Tag Archives: updates

Happy New Year! Here’s a Short Story – Promise to Keep

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Hello all! I hope you had a great new year. Welcome to 2022.

I didn’t meet my goal for NaNoWriMo, but I did get a lot of writing done, so I feel that it was an accomplishment. I’m hoping to write more in the coming new year.

A couple of years ago, I contributed to an indie anthology with some other writers. The story is called Promise to Keep, which is an urban fantasy/paranormal romance between a beat cop, who is also a mage, and her superior, the captain of the police force, and a werewolf. In this world, magical beings have lived a long time alongside humans in society. The two characters come out of a deadly situation and realize their feelings for each other.

The anthology recently was taken down from Amazon, something that had to do with Brexit, so I wanted to make the story available again by itself. I submitted it to Amazon yesterday, and it’s ready for purchase.

Of course, it’s free on Kindle Unlimited. The price will be going down in a couple of days due to its short format. Here is the beautiful cover!

A Promise to Keep by HK Rowe, a short story on Amazon.

If you have Goodreads, please add it there as well!

I hope you enjoy it! Have a wonderful new year and best wishes.

Please look forward to more story updates and reviews throughout the year.

Cheers,

H.K. Rowe

NaNoWriMo 2021! IT BEGINS!

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nanowrimo.org

2064 / 50000 words. 4% done!

This year I’m finishing some WIPs. Some are fanfics, some are short stories, and another one is a longer fic that I just haven’t been able to finish. My goal is to FINISH what I’ve started. It’s hard for me to finish incomplete stories, so I’m hoping this year’s NaNoWriMo will help me change that habit.

Tonight I started writing! It was hard with a needy dog and a wild toddler vying for my attention, but I managed to get a healthy word count in. Yay!

Yay, I’m doing NaNoWriMo this year. I hope I can finish it. I haven’t been able to finish it for a while. I get started, but I never make the word count. It’s been even harder since I’ve become a mom, and I really miss writing so I hope this works out. Now that I work from home, I’m hoping to find writing time during downtime or slow periods and keep up a healthy cadence.

Is anyone else doing NaNoWriMo this year? Add me as a buddy and drop a comment below with your screen name and I’ll add you back. Mine is hkrowe.

Good luck with your writing!

Cheers,

H.K. Rowe

Big Changes

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Holly says “Hello! And why aren’t you writing right now?”

I’m planning on several big changes for this site soon. There will be more sections added for reviews, articles, and other offerings. I plan on making this a little more active. It seems I say this and nothing happens, but I assure you it’s a lot of planning in my notebook and new posts will be coming soon as well as new stories and more insight and upcoming publications.

So far on the horizon you can expect:

  • Unbridled the second edition and new cover. I’m finishing up edits for this.
  • a camping themed short story
  • NaNoWriMo 2020 project – Hello, Professor – a new romance!
  • Articles on self-publishing, design and mindfulness
  • more reviews!

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during these crazy times.

Cheers,

H.K. Rowe

Apologies

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I know that I haven’t been around here in some time. Unfortunately, we lost our dear beloved dog Malachy this last month, and things have been rough for me to get into any sort of writing or creative endeavors. His health had been failing for some time, so taking care of a senior pet up until we had to make that tough decision really takes a toll on you.

We adopted Malachy in 2007. He was three years old, so he was a part of our family for 13 years. It almost seems unreal that he’s not with us anymore, that he’s not at my ankles following me around, or that I can’t put my hand down and feel his cold nose sniff me as he rubs his scruffy head against me.

It’s rough. He was family and now adjusting to his absence is very painful.

So writing has been on a pause. I finally finished up a short story for an anthology and sent to my beta reader. Hopefully that’ll be polished for publication soon.

NaNoWriMo is coming up and I’m going to attempt to do it in order to make progress on my Avenging Sisters series.

If you have pets at home, give them a big hug for me. Treasure every second with them. They don’t have as long as we do, and their love is irreplaceable.

Cheers,

H.K. Rowe

Spellbinding: An Anthology of Magic RELEASED

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spellbinding cover

Spellbinding: An Anthology of Magic is available on Amazon Kindle!

Authors: Meredith Anderson, Sara Coates, Alyssa Corbett, Rebecca Crunden, Kristina Decker, John Flynn, Kasey Kubica, L.J. LaBarthe, H.K. Rowe
Genres: Fantasy, Anthology, Urban Fantasy
Links: Amazon | Goodreads (add to your to-read or currently-reading lists)
Available in ebook (and paperback soon).
Summary: Everyone knows magic isn’t real … But what if it was?Nine tales, each one a snapshot of what happens to those who suddenly find themselves entangled with magic. From the wish that grants one sudden, unimaginable power, to a dark hex upon a wood, to faeries with nefarious intentions and hunters seeking blood, this anthology showcases the intricate web of adventure that comes from messing with magic.
My short story is “Promise to Keep” and is about a modern-day mage, Katrina, and a werewolf police captain Alastair! (I’ve always liked that name.) The story has action, urban fantasy, and two-knuckleheads in love — oh, well, they have feelings for each other, but one of them has a problem keeping them from making that first move…
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There are other great stories to read in this anthology by a lot of talented authors. Please grab your copy and support indie writers by leaving feedback! I know you’re enjoy all the diverse stories of magic!
Thanks for the support. Cheers,
H.K. Rowe

“Promise to Keep” short story

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promisetokeep-promo

Credit to Photo by Aiony Haust on Unsplash of the beautiful woman. The gorgeous man was found and paid for from Dreamstime. Graphic design by Stargazer Heather Designs.

Soon I’ll be releasing another short story within an anthology with a group of talented writers. The anthology itself will be a collection of magical stories, and I’m very excited to share this with you. The release is right around the corner; though, I don’t have a definitive date yet.

I will post an update once the ebook is live!

My contribution is a story called Promise to Keep about a modern-day mage, Katrina, and a werewolf police captain Alastair! (I’ve always liked that name.) The story has action, urban fantasy, and two-knuckleheads in love — oh, well, they have feelings for each other, but one of them has a problem keeping them from making that first move…

Here’s a short preview except of the story…

Lightly and carefully, she pulled Alastair out and leaned him against her for support. She looked around, glad that there weren’t any onlookers. It was late enough in the night, yet there was still potential for people to stop by and see them. ‘Try to stand upright and not look so wounded. We don’t want people to get suspicious.’

He made a ragged noise of affirmation and straightened up as best as he could. He steadied his breathing, trying to hold back the pain.

When they got inside the building, one of his night volunteers, Raye, rushed over to them.

‘Oh my God, what happened?’ she exclaimed, immediately helping Katrina prop him up. They steered Alastair into the office with the sofa and laid him down.

He sighed in relief when his back met the soft cushions, but when Katrina started inspecting his wound, he flinched. Pangs of agony throbbed through him.

‘He was attacked. Go get the medical kit and my healing herbs in my desk,’ she said, and Raye turned dutifully.

Stay tuned for updates on the release of this anthology.

In the meantime, I plan on finishing War Fury soon. The recent death of one of my dogs, as well as my full time job’s demands have made it a challenge to keep up. Mod Fury will get its sequel soon.

Cheers!

H.K. Rowe

PRE-ORDER “Spirits Abound”

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My first anthology piece with three other NEW authors is up for pre-order at Amazon! The release date is October 31st on Halloween day! 

“Deathly Ever After” is my short little horror tale included in the anthology. Here’s the summary:

 Three young high school girls live out the last day of their torture and murder over and over again. Lanie starts to realize that they have been caught in this nightmare, and she wonders if there’s any way she can break free and save her friends.

spiritsabound-cover

Please find the Kindle version ready at Amazon! The paperback version will be out shortly as well. I will let you all know when that’s up.

I hope you all enjoy it and please support us indie authors by leaving a review either at Amazon or Goodreads!

Thanks and Happy Halloween!

Cheers,

H.K. Rowe

Shroud of Soil – Flash Fiction Friday

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Sleeping woman by Phil (Flickr creative commons)

Title: Shroud of Soil

Author: HK Rowe

Characters: Lilith and Eve

Word Count: 300

Prompt: purple @danceharden Flash Fiction Friday {Black Collar Bugle} #bcb_fff

Warnings: slight necrophilia implications, character death

Links: Part of The Sinner and the Serpent.

Summary: Eve is hers at last.

She ran her fingers over the dry soil layered over Eve’s body.

Finally, the second wife was hers. She had waited for her. They had met in secret, but Eve could never stay with her. Eve was never going to be her wife.

Lilith could touch her now. She ran her fingers over Eve’s lips, opening the mouth, running her finger over tongue and teeth.

“You smell lovely as always, my dove,” she told her, and Lilith snuggled up to Eve’s side, inhaling the rich scent of dirt and decay.

Eve’s once pale, freckled skin was turning a violet hue from death. Lilith ran her fingers softly through Eve’s hair and felt unshed tears forming in her eyes. She snuggled Eve closer and sighed against her.

She didn’t care if they stayed frozen like this. Eve’s body would rot and Lilith’s curse would preserve her forever. Lilith loved her regardless. She would hold her until Eve was nothing but dust and bones.

Lilith kissed the purple skin and rested her head into the crook of Eve’s shoulder. Her hands caressed the body and she imagined her lover alive again, dancing and laughing with her under the full moon. She settled into the dirt holding her tightly, refusing to leave her as it became a resting place for them both. Lilith would wait, and when Eve’s body was truly gone she’d bury her in the beaches of the Red Sea so dust and bone could mix with sand, and Eve would always be under her feet.

Lilith choked back a sob. She cursed God. She hated Adam.

But she would always love Eve, and she would find her again. Each one of her, as her soul passed on from body to body. She’d find her. She’d love her.

Again and again.

I’m not dead yet!

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You would think this blog is dead, wouldn’t you? But it’s not. I assure you. Don’t believe me? Well, I can’t help that.

Writing status:

Mod Fury is on it’s very very very last edits. I promise!

I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo for April to work on War Fury, the next story. I started it back in November and plan to finish it for camp. Honest!

I have plans to update/organize The Sinner and the Serpent. SOON.

I have not given up on Killer Orange. Edits are going on. Voices won’t shut up. More scenes and rewrites are imminent.

Book Cover status:

I worked on a book cover for a fellow indie author Rebecca Crunden for her book Haze. I will post links and pictures when the book is out. I’m rather proud of it honestly.

Cheers,

H.K. Rowe