Month: April 2023

Mist and Fury: A Perfect Redemption

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

In my post about A Court of Thorns and Roses, I said that I would not give away an important side plot. That’s because I was saving it for this post. Rhysand has a lot of sins to answer for when he reenters Feyre’s life in A Court of Mist and Fury; and I think his redemption arc is darn near perfect. But first, let’s review those sins from the first book. 

Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court meets Feyre twice before she ends up Under the Mountain – where their story really begins. Rhysand snuck into Tamlin’s court during an outside celebration. Neither the reader nor Feyre know this at the time, but Rhysand has been having dreams and visions about Feyre, and he came to see her during the commotion of the celebration. Feyre is being dragged into the woods by some unsavory characters, and Rhysand saves her. He invites her to spend the night with him, and she declines. Rhysand accepts Feyre’s rejection and disappears.

The next time Rhysand visits, he is there on Amarantha’s errand. He uses his powers to read Feyre’s mind and tells Tamlin “she has such delicious thoughts about you.” This turns Feyre off to him, and she believes him to be a villain. 

The next time they meet is Under the Mountain when all seven courts of Prythian are prisoners to Amarantha. While Feyre is waiting for her first challenge, the guards force her to do impossible cleaning tasks. One such task puts her in Rhysand’s room cleaning his fireplace. Rhysand shows up and cleans his fireplace and Feyre with the wave of his hand. He then “hypnotizes” the guards into stopping such nonsense.

During Feyre’s first challenge against the giant worm, only one High Fae bets in favor of Feyre winning: Rhysand. Even though Feyre beat the worm, she did not avoid injury. Her arm was cut during the fight, and it became infected in her prison cell. The infection is killing her when Rhysand shows up and offers to heal her, for a price. The price is that when Feyre breaks Amarantha’s curse, she will spend two weeks each month in Rhysand’s home. Feyre negotiates Rhysand down to one week out of each month. He heals her and she wakes up to a healed arm and a tattoo that covers her entire arm. The tattoo is proof of the deal she made with Rhysand.

For the next two months, Rhysand’s maids collect Feyre each night, wash her, paint temporary tattoos over every inch of exposed skin, dress her in revealing clothing, and deliver her to Rhysand (major Mummy vibes here). She serves as Rhysand’s companion for the evening activities at Amarantha’s court. Rhysand serves her a very strong wine that makes her forget everything each night – though she is able to deduce that she spends her nights sitting on Rhysand’s lap or dancing for his entertainment. So, on the surface, Rhysand is not looking like a good guy, but even so, there was something about him that I trusted. I just knew there were going to be deeper layers to him. 

The permanent tattoo from their deal has an eye in Feyre’s palm, and she can feel a second presence in her mind that she believes comes from the eye. In fact, the presence helps her pick the right answer to help her beat the second challenge. 

When Feyre beats Amarantha’s final challenge, Amarantha beats up Feyre. Rhysand is the only one who tries to physically stop Amarantha. Amarantha snaps Feyre’s neck right after Feyre solves the final riddle, freeing all High Fae from Amarantha’s curse. Feyre dies, and all 7 High Lords are at full strength. Tamlin kills Amarantha, and the 7 High Lords of Prythian give Feyre’s body a piece of their magic, bringing her back to life as a High Fae.    

And that’s how the first book ends. I’m so sorry to make this so long, but I just love Rhysand. He is possibly my favorite literary character, so I need to do him justice.

At the start of A Court of Mist and Fury, Feyre goes three months without Rhysand imposing the deal they made when he saved her life Under the Mountain. Feyre’s relationship with Tamlin is not going well. He wants to keep Feyre locked up in pretty dresses planning parties. She wants to be a warrior. The day of their wedding, Feyre panics and is about to call off the wedding. Before she can, Rhysand appears and announces it’s time for Feyre to keep her end of the bargain. He whisks her away to his castle at the Night Court. 

Feyre’s wedding to Tamlin is postponed indefinitely. For two months she returned to Rhysand’s for a week. During each of those weeks, Rhysand teaches Feyre how to read and write and how to close her mind from his – and anyone else who might have that power – invasions. Feyre also meets Rhysand’s female cousin Morrigan, who goes by Mor. Mor is friendly and welcoming and is determined to be Feyre’s friend. 

When Feyre is at the Spring Court, she can tell that Tamlin is keeping something from her. He keeps leaving on expeditions. On one such expedition, Feyre asks for Tamlin to take her with him. He refuses and goes so far as to place a spell around the palace, keeping Feyre inside. She can’t even stick her hand out the window. Feyre loses it and her magic explodes and implodes. Her engagement ring melts off her finger and she gets stuck in her own mind of darkness. Mor and Rhysand arrive, breaking Tamlin’s spell and taking Feyre home with them. 

When Feyre decides that she doesn’t want to return to Tamlin and the Spring Court, Rhysand takes her to his real home: Velaris. Velaris is a secret city in the Night Court. This city shows Rhysand’s true character: The Court of Dreams. To the rest of the world, Rhysand wears a mask of cool detachment and darkness. He does this because previous High Lords of the Night Court were like that, and the reputation they created for themselves prevented other courts from trying to take advantage of and harm the lands and citizens. Rhysand wears this mask to protect his people. Velaris was the only place in Prythian untouched by Amarantha. 

It is in Velaris that Feyre is healed. She gains back the weight she lost, she starts training, and she falls in love. She falls in love with the city, the citizens, and her new friends – Rhysand’s friends. Mor, Amren, Cassian, and Azriel seem like a band of misfits on the surface, but they are Rhysand’s chosen family full of acceptance. They love and support one another, and Feyre is now a part of their group. 

Rhysand does not keep any secrets from Feyre – except one, which we’ll get to eventually. He doesn’t prohibit her from doing whatever she wants to do. He trains her to strengthen her powers and his army general Cassian trains her in combat. Whenever they go on a mission, Feyre is allowed to come and participate. Often, Rhysand uses the mission to test Feyre’s abilities so that she can know for herself that she is capable.

Rhysand tells Feyre something very important that Tamlin is keeping from her: Prythian has a new enemy, a hundred times stronger than Amarantha. Her mentor, The King of Hybern. Rhysand and several other High Lords believe that he will go after Prythian now that Amarantha has failed. Rhysand believes that Feyre is their secret weapon since she has the same powers as all seven High Lords. 

As Rhysand shows that he is everything Tamlin is not, Feyre begins to fall for him; but she won’t admit it to him or herself. Honesty forces itself on the two when Rhysand is captured by a small band of Hybern’s soldiers and Feyre saves him. The creature Feyre calls on for help, the Suriel, only tells the truth. The Suriel tells Feyre that she is Rhysand’s mate. Up until this moment, fated mates haven’t been a key focus of the story. It was mentioned a few times in conversation, but it’s not something that happens to every faerie in Prythian.

Rhysand suspected that Feyre was his mate while she was human, and he knew for certain after he and the other High Lords brought her back to life. Feyre is furious that he kept that information secret, and after she heals him, she runs away – not forever, but she needs a few days in solitude. Mor takes her to a special cabin that’s a full-scale house version of the Room of Requirement, only this one can provide food. 

After a few days of painting and moping, Rhysand shows up and Feyre allows him in. She is ready to listen to his explanations. While Rhysand talks, Feyre serves him a bowl of soup – the traditional way to tell him that she accepts the mate bond and accepts Rhysand as her mate. Rhysand didn’t want to force Feyre to be with him. He wanted to respect her feelings for Tamlin, even though it killed him. Her panic on her wedding day called down the bond, and Rhysand took the opportunity to rescue her and begin a courtship. He wanted Feyre to fall in love with him without the bond telling her to. When Rhysand finishes his soup, he and Feyre finally consummate their bond. 

Rhysand’s redemption arc is my favorite to date. I think one of the main reasons his redemption works is because the purpose of his earlier sins was to protect the city and people he loved. Everything he did to Feyre Under the Mountain was to protect her, even though she couldn’t see it at the time. And I normally loathe the lie-to-protect trope, but this one is done so well. I knew right away there was more to Rhysand, I just didn’t know what. So every scene with him was so edge-of-my-seat as I tried to figure it out. I never did. Velaris was as big of a surprise to me as it was to Feyre. Rhysand’s past is heart-breakingly beautiful – I couldn’t even fit all of it into this already too long post. 

I look forward to the day that I write as wonderful of a redemption. 5 stars for A Court of Mist and Fury.

New Release: Healing Kiss by Amanda Uhl

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

I’d like to introduce Amanda Uhl. Her newest release, Healing Kiss, releases this Thursday April 27th and is the topic of this interview.

What inspired your story?

Once upon a time, I had a healing experience. I held the hands of a stranger–a young woman–I met at a baby shower. My older sister was hosting the shower for someone in her husband’s office, and I was there as a helper and didn’t know any of the guests. The woman and I began discussing the paranormal. I described experiences I had had in the past, including an ability to pull energy from someone’s arm and hand, so it would fall asleep. Curious, the woman asked me to hold her hands. I did as she asked, and when I closed my eyes, immediately saw an orange light surrounding a dark shape. The orange light pulsed and glowed as I inhaled and exhaled. 

Figuring I was the only one to experience the orange light, I let go of the woman’s hands and opened my eyes. The woman opened her eyes, giving me dazed look. “Wow. It felt like someone hugged me,” she said. 

Two weeks later, I learned the woman had been trying for years to get pregnant without success. After holding my hands, she discovered she was pregnant. She called my sister to tell her the joyous news. “Your sister who held my hands, she caused it to happen,” she insisted

This real-life experience inspired Healing Kiss, my newest paranormal romance. When I describe the heroines’ attempts to heal her sister in the first chapter, I’m drawing on that real-life incident to bring an authentic feel to the scene. 

What is your writing process?

I work full-time managing a creative team, so my day job often takes precedence over my writing life. The one rule I follow is to write a little bit every day, no matter how tired I feel. I am a panster, who has discovered the value of plotting, so I do a basic plot outline and write the book description before writing a single word.  

How much time did you spend on this project? 

I have written a book in as little as two months or, as in the case of Healing Kiss, four years! I am a bit of a perfectionist, which often sends me back to the drawing table as I attempt to make sense of the plot.

What is your writing schedule like?

Terrible. As I mentioned, I write a little every day. Due to my demanding day job, I do most of my writing late at night when the rest of the world is sleeping.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Healing Kiss placed in three romance-writing contests:

  • 1st place The Far Side
  • 1st place The Rudy
  • 2nd place Diamonds in the Desert

Award-winning author Amanda Uhl has always had a fascination with the mystical. Having drawn her first breath in a century home rumored to be haunted, you might say she was “born” into it. After a brief stint in college as a paid psychic, Amanda graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in theatre and a master’s degree in marketing. Over the past twenty years, she has worked as an admissions representative and graphic designer, owned her own freelance writing company, and managed communications for several Fortune 500 companies, most recently specializing in cyber security and data. Amanda is an avid reader and writes fast-paced, paranormal romantic suspense and humorous contemporary romance from her home in Cleveland, Ohio. When she’s not reading or writing, you can find Amanda with her husband and three children, gathering beach glass on the Lake Erie shoreline or biking in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  

To preorder Healing Kiss, explore Amanda’s other books, and follow her journey, check out her website: https://amandauhl.com/

To save her dying sister…

Lillian Milano channels energy from the healthy to heal the sick, which makes her an incredible nurse. But her gift puts Lillian and those she loves in danger from an organization that will stop at nothing to exploit her talent. When her sister becomes gravely ill, wealthy computer genius Tristan King is the one man with enough vitality to save her sister’s life. But being near him threatens to expose her secrets and destroy the walls she’s built around her heart.

She bargains with a billionaire.

Tristan doesn’t believe in the supernatural and is wary of emotional entanglements. But his beloved mother is dying, and his lying ex-fiancée won’t leave him alone, so he strikes a deal: In exchange for his help, Lillian must pose as his date for a hospital fundraiser. As the pair work together to save their loved ones, they confront a spiraling web of secrets that threatens their growing feelings for each other. The choices they make will either destroy their lives or heal their hearts. 

New Release: The Jelly Bean Jump Project by Terry Segan

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

Thank you for hosting me, Chelsey. I am very excited to be here! Today I’m sharing a bit about my latest book, The Jelly Bean Jump Project, which releases today.

My genre of preference is paranormal, which for me is time travel, ghosts, and mysticism. The story begins in the 1950’s and involves a time travel project which recruits brilliant young minds with no family ties. The facility, located in the Pacific Northwest, has only one small town as its nearest neighbor. My main characters, Keira and Grayson, are fresh out of college and very much in love. Since both fit the criteria perfectly, they look forward to leaping through time together. Their happiness is jeopardized when a glitch in the system threatens to separate them. Add to this, Desmond, a fellow recruit who wants Keira for himself.

As someone who’s always loved travel and searches for new experiences, I wanted to insert this sense of adventure into my story. My husband and I travel to the Pacific Northwest four or five times a year, and I wanted to incorporate the beautiful scenery of the area. This was the first book I’ve written where I sketched out the storyline beforehand. I am most definitely a pantser, and while I may know how I want to begin and end a novel, it’s always a surprise to me how I get there. Characters I never thought about, ingratiate themselves into the chapters, and some get more page time than originally planned. Despite having an outline for this book, I deviated and created new plot twists often since it’s my nature to let my fingers fly over the keyboard leading me in unexpected directions.

It took me about three months to write the story and another two for the editing process. Most of my writing time happens during the week, as my husband and I are the king and queen of three-day weekends. We travel a couple weekends every month and bump it up to three weekends during the scorching summer months here in the desert. I get inspiration from our trips, and rarely do you see me without my iPad. My happy place is the beach where we set up what the hubby refers to as the “Princess Canopy.” He does draw the line at my wearing a tiara, however—such a lost opportunity. With shade, cold beverages, and a comfy beach chair, some of my best plot lines get written there. Combining two of my favorite things—beach time and creating stories—is always a winning adventure for me!

Terry Segan, originally from Commack, NY, now resides in the desert where she’ll never require an ice scraper or snow shovel again. The beach is her happy place, but any opportunity to travel soothes her gypsy soul. The stories conjured by her imagination while riding backseat on her husband’s motorcycle can be found throughout the pages of her paranormal mysteries. Growing up immersed in sarcastic humor and science fiction movies, Terry’s goals are to cause her readers to laugh out loud, cry with joy, or cower under the covers wondering if the noise under the bed was real or imagined.

Join Terry on her adventures at her website Terry Segan.

Keira longed to do something amazing with her life. When offered a chance to join a time travel program, she didn’t hesitate. With her soulmate by her side, nothing could be more perfect.

Grayson never believed happiness would find him until he met Keira. Lightning struck twice when both got accepted into The Jelly Bean Jump Project, a time travel experiment. Only a handful of applicants made the cut each year.

One of the requirements—no family ties. Keira and Grayson were alone in the world except for each other. An adventure of a lifetime awaited, until a glitch in the system threatened to tear them apart. Would they walk away from their fantasy or surrender their hearts in exchange?

An Oldie but a Goodie: The Lost Chord by Lyndi Alexander

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

The Lost Chord came out in April of 2018. The book took some time to find a publishing home, but finally landed at Dragonfly Publishing, Inc. where it has done well. I was happy to have the book come out in April, because that is Autism Awareness Month—and so is April 2023!

The Lost Chord has a unique heroine, in that she is on the autism spectrum. The inspiration for Bee Warrick is my own daughter, Tasha, who is autistic, and approaches much of life from a very different perspective than we do.  In the story, Bee is 15 years old, an imaginative young lady who spends a lot of time in her own world. She doesn’t realize that her “world” is actually made up of  spots in several different universes, and she has been travelling among them her whole life.

As one who suffers with Sensory Integration Disorder, she is overly sensitive to loud noises and often stims by running her hands through bins of rocks, feeling sand on her fingers, etc.  She is very educated about rocks and crystals and will eventually choose a talisman gem for each of the travelers commensurate with their chakra.

Corydon Briggs: Cory is 17, a minor athlete who plays on the varsity football team for his school on our Earth, in Universe E, but he’s no star, never will be.  He’d rather play in the marching band, but his brother, six years older than he, died as a rising football star so he is pressured to live up to Stan’s standard by his firmly middle-class parents.  An avid reader of sci-fi and fantasy, he’s moved on to online video games where he can become a hero, a role he believes he can’t hold in real life.

Devlynn Kayne: Devlynn comes from B Universe, where the black race has privilege and whites do not, and she is a black girl of 16. She is a star student, bound for higher education in the sciences, perhaps medicine someday. She shuns extracurricular school activities, concentrating instead on her after-school business designing web sites, which has made her quite a bit of money. She thought she had her whole life planned out before her—until she meets the quest for the Chord.

Hana Moss:  Hana is essentially a wild child, having been raised by a single dad who’s an artist and musician in the desert in Universe F. They’ve pretty much kept to themselves. She’s home schooled and never had siblings, though she has many friends through the Netlink, their version of the internet. She’s had an eclectic upbringing and has created a “family” from a number of pets, a couple of wolf-dogs and a small wildcat, but also an iguana, a tarantula and a tank of salt water fish.

Maxian: Max is tall and thin, bookish, and comes from Universe A. His eyes are startling blue, with a vertical pupil like a cat’s, and a light coat of fur that can almost pass for body hair, a trait developed by his people to compensate for the fact his planet is further from their star than Earth, with less light and heat.  He is reckoned at 8 revolutions by the ways of his people, but in Earth years would be about 18. Max’s gift is perfect pitch, and is honored among his kind for his ability to sing the Stories, the verbal history handed down from generation to generation. He carries a set of wooden runes carved into wood, and uses them to divine his choices.

The Conductor: He is the raison d’etre of the journeys of these children, coercing, teaching and leading them into position to fulfill the prophecy to unite all the “notes” or “keys” into the lost chord. A former professor of music, before music was banned on his homeworld in Universe H, he has the secret information passed to him by Ruane Alm that can heal the universe by bringing together the lost Chord.

See the book trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRTzaB5rUKo

This story was actually written for NaNoWriMo, so unlike my usual pantser mode, I needed to work the plot, characters and settings out before November 1, since I only had 30 days to complete it. I did finish on time, which I’m proud of. 😊 Probably half of my published books have started this way. I find that ticking deadline quite an inspiration.

I hope that this book opens a window into the world of how someone on the spectrum thinks and perceives, and shows that even though they may not approach life as we do, that they have unique and valuable gifts to share.

Lyndi Alexander always dreamed of faraway worlds and interesting alien contacts. She lives as a post-modern hippie in Asheville, North Carolina, a single mother of her last child of seven, a daughter on the autism spectrum, finding that every day feels a lot like first contact with a new species. Follow Lyndi’s journey at her website: Lyndi Alexander’s Worlds of Fancy.

A poisonous wave is spreading disease and discord across the eleven known universes. Seven special people, known as Keys, must strike the Lost Chord in order to restore the balance. Among those Keys is Bee Warrick, an autistic teenager from Earth who has traveled between the realms for years without realizing it.

Can Bee help the Conductor find the other Keys before a bitter enemy strikes the wrong chord and shatters the universes?

New Release: Revamped by Shirley Goldberg

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

Revamped is a paranormal comedy/romance and my first participation in a multi-author series. What a great experience writing the Mortar & Pestle series with six other authors by my side, metaphorically speaking.

Chelsey asked how I came to write Revamped, in part because it’s a departure from writing humorous women’s fiction.

The idea was a group effort. We were all on Zoom, gathered around our computer screens discussing writing and marketing, when someone popped the question. “Why don’t we write a series together?” It took almost a year in the making, but here we are, having released all seven books. Sydney Winward, who wrote Selkie, the first book in the series, did our beautiful covers.

In order to meet our deadline, I put aside the novel I was working on to draft Revamped. I am somewhere between a plotter and a pantser, and for the first time had to create a world and work within a deadline. This meant interviewing writers on how to go about world-building, asking questions, reading other vampire books. It was not easy to find energy vampires in the literature. How many did I find? Zero.

I always begin writing a new book by first planning out the characters and the interpersonal relationships essential to the story. Why do people come together? How do they uncouple and what leads to that decision? Creating a world in which paranormal characters live is less interesting than their personal stories within that world. When I set out to write Revamped, I wanted readers to relate to my characters, even if they’d never read a paranormal story.

Dante, the vampire, is different from the usual people Sophie meets in her sphere of friends and family. Finding that special person no matter how different he or she is from ourselves is what’s important.

I’d like to introduce readers of Chelsey’s blog to an unusual vampire. As a special treat, I interviewed Dante Allegretti, my main character.

Dialogue with the Vampire  

      Shirley: I have a few questions for our readers. They’re curious.

      Dante: I suppose they want to know about my special powers.

      Shirley: Not really. They want to know what it’s like to date a vampire.

      Dante: [eyes widen] I don’t talk about being a vampire. Not openly.

      Shirley: The thing is, I wrote a whole book about you so it’s no secret, not anymore. For instance, one reader would like to know if you would suck on her neck. You know, take a little taste.

      Dante: That’s ridiculous. First of all, I’m not that kind of vampire. I’m an energy vampire. Meaning I get energy from people by depleting their resources. Bored people are especially easy targets, but angry men run a close second.

      Shirley: Men in particular? Why is that?

      Dante: Their negative energy and muscle mass make them vulnerable.

      Shirley: Do you still drain people’s energy?

      Dante: I’ve stopped living that life. I attend DE meetings––that stands for Dis-Energy––two or three times a week. It’s not easy, but my energy sobriety is important.

      Shirley: Anyone who dated you would have to respect the work that went into your lifestyle change.

      Dante: I don’t want to be thought of as a vampire. I’m a normal guy with issues like anyone else. With a few differences.

      Shirley: So, it’s a daily challenge, right?

      Dante: Absolutely. I don’t hang around with other vampires. Very few people know I’m a vampire, only a few close friends.

      Shirley: Are you still at odds with your family?

      Dante: I don’t think that will ever be resolved. [Swipes a hand through his hair.] You want to know something?

Shirley: Of course.

Dante: Energy vampires don’t have much fun. You can’t hang out with regular people. It’s too tempting and how can you look yourself in the face if you’re draining your friends.

Shirley: That sounds gross, using your friends.

Dante. Yeah, that’s why I never had friends. Until I met Groucho, my best friend. But I knew the second I met him he was a vampire.

Shirley: What is it, a sixth sense?

Dante: Sort of. When it comes to friends, you’re limited to the few energy vampires around and no one wants friends who literally suck. That’s why I rejected the whole lifestyle. I’m thirty-six and I’ve just begun living. I feel so lucky.

Shirley: So, what advice do you have for women interested in dating vampires?

Dante: Don’t do it.

Shirley: Sort of a dead end, isn’t it?

Dante: Unless you’re with a man who promises to give up that way of life.

Shirley: Can you tell me more? What was the most difficult part of changing?

Dante: I’ll tell you that every little and big thing in my life changed. If I told you more, I’d be spoiling the read and besides, telling is boring.

Shirley: Well, thanks, Dante. Do you know if Groucho will be in the sequel?

Dante: Since you’re writing the books, you’ll have to answer that one, won’t you?

Shirley Goldberg is a swing and salsa dancer, novelist, and former ESL and French teacher who’s lived in Paris, Crete, and Casablanca. She often writes about men and women of a certain age starting over. Her website http://midagedating.com offers a humorous look at dating in mid-life, and her friends like to guess which stories are true. Her Starting Over series can all be read as standalones starring women and men in midlife who learn a thing or three about new beginnings. Revamped, A Vampire Comedy, is the story of an energy vampire with one good friend and a family who embarrasses him. Revamped is part of the Mortar & Pestle series by seven authors that debuted in March.

Interested in the Mortar & Pestle series? Here is a link to the FREE prequel: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3vhm7opc1r

Shirley’s characters believe you should never leave home without your sense of humor and she agrees.

Vampire Dante Allegretti hates his sucky life. Born into a family of energy siphoners, he’s desperate to reinvent himself as a fun-loving normal guy rather than a crowdsourcing parasite. To stop the draining urges, Dante resorts to grinding alternative meds in an ancient Mortar & Pestle, not knowing it contains magical properties. 

Enter wisecracking thirty-year-old Sophie Arley, who lives with her clingy parents. Working three jobs and craving independence, she’s come back strong after a breakdown crashed her cozy world. So when the weird, hot guy she just met-cute asks Sophie to the movies, she agrees.

Sophie won’t spoil their magical connection by mentioning her heartbreak. And Dante dreads telling Sophie about his dark side. Will the power from the Mortar & Pestle guide them to their happily ever after despite the secrets and lies? 

New Release: The First Born Son by Kaia Misk

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

A cross between The Sopranos and The Proposal, Frankie Renzi and Sofia Ciambetti’s story of love, forgiveness, power, and wealth culminate in The Firstborn Son. As an heiress, Sofia becomes prey to those who want her money once her father dies. Once she admits to herself that no one can protect her like Frankie, the madness begins between those who want her safe and those who want her fortune. 

Inspired by real people, characters drove this story. One was a mix of my uncle and an Italian tailor I knew. Another encompassed many of the matriarchal women in my family’s prior generations. My father’s love of cars, and his decree that all his children know something about them, inspired the chase scene. Colorful in life, these people demanded a written presence. It was easy to create them and build a story around them. Something fun, but exciting. 

I did not do a lot of research for this book, but rather created a story using places I knew such as a wretched onramp to the Parkway and Sofia’s apartment with a balcony toward the street like something in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside community. 

As my first novel, the editing process was new to me. For that reason, the book took at least one year to write. However, my writing became cleaner after the experience. I’m well into the next book in the Renzi Series called The Second Son. It is Joey Renzi’s story and his character is dear to me. Those who have read The Firstborn Son are anxious for more. Thank Heaven!

For more about The Renzi Series listen to my upcoming podcast appearances on the Ya Jagoff Podcast to be recorded on April 8, 2023, and Indie Reads Aloud Podcast on April 13, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.

Kaia Misk is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, otherwise known as a “Yinzer.” Her parents grew up across the street from each other in a small town where most people worked in the steel mills. Their Italian and Slovak families were a strong part of her childhood which included foods, holidays and religion. Several of her characters are based on her family members and other Pittsburghers. 

Kaia has a background in legal and technical writing including training manuals, training presentations and legal documents. She is also an excellent tailor and patternmaker. Her IMDb page lists her work on two full-length films as a costumer.

She is particularly inspired by the Hat Squad books of Karen Rose and Joe Lansdale’s novels, although her first love was Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. She follows numerous other authors and reads every day. She currently lives in suburban Pittsburgh with her Norwegian Elkhound, Boss.

To purchase The First Born Son and follow Kaia’s writing journey, check out her website: Kaia Misk, Author

Becoming a ruthless mob boss like his father is the last thing Frankie wants, but when Sofia’s father is gunned down, Frankie must become the very thing he loathes to protect the woman he loves. Sofia was a devoted girlfriend to Frankie, until he stood her up and she questioned his fidelity. Now that she’s alone and rich, mafia suitors slither around her. Marriage to him might be her only hope. They try to rekindle their love amidst a mob war. But can a hasty marriage withstand what the Mafia has in store?

ACOTAR: Beauty and the Beast Meets the Goblet of Fire

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

Across social media, I keep seeing this title pop up: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Then, my editor recommended that I read the full series to help with some of the ideas I pitched for the sequel to Bondwitch. And when your editor tells you to read something, you read it. So, I moved it up to the top of my to-read list. I finished the first book and am halfway through the second, A Court of Mist and Fury.

ACOTAR was published in 2015, so I think it’s been out long enough that I can discuss it in depth without being accused of spoilers. However, if you haven’t read it and you care about going in blind, stop reading now. But I can promise, I will not give away a very important side plot, and I will not give away the end. 

The story begins with our human protagonist, Feyre, hunting in the woods. I actually got strong Hunger Games vibes in that first chapter. Feyre is the narrator, and she introduces her world to the reader while she hunts a doe. Feyre’s family is dirt poor, and her hunting is what feeds and clothes them. They live on the edge of the human world  and faerie world. Faeries are not small Tinker-Bell-and-friends creatures. They are powerful, dangerous and evil. The doe Feyre is hunting gets killed by a wolf. Feyre kills the wolf – with the understanding that it could be a faerie in disguise – skins it, and takes the deer’s body back home with the wolf’s skin.

The next night a beast breaks into Feyre’s house – the way Maas describes this beast made me imagine the zouwu from Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindelwald. The beast can talk, and the wolf Feyre killed was a faerie. According to the beast, the treaty between faeries and humans allows faeries to exact revenge if a human kills a faerie. The faerie decides that Feyre will pay for the life she took by returning to his home with him and living the rest of her life in Prythian, the faerie land. 

At this point, the Beauty and the Beast parallels begin.

The Beast is a High Fae named Tamlin, he is the High Lord of the Spring Court. In his faerie form he is large and attractive, except a gold masquerade mask covers most of his face. In fact, all of his subjects wear masquerade masks. About fifty years before, they were cursed during a masquerade party and the masks were stuck on their faces. Although Tamlin may be the physical beast, Feyre is the one with a hardened heart that Tamlin and the other faeries will slowly soften during her stay. 

“Lumier and Cogsworth” are combined into one character named Lucien. He is Tamlin’s best friend and right hand man. He’s not particularly fond of Feyre, and leads her to believe he would prefer her dead. The two eventually grow on each other and develop a teasing friendship. 

“Mrs. Potts” is a faerie servant named Alis. She is assigned to be Feyre’s personal maid in helping her dress, do her hair, etc. Alis is not warm and welcoming. Feyre is a job to her, and making Feyre accept and follow faerie culture and fashion is her goal – at least from what Feyre can see. Alis’ “Chip” are her two orphaned nephews, but we don’t get to meet them, just learn about them. 

Other Easter Eggs include Feyre getting attacked  in the surrounding forest by some unsavory creatures, and Tamlin comes to her rescue. Another time, Tamlin returns to the castle in the middle of the night with a bleeding and injured hand. Feyre cleans it and patches it up for him. And last, Feyre loves to paint. Tamlin unlocks the art gallery in the castle for Feyre and gives her a room full of canvas, paints, and brushes. 

Feyre and Tamlin develop feelings for each other, and right when things are going well, their first large hurdle arrives. Rhysand is the High Lord of the Night Court. Tamlin and Lucien do not like him at all. Rhysand serves a woman named Amarantha that everyone seems to fear. Tamlin doesn’t believe that Rhysand will keep Feyre’s existence a secret, and sends Feyre back to the human world. The Beast lets Belle go. Tamlin tells Feyre he loves her, but she is so hurt he is sending her away that she refuses to say it back. 

While Feyre was away, Tamlin had imprinted false memories into her family’s minds and gifted them with a fortune. She struggles to fit in back home, and after a couple weeks finds herself traveling back to Prythian to demand Tamlin take her back. She arrives at a desolate and nearly destroyed castle. Alis is the only one left. She tells Feyre everything.

The Spring Court had been cursed fifty years ago by Amarantha as punishment for Tamlin refusing her advances. The way to break the curse was for a human woman to kill a faerie with hate in her heart and then fall in love with Tamlin and agree to marry him. Tamlin sent Feyre away three days before the deadline to break the curse. And as soon as that deadline was up, Amarantha dragged Tamlin and his court back to her own: Under the Mountain.  

And now, the Goblet of Fire begins.

Feyre travels to Under the Mountain where she is thrown in front of Amarantha and Tamlin. Feyre confesses her love to Tamlin. Amarantha offers Feyre a deal: beat three challenges, and Tamlin and his court will be freed. 

Much like young Harry, Feyre’s first challenge is to survive a dangerous flesh eating creature. She is dropped into a maze of tunnels belonging to a giant worm with razor sharp teeth. Unlike Harry, Feyre can’t just get by the giant worm. She has to kill the giant worm before it kills her. This challenge is where Feyre will prove to Amarantha’s court that humans can be strong and brave.  

Feyre’s second challenge also involves a riddle and saving someone she cares for. And no it’s not Tamlin. Amarantha wouldn’t risk her desired toy. Feyre and Lucien are stuck in a pit, metal bars separating them. A ceiling of spikes is slowly lowering toward them. Carved on the wall is a riddle. The answer to the riddle tells Feyre which of three levers to pull to stop the lowering of the spikes. There’s one major problem: Feyre is illiterate. An unexpected ally will help Feyre through this challenge.  

The third challenge doesn’t match Harry’s third task in the Triwizard tournament. And in fact, I’m not sure if I want to tell you what it is. What I will say is it is the most heart wrenching of everything that has happened so far and will lead to the grand finale. The ending was very unexpected for me and I’m still recovering from it.

A Court of Thorns and Roses is one of the more interesting books I’ve read recently. If you want an emotional roller coaster set to a magical backdrop, this book is for you. I’m so glad my editor recommended it. 5 stars.

An Oldie but a Goodie: Flight Path by Lisa Wilkes

Posted on by Chelsey M. Ortega

Hi, I’m Lisa Wilkes. I am an author, flight attendant, licensed social worker (LMSW), and animal rescuer. I live in Florida with my spouse and a handful of adorable rescued furbabies. I often joke that I run a mini zoo but, with each passing year, it seems to get less mini! Which is fine by me.

Flight Path is my debut romance novel, published by The Wild Rose Press in 2020.

Callie Schneider, the book’s free-spirited protagonist, doesn’t simply march to the beat of a different drum, she breaks out dancing. And singing. And grabbing a partner to join her as she twirls around.

This whimsical stewardess believes tethers are for boats and roots are for trees. In Callie’s fast-paced, jet-setting world, freedom is the key to happiness. Although her apartment is located in San Francisco, her true home is someplace among the clouds, cruising at a speed of 40,000 miles per hour toward the next amazing destination. Callie is a daydreamer, a creative soul with dreams as wild as her layover in South Florida last month.

Speaking of that overnight, there are a few details Callie can’t remember. It’s not her fault she partied big; her long-time buddy was working that airline trip, and he’s the absolute best bad influence Callie’s ever known. When repercussions from that evening come back to haunt Callie, she is forced to make an uncomfortable decision. One that could cost her everything.

Flight Path is a tale of unexpected love. It explores the power and authenticity of romance—even for those who dodge every relationship, for fear that it might curtail their independence. This whimsical novel reminds us that freedom and love are not mutually exclusive; when pursued with equal fervor, they tend to complement each other quite nicely.

Flight Path is my first published novel, but not the first book I wrote. My previous books (all 12 of them) remain unpublished. I found it nearly impossible to break into the literary industry. Mountains of rejection letters take a toll on a person, even a fiercely optimistic individual like myself. For a few years, I was shattered. My heart had broken one time too many. I lost all hope in fulfilling my childhood dream of being a published author.

Then, in late 2018, I penned Flight Path. I was in grad school at the time and managed to finish the entire book during winter break. Writing a full-length novel in one month is unusual for me! This storyline had been brewing in my mind for ages. I decided, why not? Might as well give this silly writing dream one last shot. I figured if I could return to graduate school in my mid-thirties, with a spouse and a full-time traveling gig and a home full of rescue animals, I could do anything. So, I sucked up my pride and continued chasing that crazy ambition I’d fantasized about since youth.

Flight Path was inspired by my experience in the aviation industry, along with a detailed dream I had while living in Lower Pac Heights, an iconic neighborhood in San Francisco. This was my first novel featuring a flight attendant. I wanted to give the world a glimpse inside the life of a professional traveler. In addition, I aimed to inspire those who break the mold, the ones who believe that life is meant to be savored and enjoyed and appreciated. Risk-takers, daydreamers, and mavericks could revel in this tale of dazzling, breathtaking love…found in the least likely of places.

When it comes to my novels, I’m a planner. I let the concept ruminate in my head for months before setting pen to paper. I outline each novel, although occasionally my well-laid plan is scrapped in favor of an alternate ending. When I write, I become obsessive. Full-throttle mode doesn’t begin to describe my writing style. Books take me anywhere from four to six months to complete, with Flight Path being the rare exception.

On March 31, 2023, my second novel, Mid-Flight was published. Although this book features a different flight attendant, Lexi Brennan works at the same airline as Callie. There are a few obvious similarities between the two books, although Mid-Flight’s plot and genre deviate significantly from those of its predecessor. Mid-Flight is set in 2037/2038. This dystopian thriller/romance hybrid depicts love in a chilling, post-apocalyptic setting. It is a story of loss and redemption. It is also a tale of love’s amazing ability to transform us all.

100% of my royalties from the first week of sales for Mid-Flight, March 31st through April 6th, will be donated to Rags to Riches Animal Rescue, Inc., a 501(c)(3) here in Tampa.

Rags to Riches is one of the amazing nonprofits I partner with on a regular basis. They take on the hard cases, never turning down a chance to save an animal in need. I hope to start my own nonprofit someday. In the meantime, I am thrilled to help by contributing my time, energy, and resources to existing charitable organizations. After all, my books are meant to be inspiring, to elicit an emotional response from readers eager to explore worlds unknown. What better way to spread joy than by using those same books, written with a lot of grit and even more heart, to benefit the people and animals who need it most? So, that’s what I intend to do.

You can follow Lisa Wilkes on her website: Books by Lisa Wilkes

Amazon: Lisa Wilkes

Instagram: Lisa Wilkes (@travelisa1984)

Lisa’s animal rescue Instagram page: furever-luvd_fosters-n_flights

Flight Path and Mid-Flight can both be purchased on Amazon.

Flight attendant Callie Schneider doesn’t remember much about her wild South Florida layover. Her one night stand with sexy stranger Andrew was great, but a relationship is the last thing on her mind. Her life, a blend of global adventures and dazzling nights, is already perfect. Repercussions from that night threaten her carefree lifestyle and she is forced to reevaluate what is truly important. Will a bi-coastal romance filled with surprises she could never imagine finally bring her down to earth?