The Bandalore - Pitch & Sickle Book One (The Diabolus Chronicles 1) MM Gaslamp Fantasy Series by D K Girl ➱ Book Tour with Giveaway
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Book Title: The Bandalore - Pitch & Sickle Book One
(An MM Gaslamp Fantasy Series) (The Diabolus Chronicles 1)
Author: D K Girl
Cover Artist: Deranged Doctor Designs
Release Date: February 25, 2021
Book 4 in the series is due out April 13
Genre: Historical MM
Tropes: Slow, slow burn, opposites attract
Themes: Loneliness and friendship
Heat Rating: 2 flames
Length: 285 pages
It is not a standalone book. This is the first book in the Gaslamp Fantasy series, The Diabolus Chronicles.
It has an unresolved storyline, rather than outright cliffhanger.
Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited
Silas Mercer died once. He’d rather not do it again.
Blurb
1885 London, England
Silas Mercer died once. He’d rather not do it again.
On his return to the world of the living, Silas finds himself in the hands of the mysterious Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
The Order has London society clamouring for their services, with tarot readings, seances and exorcisms among their arcane specialities.
Now they seem intent on making Silas their newest recruit.
But they want far more from him than cheap parlour tricks.
When the Order partners him with the scandalous rake, Tobias Astaroth, Silas's new life is turned on its head in more ways than one.
Tobias is quick-tempered, dangerously charming, and far more than the man he seems.
For Silas, surviving what the Order has planned for him will be a challenge.
But finding a way to survive Tobias Astaroth could prove impossible.
A slow-burn MM Gaslamp Fantasy series.
Contains: Sexual content, violence and rather a lot of cursing.
This is the first book in the thrilling Gaslamp Fantasy series, The Diabolus Chronicles
Excerpt
Mr Astaroth was clearly drunk. Reason perhaps why he failed to be wearing any shoes. Silas noted the large brown stain upon the white of his linen shirt with great consternation. The mark appeared not dissimilar to blood. His dark trousers bore a tear at his right thigh, and the material at his knees was notably caked with dirt.
Gilmore cried out, more pain in the sound this time. ‘You’re breaking my leg, you bastard.’
Silas looked to the bandalore, hoping there might be a musical direction sung to him. But the wood was quiet. He should go to the man’s assistance, Silas needed no magical trinket to tell him so. Man, or gnome, Gilmore was in clear distress. But Silas hesitated.
‘Dear me, do you think I would truly do such a thing?’ Tobias’s words got away from him, slipping and sliding from his intoxicated tongue. A shadow curved around his right eye, a rising bruise.
‘I know you would,’ Gilmore hollered. ‘You crave harm more than your cock craves fucking.’
With no warning, Tobias landed a punch against Gilmore’s belly. Half-hearted as it was, it at last spurred Silas from his reticence. He took a step forward.
‘Now, see here-‘
‘Tobias! Set him down, now.’ Jane moved across the green, clad in a nightgown of the most delicate white lace. Combined with her airy way of moving, it was as though a ghost rushed towards them. ‘Now, Pitch. I will not ask you again.’
The man’s smile was a cruel slash across his damaged face. ‘As you wish. Catch him if you can.’
He lowered Gilmore and seemed certain to set him down, albeit on his head, but at the very last moment, he drew back his arm and swung the frantic Gilmore straight up into the air. Without an ounce of effort apparent, Tobias’s throw sent the screaming, kicking man skyward. Soaring higher even than Silas’s cottage roof.
‘Help me!’
Gilmore seemed to hang in the air for a moment. His scream curdled the blood.
‘Gilmore!’ Silas dashed in beneath the unfortunate gnome, seeking to position himself so he might catch Gilmore when he fell. A dangerous notion, considering the speed of descent, but the man would surely suffer grievous injury otherwise. Silas glanced at the grinning man at his side. The viciousness that simmered within Tobias Astaroth’s emerald eyes was breathtaking.
‘Stop!’ Jane’s command came with a rush of violent wind. A great force swept past Silas, lifting the hairs on his head. The gust swept in beneath the tumbling Gilmore, and at once his downward journey halted in a dead stop in midair. The gnome sobbed, hanging limp against his invisible support, drifting slowly down, a leaf upon a gentle breeze.
‘Why must you ruin my fun?’ Tobias folded his arms, staring hard at Jane as she approached, a pout upon his full lips.
The sun drifted from behind a cloud, its rays setting his eyes alight once more, and marking the pronounced angles of his face. Despite his notable injuries, his odd beauty, accentuated by bowed lips and long dark lashes, was still evident. Rather captivating, if Silas were honest, but he’d just now glimpsed a ferocity beneath the delicate exterior which lent it a certain ugliness.
Author Interview
Where is your favorite place to write?
I adore a good cafe, there is nothing quite like it when it comes to getting words down. If I’m at home I tend to get up and wander about, search the pantry for something to eat, play with the cats…. but at a cafe you can’t really do that without getting asked to leave.
Do you use images to develop your character’s looks?
Yes!! Absolutely. I have a hard time picturing a character until I’ve found an image online that resembles them. I usually pick a fairly well-known person too. In Pitch & Sickle, the MCs are based on Jason Mamoa and Harry Styles respectively - of course they are not exact replicas, and the reader will interpret them in their own way, but I really love having a starting block.
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Both! There is nothing better than being on a roll with your writing and being so caught up in the world its hard to drag yourself away, but boy oh boy does it suck big time when the words won’t flow or you are stuck on a plotline that just won’t sort itself out. It becomes all-consuming.
What has been one of your most rewarding experiences as an author?
I think for me it was reading some of the reviews coming in for The Diabolus Chronicles and seeing people get really invested in the characters and the story. I love seeing people talk about my boys like they are living and breathing, and really understanding them. That was a powerful moment for me. These creatures who lived solely in my head were suddenly out there and very much alive.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I live in Tasmania, so I’m spoiled when it comes to great places to walk…and I love walking! Could walk for days. (not true, but you know what I mean) I also love going to the movies, though Netflix and Amazon Prime have my heart at the moment. I’m into Korean and Chinese Dramas - in particular anything MM I can get my hands on. If you haven’t checked out ‘The Untamed’ yet, I can’t recommend it highly enough. I also volunteer with Riding for the Disabled, which is hugely satisfying, and means I get to hang out with horses all day :)
Do you like music or silence when your write?
I’ve discovered ‘ambient sounds’ on YouTube and haven’t looked back!! I love having the sounds of a Parisian cafe in the background when I write, subtle jazz music with the clink of coffee cups and murmur of customers. And depending on the scene, I’m also a huge fan of Trailer music - which is what it sounds - music developed for the movie trailers. If I want to get really psyched, or emotional, for a scene then I whack on some ‘Two Steps From Hell’ or ‘Twelve Titans’ trailer music to get in the right groove.
Do you outline or do you just write?
I am trying so desperately to learn to outline more…I tend to ‘pants’ it, as they say in the biz. But you can definitely write a lot faster if you have the scene jotted down before you start, and as I’d really like to get faster with churning out the books, I need to be much better at outlining. Problem is, the story and the characters tend to take on a life of their own and the outline goes out the window, so I don’t think I could ever be one of those people who has mapped out every detail in their outline. I will always be a ‘pantser’ at heart.
Do you prefer pen and paper or computer?
Oh god, computer all the way. Full respect to anyone who writes with a pen these days but it would kill me.
Do you write as routine or do you write when you feel like it?
Routine, baby! Once I’m in writing mode I use an app called Pacemaker which tells me how many words a day I need to achieve the timeframe I want to finish the book. I actually like doing it that way, I like the structure.
What do you love best about your current book?
My boys! I think I am more in love with my characters than they are with each other. It’s just been such a buzz to see them slowly come together (and I mean slowly…I’ve been told its less ‘slow burn’ and more ‘glacial burn’) and develop feelings for one another that are all the more deeply rooted because it took them so damned long to get there.
What is your next project?
Good question! I find it really hard to focus on anything but what I’m writing about at the time. The Diabolus Chronicles will be 7-8 books, so I’m currently writing Book 5 and that’s taking all my focus. BUT, having said that, I was talking with a writing buddy recently and we were discussing our love of Korean TV shows - she mentioned one that has a vampire as its main character and I can’t stop thinking about a Victorian Era vampire and the prince he loves now….so stay tuned!
About the Author
Danielle K Girl is an Aussie who lives in stunning Tasmania with her three furkids, cats Luffy, Sweetie and Ren.
Her idea of heaven is a farm full of rescue animals, with a vegie garden that sprouts peanut M&M’s and chocolate wheaten biscuits.
When she’s not keyboard-deep in mysterious, beguiling worlds, she is binge watching K-Dramas, listening to K-Pop or hiking through the beautiful Tasmanian wilderness.
Author Links
Blog/Website | Facebook | Instagram
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