Updates and Sneaky Bits!

Hello all!

As expected, March brought a whole bunch of interruptions to writing: a week-long family visit, Emerald City Comic Con, and several appointments (nothing serious, but they take up time). I confess—happily—that I've also lost a few work hours while listening to Tess Irondale record Grand Theft Sorcery on her Discord! It's scheduled to release in June, and the preorder is up on Audible now!

Ahem. Okay, shameless plug out of the way. Back to Good Intentions V: I haven't put as many words on the page as I'd hoped in March, BUT I have made progress and the book is moving along. I'm writing the big climax now. We're at 152k words and I think this one is gonna check in around 160k-ish, maybe? So it'll be shorter than the last GI book, but not wildly so.

(Inside baseball: KU and my patterns as a writer say longer is better, because reasons, but I'm not gonna bulk up a book just because. Revisions may make this book longer, and if so that's great, but if not? Then I guess that's just the story I have to tell.)

Also, Lee Moyer is on the case for our next book cover already, and I'm dying to get this thing finished and out into the wild. So I'm gonna give you today's sneak-peek, and then load up the monthly chapter for our Patron-tier subscribers, and then it's back to work for me!
(Also a car appointment, and vet appointment, and hey, Norwescon is this month!)

We join Alex trailing a couple of mortals we met in the Prologue scene through a busy stretch of Vegas off the Strip... and someone who uses italics in that special way they come up in the Good Intentions series...

*

For the moment, Goon and Mook walked the busy nightlife plaza without any sign of threat. Mook, dark-haired and vaguely Latino, carried the cardboard box of promo cards from the print shop. Goon, the Black man in the open button-down, walked with an easy stride and frequent head-turns that looked casual but threatened real vigilance. One such look back prompted Alex to slow his stride and glance away.

“Fuck,” Alex muttered. Past lives gifted Alex with masterful stealth, but most of that experience had been in forests and jungles. Hiding in the night was not at all the same as hiding in plain sight—though he could make use of what he knew, at least. Goon and Mook tended to look left, where there was more traffic and open space. Alex angled right. It kept him closer to shop entrances and pedestrians for whatever cover they offered. Bright lights and flashing displays added distraction, too. He slowed his pace a second time and was rewarded with time to turn away ahead of another backward check.

Reflections in the windows helped, too. Goon laughed and elbowed Mook to indicate some other nearby sight. Alex let out a tense breath. He’d been unnoticed. The turn saved him. It’s not all past life cheat codes, he thought. Sometimes he figured things out for himself.

His targets soon turned down a plaza exit path, giving Alex a new shot of worry. He caught up to the corner fast but carefully lingered and checked reflections in restaurant windows, hoping this wasn’t active evasion or a trap. Things fell into place once he spotted Mook and Goon and still more bright signs. The two men slowed only for a look around the outside before entering a gym called Feel the Burn.

Nobody else came or went through the doors. Alex saw only a small part of the lobby from this angle. Don’t want to lose track of them. This place is public, looks quiet, don’t know how long Lorelei’s gonna need… Alex looked one more time at the entrance to the gym, still seeing no one inside from this angle.

…and I am not going in on my own, he decided, stomping on his conflicting impulses. Sure, dumbass. Crooks and weirdos and maybe demons. Why would you need backup? Go full drama queen and Leeroy Jenkins it all by yourself. Just walk right around the corner into Darth Vader getting up from the dining table, that’ll work out great.

You know where they are. They probably haven’t spotted you. It’s barely been a minute. They’re carrying a box of promo cards, not guns. You can wait for Lorelei, or hopefully—

“Hey babe, I’m here.” Rachel landed opposite his line of sight on the gym, wings and halo in full view and therefore concealed from everyone else. Though not out of breath, she arrived with a similar energy. “Sorry. Matteo kept me waiting forfuckin’ever for no damn reason. What’s the story? Where are we at?”

“No Dave yet, but we’re following a couple of his coworkers,” said Alex. “It looks like a protection racket. They just went in the gym with promo cards for that self-help AI garbage. Lorelei had to deal with the car. Should catch up in a minute. Matteo's the local Dominion? Did you get anything new out of him?"

“Only the hurry-up-and-wait runaround. He made some asshole ‘I see’ noises and said we've only found spooky stuff because of my personal attachments. Seems like the kind of dipshit who doesn’t feel in charge unless he’s criticizing somehow.”

“I thought Dominions weren’t really bosses?”

“They’re not,” Rachel grumbled. “Anyway, it’s two guys right now? Dangerous at all?”

“Seem like it. I don’t get a spooky vibe, but they’re a couple tough guys at least.”

“Rachel. Good. You’re here.” Lorelei caught up to the pair with a smooth, confident stride. She had greater talent and confidence in hiding in plain sight than Alex. “Any news?”

“Only bullshit. Alex filled me in. What’s the plan?”

“Can you scout out the place?” Alex nodded toward the gym. “You move faster and quieter than either of us. You see more, too.”

“I could, but I’m already getting stinkeye from the locals. ‘Exceeding my allowances’ type of shit. They can’t complain about me going in with you, though.”

Alex turned to Lorelei. “We’re going in one way or another, right?”

“Let’s use stealth and subtlety as long as we can,” she agreed. “I’ll conceal us both, but it is a bright and open setting. If they are watchful, my abilities may fall short.”

“Worth a shot,” said Alex.

Ordinarily, Lorelei’s stealthy enchantments involved a loose hold on Alex’s hand. They approached the gym entrance without the reassuring contact, but Alex couldn’t complain. He wanted his hands free in case of danger. Then he noticed the slight tug on his waistband at one hip and caught on to another of her tricks. Her demon tail always kept a low profile even without active magic.

The lobby appeared empty as they reached the door. Only a few steps ahead of Alex and Lorelei, Rachel passed through the windows, stopped, and tilted her head curiously, but didn’t flash any sort of warning sign. Lorelei opened the door with care for time and noise, slipping through ahead of Alex—and, like Rachel, stopped short to listen.

Alex saw one problem as soon as he made it through the door. Chad stood at the corner leading from the lobby, watching and listening to something in the workout room. The scents of sweat and body spray hung in the air, but Alex heard none of the music or ads he expected in a gym. Instead, he heard a woman’s voice over the soft hum of the air conditioners.

“Religion is a scam. Always has been. Every religion, everywhere. Real men see through all the peace and love bullshit. That’s why all the successful men are such bad Christians, or Muslims, or whatever. In the end, the label doesn’t matter. It’s all a scam.

“‘Oh, boo-hoo, he’s a cheater. He lies. He takes what he wants.’ Good for him! He’s doing the same thing the scammers do, except better. And now we can prove it with science. Deep Truth runs every religion and creed through AI tools to create the perfect, real religion: the one about yourself. Your strength. Your success. That’s the only god that matters.”

Rachel cracked her knuckles.

Angling quietly around Chad for a better look, Alex and Lorelei found a couple dozen patrons all paused in their workout to hear the speaker. The guy Alex dubbed Mook stood at one corner, promo box in his hands. He didn’t see Goon.

“And here’s the wildest part.” She sauntered into view, tight neon workout clothes showing off curves and skin. “You know this already. You know I’m right. The AI proves it, but you know it’s true. You’ve known all along. You just need to hear someone else say it.”