Guest Post: Coastal Magic Convention Blog Tour with Kiernan Kelly

Today I am so pleased to welcome Kiernan Kelly to Joyfully Jay. Kiernan has come as part of the Coastal Magic Convention Blog Tour to talk to us about some upcoming releases, including the Ozmosis audiobook and Dare to Dream, book two of the Dragon Island series. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Hi Everyone!

Thanks to Jay for letting me come play in the sandbox today! I’m Kiernan Kelly, also known as Dakota Chase, and I write primarily GLBTQ+ romance in a variety of genres. Today I’m excited to announce two things – first, the recent Kickstarter I had run to put Ozmosis, the sequel to Mad About the Hatter into audio and read by Joel Leslie Froomkin was a success! I will be speaking with Joel in the next few days to get the ball rolling, and hope to release it in February of 2024!

Also, just released is a story I have in the charity anthology Midnight in the Renaissance Elevator. This is a terrific anthology with over 25 authors participating, and the profits go to the Trevor Foundation. Little background on the book — it was born at last year’s Gay Rom Lit conference, where the writers attending had trouble with an elevator whose doors kept forcibly slamming shut. Someone joked that it must be haunted, and someone else said that it would make a good premise for an anthology…and the rest is history. The book just hit the bestseller list on Amazon!

Second, I’m excited to announce the coming release of the second book in my Dragon Islands Series, called Dare to Dream. It’s the story of Dare, one of the twins you met in the first book of the series, White Dragon. I loved Dare, and watching him come out of his shell and fall in love was a ton of fun. Also, you won’t believe who he hooks up with!

Also on my soon-to-be-released list is an f/f romance book in the Summit Springs series. Summit Springs is a multi-author series set in a small town in Colorado. My book is titled The Pumpkin Patch, and it’s my second book in the series, and the first of the second season. In it, we meet Zoe, a recent divorcee who’s still in love with her ex, and is opening a Halloween pop-up store in Summit Springs. She’s got some opposition in the form of a few folks who believe Halloween is evil and protest her store, but she finds more friends than foes in Summit Springs.

On the fire but still not fully cooked is the sequel to Seti’s Heart, which I hope to have done relatively soon. After that, I have a novella due in December for an anthology on dino shifters!

I’ve also got a story going in Kindle Vella that I’m co-authoring with Minerva Howe called The Alpha Demon’s Surprise Baby. It’s funny and light and fluffy and I love it!

And finally, I’m working on a third book in my Mad About the Hatter series. This time, I’m sending Hatter and Henry to Neverland!

So, all in all, I’m pretty busy. LOL!

Thanks again to Jay for letting me pop in and spread all my good news!

Coastal Magic Convention is a casual reader weekend in Daytona Beach and takes place February 22-25, 2024. You can check out the website at http://CoastalMagicConvention.com if you want to learn a little more about the event. And if you are interested in signing up and joining us a the beach, you can register here.

Excerpt

From Dare to Dream, Book Two of the Dragon Islands Series:

Bull and his brother, Gray, were two very big peas in a very small pod. They were the youngest — and burliest — of a family of four dragon siblings birthed by a mother who’d passed away shortly after they’d hatched. She’d been mated to Gor, the Hound Master, a brusque man with little patience or interest in anything but his hounds.

Bull and Gray had been raised by Gor and their older brothers, and had little to none in the way of training in the gentler arts. They were big, gruff, handsome in a rough sort of way, and more than willing to take a sapphire from Dire’s hoard to do him a favor.

“Let me get this straight. All I have to do is take your brother out on a date? And for that, I get to keep this sapphire?” Bull asked.

“That’s right.” Dare held out the sapphire, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. The sun caught it, and it shone with brilliant blue fire.

“Why? What’s wrong with him? I’ve seen him around. He looks okay, but is he, like, deformed or something?” Bull gestured toward his private parts. “Like, things aren’t where they should be, or in working order?”

Gray cut in. “Does he have some sort of disease? Papa would kill us if we came home with something. The last thing he wants is for us to have to spend gems at the healer.”

Dare growled. “No, he’s not deformed, and no, he doesn’t have any diseases! He’s just… Well, he’s lonely, okay? He’s got it in his head that he wants a mate. I want to convince him he can have lots of fun without the commitment of mating. That’s where you two come in.”

Bull nodded. “Okay. I get it.” Then he shook his head. “No, actually, I don’t get it. Why do you care if your brother wants to get mated?”

“I know my brother. He gets an idea in his head and he obsesses over it. I don’t care if he meets his fated mate — I just don’t want him mating the first dragon to wink at him just because he feels like he has to mate somebody.” Dare spread his hands and effected a pleading tone. “I just want him to understand there’s plenty of fun to be had without mating.”

“So, how many dates are we talking about? Dates can be expensive, you know.” Gray eyed the sapphire again. “There’s food, and ale, and maybe a new tunic because the damn hounds chewed a hole in the old one.” His fingers found a set of holes near the hem of his tunic and played with the ragged material.

“That was your own fault, Gray!” Bull rumbled. “Father told you the hounds were hungry. You turned your back on them.”

“Damn the hounds! I don’t want to spend my life taking care of the hounds! That’s fine for you and Father, but I want more.” He eyed Dire’s sapphire, then turned a flirtatious look at Dire. “Like maybe a mate. A mate with a hoard of sapphires.” He licked his lips and cocked a flirtatious eyebrow.

Dire laughed at Gray’s pathetic attempt to seduce him. “Unlike my brother, I’m not in the market for a mate. Now, can you do as I’ve asked or should I seek out someone else?”

“Does your brother have a hoard of sapphires, too?” Gray demanded. “I might be just what he’s looking for.”

Dire began to second guess his decision to approach Bull and Gray.

Bull held his hand out to receive the sapphire. “I’ll do it. I’ll take your brother out, feed him, and then fuck him until he can’t walk.”

Dire rolled his eyes. “Can you fit in a little romance into that date, too?”

“What’s more romantic than your date wanting to sex you up? I’m an alpha. He’s an omega. It’s what we do.” Bull sniffed, and snapped his fingers, then held out his empty palm again.

With great reluctance, Dire placed the sapphire on Bull’s open palm. Thick fingers closed over it.

Dire was suddenly very certain he should never have even broached the subject to Bull and Gray, and very, very glad he’d chosen one of his least fine sapphires to pay for it. The deal was done now, though.

And Dare could always say no. Right?

Bio

Kiernan’s stories of gay romance envelop diverse themes. She has published with a variety of houses, and self-publishes, and to date has over a hundred titles to her credit.