Concealing Fate Cover Reveal

It's Here, It's Here!!!! CONCEALING FATE's Cover!!!!! I have been DESPERATE to show this one off for MONTHS and MONTHS and I'm so excited!!!!

I also have a Kindle Pre-Order link for you AND a Goodreads link! It releases NOVEMBER 7th! WITH a Paperback Edition, too, because it is NEARLY 45,000 words long!!! I refuse to apologize!

Please do Klikk Klikk and/or pass the word along, and give Concealing Fate some love!

As I may have mentioned before, Concealing Fate begins about two years before the events of the "Present" timeline of Forged by Fate--and next week-ish, I'll have a little bit more to say about the present timeline itself, so tune back into the blog for that!

Here's the back cover copy:

The only peace Eve found in her last life was the time she spent with her family, her House of Lions, so it's no wonder that in the modern world she'd choose to return to France, eager to live her new life honestly among the only people she can trust.

Until she meets Garrit, a man she has no business falling in love with, and finds herself building a relationship on a foundation of secrets and lies.

Because of all the men in the world she might meet, Garrit is the only one who knows the truth of her Creation, of her entire history from the dawn of time--but heir to the House of Lions or not, he absolutely refuses to believe in it.

Even when the proof is standing right in front of him.

AND THE COVER!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!!

Kindle Pre-Order | Goodreads

Cover designed by me!
(Which maybe accounts for my enthusiasm.)

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A Taste of Concealing Fate

(Cross-posted from Facebook)

We're not that far out from Enduring Fate's release, I know, but I'm editing Concealing Fate (available for pre-order!) right now, my next Fate of the Gods Novel(la) and just falling completely in love all over again with Garrit and Eve.

Patreon Patrons have already gotten a sneak peek of this one, which tells the story of how Garrit and Eve met BEFORE the events of Forged by Fate, but it's time to give you all a taste, too, I think! So how about a #WiPpet?

The wine arrived, and her breath caught at the lion’s head on the label. She barely held herself back from tearing it from the waiter’s hands, forcing herself to wait until he had poured them each a glass and Garrit had placed their order. Until they were alone again, and she reached out, only allowing herself to trace her fingers over the golden embossing. The mark of the House of Lions.

“You’re familiar with the label?” Garrit asked, pleased again—just as he had been when she’d approved of his wine choice at the café, before. She could well imagine that her taste in wine might influence his opinion of her, all things considered.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, deflecting. She would have to lie, otherwise, and she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “A lion’s head on a cross.”

“It was meant to look like one, certainly,” he said. “But the story goes that the DeLeons were pagans of a sort, disinterested in the Christian faith that had spread. But of course, after France became Catholic and their lands annexed, they could not defy the Church so openly without courting trouble, and their hammers, placed four together, formed crosses instead.”

She laughed, not only at the cleverness of the design, but at the absurdity of the conversation. That she might be sitting across from a man who thought he knew more about her family than she did. Perhaps he did know more—of how they were seen by their neighbors, at least, if nothing else. “I almost forgot you’re from that same part of France.”

“Quite near,” he agreed.

“Do you know the family?” she asked, unable to help herself. “One vintner to another?”

He made a soft sound, not quite an agreement or a denial, and raised his glass instead. “À ta santé.”

“À la tienne,” she replied, lifting her own glass and meeting his eyes.

He grinned, taking a drink, and she had no choice at all but to do the same, or risk offending him. The wine—her eyes fell closed, the familiarity, the complexity of flavors and aromas just as she remembered. How much of this wine had she drunk in her last life? How much five hundred years before? She would never lose the taste of it, never fail to recognize its character. No matter how it changed, season to season, good year or bad, she knew these grapes. Had brushed her fingers along every vine.

“I knew you’d like it,” he said quietly, and not without a certain amount of pride. “You have a taste, I think, for good wine, for all you cannot have had much of it before coming to France.”

She snorted at that, opening her eyes. He was watching her with naked delight, as if he’d shared some portion of her pleasure in the tasting just by seeing it on her face. “Because there’s no such thing as good wine in London?”

He lifted a shoulder, dismissive. “It isn’t the same, drinking it abroad. Some wines travel well across the channel, but the DeLeon wines are best enjoyed here, in France.”

“Are you sure that isn’t just clever marketing?” she asked, laughing. “In my experience, there are very few wines that don’t travel perfectly well, regardless of where they’re made and with what grapes.”

“Ah, but you do not have access to their best pressing,” he said, smiling now with just a hint of teasing condescension. “Those wines do not leave the country, bought up too quickly by our own countrymen—which of course drives up demand for the lesser table wines that do. Clever marketing and truth, both, for the finest DeLeon wines do not travel across the channel at all.”

Cover Reveal and Pre-Order link are coming soon! I can't wait to share this Forged by Fate prequel with all of you!!

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FACETS OF FATE Cover Art!

If you're a newsletter subscriber you got to see this already, but for those of you who haven't subscribed yet (*eyebrow waggle*) -- how about some cover art?!

Cover art designed by Eileen Wiedbrauk -- who has done ALL my Fate of the Gods covers from day one!

A few more details to share on FACETS OF FATE:

1) This book will release FIRST in paperback. Not because I want to trick anyone (the ebook release will follow shortly thereafter) but the timetable on MY end is tight with another project that I have to finish first, and I want my formatter to have the time she needs to get the ebook properly pretty, so no one gets something that looks like gobbledegook. Also my personal impetus for releasing this collection is so readers can finally have TEMPTING FATE in print -- something I've been asked about repeatedly since Mia's novella released, so that's what I've been most focused on achieving first thing!

2) If you skipped the Secondary Character series because spoilers -- the *all new* story, titled FINDING FATE will focus on Marcus! For some of you, I know, he is NOT your favorite but I think he deserves a shot at redemption! (Also he really grew on me in draft two and I kind of love the guy!) So if you haven't read BEYOND FATE yet -- you'll want to do it now, to prep before you read Marcus's epilogue!

3) FACETS OF FATE is coming to you in JULY!

4) The other stories included in the Facets of Fate collection:

• Tempting Fate (Mia and Adam's story)
• Bride Price (Previously available only online at Birdville Magazine, and newly revised -- for its BM publication, I removed some of the more specifically Fate of the Gods elements, and I've always wanted to put them back in for you.)
• Taming Fate (The story of Eve and the oft-referenced Marquis DeLeon)
• Mortal Flesh and Homecoming (Two very short flash pieces, previously available only online on the blog.)

5) Also if you're wondering, in my head, that figure on the horse trying to outrace the storm that may or may not be representative of Thor's presence is definitely Ryam DeLeon. Which is 50% of the reason I *love* this cover for the collection, so much of which relates to the House of Lions, and also just the way in which Eve's mortal friends and family get so unwittingly entangled in the affairs of the gods, whether they want to be or not. (I'd argue that this applies to Adam, too, if not quite so exactly.)

Also, those of you in the PORTLAND, OREGON part of the country -- I'll be coming your way for the Historical Novel Society Conference, and on June 24th from 3:45 pm – 5:15 pm  there will be a book signing, FREE and OPEN to the public. I'll be attending as Amalia Carosella, but I'll be happy to sign anything Amalia Dillin that you happen to bring along, should you choose to visit! And I hope you will!

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TAMING FATE is FREE for kindle This Weekend Only!

If you've been waiting for a chance to get a taste of the Fate of the Gods series before you dive in -- this is your chance! TAMING FATE, my 15th century historical fantasy novella is FREE this weekend for Kindle!

Not sure if you're ready to commit to free until you know more about the novella? Here's the back cover copy:

For the first time in her many lives, Eve would rather be anywhere but home. 

In 15th Century France, Eve would have burned as a witch if it hadn’t been for the too-timely arrival of the Marquis DeLeon to save her skin. But Eve didn’t ask to be rescued, and their hasty marriage is off to anything but a smooth start. As tensions in the town grow and plague threatens, Ryam DeLeon knows if he and Eve cannot find common ground, their first Christmas may be their last.

STILL not sure?
How about a snippet?

“The crowd will thin after they’ve seen you,” Ryam murmured against her ear as he helped her from his carriage. She had not been quite prepared for such a crowd of men and women, and for a moment she remembered the mob which had come to her house in Avignon, demanding her father give her up…

She blinked and the angry mob became a host of excited faces, hoping to catch her eye. Some of the tension eased, her stomach unknotting.

“Not more than half of them will stay,” Ryam was saying, “and the children will be sent to their beds, to be sure.” He drew a pouch from inside his houppelande, and held it out to her. “Gold pieces for the children. For the Christmas goose.”

“My lady!” a mother called, holding her child tight to her chest. “My lady, please, your blessings for my son!”

Ryam smiled reassurance. “They had despaired of my ever finding a bride at all, I think, after my mother died. You would have liked her. It was her idea to start giving the people gold instead of silver.”

That was something Jesus would have appreciated, too. She took one of the coins from the pouch, frowning at it. What should have been the King’s coat of arms was instead a lion’s head, with not a fleur-de-lis to be found at all, only an odd shaped hammer on the back. If she hadn’t known any better, she would have thought it some pagan symbol. “But this is no écu.”

“The House of Lions has struck its own coins since the time of Charlemagne, though we pay our taxes in ingots,” Ryam explained, guiding her toward the women and children, lined up neatly and waiting for their coins. “We are so isolated in the mountains and so disinterested in the affairs of Europe, the king does not fear we will compete against his own currencies and very few of our Lions reach his coffers, besides.”

She gave a coin to the boy belonging to the woman who had called to her, and pressed a kiss to the child’s forehead. Beside her, Ryam did much the same, touching a little girl’s head, squeezing a boy’s shoulder, reassuring a grief-stricken widow and her twin daughters that they would not lose their farm if they could not make the rents. He might have believed they had come to see her, but a word from their Marquis, who knew them each by name, was the reason they left with their heads held higher and shoulders unbowed. Their concerns had been heard, their fears eased. She began to wonder if they had not wished to see her, only to reassure themselves that marriage had not changed their lord.

“My lady,” a young girl said softly. “If you could—me brother’s home sick in his bed, too ill even to do more than moan in his sleep. Me ma said that I might ask for an extra piece of gold, for a doctor to come see to him.”

She glanced at Ryam, but they’d been separated by so many people, all she could find of him was his blue and gold sleeve. If the boy was truly that sick, the family had probably waited too long for what passed for healing now to save him. She pressed her lips together, crouching down before the small, ash-haired girl, taking the hand held out to her.

“Tell me how it began. Was it a cough or a sore throat or aches in his body?”

“His neck hurt, my lady. That’s what he said. And then under his arms, too. Sometimes he lies in his blankets and shakes and shudders, his tongue lolling like he’s possessed. Me mam keeps him all covered, neck to toes and says we aren’t allowed near him. But his face was so dirty—I tried to wash it but the dirt is stuck to his nose.”

A chill slipped down her spine, and she swallowed against the tight ball of fear rising from her stomach. Plague. The boy had the plague. “Take me to him. At once.”

And while you're over yonder on Amazon, don't forget that HELEN OF SPARTA is a kindle first title this month! You can grab the ebook NOW before it's official release on April 1st!  And/Or! There's a fabulous Goodreads giveaway hosted by my publisher in which you could win one of TWENTY paperback copies of HELEN OF SPARTA!

As always, if you enjoy reading ANY of my books, please do consider writing a review on Amazon/Goodreads, so that other people can find and enjoy them too!

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