The copyedit has landed, so we are now clear to release the first chapter. Those of you who read the deleted beginning liked it so much, that we decided to rework it and keep it in the novel after all.
Enjoy! Excerpt of SAPPHIRE FLAMES.
PS. Thank you for being so kind in the comments of the previous post. I am so touched. Thank you.
So in love already.
Though now I feel like I need to reread Diamond Fire. Good thing my paperback of it arrived a couple days ago 😉
Seriously. So excited for this book!
Quality writing as usual. What an intriguing cliffhanger!
Thank you – I truly enjoyed it – looking forward to the book
Lol. You Temptress you. I’m SO in the mood to re-read the series and Desperately trying to hold off and wait till it’s closer to the release date. You’re making it really hard for me! ?
Wait, hold off?! WHY? I just reread it the other day. When the next book comes out, I’ll reread it again. It’s not like the words wear out… 😉
+1. hear, hear! I just listened to the whole set again, too. Long commutes are so miserable without audio books.
Catalina has developed into a very mature and intelligent woman. Congratulations, Mom & Pop! And you will do the same with Julie when you are ready.
The scene I want to read next is when they take their so-called security apart for letting Augustine get through in spite of the logs and the strange car!! I’m thinking Leon may take lead on that, with Catalina as back up since she’s the Head of House Baylor… Those guys will never know what hit them… LOL!!! =)
Think about what Rogan will do when he and Nevada get back.
I’m not worried about Rogan, they don’t need his help to either straighten these guys out or fire them. The Baylor family is quite enough on their own! =)
Oh yeah, that will not be pretty. On the other hand, she’s a prime and head of house, they’re also likely to respect her handling of it if she asks….
Leon takes lead, but Arabella arrives at the end, and drops a line about not wanting to make her angry, and the two guards pee their pants just as Catalina, Augustine, Runa, and Ragnar drive up.
Funny stuff. Probably would get cut if they’re running over. A simple throwaway line if Catalina asks about the security. ‘Leon took care of it.’ from Arabella.
Leon would have the back up of his Aunt Penelope with her sniper rifle and Grandma Frida with one of her big wrenches before Arabella steps in. 😀
Watch out for House Baylor!
This was wonderful made my day, thanks.
I loved the original with the horrible school and the arrogant dad, but your ability to change the start, and still keep the fundamental feeling of the start of a great story is what makes you guys the AuthorLords and us your devoted BDH.
I am looking forward to seeing how the relationship between Catalina and Runa develops. Catalina deserves a friend.
Thanks a million this was a great chapter
+1
+1
OMG I want to read this book. NOW!!! ?
mmmmmmmoooooooaaaaaaaarrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, now I can’t wait for the rest.
Yep. My thoughts exactly.
Thank you so much! I’m so excited for the book. I read the first version of this chapter you shared with us and it was fascinating to see how it evolved. I’m glad you decided to include it.
Highlights for me:
The way Catalina calls attention to Augustine’s manipulations. She’s intelligent & matter-of-fact. I adore her character already.
Augustine is a very interesting character too, defying categorization: good hearted enough to use the favor and help on the roof but not enough to take the case or not stoop to another unfavorable offer at his opportune moment. I hope to see more of him throughout the series.
Arabella giving Catalina a sweatshirt with one word “Boobs” and Bern’s reaction. It’s this level of detail that makes the books so vibrant, realistic, and entertaining. A little glimpse into each chatacter’s personality & family dynamic.
Can’t wait for the whole book!
Woot woot!
This was amazing to read, I’m really looking forward to reading the book.
Thank you very much for this gift, that was very nice of you!
Oh yes, LOVE this already. I can’t wait!!
Oooh…
I. Cannot. Wait.
So much squeeeeeeee right now!!!!!
THANK YOU!!!! It was very sweet and amazing that you reworked that because we did really like it (and I still absolutely love it).
Woo-hoo! Special treat for when I’m done w/ work today! Yippee! – and so happy for YOU!
Oooh, monsters in the night! Can’t wait…thank you!
Loved it!! Can’t wait for August but have to stop myself wising for the months to pass because the year is already moving at a hectic pace. Look forward to Catalina proving Augustine wrong. These Baylor women are so strong. When will he finally realise it.
Please don’t give up on Julie (and Derek). What a chance too to have more of Erra, Conlan, Kate and Curran, and all the others we have taken to our hearts. There will always be more believers than those who focus on the negative. And new fans. Stay true to yourselves. ?
++1
“for some nefarious reason. Leon didn’t have any other kind of reasons.”
This had me laughing out loud. Thank you.
Lurked on Twitter and saw you bemoaning and debating watching Rise of Phoenixes as your next C-drama. If you haven’t already, please consider watching NIRVANA IN FIRE. Excellent revenge c-drama with excellent everything; costumes, actors, plot, plot, plot, heart, did I mention plot? Plus, great sword fights when needed. No fillers here. It was released back in 2015, but since it’s a historical drama, it’s timeless. Plus, it’s available on Viki.com. ???
Cannot wait. Love the rewrite!
Wonderful! And you know that somehow House Baylor will get involved 🙂
Thank you. Thuis time posted in the right place 🙂
Great start and I’m looking forward to the book hitting my kindle:)
I’ve missed your writing sooo much. Love the smartness of Catalina. Thank you.
Thank you, absolutely love it.
Squeeeee! Loving the rewrite, it’s quite different but the core emotion and setup remains.
Sigh. I swear Ilona stays up at night strictly for the nefarious reason of how to make us suffer in the worst possible way. Gordon would never.
Gordon would spill all the secrets if he could. 🙂
Right?
Completely and totally agreed.
Omg!!!! I can so excited this totally made my day. Great way to start the long weekend. I can’t wait for August.
I really liked the way you reworked this scene. It introduces the whole book objective (a murder investigationi hope )and cause curiosity. I can’t wait to read the whole book.
This is great! Looking forward to reading the rest. Thank you for sharing!
Awwessoommeeee !! I loved it! Can’t wait for this book. Would love to hear more from Bern as well! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
I’m happy you brought back Runa. I loved the scene in the bakery when she got annoyed. Though I guess she’s going to have a rough time.
How many days until I get my pre-ordered copy???? 😉
Forever…. its gonna feel like forever!
I knew I shouldn’t have read this excerpt, because now I want more! Darn it! You guys are amazing! Thank you for sharing another great story. I especially love that it’s in my hometown. You need to add Sugar Land in there sometime also. 🙂 Looking forward to August.
#squeal #happydance I love, love it so far and can not wait!!!!! Thank you for the peek and totally excited!!!
+1. hear, hear! I just listened to the whole set again, too. Long commutes are so miserable without audio books.
I love the book already! I really thought it wouldn’t be the worst idea to get an alliance with Augustine, but as usual, I am surprised about the thought Catalina, and previously Nevada, are putting into their answers. They are great at the whole house business scheming. I can’t wait for the book! Really can’t wait! I’m looking for good books in the meantime, but I can’t find any which measure up to yours. So I am reading 2-3 other books and then I’m back rereading all the Hidden Legacy books. I think that’s gonna continue quite a while. At this rate I think I’m going to start quoting your book like Shakespear or something. ?
Thank you so much for the chapter. Loved how you re-worked the scene w/ Augustine. Can’t wait for the book to come out.
I cannot wait for this book to come out!
Thank you so much for this! I can’t wait for the book!
I have a theory about Leon…
Let’s recap some key info here. He’s thin and wiry but strong. His sport is cross-country running. He’s some kind of precog – that’s how he figures out who is going to be shot next. His father is unknown.
I think his father was Gabriel Baranovsky, the oneiromancer billionaire who was killed by the ice mage in “White Hot”. Here are some quotations about Baranovsky. “His build, slender, almost slight, pointed to a man who was either a habitual runner or had an iron will when it came to food.” He was a precog who “predicted the further by dreaming”. And, here’s the kicker: “Rumor has it, there is a bastard child. But nobody’s ever seen him or her.”
So, what do you think???
I can’t wait to read this book. I have preordered it. Now going to reread the series. Thank you so much for this sneak peek. Please write in how the guards are handled and Arabella has a snarky comment.
I love your books. With Jack,Geroge Gaston, Sophie and Claus you could so start an Arbitrator series. I for one would read that as fast as it was printed. Understandably you have tons of work already going on so one odd suggestion will probably be overlooked but I do hope you read this and perhaps one day we will get 4 of our favorite characters back with someone new and cool. Thanks for your time.
I didn’t think it was possible but you did it, I find this version even better ! Ô Author Lords, you are the best !
I love it and I’m happy to see Runa so soon again, I have a feeling I will REALLY like her haha
Thank you for the excerpt, can’t wait to read the book entirely ! ?
Wow just wow. I was wondering where this book would go and it has grabbed me by the heart strings and won’t let go with the first chapter. Thank you both so very much for the amazing gift of your imaginations that you share with us.
Thank you for posting this. As always your work is excellent. I look forward to reading Catalina’s story. Her powers alone make her a very different type of heroine than either Kate or Nevada (to me Kate and Nevada, despite their differing circumstances, felt like kindred spirits).
Also, thank you for sharing your thoughts about the difficulties with Julie’s story. I’m sorry the world has so much mysogyny and hate that people feel compelled to write you hatemail about Julie. I personally think Julie is a very credible portrait of a teenager struggling through a deeply traumatic past and stressful present. I think her relationship with Kate is one of the highlights of the series. I respect your decision to step away, perhaps indefinitely, from Julie but I hope you’ll one day be able to reclaim your sense of play and whimsy with her stories. She is a complex, vulnerable, and resilent young woman; a combination rarely seen. Thank you for creating her and allowing her to be perfectly imperfect in her own heroic way. One last thought, much like Kate and Nevada feel like kindred spirits, so too do Julie and Catalina. They are both deeply damaged and isolated by childhood trauma, have non-traditional/non-combat powers, have been mentored by an older sister figure, adapt and fight smarter and have to step out of the shadow of powerful figures. I think both women challenge our ideas of who heroines are and how they must behave, so thank you for creating another unique, complex, unlikely/overlooked heroine.
Hooked…
Hi I’m a bit confused, I thought Nevada was head of house. Can anyone help?
thanks and have a good weekend.
This is phenomenal! I can’t wait to read the rest :D. You guys are a great team of writers