Every life has good memories and bad. I'd like to share some of the memories of my mother.

When we moved east from far western Queensland when I was a child, the six of us--two adults and four children--drove along the railway line because everything else was under water in one of the worst floods in decades. My younger sister, about 8 months old at the time, made the trip in a cardboard box on the floor.

Mum worked away from home for much of my childhood, returning for weekends every couple of months. On one trip home she brought with her a dog. He kept stealing her shoes and chewing on them - that's definitely an indication he's a keeper, right? He stole all our shoes too.

Mum grew up on a dairy farm but, even knowing cows as she did, she never counted on one of them lying on the bonnet of her car out on the highway. She was stuck there until the drover finally came along the line and moved the cows on. She didn't go far that day.

Mum was basically self-taught in everything. She taught herself how to cook, sew, crochet, play the banjo, guitar and piano, and she taught herself how to drive. Popular opinion indicated that she was successful with the crochet. I remember the fence surrounding our property, and several trees that began life well inside the safety zone, being wiped out piece by piece by Mum reversing over them. Considering the driveway was little longer than the length of the car, that was some feat. She parked by the 'touch' method.

Every parent wants their children to have a better life than they had. Mum was no different. She pushed each of us to achieve. She was an independent, working married woman at a time that was not easily accepted in society. That alone encouraged each of us to resist society's pressures to be pigeon-holed simply because we're women.

I've often had difficulty reconciling Mum's long absences in my life with her insistence that family is of prime importance, but I decided it doesn't matter. Whatever else Mum was or did, she was my mother. I'm sure she loved us more than she could express. I'll miss her.

My mother died this week. I'll be back next week.

One of the most exciting times during the publication process is receiving an actual release date for my next book. The other most exciting time is receiving a cover. Those two things make it all seem real. Imminent. All over again, I get an almost uncontrollable urge to yell "I'm going to be published!".

Sometimes I don't control that urge.

This week I'm celebrating both those things. It's a double whammy.

I love the cover from Maria Fanning. It's very close to the story.

And the release date: Warrior Pledge will be released by Dreamspinner Press on 3 October.

As soon as the blurb is finalised, I'll share that as well.

When I plot a book, I'll often write the sentence 'blow stuff up' in the plan. I never, ever write 'feel something'. That might be one of the reasons I often get told my characters lack emotional depth in my first drafts. I wish I could just learn to write the emotion in the first time. It's not as if I don't know it's a problem. Why can't I learn how to do it?

The easy answer is probably that I'd rather write about something blowing up. Emotions are hard.

So it's time for me to analyse exactly what is needed to show emotion in writing and see if I can do it logically. These are things I know I'm supposed to do, but don't always remember to do them because I get absorbed with what's happening in the story.

1. Identify the emotions. This one I actually like. It means I can make a list. I like lists. I can tick each item off when it's done and feel like I've accomplished something. The idea that I can do the same with emotions in stories makes me feel like it's achievable, not some nebulous thing that just happens if you know what you're doing.
   
2. Be clear on the character's motivations. Motivation gives a really good reason to be feeling emotion. It also gives some ideas on what sorts of emotions the character will feel and how they will be displayed at different times. I always do Goal, Motivation and Conflict (internal and external) for each major character, but I often forget to show physical and emotional reaction to each of these things when they change or are challenged.
   
3. Show through characters' actions. I always think I do this but all I'm really doing is showing their actions. Making sure readers see the emotions in those actions is more complicated than that. So how does a 3000 year old dragon who's seen and done lots of things, FEEL about the moons going red? In my head, he's had so much time to react to everything that happens in the world, it's almost passe. The red light is different, of course, so we'll focus on that. My standard go-to elements are heart rate, sweat and trembling, but I get sick of talking about only those three things to show when someone is emotionally impacted. This is about the time I start to think 'get over it and blow something up'.
   
4. Write the character so the reader identifies with them. This means tapping into feelings and reactions others can relate to. I find this difficult because my first reaction to drama and melodrama is 'build a bridge and get over it'. You can't achieve much if you spend all your time angsting over things. I have to sit down and work out exactly what each small reaction might mean in terms of feelings, then amp it up. Every time I do what I consider overwriting the emotion, my critique group tells me I've finally got it right. Weird.
   

So, I know what I have to do. It just doesn't come out that way. Perhaps the system I'm using now, is the system that works for me. I write it first, then I go back and layer in reactions and feelings: the emotional depth.

Perhaps, when I'm plotting, I should also identify where I need to layer in the emotional depth. I could make another list! :)

Bert Cooper’s life used to be great, until his sister turned out to be a traitor. Now Bert feels the whole pack looks on him with doubt and suspicion. To prove his loyalty, he volunteers to be the first ambassador at Fey Court, gathering information to finally solve the Leader Murders and punish those plotting against the Council and community. At least, that was the plan….
When Bert meets Sir William Matthew Sims, Court Interrogator, and one hell of a sexy man, life becomes a balancing act. And when the Fey King is assassinated, things become really messy.
Pack politics, fey politics, treason, suspicions of treason…. Bert has to choose between being ruled by his fears or standing up for what—and who—he believes in. And it might just break his heart.
 
Pages or Words: 234 pages, 82,000 words
 
Categories: Contemporary, M/M Romance, Mystery, Parnormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Wolf Shifters

Excerpt from A King and a Pawn by Liv Olteano:
“Would you take me in as a trophy, Bert?” he asked, smiling oddly, a sort of indulgent look in his eyes.
I wasn’t going to outsmart him, that was for sure. Luckily I didn’t think I had to.
“I wouldn’t be taking you in at all. You and your kids would simply accompany me. I’m sure you can find something of value to offer me so I’ll be willing to go that way. And then you’d find something of value to offer Weiss and the Council to give you guys, say, political asylum?”
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
I shrugged. “I’m sure you did. I don’t think you’re a fool, Will. I’m sure you’re not, in fact. So I’m giving you the courtesy of not treating you as one. A courtesy I hope you’ll give me too.”
“Implying that I have not so far?” he asked, stepping toward me again.
My pulse spiked. “I wasn’t implying that at all.”
We were face-to-face, a step apart at most. My mind stuttered over the few stray thoughts I managed to recognize. It was unusual someone’s presence would affect me this much, this soon. Was he that special? Was our chemistry that special? Or was he using some sort of spell on me? I didn’t think that was beneath him. Magic wasn’t beneath any magic-wielding fey, just like changing into a wolf wasn’t beneath me as werewolf. It was a natural part of who we were. I just wasn’t that used to his natural part, and the very idea made me smile.
“What could I offer you that you’d like to have?” he asked as his breath touched my face with every word he uttered.
“Oh, I could think of several things,” I replied.
He leaned toward me. His lips brushed against mine now when he spoke. “I could think of several things I’d like to offer you as well.”
I gulped. Shit, I couldn’t think with my dick. Not now at least. I so wanted to. It would be so easy to whisper it sweetly: “Fuck my brains out and I’ll be on your side.” But I wasn’t here for shits and giggles, so I couldn’t. There was no reason I couldn’t hope I’d get a fuck out of the situation somewhere down the line. The more time we spent together, the better chance of that happening. That was pretty solid motivation to spin things in a way that would benefit us all in the end. There. I wasn’t doing this for my selfish fuck-greedy self but for the greater good. I was a fucking humanitarian, feyitarian, whateveritarian.
“I’ll only ask for one small thing for myself,” I whispered softly.
He brushed his lips against mine. The touch sent little fiery thrills down my nerve endings, from the skin of my lips right to the pulsing muscle of my heart. I felt his breath hitch at the contact, and the idea it might affect him almost as much as it was affecting me sent a shiver down my spine. We could have been faking it, both of us. This was a negotiation of sorts, and now was the time to bring on our top game. But I felt it in my gut that this connection was real, that it wasn’t bullshit for either one of us. I just knew it in the pit of my stomach. I wondered if he knew it too, as clearly as I did right in that instant.
His scent didn’t assault my senses since he’d been hanging out in my personal space for a while now. My senses were bathed in his scent already. But I could feel the pounding of his heart as I deepened the kiss; I could feel his muscles clench and unwind with sensual tension while my body sang with it. Fuck me sideways, I wanted him right now. I wanted him so bad it almost gutted me. The feel of him languidly moving his tongue against mine made my blood turn into liquid fire, scalding my insides and bringing up my body temperature to heights I didn’t think I’d felt before after just kissing. Everything in my body screamed, This. This is it. This is what you’ve been waiting for, for so fucking long!
“What do you want?” he asked after he pulled back, his forehead leaning against mine.
Fuck, fuck it, fuck! “I want all the information you can get from the Archives on a certain topic.”

Buy the book: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=7849
Amazon US - https://amzn.com/B01GD3CFBO
UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GD3CFBO
ARe - https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-akingandapawn-2048682-145.html
BN - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-king-and-a-pawn-liv-olteano/1123855463
GooglePlay - https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Liv_Olteano_A_King_and_a_Pawn?id=gLA8DAAAQBAJ&hl=en
iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-king-and-a-pawn/id1118279966
kobo - https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/a-king-and-a-pawn

Meet the author:
 
Liv Olteano is a voracious reader, music lover, and coffee addict extraordinaire. And occasional geek. Okay, more than occasional.
She believes stories are the best kind of magic there is. And life would be horrible without magic. Her hobbies include losing herself in the minds and souls of characters, giving up countless nights of sleep to get to know said characters, and trying to introduce them to the world. Sometimes they appreciate her efforts. The process would probably go quicker if they’d bring her a cup of coffee now and then when stopping by. Characters—what can you do, right?
Liv has a penchant for quirky stories and is a reverent lover of diversity. She can be found loitering around the Internet at odd hours and being generally awkward and goofy at all times.
 
Where to find the author:
 
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/LiviaOlteano/
Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/LiviaOlteano
Website: http://liv.liviaolteano.com/
Blog: http://blog.liviaolteano.com/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/zZ7T9
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30232294-a-king-and-a-pawn
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyG

Tour Dates & Stops:
30-Jun
Parker Williams, Dawn’s Reading Nook, Happily Ever Chapter, Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews, MM Good Book Reviews, The Jena Wade, The Dark Arts, Book Lovers 4Ever, Velvet Panic, Charley Descoteaux, Alpha Book Club, Molly Lolly, Oh My Shelves
 
1-Jul
Bayou Book Junkie, A.M. Leibowitz, BFD Book Blog, Full Moon Dreaming, My Fiction Nook, Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents, Havan Fellows, The Fuzzy, Fluffy World of Chris T. Kat, EE Montgomery, Gay Media Reviews, Kirsty Loves Books, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, V's Reads