Dianne Hartsock is guesting us today. She’s here to tell us about her story, Nicolas. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Krampus, I’ve mostly come across the creature in horror stories, but keep on reading, and you’ll learn more.
Hello! Thanks for stopping in. Today I’d like to tell you a little about my story NICOLAS. First off, it’s not your usual Christmas story, unique in that I didn’t use the well-known legend of Santa Claus and his elves. My story involves the Krampus, the terrible creature who chases St. Nicolas through the centuries. I have to say, when I first heard the legend of the Krampus, I was intrigued. It’s not Santa Claus who keeps a list of naughty children. It’s Krampus.
Instead of sweet, magical elves helping Santa deliver toys and goodies to everyone, my Nicolas has this dark troll at his side, haunting his steps, bringing nightmare and terror in his wake. In the legend of the Krampus, he’s the one who punishes the children when they are bad with switches and lumps of coal. He’s the dark side to Nicolas’s goodness.
I twisted this legend a little, having my Nico fleeing from this dark entity. He only wishes to be left alone, to continue spreading God’s word of unity and peace to the world. But the Krampus won’t let him be. Long ago, Nico had stopped him from murdering three children, accidently killing the man the Krampus had been in the process. But the man’s spirit returned as the Krampus. who will never forgive him.
The Krampus uses Nico’s feeling of guilt against him, destroying every relationship Niko tries to have by making him feel unworthy of love. But then Nico meets Jamie, an artist who has given up on love. They come together against the Krampus, but will their love be enough to defeat him?
NICOLAS is the story of fear and guilt, love and redemption. It’s a legend brought to life, with a dark twist and a promise of a happy future. But first Nico must learn to forgive himself, the hardest task of all.
Betrayed by a lover, Jamie rents an isolated cabin on Lake Huron, wanting only to be left alone. Instead, he is pulled from his solitary existence as an artist and tumbles headlong into the legend of Saint Nicolas.
As a young man, Nicolas accidentally killed a man intent on murdering three children, only to have the man’s malicious spirit rise up against him. Fleeing through the centuries from the Krampus, the evil troll-like creature that dogs his steps, Nico finds refuge with the young artist who takes him into his home and bed. But Jamie has questions. Who is Nicolas, and why does the Krampus want to destroy him?
When the Krampus begins to torment and torture anyone Nico comes in contact with to punish him, Jamie’s life is put in danger. And Jamie isn’t sure whether he can help Nico defeat his nemesis or if he’s merely a pawn in the Krampus’s game.
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nicolas-dianne-hartsock/1123118053?ean=9781646564002
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/nicolas-9
JMS Books: https://www.jms-books.com/dianne-hartsock-c-224_445/nicolas-p-3257.html
Excerpt:
Jamie startled awake. “What?”
He had trouble breathing, the crushing weight on his chest seeming to have followed him up from his dreams. But that couldn’t be right. He’d rented the cabin for its isolation. No one should be there. Did he still dream?
A warm breath brushed against his cheek, sending a shiver of dread and strange anticipation through him. “Easy, baby,” a silky voice whispered in the darkness. Sharp teeth nipped his earlobe and pleasure and pain sparked along his nerves. His eyes adjusted to the moonlight filtering through the sheer curtains, and he stared in amazement at the man gazing at him with wild green eyes, long pale hair, high cheekbones and a slender neck he craved to run his tongue along.
The stranger laid his weight on him, driving the air from his lungs and making Jamie struggle for every breath. Shifting position, the man sealed his full lips over Jamie’s, drawing a long groan from Jamie when an impossibly large cock slid against his. In sudden panic he reached to shove his unknown visitor away and touched hot skin and lean muscles. Of their own volition his hands roamed lower, following the curve of the stranger’s back to the rounded swell of his ass. He drew a quick breath and the man laughed into his mouth, pushed his tongue deep, thrusting inside to match the movement of his hips as he ground against Jamie’s aching dick.
Heat pooled in Jamie’s stomach. God, what was happening? The thing in his bed looked like a man, but his every instinct shouted otherwise. His skin was warm when it should have been cold from being outside. And how had he gotten in? All the windows and doors were locked tight against the winter storm. It was as if he’d just materialized in Jamie’s bed. “Who—”
He cried out when a hand pushed between them and grabbed their cocks, stroking them together until he lost the ability to think. So close! He grabbed onto the man’s firm ass and yanked him tighter against him, rising up to shove into his strong grip.
The triumphant hiss in his ear shot ice through his veins. “So naughty.”
“No!” Jamie struggled to sit up, scrambling back against the headboard. He blinked, finding himself alone in the room, only his ragged breaths disturbing the silence of the cabin. A forgotten anxiety knotted his stomach. Naughty. He hated that word, tossed about by the boys he once knew in school. The ones he’d suck off behind the gym, desperate for a gentle hand in his hair, balm against his loneliness. He’d been terrified his parents would find out he was different, that he liked girl things and found boys much more exciting than he should. They would know he was gay and there would be hell to pay for their freak of a son.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. God, that had been ages ago. The last shreds of the dream dissipated, and he reached for the bedside light, fumbling in the darkness for the switch. Low light stung his eyes and he blinked at the empty bedroom, unable to believe the attack hadn’t been real.
About Dianne:
Dianne is the author of m/m romance, paranormal suspense, fantasy adventure, the occasional thriller, and anything else that comes to mind. She lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play. She says Oregon’s raindrops are the perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in the house with a fire crackling on the hearth and a cup of hot coffee warming her hands, which kindles her imagination.
Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.
Blog: http://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/diannehartsock
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/Dianne-Hartsock-Author-107985445959828/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/diannehartsock
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diannehartsock/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4707011-dianne-hartsock
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Dianne-Hartsock/e/B005106SYQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1361897239&sr=8-1
Birthday Presents:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076C5XNDD/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1507823212&sr=1-3&keywords=dianne+hartsock
Less Than Three Press: https://lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_bookx_info&cPath=90&products_id=1453&zenid=3ghdqc3p4kqgu5lb4rcb2gk4l6
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/birthday-presents-2
Ofelia Grand 