Augusta slid out of bed and smiled seductively at her lover, enjoying the heated gleam in his eyes as she bent down to pick up her magenta-colored dress from the floor. The beautifully made garment had only one small rip in it – nothing that she wouldn’t be able to fix with a quick oral spell. Her clothes rarely survived her visits to Barson’s house intact; if there was one thing she enjoyed about the leader of the Sorcerers’ Guard, it was the rough, urgent hunger with which he always greeted her arrival.

“Is it already time to go?” he asked, propping himself up on one elbow to watch her get dressed.

“Aren’t your men waiting for you?” Augusta wriggled into the dress and reached up to gather her long brown hair into a slick knot at the back of her neck.

“Let them wait.” He sounded arrogant, as usual. Augusta liked that about Barson – the unshakable confidence that permeated everything he did. He might not be a sorcerer, but he wielded quite a bit of power as the leader of the elite military force that kept law and order in their society.

“The rebels won’t wait, though,” Augusta reminded him. “We need to intercept them before they get any closer to Turingrad.”

“We?” His thick eyebrows arched in surprise.

“Oh yes,” Augusta said nonchalantly. “Did I forget to mention that I’m coming with you?”

He sat up in bed, the muscles in his large frame flexing and rippling with each movement. “You know you did,” he growled, but Augusta could tell he was pleased with this development. He had been trying to get her to spend more time with him, to get their relationship out in the open, and Augusta thought it might be time to start giving in a little.

What does a green smoothie have to do with science fiction, fantasy, or even romance novels? Well, it’s our (mine & Anna’s) breakfast of choice. A lot of the above novels get written while our bellies are happily full with the green goodness. In other words, not much.

Here is how I make them. For one 30 ounce serving, take half a cup (15 oz) of water, three frozen bananas (just peel and freeze them the night before), a half of an avocado, a small cup of spinach (kale works just as well), and a spoonful of unsalted canned beans (optional but makes it more filling). Blend in a powerful blender (we love our Vitamix). Blend until smooth.

Tastes like a milkshake and looks like something the Hulk would enjoy drinking.

Many of you have been asking me for an excerpt. Here is the beginning of chapter 1 of The Sorcery Code, the fantasy novel I am currently working on.

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Chapter 1.

There was a naked woman on the floor of Blaise’s study.

A beautiful naked woman.

Stunned, Blaise stared at the gorgeous creature who just appeared out of thin air. She was looking around with a bewildered expression on her face, apparently as shocked to be there as he was to be seeing her. Her wavy blond hair streamed down her back, partially covering a body that appeared to be perfection itself. Blaise tried not to think about that body and to focus on the situation instead.

A woman. A She, not an It. Blaise could hardly believe it. Could it be? Could this girl be the object?

She was sitting with her legs folded underneath her, propping herself up with one slim arm. There was something awkward about that pose, as though she didn’t know what to do with her own limbs. In general, despite the curves that marked her a fully grown woman, there was a child-like innocence in the way she sat there, completely unselfconscious and totally unaware of her own appeal.

Clearing his throat, Blaise tried to think of what to say. In his wildest dreams, he couldn’t have imagined this kind of outcome to the project that had consumed his entire life for the past several months.

Hearing the sound, she turned her head to look at him, and Blaise found himself staring into a pair of unusually clear blue eyes.

She blinked, then cocked her head to the side, studying him with visible curiosity. Blaise wondered what she was seeing. He hadn’t seen the light of day in weeks, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he looked like a mad sorcerer at this point. There was probably a week’s worth of stubble covering his face, and he knew his dark hair was unbrushed and sticking out in every direction. If he’d known he would be facing a beautiful woman today, he would’ve done a grooming spell in the morning.

“Who am I?” she asked, startling Blaise. Her voice was soft and feminine, as alluring as the rest of her. “What is this place?”

“You don’t know?” Blaise was glad he finally managed to string together a semi-coherent sentence. “You don’t know who you are or where you are?”

She shook her head. “No.”

Blaise swallowed. “I see.”

“What am I?” she asked again, staring at him with those incredible eyes.

“Well,” Blaise said slowly, “if you’re not some cruel prankster or a figment of my imagination, then it’s somewhat difficult to explain . . .”

She was watching his mouth as he spoke, and when he stopped, she looked up again, meeting his gaze. “It’s strange,” she said, “hearing words this way. These are the first real words I’ve heard.”

Blaise felt a chill go down his spine. Getting up from his chair, he began to pace, trying to keep his eyes off her nude body. He had been expecting something to appear. A magical object, a thing. He just hadn’t known what form that thing would take. A mirror, perhaps, or a lamp. Maybe even something as unusual as the Life Capture Sphere that sat on his desk like a large round diamond.

But a person? A female person at that?

To be fair, he had been trying to make the object intelligent, to ensure it would have the ability to comprehend human language and convert it into the code. Maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised that the intelligence he invoked took on a human shape.

A beautiful, feminine, sensual shape.

Focus, Blaise, focus.

“Why are you walking like that?” She slowly got to her feet, her movements uncertain and strangely clumsy. “Should I be walking too? Is that how people talk to each other?”

Blaise stopped in front of her, doing his best to keep his eyes above her neck. “I’m sorry. I’m not accustomed to naked women in my study.”

She ran her hands down her body, as though trying to feel it for the first time. Whatever her intent, Blaise found the gesture extremely erotic.

“Is something wrong with the way I look?” she asked. It was such a typical feminine concern that Blaise had to stifle a smile.

“Quite the opposite,” he assured her. “You look unimaginably good.” So good, in fact, that he was having trouble concentrating on anything but her delicate curves. She was of medium height, and so perfectly proportioned that she could’ve been used as a sculptor’s template.

“Why do I look this way?” A small frown creased her smooth forehead. “What am I?” That last part seemed to be puzzling her the most.

Blaise took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing pulse. “I think I can try to venture a guess, but before I do, I want to give you some clothing. Please wait here—I’ll be right back.”

And without waiting for her answer, he hurried out of the room.

Got a chance to listen to talented local authors read their work at the BeachHouse Beanery on the 16th. When it was my turn, I did something different. See for yourself.

Wanted to kick off my blog with something informative. Figured I’d share the most relevant bit that actually makes it possible for me to have a blog and allows me time to write in the first place. That would be our big move to Florida. A little over a month ago, Anna and I took the plunge and decided to start writing full-time. Since this is a job you can do from anywhere, we decided to do it from a place that has a climate more suitable for our personalities. So goodbye, New York, and hello, Florida.

We are settling here fairly well. Our one big concern was that we wouldn’t know anyone here and would become even less social than our already fairly anti-social selves in NYC. But nothing could be further from the truth. In actual fact, we have already met many wonderful new people and are going out with much greater frequency than in New York. This tiny town pleasantly surprised us.

We keep an ongoing laundry list of things we do not miss in New York. That includes: commuting, noise, huge crowds, and traffic, just to name a few. I do very much miss my family, who are still in New York. On the plus side, though, they are going to come visit us soon and there is a decent chance they will want to stay :).

In any case, I should get back to my actual writing. I will reveal a bit more about my current projects soon.