Month: January 2023

Inspiring a love scene

Let’s face it. Paranormal romance has an expectation of love scenes. Depending on the author, that can be a fade-to-black scene, left to the reader’s imagination, or it can be blow by blow, full-on, spicy sex.

For me, it has always depended on the character. For example, Fane Anghelescu, my Hellhound Alpha, has a forceful personality, although he would not attack a female. However, he is an incubus, and increases his power through sex magic. For him, the more enjoyable and involved the act, the power he will generate, as this illustrates:

Taking a shower … such a simple, everyday action. And yet, with you my little Hunter, that simplicity is more. The pulse of your blood in your neck, as you tilt you lips to mine. Your lips, slightly parted, inviting me to taste, to savour your passion. 

The feel of your body beneath my hands, lithe, yet your skin slick with the woody scent of liquid soap. My hand is beneath your chin, holding, imprisoning, but who is the prisoner? Who is the captive? Is my little Hunter caught, and has she entrapped the wolf? Does the wolf care? 

Love did not make me weak. It gave me purpose. It showed me the value of caring. And no matter what, your love and the memories of our moments together will remind me and keep me strong

In comparison, we have Casimir, the so-called Psycho Gosselin. By his own admission, he has done things which are despicable. He acknowledges that he is far from saintly. It would not be wrong to say he despises that character he must portray. Only with other members of the Hellfire Pack can he let his guard down. He had never expected to find a Mate, so to realise that Daniela is his Mate makes her all the more precious to him. In return, Daniela appreciates the image he must portray. With her encouragement, he is able to close the chasm of misunderstanding with his sister Alix.

When it comes down to it, every author needs inspiration, so I shall close with the video that gave me just the ambiance I needed for Gavril and Aaleahya, the leads of the Cwn Annwn. With them, it was a love affair that lasted over 200 years until Aaleahya was killed. In ‘Alpha’, Gavril is wondering whether he will find his Mate, or will he suffer the fate of his own dam? A trip to the Carpathians and he meets Aaleahya, a Roma girl. There was no need for him to be the stereotypical ‘alpha male’, because they were so well matched. She was a strong female, for all that her Mate was older than her.

Tenderness by Thomas Synnamon

See the whole series of the Diaries of the Cwn Annwn here: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08WL17FTX

Coming to a bookstore in 2023

This is just a little bit exciting for me. Who am I kidding? It is a lot-a-bit exciting. After much consideration, I have come up with the list of books which I aim to publish over the course of 2023, roughly at the rate of one every quarter. Would you like to know more?

Am Byth will fill in the gap between Cysgodion and Merysekhmet, with the story of how Casimir develops his plan to bring the legacy of his sire to an end. But he has enemies, not least of whom is Lamashtu, the demoness unable to comprehend why this mere shifter has turned on her. For this, he will suffer and those close to him will pay. What will this mean to those close to him: his Pack Beta, Rosa and his Mate, Daniela Echeverria.

Daimonas follows on from the story of Fane, the Alpha of the Anghelescu Hellhounds. Someone is targeting Fane’s pack in a way that is all too personal. First he is accused of the deaths of two undercover cops, and Alix has to use her ingenuity to have additional forensics done in an attempt to prove his innocence. This results in a meeting between the forensic scientist, Caroline, and the chief mechanic of the Chain & Sprocket workshop, Drahomir Anghelescu. Now that the pack is free of Lamashtu, Fane and Stefania have realised that they are Mates, freeing the rest of the pack to discover their own partners. When Drax realises that he and Caroline share a bond, he is faced with how he will let the slender, but isolated forensics specialist into his world, without endangering her by exposure to the Pack’s enemies.

Heliwr picks up the story of a series favourite, Detective Jake Petersen, but with a twist. When he agrees to help Alix over a spike in smuggling into the New York Ports, little does he realise that the culprit will also prove to be his Mate. This story will be co -written with Bethan Thomas, who wrote the part of Stefania in Fane.

Tan A Daear is the story of Alex Vasilev, elder brother of Sergei from Medved. After being involved in a helicopter crash, Alex wakes to find himself in a hospital room with a broken leg. The head Physiotherapist has been tasked to ensure he doesn’t lose muscle tone, but there is more to her than meets the eye. Jadzia doesn’t realise everything that she can do, other than knowing that she can help the unusual patients under her care heal faster. She certainly doesn’t realise how close to danger she is. Will she accept Alex’s help?

Stay up to date with the world of the Cwn Annwn, the Daughters of the Ddraig and the Hellfire Pack. Click here to go to the series page

Family

Over the New Year, I have been spending some time with my parents, both of whom have dementia. They remember family members but short term memory is not good. It brought to mind the importance that family play in our stories, as we discover more about them and through them about ourselves.

Family: all generations

When I was planning the first story in my series, I wanted Gavril’s history to begin with the Tudor age, even though he would have the appearance of a male in his early thirties. Other details had to be adjusted to fit, such as his daughter appearing to be in her 20s by World War 2 but in reality being in her 80s.

So many things would have happened in the course of his lifetime. One of my more recent series, “Daughters of the Ddraig”, features a reimagined Ddraig Goch of Wales. Like Gavril, he looks younger than his true age. Over the years, he has seen his family grow and change. Would a school seem different if it was known that actual dragons were amongst the students?

This is only a short post, as I have to hit the road soon. I will close by saying that, I hope you will make time to find out more about your family before it is too late. Before dementia robs you of your past. Good or bad, it is still worth knowing and understanding.

RELEVANT LINKS FOR JO PILSWORTH

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JKPilsworth Paranormal may not be your thing. Urban fantasy may not either. But who knows? I may be one of your friends new favourite author. Inspired by #Legends an #UrbanFantasy series.

Alpha: https://t.co/IRZLR92AFu

Beta: https://t.co/DGDDI03VB9

Merysekhmet (US link): https://t.co/fFOUm5MHUs Toho: https://t.co/oKtbDgrqiHhttps://t.co/mGMuJWd6Xd

Medved: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C19QKPH

AMAZON LINKS

Alpha (US link): https://t.co/IRZLR92AFu

Beta: https://t.co/DGDDI03VB9

Merysekhmet (US link): https://t.co/fFOUm5MHUs

Toho: (US link): https://t.co/oKtbDgrqiHhttps://t.co/mGMuJWd6Xd

Medved: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C19QKPH

Shapeshifting: myth, dream or reality

In my novels, there are shapeshifters, whose forms are inspired by legend. Gavril, the leader of my Cwn Annwn, can adopt a human form, a wolf or his ‘true’ form of a white spectral hound. Fane is the leader of my Hellhound Pack. Casimir, a wolf shifter, leads a pack of mixed shifters. By why are they my main characters?

My first recollection of enjoying reading was a book of Greek myths, never mind that I was in my teens before I knew the correct pronunciation of some of those Greek names. But, I have always been fascinated by the ‘what if’ of a story. What if Theseus hadn’t forgotten to change the sail to a white sail? What if Achilles’ mother had remembered to dip his heel into the Styx?

Along that same vein, as my reading of myths expanded, I wondered what would be the result if some of those myths still existed in this world, but by necessity hid themselves from us?

Who hasn’t experienced that deja vu that stops them from crossing a road, for example? What if that ‘feeling’ was a Cwn Annwn pulling you back? They can’t tell us they were there, because otherwise how could they harvest souls in these days. After all, modern life is a world of law and order … allegedly.

Hellhound: dark fur, red eyes, howling to the full moon

Casimir’s wolf form as a black wolf

Thus began the Diaries of the Cwn Annwn. Alpha tells the story of Gavril and his Mate Aaleahya. In Beta, you will meet Bran and Owain, the Betas of the Cwn Annwn and the two females who become their Mates. Fane is the story of the Anghelescu Hellhounds, and what makes Fane anything but a ‘typical’ Hellhound.

Dare you walk with us?

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08WL17FTX