In less than 3 weeks, on May 8th, Breathe Me to Life in the Once Upon a Twisted Time box set, will be live and in the hands of the public at large. Right now some bloggers have it, and there is a nervous anxiety in knowing that your brand new baby is in the hands of readers who’s job it is to read your story objectively and judge it.
Don’t get me wrong….I know my story is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. That knowing, however, doesn’t negate the desire of wanting everyone to like my book baby…or at least to be kind and constructive with their criticism of it. I get that once you expose your art, in whatever form you chose to display your creativity, to the public, you are opening yourself up to their public opinion.
There is this observation that has been made by more than a few authors. Some people are reluctant to leave reviews for things they enjoy, but things they don’t like…they are more than willing to pull up their mighty desk chair steed and fire off their keyboards to leave a scathing review, which at times can turn into a personal attack on the author. I have not had this experience. I hope I never do, but there is always the possibility that it will happen. I don’t think there is an effective way of preparing yourself for the eventuality of that punch in the gut. I don’t think this happens only in reviews. I think it happens in our everyday lives as well. Words have the power to build up and tear down…it’s on all of us to be conscious of how we use them.
With the good, there is the bad…and you have to accept that you can’t have one without the other, for without the darkness how do you appreciate the light?
All that being said…here is a sneak peek at Breathe Me to Life…
The combined scent of amber and sandalwood floating on the current of air that came through when the door opened niggled at her memory of Kellan. It had been seven years since she last laid eyes on him in the flesh. Seven long years. He had left his imprint on her life, and every man she tried to date didn’t come close in comparison with him. I’m doomed to spend my life waiting for a man who has probably forgotten I even exist. She closed her eyes and inhaled, hoping to carry the smell of him with her when she fell into sleep’s dark embrace later.
Two years, after the veil between the Fae and human realms fell, she started seeing Kellan in her dreams. Only there did she know the feel of his hands against her skin, the never satisfying hunger for his kiss, the taste of his sweat, and the musky scent of their bodies as they rose to the pinnacle of ecstasy and shattered together. In her dreams, she knew the feel of his arms holding her tightly against his sweat-drenched body. She’d reluctantly fall into an exhausted sleep, only to awaken to an empty room and bed, with only the phantom touch of him upon her skin.
Those nightly visits came to an abrupt stop three weeks ago. Her heart ached at the pang of loss even as her brain railed at his disappearance without out a word of goodbye. In the light of day, she knew they were just dreams. What she shared with Kellan in the recesses of her sleeping mind was not real, but it felt like it was, or had been.
The sound of a throat clearing brought Ailsa out of her out of her reverie. Looking up, her breath caught in her throat. Standing there was Kellan dressed in black leather pants that hugged his hips and muscular legs like a second skin. A white tunic tucked into his waistband with a V at the neckline offered a teasing glimpse of the chest it covered. The man who had been her dream lover and ruined any attraction to other men was now standing in front of her. Mouth open, she stood, her feet rooted to the floor, staring at him in shocked surprise, as a smirk tipped up one corner of his full lips.
“Are you not happy to see me, mo milis?” His voice was more seductive than it had been in her dreams.~©Jolanthe Aleksander, Breathe Me to Life 2018~
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079MQKQF5
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B079MQKQF5
Amazon CAN: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B079MQKQF5
Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B079MQKQF5
Nook: http://bit.ly/2zythZw
iBooks: http://hyperurl.co/OUATT
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2yqXKLs
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2gkvAXU
Until next week….Happy Reading!
~Jolanthe~
Eclectic Bard Books 