Victoria DeLuis's Blog, page 7
September 12, 2018
Shattered Illusions ~ Shadows & Spellcraft
Amazon / iBook / Kobo / Nook
Don’t get in the way of me and my sai. At least, not if you’re a vampire. That’s a quick way to end up dead.
My name is Ashryn Barker, and I’m a vampire hunter. One of the best in fact.
I also have a secret. One I can never tell anyone else. When I look someone in the eyes, I can see their deepest secret, the one hidden behind the illusion they show the world.
My name is Ashryn Barker, and I’m here to shatter your illusions.
Author Bio
Laura is a USA Today Bestselling Author of paranormal romance, reverse harem, and contemporary romance. When she’s not writing, she can be found drinking ridiculous amounts of tea, trying to resist French Macaroons, and watching the Pitch Perfect trilogy for the hundredth time (at least!)
Shadows And Spellcraft
The Ultimate Urban Fantasy Binge Collection
A boxed set with over a dozen amazing reads, that will take you to lost worlds, fall in love with unlikely heroes, and kick some butt with no-nonsense chicks. With a collection that includes New Adult romance, urban fantasy, and Young Adult, there’s something for everyone.
Each story is exclusive to this collection, and includes some shiny new stories from USA Today and New York Times bestselling authors.
If you love to binge on stories that take you away from the ordinary, this boxed set of fifteen books will keep you reading for days. It’s stuffed with vampires, shifters, mages, fae, ghosts and more in everything from modern day Earth to Apocalyptic settings. Bury your nose in this box set now. Order your copy of SHADOWS AND SPELLCRAFT NOW
Amazon / iBook / Kobo / Nook
September 9, 2018
Out of Shadows ~ Shadows and Spellcraft
Amazon / iBook / Kobo / Nook
From the streets of Melbourne to the bowels of Westminster, the delicate balance between life and death that is so painstakingly maintained by the reapers of The Order of Dark and Light is being tested by the return of an ancient threat. Tensions are rising within the hidden world of The Shadowlands and if this threat is not contained war will be inevitable. And the destruction of the human world is bound to follow in its wake.
Amidst this tension, eighteen year-old Sachi Manning is struggling to cope with the grief and guilt that has plagued her ever since her best friend was murdered six months earlier—that is, until she spots him seemingly alive and well and being held at scythe point by a hooded figure who looks more like a GQ model than the Grim Reaper.
Sachi shouldn’t be able to see through the glamours that shield Shadowlanders from the human world, so the reaper in question wants some answers. And so begins the craziest couple of weeks of Sachi’s life as she is drawn into a world of mysteries, magic, monsters, and mayhem, encountering dragons, faeries, soul-sucking demons, not-so-grim reapers, and even the Horseman of Death.
With a mix of heart, humour and hair-raising action, Out of the Shadows is the adventure of an afterlifetime, perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare and Paula Weston.
Author Bio
Ashlee Nicole Bye is the author of the SHADOWLANDS series, the first book of which–OUT OF THE SHADOWS–was published in April 2017.
She was born and raised in the always amazing city of Melbourne, Australia. She’s a total history geek, a book nerd (of course!), loves watching sport, and is just a little but obsessed with anything fantasy and science fiction related.
She’s a doting auntie to three awesome little guys and two gorgeous little girls and the mum of a crazy fur baby, a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy named Sadie. She’s also vision impaired and writes all her stories with the help of Apple’s awesome zoom commands and Scriverner’s 800% magnifying option.
Shadows And Spellcraft
The Ultimate Urban Fantasy Binge Collection
A boxed set with over a dozen amazing reads, that will take you to lost worlds, fall in love with unlikely heroes, and kick some butt with no-nonsense chicks. With a collection that includes New Adult romance, urban fantasy, and Young Adult, there’s something for everyone.
Each story is exclusive to this collection, and includes some shiny new stories from USA Today and New York Times bestselling authors.
If you love to binge on stories that take you away from the ordinary, this boxed set of fifteen books will keep you reading for days. It’s stuffed with vampires, shifters, mages, fae, ghosts and more in everything from modern day Earth to Apocalyptic settings. Bury your nose in this box set now.
Order your copy of SHADOWS AND SPELLCRAFT NOW
Amazon / iBook / Kobo / Nook
September 8, 2018
Taken ~ Snippet ~
Taken is available for FREE this weekend (until just before midnight on Monday 10th September), and to celebrate, I thought I’d share a quick snippet with you.
***
Thomas was six feet tall, late-twenties, and slim and athletic. His eyes, bluer than a summer sky, were often obscured by his dark brown hair that flopped over them when it wasn’t held in check by the simple black cap he always wore when working. Thomas had said it was my old eyes that first caught his attention, but, stand out features that they were, it wasn’t Thomas’ eyes or hair that first caught mine. That would be his muscular chest and arms, and a body lithe from a lifetime of Krav Maga. His insanely good looks only distracted from how deadly he could be. Platt’s men had been surprised when he’d tossed them about. Given their bulk, I doubt anyone had knocked them off their feet before. Yet, I felt uneasy taking this case. Platt was a dangerous goblin. Thomas and I had caught him unprepared at the house, but he didn’t strike me as the type to forgive and forget, even if we did manage to bring his daughter home.
I was about to take a peek over the edge of the window when a frosty shiver ran through me. The world stopped. Time stopped. Dust hung motionless in the air. The hum of voices stilled. Something was happening. Coming…
A whirlwind gathered at the edge of my consciousness. A rush of unnatural air pushed against me, bringing with it the scent of rust and mildew. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone, sucking all the air out of my lungs as it disappeared.
Closing my eyes, I counted to ten and prayed that Thomas was okay. I knew too well he’d been attacked. His wards had activated in defence and caused a magical backlash.
A sense of movement came from below as I listened to the faint susurrus of the air around me. “You can do this,” I said and took a final deep breath before peering through the window. My vision blurred from the pain in my stomach. I forced myself to focus and willed my vision to clear.
Then I saw Thomas, motionless on the ground. My stomach began to heave as my mind screamed that this was all my fault. I’d had a bad feeling about this case from the start. We should have been curled up in bed after a night of watching movies and eating pizza.
Instead, Thomas was lying prostrate on the ground, and I felt like a pane of safety glass that had been shattered into a billion shards and was only being held together by the laminated outside.
Memories of how we met surfaced in my mind. The cheesy nightclub, filled with the putrid smell of stale sweat, alcohol, and cigarette smoke. At sixteen, I was underage, but had been dragged out by a well-meaning, if slightly mischievous, friend. Lisa and I had completed our exams. We were on top of the world, not afraid to talk to anyone, especially not the model-sexy boy who stood next to us at the bar. Thomas Heart lived up to his name and stole mine.
There was a stillness to him. Something that focused my energies and made me feel like it was okay to be me. The soft, steady tone of his voice. The way he woke every morning and went through his martial arts stances and movements. The smile on his face, as he left the shower afterwards.
I’d lost Nana and Mam, and Dad had never been in the picture, but I had Thomas. Thomas was my life.
***
I love Thomas, maybe a little more than I love Summer. I’ll be sad to see the end of these characters when the series ends with the next book. Although, they do appear in the short I wrote for the Secrets in the Shadows anthology: Exile:The Silure Dragons – The set is available for only 99c or in KU, but it comes out of Kindle Unlimited in a short while and I will be able to share that story with you as soon as it does 
September 6, 2018
Unbroken ~ Cover Reveal ~
I am super busy this month, my Master’s dissertation is due on the 5th October and I am scrambling to get everything in tip top shape. After that, it won’t be long until Unbroken, the final story in my Rune Witch Mysteries series is released. Until then, I wanted to share with you the amazing cover created for me by Meg Cowley – who by the way, is now a USA Today Bestselling author, so if you haven’t check out her fantasy stories, I’m sure she’d love it if you do
September 5, 2018
Prompt Response
In my last newsletter, I set the challenge for my readers to write something based on a writing prompt I set for them – two fabulous ladies responded with great pieces of their own. Thank you Dianne and Carol xxx
***
Here are their writings:
Dianne:
A writing prompt, Joy had never heard of that before. After all she was a reader, not a writer. She struggled enough with the torture and doubt involved in just trying to write a basic review. As she read through the newsletter she came to the prompt. “A vampire’s heart is like a date, wrinkled, shrivelled, and suspended in a maze of dry, black veins and arteries.” Well, yes she thought, a vampire must have a heart, after all she recalled that’s where Buffy used to stake them. Suddenly they would shrivel and disintegrate leaving behind a puddle of dust as the only evidence of their existence. There is only dinner to cook, including those shrivelled red dates in the refrigerator, long past their use by date. Write a few paragraphs, what a brilliant way to procrastinate and avoid preparing dinner. After all it never need be sent, or ever see the light of day, lol!
A writing prompt for you, maybe “Temper, a lady never loses her temper! A friend sent her a meme with a picture of duct tape saying it doesn’t eliminate stupidity, but it can muffle it. Just think of them muffled by duct tape, smile and exit graciously.”
Carol:
The streets were full of the Kings men, as my father pulled me along behind him.
“What are they searching for Father?
He glanced back, but kept moving towards the town square. “The king has lost something in the meadow.’’
I considered his words and could see no reason to search the buildings if he lost it in the meadow. “Why search the dwellings?
I heard him sigh, as he did so many times when I asked too many questions. Stopping, he turned to face me. He stood tall, still a man well-groomed despite his many years, and lack of hair. “The King saw a girl around your age, he hopes the girl has found his treasure. The guards wish all of the girls around your age to go to the square so that the king may question them.’’
This seemed a waste of time to my thinking, surely if someone had found a treasure they would have taken it to the castle. As we entered the square I could see fourteen girls all lined up, their parents standing behind them. I knew all of these girls. Most would own up if they had found anything of value, but there were two who I knew told falsehoods. They stood with their hands in their dress pockets, but when the king walked from behind his guards they like the rest of us dropped to a curtsy.
I had never seen the king this close before. He was tall with raven black hair, he tied at the back of his neck. His skin was pale like all of his kind, but his eyes shone a brilliant blue. “Ladies, I wish your help in finding something that has great meaning for me’’
His voice almost purred in the slight Russian accent from his homeland. As he came nearer I could see just how incredibly striking he was. High cheekbones above a hard square chin, with a mouth, perhaps wider than most, but his eyes were a piercing azure blue beneath thick, slightly angled eyebrows.
“Come, step forward, those among you who were in the meadow this morning?”
Out of fifteen only four stepped forward. Rachel, the minister’s daughter, Hope and Faith, the two deceivers, and myself. The king looked us all over, as if he could read us just by looking. “If you four and your family would follow my guards into the castle I will join you shortly.’’
Having spoken he went behind us to the remaining girls. I looked back as we were hassled from the square. He seemed to be thanking each girl for coming when he called, and I swear I heard him say he was sorry for disturbing their day’s work.
The sound of whispers echoed in the great hall as we waited. The sisters, Hope and Faith argued with their father as their mother stood by wringing her hands while her eyes darted around as if seeking a hiding place. You could not ask for a more honest person than the town blacksmith, yet I fancy he must live a life of constant fear of what his daughters might say or do each day. Rachel and her parents were all smiles, nodding heads at what was being said. Rachel was a sweet girl, never a cross word for anyone. Still, it must be hard to smile like that all the time, but it is what the people expect of their God’s prophet and his family. As for myself, there was just father and I since mother had passed some six years past. We stayed silent, both knew I would answer any questions more often with a question of my own. Father knew I would not show scorn or be impolite when spoken to. That I would help the king in any way I could.
I minded my time to studying the paintings on the walls of the great hall. They showed the history of when our king came to these lands. The old king was evil and cruel, while the night-walkers offered us peace and prosperity in return for being allowed to make their home here. In recognition of riding us of the cruel king, the High Priestess restored them to the light. Legends say a heart was also given to those who found a true mate, so that they could share their lives together. I turned towards father to ask how a true mate could be found without a heart in the first place, when the outer doors opened and the king walked in.
“Thank you for waiting’’ he looked at each in turn. It was as if he spoke only unto you. Perhaps this is what made him a good king, he cared for each of his subjects. Moving towards smaller wooden carved doors, he spoke in that quite commanding voice, “Come, please follow me.’’
The doors lead to a much smaller room that held nine chairs in a half circle around one central seat. The king sat down while waving his hand to indicate we should all sit. The minister and his wife sat on his right with Rachel between them. Next came the sister’s mother, with Hope then Faith and the blacksmith next to my father. This put the girls facing the king while I sat on the end to his left.
The king spoke. “With consent from all of you, I would like each girl to tell me what they were doing in the meadow and who or what they might have seen. Rachel you first if you would.’’
She went to stand, but he waved her back down. Then in a somewhat rapid way she told how she was gathering flowers for the church. He nodded his head and smiled.
“Did you see or speak with anyone?’’
“I talked with my friend Eve about growing things’’ she gushed out, before sending a downward glance towards the sister’s. “I saw Hope and Faith as they run past my king’’
I could tell he had not missed the grimace that passed her face when she looked and spoke of the twins. “You never spoke with the sister’s, why is that?”
A flush crept across her face. “We do not like the same things.’’ I felt anger build inside, she should have told how they laughed as they tipped out her basket.
“Yet you spoke with Eve, does this mean you share the same likes?’’ The tension left her body as she gave a small laugh. “No my king, for Eve is interested in all things, she’ll always stop and ask everyone questions. I fear it would be hard to keep up with her.’’
The king turned a silent look that had those sloped eyebrows raising. I smiled politely, but not one that reached my eyes. This seemed to amuse him as his eyes squinted, seemly lit by an inner glow of mischief. I longed to ask why his eyebrows sloped and what he found amusing, but with father there I sought not to discomfit him.
“Faith, Hope, what of your time there, did you speak or see anyone other Rachel?’’ Both went to speak but their father held Hope back. She looked vexed while Faith had that smug look she was well known for.
“We played chasing each other amongst the flowers, as it was too good a day to work.’’
Seeing a slight frown on the king’s face, Mrs Blacksmith piped in “After their chores were finished of course, my king.’’ Both girls gave her an incredulous stare, but after a quick look at the king decided to hold their tongues.
“Did you see or speak with anyone?’’
Hope was first to speak. “Only Rachel and Eve were there, both have nothing of interest to say, so we left.’’
Now it was my turn. He watched me like a hawk does his prey. For the first time in my life I felt strange, it was not fear, perhaps apprehension. Yes, that was it, but why?
“What do you have to say Eve, why were you in the meadow?’’
Ignoring his waving hand, I stood. “I like to think, the meadow, ’’ here I stopped to glare at the sisters “is of a rule a quiet place. I saw the sisters but did not speak, later I saw Rachel, who was good enough to advise me on the best ways to propagate certain plants.’’
“You found this interesting?”
I cast him a look of surprise as I had judged him to be one who would also seek out new knowledge. “But of course, all knowledge is interesting, how else would we learn.’’
He smiled a cocky grin, voicing the words only I could hear, “How true,” before turning to face everyone. “Did none of you find anything?’’
I listened as each answer no. When I never spoke all eyes turned to me.
“What did you find Eve?’’ asked the king.
I slipped my hand into my pocket to withdraw a closed fist. Holding it out, I opened to reveal a shrivelled brownish blob that held a maze of black veins. “I believe it to be a date. I have never seen one before, but they date back to when time began.’’ Looking up I found his eyes on me and not the date. “I planned to try and grow others from it.’’
He rose from his chair to cradle my hand in his. He seemed pleased, though I had no idea why. Still holding my hand, he looked beyond to the others. “I thank you for coming and for your help, if it pleases you, all but the healer and Eve may take your leave.’’
I watched as all but my father and I exited through the door which closed behind them. I spoke quickly, “If this be your treasure my king, I had no idea, it was not my intention of robbing you.’’
The king surveyed me before turning to my father. “Your wife, was she not of the Fae?’’
For once I saw my father shocked. “We told no one of this, how come it that you know?”
The king just smiled, “My kind knows many things. Do you know of the legend of how we may find a true mate?”
My father and I shook our heads.
The king turned to me, holding my eyes firm with his. He looked down at the date, where I realised he still held my hand in his. “Do you know all four of you girls saw and touched this date in some way today.’’
I shook my head.
“You were the only one to see that it had a chance to be good again. The High Priestess gave my people this date. At times we set it out to see if a mate will care for it. This time it was my turn. The High Priestess said it was like a vampire’s heart, wrinkled and shrivelled. The one who cared for it would be a true mate.’’ He looked deep into my eyes “Will you be my true mate and rule these lands in a just and honourable way?’’
I looked at my father who was full of smiles and nodding.
“My mother was fae, I am part fae, does this not worry you?’’
He laughed, “It will make a better world for all kinds to live in.’’
I knew then he was right and that my path in life lay with him. “Then yes, my king, I will be your true mate and rule by your side, with justice for all.’’
He stepped closer, closing both our hands around the date. “My name is Adam.’’
***
This proved an immensely enjoyable exercise and I loved reading the responses. I hope you did too xx
May 28, 2018
Kindle Paperwhite E-Reader Giveaway
There’s a new giveaway over at Magic Book Deals for a Kindle Paperwhite E-Reader
May 25, 2018
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May 9, 2018
Win The Phedre Trilogy plus $75 Amazon.com Gift Card!
Check out this amazing Giveaway and Paranormal Romance Book Fair on Magic Book Deals!
Win The Phedre Trilogy plus $75 Amazon.com Gift Card1
Check out this amazing Giveaway and Paranormal Romance Book Fair on Magic Book Deals!
