Ever since I first saw this cover I totally fell in love with it, and I fell in love with the characters too, so it's with a great deal of pleasure I have Elizabeth VaLey with me on my blog today. Without further ado I'll hand you over to a skillful writer to talk about her lovely book
Thank you for having me!
Many things
inspired the creation of Blind Beauty, (my
love of fairy tales, The Golden Cock, reviewers…) but as it happens, music also played an
important role.
Crazy as it
might sound to some, I write with music. Words flow easier and scenes become
brighter if I have a tune to go with. When it came to writing Blind Beauty, I found that I needed
something folksier and in a way magical. After all, most of the story takes
places in Belmont Forest and there are strange things going on… (Aka a little
nudge from a certain magic user).
James barely looked his way as they continued to trudge
through the forest. Light was quickly failing, the oncoming night creeping on
them. The temperature dropped and the moon rose, the soft white light bathing
everything and creating a land of ice and shadows before their eyes.
I found my musical
inspiration in German pagan folk band, Faun. Their album Von Den Elben created the perfect mood to create a world full of
love, magic and adventure.
Sunshine illuminated her features and a soft wind blew
her dark locks across her face. Her little nose was wrinkled and her mouth set
in a thin line of concentrated determination as she saw things behind her lids
that only she could glimpse.
One of the
songs that inspired the beginning of the story was Faun’s cover of Schrei es in die Winde, a song originally from Eluviette (another great
group, whose music was also a source of inspiration) and whose melody, for me,
(since I don’t speak German), expresses hope. *Smile*
He was alone. Alone, in the middle of nowhere, and he
was glad. Raising his hand in silent farewell to everything he left behind, he
veered his horse and continued down the path away from everyone. Here, amidst
nature, there was no one to mock him for his looks. No one to gaze at him with
disgust or feigned interest.
His lips twitched and he smiled wildly. Kicking his
horse’s flanks, he set at a gallop. He would never return.
I invite
you to read Blind Beauty and listen
to the music that brought James and Richard’s story a little more alive.
Enjoy!
Blurb:
James Macintosh is hours away from his new home. He is
ready to start a secluded life away from all the rumors, insults and disgusted
faces concerning his appearance. However, a meeting with a mysterious woman and
her child, mingled with a sudden harsh snowstorm will set him down a very
different path than the one he had originally envisioned.
Richard Randywine is an accidental fugitive living with a band of
rowdy thieves. A good man at heart, he has gotten used to hiding his emotions
behind his strapping muscles and brute strength. Yet, when the thieves
ambush an unsuspecting rider, Richard is forced to drop his mask and step
forward.
Will both men be able to see what lies before them or will they be
blind to the possibility of happiness?
Available at:
Add it to your Goodreads
Author
Bio:
Defined as weird since she was about eight,
Elyzabeth honors the title by making up songs about her chores, doodling stars
and flowers on any blank sheet of paper and talking to her dog whenever he
feigns interest.
Losing the battle to the voices in her head
is her favorite pastime after annoying her younger sister with her singing.
Writing stories full of passion and emotion where love conquers all is her
happy pill and she'll forgo sleep to make her readers live the dream.
Stalk me at:
BlogWebsite
Goodreads
Pinterest (Blind Beauty has its own board! Check it out here)
Excerpt:
He climbed atop his horse, as told. His back molded to Richard’s,
his body betraying him as it molded into the other man’s embrace. Richard
pulled him hard against him, his body enveloping him in an almost suffocating
hug.
“Go,” he whispered huskily into his ear, his breath fanning it.
James pressed his thighs against Faith’s flanks, hoping the animal would
understand, considering the strange position she was in. She did, for she set
off at a trot in the direction Richard indicated. They galloped in silence,
trees whirring past them, snow flying when they swept past. James eyes widened
and he barely controlled the urge to order Faith to stop as he realized their
impasse.
“Richard, the hoof prints, the snow.” James pointed at the visible
trail. “They’ll track us down as easily as the king’s hounds trace a fox.”
Richard’s breath was warm in his ear. His hair tickled his temple
and James had to suppress a shiver.
“I know.” Richard chuckled. “Don’t worry. I have a plan, besides
wishing that they’ll wake up during the night and we’ll be miles away by then
or that it snows heavily again.”
James wished he didn’t have to worry, but he couldn’t relax. The
problem wasn’t so much the thieves that could pursue them at any moment, but
the man behind him. He was too close, too comforting, and all too desirable.
James shifted in his seat again, trying to find a comfortable position. One in
which he wasn’t pressed up tightly against Richard’s groin. One in which he
didn’t imagine he felt the length of his cock hard against him. Because, he was
convinced it was his imagination. Otherwise, how could a man like Richard be
interested in him? It didn’t make any sense. In his experience, men like
Richard were ladies’ men. They seduced, fucked and discarded women. He wasn’t a
woman and he’d been rejected too many times in his life. He didn’t need this.
He didn’t need more pain. Richard’s fingers brushed against his side, the
fingers digging into his flesh and distracting him as arousal flared in every
centimeter of his flesh.
“What got you into thievery?” he asked, attempting to forget how
close their bodies were.
Richard grunted in reply and he fell silent once more, fishing his
mind for a topic of conversation. It came up blank. He thought about asking
Richard to stop. Faith was probably tiring though she didn’t show it and
surely, they were safe by now. He should ask. James knew he should, but he
couldn’t. He was losing his mind, falling prey to the liquid fire that was
consuming him inside and outside. He wasn’t sure if the man was hard, but he
was. His cock was stiff and throbbing, the idea of taking or being taken by
Richard flashing through his mind every time Faith bounced.
What would it feel like?
Flesh both silky and hard as steel brushing against him, an intimate
caress, deep and longing. They’d become one man, writhing, gasping, and moaning.
James’ breath hitched, the tightness in his breeches becoming uncomfortable. He
clenched his teeth together and grasped the reins so tightly the material cut
into his hands. He scrambled to regain his bearings, to remember whom he was
with and what had occurred in the last 48 hours. He couldn’t trust Richard, but
neither could he trust his treacherous body. He was not a beautiful man. Surely
the thief didn’t want him. The thief.
That’s right, Richard was a thief. He had no morals, no scruples, no—James
groaned as Faith skipped over a fallen log, throwing Richard’s body against
him, the erection he was sure he was imagining grinding against his bottom.
Thank you for having me, Nephy!
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