As Yet Unpublished

Kingdom Come is a human-colonized planet several thousand years in the future, when humanity has spread out to hundreds of other worlds. For reasons that are explained in the novels, the society developed a custom of polyamory where a traditional marriage consists of several men and several women.

Polyamory is a great theme for SciFi Romance, offering a realm of complications to explore from the sweetly innocent to the wildly erotic.

From Earth to Kingdom Come

• The Jubilation of the Southern Cross
• Hearthsong

Armed with two masters degrees and a taste for travel, Bethany Väänänen sets off for a new job on a planet no one she knows has ever heard of. But travelling between the stars is far different from travelling the world, where she was always a short plane ride away from home. Her new home world, although prosperous and welcoming, is a culture shock from everything she knew on Earth. Having only recently graduated, marriage and family was the furthest thing from her mind, and now she’s living on a world where every nice, average family unit consists of several men and several women.

Being good at her job isn’t enough. When she’s blindsided by a love that turns her world upside down and is then confronted with another relationship that twists everything in a new direction, she feels that her life has been pulled out from under her, ready to be stampeded. Whether she untwists her love life or lets it tie her up in knots, it could be the biggest mistake of her life, or the start of something wonderful.

This is my 2013 NaNoWriMo novel(s). As of March 2015, it has been through several revisions and is in the hands of beta readers and will soon be queried to an agent.

Dogs, Cats, & Allergies

• Dogs
• Cats
• Allergies

Rough Draft complete at 112,000 words. Awaiting revision.

This was my NaNoWriMo 2010 story. These are novella length, but together they make a long-ish novel.

Henry Santiago commits career suicide when he refuses the White Duchess’ offer of a Countyship.  But although he had prepared his whole life for such an offer, when he sees the seven others with whom he would rule and to whom he would be wed, he can’t bring himself to accept.  Fortunately, his best friend Callum McCoy has other plans for him, and they involve Annie Blackwater.

Maryellen and Robynette Green have been married for six years, and they’ve decided that it’s finally time to add a husband or two so they can have a traditional group marriage and start a family.  But conflict ensues when the wives realize that they each have very different views on dating, and men.  Outgoing and boisterous Baine appeals to Maryellen, while Robynette would rather take things much more slowly with the quiet and intellectual Alexi.  Whether either man is willing to join the already six year old marriage remains to be seen.

Autumn VanZandt packs up her life in the wake of her humiliation that Henry Santiago has refused a noble appointment solely based on the fact that she is a snob, and he could not possibly stand being married to her.  But after ten years go by, events come full circle and she finds herself faced with another opportunity to make the dreams she had abandoned come true, even if it means forsaking her own chance at true love.

These three stories begin separately, as coffee-drinking dog lovers and tea-swilling cat people are not likely to mix.  But when a matchmaking Duchess begins to meddle in their lives, anything can happen!

The Fall of the Adelaide Faire

• Coward of the County
• The Scar
• Unnamed Story(s)

Coward of the County

Roughly outlined

In the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Adelaide Faire, the county lines in the unopened areas of the new duchy are quickly redrawn so that the long scar and crash site are incorporated into their own county. Although the White Duchess of Drakeshead would usually put great thought and planning into appointing the eight nobles who will represent and rule the county, the situation calls for the marriage to be arranged as quickly as possible. She takes a chance, putting together a group of disparate candidates who will either prove they are worthy of the trust she places in them, or crash as dramatically as the starliner itself.

The Scar

Rough Draft complete at 51,000 words. Awaiting revision, and conforming with other stories in the set.

Qiftin and John have served together in the Kingdom’s army for several years, Qiftin as a pilot, John as a medic.  When the Adelaide Faire, a huge starliner, crashes into the mountains of Drakeshead, their military training suddenly becomes invaluable as they spend every waking hour chasing escape pods, rescuing refugees, and then assisting in the salvage operation.  Other relief workers join the effort, and John finds comfort in the strength and stability of Michael, a logger who has his own team of horses and norses that are able to maneuver through the places that are too tight for shuttles and machinery.

Qiftin aches for the friend who has turned away to take comfort with another man.  Then when Michael leaves, John turns all too readily to Ahvi, whose calm presence even Qiftin cannot resist.  When Michael returns, the four of them struggle to give credence to their own emotional needs and desires when there is so much pain and loss around them.

The gash across the land caused by the crash of the Adelaide Faire is not the only scar left by the tragedy.  Refugees and relief workers alike are affected deeply; their lives changed forever.  But out of the heartbreak and hardship, love finds a way to heal those who need it most.

Unnamed story 

There are many lives affected by the fall of the Adelaide Faire. I’d like to have at least one more story in this set, preferably two or three more. In particular, Dogs, Cats, and Allergies ends at The Fall. I’m not sure if that story will be a set of its own, or one of the novels in this set.

Under the Radar

• The Postman in Shining White Armor
• Doing the Right Thing
• Let’s Try This Again
• Fool Me Thrice
• The Keystone

Rough draft 90% complete at just under 100,000 words. Awaiting revision. The Scar leads directly into this set.

Scharona has been in love with her older brother’s best friend since she was a little girl.  Although he initially thinks of her as just a cute little kid, Kevin readily embraces the grown woman she becomes.  But the relationship Scharona sees as a prelude to happily ever after is no more than a casual liaison to Kevin.

Wary of her alcoholic parents, Scharona lives her life under the radar; she is careful to never be noticed, to always do things right so she never causes trouble and never has to deal with conflict.  Unlucky in love, it takes a series of dire events to bring her to the realization that flying under the radar will never bring about her dreams of life, love, and a large family of her own.  But is it worth the risk of letting in the man who shattered her naïve young heart?

For some reason, Scharona’s story holds a special place in my heart. The problem with this one is that the story stretches out over many years, and the first few (more than a few) chapters feel too much like backstory. Although this was originally written as a single novel, I am rewriting it in a set of five.

~*~

The following are stories I wrote before writing the ‘first’ set (From Earth to Kingdom Come.) They’re all good stories, but I’m not sure how I’ll fit them into sets. Some take place before The Fall of the Adelaide Faire, some take place after.

About Damn Time  

Between 50,000 and 100,000 words. Temporarily shelved, unfinished. Before The Fall.

Aimei has always enjoyed a large circle of friends, but it isn’t until she meets Mia and Andre that she finally feels a glimmer of something that could be love. But not only are Mia and Andrei married to each other, they also have six other spouses waiting for them back on their home planet.

All three of them feel a sad kind of relief when Mia and Andrei return to Kingdom Come, their home planet, supposedly putting an end to the romantic tension. But when they discover that their eighteen year old daughter is not on the starliner with them after it has left Earth, it is up to Aimei to find her and bring her home.

Overshadow

This was my NaNoWriMo 2011 story

Will be between 50,000 and 100,000 words. Awaiting Revision. Before The Fall, immediately after About Damn Time. Natasha is one of the older daughters in that story.

Natasha is honored to receive an offer of a duchy less than a year after finishing her degree in political science. Although initially proud at achieving her career dream at such a young age, when she looks closely at the others in the ducal match, she realizes that she may have been chosen not because of her exceptional intelligence, dedication and skills, but because she is pretty, and petite.

Peter is an obvious and popular choice for the ducal appointment. Although he is only slightly over one meter tall, his height has never been more than a modest inconvenience in his life. When he sees that one of the women to whom he has just become engaged is quite young, inexperienced, and only slightly taller than he is, he wonders at the White Queen’s motivation for including her. But Natasha is not only qualified and capable, she is a good fit with the others in many ways. Can he find a way to knock the chip off her shoulder, and discover that their working relationship could blossom into a love that is real and deep?

The Best Laid Plans

This story follows Overshadow in the timeline. The White Duchess is Natasha. Also, for those of you who follow Charity Kochsato, the Violet Duchess of Drakeshead, on twitter, Gillian is her mother. This is unfinished.

Gillian is increasingly uncomfortable with the Dowager County’s promises that she and seven others have been selected to be their successors. That decision is not theirs; it is up to the new White Duchess, and no one knows whom she might choose. When Gillian does indeed receive the offer, she knows there will be many ruffled feelings because she and one other are the only two previously chosen ones whom the Duchess has included in the eight sided offer.

Convenient

A pre-NaNoWriMo rambling mess that will, someday, be rewritten. This is one of those stories that really helped me to form the world of Kingdom Come. It may be a rambling mess, but it (and Charity’s story, not listed here) helped me to solidify my worldbuilding.

Ishara is thrilled with her new life on Kingdom Come. Having left behind the repressive society of her homeworld, she embarks on what she sees as a journey of sexual self-discovery. But as she expands her sexual horizons, she endangers the quietly satisfying relationship she found with the comfortable, convenient guy-next-door.

How much is too much? And just how do the natives juggle the emotions and jealousies that are part and parcel of romantic entanglements that may include a dozen people?

Other Stories in the Kingdom Come Series

I have several unfinished novels running around my laptop, and more stories running around my head.  The nice thing about writing about a different set of protagonists each time is that I have an endless supply of story ideas to play with!

The Peanut Gallery Rebellion

I used this story for the “America’s Next Author” contest in 2012. The story can be read online at ebookmall.com. I never actually say this story takes place on Kingdom Come, although it easily could be.

Louisa was a most confident, dynamic woman until the disease struck. Although one fiancé quietly backed out of their engagement, the other four stuck by her. She walked down the aisle before the disease confined her to a wheelchair.

Life is happy, especially when they welcome their first baby. But Louisa is a shadow of her former self, living with not only the physical limitations, but the knowledge that she is a burden to her spouses. Can she find a new way to live and love within the limitations her body places on her?

When It’s Over

Just an idea right now… will probably be novella length.

Allora and Herb have never been close in their thirty years of marriage. They were more than happy in their relationships with their mutual spouses, and treated each other as friendly roommates.

Then an accident takes those spouses away, leaving Alla and Herb with only each other and their distant, grown children.

Is there any hope of finding love with someone who you know will leave their dirty socks next to the laundry hamper every night? Can you ask for affection from someone who always chose the younger, more ruggedly handsome husband over you?

Short Stories

Undone Fantasy

Available for your reading pleasure at Under Loch & Key. This was another warm-up story while I was creating the world.

Just under 7,000 words.

Maisy and Nash have a loving, traditional five way marriage with six young children.  But Nash’s jealousy over his wife’s fantasy lover reveals a deeper issue within their marriage.

Lahla Land

By AmyBeth Inverness

Available for your reading pleasure at Under Loch & Key

Just under 6,000 words.

If you love ninjas, zombies, and Elvis impersonators from Bollywood, you will love this humorous story that does NOT delve into the paranormal!

There are numerous other very short stories set on Kingdom Come at Under Loch & Key as well, that I don’t index here. Many of them are just little glimpses inspired by a prompt from The Red Dress Club or Write on Edge. Some characters who pop up frequently are the Dukes and Duchesses of Drakeshead, in particular Charity Kochsato, the Violet Duchess. Back around the time my baby was born (2007) Charity’s story started it all, but turned into a long rambling mess. I know Charity’s entire life, not just the events surrounding her marriage. I might clean it up someday, or I might just keep them as background characters in the other stories.