Tag: writing

Character Preview (And Excerpt!)

Some of you have been asking a lot of questions about a certain unnamed character in the last scene of The Assassins of Light, so…

Character Preview! 😊❤️

Meet Princess Myrinne!

(Well, technically, if you’ve finished The Assassins of Light, you’ve already met her. You just didn’t know her name. 😁)

Princess Myrinne is a very important character in The Reign of Darkness, and I can’t share a whole lot of the why because…spoilers…but…

What I can tell you is that she’s very concerned about Rose (for some reason).

And she’s definitely not Kara’s biggest fan. But…Kara’s not entirely innocent in that. (Of course she isn’t. When is Kara ever innocent? 😂)

And…well…there’s much more to her than meets the eye…

—

Excerpt! ❤️

Princess Myrinne stared at Kara, her nose wrinkling at Kara’s clear lack of manners. “Uh,” she muttered, “people don’t usually lie down in my presence.”

Kara folded her arm behind her head and lifted her eyebrows. “Really?” she said, a wry grin tilting at her lips. “Do you have sex standing up, then?”

Rose stared at a random flower vase, her eyes wide. “Oh my word.”

The princess offered Rose a very forced smile. “This…is your lover?”

Rose shrugged sheepishly. “She’s…umm…an acquired taste?”

Kara snorted at that.

Princess Myrinne shot another glare at Kara—who simply smiled back at her. “I don’t see how,” she muttered. She turned to Rose. “Is the room okay?”

Rose stared blankly at her. “It could be bigger.”

“Oh,” Princess Myrinne said, straightening. “Well, I could try to find…”

“That was sarcasm,” Rose interrupted, her eyebrows high. She waved her hands at the massive bedroom. “It’s like four times the size of my apartment.”

Princess Myrinne frowned. “Oh. Then, I assume…you’re comfortable?”

Rose glanced at Kara, who was currently stretched out lazily on the bed, flipping through that strange, illegible book—that Galenos had just asked her not to touch. “Well, she’s comfortable.”

An amused smile curved at the edges of Kara’s lips, but she said nothing.

“I’m not concerned with her,” the princess said. “Are you comfortable?”

“I’m surrounded by people I don’t know, and I don’t even know where I am,” Rose said slowly, “and people keep bowing to me.” She threw up her hands. “How am I supposed to feel comfortable when everyone keeps bowing to me?!”

The vampire shrugged. “People bow to me all the time. I’m a princess.”

“Really?” Rose said, her voice thick with sarcasm. “I thought Princess was just your first name. And the tiara was some kind of new fashion or something.”

Princess Myrinne shot a wary look in Kara’s direction. “Is she joking?”

“Usually,” Kara said, flipping to the next page of the Book of Gibberish.

Princess Myrinne turned back toward Rose. “Bowing is merely a sign of respect, my Eklektos,” she said with a polite smile, “and a sign of reverence.”

“Reverence?” Rose repeated suspiciously. “Reverence for what?”

The princess turned to leave. “You’ll understand. Soon enough.”

“Oh, great. More vagueness,” Rose said. She flashed her sassiest smile. “You wouldn’t happen to be related to Erastos, by any chance, would you?”

Rose had meant it as a joke, but as soon as she mentioned the name Erastos, the strange, tiara-wearing vampire froze, her slender shoulders stiffening.

Kara must have noticed it, too, because at that moment, her intense, blue gaze darted toward the princess—but only briefly. Rose noticed Kara smooth her hand over her shirt—in the exact spot where she usually hid her throwing knives.

But when Princess Myrinne turned back toward Rose, she looked completely at ease again, as if nothing had ever happened. “He’s my uncle.”

Rose blinked in shock. “Oh,” she sputtered. It took her a few moments to regain her composure enough to respond. “Then, does that mean he’s…here?”

Princess Myrinne frowned at the strange question. “His memorial is.”

“His…memorial?” Rose repeated bewilderedly.

“He died,” Princess Myrinne told her, “ten thousand years ago.”

—

From my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness,

Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series.

©️ Britney Jackson

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Family Trip

I haven’t been updating much lately because I’ve been really busy, but you can expect at least two new updates today and a few more later this week. 😊

Oh, and one of the posts today will include a character preview and excerpt from The Reign of Darkness! So, keep an eye out for that! ❤️

I spent most of last week in Orange Beach, Alabama, spending time with family and getting a ton of inspiration for the ocean scenes in The Reign of Darkness.

I got horribly sick my first night there because I’m a redhead, and the sun hates me. (No wonder I write about vampires. I basically am one.)

So, I wound up having to spend the second day inside, recovering.

But I got back out there the third day….

…And had a horrible reaction to a jellyfish sting because my skin hates me, too. 😂

I have the worst luck, guys. 😂

But it was all worth it because the ocean was so beautiful. 💙💙💙

The sky and water were this perfect, matching shade of cotton-candy blue, at first.

And then an awesome, darker blue, later. 💙

Pictures don’t really do it justice, but…

Seriously, it was just….gorgeous.

The dolphins came close to shore while we were swimming, which was absolutely amazing.

And most importantly, the kids loved it. ❤️❤️❤️

That’s my youngest son, Rowan (1), in the first picture, and my oldest son, Tucker (6), in the second picture, by the way. 😊

The trip also inspired me to add a beach scene (that I hadn’t planned) to The Reign of Darkness, and I’m now absolutely in love with it. I hope you guys will like it, too. ❤️

P.S. – If you’ve finished The Assassins of Light and are curious about that mysterious, unnamed character in the last scene, you’re going to want to keep an eye out for the excerpt I’m posting later. 😉

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Aesthetic: Rose Foster

“She’s Darkness in the flesh, and you thought it’d be a good idea to piss her off?”

I made this a couple of weeks ago for the Thursday Aesthetic thing on Twitter, and I forgot to share it here. The theme for that week was “protagonist,” so I made this one for Rose. ❤️

Some of you already know Rose pretty well, either because: 1) you’ve been reading the series ❤️, or 2) you see me ramble obsessively about my books all of the time. 😂

But just in case you don’t…

Here’s your basic introduction to the protagonist of the Creatures of Darkness Series: ❤️

She’s brilliant, bisexual, and perpetually sarcastic.

She’s shy and awkward.

She loves books, comics, and…well, she used to love coffee…until she died. Now, all she drinks is blood.

On the surface, she’s kind and gentle. Beneath the surface, however, she’s something much…Darker…

…Oh, and the quote in the aesthetic is from The Reign of Darkness, by the way… 😉

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A Fourth of July Surprise!

Well, not a surprise, exactly, because I kind of warned everyone on Facebook about it a few days ago. (Shhh. 😂) But…Fourth-of-July-themed-teaser!

AND…an excerpt! ❤️

Happy Fourth of July, and I hope you enjoy the teaser/excerpt! ❤️❤️❤️

—

Excerpt:

“Have you ever experienced that?”

The sudden question startled Rose so much that she dropped the book in the floor. Rose winced as Zosime’s dark gaze shifted toward the leather-bound book—that didn’t belong to Rose. “I wasn’t snooping!” Rose said quickly. “I was just,” she paused, her voice lowering to a mumble, “looking through your things.”

Zosime knelt and picked up the book.

“Which is the definition of…snooping,” Rose added under her breath.

One corner of Zosime’s lips quirked up. “These are just my notes for the garden,” she said, holding up the book. “It isn’t the book you were looking for.”

Rose’s mouth fell open. “You’ve known all along,” she realized, “haven’t you?” When Zosime smiled, Rose rolled her eyes. “Of course you have. I’m an idiot.”

“Not really,” Zosime said. “You were looking in the right place, after all.”

Rose’s eyes widened. “I was?” she said, glancing at the shelf. She didn’t see another book that fit the description, but it didn’t matter, anyway. She knew that Zosime would never let her take it. “I assume you’ll call the princess now?”

“You assume wrong,” Zosime said with a smile. She set her notes on the desk and turned toward Rose. “If you answer my question, I’ll give you the book.”

“You’ll give me something that no one wants me to have,” Rose said, “in exchange for a…conversation?” She frowned suspiciously. “What’s the catch?”

“There isn’t one,” Zosime said, curiosity burning in her brown eyes. “So, tell me: have you ever experienced that,” she asked, “with anyone you’ve dated?”

Rose lifted her eyebrows. “I think you’re overestimating the amount of people I’ve dated.”

“With Kara, then,” Zosime said. “Have you ever felt like that with her?”

“Kara?” Rose said. Her brows furrowed, as she thought about it. “No.”

“Really?” Zosime said, her brows high. “Never?”

“My feelings for Kara have never been that…simple,” Rose explained. She felt a sudden urge to smile, as she shrugged shyly. “With Kara, everything always feels so…bright and explosive.”

Zosime smiled. “You mean like…fireworks?”

“Well, I was thinking more like an exploding star,” Rose muttered, frowning, “but yours sounds sweeter.”

—

from my upcoming book, The Reign of Darkness

Book Four of the Creatures of Darkness Series

©️Britney Jackson

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Depression and Writing

I posted this about a week ago on Facebook, and I’m in a slightly better place emotionally (just slightly, not much). But I decided to post it here, too, because a friend suggested that it might encourage someone else who is feeling the same way. So, if you, like me, have MDD (major depressive disorder) or any other form of depression, you’re not alone. ❤️ We’re going to get through this. We’re going to find our healing. We just have to keep fighting. ❤️

Here’s the original post:

I know I’ve probably mentioned this plenty of times before, but I love quotes. I have notebooks full of my favorite quotes everywhere. Well, I have this one in almost every writing notebook I own because it’s one of my absolute favorites. And I like to look at it, especially when I’m hurting.

You guys know I don’t like to talk about this. It usually takes me until after I’m starting to come out of it to find courage to tell anyone. But I’ve been fighting through a particularly rough patch of depression for the last month or so. And when I say “particularly rough,” I don’t say that lightly. Even after so many years, there’s still so much shame around mental illness and suicidal thoughts that I can’t bring myself to reach out to people, even when I know I should. My books are helping me work through that shame—but still, it’s a lot easier to say that a character is feeling a certain way than to admit that you are.

There were a couple of weeks this month when I thought I was coming out of it, but every time, I’d just wind up plummeting back to where I was before. I’ve been feeling a little better today, and I’ve been writing surprisingly well today. (And good writing days have been very hard to come by lately.) So, I’m really hoping this isn’t another one of those false alarms—where I’m just going to fall into that dark place again before the end of the night. But for now, I’m just going to keep hoping really hard and keep writing. And wait for the writing to heal me, like it always does. ❤️

And just in case you can’t read my handwriting, here’s the quote:

“I think writing really helps you heal yourself. I think, if you write long enough, you will be a healthy person. That is, if you write what you need to write, as opposed to what will make money, or what will make fame.” – Alice Walker (author of The Color Purple)

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Happy Rambling

My author’s copy of The Assassins of Light came in this week, and I’m so giddy because… 1) it’s so pretty!!! 😍 And 2) three books later, this feeling still hasn’t gotten old—that magical feeling of holding my work in my hands, of touching the solid form of the story that was once stuck in my head, of holding in my hands the story and characters that I love with all of my heart. ❤️❤️❤️ I’ve had a lot of rough days lately, so I’m very grateful for such a genuine burst of happiness this week. 😊❤️ Anyway, I’ll quit my happy rambling so you can look at the pretty book!!! 😍😍😍

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Hope for a New Year

I’m spending New Year’s Day doing what I do every other day of the year, which is writing and consuming too much coffee (and mom-ing, obviously). I don’t usually do the resolutions-thing because I always assume I’ll fail, anyway, but I do have a couple of goals for 2018…

1) Publish two books this year.

With two kids and so much work outside of writing, it takes me forever to finish a book. So, up until now, I’ve only ever been able to publish one book a year, but…considering how much I’ve already finished in The Assassins of Light and The Reign of Darkness—the final book of the Creatures of Darkness series (yes, I’ve already started it)—if everything goes smoothly, I should finish both of those in 2018. (I’ve also gotten quite a bit done on my side-project The Wildness Within. So, who knows? Maybe I’ll finish three books this year. 😳 …That’s obviously the coffee talking.) I’m really close to the end of first draft of The Assassins of Light, though. So, you can expect a release date announcement very soon. 😊

2) And…most importantly…make 2018 better than 2017.

2017 was a rough year for a lot of us, I think. It was a year that showed us the worst in people. Many of us experienced some of our worst periods of depression or struggled more with mental illness than ever before, but I believe we came out of it braver and stronger. 2017 reminded us how important it is to stand up for each other and fight for each other. It was a year that made us write and create harder and deeper than ever before. There was no time for apathy, no time for complacency. We either took a stand against evil, or we stood with it. So, even though 2017 broke me at times, I have a renewed hope for 2018. Because we’re not invisible anymore. We’re here. We’re together. And we’re going to fight for each other. ❤️

Happy New Year! I hope we all have a happy and wondrously creative year! ❤️

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Plotters, Pantsers, and…Me

Everyone says that there are two kinds of writers, right? Plotters and pantsers. Plotters are the ones that plan and outline everything before they start, and pantsers are the ones that write “by the seat of their pants.” Well, I’m basically a pantser who tries to be a plotter. I try (try being the key word) to be so organized when I write. I’ve known the overarching plot for this series since before I started the very first version of The Stone of the Eklektos, five years ago. I knew, even then, that there would be at least four books because there are four major book-long ”things” (I’m trying not to give anything away) that have to happen before the “thing” at the end of the series. (I’m starting to feel like Erastos with all of this vagueness.) But…every time I try to be “good,” and make all of my outlines beforehand, my characters just like, “Hahahahaha, you can’t make us,” and go completely off course for the majority of the book. And let me just tell you: those months without a plan are terrifying. Fun. But terrifying. But then, the coolest thing happens. You reach this one point in the book, and everything just clicks into place. And suddenly, there’s structure. A new structure—one you didn’t plan—and it’s better than the one you did plan. And it’s so cool. I just reached that point with this book, so I’m pretty giddy about it right now (which is a wonderful release from the lowness that I’ve been feeling for weeks now). I wish I could be a well-behaved plotter and be organized throughout the entire process, but at the same time, this is pretty freaking cool. ❤️

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Celebratory Teaser

I’m about 75% finished with the first draft of The Assassins of Light, so, to celebrate, here’s a new teaser! ❤️❤️❤️

(Well, I made it a few weeks ago and never shared it. So, new-ish. 😂)

—

Talulah moved closer to Rose—close enough that the warmth of her body alleviated some of the cold seeping into Rose’s skin. Rose watched the intimidating vampire warily as she leaned closer, one of the long braids in her hair brushing Rose’s arm. “I don’t mean to speak ill of your lover,” she began.

“Then, you probably shouldn’t say whatever you’re about to say,” Rose muttered.

Talulah continued, “But I’ve known her for hundreds of years. And she’s an amazing asset—with her unique skills and influence—but I’d never trust her.”

Rose scanned the crowd of vampires, looking for Elise or Tom or Erik or…literally anyone who could save her from this deceptively polite interrogation.

“The truth is,” Talulah said, “the only thing constant about Kara is that she always has bad intentions.” She tore her gaze from the stars, finally, and looked at Rose, her eyes blacker than the sky. “Is that who you would trust with your life?”

“No,” Rose said, “because the Kara I know is more than who you say she is.”

“You know as well as I do,” Talulah said quietly, “that after this war is over, once Aaron no longer needs you, he’ll command her to kill you. She’s a warrior, Rose. Where do you think her loyalties lie? With her commander? Or her lover?”

“I really want to like you,” Rose sighed, “but I’m not a big fan of being manipulated. I got my lifetime supply of that from Alana.”

“I can assure you that those are not my intentions,” Talulah told her. She sounded sincere, but Rose remained wary. “I just want you think about this.” She tilted her head closer, so that she could whisper, “I can offer you protection. From Kara and Aaron. If the need arises. All you have to do is…tell me what Kara is hiding.”

Rose spotted Elise—or the yellow-blonde curls that cascaded down her back, at least—and she sighed in relief at the perfect timing. “Sorry!” she yelled over her shoulder, as she ran away. “I have to talk to Elise! About the…cat.”

Talulah frowned. “Cat?” she repeated bewilderedly. “What cat?”

—

from THE ASSASSINS OF LIGHT

Book 3 of the CREATURES OF DARKNESS series

© Britney Jackson

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Teaser: “Dance with Me”

Good Writing Days = Happy Britney, and Happy Britney = Book Teasers. ❤

—

Excerpt:

Rose blinked. “What the heck, Kara? You can’t just tell someone they’re about to get bombed and then ask them to dance.”

“You’re right,” Kara sighed, shoving her hands into her pockets. “I should’ve kept the bomb a secret.”

Rose frowned. “That is not what I said,” she muttered, “at all.”

“I have everything under control,” Kara assured her.

Rose watched her suspiciously, studying the tightness of her shoulders and the flash of her light blue eyes. “You’re lying, aren’t you?”

Kara just smiled. “Dance with me.”

—

from THE ASSASSINS OF LIGHT

CREATURES OF DARKNESS: Book Three

© Britney Jackson

—

(This teaser is from my upcoming book, The Assassins of Light, the third book of the Creatures of Darkness series.)

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