Author: Tali Spencer
Title: Victory Portrait
Series: Pride of Uttor
Book: Four
Release Date: April 6, 2016
Pages or Words: 78,600 words
Categories: Alternate Universe, Fantasy, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29851588-victory-portrait
Publisher: Resplendence Publishing
Cover Artist: Melody Pond
Imperial captive and former Sebboyan prince Peta Kordeun has one great wish: to meet Darius Arrento, conqueror of his country and a man he has idolized since childhood. That wish comes true the day the Uttoran emperor assigns Peta to assist the artist who will be painting the great general’s official portrait.
General Darius Arrento would rather take a crossbow bolt through his flesh than sit for a portrait, until his friend the emperor forces his hand. The notorious artist, Brazzi, uses semen and other sexual fluids to bind his colors—and Arrento is captivated by the artist’s pretty helper. Before long he is driven to possess the gorgeous young man who draws battle maps and whose naïve charm has won more hearts in Uttor than Arrento has won battles.
When Arrento learns that Peta, the slave he covets and wants for his own, is one of the despised Kordeun princes, he storms from Uttor toward a far corner of the empire—where he quickly finds himself embroiled in a plot to tear Uttor’s empire apart. His emotions and loyalties frayed, the great Arrento is in the battle of his life…and Peta may hold the key to his survival.
Resplendence Publishing: http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8/816-201-119-942-5–victory-portrait-pride-of-uttor-book-four-by-tali-spencer.html
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-victoryportraitprideofuttorbookfour-2017021-340.html
“You want me to assist the painter. Only that?” Peta asked.
“Yes. I just want you to understand you will be naked and…Brazzi will want you to be sexually aroused.”
“What?”
“It’s what Brazzi does. Not for himself—not unless you’re a woman—but for his method. He was tried three years ago on charges of obscenity because he uses…sexual fluids for mixing his paint. He truly is a genius. His colors are astonishing.”
“And you want Arrento to see me like that? Naked and…being used?”
“No.” Gaspar was being firm. “I want a portrait of my general. And I happen to think that the sight of you will keep his ass firmly planted for whatever sittings the painter requires. You see, Darius has one weakness—only one. He cannot resist a thing of beauty—and you, my pretty slave, are the most breathtaking young man I have ever had the privilege to look upon.”
Peta flushed. Gaspar wasn’t smiling. The man was serious.
Could he do it? Did he want to do it? Peta knew he was pretty. His looks had blessed and cursed him all his life. His beauty had attracted Kesme as a fellow cadet and was what Kesme had praised that last night when they’d made love…and Peta’s face was what Lukacz, his own father, had sought to destroy, thinking that doing so would release him from predation and unnatural desires. And now Gaspar, too, wanted only one thing…
“Just sit there and look pretty,” he said, heart sinking as he grasped what Gaspar was asking him to do.
“Only if you’re willing. I’m not completely oblivious to what this sort of service might entail. It could be rather…awkward. On the other hand, it might not be for long. Darius can be stubborn. It’s possible he won’t show up.”
And just as possible that he would.
Peta wanted to say no but he could not get his mouth to form the word. He might never get another chance to see Arrento, perhaps hear his voice. Be in the same room with him.
He’d be silent…naked…terribly exposed even in his utter worship.
But he would at least be able to say he had seen the great man.
“I’ll do it,” he said.
Tali Spencer delights in erotic fantasy and adventure, creating worlds where she can explore the heights and shadows of sexual passion. A hopeful romantic and lover of all things exotic, she also writes high fantasy and science fiction. If you would like to see inspiration pictures for her characters, or glimpse how she envisions her worlds, check out her Pinterest boards.
Thanks to a restless father, she grew up as a bit of a nomad and still loves to travel whenever she can. Her longest stint in one place was Milwaukee where she went to college, enjoyed a series of interesting careers, and raised three surprisingly well-adjusted sons. She later married her true love and put down new roots in Philadelphia, where she lives in an ongoing Italian American family sitcom. At least she’s learned how make good pasta. When not writing, Tali reads everything from sweet goofy romances to medical research, manages her fantasy football team—go Gekkos!—and takes long walks with her loving, if slightly neurotic, poodle.
Tali’s other books include the three preceding Uttor books: Captive Heart, Dangerous Beauty, and Adored, all with Resplendence. Her gay male high fantasy stories, Thick as Thieves, Sorcerer’s Knot, and The Prince of Winds, are published by Dreamspinner Press. She often posts free stories and excerpts on her blog.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tali.spencer
Twitter: @tali_spencer
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/talispencer/
Blog: http://talismania-brilliantdisguise.blogspot.com
Science Fiction and Fantasy: My Great Escape
Thanks so much for letting me visit and talk about my great love for fantasy and science fiction.
Though I write the occasional contemporary (The Last Cannoli), almost all of my stories fall squarely into the realm of speculative fiction. And yes, it is because I like making up things. I’m not a natural liar—to be honest, I’m terrible at it and fail dismally at all games requiring me to bluff—but I’m an enthusiastic inventor, and what I love most to invent are other worlds.
When I was a child, making up worlds was a form of escape from my not completely stable family life. My father moved us around; every other year I was in a different part of the country—Massachusetts one year, Texas the next, that kind of thing—so I was always the new kid in school. I had no friends. The geography kept changing. People talked differently, thought differently, and I had no control over any of it.
I was in complete control of the worlds in my head, though, and I began writing them down. One of my schoolteachers took pity on me and pointed me toward The Lord of the Rings trilogy. What fun! A whole world of adventure and great characters! After reading it, at age 13, I was hooked. Though I still read every kind of fiction, epic high fantasy has been my main love.
I’ve been a published science fiction and fantasy author for a long time. My first published book was a mass market paperback under a different name from this one. I went to cons and became a member of Science Fiction Writers of America. It was fun, but I stopped submitting my work for publication for a long while for personal reasons. When I started writing again, I immediately dove back into creating new worlds.
Uttor, the world of my newest release, Victory Portrait, is home to a series of alternate world fantasy romances. Two of the books feature M/F couples and the other two are M/M. Some readers won’t read the Uttor books because of this, and I respect that. In the case of this world, if I only wrote one type of pairing or the other, I wouldn’t be telling the whole story. Or rather, I would be telling a very different story, one in which other gender pairings are invisible and unnecessary to the complete picture. So I tell it this way and hope the readers who do find the series will enjoy the ride. This is the only series I write this way.
Most of my current work is M/M, like my sword and sorcery romp, Thick as Thieves. I had such fun writing that book! In what other genre could I frolic with a giant barbarian with an even bigger heart, a much-put-upon male witch, and a baby basilisk? How about a story with spider shifters? I wrote one. I have a story coming out in November that re-invents the American Wild West with elemental cowboys. In speculative fiction, a writer can do anything as long as the story has its own internal logic and integrity.
All authors have the entire world as their playground. I have multiple universes. There’s always somewhere new to go and explore—and every time I do, I hope I can take readers with me.
What’s this? You want to know more about me? You got it…I have very few secrets.
What are some of the jobs besides writer that you’ve held?
Oh gosh, have I worn a lot of hats! I’ve been a bakery clerk, respiratory therapist, homemaker, wife, and mother of three (don’t tell me those aren’t jobs!), medical writer, writing instructor in college, grant writer, English as a Second Language instructor, legislative assistant, and airport public relations coordinator. As you can see, most of my later jobs had writing components.
What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
I raised three headstrong, wonderful boys to adulthood. They’re smart, funny, and successful in their fields. Two are married and have infants of their own now, and the third is definitely in the running to becoming The Most Interesting Man in the World. They are my best work.
What do you see yourself doing in another 1, 5, and/or 10 years?
Writing. My one-year goal is to produce two more novel. My five-year goal is to have my epic high fantasy series (finished, just looking for a home) published. In ten years I would love to be writing thrillers or screenplays with my talented husband. I can see myself in a nursing home someday, writing up a storm.
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