March Madness Melisse

I have been spring cleaning, super duper dejunking, bleaching painting, and grouting. We are making a dump run later this week. SO, so fun.

The evil plan has not changed, we are hoping to sell house, buy a place in a southern milder winter place and have no mortgage. Hopefully I could work part time and write! That would be terrific. I need more books out there earning $ before I can consider quitting the day job. But it could happen in a couple years if I am more productive.

In writing life I did have a  writing slow down due to a nasty carpel tunnel flare. That seems to have finally returned to normal, but I am a month behind of stuff.

I am subbing a fantasy romance short to the Romance Diva's Free Antho! I've done an excerpt before, about Adler the wizarding student being forced to find a bride.

Adler is a gryphentaur (made by me! Centaurs-- part horse, gryphentaurs, wings and legs of gryphen, the rest human.)

Adler has two years left of his studies to be a Wizard. In his world, Frostlund, his father is a minor royal. Adler is a Third, a third child. Frostlund is north, across Frostmere Sea, from the Three Realms where the story Faunication is set. The Three Realms have Purity Laws, where people must marry in their kind(bun, faun or centaur.) Their birthrate has plummeted.

Frostlund follow the Old Ways. Every third child marries outside kind, producing some children like on parent, some like the other. Their birthrate remains stable.

Adler assumed he, being a big fellow, would marry one of the neighboring Lesser Giantess when he was through with school. But his father, who causes drama wherever he goes, suddenly demands Adler marry. He is to go to the Bridal Faire in a big city and bring back a bride. Probably because his father has done something to anger all the neighbors.

Adler does not flirt well or meet young women easily at the teas, soirees, musicales and balls. He hates all the events. He can't imagine any of these fancy girls married to him and living in the loft of the Wizard School for the next two years!

He does meet one nice girl though. A human! Very rare in these parts. She sells fruit from a stall in the market. Ayperi is her name.