Melisse Aires

Yikes. Nano!

2009-11-09T16:17:00.000-08:00

I had the flu, followed by bronchitis, so not too much writing going on. Today I did edits, will send them tonight, and I also signed a contract for Del Fantasma: Demonade! So I will be getting Demonade finished and sent this month.

I hate giving up my Nano story, so I won't give it up. I am going to add a slight paranormal/magical element to it that was in the original plan that I took out to gear it toward HAR.

Harlequin is starting an epublishing venture!!! No category lines to fit. Very exciting.

NANO 2009

2009-11-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I wasn't going to Nano. Then I was going to Nano as a rebel. But I've had this idea at the back of my brain for some time and decided--Why Not??? It's a novel idea, straight contemporary.

I'm not a novel writer, but we'll see. It's a short novel.

Blurb: INTERNET WIFE

Zeke moved to the mountains with his young son after he lost his wife and athletic career in a car accident. While his athletic career made him financially stable, he now runs an organic farm and plans to stay in his mountain retreat.

But his son is ready to start school, and the nearest school is an hour away on treacherous mountain roads. Most people around White Elk, WY, home school until the kids start high school. Zeke does not feel up to that.

While surfing his favorite website, Homesteading the Rockies, he sees the personal adds. It seems to be the perfect solution. He will advertise for a wife who can home school.

Molly is a young widow with a one year old. Due to her husband's long illness and her own difficult pregnancy, she is living in a women's home and working at the only cooking job she could find with hours suitable for daycare. She is discouraged with her housing situation and lack of freedom. The people who run the house are generous and she'd grateful, but she can't express her personal nontraditional beliefs in anyway, nor does she have time with her daughter or any real privacy. It will take her forever to get back one her feet.

While at the library she surfs for recipes and finds Zeke's add. It seems the perfect solution.

Will new age Molly and a jock like Zeke make a match?

Book Happenings

2009-10-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

I have three publishers and quite a few ebooks on the way:

Aspen Mountain Press:
Available now: Del Fantasma Tiger Juice
Future: Her Accidental Angel(formerly Fallen to Earth) and
Del Fantasma: Demonade

Red Rose Publishing
Available Oct 29: Shadow Rescue
Early 2010: Cybot Awakened

WCP Torrid
Available Dec 1: Christmas Magic (Expanded re edit of my old Torrid Teaser)

Free Serial read : Fauntasy

* Fauntasy has been edited for Textnovel so is not a sexy read. I am re-editing it for submission with an editor who is interested in it, that sub will be a higher heat level than what is up on Textnovel.

The three things I plan to get subbed by Christmas are Demonade and Galactic Games, the story that follows Cybot and Fauntasy. One for each epub!

Halloween Hijinks!

2009-10-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

HALLOWEEN HIJINKS!

Authors Melisse Aires, Maura Anderson

And Laura Tolomei celebrate

October releases!

Fun! Prizes!

Join us OCT 24^th at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrendaWilliamsonRomanceParty/

Excerpt Monday!

2009-10-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

Once a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You=2 0don’t have to be published to participate–just an writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site! or click on the banner above.

My Excerpt this month is from my current wip:

DEL FANTASMA: DEMONADE

The Del Fantasma series revolves around a Paranormal bar, the Del Fantasma, owned by a matchmaking vampire named Cody.

While my story is hot, this excerpt is pg!

DEL FANTASMA: DEMONADE
by
Melisse AIres

One night Trudy slid onto a bar stool at the Del Fantasma after a goth club hunt. She wore a black vinyl bodice trimmed with magenta brocade, a magenta and lace full mini skirt and high, shiny black boots. Most of the bar’s patrons were in casual wear, but she didn’t feel like taking the time to go change. She sat, feeling the tenseness of the hunt leave her in the familiar, friendly setting.

“Well, now isn’t this interesting,” Cody said as he placed the Demonade in front of her with a big grin. “Trudy, I’d like you to meet the learned man sitting next to you. Father De Russi.”

Father—a priest in the Del Fantasma?

She turned shocked eyes to the man sitting next to her. He was huge and broad shouldered, with long rusty red hair pulled back and tied with a leather thong. He wasn’t young, there was a touch of silver at his temples and fine lines in the corners of his eyes, but he was very attractive with a strong square jaw line, high cheekbones and intelligent grey eyes behind gold wire rimmed glasses. He wasn’t dressed like a priest, but wore a brown plaid flannel shirt over a tan t-shirt and khaki pants. With his broad shoulders and long legs he looked more like a woodcutter than a priest.

“Please, Cody. I left the priesthood well over a decade ago. Now I’m just an ordinary history teacher.”

He spoke with a British accent. She loved British accents. Two of her husbands had been Englishmen.

“Gabriel De Russi.” The man’s huge hand engulfed her own in a silky hot glide of flesh.

Gabriel was older than the young men she worked to attract for a feed. Too young to be a husband. Too attractive. Too full of life force, all together too much of everything. She snatched her hand away.

“Now, don’t be so modest Gabriel. Guess what he studied for the Church? Just guess!” Cody’s eye just twinkled with merriment. He wagged his head back and forth. “Man, I could not make this stuff happen if I tried.”

“Professor Gabriel De Russi is one of the world’s foremost scholars on demonology,” he continued. “ Meet Trudy, a part human daughter of Asmodeus.” He introduced her with a flourish.

The professor pushed up his glasses. “Asmodeus. Really. Then I gather you are older than you look. There hasn’t been a Asmodeus manifestation for more than two hundred years.”

“Um, yes. I am older than I look.” He’d heard of her father!

***

“Links to other Excerpt Monday writers

Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.

Publishing News!

2009-10-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

I have some fun news! I have a Halloween Release, SHADOW RESCUE, coming out Oct 28 with Red Rose Publishing. Some friends and I will be having a release party, Halloween Hijinks, On October 24, with prizes and downloads at Brenda Williams Romance Party Loop! If you scroll through my blog you'll find an excerpt somewhere

My Hot! Angel! romance will be coming out with a new publisher under a new title! I decided to retitle it Her Accidental Angel because the new title reflects the fun and sexy aspects of the story. It will be coming out with Aspen Mountain Press.

Also am revising and expanding two short sexy Christmas romances. Their contract was nearly up, and this is a good way to give these fun little stories some more exposure and provide a little holiday cheer. They will come out in December, expanded and revised, as Christmas Magic, with a Christmas cover, with WCP Torrid.

I'm also working on Del Fantasma: Demonade, which will be my excerpt for the fun Excerpt Monday Bash. I hope to have it to my editor at AMP in November.

No shortage of things to do around here!

A free read

2009-09-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

Fauntasy

http://textnovel.com/stories_list_detail.php?story_id=1210

As a child I was obsessed with Narnia--I wanted to live there, but never could.

As an adult writer I can't confiscate the land of Narnia for my own stories, plus I prefer romance.

Fauntasy is my way to bring both those beloved elements together--a fantasy world I love and a couple who struggle to be together.

The Three Realms consist of three separate peoples or races, The Fauns, The Centaurs, and the Buntaurs. While they live and work together as one nation, the Purification Laws, now three generations old,keep each race separate, and there are no mixed families.

Tip, a Buntaur and Sylina, a Faun, have broken the Purification Law and Sylina is pregnant. She is in grave danger--few survive the Purification Camps.

Tip learns of a ship, sailing to an old deserted port. Can they escape?

Updated every weekend.

Del Fantasma Tiger Juice~Reviewer Top Choice!

2009-09-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

Hearts: 4.50 / 5 - Reviewer Top Pick!

...As anyone who has read any of the Del Fantasma series knows, good and
interesting things happen when Cody Warren, owner and libation designer
extraordinaire, starts his matchmaking magic. There's no being
disappointed in this delightful visit to our favorite bar and
restaurant. Engaging characters along with vivid scene imagery and
passion enough to make you gasp make this tale an endearing episode in
the Del Fantasma chronicles.

~
SamanthaAnn of Night Owl Romance

Review

*Website*

*~*Buy Link *~*

Also available at *Fictionwise*!

A Bad Blogger Updates!

2009-08-29T14:05:00.002-07:00

Cybot Awakened is making its way through edits and Shadow Rescue is ready for release!

This month I've been working on Galactic Game, which follows Cybot Awakened. I plan to sub it in Sept.

I've also been working on a fun and sexy short, Moonfest on Urloon about two weary refuges from a galactic war who have found shelter on a water world along with their ship's young crew. Their hosts, the kindly, cultured, water adapted humans, the Urloon, invite them to their annual spring festival.

Book on my pda that I'm reading right now! Harmony and Arcane Society collide!

A Bad Blogger Updates!

2009-08-29T14:05:00.001-07:00

Excerpt Monday! (Plus Links to other Excerpts!!)

2009-08-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a second story in my futuristic series. The first book comes out in January from Red Rose Publishing, Cybot Awakened.

My excerpt this week is from number 2, Galactic Game. This story has been a challenge because it was originally a 10k short in an anthology . The publisher and the anthology were very short lived, it never made one dime and I think 5 people (the antho authors and my editor) read it. I always loved the characters and the Protectorate Universe it was set in, and always planned to do something with it. I wrote and contracted Cybot Awakened, about the couple Sabralia and Kastril, which comes out in January with Red Rose Publishing.

Galactic Game now it is reaching the healthy novella length of 30k and I plan to sub it this fall. This story is about Kellac, one of Kaistril's brothers, and Gema who has a secret.

Some of my visual files for this novella:

Gema

Kellac

The Unknown Wilderness

Gema nearly groaned aloud when she saw her partner for The Survivor Game. He was a Puregen exotic, the rarest of the rare. Tall, bronzed, beautifully proportioned and muscled, he had silky black hair waving past his ears, high cheek bones, black lashes and eyebrows showcasing his rare, DNA modified, lilac eyes.

Regular humans didn’t have eyes that color.

Even among the Puregen population he was rare. An exotic creation usually came from a very wealthy family who could afford the highest quality lab. He was probably super intelligent with teeth that would never turn dingy or decay and owned an immune system that would keep him healthy and strong for the next hundred years or so.

So how did he get here, a contestant from a prison?

The audience was going to love him—which put her survival as the ugly, non-Puregen player even more at risk. Lucky for her she had friends in low places. Friends involved in gambling, who wanted to win some big money, and weren’t afraid to cheat a little. Or a lot.
She glanced over at her partner. He totally ignored her and checked their supplies against a list. The transport took off in a flash, back to the mothership that produced the viewcast somewhere in orbit.

Golden Boy glided over to her like every woman’s dream.

Even mine, she admitted to herself.

You could earn points by doing him, her wayward brain reminded her.

Gema felt her cheeks turn pink. She was not getting naked with Golden Boy for the galactic audience’s titillation. It was just a reaction to being with a male after years in the women’s prison.

“I have checked all the supplies. Everything is here.”

“Good.”

“My name is Kellac. I think we should talk about our strategy while we are free of the cameras.”

They had one day without the swarm of cameras.

“I’m Gema.” She reached under her shirt and found the sticky edge of her false stomach. With a grimace at the sting, she pulled it off.

Kellac stared at her, mouth open. He almost didn’t look great.

“What is that?”

“Oh, I was given a little gift.” She dug in the foam and pulled out a small com. “One of my cell mates had a contact who has an interest in me amassing some points.”

“That’s cheating! Gambling on the game is against the rules.”

“Ah yes, the rules.” She worked on the com. “By the rules of this game, I’m the underdog. Not Puregen, not beautiful or athletic, and I’m lame in one leg. Surviving is already going to be a challenge for me. And what’s the point of surviving but not having points? I’ll just end up back in prison.”

She looked up into his lilac eyes. “I don’t want to die. Three non-Puregens died playing the game. They had no support from the audience, and sometimes even had the audience out to get them. And giving points to the partner for betraying them.”

He frowned. “I have every intention of working as a team to keep us both alive. Those players that betrayed each other had no honor.”

“I feel the same. I won’t betray you, either.” She held up her com. “This is a solar powered, memory enhanced military issue com. It has a casing to look just like the ordinary com we are allowed to have. I want enough points to get to a world that welcomes non-Puregen humans. This will help me get there.”

He squatted down next to her, eyes on the com.

“What military issue? 9900?”

He was military, then.

“Better, 9904. Plus it has flora and fauna data for all the worlds and regions used by The Game.”

His eyes widened. “That information must have been difficult to come by. But with this we can find edibles.”

“Yes, and it has a lot of wilderness survival data, also. Predators, weather patterns, housing, emergency medicine…”

He stared at her. “Do you know how to use it? I’ve been trained on the 9900.”

“I’ve been tutored. Plus, it’s keyed to my DNA, but I’m willing to share it with you. If I die, it’s useless to you.”

She went back to the foam belly and pulled out an old fashioned paper writing pad and stylus.

“We can communicate on this and burn it in the fire. As long as we shield the writing from the swarm, we’ll be able to communicate undetected.”

“Good idea.”

There was one more thing she had to tell him. Her face got hot. “I’m not having sex with you for points.”

The audience loved sexual activity and gave generous points for the same.

He shrugged. “It is an easy way to amass points.”

“I don’t want to.”

The list:

AJ O'Donovan, Poetry (PG13)
Stephanie Draven, Paranormal Romance (PG 13)
Heather S.Ingemar, Dark Fantasy/Poetry (PG13)
Babette James, Fantasy Romance (PG 13)
Cynthia Justlin, Romantic Suspense (PG 13)
Kaige , Historical Romance (PG 13)
Julia Knight, Fantasy Romance (PG13)
Ansha Kotyk, Middle Grade Adventure (PG13)
Adelle Laudan, Contemporary Romance (PG 13)
Jeannie Lin, Historical Romance (PG 13)
RF Long, YA Paranormal (PG13)
Caitlynn Lowe, Epic Fantasy (PG13)
Shawntelle Madison, Paranormal Romance (PG 13)
Crista McHugh, Contemporary Erotic Romance (PG 13)
Bria Quinlan, Rom Com (PG)
Leigh Royals, Historical Romance (PG 13)
Megan S., Paranormal (PG13)
Dara Sorensen, Historical Paranormal (PG 13)
Bethanne Strasser, Historical Romance (PG13)

Melissa Blue, Contemporary Romance (R)
Jax Cassidy, Contemporary (R)
Christina DeLorenzo, Furturistic Sci-Fi (R)
Maya Doyle, Parnormal Romance (R)
Ginny Glass, Paranormal (R)
Amber Green, Romantic Suspense (R)
Cate Hart, Paranormal YA (R)
Kinsey W. Holley, Erotic Romance (R)
Ali Katz, Erotic Paranormal Romance (R)
Aislinn Kerry, Fantasy (R)
Inez Kelly, Fantasy Romance (R)
Cherrie Lynn, Contemporary Erotic Romance (R)
Mel/Alexia Reed, Urban Fantasy (R)
Rebecca Savage, Romantic Suspense (R)
Fae Sutherland, Contemporary Erotic Romance (R)

Stephanie Adkins, Paranormal Erotic Romance (NC 17)
Evie Byrne, Erotic Historical Romance (NC17)
Ella Drake, Erotic Contemporary (NC17)
Dawn Montgomery, Erotic Paranormal Romance (NC17)
Lauren Murphy, Erotic Romance (NC 17)
Kim Knox, Erotic Paranormal Romance (NC17)
Emily Ryan-Davis, Historical Western Romance (NC17)
Kirsten Saell, Erotic Fantasy Romance (NC 17)
Jeanne St. James, Contemporary Romance (NC 17)

What I'm Up To This Weekend

2009-08-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

I'm getting edits for Cybot Awakened. Wow, seems like I just subbed it! I will be concentrating my writing time on that futuristic series since I realized I will have too many interruptions to get the Intrigue done by November. If I could just crank out 2k a day! But there's promo to do, blogs, publisher loops, and of course, reading.

I loved Lindsay McKenna's Time Raiders: The Seeker. It was a scifi Nocturne and I couldn't put it down.

Shadow Rescue has a cover!

2009-07-31T17:39:00.000-07:00

This is my vampire romance, coming soon from Red Rose Publishing.

What I'm reading

2009-07-28T06:20:00.001-07:00

I pick up books wherever I can--library, yard sales, UBS, internet. Due to budgeting I'm not buying as many new books and when I do they are usually ebooks. I'm reading a lot of Intrigues because I'm writing an Intrigue, but I have some Star Wars books here and a few steampunk. I have some old Poul Anderson Scifi, also, but don't know if I can find cover images online for such old paperbacks!

My Writing Summer

2009-07-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a Harlequin Intrigue for the November Intrigue contest. I'm a long time reader(decades, I think) of Intrigues and have been playing with an idea for awhile, so this seemed like a great time to work on it. I've been wanting to write something longer than 30k-40k so this is a challenge since Intrigues are a minimum of 55k.

My Intrigue is set in North Central Montana. The hero was in a traumatic plane crash and has some memory loss. He also has new baby twins. The heroine is an artist, a little New Agey, vulnerable because--twins! He feels he is too old and jaded for the heroine, even though he can't remember tons of his life. And there's a sooper seekrit evil organization involved. All very fun to write.

I'm editing Galactic Game, too, the second book in the futuristic series I have coming out in Jan 2010 with Red Rose Publishing.

I'm also putting a fantasy romance novel, Fauntasy, on the TextNovel site. It is entered in the Dorchester contest, too. Here's the link--you can comment and vote for it, too, if you want!

A Free Read!

2009-07-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

I have a story entered in the Dorchester/TextNovel contest. This is a story I've always liked but never knew what to do with because it has not -quite-human characters. It is a high fantasy romance, rated R for the site, and is titled Fauntasy by Melisse Aires.

Link to home page: www.textnovel.com/home.php I think you have to search with the title. Grr.

Basically, I need to have 6k uploaded at 500 words at a time by the contest deadline. Since the story is around 30k, no problemo.

It sounded like fun and I like to have something free out there for the folks that are having to count the pennies right now.

A Long Weekend!

2009-07-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

On the Home Front:

We had a big storm last night that knocked out the electricity for hours so I went to be by nine! My daughters stayed up reading by candlelight.

We don't have elaborate plans for the weekend, just a nice BBQ and some kind of fruity red, white and blue cake. I would like to try and get a family portrait taken via our camera and tripod, always a fun time.

On the Reading Front:

I have a new book to read! I got it as an ebook so if the electricity goes out I can read it on my backlit PDA!

I also got :
Lisa Kleypas is a new author for me. I picked up her Wallflower series last week and just devoured it. Her hero's have a HUGE FLAW.

On the writing front:

I joined Holly Lisle's Write a Book with Me (http://hollylisle.com/writingdiary2/index.php/write-a-book-with-me/)
for motivation and because I have found of her writing books helpful. I'm on a quest to move from novella length to novel length, though neither of the project I'm working on right now are planned as novels. I'm planning ahead.

One thing I've noticed in much of my writing--unlike Lisa Kleypas-- it is my heroines who have a HUGE FLAW.

In Galactic Game, Gema is part Krzsch, a non-Terran lizard humanoid race, much despised by the lab created, genetically enhanced PureGen humans that inhabit the space system she is living in. Her lover is an exotic Puregen. Even worse, he is royalty on his homeworld.

In Del Fantasma:Demonade, Trudy is a psyvamp. She doesn't deliberately kill, not now that she is more mature and experienced in her feeding, but her past is full of death.

In my current release: Del Fantasma: Tiger Juice, Letha has psychic abilities and lived under the suspicion of being demon possessed in
the religious community where she was raised.

Works In Progress

2009-06-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

I am juggling a few projects right now, all are follow ups for books I have contracted. Two are in early edits, one is in rough draft.

Del Fantasma: Demonade

(to be subbed to AMP this summer)

Trudy is a survivor. She is part demon, a psyvamp, who uses her ever-young beauty to steal bits of sustaining life force from young men she meets at clubs and parties.

Gabriel is a former priest who was once part of a secretive society that studied "demons"--defined as any being not human or animal. While he is now a staid college professor of ancient history, he maintains his interest in all things paranormal. And Trudy, introduced to him by Cody at the Del Fantasma, is very interesting.

Vampire of Solace Creek

Book two in the Shadow Clans series, Autumn Rose Line
( subbing to RRP late summer)

Rancher Bleach Dalton became a vampire as part of a military enhancement program but he's been able to survive on his family ranch with the support of Clan O' Kiernan.

His neighbor and childhood sweetheart, Belinda, arrived back in Montana after years away, pregnant.

A Chinook blows in, thawing the roads to impassable mud, and Bleach smells blood on the wind. Belinda is having the baby, and the baby is a damphyre --a day-walker. Belinda is going to need his support--and answers.

Galactic Game

A book in the Sons of the Protectorate series
(to be subbed this fall to RRP)

The Survival Show is wildly popular throughout the Puregen system of planets. Two prisoners are thrown together on a wilderness continent and watched avidly as they try to survive and compete to gain points for their freedom.

Gema, is not a genetically enhanced Puregen, and she is lame in one leg.She knows her chances of survival are slim. Plus the audience will adore her exotic, stunning lilac eyed Puregen partner, Kellac. To make matters almost worse, Kellac is an honorable man, and her lonely heart could easily adore him, too. But Gema has a terrible secret.

Then the Game is interrupted an invasion.

A new excerpt of Del Fantasma: Tiger Juice--w/inspirational pics!

2009-06-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

The Del Fantasma stories are centered around a bar and restaurant on the Southern California beach, the Del Fantasma. Cody the owner, chief bartender and matchmaker, is a vampire. Most of his patrons are more than human. Cody's special drinks have magical power...

Del Fantasma: Tiger Juice

By Melisse Aires

Widow Letha flees a repressive religious community on the northern prairies, where she lived under the suspicion of having demon blood.

Her journey ends in Vista Loma, CA, at the Del Fantasma. Perhaps working for vampire Cody in a paranormal friendly bar will give her some answers about her psychic abilities.

Jagger comes from a tight knit clan of white tiger shifters, but he left the family entertainment business to run a contracting business. He hangs out at his friend Cody's bar.

When the Storm of the Century approaches Vista Loma, Cody works his magic.

Excerpt (rated R)

BACK GROUND: Letha sleeps in her truck because she has no money for an apartment. Cody finds out and has her stay in his office at the Del Fantasma.
(unedited excerpt)

A loud banging woke Letha from a deep sleep. She looked around, disoriented and saw the clock on the wall. Six am. It was dark for six am.

Another bang. She leaped off the couch and ran into the bar.
Thunder and lightening crashed and the door of the Del Fantasma burst open.

A man, nude, stood in the doorway as lightening blazed, outlining a tall lithe form and pale silvery hair. Then, in the man’s place stood a tiger, white with dark strips, enormous.

Letha screamed and whirled around, and tore off for the office.
There as a soft thud behind her, then a paw, white, with long claws, fell heavy on her shoulder, and she fell to the floor. The paw gently rolled her over as if she weighed nothing.

The white tiger with sky blue eyes stood over her, one paw still on her shoulder. Then the shape blurred, and a man crouched over her.

Jagger Kirillov.

“Don’t. Ever. Run. From. A. Tiger.” His voice was harsh.

She tried to catch her breath. “A-all right.” She couldn’t look away from his sky blue eyes. The heat of his naked flesh, held just inches from her thin knit, burned. In fact, as she took a deep breath, the tips of her breasts grazed his chest.

He gave a sound something between a growl and a purr that resonated all the way through her, even between her legs. Then his lips pressed against hers, hard and demanding.

She gasped in a mix of shock and delight, and his tongue plunged in, while at the same time he lowered his hard hot body on top of her own. She could feel the hard length of his erection pressing against her. Wildness flared inside her and she threw her arms around his neck giving back the kiss with passion she didn’t even know she had, sucking his tongue, while his arms pulled her tighter.

*Website*

*~*Buy Link *~*

Also available at *Fictionwise*!

I Missed Excerpt Monday!

2009-06-16T04:44:00.000-07:00

I just wasn't organized this month. Need to do Excerpt Monday on the Sunday before!

Here's and excerpt of my newly contracted novella, CYBOT AWAKENED.

Coming in Early 2010 from Red Rose Publishing,

the first book in the Sons of the Protectorate series:

CYBOT AWAKENED

by

Melisse Aires

BLURB:

Sabralia lives a lonely but luxurious life in Emperor Sirn’s Harem, her only companion is her obedient servant, Qy, a cybot. Her life has largely been controlled by others, but when Sirn demands his Harem pleasure his Commanding Officers at a victory celebration, Sabralia makes a daring plan to hide to avoid rape by Sirn's men.

The Palace is ambushed and her cybot gets her off world. The impossible has happened−Qy the gentle cybot becomes the man he once was, the warrior Kaistril. Pursued for valuable information, Sabralia is thrust into dangerous, unfamiliar situations where she must stand up to the challenges, or lose the man she loves.

EXCERPT

***

Kaistril dreamed. A woman was in his arms…his Mistress Sabralia, with her dark hair, dark blue eyes and white soft skin. His cock roared into hardness. He tightened his arms around the woman, pulling her closer…she was so sweet, smelling of flowers, her soft bottom cradled his straining member…
Something is wrong. His eyes snapped open in a starless night and he sat up so fast he swayed, dizzy. They were on a cushioned pallet in thick woods. A body was pressed tight against him and he knew it was his mistress, Sabralia. They were hiding from…unrest.
Something is wrong.
My name is Kaistril. No! I am Qy, in service to my mistress.
He couldn’t remember…but Kaistril seemed right.
He shook his head to try and clear his confusion.
The air reeked of smoke. The fire, soldiers, danger, weapons…
His head ached, as did his stomach. He was thirsty. He reached into Sabralia’s food basket and got a fruit drink, which helped a little, but his mind was still clouded.
They were in the woods…a fire at the palace…
Something is wrong. Breathe deeply, calm yourself, a voice he recognized as being from his past, told him. He closed his eyes and breathed in through his mouth and out through his nose, concentrating.
There was a sound. It was important. He listened.
Far away, so far away he could only feel the vibrations through the earth—death! He slid off the pillows onto the forest floor and placed his palms on the ground—
−The Strafe, attacking his Tier, the entire contingent in their observation units, dying. Burning, blinding white flashes, men falling dead in an instant, dead bodies everywhere… He knew it well. It had killed his men. The Strafe was coming!
“Wake. Wake.” He hauled the sleeping woman into his arms. “We need to get down to the beach, to one of the caves.”
A timer went off in his brain, the timer he was to obey, for his nightly maintenance. He groaned with confusion. No− The caves! He threw the queen over his shoulder with her blankets over her, and loped toward the beach, ignoring her protests and squirms. She was round and soft, not strong, not a warrior woman and he was able to subdue her struggles easily without harming her. In the far distance the Strafe slashed through the air, lighting the way with its killing white light, and the woman screamed in shock, her whole body going tight.
“Underground. The Strafe,” he grunted. She probably had no idea what the Strafe was. But he knew. He remembered. Fierce triumph filled him. He remembered and they would not kill this warrior, or his queen.
“What’s wrong?” she cried.
The soft voice of his mistress sent a shiver down his spine. His body was still hard, clamoring for her touch, despite the raging light. The danger, the excitement flooding his body, his memories, the woman in his arms. He paused for a moment, suddenly overwhelmed with confusion.
The Strafe moved closer, so its individual tines of killing light were visible.
“We need to get to one of the tidal caves. The Strafe will kill us.”
“The Strafe,” Comprehension colored her words. He sat her down, pulled the blanket from her face then grabbed her hand and they raced down the beach.
He found the section of beach with shallow caves. They’d explored them before, collecting shells… Once inside he shoved her against the back wall of the cave and covered her body with his own.
“The Strafe doesn’t go through soil. We might live if we …”
His words trailed off. She was staring at him, mouth agape, eyes huge and dark in the night.
“You are different.” His mistress sounded faint.
“Yes. There is no time. Close your eyes,” he said. “The light can damage your vision.” He pulled the blanket over them, holding it cupped to her eyes with one hand while he did the same to his own with his other hand.
Kaistril listened carefully but could hear nothing now except their breathing, heavy with fear. The Strafe was concentrating on populated areas, though it would eventually sweep outlying areas for strays.
Bright, deadly tines stroked the beach and suddenly clashed around them, lighting even their closed, blanket covered eyes. They sank to the ground as the light sizzled just feet from them, close enough they could feel its strange heat. It disappeared, though they could still hear it.
Qy ran out of their shelter. The Strafe had returned to the Palace area. “Come on. It has gone straight back to the city. This is our chance!”
He grabbed her by the hand and ran up the beach, dragging her along.
“Qy, where are we going?” she wailed.
He paused for a split second, then continued pulling her along.
“Staying alive is the plan,” was all he said. No need to tell her it’s a gamble. Soon the Harvesters will be here to kill those that remain alive…

Unedited excerpt

Plans: Summer and Futuristic!

2009-06-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

Summer is shaping up!

My oldest childe, Cat, got a two week debate camp--full scholarship! We are thrilled and thankful--the kid lives for debate.

My twins don't have many plans--summer band got canceled, so they have lots of free time. They are not old enough to get jobs. I'm still looking for things for them to do. The library here has a great teen program, so they have that to look forward to, and Book Club.

I am spiffing up my futuristic series since Red Rose Publishing contracted Cybot Awakened. I plan to have Galactic Game subbed by mid July. It was a 10k short, I've expanded and lengthened it, added two subplot characters and more external conflict that meshes with other stories in the series (hmm, now that is not so easy!) Two other stories are partially written, the last story is but a dream.

When I need a break from the distant future and intergalactic space war romance, I have a WIP for another Del Fantasma. That series is so fun!

We don't have a summer vacation planned, but we hope to get out around Wyoming and Northern Colorado on some weekend trips.

Wish my seester Teriboberi wasn't 12 hours away!

Summer

2009-06-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

It is chilly here in the High Desert. My flowers are doing okay, the extra rain has been nice, but--BRRR.

Yesterday was the last day of school for my kids. We don't have too many plans for the summer. Their usual summer activity is summer marching band, but that program got cut this year. My twins are really at loose ends since they are too young to get a summer job. My oldest got a full scholarship to a two week debate camp at UW! She also is job hunting.

As far as my summer, there is the garden. We'll take day trips to lakes and other outdoor recreation sites. Hopefully we'll get to Fort Collins for school clothes in August. Not a real exciting summer, I know, but we can't atke off work this year. Just one of those economic things.

My writing is planned for the summer: A second Shadow Clans vampire romance for Red Rose Publishing, titled Vampire of Solace Creek, set in rural Montana. Then edit and finish stories in my five part futuristic series, Sons of the Protectorate, also with Red Rose. And I have a WIP for another Del Fantasma for Aspen Mountain Press.

I'm not starting anything really new, though occasionally I will take breaks from all my WIPs and fiddle with a new idea.

I am looking forward to trips to the lake. I love my old Alphasmart!

A new Contract

2009-05-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

Coming in Early 2010

CYBOT, AWAKENED

Book One in the Sons of the Protectorate Series

by

Melisse Aires

BLURB:

Thank You, Readers

2009-05-23T15:17:00.000-07:00

I just noticed that I had twelve sales at Fictionwise for Del Fantasma: Tiger Juice. Now, twelve sales is small potatoes in the publishing world, I know that, but I am still very happy.

"Why?" You wonder.

Have you seen HOW MANY epubs there are out there? Maybe 200-250! Have you seen how many books they put out every MONTH?? Click on the publisher link on Fictionwise sometime. It is shocking. So I am grateful for any sale at all.

I know how I am when I go to Fictionwise to purchase. Usually I have a Must-Get-Book! from a favorite author plus a little extra for something that catches my eye. I might buy a release from an author I know on the romance boards, or from an epub I'm curious about. Or I might buy something totally random because that day I was kind of interested in a western romance or a Halloween theme. Or the cover was pretty.

COMPETITION. For any epub romance author, the issue is to stand out enough to get a contract and then make some sales. We are all teeny tiny fishies in the big wide ocean of epublishing.

So, a big squeezy cyber hug to anyone to forked out their hard earned dollars for Tiger Juice.

Latest reads

2009-05-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

I've read lots of Harlequin Intrigues, which is one of my favorite series lines. This is the first Silhouette Romantic Suspense series I've read. I loved this book and now am on the prowl for more SRS by Marilyn Pappano.

This was also a really good read, which solidified the series for me--now I'll be looking for these books.

I indulged in an autobuy author! I am a big fan of this series and found myself sucked right back into that world as I read it, remembering how much I despised Lash and worried about Tohr. Will be eagerly anticipating the next!