My new laptop

Yes, finally, we picked up my new laptop. A Sony Vaio. :) It's awesome. Bright, pretty screen. Can't wait to watch movies on it...lol. I just used it to write on last night. The new Microsoft Word 2007 is actually cool so far. It has the word count at the bottom of the screen, so I don't have all these different steps to take to find out how many words I've written.

It's got Vista on it, but don't ask me if it's easier to use or anything like that...as long as it doesn't confuse me or make me jump through hoops to get it to work..I'm happy with it. lol. Slightly technically challanged which is why I found and stayed with C. He's my geek/hero.

I got another 2k done on Two for One (the short story I need to finish in the next week or so). At 18k, I need another 3-7k to make me happy. Hopefully, it can do that. Also, I got some more added to Firebird. I'm thinking maybe another 5 installments for the blog and then I'll be wrapping up the extra stuff to send to one of my publishers.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great Wednesday. I know I will, playing with my laptop. :)

Firebird- Part Forty-Two

First off, my website up and running..there are a few things we need to fix, but they're just little stuff. So stop by and then come tell me what you think of it. www.tachase.com

Second of all, sad news yesterday. Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner, who broke down in The Preakness last year, was humanely destroyed. He was in too much pain and the vets had done all they could to heal him, but the odds were against him from the start. So raise a mint julep and toast a great champion.

On to what you're really here for...lol.

Firebird copyright (c) 2007 TA Chase

Part Forty-Two:

Several hours later---

Rue shifted, his nerves sparking. He prayed that this whole meeting wasn’t a trap. Vlatko had explained that if it was a trap, Rue was to escape while Vlatko held the Mitcovians at bay. Rue snorted. Like he was going to abandon Vlatko.

He shifted again, trying to find a comfortable spot for his sore ass. Vlatko had found entertaining ways to keep his mind off the upcoming meeting. His hand touched the bite mark on his neck. Vlatko’s mark. Letting the Mitcovians know Rue was taken. He glanced over his shoulder at Vlatko who leaned against the wall behind him. A faint smile graced Vlatko’s face and a slight wink made Rue laugh.

Allaigh entered first. “High Councilor Zalaigh,” he announced.

Rue rose to his feet, keeping his hands by his sides. The High Councilor entered and Rue felt small. The Mitcovians towered over him and were even several inches taller than Vlatko. He bowed.

“Mr. Thaday, only time will tell if it is a pleasure to meet you face-to-face.” Zalaigh held out an enormous hand.

Rue shook it and nodded. “The jury’s still out on you, Sir.”

“Please call me Zalaigh. High Councilor is only for when I’m making planetary decisions.” Zalaigh gestured to Vlatko. “Do you have a name?”

“Vlatko.” The assassin nodded, but didn’t move from the wall.

“Why that? The I.U.M. doesn’t name their assassins. They merely assign numbers.” Zalaigh sat in a chair facing Rue.

Rue sat. He didn’t know that Vlatko wasn’t the man’s real name. Of course, Thaday wasn’t his.
“It had meaning to me.” The tone of Vlatko’s voice said the topic was closed.

Zalaigh folded his hands in his lap and stared at Rue for a moment. “Allaigh says he saw the Councilor’s Heart in your partner’s possession when he first contacted us. How are we to be sure it’s the same stone?”

Rue held his hand out and Vlatko dropped the fire opal on his palm. The instant the gem touched his skin, it flared, bathing them all in orange light. “Is this your gem?”

Zalaigh’s hands were shaking as the Mitcovian reached for the opal. “I was afraid we’d never see it again.”

Rue closed his fingers around the Heart and handed it back to Vlatko. “Seeing will be all you’re doing until we talk to the scientist.”

Vlatko tucked the stone under the vest he wore, his dark eyes daring Allaigh to try and take it from him. Allaigh made a move towards Vlatko and Rue tensed.

“Allaigh, no. He’s right. The scientist you seek is me.” Zalaigh hid his hands under the table.

“You? That’s the reason why you couldn’t come with us.” Rue frowned. He hated complications and this was a major one.

“Yes. Before I became High Councilor, I worked as a research scientist. I was trying to invent or find new ways of protecting troops in the field. The liquid body armor was one of many experiments. I was still in the development phase of the armor when the I.U.M. offered my assistant a deal he couldn’t refuse. His child’s life for my formula. He had no choice and I place no blame on him.”

Rue figured it had to some thing like that. Zalaigh didn’t seem the type of guy who’d invent some thing that would endanger the very people using it.

“Did you know about the formula’s breakdown?” Vlatko asked.

Zalaigh nodded. “In a way, yes. I knew there was a fault in the formula. I couldn’t keep it stable. The atoms kept breaking down. I never imagined human blood would bind with it to stabilize it enough to keep the test subject alive for even a few minutes, much less forty years.”

Rue tapped the table with his hand. “Do we have a deal then, High Councilor? You swear to give us asylum and protection here on your planet and in return, we’ll give you back your Heart.”

“What’s to stop us from just taking it right now?” Allaigh commented.

“Me.” Vlatko moved to stand next to Rue at the table.

Rue’s lover stared at the Mitcovian security officer with an ‘I dare you’ smirk on his face. His hand rested on his belt next to the grip of the handgun. His other hand hung relaxed at his side.

“Even you can’t stop a unit of Mitcovian guards.” Allaigh’s words acknowledged Vlatko’s superior strength against one person.

“No, but I can kill the High Councilor before any of you kill me.”

Allaigh growled, but Zalaigh touched the officer’s hand and shook his head.

“I’ll give you something else if you swear.” Vlatko didn’t relax, but his offer told Rue Vlatko wanted to take the deal.

“What are you offering?” Zalaigh’s blue eyes studied Vlatko.

“I’m offering all the information I have on the I.U.M. It includes private internal memos sent between high-level commanders about some of my kills. I have enough shit to topple several planetary governments.” Vlatko squeezed Rue’s shoulder and smiled down at him.

“I swear on the Councilor’s Heart to give you shelter and aid until you die. We will protect you as if you were Mitcovians.” Zalaigh pressed his fist to his chest. “My promise is law for every living Mitcovian.”

“Good. I guess we just need to worry about the dead ones now,” Rue joked.

Question to Ponder...

Aliens have landed on earth. They meet a human and a dolphin. The aliens know that the earth is 78% water, who would they assume the planet was made for? :)

Had a good weekend. The website is almost ready to be launched. C ended up making some changes to it and tweaking it a little more last night. We'll finish it up when we get home from work and then hopefully it'll be up sometime later tonight. Woo-Hoo!

Got some more writing done. Not sure how much it'll end up being since I didn't actually type it in. :)

Well, I've got to get to work. Take care and have a good Monday.

New Review for Angel

Hey everyone, I got a new review for Angel's Evolution today.

Teresa at Fallen Angel Reviews gave my story 5 Angels and had this to say about it:

"Mr. Chase created a wonderful and uplifting story about a young man, who with love and support, was able to take a chance at love and overcome the lifelong abuse from his father...Thanks go to Mr. Chase for another compelling story that I will treasure."

Click here for the rest of the review. :)

Also, I put in the comments yesterday that if anyone wanted to be added to my newsletter list to just email me at chase.ta at gmail dot com (without spaces and things like that...I'm sure y'all know how to do it. If not, just post an addy in the comments section and I'll add it.) The newsletter isn't done yet. But I want to start collecting names so that I can have some people to get the very first one when I send it out. :)


Have a great Sunday. :)

*Update: I upgraded to the new Blogger. I hope that doesn't screw anything up for anyone trying to post. If it does, just email me instead.*

Busy Saturday

Today, I thought would be a slow day so I could get some writing done, but no...it's not turning out that way. I'm running errands and meeting a friend for lunch. Then later on, doing a favor for another friend.

The best thing I hope I get done today is start building my website and newsletter. Though I will be writing, even if I have to ignore C and the cats...lol. I need to get some of these books I've got in various stages of completion done. Too many ideas, not enough time to write them. :)

Hope everyone has a great day.

Firebird- Part Forty-One

Firebird copyright(c) 2007 TA Chase

(because Yvonne and Sylvie asked so nicely)

Part Forty-One:

Rue shook his head. “Let’s get back on track. We have the stone and we’re willing to make a trade with you.”

For a second he heard his mind yelling at him; telling him he was crazy to give up all those credits for a man. He met Vlatko’s dark gaze. Maybe it was the craziest thing he’d ever done, but it just might be the best if it worked out.

“What do we have that you could possibly want?” Zalaigh crossed his arms and glared at him through the vid screen.

“We want the Mitcovian scientist who created the liquid body armor that the I.U.M. uses.” Rue swallowed. Here was where they laughed at him.

“What? Oh hell no, baisha. We won’t give him to you.” Allaigh exploded.

Rue shot a puzzled glance at Vlatko. The assassin frowned and shrugged.

“Allaigh, calm down.” Zalaigh wore a confused expression. “Why do you want him?”

“There’s something wrong with the body armor. Its atomic structure begins to break down and eventually destroys the body from the inside out.” Rue tried to remember what Vlatko had told him. “The person it’s injected in to has a life expectancy of forty years maximum before their bodies can no longer sustain the damage done.”

“Why should we care about their trained killers? If they die, it’s one less danger to us.” Zalaigh pointed out.

“You’re right. I won’t argue that point with you. Before I was hired for this last job, I’d have agreed with you.” Rue shifted, not willing to say more than that.

“Some thing changed your mind.” Zalaigh’s gaze flickered beyond Rue’s shoulder for a second. “Or someone. It’s interesting to see a thief such as you brought to such an unfamiliar place like this.”

“Do we have a deal or not?” Rue didn’t want to waste any more time. Each minute they took discussing the trade was a minute closer to the I.U.M. getting a hold of them.

“There’s a slight problem. I can’t give you the scientist.”

Rue’s heart dropped. It had been worth a try.

“I can allow you to stay on Mitcov and meet with him to see if he can find a solution.”

Allaigh looked as if he had swallowed a fish. Rue could tell the security officer was livid about that choice. Zalaigh shook his head to keep the other Mitcovian from protesting.

“We’ll discuss it and get back to you, High Councilor. The way I see it, my partner and I don’t get anything more than just a meeting out of this kind of trade.” Rue needed to talk to Vlatko. He was almost desperate enough to take it.

Rue knew Vlakto was in pain, though the assassin never complained. The muscle weakness and headaches were getting worse. The only relief Vlatko got was when he touched him and the warmth from Rue’s hands filtered through Vlatko’s body.

“I’m prepared to offer you and your partner asylum. You may live on Mitcov for as long as you like. We will protect you and harbor you.” Zalaigh’s grin was vicious. “Once we have the Heart back, the I.U.M. can’t touch us.”

“High Councilor, we’ll contact you when we’ve reached a decision.” Rue shut the vid down and leaned back, stretching the tension out of his back.

Vlatko’s hands massaged his shoulders and he felt the touch of lips on his head. He sighed. They were a step closer to finding a way to keep Vlatko alive.

Firebird- Part Forty

Firebird copyright (c) 2007 TA Chase

Part Forty-

Vlatko wasn’t surprised by Rue’s tone. Something about the High Councilor commanded respect. Vlatko made sure to stand in the shadows behind Rue. He didn’t want to seem like he was forcing the thief to talk to the Mitcovians.

“Are you here to beg forgiveness and return my planet’s most precious treasure?” Zalaigh’s tone was skeptical.

“No, Sir. First, I’d like to state that I didn’t know the stone I stole was yours until my partner informed me. I was hired for a different job and was told the theft of the stone would be my cover.” Rue’s explanation was basic, but unapologetic.

“We’re supposed to believe the word of a thief?” Allaigh interrupted.

Zalaigh held up a hand and stopped the other Mictovian’s outburst. “It matters very little why you chose to steal our stone. How much do you want from us for the return of the Heart?”

Rue shrugged and Vlatko could tell his lover was uncomfortable with the conversation. He touched Rue’s back, letting the man know he was right there with him.

“If I wanted credits, High Councilor, I would have screwed you all and sold the stone on the open market. I’ve been told I could get a fortune for it. I’m not interested in fortunes.”

“You’re not? Strange declaration from a man who steals for a living.” Allaigh frowned.

Rue gave the security officer a cold stare. Vlatko felt a swell of pride. He knew Rue had always relied on his charm and looks to get what he wanted, but Rue was smart enough to know that wasn’t going to work with the Mitcovians.

“I’m here to discuss a suitable trade with your High Councilor, not some pumped up security guard. Keep interrupting our conversation and the Councilor’s Heart will disappear into someone’s private collection. You’ll become slaves to the I.U.M.”

Vlatko wanted to cheer. He knew the Mitcovians admired confidence and strength. Rue was showing both by confronting Allaigh.

“Allaigh, shut up. Mr. Thaday knows he’s put us in a position of weakness. We have nothing to negotiate with while he has the gem and the presence of the I.U.M. looming behind him.”

“Nothing I do has the sanction of the I.U.M.” Rue laughed. “Trust me. I’m on their hit list by now.”

“Right and that’s why you have one of their trained assassins standing behind you.”

Rue shot him a glance. He didn’t say a word. This was Rue’s show. How the thief described his presence didn’t really matter to him.

“He no longer works for the I.U.M.”

“No one quits the I.U.M. Especially their Security branch.” Allaigh sputtered.

“They do if they have information the I.U.M. doesn’t want made public.” Vlatko spoke up, keeping his voice low and unemotional.

Zalaigh chuckled. “They must hate you.”

“I won’t be getting a Christmas card from them.” He moved back into the shadows.

Saw This...

over the weekend. It was pretty good. Little Miss Sunshine has a tendency to feel like a car wreck about to happen, but in the end, I think it redeemed itself.

We also saw Employee of the Month. Not a great movie, but it had its moments.

Took a little break from Tony's story and Firebird. Have a short story I need to get done. Hopefully, once I type what I wrote yesterday in, I won't have a ton left to do. :) Then it's back to the other two. I want to get those done so I can get working on the second book in my Dragon series. Mordred and George are getting impatient for their story to get told..lol

I hope everyone has a wonderful Hump Day.

Firebird-Part Thirty-Nine

Firebird copyright (c) 2007 TA Chase

Part Thirty-Nine:

Rue frowned at him. “If I have to. How did you know who to contact and how to get a hold of them?” He took the fire opal in his grasp. The gem flared as if a flame burned in it.

“Yes, you have to. Stargazer gave me the information. He also made sure the transport came equipped with a cloaking device. Neither the Mitcovians nor the I.U.M. will be able to find us unless we want them to.” Vlatko spun them around so he could point to a green button on the far wall.

“I see he thinks of everything.” He settled in. “I’ll do all the talking when the negotiations get started. No offense, but I’m not sure being subtle or even nice is your strong suit.”

“No. I’m the strong silent type. I’m going as your bodyguard and back-up. I’ll keep the gem on me until you’re ready to turn it over.” Vlatko sounded as if he anticipated Rue arguing with him.

“Why?” He stroked a finger over Vlatko’s nose.

“It’ll be harder to take the Heart from me than from you. Even with the vest, you’re vulnerable. I don’t have any weaknesses.” Vlatko bit the tip of Rue’s finger. “Except for you. I don’t plan on giving them the opportunity to use you.”

“I’m glad to know you won’t feed me to the wolves.” He moaned as Vlatko’s tongue teased the pad of his finger.

“The only person who gets you or your body is me.” Vlatko sucked Rue’s finger deep.

“Fuck.” He groaned.

“I’d love to do more to you, but they’re going to be contacting us soon. Do you want to talk to Allaigh or just to the person he brings us?” Vlatko set Rue on his feet.

Rue stuck his tongue out at the other man. “You talk to Allaigh. He’s your contact. I’ll deal with the big guy.”

“This is your show, love.” Vlatko stood up and leaned against the panel. “He should be back any minute now.”

As Valtko finished talking, there was a chime and Rue felt his shoulders tense. For the first time, someone’s life hung on his ability to charm and con. He stepped back to allow Vlatko closer to the screen.

“Allaigh?”

“Who else would it be, baisha? Where is your partner?” The Mitcovian male glared at them.

“Where is the decision maker? I’m not showing mine if you don’t show me yours.” Vlatko was standing right in front of Rue, so the alien couldn’t see him.

Allaigh sighed. “I brought High Councilor Zalaigh.” The security officer stepped away from the screen to allow the High Councilor to take his place.

At the same time, Rue switched places with Vlatko. Rue didn’t have any idea what he was gong to say. He just hoped he could convince the Mitcovian to give them what they needed.

The High Councilor was only slightly smaller than Allaigh and a softer blue. He wore a white tunic and pants. Hanging around his neck was a gold medallion. There was an empty space in the middle of the disc and Rue wondered what used to rest there. He figured it was a symbol of the High Councilor’s office.

“Ah yes. So the envoy from the I.U.M. was right.” Zalaigh nodded at him. “Rue Thaday. Who else would have the nerve to steal the Councilor’s Heart?”

“Sir.” Rue kept his tone respectful, but confident.

The end of the Weekend.

I was watching a PBR event yesterday. It took place in Fresno. This bull was in the short-go (which is the last round of riding to determine who wins the event) This is the infamous Reindeer Dippin. Probably one of the rankest, if not the rankest, and most difficult bulls to ride in the PBR today. Reindeer is an amazing animal to watch work. He's only been ridden twice in his career which includes 23 or 28 outs (Not sure which..lol) He's psychotic and mean.

What does that have to do with anything you're asking yourself right now. Well, this bull inspired me to write the last chapter for Home to Stay. Tony's story isn't finished by any means, but the last chapter is and when everyone gets to read it, you'll know who the bull in that story is patterned after. :) As you can tell, I get my inspiration from everywhere.

Got another 1k done on Firebird..taking me up to 42k. Woo-hoo! I'm getting closer.

I hope everyone has a great Sunday. I'll be writing and watching football. :)

I stole this...

from Paige. :) It was fun to do. Here's the directions:

So, here’s how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool…

Waking Up: Throw Yourself Away- Nickelback
First Day at School: Retarded Disfigured Clown- Blue October
Falling In Love: My, My, My- Rob Thomas
Fight Song: Deliver Me -Sarah Brightman
Breaking Up: Awake- Josh Groban
Prom: Fade-Staind
Life: Coward of the County- Kenny Rogers (I'm not sure what this is trying to tell me..lol)
Mental Breakdown: Independently Happy- Blue October
Driving: Amnesia- Blue October
Flashback: Wild West Show- Big & Rich
Wedding: Father In You- Mary J. Blige
Birth of Child: So She Dances- Josh Groban
Final Battle: Angel- Blue October
Death Scene: Change Your Mind- The Killers
Funeral Song: Walking in Memphis- Marc Cohen
End Credit: Out From Under- Josh Zuckerman

The most interesting thing is I seem to have a ton of Blue October songs..lol. Angel by Blue October has one line in the song that I love..."How do you tell an angel you don't believe in God?"

Didn't get much writing done last night. Ended up having some friends over and watching some movies. The movies weren't too bad. I'm hoping to do some work today, so I can watch the football games tomorrow without panicking about not getting any writing done.

Hope you all have a wonderful Saturday and try this little game. It's fun.

Late Friday

Sorry about that. It seemed like I was busy from the moment I got out of bed until I just got home. Whew!

I was going to post something neat from Paige's blog, but I'll do that tomorrow. :)

Did some writing on Firebird. Got 41k done so far. Probably will need another 10k to finish.

Hope you all have a great Friday night.

Firebird- Part Thirty-Eight

Firebird copyright (c) 2007 TA Chase

Part Thirty-Eight:

Vlatko watched Rue walk away. He shook his head and laughed. He was flattered at how seriously Rue was taking this whole adventure, but he couldn’t bring himself to hope. He loved the skinny thief with all his heart and didn’t want to die before he got to spend most of his life with him. Yet he didn’t believe in miracles and that’s what they needed to keep his body from self-destructing.

He went to the communications link and punched in the code Stargazer gave him. His associate promised that the transporter came with a cloak that would hide the ship from Mitcov and I.U.M. radars. Also, he gave him the name of a person in Mitcovian security to get in touch with.

A chime rang, signaling that the communication link had connected with Mitcovian systems. He typed in a name and password. He settled in the seat and waited for a person to appear on the vid screen.

“Who the hell are you and how did you get this number?” A large Mitcovian glared at him from the screen.

He didn’t blink. It was the first time he’d seen a Mitcovian, but he knew what to expect. The Mitcovian male was enormous, scaly and blue. It was a vibrant blue as if the male’s skin was made from the most brilliant sapphire.

“Stargazer told me to contact Allaigh.” Vlatko didn’t show any hesitation.

“I’m Allaigh and why would Stargazer tell you to get a hold of me? I have too many other worries to be bugged by some stranger.” Allaigh reached out to push the off button.

“Wait. Stargazer knew I had something you need.” Vlatko reached into the small pocket on the inside of his vest. He held the Councilor’s Heart between his fingers and let Allaigh see the stone.

“Baisha,” Allaigh swore. “Where did you get that?”

“It’s not important. The thing is I need you to bring me someone who can make decisions for the government. My partner and I want to see if we can negotiate an outcome that’ll make all of us happy.” Vlatko twirled the fire opal and he enjoyed the heat coming from the gem. It was almost as warm as Rue’s hands.

“Your partner wouldn’t be the little baisha who stole it from us? Does he realize how much trouble he’s caused by his actions?”

He snorted. “He’s a thief, Allaigh. Do you really think he cares?” Vlatko leaned forward, focusing on the Mitcovian. “Listen. The I.U.M. set him up. He didn’t know what he stole until I told him. Now he’s willing to make a trade.”

“A trade? Who does he think he is?” Allaigh growled.

“Yes, a trade. He could have just sold the damn thing or even given it to the I.U.M. Instead he’s coming back to you. Just bring someone who can make decisions and meet me back here in ten minutes.” He closed the link and leaned back.

“Will he do it?” Rue joined him.

“Yes.” Vlatko turned to see Rue had dressed in black leather pants and a long sleeved green shirt that fit him like a glove.

“Where’s your vest?” He glared at Rue.

“It’s over there. I don’t need to put it on until we get ready to meet them. I should be safe in our ship.” Rue reached out to touch the gem.

“Fine, but remember to put it on when we leave the ship.” Vlatko grabbed Rue’s wrist and jerked the man onto his lap.

New Review for No Going Home

Thought I'd give some love to my very first cover. lol. Actually I got an awesome review from Anita at The Romance Studio for No Going Home.

5 hearts and Anita had this to say about my boys:

"These two characters demonstrate what is important in a relationship. Readers will be envious and will find themselves wishing they could find themselves in this type of relationship."

Click here to read the rest of the review.

Thank you, Anita for that wonderful review.

Tonight, I'm going to get my new laptop. Can't wait. :) There are times when I can be as big a geek as C.

Hope everyone has a great day.

Firebird- Part Thirty-Seven

Firebird copyright (c) 2007 TA Chase

Part Thirty-Seven-

Two days later—

Rue concentrated on the delicate process of anchoring the transport to the asteroid. So far nothing had gone wrong their trip. They’d managed to escape the eagle eyes of the I.U.M. He’d gotten them to Mitcov even with all the distractions Vlatko had thrown at him.
He felt a gentle bump as contact was made. The anchoring lines attached themselves and he shut off the engines. Vlatko’s hands gripped his shoulders and rubbed.

“Good flying, love.”

He ducked his head to hide his smile. Rue thought it was cute and sweet that Vlatko called him by pet names.

“Thanks.” He stretched and stood. “I guess I should clean up before we try to contact them.”

He turned and his mouth dropped open. He’d never seen Vlatko in his ‘work’ clothes. The big man wore leather pants that molded to every inch of his lower body. Black military boots enclosed his feet. A sleeveless black tee-shirt covered that magnificent chest. The fabric flowed oddly and the light gleamed off it in a strange angle. He reached out to touch it. A cool metallic texture met his fingers. He frowned.

“What is this stuff?” He ignored the holster holding a 3/30 laser handgun.

“It’s fabric Kevlar. Strong enough to stop a bullet and a knife. Somehow, the scientists have figured out how to get it to recognize what’s attacking me because if it’s a laser, the atoms in the fabric will swell and bind to stop that as well.” Vlatko shrugged.

Rue tested the strength of the fabric by grasping the collar in both hands and trying to tear it. The fabric resisted and he grunted. “Shit. Are the pants made out of the same stuff?”

“It’s a combination of leather and Kevlar. I’m not crazy like some of the assassins. They trust the liquid body armor so much that they don’t wear any protection.” Vlatko shook his head and laughed. “I’m not that trusting.”

“Probably a good idea.” He stepped back to watch Vlatko slip a vest over the shirt. “What’s that?”

“A body vest. Just another form of protection. I have one for you when we go to meet with them face-to-face.” Vlatko held out a vest to him.

He shook his head. “I’m not going to wear that. I’m a thief, Vlatko. I don’t wear Kevlar or carry weapons.”

“You won’t have to carry any weapons. That’s what I’m here for. I’ll be the muscle.” Vlatko stopped his protest. “That’s what I’m good at, love, but I don’t want to take a chance that you might get hurt. The Mitcovians might not be very happy to see us.”

Rue thought about arguing, but there something in the expression on Vlatko’s face that told him the big man wasn’t going to listen to him. He took the vest and bit back a gasp of surprise when he realized how light weight the thing was. “Are you sure this is going to protect me?”

Vlatko sealed up his own vest and smiled at him. “It’ll stop anything short of a rocket blast. Go on. Get cleaned up and changed. Then we’ll see about contacting them.”

He frowned. “Now that we’re here, I’m not sure how to go about getting in touch with the right people.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll get us in. Just think about what you’re going to say to convince them to hand over one of their people for the stone.” Vlatko pushed him towards the living quarters, slapping his ass as he went by.

“Shit.” Rue realized Vlatko was right. He’d have to do some smooth talking to make the Mitcovians willing to trade with him. He started running reasons through his mind.

Snowy Monday

Snow everywhere. And very cold. I'm heading back to bed to snuggle under the blankets for a while. Don't have to go into work until later today. Woo-hoo!

Wrote some on Firebird and Two for One, a threesome short story I agreed to write for an anthology with two other LSB authors. I want to get it done as soon as possible. :)

The weekend wasn't long enough, but it was a rather lazy two days, so I can't complain.

I hope that you're safe and warm. Have a great day.

Two Reviews for AE

Are y'all sick of this cover yet? :)

I had to let you know that I've gotten two reviews for AE so far. One of them is already posted and the other will be live soon.

Elisa at Isn't It Romantic? wrote a wonderful review for me and I've been answering questions from her readers about AE.

Here's a little of what she has to say: "Angel's Evolution is a deeply tender novel which will take your breath away."

(Click on her blog title to go and read the rest.)


Also, Natasha from Romance Junkies reviewed Angel. It's not posted yet, but as soon as it is, I'll make sure there's a live link for y'all. :)

But Natasha gave Angel's Evolution 4.5 ribbons and had this to say:

"My heart traversed the emotional highway while reading this book, and I loved every minute of it. The only problem I face is the difficult decision of where to file Angel's Evolution on my keeper shelf---should it be filed under "A" for Angel or "O" for Outstanding?"

Wow! Thank you to Elisa and Natasha for taking the time to not only read AE, but also to write up a review for everyone to read. I'm sure your opinions will help others decide whether my book is worth reading out or not. (Hopefully they'll chose to read it.)

Thanks everyone for stopping by and checking out my blog as well. Hope you have a wonderful Saturday.

Firday is here

So I watched Crank last night with Jason Stratham (sp?). Interesting storyline and very fast-paced. But I like those kind of movies...lol. No romantic comedies for me. :)

Didn't get much writing done last night. Mostly just hung out and watched movies with friends.

This is going to be a short post because I'm crazy busy today.

Everyone have a great Friday. :)

Firebird- Part Thirty-Six

Firebird copyright (c) 2007 TA Chase

Part Thirty-Six-

Vlatko leaned over Rue, bracketing the slender thief with his arms as he braced himself on the chair. He didn’t want to put all his weight on Rue. He smelled the scent of sex and sweat. With a lazy lick, he tasted the salty drops beaded on Rue’s back and traced the outline of Rue’s birthmark.

“I’m going to miss her.” The random thought skipped off his tongue.

“Hmm…who are you going to miss?” Rue didn’t lift his forehead from the back of the chair.

Vlatko pressed his lips to the middle of the red mark, waiting for Rue’s heartbeat to slow down. “The firebird.”

“Why would you miss that creature?” Rue shifted slightly.

Both of them moaned as Vlatko slid out of Rue’s ass. He patted that tight ass and headed back to the small bathroom to clean up. He grabbed a wet cloth to take care of Rue as well. He sat down in the pilot seat and pulled Rue onto his lap. The blonde-haired man curled up, resting his head on Vlatko’s shoulder.

“Why would you miss her?” Rue asked again.

“As strange as it may sound, before you showed up, she was really the only creature I had much interaction with. I always had the feeling there was more to her than just being a bird.” He laughed. “Of course, I was right.”

“We need to get moving.” Rue didn’t make any effort to get off Vlatko’s lap.

“I know. Where do you think she came from?” Vlatko ran his fingers through Rue’s curls.

Rue shrugged. “I don’t know. Does it really matter?” A slender hand reached out and flicked the switch to get the engines running.

“I guess not.” Vlatko was wondering where Rue came from since the firebird informed him that Rue was like her. He didn’t understand how Rue couldn’t know what or who he was, but living on the streets as a throwaway didn’t lend itself to knowing anything about your past.

“Get in your seat and let’s get out of here. The sooner we meet up with the Mitcovians, the sooner we can get you cured.”

Vlatko sighed and lifted Rue up, setting him back down on the chair when he moved out of the way. As much as he wanted to find a way to stop the liquid body armor from killing him, he found he was reluctant to leave the planet. He took his seat and buckled himself in.

“Let’s get it over with, Rue. I want to know one way or the other if something can be done for me.”

Rue’s amber eyes met his and a determined light flared in them. “We’ll find a way to make you better. No matter what I have to do.”

Vlatko didn’t know if there was a cure, but he did know that he wouldn’t regret what they were about to do. For the first time in his life, he was happy.

Is it the weekend yet?

Maybe it's because this is the first full week I've worked in a couple weeks, but it feels like it's been dragging on forever. Ugh! I just want Friday to get here. :)

I read this book last night. Threshold by Caitlin R. Kiernan (click on the title for a blurb). I think I enjoyed it. She has an interesting writing style and intriguing story lines. I'm not afraid to say that I didn't really get the ending, but maybe it was just me. I love the cover and I'll definitely be going out to pick up one of her other books, Daughter of Hounds...which sounds even better than this one does.

Got another 1k done on Firebird. Up to 37k and I'm thinking I'll need to add about 10k more to finish it. So hopefully by the end of this weekend or sometime next week it'll be done. :) Not only the blog version, but the version I plan on subing somewhere. Haven't decided where yet.

Hope everyone enjoys this wonderful Wednesday.

Firebird- Part Thirty-Five

Firebird copyright (c) 2007 TA Chase

Part Thirty-Five:

Rue glanced up at Vlatko from in front of the big man. Dark eyes burned a path straight to his heart. He’d never found anyone who saw him like Vlatko did. It was as if he was something precious and the man didn’t know what he’d done to deserve him. It was a feeling Rue could relate to because he sure as hell didn’t know what god he’d made happy to have Vlatko arrive in his life. A deep thrust drove that thick cock down his throat and he forgot about thanking anyone.

He licked up the throbbing vein, teased the ridge of the cock’s head and pushed the tip of his tongue in Vlatko’s slit. The groans and moans coming from Vlatko told Rue he was driving the man crazy. He wanted to do that, but he didn’t want to make Vlatko climax with his mouth. He wanted the man to fuck him hard and fast, so he took him to the edge and eased off.

“Don’t come.” He scrambled to his feet, placing his fingers at Vlatko’s mouth. “Get me wet.”

Vlatko grasped the base of his own cock and squeezed while opening his mouth to take Rue’s fingers in. Rue gasped as the warm moist tongue danced along his fingers, tasting and teasing. Before he came just from Vlatko sucking his fingers, he pulled them out. Whirling around, he climbed up on the pilot’s chair and braced one hand on its back. He placed his knees far apart and reached behind him.

“Fucking beautiful.” The harsh words tore from Vlatko’s lips as Rue pushed his fingers into his hole. He sighed as he stretched and prepared his ass for Vlatko’s cock. The feel of his fingers spreading and twisting inside his sensitive channel was almost too much, especially each time he brushed his gland. Just when he thought he was going to make himself shoot his load, Vlatko grabbed his hand and pulled it out of the way.

He braced both hands on the arms of the chair and pushed back, helping Vlatko impale his ass with that wonderfully hard shaft. “Take me hard. Make me feel it tomorrow.”

He was begging like the biggest slut in the universe, but anyone who’d gotten a chance to be fucked by Vlatko would beg to ride his cock again. Rue arched his back and relaxed, letting Vlatko slid in until the man’s balls hit the back of his thighs.

“Gods, the way you feel, Rue. So tight and hot.”

He felt Vlatko’s lips press against his shoulder. The words tumbled from Rue’s mouth as Vlatko started to move. “Just for you. Only for you now.”

“Damn right. Not letting anyone else have this ass, not for love or credits. Not even to save my life.” Vlatko slammed into him.

He tilted his hips and cried out as Vlatko’s cock brushed over his gland. “Right there. Again.”

Soon neither of them was coherent. Grunts and groans filled the cabin. Rue held on as Vlatko reamed his ass. He felt the strong grip Vlatko had on his hips and knew that he’d have bruises there tomorrow. His balls tightened and pleasure tingled at the base of his spine. He wanted to stroke his cock, but he couldn’t pry his fingers off the chair.

“Gonna, Vlatko.” Disbelief skated over his mind as he started to climax, strings of pearly cum coating the chair in front of him. He’d never come without a touch to his cock.

“Fuck, love.” Vlatko slammed into him and stilled as the thick cock inside him jerked.

A hot wetness filled him. He had the weirdest sensation that Vlatko was marking him from the inside. That whenever anyone saw him from this moment on, they would know that he was Vlatko’s lover. The thought made him happy.

The Black Dahlia

Watched this movie last night. Interesting story..might have to get the book by James Ellroy and read it to really do the movie justice. I sort of needed a flow chart to understand the whole thing. But all in all, not a bad movie.

It's intriguing that the murder hasn't been solved. Sort of our own Jack the Ripper case, except as far as the police knew there was only one woman killed. Pretty gruesome.

I did some writing yesterday..mostly editing, so I didn't end up with as many words written as I had hoped, but it's coming along. :)

I hope everyone has a great Monday.

First Review

Hey everyone, I got my first review for Angel's Evolution. Besides all the wonderful emails I got from readers...which I loved to read.

Elisa put up a review for AE on her Livejournal. Click here to read it. She very nicely translated it into English for all of us foreign language challenged people. ;)

Thank you so much, Elisa.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday.

Nothing New

Nothing's happening today. It's raining here and I'm debating whether I want to go and run errands or if I should just stay inside and write. :) Since I'm feeling kind of lazy, it really isn't that hard of a decision.

Got another 2k finished on Firebird. Won't be posting everything I wrote, but enough so you'll know what's happening. :)

Have a wonderful Saturday, everyone.

Finally Friday

Watched this movie last night. Okay..so the plot had more holes in it than Swiss cheese and the acting, not the best, but for barely legal eye candy, it's great...lol. Especially when the swim team is working out. ;)

We also rented Snakes on the Plane. It's supposed to be good in an over-the-top sort of way. I managed to last until right before the snakes started making their way through the plane...then I gave up. I don't care how over the top a movie is, there just has to be some believability in it for me to watch it. There's no way this would ever happen in a hundred years...lol. Maybe one snake or two, but a whole herd of them. Nope sorry.

Got more writing done on Firebird and Tony's story. Go me.

I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Firebird- Part Thirty-Four

Firebird copyright (c) 2006 TA Chase

Part Thirty-Four:

Two days later—

Vlatko sighed as he settled into the co-pilot seat. Rue was going to fly the transport, making Vlatko happy. He’d never gotten the hang of steering a ship through the stars. It would be just the two of them on the journey. Stargazer had offered to accompany them, but Vlatko turned him down. He could see how the mercenary made Rue uncomfortable. Plus he didn’t want to share the thief. That pretty bubble ass was his.

Rue smiled at him while going through his pre-flight check. “Eager to get off this piece of shit planet?”

“It’s not so bad. Maybe not so advanced as other planets, but that’s nice some times. There’s less hassle and intrigue. If they don’t like you, they just kill you here.”

Rue laughed. “That does keep things easy. Now it’ll take us a week to get to Mitcov. We’ll have to decide before than how we’ll contact them.” Rue looked towards the trap door leading down to the entrance of Vlatko’s underground chamber. “Everything locked up?”

“Yes and here are the codes.” He held out a slip of paper to Rue. “If I die, use this place as a bolt hole when things get too hot for you.”

Shaking his head, Rue shoved the paper back at him. “The only way I’m coming back here is with you, so I don’t want to look at those codes.”

Vlatko stuck them in his pocket. He’d put them in Rue’s bag when the thief wasn’t looking.

“Once we’re headed in the right direction, we can engage the autopilot. I won’t need to manually steer until we’re closer to Mitcov. There’s a dead asteroid I want to hook up with and use as a staging area.”

“So what do we do while we’re traveling?” He winked at Rue.

“I think we can find something to pass the time with.” Rue’s gaze swept over his body, lingering at his groin.

Vlatko got up and stood behind the pilot’s seat. His hands slid down Rue’s chest, stopping to play with the hard nipples thrusting up underneath Rue’s t-shirt. Rue moaned and tilted his head to the side. Those blond curls Vlatko was so fond of, cascaded away to reveal the length of Rue’s pale neck. Vlatko kissed the sensitive spot right behind Rue’s ear, teasing and sucking. Rue’s hands stuttered as they checked switches and buttons.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Rue’s protest didn’t have any heat behind it since his hips lifted off the seat when Vlatko pinched his nipples.

“Why not? One last time on this planet. Good memories here.” Vlatko scraped his teeth over that spot while his fingernails tweaked those hard nubs.

“Uh…” Rue seemed to be interested in something other than memories. The slender man reached up behind him and wrapped his arms around Vlatko’s neck, causing his body to arch towards Vlatko.

He couldn’t help chuckling. His thief was a slut, no doubt about it. Standing up, he broke Rue’s hold on him and spun the pilot’s seat around, so Rue was facing him. He pulled the thief to his feet, starting to unbutton his pants.

“Naked.” He smiled as Rue rushed to obey the order. “Don’t give yourself leather burns getting those pants off, love.”

Rue stuck out his tongue at him and he shook his head. “Don’t be sticking that out unless you’re planning on using it.”

Rue’s eyes gleamed like fire as the thief fell to his knees in front of Vlatko. That talented tongue flicked out to lick the top of Vlatko’s cock as he got his own pants unbuttoned and pushed out of the way. He looked down to see fine blond curls bob as Rue swallowed his cock down.

“Those are the memories I love,” he growled.

Firebird- Part Thirty-Three

Firebird copyright (c) 2007 TA Chase

Part Thirty-Three:

A few hours later---

Rue shifted, slowly coming awake. His eyes took in the stone above him. He turned his head and saw he was in Vlatko’s bedroom underground. How did he get down here? The last thing he remembered was lying on top of Vlatko up in the hut. Vlatko must have brought him here when the big guy woke up.

A jolt of surprise raced through him when he remembered what Vlatko had said to him. Shit. He sat up and turned, dangling his legs over the edge of the bed. Did Vlatko mean it or was it just the sex talking? Damn. When had he become such a girl? It didn’t matter at the moment whether he meant it or not, he had said those words and that was enough for now. Even if Vlatko didn’t love him, it wouldn’t change his decision. He was going to Mitcov. He got up, cleaned up and headed out to the main room.

Vlatko was talking on the communicator. “Thanks, Stargazer. I’ll see you day after tomorrow.”

“What were you talking to him for?” Rue still felt guilty for having sex with Stargazer, even though before Vlatko, he’d had done whatever he had to do to successfully complete a job.

Vlatko stood and went to the kitchen, pulling out two beers. Rue caught the one thrown at him.
“He’s dropping off a transport we can use to make a run to Mitcov.” Vlatko popped the top off the bottle and took a swig.

“You’re going with me?” Rue admitted he was a little surprised.

“Yeah. Don’t you want me?”

“Sure. I just thought you’d want to stay here. There’s no guarantee what I’m going to try will even work.” He fiddled with the label on his bottle.

“I don’t know what your plan is, Rue, but I see it this way. I can stay here, pound my head against this formula and die or I can go with you and have a great adventure-not to mention incredible sex-and die. Either way I’m dead. I decided I want to have fun before this stuff takes me out.”

Rue blinked back the sudden moisture in his eyes and coughed. “Okay. I could always use back-up.”

“I’m good at that.” Vlatko grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the couch. “So tell me what your plan is?”

“I’m going to negotiate with the Mitcovians. I’ll give them back their stone if they give me the scientist who invented the liquid body armor. I figure we could bring him back here and get him to find a cure for you.”

“You think that’s going to work? We don’t even know if the Mitcovian is still alive.”

Vlakto hadn’t shot his idea down, so it might be a good one.

“Well, Mitcovians live a long time. It’s possible he’s alive. Why wouldn’t they do it? If the fire opal keeps them strong and safe from the I.U.M., why wouldn’t they give up one puny scientist? It’s not like we’re going to kill him. We’re just borrowing him for a few months.”

Vlatko chuckled, urging Rue to sit closer to him. “You wouldn’t object to being sent to some strange planet with a thief and an assassin?”

Rue nodded. “You’ve got a point. We could kidnap him. I mean I’m good at stealing things. Usually inanimate objects, but still how hard could it be?” At Vlatko’s skeptical snort, he grimaced. “You’re right. It’s a bad idea, but it was the only one I could think of.”

“Hush, love. I didn’t say it was a bad idea. We’ll give it a go. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll think of something else. Maybe we should just fly off together, sell the stone and make a shit load of credits. We can live the good life while dodging the I.U.M.” Vlatko playfully pinched Rue’s cheek. “I always thought I deserved the best.”

“I don’t want you to die, Vlatko. I hate the idea of your life being snuffed out.” He felt his bottom lip tremble. “Aren’t you afraid to die?”

“No. I never was. If I had never met you and died, it wouldn’t have been a terrible hardship. I didn’t have a life. Now since I’ve met you, the thought of dying makes me angry. I don’t want to give you up.”

Rue nestled close to his lover’s warm body. He traced his hand over Vlatko’s thigh. His skin began o tingle and Vlatko gasped.

“Can you feel that?”

Rue shook his head. “All I feel is a tingle. What are you feeling?"

“It’s almost like my leg in on fire.”

He started to pull his hand away. “I’m sorry.”

“No. Keep it there. My leg’s been bothering me for a couple days now. Your touch is making it feel better.” Vlatko brushed a kiss over Rue’s forehead. “Guess I’ll keep you around after all.”

It's Out

Angel's Evolution is available at LSB. Click here to check it out. And I'll be posting the next scene for Firebird tomorrow. :)

Bad Tuesday

This day hasn't started out well and I'm really hoping it gets better soon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Angel's Evolution will be out tonight. Also, I left my flash drive at home, so I can't even post the new scene for Firebird today. Ugh! I'd love to go back home, crawl in bed and start this day over again.

Sorry about all of this. Please be patient and I promise the new scene will be up tonight with a nice pic. :)

Sorry..postponed

Sorry everyone. LSB had server problems so Angel's Evolution has been postponed until tomorrow. :( Hopefully every thing will be fixed by then and you'll be able to pick it up around 7 tomorrow night. :)

Rotton luck because I really was looking forward to y'all getting a chance to read about the guys, but I guess you get an extra present...a new Firebird scene and Angel's story released.

Thanks for being patient.

Welcome 2007 and....

Angel's story will be out at 7 pm EST tonight at Liquid Silver Books. I'll post a live link as soon as it goes on sale. (to make it easier for you all to go and buy it..shameless, I know...lol) *Liquid Silver is experiencing some server problems...so there'll be a slight delay in publishing Angel's Evolution. As soon as it's fixed and the books are available, I'll let everyone know.*

Also, more good news. I just found out that No Going Home from LSB was the #1 bestseller for Third Quarter there (July, August, September) Go Les and Randy. Thanks to everyone who bought my cowboys. I can't tell you how much knowing you all love them as much as I do makes me smile.

Well, yesterday was fun. I added another 2k to Firebird...stuff that I won't be posting though. Just little extras to some scenes I've already written. But I'm getting closer to the end. It's amazing how much sex these two have had. By far the most 'busy' couple I've written about...maybe it's because they don't let their baggage get in the way and they understand each other from the beginning. :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve and take time to relax and recover today.