Hey, babes!
I’ve been absent for a couple weeks (and now I’m a day late)! Finishing the road trip, settling back into a routine, writing, work—all the things that come with life—have been sucking up my energy lately. Here are some highlights!
Took a day to get out of town with my kiddo and visited Vashon Island, stayed in a hotel and swam in the pool, and got a little burnt on the random 80-degree day in April. Had a lovely time at the Westport Winery and Mermaid Museum, and got a spooky fortune from the fortune-teller mermaid machine.
The mountain was out, as they say, and as per usual I was blown away by how much I love this part of the country, though my heart struggles mightily with being stationary. Sitting in one place doesn’t suit me, but I’m damned lucky to be where I am.
We got confirmation that the puppy I was secretly (okay, not at all secretly) attached to is ours officially in a couple of weeks. She’s six weeks old, so another two left before she’s old enough to come home with us (the whole four houses down the block and around the corner).
And best of all, Breaking News, my cowrite with TK Eldridge, went live on April 29 across all platforms! I’ll be posting chapter one of BN as a bonus for my paid subscribers. More on this later.
What’s new in book world…
You may have noticed that Deep Sea has been pushed back thirty days. I’m neck-deep in writing Unsound at the moment, and in order to make this book everything I know it can be, I need to put all my focus on just the one manuscript. I was looking forward to writing about my mermaids, but it’s not in alignment with my plans for the rest of this year. I may cancel that pre-order to make sure my priorities stay straight.
My focus for this year and next is finishing the Godhead Trilogy (starting with Thoth as soon as Unsound is finished) and bringing you some paranormal bikers. Deep Sea is a cool book, but it’s a side-project, and one that I’ll make time for as time allows. Unsound will be delivered on time.
Breaking News is LIVE and TK and I are both so pleased with this first book in the series. You can buy your copy directly on her website (e-book and paperback) or wide on all other platforms.
Aliens on Earth, a charity anthology benefiting St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, is going live in a few days (May 9th)! If sci-fi romance is your thing, you wanna snatch up this antho before it disappears. The pre-order price is 99c, so you can’t beat it for value when you’re getting stories from dozens of incredible PNR authors. K.O. Newman and I (and K.O. Newman with Miri Stone!) have a co-write in AOE, and I highly recommend you run and grab yours.
Word Prompt Shorts…
A few weeks ago I made a list of 30 one-word prompts for UF and PNR fiction writing, and started posting my responses on Instagram. I’m going to share these here with y’all! Working on posting one each week and seeing where this goes. This is unedited and unplanned, so it’s very much a by-the-seat-of-my-pants experience.
“Music”
I felt his response through our bond immediately as a pair of hands pulled me back against a warm, sweating body in the middle of the crowd. No one I knew, which suited me just fine. All the better, really.
All the better to infuriate my mate. He should not have followed me. Each time we met during my heat, once in spring and once in fall each year for the past twelve years, I warned him. I did not want him.
I would not forgive him.
Tied to him against my will for more than a decade, I couldn’t break our mating bond, but I could make it clear that the time between my fertile cycles was mine, and he was unwelcome. Actions had consequences, after all.
We’d met for out twice-annual liaison two nights ago, and we’d had the same tired conversation.
After spending himself in me, when his knot had deflated and I’d been freed, he’d tried to speak while I was dressing.
“Doll—” he’d begun.
I growled. “Stop. You’ve already fucked up with just the one word. Dahlia. My name is Dahlia.”
“No one calls you that.”
“Everyone calls me that.”
“I’m not everyone.”
“You’re no one.”
That had stopped him a moment. But only for a moment.
“How long are we going to do this?”
“Until one of us no longer draws breath.” I smiled as I pulled my shirt over my head and shrugged.
My mate shook his head, opening his mouth to argue.
“Thanks for the ‘O’. See you in six months.”
He had reached for me, and I’d stepped away from his hands.
Ignoring the pang in my chest.
So here I was, in a club on the full moon, letting some strange shifter grind on me and move my hips to the rhythm of the music throbbing in my soul while my mate watched.
Just to prove I didn’t need him.
Promos and Book Fairs
Here are some of the cool fairs, promotions, and giveaways I’m part of this month. Click the images to visit the sites and find something good for your TBR!
I hope that this spring and the eclipse season has been kind to you all and that you’ve found time for sunshine and fresh air amidst all the regular chaos that everyday life brings.
Be well, and thank you as always for coming on this ride with me!
XOXO,
Mariah
How exciting you get to bring your puppy home soon! What a cutie 🥰
Your floof is adorable! I’ve never had my fortune told or my cards read or anything like that but I’ve always wanted to!