Dark Magic, lit candles

Romantasy? Why Not?- May 3, 2024

Dear Reader,

I hope your weekend is going well. Around this time of year, I find myself quite in need of the weekend. In the world of education, it's the testing season. High stakes testing is awful, super stressful, and yields only dismal results. Mostly because it works on a shotgun blast principle. Test every student to the same standard, even if that's not in the student's best interest. But you didn't come to the dream to hear me whine about the idiosyncrasies of the day job.

I don't come to the dream for that, either. This is a place to escape, relax, and enjoy a fantasy. Although, it may be more of a romantasy.

ghost fox

This is a strange term with confusing ideas surrounding any exact definition because of subjectivity. Author M.K. Lobb may have defined it best in her post, What is Romantasy, Anyway?, as a fantasy novel with a central romance. I highly recommend you read her post for the in-depth answer. After I read it, I wondered, does the dream fit there? Maybe better than it doesn't fit.

The steamy paranormal romance in each tale set in the dream reveals the characters who drive the story, making it significant. But does the romance in the foreground overshadow the dark fantasy story paraded through the background? I don't think so. I believe each holds an equal weight.

Supernatural owl

For the Draoithe Saga to continue, the fantasy is vital. Each complete tale in the Draoithe saga offers the much required happily ever after (or happily for now) which is required of any romance story. But it also offers a revelation of another fragment of the Unlikely Kings prophecy. The desire to know how the prophecy finally plays out leads the reader into the next tale.

Characters from previous tales often make cameo appearances, reminding readers of previous tales or foreshadowing future stories. Meeting new characters or revisiting old beloved characters is fun. Because the characters drive the story, there are a lot of them. Which leads to: when will I finally make the character lists, the Dramatis personae? Probably whenever I finally create the timelines, which I'm procrastinating on like mad.

phoenix

Laugh with me. The muse is crazy, but I have immensely enjoyed the dream. Creating all the extras is as much fun as writing the tales. So I'll keep doing it. If you enjoy the inanity, stay tuned. I have no desire to stop it now. I might even create maps of the three levels of the dream if I figure out how.

Don't raise the alarm if the subtitle for OpheliaKee.com changes. The dream remains the same. It just has a better niche. I'm slow on the draw and uninterested in following trends, but the stories have fit partially into two different genres always. Marketing either is difficult, but the inability to choose one makes it especially more so. I could never choose which was a better fit. If this moniker blends the two genres in the same way my stories blend the two, it makes sense to adopt the terminology.

Behind the Scenes

Lyons Gate Miniseries cover

The Serials and Publishing the Stories

I stalled a bit on adding more chapters to the currently posting miniseries because I needed to catch up on the book publishing front. I have posted some new video extras for Raven's Rescue in Valkyrie Riders. The next story uploading in that miniseries will be Lord of Dragons. I've started with some video extras, and will begin the chapter edits soon. I'm almost finished with the read through on Nephilim's claim as well.

In Lyons Gate, I'm farther along than I believed. Ruined Lion has posted. The story has published on OpheliaKee.com and is a preorder on the retailers. Ghostly Kingdom will post chapters next.

Mystic Dark and Apocalypse Denied are currently on pause while I catch up on the publishing front. Grim Dark has published on OpheliaKee.com and is a preorder on the retailers. Devil's Sins and Kiss Dark wait in the wings.

It takes all day to publish all the iterations of a book if I'm not working. If I'm working, it takes four or five evenings. So bear with me. I will get there. Summer is coming!

Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor

Scenes from the cutting room Floor

I didn't do this last weekend, but I said I would share a few more scenes I cut from A Pack Forms. This next scene gives you insight into Ryker's backstory and explains why Luke wanted him to join the Druid pack. If you've read the tales in Kingdom Rising and Royal Council, you will instantly know why this scene absolutely had to be cut from that first novel. But first, we must handle the legalese.

Warning:

This is a work in progress and

is subject to change at any time.

Read at Your Own Risk!

Copyright 2024

All Rights Reserved.

Ryker

He dropped his bags in his hotel room and took a cab to a bar near the beach. Ryker needed a drink and to look at some women. Maybe he would get lucky. Even if he didn't, seeing a few feminine faces would be a sight for sore eyes. He was sick of looking at the men on his crew. They were good guys, but women were special, soft, and beautiful. They smelled good. That was a good enough reason to look at them alone.

Luke thought he stayed in the military because his wife had died, but it was all he had going for him. His marriage had headed toward divorce court before the accident. She hadn't wanted him to stay in the military, but what else did he know? Nothing.

He was better off working with Luke and following orders than trying to make it on his own. But that didn't mean he liked the men he worked with the same way he liked a pretty woman. Too bad there wasn't one who would just claim him as is.

Cars. That was what he was good at. Why did the universe not just make women like automobiles? If he could transfer his skill with all things driving to his love life, he would be set. Oh well, maybe he should just be happy, loving cars and watching beautiful women. If that was his lot, so be it. No car ever tried to change him.

He had a few beers at the bar and watched a ball game with little enthusiasm. It was getting late, and he had decided he had enough booze in him to unwind and sleep well. He paid his tab, stepped out of the bar, and pulled out his phone to call a cab back to the hotel when he heard a woman scream.

Ryker moved. Women shouldn't scream. He scanned the parking area, looking for the enemy. He saw her struggling with an asshole twice her size. The fool punched her. Ryker saw red.

No one should beat on a woman. They were delicate and made men want to be men. They made homes. The fool needed to learn some manners.

He was bigger than Ryker, but that didn't matter. He needed to save the girl.

“Let her go!”

Even half-drunk, Ryker could take the man down. Years of training made him good at that, even if he grew older.

The abuser let her face Ryker.

“Call the cops, ma’am.”

Ryker's fist connected with the jerk’s face.

Ryker kept the man moving, ducking the punches and landing body blows. The asshole got in a couple of lucky hits only because Ryker had a few too many beers. He should probably drink less when he was off duty, but he never drank on assignment. So he was making up for lost time only to have a fat lip because of it.

A few minutes later, the squad cars showed up. They all took a ride downtown. The woman corroborated his story. The cops wanted to ensure he stayed out of trouble, or they would keep him overnight for public intoxication. He either spent the night in jail or he called Luke.

Ryker sighed. He needed his commanding officer to bail him out again.

When the man picked up, Ryker felt bad. Luke had been asleep. It was almost three in the morning.

“Hello?”

The muffled came through the line.

“Luke, man, I need your help. It’s Ryker. I’m downtown. There was a girl... And an asshole. I lost my shit. Can you pick me up? I don’t want to spend the night in the holding cell.”

The man laughed.

“When are you ever going to learn to stay out of other people’s fights? Yeah, I’ll be there. Give me a half-hour.”

Luke was great.

“Thanks, man. I owe you one.”

Ryker grinned.

“Good. I'll cash it in later.”

Luke hung up. The cops took off the handcuffs, and when Luke showed up, they released him into his friend’s custody after Luke signed a few papers.

“Let me guess? An asshole hit a girl in front of you?”

Luke grinned and shook his head as they left the station.

“You know me well, man. You know me too well. Sorry to bother you. But shit, I can’t watch a guy beat on a woman. I just can’t. Makes me sick. I might throw up just thinking about it.”

Luke clapped him on the back.

“It’s cool. At least with you, the reason’s always legitimate. Where are you staying?”

Luke called a taxi. He rode back to the hotel. Luke headed off to the beach house he rented.

Sleep. Ryker needed sleep.

Buy their book poster

I hope you enjoyed meeting Ryker before he first arrived at Draoithe on the night Lily mauled him and left him at the mercy of a vampire. But that's a different story, and I seriously have to get some sleep. I always enjoy connecting with my readers, but life has a habit of dragging me out of the dream. I'll drop into your in box next weekend. Until then, please remember to be kind when you read and leave your honest reviews. Know you are always welcome to the dream...

Be Careful!

Happy Reading,

Ophelia Kee

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