This was not what the knight anticipated when the princess said there was a creature hiding in her most treasured rose garden. He’d never seen anything so hideously frightening, but he had a duty and rushed toward the behemoth monster.
Queen Azalea, with her pink curls cascading down her shoulders, sat on her ivory throne and pondered. She sought a worthy consort to ensure her lineage. Her heart yearned for true love, but her duty to her kingdom came first.
(Image generated in Copilot with editing in Photoshop CC.)
Under the silvery full moon, he held her close, and whispered, “Be mine. Forever.” She gazed at him and saw the centuries of loneliness in his eyes. With a soft kiss, she bound their hearts, sealing a love destined to defy time.
(Image generated in Midjourney with heavy editing in Photoshop CC.)
Tears welled in her eyes as they clung to each other. “You’re home,” she whispered and buried her face in his neck, inhaling the scent of him. He held her as though she were the most precious thing in the world.
(Image generated in Midjourney and edited in Photoshop CC.)
Amidst the salt-kissed breeze, she stood in the courtyard overlooking the sea. Her eyes, ancient and melancholy, traced the horizon where sea met sky. In that quiet moment, she pondered eternity, her heart a tempest of forgotten dreams and lost hopes.
(Image generated in Midjourney and edited in Photoshop CC.)
The warrior stands defiantly—eyes locked on the dragon that looms over her. Sword in hand, she calculates her next move. The wind whips through her hair as she assesses the rocky outcrop beneath her feet. She must strike swiftly.
(Image generated in Midjourney and corrected in Photoshop CC and Photoshop Beta.)
If you remember, I was in the Writer’s Unite anthology awhile back but under a different publisher. I’m not sure what became of that publisher but the Writer’s Unite! team is at it again with a new publisher and two volumes of fantasy short stories. I’m in the first one with the same story (that was published with the previous publisher). There have been minor revisions/editing to my story but it’s still the same theme and magic and all the wonderful things you’ll find in a fantasy story.
The ebook will be released on December 15, 2021, but you can preorder on December 1, 2021.
Here’s the new cover:
With all that’s going on with COVID-19, I’m offering my short story ebook, The King’s Prisoner, for free on Amazon until March 22. If you need something to keep you company, let this story take you away for a short while. Click here or click the image below to download. This is the new ebook cover. You can still find the previous cover under paperback (which is not part of this free offer).
I’ve been working on a few projects. Aeva is still being edited at the moment. I’m also working on a winter romance novella and brainstorming a Valentine’s romance. My biggest project right now is a novel I’ll be writing next month for National Novel Writing Month. I’m currently prepping and outlining the details.
The story I’ll be writing for Nano is a paranormal romance. I’ve shared a short excerpt from this story a few months back. I never got the chance to finish it so I’ll be using Nano to finish it. I basically have a few paragraphs of the beginning and a dialogue between the two main characters but that’s about it. Here’s the blurb for the story:
Tolan came to the mortal world to do the job of one of his angels. It was supposed to be a quick and simple job—and it was—except for the accidental encounter with Hailey. The encounter left him speechless and he can’t stop thinking about her.
Hailey Quinn works at Caraway Bakery and makes enough money to get by. One morning, she helps Tolan from a freak accident and from there she must make the decision to protect him or endanger him.
Included in my prep is a list of music that I’ll be listening to while I write. There’s not too many yet. I tend to have about 10 to 20 songs that I rotate through. Right now, I have about three that I really like. Here’s one that’s called, “Fallen Angel.”
If you are doing NaNoWriMo and want to follow me, my name is waltzoftheflowers.
I hope you join!
The contract with the Writer’s Unite! Anthology ended in August of this year. I decided to go ahead and publish my short story on Amazon. It’s free on Kindle Unlimited.
This story is powerful. I did some re-editing and got pretty emotional reading it again. It’s about trust and taking chances. It’s about people’s hearts and emotions. And, it’s about love…but not the kind you’d think.
To read this short story, go here: mybook.to/thekingsprisoner
The Writing Sparrow 
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