Have you discovered the Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook yet? Iāve recently become active there again in hopes that itāll motivate me to stay active working on this WiP!
From their description: āRainbow Snippets is a group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fictionāa WIP or a finished work or even a 6-sentence book recommendation (no spoilers please!).ā Pretty cool, eh? Donāt forget to āLikeā my Facebook page and/or my Facebook profile while youāre over there checking out this fantastic group!
Since itās coming out on July 17 at JMS Books, Iām once again snipping from Change of Plans, a novella (~32k words). Change of Plans completes a series/trilogy, following The Contingency Plan and The Best-Laid Plans. The thread Iāve been snipping from in recent months (chapter 1) is finished, but youāll find it behind the spoiler tag in case youāre interested.
For context, this weekās snippet comes from chapter 4. After a relaxing soak and a discussion with his personal servant, Erich, some of Marceloās concerns have been dampened. Efren has escorted Marcelo to the dining hall where heās about to meet Efrenās family.
Click to expand the spoiler tagā¦
The Chapter 1 Thread:
š½Ā š¼Ā Change of Plans - Efren's POV - Chapter 1
This Weekās Snippet:
One young woman with a belly that looked to be barely rounding with childāprobably three or four years younger than Efren, which was one or two years older than Marceloābroke away from the others and rushed forward.
āOh, dear Marcelo!ā Her downturned face was the picture of discontent as she pulled him into her arms and embraced him in a full-body, floral-scented, heartfelt hug. āIām utterly wretched over whatās happened to you. How terribly frightened you must have been waking up next to Efren.ā
āIām hardly an ogre.ā Efrenās tone had a slight ring of petulant child to it.
Blurb ~ Limerick ~ Haiku
I have a blurb now (still subject to further tweaking) š:
Once upon a time, two handsome young princes fell in love, faced down adversity, and lived happily-ever-afterā¦until one romantic evening, they unwittingly ate a confection laced with a mind-wiping toxin.
Crown Prince Efren of Zioneven blindsided Prince Marcelo of Sheburat when he used The Contingency Plan embedded in a peace treaty to marry the naĆÆve young prince. Now, Marcelo is shocked again when he awakens in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar land, in the arms of a stranger whoās taking such liberties!
Will that ignominious new beginning to their relationship doom their chances at rekindling their love? Or will Efrenās giddiness and the less formal surroundings of Zioneven propel them toward a more teasingly fun rapport?
Marcelo and Efren have forgotten more than their love. On their journey home to Zioneven, their Best-Laid Plans went awry when Marcelo was abducted. Now, neither remembers the unexpected strength of character and ingenuity Marcelo manifested to survive his harrowing ordeal, or Efrenās frantic search for his new husband.
Were Marcelo and Efren specifically targeted for the Forget-Me-Not poisoning, or were they the victims of a random assault? Is this new attack related to Marceloās abduction and his sisterās death? Will Marcelo revert to his old mild-mannered, unassuming self, or will he step up to prove heās the same brave man his new family claims he is amid the fresh danger swirling around them?
ā¦and a limerick š:
There once was a handsome young prince,
whose naĆÆvetĆ© made himself wince.
He was a huge fan
of āThe Contingency Plan,ā
till a drug turned his memory to mince.
ā¦and a haiku š:
They fell in love once.
But can they do it again?
Forget-Me-Not, dear.
About the seriesā¦
Although I always try to write sequels so random readers wonāt be completely lost, this series will be best appreciated if all the stories are read in order. Look for Change of Plans on July 17 (coming to JMS Books). In the meantimeā¦
In case you missed the beginning of Marcelo and Efrenās relationship, here are some handy links:
(Note: The Contingency Plan is also included in JMS Booksā 2018 Top Ten Gay Romance: KU | Publisher | Books2Read | More Info)
A sheltered prince.
A sudden death.
An unexpected choice.
How will Prince Marcelo react
to discovering heāsā¦
The Contingency Plan?
Originally intended as a stand-alone meet-cute novelette, The Contingency Plan introduces naĆÆve young Prince Marcelo of Sheburat and the slightly older but far worldlier Crown Prince Efren of Zioneven. This story is about Prince Marcelo coming to terms with a completely unexpected turn in his life when Prince Efren chooses to marry him rather than one of his younger sisters to complete the terms of an old treaty between their realmsā¦
A death that wasnāt
what it seemed.
A kidnapping that isnāt
what it seems.
Time is running out.
ā¦But the happily-ever-after hopes and dreams the newlywed princes rode off into in book one hit a big snag in The Best-Laid Plans. Oh, theyāre still well on the road to falling in love with one another, but they encounter danger on their journey to Zioneven, and Marcelo uncovers a brave and determined nature buried within himself as he fights to survive his harrowing ordealā¦
Once upon a time, two
handsome young princes
fell in love,
faced down adversity,
and lived happily-ever-afterā¦
ā¦until one romantic evening,
they unwittingly ate a
confection laced with
a mind-wiping toxin.
ā¦What happens when confidence Marcelo has built and the love he and Efren have nurtured are forgotten? Will Marcelo revert to his old mild-mannered, unassuming self, or will he step up to prove heās the same brave man his new family claims he is amid the fresh danger swirling around them?
#RainbowSnippets