L is for LOSER.

Kate hath shamed me. To wit:

"you know there's a name for people like you, people who get other people addicted to their blog and then stop posting for days and days and days at a time.

The word might be "busy" or it might be some other b word.

and now I have barbra streisand singing in my brain "peeeeeeeeepllll who neeeed peeeeeeplllll" and I'll blame you for that, too."
~the inimitable Kate Rothwell

Yeah, you could call me busy. Or a bitch. I answer to both.*

I'm in the middle of a WIP that's taking over my life, invading my dreams, and otherwise kicking my ass. It's a dark, futuristic/post-Apocalyptic M/M erotic fantasy with BDSM elements (heh...d'you want fries with that?)

Working title: NIGHTSHADE. Due out from Amber Allure sometime in May.

Blurb:
A civilization thrown into hell by war and pestilence cries out for salvation. A band of Champions emerges from the shadows of chaos -- reincarnations of the old daemons and deities from times forgotten.

A young soldier maimed in an accident and no longer fit for the battlefield answers the call to serve. Daniel Willoughby is ready -- if not eager -- to fulfill his duties as Squire to Nikolai Thanatos, the Champion codenamed “Nightshade.”

Daniel is prepared to sacrifice his body, his heart and his soul. He’s about to discover Nightshade wants all that...and more.

Teaser:
Side by side they walked the path to the huge brick house. Each time Daniel tried to drop back in deference to Thanatos, the Champion slowed his pace. Finally, he stopped and confronted Daniel. "Why do you dally?"

Daniel's face flushed with heat. "My training. Protocol says--"

Thanatos loomed over him, leaning in close till his breath rushed over Daniel's neck. He bent and touched his lips to the stretch of skin just under Daniel's ear. Then he bit, pinching a tiny bit of flesh between the sharp edges of his teeth.

A thrill of pain, hot and sweet, shot through Daniel and he swayed like a stripling in a stiff wind.

Thanatos released him and whispered, "You asked me to test you. I warn you not to test me in return."

"Yes." Daniel's voice quavered and broke. "I'm sorry. Anything you want."

"Call me Nikolai."

"Nikolai."

"Louder."

"Nikolai!"

When the Champion spoke again, Daniel heard a note of satisfaction hidden somewhere in the gravel-rough rumble. "I am partial to a man who knows when to fight and when to give in. I think we will make a tight fit, you and I."

He ran his hand down Daniel's spine, from the nape of his neck to the swell of his ass. Daniel could feel the press and drag of each finger through the thin fabric of his duty-rig. "Do not keep me waiting, Daniel Willoughby."

He turned away. Daniel stood on the path, fighting to regain his composure.

Overhead, the Nightingale trilled.

***

So, anyway. That's why I've been a big, loser-y absentee landlord of a blog owner. I will endeavor to do better, if only to save Kate from a further plague of easy-listening earworms.

*Plus a handful of others, including "Ma, Mama, Mommmyyyyy, honey, and Her Royal Highness, Queen of the Manatee." **

**There's a story behind this one. No, I'm not going to tell it here. Meet me at RT in Pittsburgh and buy me a drink. We'll talk.

SelahMarch.com - Romance of Dubious Virtue