2024 is off to such a horrible start. This week my cousin (dad’s age) died, my uncle has a brain tumor (operation tomorrow) and my friend’s niece is diagnosed with leukemia. So, forgive the bare min. done here this weekend. More of Aneirin and Kaleo’s story.

Aneirin opened the door to his nephew’s former room. It was basic with a sizable bed opposite a set of drawers. A tiny porthole hung over the drawers. Aneirin hoped Kaleo wouldn’t feel claustrophobic in the room. “It’s a bit small.”  

“Are you kidding? It’s the best room I’ve ever been allowed to sleep in.”

Aneirin smiled. He should have realized that space had been cramped wherever Kaleo had come from. “Come, the closest is there and the set of drawers, which doesn’t help much yet. This is your space. No one will bother you here,” he said and Kaleo nodded. “No one should bother you at all. I trust my staff, but if you are uncomfortable about anything, tell me.”

Kaleo shot him a dubious look. “I can’t imagine they’d touch me and risk losing their position if they piss you off, for pissing around with your things.”

The Rainbow Snippet group can be found on Facebook. It’s a fun low-pressure snippet sharing group for LGBTQ+ fiction. Come join us. https://www.facebook.com/groups/RainbowSnippets

I’m trying to do better with keeping up with this in 2024 than I did the last couple of years. Once I get the cover finalized and the release date for These Haunted Hills, I’ll snippet from that again.

Until then I’m going back to the SF wip with Kaleo and Aneirin. The latter of whom is introducing Kaleo to his household staff.

“Who’d he put out? That’s not okay, is it?” Kaleo fretted without much vigor. His shoulders had begun to sag, and Aneirin knew he had to be exhausted.

“Tegid is my nephew and he only stays here occasionally. He’s getting older and is at the stage where he wants to be a star pilot so he’s been after me for a bedroom with a bigger port hole. It’s fine. Grimoald, I think the tour of the home can wait. I would like to find Kaleo some clothing that didn’t come from silly harem romance holo. Kaleo could probably do with a shower and a little rest as well. Tell Setak I’d like to see her and could you find a robe for Kaleo?”

“Of course. I’ll leave it on the bed if he’s in the shower.” Grimoald shot Kaleo a look suggesting he resented the intrusion, but Aneirin’s majordomo had never liked change.

The Rainbow Snippet group can be found on Facebook. It’s a fun low-pressure snippet sharing group for LGBTQ+ fiction. Come join us. https://www.facebook.com/groups/RainbowSnippets

To all those celebrating winter holidays this month I hope they are good ones. I’m trying to have a quiet one myself as my surgery sites aren’t healing very well so I can’t do much.

This is from my steampunk Christmas story, The Glow of Luminiferous Aether on Tinsel with Ninestar Press

“He can’t be dead.” Al clutched her shoulder, tucking his cheek against her.

Minnie drew closer. “Al, Jacob is fine. He’s a hard man to kill.”

“People are easy to kill,” he growled.

“Not him,” Grace replied sternly. “Death came for him once, and Jacob beat the reaper off with his own scythe.”

Blurb

As Chief Tactician for the airship DeGrasse, Jacob Scarberry has spent the last six months on a wearying tour of duty. He’s missing home, and his prosthetic leg is conducting the December cold straight to his core. But with the holidays coming up, he’s looking forward to a well-earned leave, sharing some Christmas surprises with his lover, Dr. H. Alphus Troyer, and welcoming in the dawn of the 20th century.

A professor at Ohio University, Al is already on Christmas break, and his unconventional household is in a festive frenzy. Al is a bit less joyous, his anticipation of Jacob’s return warring with uncertainty over the special gift he had commissioned for him. Would Jacob appreciate it, or will it put a strain on their relationship?

Suddenly Al’s worries become trivial when the newspapers report an attack on the DeGrasse. With Jacob fighting for his life miles away, Al is left to wonder whether Jacob will return at all, or whether the planned festivities will become holiday heartbreak instead.

Buy Link – nine star – https://ninestarpress.com/product/the-glow-of-luminiferous-aether-on-tinsel/

Amazon here

The Rainbow Snippet group can be found on Facebook. It’s a fun low-pressure snippet sharing group for LGBTQ+ fiction. Come join us. https://www.facebook.com/groups/RainbowSnippets

I made it home for the holidays. I also got bumped to every 3 months visits with the oncologist so that is a very good thing. There’s no sign the cancer spread. On the other side of that, all the repair they had to do in the hysterectomy is being slow to heal. Not a shocker in a diabetic with a collagen disorder.

Have my steampunk short for the holidays. It’s set where I live and I’m still very happy with these characters. I would love to revisit them.

A union suit and woolen uniform trousers should have been enough to keep out the December chill, except his metal prosthetic leg, a miracle of spring-work technology, conducted the cold straight through his stump, up into his jewels, and even made his bladder ache. His slow path around the ship’s deck as he kept watch did little to warm him.

He had one sure way to feel warmer: thoughts of a certain Dr. H. Alphus Troyer waiting for him back home. Theirs was a strange and beautiful relationship. He’d never understand why a man as smart as Al would want to be with an air corps man like himself. Al argued that Jacob, as the onboard tactician, possessed intelligence in abundance. Though it would seem not enough to figure out a way to avoid guard duty in the middle of the frigid night just before Christmas.

The Glow of Luminiferous Aether on Tinsel

$2.99 $1.79

As Chief Tactician for the airship DeGrasse, Jacob Scarberry has spent the last six months on a wearying tour of duty. He’s missing home, and his prosthetic leg is conducting the December cold straight to his core. But with the holidays coming up, he’s looking forward to a well-earned leave, sharing some Christmas surprises with his lover, Dr. H. Alphus Troyer, and welcoming in the dawn of the 20th century.

A professor at Ohio University, Al is already on Christmas break, and his unconventional household is in a festive frenzy. Al is a bit less joyous, his anticipation of Jacob’s return warring with uncertainty over the special gift he had commissioned for him. Would Jacob appreciate it, or will it put a strain on their relationship?

Suddenly Al’s worries become trivial when the newspapers report an attack on the DeGrasse. With Jacob fighting for his life miles away, Al is left to wonder whether Jacob will return at all, or whether the planned festivities will become holiday heartbreak instead.

I survived the last week of class and now it’s time for finals. I still get very tired quickly post surgery but otherwise I’m doing okay.

Continuing on with Kaleo and Aneirin. Kaleo has just met Aneirin’s ice-cold majordomo.

“I’m not sure what you think I’ll do.” Kaleo shrugged then looked over at Aneirin. “Guess he’s the guy you give the pain inducer to if I get out of control.”

Aneirin scowled. “No one is getting the pain inducer. I promise you, I’m having it removed.”

“I figured you’d change your mind once we got here.” He turned back to Grimoald. “He makes you call him doctor?”

“No, he prefers I do not. I didn’t know he extended the privilege to you.” Grimoald gave Kaleo the gimlet eye before returning his attention to Aneirin. “I readied Tegid’s old room for him and put Tegid’s belongings in the room at the end of the hall. I thought it best, since Tegid’s room was the closet room to yours it seemed suitable.”

The Rainbow Snippet group can be found on Facebook. It’s a fun low-pressure snippet sharing group for LGBTQ+ fiction. Come join us. https://www.facebook.com/groups/RainbowSnippets