Thursday News Bites - Fireworks and Stolen Kisses

Now that the cover's been officially revealed, I can talk about the first book in the Lijun series properly. Freddy and I had been talking about working on something together since the Dark Spaces project over on the Mischief Corner Books blog.

Of course, it had to be something in the paranormal/ urban fantasy vein. :D Lijun are dual-natured beings - humans who evolved alongside regular humans, but with one difference. They also carry a non-human half within them, an animal form that they can exchange for their human form at will. We don't call them shifters because the animal half is wholly part of them.

Lijun live as part of the human world, and long ago they lived openly among humans, often revered and even worshiped. Certain changes in human society caused them to go underground, though, to escape the fear and persecution from regular humans. This series is about lijun in today's world - a part of our society that works alongside ours, invisible and yet right under our noses. 

​We hope you enjoy the series as much as we have enjoyed writing it. :)

Fireworks and Stolen Kisses
Lijun 1
Pre-order begins May 15

No. Eating. Pixies.

At the annual Global Lijun Alliance conference in Tokyo, Tally Bastille makes the first impulsive decision of his life. Others perceive his uktena—the enormous legendary serpent that's his dual-spirit—as a threat, which makes him all too aware that he frightens fellow lijun. But an encounter with a passionate, obviously not-straight otter lijun one evening convinces Tally that he's found his Em'halafi, his destined match. Tally is determined to barrel through all obstacles to make the match happen, including the otter's conservative, traditional family.

Trained as a Satislit—a bride son—Haru Tanaka chafes at the strict boundaries set around their life. They rebel against their clan's constant attempts to force an arranged match and wish desperately for someone who will love them. At the conference, Haru is horrified to learn their family has accepted an offer for them, one too lucrative for the clan to refuse. Not only has the Urusar sold Haru to a stranger, but the lijun is also a giant snake and one who believes in the tired old superstitions regarding Em'halafi. Threatened with banishment if they refuse, Haru has no choice but to marry the wealthy American serpent.

Back in Tally's home in Wisconsin, Haru and Tally must navigate both the widening gulf between them as they realize how much they've misunderstood about each other, and the tricky politics of the lijun clan Tally leads. Murder, intrigue, and increasing hostility threaten to tear apart the little town of Wadiswan and the arranged marriage they've barely managed to begin.
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General Release Date: 26th June 2018

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