​Publishing Company: Other Worlds Ink
Cover Artist: Kelley York - Sleepy Fox Studios
 
Primary Plot Arc: Speculative Fiction
Main Genre(s): Fantasy, Science Fiction
Sub-Genres: romance
Story Type: Novel (>50k)
Word Count: 93,400
LGBTQ+ Identities (if applicable): Gay, Bisexual, Non-Binary, Lesbian
Keywords/Categories: fantasy, science fiction, sci-fantasy, dragons, sci-fi, new release, announcement, gay, lesbian, bisexual, non-binary, young adult, crossover, gay, bisexual, non-binary, lesbian, new release, announcement, giveaway

A sharp crack filled the wine cellar. Kerrick swung the heavy mallet back and then assailed the flopwood boards that blocked the tunnel entrance again. The ancient wood splintered under the blow, sending shards clattering across the stone-paved floor.

It felt good to work out his frustrations. Still, the stubborn wood held out against his assault.

He rested the mallet on the black-tiled stone floor, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. Even after a hundred years, the barrier was strong. He’d tried to pry the boards out of the solid stone, but they’d been fastened in too tightly. Brute force it is.

“You’re doing great!” Cor’Lea’s voice was artificially bright, and she was as tall as he was, maybe a little taller, peering over his shoulder at the sealed tunnel entrance.

Silya had tasked her with bringing him down here to check out these hidden caverns under the Temple, in preparation for the coming war. Important, sure, but also clearly an excuse to get him out from underfoot while she prepared for her official Raising.

He grunted. “Thanks. These boards are hard as iron.” And hard as Silya’s will.

One day things would be different between them, once this crisis was over. I just have to be patient.

Coral laughed. “I’m sure a big, strong man like you can break through them easily.” She squeezed his bicep appreciatively.

He shrugged her off. He wasn’t sure if the gawky initiate was flirting with him or just trying to encourage him to get on with it, but either way, he wasn’t interested. “Stand back.” He hefted the hammer again, and she scurried out of his way.

He suppressed a smile, swinging the mallet around for another heavy blow.

Craack.

This time the board buckled inward visibly. Another few hits should do it.

He pulled back the heavy iron hammer again and hit the same spot with blow after blow. Craack. Craack. Craack.
The mallet broke through and a board fell away into splinters, clattering across the stone floor. One down, three more to go. “Why did they seal this cavern up?”

Cor’Lea gestured at the natural chamber. “There was a winery here before the Temple. Sister Dor said they used to use it for extra wine storage.” She looked around the natural chamber, which was now filled with wooden shelving holding a variety of bottled food stores. “When Jas ordered the Temple to be constructed, they kept this wide cavern and blocked off the rest of the tunnels.”

“Just in case the gully rats got in?” That thief Raven had apparently made his home in one of the underground tunnels. Who knew who else—or what else—lived down there?

Cor’Lea snorted. “Maybe.”

Are tunnels all connected, somehow? That was one of Silya’s most urgent projects, to map out the network of caverns beneath the city. Another reason she sent me down here—to get me out from under her robes.

A few more whacks at the next board served to both break it and let out his frustrations at the situation preventing him from doing his sworn job and keeping them apart. And at what she said was coming.

Craack. Craack. Craack.

The board snapped in half, and he judged that he’d cleared enough space to step through into the blocked-off tunnel. “Hand me that lantern?

Cor’Lea complied, taking the opportunity to brush his hand.

He rolled his eyes. I should be flattered. But his heart was already taken.

It was times like these he wished his brother Enrick were still alive. He’d know what to do. He’d been absurdly confident about everything, even though he’d been younger than Kerrick.

Kerrick wasn’t great with women.

He took the lantern and stepped over the bottom board, holding it in front of him. The bright light temporarily blinded him as he sought to get his bearings.

“What do you see?” Cor’Lea peered through the hole behind him.

His sight adjusted, and the tunnel’s walls came into focus.

He whistled. Stacked along the side of the tunnel were hundreds of crates, all strapped together in groups and sealed. “It’s… I don’t know what it is. But I’ll bet Silya will be surprised.” They’d have to find a place to put all this stuff—whatever it was, it was likely rotten after all this time. Silya needed somewhere to store people, not ancient goods.

Cor’Lea stepped carefully over the splintered boards to join him. “What do you think’s inside them?”
​
The long row of crates disappeared into the darkness. Who knew what the ancients had considered valuable enough to stash down here. Coin? Lost treasure? “One way to find out. Does the Temple have a crowbar?”

​Scott is giving away an eBook copy of Tales from Tharassas, the prequel, to everyone who enters the sweepstakes:

The Tharassas Cycle is a four book sci-fantasy series set on the recently colonized world of Tharassas. When humans first arrived on planet, they thought they were alone until the hencha mind made itself known. But now a new threat has arisen to challenge both humankind and their new allies on this alien world.

First Two Books On Sale (& Get a Free Book)

One of my goals this year was to post more on my own blog. I used to do that a lot by participating in weekly author hops where we shared snippets of our works-in-progress, or simply by creating my own weekly or monthly posts. I'd gotten away from those any many other things last year, but I'm trying to revive some things again. 

Since the seventh book in my Shifter Towers series released last month, and some of the others in the series were on sale as well, I wanted to take you for a tour of the towers, share the businesses that are inside each one. If I lived in Saramto, I would definitely take the LRT to the towers to do some shopping and maybe catch sight of a pop artist while I am there.

Shifter Towers consists of three 70-storey skyscrapers located in the center of Saramto. While they all look the same from the outside, the inside of the buildings are very different. There is a courtyard that connects them all with Main Street on one side of the buildings and the main station for the light rail transit system to the rear of the buildings. While towers one and two have a large bank of elevators just off the concourse on the main floor, tower three is much more secure due to the businesses inside.

Tower One is home to many businesses including the following:

• NJ Fresh Foods on the main floor with the head office on the 30th floor
• a medical clinic on the second floor
• a doctor's office on the 17th floor
• a coding school on the 20th floor
• Saramto Shifter News Network on the 68th to the 70th floors

The stories that relate to Tower One the most are:

• Pika Omega Plus One
• Fox Trapped

While Tower Three is home to many businesses, the main business that takes up many floors is Adan Records. Because of the nature of their business and those who work for them, anyone who wants to go beyond the lobby of the building must have a security card or be approved by reception. The main offices are on the second floor while recording studios, dance practice studios and more are higher up. There is a gift shop on the main floor where fans can buy albums and other artist merch. This store opened after the closing of Kathie's Music and Merch in Tower Two.

The stories that relate to Tower Three the most are:

• Bunny Omega on the Run
• His Omega on Stage
• Memories of Us

You may have noticed that Demon on Jackson Street wasn't mentioned under any of the towers. That's because it isn't set in any of the towers. It's set in an area of Saramto that's previously mentioned in several of the books. It's slightly different than the others in the series, but is still set in Saramto.

Thank you so much, all of my fabulous readers, for making Fox Trapped a #1 New Release at Amazon! I'm so happy you're all enjoying my latest release, and that orange banner gives me the boost for the stories I'm currently writing. Thank you, all!