Karen Michelle Nutt's Blog, page 81
November 10, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday: The Spirit of Love #1
It's Six Sentence Sunday and I thought I would share a snippet from The Spirit of Love. Highland Press Publishing just released it as a single E-book after being featured in the Second Time Around Anthology. I love the book cover! What do you think of it?
Here's a blurb if you're interested:
A tragic accident leaves Brynna and Travis devastated. Instead of turning to each other for comfort, they drift apart. However, they must complete one more assignment—set on an old ship, The Queen Mary, during Yule, one of the most haunted times in the Celtic calendar. It is believed souls of the dead prevail and anam cara—soul friends can visit.
Will Travis and Brynna confront the spirit of love, allowing them a chance to heal and find their way back to each other?
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In this scene, Travis and Brynna are at the Queen Mary. This is in Travis' POV. Now for the six:
She wore her golden-red hair loose and tumbling carelessly down her back,
enticing his fingers to slide through the stands. Blood pounded in his temples as
he absorbed the idea of working with her again. He had loved her so much. Who
was he fooling? He still loved her. It had been so difficult to let her go, and now
she was here, speaking civilly to him—a complete contrast to the last time they’d
spoke.
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Like always I love to read your comments. 
If you want to play with us. See the site for information on how to do just that:http://sixsunday.com
If you have a Twitter account, you can add the hashtag #sixsunday to your tweets when you tweet a link to your Six Sentence Sunday post. If you’re a writer (regardless of published/unpublished status) come join us!
November 5, 2012
Thank You Readers!
Twilight’s Eternal Embrace Makes the Top 10 in Dark Fantasy/Vampires!
I'm so thrilled! Thank you readers!!
1.
The Vampire's Warden, a... ~ S.J. Wright (Kindle Edition)
(114)
Download: $0.00
2.
Twilight's Eternal Embrace ~ Karen Michelle Nutt (Kindle Edition) 
(3)
Download: $3.99
3.
Fire Baptized ~ Kenya Wright (Kindle Edition) (77)
Download: $2.99
4.
The Cries Of Vampira: ~ Sean H. Robertson (Kindle Edition) 
(29)
Download: $0.99
2 used & new from $0.99
5.
Moon Child ~ J.R. Rain (Kindle Edition) 
(83)
Download: $3.99
6.
Dominion ~ S. E. Lund (Kindle Edition) (24)
Download: $0.99
7.
New Moon (The Twilight Saga) ~ Stephenie Meyer (Mass Market Paperback) (2,436)
Buy new: $7.99
1048 used & new from $0.01
8.
Lover Awakened ~ J. R. Ward (Mass Market Paperback) (422)
Buy new: $7.99
207 used & new from $0.01
9.
Original Sin ~ Samantha Towle (Kindle Edition) (49)
Download: $2.99
10.
When Gargoyles Fly ~ Lori Devoti (Kindle Edition) 
(4)
Download: $0.99
November 4, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday: Mistletoe, Stakes and Yuletide Cheer #3
My short story, Mistletoe, Stakes and Yuletide Cheer is featured in the 2012 Christmas Collection.
Blurb:
What’s a hunter to do when she’s fallen for the vampire she’s been sent to stake?
Cassandra Hayes has been dating Tremayne Graystone, the vampire she’s been sent to eliminate. To stake or not to stake is the least of their problems when masked men kidnap them and hold them hostage. They realize all they want for Christmas is a chance to make their relationship work. Kisses under the mistletoe may not make this holiday merry, but they’re willing to give it a shot.
***********************************************************************************
In this Scene: Cassandra (hunter) is questioning her time with Tremayne (vampire). He's a killer or so she believes. She's perched in a tree ready to take another shot at Tremayne with her bow and arrow. She will not allow him to sink his teeth into her. Then it dawns on her that Tremayne has never attempted to bite her.
Now for the Six:
They'd been dating for five months. Five wonderful months, she cursed under her breath. He charmed her with his wit and brilliant conversations. He enchanted her with strolls on the moonlit beach and tantalized her with his drugging kisses. And damn him, his plan of seduction worked.
She'd fallen for him, given her heart as surely as if she'd gift-wrapped it with a bow.
*******************************************************************************
I'd love to know what you think.
If you want to play with us. See the site for information on how to do just that:http://sixsunday.com
If you have a Twitter account, you can add the hashtag #sixsunday to your tweets when you tweet a link to your Six Sentence Sunday post. If you’re a writer (regardless of published/unpublished status) come join us!
October 30, 2012
BlogFlash Halloween: The Lady of the Cliffs
The Lady of the Cliffs by Karen Michelle Nutt
The rain from the night before had softened the earth and young Ethan lost his footing, sliding down the side of the cliff. The dirt and rocks came loose as he tried to scramble to safety, but it was of no use. The more he tried; the farther down he slid.
His screams for help were lost on the wind and soon he tired. All he could do is hug the cliff and balance on the small ledge. “Somebody, please help me,” he murmured. He was so tired.
“I’m here. Take hold of my hand.”
He strained his neck back and saw a lovely woman there, reaching for him. He grabbed for her hand, and to his surprise her grip was strong and she pulled him to safety.
“Run along home, Ethan,” she told him.
Ethan tilted his head to the side and stared at her. “I know you?”
She just smiled. “Go now. Your mum and da will be worried.”
***
Liam strode outside the house, looking for his son and spotted him in the distance.
The screen door opened and closed behind him. “Did you find Ethan,” Tara asked.
“Aye.” Liam frowned and pointed to their son running toward them from the cliffs.
“Mum, Da, I almost died,” he cried as he reached them, his cheeks flushed from the wind.
Tara knelt down beside Ethan, looking him over for injury. Ethan’s hands were scraped and his jeans were torn, but other than that, he seemed unharmed.
“What happened?” Liam asked.
“I know I’m not supposed to go by the cliffs, but...” Ethan lowered his head.
“Go on,” Liam encouraged.
“I slipped.”
Tara’s hand flew to her chest. “Ethan this is exactly why we told you not to go near the cliffs.”
“But a lady was there to save me,” Ethan hurried to explain.
“A lady?” Liam asked. The nearest neighbor was over a mile away.
“I don’t remember her name, but you have a picture of her on the wall.”
Tara and Liam exchanged glances with a frown.
“I’ll show you,” Ethan said and hurried inside the house.
Both Liam and Tara followed their son. Ethan searched the framed photographs, lining the wall until he found the one he’d been looking for. “That’s her.” Ethan pointed.
“You’re sure this is the woman who saved you, son,” Liam asked.
Ethan’s head bobbed up and down.
Liam closed his eyes, swallowing the lump in the back of his throat.
“Are you still angry, Da, Mum?” Ethan asked. “I won’t go to the cliffs again. I promise.”
“We’ll discuss it later,” Tara told her son. “Go wash up for dinner.”
She waited until Ethan had run upstairs before she spoke. “He pointed to Brona’s photo.”
Liam’s fingers gently caressed the lovely face of his first wife, Tara’s sister.
“It couldn’t have been her,” Tara insisted, but her voice wavered. Liam drew Tara close.
They both knew sweet Brona had lost her life to those cliffs long before Ethan had been born.
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I hope you enjoyed the flash fiction. Be sure to visit the other posts and don't forget to vote for your favorite story. Happy Halloween!!
Click on the frog to vote! (Oct. 31st to Nov. 4th)
October 28, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday: Mistletoe, Stakes and Yuletide Cheer #2
It's Six Sentence Sunday!
Just a reminder: Wicked Haunt-o-ween and The Howloween Blog hop are at my blog: KMN Books Blogspot.
A Haunted Garden Halloween Hop is right here at Karen's Shenanigans! Yep- Lots of prizes for your goodie bags!
My short story, Mistletoe, Stakes and Yuletide Cheer is featured in the 2012 Christmas Collection.
***********************************************************************************
In this Scene: This picks up a few paragraphs later from last week's sneak peek. Tremayne (vampire) and Cassandra(Hunter) are in the forest behind Tremayne's house. Cassandra has just found out the vampire she's suppose to kill is Tremayne, the man she's been dating. She just told him that he is nothing but a blood drinker---and not in a kind way. lol
Now for the Six:
"It's what I drink to survive, not who I am." He moved quickly to the next tree, intending to circle around to her.
"You should have told me." The raw hurt in her voice made him cringe. "Omitting the information is as good as lying."
She was right, but there was not an easy way of saying ...Oh, by the way, I'm a vampire... especially when face-to-face with a hunter.
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I'd love to know what you think.
If you want to play with us. See the site for information on how to do just that:http://sixsunday.com
If you have a Twitter account, you can add the hashtag #sixsunday to your tweets when you tweet a link to your Six Sentence Sunday post. If you’re a writer (regardless of published/unpublished status) come join us!
October 26, 2012
The Creator of the Undead
Welcome to the Haunted Garden Halloween Hop! I love Halloween and have a few parties going. Wicked Haunt-o-Ween and the Howloween Bloghop at KMN Books Blogspot. Lots and lots of prizes. So fill your goodie bags trick or treaters!!
Enter the Wicked Haunt-O-Ween Rafflecopter at my KMN Books Blogspot.. It's a Mega giveaway: KMN Books Blogspot. There are Authors' contests that are still open, too. (All Direct links to the posts are located on the sidebar of KMN Books Blogspot.)
For the Haunted Garden Halloween Hop, I thought I'd post a Halloween Flash Fiction with my characters from Love's Eternal Embrace and Twilight's Eternal Embrace. I hope you enjoy the tale!
The Creator of the UN-DEAD by KAREN MICHELLE NUTT
1854 In Clontarf on the north side of Dublin, Ireland.
No matter where they traveled, Adryanna chose a family to befriend. They could not stay long in their lives, but Bram indulged Adryanna’s need to feel human, as this century coined the daywalkers.
Abraham and Charlotte had seven children, a lively bunch. The third child, young Abraham was a sickly boy and had been ill all his life.
Adryanna and Bram would spend hours in front of the fire and tell stories to amuse Abraham and Charlotte’s family. The children enjoyed the tales. Young Abraham, the sickly child especially liked the tales they told about the blood drinkers. Of course the stories were more like legends or faery-tales than of truth. These stories were invented to protect their kind, not to expose them. With so many different tales, no one but fanatics believed blood drinkers existed. In truth, some blood drinkers should be feared, but not all…not Adryanna… and not him.
“Abraham is my favorite.” Adryanna looked at Bram as they stood outside the home, after one of their visits. “I know I should not choose a favorite, but I sense greatness in the child.”
He lifted one brow. “He probably will not live to adulthood. You do realize this?”
Adryanna stroked his arm then clasped his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. “He is passionate and has an imagination waiting to be born.”
When Adryanna was changed, her ability to read people enhanced to the point she could almost dictate what they would become. She did not need a crystal ball or a tarot card. “Time will tell, aye?” Bram hugged her close.
“Mmm…hmm. We could help him.”
“Help him, how?”
Her gray eyes turned a shade darker. “Our blood could make him well, give him a chance for a future.”
Bram shook his head. “No, we cannot interfere.” As he told her on all the other occasions they stepped in and helped poor souls.
“Our stories stir something in the boy. He likes the stories of the un-dead. He will pen the tales one day—in his own words of course. I want the lad to live.” For a moment, sadness shifted over her features. He knew the look, recognized it as one he had himself. They never had a child and it wasn’t from lack of passion on their part. It just wasn’t meant to be. The vampyre, the un-dead as they were now called often enough, were incapable of producing life from the womb. Creation came from making another adult like them, a hybrid.
“He can never be our son,” he said gently and she gave him a whisper of a smile.
“I know my love, but we can give him life in the only way we know how.”
Bram glanced at the house, his gaze resting on the window where young Abraham slept. “We can only give him enough blood to make him thrive.”
“He is a child. I did not mean for you to change him. That would prove cruel since he would never age. I only meant for you to give him a fighting chance in the world of humans. Heal him…for me.”
He could never deny her, especially when the idea mirrored his own desires. He nodded, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before he left her side and flitted to the window where Abraham slept. The window was cracked just slightly to allow fresh air to drift in. The night was still young and the others of the house had yet to retire. Only Abraham had been tucked into bed. He stepped into the room, surprised that the child was not fast asleep. He sat up in bed, not frightened in the least. Curiosity shaped his features.
“I was right,” the boy said in breathless wonderment.
Bram furrowed his brows. “You were?”
“Aye, you are one of them, are you not? You are one of the un-dead.” He nearly clapped his hands with glee.
Intuitive fellow. Perhaps Adryanna was right.
“Are you and your wife one of the dreach-fhola that guard the Magillycuddy reeks in Kerry?”
Bram’s lips curved. The child’s memory was good if anything. Adryanna had helped to spin the tale of the blood-drinking faeries that lived in the Castle of the Blood Visage. They helped the kings rule and win battles in exchange for blood. Nothing of the sort ever happened like this, but it kept up the myth that nightwalkers were only figments of a creative mind.
“Something of the sort,” Adryanna said. Both Bram and Abraham turned toward the window where Adryanna now stood. Her warm colored strands glimmering reddish-gold in the candlelight. “But you have no need to fear me or Bram, young Abraham. We are your friends.”
Young Abraham nodded his head too happy to agree. “My blood would not be potent, I think.” His cheery outlook failed for a moment. No doubt thinking about his weaken state.
“No matter. We need you for another reason than blood,” Bram told the boy.
“What is it?” the lad’s childish voice whispered.
“We need you to keep our secret. You must not reveal that you know what we are and for your secrecy, we would like to grant you good health.”
The child’s eyes lit up at the prospect. “Good health.” He nodded his head. “Aye, I shall never reveal your secret. But would it be all right for me to tell other stories about the un-dead? I so do love those stories the best.”
“Aye, as long as you betray the tales as fantasy. We have a deal then. Aye?” Bram held out his hand and the boy took it. His hand felt frail in his grasp, but that would soon change. Bram slit his wrist, letting the blood ooze from the wound. “A small taste and your health will improve. Of this I promise.”
Young Abraham looked to Adryanna. Bram did not need to glance at her to know she encouraged the child with a smile. Young Abraham lowered his lips to Bram’s wrist. He did not flinch or choke, but bravely drank the blood that would change his life.
When Bram knew the boy had enough, he tucked the child back in bed. Adryanna and he left the way they had entered, leaving the child to his dreams.
“You know we can never see the lad again,” he told her as they strode away from the house.
“Aye, I know.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but her lips were curved in a smile. He pulled her close to his side. “We could travel abroad, perhaps America.”
She nodded. “I would welcome the change.”
****
It was now 1897 and Bram thought to never think of this incident with young Abraham again, but as time moved on where they touched other lives, their efforts had not gone unnoticed. A couple approached them out of curiosity and they could not refuse meeting with them. They were of their kind, not of the Oiche Sith sept, but nightwalkers.
Bram held the manuscript, a rough copy with corrections and notes from the author. He couldn’t help but smile at the title of the story as it brought back memories of Ireland and a family they befriended in Clontarf so long ago.
“I do not believe the tale is meant to be humorous.” Liam Cantwell chuckled. “It is about our kind, in a sense…with a demented twist I might add. I rather liked the author’s imagination regarding the un-dead.” They met Liam at theater with his lovely wife, Glamis. Preternatural beings tended to guard each other suspiciously until trust was earned. Liam had insisted they join him at his hotel for dinner and drinks. Adryanna and he rather enjoyed the Cantwells’ company. It had been sometime since they spoke with another blood drinker.
The Cantwells were from the Dearg-due clan near Waterford, not the Oiche Sith near the sea, that much they knew. However, what Liam wanted from them was another story entirely. One Bram was determined to uncover.
Adryanna moved beside Bram to take a closer look at the manuscript. “It is young Abraham’s tale, is it not?” She paused a moment and Bram knew she did the calculation of time in her head. “He would be an old man by now.”
“As you can see the manuscript is titled: The Un-Dead,” Liam informed them. “Actually the printed book has a new title: Dracula. A last minute change perhaps.”
“The story is about the dreach-fhola that guard the Magillycuddy reeks then?” Adryanna asked in surprise, her gaze riveting to Bram. They told young Abraham the story. They thought with time he’d eventually forget about the tales and…of them. He’d been so young when they disappeared from his life.
Liam shook his head and chuckled. “You misunderstand, but I see why since the Irish pronunciation of dreach-fhola sounds the same as the English pronunciation of Dracula.” He spelled the name out for their benefit. “Perhaps there is some hidden meaning behind his choice of the title.” He shrugged with indifference. “The blood drinker of the tale is about a count from Transylvania trying to make his mark in England.”
“We were told the author was a sickly child until the age of seven,” Glamis said, “but after that he grew up without further health issues. He excelled as an athlete at Trinity College.”
“You said you knew him as a child?” Liam asked, curiosity lighting his eyes. “Is he one of us? Did you change him?”
Adryanna shook her head and smiled with warmth worthy of the sun’s rays. “We knew the boy.” Her hand swept over the page handwritten by Abraham with reverence. She met Bram’s gaze with a twinkle in her eye. “He adopted your name of sorts. His author name is: Bram Stoker.”
The End
What did you think of the tale, Creator of the Undead?
TRUE FACTS: Bram Stoker was bed-ridden until he started school
at the age of seven, when he made a mysterious full recovery. The original manuscript of Dracula was found in a barn in northwestern Pennsylvania during the early 1980s. The manuscript included corrections and a handwritten title page with the name The UN-DEAD.Here's a sneak peek at my The Wild Rose Press Garden Tales:
Magic of the Loch Available at: The Wild Rose Press Kindle NOOK
Blurb:
Michaela Grant travels to Scotland for a holiday, knowing this vacation is her last. A medical condition threatens her life and any chance of a future—until she meets Alan MacLachlin, a man forced to exist between two worlds.
Alan is the legendary Loch Ness Monster. Once every fifty years he returns to human form in search of his soul mate, the one woman who can break his curse. He believes he has found forever with Michaela, but to claim it he must figure out how to save her life.
Michaela and Alan vow to take what time has to offer, but another threat looms. A sinister shape shifter with a vendetta against Alan is making Loch Ness his personal hunting ground. Now he’s threatening Michaela. Alan must discover who the shifter is and stop him before it’s too late.
Available at Wild Rose Press * All Romance Ebooks * Kindle
It is forbidden for a moon shifter of The Mac Tíre clan to change a human and save them from death. Grayson Quinn, the alpha of the pack ignores the ancient rule when Sydney Carlisle, his fiancée is ravaged by one of his own kind.
Sydney believes she is a monster, a werewolf. She flees before Grayson can help her adjust, but Grayson must find her. Sydney’s body is still changing and the were-lust will drive her crazy if not sated. He has until the full moon to help her tame the wolf inside and convince her she’s his soul mate. If he fails, he loses her forever.
Sydney still craves Grayson’s touch, but can her heart forgive him for making her one of the Mac Tíre?
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**All photos are the author's or 'public domain' photos.
Fun Friday: Nathaniel Hawthorne Writer and Ghost Beacon
I'm at Sandra Sookoo's Blog for Fun Friday: Nathaniel Hawthorne Writer and Ghost Beacon.
http://wp.me/ppN0i-1jI
October 23, 2012
Just when you thought it was safe…
Tabby's Nocturnal Nights: Frightening Irish Vampires, Monsters and Ghost by ...: My vampire tale Twilight’s Eternal Embrace was released Oct. 1, 2012! The tale takes place in medieval Ireland with vampire warriors,...
October 22, 2012
Tales to Sink Your Teeth Into…
Vampires legends come alive in these tales of fangs, romance and chance for eternal happiness...
Goodreads giveaway: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16000260-twilight-s-eternal-embraceE-book: Kindle Print: Amazon
Barnes and Noble
If Bram cannot find a way for Adryanna to survive the blooding ritual the romance is doomed. They seek help from Sheerin, Bram’s cousin, who believes he’s found a way for the Lathe Sith to survive, but others in the Oiche Sith clan do not wish for them to succeed.
99 cents: Love's Eternal Embrace (Vampire Tale of Ireland's legendary Dearg-du.)
E-book available at:
Kindle
Nook
A knight...
A lady...
And a deadly dark secret...
A fiend dwells in the forest and Sir Liam Cantwell sets out to slay it. Only the fiend is a fair maiden named Glamis Drui. Will Liam fall prey to her deadly embrace or will his knightly charms be her undoing?
(*Previously published with Tease Publishing LLC 2008)Kindle Print:
BLURB FOR Mistletoe, Stakes and Yuletide Cheer
What’s a hunter to do when she’s fallen for the vampire she’s been sent to stake?
Cassandra Hayes has been dating Tremayne Graystone, the vampire she’s been sent to eliminate. To stake or not to stake is the least of their problems when masked men kidnap them and hold them hostage. They realize all they want for Christmas is a chance to make their relationship work. Kisses under the mistletoe may not make this holiday merry, but they’re willing to give it a shot.
