Did you think I forgot about Sundays? I haven’t. I’m just terrible at blogging. Thought I’d share a general update first, and then you guys can read the awesome awfulness that is my current WIP.

So, LUCKY will be released on November 15, and I hope to have a cover to share soon. (Very soon) In the meantime, I’m submitting Nefarious to Crescent Moon sometime in the next week or two. I have a few tweaks I need to work on before I’m confident it’s ready. I’ve also decided to publish Sex, Peanuts, Fangs and Fur: A Practical Guide for Invading Canada. I’ll be publishing this one myself, but I’m waiting until the New Year, as it needs a few rounds of editing.

As I work on that, I’ll be finishing the second book in the Sex, Peanuts, etc. trilogy, as well as Ominous, which is about 1/3 done. I’ll take a brief pause in all of this to participate in NaNoWriMo, because why not? I’m a masochist after all I have a project ready to go. It’s currently titled “Goddamn” because I can.

Anything else? Oh, and if I survive NaNo, Everland, a twisted and hopefully hilarious take on our favorite fairy tales, is also currently “in progress.” I hope to finish the first draft of that by the New Year as well, but I may be a little ambitious on that goal. We shall see what happens.

Phew. I think that’s it. Now, a peek at Ominous. (Warning: I wrote this excerpt this morning, so it’s full of bumps and such.)

The dead man was rather handsome. Poseidon stepped around the corpse. Somehow, he doubted murder drew him to this house. There was power within the brick walls—a power that was both familiar and foreign to him. Poseidon bent to peer into the window beside the door. Inside, two women faced each other. One, a dark haired beauty with haunting blue eyes, faced him. The other, a taller woman with blonde hair and an admirably curvy frame had her back to the window.

The dark haired woman held a book. She waved it around, and then tossed it on a nearby desk. The blonde turned, and Poseidon’s breath caught.

“Sweet mother of—”

The dark haired woman strode toward the door. Poseidon waved a hand over his body, concealing his presence moments before the door opened. The woman exited and walked away from the house.

He waited for her to turn the corner, disappearing from sight, before turning back to the window. The blonde woman touched the amulet she wore—Apollo’s amulet. So, this was the writer. She didn’t look like much. Rather plain really. Poseidon couldn’t imagine what Hera thought was so special about her. Sure, she was pretty, but she was also… forgettable. Now, the dark haired woman had a face—and body—a man could build a lifetime of dreams on.

If he could claim Apollo’s amulet, Poseidon could rewrite Fate. He imagined his brothers languishing in Tartarus, trapped in whatever destiny Poseidon wrote for them. The possibilities made him giddy.

His skin tingled, warning Poseidon of another entity. He peered through the cloudy glass once more.

Apollo faced the blonde, but she didn’t swoon at his beauty as most females were wont to do. Instead, she backed away, clutching the amulet in her small fist. Interesting.

“So now you’ve taken to lurking in the shadows?”

Poseidon closed his eyes at the voice. “Chaos. I should’ve known you wouldn’t stay hidden long.”

She joined him on the porch. “I don’t plan to hang around.” Chaos peered through the glass. “My, my, look at that.”

“At what?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen such raw emotion from our little ray of sunshine. I think Apollo has finally met his match.”

Poseidon chuckled. “She’s a human; hardly equal to Apollo’s admirable power, even with the trinket in her possession.”

“I didn’t mean that kind of match. Can’t you see the electricity bouncing between them? This human will have his soul, and you, dear boy, will not get the amulet so easily.”

“I will have what I deserve.”

“That you will, and it doesn’t include Apollo’s power.”

“Does Fate decree such nonsense?”

Chaos stepped back, wrapping her long white robe around her slender body. She twirled a lock of silver hair around her finger. “No, sweet king. I do.”

Poseidon felt a shiver creep over his skin as Chaos disappeared. He glanced back to the window. The woman held the amulet tightly, but she didn’t back down from the fiery gaze of the god facing her. Apollo’s eyes flashed with fury, but the woman showed no sign of fear. Despite their defensive posture, though, Poseidon realized Chaos was right. A frisson of light passed between their chests. Was it Fate, or had Chaos cast a web around yet another god’s future?

#

Hades roamed the quiet street. Whoever ended the humans’ world must have righted things again. For now. His skin tingled as he rounded a corner, and Hades paused.

“Poseidon?”

“Can’t hide from you, brother.” Poseidon stepped off the porch of a small brick house.

“Spying on the humans? Why?”

Poseidon sighed as he stepped onto the overgrown lawn. “I hoped to find out what happened here.”

“And?”

“A human has Apollo’s amulet. I imagine she wrote the end of the world and then put it back to rights when she realized what she’d done.” Poseidon glanced back at the house, but continued walking toward the street.

Hades sensed his brother was hiding the true story. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“There isn’t anything else to tell,” Poseidon said. “Apollo is dealing with the woman now. I imagined he’ll have the amulet back soon, and will make her forget what happened.”

“And if she doesn’t want to return it? You do know the power endowed on a human possessing that particular item?”

Poseidon nodded. “She won’t possess it long.”

“Or she may realize its power and destroy us. Apollo can do nothing to her while she has the amulet. Gods, what a shit show.”

“Perhaps Fate will step in. Apollo isn’t the only god lurking about.”

“Fate—no, Poseidon.” Hades saw his brother’s intentions as if they were written on his face. Poseidon would try to claim the amulet himself, and then the situation really would be a shit show. “The amulet belongs to Apollo.”

“Then he should’ve taken better care of it.”

“I won’t allow you to claim what belongs to our nephew.”

“It’s not up to you.” Poseidon smiled. “It’s up to the woman. She is rather attractive.”

“Figures you’d use sex to have your way. Some women have standards and this one may not fall for your charm.”

“She will. They all do eventually. You’ve seen firsthand how easily I can warm even the coldest heart.”

Hades loathed Poseidon’s arrogance, and his reminder of Persephone’s weakness. “You might fool them for a time, but while you’ve had many lovers, I don’t see any of them sticking around.”

“Because I don’t wish to keep them. I don’t share your need for affection, Hades. I am quite happy on my own.”

“Are you?”

“I’m bored with this subject. You should know something else.” Poseidon shifted from one foot to the other.

“What else could there be?”

“Chaos.”

Hades rubbed his eyes. Of course, Chaos would be right in the middle of a fiasco. It’s what she thrived on. He should’ve imprisoned her immediately instead of relying on the Furies to watch over her. Useless demons. “What has she done?”

Poseidon smiled. “Nothing yet. She is observing as far as I can tell, but eventually she’ll enter the game. Seems Chaos has taken an interest in Apollo’s Fate.”

“Poor Apollo,” Hades stared at the house. He felt the power hidden behind its walls, and a sense of foreboding settled over his heart. “If Chaos has the amulet…”

“Exactly,” Poseidon said. “Normally, I’d let you fight your own battles, Hades, but this is beyond petty rivalries and stolen thrones. We cannot allow Chaos to meddle.”

“You think she’d free them?” Hades wished his problems included only Persephone and Zeus. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of dealing with his father after all this time.

“Of course she would.”

“They have a bone to pick with Chaos as well as us. She wouldn’t risk their wrath.”

“Think about it, brother. Whoever releases the Titans will have their gratitude, even if that savior wronged them in the past. If they are freed… we’re screwed.”

“I suppose we better make sure Chaos doesn’t get near this human until she returns Apollo’s amulet.”

“Or we could free Zeus.”

Hades laughed. “Do I look like a fool? You may have played me as far as my wife is concerned, but I am not stupid. If we release Zeus, he will come after me. A war between us would leave no one to run things, which would be a perfect opportunity for you to take control. I know you, brother. You will play both sides until we destroy ourselves.”

“I said I don’t want—”

“Save it.” Hades didn’t want to hear Poseidon’s lies. He had enemies coming from every damn corner. No matter what he did, no matter how carefully he planned, someone was always gunning for him. He earned Zeus’ throne and Persephone’s loyalty, and yet he couldn’t hold onto either. “I will get Apollo’s amulet from this human, and then I will eliminate Chaos from the game. This time, though, it will be for good.”