Today I am so pleased to welcome Missy Jane to Joyfully Jay. Missy has come to talk to us about her latest release, Born of the Forbidden. She has also brought along an exclusive excerpt. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

 

Over the past eleven years of being a published author, I can definitely say the boundaries of my comfort zone have expanded. In some cases, those boundaries have smeared to nearly invisible. However, nothing has tested me in the same way as my new release Born of the Forbidden. While I’ve written a gay couple into one of my books as side characters, this is the first book with a gay couple as the main characters. All of my Gargoyle Masters books focus on two couples as the main characters. In this one there is one heterosexual couple, and one gay couple.

I’m a heterosexual woman with a lot of friends and family members in the LGTBQ+ community. What’s held me back from writing more characters from that community is wanting to stay in my lane by writing what I know. I feel it’s even more important now than back when I was first published for authors to be aware of who we’re writing and how we’re portraying different types of characters. However, I’m what’s called a “pantser”, which means I write by the seat of my pants. No plotting for me. I don’t know what’s going to happen until I sit down at the computer and let my fingers fly across the keyboard.

When Zephyr first popped into my head as I was writing his introduction in Born of Magic, I instantly knew he was gay and not in any way ashamed of it. To be honest, I expected him to remain a side character in my world, but he absolutely refused to stay in the background. By the end of that book he had charmed one of my gargoyles and I knew he needed a prime place in the next book. Luckily, my muse agreed and writing his and Steinn’s relationship into existence came easily. Will there be other gay main characters in this series? I have no idea, but I’m certainly not opposed to it. There will be a total of six books to cover all twelve Gargoyle Masters so they each get their Happily Ever After endings. Plenty of room to add all flavor of characters to my world. I just hope my muse continued to cooperate.


Excerpt

He hadn’t heard the door open. That was Zephyr’s first thought as he cleared the water from his eyes and found Steinn frozen at the now closed door.

They stared at each other for an interminable heartbeat, and then Zephyr acted as if he didn’t have a care in the world, squeezing water from his hair before retrieving his towel from a nearby bench.

“Um, sorry,” Steinn said. “I didn’t realize anyone was in here.”

“I’ll be out of your way in a moment.”

Zephyr wrapped the towel around his waist and picked his soiled clothes up from the floor, belatedly realizing he didn’t have enough hands to also grab his clean clothes. They would have to wait.

Steinn cleared his throat and mumbled something.

“What was that?” Zephyr asked.

“I said, no need to rush out of here on my account.”

That grasped Zephyr’s full attention. He narrowed his eyes to take in Steinn’s lustful gaze as it roamed over his towel-clad body. The gargoyle’s jaw was tight and his hands were fisted at his sides. Unaccountable anger surged through Zephyr’s veins. Not by the many hells. No.

He closed the distance between them, widening Steinn’s pale blue eyes. But the gargoyle remained rooted to his spot near the door.

“How dare you,” Zephyr spit out in an angry hiss. “You’ve spent nearly a year avoiding me like a plague after abandoning me on that wizard’s doorstep. Don’t you dare act as if you want me now.”

Then he did one of the hardest things he’d ever done. Zephyr shouldered his eternal-mate aside to reach the door, intent on escape as he tried to ignore the warmth he’d felt from touching Steinn.

This proved to be too much for the Gargoyle Master. A deep growl reverberated through the room, and suddenly Zephyr found himself shoved against the door with a large, angry man in his face. His heart threatened to beat right through his skin. Though he longed to run his hands all over his mate, he stubbornly kept one on the towel at his waist while the other held his clothes.

How dare he? Steinn wasn’t usually very daring compared to some of his brothers, but he suddenly felt he’d dare much to take the pain of rejection from Zeph’s eyes. Anger had filled him at Zeph’s words, but the anger was directed within. He had screwed up, no doubt about it. It was time to make amends.

“Wanting you hasn’t been the problem,” he finally said.

A slender brow rose imperiously as Zeph looked down his nose at him. The sight made him want to laugh and kiss the haughty look right off his Pastelle’s face. And why not? There was no one here to see. No one here to stop them or object. They were safe in his home, and this man would never be hurt on his watch again.

Without taking his eyes from Zeph’s, Steinn reached down and locked the door. His lover’s scowl changed into a look of uncertainty.

“What are you doing?”


Blurb

Some desires are too strong to be denied.

Master Steinn is loyal to his brothers, his King, and his people, but his desire for another man is leading him into unchartered territory. As a Master Gargoyle he protects the realm, but did he inadvertently bring on a threat from the Varish with his taboo encounter? Despite being made of stone, the strength of his feelings for Zephyr may be more than he can fight.

Brónach’s gift of foretelling is often a curse. The jumbled images she dreams aren’t usually helpful, but this time the danger is clear. Relaying the message is the easy part, the challenge comes in ridding herself of the one gargoyle who stops her heart.  Adalstan has no clue she’s desired him for years. Now she finally has his attention at the worst possible time. Will he hate her once the full foretelling is revealed?

Twelve brothers turn to stone to protect the human realm, but they can’t protect their hearts once they find the mates who call to their souls. As they battle the unexpected feelings within, a battle wages in their city, a prophecy comes to light, and the fate of the entire continent is at stake.

Available 3/13/2021: https://books2read.com/ap/nmPmpN/Missy-Jane


Bio

Ms. Missy Jane is the alter ego of a Texas mother of four who has been married to the same wonderful man for over twenty years. She now spends most of her time lost in worlds of her own making alternately loving and hating such creatures as vampires, shape-shifters and gargoyles (to name a few).  When not writing, she spends her time reading, taking photos of her four wonderful children and training her husband to believe she’s always right. More info about Missy can be found here: linktr.ee/authormissyjane

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