Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 521

Guest Blog with Marsha A Moore

A Wizard’s Familiar, Noba the Pseudodragonby Marsha A. Moore
My new release, the second of my Enchanted Bookstore Legends , is an epic fantasy romance. Adalyra McCauley opens an enchanted book and confronts a series of quests where she is expected to save Dragonspeir from destruction by the evil Black Dragon. In Heritage Avenged , the second book of the series, Lyra questions whether Dragonspeir magic was responsible for her aunt’s death. She resolves to learn the truth and accepts the Imperial Dragon’s appointment into sorcery training. Proficiency in magic craft is the only way she can bridge the gap between her human world and her lover’s, a 220-year-old wizard dependent upon magic for immortality. Cullen is her only family now. Evil forces try to steal Lyra’s inherited scribal aura. She must rely on her novice training to attempt to discover the truth about her aunt and find a life with Cullen.
There will be five legends in the series, a truly epic tale with a large and wonderful cast of otherworldly characters, including many talking animals. My main characters, Lyra and Cullen, must attempt difficulties that stretch their abilities over numerous quests. But, my secondary characters often bring laughter and lighten their loads, or encourage their strengths to persevere. I’m in the middle of writing the third book, so by now the personalities of my secondary animal characters really shine and they feel very real to me. I’m especially fond of my dragons, but one type stands out as a favorite—pseudodragons.
Pseudodragons are not true dragons. They are much smaller, being only three feet long, including their tails. In my legends, we get to know the pseudodragon Cullen keeps as his wizard’s familiar—a typical role for this species. His name is Noba, and he is a tiny burgundy-colored pseudodragon who has a heart of gold that makes people melt.
Noba and Cullen’s tiger owl assistant, Kenzo, are actually the same length and continually vie to be the one to help him. Cullen is a fair sorcerer and finds ways to best use each according to his strengths. While Kenzo’s agile flight makes him useful during combat, Noba’s big heart and familiarity with dragons enables him to assist Lyra. Here’s a snippet of a Christmas morning scene where those four characters are having a fun moment, relaxing between dangerous adventures in Heritage Avenged.
When Lyra made her way downstairs with a stack of wrapped packages, she found her Noba and Kenzo wound up and playing a game of chase through the kitchen and family room. “Stop! You’re making me dizzy,” she declared as she laid the presents under the tree. While Cullen sneaked upstairs to shower, she diverted them with her CD player. “These are special tunes for Christmas. We’ll listen while we trim the tree. Let me eat, and then we’ll find the decorations.”She nearly choked on her bagel, watching the pair hop about on the rug to Frosty the Snowman.Cullen quickly reappeared and helped her carry boxes of Christmas things from the storage closet under the stairwell.She located the miniature lights and handed the end of the last strand to Kenzo. “A job for you—fly carefully around the tree and drape this on the branches. Start at the bottom and work up.”He proudly took it in his beak and set off.The little pseudodragon danced from foot-to-foot, almost on top of her. “Lady Lyra, what can Noba do? Noba wants a job too.”“After Kenzo has finished, hang bits of this tinsel on the ends of branches.”He grabbed a clawful and skipped to the tree, so excited little clouds of smoke puffed out of his snout.“You won’t be my familiar much longer if you burn down Lady Lyra’s tree. Keep that fire under better control,” Cullen called out with a laugh.Lyra was glad to see Cullen relax and enjoy himself. She handed him a small box of delicate ornaments and a collection of unbreakable ones for his helpers.Kenzo dropped his lights and flew backward. “Watch where you’re flying, Noba! You nearly hit me with your poison tail.”“Noba sorry. Tinsel sticks to claws.” He tucked in his tail while trying to shake off strands of silver foil wound around his talons.Lyra sat back and laughed at the three of them colliding as they decorated.
As you can see, pseudodragons are easily trained and very good-natured. They are very playful and curious. Definitely fun to have around! So far, every reviewer has wanted one of their own! If you’re considering adopting one for your home, Lyra even found a way to teach Noba to use a kitty litter box. Her only problem was a language barrier, trying to find words for the job she wanted him to do with the box—a comical scene! However, Cullen didn’t find it so funny she had domesticated so much wildness out of his familiar. Despite being the Imperial Sorcerer of the land, his love for Lyra left him without much control over that decision. Love is very powerful!
If you’re worried about safety, pseudodragons can bite, but won’t unless provoked. However, their tails can be a hazard to watch out for, since they are barbed and poisonous. Noba often gets excited and forgets to watch his, like when he was allowed to decorate the Christmas tree! But for Lyra and Cullen, having Noba around is always worth that small difficulty. I’d love to tell you more about Noba’s silly antics, but don’t want to spoil the book for you. I’m sure you’ll enjoy Noba and all my talking animal guides in Heritage Avenged: Enchanted Bookstore Legend Two. 
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Heritage Avenged by Marsha A. Moore
Genre: Fantasy romance 
Blurb: 
Lyra McCauley receives an alarming letter from the coroner who evaluated her deceased aunt, originally thought to have died of cancer. The news causes Lyra to take leave from her job and travel from sunny Tampa to the frozen island community in northern Michigan. Questioning whether Dragonspeir magic was responsible for her aunt’s death, she resolves to learn the truth and accepts the Imperial Dragon’s appointment into the Alliance sorcery training. 
Additionally, becoming proficient in magic craft is the only way she can bridge the gap between her mortal human world and her lover’s. Cullen, a 220-year-old wizard, is dependent upon his Dragonspeir magic for immortality. He is her only family now; she cannot lose him. 
Evil forces block her and try to steal her inherited scribal aura. Riding a stealth dragon, a cloaked rider pursues Lyra. Both the Alliance and Dark Realm alchemists lay tricks and traps. Her aura equals that of the first and most powerful Scribe, but will Lyra’s novice training allow her to discover the truth? Will she be able to be with Cullen, or will the Dark Realm keep them apart?


Author Bio: 
Marsha A. Moore is a writer of fantasy romance. The magic of art and nature spark life into her writing. Her creativity also spills into watercolor painting and drawing. After a move from Toledo to Tampa in 2008, she’s happily transforming into a Floridian, in love with the outdoors. 
Crazy about cycling, she usually passes the 1,000 mile mark yearly. She is learning kayaking and already addicted. She’s been a yoga enthusiast for over a decade and that spiritual quest helps her explore the mystical side of fantasy. She never has enough days spent at the beach, usually scribbling away at new stories with toes wiggling in the sand. 
Every day at the beach is magical! 
Author Links: Website: http://MarshaAMoore.com 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MarshaAMoore 
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marshaamooreauthorpage 
Fantasy Faction staff page: http://fantasy-faction.com/staff-members?uid=38 
Goodreads author page http://www.goodreads.com/marshaamoore 
Google + https://plus.google.com/u/0/100564214132835514192/posts

The Return of Benjamin Quincy Exclusive Excerpt Tour Stop

Excerpt :

    “I don’t want to live here. I want to go live with Mom.” Isabel’s wail ended in the too familiar sound of stomping feet.
Ben wanted her to be happy, but he didn’t dare let his daughter see how easily she could scored points off her old man. Solely responsible for her now, he wasn’t about to give in because being a good dad was the hardest thing he’d ever tackled.A gamin face snuck into his thoughts. Riotous blonde curls kissed with sunlight framed clear topaz eyes. It took him back almost a dozen years. Ben swore under his breath. It was inevitable that coming back to the scene of his own happy childhood would resurrect the memories he’d buried of his high school girlfriend. Sydney Marshall should be long gone from Rosewood. It was all she’d ever talked about - until the day her dad was diagnosed with bone cancer.Forget her. You have more important fish to fry. Not the easiest advise to follow. Never had been.“Daaad! You’re not listening.”“Of course I am. Go check out the upstairs. You can’t tell me you don’t like the house until you’ve seen the whole thing.” Isabel huffed out a breath on a high dramatic note, but did as she was told. Her shoulders slumped as she dragged her feet up the stairs. The toes of her shoes caught each riser, leaving behind a rhythmic hollow clunk.Despite his efforts to push Sydney’s image out of his mind, along with the way she’d heartlessly cast him out of her life, he could still hear the tinkle of her laughter. Thinking Isabel hardly ever laughed, he buried the offending memory. Again.Stay focused, Quincy. He went through the rest of the first floor with an eye to what improvements needed to be done before they could move in. The craftsman style bungalow needed work, but at a glance it looked like he should be able to do most of it himself.Isabel needed this. He needed this. He couldn’t fail his daughter again, the way he had when he’d mistakenly let Diana take her to New York, thinking a child should be with its mother.Listening to her footsteps moving from room to room above his head, he found the realtor, Robin Weston, a sultry brunette, with a teasing wink and wicked smile aimed directly at him, in the kitchen.He considered her unspoken offer. Dating a local girl. Could work. Perhaps later, when his pride didn’t feel quite so bruised. Two blunders in the female department wasn’t the best track record for a single dad. “How long will it take to close on the house?”“Not long at all. Mrs. Frank is quite happy with your offer,” Robin all but purred. “I hear you’re getting The Gazette, too. Meredith must be so relieved you’re buying it. It’s been a financial burden for her for a long time, and now, with her recent illness and Sydney Marshall moving to New York-”His brows slammed together. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Frank is sick?”“You haven’t heard? Well. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Meredith had a stroke three days ago.”Three days ago he’d been on the road with Isabel. Before he’d left Chicago, he’d made arrangements to have lunch with Meredith - he glanced at his watch - in an hour to sign papers and finalize their agreement to partner for the first year while he got his feet underneath him.Disturbed by the news and worried for the older woman he’d been dealing with by phone for the last three months, he gave Robin his cell number, then eased her out of the house.He’d grown fond of Meredith. Respected her long business experience. Her ill health was unexpected, but he would untangle the legal ramifications after he saw her. Unless The Gazette was in bankruptcy, he saw no reason to change his plans at this juncture.Anxious to check on his soon-to-be business partner, he took the stairs two at a time, making it to the second floor before it percolated what else Robin had said.    Sydney Marshall was moving to New York. Sydney was still in Rosewood? The world stood still until he found his daughter in one of the rooms that opened off the landing.Isabel. She was the one who mattered now. Shoulders slumped, she stood at a window overlooking the town. It’d started to rain; a soft, reassuring patter on the roof. In the diffused light, the ten year old watched cars moving lazily along the wet streets below.Ben’s heart skipped. His girl spent way too much of her time watching and not doing. “I told the Real Estate lady we’d take the house.”Isabel’s chin drooped to her chest. “Mom’s not going to let me live with her, is she?”He could do this. He could be a good dad. Half the problem was his kid was too smart for her own good. He shoved a hand in his pocket and crossed his fingers. The musty smell of the empty house enveloped him. “No Baby, she’s not.”She squeezed her eyes in an effort to hold back tears. His heart pinched st her bravery.Voice wobbling, she exhaled softly. “You could talk to her. Make her-”He dropped to his knees, drawing his darling girl into his arms. Her trembling frame was too fragile, so he told a bad lie mixed with most of the truth. “I would. If I thought it was best for you to be with your mom. But I think it’s better you stay with me.”How could he make his child understand, while living in the shadow of her mother’s career, Isabel had become a ghost in Diana’s life? “Is it such a terrible thing, living with your old man?”Isabel sniffled against his shoulder. “I guess not.”
giveaway... 
anyone who signs up for Susan's newsletter will get their name in the beaded purse for a $25 Amazon gift cert. 
If you can name the cat in the story, you get your name in the purse  twice.




The Return of Benjamin QuincyA Rosewood NovelBy Susan Lute
Blurb: 
All Benjamin Quincy wants is to make a stable home for his ten year old daughter in the town he grew up in and left in bitter disappointment. Young and hot headed, he made a mistake. 
Eleven years later, he’s a divorced, single dad with a troubled child, and a lot to make up for. 
Sydney Marshall has finally snagged the perfect job at a coveted travel magazine in New York. 
Does she care that her ex has returned to the tiny town of Rosewood with a precious daughter who’s not hers? 
Does it matter that every time he comes near, her heat flutters madly like in the old days? No! Her bags are packed; plane tickets are stashed in her carry on bag; the adventure of a lifetime is about to begin. 
There’s only one problem. Life and Rosewood have a penchant for interfering in the best laid plans.
Amazon   Barnes and Noble

Author Bio: 
Like all children of military families, Susan spent her childhood moving from one duty station to the next. An ardent student of human nature, she acquired a love for ancient history and myth, a fascination for the ridiculous and unusual, and is the first to admit, she still collects way too much useless information. 
These days, when not working as a Registered Nurse, she writes whenever she can. When not writing, her favorite things to do are spend time with family, read, watch movies, garden, take black-and-white photos, travel, and remodel her house. 
Website: www.susanlute.com 
Blog: www.seejanepublish.wordpress.com 
fb: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-Lute/202040233153546 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/SusanLute 
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001HPWR2Q 

Mythology, Space and Edits Guest blog by Maria Hammarblad

Mythology, space, and edits.
Thank you Fang-tastic books for having me as a guest blogger! It's a pleasure to be here, though I have to admit I panicked for just a second when I realized where I was going. I mean, no one can deny vampires are the big thing. I personally prefer the old-fashioned kind with a touch of evil -- or at least desire -- before the eternally teenage ones frequently featured in media, but they're okay too. My books just don’t have any. (At least that's what I thought.)
My mind has been completely focused on my new release Kidnapped. It is a science fiction romance set in an environment utterly free from anything paranormal. It has evil, aliens, space, love, a cool cover, and oodles of other things, but nothing supernatural.
As I sat here scratching my head, wondering how to tackle the situation, my husband said, "Tell them about the Goddess's Saga." He's clearly smarter than I am: this book has it all. There is a goddess, mythology, genetically manipulated humans, monsters from another dimension, and even a vampire-like being.
The main character, Maria Callaway, was originally invented as a role playing character back in 2007. She took on a life of her own, found relatives, and grew friendships. She is older than she can keep track of, powerful, beautiful, and extremely bored. When I decided to put her in an actual novel, I tried changing her name, thinking of the mockery that would inevitably follow having a heroine sharing your own first name. (Just imagine, "Haha, you would like to be a goddess, wouldn't you?") It didn't work. Every time I changed her name, her personality changed too.
Her counterpart, Stephan Forks, is a genetically manipulated human. He is built to be stronger and smarter than people in general. When the book starts he's also a generally careless drunk, good at finding trouble. They shouldn't even like each other, but after getting over the first annoyance, they make a good couple.
The Goddess's Saga is really a collection volume containing three novels with the same characters. (Touch of the Goddess, Wrath of the Goddess, and Return of the Goddess.) I have learned so much from writing these books! They're self-published, and when I finished Touch of the Goddess, I realized I needed an editor. I hired one online and waited eagerly to get the material back. Let’s just say, it's a small fortune I could have spent better. I did learn some things, but the result wasn't impressive. I re-wrote that book for the release of The Goddess's Saga, and this time I took editing help from an author friend. I'm sure it's not perfect, one always makes mistakes, but it's much better.
Going from this haphazard self-editing to the structured way at a publishing house was a big step for me. Kidnapped was edited four times -- I think, it might be five -- by several different people. It's fascinating how something that seems completely clear in one's own head can puzzle others. My mind knows what the places look like and what happens between the lines.
I fought some of the edits to start with. I honestly thought my original way of doing things was better and didn’t want to re-write, but now when I see the final result, I know they were right and I was wrong.
I'm working on edits for another book now, also with Desert Breeze Publishing, and my editor for this book is tough. We're working on my first re-write and I won't lie; it stings a little when someone wants you to use the language in a completely different way from what you're used to. Still, when I read the parts we've remade, the end result will be awesome.

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Kidnappedby Maria Hammarblad
Blurb 
It's a late winter night when Patricia Risden heads home in her car, on a road she's driven many times before. She doesn't have a care in the world, that is, until a man appears from nowhere, right in front of her.
The next thing she knows is being a prisoner of the unscrupulous Alliance Commander Travis 152; an intimidating man who demands information and complete cooperation. Travis soon realizes his mistake; Tricia doesn't know anything, and she is incapable of even getting a glass of water from the ship's computer. 
Infamous for being a ruthless executioner, conditioned since childhood to feel nothing besides fear and pain, he still deems her harmless, and finds enough pity for the lost young woman to let her out of the cell; a decision that will change both their lives forever. 
Brief "about the book" from author Lynette Endicott 
Kidnapped is a well-written Science Fiction story of a woman kidnapped from earth and taken on a whirlwind tour of the universe with a captor whose heart is thawed by her innocence. This does not please his commander, who pursues, captures and loses both characters. In the process there is fun, adventure, sizzle, and an introduction to different worlds and their impact, one day, on our own. Be sure to pick up Kidnapped by Maria Hammarblad available from Desert Breeze Publishing.

Biography Maria Hammarblad 
Born in Sweden in the early 1970's, Maria showed a large interest for books at an early age. Even before she was able to read or write, she made her mom staple papers together into booklets she filled with drawings of suns and planets. She proudly declared them, "The Sun Book." They were all about the sun. She also claimed, to her mother's horror, that her being on Earth was a big mistake and that her alien family would come and bring her home at any moment. This never happened, but both the interest in space and the passion for bookmaking stayed with her. 
As an adult Maria's creativity got an outlet through playing bass in a number of rock bands, and through writing technical manuals and making web pages for various companies and organizations. She did write drafts for a few novels, but the storytelling muse was mostly satisfied through role playing online on Myspace. 
It was here, while writing stories together with people from around the globe, she stumbled onto Mike. They started talking out of character, and she moved over to Florida to him late 2008. Today the two are married and live in the Tampa Bay area with three rescue dogs. 
Besides writing and playing bass, Maria enjoys driving off-road, archery, and Tameshigiri. 
Website: http://www.hammarblad.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad 
Blog: http://www.scifiromance.info 
Twitter: @mariahammarblad 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4114780
Maria_Hammarblad Publisher's website: http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com 
Books by Maria Hammarblad: 
The Goddess's Saga, a series of novels consisting of Touch of the Goddess, Wrath of the Goddess, and Return of the Goddess. 
Embarkment 2577, a series of novellas consisting of Brand New World, High Gravity, and Adam and Eve. 
Invasion and other short stories 
Kidnapped Upcoming releases: Undercover, to be released by Desert Breeze Publishing September 11, 2012. 
Youtube book trailers: 
Kidnapped: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPsVFxWCtJo 
The Goddess's Saga: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hSYB3kkXx4 
Embarkment 2577: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8stZVGieh1g 
Invasion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irVn1ky7Roo

Magic in Paranormal Fiction Guest Blog with Jacqueline Paige

Magic in Paranormal FictionBy Jacqueline Paige
Fiction stories with magic aren’t new, especially in the past few years with wizards everywhere. When I decided to write a fiction series with magic in it I didn’t want to do the typical good magic vs. bad magic nor did I want to do wizards with their wands and staffs, instead I took the idea of non-fictional beliefs and practices and weaved them into a paranormal fiction story. 
The magic my characters use come spiritual beliefs, the earth and elements, crystals, herbs and in some cases ancestors that are able to lend a little something extra from the afterlife.
Here are a few examples of what my characters can do:
An Excerpt from Book I in the Magic Seasons – From Beltane Magic:
The eight stood in a circle around the small fire pit. Outside the shelter, the rain poured so hard it was like a steady, deafening sound. Cora stepped closer to the fire and stared into it. She glanced up and nodded to Leena. Taking Dade’s hand, she whispered, “Let’s hope some ancestors are available tonight.”
      Dade lifted her hand and kissed it before he let go. “I’ll make sure they are.” He picked up the shaker sitting in front of him and gently began to shake it from side to side. His lips moved in a silent chant, and he closed his eyes.
      Owen watched as Leena and Steven both turned their backs to the circle and faced the pouring rain. Raising their hands, they lowered their heads in concentration. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he’d never have believed someone telling him.
As their heads came up, the wind seemed to continuously circle the shelter and block out the pouring rain. He could no longer see or hear the heavy downpour.
Not knowing what to expect next, he looked back at the others. Chris, Kasey, and Rachel were standing with their hands clasped and staring into the fire as the flames rose higher. The flames were almost white now, and he blinked to make sure it wasn’t just his eyes.
Dade’s motion with the rattle became faster and louder as he moved to stand beside Cora. Her head was thrown back and her eyes closed, and she seemed to be shaking with the rhythm of the rattle. Her eyes flew open, and she stopped shaking to look into the fire. He could see the sweat beading down her face, and her hands trembled. The look on her face told him she was afraid, but she said nothing. She reached empty hands toward the fire, and the flames flew higher. Not knowing what else to do, Owen went to stand behind her in case he was needed at some point.
      She stepped back and cried out in fear. He caught up her shoulders and held her tight as Dade instructed him to do. Glancing over her shoulder and into the fire he saw, he wasn’t sure what, images but they blurred together and he couldn’t understand them.
Cora cried out again and sagged back against him. He caught her tight against his waist and held her to his chest. His own chest began to burn. He didn’t know what was going on, but he felt compelled to stop it. “Stop now!” He said roughly.
They have more magic to use, here is an excerpt from book II – The Solstice Heat
                Chris came out of his library to see the three men sitting in his living room.  He paused and looked around.  “Did I forget about a meeting?”  Where were the women?  “Where is everyone else?” 
                Dade leaned forward and rested his elbows on his legs.  “We were instructed they were coming here after work and they have been locked in your little magic broom closet for the last hour.”                Chris raised his eyebrows.  “Doing?”
                Owen lifted his hands.  “Won’t say.”
                Steven slumped down, wishing for a nap.  “They’re not too pleased being driven to and from work.”
                “I see.”  Chris turned and started down the hall.  “Let’s see what they’re up to.”
The men got up and followed him. 
He tried the doorknob to find it locked.  “Kase, unlock the door.”
                “Soon.” She called to him through the door.
                He stood there glaring at the door.  They’d locked him out of his own room in his own home!  We’ll see about this.  He stepped back and slapped and invisible command at the door. 
Sparks flew off it and the door remained closed.  “What the…”
                Dade grinned.  “Quite the little witch you have there Larkin.” 
                Steven whistled out a breath.  “Just how much trouble can they get into with all your stuff in there?”
                Chris still scowled at the door while he answered.  “A lot!”  He tapped the door with his hand.  “Kassandra unlock the door.” 
A gentle breeze blew over all four of them.
                “That would be a polite no.”  Dade said quietly.
                “Like hell, I’ll be locked out of my own temple room.” Chris hissed.  Stepping back he stared at the door, the handle shook.  When he thought it was going to open it started to pour rain on the four of them.  He waved a hand to stop it and looked at the men beside him.  Dade’s long hair was soaked and the expression on his face was similar to how he himself was feeling about the whole thing.
                “And that would be a mind your own business.” Owen said sticking his hands in his pockets.
                Chris looked at Steven.  “You have any ideas?”
                Steven shook his head trying to get the water to stop dripping in his face then took a step away from the door.  “Oh no. I’m plenty happy enough to wait until it opens on it’s own.  You might like lighting striking you but I’m not too open to trying that.”
                Chris shook his head.  “Are you all afraid of them?”
                Dade nodded.  “I’ve seen what each one can do alone – especially your little innocent there my friend; the four of them together scare the hell out of me.”
                Chris sighed and looked back at the door.  “Kasey?”
                “Yes Christopher?”  Her voice came through the door again.
                “You’re making me angry and I don’t want to do something I’ve promised you I wouldn’t.” 
A wind breeze ruffled his hair.  “I know you won’t Chris.  Now go away I’m trying to concentrate here.”
His jaw dropped.  Sighing he looked at the others. “Beer?”  They nodded and followed him down the hallway.
“Seems you’re a bit afraid of their wrath too councilor.” Dade mumbled behind him.
“Shut up.”  Chris growled and walked into the kitchen.
And sometimes they consider magic forces they shouldn’t. This is from Book III – Harvest Dreams
  What could she possibly be doing that held this kind of force?  He knew the answer as soon as he finished the thought; she was making some soul penance in exchange for Ricky’s health.  A gust of anguish shoved against him as he forced his legs to keep going towards the bedroom. 
Stopping momentarily to try and take a deep breath as the air crushed against his lungs and threatened to overtake him.  Nothing was stopping him from reaching Rachel.  Nothing!
He clenched his jaw and raised his hands against the swirling power.  Picturing her inside; needing him gave him more than enough strength to shove it back from him.  A picture on the wall rocked with the force and crashed to the floor.  He stepped over it and glared at the door that held her from his vision.  “Rachel!” 
He knew she probably couldn’t hear him, knew because years before when the emotions of losing patients threatened to ruin him, he had tried to make a bargain to keep someone from passing.  The price was too high in the end and he’d stopped.  Part of him knew she wouldn’t stop, she would succeed and he couldn’t live with that.
Shoving his power towards the door, he managed to rock it.  He didn’t know if he had enough strength to get through it.  Fear swamped him and it held him there, unmoving for moments more than he should have let it.  As he raised his head again and felt a rush of steady power flow over him and without turning knew that Chris had arrived.  Objects flew past him and the noise of the rushing wind howled around him.  Chris was not only here, but he was pissing off the force that Rachel had brought there.
“You have to do it!” 
Over the noise, he was barely able to hear Chris yelling only a few feet behind him.  Steven hesitantly turned his head away from the door and looked over at Chris kneeling on the floor with his hand held out towards him. His hair was blowing as he held onto the railing with his other hand straining to hold his position at the top of the stairs.
“It won’t let me any closer, Steven!  You can get through it.” Each word Chris said sounded as if he were in pain.
It took a few seconds for him to understand but he finally realized what Chris was saying.  Because it was Rachel doing it, Steven was somehow protected, but it would eat Chris alive if he pushed any further.  He nodded and looked back at the door.  A resolve passed over him; he was not giving up Rachel! 
Raising both hands towards the door, he placed one foot behind to brace himself against the incredible force the energies had.  Clenching his jaw, he allowed the fear and anger run through him, gathering strength he was going to need.  He felt his own hands shake with an energy that should have frightened him; ignoring it, he focused on the doorknob and watched as it began to shake. 
Another rush of power hit him as he felt Chris trying to help him again.  The doorknob snapped and dropped to the floor.  Taking a deep breath he rushed forward and smashed his side against the door.  It opened, pushing against him so he had to fight to move past it and enter the room.  The forces from the spell being cast were suffocating him; he took shallow breaths trying to find enough oxygen. 
Moving from the door, it slammed shut, sending him flying against the wall.  In the center of the room Rachel knelt, her eyes closed in concentration, her lips moving in a silent chant.  She held her hands over a black dish on the floor; he paused on her for a few more seconds and then looked at the items in front of her.  He had been right, the symbols on the floor, the incense, and the other tools lying in there all pointed towards what he’d feared. 
She knelt there, oblivious to the danger around her as objects in the room swirled around her, closer than he was comfortable with. 
Gasping, he caught his breath once more and fought to think of a way to break what she had begun.  A dark smoke swirled around her and he wasn’t going to stand there and see if it was getting closer as he suspected it was.
“Rach . . .” A blast of wind hit him and knocked his breath out of him.  Wind.  He straightened slowly and scowled at the dark mist circling the woman he loved.  He was not going to stand there and watch her bind her life force with something like that for anyone, himself included. Fighting to move closer he raised both hands away from his body and focused on the air in the room.  He controlled air and wasn’t going to allow some lurking spirit tell him otherwise.  Sweat soaked his brow as he stared at the objects moving around the room.  It had slowed, but wasn’t going to stop completely.
“Rachel!  This is not the answer!”  He shouted over the racket. 
I’d love to share more, but it’s more fun to find out yourself.
Step into a world of magic and passions…the Magic Seasons.





Harvest DreamsBook III in the Magic Seasons seriesBy Jacqueline PaigeArmed with magic and a plan ...Buy link:  Class Act Books  Jacqueline Paige link  http://www.classactbooks.com/Jacqueline-Paige_bymfg_25-0-1.html


Step into a world of magic and passions....
Take a dash of spice, heat it
Add a flash of magic and watch the sparks fly
Toss in a killer that's targeting women
Add a handful of witches from all paths to stir it all together...
Armed with magic and a plan for the Lammas festival as a group they are determined to stop the killer from harming anyone again.
With a plan of his own, Steven decides to persuade Rachel that they’re meant to be together.
Rachel is a woman that lives carefree with a buoyant recklessness. She loves being a flirt and has spent many years indulging that side of her personality. Her energy draws others; her character is to protect all those that cannot protect themselves.  When she’s not riding on life, she is helping children less fortunate then herself.  
Steven is man that gives more than his energy usually allows.  He is a highly respected pediatrician that always goes that extra step to ensure all in his care are receiving his utmost attention.  He often sacrifices sleep to spend time with his friends, and he can’t seem to help affably chasing the skirt of the one woman that breaks his easy going charm and makes him forget he’s supposed to be the jovial.  
He hides his strength in body and magic, never letting others know that he is more than the carefree man with everything he needs.    
Armed with magic and a plan for the Lammas festival as a group they are determined to stop the killer from harming anyone again.  With a plan of his own, Steven decides he’s done waiting for Rachel to see that they’re meant to be together and takes things into his own hands.

Free For Your Kindle

The Silence of LirBy Mary Twomey
Book 1Genre: young adult fantasy fiction


Available as a free download on Amazon June 1-5
Behind the scenes of our spinning earth are keepers of the elements who make sure that tornados don’t destroy cities, fires don’t ravage forests, earthquakes don’t decimate towns, and floods don’t take out humanity. They wrestle with the natural elements to ensure that the world keeps spinning smoothly on its axis. 
Since the beginning of time, the Sun has been fading, and the light that shines on the earth is dimming, causing the elements to be more volatile and impossible for the keepers to control. 
Now they must enlist the help of one man, Finn, to help them bring the light back to the Sun. The keepers war, the North Star steals light from the Sun, and the Moon is in disrepute. The end of existence is coming, and all the while the king, the Moon, Lir, remains silent.


About the Author:

Mary E. Twomey lives in Michigan with her husband and two adorable children. She enjoys reading, writing, vegetarian cooking and telling her children fantastic stories about wombats.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/SagaOfTheSpheres 

Twitter @shesleepssoftly

website www.SagaOfTheSpheres.com

Guest Blog and Giveaway with Felicity Heaton

Introducing the Vampires Realm romance series
It’s great to be here today at Fang-tastic Books with the book tour for my new vampire romance, Masquerade. Masquerade is the tenth book in my ongoing Vampires Realm romance series. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the others, as Masquerade does stand alone.
Today I’m going to introduce everyone to the Vampires Realm series.
I’m never sure where to begin when I talk about the world of my Vampires Realm series. It seems so huge and daunting, and I don’t want to miss out anything.
The Vampires Realm series is a work of passion for me. It’s the darkest and deadliest world of vampires that I write, and it’s also the original world. I began this series back in 2007 with the Prophecy Trilogy. At the time, it was only going to be used in those three long novels but as I wrote them, I realised that I had built such a beautifully detailed world and had found many other characters in the books that I wanted to write stories for too. There are several other stories woven into the Prophecy Trilogy, some of which I have since written and others which I will write at a future date.
Everyone who knows my stories knows that I adore writing dark vampires, ones who will kill without apology and see humans as a food source. I enjoy exploring their darker nature, the side of their legend that a lot of authors tend to avoid in favour of a lighter kind of vampire (those who like bagged blood, abstain completely, or possibly sparkle). Like my vampires, I make no apologies for their behaviour. They fight, they love, they kill, and they do what they must to survive.
In the series, seven separate bloodlines share Europe, and sometimes cities (but never willingly). Each has a long bloody history with the others and all have been involved in wars with each other throughout the millennia. They are territorial and more often than not at least two bloodlines are at each other’s throats. Despite the battles that often rage between their families, humans are for the most part unaware of the existence of vampires. Only those unfortunate enough to find themselves on the menu or those who have survived an encounter and become a vampire hunter know of them.
There are vampire hunters in the world of the Vampires Realm series, and while most of them aren’t a threat to the vampires of the seven pure bloodlines, there are some organisations that are on the rise and are becoming worthy of the attention of their nocturnal adversaries.
But vampire hunters and other bloodlines aren’t the only enemies the vampires in my series face. There are the free werewolves too, those who have escaped or avoided the compounds owned by the bloodlines, as well as witches, demons straight out of Hell and even angels.
The world of the seven pure bloodlines is dark and deadly, and the lives of the vampires are complicated by hierarchies, rules and laws that spell certain death to anyone who dares to break them by falling in love with a human, werewolf or a vampire from another family. But it doesn’t stop these passionate creatures of the night from following their hearts, fighting for their love, and taking on the world to claim their forever after.
The world of Vampires Realm is so vast that I can only touch on it in this post, but as the Masquerade Book Tour progresses, I will be talking more about elements of the world in more detail, as well as interviewing the hero and heroine of the novel, and sharing excerpts with you all.
I hope this post has given you some insight into the series though, and that you’ll join me on the tour. If you can’t wait, you can find out more about the series at the official website, where there are excerpts from all of the books, and information on the bloodlines, characters, laws and more. Visit http://www.vampiresrealm.com
I would also like to take this moment to mention that there is a grand giveaway running throughout the whole of the Masquerade Book Tour. The top prize is a KINDLE TOUCH plus bundle of Vampires Realm series ebooks 1-9 (doesn’t include Masquerade), and it’s open internationally. You can find all the details at the Masquerade Book Tour page: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/masquerade-book-tour.php 
Masquerade is available now at Amazon Kindle stores, Smashwords and All Romance eBooks. It will soon be available for Nook, Apple devices, Sony Reader, and Kobo Books, but you can get it in epub from other retailers like Smashwords and my own website.
Masquerade
F E Heaton
Ten years have passed since Sophis and Vivek, two vampires of the Venia bloodline, came close to death at the hands of twin hunters Aleksis and Izabella Romanov. The events of that night turned Sophis and Vivek against each other, shattering their close friendship and driving them apart.
Now, on the eve of a centenary Creator Day masquerade and at a time when things between them are dangerously close to separating them forever, they uncover a small army of vampire hunters in Saint Petersburg, led by their nemeses, Aleksis and Izabella.
With the safety of the rulers of the seven pure vampire bloodlines in their hands and their chance for vengeance hanging in the balance, can Sophis and Vivek face their past and overcome their differences? Will they realise their true feelings for each other before it’s too late or will the hunters finally claim their lives as their deadly plot to destroy the bloodlines unfolds?
Read an excerpt: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Masquerade
Available in e-book from:
Author's website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/ebooks.php?title=Masquerade
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00838118Q/
Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00838118Q/
Amazon Kindle Germany: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00838118Q/
Amazon Kindle France: http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00838118Q/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/161982
All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-masquerade-791165-139.html

BiographyFelicity Heaton writes passionate paranormal romance books as Felicity Heaton and F E Heaton. In her books she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons!
If you're a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.
If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, Felicity Heaton’s best selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series she writes as F E Heaton or any of her stand alone vampire romance books she writes as Felicity Heaton. Or if you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try Felicity Heaton’s new Vampire Erotic Theatre series.
In 2011, four of her six paranormal romance books received Top Pick awards from Night Owl Reviews, Forbidden Blood was nominated as Best PNR Vampire Romance 2011 at The Romance Reviews, and many of her releases received five star reviews from numerous websites.
If you want to know more about me, or want to get in touch, you can find me at the following places:My website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk Vampires Realm official website: http://www.vampiresrealm.com My blog: http://www.indieparanormalromancebooks.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/felicityheaton Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/felicityheaton




Felicity is giving away a signed personalised paperback of Seventh Circle plus signed swag
to enter fill out the Rafflecopter form

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Echo Falls Tour Intro and Giveaway

Home is where your pack is.
Hello everyone! I am so excited to be starting my tour with Bewitching Book Tours here at Fang-tastic Books. I am looking forward to a whole month of talking to readers about Echo Falls as well as what I have in store next.
And we can’t forget the giveaways!
But why would you want to win a copy of Echo Falls? While I would love to think that “because it’s about werewolves” would be enough of a reason for anyone, I think I’ll tell you a little more about it…
Echo Falls opens with Phoebe Martin running from a nightmare that has taken away everything she ever knew. When she comes to the town of Echo Falls, a glimmer of hope begins to shine within her and she begins to believe that she can start a new life. But the hunter never gives up on his prey…
Aidan O’Bryan is a cop and a pack leader with double the problems on his hands: someone is murdering werewolves. He knows that Phoebe has information that could help him find the murderer, but she doesn’t want to talk. He should be staying at arm’s length and treating her like anyone else involved with a case, but he can’t resist getting close to find out the mysteries of her past.
Join Phoebe as she tries to stay one step ahead of the man who wants to take her life and finds a home worth fighting for.
About me…
I was born and raised in the US Midwest but am now happily living out my days in country Australia. I am married and have a growing zoo (one cat and two dogs at this point). I have devoured practically everything romance since I was a little girl, and that shows through with nearly everything I write. Echo Falls is my first step into the paranormal.
When I’m not writing or thinking about writing, I am usually baking some sort of sweet treat, playing with the animals or kidnapping my husband. (It’s okay – he likes it.)
Giveaway Time
Three signed print copies of Echo Falls are up for grabs in this lovely giveaway, and they will be coming all the way from Australia!
This is a worldwide giveaway, so anyone can enter so long as you’re 18+ years old. Winners will be chosen from those who enter their details into the form below.
*Please join me on the rest of my tour for reviews, interviews and more giveaways!*

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June 4 Tour IntroFang-tastic Bookswww.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
June 5 Guest blog and reviewB'Tween Prose http://btweenprose.blogspot.com
June 6 PromoThe Creatively Green Write at Home Momwww.creativelygreen.blogspot.com
June 7 Interview and promoSimply Ali @ http://SimplyAli.com
June 8 Guest blogRoxanne’s Realmwww.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com

June 11 Promo
J.D. Brown's Book Blog 
http://DarkFantasyBookClub.blogspot.com
June 12 Character InterviewButterfly-o-Meter Books
June 15 Interview and promoNilsa's Book Bloghttp://www.Nilsa-Rodriguez.com

June 18 PromoVanessa Romanowww.thejeepdiva.com
June 18 InterviewTory Michaels' Worldwww.torymichaels.com,
 June 19 PromoFlutey Words http://authoraubrie.blogspot.com
June 19 ReviewReading Lark After Darkreadinglarkafterdark.blogspot.com
June 20 Interviewhttp://www.kaydeeroyal.blogspot.com  
June 20 Guest Post and reviewUrban Fantasy Investigationshttp://urbanfantasyinvestigations.blogspot.com/


June 21 Promo and reviewStorm Goddess Book Reviews & More- www.stormgoddessbookreviews.blogspot.com
June 21 ReviewThe Bo0ki3 http://thebo0ki3.blogspot.com/ 

June 22 Guest blog and reviewDelighted Reader Book Reviews http://delightedreader.com

June 25 Review and promoBooks, Books, and More Books http://dream-reader-dreamer2229.blogspot.com/ 
June 26 PromoReviews By Mollyhttp://reviewsbymolly.com
June 26 PromoRead2Review http://read2review.com
June 27 Guest blogCarly Fall - Where Fantasy Meets Romance http://www.carlyfall.com/?p=1823

July 2 reviewEveryone Loves a Sinnerwww.zenes-escape.com
July 2 reviewA Bibliophile's Thoughts on Bookshttp://bibliophilesthoughtsonbooks.blogspot.com/



Echo Falls By Jaime McDougall 
Genre: Urban Fantasy 
Blurb: 
Running from a nightmare stalking her every move, Phoebe Martin arrives in Echo Falls hoping she has finally found a safe place to stop. But trouble has a way of catching up and soon the signs are there. 
After a vicious attack in an alley, policeman Aidan O'Bryan is left with Phoebe as his only path to understanding why the Echo Falls werewolf pack - his pack - is being attacked. When another pack member is killed, Phoebe is forced to confront her past before she loses Aidan and everything she has come to love. 
 Love and duty become one as Aidan strives to prevent Phoebe from becoming the next victim. But with Phoebe just as determined to protect Aidan and her new home, secrets from her past threaten to tear them apart. Will love give Phoebe the strength to trust Aidan and face her fears, or will her past destroy her future? 
Amazon


About the Author: 
Jaime McDougall is a citizen of the world, currently loving life in beautiful country Victoria in Australia. She loves eating sushi, kidnapping her husband and naming her pets in honour of science fiction authors. 
A love of fiction has always coursed through her veins and she told stories as a child even before she knew how to write them. Settling into one genre was never her style and she has plans for novels in women’s fiction, urban fantasy and more – all with a touch of romance. 
She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: High School: The Real Deal and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Campus Chronicles. She has also enjoyed writing the So You Want ebook series for authors looking to establish their names online. 
You can connect with her at her website, http://www.inkyblots.com and on Facebook. 
 Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/#!/JMScribe 
 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorjaimemcdougall

Spotlight on Cinsearae Santiago

Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this particular genre?
First, I just want to thank you so much for having me here again, Roxanne! :) I publish traditionally and independently; have been for quite a few years now :) . I’m also a cover artist for Damnation Books, LLC  as well as independent authors, and Editor/Publisher of award-winning Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine. I love photographing nature in her more ‘atmospheric’ conditions, or anything else that has an eerie or gothic appeal. I’ve always been inspired by anything that is *not* mundane or contemporary. There’s so much more to what we simply see, and I’m always the one to investigate, lol. My insanely, creative and creepy side makes it hard for me to write anything non-paranormal, lol.
What is it about the paranormal, in particular vampires (or insert the paranormal creature featured in your book here instead), that fascinates you so much?
I think the majority of us are drawn to the mysterious and the unknown. Vampires may be deemed fiction, but the ‘idea’ originated from somewhere, and isn’t most fiction derived from a bit of fact? *grin* Their immortality, persuasiveness, a domineering presence that demands respect (or at least your utmost attention), secretiveness, and that sensual allure… there’s many factors to these creatures of the night that makes us wonder ‘why’ and ‘can I get some of that?’ LOL!
Please tell us about your latest release.
In “Diary of a Vampire Stripper” a young woman named Audra pretty much forces herself to audition as a stripper in hopes that it will earn her some fast cash to pay her rent and bills. She feels a bit awkward about stooping to such a level, but ‘you gotta do what you gotta do’. She winds up being hired, and not too long afterward, a certain gentleman frequents the club whom she’s immediately smitten with. Once they get to know each other better and he invites her to his beach house for a weekend, it’s all downhill from there when she discovers he has turned her into a vampire. Now she’s stuck having to deal with this new situation, plus work her new lifestyle into the one she already has, with darkly comical results.
Do you have a formula for developing characters? Like do you create a character sketch or list of attributes before you start writing or do you just let the character develop as you write?
Luckily, I don’t have to flesh them out often. They already come to me, even with their names! I already know their personalities, quirks, likes and dislikes, how old they are, their physical traits…it’s very interesting. I think Mel Brooks said it best in this quote: "Every human being has hundreds of separate people living under his skin. The talent of a writer is his ability to give them their separate names, identities, personalities and have them relate to other characters living with him."
What is your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without spoilers of course?
Actually, I have two! One is when she gives Paul (who later became her boyfriend) a private strip tease for the first time. The gaseous events that happened immediately afterward had Audra nearly running and screaming down the hallway where she works. Another one is definitely when poor Audra wakes up to find herself in a hospital morgue, then figuring out how to escape without drawing attention herself.
With the book being part of a series, are there any character or story arcs, that readers jumping in somewhere other than the first book, need to be aware of? Can these books be read as stand alones?
To be on the safe side, readers would probably have to start from the beginning to find out how and why certain things have happened to the characters, which continues more in-depth in the second part. Part two to DoaVS will pick up exactly where the first one leaves off.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? How do you deal with it?
When my muse decides to take a vacay, I simply do something else. I have other creative projects I’m working on at any given point in time, so I don’t really freak-out if a block happens. I have these ‘waves’ in which certain things will come into effect---when one wave ebbs, a new wave for something else follows.
Do you have any weird writing quirks or rituals?Other than having a cup of coffee in the morning to kick-start my brain or a glass of wine in the afternoon or evening to help loosen my muse up a bit, that’s probably about it, lol. I LOVE cloudy, rainy days for writing. Everything is so dead quiet, and I feel more rejuvenated during a rainstorm.
Other than writing, what are some of your interests, hobbies or passions in life?
I love photographing nature, cemeteries, and anything else that catches my eye. I’m a stickler for carrying a camera with me. My last project involved compiling a photobook of scenes I’ve captured over the last 4 years, titled “ Terra Mysteria: A look at life in a Darker Aesthetic ”. I’m also that dorky person you’ll see raiding Halloween stores the moment they start appearing, lol. My Etsy shop, Mistress Rae’s Decadent Designs keeps me tons busy too. Going to horror conventions/alternative special events and raiding flea markets/thrift stores for anything I can upcycle or improve on are some of my other guilty pleasures, lol.
What can readers expect next from you?
I’m definitely working on the second part to DoaVS as we speak. I have another novel plus a second collection of short stories in the works too; hopefully some of them will be out by the end of the year or early 2013.
Where can readers find you on the web?
http://bloodtouch.webs.com (my author website)http://www.twitter.com/cinsearaehttp://www.facebook.com/cinsearaeI’m also at LinkdIn and BranchOut, and you can also find me at Youtube under Cinsearae and CinsearaeS.
Would you like to leave readers with a little teaser or excerpt from the book?Absolutely!
I awoke in a cold, hard, metallic, oblong compartment of some sort. It was completely silent --- and felt very claustrophobic.
Why was I covered with a sheet?!
I tried sitting up, quickly banging my head on metal. Ow.
Raising my arms to rip the sheet down from my head, I noticed there were only inches between myself and this… box I was in.
W… T… F.
I looked down, unable to see anything but pitch blackness. I could tell I wasn’t in a coffin, but after watching too much C.S.I. in the past, I deduced I was in a hospital morgue.
Good grief.
How I got here was the biggest question on my mind, not to mention how I’d get the heck out of here undetected.
So, if I was on a metal slab, then these things slid outward. Pressing my hands against the sides of my icy, metal cubicle, I pushed myself forward, my feet hitting the square door before popping it open.
Light! And no one tending to the place, thank God --- could you imagine me literally scaring the piss out of whoever happened to be down here? I kept guiding myself forward until I was able to sit up, and swung my legs over the slab. I jumped down, realizing I was buck-naked, and wrapped the sheet tight around me. I looked at my left wrist and noticed my ID tag. I guess using toe tags was out of fashion nowadays? 
I snatched it off, reading the info on it -- Name of Deceased: Claudia, last name unknown. Age: 27. Sex: F. Race: H. Weight: 185. Height: 5’7”. Date of Death: 2-18-11. Place Of Death: Commercial Residence. Cause Of Death: unknown. The Funeral Director and Physician spots were left blank, but in the comments section were the words, “Call Joshua” and two phone numbers. I balled it up, about to chuck it in the nearest trashcan, but held onto it. No sense in leaving evidence behind. I looked around. Okay, I was wearing clothes before I wound up here, so where would they keep the possessions of the deceased?
On the opposite side of the room, I spotted what looked like small filing cabinets. Each had a number on them. I put two-and-two together and looked at my case number on the tag, matching it with a cabinet. I snatched my stuff out, which was placed in a clear, drawstring bag.
Okay. Next thing was to get the hell out of this hospital. I thought of putting my clothes back on, then paused. I was one of the ‘dearly departed’, so no need to draw attention to myself by walking out in the outfit I was brought dead in. What I really needed was a hospital gown, but I frowned at the notion of putting on one of those cheap, ass-exposing pieces of material. But hell, it would look way less suspicious than wearing an entire sheet.
Passing by an unlocked medical supply closet --boy, were the Fates in my favor that evening!-- I found pair of typical, pale green, sterile-colored scrubs, a surgical mask, and a hair cover. I dressed in the closet, leaving the sheet there, then made my way to an elevator and pushed the ‘ground level’ button.
The doors opened, and I poked my head out. No one around. Good. This would be a piece of cake… as soon as I found the main doors.
I felt like a mouse in a disinfected maze, passing by one orderly and a nurse in my travels. Was that the front desk I saw up ahead?
The woman there didn’t even look at me; she was busy playing some kind of online game on her computer. Wow. Glancing through the windows, I noticed the sun had just set. The hospital seemed pretty low-key at the moment.
“No one sees me… no one sees me…” I kept chanting to myself. The main doors were getting closer as I maintained my not-too-suspicious fast pace.
My hands were on the doors, and then I was free. I’m sure there were cameras around outside, but I kept on walking until I was completely out of sight of the building, then ran like hell to the nearest bus stop. Fortunately, one was just rolling up. As I hopped on, I was glad I was wearing scrubs instead of a gown ---it would have caused too many whispers on the bus. I probably wouldn’t have made it out of the hospital in the first place. Besides, folks who worked in those places often wore their scrubs home, anyway. The only thing that looked odd was the clear bag of my possessions. Some folks looked at the bag, then to me, then looked away. I wondered what kind of stories they were assuming in their minds. This was one time I was grateful for their ‘don’t know and don’t care’ attitudes. If there was one thing you could count on was their craven, disassociated nature. There were the elite few who actually gave a damn, don’t get me wrong, but they were rare. For the random, typical person, forget it. (Yay for humans! Can you hear me giving a raspberry right about now?)

Bandit Creek Spotlight: A Bandit Creek Miracle by Brenda Sinclair

This week's spotlighted title is A Bandit Creek Miracle by Brenda Sinclair


A BANDIT CREEK MIRACLE by Brenda Sinclair
BLURB
City girl Amanda Bailey arrives in Bandit Creek to replace the bank manager who is on maternity leave. After surviving her first day at work, Amanda spends a toe-curling night in the arms of a Hollywood-handsome local cowboy.
Several doctors had predicted Amanda would never conceive a baby, a devastating side effect of her successful cancer chemo treatments. But she is both shocked and elated to discover a few weeks later that she is pregnant!
Joyful thoughts of motherhood swirl in her head, but the baby's grandfather threatens Amanda with his unwelcome demands. Protecting her professional reputation by keeping her condition a secret in this small town is the least of her worries when she discovers something is seriously wrong at the bank.
The local gossipmongers hit an all-time low when rumors abound that Amanda herself is the thief and is covering her tracks by accusing one of the locals.
Amanda must fight to save her career and her reputation, but will this temporary work assignment prove to be her ruin?


BRENDA SINCLAIR BIO
Brenda Sinclair is a writer of historical American West and contemporary romance, a member of her local chapter of Romance Writers of America, a healthy lifestyle advocate and past leader of her TOPS weight-loss group, a gardening enthusiast and dog lover. She is young at heart, regardless of what her driver's license says.
Brenda was raised on a farm in southern Manitoba and taught school on a semi-remote reservation in northern Manitoba where, during frequent visits to a nearby town, she met her husband, a Treaty Cree member of the local First Nations band. Brenda and her husband have been married for forty years, and during that time they managed to raise two sons who are totally normal, productive members of society. She is extremely proud of her three wonderful, fun-loving grandchildren.
Brenda worked in the accounting field for over twenty-five years. A few years ago, she retired and traded in numbers for words when she decided to be a writer when she grew up. The latter part of the previous sentence is still up for debate.
She is currently putting the final touches on a contemporary novella project, the 'Escape to Alaska Trilogy' and completing book three of a historical American West trilogy. During writing breaks, Brenda enjoys walking the beautiful Fish Creek Park trails near her home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with her little dog, Kelly, checking out what Jack Abbott is up to on today's installment of The Young and The Restless, or snuggling with Kelly on the sofa and enjoying a good book.
Brenda believes life is good, and for days that life isn't so good, just get over it. There's always tomorrow.
You can find Brenda at:
Website: http://www.brendasinclairauthor.comFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/brendasinclairauthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/bsinclairauthor
CHAPTER ONE
"Where is that damn hotel?"
Amanda Bailey steered her three-year-old red BMW coupe along the streets of Bandit Creek, Montana. The town's population hovered at around three thousand, and she'd convinced herself she could locate her destination without directions. She hadn't planned to arrive after dark.
Glancing at her watch, she discovered the time was already twenty minutes after ten. Thankfully, the highways were clear. But having driven almost non-stop from Helena, she couldn't wait for this day to end. Her eyes strained to focus on the road ahead, and she still hadn't spotted the New Golden Nugget Hotel.
She continued driving up one street and down another, convinced the hotel would appear around the next corner. As she spotted a diner, her stomach growled a reminder that she hadn't eaten since noon. Several pickup trucks and two cars were parked in front. 
Amanda pulled into a parking spot across the street from Ma's Kitchen.
"Well, Ma, I hope you serve up directions as well as meals." Amanda grabbed her purse off the passenger seat and clambered out of the car. She stretched her back, hunched and released her shoulders, and then inhaled the clean country air. There wasn't any familiar city noise. No ambulance sirens screaming, no horns honking. Except for a dog barking in the distance, the town remained eerily quiet.
Amanda dashed across the pavement, dodging a few puddles of snowy mush that threatened to ruin her new leather fashion boots. A tiny bell tinkled overhead as she entered the diner, and the aroma of strong coffee teased her nose. All conversation ceased, and a dozen heads swiveled toward the door to acknowledge the new arrival. Surprised expressions replaced the locals' welcoming smiles when they spotted her. Obviously, at this time of night, they'd expected to see a familiar face.
"Come in, dear." A plump woman with tight curly silver hair done up in a bun strode toward her carrying a menu. Her cheery floral apron covered a short-sleeved white blouse and neat navy slacks, a tea towel rode her right shoulder, and keen eyes peered at her from behind out-of-date eyeglasses.
"Hello. I'd kill for a cup of coffee." Amanda glanced around the diner. A horseshoe shaped counter with red-vinyl upholstered stools caught her eye. A row of booths sat against the far wall, and various square wooden tables and low-backed chairs utilized the remaining floor space. Flimsy red gingham curtains framed the front windows and a variety of historical photographs hung on the white painted walls. The term 'quaint' flashed through her mind. A perfect setting for a 1950's diner scene in a movie, she thought. Do the big-name California film producers know about this place?
"Often hear 'kill for a cup of coffee' first thing in the morning, not at this time of night." 
The woman chuckled and motioned Amanda forward. "We don't bother with a PLEASE WAIT TO BE SEATED sign like you see in the city. Just pick a seat and plant it, honey."As Amanda cautiously stepped across the slush-spattered linoleum floor, she removed her black wool ¾-length coat revealing a white cashmere sweater tucked into black dress pants.
She chose a table beside a window and slung her coat over the chair back. She lowered herself onto the seat, placed her purse on the table, and loosened the aqua cashmere scarf wrapped around her neck.
Her server set the menu in front of her and then stood hands on hips.
"Thanks, Ma." Amanda picked up the menu.
"Actually, honey, the name's Lucy. And that's George over there inside the horseshoe jawing with them cowboys." Lucy pointed in the gentlemen's direction with her thumb as if hitchhiking on the I-90. Hearing his name, George looked up and waved.
"Sorry, the sign outside..."
"Most newcomers to town make the same mistake. Usually, I don't even bother to correct the tourists." Lucy cackled and stuck out her beefy hand. "You must be the gal replacing the manager at the Ellis bank during her maternity leave. Catherine dropped by for lunch and mentioned you'd be arriving today."
"Amanda Bailey." She shook Lucy's slightly calloused hand. "Sorry, my hands feel like ice."
"As soon as the sun goes down seems the temperature takes a nose dive. I'll fetch you a mug of coffee to warm your insides and lift your spirits."
"Just black, please. Do you have decaf?" Amanda required something stronger than coffee to drag her out of this dark mood, but it didn't look like they served wine here.
She detested winter weather and she hated small towns. Her parents insisted she and her siblings spend summers with her grandparents at her mother's small Minnesota hometown. 
There was no movie theater or even a library, and she soon discovered that her grandmother's sole source of entertainment was gossiping with her lady friends.
"Nope. None of them fancy lattes and such neither, just plain old coffee." Lucy turned and scurried away.
"Why am I not surprised?" muttered Amanda. Bandit Creek was the last place on earth she wanted to be. A city girl through-and-through, she'd attempted every means possible to avoid this small town purgatory. But her boss and best friend, Susan Sanders, warned her that if she expected a future promotion to manager of a city bank she should accept this temporary assignment.
She'd barely glanced at the menu before the server returned to the table and plunked down a white ceramic mug of steaming brew.
"Decided what you want?"
Amanda thought the woman appeared a-little-rough-around-the-edges. But a rough edge here and there never hurt anyone.
"I'll have a bowl of the homemade chicken noodle soup, a cheeseburger, loaded, and sweet potato fries, please." Amanda passed the menu back to Lucy. "Does salad come with the burger?"
"Yep, coleslaw comes with your meal."
"I'm sorry, but I don't consider coleslaw to be salad," stated Amanda, smiling. She caught a glimpse of one of the guys seated at the horseshoe counter. The Hollywood-handsome cowboy faced backwards on the stool, slouching, resting his elbows on the counter behind him. He smiled broadly and his big brown eyes met hers for several seconds causing her heartbeat to race. Thankfully, the waitress had seated her before she'd fallen weak-kneed under the spell of this good-looking cowboy. After the horrendous year she'd just endured, Amanda enjoyed the attention he bestowed on her.
"Close enough. We put two kinds of cabbage in it - green and red." Lucy tapped her pen on the order pad. "So that's soup, cheeseburger, sweet tater fries and coleslaw. You're my kind of gal. Healthy appetite."
Amanda grimaced at the comment. She still struggled to maintain her weight, having lost so many pounds during the year-long chemo and radiation treatments and recovery. All of her girlfriends back in Helena envied her ability to eat everything in sight, one consolation for surviving the cancer. She leaned her elbows on the table, tented her fingers. "I might be tempted to order a piece of lemon pie."
"There's one piece of lemon meringue left. Those cowboys dropped by after the cattlemen's meeting for coffee and pie. And the other folks arrived when the movie theater let out." Lucy whispered in a conspirator-like manner, "I'll hide that last piece under the counter until you finish the first course."
"I wondered why there were so many people in here at this hour. Thank you for saving the pie." Amanda smiled. Dessert always cheered her up. "Where's the Ladies' Room?"
Lucy pointed toward the overhead sign in back and then headed toward the kitchen.
Amanda blew on the steaming coffee, took a sip, and then glanced toward the horseshoe counter. The cowboy met her eyes again, and his bushy moustache twitched slightly as his full lips hinted at a grin. She'd spent most of the past year bald, her head covered with a scarf, nauseous and weak as a kitten. Being admired by a handsome cowboy brightened Amanda's mood a notch and ignited her playful side. She copied his position: slouching in her chair, crossing her ankles and arms, staring right back at him. His grin broadened.
A minute later, Amanda regretted her playfulness, her body aching from sitting in a fixed position while driving for so many hours. Her leg muscles screamed 'what the hell are you doing'? And she fervently prayed she didn't slide off the edge of the chair and land on her butt under the table. Feeling her face redden, she struggled to stand, grabbed her purse, and headed toward the restrooms in back.
As she wended her way between the tables, she observed the other patrons. A gray-haired couple occupied a corner booth, and they smiled as she glanced in their direction. The cowboys seated around the horseshoe nodded and touched the brim of their Stetsons as she approached. One fellow appeared older than the others, but none of them stood out as anything other than typical small town guys. Mr. Hollywood-handsome being the exception.
"Evening, ma'am." The handsome cowboy's deep masculine voice rumbled in his broad chest, and he removed the Stetson and set it on his thigh. He wore jeans, a chambray shirt, open denim jacket and well-worn cowboy boots which suggested he was the genuine article.
"Good evening." Amanda stopped directly in front of the good-looking fellow.
"I wasn't eavesdropping, but I couldn't help overhear your conversation with Lucy. So, you're the gal replacing my sister-in-law, Catherine." The cowboy leaned forward, extended his hand. "Jeremy Branigan."
"Please to meet you, Mr. Branigan. I'm Amanda Bailey." Amanda shook his hand and felt an electric current race up her arm. She'd never felt such an immediate attraction to a guy before, and she imagined running her fingers through his dark brown, almost shoulder-length curls. The laugh lines around his eyes hinted at his sense of humor, and she'd always been attracted to a deep male voice that rattled her mind in equal proportion to the degree of rattling in the fellow's chest.
Jeremy introduced her to the other gentlemen seated around the horseshoe, and Amanda shook their hands. She'd never remember them all, but the name Jeremy Branigan was permanently burned into her mind like a brand on a steer's hide.
They just stared at each other for an embarrassing length of time. Amanda cleared her throat and shifted to her other foot. Her brain had dissolved into mush, and she couldn't think of one intelligent thing to say. Those beautiful brown eyes almost spoke to her when he smiled. She mentally shook herself, fearing she might melt into a puddle at his feet.
"I guess I'll be seeing you around town, ma'am." Jeremy replaced his Stetson on his head, touched the brim.
Amanda exhaled, unaware she'd been holding her breath while she watched the cowboy slide his long legs back under the counter. She stumbled down the narrow hallway toward a door labeled LADIES while mentally restarting her thought processes.
She glanced back toward the horseshoe counter and caught Jeremy watching her. Had the handsome cowboy felt a similar attraction to her? Or like most guys did he just habitually check out a woman's behind? She hoped Jeremy hadn't been disappointed. She dashed into the Ladies' room and locked the door, admitting to herself she couldn't fault Jeremy's behavior. She'd been guilty of checking out a few male rear ends on the sly, too.
On her way back to the table, a pleasantly-plump, casually dressed couple waved her over to their table.
"I bet you're the new banker. I could tell right off, you being all dressed up so professional and all." The fellow was obviously expecting her to confirm his guess.
"Amanda Bailey." Introductions were made and hands were shook. She assumed they were customers at the bank.
By the time she returned to her table, the cowboys had left the diner.
Lucy arrived with her soup, and Amanda suddenly remembered she required directions to the hotel. The friendly woman's banter and the testosterone-oozing cowboy had distracted her from her second purpose in stopping.
"Before I forget, Lucy, could you please give me directions to the New Golden Nugget Hotel?" Amanda reached for the soup spoon.
"Yep. I'll draw you a map, honey." Lucy grabbed a paper napkin out of the holder and dug out a ballpoint pen from her apron pocket. "You'll love staying at the Nugget. After the flood in 1911, Mr. and Mrs. Vanderberg rebuilt the hotel. Their great granddaughter, Elsie Rhodes, owns the place now. She's a tad eccentric, but she's a good soul."
Amanda studied the completed map. The combination of lines and squiggles resembled an aerial view of a corn maze in August. The street names were indecipherable. Doctors wrote more legibly. "Could you please explain the route, too?" Amanda memorized the directions as recited.
When she asked for her bill, Lucy informed her that Jeremy Branigan paid for her meal. Amanda started to object, but Lucy waved off her protests. "Don't worry about it, honey. That wealthy rascal carries around hundred dollar bills for pocket change."

One Day Book Blitz Servant of the Goddess by Denise Verrico

Guest PostFangs, Wands & Fairydust and Winged Effigyhttp://fangswandsandfairydust.com/ 
promoRamblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer, www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com
Guest blogRead2Review http://read2review.com
review and promoBooks, Books, and More Bookshttp://dream-reader-dreamer2229.blogspot.com/
Guest BlogFang-tastic Bookswww.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com
ExcerptThe Creatively Green Write at Home Momwww.creativelygreen.blogspot.com
Guest Blog/PromoRoxanne’s Realmwww.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com
Promo/guest postA Dream Within A Dreamhttp://adreamwithindream.blogspot.com
JessicaSimply Infatuated
Guest posthttp://achickwhoreads.blogspot.com
Fictional candyhttp://www.fictionalcandy.com/
Blitz June 2 www.bitten2ice.com/TheFullFang
Interviewhttp://www.kaydeeroyal.blogspot.com 
Lisa's World of BookLisasworldofbooks.net
From Meredith Allardwww.meredithallard.com
Guest BlogSoliloquy kaitlinmichelle.com
ReviewBooks, Books, and More Bookshttp://dream-reader-dreamer2229.blogspot.com/
Promohttp://aobibliosphere.blogspot.com/
Guest PostThe Dark Phantomwww.thedarkphantom.wordpress.com
The Bunnys Review -- http://bunnysreview.com
The Book Connoisseur -- http://bookconnisseur.blogspot.com/
Book Bloggers Collaborative -- http://bbcoll.com
Black Hippie Chick's Take on Books & the World Http://blackhippiechick.wordpress.com
saphssteamybooks.blogspot.comSapphyria's Steamy Book Reviews
Louisa Bacio Love Knows No Boundshttp://www.louisabacio.blogspot.com/


Servant of the Goddess Book Four of the Immortyl Revolution 
From the ashes of the first battle of the Immortyl Revolution, vampires Mia Disantini and Kurt Eisen set out to build a new Immortyl society.
Trouble arrives in the person of Cedric MacKinnon, a runaway adept of the ancient arts, who brings tidings of upheaval at the chief elder’s court that threatens everything Mia and Kurt have accomplished. 
Mia finds it hard to resist when Cedric pledges his service and tempts her with the legendary skills he learned as an Immortyl courtesan. Facing opposition from both within and out, Mia begins to doubt Kurt is up to the task of leading their followers to his vision of an Immortyl Utopia. 
Torn between her loyalty to Kurt and Cedric’s insistence that she is the earthly manifestation of the Goddess Durga and destined to lead, Mia confronts the greatest challenge of her life. 
For excerpts of the Immortyl Revolution Series, character profiles and the Immortyl Lexicon visit www.deniseverricowriter.webs.com 
For insider information on the series visit www.ImmortylRevolution.blogspot.com
About the Author:
Denise Verrico is a New Jersey native who grew up in Pennsylvania. She is the author of the Immortyl Revolution urban fantasy series published by L&L Dreamspell. Denise was chosen as a presenter at Ohioana Book Fair in 2011 and 2012, and her books are part of the collection at the State Library of Ohio. 
Currently, she’s a member of Broad Universe and two writing groups. She attended Point Park College in Pittsburgh, where she majored in theatre arts, and was a member of The Oberon Theatre Ensemble in NYC with whom she acted, directed and wrote plays. Denise is a roller coaster fanatic and lives in Ohio with her husband, son and flock of six spoiled parrots.