Tara Maya's Tales

  “You don’t have to do this, you know,” Marla said. “I feel bad always asking you to be my chauffeur.” Devon, ever the gentleman, held the door open on the passenger side of his SUV. “It’s no problem,” he said, as he always did when she apologized for their once-a-month ritual. “I know you don’t like to drive that far, and I don’t mind.” Marla paused as she was about to climb into the car. She placed her hand on his arm. “You’re a good friend, Devon.” * * * You’re a good friend .  That stung. Good friend. Yeah. They had been friends a long time. And friends was all they would ever be. No matter how much he wanted more. Devon knew he shouldn’t resent being Friend-zoned. If anything, he was the one to blame. Early on in their relationship, he was certain there had been a time when they were both aware of the chemistry. Marla was shy, but her eyes and her smile and invited him to take things to the next level. Or maybe she never felt that way about him, and he had only projected...

  Motion. Rumbling, like a motor. The smell of leather and a “pine”-scented air freshener, with the faintest whiff of gasoline. That falling sensation in the belly... As if she were in a car. A car going very fast. Out of control.  Downhill. What in the name of the Light...?! Eleni’s head pounded and her wrists hurt. Her eyelids snapped opened but that didn’t clear up the inky blackness, since she was blind. However, she had a compensating system for detecting what was around her. She had tiny green snakes, dozens of them, growing from her head instead of hair. Normally, her snakes rested in their alternate form, tiny braids decked out in jade and lapis lazuli beads, like the hair of an Egyptian princess. When she needed them, however, her snakes revealed their true form. The snakes didn’t want to wake up right now. That meant not only had Eleni Bendox been knocked out, but whoever had rendered her unconscious had known exactly what she was: a Gorgon. And whoever had done this...

“May the Light always shine above you,  may the Shadow only trail behind  you,  may the Wind divide before you,  the Water flow beside you,  and the Stones be smooth beneath your feet.” - an ancient arcane blessing

 He's her best friend. She's his secret crush. But she's human, and he's a shifter... Pre-Order on Amazon On Kobo, Apple, B&N and Other Sites Her Best Friend is... When a scandal destroyed Marla’s family, Devon was the only one who stood by her. He’s good, he’s solid, and he’s been her best friend since they were both kids. But... Now her best friend has grown up to be a gorgeous, smoking hot man... ...and Marla can’t help but notice. Devon could have any woman he wants... and that’s fine... perfectly fine... All she wants is for him to be happy. So why does the thought of him with another woman tear her up inside? ...His Secret Crush Devon has secretly loved Marla since High School, but there’s one big problem. He’s from an ancient Shifter Clan... and she’s from an old-fashioned family of humans who either don’t believe Shifters are real, or think they are monsters who should be chased away with pitchforks and torches. Since he can never have the woman he loves, it...

  Buy on Amazon Buy on Other Sites She upholds the law. Eleni Bendox may be a gorgon with snakes for hair and a lethal inheritance, but she's also the Federal Prosecutor for mundanes and arcanes alike. He bends the rules. Owen McGee has always had good fortune... and he's needed it, because he's usually just one step ahead of a horde of enemies, some of whom, sadly, happen to be agents of the law who fail to appreciate his good intentions. But now a curse has Reversed his luck. Unfortunately, now Eleni and Owen are magically chained together and stuck in a runaway car careening down a mountain road toward a cliff. They better learn to work together quick if they are to survive and find out who hogtied them together and why. Do opposites attract romance? Or will the urge to betray the other be too tempting? This is a stand-alone HEA paranormal romance that is part of the Major Arcana series. It has a hot Irish Leprechaun rogue and a sassy Gorgon heroine. Opposites-Attract Ro...

The Word Count Notes App. It's great. Screenshot of a scene from The Sheriff's Magic Summer Jail Break. We are almost to the half-way point of the year. My children have one week left of school. Then they are all going to be home... oh my.  My goal was to publish 22 books this year.  Twelve Arcana Glen Major Arcana novels (50,000 - 60,000 words each) Ten Arcana Glen holiday novellas (20,000 - 30,000 words each) Two more novels of the epic fantasy The Unfinished Song series (100,000 - 120,000 words each) I am on track so far to do this. I've now either published or put up for Pre-Order six (6) novels,  six (6) novellas, and one (1) Unfinished Song epic novel. I like to have a "pipeline" or projects in various stages of completion. Here's my current pipeline: Brainstorming : The Arcana Glen Royal Courts series Writing : The Sheriff's Magic Summer Jail Break Editing : Death & the Detective Cover Art / Tarot Cards : The Demon & the Dryad Preparing fo...

  Relationship Arc The Relationship Arc draws on the regular Heroic Story Arc, but instead of focusing solely on one hero’s journey, the focus is on the changing relationship between two people. The simple 10-12 beat outline offered here can be used in a multiplicity of was. First of all, understand it’s a stepping-stone, not a noose. Don’t strangle the story to fit the beat sheet; use the beat sheet to buttress the story. Taken by itself, alone, if you have one point of view character and assign a thousand-word scene for each of the ten to twelve beats, you’d have a 10,000-12,000-word story. If you have two points of view, and slightly longer scenes, say about 1500 words each, you’d have a 30,000-word novella. This is the basic template I use for my novella length romances. What if you’re writing a story that isn’t a romance? Chances are that your character will still have a relationship with someone else in the story. While it might be platonic rather than passionate, in faction,...

  Magic & Manners... Dear Reader, What could be more delightful than the delicate interlinking of two beloved genres, Regency Romance and Fantasy? I may swoon. If you love Regency Romances but find them, shall we say, sadly lacking in Dragons, Pixies, Manticores and all other manner of other items of Magical interest, then you may enjoy these series which combine the delicate dilemma of finding a suitable dance partner and life partner in genteel society with sorcery and fantastic beasts. Some of these series are Alternate Fantasy History (our world, save if magic had existed in Regency England, for instance) and others are Independent World Fantasy (a magical world with its own history and cultures). So they aren't all, strictly, "Regency," but they all have that feel of balancing magic and manners.  1. Kingdom of Ruses (Ruses of Lenore Book 1) I love this series!  Apparently, the first book was meant to be a stand-alone, but fortunately, the author has added severa...

I am a big fan of Grimm , and... this may sound crazy... but my favorite characters are the Eisbeaver Vessen. Essentially, these are Shifters who can turn into Ice Beavers. They are so 'effen cute. They love Oregon, of course, and they make blankets and bake pies and fix stuff and vote on things in a lodge. It's nice to see some Shifters who have a working democracy for once! Seems like most Shifters are ruled by Alphas or Kings--essentially dictators--but not the awesome Ice Beavers. The Sheep Shifters in Arcana Glen series might have been inspired a weeeeee bit by them. For my own amusement, I decided to note all the Ice Beaver scenes, which are scattered across all the episodes.  I have no idea why, but you might want that list too. (And if you haven't seen Grimm, check it out here. ) Here it is:  Eisbeaver Episodes from Grimm:   Dance Macabe 5:45  Fridge broken 22:29 fixing fridge 28:54  Juliet says maybe Nick arrested the repairman once, so he...

  Expand your mind into the universe with these Science Fiction and Speculative books.

  Fantasy inspired by Myths and Legends! Free fantasy for May. You might also enjoy the  The Daughters of Zeus Series  by Kaitlin Bevis. Persephone The Persephone Trilogy Book 1 Daughter of the Earth and Sky The Persephone Trilogy Book 2 The Iron Queen The Persephone Trilogy Book 3 Aphrodite The Daughters of Zeus 4 Love and War Aphrodite Trilogy Book 2 The Daughters of Zeus 5 Venus Rising Aphrodite Trilogy Book 3 Daughters of Zeus 6

  Love a good Witch Cozy Mystery? Or how about a Witch Paranormal Romance? Don't forget Witches can also star in Fantasy. Here's a whole of FREE Witch books for today's Book Feast!

Here's a secret of storytelling. Not only is it okay to tell the same story over again , but it's inevitable. No  matter how many times you try to tell the same story, it will always be different if you tell it in your own voice and from your own soul. Just look at how many times Fairy Tales can be retold. All stories address at least one of the same seven core perennial human questions. Where do I come from? What is my purpose? How do I grow up from a child to an adult? How do I find love? How do I face fear, pain, and hostility? How can I find justice if I have been wronged? Why do I have to die? Our most sacred literature also deals with these 7 Core Questions, usually focusing on the first and the last questions, the Big Ones of Where Does It All Come From and Where Are We All Going. ("Why do I have to die?" might be transmuted into, "How can I ensure I live forever in a really swell place?") Fairytales primarily address the questions that formal, "...