Aelfwear and the Scuffed Shoes
July 31, 2016
So now it's been out there for a while, here's my story about writing Aelfwear:
I had a vague idea for a story for the Enchanted Soles collection as soon as I saw the call for stories. Bisexuals and magic shoes? Some of my favorite things! The triangle with Frida--our elf who makes the magic shoes; Angie--the beautiful businesswoman who needs her help; and Morgan--Frida's ex and Angie's current fiance, was set in my mind, ready to explode.
But how could Angie piss off Morgan, her asshole would-be husband? What could Frida do to help her?
There's a bar down the street from my house where I like to work sometimes. (This is not a subject change, I swear, I'm going somewhere with this.) It's usually empty mid-day, or almost empty, with just a few people there for lunch or who just got off an early or late-late shift. The music is good and the bartenders know my drink, so it's cool, and I can work in peace and use their wifi.
So one day I was working on an early draft of Aelfwear--or more accurately, I was staring off into space wondering what the fuck I was going to do with Aelfwear. The bartender, the one I know best, was standing nearby and asked me if I needed anything. So I asked her:
"What is something that would drive you absolutely batshit about a date? Like, if they did this one thing, you'd never go out with them again?"
And she thought for a second, then said, "I hate when peoples' shoes are untidy. Like scuffed up, like they don't take care of their things. I don't know why but it's a huge turn off."
BOOM.
So thanks, Kaleigh, my fave bartender in the world, for the help. And for giving me permission to use it in my story.
Oh, also, I finished writing Aelfwear sitting at a very small desk in my niece and nephew's playroom in Chennai, with the air conditioner cranked to eleven. Occasionally one of them would come in and "help" me. So thanks, Adu and Abhi, for the help.
Check Aelfwear and Enchanted Soles out here, or head straight to the shopping cart!
Enchanted Soles is Here!
July 8, 2016
Hello, hello! I return with happy news, my friends. Yesterday saw the release of a super-fun anthology of stories from editor Sasha L. Miller of Less Than Three Press: Enchanted Soles!
The theme of this collection is, as you might suspect, magical shoes. But it's more than that! It's also about my favorite thing in the whole world: bisexual characters! I've ranted and raved for years about how near and dear bisexual characters are to me and how important good bi representation across all genres and media is. So I'll spare you.
Instead, I'll just point out that this book has such a wonderful variety of characters and pairings--there's got to be something for everyone, and there's something new for everyone, too. My story, Aelfwear, is a lighthearted, modern take on The Elves and the Shoemaker. Check it out:
Sometimes all it takes is the right pair of shoes...
In Three Nights (A.D. Truax), Synder buys a pair of sandals that have a mind and plan of their own, and drag him to a celebration to which he was not invited—and into the arms of a handsome prince.
Saidah of Dame Fortune (C. Finley) asks her beautiful new wishing boots to take her to her true love, but the simple question has a complicated answer that will take more than magic boots to find.
Heart, Lace, and Soul (Archer Kay Leah) brings together Elly, who seldom removes the psychic boots that let her read and feel the minds of other people in order to help them, and a man her boots cannot read.
In Aelfwear (Katey Hawthorne), Frida is hired to make hideous shoes for a beautiful woman who claims she's out to cause misery for a man who once betrayed Frida's family—but Frida fears she'll wind up being played for a fool a second time.
And Into the Hollowed Veil (A.M. Valenza) is the story of a man who puts on a pair of beautiful red shoes and finds himself in a strange forest helping a beautiful woman rescue the man she loves...
Find it at...
LT3 Book Market * Amazon * AllRomance ebooks * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords * BookStrand * Kobo * iBooks
And if you're into bi characters (which, come on, of course!), check out editor Sasha L. Miller's current giveaway for a Bisexual Book Bundle of Badassness ♥
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