E.J. Stevens's Blog, page 50
January 19, 2014
Kindle First: The Line by J.D. Horn
Have you been dying to read The Line ever since
our interview with J.D. Horn
? Well you're in luck!
The Line is one of this month's Kindle First titles. If you have an Amazon Prime account, go to the Kindle First page and grab your free copy today...before the book is available to the public. Cool deal, right?
The Line (Witching Savannah #1) by J.D. Horn
Savannah is considered a Southern treasure, a city of beauty with a rich, colorful past. Some might even call it magical…
To the uninitiated, Savannah shows only her bright face and genteel manner. Those who know her well, though, can see beyond her colonial trappings and small-city charm to a world where witchcraft is respected, Hoodoo is feared, and spirits linger. Mercy Taylor is all too familiar with the supernatural side of Savannah, being a member of the most powerful family of witches in the South.
Despite being powerless herself, of course.
Having grown up without magic of her own, in the shadow of her talented and charismatic twin sister, Mercy has always thought herself content. But when a series of mishaps—culminating in the death of the Taylor matriarch—leaves a vacuum in the mystical underpinnings of Savannah, she finds herself thrust into a mystery that could shake her family apart…and unleash a darkness the line of Taylor witches has been keeping at bay for generations.
In The Line, the first book of the Witching Savannah series, J.D. Horn weaves magic, romance, and betrayal into a captivating Southern Gothic fantasy with a contemporary flare.
Release Date: February 1, 2014
Add to Goodreads.
The Line is one of this month's Kindle First titles. If you have an Amazon Prime account, go to the Kindle First page and grab your free copy today...before the book is available to the public. Cool deal, right?
The Line (Witching Savannah #1) by J.D. Horn
Savannah is considered a Southern treasure, a city of beauty with a rich, colorful past. Some might even call it magical…
To the uninitiated, Savannah shows only her bright face and genteel manner. Those who know her well, though, can see beyond her colonial trappings and small-city charm to a world where witchcraft is respected, Hoodoo is feared, and spirits linger. Mercy Taylor is all too familiar with the supernatural side of Savannah, being a member of the most powerful family of witches in the South.
Despite being powerless herself, of course.
Having grown up without magic of her own, in the shadow of her talented and charismatic twin sister, Mercy has always thought herself content. But when a series of mishaps—culminating in the death of the Taylor matriarch—leaves a vacuum in the mystical underpinnings of Savannah, she finds herself thrust into a mystery that could shake her family apart…and unleash a darkness the line of Taylor witches has been keeping at bay for generations.
In The Line, the first book of the Witching Savannah series, J.D. Horn weaves magic, romance, and betrayal into a captivating Southern Gothic fantasy with a contemporary flare.
Release Date: February 1, 2014
Add to Goodreads.
January 16, 2014
2013 PRG Reviewer's Choice Awards
While I was away in France an amazing thing happened...two of my books and one series were nominated for the PRG Reviewer's Choice Awards!
(Okay, while in Paris a LOT of amazing things happened, but this was a bookish amazing thing, so I just had to share.)
GHOST LIGHT, the second full-length novel in the Ivy Granger urban fantasy series, was nominated for Best Urban Fantasy Novel.
THE PIRATE CURSE, the final novel in the Spirit Guide young adult paranormal series, was nominated for Best Young Adult Novel.
The SPIRIT GUIDE SERIES was nominated for, and received honorable mention for Best YA Series.
To the reviewers who nominated my books, thank you so much!
(Okay, while in Paris a LOT of amazing things happened, but this was a bookish amazing thing, so I just had to share.)
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GHOST LIGHT, the second full-length novel in the Ivy Granger urban fantasy series, was nominated for Best Urban Fantasy Novel.
THE PIRATE CURSE, the final novel in the Spirit Guide young adult paranormal series, was nominated for Best Young Adult Novel.
The SPIRIT GUIDE SERIES was nominated for, and received honorable mention for Best YA Series.
To the reviewers who nominated my books, thank you so much!
January 7, 2014
The Line Giveaway Winner
Congratulations Leah H. winner of
The Line Giveaway
here at From the Shadows! Leah will receive an autographed copy of THE LINE, the first novel in the Witching Savannah series, by J.D. Horn.
Thank you to all who entered!
**Giveaway winners selected using Random.org**
Thank you to all who entered!
**Giveaway winners selected using Random.org**
January 5, 2014
Q+A with Shawntelle Madison (Repossessed)
Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Shawntelle Madison! Shawntelle is the author of the Hadley Werewolves series (Bitten by Deceit, Bitten by Treachery), the Coveted series (Coveted, Kept, Compelled), and the Warlock Repo Man Chronicles (Repossessed).
EJ: When did you begin writing?
Shawntelle: I started writing in middle school, but I didn't really get serious until 2008 after college and having kids. I was far too busy in college to write.
EJ: What brought you to the paranormal genre?
Shawntelle: I've always loved sci-fi/fantasy so it was only nature to write in that genre. I read a great deal of science fiction in high school from the classics to the recent fiction at the time.
EJ: If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
Shawntelle: If I could chose one, I'd say werewolves. I love writing about them. There is just something really sexy about a primal beast lurking under a man’s skin. Unlike a vampire who pretty much wants to drain your blood. That's not very sexy.
EJ: Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
Shawntelle: My next release will be next month on January 20th. Repossessed is a novel in the universe of my Coveted series. It's about a witch matchmaker and a warlock repo man. She runs into problems with her business and she needs to ride along with Rob on his repo missions. She gets mixed up with the bad guys Rob faces.
I had so much fun writing this book. After writing a hoarder werewolf, there was no direction to go except a warlock repo man, a leprechaun pimp, and a talking satchel. And that is just a pinch of fun I tossed into that book. If you like fun paranormal romance, my books are for you.
EJ: If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
Shawntelle: I love this question!
Natalya-Megan Fox (I had originally pictured a young Joanne Whalley)
Thorn-Wilson Bethel (From Hart of Dixie) or maybe Channing Tatum
Aggie-Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood)
From Repossessed:
Rob Shin - Rain (He was in Ninja Assassin)
Tessa - Jessica Alba
Repossessed (Warlock Repo Man Chronicles #1) by Shawntelle Madison.
Supernatural matchmaker Tessa Dandridge knows a little mist here and a little magic there will help reckless werewolves and precocious pixies find love. That is, until her magical Smythe scroll is lost in her repo’ed car and she can’t contact her V.I.P. clients. To connect with an important client cavorting in the fifth dimension, Tessa must depend on handsome Rob Shin, a warlock repo man, to enter Limbo and find her Smythe scroll.
Rob has money problems of his own, thanks to the bank determined to foreclose on his elderly aunt and uncle’s home. Repossessing magic wands and cursed pianos from disgruntled warlocks isn’t the best pay, but the Navy SEAL works well as a repo man to pay off his family’s debts. Rob’s repossession jobs catch up with him when a powerful warlock seeks to end his life for his constant meddling, drawing Tessa in the middle.
Release Date: January 20, 2014
Thank you Shawntelle for joining us here today at From the Shadows! To learn more about Shawntelle Madison and her books, please visit her website.
Giveaway Alert: Don't miss our Repossessed release day giveaway January 20th, here at From the Shadows. We'll be giving away a fabulous swag pack!
EJ: When did you begin writing?
Shawntelle: I started writing in middle school, but I didn't really get serious until 2008 after college and having kids. I was far too busy in college to write.
EJ: What brought you to the paranormal genre?
Shawntelle: I've always loved sci-fi/fantasy so it was only nature to write in that genre. I read a great deal of science fiction in high school from the classics to the recent fiction at the time.
EJ: If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
Shawntelle: If I could chose one, I'd say werewolves. I love writing about them. There is just something really sexy about a primal beast lurking under a man’s skin. Unlike a vampire who pretty much wants to drain your blood. That's not very sexy.
EJ: Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
Shawntelle: My next release will be next month on January 20th. Repossessed is a novel in the universe of my Coveted series. It's about a witch matchmaker and a warlock repo man. She runs into problems with her business and she needs to ride along with Rob on his repo missions. She gets mixed up with the bad guys Rob faces.
I had so much fun writing this book. After writing a hoarder werewolf, there was no direction to go except a warlock repo man, a leprechaun pimp, and a talking satchel. And that is just a pinch of fun I tossed into that book. If you like fun paranormal romance, my books are for you.
EJ: If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
Shawntelle: I love this question!
Natalya-Megan Fox (I had originally pictured a young Joanne Whalley)
Thorn-Wilson Bethel (From Hart of Dixie) or maybe Channing Tatum
Aggie-Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood)
From Repossessed:
Rob Shin - Rain (He was in Ninja Assassin)
Tessa - Jessica Alba
Repossessed (Warlock Repo Man Chronicles #1) by Shawntelle Madison.
Supernatural matchmaker Tessa Dandridge knows a little mist here and a little magic there will help reckless werewolves and precocious pixies find love. That is, until her magical Smythe scroll is lost in her repo’ed car and she can’t contact her V.I.P. clients. To connect with an important client cavorting in the fifth dimension, Tessa must depend on handsome Rob Shin, a warlock repo man, to enter Limbo and find her Smythe scroll.
Rob has money problems of his own, thanks to the bank determined to foreclose on his elderly aunt and uncle’s home. Repossessing magic wands and cursed pianos from disgruntled warlocks isn’t the best pay, but the Navy SEAL works well as a repo man to pay off his family’s debts. Rob’s repossession jobs catch up with him when a powerful warlock seeks to end his life for his constant meddling, drawing Tessa in the middle.
Release Date: January 20, 2014
Thank you Shawntelle for joining us here today at From the Shadows! To learn more about Shawntelle Madison and her books, please visit her website.
Giveaway Alert: Don't miss our Repossessed release day giveaway January 20th, here at From the Shadows. We'll be giving away a fabulous swag pack!
December 22, 2013
Q+A with J.D. Horn + The Line Giveaway
Please welcome today's paranormal guest author J.D. Horn! J.D. is the author of The Line, the first novel in the Witching Savannah series.
Keep reading for a chance to win an autographed copy of The Line by J.D. Horn!
EJ: When did you begin writing?
JD: I began writing as a teenager. On a real live typewriter, even. I always wanted to write, but I got derailed in college when I studied Comparative World Literature. My studies involved dissecting masterpieces, but never covered the creative process. The comparisons I made between the finished works of the greats and my own inchoate and immature efforts discouraged me. It took me several years to get past this. I wrote my first novel—as yet unpublished, although I still have hopes for it—when I was finally able to take joy again in storytelling. “The Line” will be my first published work and the first book of the Witching Savannah series. The Witching Savannah series continues in “The Source” and “The Void.”
EJ: What brought you to the paranormal genre?
JD: I have always loved all things paranormal. I cut my teeth while watching “Dark Shadows”—imagine the thrill I got when Kathryn Leigh Scott agreed to review “The Line.” Frankly, though, it was my own real life paranormal experiences that cemented my interest in the supernatural. I had a Southern Gothic childhood, and when I reach inside to my creative space, the world of spirits and elementals has so far proven the most fertile ground.
EJ: If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
JD: We, as author and reader, share a supernatural talent. Together we build worlds. I don’t mean that in some trite and condescending way. I really do believe that reality is pliant. When you as a reader joins forces with an author, I suspect this union forms and nurtures a type of bubble universe that on some level truly does exist. Am I nuts? Maybe a little. I am currently writing the third book in the “Witching Savannah” series. In this third book, one of the characters will take up writing, and will begin writing about me.
EJ: Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
JD: Because it is about deeply-flawed people who want to live better lives than they have been living. Because in spite of the magic, the Taylors, Witching Savannah’s central family, face very human problems. Because even though it is the first of a series, the story leaves off at a satisfying place. Because Savannah itself is a central character, not just a throwaway location. Because even though it is one sweet young woman who acts as our window on the Witching Savannah world, the story encompasses a full cast of living, breathing, well-rounded characters.
EJ: If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
JD: Goodness! Emma Stone or Debra Ann Woll. Both are capable of portraying the mix of toughness, spunk and fragility that Mercy Taylor embodies. The second lady of the Witching Savannah series would be Mercy’s Aunt Ellen. From Ellen’s inception, I saw her as Kelley Menighan Hensley. Kelley can chew up the scenery when she sets her mind to it, and I think she would be perfect to portray the beautiful train wreck Ellen. Colton Haynes would be perfect as Jackson. He’s great at playing the really hot guy you just want to punch. Probably Sean McGowan as Peter, the good guy who makes a really bad choice, due to Sean’s boy-next-door appeal.
The Line (Witching Savannah #1) by J.D. Horn
Savannah is considered a Southern treasure, a city of beauty with a rich, colorful past. Some might even call it magical…
To the uninitiated, Savannah shows only her bright face and genteel manner. Those who know her well, though, can see beyond her colonial trappings and small-city charm to a world where witchcraft is respected, Hoodoo is feared, and spirits linger. Mercy Taylor is all too familiar with the supernatural side of Savannah, being a member of the most powerful family of witches in the South.
Despite being powerless herself, of course.
Having grown up without magic of her own, in the shadow of her talented and charismatic twin sister, Mercy has always thought herself content. But when a series of mishaps—culminating in the death of the Taylor matriarch—leaves a vacuum in the mystical underpinnings of Savannah, she finds herself thrust into a mystery that could shake her family apart…and unleash a darkness the line of Taylor witches has been keeping at bay for generations.
In The Line, the first book of the Witching Savannah series, J.D. Horn weaves magic, romance, and betrayal into a captivating Southern Gothic fantasy with a contemporary flare.
Release Date: February 1, 2014
Add to Goodreads.
Thank you J.D. for joining us here at From the Shadows! To learn more about J.D. Horn and his books, please visit his website.
***The Line Giveaway***
Okay, now for the giveaway! We are giving away one autographed copy of The Line, the first novel in the Witching Savannah series, by J.D. Horn.
To enter, please leave a comment on this blog post and include your email address so that we may contact you if you win. This giveaway is open to US mailing addresses only. Giveaway ends January 6th midnight EST.
Keep reading for a chance to win an autographed copy of The Line by J.D. Horn!
EJ: When did you begin writing?
JD: I began writing as a teenager. On a real live typewriter, even. I always wanted to write, but I got derailed in college when I studied Comparative World Literature. My studies involved dissecting masterpieces, but never covered the creative process. The comparisons I made between the finished works of the greats and my own inchoate and immature efforts discouraged me. It took me several years to get past this. I wrote my first novel—as yet unpublished, although I still have hopes for it—when I was finally able to take joy again in storytelling. “The Line” will be my first published work and the first book of the Witching Savannah series. The Witching Savannah series continues in “The Source” and “The Void.”
EJ: What brought you to the paranormal genre?
JD: I have always loved all things paranormal. I cut my teeth while watching “Dark Shadows”—imagine the thrill I got when Kathryn Leigh Scott agreed to review “The Line.” Frankly, though, it was my own real life paranormal experiences that cemented my interest in the supernatural. I had a Southern Gothic childhood, and when I reach inside to my creative space, the world of spirits and elementals has so far proven the most fertile ground.
EJ: If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?
JD: We, as author and reader, share a supernatural talent. Together we build worlds. I don’t mean that in some trite and condescending way. I really do believe that reality is pliant. When you as a reader joins forces with an author, I suspect this union forms and nurtures a type of bubble universe that on some level truly does exist. Am I nuts? Maybe a little. I am currently writing the third book in the “Witching Savannah” series. In this third book, one of the characters will take up writing, and will begin writing about me.
EJ: Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.
JD: Because it is about deeply-flawed people who want to live better lives than they have been living. Because in spite of the magic, the Taylors, Witching Savannah’s central family, face very human problems. Because even though it is the first of a series, the story leaves off at a satisfying place. Because Savannah itself is a central character, not just a throwaway location. Because even though it is one sweet young woman who acts as our window on the Witching Savannah world, the story encompasses a full cast of living, breathing, well-rounded characters.
EJ: If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?
JD: Goodness! Emma Stone or Debra Ann Woll. Both are capable of portraying the mix of toughness, spunk and fragility that Mercy Taylor embodies. The second lady of the Witching Savannah series would be Mercy’s Aunt Ellen. From Ellen’s inception, I saw her as Kelley Menighan Hensley. Kelley can chew up the scenery when she sets her mind to it, and I think she would be perfect to portray the beautiful train wreck Ellen. Colton Haynes would be perfect as Jackson. He’s great at playing the really hot guy you just want to punch. Probably Sean McGowan as Peter, the good guy who makes a really bad choice, due to Sean’s boy-next-door appeal.
The Line (Witching Savannah #1) by J.D. Horn
Savannah is considered a Southern treasure, a city of beauty with a rich, colorful past. Some might even call it magical…
To the uninitiated, Savannah shows only her bright face and genteel manner. Those who know her well, though, can see beyond her colonial trappings and small-city charm to a world where witchcraft is respected, Hoodoo is feared, and spirits linger. Mercy Taylor is all too familiar with the supernatural side of Savannah, being a member of the most powerful family of witches in the South.
Despite being powerless herself, of course.
Having grown up without magic of her own, in the shadow of her talented and charismatic twin sister, Mercy has always thought herself content. But when a series of mishaps—culminating in the death of the Taylor matriarch—leaves a vacuum in the mystical underpinnings of Savannah, she finds herself thrust into a mystery that could shake her family apart…and unleash a darkness the line of Taylor witches has been keeping at bay for generations.
In The Line, the first book of the Witching Savannah series, J.D. Horn weaves magic, romance, and betrayal into a captivating Southern Gothic fantasy with a contemporary flare.
Release Date: February 1, 2014
Add to Goodreads.
Thank you J.D. for joining us here at From the Shadows! To learn more about J.D. Horn and his books, please visit his website.
***The Line Giveaway***
Okay, now for the giveaway! We are giving away one autographed copy of The Line, the first novel in the Witching Savannah series, by J.D. Horn.
To enter, please leave a comment on this blog post and include your email address so that we may contact you if you win. This giveaway is open to US mailing addresses only. Giveaway ends January 6th midnight EST.
December 21, 2013
Bite Before Christmas Giveaway Winner
Congratulations Tracy K. winner of our
Bite Before Christmas Giveaway
here at From the Shadows! Tracy will receive an ebook copy of Blood and Mistletoe, an Ivy Granger urban fantasy holiday novella, and a signed Blood and Mistletoe poster.
Thank you to all who entered. Happy Holidays!
**Giveaway winner selected using Rafflecopter**
Thank you to all who entered. Happy Holidays!
**Giveaway winner selected using Rafflecopter**
December 17, 2013
Club Nexus Release Party Giveaway Winner
Congratulations Cherry Mischivous winner of the Club Nexus Release Party Giveaway! Cherry Mischivous will receive a $15 Amazon Gift Card and an ebook copy of CLUB NEXUS by E.J. Stevens.
Thank you all for partying with us!
Thank you all for partying with us!
December 2, 2013
Club Nexus Release Day Party + Giveaway
Today is the worldwide release of CLUB NEXUS a thrilling ebook special set in the urban fantasy world of Ivy Granger.
Keep reading for a chance to win a $15 Amazon Gift Card (or $15 book from The Book Depository), and a Club Nexus ebook!
Club Nexus (Ivy Granger #2.5) by E.J. Stevens
A demon, an Unseelie faerie, and a vampire walk into a bar...
ICED
A bargain gone wrong leads a highborn Unseelie faerie to life as an enslaved bartender with a taste for revenge.
DUSTED
Being a highly skilled predator doesn't necessarily put you at the top of the food chain at Club Nexus. A southern vampire with a hankering for blood and wanton violence may have bit off more than he can chew.
DEMONIZED
The demon attorney we love to hate has his eye on a certain rockabilly human. Too bad she's brought a crossbow loaded with holy water dipped bolts for this night on the town.
JINXED
Just when Jinx needs a carefree girl's night out with Ivy, a smoking hot demon tries to buy her a drink. She really is the unluckiest human on the planet.
This Ivy Granger ebook special contains short stories set in Club Nexus, the hidden haunt of Harborsmouth's paranormal underworld.
Release Date: December 3, 2013
Club Nexus promises to thrill and tantalize fans of the Ivy Granger series. Purchase your copy at Amazon.com, Amazon.uk, or Barnes and Noble, or enter to win a free copy below. Happy reading!
***Club Nexus Release Party Giveaway***
We are giving away a $15 Amazon Gift Card and an ebook copy of Club Nexus by E.J. Stevens.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Want more chances to win? Visit E.J.'s Twitter page or use hashtag #ClubNexusParty to join our one-day Club Nexus Twitter Party. We'll be giving away Ivy Granger swag and copies of Club Nexus throughout the day December 3, 2013.
Keep reading for a chance to win a $15 Amazon Gift Card (or $15 book from The Book Depository), and a Club Nexus ebook!
Club Nexus (Ivy Granger #2.5) by E.J. Stevens
A demon, an Unseelie faerie, and a vampire walk into a bar...
ICED
A bargain gone wrong leads a highborn Unseelie faerie to life as an enslaved bartender with a taste for revenge.
DUSTED
Being a highly skilled predator doesn't necessarily put you at the top of the food chain at Club Nexus. A southern vampire with a hankering for blood and wanton violence may have bit off more than he can chew.
DEMONIZED
The demon attorney we love to hate has his eye on a certain rockabilly human. Too bad she's brought a crossbow loaded with holy water dipped bolts for this night on the town.
JINXED
Just when Jinx needs a carefree girl's night out with Ivy, a smoking hot demon tries to buy her a drink. She really is the unluckiest human on the planet.
This Ivy Granger ebook special contains short stories set in Club Nexus, the hidden haunt of Harborsmouth's paranormal underworld.
Release Date: December 3, 2013
Club Nexus promises to thrill and tantalize fans of the Ivy Granger series. Purchase your copy at Amazon.com, Amazon.uk, or Barnes and Noble, or enter to win a free copy below. Happy reading!
***Club Nexus Release Party Giveaway***
We are giving away a $15 Amazon Gift Card and an ebook copy of Club Nexus by E.J. Stevens.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Want more chances to win? Visit E.J.'s Twitter page or use hashtag #ClubNexusParty to join our one-day Club Nexus Twitter Party. We'll be giving away Ivy Granger swag and copies of Club Nexus throughout the day December 3, 2013.
November 29, 2013
Bite Before Christmas Giveaway
Happy Black Friday! It's time for our annual Bite Before Christmas Giveaway here at From the Shadows.
This year we are giving away an ebook copy of Blood and Mistletoe, an Ivy Granger urban fantasy holiday novella, and a signed Blood and Mistletoe poster to one lucky winner!
Blood and Mistletoe (Ivy Granger #1.5) by E.J. Stevens
Holidays are worse than a full moon for making people crazy. In Harborsmouth, where many of the residents are undead vampires or monstrous fae, the combination may prove deadly.
Ivy Granger, psychic private investigator, returns to the streets of Harborsmouth in this addition to the bestselling urban fantasy series.
Holidays are Hell, a point driven home when a certain demon attorney returns with information regarding a series of bloody murders. Five Harborsmouth residents have been killed and every victim has one thing in common--they are fae. Whoever is killing faeries must be stopped, but they only leave one clue behind--a piece of mistletoe floating in a pool of the victim's blood.
The holidays just got interesting. Too bad this case may drive Ivy mad before the New Year. Heck, she'll be lucky to survive Christmas.
***Bite Before Christmas Giveaway***
To enter, use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends December 18, 2013.
a Rafflecopter giveaway.
This year we are giving away an ebook copy of Blood and Mistletoe, an Ivy Granger urban fantasy holiday novella, and a signed Blood and Mistletoe poster to one lucky winner!
Blood and Mistletoe (Ivy Granger #1.5) by E.J. Stevens
Holidays are worse than a full moon for making people crazy. In Harborsmouth, where many of the residents are undead vampires or monstrous fae, the combination may prove deadly.
Ivy Granger, psychic private investigator, returns to the streets of Harborsmouth in this addition to the bestselling urban fantasy series.
Holidays are Hell, a point driven home when a certain demon attorney returns with information regarding a series of bloody murders. Five Harborsmouth residents have been killed and every victim has one thing in common--they are fae. Whoever is killing faeries must be stopped, but they only leave one clue behind--a piece of mistletoe floating in a pool of the victim's blood.
The holidays just got interesting. Too bad this case may drive Ivy mad before the New Year. Heck, she'll be lucky to survive Christmas.
***Bite Before Christmas Giveaway***
To enter, use the easy peasy Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway ends December 18, 2013.
a Rafflecopter giveaway.
November 24, 2013
Excerpt: Moth by Daniel Arenson
Today we have a special excerpt from Moth by Daniel Arenson. Daniel is also giving away copies of Moth on Goodreads. Goodreads giveaway ends November 30th.
Moth (The Moth Saga #1) by Daniel Arenson.
They say the world used to turn. They say that night would follow day in an endless dance. They say that dawn rose, dusk fell, and we worshiped both sun and stars.
That was a long time ago.
My people are the fortunate. We live in daylight, blessed in the warmth of the sun. Yet across the line, the others lurk in eternal night, afraid... and alone in the dark.
I was born in the light. I was sent into darkness. This is my story.
BOOK EXCERPT: MOTH
CHAPTER ONEA DISCOVERY IN DUSK
They entered the shadows, seeking a missing child. Torin swallowed, clutched the hilt of his sword, and gazed around with darting eyes. The trees still grew densely here--mossy oaks with trunks like melting candles, pines heavy with needles and cones, and birches with peeling white bark. Yet this was not the forest Torin had always known. The light was wrong, a strange ocher that bronzed the trees and kindled floating pollen. The shadows were too long, and the sun hung low in the sky, hiding behind branches like a shy maiden peering between her window shutters. Torin had never seen the sun shine from anywhere but overhead, and this place sent cold sweat trickling down his back. "This is wrong," he said. "Why would she come this far?" Bailey walked at his side, holding her bow, her quiver of arrows slung across her back. Her two braids, normally a bright gold, seemed eerily metallic in this place. The dusk glimmered against her breastplate--not the shine they knew from home, but a glow like candles in a dungeon. "I don't know," she said. "Yana has been strange since her parents died in the plague. Maybe she thought it would be an adventure." Despite himself, Torin shivered. "An adventure? In the dusk? In this cursed place no sensible person should ever enter?" Bailey raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Why not? Aren't you feeling adventurous now?" "No." He shook his head vehemently. "Adventure means sneaking out to Old Garin's farm to steal beets, mixing rye with ale, or climbing the old maple tree in the village square." He looked around at the shadowy forest, and his hand felt clammy around his hilt. "Not this place. Not the dusk." They kept walking, heading farther east, deeper into the shadows. Torin knew what the elders said. Thousands of years ago, the world used to turn. The sun rose and fell, and night followed day in an endless dance. Men woke at dawn, worked until the sunset, and slept through the darkness. Torin shivered. He didn't know if he believed those stories. In any case, those days were long gone. The dance had ended. The world had fallen still. Torin was a child of eternal sunlight, of a day that never ended. Yet now . . . now they were wandering the borderlands, the dusky strip--a league wide--that was neither day nor night, claimed by neither his people nor the others . . . those who dwelled in the dark. A shadow darted ahead. Torin leaped and drew his sword. A rabbit raced across the forest and disappeared into a burrow. Bailey stared at his drawn sword, eyes wide, then burst into laughter. "Protect me, brave Sir Torin Greenmoat!" she said, doubling over. "Will you defend me from the evil Bunny of the Night?" Torin grumbled and sheathed his blade, cursing himself. He had come of age last autumn, turning eighteen, and he had joined the Village Guard, yet it seemed Bailey would forever mock him. "Hush," he said. "It could have been them." She rolled her eyes. "They don't walk this far dayside, if they even exist." "How do you know?" Bailey groaned. "Everybody knows that. It's still too bright here. The nightfolk only live in the deep darkness." She lowered her voice. "It's dark as the deepest cave there, Torin. It's darker than the soul of a killer, darker than toast burnt in dragonfire, darker than the empty spaces inside your skull. So dark you can't see your own feet. That's where they lurk . . . scuttling, whispering, sharpening their claws . . ." She inched closer to him and smiled wickedly, the orange light reflecting in her eyes. "When all light is gone, that is where they'll . . . leap at you." She lunged toward him, clawing the air. Torin muttered and pushed her back. "This is no time for your games," he said. "A child is missing. Until we find Yana, I'm keeping my hand on my sword. And you should nock an arrow." She blew out her breath noisily, fluttering her lips. "Yana is thirteen, rebellious, and wants attention. We'll find her long before we hit the true darkness. Let's keep walking, and do try not to wet yourself." She winked. "I promise you, no bunnies will hurt you, Babyface." He sighed. She knew he hated that name. Even at eighteen, Torin still stood a little shorter than Bailey, and people often said he looked young for his age, his eyes too large, his cheeks too soft, and his chest too smooth. Torin had hoped that joining the Village Guard would make Bailey see him as a man, not a callow boy, but so far his hopes had been dashed. Standing almost six feet tall, preferring leggings and boots to gowns and slippers, Bailey wasn't easy to impress. Jumping at rabbits wasn't helping either. They walked on. Torin didn't wet himself, but with every step, his heart raced faster and more sweat trickled. As they headed farther east, the sun sank lower behind them. The shadows deepened, stretching across the forest floor like slender men in black robes. The forest began to thin out. Back in Timandra, in the full light of day, the trees grew thick and lush and rich with birds. Here in the dusk, they faded like receding hair on an aging man's scalp. The verdant woods dwindled into a few scattered trees, stunted and bent, their leaves gray. The soil lost its rich brown hue, darkening into charcoal thick with black stones. Another mile and the sun actually touched the horizon behind them, casting red beams between the last trees. The air grew colder and Torin hugged himself. "We should go back," he said, hating that his voice sounded so choked. "We've come too far. We're almost at the night." A lump filled his throat like a boiled egg, too large to swallow. Torin had seen the night before. Like everyone in the Village Guard, he had climbed the Watchtower upon the hill. He had gazed across the dusk, this withered no man's land, and beheld the great shadow in the east. But that had been different. In the safety of the Watchtower, the daylight upon him and the forest rustling below, it was easy to be brave. Now he walked toward the very lair of the beasts. "Scared?" Bailey asked, smiling crookedly. Torin nodded. "Yes and you should be too. They live near here." He took a shuddering breath. "The people of the night. Elorians." The word tasted like ash. Bailey snickered and kept walking, her braids swinging. "If you ask me, 'lorians are just a myth." She trudged up a hillside strewn with boulders. "People who live in eternal night, their eyes large as an owl's, their skin milk white, their souls pitch black?" She snorted. "It's just a myth to keep children away from the darkness." Torin followed reluctantly, though every beat of his heart screamed to turn around, to head back west, to return to the eternal daylight of his home. Bailey could snicker at the stories, but Torin wasn't so dismissive. If the world indeed used to turn, and day and night would cycle like summer and winter, would people not have lived here once? When the world had frozen, leaving Timandra in light and Eloria in darkness, would the people here not wither into twisted demons, hateful of the light, thirsty for the blood of honest folk? "Torin!" Bailey looked over her shoulder at him. The low sun painted her a bloody red. "Are you following, or will you run back to safety while I go looking?" He grumbled and trudged uphill after her. "If I turn back now, I'd never hear the end of it." She grinned and winked. "That's the spirit, Winky." He sighed. It was another name he hated. Years ago, while wrestling with Bailey, he had fallen upon a stone and scratched his left eye. Since then his pupil had remained fully dilated, hiding most of the iris. He could see only smudges from that eye now, a blurred world like a melted painting. Folks joked that his eyes were like the world's halves, one green and good, the other black and dead. To Bailey, he had simply become Winky. Since his parents had died in the plague ten years ago--a pestilence many claimed the Elorians had spread--Torin had been living with Bailey and her grandfather. The young woman, a year his senior, could always draw him into trouble. Whenever Bailey climbed the Old Maple, she would challenge him to climb too, then laugh as he dangled and fell. Whenever she ran across the fields, she'd challenge him to a race, then tease him relentlessly for losing. Torin had always been a little slower, a little clumsier, a little meeker, and even here and now--old enough to serve in the Village Guard, tracking a missing child through the shadows--she could goad him. He shook his head as he walked uphill. Sometimes he loved Bailey like a true sister. Sometimes he thought her beautiful, brave, and his best friend. And sometimes, like now, he thought her the most stubborn, reckless soul this side of darkness. Several feet ahead of him, she reached the hilltop, froze, and gasped. Torin's heart raced. He clutched his hilt and drew a foot of steel. For an instant, he was sure the Elorians were swarming toward her. He raced uphill, boots scattering pebbles, and came to stand beside her. His hand loosened around his hilt, letting his sword slide back into its scabbard. Bailey turned toward him, her eyes damp, and smiled tremulously. "It's beautiful, Torin. It's so beautiful." He looked ahead, saw the land of Eloria, and could barely breathe. Beautiful? he thought. It looked about as beautiful as the black heart of a viper. From the Watchtower back home, the night seemed a mere smudge of ink, a blackness that spread into the horizon. But standing here upon the edge of dusk, he beheld a new world. Lifeless black hills rolled into the distance. Beyond them, mountains rose against a deep indigo sky. Wind moaned, scattering dust and invading Torin's clothes with icy fingers. No plants grew here; he saw no grass, no trees, no life at all. Upon one hill, several miles away, rose the black obelisk men called the Nighttower, a twin to the Watchtower back home. Torin had seen it before from the safety of daylight, a needle in the distance. Seeing the edifice so close chilled him, a strange feeling like seeing one's profile between two mirrors, a vision familiar yet uncomfortably different. The Nighttower rose like a stalagmite from the hilltop, black and craggy. Some men claimed it was a natural structure, carved by wind and rain; others claimed the Elorians had built their own tower to observe Timandra. Even standing here, Torin could not decide, but he had no desire to get any closer. Above all else, even more than the barren stone and looming tower, it was the sky that spun Torin's head. Countless small, glowing dots covered the firmaments like holes punched through a black blanket. An orb floated among them, as large as the sun back home, glowing silver. It took Torin a moment to realize--it was the moon. He had seen the moon before from the dayside, a wisp like a mote of dust, but here it shone like a great lantern. "The stars and the moon," Bailey whispered. "I've heard of them. The lights of the night." He grabbed her arm. "Bailey, this is enough. We've crossed the dusk; this is Eloria itself ahead. This land is forbidden." He tried to tug her back downhill. "We go home. Now." She refused to budge. "Wait. Look, Winky. Down there." He followed her gaze, staring toward the distant land of darkness. A lump lay below upon the eastern hillside. "A boulder," he said. Bailey shook her head, braids swaying. "All the other boulders here are tall and jagged. This one's smooth." She pulled her arm free and walked downhill, heading deeper into the darkness. Torin cursed and looked behind him. Back in the west, the sun still shone and trees still grew; they were gray and twisted nearby, green and lush farther back. Far above them, he could see the top of the Watchtower and the blue sky of Timandra behind it. Home. Safety. He turned away, muttering curses, and began walking downhill after Bailey. "She always does this to me," he grumbled. Thanks to her taunts, he had fallen from trees, almost drowned swimming after her in the river, and nearly gagged during a pie eating contest. And now this--walking into the land of darkness itself. He drew his sword and held the blade before him. He had never swung it in battle; he wondered if that would change now. As he moved nightward, his boots scattering pebbles, he kept glancing around, seeking them. He had seen countless statues, paintings, and effigies of Elorians, and now those visions returned to him, mocking him with oversized eyes, sharp teeth, and claws. He sucked in his breath and held it. Bailey knelt ahead over the lump. She looked up at him, and the last beams of sunlight filled her eyes. They gleamed, two orange lanterns. "Torin," she whispered, voice choked. He crossed the last few steps toward her. He knelt at her side, looked at the shadow below, and lowered his head. We found her. Yana lay on her back, eyes glassy and staring. Her skin was pale gray, and her hands were still balled into fists. Three gashes gaped open across her chest, and blood soaked her tunic, deep crimson in the night. A steel star, its points serrated, pierced her neck. Bailey's hand shook as she closed the girl's eyes. "I think we should leave now," she whispered. Torin nodded and they lifted the girl. All the way here, they had taunted each other, laughing and groaning. They walked home in silence, leaving the darkness and returning to a day that seemed less bright.
Want to immerse yourself in the world of Moth? Check out The Music of Moth by Ekaterina here.
Moth (The Moth Saga #1) by Daniel Arenson.
They say the world used to turn. They say that night would follow day in an endless dance. They say that dawn rose, dusk fell, and we worshiped both sun and stars.
That was a long time ago.
My people are the fortunate. We live in daylight, blessed in the warmth of the sun. Yet across the line, the others lurk in eternal night, afraid... and alone in the dark.
I was born in the light. I was sent into darkness. This is my story.
BOOK EXCERPT: MOTH
CHAPTER ONEA DISCOVERY IN DUSK
They entered the shadows, seeking a missing child. Torin swallowed, clutched the hilt of his sword, and gazed around with darting eyes. The trees still grew densely here--mossy oaks with trunks like melting candles, pines heavy with needles and cones, and birches with peeling white bark. Yet this was not the forest Torin had always known. The light was wrong, a strange ocher that bronzed the trees and kindled floating pollen. The shadows were too long, and the sun hung low in the sky, hiding behind branches like a shy maiden peering between her window shutters. Torin had never seen the sun shine from anywhere but overhead, and this place sent cold sweat trickling down his back. "This is wrong," he said. "Why would she come this far?" Bailey walked at his side, holding her bow, her quiver of arrows slung across her back. Her two braids, normally a bright gold, seemed eerily metallic in this place. The dusk glimmered against her breastplate--not the shine they knew from home, but a glow like candles in a dungeon. "I don't know," she said. "Yana has been strange since her parents died in the plague. Maybe she thought it would be an adventure." Despite himself, Torin shivered. "An adventure? In the dusk? In this cursed place no sensible person should ever enter?" Bailey raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Why not? Aren't you feeling adventurous now?" "No." He shook his head vehemently. "Adventure means sneaking out to Old Garin's farm to steal beets, mixing rye with ale, or climbing the old maple tree in the village square." He looked around at the shadowy forest, and his hand felt clammy around his hilt. "Not this place. Not the dusk." They kept walking, heading farther east, deeper into the shadows. Torin knew what the elders said. Thousands of years ago, the world used to turn. The sun rose and fell, and night followed day in an endless dance. Men woke at dawn, worked until the sunset, and slept through the darkness. Torin shivered. He didn't know if he believed those stories. In any case, those days were long gone. The dance had ended. The world had fallen still. Torin was a child of eternal sunlight, of a day that never ended. Yet now . . . now they were wandering the borderlands, the dusky strip--a league wide--that was neither day nor night, claimed by neither his people nor the others . . . those who dwelled in the dark. A shadow darted ahead. Torin leaped and drew his sword. A rabbit raced across the forest and disappeared into a burrow. Bailey stared at his drawn sword, eyes wide, then burst into laughter. "Protect me, brave Sir Torin Greenmoat!" she said, doubling over. "Will you defend me from the evil Bunny of the Night?" Torin grumbled and sheathed his blade, cursing himself. He had come of age last autumn, turning eighteen, and he had joined the Village Guard, yet it seemed Bailey would forever mock him. "Hush," he said. "It could have been them." She rolled her eyes. "They don't walk this far dayside, if they even exist." "How do you know?" Bailey groaned. "Everybody knows that. It's still too bright here. The nightfolk only live in the deep darkness." She lowered her voice. "It's dark as the deepest cave there, Torin. It's darker than the soul of a killer, darker than toast burnt in dragonfire, darker than the empty spaces inside your skull. So dark you can't see your own feet. That's where they lurk . . . scuttling, whispering, sharpening their claws . . ." She inched closer to him and smiled wickedly, the orange light reflecting in her eyes. "When all light is gone, that is where they'll . . . leap at you." She lunged toward him, clawing the air. Torin muttered and pushed her back. "This is no time for your games," he said. "A child is missing. Until we find Yana, I'm keeping my hand on my sword. And you should nock an arrow." She blew out her breath noisily, fluttering her lips. "Yana is thirteen, rebellious, and wants attention. We'll find her long before we hit the true darkness. Let's keep walking, and do try not to wet yourself." She winked. "I promise you, no bunnies will hurt you, Babyface." He sighed. She knew he hated that name. Even at eighteen, Torin still stood a little shorter than Bailey, and people often said he looked young for his age, his eyes too large, his cheeks too soft, and his chest too smooth. Torin had hoped that joining the Village Guard would make Bailey see him as a man, not a callow boy, but so far his hopes had been dashed. Standing almost six feet tall, preferring leggings and boots to gowns and slippers, Bailey wasn't easy to impress. Jumping at rabbits wasn't helping either. They walked on. Torin didn't wet himself, but with every step, his heart raced faster and more sweat trickled. As they headed farther east, the sun sank lower behind them. The shadows deepened, stretching across the forest floor like slender men in black robes. The forest began to thin out. Back in Timandra, in the full light of day, the trees grew thick and lush and rich with birds. Here in the dusk, they faded like receding hair on an aging man's scalp. The verdant woods dwindled into a few scattered trees, stunted and bent, their leaves gray. The soil lost its rich brown hue, darkening into charcoal thick with black stones. Another mile and the sun actually touched the horizon behind them, casting red beams between the last trees. The air grew colder and Torin hugged himself. "We should go back," he said, hating that his voice sounded so choked. "We've come too far. We're almost at the night." A lump filled his throat like a boiled egg, too large to swallow. Torin had seen the night before. Like everyone in the Village Guard, he had climbed the Watchtower upon the hill. He had gazed across the dusk, this withered no man's land, and beheld the great shadow in the east. But that had been different. In the safety of the Watchtower, the daylight upon him and the forest rustling below, it was easy to be brave. Now he walked toward the very lair of the beasts. "Scared?" Bailey asked, smiling crookedly. Torin nodded. "Yes and you should be too. They live near here." He took a shuddering breath. "The people of the night. Elorians." The word tasted like ash. Bailey snickered and kept walking, her braids swinging. "If you ask me, 'lorians are just a myth." She trudged up a hillside strewn with boulders. "People who live in eternal night, their eyes large as an owl's, their skin milk white, their souls pitch black?" She snorted. "It's just a myth to keep children away from the darkness." Torin followed reluctantly, though every beat of his heart screamed to turn around, to head back west, to return to the eternal daylight of his home. Bailey could snicker at the stories, but Torin wasn't so dismissive. If the world indeed used to turn, and day and night would cycle like summer and winter, would people not have lived here once? When the world had frozen, leaving Timandra in light and Eloria in darkness, would the people here not wither into twisted demons, hateful of the light, thirsty for the blood of honest folk? "Torin!" Bailey looked over her shoulder at him. The low sun painted her a bloody red. "Are you following, or will you run back to safety while I go looking?" He grumbled and trudged uphill after her. "If I turn back now, I'd never hear the end of it." She grinned and winked. "That's the spirit, Winky." He sighed. It was another name he hated. Years ago, while wrestling with Bailey, he had fallen upon a stone and scratched his left eye. Since then his pupil had remained fully dilated, hiding most of the iris. He could see only smudges from that eye now, a blurred world like a melted painting. Folks joked that his eyes were like the world's halves, one green and good, the other black and dead. To Bailey, he had simply become Winky. Since his parents had died in the plague ten years ago--a pestilence many claimed the Elorians had spread--Torin had been living with Bailey and her grandfather. The young woman, a year his senior, could always draw him into trouble. Whenever Bailey climbed the Old Maple, she would challenge him to climb too, then laugh as he dangled and fell. Whenever she ran across the fields, she'd challenge him to a race, then tease him relentlessly for losing. Torin had always been a little slower, a little clumsier, a little meeker, and even here and now--old enough to serve in the Village Guard, tracking a missing child through the shadows--she could goad him. He shook his head as he walked uphill. Sometimes he loved Bailey like a true sister. Sometimes he thought her beautiful, brave, and his best friend. And sometimes, like now, he thought her the most stubborn, reckless soul this side of darkness. Several feet ahead of him, she reached the hilltop, froze, and gasped. Torin's heart raced. He clutched his hilt and drew a foot of steel. For an instant, he was sure the Elorians were swarming toward her. He raced uphill, boots scattering pebbles, and came to stand beside her. His hand loosened around his hilt, letting his sword slide back into its scabbard. Bailey turned toward him, her eyes damp, and smiled tremulously. "It's beautiful, Torin. It's so beautiful." He looked ahead, saw the land of Eloria, and could barely breathe. Beautiful? he thought. It looked about as beautiful as the black heart of a viper. From the Watchtower back home, the night seemed a mere smudge of ink, a blackness that spread into the horizon. But standing here upon the edge of dusk, he beheld a new world. Lifeless black hills rolled into the distance. Beyond them, mountains rose against a deep indigo sky. Wind moaned, scattering dust and invading Torin's clothes with icy fingers. No plants grew here; he saw no grass, no trees, no life at all. Upon one hill, several miles away, rose the black obelisk men called the Nighttower, a twin to the Watchtower back home. Torin had seen it before from the safety of daylight, a needle in the distance. Seeing the edifice so close chilled him, a strange feeling like seeing one's profile between two mirrors, a vision familiar yet uncomfortably different. The Nighttower rose like a stalagmite from the hilltop, black and craggy. Some men claimed it was a natural structure, carved by wind and rain; others claimed the Elorians had built their own tower to observe Timandra. Even standing here, Torin could not decide, but he had no desire to get any closer. Above all else, even more than the barren stone and looming tower, it was the sky that spun Torin's head. Countless small, glowing dots covered the firmaments like holes punched through a black blanket. An orb floated among them, as large as the sun back home, glowing silver. It took Torin a moment to realize--it was the moon. He had seen the moon before from the dayside, a wisp like a mote of dust, but here it shone like a great lantern. "The stars and the moon," Bailey whispered. "I've heard of them. The lights of the night." He grabbed her arm. "Bailey, this is enough. We've crossed the dusk; this is Eloria itself ahead. This land is forbidden." He tried to tug her back downhill. "We go home. Now." She refused to budge. "Wait. Look, Winky. Down there." He followed her gaze, staring toward the distant land of darkness. A lump lay below upon the eastern hillside. "A boulder," he said. Bailey shook her head, braids swaying. "All the other boulders here are tall and jagged. This one's smooth." She pulled her arm free and walked downhill, heading deeper into the darkness. Torin cursed and looked behind him. Back in the west, the sun still shone and trees still grew; they were gray and twisted nearby, green and lush farther back. Far above them, he could see the top of the Watchtower and the blue sky of Timandra behind it. Home. Safety. He turned away, muttering curses, and began walking downhill after Bailey. "She always does this to me," he grumbled. Thanks to her taunts, he had fallen from trees, almost drowned swimming after her in the river, and nearly gagged during a pie eating contest. And now this--walking into the land of darkness itself. He drew his sword and held the blade before him. He had never swung it in battle; he wondered if that would change now. As he moved nightward, his boots scattering pebbles, he kept glancing around, seeking them. He had seen countless statues, paintings, and effigies of Elorians, and now those visions returned to him, mocking him with oversized eyes, sharp teeth, and claws. He sucked in his breath and held it. Bailey knelt ahead over the lump. She looked up at him, and the last beams of sunlight filled her eyes. They gleamed, two orange lanterns. "Torin," she whispered, voice choked. He crossed the last few steps toward her. He knelt at her side, looked at the shadow below, and lowered his head. We found her. Yana lay on her back, eyes glassy and staring. Her skin was pale gray, and her hands were still balled into fists. Three gashes gaped open across her chest, and blood soaked her tunic, deep crimson in the night. A steel star, its points serrated, pierced her neck. Bailey's hand shook as she closed the girl's eyes. "I think we should leave now," she whispered. Torin nodded and they lifted the girl. All the way here, they had taunted each other, laughing and groaning. They walked home in silence, leaving the darkness and returning to a day that seemed less bright.
Want to immerse yourself in the world of Moth? Check out The Music of Moth by Ekaterina here.
