Hey Everyone!! :-)
The Gems Of Strength Anthology is now available!!! :-) You may remember, a while back I shared an excerpt from a short story, Childish Things, which is part of the Petri Dish Chronicles. Childish Things is one of the stories that's in Gems Of Sisterhood, so those of you who have read Rainbow Dreams now have the opportunity to learn a little bit more about Chessie's past. Just in case you missed the excerpt, I'll post it again below.
Excerpt from Childish Things:
"Alright, hun. Whatcha wanna talk about?"
"I want you to tell me why you avoid me. Why do you only come around for business?" He reached out to take one of her hands, which were lying on the table. "I want to be your friend, Chessie. Why won't you be my friend?"
Squeezing his hand, Chessie answered. "We are friends, Nicky. You know that."
Shaking his head, Nax said, "No, you only come around when I have a job for you or to deliver something for me. Or, like now, when you need a favor. Why don't you ever come by just to chill?" He slid his hand up her arm to caress her shoulder. "You know I like you. You think I'm ugly?"
Chessie smiled and shook her head. "Nah, hun. You're cute enough. When you shower."
He blushed.
Taking a breath, Chessie closed her eyes and massaged her temples. "I just…"
"You come by when you've had a TGRP," he husked as he gazed at her with heavily lidded eyes.
It was Chessie's turn to blush. "It's different then."
"You know I like you either way. It's not what's under your clothes that I like, it's you."
Sighing, Chessie raised his hand to her lips and laid a kiss on his knuckles. "I know, hun. It's just…hard for me."
Nax caught her eyes and held them, his gaze intense. "Chess, you gotta make peace with this. Not for me, but for you. It's not healthy to be so down on yourself." He gestured around at his home. "Just let go and enjoy. There's no right or wrong when it comes to a good time, so just relax."
"I know, love. But it's easier said than done."
He snorted. "You're giving me the 'it's not you, it's me' speech, aren't you?"
"Nax…"
He waved her objection away. "I know; I believe you." Running a hand through his still wet hair, he grimaced. "It's just my fucking luck to like someone with as many issues as me," he sighed.
Gems Of Strength is the first in the Gems Of Sisterhood, a series of anthologies. And there are lots of other stories by lots of other talented authors in it as well! :-) If you'd like a copy, you can find it here:
Thank you all for checking out the first anthology I've been privileged enough to be a part of, and I hope you'll come back tomorrow to see what else is new! :-)
Mistral Dawn, your writing is almost as amazing as you are! Keep up the awesome work.
ReplyDeleteAwww! Thank you! <3 :-)
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