Anya Bast

Happy Halloween! Today’s excerpt for Snippet Saturday is in the spirit of the day — horror. I love writing icky, gorey, scary scenes. They’re a ton of fun. In an alternate reality I’d lay money that I’m a horror writer.

Here’s a scene from Witch Fury in which my heroine is battling one of the almost impossible to kill daaeman. Enjoy!!

Excerpt from Witch Fury, by Anya Bast

Just as she reached the small lane that led from the main part of the land to the road, she heard a whoosh, pop, behind her. Suddenly Bai was there. He’d jumped from his last destination to here, probably figuring where she’d be headed. His face and arms were badly burned, the fabric of his shirt curled and melted. Yet she could see he was already healing.

The bastard.

He reached for her, but she swung her sword first. The tip of the blade sliced his throat. Acidic blood gushed, but it wasn’t deep enough of a cut to send him down. All it did was piss him off.

Bai stood for a moment, stunned, his hand to his throat and blood seeping between his fingers. Then he fixed his gaze on her and growled low.

Sarafina stepped back and tripped on a fallen branch. Using the tip of the sword on the ground to maintain her balance, she continued backward. Bai advanced on her, power gathering around him like dark clouds.

Daaeman magick sizzled and sparked in the space around his body. Sarafina was certain it was enough to kill her where she stood. Perhaps he’d decided she was more trouble than she was worth.

The power exploded and Sarafina dove to the side, literally leaping into the air as though she thought she could fly. She came down hard on her side and rolled away from the daaeman, coming to her feet still gripping the sword. Thank god for all the training Theo had given her.

Every square centimeter of her body ached.

She’d missed the killing blast, but Bai still leapt on her. His blood dripped onto her chest and she screamed, fighting against him. It was like trying to beat up a brick wall. She gouged his eye and that was not a brick wall–it was soft, squishy and vulnerable. Digging deep, she took advantage.

Bai yowled in pain and pushed away from her. She sprang to her feet and swung the sword, cutting deeply into his side. The daaeman roared in pain and back handed her. Sarafina went sprawling to the ground again, pain exploding through her face.

The Atrika followed her, looking as though he intended to simply rip her apart and bypass magick completely.

Seeing an opportunity to end this right now, Sarafina angled her sword upward. Bai fell heavily against the tip, his momentum driving the hilt deeper into his body than Sarafina could have ever hoped to achieve on her own.

She let go of the handle as Bai rolled away from her, the sword still deeply embedded in him. He came to a rest on his side in the deadfall. His body twitched and shuddered, low moans coming from between his thin, white lips. His blood coursed from his wounds, making a dark and smoky puddle in the dirt.

Want more? Visit these blogs for more snippets!

Anya Bast
Eliza Gayle
Juliana Stone
Michelle Pillow
Lauren Dane
Moira Rogers
TJ Michaels
Jody Wallace
Ashley Ladd
Kelly Maher
Shelli Stevens
Shelley Munro
Mandy Roth
Mark Henry

Sooooo I got my Christmas present early over the weekend, a pretty blue Toshiba Netbook. I wanted one because they’re so portable. You can literally stick this thing in your purse and go. It’s useful for me because I write a lot on the go, at the coffee shop while waiting for my child’s preschool to end, for example. I also travel a lot, having a husband whose family is overseas.

My laptop is awesome. It’s my third arm, and my constant companion. It’s also somewhat unwieldy. This is my laptop’s “Mini Me”.

Of course, I didn’t want it *this* way, so early and under these circumstances. What circumstances you ask? Well, my cat, my ancient, doddering, toothless, senile cat, knocked over a mug of hot tea on my laptop Saturday night. I acted quick, immediately getting all the liquid I could from the keyboard, using a blow dryer on it, and then setting it over a vent to dry for the night.

I thought the laptop was done for. I also thought I’d lost about 9 thousand words on my current work-in-progress, Jeweled. Not devastating. I know authors who have lost much more than that in computer mishaps, but they were a GOOD 9 thousand words!

I had a sad.

But the computer booted right up in the morning. I backed up my work immediately and thought I was in the clear…and then *crash and burn* it started to act up. So, long story…er, long, I guess, the laptop went off to the Geek Squad for two weeks and I got my Netbook early. I did manage to save my 9k at least!!!

Good thing because I’m under deadline for Jeweled and it’s pressing me. That’s why you’re perhaps not seeing me around as much as usual. That’s also the reason I’m not blogging much lately.

I am, however, participating in a Round Robin Horror Story over at the Witchy Chicks blog, if you care to check it out.

I’ll also be at a booksigning this Saturday in Lexington, KY. Here’s: the info, if you’re planning to attend:

Kentucky Romance Writers Day
featuring — Lora Leigh, Toni Blake, Anya Bast and many more!
Saturday, October 31 at 1:00 pm

Meet some of Kentucky’s best romance writers, including Sheryl Brennan, Teresa Reasor, Jules Bennett, Toni Blake, Dianne Castell, LuAnn McLane, Rosemary Laurey, Patricia Rice, Shiloh Walker, Molly Harper, Anya Bast, and Lora Leigh.

Joseph Beth Booksellers, Lexington, KY

I hope to see you there! We planned the event early so we could all get home and get to the all important trick-or-treating. My daughter is going to be a princess (for the second year in a row).

What are your plans for Halloween (if you have Halloween where you live, that is).

Today’s theme is “holiday” and, oh, lookee here, I just happen to have a story in an anthology titled Hot for the Holidays. 🙂 An anthology, I’m happy to announce, that has been on the New York Times Bestseller list for two weeks in a row!!!

Here’s a little taste of Sweet Enchantment. If you want more snippets, follow the list of links below.

Chapter One (Sweet Enchantment, by Anya Bast, appearing in the Hot for the Holidays anthology.)

Bella had vowed to never bind her life to this man’s. Now here she was, about to do it. Worse, she’d made the decision only two seconds after learning of his predicament.

Michelle Pillow
Mandy Roth
Anya Bast
Lacey Savage
Jaci Burton
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
TJ Michaels
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Jody Wallace
Ashley Ladd
Shelli Stevens
Shelley Munro

Welcome to another addition of Snippet Saturday! Today’s theme is “a character in danger”. I give you Sarafina, from Witch Fury. Enjoy!!

Excerpt from Witch Fury, by Anya Bast

Irritation swept through her. “Look, you told me what I need to know, showed me beyond a shadow of a doubt my true nature, now it’s time for me to go. I have a life, you know? I have a job I need to get back to, bills to pay, friends who–“

“You’re not cut out for data entry, Sarafina.” He shook his head. “Fire witches don’t work in cubicles or fetch coffee for their bosses. Stay here with us so that we can show you your true potential, so you can harness your birthright and get all that is due you.”

Due her? Apparently she lacked the sense of entitlement that this man had decided she should have.

Sarafina looked down at Grosset. “Look, I’m grateful that you” –her mouth snapped shut as she searched for the right wording– “unlocked this unexpected part of me, but I don’t owe you anything, and I don’t think the world owes me anything, either. You’re fucking lucky I don’t call the cops on you-all.” She would, of course, but it was no help telling him that. Holding Grosset close to her chest, she stood. “I really am leaving now.”

Stefan stood, his handsome, pleasant face overcome with storm clouds. “You’re not going anywhere. You owe us, Sarafina. Don’t make us do this the hard way.”

Yeah, she’d been afraid he’d say something like that.

Her anger flared. In response, that seed of hot magick buried in the center of her chest pulsed with newfound power. Sarafina knew Stefan was a fire witch, one far more skilled than she at wielding the element as a weapon. Newly born, so to speak, she had no chance against him.

But there was no way she was staying here, and no way she wasn’t going down swinging.

Unbidden and largely untutored, raw fire magick bubbled up from her, streaming down the backs of her arms. Only a sheer act of will kept it from burning the small dog she held.

Stefan stiffened, sensing the swell of her magick. The air suddenly smelled hot as the witch in front of her allowed his own power to rise. Apparently, they were headed for a showdown. It was high noon.

Shouting came from beyond the room. Stefan turned his head and Sarafina took the distraction as opportunity.

She fumbled for a moment, wondering what the hell she should do next, when an uncontrolled burst exploded from her. It felt like she’d fired a cannon and hadn’t aimed well. It went wide, toward the door of the room.

The door burst inward, ripped from the hinges at the same time the uncontrolled blast of fire hit it. Sarafina screamed in surprise, stepped backward, tripped and fell on her ass.

For a hazy, confused moment she thought her magick had exploded the door. Then she focused past the smoke and saw the dark outline of a man–tall, muscular build, long dark hair, grim expression on his face.

The man glanced at her for the barest of moments. His long hair blew around his face from the force of the magickical battle behind him. His eyes were hard and dark. In his brutal expression lay control and power. Knowledge–deep and wide. Sarafina noticed all that about him in a second and it took her breath away.

What new nightmare was this man?

The newcomer turned and deflected an aggressive attack from Stefan. The room exploded into chaos. Two men barreled through the door after the intruder. Instead of using magick to defend himself, he punched one in the face, grabbed him by his shirt front and threw him into the second. Then he whirled to once again face Stefan.

The scent of white hot fire and dark, rich earth filled her nose as furniture slid across the floor and slammed into the walls. The floor itself rippled. It was like a battle of supernatural titans.

Sarafina clutched Grosset to her chest and crawled behind an overturned table, holding her trembling dog close and wishing like hell this was all some really strange dream fueled by her grief. Any second now she’d wake up and shake her head over it, tell herself she’d never eat cold enchiladas before bed again.

But this was no dream.

Shouting, cursing. Explosions. Fire crackling. Growing hotter and nearer until thick bursts of earth extinguished the flare-ups.

Silence.

Footsteps pounded through the rest of the house. Shouting in the distance. In the room where Sarafina and Grosset hid behind the overturned table there was no sound. Nothing.

Maybe the intruders–whoever they were–had forgotten about her. Maybe the hulking man in the doorway had gone away. Maybe this was her chance to get out of here.

Moving slowly, she peeked around the edge of the table and saw only a smoldering fire in a trashcan over in the corner of the room. Smoke wafted through the air. She inched out a little more, straining to hear any other sounds from inside the house. She didn’t know who the party crashers were and wanted to avoid them. With her luck they were worse than Stefan and his ilk.

Movement. The swirl of a long black duster.

The man was still there. Peeking out, she watched him circle the room, languid, lethal. His muscular body seemed tense with the desire to kill something, didn’t really matter what. The man turned toward her and she ducked back behind the table and closed her eyes, praying he’d pass her by.

“Warlock.”

A hand grasped her collar and lifted her straight up.

Want more? Follow the links!!!

Anya Bast
Jaci Burton
Eliza Gayle
Michelle Pillow
Mandy Roth
Juliana Stone
Lacey Savage
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Kelly Maher
Sasha White
Ashley Ladd
Victoria Janssen
Shelli Stevens
Shelley Munro
TJ Michaels
Lauren Dane

Hi all! I posted this last Friday on Fire & Ice and thought I’d post it here too. 🙂

I was blog-blocked today, so I enlisted the help of those on Twitter and Facebook. They asked me questions (below) and I’ve answered them. I left off names and stuff like that, but I do want say THANK YOU to all who came to my aid. If you have any questions for me, go ahead! I’ll be around all day today to reply to comments (weather and internet connection permitting).

When did you know you wanted to write? What is it like? I know it’s a ‘job’, but how does it feel to create?
I knew very young. It was the thing I told people when they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. “I want to be a writer”. I’m not really sure why I decided on writer as a child. I come from a family of pilots. Flying should have been my natural inclination since I was around it so much, but it was always writing. I read all. the. time. Maybe that had something to do with it.

The plotting stage and writing the first draft are the parts of the process that feel the most creative to me. I love forming the world, creating the characters, and getting everything out during that first draft. Some days the words come sluggish and slow, but other days they just pour out. When I’m “in the zone,” so to speak, there’s no better feeling in the world. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

If you wrote a historical… what would it be?
I already did! My first book was a medieval historical that weighed in at about, oh, something like 200k. It was a door-stopper. It contained every rookie writing mistake known to man. It also skated the edge of paranormal. Back then, though, there was no such thing as paranormal romance, so my medieval historical was an odd book indeed.

I cut about half the book and rewrote it about ten times. It resembles almost nothing of its former self, but if you want to check it out it’s titled Strands of Sunlight and it’s for sale at Ellora’s Cave.

What is the one “position” you have written that you thought… oh dear god… is this even possible?
As a writer of many a ménage a trois romances and a few books with four-way scenes, I can’t even count the times I’ve stared at my manuscript, cocked my head to the side, squinted, then shook my head and deleted several paragraphs. When you get all those body parts in there, it can get confusing. Far too many arms, legs and other…appendages, if you know what I mean (and I think you do).

Are u doing any more of the elemental witch books cos i really luved them they were so grippin!!! i read all the books in a matter of days :))
First of all, thank you so much! 🙂

At the moment I have no more plans to write Elemental Witch books, though I do get many emails from people asking for more. I am starting a new series, however. The first full length novel of the Dark Magick series is Wicked Enchantment and it releases in January. If you enjoyed the witch series, I think you’ll like the Dark Magick series. It’s just as action-packed and hot as the witch series. New world, though. New characters. I’m SO excited about it, too.

Out of all the books in your elemental witch series which was the most challenging to write? and why?
Looking back now I’d have to say it was Witch Fire, the first one, only because I was so nervous about the book. I nearly choked that thing to death trying to get it “perfect” because it was going to be my first mass market release. It wasn’t until a while later that I came to the understanding that there is no “perfect”. Or at least “perfect” is in the eye of the beholder. You can’t please everyone, you know? So I loosened up and just wrote. I’ve been having a lot more fun since then.

Witch Heart gave me some fits too because the plot arch for the series took an unexpected turn in that book. I plot out all my books beforehand, but loosely to leave room for the unanticipated. Witch Heart took a few surprising detours while I was writing it. It made me beat my head bloody on my keyboard a few times.

I would like to hear about your new series.
Why, thanks for asking because I love talking about it!

The worldbuilding of the Dark Magick series is fae-based and most of the action occurs in a prison-like territory called Piefferburg. Essentially it’s a resettlement area for the fae, in a reality in which the fae are real and the human population knows about their existence. In this world, humans both fear and are fascinated by the fae.

With the help of the Phaendir, an order of druids, the fae have been captured and are being held in this large, warded territory of the United States. Of course, the fae want OUT of Piefferburg. That’s their overall struggle in this series–how do the fae break out of Piefferburg? How do they defeat the Phaendir? How do they deal with the humans who fear them? As an added complication, there’s internal strife between the Summer Queen of the Seelie and the Shadow Royal of the Unseelie. Lots of political intrigue and lots of friction between the fae and the Phaendir.

The Dark Magick series is action-packed paranormal romance, just like the Elemental Witches series, with each book focusing on a single couple (with HEAs), but with the series telling an overarching story. If you enjoyed the Elemental Witches series, I’m pretty sure you’ll like this one too. I do believe this one might be longer than the witch series, too. I think this one has some long legs. However that, of course, will be up to my publishing house, in the end.

Here’s a blurb for Wicked Enchantment, the first full length book of the series:

When you’re a half incubus, your reputation precedes you…

All eyes are on Gabriel Mac Braire the day he makes his first appearance in the Seelie Court, including those of Aislinn Finvarra. Despite deep bitterness over her last failed relationship, Aislinn cannot help but be curious about the half incubus who is known to possess dark magick, both lethal and sexual in nature. Rumors abound of the women who have become enslaved to his irresistible charms.

So when the Summer Queen of the fae orders Aislinn herself to act as his guide in the court, she is understandably on guard. She’s fallen under the spell of far less persuasive men before. In addition, Gabriel might be more than he seems and his true mission is far from innocent.
This time, Aislinn must protect not only her heart, but her very life…

I will say that this blurb is a little misleading…but in a good way. It doesn’t give any spoilers away. However it also doesn’t really tell the reader just how much conflict there is in this story. Big, sweeping change and conflict. I can’t say more than that without saying too much.

The Hot for the Holidays anthology has a taste of my series in it, too, with Sweet Enchantment. That one is available now.

Does your writing of sex scenes influence you sexually in real life or vice versa?
I get this question a lot. LOL. What I write is fantasy, just like vampires or faeries are fantasy. So, no, I’m not participating in lots of kinky sex acts every day, sorry to disappoint. Most of it comes from my own twisted imagination, just like everything else. I will say that I have a healthy (and not very repressed) attitude toward sex. I think that does help me to write sex scenes, but, then, I don’t know for sure. I know lots of very conservative and tight-buttoned women who write some scorchingly hot books.

Describe your writing day and your writing environment.
My dining room table. I have an office, but my toddler does not allow me to be secluded in my cave very often. I have to write when/where I can these days, as she takes priority. I’ve found that being in the center of my house on my laptop helps me be both a mom and a writer best.
Every day I set a writing goal for myself, usually something like two or three thousand words, depending. If I’m editing pages, I set a page count I need to reach. Sometimes I obtain my goals, sometimes not. I work until I reach my daily goal (unless I absolutely can’t). Some days I’m done by noon, sometimes I’m still working at midnight. I try very hard to be done by six pm every day, though, so I can take my evenings off. I can’t remember the last time I took a whole weekend off.

Thanks again for the questions, everyone!

I really couldn’t tell you why this excerpt popped into my head when I thought about dialogue. I probably have many better representations of dialogue I could post, but this is the one that called to me, so here you go. 🙂

From Witch Fire…

Jack walked back to sit on the desk. Thomas Monahan, head of the Coven, had tasked Jack with watching over Mira Hoskins as soon as they’d discovered she existed. If the Coven knew she existed, most likely so did Crane. Jack had been tailing her for about two weeks, sitting in his car in the freezing cold to stake out her work and her apartment. Normally he didn’t do straight body guarding jobs like this one, but this was special. Mira was special.

She moved on the bed, waking up slowly. Jack sat on the desk in the dark, flicking the Zippo on and off absentmindedly as he watched her.
Yesterday he’d felt compelled to make actual contact with her, so he’d gone into the diner and watched her work. Her eyes were hazel. Sometimes brown, sometimes green. Her smile was easy and seemed genuine. She actually appeared to like people, which was something he couldn’t say about himself.

“Mmmm, huh?” Mira murmured from the bed. She gasped as she caught sight of him in the darkened room and pushed up into a sitting position, her hand instantly going to her head at the abrupt movement.

Jack put the Zippo down. “How are you feeling?”

She took a few moments to answer. “Like I’ve been hit by a truck, abducted and am now in fear for my life. How are you?”

“You’re here for your own protection.”

“That’s probably what all serial killers say.”

He slid off the desk, walked to the side of the bed and flipped the light on. She eyed him uneasily and moved toward the center of the mattress, away from him. He watched her glance around the room, taking in the mahogany furniture, the paintings on the wall. She centered her gaze on each exit in turn–the door to the main part of his apartment, the door to the bathroom and the window.

“Don’t try the window,” he said. “We’re on the fifty-second floor. Are you hungry, thirsty?”

She licked her lips. “I want you to tell me what’s going on.”

“Your head must hurt. You want an aspirin, maybe?”

Mira hesitated. “An aspirin would be good.”

He walked into the bathroom to get the aspirin bottle and a cup of water. By the time he got back, she was gone. Unsurprising. He could hear her fumbling the locks at the front door in desperation.

Jack sighed, set the bottle and cup down and walked through the living room toward her.

She was just working the top lock and swearing a blue streak when he reached her. He pressed his body against hers and covered her hand with his own. She stilled immediately and shivered a little.

Jack tried hard not to enjoy the feeling of her pressed to him, but he couldn’t help it. The sound of her breathing, harsh in the quiet air, made his libido twitch with interest. It made him think of other situations when she might be flush up against him, her breathing ragged. A situation in which they’d be wearing far less clothing and Mira would be feeling far friendlier toward him. It was natural, he reminded himself yet again, the natural attraction of fire to air.

His pelvis cupped her gorgeous ass in this position, his chest bracing her back. He couldn’t help but wonder what she’d do if he slid his hands over her breasts, gathered the hem of her skirt and pulled it upward. How would her sex feel bared to his exploring hand? What kind of sounds would she make as he stroked her?

You stupid bastard, he scolded himself. She’d scream like a siren.

But give him some time and he could seduce her. Even if she wasn’t willing at first, he knew how to touch her to make her want him…beg for him. Even though he shouldn’t, he could tempt her into his bed.

The faint scent of her rose perfume teased his nose as he leaned down and placed his mouth close to her ear. “You’re incredibly predictable. Even if you’d gotten out the front door, you never would’ve been able to call the elevator without my security code.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean my apartment is the only one on this floor. I mean I have the elevator on security mode. You can’t access it without my code. No one comes up or goes down without it. No one even stops at this floor without my direct permission.” Beyond that, the magickal wards in place wouldn’t allow her cross the threshold once she’d opened the door.

“You’re a prisoner here. A princess in a tower,” he breathed silkily into her ear.

Want more snippets? Follow the snippet trail!

Kelly Maher
Jody Wallace
Shelli Stevens
Michelle Pillow
Lauren Dane
Leah Braemel
Jaci Burton
Elisabeth Naughton
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Juliana Stone
Anya Bast
Lacey Savage
Shelley Munro
Sasha White
Ashley Ladd
Victoria Janssen
Eliza Gayle