Beth D. Carter's Blog, page 20

The Evernighties Writing Challenge - Week 42

Prologue Or No?

Okay, so if you have a epilogue (last week's question) do you also have a prologue?

I've used prologues, currently in my World of Danger series because I need to establish why each man are part of this ex-governmental special-ops group. Now-a-days it's a securities agency, but there are secrets and each man has to save the woman they love from the lies of the past.

Prologues let the reader know exactly what they're in for. They can establish the danger, or the characters, or a bit of the past that's important. It really sets up the world the reader is about to dive into, and as a reader myself, I love prologues because it also shows how talented the author is. I'll stand there in the store and read the prologue and if it doesn't grab my attention, I'll probably pass. So it's also a very handy marketing tool...like the hook of the book.

I should put that on a t-shirt.

I just had a thought I should start up a t-shirt line. Readers can buy awesome one-liner t-shirts that show their love of books and reading. It could start a whole new "Get Reading" trend!

I digress again...

Make sure to stop by the other Evernighties blog challenge and read what they wrote! You can find them here, the Evernight Reader's Group

The Witch and the Wolf Learn to Love in LJ Longo's "Freeing the Witch"

I’ve written the entire Heart of the Mountainseries to prove to my partner and roommate that I can write more than super dark m/m fantasies. So, if they’ve had to listen to me complain for six months about shy people in love, it’s their fault. The challenge was to take an Enemies to Lovers and explore it with genuinely sweet people. Watching this witch and wolf learn to love not just each other but themselves has made this one of my favorite stories (and probably my best to date).


           1)      Do you believe in the paranormal? If so, have you ever had a paranormal experience?
a.       I worked as a ghost tour guide for ten years, so it’s hard for me not to believe in the paranormal. Normally during the day, I’ll be all skeptical and science about it; but you put me in a dark place and night and I believe!
           2)      Tell us about the world your novel set in (eg: witches, ghosts, creature, etc).
a.       The world started out when I asked myself how would our world and history be different if witches were real. I decided they would almost certainly be the ones in charge and I don’t mean running thing behind the scenes; I mean covens would dictate the laws of the land.
b.      Emaula’s main problem is that her mother is ambitious and wants to gain more power. Mom can either do that by having a daughter who is a full coven witch… or by eating Emaula’s potential magic. Emaula has no desire to be in a position of power and authority (she doesn’t even like looking at people with magic against their wishes); so Emaula’s gotta get away from Mom.
          3)      What makes your world/character different from other books in the same genre?
a.       My wolves are a bit different than most horror werewolves and romance shifters. Instead of being cursed by a bite or having a kind of hidden clan in our world, I went back to older mythology about shape-changers. I really liked the ideas from the tribes of America about humans putting on the skin of an animal and adopting their shape. I decided since I wanted the shifters to be deeply tied to the witches it would work the other way around.
b.      All my shape-shifters are created by witches who combine the body of an animal that has a human soul placed inside it. They craft the human body to their liking and for their own purposes. However, the shifter is still his own person with his own desires, so there’s a lot of in-world conflict about them. Some communities harbor shifters who have fled their creators, but in others shifters are not-allowed to be hold jobs or handle money without their witch’s permission.
          4)      Did you use any historical facts in your book?
a.       Since Freeing the Witch is set in India, a lot of my early research was about their witches and their communal attitudes about oppression before they met Europeans. Their witches tended to be more gentle than their Northern sisters, so shifters in this part of the world are more normal; considered the literal children of the witches (with all the baggage that entails). Since trade is just opening to the East and North, I did a bit of research into how those ports first got built and what kind of people it took to make the first leap. I also did a lot of research on food for this novel, since Emaula and Porter are both chefs.
b.      That being said, whatever tickles my imagination goes into the book before I let historical truths limit things. So, I have cargo freighters in the story about a hundred years before they would have gotten that far south, because I liked the idea of the protagonists from the previous book Hiring the Tigergoing at it in the cargo hold while their friends are kind of awkwardly aware and too embarrassed to interrupt.
            5)      Is this book part of a series? Are you planning on writing more in the paranormal world?
a.       There are four books planned in the series and two are written.
b.      Hiring the Tiger, the much kinkier of the two, is about Jasprite a merchant from the East and Navarro a tiger-shifter. It’s a real love/hate relationship since they are both very much alpha-asshole personalities who take delight in humiliating each other and fighting. But when Jasprite has to leave, Nav has to decide if he wants to stay in the same town forever or go with her.
c.       Freeing the Witch is about Emaula, a witch and how she kinda finds herself as she’s falling in love with Porter. He’s a wolf in Nav’s pack, super-beta and almost as shy as Emaula is, but with a deep distrust for witches, because of his creators.
d.      I have planned at least two more books to talk about the other members of the pack.

BLUB
Emaula Whispel thought she’d be happy if she could live outside her mother’s magical stone tower, but when Emaula starts working as a chef at her friend's trading post, she becomes smitten with Porter, her co-cook. Now Emuala’s magic is obsessed with possessing this quiet, charming wolf, and the budding witch has to fight to control her powers and her lust, to prevent her new friend from becoming her accidental victim.

Porter was created to serve witches by opening doors into their dreams, and he is neither surprised by nor afraid of Emaula’s magic. What startles him is that this powerful witch genuinely seems to care for something as lowly as a wolf. Now all Porter has to do is prove his love for her is not an enchantment, before her mother takes away everything Emaula holds dear.



WHERE TO BUYEvernight PublishingSmashwords






Time was strange in the dreams. Minutes could be hours. Hours could pass in seconds.

And somewhere someone was trying to reach him. Someone wanted him and had taken measures to have him. Was is the little girl? The Munawn’s daughter. She’d be all grown-up now and remember him fondly. She must have extraordinary power to reach him.

A light came on under a door, hemming the edges with a low purple light and filling the room with that melancholic tint. The one who had shaved her hair and wore black gemstones that glowed purple. Porter knew her name, but he refused to think it. He wanted nothing to do with them. He had been turned out. He wasn’t allowed to think of them anymore. He didn’t have too.

The door creaked open, and Porter winced. Whether he wanted them or not, one of them was coming through. He didn’t have much choice. Or at least, he wouldn’t when he saw her.

The light poured into the room, flooded it with the scents of spring, vanilla, and lavender and bluebells. Intoxicating, lulling. The smell of a beautiful woman who wanted him. The fragrance of an herb sachet dropped into cold water on a hot day and stirred.

“Oh, Emaula.” Porter hadn’t smelled any magic in the tea he’d sipped as a sign of good faith. Just like him to misread a person and get bespelled. He wished Sock had come down with him. Sock wouldn’t make that mistake.

Porter struggled against the weight of her dream world and lifted himself slowly on one arm. She hadn’t fully opened the door, yet. Was just peering through, shyly.

Emaula was not a woman; she was the moon. The shadows of the world curled around and concealed half her face, leaving only the paleness around her starlight blue eyes and the soft darkness of the purple light.

Now was the time to stop her. To say something mean. To beg her to stop. To remind her of her oath. Or to … to—

Emaula divested the darkness. Unveiled her lovely face. Freed her hair, such a fine pale gold that it shone in this dream world, illuminated her thin pink lips. Porter had forgotten how beautiful the witches could be. How the sight of them stole breath, sanity, free will.

The woman could swear there was no harm in her. How could he be harmed by her? When now all he ever wanted in the world was her.

She met his gaze and smiled timidly. She stepped into the sea of sheets and pillows, delicately moving through the luxurious silks toward his body. The black silk wound around him shimmered under the radiance of her body. His stiff cock suffocated and strained under the sleek material.

The witch would get what she wanted. He had enough experience with witches to know they always did. These women could be cruel. They could be unbelievably kind, as well. And he honestly didn’t know which was worse.

He did know there was no point in defying her. No point in not taking what pleasure he could. No point in being mean to the mistress. Had that been one of The Munawn’s mantras? Or another wolf’s good advice?

Emaula knelt beside him in the bed, her hands modestly on her knees, her eyes big and earnest. “Porter, is this all right?”

He didn’t understand.

Was she asking permission? No witch did that. Had to be a trick.

He wasn’t sure what she was so embarrassed about, but she was damned cute when she was. She twisted her hands through the sheets as if she had to keep herself from touching him. “Is … is this all right?”

Was it all right? What the hell kind of question was that for a witch to ask a wolf? He wasn’t going to upset her by saying no.

The witch stroked his thigh through the sheet. His cock, already damningly stiff, pulsed at the nearness of her hand. That ought to answer her question.

He didn’t even think he wanted to say no, but how could he know the truth here? When she controlled the world? When just watching her come into the room had reduced him to nothing but a hard cock and the inner monologue of a scared puppy?

“Porter. Will you say something, please?”



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
L.J. is a queer author, a feminist, and a geek with an MFA in writing Popular Fiction. L.J. has an annoying tendency to ship everyone, disappear if no-one is supervising, and struggles with everything except making up stories.

Find L.J. online:

Website: Gracefulindecency.com

Facebook: @L.J.Longo713

Twitter: LJLongo

The Finale of the McKnight, Perth & Daire Series!

Leaving the troubling dilemma of loving two men behind, Charlotte Perth heads home to California. The last time she was there she'd just come back from the dead with the gift of being clairvoyant. Now, another young swimmer has drowned and Charlotte realizes it's another victim...one who might not have been if Charlotte had only told the truth twelve years earlier. 

She doesn't count on Jonas Daire and Nash McKnight following her, ready to hammer out the details of being in a ménage relationship. Both love her so they're willing to share, as long as they don't kill each other. 

Only now they have to convince stubborn Charlotte they can make the unusual relationship work. Before she can possibly think of the future, however, she's got a murder to solve while not falling victim twice to the same killer...one who's waited a very long time for Charlotte to come home.



So here it is! The end of the series!

I absolutely loved writing Charlotte and all her eccentricities, along with all the weirdness of her sisters. When I started this journey with her, I had this idea that it would be cool to have three books where we're introduced to the two men she loves and the third bringing them all together. As you would expect, I had to tread carefully around the whole "Isn't she just cheating, though?" That's why I didn't have her and Nash have sex in book two, although they came close.

So in this book, Charlotte gets disturbing news that the pool she had drowned in (had been murdered in) claimed another life. Now she's wracked with guilt because she never reported what had happened to her. So the only way to face justice is solve her own murder. I use that word because she was killed...but luckily, resuscitated.

Not only that, but she is running from the fact that she loves two men. Detective Jonas Daire and Agent Nash McKnight. Only she doesn't realize that they are well aware of the triangle their in and are working to give them all a happy-ever-after.

If you like ghosts, suspense, and hilarious one-liners, make sure to check out the McKnight, Perth & Daire series!


BUY LINKS:
AMAZONSIREN BOOKSTRANDBARNES & NOBLE

Church Music & Ghosts in Aletta Thorne's Paranormal Romance!

Just because she’s sixty-three, cynical, and a church musician, Emily Rauch is hardly done with life—or love. Now that she’s traded in her old barn of a place for a tiny house in the hills, Emily’s ready for a new start. Throw in one enormous pipe organ, two ghosts, a pot dealer named Santa Claus, the reappearance of Emily’s bad-boy college squeeze, and a blizzard ... what could possibly go wrong?

Be Warned: sex toys, multiple partners

      1)      Tell us about the world your novel set in (eg: witches, ghosts, creature, etc).
THE GHOST OF HER EX is a contemporary paranormal romance, set in the upper Hudson River Valley—a bit north of Sleepy Hollow!  It's wintertime, and there is a tiny house, a big old church, a sweet river town—and an increasing number of ghosts.  There's also the funniest funeral scene ever!  I promise. 

      2)      What makes your world/character different from other books in the same genre?
My main character makes my book different.  Emily Rauch is not your typical romance heroine.  She's in her sixties, vibrant, a church organist who loves to drop the F-bomb—and she's still good friends with her ex-husband, despite the fact that he's been dead for years.  But then another ex shows up…

      3)      What is your favorite type of Paranormal story to read?
Actually, THE GHOST OF HER EX is a tip of the hat to the old Topper movies and TV shows.  It's spooky, but it's funny, too.  I think a good ghost story has to be both.

     4)      Do you believe in the paranormal? If so, have you ever had a paranormal experience?
I do.  My own (very old) house is haunted and we have been investigated by the local ghost-hunters.  There's a supposed to be a clean-freak ghost in my office. She's probably very frustrated with me.  That's probably why she turned over the enormous brass floor lamp when I was trying to work one day…

     5)      Are you planning on writing more in the paranormal world?
It's my favorite kind of story!  My first ghost romance, THE CHEF AND THE GHOST OF BARTHOLEMEW ADDISON JENKINS, explores the side effects of having a one-night stand with a ghost.  It's funny/spooky, too, and has really strong heroine, a chef.  It, too, is set in the Hudson River Valley—but in the early 80's.

     6)      What are your upcoming projects?
I'm at work on a romance set in the mid-seventies in a big, historic house that has been converted to the kind of cheap apartments twenty-somethings could afford back then.  A very young heroine…and a motorcycle-riding bartender of a ghost.  It'll be fun.  I also write poetry and young adult fiction under another name.


Buy LinksAmazon: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JLRLR45/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0
Evernight Publishing: https://www.evernightpublishing.com/the-ghost-of-her-ex-by-aletta-thorne/
Excerpt


“…You are a woman of … appetites, Em. You like to eat and drink and…”
“…and fuck.” Emily shocked herself by saying that. Dropping an f-bomb when you were just randomly turning the air blue was one thing. But this was no fuckity-fuck-fuck. This meant actually doing the deed…
But she hadn’t shocked Al. “Indeed. And fuck.” He nodded, his lips tight. “I left you in the lurch.”
Emily sighed. “Yup. Yup. Guess you did. But we talked that stuff to death two decades ago. Shit, Al! It’s just … just … I don’t know what it is. Alexa, play Widor organ music.”
“I don’t know any songs by Widor,” said Alexa.
“Alexa, argh!” Emily made neck-choking gestures toward the black cylinder on her counter.
“Bee-boop,” said Alexa. Her illuminated blue ring danced and turned itself off.
“I know our lovely and talented daughter meant well with that thing,” said Al. “But The Echo sucks at classical music unless you get lucky. Works better just to ask for radio stations.”
“You’re too good at that. Do you haunt many Echo owners?”
“Just Gordon.” Al laughed ruefully. “That young fella of his bought an Alexa for him. Alexa, play WQXR.”
“Playing WQXR.” Alexa provided them with the middle of Respighi’s “Ancient Airs and Dances.”
“Not bad,” said Emily. “No static. It barely comes in up here on the FM. And they’re a public station now, so no more pre-need funeral ads, I guess. God, funerals!”
“Yeah. That. I gather you had a spectacularly bad day…”
“Do you get special ghost email about that or something? Ghost Facebook?”
Al’s laugh, again, was rueful. “Hard to explain. It doesn’t work like that. I never really thought of you as a femme fatale, Em.”
“I wasn’t the one who fatale-ed him! I honestly didn’t intend to have anything else to do with him! Or not much else, anyway. Look, I was being a sex-positive, independent woman caring for her own needs. He went home to his girlfriend, tried for a little more of the old slap and tickle … and crumped.”
“And now you’re playing his funeral. And he came to the organ loft today to bother you.”
Emily began to laugh, too—a bit too hard. There was nothing else left to do. “Oh, fuckity fuck!”
“What?”
Then there were tears in her eyes again. She laughed until she ran out of air. “I never even unblocked him on my phone. I never even friended him on … Facebook! It was supposed to be a nothing. A one-off. A…”
“I sort of remember Brad. He was at the reception when you played in Brooklyn, right? Was he a good organist?”
Emily wiped her eyes. “He was terrific. But loud and flashy—at least when we were kids. A show-off. I don’t think I’ve actually listened to him play since before I met you. He loved boat races as much as he loved music. Not to mention chasing women. I used to regard that as a challenge when I was in school: break the womanizing horn-dog’s heart and win the Battle of the Sexes. Ah, Al, we’re so nuts when we’re young.”
Al took Emily’s hands. “‘Nuts’ is harsh. I think we’re young when we’re young. You know?”
“I do know.”
“Em, I’ll tell you this… Brad’s going to be … around. Womanizer or no, he probably liked you a lot more than you thought. I get that. Plus, he doesn’t know he’s dead, right?”
“He seems a bit unclear about that. He’s got to know I’m practicing for his funeral. You never seemed unsure about being…”
“Being dead. I had lots of warning. I was sick for a long time.”
Emily nodded. “That sucked. You sure didn’t deserve it.”
Al pecked her cheek with his usual hurried and dry kiss. “No one deserves it. Your friend clearly has unfinished business,” he said. And then he disappeared.

Author Bio

Aletta Thorne believes in ghosts.  In her “normal” life, she is a choral singer, a poet, a sometimes DJ, and a writer about things non-supernatural.  But she’s happiest in front of a glowing screen, giving voice to whoever it is that got her two cats all riled up at three AM.  Yes, her house is the oldest one on her street.  And of course, it’s quite seriously haunted (even scared the ghost investigator who came to check it out).  Aletta is also the author of The Chef and the Ghost of Bartholomew Addison Jenkins.

Aletta Thorne's author page: https://smile.amazon.com/Aletta-Thorne/e/B07JQ9KBKZ/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

New Release Saturday....Beth D. Carter's "Suddenly"

Shaken, Bellah goes home with Dalton, not wanting to be alone.  Lust temporarily breaks down the barriers between them but he’s her boss.  What happens if he doesn’t feel the same?  Then again, what if he does?

How Would I Describe "Suddenly"?

 For some, this story may sound familiar…and that’s because it was previously in the Executive Assistant Anthology from Evernight. One of the authors in the anthology asked for their rights back to the story, which made Evernight obligated to reverse allthe rights to all the authors. I asked the editor what I could do, and I was given the option of expanding and rewriting the story. So Suddenly grew about 3000 words!





Q) What was the hardest or easiest scene to write?

I think the scenes after Bellah was attacked. The romance between her and her boss had to be realistic, but after almost being raped a woman has ZERO interest in sex. So, I had to make sure to balance the horror with her falling in love.


Q) Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

I’ve always been fascinated with this question. For me, ideas come and go all the time, but only the few really stick in my head. I have been published for ten years now, and writing longer than that, that I’m able to tell what plot bunnies will stick around and what’ll disappear. Perhaps the bigger question is how to finish the story…how does a writer come up with different scenarios to make each book unique. And if I ever come up with a logical explanation of how, I’ll make sure to share it!


Q) Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

This is actually pretty funny, because I don’t like writing series…but I always seem to end up writing them! As a reader, I find series okay if there are only about three or four in a row. But anything more and it gets tedious for me to keep up with the books. There are few exceptions, of course, but for the most part four is my limit. As for a writer, it gets hard to keep all the timelines straight.


Q) What are your upcoming projects?

My writing schedule is now for 2020 publications. I have three definitely planned books on my list: a paranormal, a fantasy, and Book 3 in my World of Danger series. You can keep up with everything I’m planning here: https://bethdcarter.blogspot.com/p/wips.html




Buy Links:
Evernight: https://www.evernightpublishing.com/suddenly-by-beth-d-carter/



Bio & Social Media Links:

I like writing about the very ordinary girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances, so my heroines will probably never be lawyers, doctors or corporate highrollers.  I try to write characters who aren't cookie cutters and push myself to write complicated situations that I have no idea how to resolve, forcing me to think outside the box.  I love writing characters who are real, complex and full of flaws, heroes and heroines who find redemption through love. I love to hear from readers so I’ve made it really easy to find me on the web:

https://twitter.com/BethDCarter
https://www.facebook.com/bethdcarterauthor

https://www.instagram.com/bethdcarter/

http://bethdcarter.blogspot.com/

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/beth-d-carter

Amazon author page:  http://www.amazon.com/BethD.Carter/e/B00EOTD1T0/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1385417145&sr=8-1

The Writing Power of Catherine Curzon & Eleanor Harkstead!

                                                   

1)      Tell us about the world your novel set in (eg: witches, ghosts, creature, etc).
CC - It’s set in a quiet, rural corner of south-west England in the years after World War One. Though to the vast majority of the population stories of ghosts, vampires and devils are just legends, to Raf de Chastelaine, they’re his friends, foes or even family. When he isn’t working in his beloved garden, Raf is travelling the country dealing with all sorts of supernatural mischief in his own inimitable way.

EH - The Ghost Garden is set in a remote boys’ boarding school on the edge of Exmoor, where the ghosts of the past are trapped.

2)      What makes your world/character different from other books in the same genre? (eg: does your vampire sparkle in the sun?)
CC - Raf’s love of working outdoors may come as a surprise to readers when they find out more about his family and background. The Ghost Garden is a mystery in which the killers, victims and witnesses are all dead - but that doesn’t mean that they can’t still seek help or even face justice, in this world or the next.

EH - Cecily isn’t your usual feisty, badass, buttkicking paranormal heroine. She’s quiet and to many people appears meek. But beneath the surface, she’s a survivor with the ability to converse with the dead.

3)      What is your favorite type of Paranormal story to read?
CC - I’m a big fan of early Gothic and I love the ghost stories of MR James, but my favourites are always the stories that might just be true.
EH - I’m a fan of MR James as well! I like to think there’s some of MR James’ atmosphere in The Ghost Garden and the books we have planned for this series. We’re both historians who like rummaging through old documents, just like James did. Aside from ghost stories, among the first novels I ever read as a child were Jill Murphy’s Worst Witch stories. I’d just moved to a school in a creepy old Gothic house and often felt like the hapless, awkward Mildred Hubble. Sadly, though, I was never taught how to ride a broomstick but I did have a tabby cat.

4)      Is this book part of a series?
CC - Yes! It’s book one of The de Chastelaine Chronicles, which will follow Raf and Cecily on their adventures in the realms of the unexplained.


5)      Do you believe in the paranormal? If so, have you ever had a paranormal experience?
CC - I do and I’ve had a few experiences that couldn’t be explained. The earliest was when I was a very small girl and it left an indelible imprint on me.
EH - I’ve experienced lots of odd things in my time, so I’ll give you my greatest hits. Last year I was prodded on the shoulder in an empty cell in a historic prison. Then, when I was a teenager, my friend’s house was rather active, shall we say, and I still wonder if she had a poltergeist. About a year later, I moved into an old house and I often heard people on the stairs when there was no one around. One day a little girl dressed in clothing from the early 1900s ran past me. She was glowing and transparent! It turned out that around the same time, my stepsister kept hearing a little girl crying at night. Other people live there now and I wonder if they’ve met the little girl too.

6)      Did you use any historical facts in your book? (eg: Salem Witch Trails if about witches)
CC - Lots and lots. From the period detail of the world we’ve created to the stories Raf tells Cecily of his experiences in wartime, it’s a world that’s steeped in reality and history.

EH - One of the characters is based on Hanging Judge Jeffreys, who is remembered for sending nearly 200 people to the gallows after an uprising in 1685. He embodies the figure of unyielding, merciless power, which is terrifying whether it’s perpetrated by the living or the dead.


7)      Any deleted scenes you wished you had kept in?
CC - None so far, but we have lots of inspiration for the forthcoming books in the series.

EH - When we sat down to write The Ghost Garden, it flowed so well that we didn’t need to delete anything. That’s not to say we never delete any scenes from our stories

8)      Are you planning on writing more in the paranormal world?
CC - Of course! And we’ve already dipped into paranormal with our short story of a phantom rogue and a ghostly dandy trying to do a bit of matchmaking, The Captain’s Ghostly Gamble.

EH - We do rather like the paranormal. There’s so many creatures and tropes, and it’s fun to do something quite traditional with them and alternatively it’s fun to turn them upside down!


9)      What are your upcoming projects?

CC - We have lots of exciting projects in the future, including new books in The Captivating Captains series and a couple of super saucy romantic suspense MF books, so we’re very excited for what’s on the way!

Buy links:Universal Amazon link: mybook.to/theghostgarden  Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-ghost-garden-3NOOK: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ghost-garden-catherine-curzon/1130892522?ean=9781786864697

Blurb:
Within the tangled vines of a forgotten garden, can a blossoming new love overcome an ancient evil that threatens both the living and the dead?

After losing her brother in the trenches of the Great War, Cecily James is a prisoner of Whitmore Hall, the respected but remote boys’ school where her brutish husband reigns as headmaster. With its forsaken walled garden, a hauntingly tragic past, and midnight footsteps heard from an unoccupied clocktower, Whitmore Hall is a place where the dead are rumored to walk.

Whitmore Hall is filled with mysteries and as a ghost garden emerges from the sun-bleached soil, long-buried secrets cry out to be told.

When new teacher Raf de Chastelaine blunders into an impromptu seance, Cecily finds an unlikely and eccentric ally. In a world of discipline and respectability, barefoot Raf is unlike any teacher Cecily has ever met. With his tales of the Carpathian mountains and a love of midnight gardening, he shakes Whitmore Hall to its foundations. Could there be more to Raf than meets the eye? And as he and Cecily realise that their feelings run deeper than friendship, dare they dream of a world beyond Whitmore Hall?

As Cecily and Raf team up to unite long-dead lovers and do battle with an ancient evil that has long haunted Whitmore Hall, Cecily finds her chance of happiness threatened by her tyrannical husband. But is the controlling headmaster acting of his own free will, or is he the puppet of a malevolent power from beyond the grave?

The Evernighties Writing Challenge - Week 41

Epilogue Or No?

I think this question can be determined by the story itself. Does it need some type of wrap up after the book has ended? So do, some don't. As a reader, I always enjoyed an epilogue that expands the characters a little bit, or the world I've just read about. As a writer, I've used many epilogues to set up the next in a series. Epilogues can be great plot devices that let the reader know that there's more to come.

Likewise, I've read epilogues that have completely demolished everything I just enjoyed about the story. And it can work in movies and films as well. Take for example the movie "Kissing Jessica Stein". That whole movie was a woman's journey into discovering the perfect man, and instead discovers the perfect woman. It was only at the very end, when the epilogue kicks in (although in movies sometimes this isn't obvious), the man and Jessica meet again and he asks her how her relationship is going with Helene...and it's revealed they broke up. Wait...we spent two hours falling in love with Jessica's discovery of herself and the realization she likes women...only to have our females lovers break up??? I've never watched that film again even though it was sooooo good the first 93 minutes (film in only 97minutes long).

I digress... I tend to do that a lot.

So epilogues. I highly encourage all authors to be careful what goes into an epilogue. Are you going to eviscerate everything you've just written? Or are you going to use it as a plot device to secure readers into picking up book two?

Or are you going to describe how cute the babies are between hero and heroine?

**Make sure to check out the others in the Evernighties Weekly Writing Challenge!

Be "Enchanted" by Jacey Holbrand Shifter Series!

1   

      1)      Tell us about the world your novel set in (eg: witches, ghosts, creature, etc).
The books are set in present day and deal with shifters from different clans who banded together in a motorcycle club. There’s stolen gold, an asshole of a motorcycle club president, and individuals who find their mates. In book three, there’s a witch-like character who’s known to be evil.
 

      2)      What makes your world/character different from other books in the same genre? (eg: does your vampire sparkle in the sun?)
The shifters are immortal and based off of Native American legend. I got the idea for the series after catching an episode of Haunted Highway on Syfy regarding the Hellhounds of Eldorado Canyon. From there I decided to model the bad guys off the Hellhounds and off the evil part of the legend.


     3)      Is this book part of a series?
Yes, it is! :) Enchanted by Him is the third story in the Helldorado Mongrels MC series. The first book is Possessed by Himand the second book is Seduced by Him.



     4)      Did you use any historical facts in your book? (eg: Salem Witch Trails if about witches)
I came up with how some of the shifters/Mongrels came to be from the history in Nevada. Queho was a real man. Sources say the Native American was the first mass murderer in the state of Nevada and had cursed the land around the town of Nelson and the Techatticup Mine.


     5)      What are your upcoming projects?
I’m currently working with Elizabeth Monvey on the next two books in the Project Mars series.



~ * ~ ABOUT THE BOOK ~ * ~
The timeline of Enchanted by Him overlaps the one set in the second book Seduced by Him. (The stories in the series can be read as standalones, but as with most series, it's best if they're read in order). In Enchanted by Him, we're reintroduced to the character Sloth—the man Tex, from Seduced by Him, is forced to ride up to Las Vegas with.
We follow Sloth and learn why he splits off from Tex, we learn Sloth's secret, and of course, we go on a journey with Sloth as he discovers his mate and falls in love. We also see what finally happens to Inferno, the leader of the Helldorado Mongrels MC.
Come be enchanted!


~ * ~ BLURB ~ * ~
Helldorado Mongrels MC member, Sloth, is a man with secrets. He’d joined the club with a specific goal in mind, and when three visitors arrive, he fears one of them will turn his world upside down. Especially since that newcomer is a witch and his mate.
Shaman, the medic from the Skinwalkers MC, was hired to find the woman after the Mongrels’s gold and has secrets himself. When he meets Sloth, the man he knows is destined for him, Shaman begins to reconsider his evil, witchy ways, and his internal conflict irritates him.
Despite the constant clashing of their differences, passion ignites between the two men. But will their secrets cause betrayal and hurt? Destroying their relationship before it even has a chance to fully develop? Or will love ultimately triumph?


~ * ~ EXCERPT ~ * ~
As he sputtered and his eyes watered, he spun away from the invisible partition and ran into the tall medic. The cowboy hat was gone, showing that the man sported long, jet black hair, drawn back into a ponytail. Memories of what his imagination had conjured up earlier flooded his mind and sent his cock twitching again. He had to fight an irresistible urge to drop to his knees before the man, unzip his black jeans, and take his shaft into his mouth.
Shaman chuckled, and once Sloth’s gaze connected with the medic’s gray-eyed gaze, Shaman lifted the corner of his mouth in a mischievous grin.
Sloth sucked in a stream of air as the man’s compelling and magnetic gaze held tight to his. Under the intense stare, Sloth’s body crackled and his joints hissed. The tingly sensations and odd sounds made him realize Shaman was stripping away all his cloaking spells. He tried to combat the psychic assault. His own powers weakened as Shaman continued to stare at him. All he had left was the mind block he’d put in place, and even that felt tenuous.
He attempted to step back and found he couldn’t move. Shaman had “frozen” him into place. Sloth thanked the Great Spirit he hadn’t actually been turned into an ice pop. He hated wintery cold temperatures. On top of it all, without the magic that’d been surrounding him for so long, he felt completely bare and exposed.
Again, Shaman offered a short laugh, this time snapping his fingers as well.
Sloth’s clothes disappeared. Not a stitch of fabric remained on him. To his dismay, he truly was naked. And traitor that it was, his hard cock stood at attention.
Who needs mind reading when my erection gives my thoughts away?
The medic strolled around him, seeming to appraise him like a stud at market. The man swept his fingers and hand over Sloth’s arm, buttocks, and the dip created by his spine at the top of his ass crack, making approving murmurs as he did so. Shaman came to stand in front of him and stroked his hand down Sloth’s chest to his cock.
He didn’t know how it was possible he could be rendered into a state of statue-like material, but still be able to perceive each brush of Shaman’s fingers and palm, the nuances of the man’s gentle touches and lingering caresses. Sloth would have sighed and swooned had he been able to.
“You know, perhaps I won’t kill you and consume your powers.” The medic looked up from Sloth’s cock and stared at his face. He raised a brow. “I see the shock in your eyes. Your gaze gives away everything you’re thinking.” His tone dripped of disapproval. “I’m a true skinwalker. Do you think being a mate matters to one of my kind? We crave power. Always need more. Doesn’t matter who, what, where, when, or how we get it as long as we amass as much as possible.”
Dread filled Sloth. His mate had considered killing him? Murdering him for skills he could barely use anymore himself? He wished he could close his eyes, block out the sight of Shaman, and be able to focus on clearing his head.
So much for the fairy tale euphoria of meeting one’s true love, feeling that instant connection, knowing there’s no one else who would love him unconditionally, and having the insatiable need to be with that someone.
Instead, he had confusion, despair, and panic about being tied to someone who might kill him in his sleep. Yet, he still couldn’t help being super attracted to the witch and wanting to fuck him—hard and fast or slow and easy. Didn’t matter to him how. As long as they got inside each other. And the fact that he craved to be physical with the skinwalker scared him even more.
“But then,” Shaman continued, “the pull I feel toward you is inexplicable. The thought of you no longer walking the earth pains me in a way I’ve never felt before and worsens with the idea of my hand taking you from your mortal coil. No. I won’t kill you. I won’t consume your power. But I will demand having all of you—body, heart, and soul. The two of us will be greater together as a bonded couple rather than just me having all the fun causing havoc everywhere.” Shaman clucked Sloth under the chin.
“I smell your attraction to me,” the medic stated, sneaking a glance at Sloth’s penis. “I see it, too. Yet, I also smell your fear. We can’t have that. Amorcito, you need to trust me … love me. I’m more than happy to give you some time to wrap your head around all of this. Not a lot of time, mind you, but whatever decision you come to, know this, you will be mine.”


~ * ~ BUY BOOKS BY JACEY HOLBRAND ~ * ~
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~ * ~ BIO ~ * ~
Jacey Holbrand believes life and love comes in all forms and should be celebrated. She’s committed to her muse and writing so she can share her stories with readers. Hot days. Sexy nights. Come play in her world.
Jacey loves to hear from readers! Click the link to eMail her: JaceyHolbrand@gmail.com


~ * ~ STALK ~ * ~
Blog/Website - https://jaceyholbrand.wordpress.com/  
Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/Jacey-Holbrand/e/B00OE91T62  
Twitter - https://twitter.com/JaceyHolbrand
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jacey.holbrand Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacey-Holbrand-Author/584389541594430

Book Two in the MckNight, Perth and Daire Series!

Charlotte Perth has been sent to Missouri to find the bodies of three missing women, and she’s dragging her new injured boyfriend, Jonas Daire, along for the ride. Only when she arrives in Rock Ridge does she realize that Agent Nash McKnight has been hired to protect her, and his nearness is driving her absolutely crazy. 

As if having to deal with a wacky Southern belle who’s channeling more than the dearly departed, the local sheriff who’s convinced she’s the murderer, and an underground sex club wasn’t challenging enough. Now she’s got to worry about her unwanted attraction to Nash as they go undercover to ferret out a killer. 

Charlotte doesn’t want to betray Jonas, but she’s not quite sure how to squash her feelings for Nash. And just when she thought she might have it all figured out, a secret she uncovers is enough to put her on the murderer’s high-priority list.


I wanted to write a series to honor one of my favorite TV shows, Ghost Whisperer. Well, until the season where Jim dies and takes over another man's body. That was just too whack and made me angry the writers went there. Dudes! If you're going to write a great tv married couple who love each other do NOT kill off the husband! 
I digress...
I came up with Charlotte Perth. Sassy. Loves designer shoes, but doesn't like their prices so she buys knock-offs. And she has a series problem with water. To the point that she won't stay in a hotel room with a bathtub. Why?...she once drowned, and it left her with aquaphobia. This horrible incident in her past might have left unable to take a swim, but it gave her the ability to communicate with the dead. And not just any dead. She sees only those who have been murdered. 
In book one, Otherworldly, I set up Charlotte's life as she travels around helping people. Her only confidant is her sister, Holly, and Holly's husband, Alastair. Al is the head of an FBI-type agency called Hawke Securities who are for the private sector, although they have very real authoritative privileges. Fearing for her sister's life, Holly sends HS Agent Nash McKnight to keep her safe, but he and Charlotte have a history and since she has a boyfriend, well, sparks really do fly. Just...maybe not the right king.
I tried to put as much humor and sass as I could into this book. In book three, Breathless (which is showcased next Tuesday), I introduce all of Charlotte's kooky sisters as she goes back home to find the killer that has struck again. 

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Book One in Rose Wulf's Vampire Series

Veronica Wyndham had no idea that vampires were real, let alone that her new favorite customer—Tall Dark and Handsome—just so happened to be one. And she never imagined she’d overhear a robbery plan with murderous potential while eating lunch in the park. Making those kinds of enemies just wasn’t a good way to spend a day.
Seth Hunter knew he should have been grateful for Veronica’s unintentional help in exposing the traitors, but all he could worry about was how much danger she’d just landed in. Instinct had him taking it upon himself to keep a protective eye on her, but even then he had to keep his distance. If she found out the truth about the world around her, she would surely get Caught in Darkness.



       1)      Tell us about the world your novel set in.
My novel, Caught in Darkness (Night Shadows 1), is set in a world a lot like ours. There’s just one noteworthy difference—vampires, werewolves, witches, and people called Slayers are real. The supernatural element lives in the shadows, mostly, but is spread out all over.
Caught in Darkness focuses on a vampire Family in Baltimore and a human woman who stumbles into their world without even knowing it!
      2)      What makes your world/character different from other books in the same genre? (eg: does your vampire sparkle in the sun?)
My vampires do not sparkle! But they don’t catch flame in the sun, either. Technically, they can walk in it, but not without consequence. So most of my vampires dress in long sleeves and layers and wear sunglasses. Being caught in the sun drains their energy, and burns them in a similar way ordinary humans get burned if they touch something hot for too long. They’re still susceptible to things like stakes to the heart and decapitation, because really-die somehow, and of course they’re dependent on blood. I should specify, non-werewolf blood.
The vampire society in my Night Shadows series functions as a sort of nation unto itself, hidden from sight of the rest of the world. Though there are Families scattered all over, like the one in Baltimore that is explored in Caught in Darkness, those Families are themselves all subservient to the First Family. The First Family is ruled by the Vampire Queen, the oldest remaining Original. She sets the laws for all vampires.
Slayers are also relevant in Caught in Darkness, and it’s important to know they’re more than just “people who hunt monsters.” True Slayers, with the capital “s,” are a unique type of evolved human with the ability to sense the presence of werewolves and vampires. Most Slayers, as long as they have a little training or their heritage is strong enough, can tell which species they’re sensing long before they lay eyes on their target. They can also use this ability to track the creature, to an extent. In addition to their sixth sense, Slayers have faster-than-normal reflexes and heal quickly from most injuries. This doesn’t make them immortal, or immune to vampire bites, but it gives them a chance of winning in a fight against something stronger and faster than the ordinary human.
      3)      What is your favorite type of Paranormal story to read?
Oh, gosh! I think ultimately I’m torn between vampire and werewolf, which is why I included both simultaneously in my Night Shadows series.
I love the sexy mystery that so often shrouds a good vampire love story. But I also love the fiercer, protective nature of an Alpha wolf. Both are a little cliché, but easily draw me in and bring a smile to my face!
      4)      Is this book part of a series? 
Yes! Caught in Darkness is Book One of my Night Shadows series. Currently there are four books available in the series, and I am working on the fifth!
      5)      Do you believe in the paranormal? If so, have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Indeed I do believe. I mean, I’m not sure I believe in *vampires and werewolves* but I believe in the paranormal itself. And since you already asked, I’ll share a bit about why (really, it’s all my friend’s fault)!
Put simply, my best friend (who shall remain nameless) grew up in a haunted house.
I visited her many times during our youth, of course, and witnessed several belief-inspiring things. Pictures falling off of walls and flying across rooms, for instance. A self-starting vacuum (that was not *supposed* to be a self-starting vacuum, let me be clear! It wasn’t even plugged in). The radio/stereo system in her room would spontaneously turn on and off sometimes as well.
A personal favorite was watching as a childhood tiara that was on display on a bookcase, on the second story landing, suddenly lifted and flew halfway across the house (landing downstairs)!
These are examples of instances I witnessed myself. I’ve heard many more stories from her regarding her house!
      6)      Did you use any historical facts in your book? (eg: Salem Witch Trails if about witches)
Does ‘the existence of the city of Baltimore’ count? Because aside from that, I’d have to say no!
      7)      Any deleted scenes you wished you had kept in?
Honestly, I wrote and re-wrote this story several times, so my answer is both ‘yes’ and ‘definitely no, it’s perfect!’ It took me a long time to get it the way it is, and I am very happy with the final product.
Did it change a lot during the rewrites? Absolutely. One version was a short story for a writing class, if I remember right! But this was the first version I was happy enough with to submit for publishing. So while there are a couple of scenes I still remember from one of the old versions, I wouldn’t try to re-insert them even if I had the opportunity.
      8)      Are you planning on writing more in the paranormal world?
Of course! The majority of everything I write is paranormal. In fact, I tend to just describe myself as a paranormal romance author and not bother with, “well, except for that one book…”
So while, every now and then, I will dabble in contemporary, the paranormal world had best get used to me. I’m not going anywhere!
     9)      What are your upcoming projects?

Thank you for asking!
I’m currently working on Night Shadows 5 (which I’ve tentatively called Chosen by Blood, but I think that title will change). Without giving too much away, readers can expect to finally learn what goes on behind the scenes with the First Family. They met the Queen of Vampires, Trista, in Book 3 (Stayed for Alpha), but in Book 5 we get to really *see* her. She’s not the heroine, though. Spoiler Alert! Her daughter, the ‘Vampire Princess,’ is actually the star of the story! (Yes, I said “daughter.”)
Night Shadows 5 also sees the return of a few familiar faces from Caught in Darkness—and I’m not talking about a ‘shout out to the couple from Book One.’ But I won’t specify who. I don’t want to spoil the ending of Book One for anyone who hasn’t read it!
I intend to focus solely on this project from now until it’s completed, as I’m already past the halfway point. (Also I don’t like having multiple open projects. It’s hard on my muse.) Once Night Shadows 5 is completed and submitted, I may indulge in a standalone if the urge is there. Otherwise I’ll switch mental gears and begin work on the next book in my other ongoing series, Dark Light!

Website: http://rosewulf.weebly.com/Facebook: https://facebook.com/RoseWulfAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/RoseWulfAuthorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rose_wulf/


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