Victoria Danann's Blog, page 35

Vampire Hunter’s Daughter

EXCERPT.

I took the first book off the stack and examined the cover. It was titled Vampires throughout History. The cover was leather and so old it was stiff and cracked in spots. The pages showed signs of age too, yellowing and stiff to the touch. There was no table of contents, so it looked like I was going to have to scan the entire book for what I was wanting. I flipped the pages carefully, so as not to tear any of them.

After an hour of scanning and about half way through the book, I found something referring to vampire children.

~~~

Although extremely rare, the natural-born offspring of vampires exist throughout the world. These rare beings are called the dhampir. Dhampir are usually the product of a vampire and mortal. The most common of these unions is a male vampire impregnating a mortal woman. Vampires, both male and female, are seductive in nature and some mortals came willingly to these unions. However, the majority of dhampir born were produced through an act of rape.

Solitary by nature, it is uncommon for a vampire to settle with any one mate for long. The children of vampires, the dhampir, more often than not exhibit all the characteristics of their vampire parent. The strength, speed and agility are the usual hereditary traits that the children develop. They are not always born with these traits but develop them as they grow into adulthood.

The dhampir are day walkers. Some of these children are sensitive to the sunlight but will not perish in the direct rays. Most have no sensitivity at all. Drinking the fresh blood of mortals is also not usually required of the dhampir; however, some have a liking for it. Very few actually need it to survive.

Most dhampir are rejected by the vampire species because of their mortality and weaknesses. Mortals often reject the dhampir, as well, due to their vampirism, so they frequently remain outcast.

Dhampir are known for becoming vampire killers. Their closeness to the vampires and their vampire characteristics make them powerful vampire hunters. The unique ability to track and kill vampires is specific to only the dhampir and the mythological race of vampire hunters.

Historically, dhampir became vampire hunters as a trade. Towns and villages became plagued by vampires who were terrorizing their homes and killing their people. The dhampir accepted contracts in exchange for monetary payment and used their likeness to their vampire counterparts to exterminate the vampires.

~~~

Holy crap, that was a lot to process. The more I read the passages, the more I understood that my being a hunter was more than my heritage; it was my history and my future. Everything about my bloodlines had hunters involved.

Author Jennifer Malone Wright resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children. Between the craziness of taking care of her children, whose ages range from fourteen all the way down to six months, and being a homemaker, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on freelance work or her beloved fiction.

When she grew up, Jennifer always had her nose in a book. She has been writing stories and poems since grade school. This love of the written word and her strong interest in the paranormal is what has led to her first novel “The Birth of Jaiden.”

In addition to being a mother and homemaker, Jennifer is also a very proud military wife. Moving around the country for the last ten years has made her a bit of a nomad and she finds it difficult to be in one place for too long.

Jennifer is also the author of The Birth of Jaiden, a paranormal novel filled with action, suspense, and even a love story.

Website: www.jenniferwrightauthor.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thevampirehuntersdaughter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jennichad217

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4824985.Jennifer_Malone_Wright

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Malone-Wright/e/B00508KU4I/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

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Flirting With Fangs

Flirting with Fangs

Peg Pierson

Vampire romance novelist Bailey Hamilton thinks her life is over. Her two-timing husband dumped her, she has a paralyzing case of writers’ block, and her big toe is bleeding.

Torin Kane, fictional Vampire Hero, is miserable. Chapter after chapter he has battled dragons, demons, and despicable villains, but his secret desire is to find true love and a tan.

With a twist of fate, their worlds collide. A magical teardrop summons Torin to life. And Bailey finds herself face to face, with quite literally, the man of her dreams….

What Reviewers Are Saying About Flirting with Fangs:

“Peg Pierson truly brings her hero to life with this fantastically funny vampire tale. I cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next. I’m still holding my sides from laughing so much while reading this story. If the next adventure is only half as funny it will well be worth reading.” ~Night Owl Reviews

“I’m looking forward to reading more of her work. I enjoyed the wild tale of romance, terror, and undying love. She has a very interesting imagination and can summon up horrors Stephen King wouldn’t think to put together in one book.”

~ Kathy F at The Romance Studio

About the Author:

Peg Pierson is a full-fledged Fang Fanatic and slightly deranged Halloween Enthusiast, with a closet full of plywood coffins, an assortment of plastic dismembered body parts, and of course…skeletons. Crrently, she lives in Minnesota and is busily typing away on a new paranormal comedy. Along with vampires, she loves her family, pecan kringle, and a good laugh.

Please visit her at www.flirtingwithfangs.com

https://twitter.com/PegPierson

Author Jeffe Kennedy

Rogue’s Pawn 

by Jeffe Kennedy

Covenant of Thorns Series

978-14268-9406-0

Carina Press

July 16, 2012

This is no fairy tale…

Haunted by nightmares of a black dog, sick to death of my mind-numbing career and heart-numbing fiancé, I impulsively walked out of my life—and fell into Faerie. Terrified, fascinated, I discover I possess a power I can’t control: my wishes come true. After an all-too-real attack by the animal from my dreams, I wake to find myself the captive of the seductive and ruthless fae lord Rogue. In return for my rescue, he demands an extravagant price—my firstborn child, which he intends to sire himself…

With no hope of escaping this world, I must learn to harness my magic and build a new life despite the perils—including my own inexplicable and debilitating desire for Rogue. I swear I will never submit to his demands, no matter what erotic torment he subjects me to…

Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Rogue’s Pawn Excerpt

“Enough,” a male voice said.

As if I’d ceased to exist, Tinker Bell blinked her eyes and regained her lovely self, face smoothing, shining once again in sunny elegance. Reboot and resume program. She gracefully stood and glided to the tray, set the bowl precisely in the center, lifted the tray and left the room without hesitation.

Booted footsteps crossed the room toward me. Act II, scene ii. Exit Nasty Tinker Bell, Enter God-Only-Knows-What-Now. My face was sticky with whatever the brothy stuff had been, my hair wet and fouled. I stank. I hurt. I was chained to a bed in a place so completely unknown I couldn’t begin to understand it. I tried to squeeze my legs closer together, but the chains seemed at the limit of their reach. The energy of my brief triumph evaporated, allowing tears to well up again.

Oh, please, please, please, do not cry. The threatening sting worsened. I closed my eyes and one tear leaked out. He stopped next to me, surveying me.

“You’re certainly a mess.” His wry voice was rich and smooth.

My eyes snapped open to glare at him through the blur. Fifty different smart remarks flew across my tongue, most along the lines that any failures of appearance on my part could be laid on the doorstep of someone besides myself. But even the buzz of the first word on my vocal chords brought searing agony. Relieved to have a legitimate reason for the tears, I almost welcomed the searing sensation.

“No, don’t try to talk—no one needs to hear what you have to say, anyway. Not that we can help it, since you think so loudly. And you have a decision to make. We have a quandary.” He began pacing, boots echoing against stone. “No one can heal you while you’re bound in silver and we can’t release you from the silver until you have yourself under control. Which will take a considerably long time—perhaps years of training—if you’re even able to accomplish it at all.”

I thought of the birds crashing in increasing cacophony with a small shudder.

“Exactly,” he confirmed. “And yes,” he said from the window behind my head where he seemed to be gazing out, “I can hear most of your thoughts—another reason to save trying to speak aloud.”

My stomach congealed in panic. Had he heard my secret thoughts? Don’t think of them, bury them deep, deep. Think of other things…like what? Think of home, think of Isabel. Isabel, my cat—Clive hated her. What would happen to her now? How could I not have thought of her until this moment? Abandoned, wondering why I never came home for her… And my mother—she’d be frantic. How long had I been gone? They could be all dead and buried, lost to me forever. The anguish racked me.

“Shh.” The man sat on the side of my bed now, heavier than Nasty Tinker Bell. He brushed the hair back from my forehead, then placed his long fingers over my brow and, with his thumbs, rhythmically smoothed along my cheekbones, wiping away the tears that now flowed freely.

I stifled a sob. I had cried more in the past day than I had in years. The sweeping along my cheekbones soothed me, melting warmth through my skull. The rhythm became part of my breathing. Deep breaths. Smooth, easy. The awful tightness in my chest gave a little sigh and released.

“Let’s try again, shall we?” The man pulled his hands away. I could hear him brush them against his thighs. Soup, tears and blood. Yuck.

My eyes cleared enough for me to see him. Ebony-blue climbed over half his face. The winding pattern of angular spirals and toothy spikes swirled out of his black hair on the left side of his face, placing sharp fingers along his cheekbone, jaw and brow. For a moment, the tattoo-like pattern dominated everything about him. Ferocious and alien.

Once I adjusted, I could see past the lines. His face echoed Tinker Bell’s golden coloring. He could be her fraternal twin, with those same arched cheekbones. But where she was golden dawn, he was darkest night. Midnight-blue eyes, that deep blue just before all light was gone from the sky, when the stars have emerged, but you could see the black shadows of trees against the night. He shared Tinker Bell’s rose-petal mouth, but with a curious edge to it. I suppose a man’s mouth shouldn’t remind one of a flower, and there was nothing feminine about this man. Where she wore the pink sugar roses of debutantes and bridal showers, his lips made me think of the blooms of late summer, the sharp-ruffled dianthus, edges darkening to blood in the heat. His bone structure was broader than hers but still seemed somehow differently proportioned, his arms hanging a bit too long from shoulders not quite balanced to his height. Inky hair pulled back from his face fell in a tail down his back. One strand had escaped to fall over his shoulder and I could see a blue shimmer in its silk sheen.

He arched his left eyebrow, blueness in the elegant arch, repeating the deep shades of the fanged lines around it.

“Shall we?” he repeated.

I stared at him. What was the question?

   

  About the Author:

Jeffe Kennedy took the crooked road to writing, stopping off at neurobiology, religious studies and environmental consulting before her creative writing began appearing in places like Redbook, Puerto del Sol, Wyoming Wildlife, Under the Sun and Aeon. An erotic novella, Petals and Thorns, came out under her pen name of Jennifer Paris in 2010, heralding yet another branch of her path, into erotica and romantic fantasy fiction. Since then, an erotic short, Feeding the Vampire, and another erotic novella, Sapphire, have hit the shelves.

Her contemporary fantasy novel, Rogue’s Pawn, book one in A Covenant of Thorns, will be published in July, 2012. Jeffe lives in Santa Fe, with two Maine coon cats, a border collie, plentiful free-range lizards and frequently serves as a guinea pig for an acupuncturist-in-training. Find her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Author.Jeffe.Kennedy) and Twitter (@jeffekennedy) or visit her at her website http://jeffekennedy.com/.

A SOUL FOR CHAOS, Soulbearer Trilogy, Book 2 by Christa McHugh

A Soul For Chaos
The Soulbearer Trilogy, Book 2
Crista McHugh

Genre: Fantasy with strong romantic elements

 ISBN: 978-1479236817

Ebook 978-0985446222

 Number of pages: 338

Word Count: 89K

 

Cover Artist: Claudia McKinney

 

Book Description:

Book 2 of the Soulbearer Trilogy

Life is dull without a little Chaos.

Trouble is more than just a nickname for Arden Soulbearer. It seems to follow her wherever she goes. And no one knows this better than her protector, Devarius Tel’Brien.

Dev thought that by moving Arden to Gravaria so she could learn how to control Loku, the chaos god whose soul inhabits her body, life would be simpler. Wrong. Not only is he continually torn between his duty and his growing feelings for the Soulbearer, but he also has to contend with the rival prince who wishes to claim her heart. Adding to his problems, a group of powerful mages have banded together to rid the world of the disembodied chaos god once and for all. Of course, that means they have to destroy Arden in the process.

Short Excerpt

From the dark recesses, he watched them enter, the torch light flickering across their golden masks as they filed into the main chamber. Tonight, the Tribunal of the Gods would meet for the first time in over a decade. Tonight, they would discuss the fate of the newest threat to their power.   

He adjusted the mask of Nelos, concealing his face from everyone. It didn’t matter who he was, only the god he served. And he did more than just serve Nelos—he was his voice in this realm. Out of all the priests and priestesses in the chamber, only he spoke with the true authority of a deity. Only he could channel the God of Law’s power. And only he could lead them on the crusade to rid the world of the god of chaos, Loku, once and for all.

He waited until everyone else had arrived before he made his grand entrance. With a flick of his hand, the torches brightened, bathing the main chamber in light. The jewels that adorned the wall winked at him as if they already approved of his plan.

“So nice of you to join us,” the priestess wearing the mask of Ivis said as he entered. “We could have done without the theatrics, though.”

“The light of the Law will drive the darkness of Chaos away,” he replied, quoting the teachings of Nelos. As he sat in his appointed chair and draped his silver robe across the seat, he surveyed the other eleven members of Tribunal, trying to pinpoint each of their weaknesses. “After all, that’s why we’re here—to discuss what to do with Loku.”

“In a way, yes.” The Priestess of Ivis narrowed her eyes as if to challenge him.

He muffled his snort. Ivis may have the most followers in Gravaria, but she was a weak goddess. Too kind, too merciful, too aligned with the so-called “Lady Moon” worshipped in Ranello.

The Priestess of Ivis finally turned her gaze away from him. “Loku has a new Soulbearer.”

“Why should it concern us?” the Priest of Jussip asked as he toyed with the golden battle ax dangling from his belt. Like the god he served, he was a soldier, a man of action. He was probably wishing the Tribunal to end as quickly as possible, but he would also be the easiest to sway to Nelos’ plans.

“Agreed.” The Priestess of Sulia twirled her hair around her fingers. “Loku has had many Soulbearers, and they all suffer the same fate. Why is this one any different?”

He leaned forward. Did they really not know? Had they all turned a deaf ear to the rumors coming from Ranello? “For starters, she’s a woman.”

One of the other priestesses gasped, and every pair of eyes behind the golden masks focused on him. Nelos had told him everything about her, every detail about the girl known as Trouble. For once, he had the upper hand, and he would use it to bend the others to his will.

The Priestess of Sulia stopped playing with her hair. “But Loku’s never had a female Soulbearer.”

“She’ll probably succumb to the madness sooner than a man.” The Priest of Jussip fidgeted in his chair. “Is that why you called this meeting, Ivis? To mark this milestone in Loku’s regression?”

“No.” Ivis’s voice echoed off the wall, and a current of magic rippled through the air.

A shiver raced up his spine, and his muscles locked. Could she have the ability to channel her deity as well?

“Do not fear her, my servant,” the familiar voice of Nelos whispered in his mind. “She is the one resorting to theatrics. Ivis doesn’t hold her in the same regard that I do you. You are my chosen one. You are the one who will bring peace and order to this realm.”

He relaxed back against his chair. “She’s a Ranellian.”

Once again, he held their attention, and the Priestess of Ivis appeared slightly perturbed by it. “Correct. And since you know so much about her, Nelos, do you care to offer a guess why I’m so concerned?”

A smile curled up behind his mask. “Unlike the others, she’s used Loku’s powers for something other than personal gain.”

“So I’ve heard.” Ivis addressed the other members of the Tribunal. “Arden Lesstymine is the girl’s name. From the reports I’ve been given, she channeled Loku’s powers to destroy a necromancer that was terrorizing the kingdom.”

“But magic is outlawed in Ranello.” The Priest of Kylow, god of the sea, rubbed his chin. “King Heodis will order her burned at the stake before she’s a threat to us.”

“Or he will use her against us and try to conquer our Empire.” Jussip grabbed his ax and jumped to his feet. “I say we destroy her before she crosses the border.”

Several others echoed his sentiments. It was all too easy to get them riled up. Yes, they served their deities, but in their hearts, they were all staunch Gravarians.

All but him. He served a higher calling. Out of all the priests in the empire, Nelos had chosen him to help usher in a new age of peace.

“Silence, please.” Ivis’ voice boomed over their shouts, and once again, another burst of magic blew through the air. “Heodis knows of her abilities and has even bequeathed a title upon her for her efforts. But I do not think she will be manipulated by him.”

“Is Devarius Tel’brien still the Soulbearer’s protector?” The Priestess of the Ornathian goddess, Lireal, startled everyone with her question. Normally, she remained silent, following the nature of the goddess she served. On the rare occasions she spoke, people listened.

Jussip chuckled. “Poor Dev. Always the protector, never the Soulbearer. How’s that for a never-ending punishment?”

“Yes, Sir Devarius is still her protector,” Ivis replied in a tight voice, ignoring Jussip’s snide remarks.

“Then we have little to fear from her.” The winged Ornathian priestess sank back into her silence and let the others dwell on her statement. The knight had a reputation of keeping the Soulbearers under control, never mind his unwavering loyalty to the Empire. They almost seemed convinced that the new Soulbearer was not a threat as long as Devarius remained in the picture.

Rage boiled up inside him. He needed to renew his momentum. He needed to convince them that she was as dangerous as the god living inside her. “Perhaps, but from what I’ve heard, she’s channeled Loku numerous times and has not shown any signs of madness. Could he be trying a new strategy? One where he could manipulate his Soulbearer into doing his bidding without raising any of our suspicions?”

“What are you suggesting?” Jussip’s knuckles turned white as his grip tightened around his battle ax.

“She was a witch before she became infected with Loku. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s stretching his influence over her in a different way. Instead of turning her mad like he did the others, perhaps he’s seducing her into becoming a willing servant. Loku didn’t open the portal to the Realm of Chaos without help from his followers.”

His threat had the desired effect. Doubt filled all of their eyes.

All except Ivis. She lifted her chin in defiance. “Your point is made. We should watch her as carefully as we have other Soulbearers in the past. Spring is near, and Sir Devarius will bring her here as quickly as he can. Once she is encased in the Mage’s Conclave, we will have ample opportunity to study Loku’s influence over her.”

The others nodded their heads in agreement, but Nelos curled his hand into a fist, banging it on the armrest of his chair. “We’ve only seen a glimpse of what she’s capable of doing, and look what she did to her home kingdom. She leveled the city walls of Trivinus. I say we strike now before she brings chaos to Gravaria.”

Ivis stood, her unwavering gaze fixed on him. “Would the God of Law sentence someone without having absolute confidence she has broken any laws?”

“She has broken laws, or have you forgotten magic is outlawed in Ranello?”

“But not here.” She moved to the center of the circle, turning slowly to speak to each of the priests and priestesses in turn. “We have little concrete information on this new Soulbearer other than the rumors that have made their way here. I urge all of you to pray to your deities for guidance on this matter, but do not act until we have all the facts. If she has managed to resist the madness thus far, then perhaps we have found the most powerful Soulbearer yet.”

She finally came to him. “Does that sound agreeable to you, Nelos?”

Inside, he seethed. She had somehow managed to turn them all against him, to reduce them to cowards that would rather wait until the threat was on their soil before they struck.

“Patience, my servant. You do not need their help to dispose of Loku. I am all the power you need.”

His god’s word soothed him, and the red faded from his vision. “I will pray on the matter,” he replied in an even tone. And strike when he tells me to.

About the Author:

Growing up in small town Alabama, Crista relied on story-telling as a natural way for her to pass the time and keep her two younger sisters entertained. Of course, that also means she’s inclined to suffer some of the same maladies that plague many southern writers like overuse of simile and metaphor, exaggeration, melodramatic writing style, and the ever-popular long-winded sentence.

She currently lives in the Audi-filled suburbs of Seattle with her husband and two children, maintaining her alter ego of mild-mannered physician by day while she continues to pursue writing on nights and weekends.

Just for laughs, here are some of the jobs she’s had in the past to pay the bills: barista, bartender, sommelier, stagehand, actress, morgue attendant, and autopsy assistant.

And she’s also a recovering LARPer. (She blames it on her crazy college days)

For the latest updates and answers to any burning questions you have, please check out her webpage.

www.cristamchugh.com

Twitter: @crista_mchugh

www.facebook.com/cristamchugh

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3035791.Crista_McHugh

Christmas Wishes Blog Hop

GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY… We will be giving away:
A Kindle Paperwhite,
A Nook Glow,
and a $90 choice giftcard for either amazon or barnes and noble.
Both Tablets will come with a book bundle!! 

Leave comment for a chance to win one each signed paperback copies of My Familiar Stranger and The Witch’s Dream along with a Black Swan mousepad as seen below.

Please check out the other blogs on the tour for more chances to win.

Roommate Contest Indie Romance Con in 2013

When you’re putting your Christmas wish list together, don’t forget to ask for the means to attend the very first Indie Romance Con.

I will be there and hope you will be, too.
To enter Leigh Savage’s roommate contest, click here.

Guardian of the Abyss Featured Book

Guardian of the Abyss

Supernatural Singles

Shannon Phoenix

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Number of pages: 127

Word Count: 43,500

Book Description:

Buried at sea by the sorcerers who created him, Abaddon is unable to heal himself and unable to replenish his energy. He has lived here for longer than he can remember, with no hope of escape. Time is against him as the sea eats away at him, body and soul.

When her diving partner tries to kill her to take over her company, Sarah finds herself trapped beneath the waves and dying. Having brought light to Abaddon’s dark existence at last, only she can grant him the courage to do what must be done to escape his watery prison.

Abaddon must sacrifice his wings to save her. Sarah must come to terms with being trapped with someone she has been raised to believe is a demon, and face the betrayal that nearly destroyed her and the company she built. Together, they must take on the ocean and their own fears. The consequence of failure is death.

Chapter 1

Sarah and James had been doing this for years. He had scuba gear on with more than enough air for two, and even an additional mini-tank for her. They held the weighted sled and the pair plummeted towards the large enclosed, protected area of coral on the sea floor. It was only one-hundred-ten feet. They would take the photos and then return to the surface.

She loved doing this, she always had. It was so beautiful here under the water, and free-diving brought peace and comfort to her. James loved scuba diving, but had no interest in free diving. Sarah paid for his gear and for trips around the world with her.

Nothing could go wrong, because they planned with great care, and James checked on her every few seconds. She had no extra breathing apparatus, but she had the ability to free-dive, which meant she could hold her breath and dive to incredible depths. Her personal best was just short of three hundred feet.

Anchoring the boat, they dropped into the balmy waters off the coast of Bimini, on the opposite side from the more famous ruins. They were here to photograph a rare circle of delicate coral. With much of the world’s coral dying, the still-living coral here was a miracle. So, camera in hand, Sarah descended. This time around, she intended to do something unprecedented. She would remain down as long as she chose to, with the secondary tank that James was bringing. She had never done so before, so it was a new thing for her.

However, because of the depth, there was little choice for her if she was going to remain there for more than a few minutes. Once at such a depth, they would need to take decompression stops along the way back up. They had provided more than enough air for themselves to make these stops, and thus neither of them felt any concern as they descended towards the beautiful ocean floor, cameras strapped to their belts and their spirits high.

In the boat above them, they had left a local diving expert, so that they knew they had surface support as well as each other. Sarah knew what she was doing was dangerous, but she had done everything possible to make it a calculated risk. She was as safe as she could make herself while free-diving. She took a lot of ridicule for her precautions, but she was content.

High above them, water glittered as the sun danced on the waves. Around them, fish darted or lazed along. Bubbles floated up from the sled and from James’ breathing apparatus. Water caressed her skin and surrounded her intimately, an embrace more familiar and beautiful than a lover’s caress. It was, in a word, glorious.

Once they reached the bottom, it was gloomy, but not dark. Sarah turned her light on and looked around her. The coral was brilliant in the beams from her headlamp, and she shook her head for the moment when James offered her the smaller air tank. She was still doing well, and knew that shortly she would need more air, but by then she could take on the tank. She had longer since she was ‘tanking up’.

She turned to take a picture, and saw one of the many drug-cartel packages floating some 10 feet or so away. That was uncomfortably close, and she turned to signal to James to look out for them. But as she turned, she realized it was too late–far too late. Apparently there had been one where James was, as well. And James had activated the mines the dealers built into the buoy.

The bombs were intended to prevent people from stealing the weighted bags of drugs. The bomb detonated and the water filled with blood. James’ goggles floated past her, and Sarah did the one thing she had never done before. She panicked.

Even as the fear took her, and darkness began to close in as adrenaline sped up her heartrate and stole the oxygen from her brain, she saw a face loom in the blossoming blood. It was a face from the pit of hell and it followed her into darkness, black eyes pursuing her ruthlessly even as her impending death stole all functioning from her mind.

She tried to scream, but nature had locked her throat closed, a phenomenon known as shallow-water blackout.

* * * *

Abaddon had lived in this ocean hell for so long now that he didn’t even know how long it had been. Unable to connect to the wind or the Earth due to the water around him, he had been forced to attempt to revive what energy he could from the distant sun. Water was his enemy, and he had never known it more than now.

Most of the ‘guests’ he got here were men or women whose intentions were vile. Their nefarious purposes broadcasted so strongly that even the wildlife here felt it and hid. Abaddon hadn’t known of their explosive devices for very long, but he’d found out by means of a curious–and now dead–shark. He had never touched their strange packages, and knew nothing of what they contained.

But today, he had stepped out of his underground lair in order to attempt some time in the sun. He needed replenishment, and in these depths, watery sunlight was all he could get. Unfortunately, it came at a cost as the water continued to etch away at his stone form. He had no idea what would happen, but without sufficient power, he couldn’t renew it. Would he die? Never return from stone form? He didn’t know… didn’t care to find out. So his forays out were few and far between.

As he sat there in stone form, he had seen the human man detonate the bomb, and felt his ill will. The water had filled with blood and then Abaddon had seen the woman and the terror on her face. She wore none of the strange apparatus the others always wore, and Abaddon wondered how she survived so long under the water. Yet he also realized that her death would happen any second now. He looked up after the retreating man. He could jump and catch him. Then he could climb the rope and be free of this prison at last.

Or he could save the woman. He felt her shining soul and he could do nothing but gather her close and make haste towards his cavern. He refused to look at the retreating chain that held her companion. He couldn’t bear it, and he might change his mind. He already regretted it. It was likely that she would die anyway, and he had thrown away the first opportunity he had ever had to escape. The others had never lowered a chain. They swam down with their bodies covered in strange machines, and swam away again.

It was almost more than he could bear to let it go, but now the decision was made and with each passing second, it went beyond the reach of his highest underwater jump. He pushed into the cavern and leaped from the water in a single jump. His powerful legs took him up onto the ledge that made up his prison.

Had he never found this underwater chamber filled with air, his stone form would have been taken over by the ocean long ago. As it was, he was able to escape the water’s constant torment for great periods of time.

He laid her down carefully, concerned about her health and well-being. She looked fragile, laying there alone in the slight gloom from the lichen that coated the walls. He had no memory of how to care for her. It had been so long since he’d been around humans–anyone at all, for that matter–that he had no idea what to do.

A moment passed and she suddenly convulsed. Abaddon decided that was most likely a bad thing. He turned her onto her side and watched as water and something else spewed from her mouth, filling the chamber with a vile odor. Disgusted, he cupped water from the ocean and let it carry the vile substance back with it. After a couple of minutes, she lay still and quiet except for the strange, regular sound of air going in and out of her. That, he felt sure, was a good thing.

He wondered what he would do when she awoke. Maybe he would just sit in his stone form, and she’d go away. She couldn’t stay here, humans were fragile. She had gotten down there without the strange objects the humans kept on their faces, so she would leave his cave and go back the same way.

Satisfied by this certainty, he moved a few feet away and squatted down to watch her taking in and releasing air. It was odd that humans, even while rejuvenating, could not be still. Fascinating, as well… and lovely. No doubt he only thought so because he hadn’t seen a woman in… how long had it been? Well, a long time, anyway.

The usual silence of his cavern was broken by the woman’s sounds, and Abaddon found it difficult to focus. Perhaps he should go outside and attempt to utilize the remaining hours of daylight. It was a wise choice. Not doing so was likely unwise in the extreme.

But Abaddon sat and stared at the constantly moving form of the woman. If there was one thing he could admit, it was that at least he hadn’t forgotten what a woman was. Nor, in all those long years, had he forgotten what it felt like to be betrayed by one. He’d be rid of this one as quickly as possible. Until then, he wasn’t above enjoying looking at her. She was beautiful, and that was a fact. He’d remember her for a long time after she was gone.

The thought made his heart pinch. He didn’t want her to be gone. Except he did, because her being here was just plain dangerous on every level, for both of them. Not that she was his problem. She wasn’t his problem. But if she was, he’d want her back to her own world quickly, for her own good. Humans had needs, as he recalled. A rather excessive lot of needs, at that. He had absolutely no way of caring for a pet, aside from the shark he sometimes fed. Other than Geoff the shark, he didn’t need anything, unless it could get him out of his personal hell.

And that, he decided, was that.

About the Author:

Shannon Phoenix always wrote stories. She watched the characters take on their lives within her mind, and began to write down what they were doing. She would write the stories and then let them go. But a few years ago, she got caught writing those stories. You know… those stories.

To her surprise, the person who found her stories loved her characters as much as Shannon did. She tentatively allowed others to read the stories, as well, and it was from that first foray into the scary world of letting others read her ‘little tales’ that Shannon Phoenix Books was born.

Shannon lives in New Hampshire with her husband John, her daughter, and their family cat, Song. Her full time job is parenting, her part time job is as a mother’s helper to a family friend, and her passion is letting the characters in her mind out on paper–or keyboard, as the case may be.

Welcome to Shannon Phoenix Books. May you find the magic in your own life.

www.shannonphoenix.com

http://www.facebook.com/shannon.phoenix.714

http://shannonphoenix.wordpress.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5829040.Shannon_Phoenix

Melodie Campbell: Comedy Writer Turned Comic Novelist

LOVE THE TITLE!

Do you like comic time travel?

Meet Rowena Revel!

Amazon BEST SELLER – ROWENA THROUGH THE WALL, Expanded Edition

Author:  Melodie Campbell

ISBN: 9781926997520

Publisher:  Imajin Books

March 2012

“Is that a broadsword on your belt, or are you just glad to see me?”

When Rowena falls through her classroom wall into a medieval world, she doesn’t count on being kidnapped – not once, but twice, dammit. Unwanted husbands keep piling up; not only that, she has eighteen-year-old Kendra to look out for, and a war to prevent.  Good thing she can go back through the wall when she needs to…or can she?

“Hot and Hilarious!”  Midwest Book Review

Warning:  This book is not a sweet romance.  It is a sexy, funny, rollicking adventure with a spunky heroine and the medieval men of her dreams!

Rowena Through the Wall (Imajin Books) is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.uk, and European Amazon sites.

Amazon:   http://www.amazon.com/Rowena-Through-the-Wall-ebook/dp/B00557Z2QU

Follow Melodie’s comic blog at

http://funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com/

View trailer and read opening scene at

http://www.melodiecampbell.com/

Short Excerpt from Rowena Through the Wall:  Chapter 16

“How did you do that?”  Kendra gasped.

“Do what?”

“I just saw you walk right through that wall!”

“Oh that….” I said, brushing myself off.  “Look sweetie, not to change the subject, but I don’t have a whole lot of time-”

“And who is that?”

Kendra gaped at Logan, who stood at least a foot taller than her.  He, in turn, gazed down at her as if he had just discovered the meaning of life, the universe and everything that might possibly be in it.

“Damn,” I mumbled.  “Kendra – Logan, Logan – Kendra.  Now that we’re all introduced, I really have to hustle.”

Kendra’s eyes widened.  “Is he for real?”

“Yes, yes, he’s real,” I said, lowering my voice. “ Kendra, I have to whip home for my vet bag.  It would be easier without him along.  Can you keep him here? I’ll only be 20 minutes.”

“Sure, but how?”  She could hardly take her eyes off him.

“I don’t know…flirt with him or something.  But don’t let him leave this classroom.  Got it?”

She gulped.  “Okay.”

I ran to the desk and grabbed my car keys.  Just as I reached the exit, I heard Kendra say, “So…is that a broadsword on your belt or are you just glad to see me?”

Melodie Campbell got her start as a comedy writer, so it’s no surprise that editors have called her work ‘wacky’ and ‘laugh out loud funny.’  In 1999, she opened the Canadian Humour Conference.  She has over 200 publications, six awards, and was a finalist for the 2012 Derringer (US) and Arthur Ellis (Can) awards. Melodie is the Executive Director of Crime Writers of Canada. Her third novel, THE GODDAUGHTER, is a comic mob caper.

Muscles & Mistletoe BLOG HOP Underway !!

GIVEAWAY: One Set of Signed Paperback Copies of ORDER OF THE BLACK SWAN, BOOKS ONE and TWO plus a gorgeous BLACK SWAN mousepad. (U.S. only!)

Winner announced Dec. 10, 2012. To enter just leave a comment here with your favorite PNR about a holiday or with a holiday in it.

WHAT’S MY FAVORITE PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVEL WITH A HOLIDAY IN IT? This does not have to be a holiday book  – just has to have a holiday in it.

Why, that would be My Familiar Stranger, of course. Christmas expressed as Yule because it is an alternate dimension.

My Familiar Stranger can be downloaded for FREE at any of these links:

AMAZON.COM http://www.amazon.com/My-Familiar-Stranger-Paranormal-ebook/dp/B007V8RAKW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

BARNES & NOBLE: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-familiar-stranger-a-paranormal-romance-victoria-danann/1113594093?ean=2940045052818

iTUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/my-familiar-stranger-paranormal/id576452347?mt=11

SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/153078

HAPPY HOPPING and visit all these blogs participating.

1.
The Book Maven




2.
Malia Mallory




3.
Not Now. . . Mommys Reading






4.
Dirty Details – Author Alyssa Turner




5.
Natalie-Nicole Bates




6.
Cassandra Dean (Int)






7.
Author Jennifer James – Unbutton Your Inhibitions




8.
Constance Phillips, A Writers Musings




9.
SnifferWalk (Intl. )






10.
31 Days Early I Rise




11.
eReading on the Cheap




12.
Lisa Rayns Wanted: Vampire






13.
Reginamayrosss Blog




14.
Victoria Danann




15.
H. D. Thomson – Paranormal Romance Author (Int)

Muscles & Mistletoe BLOG HOP Starts Today !!

GIVEAWAY: One Set of Signed Paperback Copies of ORDER OF THE BLACK SWAN, BOOKS ONE and TWO plus a gorgeous BLACK SWAN mousepad.

Winner announced Dec. 10, 2012. To enter just leave a comment here with your favorite PNR about a holiday or with a holiday in it.

WHAT’S MY FAVORITE PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVEL WITH A HOLIDAY IN IT?

Why, that would be My Familiar Stranger, of course. Christmas expressed as Yule because it is an alternate dimension.

My Familiar Stranger can be downloaded for FREE at any of these links:

AMAZON.COM http://www.amazon.com/My-Familiar-Stranger-Paranormal-ebook/dp/B007V8RAKW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

BARNES & NOBLE: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-familiar-stranger-a-paranormal-romance-victoria-danann/1113594093?ean=2940045052818

iTUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/my-familiar-stranger-paranormal/id576452347?mt=11

SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/153078

BONUS for stopping by. The Witch’s Dream will be FREE on Amazon one day only CYBER MONDAY 11.26.12

http://www.amazon.com/The-Witchs-Dream-Paranormal-ebook/dp/B009LXOKQW/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1

HAPPY HOPPING and visit all these blogs participating.

1.
The Book Maven




2.
Malia Mallory




3.
Not Now. . . Mommys Reading






4.
Dirty Details – Author Alyssa Turner




5.
Natalie-Nicole Bates




6.
Cassandra Dean (Int)






7.
Author Jennifer James – Unbutton Your Inhibitions




8.
Constance Phillips, A Writers Musings




9.
SnifferWalk (Intl. )






10.
31 Days Early I Rise




11.
eReading on the Cheap




12.
Lisa Rayns Wanted: Vampire






13.
Reginamayrosss Blog




14.
Victoria Danann




15.
H. D. Thomson – Paranormal Romance Author (Int)