QSFer E.H. Lupton has a new MM historical urban fantasy out – Old Time Religion.
What’s one more deadline?
Ulysses Lenkov is on the verge of finishing his PhD when his ex-girlfriend shows up with a problem. It’s been six month since the murder of her husband, Hugh, and Livia is plagued by strange noises in the night, poor sleep, and a magic book that may or may not be cursed. The more Ulysses delves into the events that led her back to Madison, the more concerned he becomes.
Sam Sterling, jealous and unhappy about Livia’s return, suspects that she may not be telling them the whole truth. In the meantime, he’s starting to worry that he may not have left Dionysus as far behind as he thought—with odd effects for him and Ulysses.
When Ulysses’s advisor suggests their relationship might become a problem, magically speaking, he’s suddenly forced to make decisions he never wanted to face: break up with Ulysses to keep him safe, or stay together despite the risks.
As Ulysses’s defense bears down on them, the questions start to stack up. What really happened to Hugh? Does his death tie in to secrets from deep in Sam’s family’s past? And will Ulysses be able to figure it all out before he winds up a victim?
Amazon | Universal Buy Link
Excerpt
“Ulysses? Are you okay?”
With a rush and a gasp, he came back to himself. He was standing in Sam’s living room, the lights on and the curtains drawn against the night. Sam, in running clothes, stood before him, a hand on each of Ulysses’s shoulders. Ulysses blinked at him.
His throat was dry. “What?” he managed. “What’s going on?”
“I just got back and you were standing there, but you were somewhere else.” Sam straightened up, his face still creased with concern. “It was like you couldn’t hear me.”
Ulysses rubbed his face with one hand. “I think I was having some kind of . . .” He looked down at his body to see if he bore a mark where he’d been touched, but everything was as he’d left it.
“Of?”
“A vision,” Ulysses said. “Or a nightmare.”
Sam’s mouth was a flat line. Ulysses could guess what he was thinking well enough—five months of sharing a bed and he’d never seen Ulysses walk in his sleep.
“What time is it?” Ulysses asked before Sam could start down that line.
“Six or so.” He’d been asleep for three and a half hours. How much of it had been spent standing there? “You were in bed when I left an hour ago,” Sam added.
“That’s good.” Actually, he had no idea if it was good, but if he could ease the worry on Sam’s face, it would be worth it.
Sam looked unconvinced. “Do you need something? For the—” he waved a hand.
Ulysses wanted to say he only needed to eat candy after he’d been visited by ghosts, and this was different. But he was feeling off, suddenly—cold, a little dizzy. So he followed Sam into the kitchen and accepted a couple of peppermints from a bag in the cupboard. The sugar leached quickly into his system, soothing angry nerves and bringing with it a wave of fatigue. “I think I might go back to sleep.”
“Good.” And then Sam’s hand was on his back, guiding him toward the bedroom. “You look like you’re about to fall over.”
Ulysses let himself be manhandled into bed. “You should sleep too,” he mumbled.
“I’m fine.” Sam kissed his forehead and retreated. “I’m going to shower. I’ll check on you afterward, all right?”
Author Bio
E. H. Lupton (she/they) lives in Madison, WI with her husband and children. Her poems have been published in a number of journals, including Asimov’s Science Fiction, Paranoid Tree, and House of Zolo’s Journal of Speculative Literature. She is also one half of the duo behind the hit podcast Ask a Medievalist. In her free time, she enjoys running long distances and painting.
| Author Website | https://www.ehlupton.com |
| Author Mastodon | @pretensesoup@romancelandia.club |