When I started writing Demi’s Abrauxian Tycoon, Book Five of the Abrauxian Brides series, I had no idea I was also starting a poetry collection. I certainly didn’t plan on one filled with molting mishaps, flirtatious warbles, and romantic worms. 

But sometimes, characters surprise you. And sometimes, so do the birds. 

When you read Demi’s book, you'll know she’s a goth artist with a sharp wit, a soft heart, and absolutely no patience for alpha males who don’t understand how to treat a woman right. When she found herself in a spaceship salon with Lord Chyrgog (her mate with questionable people skills) and King Skovul (a warlord with the emotional range of a wrecking ball), she decided they needed help. 

Her method? Ancient alien bird poetry. 

That one ridiculous joke, Demi reading a poem aloud to two highly confused alpha males, and challenging them to learn the ways to woo a female, sparked something. I wrote the full poem. Then another. Then I couldn’t stop, because the more ridiculous the two males became, the more challenges Demi needed to present them with. 

Suddenly I had a whole flock of lovesick birds trying to win their mates with interpretive dances, trinket piles, and increasingly poor decisions. And I loved every second of it. 

So I turned those poems into Wings in Bloom: Courtship Verses of the Skybound, a companion volume to Demi’s Abrauxian Tycoon. It’s part parody, part celebration, and part heartfelt tribute to how absurd and beautiful love can be. 

You don’t have to read the poetry collection to enjoy the main series, but if you’ve ever rooted for the awkward ones, the overthinkers, or the glitter-covered romantics who try just a little too hard, you might find something in Wings in Bloom that makes you laugh, cringe, or smile just a bit wider. 

Or like Demi, try reading it to your love interest and challenge them to do better than a Flame-Bellied Zarkloon.

Because love isn’t always perfect. But it should always be true. And occasionally, it should involve a bird riding a snail and throwing cake. 

With affection and feathers,

Lisa Clute 

Photo by dri_fotos on Freeimages.com