Starting this Thursday, I’ll be celebrating the release of my new fantasy adventure novel, Lady, Thy Name Is Trouble, with a two-week-long blog tour! I’d like to say a big Thank you!! to all of the wonderful bloggers who offered to host me for this tour! There’ll be a mixture of interviews, guest posts, reviews, and an excerpt or two. Stay tuned!

And speaking of excerpts, I’m going to kick things off a little early with this short scene:

 *****

A faint sound formed in the cloying darkness. Icy coldness shot down Tara’s spine — her danger sense warning her of immediate peril. She bolted upright, listening, hearing only the ominous silence and the booming of distant thunder. Yes, there it was again, outside, a faint rustling like the tread of a night wolf stalking its prey.

Cautiously, she peered over the edge of the stone sill. There — slipping across the inner courtyard, obscured by the murky darkness — a mass of moving shapes. Lightning flashed, revealing a troop of soldiers, fully armed, their swords drawn. Emblazoned on their shields was the eagle and crossed swords of Sulledor.

Stifling a curse, Tara dashed out of her room and down the torch-lit hall. She had to find Laraina. They had to get out. She came to a cross corridor, hesitated, changed direction. She should warn the Dhanarran king.

She rounded a corner and slammed into something huge. Hands of iron gripped her arms, holding her. She gasped, recognizing the hulking giant in her path. Captain Natiere. The Butcher. His black eyes stared down at her, inscrutable. A long, gruesome scar snaked down the left side of his face from his cragged forehead to his stubbled chin. Blood stained his shirt. Fresh blood. Tara pulled away but couldn’t break his grip.

A look of shock crossed the Butcher’s face. “Silvestri witana,” he whispered. Then recognition lit his eyes. “I know who you are.” His voice was as rough and gravelly as his face. “You’re one of the Triannons.” He smiled. “Your reputation does not do you justice.”

Tara stopped struggling, her eyes drawn to his. His gaze held her as strongly as his hands. She could not move or breathe.

“Mi achina,” he said softly and released her.

Tara fell backward, catching herself against the wall.

“I look forward to our next meeting.” He strode down the hall and disappeared around a corner.

Tara sank to a crouch, her heart hammering in her chest. She looked down and saw blood on her clothes. Blood. The king. She jumped to her feet and ran.

 *****

Trouble is Tara Triannon’s middle name. As swords for hire, Tara and her sister Laraina thrive on the danger. But a surprise invasion throws them into chaos… and trouble on a whole new level. Pursued by the Butcher, a terrifying assassin more wolf than man, Tara and Laraina must get a prince marked for death and a young, inept sorceress to safety. There’s only one problem – eluding the Butcher has never been done. Aided by a secretive soldier of fortune, they flee the relentless hunter.

Gifted with magic and cursed by nightmares that are all too real, Tara must stop an army led by a madman and fend off an evil Being caught in a centuries-old trap who seeks to control her magic and escape through her dreams – all while keeping one step ahead of the Butcher.

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© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2015. All rights reserved.