Announcing Heart of Glass - Romance Novel

 Hello. C J here. I have a surprise for you all. I’ve been working with an idea for a while, an idea for a novel. I don’t like posting anything here that isn’t final draft but I have the first 500 words of it done and I think I can run with it. Impossible Skyline will take a while to edit and the sequel will take a year or two to plan so I wanted something I can do faster. I keep thinking I should write a romance sometime. I think I have one started as of now.

Welcome to Heart of Glass, my new fantasy romance project. It stars some of the 20 hero characters I have for the Quantum Starter Set. Mostly my plan is to focus on Blue and his housemates. Oh, right, it will be a gay romance by the way. Blue is gay. I had a thought though about the plot that I really like. The conventional model for a romance novel is that a weaker more timid main character, often female, meets a powerful and wealthy character, normally male.

I want to do the opposite. Blue is one of the most wealthy and powerful people on the continent and he’s our main perspective character. He and his housemates are all gay or some gender identity compatible with that one. Blue is in charge of the plot and despite all his power he’s looking for someone to fill the dominant role. He wants something and is going to have to meet people and probably have very a pleasant consent heavy romance with most of them. Here’s the, all ages friendly, first 500 or so words. More later.

    Home was an odd concept to Blue.
    Blue walked in through the townhouse’s front door and locked it behind him.
    Home was an easy enough thing to find in the world, it turned out. Many of them are easier to find than just one. Blue had several to his name. And he had several names.
    Ivy walked into the living room at the front of the house. “You’re home early,” she said.
    Blue was a tall, lithe white canine with blue flecks on his cheeks, hips and shoulders. His actual name was Markus Fargather but since his childhood he had gone by Blue. He was here in Ascala, in this city of glass and steel, on business. He had been in Ascala for almost ten years, on business, and would likely never leave.
    “I caught an earlier boat. One of the other diplomats had one chartered and he invited me along.” Blue put his luggage on the living room table and sat down on one of their couches.
    He was from Vantara, the largest nation on the continent outside of Ascala itself. Ascala had welcomed him in years ago as an ambassador from Vantara. He signed all of their trade deals and mutual aid agreements. The money, as well as the prestige, was to his liking.
    “Amazing,” Ivy walked back into the kitchen. “I’m going out with one of my old school friends for dinner, so you’ll have to fend for yourself. I was just getting my outfit together.”
    Blue had homes in three Districts of Ascala out of its twenty-one. He had two Summer houses in Vantara and had a family member in distant Oiwan he stayed with the last time he visited that city. Vantara and Oiwan had both paid him to own land there. This townhouse was where he spent most of his time though.
    “Oh? With who?” Blue’s ears perked up. “Do I know him?”
    He had been staying here since one month after moving to the city. His wealth had brought him in contact with Ivy and her housemates William and Benjamin. William was almost a higher rank than he was and Benjamin was from his home nation. They had a lot in common. They moved in together and fell into a fast friendship.
    Ivy’s voice came echoing from the stairs. “I’ll tell you after.”
    It helped that he, along with the two men, were gay. It also helped that Ivy was whatever gender suited her through magic. They had dated and slept together on and off since he moved in there. The Old Thandrian blood Ivy and William had ran hot and he was always happy to join in. Affection it turned out was a language everyone spoke.
    Blue thought to himself for a moment. “I might just grab something at the mall.”
    Home though. That one word had eluded him the whole time. He lived here and he liked it. Maybe he was just too busy, or too young, to know the difference.
    “Remember to eat vegetables, Blue. You Vantarans forget there is food that isn’t deep fried.”
    Blue smiled. Food. That he was good at. That would be fine for now.
    “If you insist,” he said.

C J Mcpherson