Circlet Press’s Sense and Sensuality is finally available for purchase! Hooray! My story in this anthology is called “A Woman of Uncommon Accomplishment,” and follows the adventures of Mary Bennet after the end of Pride and Prejudice, as she takes her interest in ponderous old books in a supernatural direction.

I wasn’t sure I could – or wanted to – write this story when I started, since I’d never done anything historical before and was a little daunted by the research, but I had a hell of a lot of fun, and totally fell in love with my characters. (To the point where I started a novel that picks up where the short story ends, though I don’t know what I’ll do with it when I finish!) My beta readers loved them, too, and I’m proud to say that Mary and her incubus companion, Nick, won over at least one reader who is definitely not a fan of Regency-era fiction.

You can read an excerpt from “A Woman of Uncommon Accomplishment” on your way to purchasing Sense and Sensuality at Circlet Press, or at All Romance Ebooks. The anthology is also available at Amazon.com.

I always mean to write thoughtful, in-depth reviews of the awesome books I read – and then never have time, or when I do have time, I’m babying my wrists with a computer time-out because I just got off a writing binge. But I read two really good books lately, and by god, I’m gonna review them. With as much depth as I can cram into 200 words or fewer each.

Cast the Cards, edited by S.L. Armstrong:

This one has been on my list for ages, because it has one of my buddy Marie Carlson‘s stories in it. And it’s a story that I didn’t see any part of during the draft phases (unusual, for us), so I was looking forward to a nice surprise. I loved it, predictably. “Blazing Star” has had favorable mention in many reviews, for very good reason. Marie has a talent for writing short stories that are self-contained and satisfying, but take place inside what is clearly a richly layered, larger narrative. Whether she’s actually developed more stories in any given world or not, her attention to backstory and world-building is fabulous, and it’s easy to imagine that they’re out there, waiting to be told.

The other stories in the collection were solid and enjoyable, though mostly not to my usual genre tastes. I liked them all, but I suspect they’d resonate better for readers who enjoy contemporary (as in, modern and not heavily speculative-flavored) stories more than I do. The other standout for me was Janine Ashbless’s “The Grief of the Bond-Maid,” which turns out to be the awesome Viking-inspired, symbolism-rich fantasy short that I never knew I always wanted.

Unlocked, by Courtney Milan:

OMFG. To use my friend Marianne’s favorite descriptor: AMAZEBALLS. I often feel like historical romance novellas are either too short or too long – either things happen super-duper fast (instant love!), or else there’s enough material for a really excellent short story…and then a lot of extraneous stuff, too.

But Milan nailed the length perfectly with Unlocked. She chose backstory elements that are familiar enough that she could put the focus on the particular details pertaining to her hero and heroine, making them feel unique and well-developed while still leaving space for the events of the story. And, awesomely, some room for a little growth for background characters, as well. I really want to say more about how thrilled I was by one particular development, but it would be a spoiler, so I’ll desist. (Hint: it’s the last scene before the epilogue!)

Anyway, if you like historicals and enjoy a well-paced shorter read, get yourself a copy of Unlocked. So worth it.

The editor for the Sense and Sensuality anthology, J. Blackmore, emailed all of us a copy of the cover art for the anthology a little while ago, and I just realized I haven’t gotten around to showing it off here.

Pretty, isn’t it? The release date is probably going to be in late July – I’m so excited!

One of my short stories is now available for purchase from Torquere Books! Here’s the blurb:

When college student Megan hits the library, she’s looking for sources for a paper on Carmilla, an early vampire story. But in gorgeous librarian Leila, she finds much, much more. It’s no surprise that Leila haunts Megan’s dreams, but as her fantasies heat up, she begins to wonder — is Leila really who she seems to be?

You can buy “Leila” at this link.

I said on my tumblr that “Leila” is kind of my love letter to literary analysis, and it’s definitely my most meta-textual romance to date. If you’ve read Carmilla, you’ll be able to see the ways I’ve borrowed and reinterpreted a couple of things. If you haven’t and “Leila” has made you curious, you can check Carmilla out for yourself at Project Gutenberg, among other places.

J. Blackmore has announced the author lineup for Circlet Press’s upcoming Sense and Sensuality anthology, so I think it’s safe to go ahead and say… My story made it in!

I’m super-excited to be a part of the anthology, and even more excited to be able to share my story, “A Woman of Uncommon Accomplishment,” with readers. I had a ridiculous amount of fun writing it, even though it was somewhat out of my usual genre range; I’m hoping that people will enjoy reading it at least as much.

“A Woman of Uncommon Accomplishment” picks up not too long after the end of Pride and Prejudice, and follows Mary Bennet as she discovers that magic is real, and sets about learning to use it. There are, of course, complications, the most alarming of which is an accidentally-summoned incubus who calls himself Nick and won’t go away.

I’ll share more as publication approaches!