ‘Tis my honor to serve.”
Don't worry, these aren't big
spoilers in this epic romance. There are intrigues upon intrigues and
betrayals that are painfully close to the couple. And of course there
is humor. The book is far from a comedy, but it clearly has a sense
of humor. And, of course, there is a twist to the romance. Though
Sarianna falls in love with Niku in an instant, she fears his
physical power and that of his father. He eases those fears by
surrendering his physical power to her. Thus, I still get my D/s
twist in there. You'll just have to read the book to see how.
Meanwhile, there is a very tasty
excerpt HERE. Warning! Explicit Erotic Content!
The Gift of Surrender is available on all Ebook formats at Smashwords.com HERE .
For Paperback or Kindle, go to Amazon.com HERE.
