Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 349

Download your free issue of Bewitching Book Tours Magazine January Issue

This month’s features include: The Deepest Well by Juliette Cross​ Strange Girl by Christopher Pike, Top Ten Book Couples with Angela McGurk​, Five Things That Suck Me Into a Horror Film or Novel with Kathleen Collins​, Jessica Aspen​’s Favorite Fairytale Characters, 5 Things You May Not Know About TF Walsh, Top Ten Kickass Heroines by Lori Sjoberg​, Monsters Need Love Too by Lisa Medley, and Interviews with Theresa Dalayne​, Leyla Kader Dahm​ and Paul Barrett.
http://issuu.com/bewitchingbooktours/docs/january_2016_bewitching_book_tours_/1

What The Heck is Contemporary Fantasy Anyway? Guest Blog by Rhenna Morgan

I really, really, love the world I created in The Eden Series, but when I first set about releasing it into the big, wide world, categorizing was a huge challenge. Cramming it into the paranormal bucket felt wrong. Yes, the happenings are “not of this Earth,” and the Myren race has some killer powers any human would envy, but lumping them in with shapeshifters, vampires, and witches seemed to set the wrong tone.

So, I went to my writer pals and asked for help. They pointed me in the direction of Fantasy and, sure enough, it got me closer. After all, Eryx (the hero from book one, Unexpected Eden) is a king and has a castle, and Eden has no electricity. (When you can generate your own lightning bolt, who needs it?)

The only problem with a Fantasy tag was that everyone automatically assumed The Eden Series was based in the past…and that’s all wrong. As a matter of fact, Myrens travel back and forth between Eden and Evad (what they call the human realm) all the time, and many make their living through trade with us—you just wouldn’t know it. Not with one of their most sacred tenants requiring they keep their existence secret. 

Sure there are older Myrens who’ve been around five-hundred years or so who lean toward more formal speech, but the younger generation—those like Eryx, Reese, Ramsay, and Ludan who are more like one-hundred and fifty and spend ample time in our realm—can swing human slang around to match their alpha swagger.

So where I ended up is Contemporary Fantasy—a contemporary world with a fantasy setting. Think Thor but minus the cape and an even bigger bad ass attitude. For me that’s the best of both worlds. 

I hope you’ll pick up a copy of Healing Eden and its predecessor, Unexpected Eden. After all, everyone deserves a trip to paradise. 



Healing EdenThe Eden SeriesBook TwoRhenna Morgan
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy/Paranormal
Publisher: Kensington/Lyrical Press
Date of Publication: 12/8/2015
ISBN: Ebook 978-1-61650-989-7 /ISBN: Print 978-1-61650-990-3ASIN: B00URQETZE
Number of pages: 233Word Count: 88,373
Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde
Book Description:
In a world divided by war, falling in love is the ultimate betrayal.
Galena Shantos has never questioned her loyalty to Eden. As sister to the Myren king, she serves as a healer, one of the best in the army fighting to suppress the brutal Lomos Rebellion. She’s never doubted the importance of stopping the rebels bent on enslaving humans, until she spots a warrior across enemy lines—and knows instinctively that their destinies are entwined. . .
Rebellion warrior Reese Theron has nothing left to lose. He’s been forced to fight on the wrong side of a war he abhors in order to protect his family secret. His honor lost, as well as the trust of his own people, Reese has thrown himself into a battle he cannot possibly hope to survive. But after being rescued by a beautiful woman whose exquisite eyes seem to see him for more than the traitor he’s become—he may have just found a new reason to live. . .
Book Trailer https://youtu.be/93slHZJu4oA
Amazon US    Amazon CA    Amazon UK    BN
iTunes    Google Play   Kobo     Kensington Books


Excerpt:
Chapter 1 A lightning bolt sheared past Reese into the smoke-filled night sky and left an acrid stench in its wake. Streaks of fire and blue-white fingers of electricity flared so bright he could barely focus. He wasn’t getting out of this. Not this battle, or this life, with any modicum of honor. Darting through the air, he dodged another electrical strike. An elite flashed into view and swung wide, his bloodied dagger aimed at Reese’s gut. Reese barrel-rolled up and over his attacker, wrapped him in a chokehold, and masked their presence from the rest of the fighters. Praise the Great One, he should be fighting beside this warrior, not against him. The warrior flailed and tried to break free, the lack of footing giving him zero leverage. He slumped, unconscious, into Reese’s ready hold seconds later. He lowered them both to the tree line at the battle’s edge, out of site from the rebels. The man couldn’t be more than twenty years outside his awakening. Probably barely into his elite torc and cuffs. Beneath Reese’s fingers, the man’s pulse thrummed slow, but steady. At least this innocent’s death wouldn’t be on his conscience. A twenty-five-foot wall of flame exploded across the open field and rattled the air and earth around them. The bright flare faded under heavy night, and more rebellion warriors thunked to the mottled field. The sharp rustle of leaves against the forest floor sounded down the tree line, one quick shift and then silence. Reese backed deeper into the foliage and strengthened the mask that kept him hidden. It couldn’t be a rebellion man. All those were engaged against the malran’s warriors. Focusing his thoughts, he sought the soulless black thread that represented the link he’d grudgingly created with Maxis Steysis, and traced his location. No, not the rebellion leader either. His energy showed more than ten miles to the east, well away from the fight. Reese levitated off the forest floor and floated through the trees. Gnarled and leafless branches scraped his cheek and shoulders. Darkness enveloped him, broken only by the bright attacks where the forest opened to the battle beyond. There. Not five feet from the tree line, a figure knelt facing the battle. He drifted closer. The sweet, damp scent of soil and decomposing leaves overpowered the metallic residue of electrical strikes floating on the wind. Grunts, shouts, and the too-frequent thuds of perished men sounded in a haphazard pattern. A flash spotlighted long, auburn hair. A woman. Bowed over a body, she cradled a fallen companion’s head in her lap. Reese angled to better see her and nearly faltered in holding his mask. His heart kicked in an awkward rhythm and reality faded to nothingness. Galena Shantos, sister to the malran. The last person he wanted to witness his disgrace. Seventy years since he’d seen her this close. Her elegant features were still as staggering as the days when he’d trained to serve the malran, but there was more to her now. A confidence in the way she protected her charge and watched the battle. Knowledge behind her tropical blue-green eyes that spoke of experience and age. And he fought alongside the men who battled her brother. Galena flinched at another blast and hugged the limp body she cradled tight. As the light dimmed, she uncurled from her burden. Another woman, her long blond hair stark against Galena’s black tunic and leggings, and her sightless eyes aimed at the heavens. No. Surely not. Reese crept closer, pressure building at his temples. The zings and thunder of battle rumbled louder, and his gut clenched. Phybe. She’d been alive when Reese left her, tucked away in a zeolite mine where Maxis couldn’t trace her link. He touched down in the thick carpet of leaves at Galena’s right and dropped his mask. “I failed her.” Galena jerked and reached for something beneath one leg. “Who are you?” Smudges marked Phybe’s ashen face, her blue gown torn and satin slippers stained. Somehow Maxis had found her and finished the job he’d sent Reese to do. “He’ll kill me for trying to save her.” More strikes burst through the thick residual smoke, the malran’s fighters airborne and casting one attack after another. Fewer than twenty rebellion men still lived, half retreating north. “A cause that fights without honor isn’t worth fighting, is it?” he said. Galena straightened and squared her shoulders. “I’d have a hard time counting on honor from any man who fights with Maxis.” “You’re right. I gave that up the moment I agreed to his schemes.” He crouched beside them. Galena tensed and tightened her grip on whatever she hid beneath her leg. Reese palmed Phybe’s forehead, cool and lifeless. May your journey be swift and your spirit find peace with The Great One. The same Myren prayer he’d offered his mother when she’d drawn her last breath. He stepped back. Maybe it was time to find his own peace. On his own terms. “You don’t remember me do you?” She shook her head. A terse, barely-there jerk as she eased from beneath her dead charge, crouched on the balls of her feet and coiled for escape. “My name is Reese Theron.” She froze, flashes of light from the battle winking off the edge of her blade. She assessed him head to toe, no spark of recognition. Maybe if he’d been braver all those years ago, he’d have had a chance with her. Or broken his vow and killed Maxis himself when he’d had the chance. He shook the memories off. He’d taken the wrong path and now it was time to pay. “Call your guards. Make sure they know you’re in danger.” A gunshot rattled the skies and a woman’s blood-curdling scream sounded across the battlefield. Galena lurched to a stand and then stopped, zigzagging her attention between the shouts along the battlefield and Phybe’s body. Now was his chance. Either he took the brave farewell, or he’d die by Maxis’ hands. “Your face is a good one to remember. Go with The Great One, Galena.” He shot to the sky and built a violent ball of energy in his palm, sharp tendrils darting from its center. Drawing back, he aimed the bogus attack at Galena. Surely The Great One would understand. An elite guard spun from across the skies and drew back for counter- attack. Reese braced for impact. A streak of auburn flashed below him. Galena, spearing through the air, her trajectory centered between the elite and Reese. The energy in his palm fizzled. Not her. Not Galena. Lightning fired from the elite’s palm, sheered past Galena’s cheek, and pierced his shoulder. He jerked and spasmed, locked in place by the force of the strike. Blue-black spots dotted his vision and his lungs seized. A woman’s scream ripped through the air. Wind whipped around him, dead weight as he fell, and darkness took over. * * * *
Galena twisted midair and shot toward Reese, wind blurring her eyesight.
His arms and legs flailed boneless as he hurtled to the earth.
She’d never make it before impact. Even if he survived the fall, Jagger’s strike had been a killing shot, off by inches at most.Reese crashed against the unforgiving ground, his head and limbs thunking against the trampled turf.She landed seconds behind him. The sticky iron scent of blood, dirt, and sweat surrounded her. So many men strewn across the grass, their bodies contorted in unnatural shapes. Less than ten feet away one of her brother’s men struggled for breath, unconscious with a trail of blood at his temple. A loyal fighter who’d battled against an indecent and cruel rebellion. But it was Reese her palms burned to touch. To feel the beat of his heart. She dropped to her knees and rolled Reese to his back, muscles surging with wells of strength she’d never felt. His pulse fluttered beneath her fingertips, faint and irregular.A thud sounded behind her. Her name registered, a voice she recognized.She ignored the call. Shedding her mortal form, she dove into Reese’s unconscious body and let her spirit spread and assess. Gaping, charred flesh at least two fists wide, muscle and sinew around it lifeless from the electrical shock. She followed the damage, too much impairment radiating dangerously close to his heart. She couldn’t lose him. Traitor or not, her instincts didn’t care. Only knew this moment would shape the rest of her life in a way she didn’t dare ignore. Shouts rang out beside her. Short, brusque words delivered with a frustrated bite. Footsteps shuffled around her and the injured moaned. Detached in spirit but still connected to her physical senses, the muffled distractions rattled as she healed. Five inches. That was the gift of her intervention. Had she not flown in the path of Jagger’s bolt, he’d have pierced Reese’s heart. Blood seeped from the violent gash and his heart trembled with the aftershocks of the delivering jolt. Swift and sure, she spread her spirit, cauterizing and mending the most critical lesions. A touch here. A brush there. Near his heart, a fine opaque mist appeared. Her spirit vision faltered. The odd substance settled into every nook and cranny. It shimmered and sparkled, a mix between morning dew and midnight fog. Seventy years she’d been healing men and not once had she seen anything like it. “Damn it, Lena, we need you.” The admonition rang in her ear and a firm hand clamped on her shoulder. Galena ripped her spirit from Reese’s body and spun in a levitated twist to a defensive crouch, hands lifted to protect herself. Her vision wavered. Ramsay came into focus, the whites around his gray eyes glowing in a way that promised dire loss of control and a vicious scowl aimed squarely at her. “What in histus is wrong with you?”Her knees nearly buckled. Maybe she’d put too much into her healing. “He’s wounded.”
“He’s a traitor. To me and to Eryx.” Glaring at her, he swept his arm behind him. “What about them?”
There were dozens of them. Good men, battered, bloody, and fatigued. Most were upright and lumbering across the battlefield, checking for rebellion survivors. Six were laid out for triage close to Maxis’ estate, Eryx and Ludan seeing to their care. Her cheeks burned and her stomach pitched. There wasn’t any logic to defend her actions. She’d acted on pure emotion and instinct, and put the lives of loyal men at risk, but she still wouldn’t change what she’d done. Not a second. A truth she wasn’t altogether sure how to process. “Focus on the ones worthy of your gift. Not someone—” “Enough.” She straightened and met her brother’s scowl. Every muscle shook with fatigue. “I watched an innocent woman die tonight. Held her in my arms while she screamed.” “Trust me.” Ramsay glowered at the unconscious man behind her. “He’s not innocent.” For years she’d trusted her brothers. Loved and followed them with unwavering loyalty wherever they asked her to go. Until this moment. She inched forward on trembling legs, hands fisted at her sides. “Innocent or not, I saw goodness in him. Watched him say a prayer over Phybe’s body and felt his grief. Healing is my gift to use when and how The Great One guides me. Not to be commandeered and directed by a man swept up in the heat of battle. Life is life, no matter whose heart feeds it.” Ramsay sneered. “Even Maxis Steysis?” Nearly six hundred years their families had been at war, since their grandfather left Maxis’ grandmother pregnant at the altar in favor of a commoner. “Everyone has a shred of goodness in them.” Well, maybe not Maxis. But she’d be damned if she let Ramsay question her judgment. There was a reason she was drawn to Reese. She just needed a little time to figure out why. “If you’d stop and think for a minute you’d know saving him is a smart move. If he fought with Maxis, he knows things. Things you won’t be able to learn anywhere else.” Reese’s chest rose and fell, slow and steady. With a push from her senses, she registered the faint but solid rhythm of his heart. More than anything she ached to kneel beside him. To finish the job she’d begun and skim her fingers through his wild hair. Perhaps link her fingers with his long, tapered ones and rest alongside him while she waited for him to wake. Praise The Great One, what was wrong with her? This protectiveness didn’t make sense. Eryx’s best friend and somo, Ludan, shouted from the furthest edge of battle. “Ramsay.” Galena knew that tone. Had heard it after too many battles. Another warrior in need of care. With a last glance at Reese to placate herself, she headed in Ludan’s direction. “I’ve got it.” Three steps in she stopped and glared at Ramsay. “You may not care for him. May see him as the vilest of men. But do not disrespect my gift by hurting him.” She left her frowning brother behind, and prayed the promise of a traitor’s information would stay Ramsay’s hand until she returned.

About the Author:
Rhenna Morgan writes for the same reason she reads—to escape reality.
Yes, her life rocks—two beautiful little girls, a great husband, a steady job, and the kind of friends that would take you out back if you hurt her. But, like most women, she’s got obligations stacked tight from dusk to dawn. So, when the world gets her down, she slips into something…less realistic.
Romance is a must. So is a steamy romp (or four). Nothing thrills her more than the fantasy of new, exciting worlds, strong, intuitive men, and the sigh of, “Oh if only that could happen to me.”
So, if you’re picking up one of her books, expect portals into alternate realms and men who’ll fight to keep the women they want. Romantic escape for the women who need it.
http://rhennamorgan.com
https://www.facebook.com/RhennaMorgan
https://twitter.com/rhennamorgan (@RhennaMorgan)
http://www.pinterest.com/rhennamorgan/
https://www.goodreads.com/Rhenna
https://plus.google.com/+RhennaMorgan
http://rhennamorgan.tumblr.com
http://amazon.com/author/rhennamorgan
https://instagram.com/rhennamorgan/


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Blog-A Whisper of Death by Paul Barrett

People have asked me what it’s like getting your first book published. It’s an interesting question and one that’s sort of hard to solidify in my mind. On one hand, it’s really exciting and cool and I’m happy and I hope it’s the start of a beautiful trend of seeing more of my books reaching the public. On the other hand, it’s sort of like “why didn’t it happen sooner?”

Well, I know why it didn’t happen sooner. Because my writing wasn’t yet strong enough to warrant being released on an unsuspecting public. But when you’ve worked at it for twenty years and it finally happens, one of the biggest things that passes through your mind is. “Finally.”

I suspect that sounds ungrateful and perhaps a bit bratty. I am totally grateful to Fiery Seas Publishing for picking me up and being a dream to work with. I’m thankful every day they saw merit in my story and were willing to take a chance on someone new.

But between starting to write for publication and now, I’ve produced two feature films, two documentaries, a music video, and numerous commercials. I’ve won a few award for my commercials and one of my films. I’ve worked with Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Owen Wilson, Zack Galifinakis and others. Not in a producing capacity, but I was involved in the movies and shows that starred them. I’ve been to several countries in Europe, film festivals in Edinburgh, Mexico City, and Puerto Allegro, and the Sundance Film Festival three times.

I guess what I’m saying is that while being published is exciting, it’s also just one event in what has been a reasonably exciting life. I’m nowhere near where I want to be in my career, but I’m working toward it and I’ve had a lot of fun and met a lot of great people while I try to get there. Still, with this milestone taking so long to reach, I can’t help but wonder how much more excited I would have been had it happened when I was in my mid-20’s and still had so many of my formative experiences ahead of me.

It’s still a cool achievement and certainly checks off one of the boxes on my bucket list. A box I’m looking to check off multiple times.

What will be exciting is seeing people’s reaction to the story. I will read the reviews, both good and bad. I will absorb what I see and take it into consideration in later books. I imagine getting my first check will be exciting, no matter how big or small it is. Because then I will truly be able to say I am a professional author, and that looks really good on a resume. 

I will continue to grow and hopefully become a better writer. The excitement now will come not from the being published once, but in continuing to be published. To build up fans, to engage with people who enjoy what I do. And even to debate with those who don’t like it, as long as everyone remains respectful. 

And if Hollywood backed up a truckload of money to option my book, I admit that would be pretty damn exciting.

So here’s to the future and the excitement of creating the next story, and the next. As grumpy as I may seem to be about the whole, deep down inside me there’s a 25-year-old whose thrilled that his dream finally came true.

A Whisper of DeathThe Necromancer SeriesBook 1Paul Barrett             Genre: YA Dark Fantasy
Publisher: Fiery Seas Publishing, LLC
Date of Publication: December  22, 2015
Cover Artist: Jess Small
Book Description:
Born with the power of ultimate evil, he is the world’s only chance at survival.
Erick Darvaul is a Necromancer, a descendant of the original sorcerers who turned against their dark masters and exiled them. Now these beings have returned, it falls upon Erick and a cadre of newfound allies to rally against these powerful entities and defeat them again.
Through fire, ambush, and betrayal, Erick and his companions claw their way to Broken Mountain to reunite with others who share his ability. There, Erick battles the mortal foe of his ancestors pushing the limits of his Necromantic magic, a force that seeks to corrupt him every time he summons it.

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/-Bl3pr4javI
   About the Author:
Paul has lived a varied life full of excitement and adventure. Not really, but it sounds good as an opening line.
Paul’s multiple careers have included: rock and roll roadie, children’s theater stage manager, television camera operator, mortgage banker, and support specialist for Microsoft Excel.
This eclectic mix prepared him to go into his true love: motion picture production. He has produced two motion pictures and two documentaries: His film Night Feeders released on DVD in 2007, and Cold Storage was released by Lionsgate in 2010
Amidst all this, Paul has worked on his writing, starting with his first short story, about Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, at age 8. Paul has written and produced numerous commercial and industrial video scripts in his tenure with his forcreative agency, Indievision. He has two published short stories (As You Sow and Double Cross) and one self-published novel (Godchild). He lives with his filmmaker/graphic artist partner and their three cats.
http://www.paulbarrettonline.com
https://twitter.com/producerpaul



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blitz The Reaper Series Box Set by Lisa Medley

All You Need is Love: Religion as a Source of Inspiration for Urban Fantasy

One of the best known books in the world is a supernatural story called THE BIBLE. Religion has been a source of inspiration for folks to do all sorts of things since the dawn of time. The Bible itself is filled with supernatural acts and characters: angels, demons, upper and lower case gods, reanimation, magic and, of course, the universal struggle of good vs evil. 
So it only seemed fitting that any book I wrote dealing with reapers, the merchants of life and death, would also be intertwined with those elements.
There’s a line in Reap & Repent, book one of The Reaper Series, which addresses this very idea:
“Most people said that they didn’t believe in the supernatural, but if they believed in God, they should at least believe in the possibility of everything else. If God, then why not other supernatural entities: Satan? Angels? Demons? Vampires? Werewolves? Reapers? It was a slippery slope for sure. Open one door and no telling what might come through it.”
The oldest stories are the richest, and I’ve pulled from the source of my own religion to reimagine that age-old struggle and what has been and is going on behind the scenes.  The one overarching theme of the Reaper Series books is this; Love.
Even the darkest, most damaged villain had a mother and a father. Love or its absence is what molds our destinies.
Monsters need love too.


The Reaper Series Box Set 3 Full Length Novels for $6.99



Reap and RepentThe Reaper SeriesBook 1Lisa Medley
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Big Cedar
Date of Publication: March 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9908856-2-7ASIN: B00TJFIOFK
Number of pages: 328Word Count: 84k
Cover Artist: Sweet and Spicy Designs
Book Description:
They see death. Can they share a life?
Ruth Scott can read the energy of every person she meets. Then she meets Deacon Walker. She can see his ice-blue eyes, his black hair, and his gorgeous face. But this beautiful stranger has no aura.
Deacon is just as unsettled by Ruth—and, having spent more than two hundred years ushering souls to Purgatory, Deacon is seldom shocked by anything. As he helps Ruth to understand her true nature, she awakens desires that he decided long ago a Reaper can’t afford.
A demon invasion forces Deacon to confront the darkness in his own past even as he fights to save the human souls he’s charged to protect. When he’s taken captive, his first concern is for Ruth. But Ruth just might be able to save herself—and the Reaper she can’t live without—if she can learn to wield her newfound powers.
Amazon and Kindle Unlimited



Reap and Redeem                  The Reaper SeriesBook 2Lisa Medley
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Big Cedar
Date of Publication: March 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9908856-4-1ASIN: B00UKBZO7S
Number of pages: 326Word Count: 80k
Cover Artist: Sweet and Spicy Designs
Book Description:
He’s a reaper who has given up on saving souls. Will a dying woman be his salvation?
After a century of enslavement to pure evil, Kylen Larson is finally free. But he’s long past caring. The only woman he ever loved is dead, and he’s tormented by memories of the horrors his demon parasite forced him to commit. Now, he lives for nothing more than hunting down the infernal creatures invading Meridian, Arkansas, and destroying them.
Olivia Evans is in the final stages of cancer when Kylen accidentally saves her from demonic possession. When he rescues this innocent soul, Kylen rediscovers his mission—and his heart. All he wants is to help Olivia stay alive. He’ll just have to fight off an invasion from Hell first…
Amazon and Kindle Unlimited


Reap and Reveal The Reaper SeriesBook 3Lisa Medley
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Big Cedar
Date of Publication: April 5, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9908856-6-5ASIN: B00VB4VFJY
Number of pages: 302Word Count: 78k
Cover Artist: Sweet and Spicy Designs
Book Description:
By day he saves lives in the city he loves. Can he save souls too?
Nate is an EMT, a witch and a newly inducted member of the Reaper Authority Force. What he's not is a reaper. With unexplained abilities, his true nature lies somewhere in between the angels, demons and reapers he finds himself involved with. When he's paired with the reaper Maeve, he struggles to find his place in the rising war to save the souls of Meridian and the world.
Maeve has tried to hide her reaper handicap--her toxic reaper energy--from her colleagues. But when she's possessed by a fallen angel and forced to poach souls for Hell, her greatest weakness might be the only thing that saves her.
Nate uses his growing powers and his innate magic to find Maeve. He'll do whatever it takes to save her, revealing more than he ever imagined in the process.

Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
About the Author:
Lisa has always enjoyed reading about monsters in love and now she writes about them, because monsters need love too.
She adores beasties of all sorts, fictional as well as real, and has a farm full of them in her Southwest Missouri home, including: one child, one husband, two dogs, two cats, a dozen hens, thousands of Italian bees, and a guinea pig.
She may or may not keep a complete zombie apocalypse bug-out bag in her trunk at all times, including a machete. Just. In. Case.
http://lisa-medley.com
https://www.facebook.com/lisamedleyauthor
https://twitter.com/lisamedley
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7824406.Lisa_Medley
https://plus.google.com/u/1/+LisaMedley/posts

Release Day Blitz RED: A Sexy Shifter Fairytale Romance by Jessica Aspen

Hi Fangtastic readers!
So, my assignment today is to let you know my top favs fairy tale characters, so here they are in no particular order.
1. The evil stepmother/queen from Snow White
I love the villains because you can do so much with them. I’ve actually twisted this character twice, once in the second book in the Sexy Shifter Fairytale Romances, SNOW, and once in my longer fantasy series, The Tales of the Dark Court. What I love about this character is working with the motivatin underneath the character, why is she so hateful and yet able to get away with her evil deeds? How can she possibly live with herself? In fact, I think we can include the evil stepmother from Cinderella in here too. I’ve been working on one of the later books in this series, CINDER, and the stepmother is one of my favorites to write. In that book she’s a former top-model and she’s a backstage momma who wants the steps to also be top-models. What delicious motivation, she thinks she’s doing it all for the kids, but truthfully, it’s all about herself. Love it!
2. Lost heroines: RED, Little Red Riding Hood
When you are talking about fairytales you are talking about little girl lost stories. And when I write modern adult fairy tale twists the heroines have to become not just adults, but adults who find love and in doing so, find themselves. In RED, my heroine grows from depending on her family to make all her decisions, to making the tough decisions herself. Loving a boy from the wrong side of the woods is her driving force for change because love conquers all, right? Even being a lonely lost fairy tale heroine.
3. Bad boy heroes or princes in disguise?
The thing missing from children’s fairy tales is the bad boy gone good, because that’s the ultimate adult fairy tale. Most of my twists have a guy who isn’t a prince, but finds his inner Charming deep within. I love flawed men, because in reality, we’re all deeply flawed, so men who start off only thinking of themselves, but end up sacrificing all for true love, that’s my kind of hero. All my princes, whether they have an official title, like in my fantasy series, or if they are just regular guys, like in Sexy Shifter Fairytale Romances, all have massive changes they have to go through. And I love making them sweat each and every choice—making them pay the hard price, all so they can find true love with their fairy tale princess.
I guess you can see that I have a tough time picking just a few fairy tale characters as favorites. That’s because each and every one has their own story to tell. Each one has their own journey, whether it’s a bad boy who reforms, a heroine who become strong, or a villain who can never see past her own needs. And twisting each one in a new and different way is what I love to do. What are your favorite characters? Why do you love to see them twisted into new and different plots?


RED: A Sexy Shifter Fairytale RomanceJessica Aspen
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Abracadabra Publishing
Date of Publication: January 2015
Number of pages: 73Word Count: 33,853
Cover Artist: Viola Estrella
Description:
When Red runs into the hot new forest ranger she thinks it will be just a quick fling but passions ignite and soon Red is scrambling to hide all her secrets.
Fraternizing with humans is taboo but when feisty werewolf, Red, runs into the hunky new forest ranger, Evan Brewster, she jumps on the opportunity to let loose her desires. Evan is stoked when he meets the petite red haired hottie, and combined with his new discovery of wolves in Colorado, thinks his career and life are made. Then Red pushes him away, her hostile brother threatens his life, and things begin to spiral out of control.
Caught between her sexy lover and her pack can Red trust Evan with her secrets? Or must she sacrifice her human lover—and her heart?
Excerpt: REDA Sexy Shifter Fairytale Romance
Red entered the deep woods, sniffing in appreciation of the cool damp piney scent. The familiar narrow path was little more than a deer trail through the brush. It would get her to Grandma’s in good time. Grandma was a bit of a lone wolf who refused to have a phone. She lived up on the mountain in an area of the forest you couldn’t get to by road. Her independence drove Red’s mother crazy but Red admired the sheer rebelliousness. Good old Grandma. She insisted the old ways were best and she would live off the land until she died.No wonder Mom had sent her to check on Grandma. Red’s lips curved in a smile. Kill two rebel birds with one stone. Her mother was ever-efficient.She moved deeper into the woods musing about ways to get the old she-wolf on her side of the argument. Each stride loosened joints tight from a week trapped in the kitchen with her mother. The warm morning sun coming though the trees dappled the earth in an ever-changing pattern and increased her pleasure in her body’s movements. Her pace slowed and she became lulled into feeling there wasn’t any danger.She wished she dared to change into wolf form and really move. Feel the trail under her paws, smell the true scents of the woods, taste the air. But her mother’s warning about the hunters in the park was fresh. Hunters wouldn’t hesitate to shoot a wolf.All they would have to do was say it had attacked them, their dogs, or their squeaky duck lures and the new park ranger would side with them. No, ever since the new ranger had taken over, all the pack had become more cautious.Her body moved her up the trail on auto-pilot while her brain continued to re-hash her problem. She was stuck in limbo, like a lamb before the slaughter. Alive, but going nowhere. She was desperate to get out of town. Her mating instincts told her she should search out a mate. But they conflicted with her personal instincts that told her to go find a career and separate from her controlling family.But instead of taking charge of her own destiny like a human woman, here she was, checking on Grandma like a good girl. She even had a Tupperware box of goodies stuffed in her pack in case Grandma wasn't eating anything but rabbit.Zoned out on the familiar path, her sensitive nose picked up a smell. An appetizing smell, of cloves and wood smoke and something…something male.She froze, all her senses on alert.Her ears and nose almost twitched forward.There, in the shadows on the side of the trail, was a man. A man in a ranger uniform standing next to a large frame backpack. How could she not have noticed him before? How long had he been watching her?She forced her body to look relaxed and stifled the urge flooding her system and threatening to overwhelm herthe urge to change into her wolf and deal with the danger.She smiled, and hoped it wasn’t too toothy. Her instincts said she was a wolf, but all he would perceive was a young woman—not a threat.This had to be the new ranger Seth had talked about non-stop for the last week. How this new guy had taken Uncle Bob’s spot when Uncle Bob died last month in a car accident. How no one was ready from the pack to step into Bob’s position and handle the pack’s personal area of the forest. How the ranger had better watch his step—or there would be trouble.Seth had bitched and moaned, but what he hadn’t said was how totally hot this guy was. Or how delicious he smelled. She put him at just under six foot, but that was tall compared to her petite five-foot two. Long and lean, he had the look of someone who spent a lot of time outdoors, hiking or maybe skiing. He stepped forward and swept back his shaggy brown hair, revealing warm brown eyes that held the look. The look men gave women—open, appreciative, and a touch guarded.She returned it with a bold appraising one of her own. He was just what she needed to distract her from her family issues. He was hot, male—and a stranger.“Hi, I’m Evan Brewster.” He held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. She hesitated. A slow smile crept across his lips.She swallowed. Wolves didn’t shake hands and she didn’t usually meet anyone she hadn’t known since birth. She stepped forward, held out her hand like she thought a normal girl would. And ignored her stomach’s quivering.“You must be Uncle Bob’s replacement. Nice to meet you.” Here was her chance to practice with a regular human. To prove to her parents and the pack elders she could function in the wide world. That her days of indiscriminate changes were over, and that she was a competent adult. He took her hand. His calloused grip was warm and strong.Electricity shot up her arm and into her chest. Her heart rate sped up just like the seconds before a kill. Sudden warm wet heat pooled between her legs. She yanked her hand back, stopping short of rubbing her tingling palm on her thigh.Oh man! She didn’t even know this guy. He wasn’t pack, wasn’t even a shifter, despite his touch that had her shaking. Shaking like a spindly branched cottonwood in the fall breeze. She took another deep sniff, reassured herself that he was all human. And knew he was not only human, but he was all male.She wasn’t in heat. Why would she respond to him like this? Like she wanted to strip him down and do him right here on the path. Maybe it was the uniform. This guy filled out the standard park ranger uniform nicely. Much nicer than Uncle Bob. This was what her family had been afraid would happen if she went to college and was around too many human males. That she would pick a human, instead of one of the not-so-distantly related wolves they kept parading in front of her. Mate with one of them, instead of her own kind.Inter-species relationships between humans and wolf-shifters were common in the old days when populations were spread out and the choice of mates was slim. Now they were rare. Extremely rare. No one mated permanently with humans. It was wrong, just wrong. Maybe her family was right. If she was this desperate she should just pick one of the available local wolves and settle down.But she’d never felt like this about any of the pack males. Not even the human guy she’d been with as a teenager had caused this immediate tingling urge for sex. She swallowed, feeling suddenly shy and cautious, and smiled.Evan.She rolled his name through her mind, resisted the desire to taste the flavor of it on her tongue. Maybe if she wasn’t touching him she could do this—carry on a normal conversation. She struggled for something to say, something that would cover this incredible desire to fuck a complete stranger.“Welcome to Radon,” she managed to get out. “How do you like it so far?” Inane. Moronic. But it was out now. She hoped he couldn’t see the shaking that had started at his touch, or smell the moisture between her legs. Luckily, he was only human.Calm down, Red! You can do this. You have to do this.“It’s been interesting. It’s a pretty tight-knit little town.” His gaze had warmed, becoming friendly. And interested.She knew what that appraising look meant. She’d received it from all the available males her parents had invited to their house in an effort to entice her to settle down. But none of the bachelor wolves had made her feel like this. Like her whole body was tuned in to his. Like she should get on all fours, push her ass in the air, spread her legs, and beg.Her palms were damp. She caught him checking her out and was glad her hoodie was zipped up over her chest. Her nipples tightened so fast, so hard, they almost hurt."Town's been a little tough on you, huh?" she asked. Poor guy, he couldn't have known what coming to this area would be like. They hadn’t had a ranger who wasn’t pack in her lifetime. The county was up in arms.“You could say that.” He shot her a conspiratorial smile that warmed his eyes to molten chocolate. She had a sudden vivid picture of a sheepskin rug and him lying naked in front of a fire, her lips and tongue tracing the contoured lines of muscles illuminated by the flames.She dragged her mind back, forcing it to focus on the present. Focus on the words coming out from between his sexy lips.“You’re the friendliest person I’ve run into in this town. Where have you been hiding?” Wrong question ranger. The question was who had been hiding him from her? Now her mother keeping her home from work to make jam made sense. Her mother would never think she was an adult. Although maybe her mom was right—given her lusty thoughts maybe she should be sequestered.“I normally work in town—at the general store. I must have just missed you.” Yeah right. Did that sound as lame to him as it had to her? She lifted her chin. Her mother’s plan had backfired. Despite being sent off to the boonies she’d met the new guy in town. And boy was he hot.“Is that Burdock’s? It’s the only general store I’ve seen.” One long hand reached up, pushing his thatch of hair back off his face in an unconscious slow sensual movement. The hair fell forward back into place as soon as he released it, thick and dark and oh so touchable.“Yeah. I guess you’ve been in there.”“Yeah. Is the black haired dude with the bad-ass attitude related?” His eyes crinkled up at the corners when he smiled. Another urge to spread her thighs slid through her. In an effort to control it, she clenched them tight.What had he asked?“Seth,” she said, relieved she knew what to say. “He’s one of my brothers. He’s none too happy you’re here.”“Why is that?”“Let’s just say we’re a typical small town. Outsiders aren’t really welcome.”“You know, you’re the first woman I’ve met under thirty all week. I was beginning to wonder where they all were.”Dangerous territory. She’d better be careful what she said. Obviously the alphas had the few available females under lock and key.“We have a surplus of men in this town. You probably just missed the women.” He made her so nervous, she just knew she would slip and let something out. Something that would alert him that all was not as it seemed in small town Radon, Colorado. “It’s been nice but I have to get going.”She smiled and started to move down the path, but he stepped in front of her, blocking her.The back of her neck prickled.She supposed he was eager to talk to the only friendly face in town but she wished he would back off. She was having enough trouble controlling herself as it was. Her heightened senses told her to take action. Now.He’d moved too close. His spicy male scent filled her nostrils, caressing her skin. She wanted to bury her face in the crook of his neck and inhale, suck him in like oxygen before going underwater.“Where are you off to?”“My grandmother lives up the mountain. I’m just going to check on her, stay a while.”His face lost its easy smile and grew concerned. “You’re hiking up the mountain by yourself? A woman like you shouldn’t be out here alone.” She bristled at his statement. Just like her brother! What was it with men and their bossy attitudes?“A woman like me? Slow down buster! I’ve been hiking this mountain since I could walk. You’re out here alone, why not me?”“But I’m a trained outdoorsman. What if the weather changes? You hardly look prepared in those shorts. What do you have in that pack?” He moved closer to her. She backed up, suppressing the desire to bare her teeth. With relief she channeled her newfound sexuality into anger instead. This she understood. Human or not, he was beginning to get her back up, just like any other male.“I’ll be at Grandma’s before dark. And it’s an incredible day. No storm in sight. See ya.” She edged around him back onto the path, determined to put both him and temptation behind her.“Wait, I’ll go with you. There are signs of hunters in the area. You shouldn’t be hiking alone.” He shouldered his oversize pack with ease. Then scrambled, trying to buckle the waist straps and keep up with her at the same time. She stepped up the pace.She could feel him close behind, knew he was eye level with her ass. Knew he watched her backside swish with each step. Her tingling nerves began to send messages again. With him nipping at her ankles, she felt like prey.“No, thanks. You won’t be able to keep up.” She moved faster, pumping her legs in a rapid rhythm on the familiar trail. His legs might be longer than hers, but she had wolf stamina and a light pack. No way he could keep up with her for long.“Hey, I’ve been through hell in the military. If I could keep up in basic, then I can keep up with you, little girl.”
She laughed. Flashing a catch-ya-later look over her shoulder she put on a hair more speed. He’d find out soon enough that she might be little but she had more oomph in this little package than most. And he could just watch her swish her tail until she was out of sight.
About the Author:
Jessica Aspen always wanted to be spirited away to a world inhabited by elves, were-wolves and sexy men who walk on the dark side of the knife. Luckily, she’s able to explore her fantasy side and delve into new worlds by writing spicy paranormal romance. She loves indulging in dark chocolate, reading eclectic novels, and dreaming of ocean vacations, but instead spends most of her time, writing, walking the dog, and hiking in the Colorado Rockies.
To sign up for Jessica Aspen’s new release email and to get your FREE bonus book, please go to: http://eepurl.com/zs4Sj
Website: http://jessicaaspen.com
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5759763.Jessica_Aspen
https://twitter.com/JessicaAspen
https://www.facebook.com/JessicaAspenAuthor
http://pinterest.com/jessicaaspen/
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fang-tastic Books (Top Ten List)www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
Queen of the Night Reviews http://queenofthenightreviews
Diane’s Book Blog (Interview)http://dianes-book.blogspot.com
happy tails and tales (review)http://happytailsandtales.blogspot.com
Shut Up and Read  (interview)http://shutupandreadgroup.blogspot.com/
Live Laugh and Love Bookswww.livelaughandlovebooks.wordpress.com
Roxanne’s Realm (Guest Blog)www.roxannerhoads.com
The Cubicle Escapee (review)www.TheCubicleEscapee.com
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom (Guest Blog)www.creativelygreen.blogspot.com 
Share My Destinyhttp://sharemydestiny.blogspot.com
A Dream Within A Dream http://adreamwithindream.blogspot.com
Erzabet’s Enchantments (review)http://erzabetsenchantments.blogspot.com/
Deal Sharing Aunt (Interview)www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com
Penny For Them... (review)Http://pennyforthemuk.com/Tour
Phenomenal Reviewshttp://jennswiger.blogspot.com/
Fanatical Paranormal Romantical (review)http://fanaticalparanormalromantical.com/
Book Lovers 4Ever  http://bl4ebookblog.blogspot.com   
Sapphyria's Book Reviews (review)http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/
Literary Musingshttp://literarymusing.weebly.com/
Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock (review)www.pratr.wordpress.com
Lisa’s World of Bookswww.lisasworldofbooks.net
Zenny's Awesome Book Reviewshttps://zennysawesomebookreviews.wordpress.com/

Guest Blog and Giveaway Sands of Time by Christine Church

Hi. My name is Christine Church. I write paranormal, fantasy and time travel romance. I also write nonfiction books and articles about the care of cats and horse related topics.
The funny (funny strange, not funny ha ha) thing about my new novella, “Sands of Time Fate of the True Vampires” is that it is the only book I ever wrote that is not romance.  Although, the original novel was romance… And that is where we come to my mad method behind this small novella, which is basically an “Intro” book to what will be a full out series that will grow with each book.
How I got into vampires:
I wasn’t born loving vampires. Quite the contrary. I hated them. I feared them. When I was around 8 years old, I saw an old black and white Dracula movie (I honestly today can’t tell you which one it was). Oh, all that black and white blood! I had nightmares for years! Every time I heard the word vampire I cringed and ran away. I couldn’t watch any horror movie with my eyes open, and even then, forget it. The music alone gave me nightmares. At around 10 years old, I went with my childhood best friend and our parents to see a new horror movie, Race with the Devil (later on in life, one of the actresses from that movie, Loretta Switt, would call me and help me with my first novel, but that’s a whole other tale).
A year later, I went with my family to see another new horror movie, The Omen. Back then, you could be 11 years old and see horror movies. Once again, I had nightmares for months afterwards, even though my eyes were closed through most of the movie (it wouldn’t be until I was well into my 30’s before I saw that movie all the way through, eyes open, and it was so tame!).
Now that I think about it, for someone scared to death of horror movies, I saw an awful lot of them at a very young age! Not only because it was like doing something “adult” and getting away with it, but I think I was trying to conquer my fear of these scary and at times gory flicks (which started with Dracula). It didn’t work. The fears, the nightmares continued well into my adulthood.
Most of the novels I read back then were historical, such as Sho-Gun, Spring Moon, and others mostly set in Asia (I was heavily into martial arts). I also loved time travels. In school, I always failed history because all they taught us was about wars, blood and death (more nightmares). But these books took me into different worlds.
I always had a thing for the gothic (to the point I wore black make up, nail polish, etc. in school, which did not help keep me from being bullied. It was not inyet). I loved old spooky mansions, Victorian gothic architecture, etc. That love grew as I got older. I found a deep love for movies in particular set during 18th century Britain. The clothes, the hair (particularly long hair on men), the architecture. It sung to me.
Since I was born with a mental disability (that was not diagnosed until 2004), I couldn’t work a “regular” job, though I tried and tried—and failed. And so, I decided since I couldn’t buy my gorgeous Victorian mansion, I would build one. Well, a dollhouse one anyway. I lived in the basement and would sit on the end of my waterbed frame with the big table in front of me that held the foundation for what would become a four foot tall by four foot wide Gingerbread Victorian home with 10 rooms and electricity. 
I had the television on as I built (the table and dollhouse was between me and my TV). 

Figure 1  You can see the TV beyond... through the windows.
One day, after I had the entire frame built and was working on the interior walls, I heard a commercial come on TV. Through one of the mansion’s many windows I caught a glimpse of a hot guy in 18th century garb. I didn’t see much of what turned out to be a movie trailer, but the next time it came on, I was prepared to peer through my mansion windows and watch the whole thing. I was smitten. Not only with the men, the hair, but the gothic style, the clothes, the sex appeal! This was a movie I HAD to see! There was only one major problem. It was about vampires! It didn’t matter. My libido wouldn’t let me out of this one (at 29, that mattered, a lot).



Finished House, outside and in the living room 


The first time I saw “Interview with the Vampire,” was with a friend. I was so enthralled, I walked out of the theatre in a daze. From there, I became obsessed. I made my own capes and 18thcentury sexy gowns. I saw that movie 11 times in the theatre. One of those times, at a very small theatre, I was dressed in my ‘vampire’ garb (I even had the same fangs made with dental impression material, so they looked exactly like the movie fangs and fit perfectly to my teeth), waiting for my friend in the bathroom after the movie. I was standing off to the side, in the small ‘dressing’ area, which was a bit dark. Some ladies came into the bathroom and the door opened in front of me (I was behind it as they entered). The door closed and they saw me standing behind it, long black cloak, long dark hair…and fangs. I am not exaggerating when I say one of the girls screamed. They ran back out of the bathroom (I think after seeing me they no longer had to go). I felt powerful, beautiful, just like the vampires in the movie.
And that was the start of my vampire obsession. (I went to New Orleans in 1995, to Anne Rice’s Memnock Ball).
How this ties into Sands of Time:
I was already writing long before this. As a matter of fact, I started writing fiction at the age of 9.  There were always stories in my head. After reading four of the ‘Vampire Chronicles’ (my intro to Anne Rice, who I still think is the best writer on earth), I decided to try my hand at writing my own vampire novel. It was called “Love’s Timeless Melody” and I actually based it around the song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler.
That book sat in a desk drawer (I didn’t yet have a computer) until I rewrote it a few years later (on a computer) and eventually renamed it “In Darkness Deceived.”  That novel still exists, and Kesi (main character in “Sands of Time”) was a big character in that novel. Her past was written as letters between her and her father. Something never really sat right with me and several attempts to publish it met with failure. Once again, it sat (this time on a computer file). For years!
In 2014, (about 15 years after I last saw it) I decided to do something with it. I had by this time written many novels, honed the craft, became a professional writer, had 5 books published (nonfiction) traditionally, and eventually received jobs in the writing field. But those darn vampires had my heart gripped tightly in their fangs.
After thinking through it carefully and for weeks, an idea came into my head. Why not give Kesi her own story, take the letters she and her father had exchanged and turn them into diary entries that had been found and dug up by archaeologists?  One thing led to another, and the novella, “Sands of Time Fate of the True Vampires” was born.
I knew Kesi’s entire story when I had originally written “Love’s Timeless Melody” back in the mid ‘90’s, but I had not thought to turn it into its own book. Kesi is the key to everything. I wanted her story out, even though it was not a terribly long story. I wanted people to know how she became who she was by the time the later novel was written.

And so, Sands of Time is an ‘Introduction’ book in a sense, to the rest of what will now be a series that will ultimately lead up to “In Darkness Deceived,” which is written, but not ready to see the light of day yet. So, each character throughout Kesi’s long life will have a book in the series, and Kesi will be there as well. And, who knows… “In Darkness Deceived” may not be the last book in the series. By the time I get there, I am sure everyone in all the books will have a lot more to say!
Sands of TimeFate of the True VampiresBook OneChristine Church
Genre:  Paranormal
Publisher:  Grey Horse Press, Createspace
Date of Publication: October 26, 2015
ISBN:  978-1518815232,ASIN: B0187LY2P2
Number of pages: 90Word Count: 26,000
Cover Artist: Christine Church
Book Description: 
The main character in this first installment is Kesi (later known as Kesi Akhede, as in ancient Egypt they really had no last names). Kesi is a hybrid; half human and half "Pet Mer," a term used for her father's people who are from another place after theirs was destroyed.
She appears a delusive Goddess. She is ageless. But what she wants most is family. Unable to bear children through her own body, and after the death of her husband, she travels the world searching for a way to "create" a child (later known as “Vampyr”). She offers aid to those who need her. But, her deep desire to have a family of her own is never met until she comes across an alchemist by the name of Yin.
Taking what she needs and leaving behind chaos, Kesi continues to run, to search, and to hope. Her everlasting quest takes her through history, from one continent to the next; from her home in Egypt, to China, Scotland, Rome, and finally France.Read the journals to hear her story, learn about the truth behind the "myth" of what humans call the vampire, read about her unique take on her species and those they create, and discover the chaos and bloodshed caused by a man determined to put an end to vampires forever.
Book Trailer:  https://youtu.be/gaCXGCv87AA
Amazon    BN    Amazon UK    Book Depository    IndieBound

Goodreads    Abe Books    Alibris    Google Books


Excerpt:
“Queen of the Nile” Entries found on Papyrus sealed and preserved within a tomb in EgyptCirca 20th DynastyEnglish Translation, 1958Believed to be written by Kesi, who lived in a village near Giza, and is later known as Kesi Akhede.
Wind over the desert creates a sandstorm that has left all in ruin. The days of old. Eras long past. Will he believe that I existed long ago and was dubbed "The Nile’s Graceful Queen" by pharaohs and kings? Will he believe that, to Amenhotep I in the eighteenth dynasty, I was viewed as an "exquisite work of art?"I pray now. Not to the gods the desert people bow to, but to my ancestors and my family. I pray that he will understand what it is I must tell him. Who I am. Where I come from. And where I must go.I think about the time that has passed so quickly. My heart swells with love for my family, for the desert so cruel yet forgiving, the people, and most of all for Jabari. Life was once simple yet elegant and my people worshiped. When I was young, I heard say that all of the gods had blessed me with a part of themselves. The grace of Bast, the eyes of Horus, the wisdom of Thoth, and even the cruelties of Seth made me who I am. Perhaps this is true still. And yet I remain as I always have and life around me continues to weave its gradual yet inevitable web anew.Now, the sands of the Sahara have drifted, propelling the destiny of the Pet Mer in a new direction, forcing me to choose, to make the most difficult decision of my life. A decision on which I have procrastinated for too long. A decision, I know, I must make on this night.  And so, I prepare my journey with a questionable destination.


Entry Two
The journey was a familiar one. The mud-brick estate stood on the edge of the village, far enough from the Nile that few had business in that direction, yet close enough to Jabari’s estate to place little travel time between the two. My thoughts had already run too far and I needed to make haste. I saw her before she saw me. Head bowed, ebony hair flowed over her shoulders. Though they were lowered, I knew her russet eyes. My heart pounded, loins ached, each time I saw her. She stood half hidden behind a copse of rose bushes, palm and myrrh trees, nestled within the vast gardens, just as we had arranged. I approached, letting my presence be known.She raised her head. "Mistress. No one saw me come but I have little time this night, as my chores are vast."I nodded. This one I had known for over a year. One of few humans remaining who, through family ties, still revered Father’s people. One of few raised to recall a time when my people were seen as Gods from the Sky. When offering their blood to us was an honour.  Yet still I did not know her name. Usually, it mattered little. She was merely a servant, though a generous one with the sweetest scent in all of Giza, Saqqara, Alexandria, and all the Nile Delta. Even as far as Abydos. So many I had tasted none of their names known. But tonight it mattered. Tonight everything mattered. This could be my last eve here."I know the time has been long," said I, "but please, tell me your name. I need to know it now."The girl raised an enigmatic brow. "Zahrah."  I smiled. "Zahrah." Though the dim light exaggerated her high cheekbones and ruby lips, her beauty was real. I pulled her toward me, one arm snaking around her slight waist. Our lips met then, and the lust of Seth came to greet me. Zahrah, her taste. Her scent. Her beauty. Everything about this human tantalized me. Almond and olive oils.              "Sweet," I whispered.  "Sweetest in the Valley." With more care than usual, I pierced the thin human flesh of her lips with my teeth.  No hesitation. No pain. Zahrah parted her lips against mine.And then the smooth satin that I treasured above all others flowed over my tongue. Youthful innocence. Power. And within it I was lost. The surrounding world shrank away and all that existed was that sensuous taste. Exuberance. Tensions of the past week released. A cocoon of calm wrapped me in its warmth and I reveled in it. But it was not to last. All at once, coldness settled over me like a cruel wind. A shiver ran through me. Someone approached. In the distant fog of my mind I heard my name on the breeze."Kesi! What are you doing?"  A man’s voice, deep, confused, angry. Zahrah was forced from my arms. Painful. The hunger had not been satiated. Frigid desert wind flogged my flesh. My eyes blinked open. At first the whole scene was as a surreal dream. I heard my own voice. "Jabari?"            He was there. He had taken my hand, pulled me from Zahrah.  Away from my meal. I was disoriented, having been interrupted, too bewildered to respond. He was speaking to me.  "What were you doing!? Wha—There is blood!"I realised then I still tasted the bliss, licking it from my lips, feeling its trickle on my chin. "What are you?" I had never heard him so angry.            Indeed, what am I? Tell him. You need to reveal who you are, where you may go."What has happened, Kesi? Answer me!" He grasped my shoulders with firm masculine hands. He shook me. A blast of wind and sand—a gritty slap in the face—helped to awaken my mind.



About the Author:
Christine began writing at the age of nine, penning and illustrating picture books, taping them together, and even creating a publishing company. In school, she could be found sitting in the back of the class, writing short stories (she aced English and literature). By 1992 she was professionally published in both nonfiction and short stories. In 1998 her book was traditionally published, which led to many more book deals (nonfiction).
Her books and articles have won many awards. She lives for the paranormal, writes in the deep dark night and has a closet full of Goth clothing rarely worn any longer. By day she works at a horse barn caring for 7 horses, including her own noble steed--her best friend, her “son.” She is a professional photographer, actress, and voiceover artist as well. In rare spare time, she loves riding, archery, swimming, singing and auditioning for “Survivor.”
www.christinechurch.net
www.sandstimebook.weebly.com
http://www.authorchristinechurch.com/
www.twitter.com/christinechurch
https://www.facebook.com/SandsofTimeBookOne/




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him

Here’s some great gift ideas for your guy this Valentine’s Day.

1. I’ll Drink to That - Is your guy a Scotch whiskey aficionado? Get him a bottle of his favorite single malt. If you know he wants to learn more Scotch but hasn’t had the opportunity to experiment, how about several small size bottles in a variety of styles from light to rich, and smoky to delicate. He’s not a Scotch drinker? How about his favorite wine, or craft beer?

2. Sweets for the sweet – Give him the really good stuff this Valentine’s Day. Bake him his favorite treat or buy the goodies at a bakery. If you decide to go with boxed chocolates, go for the good stuff and get the best quality you can afford. Because he’s sure to offer you a piece or two!

3. Techy Stuff – A couple of years ago I got my husband the Google Chromecast TV stick because he loves techy things. The nice thing about the Chromecast and the Amazon Fire Stick is that they’re not terribly expensive; the Fire Stick sells for about $39 US. It’s easy to use (just plug into a USB port on your TV) and it gives you access to a ton of shows, songs, games, and more. Great opportunity to snuggle up and binge watch your favorite show. Or if he’s into gaming, AskMen.com suggests Far Cry 4, one of last year’s most acclaimed console games.

4. Clothes Make the Man – When it comes to clothes, there’s something for every budget, from cashmere sweaters and silk ties, to inexpensive novelty Valentine socks. For style-conscious guys, how about hooking him up with his own personal stylist? Starting at $100 US, Trunk Club will match him with a stylist who will choose several items of clothing for him from name brand stores and ship it right to his door. He has ten days to try things on and decide if he wants to keep them, and if he needs to send something back, shipping is free.

5. A Little Bling-Bling – Jewelry always make a nice gift. Watches are a fashion essential, and come in many styles and price points. Other blingy ideas include personalized money clips or key chains, earring studs, chains, or cuff links. There’s no shortage of ideas!

You know your guy better than anyone and what suits his personality best. For more gift ideas in a range of prices, check out Gift.com’s ideas for Valentine’s gifts for men. Surprise him this year with something he really likes!

What are you buying your guy for Valentine’s Day this year? Do you and your sweetie celebrate with gifts?

Chill OutCandy Hearts SeriesJana Richards
Genre: contemporary romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: January 4, 2016

ASIN: B018L29ZUY

ISBN: 978-1-5092-0370-3

Number of pages: 90Word Count: 20,000
Cover Artist: RJ Morris
Book Description:
Renata Cabral needs to hide for the weekend. Her cousin’s Valentine’s Day wedding means she’ll face embarrassing questions from her large, extended family. Questions like “Why aren’t you married yet?”  Since the breakup of her last relationship, she’s not ready to answer that question. She invents a work-related excuse and escapes to a friend’s lakeside cottage.
Noah Brownlee has been hiding for two years. But now he’s ready to come home and mend his broken relationship with his brother. When a friend offers the use of his lakeside cottage, Noah arrives in the middle of a blizzard with his English Mastiff, only to find the place is already occupied. With her big brown eyes and quirky sense of humor, Renata stirs feelings he thought long dead.
As the blizzard rages, the candy hearts predict love. Can Valentine’s Day work its magic between them?

This is part of a multi-author series of novellas The Wild Rose Press has put together for Valentine’s Day- all can be read as standalone titles



Amazon US    Amazon UK    Amazon CA    Kobo    Chapters/Indigo  

Bookstrand    The Wild Rose Press     Kobo    BN    ARe
The inspiration for Indigo



Excerpt 2:
“Dylan wasn’t just my brother, he was my best friend, and in some ways, he was like a father. When our mother died, he petitioned the court to make him my legal guardian so I wouldn’t have to go into care. He made sure I studied, pushed me to apply to med school, helped me with expenses.”“He sounds like a wonderful big brother.”His lips curved in a sad smile and Renata’s heart ached for him. “He was, and I know he’s going to be an amazing father. I want this animosity between us to end. I want my brother back.” His voice cracked. “But I’m not sure he feels the same way. I said some ugly things…”“Perhaps, with the baby coming, he wants to mend the rift between you as much as you do.” She hoped she was right.“Maybe. I’ll find out tomorrow. I’m going to phone Dylan and try to arrange a meeting.”“It’ll work out. You’ll see.”                                                                                      He leaned toward her, the corners of his eyes wrinkling with his smile. “I appreciate the pep rally.”“Well, I was a cheerleader in high school. Rah, Rah.”He laughed softly, then cupped her face with his hand, his thumb idly stroking her cheek. Her breath hitched at his tender touch. “Thank you for making this easier for me, Renata.”
He leaned in and her heart pounded in anticipation of his kiss. When his lips touched hers, a firestorm of longing ignited inside her. She strained toward him, needing his kiss, needing to heal his pain. His lips parted against hers, and she opened her mouth eagerly, reveling in his taste as his tongue danced with hers. The world faded away, and nothing existed for her except this man and all the tenderness she felt for him. It felt so right to kiss him, so perfectly, completely right.

About the Author:
When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal. Her paranormal romantic suspense “Seeing Things” was a 2008 EPPIE finalist.
In her life away from writing, Jana is an accountant/admin assistant, a mother to two grown daughters, and a wife to her husband Warren. She enjoys golf, yoga, movies, concerts, travel and reading, not necessarily in that order. She and her husband live in Western Canada with their Pug/Terrier cross Lou and several unnamed goldfish.
She loves to hear from readers.  Connect online at:
Website:  http://www.janarichards.com
Blog:  http://janarichards.blogspot.com
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/JanaRichardsAuthor
Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_
Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards
Newsletter Signup: http://www.eepurl.com/m3UnT
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2892274Jana_Richards
Google+ Profile:  https://plus.google.com/100820406211390323245


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Interview with Author Lilith K. Duat

Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?
Though I don't really dress like it, I've always been creepy. Gothic sensibilities without wearing it on my sleeve. The most goth thing I wore in high school were a bunch of chokers and a pair of knee high Doc Martins.
But I've always been a fan of the beautiful grotesque: bird bones, snakes, bats, skulls, graveyards, killers, things like that.
Movies contributed a lot too. Tim Burton, of course, and Guillermo Del Toro, Seven, Bram Stoker's Dracula, The People Under the Stairs, Silence of the Lambs, The Cell. Regardless of quality, they all had memorable moments or visuals that I sort of coveted throughout my lifetime.
What inspired you to write this book?
My co-writer and I just had these characters lying around, and the world built itself around them, and thus the world of Disturbia was born and we played in it a while.
As the story progressed we uncovered layers and aspects of the characters that we didn't know before. Some of these characters were just neat designs, and we thought “Oh, it would be hot if Corvus and her got together. Throw her in!” but as we wrote they developed depth and actual histories and personalities.
Do you have a special formula for creating characters' names? Do you try to match a name with a certain meaning to attributes of the character or do you search for names popular in certain time periods or regions?
For The Disturbia Ritualwe had a solid avian theme. Naming the wife character was the most difficult because we wanted it to mean “bird” in some way, but also connect it to the character's history.
Is there a character that you enjoyed writing more than any of the others?
There's a scene between Corvus and a woman named Crow. That encounter is a turning point for the hero, and it might be my personal favourite interaction. So it's not that I liked writing Crow the most, it was just fun to write how the scene played out.
What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?
It's a toss up between the scene with Crow, which I mentioned before, and Corvus' encounter with a vampiress named Lace. I think we actually invented a new fetish with that scene...
What is the most interesting thing you have physically done for book related research purposes?
Not research purpose exactly, but the model on the cover is actually a personal friend of mine. I attended that photoshoot and played assistant. I juggled props, kept the mood music going and held the light and the reflector. It was neat.
When did you consider yourself a writer?
I was going through some stuff, like everybody does and I just sort of told myself that I'm here, in the world, breathing, and I probably have a few more decades worth of breathing ahead of me so I might as well do something with the time. I asked myself what I actually care about? Well, my stories. My characters. I should probably get them out, otherwise it's a waste.

I was here to write stories. Not necessarily entertain people because you can't please everyone all the time, but just to write stories. From then on I considered myself a writer.

However, I didn't consider myself an author until I published my first novella in March 2015.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? How do you deal with it?
Yes. Usually I try to just listen to music that gives me the same feel that the book does. I re-read my notes or previous passages in the story, I go for a walk, or bathe. Unfortunately for me, most my planning or ideas tend to come to me when I'm trying to sleep.
Do you write in different genres? 
Yes. I consider The Disturbia Ritual to be horror-erotica (Horrotica? Is that what the kids are calling it these days?), or supernatural erotica, but I mainly pursue fantasy/mythological erotica. I'm dipping a toe into contemporary erotica, some werewolf fun, then sometime in 2017 I'm hoping to get out some dark psychological horror-erotica.
Do you find it difficult to write in multiple genres?
No. Just like people like a variety in their movies and tv and books, I like a variety of worlds and stories to muck about in. I get bored and restless or stumped otherwise. When it comes to writing, I can't stay in one world too long. I'll go for 2 weeks or so and really laser-focus on one story,  then I'll move over to another one and be able to stretch different parts of my imagination.
What can readers expect next from you?
February 2016 is the debut of book 2 of my erotic mythology series which is expected to run for 5 novellas.
I also have a contemporary F/F short coming out in March or April, and a few other morbid surprises.
Where can readers find you on the web?
You can find me at http://brokenwingsmedia.comAlso my Amazon Authors Page http://www.amazon.com/Lilith-K.-Duat/e/B00UO7DKQU/Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/BrokenWingsMediaTwitter http://twitter.com/BWMSocial
Would you like to leave readers with a little teaser or excerpt from the book?
Sure! Here's an exclusive little teaser that can only be found on Fang-Tastic. I hope you enjoy it.
Corvus saw silk, swaths of red and purple and black silks. He had stepped into what seemed to be a side-show tent. He looked around.No. Not a tent.An aviary.A giant fucking bird cage.It was like being inside a canary cage, but the cloth was down and the bird within was meant to be silent and sleep. There was a circular bed, piled high with pillows and what looked to be the most comfortable bedspread ever created. Lanterns hung from the bars of the top of the cage four stories above him, giving off warm candle light. Tall candelabras stood silently, holding thick wax candles just waiting to be lit. There was as a dusty Oriental rug strewn across the hardwood floor, and to the side, an old gramophone.The cage door shut and locked behind Corvus and he turned, startled. The door in which he had come was no longer ancient and wood, but thin bars of gilded iron; peeks of steely grey burning through the weak gold coating. The tent flaps were peeled back and Corvus could see beyond the bars. Midnight paced just outside the cage. "You finally made it." She tilted her head as she eyed him.Corvus gripped the bars. “What is this place?” But that was just a passing curiosity compared to the real question forefront in his mind. “Where’s my wife?”"You'll know soon enough. If you cooperate. Now then," she sat at the desk before the birdcage, the room behind her cloaked in darkness. "We have business to attend to. In the labyrinth, you got a taste of what is expected of you.”He scowled. “Enough with the riddles and games. Get to the point.”"You're going to have to please a lot of women so I can get what I want, and in turn you get what you want."Corvus eased, but only a little. Now they were making progress, however slight. “And what is it you want?”"What I need does not concern you," she stated.He scoffed. “So I’m supposed to fuck a bunch of women on a whim that you’re telling me the truth about getting my wife back, but you won’t actually tell me anything. Not who you are, not where I am, not how you found me, not what you need. Nothing.”"All you need to know is that at the end, you'll get her back." She crossed her arms, looking at him through the bars.A long, heavy silence passed between the two of them.“Fine.”"Glad we have a deal." She stood from the desk, "your first customer will be here soon. I suggest you get dressed properly, there's a chest there with your uniform." She turned away, her toes clicking against the hard floor, making a sharp echo course throughout the room.Corvus moved to the round, satin covered bed. In front of it was a heavy steamer trunk covered in shining black leather and accented with silver latches and fittings. He opened the trunk and peered inside.It was empty. He let out an exasperated breath, his head dropped heavy on his neck, sending a tense pain up his jaw and into his temple. This was another one of her games, wasn’t it?His eyes widened as he heard the latch of the cage open. He turned and Midnight was inside the cage with him. In one hand was a strange, bird-like black mask. In the other was an ornate wire birdcage.Corvus was beginning to sense a theme.“What’s that for?”"Well, I figured you should at least cover something." She looked amused and smug. "Mask first, then cage."Corvus saw several heavy locks dangling from the cage. It would have been kind of pretty if it wasn’t so thoroughly degrading.His dark eyes met hers, and he was trying to keep his expression stoic, but she could see the little twitches of humanity, of empathy, of fear.“What if I fuck these women, and that’s unforgivable in her mind?”"Would you really risk the chance to see her, even if it turns out horribly?” There was no sympathy in her voice, but it wasn’t cold either. It was, if Corvus had to describe it, rational. “Would you risk just one last kiss goodbye? Perhaps you could hide it from her, who said you had to tell her how you got to her?"There was a slight change in his stance, his demeanor. His jaw clenched.Midnight saw what she wanted to see. “Now, if we’re quite ready, on your knees.”Corvus did as he was told and lowered himself down. The first item was a thick leather collar with two silver rings. Midnight secured it with no trouble.His eyes turned up, and he watched the world go black as the ebony bird skull devoured his head. He could see only a world tinted in shades of red from the glass lenses of the mask. Next came the cage. It opened like a book, and the bottom of the cage had a hole a little bigger than his neck. They eased the beak between two vertical bars of the cage then steadied it. He felt the cage cold and heavy on his bare shoulders, like a yoke made out of a barbecue grill. The cage was brought together and he heard the locks latch the cage to the mask. Two on the rings of the collar and, he assumed two keeping the cage from swinging open like a clamshell."Those that you please hold the keys," she whispered like an incantation as she leaned in toward the side of his head, where his ear ought to be. "Your first one shall be here soon." She gave the last lock a good tug, to make certain it was nice and secure, "And if you fail to please, you'll never get the cage off."When all was said and done, he thought he heard four locks latch.He and Ava had been together for four years.
He may have miscounted.
The Disturbia Ritual
You're grown up now and the monsters are real. Only they're not under your bed...they're in it. 
Ever since his wife, Ava, was taken from him in a brutal car accident, Corvus Deryn yearned for death. The only thing that keeps him from killing himself is the fear of ending up in Hell, without the possibility of seeing his wife again. 
But tonight he is visited by a strange, supernatural entity calling herself Midnight. Part sugary calavera, part porcelain ballerina, she offers Corvus the chance to be reunited with Ava... if he does a job for her first. 
The job? Come with her to the paranormal city of the dead called Disturbia, become the prime attraction in Midnight’s brothel and pleasure an elite selection of monster women. Only then will Midnight lead the way to Corvus’ wife. 
The bargain seems simple enough, but Corvus begins to think Midnight isn’t being entirely truthful. What is she hiding from him? And where, in the twisted spires of Disturbia, could Ava possibly be? 
Released especially for Hallowe'en, pre-order now and expect this kinky goodie to drop into your e-reader October 31st, a holiday treat for adults. 
THE DISTURBIA RITUAL is an erotic romance drenched in gothic horror and supernatural sex-appeal. Reader discretion advised.

Website     Amazon     Smashwords     Apple     Kobo     BN 

About the Author
Lilith K. Duat is a female in possession of the male gaze and a filthy mind. 
She has recently found her love for erotica and relishes in reading the hottest she can find and writing out her fantasies. 
She has a tendency to drag others along for the ride. She prefers her fantasies over her realities. 
She can be found at http://brokenwingsmedia.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Lilith-K.-Duat/e/B00UO7DKQU
Twitter: Http://twitter.com/BWMSocial

Until You Came Along by Kshitij

Until You Came AlongKshitij
Genre: YA Romance
Number of pages: 350
Word Count: 92000-94000
Book Description:
People never change; they only become more or less of who they really are…
Just as mysteriously as Alyssa appeared in Estella’s life she disappeared. Who was Alyssa, really?  For all their years of friendship in college, Estella has no idea why Alyssa left without saying goodbye after graduation.  Now, after all these years, Alyssa leaves a recording on Estella’s voicemail –an RSVP to their college reunion! Trembling with delight and dread, Estella has only one question:  Why?
Alyssa has been searching for something all her life—her future. She believes in nothing but success and winning. Manipulative, wilful, emotionally cold is the best way she can describe herself.  To the world and her college mates, she’s glamorous, confident and has life on a silver platter—men dream of having her and women dream of being her!  But Alyssa is blind to everything except success…

until she meets Kurt, a dreamy exchange student, who challenges everything she believes, while his touch runs through her body like the sweetest flame, making her want things she knows she shouldn’t have!  Kurt wants her heart and that’s the one thing Alyssa can’t give him.
Through seven years of silence, Estella and Alyssa discover life is ever changing—just as their perception of themselves…yet, how could they ever know tragedy and joy are from the same tears of life? 
[EXCERPT#3]Alyssa’s bedroom was much like a dollhouse, luminescent by indigo lampshades, fragranced by her persona, festooned with her vivacious photographs, and occupied by her toys and trophies. He remembered walking toward Mijel farms to see what a princess’s house looked like. Here he was, sharing her very personal space, the room that had breathed her for years, arranged by her petite hands, adored and cherished by her feelings. Kurt picked up a photo frame from the table. In it was the photo of young girl in a pink skirt (wearing the same color headband), her expressions pure and curious. Kurt was inundated with emotions. Every little thing in the room revealed Alyssa’s charm and showed how inimitable she was. The more he tried to get away from her spell, the more he was dragged in. The room was heaven, she was an angel, and this was all a dream—because reality could never be this complete. He wanted to be lost in this dream forever, never letting it go, never opening his eyes. It wasn’t just about love—it was about the desire and the passion of one human to understand the emotions of another, forgetting everything else just for once. Alyssa was that person. He’d figured that out the first time he saw her. He knew they might never end up together, but just the thought of falling for her and envisioning her smile had given him a new life, saved him from obscurity, and gave him a reason to be happy. He was lucky because he’d learnt loving, and that seemed enough to last him for the rest of his life. This life seemed done, and he’d seek money and peace in some other. Love replaced the blood in his veins, and the stirring in his body indicated there was no way out. Kurt shook his head, smiling over his silliness, as he reached for her scrapbook titled, Me.         


About the Author:
Kshitij lives in New Delhi. He has written books in various genres. Classic literature novels, movies and culture have been his source of inspiration. Although he graduated with a business degree, the word ‘ART’ holds a special place his heart. When not writing, he can be found learning about history, food, and people for his new book.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kshitij-220807118113560/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kshitijb44
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8063064.Kshitij

A Typical Day in Lilly’s Life by Barbara Custer Author of Infinite Sight

As you might infer from reading the back cover blurb of Infinite Sight, protag Lilly gets into deep trouble after her mishap with Baby Miller’s ventilator, beginning with her bleeding ulcer and concussion. During her leave from work, she takes in an extraterrestrial named Laylok, who was headed to a death camp before his ship crashed. She packs heat against the alien man-eating lizards from his ship. The effects from her head injury wakes up a dormant part of her brain, enabling her to read minds. What’s more, Laylok anticipates the arrival of more soldiers who want him dead. Nevertheless, Lilly returns to work as a respiratory therapist – has no choice if she wanted to keep her job.

The story was difficult to write, but a workshop leader suggested constructing a typical day in Lilly’s life. Aside from fighting renegade aliens, Lilly has her job and responsibilities at home. Would she go to work injured? Does her conflict interfere with her going to work? What about her husband? I had to figure out answers. At work, Lilly shows up for duty at 7:00 a.m., so let’s look at how a typical day for Lilly might go.5:00 a.m. Time to get up. Lilly has an hour to shower, dress, and eat breakfast. Her recent stomach surgery necessitates small, frequent meals. Not easily managed when renegade aliens are after you.6:00 a.m. Lilly wakes her husband Wade so he can relieve Laylok who’s guarded their home during the night against invasion by renegade beings. While Wade showers and eats, Lilly prepares breakfast for their guest – protein and complex carbohydrates, such as eggs and potatoes. Her laser weapon – a beeper-like device provided by Laylok – goes into her fanny pack before she leaves for work.7:00 a.m. At work, Lilly scans her coworkers’ minds, picking out friendly ones who might help if she runs into problems trouble-shooting equipment. She psychically assesses the temperament of her moody boss. Her past problems won’t disappear just because alien lizards are nipping at her heels!3:30 p.m. Lilly hurries home to relieve Wade. Since her vision problems limit her night vision, she learns to tune in mentally to the approach of the renegade beings. On a peaceful evening, she’ll run into the house for dinner. If a lizard comes charging at her, dinner will have to wait until she’s killed the creature and cleaned up the mess.  10:00 p.m. Laylok relieves Lilly so she can go to bed. Her beeper-weapon and flashlight go in the drawer of the table by her bed. She closes her eyes and tries to sleep. Many nights, she can’t, and that’s a shame because she’s got the same grueling schedule tomorrow.Eventually, the alien lizards break into the hospital where Lilly works, and her plans to keep Laylok under wraps go up in smoke. Her coworkers and boss get involved. You’ll have to read the book for the details. :-) The point is, I couldn’t have Lilly working or guarding on the night shift because of her vision problems. She still has her guilt over Baby Miller, which affects all her decisions.


How do you handle challenges with your characters? Have you tried constructing a schedule for them? How has it worked for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Infinite SightBarbara Custer
Genre: Science Fiction
Publisher: Night to Dawn Magazine & Books LLC
Date of Publication:  11/30/2015 (tentative)
ISBN: 978-1-937769-42-0 (print)ASIN:
Number of pages: 112 pagesWord Count: 25,225
Cover Artist: Marge Simon
Book Description:
Devastated by an error which caused an infant’s death, Lilly becomes deathly ill and collapses from loss of blood. She wakes up from emergency surgery with mental telepathic powers.
When an extraterrestrial ship crash-lands near her home, she investigates and happens upon a survivor who needs her help. Motivated by guilt-ridden feelings over the baby, she rescues him, catapulting herself into a war between two alien armies.
Now the renegade soldiers are on her trail and have marked her for death.


Available at Amazon
Excerpt 2:
Death? For a moment, her life flashed before her eyes. She saw herself at school recess skipping rope. She recalled her high school prom with her then-boyfriend, not Wade. She relived her first dinner with Wade, where she had selected a Stuffed Chicken Marsala dinner at Olive Garden. Wade stood by her during her mother’s death from leukemia. They laughed together and bought a house. They took turns driving her mother to chemotherapy treatments. He coddled her through Baby Miller’s death and her illness, and now, their guest. Why risk her life for some stranger from outer space?Because Laylok and I share a bond that even most relatives can’t imagine. This bond came about because they each carry a radio inside their heads. Sometimes that radio, the telepathy, came in handy. At work, she could figure out a patient’s symptoms, no matter what they failed to state. She knew which coworker might spread gossip to Chadwick. But sometimes she endured the bitter taste of pain, death, and danger. Laylok had gotten caught in that place, and she would do everything she could to help him. As far as she was concerned, that gift made her and Laylok siblings under the skin. If she ignored his cry and let him get killed, she’d never forgive herself.
But because she was human, she broke down into tears, clutching at her hair and whispering, “Why me?”
About the Author:
Barbara lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she works full time as a respiratory therapist. When she’s not working with her patients, she’s enjoying a fright flick or working on horror and science fiction tales. Her short stories have appeared in numerous small press magazines. She’s published Night to Dawn magazine since 2004.
Other books by Barbara include City of Brotherly Death and Steel Rose, plus novellas Close Liaisons and Life Raft: Earth. She’s also coauthored Alien Worlds and Starship Invasions (both now out of print) with Tom Johnson. She anticipates release of When Blood Reigns, the sequel to Steel Rose. She enjoys bringing her medical background to the printed page, and then blending it with supernatural horror. She maintains a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and The Writers Coffeehouse forum. Look for the photos with the Mylar balloons and you’ll find her.
www.bloodredshadow.com    
www.facebook.com/barbara.custer   
https://twitter.com/NighttoDawn1   
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1273060.Barbara_Custer  



a Rafflecopter giveaway