Lia Davis's Blog, page 64
August 10, 2012
Forgotten Visions Blog Tour Information
I’m taking Ayden and Kalissa on tour from August 13th through August 27th. Follow the tour and read a different expert each day along with interviews, guest post and reviews. I’m also giving away a $25 GC to winner’s choice of Amazon, B&N and ARe, and a swag pack.
Go to CBLS Promotions website for tour dates and links, and starting Monday follow the tour and enter to win.
Click here to read more about Forgotten Visions.
August 8, 2012
Meet Rhycious and Patience from Sheri Fredricks’s Remedy Maker
Lia, thank you for your hospitality!
I’m holding a contest for the hosts of my book tour. The host with the most commenters will receive this gorgeous rhinestone studded, hand decorated book bag crafted by Tina Garcia of Blingitude.com. Come on everyone! Let’s get in the game!
And before you feel left out, there’s something for the commenters too. Details of the contest are below.
Please tell us about you: job, hobbies, special talents, and anything else you would want to share.
*An eighteen-hand-high centaur male in true equine form steps through the entry door, leaving it propped open, and reaches to shake Lia’s hand. A defined muscular arm wraps around a willowy female.*
Rhycious: It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Davis. I’m Rhycious, and this is Patience. Thank you for having us here today
Patience: Hi, Lia! I’m totally stoked to be here.
Rhycious: In the novel Remedy Maker, I serve as a healer for the Centaur herds in the Boronda Forest. Certainly not the only physician out there, but the only Royal Remedy Maker to Her Majesty.
Patience: He’s the best of the bestest. He totally made my illnasty split the scene. *Rhycious smiles* I, on the other hand, help my stud muffin as much as I can, but I have Wood Nymph duties as a mediator for my people.
Tell us about the first time you met.
Patience: I laid eyes on Rhy when I woke-up crashed-out in his bed. *gives a soft laugh* I was brought to him in a weary blackout. Dude looked like he’d bit a lemon when I tried talking to him.
Rhycious: You can’t blame me. Who can understand what you’re saying? I don’t think you know half the time, Polytima.
*Raises his brows at Lia* My human friend found her unconscious and brought her to me. Little did he know Wood Nymphs and Centaurs had been at war with one another for the past two centuries. Didn’t matter—Patience needed medical aid. ‘Course it helps that she looks like a VS model. *chuckles and rubs the back of his neck*
What drew you to her/him?
Patience: He’s so broodylicious. Grumpified and dignified. At a time when I thought I would die, Rhycious made me feel alive.
Rhycious: *takes a deep breath and glances at the open door* She’s an anomaly and I like puzzles.
Patience: Get out! Not true.
Rhycious: We about through here?
Patience: Wazzup, big guy? *frowns, and worry creases her brow* Walls closing in again?
Rhycious: I can hang tough for a little longer. Thanks, babe.
What is your favorite part of her/him?
Rhycious: *buries his fingers in Patience’s long, brown sugar locks, and gazes into her eyes* Outside of her physical perfection and ability to keep me . . . together? I love how positive she remains. Even in the worst of times.
Patience: He acts all grumpy, but deep inside he’s a yearling colt. *turns to smile at Lia* Rhy is all male with a dollop of ego. But it’s his healing nature that holes up in his heart, making it a favortunistic side to me.
Rhycious: *drops his hand from Patience’s hair and snakes it around her shoulders to give a squeeze* You asked, Lia. She answered. Hope you understood.
Care to share future plans?
Patience: We’ve been talkamonic about sprouting some ankle biters, but Big Guy here isn’t ready to spawn. *Slips her hand into Rhycious’, links their fingers, and gives him a wink*
Rhycious: The mythic people have a lot of prejudice to overcome. *turns to Patience* You saw their reaction to our marriage. Raising a child while chaotic rebels rise against the crown is not the time to . . . . *He clamps his jaw shut, lips pressed into a thin line.*
Lia, it’s been a pleasure. *extends his hand to shake* I hope we can visit again sometime soon.
Patience: We can answer some questimations if anyone has something to ask us. We’re totally awesomesauce friendly – so go ahead. Grill away! *Grins*
Remedy Maker
Man by day, Centaur by night, Rhycious is a remedy maker who needs his own healing.
He’s the royal physician, famous for his cures. War and posttraumatic stress disorder has broken his spirit, preventing him from finding true happiness. Then a direct order from the queen to investigate an uprising forces him out of his secluded cabin at the edge of the forest.
Patience is an optimistic, good-natured Wood Nymph who works as a mediator to ensure harmony within the Nymph sector.
Environmental pollution in the aquifer stream that feeds the taproot tree of her heart is slowly killing her. Resigned to the fact she will not live long, she sets out to discover the mysterious disappearance of her sister. Experience has taught her to deny herself the love of a male, but the gruff Centaur is different. He doesn’t push his expectations on her, only his healing nature.
When Rhycious loses his grip on reality, he believes his inability to control his disorder will drive Patience away. Nevertheless, desire flares, and Patience draws him close. Kidnapping and betrayal turn their mythic joint venture into a deadly bout.
Will their love endure when survival hinges on trusting each other?
Excerpt
The twenty-first century was by far his favorite time to live. Natural cure innovations abounded, and the music jammed. Nodding in time to the deep bass thump, Kid Rock rapped out his wish to be a cowboy. Rhycious tapped his toe on the wooden floor and swung his shoulders to the steady rhythm.
A little coffee, some discussion and bargaining, and I’m good to go.
Patience took hesitant steps out of the bedroom with bare feet. She cleared her throat. “Good morning.”
Gods.
Sleep creased her face, her hair lay mussed and wild about her shoulders. Heat coiled low in his belly; his scrotum tightened inside his pants.
He was in deep shit.
In his waking mind, the plan seemed so easy. None of the sexy details were filled in. Now, with her standing in front of him looking like she’d been tumbled hard in the sack, all he could think of was . . . getting hard in the sack!
Fuck.
No! Not that word.
Glorious brown hair, liberally streaked with auburn, floated in waves over her shoulders and cascaded down her back. He watched her like a slow motion movie. She lifted her hands and pushed the heap away from her face, her breasts jiggling with maddening temptation.
“Hey there.” He grabbed open the lower door of the cold box and hid behind it, adjusting himself through his jeans. Guileless, her innocent eyes held no condemnation for his Centaur breeding.
Patience was born decades after the last arrow flew in hatred. Her people had committed horrendous crimes, but he had murdered as well. He was the villain here, not her. The proof stood right before his eyes, looking so damn beautiful—a felony on two legs.
“I hope you don’t mind, I borrowed a shirt.”
Huh? Oh, yeah. Now that he noticed, she wore his Penn State pullover. The navy blue hem fell to mid-gorgeous thigh, and his tongue stuck like Velcro to the roof of his gaping mouth.
“Is that coffee?” Patience glided across the distance separating them, hips swayed seductively. “Mmm, smells wonderful. Can I beg a cup?”
An old adage came to mind: A wiggle in her walk, and a giggle in her talk.
Shit.
“Uh . . . ” He slammed the cooler door shut, grabbed his own mug that read Kiss Me, I’m Amish, and shoved the steaming coffee into her outstretched hands. “Not a problem.” If the brew smelled good, he couldn’t tell. As far as he was concerned, there wasn’t anything to smell beyond the fantastic blossom fragrance that was hers alone.
Staring with appreciation, he watched her drift out of the kitchen and sashay to the living room couch. And there she sat. Tucking those mile long legs beneath her.
Holy shit.
Rhycious turned and faced the stove, eyeing the iron skillet. “Are you hungry?” Perhaps a few whacks on the head would bring back his senses. Drier than his humor, he ran a few laps inside of his mouth to generate a modicum of spit.
“Not yet, thanks.”
Pouring coffee with a shaky hand, he took a deep breath, and mentally reviewed notes for the upcoming conversation with her. He needed his wits and mind on the task at hand, not conjuring images of ripping the damn t-shirt off her to enjoy a little good-morning delight.
She gazed at him over the rim of her cup, watching when he sat nearby in the glider rocker. His eyes drew a bead to the shirt’s hem riding high on her thigh. Long bangs covered half a blue eye peering at him while she blew her coffee.
Hard as galvanized steel, his dick lay jammed inside his jeans. He forced his eyes away from her pursed lips with a metaphysical crowbar. Patience was ravishing and eternally youthful as her kind represented. Once thought to be immortal, Wood Nymphs’ lives were linked to their chosen tree. Cut down the tree—kill the Nymph.
Buy link: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Remedy-Maker-ebook/dp/B008S29WT2/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344020682&sr=1-2&keywords=remedy+maker
About Sheri
Always on the hunt for the uncommon things in life, author Sheri Fredricks thrives on creating adventures in her mythological kingdom for her readers.
A former engineering secretary, Sheri lives on the beautiful central coast of California. “I wanted to move away from inflexible right angles and create an unboxed world with no boundaries.” A voracious reader since her early years, Sheri found her brain crowded with stories and characters of her own. “Ultimately,” she says, “my husband encouraged me to write them all down.”
Sheri loves to spend time at home. A computer hutch keeps her focused on creating stories, but the panoramic view of life on a ranch will call her outside to play in the sun.
Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter
Giveaway!
I have a prize for one lucky commenter, so don’t forget to leave your email address! Among other swag goodies, your name will go into the grand prize drawing for a $20 Amazon gift card at the end of my book tour.
August 7, 2012
Character interview: Meet Gwendydd and Myrddin from Merlyn’s Raven.
Please welcome special guests Gwendydd and Myrddin from Rose Vanden Eynden’s fantasy romance novel, Merlyn’s Raven here today.
Thanks so much for coming. Please tell us about you: job, hobbies, special talents, and anything else you would want to share.
Gwendydd: I have seen 16 autumns while living in my grandsire’s household of Caer-Fyrddin. He is called Brychan, a chieftain of our people, the Cymry. My mother died in childbed, and because I never knew my father, my grandfather is somewhat ashamed of my shadowy birth. I do have foster-parents, Betrys and Cadwgawn, who love and care for me. Betrys runs my grandsire’s household, and Cadwgawn is the captain of his guard. I am to be married as soon as my grandsire finds a suitable husband for me, but I do not look forward to this. I prefer to study herbs and healing with the druid Blaise and his apprentice, Myrddin, who is only a few years older than me. My grandsire would be angered to know it, but I have fallen in love with Myrddin.
Myrddin: Since the age of 2, I have lived and studied with the master druid Blaise, who has instructed me in all the druidic arts, including healing, prophecy, storytelling, singing, and counseling. Since the new god Jesus has taken hold in our land, we do not live with our brother druids but travel from place to place, which is how Gwendydd’s grandsire Brychan came to commission us to stay with him. I know, however, that I am meant for greater things. In my prophetic visions, I have foreseen a king, one like no other, and he will unite the warring tribes of our land and bring peace and prosperity to us all. I know I must help bring this king to the throne. As much as I long to be normal and to stay with Gwendydd, I dare not dream about such a life.
Tell us about the first time you met.
Gwendydd (blushing and embarrassed): Some boys in the marketplace were teasing him, tempting him to fight, and I felt sorry for him. But then he vanished, and I could not believe my own eyes! I had never seen such a thing in all my years. I followed him, and I ran right into the back of him!
Myrddin (smiling): She did! I turned, and she was sitting at my feet. When I reached to help her up and her hand touched mine, my skin ignited. I knew there was something very special about her.
What drew you to each other?
Gwendydd: I must admit that I found him handsome, but the way he spoke to me was much more enticing. He treated me as an equal, and he seemed truly interested in everything I said. After only a few moments with him, I felt as if I’d known him my whole life.
Myrddin: The way she looked at me was something I’d never experienced. Most folk are either frightened of my powers or distrustful of my druid ways. Gwendydd was neither, and I could tell immediately that she had a kind and caring soul. That was even more beautiful than her lovely face.
What is your favorite part of her/him?
Gwendydd: Myrddin possesses the most amazing eyes, golden in color and filled with wisdom and love. When he looks at me, I feel as if I can do anything. How could I not fall in love with someone who gives me so much?
Myrddin: Gwendydd is beautiful, and yet it is her boundless heart that I love more than anything. She is bold when it comes to love and will fight for what she holds dear. And she willingly gives love to all who need it. How could I not love her in return?
Care to share future plans?
Gwendydd: Since Myrddin has a talent for seeing into the future, I shall defer to him to answer this.
Myrddin: Alas, the future is clouded, even for me. Gwendydd does not wish to wed a suitor of her grandsire’s choosing, but I am powerless to stop it, even though I love her myself. I study the druid’s path, but I know this king will come, and I must serve him. Gwendydd and I yearn for each other, and for a simple life together, but circumstances will never allow us that. The world burdens us with too many obligations. It would be nice to foresee a happy ending, but our lives promise us nothing. Will I be forced to stand by and watch Gwendydd wed another? Does the menace I feel in my visions portend a dangerous future for this king I must serve? Who knows? As I tell Gwendydd: we must live in the now and cherish the moments we have. That is all any of us can do.
BLURB:
Falling in love is the ultimate magic. For Gwendydd, a young woman in 5th century Wales, it seems an unobtainable fantasy. She dreads the day her chieftain grandfather will marry her off to increase his allies among the warring tribes of Britain. When she meets the mysterious and handsome druid apprentice Myrddin, Gwendydd realizes just how difficult falling in love can be. The ire of her disapproving grandfather is not her only obstacle. Myrddin’s clairvoyant visions of a king who will unify the battling tribes and bring peace to the land become a dangerous obsession that threatens to obliterate their union. Can Gwendydd support her beloved, the man destined to become the world’s most powerful enchanter, King Arthur’s legendary Merlyn? Or will her devotion destroy her and everything she holds dear?
BUY LINKS:
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1110202413?ean=2940014524735
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Merlyns-Raven-ebook/dp/B007V8600I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335186165&sr=8-1
Soul Mate Publishing: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/merlyns-raven/
EXCERPT:
The scream hung in the air like the waxing moon outside my window. I touched my face, expecting to feel the wound there, my skin cut somehow as Myrddin’s had been in the dream. My trembling fingers came away clean. My heart raced as my mind recovered, but I tore from my bedchamber nonetheless, darting through the shadowed hallways of Grandfather’s household, avoiding the guards that stood, dozing, at the ends of corridors. I knew I’d be beaten if I was caught, but nothing was as important as getting to Myrddin.
I reached the familiar door and slipped inside. He lay on his simple pallet beneath the window casement, but his eyes were open in the moonlight. They sparkled like dew on the grass, as did the sweat that dampened his hairline. His hand lay against his cheek, searching for the phantom wound.
“What is it?” I breathed, my heart still pounding as if it had never pumped before. “I had a nightmare about you.”
He sat up, his body shaking, and I pulled the blanket up over his shoulders as tremors wracked him. He gripped the cover with one hand and took mine in his other. It was not a fit, I knew, but an icy chill stole over me. “I had a vision.”
“It was you, was it not?” I forced the words out, even though they pained me to say them. “Trapped? Tortured?”
He nodded. I could bear it no longer, and flung myself into him, burying my face in his chest. He hesitated, but then his arms came around me, and I nearly gasped from relief, from knowing he was with me, warm and alive and safe.
“What does it mean?” I moaned.
“It is the future we see.”
I tilted my chin up to look at him, and he stared down into my face, one brow arched as if puzzling over a new plant he’d found while scavenging. “How is it that we see it together, raven? How is it that we are connected?”
“I love you.” The words, so sacred and yet sounding so simple, tumbled out. I did not care. Here in the dark, where there was no one else, the rest of the world seemed frozen, unimportant, and far, far away. Blaise, sleeping in the next room, was forgotten. I did not think of my grandfather and his plot to find me a husband, or of his threats to kill any man that stood in the way of that.
Only this moment between us mattered. Myrddin had to know that I thought of nothing but him, sought naught but his presence, heard only his voice with the pounding of my heart. It was bold and brash and dangerous, it was everything I wanted to be, my own true self, and I knew he understood that.
“I know,” he whispered. “And you should not.”
He tried to pull his hand away, yet I clung to it, my voice hardening. “Why do you say that? You are everything to me.”
“You speak of love, Gwendydd, and yet you have told me countless times how you long not for a husband, but for freedom.”
“You are my freedom. Do you not see? You, who have taught me healing and storytelling and magick. . .so many things. You are right—I did not know what I longed for until I met you, and then I understood.” I lifted my hand, daring to touch his cheek, and he allowed it. “This must be love, for it to seep so deeply into me, into my very soul.”
Softness settled into his gaze as he stared at me. “You are a poet, raven.” He teased, I knew, to turn the subject, but I would not be abashed.
“It frightened me, Myrddin. The dream. I cannot bear to be without you, or to have you hurt.”
“And yet there is no way to stop it, if it is my fate.” He gathered me against him and pushed us both up to our feet, shaking the blanket from his shoulders. He guided me toward the door but did not pull away, and I savored his closeness. “Come. You must go back to your chambers. If Brychan finds you here, or if someone sees us and informs him, he will kill us both.”
We shuffled in silence along the corridors, slipping past the sleepy guards undetected. When we came to my quarters, Myrddin placed his hands on my shoulders and looked at me sternly, as Betrys sometimes did when she preached her gospel of Jesus.
“Blaise has told me, Gwendydd, that unrest stirs in the land. The Cymry chieftains like your grandsire cannot quell it, and it will come to call here very soon. But these changes, all of them, no matter what they are, must unfold as they are meant to. We may never understand all that happens, but that is our challenge in life. And that includes whatever this vision may portend for me.”
I matched his seriousness with my own. “Whatever happens, we are meant to be together. I understand that much.”
His hand moved underneath my loosened hair, cupping the back of my head like a pillow, and his expression of wonder made me dizzy. “It is foolish and reckless, raven, but yes. I think I understand it as well.”
He left me standing there in a pool of moonlight, my mind spinning as the stars overhead, replaying his words over and over again to seal them permanently in my memory.
AUTHOR BIO:
Rose Vanden Eynden has always believed in magic, which probably explains how she is able to be a writer as well as a wife, mother, medium, massage therapist, minister, and instructor. She resides in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, twin teenaged sons, and a dachshund named after Rudyard Kipling. In her spare (!) time, she enjoys performing in live theatre, watching films, reading, and walking in the woods. An avid believer in a balanced life, she meditates and eats chocolate daily.
ROSE’S CONTACT INFO:
http://twitter.com/RoseofAvalon
http://www.facebook.com/RoseVandenEyndenOfficial
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/542711.Rose_Vanden_Eynden
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt4cu3rSKz8
August 5, 2012
Creating a New World by Carrie Ann Ryan
First, thank you so much for having me today. So how is the author’s mind work? For me, I think of the characters in the world comes from that. Each time I created a new world, have to be consistent, but I can be as dramatic as I feel like. That’s where world building comes in. Each time we create a new species have to make sure that you have their powers, characteristics, descriptions down pat. Especially when you’re in a series, and a little small tidbit of knowledge that you said in chapter 2 a book 1 may actually be important in chapter 12 book 7.
In my Dante’s Circle series, I have the seven book series in which I’m creating a whole new world, that is outside of my Redwood Pack world. Meaning, I had to make sure that each species and supernatural are consistent with themselves. In order to do this, I use Microsoft OneNote. Each book has a different tab and with each tab, I have serious outline character outline character descriptions and then species descriptions. And I have an overall book Bible that combines these tabs I can do a quick glance at what I need.
So unlike my Redwood Pack series in which I have demons, witches, werewolves, I have a lot more going on this time. I have angels, demons, wolf shifters, bear shifters, Fae, mermen, brownies, pixies, cats, and many, many more. And so each time I do this, I need to make sure I’m consistent with myself, and actually interesting. You don’t want to have each supernatural have the same exact thing. That would get a little boring.
Now, I do use an online resource about magical beings to at least get an idea of what I wanted. But as I kept reading through the mythologies, it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. So ended up taking that and evolving it into something that was my own. So yes, I do cite them, but it really wasn’t my overall arc.
In my world, humans are not merely humans. They are diluted versions of supernaturals who over time forgot the meaning of magic and what goes bump in the night. But because it’s still inherent in their DNA, something can make all of that change, and bring back that latent feature in and make it dominant. That’s why so excited about this, because I get to go crazy and do it ever I want in my own world. As long as I’m consistent with myself. That’s why I love reading fiction and paranormal books. You don’t have to stick to the normal rules, but you have to stick to your own rules.
So what is it that you guys love about breaking open new worlds? What are your favorite types of supernaturals? Do you like that have the same tendencies in care services in each book by different authors? Or do you like it when an author goes off the path and makes it her own?
***Giveaway Info***
Carrie Ann is giving away a swag pack to a lucky person who comments. Be sure to leave your e-mail address to be entered.
About Carrie Ann:
Carrie Ann Ryan is a bestselling paranormal and contemporary romance author. After spending too much time behind a lab bench, she decided to dive into the romance world and find her werewolf mate – even if its just in her books. Happy endings are always near – even if you have to get over the challenges of falling in love first.
Her first book, An Alpha’s Path, is the first in her Redwood Pack series. She’s also an avid reader and lover of romance and fiction novels. She loves meeting new authors and new worlds. Any recommendations you have are appreciated. Carrie Ann lives in New England with her husband and two kittens.
Carrie Ann loves hearing from readers. You can find her at:
Website | Blog | Heartthrob Haven | Facebook Author Page | Facebook Friend | Goodreads |Twitter: @CarrieAnnRyan
Dust of My Wings Blurb:
Humans aren’t as alone as they choose to believe. Every human possesses a trait of supernatural that lays dormant within their genetic make-up. Centuries of diluting and breeding have allowed humans to think they are alone and untouched by magic. But what happens when something changes?
Neat freak lab tech, Lily Banner lives her life as any ordinary human. She’s dedicated to her work and loves to hang out with her friends at Dante’s Circle, their local bar. When she discovers a strange blue dust at work she meets a handsome stranger holding secrets – and maybe her heart. But after a close call with a thunderstorm, she may not be as ordinary as she thinks.
Shade Griffin is a warrior angel sent to Earth to protect the supernaturals’ secrets. One problem, he can’t stop leaving dust in odd places around town. Now he has to find every ounce of his dust and keep the presence of the supernatural a secret. But after a close encounter with a sexy lab tech and a lightning quick connection, his millennia old loyalties may shift and he could lose more than just his wings in the chaos.
Buy links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | ARe
Dust of My Wings Excerpt
The motorcycle vibrated beneath Shade as he pulled off the side of the road and parked. The rain pelted him, the cold seeping into his bones, but he shrugged it off. He was in northern Washington and this seemed to be the norm in terms of weather.
He lifted his leg and got off the bike, ignoring the stares of the women around him. They watched him stroll, his powerful legs leading to long strides. He’d tucked his wings into the slits into his back to hide the fact he was an angel, but he couldn’t hide his face or the fact that women seemed to fawn over it.
It had been a long time since he had a woman. Not since that were jaguar a century or two ago in a night of deep depression and loneliness for him. But the heat, claws and desperation and only served to fill a physical need that left him even lonelier than before. From then on he left his carnal needs up to his hand. Before the jaguar it had been even longer, but he didn’t want to think about her. The one he’d lost. She was long since gone.
August 1, 2012
Chapters are up!
July 29, 2012
Off the Page: Kalissa’s gift
Happy Sunday! I missed Off the Page a couple of weeks ago, so I thought I’d do it today. What is Off the Page? Well it’s a new blog series I’m starting that gives you, the reader, a look into the characters’ lives outside the book.
Today I bring you Ayden and Kalissa from Forgotten Visions. This is a short read on how they are today.
Warning: This contains some spoilers for those who have not yet read Forgotten Visions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kalissa sat at the kitchen table, coffee cup clenched in one hand as she flipped the pages of a scrapbook she didn’t remember creating with the other. Ayden sat quietly next to her, arm draped over the back of her chair. The book held so many memories of them as teens, happily in love. Memories that were taken from her by an obsessed and psychotic demon.
She shuttered at the thought, but quickly pushed it away. Liam was no longer a factor in her life. She made sure of that. Had the scars to prove it.
Ayden slid his hand into hers as soon as she set the cup down and kissed the burn scars on her palm. She met his baby blue eyes and smiled. She would endure the pain all over again to keep him.
“Where did that one come from?” Ayden asked with a chuckle and motioned to the scrapbook.
Peering down at the picture of them laying in the haystacks of the coven’s barn kissing, heat rose in her cheeks. “Khloe said she took that.” It was a good thing, too. Kalissa loved the little reminders that helped piece back her stolen past.
Ayden stood, still holding her hand, and drew her to her feet. “I have a surprise for you.”
Her heart fluttered in excitement. She wasn’t one for surprises, but she learned that she loved them when they came from Ayden. “Really? You spoil me way too much.”
He pulled her into him and kissed her deeply. Pulling back to hold her gaze, he whispered, “You’re worth more than I could ever give. Besides I’ve been working too much since the war with the demons has intensified. I have to sneak in us time.”
Yes, the war have placed unwanted stress on everyone and there were times Ayden had to work double shifts. He was the sheriff of Maxville and has stepped up to taken charge over the strategic planning and surveillance over the demons. With only the six of them against the whole demonic race, they didn’t have time for play. With Lydia so close to delivering her baby, Kalissa and Khloe stayed close to home. That left Ayden, Zach and Melaina on the streets hunting and fishing for information.
“Close you eyes.”
She shivered and almost moaned when Ayden lips touched her cheek. Doing as he asked, she allowed him to guide her to the backyard. The warm sun kissed her skin in greeting as she stepped onto the porch.
He lifted her in his arms, drawing a squeak of surprise from her. “No peaking.”
It was hard, but she squeezed her lids tighter together. Excitement filling her more and more with each step he took. Where was he taking her? She couldn’t tell what direction they were heading in and she was growing impatient.
Finally, he lowered her until her bare feet touched the warm grass. He steadied her. “Now, open your eyes.”
She lifted her lids and gasped. Tears filling her eyes. Her mother’s herb garden radiated with life. From the blooming rosemary and lavender to thyme and mint, the beautiful colors and fragrances brought on memories of her mother tending to the garden and selecting the right herbs for her potions.
It had gone untouched for years. Everything died shortly after their parents did. That didn’t surprise her a bit. A witch’s garden was an extension of her magic. Kalissa hadn’t had the time to start a new one and Khloe didn’t have the patience.
“It’s beautiful. How did you have time for this?”
He turned slightly to hide his expression, but it was no use. Their bond allowed her to read his emotions. When he looked back at her, he smiled and said, “Grams helped.”
“I’ll have to thank Vanessa and ask for help with identifying most of the herbs in here.”
He wrapped his arms around her from behind. “She said you are welcome to barrow the coven grimoire.”
Kalissa chest tightened. She would pull her mother’s books and her family’s book of magic out, too. But to be offered the coven’s book of spells was the highest honor.
“You’re family now, Lis.”
He was right. Although the coven elders and Ayden’s grandparents–Noah and Vanessa Daniels–had always treated her and Khloe as family. The reality of being mated and bound to Ayden still seemed too good to be true.
“Thank you for this gift.” She twisted in his arms and throw hers around his neck and kissed him. “I love you.”
“I love you, too”
He lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her into the house and to their room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hoped you enjoyed this sneak peak into Ayden and Kalissa’s life. Thanks for coming by.
Forgotten Visions is available at Soul Mate Publishing, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
July 26, 2012
A Hero’s Blog Hop: What makes him and hero?
Hi! Welcome to the Hero’s Blog Hop! Starting today, Friday July 27th, through Tuesday July 31st you can hop to over 100 blogs, each with their own giveaways.
AND…
We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 100 times!
Now what are those prizes?
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack! (US delivery only)
Wow! That’s a big swag pack. 
I love an alpha hero. Someone who is strong, can take charge and knows what he wants. He also has to be compassionate, a know when to give in to his lover or lovers. 
When you think of a romance hero what type of personalty comes to mind? Is he alpha to the core? Does he have a softer side?
For a full list of blogs participating in the hop click HERE. Happy Hopping!
Forgotten Visions, The Divinities, book 1Release Date: July 11, 2012
Kalissa Bradenton isn’t your average coffee shop owner. Born to an elite witch bloodline with a rare genetic mutation, she’s a Divinity on a mission. The death of her parents sends her away from her Maxville, Florida, home and into an ancient war between witches and demons. When childhood friend Ayden Daniels comes to her aid after an almost fatal accident, visions of a past she doesn’t remember sparks an old flame and new desires. With the past slowly becoming clearer, she eagerly sets her sights on mending Ayden’s heart and gaining his trust–until a ghost from her past returns to claim her as his demonic mate.
Ayden, the new Sheriff of Maxville and grandson of the oldest living Divinity, is investigating a series of Divinity killings. When he comes face-to-face with the one woman he hopes to have little to no contact with, old pain rises, quickly followed by anger and resentment. Through his rare power of adaptability, he learns actions from the past may not be what they seem. Hope fills his broken heart and determination pushes him to do whatever it takes to win Kalissa’s heart once more before he loses her forever.
Together they must find the strength to mend their tormented souls, while fighting an evil out to destroy the world.
Available at Soul Mate Publishing | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My Giveaway! Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions to enter.
July 25, 2012
Wednesday Words: interviewed and blogged
Hello! How is everyone on this wonderful Wednesday? I hope it’ll turn out to be an awesome day.
Ayden Daniels, the hero from Forgotten Visions, and I are being interviewed over at my writing partner and BFF’s blog today. Hope on over to Carrie Ann Ryan’s place and check it out.
If you leave a comment with your email address I’ll send you a swag pack!
I’m also at Fated Desires today blogging about humor in writing.
AND…don’t forget, Friday kicks off the Hero Hop. You can find more info at Carrie Ann’s Blog Hops.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
July 18, 2012
Author Interview with Darcy Flynn
I am happy to have Darcy Flynn with me today sharing a little bit about herself and her new release, Keeper of my Heart.
Hello, Darcy. Tell us about your book/series and how did the idea come to you?
Sure. My heroine, Katie McCullough, must face the death of a dream of owning the town’s lighthouse compound when, my hero, Max Sawyer, a new hotel developer in town outbids her for the property. The fun starts when she wrongly assumes he is turning the property into one of his ‘Serenity Spa Resorts’.
I came up with the story simply through my own love of lighthouses and from my girlhood dreams of someday owning a lighthouse compound and living in the keeper’s house. One can dream, right? J I visited three costal towns when researching the setting. As soon as I saw St. Michaels, Maryland, I knew that’s where Max and Katie’s story would take place.
When did the writing bug first bite?
I’ve always written poems, music lyrics and short magazine articles, but it wasn’t until my son went to College that I started writing romantic fiction. After he left for school, I was de-cluttering and discovered a box of vintage Harlequin and Silhouette romances in my attic. I read them again and every time I’d read one, I’d think, I could write one of these. So I seized the day and began writing.
Who are you favorite authors, book/series?
I really enjoy Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Mary Higgins Clark. Susan Meier’s Baby in the Boardroom series was really fun, too.
What is your most favorite childhood memory?
Visiting my grandparents who lived in a small rural town in Georgia and taking baths in a galvanized tub in their kitchen. They only had cold running water and my grandmother would heat water in the kettle for my bath. 
Do you have any hobbies or special things you like to do in your spear time?
I love to dance, garden and go antiquing with girl friends. I also raise rare breed chickens on my farm.
Any advice for new writers just starting out?
A few things: 1. Write what you love. 2. Keep working on your craft. 3. Find a couple of good critique partners. And 4. Just write. Even if it’s not your best, that’s okay, push through. To quote Nora Roberts, “you can fix a bad page but you can’t fix a blank one.” That quote really speaks to me!
Boxers, brief or commando?
Boxers!
Favorite eye color?
Blue
What’s the strangest thing you’ve heard or seen?
This question was tough for me. Must be the sheltered life I lead! Lol The only thing I can think of is when our small community suffered the twelve-minute hail-storm from hell!
Thanks again, Lia, for having me today!
Blurb-Keeper Of My Heart
Katie McCullough doesn’t know it, but Max Sawyer, the over confident, irritatingly handsome hotel developer who outbid her for the lighthouse property, is none other, than her mystery lighthouse sailor. The one man who captured her heart five years earlier, the one man who has since been the plumb line for every other unsuspecting male who has crossed her path. Unfortunately for Max, he doesn’t measure up either.
Still reeling from losing the property she’d planned to call home, sparks fly when Katie assumes Max is turning her beloved lighthouse compound into one of his ‘Serenity Spa Resorts.” Outraged, Katie sets out on a mission to dismantle the property…and his plans.
Except Max’s plans have absolutely nothing to do with hotels and everything to do with winning Katie’s heart.
Amazon buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Keeper-of-My-Heart-ebook/dp/B00775ITM2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339694245&sr=8-1
B&N buy link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/keeper-of-my-heart-darcy-flynn/1108657221?ean=2940014010528
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=713csKdqq74
Excerpt
Bits of oyster shell spewed out from under the tires of Katie’s Jeep as it screeched to a halt. Without knocking, she stomped into the keeper’s house to find Max working on an open windowsill on the bottom floor.
“So you’re in the hotel business.” Katie threw the sheaf of papers down on the table near where he was working.
“Yes and good afternoon to you, too.” Max stopped for a brief moment then continued to sand the windowsill. “I see you’ve been doing some research.” His firm lips twitched.
“If you think you are going to turn this,” she said, waving her arms through the air, “into one of your…Serenity Spa Inns, then you are dreaming Mister.”
“Is that so?” Max straightened and his eyes locked with hers.
“You bet. I’ll never let that happen.”
His tawny eyes gave her a once over. “And you think you’re big enough to stop me?”
“Yes,” she spat out, “Don’t think I can’t. I’ll rally the entire town if I have to. This is not what the council agreed to when they accepted your bid.”
Max’s brown eyes turned glacial. “Careful Angel. That sounds like a threat. If it is, you’ll come off the worse for it.”
Katie inhaled sharply. “You may have been master of all you commanded but you won’t master me.”
Max stopped working and turned toward her. Even in her anger, Katie noticed his shirt, unbuttoned and clinging to his muscular form with the sweat of his labor, his forearms glistening with perspiration mingled with tiny particles of wood shavings.
“Maybe we should put that to the test?” he drawled.
“There’s no maybe about it.” Inhaling sharply, Katie gathered up her papers and stormed out of the house.
About Darcy
Darcy was born into the rich culture of New Orleans, La., a city filled with colorful historical intrigue and broad creative energy. Darcy’s natural bent to the arts coupled with her love for one of the most romantic cities in the world has been the inspiration and anchor of her artistic, multi-dimension endeavors. Darcy was always compelled by the need to express herself and like her mother’s famous gumbo, her previous expressions included a little bit of everything—art, music, acting, and dance.
Although published in music, art, and the Christian non-fiction market under another identity, it was the empty nest that turned Darcy to writing romantic fiction. A lover of lighthouses, Darcy’s first novel, Keeper Of My Heart, unfolds in a small Maryland fishing village on the Chesapeake Bay.
Darcy, a former Mrs. Tennessee, continues to be surrounded by all things creative in Music City and when not in writing in her London flat, lives on a beautiful horse farm in historic Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband, son, two English Setters, and a calico cat. Darcy enjoys stargazing, raising rare breed chickens, and gardening.
Visit Darcy at www.darcyflynnromances.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/darcyflynn
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Darcy-Flynn/326719660687545
July 17, 2012
Book Spotlight: Betrayal Bites by Mandi Casey
by
Mandi Casey
Sydney Sedrick, cursed with the powers of the Selected, is monitored by the vampires and werewolves who covet her abilities to rid the city of one another. Sydney receives a summons to attend the Blood Rites Ball, an Elder vampire ceremony to determine her fate. The Midwestern Werewolf Pack demands her loyalty, while Blake, the heir to the wolf pack, is adamant she is his life-mate, meant to be together, forever. To make matters worse, an insider is betraying the vampires, leaking information to the rogues, who want Sydney dead.Buy links for Betrayal Bites:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Betrayal-Bites-Sydney-Sedrick-ebook/dp/B008DNC9C8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1342407797&sr=1-1
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/betrayal-bites-mandi-casey/1111750610?ean=2940014585767
Chapter 1
Sighing while I dusted the stone and glass figurines throughout the store, I had hoped the mundane tasks would help distract me from the anticipation of the mailman. Kieran, leader of the local vampire coven, was sending out his invitation to the Blood Rites Ball. The purpose in having the ball was to see who would next be elected to watch over the Selected. Since I am the Selected, there was a lot at stake, considering my life and overall well-being hung in the balance. It was possible whoever my new babysitter was might decide to imprison me.
Not everyone believed the Selected should be allowed to walk around of her own free will. Actually, there were a lot of people, vampires, werewolves, demons, and rogues who felt the Selected should be kept in a gilded cage her entire life, or to be executed. They felt the potential threat of the Selected’s powers was too high.
Needless to say, the upcoming events of the Blood Rites Ball had me on pins and needles. The thought of not being invited had me feeling like a furry lump had taken up permanent residence in my gut. If someone else was going to make decisions with such an impact on my future, I thought it would be nice to have them do it in my presence. Kieran said the ball was planned for tomorrow night. He hadn’t mentioned if he put me on the invite list.
While debating which would be better, to go or not to go, the door chimes jingled, signaling the arrival of either a customer or Dale, the mailman. I turned around with a smile on my face to see who it was. The moment reality struck at what my eyes saw, the smile dropped off my face and pain set into my chest like an icy hand had wrapped itself around my heart and had given it a good squeeze.
Blake, the sexiest man to ever have walked the earth, stood in front of me holding his right arm with his left hand. His chest heaved as he struggled for air. Blake was a werewolf who had extra speedy healing abilities, so whoever or whatever hurt him had to be very strong and very dangerous. The dark red blood staining the front of his shirt and caking the right side of his neck made me nauseous and light-headed.
“Blake!” Running past him to the front door, I threw the deadbolt lock into place. It would be very hard to try and explain it if one of my customers walked in and spotted Blake with blood smeared all over him. I raced back to inspect his wounds. He must have lost a lot of blood. My Selected senses hadn’t alerted me to his presence before he walked through the door as it should have. Usually, they kicked in when a vampire or a werewolf entered a five hundred foot radius around me. That included outside the walls of buildings, and my senses seemed to be growing stronger every day.
Even though Blake bore such serious wounds, I couldn’t help but appreciate his wild dark-brown hair that hung just past his shoulders. Typically Blake didn’t look so disheveled like he did at that moment. Looking toward him from the door, his amber-gold eyes bore into mine. He was in a lot of pain. I could tell by the way he winced as he moved. Sighing in dismay, I watched his backside as he stumbled over to the couch on the far side of the store next to the fireplace. He dropped down, groaning in pain as he landed on the cushion.
It didn’t bother me that his boots had dragged in remnants of the slushy snow covering the streets outside.
Blake had a fine backside.
My center throbbed to by caressed by him.
Where did that come from?
“Sydney, I was attacked by a demon, and not just any demon. She was a Judge.”
“Judge? What’s a Judge?” Could my life get any more bizarre? Not long ago, I discovered that vampires and werewolves existed. Oh, and I found out I was the Selected, which meant everyone wanted me to be on their side because according to some old prophecies, I was destined to be some kind of savior.
Blake groaned in pain, bringing me back to the present. My life was a little overwhelming at times. Blake resituated himself on the couch in such a way to avoid putting pressure on his injured arm and shoulder.
“Please explain to me what you meant by ‘Judge’. I’ve never heard you use that term before.” A chill ran down my back as I gently put my fingertips on the pulse point near his wrist. His heart rate was beating a bit fast, but not too fast.
“Judges are demons assigned to the king of the vampires. They do his bidding, uphold vampire law, and execute punishment to misbehaving bloodsuckers when Kieran and his Knights can’t. Someone owed the vampire king big, so they negotiated the Judges’ contract to be servants of the king.” Blake closed his eyes and took a guarded deep breath.
My mouth dropped open. There were royal vampires? No one ever mentioned that fun fact before, not even Aunt Judith. In all the discussions we’ve had, neither Blake nor Kieran had mentioned them either.
About Mandi
At age ten, Mandi Casey bought her first paranormal romance. Since then, she’s been bitten with a passion for vampires, werewolves, life-mates, and all matters relating to love and romantic stories of success against all odds. Her writing style draws the reader in with emotionally charged connections, conflict, adventure, and dark, snarky humor.
When she’s not writing, Mandi enjoys Frisbee golfing and researching and writing about urban paranormal romance.
She is a member of Rockin’ Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Savvy Authors.
Find her on Twitter-@pararoma
Blog - http://www.whoareyoucallingavampire.blogspot.com/
