Today's Author Spotlight is Tina Gayle. This is the lady that actually got me started on the Blog Tour train. Thanks for the opportunity to connect with other authors and I hope this helps her gain more exposure. Be sure to check out all of the links and blurbs.
Mating Rituals - Rules of The Ball #Excerpt
A full length - hot off-world fantasy
Blurb:
With rock-hard fortitude, Marohka Taunton battles to maintain her position as top mineralogist and
refuses to see why she should marry even if the law requires she take a mate. Fighting her attraction for Stihl Fermesium, she struggles to save her father’s company. Stihl, determined to win her as his mate, is faced with the commission deal of a lifetime and needs the money to save his family land. He wrestles with her emotional resistance and discovers someone other than Marohka is unhappy about their union. In fact, they want to separate them in the most basic of ways, death.
“All right, ladies, please line up for the final event of the evening–The Ladies Parade,”
a voice boomed from the speakers. “Give your partner a smile and a curtsy, and then ascend the
stairs to the stage area.”
“Right,” Marohka reasoned, “like I need any man.”
Harold, the father presenter, liked to follow the old habit of bowing to one’s partner. The
custom to him added romance and grandeur to the evening. She could’ve told him differently,
but with him being an old stick from a bygone era and a hopeless romantic, he wouldn’t have
listened.
“Now, gentlemen, here are the rules. Although, you might know them, I’ll restate them
again so no problems will occur because you forgot what you’re supposed to do.” Harold paused
a moment and scanned the crowd. “So listen carefully.”
Marohka and the other girls started up both sides of the twin staircases. Harold stood
at the top of the landing, dressed in his usual green plaid suit. His cheeks colored with his
excitement.
“Each one of these lovely ladies will be carrying a small placard with a number printed
on it.” Harold showed them a sample card. “The number is not how many mates she desires.”
The crowd broke into the expected laughter. Harold grinned.
She wished her sign displayed a zero. Even one man was more than she needed. All
evening, she’d avoided them. If a man approached, she offered him a rude comment and walked
away to prove her lack of interest in catching a mate.
“If you’re attracted to a certain lady and want to meet her in the mating arena, take note
of her number. If you write down the wrong number, you’ll be matched with a different girl,
which would result in an unwelcome surprise.” Harold released a small cough of humor.
“You can choose three women. In the end, however, you’ll only be mated with one.”
A good-natured roar of disappointment exploded from the men in the hall. Marohka
rolled her eyes at the typical male response.
Harold sighed. “Sorry, boys, that’s the rule. The Council of Elders will determine which
girl on your list will become your mate. Then it’s up to you to pass the next challenges. The first
duel is at three sharp in the battling arena. Be sure to check the schedule. If you miss your fight
time, you’ll be out of the running and will have to wait until next year.”
Turning to the girls standing beside him, Harold added. “Ladies, don’t worry. An escort
will be sent to your room to make sure you arrive on time.”
As the oldest unmated girl, Marohka stood at the front of the line. Her future suspended
on the edge of success. She’d led the other girls down the red carpet, along the edge of the dance
floor, through the ballroom, and then back up the twin staircase on the other side of the room
many times. She drew in a deep breath, preparing for her final steps to freedom.
Harold glanced at her and nodded. “At the top of the list from the Taunton family is our
special princess, Marohka. A smart girl, she’ll offer any man a stimulating adventure, where life
will never be boring. She works hard and . . .”
Stepping forward, she cut off Harold’s words by moving off the stage and out of the
spotlight. She detested the Royal Presenter selling her to these men. With her job of finding
qualtrilium and keeping her father’s company afloat, she had all the challenges she needed in
Lustralia’s law might require Royal girls to be present at the charade. But with this being
her final year of mandatory attendance, victory stood in sight. All she had to do was navigate
the man-infested waters between here and the staircase on the other side of the room. Freedom
waited.
She reached the bottom of the staircase. Her path led her past a legion of men. From tall,
dark, and handsome to fair-haired wonders, an array of eligible men lined her route. Dressed in
fine, silk coats and tight fitted pants, they represented hundreds of Royal families across the great
land. All showed excellent breeding and genteel manners. Any one of them would make a good
mate to the girls behind her, but none tempted her to lose her freedom.
Staring straight ahead, she avoided eye contact with every man she passed. Moving
along the edge of the dance floor, she wove her way back and forth across the assigned path. Her
steps, jerky and clumsy, she hid her natural smooth gait. No man, in his right mind, craved an
ungraceful wife. At least, she hoped not.
With the stairs a few steps ahead, she tasted victory and allowed herself a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness.”
A masculine voice in front of her chuckled. “It’s not over yet, princess.”
Tina Gayle is currently working on two different series. The last book in the
Executive Wives’ Club series will be coming out 2014. This series combines elements
of women fiction with the passion of romance.
The Family Tree series has two books out with Fallen Leaves release in April
of 2014. A paranormal romantic suspense series, the books follow the keeper of the
Winston manor and the trials she has to overcome to remain in the house of her
ancestors.
Find Tina Gayle everywhere
