Breaking the 4th Wall (+18 NSFW)

Episode 3 - Don't Taunt The Trickster - Sneak Peek

CHAPTER 1 - GODS GOTTA EAT, TOO

The weather is perfect for my barbeque, with enough breeze blowing in off the lake to keep the mosquitoes away and a brilliant blue sky with not a cloud in sight. So rare in March, but I'm not complaining. I lift my bare legs to rest them on the black wicker ottoman with its dark red pillow, tucking my short sundress under my thighs so the wind won't blow the hem up to my waist. I don't need to be flashing my panties at my friends.

"How's the writing going?" asks Nicole as she sips a glass of my special sangria recipe.

It's my typical party drink when I have company over. The four-litre pitcher almost overflowed when I'd blended the red wine, cherry brandy, cranberry-raspberry juice, and fresh fruit. Since I pre-soak the berries and cherries in brandy before adding them, my friends know from experience to enjoy them in moderation over the whole afternoon or they'll be sleeping in my guest bedrooms and on my couches.

Although, shit. I gaze down at my glass, full of berries. What will I do if Loki shows up and I have people staying the night? Maybe I don't want to encourage my company to crash here. Should I stop making my sangria so strong? Damn it. A fictional character shouldn't disrupt my life so thoroughly. How did everything get this complicated?

Sipping my drink, I attempt to ignore my swirling thoughts to focus on friends I haven't seen for weeks. "It's going well, I think. I know what the overall plot is for my fantasy romance trilogy, and I've got the details of the conspiracy thriller worked out," I tell her, without giving away any specifics that would spoil it for them. Not that they've read any of my chapters yet. Instead, I'm using beta-readers through an online website.

"My brother says his characters talk to him. Does it ever seem like that for you?" asks Claire, sitting on the other wicker couch across from Nicole and me.

Oh god! I choke on my drink, barely keeping my exclamation to myself. After a few coughs, I manage to wheeze, "Yes, mine are quite... interactive." Able to breathe again, I lift my drink to hide my nervous smile at that epically massive understatement. Not only can't I say what really has been happening over the last five months, but I have no way to explain it. My friends would think I'm completely nuts. And maybe I am. Still, I'd have better luck convincing them I'm haunted by ghosts than that my fictional characters aren't so fictional and jump realities from their universe to mine to become flesh and blood here on a regular basis.

Claire eyes me with a slight frown creasing her brow, and I hurry to add, "I certainly don't suffer from writer's block with their inspiration to keep me going."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to check out your stories," says Nicole, fishing a blueberry out of her glass and popping it into her mouth. "One of your characters is my favourite from those superhero movies—Thor, right?"

"Sexy Thor," adds Clarie with an exaggerated wink to me, then laughing at Nicole fanning herself with her hands.

"It is Thor, yes. But not the movie or comic Thor. I based mine on a blend of mythology, including Norse, Egyptian, West Coast First Nations, and others. He has a different backstory, family, and his abilities differ somewhat as well. And while his mortal persona resembles that actor in some physical ways, my Asgardian god is a redhead. Okay, to be fair, he's still totally built with a ripped warrior's physique, as both Odin and Thor are part Jotun. I've seen how much you drool over those muscles," I tease Nicole. "Let me know what you think when I publish the stories."

"Oh, I will! I can't wait to buy your books." She grins, putting her hand on her forehead and leaning against Claire as if she's about to swoon like one of those heroines in a bodice-ripper novel.