Good morning! Thanks for coming along!
I’m very excited to tell you that
A Sea of Green Unfolding
is
Now Available!
It’s out in ebook and will soon be available in print as well!
I Can’t Wait for You to Read
‘A Sea of Green Unfolding ‘!
It’s the third book in
The Long Trails series.
~ When you’ve lost everything,
the only way to go is up—
isn’t it? ~
Tragedy strikes in Aleksandra and Xavier’s newly-found paradise on their California Rancho de las Pulgas. Von Tempsky invites them on a journey to a new life in peaceful New Zealand, but change is in the wind. When they reach Aotearoa, they disembark into a turbulent wilderness—where the wars between the European settlers and the local Māori have only just begun.
Here’s this month’s giveaway!
If you’d like to go into the draw to win a copy of the regular print edition of newly-released A Sea of Green Unfolding (when it’s available, soon!),
1-leave a review of A Sea of Green Unfolding where you purchased your eBook or paperback, then
2-message me on the contact form at the bottom of this page with your email address and the site (URL ideally!) where you left your review
and you’ll be in the draw!
It’s available on Amazon right now for just $2.99 USD!
(will be released on other sites on the 10th)
If you’d like to be kept up to date on new releases, special offers and the inside story, you can subscribe here!
And an excerpt!
March 1863 Rancho de las Pulgas, San Mateo County, California
Aleksandra Argüello’s brother-in-law peeked out through the slits between his lashes, and his bloodshot eyes widened at her in horror. He scrambled to his feet and bolted for the kitchen door—but she beat him to it.
“I repeat, Sancho, what did you mean when you said our baby was born out of wedlock, and that she’d never inherit the rancho?” she said past gritted teeth, as she stood against the plank of solid oak barring his way.
“No se, no se, I don’t know,” he stammered, and began to spin toward the window, then froze at the sharp edge of Aleksandra’s sword across his throat.
Xavier Argüello chose that moment to open the door, and stopped short.
“¿Cómo? What’s going on?” Aleksandra’s husband’s eyes narrowed at the pair of them.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Aleksandra said. Sancho turned his head and she winced, blinking at the alcohol fumes wafting from his breath.
“Sancho?” Xavier’s long legs covered the distance to them in two steps.
Aleksandra tightened her grip on the sword and the miscreant inhaled sharply, but otherwise didn’t move.
“Su hermano,” she said, directing her words to Xavier, though she never looked away from Sancho, “your brother, showed up three hours ago, just after you left for morning feeding, reeking of tequila and looking like he’d been out drinking all night. He was mumbling something about Melissandra, ‘our poor little girl’, I think he said, ‘pobre niña’.”
“That’s right,” Xavier said.
“And that Rancho de las Pulgas should be hers, but it was ‘too bad she was born out of wedlock’. Then he passed out on the floor. When he finally stirred just now, I asked him to repeat what he’d said, and to explain himself. He tried to bolt, so I’m encouraging him to stay and talk awhile.” She gave Xavier the hint of a grin.
Xavier’s brows shot up as he flicked his head sideways, his frown now fully on his brother. “Illegitimate, eh, hermano? ¿Come se dice? What did you say? Out with it.”
With a desperate sideways glance, Sancho ducked and spun, swinging a fist at Aleksandra as he pulled away. Xavier’s punch caught him first, and Sancho’s head snapped back and he dropped to the floor.
Aleksandra ducked down beside him to check his pulse, then stood up, shaking her head, as she sheathed her shashka.
“Are you even carrying your sword around the house?” Xavier asked, his dark brows lowering.
“It’s only been two weeks since your daughter and I were kidnapped, from this house,” she said, fixing him with a stare. “I’m happier with it by my side.” She shook her head. Xavier must be upset to even think of asking about it.
Xavier shifted his gaze to his brother.
“I thought he’d stopped the drinking episodes,” he said.
“So did I, but he left three days ago, so I guess he had plenty of time to get drunk.”
Xavier’s jaw was tight as he reached for her. He closed his eyes for a moment as he pulled her in close, and slid his fingers along her arms.
“Mmmmm. You’ve been baking. You’re covered in flour.” He looked down at her with a hint of a smile, then a frown. “And you’ve gotten dough in your hair,” he said, picking up her long blonde braid from where it hung down nearly to her knees.
Aleksandra shook her head. “It happens,” she said, and glanced toward the kitchen table. “Adelita’s already begun making the tortillas without me, while we’ve been playing here.”
“I’m worried about Sancho. Mama is too,” he murmured.
“Xavier, do you know anything about what he said?”
“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he said, and turned toward their Indian sirvienta, who stared at them all, her mouth agape. He nodded to her.
“Buenos tardes, Adelita,” he said, as he reached for the water jug. He poured himself a cup and took a long drink. “We were married in Virginia City,” he told the woman. “Sancho is drunk.”
“But what if it were true?” Aleksandra looked sideways at him. “My mama and papa would turn over in their Catholic graves if it were.”
Xavier stilled. The black fringe of his forelock half-hid his brown eyes, flecked with gold, as he shifted his gaze to his brother.
“Sancho,” he said, loudly.
Nothing.
“It’s an issue easily resolved for us, really,” Xavier said, as he knelt beside Sancho and shook him, “but it could be a little tricky in that Melissandra should by rights be first in line to inherit Rancho de las Pulgas. Mi hermano knows it well.
“Sancho,” he barked, but his younger brother never flinched. He shook his head.
“What if he knows something we don’t?” Aleksandra said, shivering as a chill settled in her gut. Sancho could be telling the truth. “The Methodist pastor in Virginia City thought he could perform the ceremony in the absence of a priest, but what if…”
“Señor Argüello,” Adelita bit her lip, and looked at them, her brow furrowed, “a letter came for you and la señorita,” she nodded at Aleksandra, “from Virginia City, but I don’t know who it was from. I put it on the desk of el señorito.”
“Sancho’s desk? When was that, Adelita?”
“Sí,” she nodded. “It was many months ago, just before you returned from picking up the colts from Utah and Molly and Sebastian from Virginia City. Before the bebé was born.”
“I think it’s time to look around the office,” Xavier said. “Let us know if he moves, por favor, Adelita?”
They left her patting out tortillas, between nervous glances at Sancho, and headed for the rancho office.
“Sí, sí, por supuesto,” she called after them.
They searched the desk and shelves for an hour, but found only piles of long-overdue bills and a stack of notes with odd, illegible scribbles. The only figures decipherable on them were the rather large dollar amounts scrawled upon their face.
“More bills, no doubt,” Xavier said, with a shake of his head. “Guess I’ll have to take over the books, too.”
“We should’ve looked before, but…Sancho has been a bit displaced, with your return.” Aleksandra winced.
“I wanted to leave him a little pride,” Xavier lifted a brow, “but we need to keep the rancho solvent.” He looked at the heap of chits, his lips in a hard line. “Difficult enough, without having creditors breathing down our necks. I wondered why all the storekeepers were giving me sour looks.”
“We’ve found nothing here. Perhaps he’s ready to wake up now,” Aleksandra said.
This time, when Xavier shook his shoulder, Sancho struggled to a sitting position.
“Wha—? Oh, Xavier,” he said, his brows narrowing at his brother for a moment, then he shrugged and rubbed his eyes.
“Buenos días, hermano.” Xavier sat on a stool beside him and regarded him over his coffee. “Hard night?”
“Must’ve been. I feel like—”
“—don’t say it,” Aleksandra cut in. “My Spanish is improving.”
He turned to face her, an odd look upon his face.
“I was wondering,” she went on, “what you meant when you said Melissandra was born out of wedlock, earlier?”
Sancho’s mouth dropped slowly open and his eyes widened, then he glanced toward the doorway. He lunged toward it, but Xavier had him in a head lock before he took three steps.
“Tell us about it, hermano,” Xavier said, his voice cold steel.
“Ah, ah…I was going to give you the letter, but I…lost it.”
“You can do better than that,” Xavier growled low.
“Maybe, if you let me go, I can…”
Xavier’s jaw locked, along with the grip on his brother’s throat.
“Where are we looking?” Xavier enunciated each word.
“The office,” he whispered, eyes closed.
Xavier hustled him along before him, his arm still locked around his neck.
“You can let go, now,” Sancho whined.
“If you like,” Xavier said, and shoved him through the open office doorway.
After Aleksandra entered, the door slammed shut behind her, and a key scraped in the lock. Xavier pocketed it.
“Now, tell us about it,” he said.
“Well, it should be here.” Sancho riffled through piles on the desk, then glanced at the drawers down the side.
“Granted, we don’t know exactly what we’re looking for,” Xavier said, “but we’ve already looked.”
Sancho stopped, mid-shuffle, and turned, a tight smile on his face.
“Then, I don’t know what you’re talking about. She’s lying.” He looked at Aleksandra in triumph.
Xavier narrowed his eyes at them both for a moment.
She raised her brows in return.
“Absolutely not,” she said, and drew her shashka from its place at her hip. She walked with measured tread toward Sancho. Morning sunlight glinted off the polished metal of the short Cossack sword.
Her brother-in-law paled and took a step back, before he whipped around toward the window. He stopped short just before he got there, with a whimper.
If you’d like to read more, it’s out TODAY
on Amazon here
for only $2.99 USD
Available in paperback soon.
Thanks for coming by!
Hope to hear back from you soon!
xx
Lizzi
Lizzi grew up riding wild in the Santa Cruz Mountain redwoods, became an equine vet and emigrated to New Zealand. With her first novel, Lizzi placed or won RWNZ contests in 2013, 2014 and 2015. She can’t wait to get into her first contemporary vet-girl novella—to be published for Christmas with Authors of Main Street!
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