At the Beach with Jeffe Kennedy

Jeffe KennedyAs one of the #CMCon16 featured bloggers, I get to have a little fun with a few of the fabulous authors who will be hitting the beach for Coastal Magic 2016 by showcasing their many stories. Last year I interviewed four of the the CMC15 authors, but this year I’m changing it up. I came up with this really fun idea to have the authors introduce us to their worlds by sending their characters to the beach.

Quite a few of the authors took me up on it and today Jeffe Kennedy is taking us to the beach with Andromeda and Rayfe, one of the dynamic couples from the Twelve Kingdoms, which starts with The Mark of the Tala.
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At the Beach with Andromeda and Rayfe

JKennedy-Mark of the TalaI stood in my rooms, my mother’s old rooms, looking out over the Annfwn sea. I cupped a mosaicked mug of tea in my hands, the fragrance of gentle herbs wafting up like Glorianna’s sun rising over the cliff at my back. Gradually she illuminated the tranquil waters, bringing color to the grays, deep blues with glimmers of turquoise. On the horizon, Moranu’s full moon set, a pink pearl sinking with the grace of a retiring queen. It looked to be a beautiful day ahead.

But then, every day in Annfwn was. Partly because I made sure of it.

The Heart answered my thought, thrumming with magical connection—an extension of my own heart and mind. It lay out there somewhere, under those shimmering waters. I could never be quite sure where. Shapeshifting into a fish and swimming to it in the abyssal sea did not give my human brain much of a sense of direction. So many aspects to learning to master holding the reins to the Heart, and through it, all the magic of Annfwn.

“Good morning, Andromeda.” Rayfe ran a hand down my arm, assessing my mood and wakefulness. I smiled at my fierce husband, who remained ever wary of my morning temper. “You’re up early.”

“You were up earlier.”

He grimaced, shaking back his long, black hair. “Not by my choice. I thought I’d spare you dealing with the Council’s latest debate. The good news is we have some free time this morning and it occurs to me that I made you a promise I’ve never fulfilled.”

I raised a brow at him. “You? The King of the Tala who never fails to follow through on the least of his vows?”

A grin broke through his stern features, like the sun lightening the Onyx Ocean, his eyes blue as the deep waters. “Never let it be said.”

“All right then. Remind me of this promise, as I’ve clearly forgotten.”

“Let’s go down to the beach and walk on the sand. And I’ll show you how to make light.”

Oh! The blue light he’d made, back in the chapel outside Windroven. It seemed so long ago, that siege, and a time when he’d been my enemy. I’ll teach you this and much more, my Andromeda. He charmed me so, remembering these small things.

“I would love that.”

*  *  *

The sands of Annfwn are pearlescent white. Even in the shadow cast by the high cliff of the city, the beach gleamed. Soon Glorianna’s sun would tip over the sharp edge—the sky tropical blue beyond it, as was the sea in the other direction—and Annfwn would spring into busy life. But for the moment, all remained in sleepy quiet.

“Why now?” I asked him.

“This is a good time to access new magic,” he said, taking my hand and walking me to the edge of the sea, where the gentle waves lapped. “Making light isn’t so much creating it as bringing it through a doorway. The first time you try, it’s easiest to do it at transition points. Between land and sea. Between night and day.”

“Makes sense.” Most of the Tala looked to Moranu, goddess of the shadows and shapeshifting magic. But Glorianna was the bringer of light. “From darkness to light.”

“Exactly, my queen.” He kissed my temple, inhaling my scent in that wolfish way that persisted even in human form. “And from me to you. Feel the magic in the air, balanced between the sun and moon, day and night, male and female, solid and water.”

I could feel it. More and more every day, the verve of magic all around me infiltrated my blood, humming in my mind and body. The mark, which seemed like small birds fluttering through my veins and arteries, surged at my call.

“That’s it,” Rayfe murmured against my skin. “Reach through the shadows, and bring light through.”

It was an easy reach. Far simpler than controlling the magical barrier that protected Annfwn, and requiring far less power and concentration. I found the thread of light. Tugged.

Fire exploded around us, day blazing through hot as Danu’s noon on the beach.

Rayfe laughed, a deep and delighted sound. No discreet ball of blue light as he’d made that pivotal night. No, I’d illuminated the beach for leagues up and down, the white cliff reflecting it back as sounds of surprise rose from all the dwellings.

“That will wake them up,” Rayfe remarked, midnight eyes sparkling with pride.

“Thrice curse it,” I growled.

“You’re simply too powerful, my sorceress queen. Control will come.”

“How do I put it out again?”

“Send it back again. Through the edge.”

Water, warm and gentle, lapped at my bare toes and the last sliver of Moranu’s moon sank into the water. I sent the light with her, just as Glorianna’s sun tipped over the cliff, replacing my magical light with her softer, rosy one. I sighed in relief, though my blood still crawled with magic.

“Well done,” Rayfe said, winding a lock of my hair around his finger.

“Another promise dispensed with,” I teased him. “Though now I need to do something with all this restless energy. Maybe I should practice with the barrier some.”

“I have a better idea.” His eyes glinted with mischief. And wolfish desire.

“And what would that be?” Though I knew, my blood leaping to match his.

“Let’s go back to bed.”

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Meet Jeffe Kennedy!

Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author whose works include non-fiction, poetry, short fiction, and novels. She has been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award. Her essays have appeared in many publications, including Redbook. 

Her fantasy trilogy The Twelve Kingdoms, hit the shelves starting in May 2014 and book 1, The Mark of the Tala, received a starred Library Journal review and has been nominated for the RT Book of the Year while the sequel, The Tears of the Rose, has been nominated for best fantasy romance of the year. Her fifth series, the highly anticipated erotic romance trilogy, Falling Under, released starting with Going Under in July. 

She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine.

Contact Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | GoodReads | Amazon

JKennedy-Rogues PawnWant to purchase Jeffe’s novels?
Twelve Kingdoms

  1. The Mark of the Tala
  2. The Tears of the Rose
  3. Negotiation
  4. The Talon of the Hawk

Falling Under

  1. Going Under
  2. Under His Touch
  3. Under Contract

Covenant of Thorns

  1. Rogue’s Pawn
  2. Rogue’s Possession
  3. Rogue’s Paradise

CMC16

Don’t miss your chance to meet over 50 fabulous urban fantasy, paranormal, and romance authors at Coastal Magic next February! This super casual book-lover weekend happens on Daytona Beach, and gives everyone the chance to hang out with fellow readers and amazing storytellers.

REGISTRATION is now open! If you haven’t been to Coastal Magic yet, you’re missing out on a lot of fun. Be sure to keep up with all things Coastal Magic, by following it via your own personal social media drug of choice: Facebook |Twitter | Google+ | Pinterest | RSVP at the Facebook Event.

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

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