Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 570
May 30, 2011
Would You Like to Have Author Laura Bickle Be a Guest at Your Blog?
If you are interested in having Laura be your guest please email me for details. We are currently booking spots for June, July and beyond.
RoxanneRhoads@aol.com
EMBERS
Anya Kalinczyk #1
Pocket Juno Books
Mass Market Paperback, $7.99
ISBN: 978-1439167656
April 2010
"One of the most promising debut novels I've read in a great while… I'd highly recommend this book to anybody who reads fantasy. It reminds me in many regards…of another exceptional first novel…Emma Bull's seminal War for the Oaks, and there's not much higher praise that I can give."
—Elizabeth Bear on Tor.com
"Bickle has something great in Anya. Embers has everything: demons, ghosts, dragons, love, sex, police, and murder."
—M.L.N. Hanover, bestselling author of Darker Angels
"Gritty but never grim, Embers is a truly urban fantasy, where the soul of a city haunts every page. I can't wait for more of Anya and the unforgettable Sparky!"
—Jeri Smith-Ready, award-winning author of Bad to the Bone and Shade
Unemployment, despair, anger--visible and invisible unrest feed the undercurrent of Detroit's unease. A city increasingly invaded by phantoms now faces a malevolent force that further stokes fear and chaos throughout the city.
Anya Kalinczyk spends her days as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department, and her nights pursuing malicious spirits with a team of eccentric ghost hunters. Anya--who is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern--suspects a supernatural arsonist is setting blazes to summon a fiery ancient entity that will leave the city in cinders. By Devil's Night, the spell will be complete, unless Anya--with the help of her salamander familiar and the paranormal investigating team --can stop it.
Anya's accustomed to danger and believes herself inured to loneliness and loss. But this time she's risking everything: her city, her soul, and a man who sees and accepts her for everything she is. Keeping all three safe will be the biggest challenge she's ever faced.
A free excerpt is available here.
EMBERS is available now from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
SPARKS
Anya Kalinczyk #2
Pocket Juno Books
Mass Market Paperback, $7.99
ISBN 978-1439167687
September 2010
The second book in Bickle's series about Anya Kalinczyk is just as wonderful as the first—Anya is a compelling and likable protagonist and Bickle does an outstanding job in her portrayal of the city of Detroit; there are ruins, yes, but also hope in the ashes. Anya never takes herself too seriously and there is a scene in a baby supercenter that is absolutely not to be missed. (4 stars)
- RT Book Reviews
...a charming and inventive read.
-Elizabeth Bear, Realms of Fantasy Magazine, December 2010
WITHOUT A TRACE...
Anya Kalinczyk is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern, who holds down a day job as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department—while working 24/7 to exterminate malicious spirits haunting a city plagued by unemployment and despair. Along with her inseparable salamander familiar, Sparky, Anya has seen, and even survived, all manner of fiery hell—but her newest case sparks suspicions of a bizarre phenomenon that no one but her eccentric team of ghost hunters might believe: spontaneous human combustion.
After fire consumes the home of elderly Jasper Bernard, Anya is stunned to discover his remains—or, more precisely, a lack of them; even the fiercest fires leave some trace of their victims—and she is sure this was no naturally occurring blaze. Soon she's unearthed a connection to a celebrity psychic who preys on Detroit's poor, promising miracles for money. But Hope Solomon wants more—she's collecting spirits, and in a frantic race against time, Anya will face down an evil adversary who threatens her fragile relationship with her lover, her beloved Sparky's freshly hatched newts, and the wandering souls of the entire city.
SPARKS is available for pre-order from Amazon and Barnes & Noble
A free excerpt is available here.
May 29, 2011
Would You Like Alayna Williams To Be a Guest At Your Site?
I am not setting up a tour but I am scheduling several stops per month at blogs and sites that are interested in having her as a guest.
If you would like to have Alayna as a guest or would like more details please email me at RoxanneRhoads@aol.com .
DARK ORACLE
Delphic Oracle #1
Pocket Juno Books
Mass Market Paperback, $7.99
ISBN 978-1439182796
June 2010
DARK ORACLE is a scientific, paranormal read that takes readers on a wild chase. A subtle romance lends to the entertainment this read offers. Tara is a strong female who has many stories till waiting to be told. An interesting new series that is not quite like anything else! (4 stars)
-RT Book Reviews
"Dark Oracle is a lot of fun."
-Elizabeth Bear, Realms of Fantasy Magazine, December 2010
Can an oracle change the future she sees?
Tara Sheridan swore off criminal profiling years ago. By combining Tarot card divination with her own intuition, she narrowly escaped the grasp of a serial killer who left her scarred for life. She put down her cards and withdrew from work and society. Now, Sophia, a member of an ancient secret society connected to the mythic Delphic Oracle, asks Tara to find a missing scientist who has unlocked the destructive secrets of dark energy. Tara resists— she fears reawakening her long-buried talents and blames Sophia's Daughters of Delphi for the death of her mother. But, grudgingly, she agrees to search for the missing scientist, Lowell Magnusson.
Tara travels to Las Alamos National Laboratory, the location of Magnusson's disappearance. She meets the serious, impatient, and highly attractive Agent Harry Li— and re-encounters her old partner, Richard Corvus. Corvus is now chief of the Special Projects Division, a position Tera might have held, had she not dropped out of investigative work. Corvus considers Tara mentally imbalanced and not to be trusted— but it may be Corvus who is untrustworthy.
Tara's investigation and Tarot cards tell her Magnusson's daughter, Cassie, may hold the key to her father's plans, and that they both are in grave danger. Meanwhile, Corvus and the Daughters of Delphi have their own plans...and the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
Read an excerpt here .
Available now from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
ROGUE ORACLE
Delphic Oracle #2
Pocket Juno Books
Mass Market Paperback, $7.99
ISBN 978-1439182819
Feb. 22, 2011
Alayna Williams writes with power and poetry, combining old mythos with complete ass-kickery. You don't want to miss this series."
-National bestselling author Ann Aguirre
The more you know about the future, the more there may be to fear.
Tara Sheridan is the best criminal profiler around - and the most unconventional. Trained as a forensic psychologist, Tara also specializes in Tarot card reading. But she doesn't need her divination skills to realize that the new assignment from her friend and sometime lover, Agent Harry Li, is a dangerous proposition in every way.
Former Cold War operatives, all linked to a top-secret operation tracking the disposal of nuclear weapons in Russia, are disappearing. There are no bodies, and no clues to their whereabouts. Harry suspects a conspiracy to sell arms to the highest bidder. The cards - and Tara's increasingly ominous dreams - suggest something darker. Even as Tara sorts through her feelings for Harry and her fractured relationships with the mysterious order known as Delphi's Daughters, a killer is growing more ruthless by the day. And a nightmare that began decades ago in Chernobyl will reach a terrifying endgame that not even Tara could have foreseen…
ROGUE ORACLE is available at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
May 28, 2011
Join Lisa Kessler's Night Series Street Team
Have you heard about Lisa Kessler's upcoming Night Series? Starting with Book 1, Night Walker, to be released by Entangled Publishing August 5?
If you've heard about the Night Series, and you're interested in helping spread the word about the book would you consider joining Lisa's Street Team.
What's a Street Team? You ask-
It's a grass roots style publicity campaign. Bands use street teams to get the word out about concerts and new music releases. Street team members tell friends about concerts, they put up and pass out posters, etc.
Lisa won't be having any Night Walker concerts, but the books will be released in 2011 and 2012- and if you are excited about them and want to help spread the word, we'd love your help!
How can you help?- you ask
•Blog about Night Walker and the series
•Once the book is released, Write a review
•Recommend the books to your friends on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
•Recruit subscribers to Lisa's newsletter
You don't have to do all those things, they're just ideas. As long as you have fun, it's all good!
What's in it for you?
You'll be receiving some exclusive Night Walker goodies only available to dedicated Street Team members.
There will be Street Team only contests and an insider newsletter just for you!
To Join just send Lisa an email (ldydisney @ aol. com) with "Street Team" in the subject line
you can also visit www.lisa-kessler.com for more info about her, the books and the street team
May 27, 2011
Guest Blog and Giveaway with Kayden Mcleod
Dear Reader,
Thank you, Fang-Tastic, for having me here today.
Tomorrow is the big day, The Foxworth Coven, Book One, Death of Innocence releases! I have been anxiously awaiting this for a long time now.
Death of Innocence was the first book I'd ever finished, though not the first book I'd written—nor the first book I'd written in the Foxworth Coven Series.
What is now Kindred Fate, the third installment in the Foxworth Coven Series, coming out with Silver Publishing in November of this year, was the first book I had ever penned. It was started over ten years ago, sitting at 140K when I had finished my first draft. I was a teenager, reading VC Andrews, RL Stine and Christopher Pike.
My style back then reflected my age. The plot was complicated, too much so, yet told in an adolescent manner. And the story deserved, needed more. And while it read like YA, even with the situations were definitely adult, I was leery of writing the level of sex I had put into the book. I watched this book grow as I ploughed through it, changed details and characters, entire storylines. And yet, I still wasn't happy with it.
In my mind, I'd known the back-story of the Foxworth Coven. And it wouldn't leave my muse alone. To start in the twenty-first century left too much untold—and the story of the ghosts of the Foxworth's past left to speculation. So following my muse's insistence, I went back a century, to British Columbia, 1904, when the Foxworth Leader, Canya was still human. Gregory, the Heir to the Foxworth Coven, was fighting his obligations, determined to be his own man, and not the vampire his parents, Anastasia and Henry had groomed him to become. But life never really works out the way someone intends it to. Outside forces, fate and tragedy intervene. Canya and Gregory were no different.
After finishing Death of Innocence, I was even more perplexed. Now it felt like something else was missing. It took me a long time after that to figure out, Arcadia, Gregory and Canya's step-son, had a story of his own. And then Natural Urges, Book two was born. This one is coming this August from Silver Publishing.
The last two installments of the Foxworth Coven Series, coming out this winter are called Crimson Shadows and Blood Deeds, which is one book broken into two, respectively. Both will be coming late 2011, and early 2012.
The Foxworth Coven is not the biggest, most feared Coven without just cause. They know heartache, loss and pain—but they also thrive with love, loyalty and friendships with the most powerful entities their world knows. Their knowledge of magic put most vampires to shame, and they use it.
Thank you so much for hanging out with me today! Leave a comment for your chance to win an e-book copy of Demonic Pandemonium, the third book in the Cornwall Coven Series!
Happy Reading…
Kayden McLeod
To buy Death of Innocence CLICK HERE
To watch Death of Innocence's book trailer CLICK HERE
To see Death of Innocence's Graphic Art CLICK HERE
And coming this summer, from Silver Publishing, book two of the Foxworth Coven Series, Natural Urges
More Information CLICK HERE
To watch Natural Urges' book trailer CLICK HERE
Today Kayden is gving away two e-book copies of Demonic Pandemonium
Pandora is a half-demon, alone in the world and good as abandoned, with a mother who barely tolerates her and a father who is unable to be with her nearly often enough for her tastes. She keeps to herself and tries not to associate with others often, lest they discover her secret--until she meets Kevlar Cornwall. The two collide in ignorance of one another, but the sexual attraction is indisputable and cannot be ignored, growing more profound with every passing moment. It blinds them to the lurking danger hiding just around the corner, out to end both their lives and everyone either of them have ever known or loved.
Want one?
Leave a comment on this spot with your email address
Winner TBA Wednesday
May 25, 2011
The Blind Love Book Tour Starts Today $15 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
People ask me all the time what drove me to become a writer and at first I thought my story was different from other authors. Six years ago I was teaching science at an outreach center where students pre-k through high school came for environmental programs. But the Multiple Sclerosis that had been percolating in the backdrop of my life decided to rear its ugly head. When it became impossible for me to stand in front of a classroom and teach I knew I had to find something else that would make me happy and challenge my brain.
Enter writing.
And here's where my story is so similar to many authors. You see, I wasn't really new to using my imagination and writing. I have always looked at other people in other cars on the highway and made up stories about their journeys. I wrote plays in elementary school. And when I was in high school and college, though I wasn't penning creative stories, I was that student that wrote a ten page report when the professor only required five. Yeah, it's okay to hate me.
So the day I put down the chalk, I put my fingers on the keyboard. Now my characters clamor to have their stories told. Every place I visit has become a possible setting for a novel. Snippets of songs inspire me to create a new love story. My family members now worry that something they say or do will end up in one of my stories. And truth be told … everything is fair game at this point. Bwahaha.
I'm still trying to find my way around this publishing business. And though I've written in many genres including science fiction and paranormal, futuristic and contemporary, one thing remains the same—my characters always find their soul mates and happy-ever-after rides into the sunset. I love writing romance. And I'm happy to have heroes and heroines who can find their loves whether they're werewolves or cops.
I hope you'll check out my newest story, Blind Love; Tilling Passions Book 1.
BLIND LOVE
He's a shock jock looking to reform. She's an accountant hoping to cut loose.
Can love open their eyes to forever?
(Tilling Passions Book 1)
ISBN: 978-1-4524-1519-2
Uptight CPA, JULIE TILLING is tired of doing the right thing. When her friend from high school dies and Julie is the only one who believes he didn't commit suicide, she takes it upon herself to explore the circumstances surrounding his death. When the investigation takes her into a world of sexy nightclubs and a one night stand that has her heart melting, Julie finds a naughty side of herself she didn't know existed.
DAMON COREY didn't come to Maine to become a shock jock. But when his dream of becoming a concert pianist seems unobtainable, the radio station's offer is too good to pass up. Unfortunately, the one night stands and empty relationships are getting old—that is until a mysterious brunette falls into his arms and wraps around his heart making him believe in love.
With their passion overheating and their sexual encounters exploding, Damon and Julie work to see beyond the masks that have protected them from the world. But will Damon's enigmatic shock jock persona become Julie's sexual undoing and reveal Damon as the missing piece that solves the puzzling questions surrounding her friend's death?
Buy Links:Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/6gp5f5a
Nook: http://tinyurl.com/3u49gby
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/54268
To celebrate the kick off of the Blind Love Tour Nina would like to offer one lucky reader a chance to win a $15 Amazon Gift Card
To enter leave a comment on this spot with your email address
One winner will be announced next Wednesday
Be sure to visit other stops along the tour for more chances to win great prizes
May 27 Review
http://booksbyamotherstouch.blogspot.com/
May 28 Sexy Excerpt at Roxanne's Realm
www.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com
June 2 Guest Blog at Erotica for All
June 2 Guest Blog and Giveaway
Diana at Book of Secrets
June 3 Guest Blog The Write at Home Mom
www.thewriteathomemom.blogspot.com
June 6 Guest Blog at Pocket After Dark
http://pocketafterdark.com/RoxanneRhoads blog
June 7 Review at My Need to Read
June 10 Review and Giveaway
http://livetoread-krystal.blogspot.com/
Guest Blog and Giveaway with Gemma Rice
Enjoy the read.
~Gemma
Paperback: 258 pagesPublisher: Night Publishing (April 28, 2011)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 146099759XISBN-13: 978-1460997598Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inchesProduct Description'Strike' is about love, it's about passion.It's about doors being opened
It's not about innocence, at least not for long.
He's intoxicating, he's enthralling, he's addictive and he's dangerous.
It's complicated.
He's wild.
Share the ride.About the AuthorGemma Rice is a new passionate Romantic writer whose words positively fizzle and crackle off the page. 'Clawback' was her first book. 'Strike' is her second. 'Blindsided', her third, will be released in May 2011. Excerpt:
He catches my wrist and pushes back. I strain down, wanting him to at least feel the threatening kiss of cold tempered steel. Leaning in, he starts tickling under my arm.
Not fair!
Squealing loudly, I get up onto my knees to push down against his strength. His free hand forces a knuckle into my wrist. Instantly my hand goes limp; the knife drops from my fingers, landing next to his thigh.
Oh, it's a horrid feeling. Like hitting your funny bone. I try to pull away, but my arm is pathetic and weak. Useless. He easily pins me back down, resting his body over mine, before kissing me seductively.
I'm bored of the silent game. As he draws away, I whisper, "How did you do that?"
"Pressure points. You can render the biggest and strongest man useless, if you get to know them."
"Are we allowed to speak again?"
"Obviously, or I'd be holding your eye over that candle."
"My god, Seithe! That's a bit demented, don't you think?"
He leans heavily on me again and I stare up into brown eyes appearing charcoal. "Why do you assume you can trust me?"
"You haven't hurt me."
"Is that a sound reason to trust someone?"
He has a way of making me doubt my own judgement. I wonder what he's not telling me.
"Seithe, are you crazy? Did you escape from a sanatarium or something?"
He wraps an arm underneath me and flips us over so I'm laying on top of him, hot breath bursts out of him in laughter. "If I was insane, would I know it?"
"You didn't answer my question."
"I could lie."
"But you won't."
"Why not?"
"It's not your style. You like shocking people."
He smiles, forcing a dimple into the middle of his chin. "No, I am not crazy. I have only escaped hell. Nothing more, nothing less."
I reflect on his words on my being half dead and half awake. I don't feel that way now. He told me the key to freedom was in my heart. I think I understand the metaphor. He's escaped the hell of being only half alive.
"What are we doing, Seithe?"
"Playing. Humouring each other."
"Oh, so you find me entertaining? At least you're honest about it."
I feel slightly wounded. Although, let's be frank, it's not like he and I have been to the opera, followed by an in depth analysis of nuclear fission, and what it means to understand occultation.
He can't know I have a brain, so I am just amusement at this point.
I decide to respond using his game. Leaning my face into his neck, I mercilessly clasp the skin between my teeth. He starts to tickle me again, causing me to let go, just to bite into his shoulder.
He grips my hair so tightly I can't move. Lifting his head, he sneers those long incisors at me. For fake teeth they look a shit load more real than mine do. He then clamps them into my shoulder.
Pain shoots through me, unbearable heat, burning. A cry wrenches out of me in agony. He pulls away, blood on his lips, and hisses softly, "Don't start games you aren't prepared to finish."
I'm at just the right height and angle on him. I lift my knee and force my weight behind it. "Pain for pain, Seithe. Game on."
Would you like to win an ecopy of Strike?
The author is giving away one copy either in epub or mobi format
To enter leave a comment with your email and the format you'd like to win
May 24, 2011
Laura Kaye's winners were Megan Root and Wanda FKiki Howe...
Two Wolves Are Better Than One Giveaway
To celebrate the release of her newest book,
Bella's Wolves
, Stacey Espino is giving away the first book in the Love Bites series, Two Wolves are Better Than One.By: Stacey Espino | Other books by Stacey Espino
Categories: Erotic Romance, Menage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Word Count: 32,366
Heat Level: SEXTREME
Published By: Siren-Bookstrand, Inc.
Two Wolves Are Better Than One Book 1 in the Love Bites Series
Available in: Mobipocket, HTML, Microsoft Reader, Adobe Acrobat, EPUB
Price: $5.50[Ménage Amour: Erotic Paranormal Ménage a Trois Romance, M/F/M, Werewolf, Bondage]
When Ingrid's car breaks down on a deserted highway, she's rescued by the sexiest man alive. Though she gave up on love long ago, she's more than willing to partake in a one-nighter with Callen and his delicious friend, Ethan. But it will take a lot of convincing for her to love again.
Callen can't believe his luck when he spots the beautiful human female roaming around his territory. He wants her for keeps and doesn't want to share with his alpha. Ethan is tormented between respecting the pack rule of "finders keepers" and following his heart. He knows that Ingrid is his destined mate from the first time he takes in her unique scent.
Can two dominant werewolves learn to share one female?
A Siren Erotic Romance
Bella's Wolves blurb:
[Ménage Amour: Erotic Paranormal Ménage a Trois Romance, M/F/M, werewolves, spanking]
Being the fifth wheel on a group camping trip isn't Bella's idea of a good time. Rather than sulk, she decides to explore the old growth forests. She finds more than expected during her innocent hike in the woods. What will she do when two gorgeous men want to claim her body and soul?
Ben and Draco both believe they've found their mate—a human no less. Who does she belong to? They're both determined to win her over and be the first shifter to administer their love bite.
If you would like to win Two Wolves Are Better Than One
Please leave a comment on this spot
Be sure to include your email
May 23, 2011
The Trials and Tribulations of Miss Tilney
Cub Reporter Henrietta Tilney is sent on her first assignment, to interview accused mass murderer Lord Beowulf Harwood. But young Henrietta quickly finds out there is much more to this story and its subject Lord Harwood. Will this plucky young reporter get her story and survive with her life in tact?A Penny Dreadful in 3 parts!
Written by Duke David DoubArt by Marchioness Jolene HouserColors by Countess Danielle AlexisEverything Else by Vizcondesa Joamette Gil
Published by Dusk Comics
Preview at the Phoenix Comicon
"Dusk Comic has always been a fan of the Gothic and Victorian Literature. So they now present - The Trial And Tribulations of Miss Tilney - A Penny Dreadful in comic form, inspired by writers of the era. A love letter to Gothic, but more than original enough to stand on it's own."
Dusk Comics is an independent publisher based in Sanger, TX. They host a wide variety of comics and graphic novels, including superhero pulps, supernatural thrillers, fantasy manga- with much more to come
The Miss Tilney Victorian Costume Contest
To show support for the book - The Trial And Tribulations of Miss Tilney - and celebrate the fashions and styles of theVictorian era, Dusk Comics is running a year long Victorian Costume Contest.
At each convention Dusk Comics attends, we will hold a Victorian Costume Contest with a cash prize. Then the winner of each convention costume contest will be entered into a Grand Prize Costume Contest online at Duskcomics.com.
Also for folks who can't visit us at shows, we will have an Online Costume Contest winner as well that will be entered into the Grand Prize Costume Contest. The Grand Prize winner will be announced on Dec 2nd.
Dusk Comics' 2011 Convention Season
May 26th - 29th
Phoenix Comicon
http://www.phoenixcomicon.com/
SoonerCon
June 10th - 12th
A-Kon
September 2nd - 5th
Animefest
September 30th - Oct 2nd
SabotenCon
http://sabotencon.conmagick.com/
October 8th - 9th
Geek Girl Con
May 20, 2011
How Lucien Demarco became a Vampire Guest Blog and Giveaway with Laura Kaye
A great big thanks to Roxanne for hosting me and Forever Freed here today! Forever Freed is the story of a reclusive empathic vampire who falls in love with a woman he planned to kill and her young daughter, who must overcome his bloodlust, ancient guilt, lie by omission, and an ancient vampire rival who threatens everything he holds dear. In celebration of the novel's RELEASE YESTERDAY (w00t!), I wanted to offer a little peek into the backstory of the hero, Lucien Demarco.
Because, see, when I first drafted Forever Freed, it was 50,000 words longer than the published book. As I reworked the story for publication, I quickly realized that the first 60,000 words that took the reader from Lucien's family's arrival in New York City until the point where he meets Samantha and Olivia Sutton, at the beginning of Forever Freed, were things I as the writer needed to know about Lucien, but not necessarily things the reader needed to know—at least not in that book. So I now have the makings of a verra, verra nice prequel on my hands. It will be called Forever Damned and I will likely self publish it—stay tuned for details!
Lucien Demarco was born on a farm outside of Modena, Italy, on November 2, 1858. He, his wife Lena, and their 3-year-old daughter Isabetta arrived at New York City through Ellis Island on October 29, 1894. They were part of a massive wave of Italian immigrants who came to the United States in the decades around the turn of the century. The Demarcos shared a flat with Lucien's cousins Lorenzo and Alberto so Lucien could make enough money to move further west and, as a family, they decided to move to move to Colorado before the next summer where Lucien would take a job with the railroad.
The following scene from the unpublished prequel occurred on May 13, 1895, just weeks before their intended move:
I came home after midnight from a double shift at the ice company—my third one in a row. The extra money would provide security for our move out to Colorado and, since the trip was in just two weeks, I intended to push as hard as I could. Still, my bones ached down to their marrow and my now bulkier muscles screamed from all the heavy lifting the job entailed.
Utter stillness gripped the heavy, dark air inside the tenement. My feet echoed loudly through the wooden stairwell, and I stopped at the top of the first flight of steps to pull my boots off, hoping to avoid disturbing anyone. I padded down the hall, passed the Grossis' partly open door, then continued up the steps only half awake, struggling to focus my gaze.
THUD.
My eyes snapped opened and the fog flew from my brain. I looked around, trying to secure my bearings in the darkness when I sensed someone there. "Cousin?" I whispered loudly. No response.
I jogged up the remaining steps and rounded the rickety banister at the top. At my flat, I searched in the dark for the door, but instead of finding its flat, rough plane, I found a void where the door should've been. With my hand out in front of me, I moved into the room, intent on the table where one of the oil lanterns sat waiting.
I pitched forward, my foot catching on something unseen, and landed on a warm
firmness. I was so disoriented that I no longer knew which way to go to find the table. I cursed myself the noise I'd made—everyone was as tired as me from the long work week. I didn't want to disturb them, but nothing about the layout of the things I found on the floor made sense. Perhaps I'd entered the wrong flat in my exhaustion.I hit my head and bit back a curse. My hands told me I'd encountered the wooden leg of the table, and I felt my way into a standing position. Palming the surface of the table, I located the box of matches and the lantern. The match flared as I struck it. I lit the wick and turned.
A yowl worked its way up my throat, but a tightening there choked it off. Lorenzo and Alberto lay on the floor, their bodies bent at unnatural angles. Alberto lay face up, neck chewed into a grisly pulp, bulging eyes open but no longer seeing.
My heart slammed against my rib cage. My girls.
"Lena!" I bolted to the door, The Lord's Prayer reciting in an automatic loop in the back of my mind.
The dark barrier flew open just as I reached for the handle.
An odd sensation gripped my body, commanded my muscles to freeze.
The man in the doorway was tall, his short black hair set off skin so pale it seemed translucent, and his face was distinguished by glowing red eyes and flushed wet, red lips. A shadow moved behind him on the very bed I shared with Lena, where she lay sleepi ng, waiting for me to come home to her.
Dread spilled down my spine like ice water. My sprinting heart jumped into my throat, further choking off my breathing. My muscles strained to go to her, but I was at a complete loss to control my mind or body. The man…creature…held me with his eyes. "Le . . . Le," I attempted, my head shuddering back and forth in an effort to shake the daze.
A guttural growl rumbled from the bed, distracting the man in front of m e, releasing me from his restraint. I charged forward, intent on knocking the crouching creature away from the bed, away from the center of my life.
"Lena!" I shouted as I breached the door. I ran headlong into what felt like a steel bar.
A stabbing, crushing pain stole the precious little air I had. Broken ribs. The bar smashed into my face then, unleashing a brilliant explosion of white-hot agony as I flew in a heap against the wall. Crumpled against the dirty wooden floor. My blurred gaze passed over Isabetta's small cot. Empty. I groaned, used the last of my energy coughing up a stream of dark liquid. Lena's and Isabetta's names echoed in my dimming consciousness, bu t I had not enough strength to make my lips move.
Bone-crushing sorrow squeezed my chest, leaked down my face.
My only solace was that we would be together soon.
The lonely darkness closed in on me, but I welcomed it, welcomed what must surely await on the other side.
Then I was floating. A searing pain pierced my neck and radiated in all directions, lifting a bit of the black fog. I was aware of free falling and of the splintering cra ck of my head against the floor.
Snippets of conversation filtered through the blackness. An accented voice said, "We must go now, Lazar…" An outraged snarl rumbled over me.
Then thick rain was falling on my face, into my mouth. A spicy electric w armth exploded on my tongue. My whole being seized, every muscle contracted. Air fled my lungs. My heart tripped, then thundered.
"Very helpful," an angered whisper rasped. "Come." Footsteps thrummed against the wooden floorboards.
Wheezing, choking on my own blood, my body writhed and lurched.
And then I ceased to be.
So, now you know what happened the night Lucien Demarco died and turned.
What do you think? Would you want to know about the prior human life of a vampire hero? Would you want to see those messy first moments of vampiric life?
For more Lucien Demarco:
--Buy the book (print & ebook)
Thanks for reading, and thanks to Roxanne and Fang-tastic Books!
Laura Kaye
Find Laura on the interwebz:
Website: http://www.LauraKayeAuthor.com
Blog: http://laurakayeauthor.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/laurakayeauthor
Twitter: @laurakayeauthor
Publisher Website: http://thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=800
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3703867
Be sure to take advantage of the 5th Anniversary discount from http://thewildrosepress.com through May 31!25% off all titles - use code 18b632d0b0 - to get Hearts in Darkness & Forever Freed for 25% off
5 people who send Laura purchase receipts dated Saturday May 21 or Sunday May 22 for FOREVER FREED's ebook or paperback from any bookseller will receive a free copy of HEARTS IN DARKNESS ebook in pdf format and signed sets of her Romance Trading Cards for both books!
Winners to be announced Monday morning.
Send receipts to: laurakayepromotions@gmail.com
