Tag: Valerie Willis

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The Love Family

8 Greek Beings Associated with Love

When it comes to love and romance gods, usually the first to come to mind is Aphrodite, or Venus with the epic art work of long hair and a clam shell motif. Hot on her heels is usually her adjacent partners including Cupid and Eros. Exactly what is their roles in romance according to legends and their own connections to love. Taking a dive into my latest release Bulfinch’s Age of Fables, featuring volume 1 from the textbook sized tome Bulfinch’s Mythology (featuring all 4 volumes), let’s discover exactly all the gods, goddesses, and creatures covered in associate to love and romance.

Anteros

This is the avenger of slighted love as well as the symbolized reciprocal love. Granted less is known about this god and again, he is often lumped together with Cupid and Eros. I love to think there is a specific god who will honor true, sincere love and romance while defending it, or at least slaying those who would break such sacred bounds. Another story implies he was birthed by Aphrodite to provide a brother to Eros to help him grow, to which he did so rapidly in Anteros’ presence (via advice from Themis who noted he was childlike because of his solitude).

Aphrodite, or Venus

Ah, the notorious goddess of love and beauty. Her creation on the other hand falls on three common variations. Some say she is the daughter of Zeus (Jupiter) and Diones while others claim she sprang forth from the foam of the sea. Older beliefs claim she is the personification of Aer’s genital after Kronos (Saturn) dismantled his father and his body gave birth to the world as we know it. Interestingly enough, despite all her proposals from the gods, Zeus made arrangements for Vulcan, the creator of his lightning bolts, to be married to her. There is even reference that she wears a magical embroidered girdle or belt called Cestus that is said to inspire love from others. Often she is associated with doves, swans, and roses which are stables for marketing Valentine’s Day.

Cupid

Now, he is sometimes mashed in as Eros in accounts, but in the reference of this role, he is said to be the son of Aphrodite (and not hatched from an egg in the night of Chaos). He is famous for shooting darts of desire into the bosoms of both men and gods. 

Erato, a Muse

This was one of the nine muses who was accredited as the creator and overseer for love-poetry. Many of her sisters were in charge of other aspects of art and poetry, but out of all of them, she is the only one who is specifically associated with romance and love.

Eros, or Love

Issued from an egg? What! Love was hatched in this case in the night while floating on Chaos. In most accounts he is very similar to modern understanding of cupid, armed with a bow and arrow. Unlike cupid, Eros’ arrows alongside the torch in which he lights them, is to make the world more vivid by piercing through the darkness he was born in to produce life and joy. Alongside Earth and Erebus, there is belief via a Greek tragedy these three were the first of beings.

Narcissus

Someone who could only love himself. Pursued by the nymph Echo, he ignored her and all others. Fiana didn’t care for such a handsome mortal ignoring the affections of her nymphs. A prayer went out, and was awarded, that he may fall in love and receive no affection. What they didn’t expect, this would unfold in the form of Narcissus falling for his own reflection in a fountain. Unable to turn himself away, he plunged arms and all in time and time again. Eventually he drowned to which his body turned into a flower, also by the same name.

Nessus, the Centaur

This is a strange, lesser known aspect of the Hercules legends. In short, he was famous for helping people across rivers for a fee. When he attempted to run away with Hercules’ wife, Dejanira, he was shot in the heart. As a dying apology, he insisted she keep some of his blood as a charm or curse to ‘preserve the love of her husband.’ Later, Hercules’ love wavered when his affection grew for Iole, she enchanted the garment with the blood. The moment he placed it onto him, it poisoned him and he could no longer remove it as it stuck to his skin. In short, he was marked as being unfaithful or possibly considered to be such.

Pygmalion

Hated women so much, he sculpted one of his own vision. He loved the statue greatly, falling in love to the point of kissing it every day and gifting it bright shells, polished stones, birds, flowers, beads, and amber. It’s even written he bestowed the inanimate objects a “young girls love” meaning affection on par to a young girl’s display towards a first love or crush, from compliments to more. He even adorned her with jewelry of the finest materials including pearls. Venus was amused by this and answered his prayer and turned her into a real girl. Yes, this is very much like a Pinocchio story! Fun fact, this statue is labeled Galatea who is later recognized as a sea-nymph.

Discover More

Like the information you see here? Check out Bulfinch’s Age of Fables. This book is a public domain remake, meaning it was originally published over 70+ years ago and has been redesigned to improve aesthetics and utilize search function in PDF and eBook formats. To add to the overall look and feel, public domain images and artwork have been added to show how these legends and topics have influenced not only the literature referenced by Thomas Bulfinch, but artists through the centuries.

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7 Love Stories From Fables That Were Tragic

Mythology is full of tales of love, and a popular in modern retellings is often Hades and Persophene. But they weren’t alone! And much like their own story, can we really label such tragic tales as love stories or romance at all. Regardless, taking a dive into my latest remake Bulfinch’s Age of Fables here are some of the stories that stuck out. Read more on these throw the eyes of Thomas Bulfinch in the book itself, but here’s my take and cliffnotes.

Adonis and Aphrodite

A short-lived romance. In fact, Aphrodite fell victim to Cupid’s arrow while out playing under the shade of trees. The wound deeper than she had expected, fell under this spell the moment Adonis was spotted. She soon grew obsessed over the youth, and the moment she left his side, he fell victim to his confidence. Throwing a spear at a wild boar, it turned on him and attacked. By the time Aphrodite turned her swans and pulled the chariot around, his death was assured. It is said she beat on herself and pulled her hair out over the grief. 

Cephalus and Procris

First off, Cephalus is said to have been a gorgeous man with a love for sports. In short, he was sought after by the gods. Just after marrying his charming and devoted wife Procris, he was pursued by Aurora, the goddess of dawn, daybreak, and sunrise known for riding her chariot across the sky from east to west. After he refused her time and time again, she abandoned her pursuit after the javelin wielding brute who was happy with his wife. After loosing his dog in the woods, someone overheard him talking seductively to an unknown entity while resting against a tree. When word got back to his wife Procris, she followed him the next day when he continued his search. She watched as he ran himself ragged looking for the dog, until at long last, he leaned once more against a tree, seducing the breeze. She began crying in the pushes, to which an alarmed Cephalus threw his javelin. He hit his mark, and unknowingly, slayed his wife who said in her dying breath, “I implore you, if you have ever loved me, if I have ever deserved kindness at your hands, my husband, grant me this last request; do not marry that odious Breeze!”

Daphne and Apollo

This poor nymph was actually a victim of Cupid’s ego. In short, when Apollo bragged about the power of the arrows he shot, Cupid decided to show this god the power behind his own. Apollo pursued Daphne endlessly, unable to break the dart of desire to be with her and have her as his own. Apollo was taken aback how an arrow to the heart was more powerful than any medicine or remedy he could imagine, nothing could cure him. Peneus or Gaea are accredited for “saving her” by turning her into a laurel or olive tree to escape Apollo under Cupid’s spell.

Glaucus and Scylla

Why does no one talk about this or do retellings of this interesting hot mess. I mean, dark romance and monster lovers would love to see a modern revision! Glaucus started life as a mortal fisherman, but plunged into the water and let Posiedon and Tethys wash away his mortality. From here, he became a merman with long sea-green hair, broader shoulders, and fish tail where thighs and legs had once been. One day, he came across Scylla, a gorgeous water nymph rambling on the shore. He showed himself to her. It did startle her, but he poured over his life story and how he came to be before confessed he fell in love at first sight. When she ran from him, not returning his affections, he sought counsel from Circe for guidance. In short, she told him to pursue a more willing woman and look elsewhere, for she did not meet his affection. When Glaucus informed her he would not, she grew madly jealous and wanted Glaucus’ affection and devotion for her own. Unable to change his mind and unwilling to punish the god she was crushing on, she threw all her rage against Scylla herself. Poisoning Scylla’s bathing waters, the water nymph found being waist deep had made waist down turn into a tentacle, serpent, and barking monster mess. Anger filled her to have been changed in such a way and she devoured many fishermen and sailors in revenge. Strangely, Thomas Bulfinch doesn’t cover what Glaucus’ thoughts were of what unfolded.

Halcyone and Ceyx

Again, a tragic tale of a happily married king and queen. King Ceyx went to seek out the Oracle of a matter where he angered the gods because of his grief from losing his brother. When he told his wife Halcyone of his plans, shudder ran through her and she paled. She did her best to change his mind, discourage him with brutal tales and even saying: “What fault of mine, dearest husband, has turned your affection from me? Where is that love of me that used to be uppermost in your thoughts? Have you learned to feel easy in the absence of Halcyone? Would you rather have me away?” In the end, he made the journey, the gods destroyed him and his ship. She is said to leap from the cliffs to his lifeless body. It is here she is transformed into a Halcyon, or type of cliff nesting kingfisher. In other stories, she is said to become a hummingbird.

Persephone and Hades

We’ve seen the reimagined versions and more common stories, but many have forgotten the original tellings. In short, while Persephone was out collecting lilies and violets in her apron, Hades saw her from afar on his chariot. From that first moment, he loved her and immediately carried her off. As he urged his steeds on calling them by their names, Persephone cried out to her family and friends. She let go of her apron, a falling of flowers to symbolize her grief and a striking imagery painted here. When they hit the river Cyane, Hades struck the ground with his trident and gave passage to Tartarus. The story mostly focuses on Ceres or Demeter’s investigation and hunt for her daughter. Angry how many feared Hades and kept information from her or how the soil even betrayed her. It’s a mother’s revenge story more than anything as she retaliates against all who did not stop, interfere, or tell her something about her kidnapped daughter. In fact, in some accounts she’s riding a chariot pulled by winged dragons when she makes her way into the underworld to retrieve her daughter from Hades in Elysium.

Pyramus and Thisbe

You can easily consider this the original variation of what inspired Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. These two were neighbors and after a gathering, fell madly in love. Their homes shared a wall to which a crack allowed the two lovers to communicate to one another after their parents had forbidden them from marrying. In short, Thisbe went to a meeting place outside the city at a fountain. There a lioness with a bloodied mouth spooked her to hide between nearby boulders. It was here that the lioness chewed and bloodied her veil, to which Pyramus would discover. Unable to imagine life without Thisbe, assumed dead, he took his own life. Thisbe returned to the fountain to discover Pyramus dead and thus, followed him. Thus the phrasing, “…as love and death have joined us…” is associated to many modern vows.

Discover More

Like the information you see here? Check out Bulfinch’s Age of Fables! This book is a public domain remake, meaning it was originally published over 70+ years ago and has been redesigned to improve aesthetics and utilize search function in PDF and eBook formats. To add to the overall look and feel, public domain images and artwork have been added to show how these legends and topics have influenced not only the literature referenced by Thomas Bulfinch, but artists through the centuries.

Bulfinch’s Age of Fables
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Stop Giving Condolences on Revisions

A woman with brown and blonde hair smirks at the camera.

Though the novel has now moved onto the Editor’s Desk, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing from my fellow authors when I had told them I was in revisions for The Assassin’s Saint under my pen name V.C. Willis. It confused me. I was met with many “I’m so sorry” and “Oof! That’s rough” instead of the expected response of excitement that I felt. Feeling something had to be said, I took to social media and posted my thoughts and reactions to this whilst giving some proper advice, and support for those of you who feel condolences are needed.

Revisions VS Self-Editing

Editing is the final step before it hits the actual editor’s desk. Trust me, it’s impossible to see everything without a second pair of eyes. Revisions however is what happens between emptying the initial draft (rough and/or first draft) onto the notebook or word document. What follows is the tribulation and excitement that seems to either haunt most writers, or worse, send them into a spiraling black hole of grief that is on par with someone dying.

It’s ok. I can easily see why that happens. You would think after painstakingly prying the story from the depths of your mind and imagination, that you would be able to move on, but you can’t. In this way, yea, condolences may feel very on point. Moving on when you suddenly lose someone is very similar to the sensation of: 

“I finished, but I’m not, and I just want to move on to the next story but can’t because [insert muppets hands waving about] emotional distress is still happening with this story!”

Just remember this is not the time to be the grammar king/queen nor aim to polish your work. I know, that feels … wrong … but I assure you, this will make sense in the next few paragraphs!

It’s Not a One-and-Done Process

First mistake I am noticing is that many authors are thinking or forcing the concept that a revision is a one-and-done process. No. Please don’t do this to yourself. Revision is like combing tangles out of a wily little girl’s hair. Prepare for a long process that may even threaten to time spent getting that draft written. You will be combing through this one section or focal point at a time, and you might have to call for help or research or gather additional tools. I know, that sounds frightening, and it shouldn’t. 

This is meant for you to take the time to decide on several factors. Now that you can see all of your story, the first sweeps of the comb should be checking that writing style or voice you developed at the end of the draft. For example, your first few sweeps should do the following:

  1. Go back, make that voice stronger and more consistent from start to finish based on the voice and writing style created by the end of the draft. Make that prose pretty! With everything in place, you can take the time now to adjust the way you are telling the story to really bring out strong prose or create some where none resided.
  2. Make sure what crazy-sauce that was in your head really did make it on the page for the reader. I can’t tell you how often we are unaware we left vital information unwritten because “I knew it off the top of my head” thanks to yammering from imaginary friends.
  3. Summarized paragraphs that may be best as fleshed out scenes and chapter(s). This is probably the most important thing to be doing in those first several comb throughs. I know this is one of my biggest issues that comes up time and time again. Honestly, after recently revising The Assassin’s Saint I realized how much stronger my writing has gotten and that it’s nice to first empty the story out, see what writing style/voice I have, then flesh out these moments more accurately. Who cares I had to have six new chapters between Chapter 2 and 3! The story benefited from the readers experiencing things and I didn’t struggle to write it now that I know what’s happening!

How to Break It Down

Now, how do you get the revision ready for self-edits and eventually the editor’s desk at the very least. BREAK IT DOWN. We are now on the rounds of revisions that tighten our craft. We’ve expanded, deleted, and strengthened the bones and added the muscles. These comb-throughs are intended to build up the muscles, put the skin on the beast we’ve written. Maybe even add some tattoos or piercings. Whatever you want, it’s your story. Here’s some ways I like to polish off revisions before diving into grammar and commas and things I am not so strong at mastering.

  1. Foreshadowing – I talk a lot about foreshadowing and this is a great focal point for a revision round. Now that the plot is clear, there’s plenty of hints and winks you can add in to really build the reader’s immersion and anticipation.
  2. Dialogue – This can be very telling. Some authors go as far as only reading the dialogue to see if they can still grasp what is happening in the story from that much. It’s a great way to check for meaningful and story-provoking dialogue content.
  3. Character – Pick your main character, secondary, love interest, or villain and start a comb through only paying special attention to their actions, dialogue, and narrative meant for them. It’s amazing how often this simple routine has helped me catch holes even in my plot! Try it out!
  4. Story Beats or Plot Points – Make sure you got it all in there and that the order of events makes sense. Sometimes recapping these can let you know if you’re missing something or need to adjust the story in some way. In fact, I realized between this and character revision I was missing an entire subplot and had to write that into the story. These comb-throughs aren’t always an easy fix, but they are often necessary.
  5. Narrative and Setting – Much like the dialogue check, start reviewing just this section of the story. Are you establishing a change of room, scene, and location? Does the narrative support what is unfolding, match the emotions of what is happening while instilling that tone into your readers? Are you leading the reader into the scene and to the next scene with strong enough transitions? These are all important factors that should be one of the many rounds of revisions you perform.
  6. Reader Immersion VS Character State – This is one I do, and I don’t know how many authors really dig their fingers into this. It’s not something I see written or talked about often but I fret frequently over this concept. My last few rounds are often making sure that the emotional states of my characters and readers are where I want them to be chapter by chapter. I find myself tweaking the length of sentences, changing out word choice, and even adding/deleting anything that might damage/improve the pacing. Delivery of those tense moments mean everything in my own work where broody, angsty characters roam and dark fantasy vibes tend to prove PTSD worthy. Ask yourself often if you feel what was written invokes the emotional state the reader should have before the next chapter, and if not, time to massage content.

Repeat after me:

“I am not grieving! 
No one has died (besides [insert character(s) names here])! 
I don’t need condolences and certainly shouldn’t be giving them!
Revision rounds are where my prose turns pretty!”

Good! Do you feel better? It’s not a race, it’s revisions. You will have to comb these tangles out a few times before it’s ready for you to work grammar magic. That’s ok. Take it one step at a time, break it down, and watch how strong your story becomes.

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Like the advice and information you see here? Follow me on social media where I often post videos talking about and discussing my own tribulations as well as encouraging others to excel. From advice about writing, book design, to insight on my own work and creations that may prove inspiring. Stay connected here at WillisAuthor.com OR https://linktr.ee/WillisAuthor

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How to Use Your Manuscript to Guide the Book Formatter

It can’t be said enough times of how important it is as a writer and author, to be aware of how you are using your craft. Every space, placement, and the overall format you give your manuscript can impact how the editor, formatter, and reader interact and perceive the content on the page. As with anything else, consistency is key and being aware of what you can do to strengthen your formatting to carry through to the book formatter for optimal results in the overall print design. Here’s some great tips that can be huge game changers in your writing, editing, and publishing. Let’s take a look at what matters the most when formatting your manuscript to hand to editors and formatters alike.

Margins and Page Size

Stick with standard 8.5 x 11 or Letter sized pages. Don’t try to shrink the page size or mimic the print size of the book. Instead, focus on standardizing this so it’s easier to see any key changes in the overall content. On that same note, normal margins or 1 inch margins on all sides are just uniform for preparing a document. Leave book trim or size and the math for proper margins to the book formatter so that the print house has to correct parameters.

Line Spacing and Font Choices

Double spacing a manuscript is pretty well known whether it’s a class essay to a manuscript for a literary agent. The reason for this is that they can print and have space to leave marks and corrective notes. Same goes for most editors where this is also standard. As for the formatter, they will be basing line spacing on the font choice since these all have different natural spacing.

Fonts should be standard or common choices such as New Times Roman or Times, Arial, Garamond, Helvetica, and similar. Courier, Comic Sans, Papyrus, and other fonts should be avoided in case there are special letterings or accented characters that could be lost completely when importing into other programs for book formatting. These are also common fonts for eBook readers and are a great way to make sure the content you are writing is completely compatible for ebook devices and formats. 

Double Return versus Line Break

Be sure to either make a paragraph style that adds a space after or utilize a double return between flashbacks and similar slight content changes. As for a line break or scene change within a chapter, pick a means of communicating this by adding a line with asterisks (***) or hashtags (#). This should be consistent so that a simple find and replace can be done to identify where line break artwork or ornaments will go in the book design. 

Never hold SHIFT+ENTER since this creates a manual line break, not a hard return. These can cause weird spacing and awkward forced breaks in the middle of content, sentences, and more. Most designers may clean them out as they see them, while others simply assume they are intended to be there. 

Don’t force things to land on the next page unless it’s intended to do so like a new chapter start. You can even set the heading style or chapter header style to page break before or start on the next page. These make life easier as you start to write and prep your manuscript for editors and formatters. If you do need a manual page break, you can use the insert break options or use CTRL+NUMPAD ENTER to create one. Never use multiple hard returns to force content to the next page as it can cause confusion when the content is placed within the book trim and layout. 

Styles and Headers

Many word processors now have means of labeling paragraph styles, styles, or heading styles to content. Use them! These not only add vital programming, but makes it much easier for your formatter to understand the hierarchy of the content without guessing or making an attempt to read the content. Be mindful of how you are labeling chapters and subheads with these styles to make sure they will be designed with the same intent in the print version. 

You can also use styles or make custom styles to identify quotes, pull quotes, letters, references, and similar aspects. Be sure to make the formatter aware to expect these extra components. Using one or more character styles should help make these stand out via formatting choices such as italics, bold, or underline. Combine these with paragraph justification for further visual impact such as indent left, indent right, space before, space after, and center alignment.

Using style and heading systems can help you see your sections in navigation panes as you write and make it easier to jump to sections you want to work on or edit. It also utilizes and opens up doors for automation for ebook creation or even utilizing the Create a Table of Contents options so you can make sure you have assigned and layered your styles in the intended way. Most formatters will utilize TOC systems in their programs in the same manner, but with a wider range of styling and formatting options.

Tabs versus Indents

If you are utilizing styles for even the Normal or Body text, setting these paragraph styles to have a First Line Indent of 0.25 inches is pretty standard for a manuscript with no space after or before the paragraph. You can make a “no indent” variety which is often applied to the first paragraph of a chapter start, after a line break, after a subheading, or similar divided space designed to show a jump in content or major change.

Tabs can be a great way to make a chart in your content without having to insert a spreadsheet. Many folks have been taught to use the tab key to add their first line indent. It is highly recommended to utilize the paragraph style settings for this since this is becoming more of a tool for spreadsheet programming and can cause some weird results when multiple tabs have been used. If you need something aligned to the left, then use the paragraph alignment menu to do so. There should be a ruler and tab system to customize those settings for each tab dropped. Most of the new word processors, if fully updated, now convert a single tab to paragraph style. In short, it’s one less keystroke and thing to worry about as you work on your manuscript.

Track Changes and Comments

Track changes are a great tool for you and your editor, but if left in place when a manuscript is sent to a formatter it can cause weird import issues that include content going missing in places, words broken apart, and stopping the placement or import system short of completing its task. Even more so, it inserts hidden programming in the XML coding that can bug out ebooks unbeknownst to author and designer in most cases.

Avoid this by clearing all comments out and accepting all track changes. There should be none left open or active, and all deleted before sending the file to the formatter or designer. If you wish to provide a copy with comments that identify formatting remarks, it should be sent as a guide copy or remind the formatter they were left as indication for them (and they should be able to delete them out). Granted, these apply mainly to Word and Google documents in particular.

On occasion with Word documents, “Content Panel” of altered content shows up. Whether this is caused by opening the document in third party applications or converting from one program to another, I can’t say, but these can bug out importing the content for a formatter. In Word, identify one such section, select all (so it highlights the whole document for other instances), and use the left click to open the Content Panel options and Delete!

Check Your Hidden Characters

Not sure about the returns, the tabs, or the accidental line breaks? No problem. Most programs have a Paragraph Icon that toggles between show or hide “Hidden Characters” that looks like a backwards P. Sometimes these are also labeled non-printing characters and these options are commonly found in the view section of programs. If you have tabs or manual line breaks, they are often shown as arrow type symbols unlike the common dot for a space or backwards P for a hard return. 

File Formats to Use

Lastly, most design programs utilize Word Documents (DOC, DOCX) for the sheer reason that much like eBooks, these files are written in XML and are easily convertible. Most programs, including Google Docs and Apple Pages have the option to EXPORT or SAVE AS – Filetype dropdown, to select this option. If you are unsure of the default save format front eh program you are writing in or don’t have this option, there is a solution! SAVE AS RTF RICH TEXT FORMAT. This is an older text file that is tried-and-true to what it does. The underbelly programming stripes XML coding to the basics and should maintain your character and paragraph styles just fine. In fact, it’s not uncommon for designers who have import failures on submitted files to convert them to RTF and import them with no issue afterwards.

Discover More

If you haven’t discovered Writer’s Bane: Formatting 101, you’ve been missing out on a lot of answers to questions and even a stronger understanding of how impactful formatting is on a book. This includes what goes inside your book, how to prepare a manuscript for a typeset, and how to design the interior of your book. 

Like the advice and information you see here? 
Check out the Formatting 101 textbook here at: https://4horsemenpublications.com/product/writers-bane-formatting-101/ . This book holds a variety of answers for those seeking to become typesetters, looking to self-publish their book, or simply want to learn how to communicate and prepare their manuscripts to get the most out of their designers. The Writer’s Bane is a curse and passion, both a want and need to tell a story. In this volume, you will learn the importance of preparing a book for layout as well as laying it out in a way that appeals to your readers of any genre including picture books, chapter books, fiction, memoirs, textbooks, workbooks, and everything in-between.

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Series Catch Up: Traibon Family Saga

Do you love to dive into an amazing series?

We have the ultimate MM, High-Fantasy, Romance series for you: 

There are 3 books so far in this series.

Check out book one The Prince’s Priest here:

A prince with a legacy of blood, a simple priest, an unstoppable romance in a world on the brink of civil war.

Dante, the Prince of Bloodeaters is in love with a human priest. Ten years ago, he threw his life to the wind in an effort to bring about change while escaping a fate he no longer wanted to face. One wintry night meeting John gave him a new purpose and drive as he joins him to live on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Lessons and promises made will lead Dante’s internal struggles to places he didn’t know he still had to face even now.

Viceroy Falco, Dante’s ex-lover and overseer of Glensdale and capitol city to The House, wants an army of bloodeaters at his command. Conspiracies are whispered about his involvement in the prince’s disappearance and the ailing king on the throne. Dante aims to stand in his way at every turn, but jealous and lust drive Falco to wanting more than just the magical dagger called The Fanged Lady. Though, there’s a cost as the Viceroy’s past abuse spurs Dante to action when his aim turns to Father John.

When Father John takes over the Glensdale church, he becomes a target for Falco’s sadistic games. John is stubborn and bullheaded, unwilling to bend or retreat. Angry with Dante’s decision to be his sword and shield with bruises and a bloodied lip to match. Aiming to find a solution for himself, Father John throw caution to the wind even if the cross branded on his back may lead to his death.

Dante is willing to sacrifice everything to keep Father John safe, and will he have to accept his position as Prince when the King falls ill?

This book is a great jump on a refreshing male male romance with fantasy elements. Swords, knights, vampires, plague, moody steeds, and more add to the center romance of two broody men madly in love with one another. Readers who enjoyed the chemistry and romance of The Captive Prince Trilogy by CS Pacat as well as the broody, vampire vibes from JR Ward’s The Black Dagger Brotherhood will enjoy reading this sizzling spin on vampire romances.

We invite you to share your favorite quotes and moments with #TeamJohn or #TeamDante or #TeamJonte!

You can order this book  in all formats directly from our 4HP Website and receive 10% OFF using coupon code 4HP10!

The Prince’s Priest (Traibon Family Saga #1)