It’s release day!

Cup o’ Sugar is a short werewolf story in the Hot Flash series. The stories in the series aren’t related to each other, but it’s a series of really short stories, 2000-5000 words, written by JMS-Books authors.

I used to write a lot of short fiction, flash fiction was my go-to format, but when I write that short I most often write horror. It’s much easier for me to create something creepy in a couple of pages than it is to create something romantic, so I cheated. I made the main character a werewolf who finds his mate – insta-love is okay then, right? LOL

Roarak Halfhide of the Halfhide pack found his mate in a cafe called Cup o’ sugar, but his mate is both human and male, something he doesn’t think will go down well with his pack. So, he does what every sensible alpha would do and decides to pine from afar. It’s going well, in a couple of years time he thinks he’ll learn to like coffee and maybe Sam, his mate, won’t run into hiding every time Roarak enters the cafe. Maybe…

But even the best-laid plans…

Looking up the street, he sighed. He couldn’t see over the hedge, but he automatically turned in the direction of Cup o’ Sugar, his favorite cafe. The only cafe he’d ever consider entering. Huddling in a cramped space filled with humans wasn’t his idea of fun, but he’d push through any crowd to get a glimpse of Sammy. Sam—not listed anywhere, no last name to be found—was the most beautiful creature he’d ever laid eyes on. His scent had called Roarak in from the street and enslaved him on the spot. Not that it ever could be, but his heart and soul belonged to Sam.

They had never spoken to each other. Sam hid in the kitchen every time Roarak entered the cafe, his heavenly scent souring in fear every time he glanced in Roarak’s direction.

Someday he’d find the reason for Sam’s fear and he’d take care of it.

“I’m gonna grab a cup of coffee.”

“Coffee! Are you insane?” Zev frowned at him. “I’m serious, have you gone mad? I thought we were ditching work for a beer, a nice cold beer.”

Cup o’ Sugar didn’t serve beer.

“No, I want coffee.”

“Yeah? Well, I’ll see you at home then. And I’m taking the car.”

Roarak almost groaned. Walking home in this heat would be a nightmare. They’d manage to purchase a property right outside the city. It was in bad condition, but since they were carpenters, at least most of them, they’d fix it up.

As soon as they got some money everything would turn out great…as soon as they managed to scrape together a few bucks. This constant worry about money. He wiped his neck.

The good thing about the property was the acres of land—not nearly as much as his old pack had, but enough for the six of them to run on.

“Fine, take the car, but you’re cooking dinner.”

Zev gave him the finger—not very beta like. Had the beta in his old pack done that, Roarak’s father would have had him whipped. But Roarak wasn’t his father so he simply returned the gesture before walking out on the street and turning in direction of the cafe.

“Hey, asshole.” Zev rolled down the window as he cruised up next to him. “When are you gonna claim her?”

Roarak winced. Her.

“You’re fooling no one, you know. We can all scent the desire on you, and that desperation in your eyes—you’re not hiding it well. Plus you hate coffee and you never eat any of the stuff they have in cafes. Just snatch her up and bring her home. She’ll adjust.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

books2read.com/CupoSugar

Cup o’ Sugar is on a 20% discount at JMS-Book shop till the 16th of August.

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Roarak Halfhide of the Halfhide pack understands his duty. He’s found his pack a home, now he just needs to keep them safe and fed. It doesn’t matter that Sam, one of the workers at Cup o’ Sugar, makes him want to shirk his duties and spend his time sipping coffee in one of the booths.

He doesn’t even like coffee.

But things don’t always go as planned, and when there is a threat to Sam, Roarak can’t pretend to be just another coffee-loving customer. He has to protect his mate.

 

It’s time!

Nine Stones is released today!

JMS-Books is turning nine and to celebrate there will be a lot of stories with the number nine in them. In Nine Stones, there are, not surprisingly, nine stones LOL.

Felix Lane is a nice guy, he really is, and yet his garden is filling up on gravestones. The strange thing about it is that he keeps burying the same cat over and over…or maybe he’s just insane, he’s not sure.

And Kirk, his hot neighbour, who never leaves his house is never at home when Felix needs his help.

With a drumming heart, he opened the door to the patio. The petunias had been lovely on the balcony.

He stepped closer, careful not to make any hasty motions in case the cat was alive and hurt. “Hi there, kitty cat.” Please be alive.

The cat didn’t move.

“Come on, sweetie.” He didn’t know what he wanted the cat to do, jump up and hiss at him? Yes, a hissing cat was better than a dead cat.

He brushed away some of the soil. The poor petunias needed more water, the dirt was too dry. Those striped legs lay unmoving on the sun-warmed flagstone. The beautiful tiger-like fur had grains of soil in it, and most of the leopard spots were hidden under wilting pink flowers.

Felix winced as he looked into the unseeing yellow eyes. Last time the eyes had been shut, but not now. Seconds slipped by as he sank down to sit cross-legged in the middle of the murder scene. The eyes, they reminded him of Kirk’s. It made his throat close up. He had to tell Kirk about this. Perhaps he could leave Gibson out of the story since he’d promised Lexi, but he had to come clean. Kirk might hate him for what he’d done, but he couldn’t go around hiding it.

He was a cat killer—again.

The sob clashed with the beauty of the bird song coming from the small forest outside his garden. How could this be? Felix had never killed an animal in his entire life—except for mosquitoes and gnats. He carried spiders outside instead of killing them if he found them in his house. Never in his life had he believed he’d become a murderer. It wasn’t in his DNA.

books2read.com/NineStones (Though if you hop over to JMS-Books, there is a new release sale on 20%, ends at the 19th of July)

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he only thing worse than having a hot neighbor you’re too intimidated to talk to is accidentally hitting his cat with your car.

Felix Lane was perfectly content to spend the rest of his days with Sunny, his canary life companion, in their quiet little corner of the suburbs. But then Kirk Shoo with his unusual eyes moved in across the street, and Felix’s carefully constructed life is starting to unravel.

When your every bad-boy fantasy lingers at the mailbox, stands too close and smells too damn good, what’s an under-appreciated administrative assistant to do? Besides sneak out the backdoor to go to work? But when Kirk’s cat runs out in front of Felix on his way home, he has no choice but to face the music and his dream man. Unless …

What starts as a tragic accident turns into something far more bizarre. And when Felix’s backyard begins to look like a pet cemetery, he has no choice but to come clean. That is, if he can manage to find his sexy neighbor at all.

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Felix Lane is a quiet guy. He’s happy in his corner of the world, working as an administrative assistant, and spending his spare time with Sunny – his beloved canary bird. He doesn’t have any friends, boyfriends never work out, and while he grumbles over the sales rapports he has to go through, he likes numbers way better than people.

Everything is calm, quiet, and familiar, until…

Have you heard of Carl Jung’s archetypes? There are 12 types of people, according to Jung. When I started writing Nine Stones, I figured it’d be fun to pick one and try to make the MC be that type.

Felix Lane is the sage.

He is smart. He is focused. He is reflecting.

His biggest fear is to be outsmarted and to feel confused.

His weakness is that he overthinks things.

Now, Felix might not be a typical sage, but he does have some of the traits. And while the imagination always takes me places I hadn’t first thought when writing, I did try to keep in mind how a sage would think. Throughout the story, Felix’s biggest fear is to be fooled and taken advantage of.

But Nine Stones is about more than just a sage, it’s also a story about cats. Kirk Shoo, Felix’s neighbour, is a cat shifter. Not that Felix knows, but he does suspect something is up with Kirk.

Felix would never hurt an animal, and yet his garden is turning into a pet cemetery, one stone at the time.

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He hid the spade, pretended he hadn’t been about to bury the cat, and hurried around the house. With a quick glance up the road to make sure no car was heading his way, he jogged over to Kirk’s.

He knocked, he rang the bell, he knocked again, he peeked in through Kirk’s living room window, but Kirk was nowhere to be found.

What the hell? For a guy who never left his house, he was gone an awful lot.

Lexi’s car appeared at the top of the road and Felix went to meet her.

“Hi.” She stepped out of the car, but her smile died when she looked at Felix. “What happened?”

“Eh…” Should he tell her?

“Felix.” That one word was demand and accusation all in one.

“Gibson killed a cat.”

“What?”

Felix flinched at the volume. “Shh.”

“You did not say what you just said.”

He motioned for her to come along and showed her the cat on the lawn. Neither of them spoke, they stood in the sweltering afternoon and looked at the unmoving body.

“It’s a Bengal.”

“A what?” Was it a wild cat? Perhaps it wasn’t Kirk’s after all. The relief bubbling in his chest was misplaced—the cat was still dead, but if he didn’t have to tell Kirk his life would be so much easier.

“A Bengal cat, they’re super expensive. You can’t tell anyone, Felix.” She dug her fingers into his arms and shook to emphasize her words. “I can’t afford to… Oh God, are you sure it was Gibson? Perhaps it was ill and…died.”

“He shook it until it went limp.”

“Shit, I’m gonna be sick.” She turned away and took a few breaths before looking at the cat again. She’d twisted her hair up in a sophisticated updo, she usually just ran a brush through it a second before she left the house. Growing up they’d looked alike with their chestnut hair and brown eyes. It wasn’t until they’d hit their teens Felix became taller than her, and while he’d kept his lithe figure, he wasn’t as slender as she. Sadly, he wasn’t as fit either. He sighed; going to the gym bored him to death. He winced as his gaze fell on the cat.

Lexi leaned against him. “We must hide it. You can’t tell anyone.”

“But—”

“No one!”

Felix raised his hands. “Okay.” He picked up the cat and walked over to the grave he’d prepared.

“Oh, you’re a good man.” She looked at the hole and wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye. “Gibson probably didn’t mean to hurt him, I’m sure he thought they were playing.”

Felix opened his mouth to explain exactly how murderous Gibson’s intent had been but Lexi cut him off. “Tell me you have ice cream.”

“I have ice cream.” Of course, he had ice cream.

“Good. This is an ice cream incident.”

(No cats die in the story)

books2read.com/NineStones

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The only thing worse than having a hot neighbor you’re too intimidated to talk to is accidentally hitting his cat with your car.

Felix Lane was perfectly content to spend the rest of his days with Sunny, his canary life companion, in their quiet little corner of the suburbs. But then Kirk Shoo with his unusual eyes moved in across the street, and Felix’s carefully constructed life is starting to unravel.

When your every bad-boy fantasy lingers at the mailbox, stands too close and smells too damn good, what’s an under-appreciated administrative assistant to do? Besides sneak out the backdoor to go to work?

But when Kirk’s cat runs out in front of Felix on his way home, he has no choice but to face the music and his dream man. Unless…

What starts as a tragic accident turns into something far more bizarre. And when Felix’s backyard begins to look like a pet cemetery, he has no choice but to come clean. That is if he can manage to find his sexy neighbor at all.

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