~General Updates~ Upcoming Releases, Cover Reveals, Website Revamps

Hello again, my lovely readers! I've left you in the dark about a great many things lately. Truth is, I've been plagued by a bout of depression so bad that I just didn't care anymore. I was ready to let everything fall to the wayside, eventually disappear. I've managed to claw my way mostly out, though I'm by no means in the clear yet. I will get there, though. I've climbed out before and I can do it again.

That said, here are a few things that I've done recently and a few things to look forward to. 

Upcoming Releases & a Cover Reveal

That's right, my lovelies! There is a new book on the horizon. It's called Gertrude's Grace and it's a bit of a change from my usual offerings. While it has a streak of seriousness to it, it's by no means as dark as normal. It's even a bit humorous—I've been told it's "laugh out loud" funny. Which is good, since that's kinda what I was going for with this. It's my fluffy Regency offering to the world, and I hope it's received with the good humor I intended.

There's no set release date on it, as of yet. Honestly, it started out a really short story of about 6000 words (for those of you unsure how long a story that is, a novel is over 40,000). After my beta readers expressed the desire for a longer tale about these two characters, I gave the manuscript another look. It has two more chapters at the time of this post and is currently over 9000 words. So I'm not sure how long it will end up being, thus the reason I don't have a clear release date yet. I will endeavor to keep you lovely readers updated on that score. 

Meanwhile, I do have a cover for the story and I will share that, and the blurb, with you now. 

Blurb:

Ladies know how to behave in Society. Ladies never put a foot wrong, never say an inappropriate word, and never cause their parents a moment of distress. Ladies can overcome any embarrassment with grace and poise.

….and then there's Gertrude.

Gertrude struggles in the bright light of Society, trying to keep her poise and not embarrass her adoring mother. But when she falls for the most eligible bachelor the Season has to offer, she literally falls.
​
….on him.

Lord Chatterton survives Lady Gertrude's onslaught with dignity. While Society mocks her from the sidelines, Chatterton isn't laughing. He's falling, too. For Gertrude.

And there you have it. I hope that little description makes you eager to read it. ;)

At this time, I have no plans to make this available in paperback, but if it gets any longer, that could change. I'll keep you updated on that, as well.

Website Updates

In other news, I've completely revamped my website. The image I used behind the name is one I took myself. It's a pink carnation my husband gave to me one anniversary.

I hope the site more inviting now, and easy to navigate. Click HERE to give the site a view and, if you want, you can let me know your thoughts in the comment section on this blog post.

I plan to redo my business cards, design new bookmarks, get more cool things to advertise my books, and host more contests and giveaways this year, too. I have a busy, busy year ahead of me. :)

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ FFXIII-2 ~ Yeul's Theme

Death Becomes Her is now AVAILABLE!

The second serial romance to appear in InD'tale Magazine has been compiled and uploaded to Amazon. This is a bit of a morbid tale about a resurrectionist and the doctor who falls for her. She has sisters and one of these sisters stars in the special exclusive short story included in this edition, The Devil She Knows. This is my gift to you, my lovely readers, for always being the supportive, encouraging creatures you are. ♥ 

I've made it available as a pre-order, before its official release on October 20. It's only available on Amazon at this time, but will follow to Smashwords, B&N, iTunes, Kobo, and 'txtr by the end of January 2015. If you'd like an excerpt, check out my website HERE. If you already know you want it, grab it from Amazon: US, UK, DE, CA, AU. ☺

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There’s a jukebox in my head. It’s currently playing

♫♪ Reba McEntire ~ One Honest Heart

~Sweet Saturday Sample~ Michaella's Match

Sorry I'm a bit late posting this. I've scoured my recent work to find an excerpt I thought would entertain my readers and the one I've picked is from a short story titled Michaella's Match. 

This story is closely connected to my novel Heartless, taking place a few years after that story's conclusion. Lady Michaella Harcourt is the star of this short, the sister of the heroine from Heartless. Some of you may remember her as the sweet, meek, legitimate daughter of the Earl of Harwood. She developed feelings for Gabriel St. Clair but fate (aka The Evil Author) had other plans. 

(If this story was longer and wasn't destined to be part of an anthology of Regency shorts, it would be titled Melancholy, In keeping with my one-word titles for this "series," just so you know.) 

Without further ado, here is part of the opening scene of Michaella's Match. Enjoy! ♥

---

The Season
London 1824

The dancers swirled by, dresses billowing out with each swift turn of the waltz. Ladies smiled, content with their partners, satisfied they were pleasing their parents with their actions. Gentlemen smirked, pleased with their conquests, satisfied they held the prize of the Season. The vibrant gowns of the duennas and widows mingled with the muted tones of the débutantes, creating a shimmering rainbow in the candlelight, accented with sparkling gems.

Lady Michaella Harcourt stood off to the side, blessedly alone for the nonce. She couldn’t endure one more moment of fake smiles and condescension. She watched the dancers, bitterness tugging at her heart. She witnessed one young girl fall in love with the man who held her, his own eyes so focused on the girl in his arms that Michaella knew the rest of the world ceased to exist for them.

Tears stung the back of Michaella’s eyes. She knew that feeling, remembered the all-consuming joy to be had with a gentlemen who returned one’s regard. The press of a hand, stolen glances, and the assurance that he would speak one day, making his feelings known to all, kept one holding on. And if one found oneself alone with one’s love, for just a moment, a stolen kiss, a sweet, all-consuming embrace might be all one had to hold onto, years later.

The crack in her heart deepened, sending a shaft of pain through her body. She stumbled back, disappearing behind the shrubbery that lined the grand ballroom. Her shaking legs threatened to send her to the floor.

How could the pain remain so fresh after so many years? She’d found a man she loved, one who’d adored her, made her feel safe and secure. She may not have been allowed to marry him, spend her life with him, but she’d still had much more than most young ladies.

Years later, her pain should be nonexistent, or at least manageable. Yet she could no longer see her sister, her beloved sister, the one with whom she’d never had secrets. As time passed the pain did not lessen, as she was told it would. It only increased, bringing envy and bitterness with it.

She envied her sister’s happiness. Leandra was married to the worst man in England, yet her happiness was visible for all to see. Her duke treated everyone with contempt, but for Leandra he was a different man. He loved her and her alone. He’d changed for her. He continued to change for her.

And it was that very man who’d arranged a marriage for Michaella, the sister he’d gained through marriage. He’d found a man he approved of to be her husband. The arrangements, the details, and the final agreement were all carried out through letters, hidden from Michaella’s mother. The countess would not look kindly upon the duke for interfering.

Good manners demanded Michaella at least call on the duke, on her sister, assure them both of her good health and continued love for them. It was no fault of theirs that the one man she truly loved was gone.

A tear escaped. Brushing it angrily away, Michaella straightened. It was enough. She could no longer wallow in her misery. She had to move on, and her betrothal was just the thing. Perhaps babies would help her leave the past fully behind, allow her to grow, maybe even find the happiness she’d so briefly enjoyed with Gabriel.

Just the thought of him sent the pain coalescing through her. How could life be so unfair?

“Steady, my lady,” a voice whispered close to her ear, making her jump. “You would not want the tabbies catching sight of you in such a state.”

©2013 Laura J Miller. All Rights Reserved.

---

Thank you for taking the time to read my excerpt! For more Sweet Saturday Samples, please click HERE. 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ Joelle (FFXIII-2) ~ Village and Void

~Sweet Saturday Sample~ Gertrude's Grace

Gertrude's Grace is part of an anthology of Regency short stories that I have planned for publication this year. The following excerpt is taken from the rough draft of the opening scene. Enjoy!

---

“Omph!”

Lady Gertrude Shiveley's backside connected with the floor. Her pink muslin skirts flew up, revealing a pair of plump legs in pale pink stockings.

Masculine chuckles and feminine giggles followed on the heels of her ignominious downfall. Gertrude winced, the fall itself causing little damage but her pride bruised beyond repair.

And just when she thought she couldn't possibly feel worse, she glanced toward the drawing room door. The newest arrivals stared at her, faces frozen in shock. Amongst them was Eric, Duke of Chatterton. His sister Lady Tilly stood beside him, her gloved fingers over her lips while her eyes danced with silent laughter. Gertrude wanted to crawl under the sofa and die.

As Lady Gertrude sat on the floor trying to muster the courage to rise and face her guests, Lord Chatterton set aside his hat, gloves, and walking stick, and approached. He silently held out a hand to the fallen young lady.

Gertrude gazed up into the angelic countenance above her. He was so handsome, she mused, her mind on his pleasing features rather than his offer of assistance. His eyes were the same grass green as her own, clear and fringed with thick, dark lashes. He was beauty personified, a Greek Adonis, the type of gentleman who gave Lady Gertrude Shiveley wide berth for fear of her legendary clumsiness.

Except.... he wasn't avoiding her, as he reminded her with a little shake of his proffered hand.

---

Thank you for stopping by to read this snippet of a work-in-progress. Please take a moment to check out the other Sweet Saturday offerings: http://sweetsatsample.wordpress.com/.

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing

♫♪ FFXIII-2 ~ Heart of Chaos

Not Just Romance

I'm known as a romance writer, primarily Regency romance. My short stories, however, venture into other genres as well. Most of my short fiction is free. Here's a list of all the non-romance shorts I've written.

Please note: the formatting probably looks "off" if you're viewing this post through one of my several feeds (i.e., Goodreads). To see it the way I meant for it to look, please click over to the blogger end. 

All links open in a new tab or window, depending on your browser settings. 

◄The Fold was my 1st flash fiction piece, written for a contest. It came in 51st-ish out of 250-some entries, by popular vote. 

Stalker ► was a writing exercise. You know the type, "start with this word, write a certain length of time, etc." I posted it here on this blog and on my site. 

◄Sunset was more fun than I should probably admit (after you read it, you'll understand why that concerns me). It was a switch for me on many levels: it's not romance, it's first person, and it's present tense.

The Dragon's Birth ►is a straight-up fantasy short story that's around 5000 words. It's a prequel of sorts for a fantasy novel I wrote that may or may not see the publishing light. This short is $0.99 everywhere eBooks are sold. There's an excerpt on my website HERE.

My two short stories in the UNLOCKED anthology are non-romance as well. Assassin's Keeper is Regency fiction and Survival is dark fantasy. Click the titles to read a short excerpt of each. UNLOCKED can be downloaded free from www.unlockedproject.com.

For those of you already familiar with Sable from Assassin's Keeper, there are two other stories out in web-world that feature her, both part of a longer work, both on the Clever Fiction website: Crossing the Channel and Unwilling Protector...though I suppose all the shorts about Sable could be considered dark romance, but it's only romance in the loosest interpretation of the term.

There's also Chosen, a mild horror-ish type of story that I wrote for a prompt over on Clever Fiction. I don't have a cover for that yet.

So enjoy my even darker side. Didn't realize I had an even darker side, did you? OK, so maybe you did. I've never been particularly secretive about it, have I?

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Rihanna ~ Disturbia

Melody of Dragons

Over a month ago I was asked one question (shortest interview of my life!) and it was: 

What song reminds you of your story, The Dragon's Birth? 

I answered, in great detail, with not one, but TWO Breaking Benjamin songs that bring this story to mind. Click on over to West of Mars to find out what songs I picked and how they fit this fantasy short story.  HUGE thank you to Susan of West of Mars for having me!!

For the interviews I've done, check out the little list of links in the right sidebar, just below the free UNLOCKED download. :O)

~Just Released~ The Dragon's Birth...cont'd

~♥♥~ Now playing in my head: Chloë Agnew, Someday ~♥♥~

 Forgive me for the multiple posts on this topic but my excitement knows no bounds. The Dragon's Birth is now available in the Kindle Store on Amazon. There's a handy link, just to the left here, that will take you right to the listing, should you be interested in checking it out. 

If Amazon's not your cup of tea, there's still the listing at Smashwords, and soon (hopefully) it will appear on B&N, Kobo, Apple, Diesel, and a few others I can't think of off the top of my head. 

And if you like to try before you buy, there's an excerpt (from the first edited draft, not the final) on my website and Smashwords allows you to read the first 10%. Amazon also will send an excerpt to your Kindle, if that's how you prefer to roll.* 

Happy reading, writing, and blogging!! 

*Edited at 12:54PM to add: I just sampled the Amazon version and they don't give any of the actual story, just the copyright page. Sorry about that. lol

~Just Released~ The Dragon's Birth

I'm pleased to announce that after several months of fine-tuning and tweaking my non-romance, fantasy short story The Dragon's Birth, it has finally been accepted, approved, and released with TreasureLine Publishing. 

At the time of this posting, the e-book is available at Smashwords but will be available in the Kindle store soon. To read an early draft excerpt, click on over to my website. 

Happy reading, writing, and blogging!! 

*Winners of my celebratory giveaway, you have already been emailed with a download code to get the book for free. 

My Lady Coward, In Three Parts

~♥♥~ Now playing in my head: Adele, Someone Like You ~♥♥~

I have succumbed to reader demand and submitted another installment of My Lady Coward to the Clever Fiction story prompt site. I really like these characters and I think they're beginning to like me. :O)

Below, you'll find the opening paragraphs of each installment and a link to the Clever Fiction site where you can read the rest. Enjoy!! 

Part 1 (posted 10/06/11): 

  He'd had a mistress for years. She'd known it all along. Heart aching, she'd comforted herself with the thought that it was nothing more than a physical relationship, something he did to save face before his Society friends.

  He'd lost so much respect when he'd married her. She was nothing more than the daughter of a Cit, a despised class of people who earned their money from trade rather than inheriting it as any decent sort would.
  Lady Maria sighed and sipped her tea. Was marriage to a duke worth the heartache, the loss? With her marriage vows came the acquisition of a title and position in Society. Security. With her marriage vows came the loss of her friends, her family, and everything familiar and comfortable. Love.
  (to read the rest, CLICK HERE)

Part 2 (posted 10/20/11):

  Lady Maria waited in her bed, clothed in a diaphanous nightdress. A single candle, burning on the nightstand, kept the room from complete darkness.
  It was the fourteenth consecutive night she'd waited thus, a book in hand so as to appear nonchalant, less like a young wife awaiting her husband's presence in her bed.
  Would this be the night? She'd listened to rumor after rumor concerning her husband and where he preferred to spend his nights. She'd accepted it as life in high Society, the life of a real lady.
  They'd consummated their marriage, of course. Her face warmed at the memory, a tiny smile touching her lips. Even now, weeks later, Maria could still feel Richard's caress, feel his fingers grazing her skin, his lips brushing her lips, her neck, her shoulder, her...
  (to read the rest, CLICK HERE)

Part 3 (posted 10/27/11):
  They were married in October. No Society marriage ever took place in October. The weather had already turned cold, a harbinger of the no doubt difficult winter to come. Was it an omen, a sign of ill luck?
  Shaking her head, Maria turned away from the window through which she'd been blindly staring, watching the servants load boxes and traveling cases into the carriage waiting out front. The soft rustling of her skirts made a strange counterpoint to the occasional crackle from the fire, a necessary luxury on such a chilly morning.
  It was silly to believe in such superstitious nonsense. Her marriage was not doomed due to an October wedding or an early chill in the air. No, her marriage suffered the insurmountable odds of unequal birth.
  (to read the rest, CLICK HERE)

This started as nothing more than a short story but I like that it's developing into a serial instead. I hope you enjoy it. I'll update this blog when a new short is posted. Until then, happy reading, writing, and blogging!!

*All links open in a new tab or window, depending on your browser settings.

More Cowardice From Lady Maria

~♥♥~ Now playing on my mp3 player: Adele, Someone Like You ~♥♥~

Remember my poor Lady Maria, Duchess of...whatever*? She's back in part 2 of My Lady Coward. You can read it for free on the Clever Fiction site. Here are the first few paragraphs, just to whet your appetite. Enjoy! 

Lady Maria waited in her bed, clothed in a diaphanous nightdress. A single candle, burning on the nightstand, kept the room from complete darkness. 

It was the fourteenth consecutive night she'd waited thus, a book in hand so as to appear nonchalant, less like a young wife awaiting her husband's presence in her bed. 

Would this be the night? She'd listened to rumor after rumor concerning her husband and where he preferred to spend his nights. She'd accepted it as life in high Society, the life of a real lady. 

They'd consummated their marriage, of course. Her face warmed at the memory, a tiny smile touching her lips. Even now, weeks later, Maria could still feel Richard's caress, feel his fingers grazing her skin, his lips brushing her lips, her neck, her shoulder, her... 

The rest can be found HERE and if you haven't read Part 1, you can find that HERE. Oh, and there's already a new prompt posted. What can you write with October/Bad Luck/Compass?

Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!

*I have yet to determine her husband's title. Would you believe me if I said this was a spur of the moment short story that is blossoming into a serial? lol 

Would you want to be CHOSEN?

♥♥Now playing on my mp3 player: Breaking Benjamin, Anthem of the Angels♥♥ 

I totally forgot to share my latest Clever Fiction short. Last week the prompts were broken~desert~voices. I wrote a story called Chosen, based on an idea provided by my husband. He read the finished product before I submitted it and said it more than met with his approval; I'd surpassed his vision. 

For those of you who wonder, my husband is painfully honest with me about my writing. He praises me where he feels I've done well but doesn't hesitate to point out where I've erred or my story falls flat. 

That said, I invite you to pop over to Clever Fiction and read my short story, Chosen. It's not romance, not historical, and not what I normally write. It was fun to veer away from my usual. I hope you enjoy it! Comments on the story are always welcome and appreciated, but not required. 

There's a new prompt this week and today's the deadline. I'm almost done with mine. Tomorrow a new prompt will be announced. 

Happy reading, writing, and blogging! 

More Shorts

So there's another short story of mine floating around in web-world and it's called My Lady Coward. Ooo, LOOK! Here's a pretty little cover just for it. Gosh, I do love book covers. {happy sigh} 

If the title or cover intrigue you, please click HERE to read, comment and share. Or just read. That's OK too. :O) 

In other, related writing news, there's a new Clever Fiction prompt up on the site and I encourage all writers to take a look. Even if you don't want to submit a story to the site, it's great practice. 

Readers, at the time of this post 5 writers have already answered this week's challenge. There are 20 stories from last week's challenge, 18 from the week before, and 12 from the week before that. All these stories are between 250-1000 words. Stop by and read a few; you might find your next favorite author.

Until next time, happy reading, writing, and blogging!!

Falling Down

The last few weeks have been rather hard. Many of you heard that I lost 6 cats in less than two days (momma cat and five kittens). Even before that, my blogging took a downturn. I apologize for falling down on the job and promise to make it up to you. Regency Wednesday will return as will Photo Friday. I'm considering taking part in Teaser Tuesday as well but haven't quite decided yet. 

While I've been ignoring my online responsibilities, I've been working on my household and writing responsibilities. My children and husband enjoy clean clothes and The Dragon's Birth is this close (can you see my fingers about a half inch apart?) to being ready for upload to Smashwords. I just figured out the Table of Contents (WOO-HOO!) and that was the last step. YAY!! 

Meanwhile, I've been having a blast with the Clever Fiction website, using the short story prompts to further my work on Sable's highly unromantic novel. For those of you who write or always wanted to, I highly recommend this site. Even if you choose not to submit your stories, the practice is worthwhile.

My new story is up. Crossing the Channel is another "chapter" in Sable's story. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story, but even if you don't like to comment, please read it anyway. It's less than 1000 words so it won't take much of your time.

Do you have any short stories out there? Please leave a link in the comments section here so we can pop over and check it out.

Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!

New Short Story Site ~ And a new short story by yours truly!

There's a new short story site out there in web-world and everyone can submit stories. It's called Clever Fiction, run by the talented Pat Sipperly, and there's a new prompt every week. 

I participated in this week's story prompt (a key, noon, falling leaves) and my short story Unwilling Protector is up for your reading enjoyment. It's part of Sable's story. (You'll know who that is if you've read my short story Assassin's Keeper in the anthology UNLOCKED. If you haven't, pop by the UNLOCKED website and download the anthology for free.)

There are other stories there as well, in a variety of genres by a variety of authors. You can leave comments on each story, if you are inclined to do so. Go, read, enjoy!

~Giveaway~ Woo-hoo! 100 Posts! (OK, 101.)

I've reached a milestone (in my opinion) on this narcissistic little blog of mine. 100 posts this year. (Honestly, this particular post, this one right here that you're reading right now, is 101. But hey, why quibble over semantics?) 

That said, we need to celebrate. OK, I need to celebrate. Let's do this right. 

Comment on this post (the actual blogger post, not any of the feeds) and you'll get a download code for my fantasy short story when it's released. I'm not selecting one winner. EVERYONE who comments gets to download the story for free. 

What fantasy short story, you ask? Well, once upon a time, I wrote this little story, sort of as a prequel to my fantasy novel series...my UNPUBLISHED fantasy novel series. Weird, right? To be even more honest, it was a short story I wrote specifically for the UNLOCKED anthology way back when. It was one of fours stories I'd submitted to the anthology editors and it was one of the rejects. (Haha! Really makes you want it, huh?)

Want more info before you commit yourself? You can go to my website, where I've posted a sample of the short story. Oh, it's called The Dragon's Birth, just in case you were wondering. 

There are a few caveats. You must be 18+ or have a parent's permission to comment. There's nothing totally awful in the story, I'm just trying to cover my butt here. You must include an email address; how else can I contact you with the download code? You have to be a follower of this blog. Fair's fair, right? And I will enforce these rules (I've been known not to in the past) so DO NOT FORGET: 18+, email address, blog follower. Easy peasy. Oh, and you have to wait patiently for the story's release. It's not out there yet, but it will be soon. After its release, each commenter (Chrome says this is not a word. Weird. Should it be commentator?) who remembers to include their email address will get a little message in their inbox with that precious little Smashwords code. Exciting! :OP

This offer officially ends September 16.

I'll leave you with a question. Did I use SEMANTICS (first paragraph of this post) correctly?

Happy reading, writing, and winning!!

*Image © Aleksandra Belikova and can be downloaded for FREE from Dreamstime.com. (Registration is required, also free.) 

Short Story Success

I recently played with short stories, writing one on top of the other, as a personal writing challenge. I entered four of them for inclusion in an anthology and two were picked. I'm tickled pink, let me tell you. :o)

One of the selected is a personal favorite of mine, The Assassin's Keeper. This story is about Sable, a female assassin in Regency London. It's my typical offering, dark, morbid and a little depressing. Does it have a happy ending? You'll have to read it to find out.

The other selected was Survival, a dark fantasy-type story that barely qualifies as flash fiction. It's about 20 words over the 1000 word limit. The lead character is Faolyne and it's her job to make sure the balance of life doesn't shift. Another somewhat morbid offering.

So when can you expect to read this anthology? The lovely editors are giving us a release date of August. The exact date is unknown at this time. The good news is, the completed book will be available as a free e-book. Isn't that awesome?!