Just an quickie update, and an excerpt to thank you for your patience.

The book is really moving--I had to go back and rework a few minor things after the plot decided to throw a curve ball at me. The book is already almost full-length for the industry standard as far as romances go but it's still got some ways to go before I'm done, which means... yay? More story for you!

I'm hoping I'll be done in May and can get edits done in June, then the ebook out to my backers. The print book, of course, takes longer--formatting won't take long, but there's proofs to order. Since I had the cover professionally done, I don't anticipate there being problems but I never say never.

I hope to have a book in hand to show you guys by sometime in August.

Okay, now let's look at an excerpt!

Excerpt

 “Ivy, damn it!”

He caught my arm before I made it ten feet. I stood there, staring toward my cabin. Even when he moved in front of me, I didn’t look up to meet his eyes. Maybe it was childish but the distance between us now left an odd, empty ache in my chest and if I saw that shuttered expression for even another second—

“I’m sorry.”

The gentle tone managed to do what the awkward stares and Jonas’s distance hadn’t.

It lit the fuse to my temper—and that eradicated the empty, awful ache in my chest.

Jerking my head up, I gave him a wide-eyed look. “Oh, well…that’s dandy. We’re all good now, Jonas. You ready to go to place and fuck? Or would you rather go to yours? Is it closer?”

He went rigid. “That’s not—”

I knocked his hand off my arm. “You don’t get to ignore me for an entire evening, then apologize and think that just makes it all better.”

“I’m not expecting it to make it all better,” he said. He moved in front of me when I tried to go around him, blocking me. “If I was thinking straight, I would have canceled the date after some news I had earlier, but I…”

Wide shoulders rose and fell and he lifted his face to the sky. “Fuck. I had this thought that if I could just see you, everything would be better. But that was selfish and you deserved better. I am sorry.” He lowered his head and met my eyes.

This time, despite the frustration and hurt I felt, I looked into his eyes—really looked.

It wasn’t distance, I realized.

The misdirected anger melted.

I closed the distance and cupped his face in my hands. “Talk to me, then. Let me help, even if it’s just by listening.”

Brow furrowing, he shook his head. “You don’t want this mess in your head, Ivy.”

“Have you noticed the mess that’s followed me since we met? Stalker guy who killed his mom and if it wasn’t for a bear…who happens to turn into a human and back, by the way, that stalker guy might still be trying to chase me around his dumb car.” I tried to smile and inject some levity.  “And now I’m hiding out here until it’s safe to go home. And I miss my birds.”

Jonas growled, his eyes going black. “I want to kill him. For making you sad even for a moment, I want to kill him.”

“That’s kind of extreme.” It was. And yet it made my heart melt.

“Okay.” Voice still growly, he said, “I’ll kill him because he’s a threat to you and you won’t be safe until he’s dead.”

“I can keep myself safe.”

Something softened in his eyes. “Yes. You can. You’re strong. We saw that the first night.”

The glow came into his eyes and I touched his cheek. “When your eyes glow like that…is it because the bear closer to the surface, or however you put it?”

“Yes.” Jonas lowered his brow and touched it to mine. “We want to take care of you, but we like that you don’t need us to.  A strong mate is a good thing.”

I stilled. “Mate?”

Jonas groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. “Can you forget we said that?”

“Um, no…?” My heart lurched in my chest and I caught onto his biceps, feeling strangely dizzy. Mate…that sounded more…permanent than girlfriend.  Didn’t it?

H’lo, my friends and apologies for how long it has been since last we spoke.

I’ve long wanted to regale you with my latest adventures but one calamity after another has befallen me and time passes quickly on.

In the harvest season, I had hoped my adventures with the swordsman would be over by Solstice and that I could devote all of my attention on hunting the Bear.

My quest was moving along nicely when events that couldn’t predicted beforehand threw my fellow adventurer, Kitasa Colbanari and I off our track.

Storms of snow and ice waylaid us, trapping us in whatever tavern or inn might spare space for us before the fire.

For weeks and weeks, the storms raged and one point, I feared we’d be buried until spring.

Finally, the snow and ice storms seemed to abate. It was still cold, still deadly, but the small inn where we had taken shelter was running low on provisions and I agreed to go hunting.

The weather had warmed for several days and I thought perhaps my task wouldn’t be so onerous.

The ice was melting. Game beckoned.

It was a long (narrator: 2 hours there, 2 hours back), dangerous (narrator: the roads were mostly fine—except at the farm. Those were rough) and cold journey. (Narrator: she drove her car which has heating).

But I returned victorious! (Narrator: damn right. Those steaks are amazing.)

And there, upon my very threshold came the danger I’d feared over the past weeks and months. While battling with an old war wound (Narrator: remember the vertigo we mentioned? Yeah. That), as I went to collect messages from the local messenger’s guildbox (Narrator: she means the mailbox), a deadly foe attacked. (Narrator: she slipped onto some frozen snow. Most of it had melted because the weather warmed up. She found the one slick spot left and it was late enough that the snow had frozen after again and she fell on her damn ass)

Weary, worn and nearly injured, but satisfied that the game hadn’t been stolen by thieves or brigands, (Narrator: her neighbors wouldn’t do that) I made my way back into the inn where I had taken sanctuary.

This new wound threatened to end me.

I will not tell you of my agony over the coming weeks. I sank into the dark, dark places.

For weeks, I struggled, the injury, alone in the dark, dark places, and the damnable plague still trying to kill me.

But I survived.

Word came from home that a beloved family member had also fallen into those dark, dark places. There are monsters there that haunt us, some more than others. Knowing my kin needed me, I hauled myself from the depths of despair and went to offer aid.

Walking through the Depths of Despair doesn’t make one an expert, but having battled that place before, I knew I’d have to render aid. For weeks, we walked those shadowy places but perhaps there is light ahead.

In my stumbling one day to gather my gear so we could organize and finish our journey, Kit and I, I fell again. This time, my reflexes were swift and my catlike grace saved me.

Having gone almost as low as I could go myself, I began to emerge from the Path of Despair. My soul is weary and my body battered. I am easily distracted and when a new fiend struck, I was defenseless.

Narrator: Guess who caught COVID again?

There are days when it is only sheer stubbornness that allows me to push on but push on, I shall.

I consoled myself those long miserable days only with thoughts that I had people awaiting me…and tales from the bard Patricia Briggs.

Today, I feel strong and the healers tell me I am on the road to recovery.

The horrible winter of snow and ice seems to giving way to spring.

But my journey with the swordwoman Kitasa has gone awry and we must travel fast if our patrons are to be rewarded for their kindness and patience.

That journey is almost an end, with only the Speakers and the Lovers of Tea are appeased. My hammer has broken, though…my trust war hammer, it blazed so brightly in my hand!

My injuries have been many. The shadows on my soul are heavy.

I battled plague, snow, ice and my own body to bring you this news.

Soon, I hope to have a story about the Bear to share with you.

Yes…it is spring and I will be going to hunt a Bear.

I hope this tale finds you well, my dearest friends.

Patience is a virtue. Sadly, it's not one of mine. I need to practice it more and be kind to myself, which I kind of suck at. However, I'm in the middle of an ongoing family crisis. I can't go into details and even if I could, I wouldn't. The issues, though, are exacerbating my own mental health issues and that's affecting my work output.

I've struggled with depression for years and typically, I just kick it in the face and go on about my day but right now, I'm having more trouble than usual. I will get through it, however, it's going to take more time than usual. It's affecting my work output which means the story isn't moving as quickly as I'd hoped.

It is moving and when I can find the motivation to write, I find a great deal of solace in the developing relationship between Ivy and Jonas. However, I am anticipating a couple of months delay in finishing the story.

I know this isn't what anything wants to hear, but I have to be realistic. I could push myself to finish and get done by the end of March, but that would result in a book of poor quality and I don't think anybody wants that. I definitely don't.

Thank you in advance for your understanding.

There's a snippet for my backers as an apology!