Nicholas wrenched off the headset and shoved it into the bag with the other gear. Everything that wasn't a weapon had to go. It was basic operational security: never let the enemy know your capabilities. There was another, more personal reason he didn't want to dwell on.
Della didn't deserve to hear him die.
...
2024-06-16 15:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post
The Libertine was undisciplined and reflexively cruel, but he wasn’t stupid. The only question was if he would attack immediately. After a moment he took a step back and widened his stance. His expression turned cunning and alert, and his eyes darted between them. “Isn’t this against the rules?”
“Haven’...
2024-06-09 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Della knew she was fast even by the standards of her own kind. She could have easily ducked into one of the side rooms. It would have been trivial…but she didn't. Her reasons were both elusive and primal, twisted up in anger and frustration, but they added up to a simple truth: she was tired of hiding.
The first ...
2024-06-02 15:15:00 +0000 UTC View Post A soothing electronic chime heralded Della’s entrance into Roger Sharp’s cigar shop. The emporium was exactly how she remembered, a surprisingly spacious and modern interior belied by the small storefront. But there was a strangeness now, even though nothing was outwardly different.<...
[ A/N - This unscheduled post is a curio. It's not supposed to exist yet. It is the prologue to The Queen's Archer, a "reverse Mulan" story set in the same world as His Orc Charioteer Bride. Let me be up front: this novel is far in the future! Over a year. But I made a bet on the RFM discord…and I lost. I don't regret making the bet. I might regret the cavalier way I offered the stakes! Still, I am a man of my word. Please enjoy this sup...
2024-05-25 19:28:36 +0000 UTC View PostMy Sunday post was a bit late today, but I had good reason: after a marathon 10-hour writing session, I finished the rough draft manuscript for Charlotte's Reject! (Considering I've been posting polished chapters here, I guess it's technically three-quarters of a first draft. 😅)
There are still more than ten chapters to post, but I'm free to focus on revision for a while, which is a relief. On a final note, the word count was significantly higher than I had pla...
2024-05-19 21:02:21 +0000 UTC View Post
“Good—”
The door slammed before Nicholas could say “luck.” He peered through the passenger window but only saw a young couple out for an evening stroll. She’d already vanished.
Don't take it personal. She had to do it.
From any rational point-of-view, Della severing he...
2024-05-19 20:27:13 +0000 UTC View PostFor me, the last part of a manuscript feels like the end of a marathon. Writing a long form work is about sticking to a cadence, just like a runner. You put one foot in front of the other and keep notching miles. You might feel doubt, exhaustion—occasionally unhinged elation—but the important thing is not to break stride. Just keep to the rhythm.
Near the end, you can't help but anticipate the finish line. You've been in a steady cadence for so long, and it's so 2024-05-12 15:02:01 +0000 UTC View Post
“This isn't going to work, Nicholas."
Della sat in the passenger seat, trying to suppress her growing unease. Even the reassuring feel of the knife against her arm was a poor comfort since—as much as she hated to admit it—it wasn't her safety she was concerned about.
“It's going to...
2024-05-12 15:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post 
Nicholas, happily dazed, leaned back against the table. Neither one of them seemed capable of looking away. Della’s expression was one of mild bewilderment, but a sharpness in her eyes hinted at a hunger for more than blood. It wasn't wishful thinking—she had begun cataloging his body with a distracted gaze, li...
Nicholas's quiet words disarmed her utterly. They found their way into her very core and became radiant, warming her heart the way his enclosing fingers warmed her hand. A strange hope was blossoming within her, so strong that her breath caught.
“Uh oh. One moment.” Nicholas quickly got off the couch and ...
2024-04-28 15:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post Time was too short to waste on this irrational conversation. Della needed to turn her thoughts to Roger Sharp and the news he would share, not courting…dating…kissing. These were human concepts, and none of them applied to her anymore.
I cannot kiss him.
By a strict definition, she...
2024-04-21 15:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostIt's been an eye-opening experience revising and updating my original Blood and Lace chapters.
As I get deeper into the unpublished sections I've started finding old notes that cover gaps in the prose. It's always a shock, requiring me to create entirely new work on short notice. It feels a bit like my past self suddenly popping out of a trap door and tossing a cinder block.
"Think fast!"
Anyone who actually reads these updates knows I'm fond of metaphors. Well...
2024-04-14 15:03:01 +0000 UTC View Post
The high and low points of this week were going to tear Nicholas apart.
If I was a car my shocks would be busted. The sickly attempt at humor did nothing to comfort his churning stomach.
Della stood before him, her arms around her middle and her shoulders hunched. She stared at the floor ...
2024-04-14 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostMy work continues to wallop me. Have you seen that gif of a guy in a panda costume trashing a desk? In this case, the desk is my prose output. 😅
Just like last week, there won't be an extra Charlotte's Reject chapter, but at least I can get the Sunday update out a little early. Have a nice weekend, everybody!
2024-04-06 23:02:46 +0000 UTC View PostDella came out of the day lethargy with a sharp intake of breath. Her body went rigid, braced to receive a killing blow or launch a ruthless strike. Why had she trusted him? She was vulnerable and exposed! She should run, she should—
The room was silent.
She was in the same position she had assumed just bef...
2024-04-06 23:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostHi all, I hope everyone is having a nice weekend!
You may have noticed only one Charlotte's Reject chapter this week. Unfortunately it couldn't be helped. Non-writing work has been intense for awhile and something had to give. I'm going to keep trying to hit my "two CR chapters a week" goal, but things might be dicey for a bit.
For those who have noticed on the Discord, thanks for your messages of support!
2024-03-31 15:17:34 +0000 UTC View Post“Oh my God,” Beverly said, “what’s wrong?” Whatever she'd seen on his face had deeply alarmed her.
“I…” Nicholas closed his mouth. He tried to swallow, but his throat felt as wide as a pin. He coughed, looking down to buy a few seconds.
“Nicholas—”
“I’m…realizing…it was a h...
2024-03-31 15:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostHi all, this week's update is a PSA.
It's come to my attention that access to the early chapters of Blood and Lace might have gotten messed up when I squished everything into one pay tier (thanks a bunch, Patreon). It should be fixed, but please let me know if you have any problems accessing Blood and Lace. 🤦♂️
2024-03-24 16:15:10 +0000 UTC View PostSomewhere below him water was roaring. Nicholas stumbled down the jogging trail in the dark. He was alone—Della had left despite her assurances. Without a guide, his foot slipped off the pavement and into open air. He fell, tumbling and rolling, down the dark wooded slope. The thundering sound of water grew until i...
Things were a bit delayed today because my wife and I went to a Cirque du Soleil show yesterday. We'd never been and it was incredible. If one of their tours ever comes close, it's worth the trip to see them!
On the writing front, I never thought I'd get to the point where I was uploading never-before-seen Blood and Lace! For those of you who have been waiting since the Wattpad days, I hope these upcoming chapters put a smile on your face.
My furious schedule to ...
2024-03-17 17:17:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Della watched Nicholas for several minutes, relieved that he kept his eyes closed. That gaze they had shared…it had been hypnotic, nearly overwhelming.
Who is this man?
He’d lived but a fraction of her lifetime. Did he truly command a presence that made her feel like a blushing girl...
2024-03-17 17:15:01 +0000 UTC View Post(A/N - This is an exciting upload for me, because this is the FINAL chapter that was previously available—in a rougher state—online. Every Blood and Lace from here on out will be seen for the first time only on this Patreon. See you next week for Chapter 14's debut!)
2024-03-10 15:00:08 +0000 UTC
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First a bit of bookkeeping: the defunct $1 and $5 tiers have been fully removed. Thanks again to any patrons who participated at those levels in the early going!
So I've entered what game designers call "crunch." I'm not sure what the writer term would be...scribble? 😏 Either way, the pressure's on!
Charlotte's Reject has been an education in more ways than one. I've never completed a long-form story by writing and posting multiple chapters per week. Now that ...
2024-03-03 16:02:01 +0000 UTC View Post
She'd smiled at him.
It was gone almost before Nicholas registered it, but that small signal of amusement had set off fireworks in his chest. He had kept himself talking, almost babbling, so she wouldn’t see how a simple curve of her lips had nearly undone him. Despite this awf...
2024-03-03 16:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostNew chapters of Blood and Lace and Charlotte's Reject are up! BaL is up to chapter 11, so here's a fun fact: whenever I verbalize "chapter 11," I have to add, "Bankruptcy!" right after. My dork blood runs true.
This week started a bit fraught. I had a narrative blank spot in Charlotte's Reject. I know how the story ends (with a good amount of detail), but I had one unresolved plot point, like a section of track missing as the CR train rumbles toward i...
2024-02-25 16:02:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Della was acutely aware of the rough carpet beneath her and the bed frame a few inches above. In the moment she felt grateful for the narrowness of the space. It made her think of insects captured beneath glass, preserved and immobile and still.
She was not still. There was a horrible sensation just b...
2024-02-25 16:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone! Today is the big day. You can read my strange superhero-inspired novelette in its entirety. "Late Night Date Night" is live for the Chariotier! (Fun Fact: Patreon doesn't let you change tier permissions as a group, which means I literally had to edit every individual post.😑 So if anything in that collection is still locked, please let me know!)
Blood and Lace isn't updating this week due to the content dump. Nicholas and Della will see you next Su...
2024-02-18 16:32:59 +0000 UTC View Post
Early Bird II is an exciting reformulation of O’Donnell’s premiere preplant selective herbicide. Featuring a smoother residual activity curve, Early Bird II realizes an 8.3% increase in control duration—
Nicholas tossed the brochure onto the coffee table with a groan. Had Ricky organize...
2024-02-11 16:52:28 +0000 UTC View PostHello and welcome! If you've become a patron, this is a great place to start exploring. Here's an overview of what's currently available on my page:
First up is a download of “Cleigh Moran and the Dancing Man,” an urban fantasy short story. I wrote this years ago and revised it extensively for its Patreon debut. This present-day tale follows a somewhat impetuous investigator who hunts down...
2024-02-11 16:29:19 +0000 UTC View Post