Title Reveal: Valkyrie Bestiary Book 8

My experiment of working in my little forest office has been a success! If you missed the newsletter where I talk about that, you can see it HERE. The calm and distraction-free forest has let me nearly double my daily word count, and I should have a rough draft of Valkyrie Bestiary Book 8 completed by next week.
 
And I have a title! 
 
Yep, this one took a little longer to reveal itself to me, but here it is.
 
Drum roll please…

Valkyrie Bestiary Book 8 will be titled: Unicorns Don’t Cry.
 
Of course, since this is the Inbetween, the unicorn in question won’t be the sparkly, rainbow-farting kind. The title is inspired by this sweet and heart-wrenching critter. His name is Chug. And he’s a had a hard life. Thank the One-eyed God that’s about to change.
Note that I created this image using Midjourney, an AI art tool. There's a lot of talk (and arguing) about AI generated art and books Lately. I want to assure my readers that I won’t be using AI for any of my writing. That would take away one of my greatest joys in life, the creation of stories. 
 
Nor will I be using AI to create covers because I truly value the collaboration and input I get from artists. Also, the legalities of AI art haven’t been thoroughly vetted yet. I’d rather be safe than sorry.
 
However, I find AI art amazing for finding inspiration. Sometimes the Midjourney comes up with exactly what I imagined, like this image of Gita, the Banshee.  Other times, I get something entirely unexpected, an image that then pushes me to places I hadn’t expected the story to go. Like for this little fella.
This is my interpretation of a coney. You might meet him in Book 8, but remember, no matter how cute he is, don’t turn your back on him! There are more AI-generated critters on Kyra's Blog at valkyriebestiary.com.
 
Anyway, I know many readers are anxiously waiting to find out what happens to Mason, after that suspenseful ending to Book 7 (**cough, cough…cliff-hanger**). So, like an appetizer to tie you over until supper, here’s a little teaser from Unicorns Don’t Cry. In this scene, Kyra has been called into the Winter Palace by Merrow Farsigh, the new Fae Prime Minister, to explain Mason's absence from Parliament.


In the brighter light of her office, I saw the wear and worry on Merrow’s face. The lines around her eyes and mouth were deeper than I remembered. Instead of sitting, she stood behind the onyx desk that reflected her gaunt form like a mirror. Behind her, floor to ceiling windows showcased the Montreal skyline.

“What can I help you with?” I asked.

“Call your husband.”

She had an uncanny way of talking without movement. 

“What?”

“Call him.”

I patted down my jeans. “I left my phone in the car.”

She hit a contact number on her widget and handed it to me. I held  it to my ear like it was a spitting viper.

A voice-mail answered. “This is Mason. Leave a message or don’t.”

His voice shot through me like a bolt of ice. She’d dialed his private number, not his office. How many times had I dialed that number just to listen to those few words in my husband’s untainted voice?

“So where is he?” Merrow raised an eyebrow. 

“He’s—”

“Don’t feed me that line about him being sick. If it’s true then he’s no longer fit to be Prime Minister. But it’s not true, is it?”

The question wasn’t a question. It was a hammer falling on Mason’s career. He hadn’t really wanted to be Prime Minister. Oscar had cajoled him into it, but once he took office, he enjoyed the challenge. He made a difference in people’s lives. He was born to lead, and now all that hard work was for nothing.

“He’s not sick, not really. He’s just not himself. He needs some time away.”

“It’s been weeks since he attended Parliament.”

“He needs more time.”

“Time is a luxury!" She slammed her hand on the desk, a rare show of emotion from the cold fae. "The city keeps on breathing, eating and fighting while he takes his sweet time. The gates are swarming with refugees, half of them dying of the flu. Forest fires are threatening our crops, and I have reports of opji raiders as far east as Hedge. And you say he needs more time? We need him here! I need allies in Parliament, if I’m  to solve any of those crises.

“Ramona is taking care of things.” We both new that as Mason’s Deputy Minister, Ramona Becker was quite capable of running the Party. The only reason she wasn’t PM herself was because she had the unfortunate habit of telling people she didn’t like to fuck off. I didn’t imagine that Ramona was a fan of Merrow.

“Tell me what’s going on. Tell me now or I’ll have you thrown in a cell for obstructing justice.”

“I’m not obstructing anything.”

“Then I’ll have you charged with jay-walking or public urination. I don’t care. Just talk.” Her voice was flat and uncompromising.

I held in a sigh. I’d known this moment was coming. We couldn’t keep Mason’s affliction secret forever.

“Mason is…gone.”

Merrow watched me with lips pressed thin and unreadable dark eyes. She wasn’t going to make this easy.

Look for Unicorns Don't Lie, Valkyrie Bestiary Book 8, in early October. Exact dates and pre-order links to be confirmed soon.

Book News

It’s Christmas in July! And what’s better than having a feel-good holiday book to read poolside? Oh, Come All Ye Dragons is on Sale all month for only $0.99. Read an excerpt or buy Oh, Come All Ye Dragons.
 
Kelpies Don’t Fly Audiobook is now on sale for only $10 at Audiobooks.com. Sale ends July 12, 2023. Grab it now to add to your Valkyrie Bestiary collection.
 
Hidden Coven Series is on sale for 50% off during the Smashwords Annual Summer Sale. 

Book Fairs & Events

I will be signing books and selling felties at the East Ontario Craft and Gift Market, this Sunday, July 9th, from 10am to 3pm. If you’re in the area I’d love for you to stop by and say hi. Find me at the Kemptvile Municipal Centre.
 
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