I recently explored the concept of my characters sprouting from alien spoors, seeding my mind with featureless golems that come to life through my fingers and spring over the keyboard. Yes, I live with pods in my head. I really like it in there, and they depend on me.
What I don’t like is having to leave them behind when I come out to do all the mind-bending, endless labor it takes to publish and sell books. Too much time getting headaches when all I want to do is add dimension to my pod family! …And maybe find some time to relax with the hubby. That seems to be a hard-won bonus these days. I mostly get to see him when he comes to visit my pod people. He’s very amenable that way.
But I’m being honest here… I mostly want to run screaming back to the confines of my imagination. There are scenes needing to be written! More characters that lay dormant, waiting for the words to make them whole. Why must I go down a million internet vortexes that lead to galaxies, that lead to universes where it seems I might never find my way back out, just to get them out into the world?
Do they really need to go into print? Maybe my pod people are happier where they are.
The bottom line is, I tell their stories for readers to enjoy.
So, grow pod people, take shape, and fly off the page and into cozy reading nooks everywhere.
Updated Blog, January 2026 – This year is the fifth anniversary of my series launch! Enjoy The Starlight Chronicles... On SALE January 26 – 30!
Artwork above and below by:
Vic DeLeon Art Director, Ark II, Studio Wildcard – ArtStation.com
Enjoy this lively chat packed full of great writing tips and resources on writing short stories with fellow northern Nevada writer, writing coach, and public speaker, Linda K. Hardie.
My writer friend Lucky Noma made me a song. He’s an awesome friend and it’s an awesome song.
Captured By the Hunted is a vampire story set in Central Europe and one of three fantasy threesome romance novellas in Les Romances des Trois. Chapter 10 features a main character, vampire enforcer Gedeon Kadar, recalling his life as a Scythian chieftain before being turned. He gave his human life to save his stolen mate, Taclaema.
Lucky’s song was inspired by Azersarta’s tragedy. Les Romances has been republished on Amazon and is available on Kindle Unlimited and Audible.
Hundreds of amazing romance titles are free April 22 at RomanceBookLovers.com. Enjoy the day filling your e-readers, then find that cozy niche and let romance take you over. ☕💟☕
Week Long Sale!
While I am offering Tigris Vetus for FREE (scroll down for its latest review), I never participate in an exciting #RomanceBookBlast event without offering my other books at special prices. Enjoy shopping Amazon for all five books this week, four of them on sale.
This month marks one year since Tigris Vetus was released into the world, concluding The Starlight Chronicles’ epic paranormal romance.
When I set out to write my first novel, I had no idea Selena’s story would expand into three volumes. Finishing Book Three was a huge accomplishment for me as it took twice as long to write as the previous two books put together. I wanted it to be… well, epic… and romantic, and different from other paranormal romances that I’ve read and loved. I hope you find awesome things to love about this series, too.
To celebrate, I’m giving away a signed copy of Tigris Vetus on Instagram.
Scroll for details on the giveaway and the series, including a character sketch of Aviel Enair, the anti-hero you will hate to love in The Starlight Chronicles.
Tigris Vetus
When destiny gives you three paths, choose the fourth.
I doodle this in my art journal because it seems like the answer to my riddle. Some say having choices is a good thing, but I’ve learned that three possible roads to the future lead to confusion and heartache.
It all started when I shot an alien prince on a highway near Lake Tahoe. Well, to be honest, it began when I met a towering man with chestnut eyes who captured my heart despite his best efforts to keep me out of his dangerous world.
Andras is my mate, but he’s compelled by fate to team up with a rival alpha to support my prophetic mission. Elliott and his pack are family now, and Elliott looks at me the same way Andras does. Both men tug on my heartstrings—and that’s not my biggest problem.
After a battle with said alien prince, we regroup at my brother’s fishing lodge in Ketchikan. I haven’t seen Dylan in years. There’s a reason for that, which makes me sadder than even our separation. Then, my vampire friend enlists my help on a mission. When Andras finds out, I discover what happens when you poke an angry bear.
I’m about to make it worse when my instincts urge me to leave my bear and my dragon to follow the ancient tiger, aka the alien prince, to his lair—my third path in a destiny of choices marked by the moon goddesses of Anurash. ~ Selena Aires
Ursus Borealis, Book One
Why not get started at the beginning with Ursus Borealis? Available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, or grab a beautiful paperback.
Ursus Borealis
Bears are supposed to live in the woods, just not the kind who send you to the moon.
Selena Aires
I promised my friend in his final days that I would find the place I was destined for. Neither of us had a clue what that meant, but searching for it after he’s gone helps me cope with my grief, and I pack up my art supplies and hit the highway. When I stop for gas in Quincy, Thomas is waiting for me—in spirit. So, I stay—and find my dream cottage with a studio and hiking trails out the back door and a quaint old tavern called the Starlight with a cozy booth in the corner. I set out my sketchbook and pencils and get busy drawing faces—my way of getting to know people while I enjoy a beer.
It works. I’m making friends and filling my journal with the kind of diverse characters typical of a crossroads pub. But diversity doesn’t explain why the people coming to life on my pages are the stuff of fairytales. The most fascinating is Andras Johns, and I’m wondering more often whether the towering man who sets me on fire with one look is the prince in the story or the beast lurking in the woods.
Andras Johns
I’ve been the alpha of the North Star Pack long enough to know better. My policy? Never mix it up with a human and risk exposing a vulnerable species to the hazards of my world. But there’s a new face in town. A beautiful, human face. What do I do the first time Selena Aires gives me her smile? I smile back. It’s a mistake—and I know I’m done for, which is a problem because an alpha can’t break his own rules.
And those hazards I mentioned? They just ramped up. The tempting Ms. Aires couldn’t be more off-limits. If only she didn’t have her own ideas about that.
I recently mentioned in an interview how precious readers are.
I’m an avid reader, art lover, and writer who writes because of what I read that readers love. Hmmm. I’m not sure what that means, but maybe you get the idea. Art through storytelling is a powerful thing. So, I can relate to how writers feel about this from all these perspectives.
Feedback from readers is honestly what the reward side of things is all about. Most of us write because we want people to enjoy our stories as much as we enjoy telling them.
I truly wish more readers would leave feedback. Reviews inform authors and readers alike and are invaluable in helping authors deliver better stories. I’ve recently experienced 1-star ratings with no words to back up that interesting viewpoint. I welcome all critical opinions. Tell me why the book deserves the lowest rating. Believe it or not, it helps me grow.
I’ve watched many Kindle Unlimited readers speed through all three of my books in as many days, so to me, that’s got to mean they enjoyed them. However, few leave ratings.
As for taking the time to write a review, those are rare precious gems. I’m sharing one of those Goodreads treasures here.
This is the week for romance, and The Starlight Chronicles is a great place to get some. Tigris Vetus is one year old at the end of the month, and I’ll be posting an Instagram Bookaversary giveaway next week!
Everyone at the Starlight thanks all their amazing visitors, too.
As do those from places a little more exotic…
Want to solve the anti-hero enigma of the swoony, ancient alien prince known as Aviel Enair, his three moons, and his planet, Anurash? Tigris Vetus delivers… while keeping you down to Earth with the roll-up-her-sleeves, no-nonsense Selena Aires as she concludes her journey.
So many fun sales this week. Keep scrolling for ways to shop. 😀
Happy New Year and thanks for your support!
Bears are supposed to live in the woods. Just not one who sends you to the moon.
Selena Aires
I promised my friend on his deathbed that I would find the place I was destined for. Neither of us had a clue what that meant, but searching for it after he’s gone helps me cope with my grief, and I pack up my art supplies and hit the highway. When I stop for gas in Quincy, Thomas is waiting for me—in spirit. So, I stay—and find my dream cottage with a studio and hiking trails out the back door, and a quaint old tavern called the Starlight with a cozy booth in the corner. I set out my sketchbook and pencils and get busy drawing faces—my way of getting to know people while I enjoy a beer.
It works. I’m making friends and filling my journal with the kind of diverse characters typical of a crossroads pub. But diversity doesn’t explain why the people coming to life on my pages are the stuff of fairytales. The most fascinating is Andras Johns, and I’m wondering more often whether the towering man who sets me on fire with one look is the prince in the story or the beast lurking in the woods.
Andras Johns
I’ve been the alpha of the North Star Pack for a long time. My policy? Never mix it up with a human. I can’t stand the idea of exposing a vulnerable species to the hazards of my job, and the hazards recently ramped up. But there’s a new face in town. A beautiful, human face. The first time Selena Aires gives me her smile, I smile back. It’s a mistake—and I know I’m done for, which is a problem because an alpha can’t break his own rules.
Meet a giant, smoking-hot cinnamon roll hero and a diminutive lovable kickass heroine in this paranormal romance with heart, medium spice, and a little bit of danger. *This is not a standalone.* The hazards and thrills ramp up in Book Two, Drago Incendium.
And there’s more. All five books by D. L. Lewellyn are $1.99 on Google Audio.Listen to this amazing example of Les Romances Des Trois.
Ursus Borealis and Les Romances des Trois are part of the #RomanceBookBlast on January 28!
Browse a 1000 romance books now and have a blast stuffing your eReaders.
For Apple Book Lovers, Click below for your free copy of Les Romances des Trois.
Three Novellas… Three enchanting settings and adventures… Three unlikely lovers finding each other along the way…
Experience sailing the Caribbean Ocean with a pirate captain and his mythical lovers in The Salty Pearl’s Reluctant Commander. How will Bastien Verdon deal with his superstitious crew and a vengeful god who wants what’s his? Next is Captured By the Hunted, a vampire hunter story that asks who is the hunted? Gedeon Kadar, a Scythian warrior turned vampire or a pair of mated dhampirs hunting vampires for the Oltalom Order?
Fate Sent Her Two immerses you in a contemporary farmhouse setting in coastal California. Maggie McConklin, a widow and well-known figurative painter, launches an ad for housemates to save her home. Adam and Greg answer the ad. Sparks fly the moment the gorgeous men step out of their classic Charger to find Maggie and her Blue Heeler, Sorcha, waiting on the porch.
As a bonus to this diverse collection of sweeping, deeply romantic ménage à trois fantasy stories, enjoy Pinpricks: An Adult Fairy Tale. In its anthology appearance in Magick & Mystery by Dragon Soul Press, one reviewer said: “Superfast start. Very interesting premise. An unexpected joy.” Find out where a prince and three witches end up in a tale about choices, discovery, and questionable happy-ever-afters.
Meet Selena Aires, a petite artist with a sweet smile. Don’t let her size and disposition fool you into thinking she can’t take care of herself. Meet Andras Johns, a towering, tattooed biker… at first glance… Just don’t get lost in those honey jar eyes when you look closer.
Enjoy the two teaming up in a small California mountain town against ancient odds. Ursus Borealis is the sexy calm before the storm in an exciting three-part fantasy adventure. Won’t you give it a read and review?
My latest YouTube video is up! Enjoy a video teaser on my new release with an audio clip from Les Romances des Trois on Google Play Audio. Enjoy! And please like and subscribe. You never know what tidbits I might come up with next.