Release Dates & Exercise

First: there has been a change in release dates for Blood Wyne. It will be out in February 2011 instead of January 2011. We have good reason for doing so, please don’t complain about it—there will only be a few months between the release of Harvest Hunting (late October 2010) and Blood Wyne.

And until then, you’ll have Night Myst (late June 2010) to introduce you to a brand new world of mine.

I haven’t been talking about my writing much on the blog lately. I find that the more I am working, the less I want to talk about it. The more I write, the less energy I have to discuss it. The deeper I get into a project, the less I am willing to share until it comes out. I’ve been giving snippets—a line or two—on Twitter for awhile but now am even reconsidering that. I simply am too tied to the work to discuss much. And I’m cranky lately about so many things—internet piracy, fanfiction, how much a very few people want to peek inside my life, the weird complaints some people make that I can do nothing about and have no control over. I think this has increased since I joined Twitter. It’s a great communications device but too much familiarity can breed irritation. So I may back off a bit from it…go back to blogging more perhaps. Maybe I'm just turning into a curmudgeon. I dunno. We’ll see.

So the workouts are beginning to evolve after three months. I'm actually starting to look forward to them. This is a big step for me because when I was young, exercise was used as a way to make my stepfather feel superior to his chubby stepdaughter. Way to go, dude. Make the kid feel bad because she can't do as advanced of yoga positions as you can. That and one particularly horrid gym teacher left me hating exercise even though I admired athletes.

The only exercises I've ever really enjoyed were dancing and sex, and that's because both involve music and similar moves that feel sensuous and passionate.

But I have to admit--when the endorphins finally take over the chronic pain and kick in, I start looking forward to the weights and so forth. And for the first time in years, the endorphins are kicking in. This is the first time in years I've done consistent exercise more than stretching due to chronic pain...and I'm finally breaking through the pain barrier (I cannot take anything like aspirin, ibuprophen, most herbs are out...so pain control is whatever I can do on a mental level).

So yes, working out with my friend Jo is helping. Even when I don't think I feel like it, the fact that she's coming over makes me drag my ass out of the chair and put on the music. And four times out of five, I find that ten minutes in I'm really getting into it.

Okay, I’m about blogged out for now. Later, peeps, and have a great rest of the weekend.

Yasmine

This, That & The Other Thing

People often ask me why I like Camille better than her sisters. I can’t answer that. I can walk around the subject but can’t give you a solid reason that will convince you to switch ‘sides’ if you don’t already like her the most. It’s like chocolate. Some people like it a little. Some love it so much they can’t handle life without it. Some hate it. Some like it in moderation. I happen to love chocolate. Why? Because I do. Because I like the taste, the buzz I get from it, because it makes me smile. Why do I like Camille? I love her taste in clothes, her taste in men, her in-your-face “this is me, like it or lump it” personality. She doesn’t whine, she’s not wishy-washy, she isn’t afraid to go after what she wants. I prefer her body type and coloring.

And, I happen to share many of her traits. On the other hand, I detest saffron—offer me something with saffron in it and you won’t get me to take a bite. Can’t stand it. Why? I detest its taste. There is no logic involved, it’s all personal.

I signed books at Seattle Mystery Bookshop today so they have signed copies for awhile. They do mail order, so you can order from them and if they have signed copies at the time, they can send you one. Nice independent bookstore, really decent folks who have done a lot to promote my books.

I’m so glad people are loving Bone Magic—so far it’s proving a huge hit among the vast majority of my readers. Harvest Hunting comes out in late October; Night Myst—the first of the Indigo Court series—in late June.

Okay, that’s about it for today, just brief notes. Talk later.

Yasmine

Makeup, Clothes, Books, & Other Misc. Stuff

Misc. blog today: in other words, hopping from one thing to another.

First: Yes, Bone Magic hit the New York Times (so did Inked) but the extended list, not the short list. Was I disappointed? Yes. But there were so many shipments held up due to weather, and a lot of books sold early, that I'm not terribly surprised. Not much I can do and the sales on the series are great, so I just did what you have to do: suck it up and move on.

The Djinn answers will be up, I was just so much toast after December that I needed to chill out first. All backlist book prizes have now been mailed off. All gift certificates have been sent. All contests closed and over.

Had a fun birthday—we had a costume party with a fantasy/SF/Dr. Horrible theme, and you can see pictures on MySpace but here’s the makeup I did as Raven Mother. Took five makeup wipes to get my makeup off that night!




I’m about to get back to work on Blood Wyne as soon as I wrap up taxes this week and get them sent to the accountant. I’m looking forward to being in Menolly’s world again. Even though Camille’s my favorite, I admire Menolly—truly. I’d like to be able to emulate her and be as blunt as she is, but in my world, diplomacy is necessary. I absolutely love her ruthless side and I can see that part of myself, held back by social conventions and occupational necessity. I’ve got an inner Lara Croft, an inner Sarah Conner (in Terminator 2, not the first one) aching to get out. Xena? Love her—Gabrielle not so much. Gabrielle was far too gentle for my tastes.

So I’ve changed my Facebook page. I turned my profile page private and started a fan page where I interact with readers. I’ve had a few people complain about it so let me say here: Get. Over. It. I still interact—-more than I did before—-only on the fan page. But I need a private place on the net to talk to my real life friends and family, without feeling like everybody and their brother is looking in. (Yes, there are many things I do not make public, and my life is not totally the open book some people assume it is). If you don’t want to follow me on Facebook b/c of the fan page, fine—I’m not going to be offended, but don’t bitch about it to me. You can follow me on MySpace or Twitter. You can visit my website, read my blogs…there are many venues available.

Bought a gorgeous dress for my birthday. This, in black. Also ordered two tops in black (first and second) and a skirt that matches the design of the skirt of the dress I bought. Want this to wear over lace camisole. Once she gets some great hunter greens, burgundies, and plums, I'm ordering more. :)

And have discovered and fallen for Urban Decay makeup. I now have enough for a small army. You think I’m kidding about my makeup, don’t you? Okay, you asked for it. Here’s a picture of my makeup case. Does not include brushes. Does not include moisturizers, makeup wipes, cleansers or fragrance!







Lips are M.A.C. all the way, except for a couple from Illamasqua. Eyes—M.A.C. and Urban Decay, with mascara/liquid liner/primer being Estee Lauder. Pencil liners—both lip and eye—are from UD and M.A.C. Foundation/powder/blush: M.A.C. Concealer: UD. Colors: mostly purples, pinks, burgundies, a few smoky eye blues/blacks/greens. Very few browns—I don’t look good in brown eye shadow.

To forestall the question: I love the makeup case and got it off of QVC. Thanks to my friend Jo for turning me onto it. Good quality and holds far more than I thought it would.

And I guess, for today that is it. Later peeps…as things get back to normal. The past two months have been anything BUT normal for me.

Yasmine

Catching Up & Playlist for Blood Wyne

Okay, so back to regular blogging. I’m now re-posting on other formats again (MySpace most notably) because we’re no longer going to try to put up a Wordpress blog on my site, and MS hates Blogger links. For those who don’t know, my site was hacked, my forums pretty much trashed and destroyed, and I don’t have the heart to do them again. We think the fucking hackers got in via the wordpress blog we’d been working on. So duh, that ends that.

We had a birthday party for me on Saturday night—Sunday was my actual birthday. Had a blast. Pictures here: TwitPic

BTW: if you friend me on Facebook, PLEASE use the FanPage. That’s where I interact with readers. I’ve decided to be selfish and keep a little part of the net for just me, close friends and family—and my personal profile page has become that.

So here we are. Bone Magic didn’t make the short list—did hit the extended, along with Inked so I have two books on the NYT long list at the same time, but I admit to a bit of disappointment. Combo of factors, some we couldn’t help, a couple could be stopped but it’s hard to know just how much everything played into it. Some shipments were delayed by weather—which is why you might have had trouble finding it in some areas.

Here’s the playlist for Blood Wyne—which is huge right now and I have a feeling will stay huge. I’m now back to Menolly’s book and happy to be there. Night Myst copyedits will be coming to me this week. So I’m back into the saddle and working my butt off.

Yasmine

AC/DC: Back in Black
Air: Playground Love
Bravery: Believe
Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare
Alice in Chains: Man in the Box
Audioslave: Set it Off
Beastie Boys: Rhymin and Stealin

Beck:
Nausea
Que Onda Guero
Mixed Bizness
Soul of a Man
Where It's At

Blue Oyster Cult: Godzilla
Bob Seger: Turn the Page

Bowie:
I'm Afraid of Americans
Let's Dance

Cat Power: I Don't Blame You
Cher: The Beat Goes On
Chester Bennington: System
Chris Isaak: Wicked Game
Corvus Corax: Ballade de Mercy

Depeche Mode:
Personal Jesus
Blasphemous Rumours
If You Want
Stripped
Dream On

Don Henley: In the Garden of Allah
Everlast: I Can't Move
Faith No More: Epic

Gary Numan:
Are Friends Electic
Prophecy
Tread Careful
Down in the Park
Soul Protection
My Breathing
Hybrid
Cars (Hybrid Remix)
The Sleeproom
Survivor
Call Out The Dogs
I Can't Stop
Strange Charm

Godsmack: Voodoo
Gorillaz: Hongkongaton

Harvey Danger: Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Hives, The: Tick Tick Boom
Jay Gordon: Slept So Long
Kraftwerk: Pocket Calculator
Lady Gaga: Paparazzi

Ladytron:
Ghosts
Burning Up
Black Cat
Predict the Day
I'm Not Scared
High Rise
Destroy Everything You Touch

Little Big Town: Bones

Lenny Kravitz:
American Woman
Fly Away

Low: Half Light
Madonna: Vogue
Metallica: Enter Sandman

NIN:
Closer
Sin
Get Down, Make Love

Nirvana:
All Apologies
Come As You Are
Nirvana
You Know You're Right

No Doubt:
Hella Good
Hey Baby

Oingo Boingo:
Deadman's Party
Elevator Man

Orgy:
Blue Monday
Social Enemies

PCD:
I Don't Need a Man
Buttons

PJHarvey: Good Fortune

Rob Zombie:
Living Dead Girl
Never Gonna Stop

Saliva: Ladies and Gentlemen
Seether: Remedy

Shriekback:
Over the Wire
New Man

Talking Heads:
Life During Wartime
I Zimbra

Tears for Fears: Mad World
Toadies: Possum Kingdom
Tool: Schism

Tori Amos:
Talula
Blood Roses
In the Springtime of His Voodoo

Thompson Twins:
The Gap
Sister of Mercy

U2: Vertigo
Zero 7: In the Waiting Line

Interview With Camille's Men: Smoky, Trillian, and Morio

Today, on Life on the Fringe, please welcome Justine Greene—Yasmine’s assistant. She’s interviewing Camille’s men today: Morio, Trillian, and Smoky.

Three men stride into the studio. The first is 6’4”, with ankle length silver hair that has a life of its own. Almost albino, Smoky is a white and silver dragon, and wears an ankle-length white trench, white jeans, and a pale blue button down shirt.

The second man to enter stands 5’10” tall, has skin the color of jet and silver hair with cerulean highlights. Trillian, a Svartan—one of the Charming Fae, wears a long PVC black duster, black leather jeans, and a gray turtleneck.

And the third man to enter is of Japanese descent, he’s 5’8”, with a long sleek black pony tail and a goatee and thin mustache. Morio is a youkai-kitsune and is wearing black jeans, a green mesh tank, and a black leather jacket. They take a seat on the sofa across from Justine and wait for her to speak.

Justine: Today we have three vastly different men. So what’s their connection? They’re all married to Camille D’Artigo, and today they’ve agreed to chat with me. (turns to men) I wasn’t honestly sure even two of you would agree, much less all of you; I had to play the message on my phone back twice, before I was sure it was real, and not one of Yasmine’s pranks.

Smoky: We owe Yasmine one for giving us the chance to meet Camille, and to meet our readers. So…*shrugs*…here we are.

JG: Oh, before I forget…Trillian, welcome back! I must tell you, Camille seemed to breathe a little easier once she got your message about meeting back up with you in OW. I think we all did.

Trillian: Thank you. It wasn’t a vacation, I’ll tell you that. It’s good to be back.

JG: So…let’s jump right in, okay? I know you all have other commitments tugging at your time.*glancing to Smoky, first, but aiming question at both Smoky and Morio* How about you guys? Were you happy about Trillian’s return to the family, or concerned about the potential ramifications on your marriage with Camille?

Smoky: Camille is happy, so I am content. I admit, the Svartan and I have our differences, and we both tend to consider ourselves primary to Camille’s life, but I accept our situation. Nothing in life is perfect, and compared to the thought of Camille not being in my life, sharing her with Trillian is what it is. I am not so churlish as to wish him harm. I was grateful that he emerged as unscathed as he did, and he is an honorable warrior and I trust going into battle with him. Those are high compliments from a dragon.

Morio: I like both Trillian and Smoky. I don’t have as many issues sharing Camille as either of them—but then again, I never expected to be her alpha. She gives me plenty of attention—I’m not insecure. Plus, you’re almost guaranteed there will be someone around to protect Camille and the family with the three of us here. I regret Trillian had to be away so long because I know it hurt Camille and it also was rough on him.

JG: How about you, Trillian? Did it even occur to you that you might return to a scenario like this? Camille permanently linked to the Lizard and Fox Boy? *grin*

Trillian: You know, if I’m honest with myself, yes. By the way, to you, that would be Smoky and Morio—I won’t have my brothers disparaged by anybody but me. ~soft grin~ I was angry, yes—I’m her alpha and I want to be consulted before she makes decisions of that magnitude, but in reality, there was no other choice she could have made. And her father made sure I knew about it. He’s always tried to break us up and if it irritates him that I accept the situation, so much the better.

JG: What sort of adjustments have the four of you (yeah, I’m including Camille in that count) had to make? Everyone getting along? No one left in the cold? I meant that literally…*grin* I figure there might be a “blanket stealing” issue with four folks sharing the same bed.

Morio: We don’t always share the same bed for sleeping—in fact we’ve never all slept in the same bed. At times Smoky will sleep out at his barrow, at times Camille kicks us all out to go sleep in the studio when she wants her room to herself. And we’re talking about changing one of her spare rooms into the ‘men’s room’…that, in fact, will probably happen within the next few months.

JG: Do you anticipate any additional commitments?

Trillian: Since I’m now engaged to Camille and she already has two husbands, there will be no further commitments, if I’m consulted. Three husbands are plenty for one woman, even a woman with a sexual appetite like hers. And I think she’ll agree. We keep her on her toes.

Morio: More so, on her back. ~wicked grin~

JG: I’m a bit curious about the mundane stuff. I mean, we get to hear the stories about your adventuring, and we know that Camille is working with you, Morio *nods in his direction* on deepening and strengthening her Death Magic abilities. What about house chores? Grocery shopping, cleaning the bathroom, etc.

Trillian: Whoever Iris enlists for the week. She makes up chore lists and we toe the line.

Morio: Nobody crosses Iris, except Delilah and look what that got her—a bed full of used cat litter.

Smoky: Iris keeps everybody in line. I’m a dragon, and I jump when she whistles.

JG: Are there relaxing, down time activities that you guys engage in, one on one, with Camille? If so, what do you do for fun, when it’s just Camille and one of you?

Trillian: We each have a date night with her twice a month. Camille and I go shopping, to the movies, out to dinner, for drives in the country.

Morio: Camille and I tend to do the picnic thing. We also read aloud to each other, listen to music, play board games, things like that.

Smoky: My private time with Camille is usually spent at the theatre, opera, or symphony, with a nice dinner before or after.

JG: How about the rest of the family?

Smoky: Once a month Iris has instituted family night, where everybody gets together and just talks and then watches a movie. Also, she’s started making us gather at the new table I just bought for the kitchen in the evenings before Menolly heads out to work and the rest of us turn in to bed, and we go over the day’s events and make our to-do lists for the next day.

JG: As the stodgy old married men *cheeky grin aimed at each, in turn* what do you guys think of the other couples in the family? Do you think things will work out with Chase and Delilah? And what about Menolly…I know she’s got more than a flirting relationship with Roz, and I seem to recall seeing some interesting sparks flying between her and Vanzir…and then there’s Iris and Bruce. What’s your take?

Smoky: It’s not my place to speculate on the romance of others. I don’t gossip, and it’s best not to flaunt opinions about your wife’s sisters and their lovers.

Trillian & Morio: (murmuring assent)

JG: Oh! I remember a question I was dying to ask you…*glances at Smoky, again* Maybe “dying” isn’t the right word, but…What are you three doing, without Camille, for male bonding? Sweat lodge? Pool hall? Men’s Day Spa?

Smoky: I think we bond enough during the battles we must endure.

Trillian: Though we do occasionally discuss ways to surprise our wife.

Morio: Bonding is overrated. Just grit your teeth and deal with life.

JG: What do you think about the turn of events, recently? Normally, I get to talk with Camille or Menolly, and I’m hoping to chat with Delilah and Iris, soon, but I’d like to hear the Guy’s Eye view of things from you three. A lot has been going on, between the political machinations between courts; Stacia Bonecrusher’s devastating actions; and the convoluted paths set forth for the sisters…

Smoky: If the Bonecrusher were within reach, I would wring her neck. I am not one for interfering in matters like this—or I haven’t been, but now I have a family to protect, and I will do everything I can to smooth the path for Camille and her sisters, for she is my wife and Delilah and Menolly are also now my sisters. My people are now keeping a watch on matters, and I will be reporting to them as they ready themselves to fight, if need be. Dragons and Demonkin are anathema to one another, even those dragons who walk in the darker realms hate demon.

Trillian: The civil war in Y’Elestrial was small change compared to the war against the demons. Granted, it does affect Camille and her sisters, but the war against Shadow Wing affects everyone—in two worlds and beyond. Because if the demons break through, you can bet they won’t stop after Earth and Otherworld. My home city resided in the Subterranean Realms for years—the Svartans coexisted with Demonkin in an uneasy truce. But when Shadow Wing ascended to power, King Vodox began preparations for the entire city to shift back to Otherworld, where we were originally. It was a massive move—and required every family to uproot and rebuild. But we did it because we knew that if we stayed, we’d be lost.

Morio: I owe my duty to Grandmother Coyote, and my loyalty now to Camille. Fae politics have little interest for me, unless they impact Camille or I’m told by Grandmother Coyote to make myself concerned. But with the demons—they’ll destroy everything in their quest to gut the worlds. And we cannot allow that.

JG: Smoky, can we talk about your family for a few minutes? I heard there was a bit of a throw down, recently.

Smoky: That’s a rather flippant term for the dissolution of a family. This is a tragedy many years in the making. Hyto, my father, is now an enemy and I fear for my wife’s life if he should ever get near her. I dread the day that we may go wing to wing.

JG: Oh! One other thing, Smoky…I promised myself I’d ask you this, if I ever got the chance…HOW do you always stay so clean, even when trekking through demon guts and slime? Can you teach me? I have a very enthusiastic, messy three year old nephew. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. *grin*

Smoky: ~soft smile~ The best I can tell an FBH is to use the washing machine. And an apron.

JG: Morio, we haven’t heard much about your family. Any interesting fall out that might come about due to your marriage with Camille and involvement with the sisters and their fight? Aside, of course, from Grandmother Coyote….Trillian, same question.

Morio: My family has been notified about my marriage. If they ever have the ability, they may come to visit. They’ve long accepted that whatever Grandmother Coyote requires of our family, it is our duty and pleasure to serve.

Trillian: I do not stay in contact with my family—and I prefer not to discuss it for now. My mother and father were not happy with my choices in life long ago, and we have not communicated for many years.

JG: Sticking with you for a moment, Trillian…what was the one thing, besides Camille, you were most looking forward to upon returning ES?

Trillian: Showers. Shopping at Nordstrom. Fine dining and the prevalence of indoor plumping and hot water.

JG: Guys, thanks, again, for chatting with me, today; is there anything else you want to say?

Morio: Yes—we love our readers and are so happy you enjoy our exploits. Oh—and I’d like to point out that my name is Morio—not Mario. ~grins~ And there’s no “e” in Smoky’s name. But hey—if that’s the worst thing to happen, it’s nothing.

JG: I know my readers will really enjoy this interview, once I get it transcribed. *grin* Now, if you don’t mind answering more questions, we’ll open this up to our readers. Feel free to ask non-spoilerish questions of the guys today, friends!

Hippo Birdee To Me

So this weekend is my birthday--Sunday. I'm doing the usual and thinking about my life, where I'm at, what I want, and how I plan to merge the gap between the two. Thing is, for the first time in my life, I'm pretty much in-process on everything I want. I mean, there's nothing new that I'm starting, which feels rather odd.

1. Career: I've achieved one of my major goals and continue to work to the next one. I'm not totally where I want to be but I'm happy with how much I've accomplished and working on two series I love. What to do? Continue what I am doing.

2. Health: Definitely not where I want to be but on the way. I've been working out twice a week now for several months and beginning to notice the difference. I still struggle with food issues--allergies, starch problems--but I'm not doing too bad right now. Goal: again, continue what I'm doing and add in a third workout a week from now on.

3. Personal life: Spend quality time with friends (check, am doing that--continue); spend a little more time for myself (the one that's hardest for me) to just recharge (not so much doing that but hey, this week and part of next, I've been taking a bit of time off). Spend quality time with husband and cats: check, doing that.

I've been thinking about risks and do I want to take any. And I decided to. I'm attending RomanCon in July. Why is this a risk? Because I'm so NOT a traveler. I don't like going inland--makes me panic a bit so I'm giong to have to face my phobia of being landlocked. I'm not fond of crowds--again, putting myself in a situation where I'll be in a crowd. I'm also breaking out with a new series--no, I'm not leaving Otherworld behind, but the Indigo Court series is definitely darker and different. So while I'm not reaching out to climb a mountain, I am trying new things--something that life requires if we are to grow.

So...where does that leave me? Feeling odd, for one thing--because for once I'm going into a birthday without feeling terribly lacking. For another, this is a bigger birthday for me--I'm heading into a new decade in a year (this is my last in this one). So I want this year to be positive and memorable.

Having a party Saturday. A costume party based on a Dr. Horrible/SF/Fan movie/book theme. I'm dressing as Raven Mother out of Bone Magic. Sam's coming as a zombie out of Plants VS Zombies. I'm making a delicious cake out of the Simply Coconut cookbook (uses mostly coconut flour--low glycemic--in recipes, plus agave nectar and stevia to sweeten). Also making my eggplant pizza for dinner (see my Gluten Free Kitchen Witch blog for recipe). Good food, friends, a fun movie, dressing up, what could be better? Here's the dress I'm wearing as Raven Mother (only in black). Getting my hair done Saturday and we're going for chunky purple highlights. Whee! Love it. And I look good with purple highlights.

So, enough rambling. What are you doing in your life this year that's different? What are you looking forward to trying?

Bright Blessings,
Yasmine

BONE MAGIC & INKED RELEASE DAY!

BUY. READ. ENJOY.

Also: On January 5th, I'll be blogging at Marjorie Liu's blog, on January 6th, at RomanConInc's blog, and on January 7th, at the Borders True Romance blog. Giveaways on each!

Yasmine

Magical Wishes Winner & wishes on the way

The lucky winner of the Djinn contest's $25 Online Amazon Gift Card is Alysha, who has been notified. Answers to the Djinn wishes will be posted later this month.

Justine, assistant Djinn

Dragons in My World

Dragons. I write them! And a sneak peak of what you’ll find in Bone Magic is the hierarchy of dragons in my world. As you know, if you’ve read the books, Smoky is half-white, half-silver. You’ll find a WHOLE lot more in Bone Magic about his family (remember: not all dragons are as self-controlling as Smoky), and the dragon realm in my world. But for now, here’s a general chart I made:

So, which kind of dragon in my world would you want to be? Remember: you can change into human form, no matter which kind. Or if you were a half-breed, which two dragons would you want for parentage.

Yasmine

Tattoos

Tattoos. I Haz Them. All over my body. I’m heavily inked and I’ve got some hot damn good tattoos, people, and the pictures to prove it. And so do some of my characters. In Dragon Wytch, you find out how Camille got her first tattoo marking her as a Moon Witch. In Bone Magic, you find out how—and why—she gets her second one. And in Inked/Etched in Silver, you find out about the complete body suit of tattoos that she has that you don’t see on the surface. In Night Myst, tattoos play an important part in the story, too.

So, for a quickie blog here—what’s your favorite tattoo if you have one, or what do you think you’d want if you were to get one? No links to pictures, please—just a description and why you chose to get it, or why you think you’d like it.

Dark Sparklies and Brilliant Ink to you,
Yasmine

Etched In Silver Excerpt

I meandered past a table for six, ignoring the bozos eyeing my boobs. Sawberry Fae, all of them— rough and crude. I couldn’t blame them for looking, though. After all, I was dressed to attract. For one thing, Roche responded to curvy women, so I was playing it up to lure him out. For another, I’d been waiting for a chance to wear my new outfit. Tight, sheer magenta tunic, thin skirt with a slit all the way up my thigh, the barest hint of woven silver panties. I made quite an impression, all right.

So when men stared at my boobs, it was part of the game and I just laughed it off. But the sweaty hand reaching out to cop a feel on my butt crossed the line.

“That’s one step too far, boy.”

The man didn’t budge, his fingers firmly fastened on my ass. “Hey girlie, give me a ride. I promise, I can do amazing tricks with my tongue.”

“I said, back off. I don’t offer pity fucks.” I didn’t pay for it either, and all the opium eaters were looking for was cash for another round.

“The pity would be if you don’t fuck me.” He snorted and squeezed.

Realizing I wasn’t going to get out of this without making some sort of scene, I slid my leg through the slit in my skirt to show off the silver dagger strapped around my thigh.

“Remove the fingers from my ass or I’ll ram my stiletto through your crotch and you’ll never use that cock of yours again. Understand?”

He scowled as his buddies laughed, but he let go.

I leaned on the table. “Listen, boys, some of you aren’t half bad. Or you wouldn’t be if your eyes weren’t glazed over and your teeth were a couple of shades closer to white. Clean up your act and get a job.”

Without warning, Mr. Butt- Grabber grabbed my wrist and twisted. Hard. “Bitch. When I want advice from a half- breed, I’ll ask for it.”

“What did you call me?” I couldn’t reach my stiletto—he had my wrist, but he was standing, pressing against me, so I came down hard on his insole with my heel. He yelped and let go. I whipped out my dagger as he knocked over his chair. The dude was a good six- five and muscled, and it took everything I had to stand my ground. “Touch me again and you’ve touched your last woman.”

“Filthy windwalker.” He fumbled for his weapon, but his eyes were so glazed over from the opium that he couldn’t get a good grip on the hilt. I knew the look, though, and it wasn’t a safe one. Junkies were dangerous. “You should be grateful for any attention you get— ”

“I suggest you apologize to the lady right now, unless you prefer to make an intimate acquaintance with my blade.”

The voice came from behind the Sawberry. It was smooth and calm, like silk drawn across skin, and set up a vibration in the air that rolled through my senses like a wave. I slowly turned my head to see who was speaking.

The most gorgeous man I’d ever seen was standing there, serrated dagger out, the tip lightly pressed against Mr. Fingers’s ribs. He wasn’t even looking at the Sawberry, but instead, was staring at me— his gaze fastened on my face, not my breasts. His eyes were the coolest shade of blue I’d ever seen. Ice blue. Glacier blue. Blue like a frosty morning in autumn. They stood out against the onyx color of his skin, as did the shock of silver hair that fl owed down his back, shining with cerulean highlights. His face, though . . . damn, he was beautiful. More handsome than any man had a right to be, with a refined nose that led narrowly down to thick, luscious lips.

My breath caught in my throat. Touch me, kiss me, hold me, and help me get out of my head.

Excerpt from Etched In Silver

Copyright 2010, Yasmine Galenorn

Do NOT Reproduced

Happy New Year!