Post Gay Rom Lit thoughts

First Thing:  A couple of things to note about going out of town.  Hide the dog clippers from the husband.  My beautiful long-haired pooches now look like they have been attacked with a weedwacker.  Some places they are almost bald and others still had  two inch tufts of hair.  I have to call the pooch beautician, Angel, and ask for her help to make them presentable.

Second Thing:  Flying for four hours and then the hour drive home equals motion sickness.  I think the concept is like mixing drinks.  I can drive across country, ten hours or more at a time and not get motion sickness.  Just as I can drink several beers and not have a hang over.  But give me a pena colata, margarita  a beer and some jello shots and the room spins and my stomach hates me.  Mixing Drinks and Mixing Travel = One sick Lexi.

Third Thing: Pack carefully if I know that I am going to buy something(s)

Fourth Thing:  Lists. List. List.  I met and spoke to so many people and authors. I still missed people who I wanted to meet.

Geoff Knight and me

Bailey Bradford and me

Will Prater and me

Brien Michaels and (you get there's a theme here?) me

S.A. Garcia, Caitlin Ricci, Too Tall Jones, and Lucy

K-Lee Kline, Lucy, Starbucks Chick aka The Java Addict

Me with Zach Sweets!!

Lissa Kasey, Java Girl, Lucy, Sue, Zach and his partner Neal

Lucy, Sue, and me

The reason for the "Third Thing"

Hijacking Silver Publishing's FaceBook page

UPDATE:  CONGRATULATION to MELISSA O.,  KIMBERLEY S., and HEATHER P. WHO WERE DRAWN for the Silver Facebook giveaway.  And to PATRICIA N. for the blog giveaway.

I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!



Saturday, October the 13th, I am hijacking the Silver Publishing FaceBook page and taking it on a 8 hour joy ride.  LOL!  Stop by HERE and drop a line, say hi, hang out at the proverbial water cooler, and talk about my favorite subject...books. There will also be a giveaway so keep your eyes peeled for a free e-book copy of Twin Flames.

Alright, alright, twist my arm why don't ya.  Anyone who comments here on the blog will be entered for a e-book giveaway for Twin Flames.  I will be taking comments until 8 p.m. Saturday night.  OH!  Anyone who comments on Silver's FB page between Noon and 8 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, Oct. 13th, will be entered into a separate e-book giveaway.  So you have two chances tomorrow to win.

Don't miss it.  It's going to be a trip!  I'll see you there!

Nibble of Twin Flames

Twin Flames

Copyright © 2012 by Lexi Ander

Chapter One

Bahbelle, Georgia, present day

I was Tristan Javeh Ksathra Janick, Warrior of the Goddess Anat, and council enforcer. Who would've thought I would be here in the Hall of Shamash, with my heart aching, kneeling in front of the Council of Elders, waiting for the life I had known to end.

The hall was large and cavernous with tall pillars and cold stone floors. The gallery overlooking the main level was packed with those who'd been asked to witness today's events. Carved on the impressive and enormous mahogany doors was the emblem of the God Enki, creator of our ancestor Enkidu, the father of all Lycans. The insignia of a double helix of snakes wrapped around a staff of lapis lazuli, called the Caduceus, covered the door top to bottom, reminding us of our humble origins when we entered the sacred place of judgment.

Behind the seats of the Council of Five stood a nine-foot marble statue of Shamash, the God of Justice. The figure was outlined by the golden circle of the sun over outstretched wings of crimson feathers. On the wall above the statue of our founding God was the crystal case that held the Horned Crown of Divinity of our lost line of kings.

All five elders had donned their sacred capes of scales for this momentous meeting. They were sitting behind their desks as they patiently waited in their entire splendor for the final participant of the inquisition.

As a Warrior of Anat, I was identified at birth, like all warriors, by toes numbering eight but everything else about me was average. I wasn't much to look at when compared to my Lycan brothers.

Average height.

Average build.

Average brown hair.

Average brown eyes.

That didn't mean I was as average as a human. The difference was only apparent when I was compared with other Lycans and Warriors of Anat, who were gorgeous, tall, well defined, and broad. They were powerhouses who were noticed and fawned over.

Being unremarkable never really mattered to me because I'd known somewhere in the world was my Bashert, my destined Twin Flame. There was someone who'd love me no matter what. I'd always known that when I found him, he wouldn't care if I was ugly, plain, or beautiful because the Gods promised he would be my perfect match. He'd love me just as I was.

When I met my Twin Flame four years ago, I'd been overjoyed. He was beautiful, powerful, and he was mine. I was more than lucky; I was blessed. In the beginning, his touch was like fire across my skin and his kiss stole away my breath. His very being breathed such life into me, making everything brighter, clearer.

Unlike humans, Lycans were reborn after death. The Bashert was an eternal companion. More than simple marriage or the magical life bond. The Bashert was your eternal destiny. A marriage could end. A life bond would complete your soul until the next death and rebirth. The Bashert had been and always would be an extension of self, if you found them, because rebirth was never promised to be in sync with time or place. I hoped to be one of the fortunate few to find my Bashert in this life.

But that was then, at the beginning, when I had believed…

The heavy, engraved doors split open, allowing entrance to the alpha and his four betas. Together they approached the seats of the Council of Five.

"Alpha Theodore Sullivan," Elder Luis greeted, his tone showed his exasperation, "So good of you to actually heed the summons, even if you're"—he consulted his watch—"twenty minutes late."

I didn't look up from the stone floor where I knelt. Even then, I couldn't look at Theo and not see him wrapped between the two she-wolves writhing and moaning. He was fucking them, kissing them. He had whispered to them that no one had ever made him feel that good. He'd told them he could never have another and not think of them. Then he'd promised the women he'd claim them in front of the tribe as his alpha mates.

Mates were not our Twin Flames. They were pale substitutes for those Lycans who didn't believe they'd find their destined partner. Lycans could never claim or bond with a mate like they could their Twin Flame. Our Flames were our other self, our balance, the twin half who complimented our soul. That was the promise made by the God Shamash over four thousand years ago to the first of us. Mates were a watery imitation when compared to our true Flames. If a Lycan found their Flame, any mating would be considered null and void. When we claimed our Twin Flame, there was no one else, or so I'd thought.

Two days ago, my belief in the sanctity of that sacred bond crumbled and turned to ash when I spied Theo's deceit. I didn't know how long I stood there in shock, watching him as he took his pleasure with the females. Just hours earlier, I'd been lying in that very same bed with him. He'd whispered he was blessed to have me, that I balanced him, and he loved me.

For some time I hadn't been feeling well and I'd been getting progressively more soul sick. As I witnessed his deception, my claiming mark began to burn as if my flesh was on fire. My shoulder continued to burn as I listened to the elders formally greet and address my alpha, my Twin Flame.

"I apologize, tribal business held me up," Theo replied. I shivered with need at the deep rumble of his voice. I felt his gaze on me when he asked, "Why have I been summoned here? Has someone from my tribe given offense?"

Elder Luis sighed heavily. "It's funny you should ask, Alpha Sullivan, because someone has affronted Tribe Enkidu and the Council of Shamash."

"Who? Who has given insult?" Theo sounded angry, "Give me the name and I will guarantee due compensation for the slight."

"It's you who's given the insult," Elder Luis replied.

"What? Lies!" Theo roared as he took a step closer to the dais. "I would never offend my tribe or this council! I've done nothing wrong or illegal in ensuring my tribe's future and safety! I have…"

"Alpha Sullivan!" The loud echo of Elder Luis's hand slapping the desk reverberated through the room. "You will get a hold of yourself!"

Theo inhaled sharply in anger. Between gritted teeth he asked, "What is the accusation?"

"I'll remind you, lying to this council carries the penalty of twenty lashes and twenty thousand dollars."

"I know what the penalty is, Elder," Theo snapped.

"Very well," Elder Luis sighed, "Alpha, have you claimed someone as your Twin Flame?"

I couldn't look up. I knew I should've faced Theo with my head held high. My brother, Nathan, called me a coward and maybe he was right because I couldn't confront Theo with pride. My heart was being torn out of my chest. The wound was so deep I wondered why I wasn't bleeding.

"Alpha, answer the question," Elder Luis prompted.

"I don't see how…"

Elder Luis was getting impatient and even I knew you didn't piss this man off. "Ushna Ahura-Yazda." The elder beckoned to a tall, willowy, dark-haired warrior who stood at the end of the dais. Ushna walked over and the elder whispered in his ear.

"Tristan." The elder gestured to me.

I pulled in a ragged breath, stood on shaky legs, and walked toward the dais. Several things happened at once. The heavy mahogany doors opened, allowing entrance to four warriors who escorted the two she-wolves I'd reported to the Council. Theo snarled and lunged for me only to encounter Ushna, who wrestled the alpha to the floor. Council enforcers stepped up to Alpha Sullivan's betas and kept them from going to his aid. Two more warriors came forward and restrained Alpha Sullivan on his knees, allowing Ushna to escort me to the councilman. Elder Luis had left his seat and he stood in front of his desk, greeting me with kind but sad eyes.

"I need you to face Alpha Sullivan and take off your shirt," he requested.

I'd somehow known it wouldn't be simple. In my head everything moved swiftly through the events, and then I'd be permitted to leave. Theo's refusal to cooperate wasn't allowing me that ease. Now the elder was asking me to show everyone in the chamber my humiliation. I knew it couldn't be helped, and this would be the last I'd see of these people. But that knowledge didn't take away from the fact I had to bare my shame to them.

I grabbed the hem of my shirt, and my breath hitched with the pain. Ushna stepped to my side, whispering to me to allow him to help. I gave a quick jerky nod and he gingerly lifted the T-shirt over my head. Ushna didn't visibly react to what I knew was there, but the rest of the room did with shocked whispers of bond poisoning and flame neglect.

The claiming mark Theo had given me was red, raw, and oozing pus. Blue lines emanated outward two inches from the bite mark. If I'd been human I would've been in the hospital. As it was, I could still die from the poison if it was left untreated.

With what little courage I had left, I looked up at Theo for the first time since he'd entered the room. He was so beautiful, with silky blond hair that brushed his shoulders and piercing blue eyes that could move me with just one heated look. His shoulders were broad, and his waist was trim like all the Lycans' here. He was so beautiful but so deadly to me. I should've been repulsed with his poison running through my veins from his bond mark. Theo wasn't looking at me but at my shoulder, with horror. I didn't know if he was dismayed at the sickly green and yellow flesh, or disgusted now everyone knew that he'd claimed me.

Twin Flames is available for purchase from Silver Publishing.  You can find it HERE.

Ebook Winner...Where Can You Enter To Win?

Hearts on Fire interviewed me last week for the release of Twin Flames (Sumeria's Sons Book One).  Everyone who left a comment was entered into a drawing for a copy of the e-book.  The winning name was pulled this morning.  Congratulations to Urb!  Happy readings!

Today Patricia Logan is hosting me on her blog Naughty Passions.  Drop by Patricia's blog and leave a comment and you too could win a copy of Twin Flames.

Read what they are saying at MM Good Book Reviews who gave Twin Flames 5 Hearts!

Release Day!

My very first release day...

WOW!

It's surreal.  I slept three hours last night because I was so excited.

Picked up my niece, Effie, early this morning.  We are going to the pumpkin patch when my other niece gets here.  There is going to be pumpkin carving and pumpkin baking.  A nap is definitely in my near future and if I'm lucky the girls will have some pumpkin bread for me when I get up.

Today is going to be a great day!

Excerpt for Twin Flames

I finally received my excerpt for the October 6th release Twin Flames  Link to Book.  Happy dance!  So, without further ado....

Prologue

"Elder Luis."

I looked up from the manuscript I'd been reading, trying to find a way to help Tristan Janick. I had searched the archives and the journals my predecessor handed down to me. So far, I had discovered nothing that would help the boy.

"Yes, Sasha?"

"You have ten minutes before you meet with the elders for the Janick inquisition."

"Thank you."

I had always thought that being the guardian of the King's Library would enable me to find the solution to almost anything but for the last two days, all I had found were more questions.

I read the forty-eight hundred year old document again. It was the oldest translation of the diary of Shamhat, the priestess who'd brought our ancestor Enkidu out of the wilderness and civilized him. It recorded the start of our people and culture. Within the pages, she detailed the illness that had befallen our ancestor and the blessings that were handed down to Enkidu's children.

When I took over the guardianship, my predecessor had impressed upon me that this was where the king's trouble began but as many times as I had read it, I couldn't see the correlation, and because of my inability to discern the danger, I was afraid I would fail my Xenres.

I looked at my watch. Five minutes to go. It was enough time to read it once more. I could not fail him.

As recorded by Shamhat, high priestess of Inanna, consort to Enkidu, in the book of The Origins of the Tribe of Enkidu and translated for the book of Remembrance of the Origin of the Twin Flames of Bashert. Circa 2500 B.C.E.

Enkidu had been ill for many days. It was difficult watching him waste away from the vibrant man that he once was. A warrior he may have been in the defense of his consort, King Gilgamesh, but his soul would ever be as gentle as the animals he'd once grazed with. All of their sons, now grown, had gathered at his side, vigilant in their attendance to him. It was heartbreaking to watch Enkidu soothe his beloved children, to wipe away their tears as they gathered in his bed like they once had as children.

Gilgamesh, Enkidu's love, had not given up hope that one of the Gods would intervene and save his beloved. He prayed nonstop. He had gone to the temples and made extravagant offerings to all but hers. Hers, Gilgamesh ordered dismantled and destroyed. King Gilgamesh, once high priest to the Goddess Inanna, had disallowed worship of her and none could speak her name.

As a former priestess of hers, the one who had tamed Enkidu and taught him of bodily pleasure, I should have been able to avoid this disaster. Given her fickle lust and Gilgamesh's pride, all that had happened may have been preordained. Inanna had had other consorts and it never ended well once her attention waned. Gilgamesh denied her. He told her he would not be consort to a Goddess as fickle as she, and then he chose Enkidu as his lover and consort.

I will never forget the day the Goddess found out Gilgamesh took Enkidu as consort. Many priestesses died by her hand that day because of her wrath. I also remembered the day she returned to the temple in triumph.

In her quest to crush Gilgamesh, she had coerced the Gods to allow her to send Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, against him. If the bull had been allowed to freely walk the Earth before his time at the solstice, he would have killed thousands of innocent people. How could she be so blind in her obsessive love for Gilgamesh? If he and Enkidu had not been victorious against Gugalanna, seven plagues of disease and pestilence would have been unleashed on the kingdom of Uruk. So many senseless deaths just to assuage her pride over Gilgamesh's refusal.

Maybe the Goddess would have left Gilgamesh alone and found another to adorn her bed if Enkidu had not challenged her in his anger. I know why he threw the haunch of the bull at her and bellowed he would kill her next. Enkidu was furious at the continuous attempts on the king's life. But he forgot Inanna's Godhood and she used his impiety to condemn him. It was because of her that he was on his death bed, surrounded by his children and his beloved Gilgamesh.

I heard the whispers of the court, but I was not jealous. Gilgamesh and Enkidu shared a strong love. I doubted I would see the likes of it again before I died. I know Enkidu was fond of me. To be her priestess was to be a priestess of sexual love but not of commitment. His love gave me the twins. Although my twins are older than Enkidu's children with Gilgamesh, and did not answer the call to be with him at his bedside, I still have them now that Enkidu is gone.

Shamash, the God of Justice, was here to see Enkidu. Gilgamesh was sure Shamash would save his consort but it was not to be. Gilgamesh should have stayed but he stormed out in a temper. He would have learned Shamash had saved him from the same fate. He would have known he was now free of retribution from Inanna. Because Gilgamesh did not remain, he did not hear the blessings Shamash bestowed upon his consort Enkidu.

When Enkidu was near death, he had terrifying visions of an afterlife alone in Irkalla, the Realm of the Dead, without Gilgamesh. He cursed me for the sorrow brought upon him. If I had not gone to the wilderness and tamed Enkidu, if I had not brought him to Uruk and introduced him to King Gilgamesh, he would not be dying, facing eternity in the underworld of Irkalla without his beloved consort. As an immortal demigod, Gilgamesh may go to Anunnaki, the home of the Gods, when he wishes to leave this world. Irkalla was for mortals and barred to him.

The God Shamash scolded Enkidu for cursing me and reminded him I may have introduced him to civilization, but I also brought him to his beloved Gilgamesh and the greatest love and joy of his life. Enkidu looked at me with tear-filled eyes and apologized. I know he did not mean to be angry with me. He was afraid Gilgamesh's divinity would keep them apart in the afterlife and he could not bear the thought of them being parted forever.

Enkidu had stood up to the injustice caused by the Goddess Inanna. He had defied the Gods for the sake of his beloved and he helped save lives from the plagues Inanna would have unleashed. The God Shamash would therefore ensure justice was done and blessed Enkidu and all his progeny.

Enkidu was created as the balance for Gilgamesh. Shamash promised he and his descendants would not go to Irkalla but would be reborn from the Earth as long as their souls had the strength. The children would carry the same blessing as their ancestors and recognize their Twin Flame, the one who would be their Bashert, their destiny. They would be a kingdom unto themselves. Their direct line of firstborn would never be broken and they would be kings over all their joint descendants. They would become a mighty race and answer the call of the God Shamash whenever he needed their service as warriors to dispense his justice.

Shamash brought forth the Goddess Anat, a mighty and bloody Goddess of War from the north. She was the patron Goddess for the warriors of Enkidu. She would teach and guide them in the art of war and it would be through her teachings the descendants of Enkidu would dispense the judgment of Shamash's laws.

Unable to stay away for long, Gilgamesh returned to Enkidu's side before Enkidu breathed his last. And yet, Gilgamesh still believed Enkidu would rise. Gilgamesh refused to let anyone touch him and would not hear of the God Shamash's decree. When he finally realized that Enkidu was truly gone, Gilgamesh keened over the body of his beloved for several long and anguished days. I hope to never hear those aching sounds of desperation ever again. Even now, as I finish writing this, I hear his sobbing wails.

Sumeria and her Sons - The Beginning

Researching the back ground for Sumeria's Sons was extremely fun for  me.  I love ancient history.  The cuniform tablets reciting the epic of King Gilgamesh is one of the earliest Sumerian writings.  Actually, it was a poem that was retold in different versions for over 2000 yrs.

There are many things I loved about this poem and one of them was that Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk, loved Enkidu like a wife.

Some scholars claim it means "brotherly love."  Sorry guys, I hate to break it to you, but that is definitely not how it reads.  With a little research you'll find the Sumarians lived in a culture that openly accept same sex pairings.  They had Temples to the Goddess Inanna, who later became Ishtar of Babylonia.  She was the Goddess of Sacred Prostitution and Sexual Love. For 2000 years it was a very powerful and respected temple.  In more recent publications, it was noted that persons of asexual or hermaphroditic bodies and feminine men were particularly involved in the worship and ritual practices of Inanna's temples.  She was the patron Goddess of the city of Uruk which housed one of the largest and most well known Temples of Inanna.

Needless to say, I was excited to use this rich culture as a background for my Lycan culture and society.  The downside was the pantheon of Gods and Goddesses or their individual stories are not well known.  These ancient stories of epic love, lust, hate, and vendettas fit perfectly into the plot of Sumeria's Sons.

I found myself not only telling the the love story of Tristan and Ushna but also the love story of Enkidu and Gilgamesh.  I had to reintroduce a forgotten mythology, trying to stay true to the roots, but also adding my own artist twist to make the world mine.  I hope I accomplished this without confusing the reader.

At the beginning of the books you will find a glossary of all the Gods and Goddesses I use throughout the series.  The first two you meet are Shamash and Anat.  Shamash is the God of the Sun and Lord of injustice to the light.  He is the patron God to the Lycans.  The Goddess Anat is violent virgin Goddess of War and the patron Goddess to the Lycan warriors.

Two more days and Twin Flames (click to pre-order a copy) will be released!  I am so excited.  REMEMBER - you can leave a comment over at Hearts on Fire for a chance to win an ebook copy of Twin Flames.  If interested - what am I saying - Click here heartsonfirereviews.com to enter.  You know you wanna!