Today I am so pleased to welcome Leona WIndwalker and Abigail Kade to Joyfully Jay. Leona and Abigail have come to talk to us about their books in the Grim & Sinister Delights collection. They have also brought along exclusive excerpts and books to give away! Please join me in giving them a big welcome!

LEONA WINDWALKER

Growing up, I did a lot of reading. My parents were both readers and rewards were always books. A Little Princess held a special place in my heart, though, as the Shirley Temple movie of the film was on a local TV station one Sunday afternoon before I ever read the book. It’s story of love, loss, hope, and discovery, and the emotional journey four-year-old me was on with her own soldier Daddy’s absences meant its message became indelibly stamped onto my heart.

I’m a huge fan of sci-fi, anyone looking at my list of books I’ve written can probably tell that, so when I had the opportunity to take this story and re-frame it, I immediately had to toss the tale into deep space and that my ‘princess’ simply had to be an alien. Lohrai has grown up sheltered and dotes on their parent as much as they are doted upon, so when the war splits them apart just as Lohrai is coming to grips with their first steps into the adult world, the effect is profound.

Being a romance, of course this means there is a love relationship on the horizon, and I wanted to explore how Lohrai’s emotional attachments and loss affected the foundations of their love affair. There is an age gap between Lohrai and their love interest, but greater than the age gap is the level of worldly experience and the maturity that brings. Lohrai is very much looking not only looking for their parent in the literal sense, but in the romantic sense as well.

Of course, being orphaned and at the tender mercies of the con artist who run the finishing school Lohai a is at means Lohrai has some very dark times ahead indeed, but it is in the darkest times that a knight’s armor shines brightest and all that, right?

Please note that Lohrai’s species have a unique biological reproduction system where they are all one gender that appears outwardly male and that this is an omegaverse type story, so they use the pronoun ‘ih’ in place of ‘he’, and ‘ihs’ instead of his, ‘ihm’ instead of him. Reijor is their word for king, reijijorin is prince, and reijorling is princeling (hence the title of the book!). Davati roughly translates as ‘daddy’. This excerpt takes place at a betrothal party for another soon to be former student and is told from one of her human teacher’s POV, Leon, the brother of the dreadful Miss Pinch.

ABIGAIL KADE

Hello, hello! I’m Abigail Kade, and I’m so thrilled to be able to share Consequences of Crying with you all.

I grew up on fairy tales, nursery rhymes, fables and Mother Goose. I was a voracious reader from an early age. When I was finally able to read my favorite rhymes and fables on my  own, I thought I had reached the best part of my life. It was all downhill from there, lol. Needless to say, I found other things to be excited about as I grew up, but I never let go of my love of my first stories.

When I was given this opportunity to write a dark reimagining of a classic story or fairy tale, I considered several, but settled on The Boy Who Cried Wolf for several reasons. The classic fable was written to teach a simple lesson. Don’t lied, or eventually no one will believe you and bad things may happen. I was fascinated by the fundamental possibilities of a man who lied, but when he finally did tell the truth, no one would believe him. He would be caught in a web partially of his own making and have to bear the consequences. However, in my version, the liar isn’t left alone to be devoured by the big baddie (in this story, he’s a vampire). There’s another there who may be there to help, or may be there to take advantage.  You’ll have to read and find out.

If this triangle weren’t enough, I also introduced elements of the paranormal with reincarnation being a thread that binds these three beings together. I asked myself what would happen if a vampire tracked someone through time, lifetime after lifetime, to try and keep them forever? Would they get frustrated? Would the chase wear on them? By having the book in all three points of view, I let the reader make their own determinations about who is the bad guy, who is worthy of salvation, and who may have to face consequences for their actions.

I really enjoyed writing this darkly twisted tale. It’s novella length, but a complete tale of obsession, vengeance, lies and redemption. I hope you all read it and enjoy the consequences.

Excerpts

The Reijorling

I quailed inwardly. Great, just great. Mission accomplished. Penny just hoodwinked yet another set of marks who would deliver her even more victims. I took a sip of my own tea and it burned like acid. I couldn’t even bear to look at the cakes, as good as I knew they were.

A sudden commotion at the door had us all turning to see what was happening. “Mistress Pinch!” Threngren said, hurrying inside. Ih looked alarmed, ihs light dusting of fur standing on end and ihs tail out behind ihm in a rigid pose. “I’m sorry, but I thought you should know immediately!” I leaned to one side to peer around ihm into the hallway. It looked like the entire staff on duty today was out there. Whatever this was about, it had to be huge. They all looked as alarmed as ih did.

“What is it?” Penny asked, irritation dripping from her every word.

Threngren glanced over at Lohrai, where ih sat nibbling on a cake, watching the tableau with mild curiosity.

No…

“It’s the In-Between; it’s reported destroyed. Only the reijorin and his squad survived as they were out in their raider. The rest of the fleet that accompanied them is limping back in.”

I watched as the words permeated Lohrai’s consciousness and as if in slow motion, Ihs fingers lost their ability to grasp. Ihs tea sloshed as the cup fell to the floor accompanied by the remainder of the dainty cake, landing on ihs cushion, soaking it but leaving the cup unbroken, unlike Lohrai’s heart.

“Davati…” ih whispered brokenly. “Davaaaa…”

CONSEQUENCES OF CRYING

That fucking vampire always ruined everything.

I had hovered in the shadows earlier watching the bloodbath unfold dispassionately. I didn’t care about any of those humans. They had been disappointing to me in their pedestrian sexual appetites. The only one who showed some promise was the one named Joe. I’d seen him scurry away from the house before the killing began. He had an innate survival instinct that had told him to fly and not try to fight this battle.

Smart man.

Alan had been caught though, and now here he was trussed up like a sacrificial lamb on the altar to an insane god. I had heard him call Alan by the name Alonso and had a good idea what that meant. This situation got worse and worse the longer I stayed here.

Watching Alan be hurt and lectured by Nico, had made me feel something other than disinterest. Of course, when he had shoved the plug in, I had fed off the sexual charge in the room coming from the psycho and his victim. I was not into self-denial.

However, the energy coming off Nico hadn’t felt right. It tasted a bit stale, like something old. I had never experienced that before. I had fed off all kinds of supernatural beings, and truth be told, vampires were my favorite. They loved their pleasure and went after it with abandon since they were also immortal. The shifters and fae and other creatures of the world were much more…fragile.

Once Nico had left the room, I stayed in the corner shadows watching Alan writhe under the torturous pleasure of the plug and the clamps. If he moved, he would get pain, if he didn’t, he couldn’t alleviate the pleasure. I had to give it to the vamp, he was ingenious when it came to torture.

I stood there drawing in the exquisite flavor of Alan’s sexual pleasure and pain, but then I realized I needed more. Visiting him every night had become and addiction, and now that he was tied and at my mercy, it was time to come out of the shadows.

I retrieved my human form and walked toward the bed, noticing that Alan had passed out momentarily. I let him rest for a moment noticing that even in his sleep he still moaned in pleasure and groaned in his pain. I also noticed that he was rock hard and leaking streams of precum from his distended cock. It glistened in the lamplight so temptingly,  I couldn‘t resist leaning down and lapping up the salty sweetness. The first taste was good, and the second better. I was greedy and wanted more, so I swallowed his cock to the back of my throat wanting to drain him dry and then start all over again. His hips bucked, so I reached up and twisted one of the nipple clamps while sucking hard at the same time. He released a small spurt of cum and I swallowed it with pleasure.

I knew one thing for certain now. He could protest all he wanted, but his body told the truth. He loved being used, and I was going to take full advantage.

Blurbs

I’ve lived my entire life on Kleptha IV, on my family’s elmgern ranch. 

When the raids begin, it becomes obvious that war is on the horizon. My only parent is recalled to active duty, to fly one of the great warships of the Kordolian Empire. I’m twenty-three and like my age-peers, the next year should have been filled with chaperoned parties, short-term internships, and social introductions, called the Year of Seeking.  At the end, my twenty-fourth natal day party would have seen two announcements. One, which of the internships piqued my interest enough for me to pursue it as my specialty. The second, a betrothal to a social and, hopefully, romantic match.

With my davatir away serving the Empire, I will have no one to preside over my Year of Seeking. 

But Davati is as devoted to my care as always. Davati’s brought me to Jorah, homeworld of our race and seat of the Kordolian Empire. A special school has been set up by a human who traveled halfway across the known galaxy just to open it. Called Miss Pinch’s Finishing School for the Discerning Matis Jorahnian, it even sounds prestigious. There I will not only partake of all the usual Year of Seeking activities, but learn human culture and language. It is a rare opportunity and I am looking forward to it. It will be an adventure, one I can share with Davati once he returns from his battles. We’ll both have tales to tell, my wedding to plan, and a future as a family to look forward to once our dark days are over.

Just how dark they would become, I had no way of knowing. 

But light cannot shine without darkness. I find myself benefiting from kindnesses from a mysterious Jorahnian that in better times I would believe to be acts of courtship. Dare I to hope? Is this my knight in shining armor, or another snare I’ve fallen into? I wish Davati were here to guide me through this maze of the heart.

The Reijorling is a sci fi m/m omegaverse tale based on the classic tale, A Little Princess. Grim and Sinister Delights is a dark romance series based on classic fairy tales and stories. You will find standalone tales of gay romance that range in darkness and kinks. If you dare to take the challenge, read them all to find yourself lost in a classic that you think you know. These stories are for adult readers and may contain morally ambiguous themes.

Lying pays my bills. If the masses are naive enough to believe my lies, what’s the harm? They’re all sheep to me anyway, ripe for the fleecing. All except him.

Running from disgrace, I found my new neighbor was intense, captivating, and handsome…at first. I foolishly played with his fire, and now I’m burning. As he uses my body and destroys my barriers, it’s impossible to remember who I am, or what I want. His seduction of pain and passion are almost too much to resist. But there’s another there, and he helps me hold on. Can I risk trusting anything or anyone in this maelstrom of pleasure, pain and memory?

In the end, my trust is betrayed. I’m the fool who’s destined to pay for crying wolf, and to have my blood and soul devoured by my captor. I’m starting to believe my tormentor may be right when he says I’ll find my truth, my future, by giving in to his demands. But can the other offer me salvation?

Between these two impossible beings, they may both be my death and my eternity.

Consequences of Crying is a dark and modern m/m retelling of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. There are intense situations involving obsession and dark desires. Relationships may be deemed unhealthy and include possible triggering content.

Consequences Of Crying: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08DZ3Y99B

Grim and Sinister Delights is a dark romance series based on classic fairy tales and stories. You will find standalone tales of gay romance that range in darkness and kinks. If you dare to take the challenge, read them allt o find yourself lost in a classic that you think you know. These stories are for adult readers and may contain morally ambiguous themes.

Bios

Leona Windwalker is an Army Brat who later served before embarking on the rest of her life’s journey. Having gotten it into her head that writing stories was as much fun as reading them, she began to turn her musings loose upon the world. Her favourite genre to read and write is M/M fiction and she particularly enjoys science fiction, fantasy, and action/suspense subgenres–especially if they have a nice seasoning of romance. She has far too many books on her Kindle, has overloaded her phone with even more and, when not reading, writing, being driven to distraction by her children, or being overlorded by her eight cats and two Newfoundlands, can be found trying to locate the portal that the sock monster uses to steal socks from her dryer.

Abigail Kade is an MM romance author who lives on the Gulf Coast of Alabama with her husband and two teens. She’s been a genre magpie from the very beginning, flitting from one shiny idea to another including sweet contemporary, gritty shifters, magical paranormal and the darkest romance. The one thing all of her work has in common is the idea that there is someone for everyone, no matter how broken, hurt, impaired or warped they may be. In the end, her motto will forever be Love Will Always Find a Way.

Giveaway

Leona and Abigail have each brought a copy of their book to give away (one each to two lucky readers). Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Sunday, October 25th at 11:59 pm ET.

• By entering the giveaway, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
• Winners will be selected by random number. No purchase necessary to win. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
• If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
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• Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
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• Readers may only enter once for each contest.  Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
• Void where prohibited by law.