Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 291

Release Day Blitz Withhold by Andrea Pearson

WithholdMosaic ChroniclesBook NineAndrea Pearson
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Andrea Pearson
Date of Publication: July 18, 2017
ASIN: B072BFQ1QX
Word Count: 50,000
Cover Artist: Andrea Pearson
Book Description:
With the lives of everyone she holds dear at stake, will Nicole be able to do what it takes to stop the evil surrounding her?
In the ultimate battle between good and evil, Nicole is in a race to stop Keitus before he achieves his plans. If he succeeds, he will crush everyone who has opposed him and enslave Earth and countless other planets. Unfortunately, he is only minutes away from his goal.
With so much at stake, Nicole and her friends must approach Helen, a volatile and dangerous spirit who will probably destroy them regardless of whether she gives them what they want. And the chances of her helping them are slim.
Fast-paced and epic magical fights, exciting plot twists, and non-stop action and adventure await. So sit down, buckle up, and hold on for the explosive, much-anticipated conclusion to the award-winning and bestselling Mosaic Chronicles.
Tagline: With the lives of everyone she holds dear at stake, will Nicole be able to do what it takes to stop the evil surrounding her?
Amazon      Nook       iBooks      Kobo      Goodreads
About the Author:
Andrea Pearson is an avid reader and outdoor enthusiast who plays several instruments, not including the banjo. She is the author of many full-length novels and novellas. Writing is the chocolate of her life – it is, in fact, the only thing she ever craves. Being with her family is where she's happiest, and she loves thunderstorms, the ocean, hiking, public speaking, painting, and traveling.
Website: http://www.andreapearsonbooks.com
Blog: http://www.andreapearsonbooks.blogspot.com
Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/andreapearsonauthor
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/authorandrea
Twitter: http://twitter.com/andreapearson2
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1909134.Andrea_Pearson
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/andreapearson/
Amazon profile: https://www.amazon.com/Andrea-Pearson/e/B005CF5NQ4/
Tour Giveaway/Bonus
Readers-  To receive your download bonuses, forward your proof of download (a confirmation email or a screenshot) to withholdbonuses@gmail.com
Bonuses include:
Discern and Praxis (first two books in the series)
Hope(less) and (Mis)fortune by Melissa HaagNemesis by KJ PikeA fantasy book by Bryan Cohen (title forthcoming)Bachelor of science degree from Katon University (the university characters attend to learn magic)Coloring pagesWord searchFantasy illustration by Andrea's husband (James E. Curwen, professional illustrator)
Maps illustrated by Andrea and her husband

Guest Blog- Revenant: Blood Justice by Leslie J Linder

There are a lot of vampire stories out there, and it’s become quite a trick to come up with a fresh take on the trope. Nowadays we have vamps who sparkle, vamps who are space aliens, vamps with bars and rock bands—where can the aspiring author turn? When faced with this quandary, I decided to turn back the clock. One of the most ancient vampire stories is that of the Egyptian goddess, Sekhmet.

The story is one of the oldest vampire tales in the world. As it begins, humanity is really irritating the Egyptian father god, Ra. Our kind have forgotten who’s in charge. Not only are humans disrespecting Ra, but they are threatening to wreck Egypt. He decides to send his particularly badass daughter, Sekhmet, to cull the humans of their worst element. 

As mentioned, Sekhmet is no joke. She often takes the form of a large, supernatural lioness. She is a deity of battle. The scorching winds of the Egyptian desert are thought of as her breath. She is a matriarchal retribution deity, like the Furies of Greek lore. And once she gets started killing humans, she has trouble stopping. Apparently, no one can eat just one.

Before Ra knows it, he’s almost fresh out of humans. He must do some fast thinking or it’s back to the drawing board on the whole homo sapiens thing. Being a party guy at heart, Ra spikes some beer with red ochre and tricks Sekhmet into drinking herself into oblivion. Once she wakes up (and gets over her hangover), she’s off her blood binge.

Close call, right? The problem is that humans never learn. Pretty soon, more retribution is needed. But Sekhmet has learned her lesson. When justice is called for again, she decides to delegate. As an underworld deity with powers over the undead, she decides to send these spectral beings (sometimes called daemons in the Greco-Roman interpretations of the story) to do the job. 

From then on, the ancient Egyptians were careful to tow Sekhmet’s line. You can tell how nervous they were about getting on her bad side by the number of statues and temples that were built in her honor. The city of Itjtawy, one of hers, had thousands of these types of tributes. Just one funerary temple in that town had over 700 statues of her. That’s some serious appeasement, right there.

As the Queen of the Undead, Sekhmet has long been associated with vampires. Her rapacity in the pursuit of human blood is a factor as well. In “Revenant: Blood Justice,” I put two and two together. My vampires are justice daemons created by Sekhmet, and charged with keeping human evil in check. Who better to carry on the goddess’ work than undead, bloodthirsty revenants who were created from amidst the very species they have been sent to judge? 

“Revenant: Blood Justice” follows one such vampire, named Enid. She’s a particularly old-fashioned girl who patrols modern day New York, eating bad guys like it’s going out of style. Unfortunately, it kind of is. Many vamps have blown off the old justice gig. It’s been centuries since Sekhmet has appeared on the earth. Even her other daemons, like the old ones who supervise the revenants, don’t seem to get around much anymore. 

Most of the vamps Enid knows pick their prey based on preferences that have nothing to do with justice. Some, like Enid’s sister, think hunting is maladaptive and get their blood from the red cross. Enid is starting to feel like there’s nothing for an undead justice daemon to live for (so to speak). Just about then, things start to get a little tastier.



The Big Apple is always bustling with things that go bump in the night. But, it starts to feel like a revenant reunion when some of Enid’s old acquaintances pop up in her city. First comes her dreaded ex—dreaded because she never got over him. But, someone even more complicated is lurking around. Countess Erzsabet Bathory is back in town. She and Enid give the concept of a blood feud a whole new meaning. When the two of them get into it, the rules vampires are bound to get bent to the point of breaking. Will Sekhmet take sides? Check out “Revenant: Blood Justice” to get all the gory details.

Revenant: Blood JusticeLeslie J Linder
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Date of Publication: May 26, 2017
ISBN:  1612968759ASIN:  B071W8WSSC
Number of pages:  283Word Count: about 93,000
Cover Artist: Layton Washburn
Tagline:  Justice is always on the menu.
Book Description:
You have probably heard a lot about vampires. The bloodthirsty prowling, the rapacious sex—the bats, mist, and mind control. Enid has heard it all too. And since she is an actual vampire, she could tell you which rumors are true. But the first thing that Enid would want you to know is that you humans really have it all wrong. To her, being a Chosen One is all about the distribution of justice. And right now, trouble is brewing.
Any vamp who has been undead for longer than a heartbeat can tell you, when Countess Erzsabet Bathory is in town, things are going to get messy. Enid knows what she would do to a human predator, but has never fought another vampire before.
It is against the old laws. But when the blood starts to boil and their feud breaks wide open, there may literally be hell to pay.
Amazon     BN     Black Rose Writing      


Excerpt:
Prologue
It was a dark and stormy night. That’s how these things are supposed to start, right? Well, you can forget that shit. This isn’t your average monster story.Humans use monsters to help them understand what is monstrous within them. For instance, they clutch crosses and run home at sunset, in fear of vampires. They say vamps are former humans who traded their souls for the immortal power to become rapists, killers and child-stealers. But the real rapists, killers and child-stealers are usually waiting for them around their kitchen tables.      They tell themselves disturbing tales about normal, innocent humans who are bitten by infected animals and cursed to become nocturnal, amnesiac killers. Then in real life whatever or whoever they do when they get black-out drunk seems vanilla by comparison.Sometimes bad things happen to good people, is how it goes. Sometimes those good people turn into something even worse than anything lurking in the shadows. This can’t be helped. Evil is something that happens to humans, not something that humans do. Talk about a fairy tale.The roster of monsters, as humans understand them, goes on and on. It scintillates as well as terrifies. It’s a cabinet of curiosities in which to keep those predatory desires. Human vices become something outside the human realm, as well as outside the individual ability to control. Convenient, right? This is how humans see monsters. But how do monsters see humans? How do monsters see themselves?These are foolish questions, you may say. Monsters aren’t real. They are a human invention; an entertainment, a release. You wish.Listen, how humans understand things is not necessarily the truth. The planet Earth isn’t a rec-room. Trees aren’t fences. Pigs aren’t bacon. Rats aren’t a Petri dish meant for studying infections, or testing shampoo. Similarly, monsters are not archetypes for humans to use as sexual and predatory catharsis. Pay attention to this bit—especially if you are human. What I’m telling you is that monsters are real. You knew it when you were a child. You still know it when the lights go off, the moon waxes full, or someone you fear moves into the house next door. Like a deer that catches the scent of a lion, you know it in your bones. Your technology, your bombs, your medicine don’t matter. You still aren’t the top of the food chain. There is no top, because life and death are a circle. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.I know this shit may scare you. That’s a good thing. That fear is the birthplace of stories, and you need stories. They were meant to protect you. Even if most stories are wrong.But hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Your stories have their place. The boogie man teaches children to obey their parents. The werewolf teaches parents to keep those children close and protected. The vampire teaches men and women to keep on the paths of righteousness, and to always safeguard their souls. Knowledge is power. This is how a species endures. Understanding the beasts of the world can be the key to survival. But there’s an important detail to remember. Stories tend to be diluted over time. True monsters may be missed while you focus on mere prejudice. What was once encoded with arcane information may now be nothing but soft porn. Especially if you’ve seen it on cable.Pay attention to this part. It’s important. It’s the moral of the story you are about to read. Understanding the true nature of vampires can mean the difference between life and death. Knowledge is power, because no one is off the menu.

About the Author:
Leslie Joan Linder, M.Div. lives and works in Downeast Maine. Her nonfiction work has appeared in Circle Sanctuary Magazine, SageWoman Magazine, and the Project Intersect Journal. Her poetry has appeared in publications like Wicked Banshee, Forage Poetry, and Rat’s Ass Review.
Leslie is a member of the Horror Writer’s Association, Horror Writers of Maine, and New England Horror Writers. Recent horror publications include the short story, “Catharine Hill,” in the “Northern Frights” anthology at Grinning Skull Press. Leslie’s debut horror novel, “Revenant: Blood Justice,” is available from Black Rose Writing.
Web: www.lesliejlinder.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lesliejlinder
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hollytree3
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/lesliejlinder
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16917333.Leslie_Joan_Linder

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Dead and Delicious by Tara West

Dead and DeliciousTara West
Genre: PNR

Release Date: July 17, 2017
Book Description:
Two zombies and one skeleton on a road trip to Vegas to kill a witch, stop an apocalypse, and rescue their friends from the belly of a shadow dragon.

Nothing weird about that.
Five things I learned while being a fallen angel zombie:
1. Duct tape works better than embalming.
2. Alopecia is not my favorite hairstyle.
3. Fried demons smell like bacon.
4. This brain breath is affecting my love                  life.
5.  Nothing ruins a honeymoon like an apocalypse.


Amazon US      Amazon UK      iBooks      Kobo      Nook



Excerpt3:
“Omigod, Ash?”            I turned at the sound of a familiar nasally whine. Dear Lord in heaven, it couldn’t be. But it was. Travis Jones, aka my jerk ex-boyfriend, who’d left me for our chain-smoking cougar law professor.             I flashed a forced smile. “Oh, hey, Travis. Long time no see.”            “It talks.” His skanky sugar mama, displaying the latest desperately-clinging-to-youth fashion, camel-toe skinny jeans, a frilly little girl top, and suede stiletto boots, gaped at me as if I was the one with a crotch gap the size of the Grand Canyon.              “Of course I talk.” I jutted a stiff fist on my hip. “I’m undead, not brain dead.” I took a step forward, scowling at the basket Travis clutched in his bony fingers. “The world is ending, and you take alcohol, condoms, and cigarettes?”            Travis grabbed a champagne bottle out of his basket, aiming it at me like he was wielding a baseball bat. “Don’t come any closer.”             “Thanks.” I lunged forward, snatching the bottle out of his hands. No surprise, he didn’t put up a fight. I’d forgotten how puny his arms were. I was so used to Aedan’s meaty biceps that Travis’s toothpicks, sticking out of his T-shirt, made him look like an elementary schoolboy compared to my husband. I waved the bottle in Travis’s face, laughing under my breath as his eyes followed the movement like Pavlov’s dog. “It’s our wedding day, and we haven’t celebrated yet.”             Travis stepped back, quaking like he was mid-seizure. “Y-you’re married?”            “Yes.” I nodded at Aedan, who placed a hand on my shoulder. “This is my husband, Aedan O’Connor. He’s a grim reaper.” I smiled up at my handsome groom. “Aedan, this is Travis, my ex-boyfriend.”             Aedan didn’t utter a word. He didn’t have to. The look he shot Travis said it all.             “Um, hi,” Travis squeaked.              Aedan nodded at the skank, who needed to touch up her gray roots and remove the fake mole that looked like a tick was eating her face. “Travis, you and your mother need to find shelter. It’s going to get ugly.”             Mrs. Cougar Club actually had the nerve to gasp. “I’m not his mother!” She stomped a heel on the polished concrete, the sound ricocheting to the rafters.              My attention was drawn to the nasty creature with what appeared to be a dislocated jaw. That didn’t seem to deter his mission as he hobbled toward Travis, blood and drool hanging down his chin. The poor guy’s arm had fallen out of the socket, and he didn’t have any duct tape. I almost felt sorry for him.             “There’s a zombie behind you,” I said casually, as if I was warning Travis the zipper shielding his three-inch pecker was down.              Travis spun around, screamed like a little girl, and jumped behind his girlfriend.             “Oh, Travis. What did I ever see in you?” I heaved an overly-dramatic sigh and set the champagne bottle on a display. I wasn’t in the mood for alcohol, anyway, unless it was spiked with blood and brains.            “Step aside,” Aedan grumbled, pushing Travis before slicing off the zombie’s head.             I laughed when the head rolled in front of Travis and his girlfriend. Mrs. Cougar didn’t think it was too funny, though. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she slumped to the floor. Travis didn’t even try to catch her.               I tossed Travis a scowl before thumbing at Aedan. “That is how real men kill zombies. Grow a set.”            I was a little too stiff to turn on my heel and sashay away, so I did the next best thing. I let out a rancid burp, blowing rotten squirrel and bloody beef breath at Travis, smiling when his pale face turned a diaper-doo green. Then I turned, looped an arm through Aedan’s, and walked away. Damn, that had felt good.                     Aedan stopped me as we came to the broken glass doors. “Hang on. You have another maggot.”             He wiped my eye. No wonder it had been itching me. I figured it was seasonal allergies, but no, just another worm. “Thanks, honey.” I beamed up at my big, strong hero. “I feel bad making you pick off all my maggots.”             “For better or for worse,” he said with a wink, looking sexier than should be legal as he leaned against his scythe, scanning the outside. “Remember?”            “Of course I remember.” I stood on stiff toes and kissed his cheek. “And you’ve already proven that ten times over.”             He reached for my hand. “I’ll keep proving it for the rest of eternity.”
            Awww. Nobody made my zombie heart flutter like my husband.
About the Author:
Tara West writes books about dragons, witches, and handsome heroes while eating chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate. She's willing to share her dragons, witches and heroes. Keep your hands off her chocolate.
Tara West's young adult and new adult romances have been Kindle bestsellers. A former high school English teacher, Tara is now a full-time writer and graphic artist. She enjoys spending time with her family, interacting with her fans, and fishing the Texas coast.
www.tarawest.com
@TaraWestauthor
https://www.facebook.com/tarawestauthor
https://www.amazon.com/Tara-West/e/B008DIXDAK/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1731936.Tara_West

Guest Blog- Why We Love (and Love to Write) Paranormal Romance by Ronelle Antoinette

Why We Love (and Love to Write) Paranormal Romance
Hi guys, I’m Ronelle Antoinette, author of the fantasy-romance series, Elemental Trials. As a reader, and more recently, writer, I’ve worshiped at the altar of paranormal romance for most of my life—or at least since my mom started letting me choose my own books—so that’s what I wanted to talk about today.
Vampires (those that sparkle and those that don’t), werewolves/shifters, angels, demons, spirits, magic… I’ll be the first to admit that there’s something darkly sexy about the paranormal. (Why do you think I wrote “Errant Spark” and “Flash Point”?) Mash it up with a steamy romance and you’ve got yourself a winner by the standards of many a reader. People have been fascinated for centuries and the idea of a passionate fling with an otherworldly being isn’t new, either. The Fae, in one guise or another, have been seducing mortals in stories for ages now. But what exactly is it about these situations and creatures that appeal to readers and authors alike?
Feel Free to Suspend Your Disbelief
Since there’s a high level of either fantasy or sci-fi in paranormal romance, as a reader it’s easier not to nitpick the details. You are, after all, in someone else’s world, playing by their rules, tagging along with their characters. So what if the hero is a bloodsucking, shapeshifting, undead Roman soldier? He’s a hottie with aphrodisiac venom! It’s not like there’s any ‘real world’ parallel with which to compare and/or pick apart for discrepancies. We’re able to stay immersed in the story without our inner cynic wondering just how in Hades that wouldn’t have long-lasting consequences. This is something other romantic subgenres just can’t get away with.
As an author, that willingness to ‘go with it’ is freeing. It gives us room to explore our own realm without biting our nails to the quick over whether anyone actually wore a corset as a stand-alone article of clothing. We get to create, to play, to really let our imaginations go crazy with the comfortable-ish knowledge that no one cares that nothing resembling a zeppelin existed pre-1800. If we want our heroine to fight the forces of evil with a werewolf army and her Fae lover, then they will. If we think this guy should be a dragon-shifter who loves the violin, then he is. The result of this kind of indulgence is often beautiful worlds, complex plots, strong relationships, and deep characters. It’s just plain magical—pun intended.
Enter the Physics Free Zone
This one’s a biggie. Seriously, have you ever had your skin punctured by something? I don’t care how small the needle is or how pointy your baby brother’s teeth were, it flippin hurts! Can you imagine how much worse it would be to have a grown human’s jaw close tightly enough on your neck for their teeth to draw a flow of blood? Oh, and vampires are dead. Have you ever smelled a dead body? Also, necrophilia. And don’t get me started on the excruciating pain and probably permanent disfigurement caused by repeatedly having your body change size and shape. *shudder*
But if we cared about any of that, no one, aside from some extreme fetishists, would read (let alone be turned on by) paranormal romance. Most of us, in fact, would scream like twelve-year-old girls and run the other way. Instead, we find the idea of being bitten by a vampire, shacking up with a werewolf, or going to bed with a member of a fairy court quite appealing. Why? Because of the spin. Authors don’t focus on real world physics in this genre, but rather the eroticism of touch, power, mystery, and a touch of awe and fear. Also, giving the creatures of the night superhuman powers in the sack doesn’t hurt, either.
Why Not?
This was the question that got my Elemental Trials series started. Anything can happen in paranormal fiction (like the realm of Oblivion). Everyone has their own space and those spaces coexist to such an extent that what happens in one has no bearing on another, and the whole place doesn’t implode from sheer diversity. In fiction, fairies are real and unaffected by our belief or lack thereof. Magic works, all gods and none exist, human bodies can shift to another form, things other than the Galapagos Tortoise can live for hundreds of years…you get the point. Here, we can have complete and utter freedom, even from our own inner skeptic.
As humans in the real, everyday world, we know the need for love, for passion, for excitement. Whether those needs are met by a flesh-and-blood person has no bearing on our attraction to romantic fiction, though, because we have and always will live in our heads to some extent. Romance, and especially paranormal romance, is a safe place where we can explore what peels our bananas (or doesn’t) without the involvement of others—or their judgements. It’s also just as much an escape from reality. That escape allows us to go anywhere regardless of it having existed for realsies, be anyone without the need for pesky things like food or sunlight, and love whomever and however we choose without care for race, gender, allegiance, or furriness
I don’t think there’s been much, if any, specific scientific research done on this topic, because, well, AIDS and cancer and vacuuming robots, but what are the things you love
Flash PointElemental TrialsBook TwoRonelle Antoinette
Genre: fantasy romance
Publisher: Ronelle Antoinette
Date of Publication: 7/7/17
ISBN: 1537201891ASIN: B072JNPYZ4
Number of pages: 320Word Count: approx. 92,000
Cover Artist: Mar Fandos
Tagline: The choices of a few will ignite a realm
Book Description:
Scandal will shake foundations.
A night of careless passion leaves Battlemage Jex Xander and Adept Enari Alycon in a precarious position. Long-time lovers they might be, but the Imperial ambassador and the daughter of Egalion’s High Mage have rather public roles in the court—whether they wish it or not—and scandal couldn’t come at a worse time.
Treachery will tip balances.
When a hostile kingdom reluctantly agrees to parley, the fate of two-thousand years of peace is on the line. In the midst of negotiations, Enari becomes the target of one of the Greater Maelstrom. She and Jex must race against time to save her life and that of her unborn child. What happens when an earth-shattering secret, a demon bent on destruction, and a kingdom teetering on the brink of war collide is anyone’s guess.
Choices will have consequences.The decisions of a few will determine the fate of many, and who or what will remain standing in the end is still uncertain. Hearts and lives are on the cusp of irrevocable change…and not necessarily for the better.
And secrets? Those will change everything.
Amazon
Excerpt:
Enari Alycon and Jex Xander were the last two mages to enter the shadowed chamber. She hesitated on the threshold, instinct making her clutch his hand as her eyes struggled to pierce the darkness. The single tapers that stood to either side of the altar were small and insufficient to dispel the thick gloom. Dizziness and nausea overcame her as the strong incense permeated her lungs. The room felt oppressive, claustrophobic, and her mind screamed at her to retreat.Jex’s hand closed around her wrist in warning.“Remember,” he whispered, “once we step inside, you’ll need to remain absolutely silent until the ceremony is complete. No matter what happens, do not make a sound, understand?” His breath was warm and the soft kiss he pressed to her temple made her shiver. She nodded and hesitantly followed her Chosen inside.He closed the door behind them. The soft boom reminded her of the latch on the door to the Hall of the Dead; solid and inexorable. Final.Jex led her up the aisle at a slow and measured pace, their steps muffled more than they should have been in the stone chamber. The shadows seemed to whisper words too soft to discern, a dark susurration against her senses. The sensation was like cobwebs and moth wings and the touch of a burial shroud all mixed together. After passing the last row of benches and their silent occupants, Enari discovered that what she had originally taken for a shadow cast by the altar was instead a large, smooth-edged opening in the floor. Her Chosen’s hands guiding her with confidence as he directed her to kneel, adjusted the fall of her skirt, and placed her hands in her lap. He cupped the back of her head and tilted it forward until all she could see were the stones beneath her knees and that yawning pit. The touch withdrew and she heard the rustle of his robes as he took his place behind her. It was only at this angle she saw the faint reflection of candlelight in dark water. A pool then, and not an empty well as she first assumed. The realization was not as comforting as it should have been.“Enari Alycon, daughter of Eryk Alycon and Tanith Hithaerien, today is the day of your Ascension. You have entered this chamber in a state of flux, tempered from apprenticeship but not yet forged as an adept. You are Initiate, the in-between.” The deep, strong voice of her father issued from within the dark cowl of the figure in front of her. “As those who came before were tried, so you shall be. Who among you will stand witness?”Enari was confused. What trial? Hadn’t she passed all the tests the week before? She’d thought the Rite of Ascension a mere formality, if a secret one, but now it sounded that assumption had been incorrect. “We will,” came the unified and ringing response from those seated behind her.Enari shivered again, cognizant of the power behind the declaration. The touch of their voices was the only warmth in this brooding place and she was grateful for it. “And who among you will hold the door for her?”“I will,” Jex confirmed, his voice strong and certain.“Then let it be.” Her father turned to the altar and picked up the metal fragment. Motioning for Jex to step forward, he pressed the weapon into his hand. Enari watched from beneath her lashes without raising her head, seeing the glimmer of candle-flame slide along the razor’s edge. Her Chosen went to his knees in front of her. He raised the shard, letting her examine it for a heartbeat or two, then used the blade to cut her palm and his own. Enari winced at the line of pain that blazed across her skin, biting back a hiss just in time to keep from breaking the mandate of silence. Jex pressed their weeping palms together and laced his fingers through hers. She could almost taste her own dread now, bitter as a mouthful of lemon rind.“Blood to blood and gift to gift,” Jex intoned, “I lend you my strength for the test ahead. I will hold the door so you may pass and may it be with joy that I close it after your return.” There was a hint of fear in his emerald eyes as he spoke the final words. “Initiate, it is time for you to face The Pool and The Dweller below,” her father announced. Sweat broke out across her forehead and the back of her neck as her eyes settled on The Pool. Jex rose to his feet, fingers still twined with hers, and she balked, not wanting to go any nearer to that still and menacing water. He reached behind her and seized her belt, forcing her up and forward. His hand remained at the small of her back to hold her in place once they stood at the very lip of The Pool.Her stomach knotted and a slithering nausea twisted its greasy fingers around her throat. She swallowed hard and tasted bile.Jex put his mouth against her ear and began to speak.“We have to lower you into the water. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and don’t be afraid. It’ll be over before you know it.”She turned to him, shaking her head. More than anything, she did not want to let that black water touch her. Blue eyes met green and she pled the only way she could.His expression went flat and his voice hardened. “You asked me to serve as your Chosen. Let me do my duty.” “Be silent!” the High Mage barked.Jex gave him a dirty look, but nodded once and the two men took hold of her, each putting a hand under one of her arms and grasping her hands in theirs. With agonizing slowness, they began to lower her.The first shock of bitter cold stole her breath. As the velvet of her robe became wet, it dragged on her and clung to her legs. She kicked, trying to free her feet but the heavy fabric stuck fast. Before she was half-submerged, she started to tremble. The water felt just short of freezing solid and had a slimy quality that disgusted her. Soon, only her head remained clear and Jex was crouching at her side, still gripping her bloody hand. His other settled on her hair.“Deep breath, now,” he directed.
And before she could even think to scream, he jerked his hand free of hers and thrust her head beneath the surface.
About the Author:
Ronelle Antoinette lives in western Colorado with her husband, two cats, and one dog-who-believes-he's-a-person. While she is a mother to none, she’s an auntie to what should qualify as a small army. She is an admitted caffeine addict, chocoholic, and hopeless romantic who has carried on a passionate affair with the genre of fantasy since she was old enough to read 'chapter books'. She dabbled in creative writing for many years and even considered it as a major in college. (She ended up getting a Bachelor's degree in Counseling Psychology.) She published her first novel, Errant Spark, in July of 2016.
https://www.facebook.com/ronelleantoinette
https://twitter.com/RonelleAntoinet
http://www.ronelleantoinette.com/notes-fromround-the-bend
https://www.goodreads.com/Ronelle_Antoinette

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Author Sign Ups Are Now Open for Haunted Halloween Spooktacular

  Author Sign Ups Are Now Open for  Bewitching Book Tours Second AnnualHaunted Halloween Spooktacular September 18- October 31
Bewitching Book Tours is offering a fun Halloween promo
tion open to all authors who have a book featuring supernatural characters, terrifying tales, haunted homes, wicked or wonderful witches, vampires, werewolves, demons and more.
If your book has paranormal elements, spooky settings, or is a terrifying tale of horror join us for Bewitching Book Tours’ Haunted Halloween Spooktacular.
A month and half of Bewitching Tour Stops, Social Media Promotion and a Kindle Fire Giveaway along with a multi-author Facebook party in October.
To learn more and sign up visit this link:https://goo.gl/forms/2mmGSgY5AXf9Ke5S2
To participate you’ll need to provide details for one book you wish to promote including a high resolution jpeg of your cover and an excerpt. You’ll also need to provide a Halloween theme guest blog or a short Halloween flash fiction story.
For the Facebook Party you’ll need quizzes, games and a few prizes for your author party block.
The fee for this promotion is $100 per author for one book. If you wish to promote additional books each additional book is $50.
       

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Through Her Eyes, The Mind’s Eye Series Book Four, By Deborah Camp
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The Finder by J.E. Lorin

The FinderJ.E. Lorin
Genre: LGBT Sci Fi Romance
Date of Publication: March 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-1520967554ASIN: B06XGCNBP3
Number of pages: 284Word Count: 99,630
Cover Artist: Everpage Designs
Book Description:
At the age of sixteen, August Goodson developed a strange and mysterious power overnight: he can find people. Victims of murder, suicide, kidnapping, accidents, and rape; August can find them all, usually dead, but sometimes still alive.
Nine years later finds August volunteering his services to the police. He's still smarting from the loss of his long-time love Dante, who cheated on him with his best friend, and harbors a deep crush on the incredibly handsome, and oh-so-straight, Detective Luke Williams. But there are bigger concerns on August's mind: a serial killer is loose in the city, one whose victims are a little too much like him for comfort.
When August finds a living victim who may be one of the serial killer's, he's drawn even deeper into the case. Will he make it out alive, or will he soon be the one in need of finding?
Amazon Excerpt: Help me.My eyes popped open to a pitch black room. For a few seconds, I lay where I was, sprawled on my back in my own bed. I wasn’t sure yet whether the voice I’d heard was real or whether I’d dreamed it. The room was unusually silent. My tiny studio apartment was normally filled with the sounds of the downtown street below. Not now, though, so I figured it must be late. Even the drunks had gone to sleep. Everything was still, quiet; I convinced myself I must have been dreaming. Just as I closed my eyes, I heard it again.Help me.Groaning, I rolled onto my side. With one hand, I groped for my cellphone on the end table, knocking something off in the process. Whatever it was, I didn’t hear it break, so I shrugged it off. I’d figure it out later. My hand landed on the phone. I picked it up, pushing the button to light up the screen; it was only three-thirty in the morning. I groaned again. I really didn’t want to get out of bed but it had to be done; the voice wouldn’t go away on its own. I could ignore it, but that had never worked out. I refused to go through that again.Grumbling, I clambered out of bed and snatched the jeans I’d shucked off only a couple of hours before. Being sort-of psychic can be a real pain in the ass. I never know when a voice is going to call to me. It could be like now, in the middle of the night. It could be while I’m at work, which means I have to have a flexible job. Or it could be during the middle of sex, which makes relationships difficult, especially since I don’t like to tell people about what I can do.
Having a psychic ability is also weird. It doesn’t always work and I have no idea of the full extent of it. Sometimes I can do something useful, like avert a crime or a death. Most times I just find dead bodies. I know it’s a turn off. Most people, I figure, don’t want to get with a guy who’s basically a cadaver dog.
About the Author:
J.E. Lorin was born and raised in Michigan. After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Germanic Studies from Indiana University, she lived in six different states before landing in the San Diego area, where she resides with her husband and their cat and dog. Her mission is to write interesting stories that just so happen to have a little sex in them.
http://www.jelorin.com
@JELorinNovels
https://www.facebook.com/jelorin
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11534912.J_E_Lorin   

Interview - Soul Reaping by Anne Hope

When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?

I’ve always considered myself a writer, even before I published a book. I wrote my first story when I was eight and never stopped. Anyone who sits down and puts a story to paper is a writer. I watch as my fourteen-year-old daughter pens her first novel, and my heart swells with pride. She’s a writer, just like her mom. Hopefully, one day she’ll be a published author as well.

How long did it take to get your first book published?

Eight years, from the moment I started writing the book to the moment it was released. Where Dreams Are Made was a 2001 Golden Heart finalist, but the market wasn’t ready for it at the time. The story was too dark, and publishers were looking for lighthearted stories. Chick lit was all the rage. I put the book aside, had a couple of kids, and waited. Years later, I sent the book to Samhain, and within two weeks, I had an offer. In 2008, the book finally hit the shelves, proof that hard word and perseverance eventually pay off. 

What were your goals as an author and have any of them come true?

My goal was to be a published author, and I have seven books published, so yes, I’ve achieved my goal. Now, my goal is to help more and more readers discover my work. 

What genres do you normally write in?

I’ve written romantic suspense and paranormal romance. I’ve also recently completed a Sci-Fi thriller, which has yet to be released.

Is there a genre you haven’t written in that one day you’d like to tackle?

Horror. I’m a huge Dean Koontz fan. One day, I’d like to write a book in this genre, though some say my Dark Souls series has some horror elements. 

What was the first book you ever published? 

The first book I ever published was my romantic suspense Where Dreams Are Made. Two years later, I published another romantic suspense entitled Broken Angels. Then, I broke into the paranormal romance market with my Dark Souls series.  

What was the craziest thing you’ve ever done when it came to a storyline in your book?

I wrote a book about parallel universes and time travel. The heroine was being chased by a psychotic killer across worlds, but that’s not the crazy part. The killer supposedly went back in time and fathered himself. How’s that for nuts?

Do you have profiles for any of your characters?

I do-

Cal, Leader of the Watchers

Hair Color: Blond
Eye Color: Silver 
Age: Unknown (over six thousand)
Height: 6’5”
Build: Square and muscular, built like a god
Style: Battle gear
Best Quality: He’s a fierce leader
Worst Fault: He can be ruthless when it comes to achieving his goal
Pet Peeve: Having his authority questioned

Kleio

Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Age: In her twenties (but her soul is six thousand years old)
Height: 5’9”
Build: Sleek and athletic
Style: Warm, comfortable clothing worn with Ferragamo pumps in her current life, chitons in her past life
Best Quality: Kind and loving
Worst Fault: stubborn
Pet Peeve: Cal ignoring her



Soul ReapingDark SoulsBook 4Anne Hope
Genre: PNR/UF
Date of Publication: July 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9959602-4-4ASIN: B0723HC6J5
Word Count: 90K
Cover Artist: Rae Monet
Tagline: To save the world he damned, he must sacrifice everyone he loves.
Book Description:
For six millennia, Cal has fought to guard mankind against the evil he unleashed upon it—his offspring, the Nephilim. Now, in order to avert another Great Flood, he must unite the Sacred Four. Problem is, one of these souls once cost him his grace and shattered his all-too-human heart.
Four years ago, Kleio awakened in an unfamiliar body to find her reality completely altered. Her only desire is to see her husband again. When Cal finally comes for her, she believes her prayers have been answered. Until she realizes the Watchers’ leader is nothing like the passionate angel she remembers.
Cal fights his sinful attraction to the woman who led to his fall, aware that for the world to be saved, the Sacred Four must die. But Kleio is determined to make him feel again. For the first time in centuries, he questions his dedication to his mission. When the floodgates open, will he have the strength to sacrifice everyone he loves or will he damn humanity a second time?
Amazon      Amazon.ca      BN      iBooks      Kobo
Excerpt-Chapter One
For four years she spoke his name each night before she drifted off to sleep and each morning when she awoke, but he never came for her. There was a time when all Kleio had to do was think of Calliel and he’d appear, a glorious winged warrior with piercing silver eyes and hair as golden as the sun.Even when he’d fallen, their connection hadn’t waned. It had grown stronger.But now, in this futuristic world, where light came from glass bulbs and food could be warmed at the touch of a button, whatever bond had linked them to one another had been severed, setting her adrift.So she’d adapted, learned these people’s tongue, figured out how to operate their strange new-world machines and live as one among them. They called her Daphne, like the tiny pink and white flowers that had once bloomed in her courtyard. At first she’d argued that her name was Kleio. Whenever she did, her new family would give her that sad, mournful look and a smile meant to pacify, then go right back to calling her Daphne.In time, she’d accepted the name along with her new life, but not a moment went by when she didn’t wonder about Calliel. What had become of him, of their son, Athanatos? She’d given her soul to save her boy. Why then was she suddenly free?She’d spent countless hours catching up on her history, trying to understand what had transpired in the past six millennia while she’d slumbered. What she’d learned both fascinated and horrified her. Her entire civilization’s history had been wiped away, all the progress her small village had made thanks to the angels erased and forgotten. Historians called her time period the Neolithic era, neos lithos, the new Stone Age.How insulting. Her people had invented farming, weaponry, pottery, sculpting…and yet, according to the great minds of today, they’d been no better than monkeys, running around swinging wooden clubs. She didn’t blame historians for their faulty assumptions, though. She blamed the heavens. As Calliel had feared, a Great Flood had come, wiping out most of humanity...and her history along with it. It had taken thousands of years for mankind to achieve the progress her small civilization had enjoyed in the so-called Stone Age, all because the angels had thrown a temper tantrum.Kleio couldn’t help but wonder, had the flood wiped out the fallen and their cursed offspring as well?She couldn’t bear the thought of existing in a world without Athanatos, without Calliel. And yet here she was, imprisoned in a home she could never call her own, living with a family who insisted on addressing her by someone else’s name.
“Daphne, darling, are you ready?” Joyce shuffled into the living room, a large purse strapped over her shoulder. “We’ll have to leave soon if we’re going to beat the Christmas rush.”Christmas, short for Christ’s mass, meant to celebrate the birth of Christ, yet another pivotal event she’d slept through. “Sure, Mom. Let’s go.” She’d promised Joyce she’d go shopping with her, and Kleio wasn’t one to break a promise.At first, pretending to be Daphne had been both physically and emotionally draining, but in time it had gotten easier. Joyce and Theo had taken her in, given her a home, helped her recover from her injury. The least she could do to repay them was allow them to believe their daughter had survived the car crash and her subsequent coma. They had just pulled the plug on the machine that was keeping Daphne alive when Kleio had awakened in the deceased woman’s body. No wonder they’d looked at her as though they’d seen a ghost.Kleio pulled on her jacket and followed Joyce to the car, tightening the scarf around her neck as a light drizzle began to fall. The probability of a white Christmas in San Francisco was low, but December was rainy season and considered one of the coldest months of the year.Once ensconced in the white Audi, Joyce gave her a wistful glance. “We used to do this all the time when you were little. You always begged me to take you to Union Square so you could see the Christmas tree.” Joyce watched Kleio for a reaction, hoping against hope that a memory would miraculously unfurl in her mind. Kleio simply smiled, saddened by the desperation she caught in the woman’s soulful brown eyes. She understood better than most the agony of wishing for something that could never be. “We can pass by and see it, if you like.”A gleam of pleasure cut through the pain, and Joyce beamed. “That’s a wonderful idea, darling. Maybe—” She didn’t finish her sentence.Then again, she didn’t have to. Kleio knew exactly what the woman had been about to say. Maybe the tree will trigger a memory, the past four years will melt away, and you’ll be my Daphne again. Then I’ll stop seeing a stranger each time I look at you.The rain picked up speed, pummeling the windshield with violent fists. Dark, churning clouds gathered in the distance, blocking all traces of the sun. Funny, the forecast hadn’t called for a storm today. “I’m starting to think this wasn’t such a good idea.”
“Nonsense.” Joyce kept a firm grip on the steering wheel as the car coasted forward. “It’s just a little rain.” Cars. That had been the greatest adjustment of all. Who would’ve thought that in the future people would travel around in steel boxes, catapulting forward at inhuman speed?When they neared the Golden Gate Bridge, Kleio gripped the door handle, as though the futile act could protect her from a two-hundred-foot plunge into San Francisco Bay. The three-mile long suspended bridge always sent ice chips skittering along her spine, and today was no exception. Joyce assumed her fear stemmed from the car accident Daphne had suffered, and Kleio didn’t bother to correct the woman’s misconception. What could she say?I hail from a time when the only means of transportation were a stubborn mule and a pair of scuffed sandals. Oh, and let’s not forget the angels.She’d flown with Calliel a time or two, before he’d been ruthlessly stripped of his wings. She remembered what it had felt like to soar thousands of feet from the ground, the world below fading, becoming a tangled blur of shapes and colors. With his arms fastened around her, she’d felt safe and ridiculously happy, as though there wasn’t a force in heaven or hell powerful enough to pry her from his grasp.She’d been wrong.  The wind blustered, shaking the vehicle until it groaned. The bridge seemed to rattle beneath them, and fear snatched the air from her lungs. “Turn back.” “I can’t.” Joyce gave her a sympathetic grin. “We’re almost there. Don’t worry, honey. We’ll be fine.”No, they wouldn’t. This was no ordinary storm. Kleio felt it in her bones. Darkness swept over them, cold and greasy and familiar. The bay suddenly bubbled. Similar to a leviathan rising from the depths of the sea, a giant wave surged, accumulating in mass as the car arrowed forward. Surely, the swell couldn’t reach two hundred feet in height, could it?Kleio closed her eyes, uttered another desperate prayer. “Calliel, where are you? I need you.”The darkness thickened, finding purchase in her soul. With a thunderous whoosh, the wave crested over the bridge, washing everything from its path. Joyce screamed as she lost control of the Audi. The sedan flew sideways, sweeping across the blacktop in a graceful glide reminiscent of Cal’s wings.
Then, with an ear-splitting clang, it breached the metal barriers and plunged, nose-first, into the hungry bay.
About the Author:
Anne Hope is the author of emotionally intense romances with a twist—a twist of humor, a twist of suspense, a twist of magic. All her stories, however, have a common thread. Whether they make you laugh or cry or push you to the edge of your seat, they all feature the redeeming power of love and the heart’s incredible ability to heal.
Anne’s passion for writing began at the age of eight. After penning countless stories about enchanted houses, alien girls with supernatural powers and children constantly getting lost in the woods, she decided to try her hand at romance. She lives in Montreal, Canada, with her husband, her two inexhaustible kids, a lazy cat and a rambunctious Australian Kelpie.
Website: www.annehope.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnneHopeAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annehopeauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/AnneHope   

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Illumination by Susannah Sandlin

IlluminationPenton LegacyBook 5Susannah Sandlin
Genre: PNR/UF
Date of Publication: July 11, 2017
Number of pages: Approx. 330Word Count: 90,000
Cover Artist: Kim Killion
Tagline: Nik wants to escape his family curse. Shay wants to change the world. Together, they are the only hope to save the vampires of Penton.
Book Description:
He came to Penton seeking peace. Nik Dimitrou joined the Army to escape his family legacy, only to have his psychic abilities exploited as a weapon. Now, as a civilian, he turns to the bottle to veil the images that haunt his mind whenever he touches anyone—except vampires. With them, he has finally found a home. But as Penton, Alabama, moves into open warfare with the Vampire Tribunal, Nik finds himself a linchpin in the deepening conflict, not to mention facing a transformation in his own body more frightening than anything he’s encountered before.
She wanted to change the world. Shay Underwood watched her Peace Corps parents move from one third world country to another—until both died following an outbreak of fever. Driven to her own career in tropical medicine, Shay works in New Orleans to cure the disease that killed her parents—until a careless weekend outing draws her into a world far more dangerous than the diseases she studies: a vampire society engaged in human trafficking and on the verge of all-out war.
Two cities, two strangers, one world. With Penton rebellion leader Aidan Murphy making risky choices and chief vampire lieutenant Mirren Kincaid forced to take a leadership role in Penton, it will fall to two outsiders, Nik and Shay, to find a way for the town—and themselves—to survive in this much-anticipated conclusion to the multiple award-winning Penton Legacy series.


Goodreads


Excerpt:
Cage caught the human before he made it two steps toward the door and freedom. “Oh, no you don’t, my friend. I said we had things to discuss, and I quite meant it.”            Nik retrieved a set of handcuffs from a pocket and held them out. “Try these.”            “I like a man who comes prepared.” Cage grinned and jerked the man’s arms behind his back, slapping on the cuffs with an ease that told Nik he was no stranger to using them. From his long mercenary days, maybe.            “What’s your name?” Robin looked up at the human. “Who are you working with?”            The guy just looked at her with a smirk. Enough of that. Nik didn’t like the guy’s attitude, and they didn’t have time to waste.            Apparently, Cage was thinking the same thing. “Just take what you need from him, Nik. He must be bonded to some bloody vampire or other and he’s more afraid of his master than he is of us. A mistake, I might add.”            Nik approached the man, flexing his fingers. He didn’t bother with a wrist or touch on the shoulder. He wrapped the fingers of both hands around the man’s head and held on. Good thing about vampire strength. No matter how much the man squirmed, he couldn’t escape Nik’s grip.            Robin took advantage of the moment and patted the guy down, extracting his wallet from a back pocket. “Jonathan Lachey. Probably his real name. Doesn’t look smart enough to use a fake I.D.”            “All right, Jonathan. Let’s see what you can tell me.” Nik closed his eyes, and the clarity of the visions made his breath catch. Direct touch had always amped his visions, but nothing like this. As with the images from objects, however, he could now sort through the guy’s memories and thoughts instead of suffering an uncontrollable onslaught. “He’s bonded to someone and trying to reach out mentally.”            “Better work fast.” Cage held Jonathan more firmly in place while Nik plundered inside his head.            Nik paused on an image and tightened his grip on the man’s skull. Nothing escaped but a strained whimper. “You raped my sister.”            And a lot of other women. So many. Several of the girls were pregnant—including the woman he now knew was his old high school classmate, Shay.
“Don’t kill him, Niko.” Robin put a hand on his arm, her voice low and lethal. “At least not yet.”
About the Author:
Susannah Sandlin writes award-winning paranormal romance, including the popular Penton Legacy series for Montlake Romance, and romantic suspense and thrillers, including two series, The Collectors and Wilds of the Bayou, also for Montlake. Writing as Suzanne Johnson, she writes the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series for Tor Books. Suzanne grew up in Alabama halfway between the Bear Bryant Museum and Elvis’s birthplace and lived in New Orleans for fifteen years, so she has a refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of college football and fried gator on a stick. She currently lives in Auburn, Alabama, where she is a full-time author who does copy editing on the side through Reedsy.com.
Web: www.suzannejohnsonauthor.com
Blog: www.suzannejohnsonauthor.com/blog
Twitter: @SusannahSandlin, @Suzanne_Johnson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSuzanneJohnson/

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Inclement Gods by Gabriele Russo

Inclement GodsGods Inc SeriesBook TwoGabriele Russo
Fiery Seas Publishing

June 13, 2017
Book Description:
When you live in a world pullulating with gods, can you truly be an atheist? Well, yes…if you know a way to get rid them.
Mysantheos, a fanatic atheist at the head of a powerful lobby/terrorist organization, has created a weapon able to kill gods. All he needs is a disruptive figurehead to attract the masses. Goblin, who has just tried to supplant Queen Louhi as CEO of Gods Incorporated, has been deemed the right kind of unworthy. Mysantheos breaks him out of the Queen’s prison and the godslaughter begins.
As the divine bodies pile up, panicked gods blame the CEO Queen for Goblin’s escape. Resentment builds in the company and violent factions start pushing for the extermination of the human race. Will Queen Louhi’s Nerd Squad, a group of angry gods, and Richard (a down-on-his-luck private eye),  manage to find Mysantheos in time to prevent what promises to be the bloodiest conflict between men and god ever?

Fiery Seas
About the Author:
Gabriele Russo, AKA Lucie-Gabrielle Jolicoeur-Rousseau, was born in Quebec City amidst a family of book lovers – her father had dreamed of being a writer and both of her brothers are published authors.
Since she earned her Bachelor’s in History, it was no surprise (except to her) that she ended up working in restaurants, eventually owning two, which almost drove her mad. She sold them and was nursed back to pseudo-sanity by Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett.
That’s when she answered the family calling and decided to write. Armed with her ideas for the Gods Inc. series she went back to the University and got her Master’s in Creative Writing.
She now lives with her husband in Culpeper, Virginia, where she divides her time between painting, ripping apart and reconstructing her recently bought historical home, playing tennis and, of course, writing more books.
https://www.facebook.com/GabrieleRussoLGJR
https://twitter.com/lugabirusso
www.russogabriele.com 
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