Constance Phillips's Blog, page 3
January 10, 2017
PM Kavanaugh’s Ready or Dead
I’m so pleased to share Ready or Dead, the second release from PM Kavanaugh. Ready or Dead is a prequel to her first release Die, Run, Hide which I shared upon its release. Read through to the end of this post to learn how you can win a copy of Ready or Dead.
Ready or Dead
Recruited into a global counterterrorism agency from a network of federally-run orphanages, Anika Washington is training hard for promotion to field agent status, which requires the successful completion of her first mission. The prospect of failure and being forced to leave the agency haunts the trainee. She can’t bear the thought of enduring yet another rejection, a painful reminder of her institutional past.
When a fellow recruit makes a rookie mistake and is killed at the start of her own first mission, Anika is ordered to step in. Now, she must prove to her superiors—including Gianni Brambillo, the enigmatic male operative who takes a special interest in her—that she is mission-ready. Or die trying.
About PM Kavanaugh
A writer of thrillers spiked with romance, PM Kavanaugh has always loved a potent mix of intrigue, danger, and adventure. She shares her home, dreams and some of her plotting dilemmas with her clever-enough-to-be-a-spy husband and her feline office mates, Finn and Dash.
Website and Social Media links
website: www.pmkavanaugh.com
Facebook at www.facebook.com/PMKavanaughWriter
Win A copy of Ready or Dead
To be entered to win a copy of Ready or Dead, please post the following on Facebook or twitter. Then post a link to your social media post in the comment section below. One winner will be drawn by random.com over the weekend and the winner will be announced on these pages one week fro today. You can enter one time a day, every day this week.
Is Ankika mission ready? Ready or Dead by PM Kavanaugh is out now. http://amzn.to/2j7mePr #Crimson #romance #thriller
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January 9, 2017
Cover Reveal: Royal Holiday
Coming January 16, my release to Sariah Wilson’s Royal’s of Monterra Kindle World–Royal Holiday–will be released. Today, I have a first look at the cover for all of you. (Cover credit: NK Author Services)
Royal Holiday
Ronaria’s Prince Layton’s work with orphaned children has brought him to the Summit in Monterra, but it was by chance he walked into the quaint bistro in search of a treat for the kids in his care.
The bistro’s owner Georgianne Bosco doesn’t first recognize him, and her blunt honesty and warmth to his children has him longing for a way to turn this business trip into a royal holiday.
Buy links coming soon.
Check these pages or my main website for more information as it becomes available
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December 22, 2016
A $400 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway
Enter this multi-author giveaway for a chance to win a $400 amazon gift card.
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December 1, 2016
Not Quite Pasta-Almost Alfredo, A Plant-Based Recipe
In my plant-based recipe posts, I will not be sharing the complete recipe (Unless I can find a link online to share.) It is not my intent to compromise anyone’s copyright. I will–however–point you to the books where the plant-based recipes can be found. Instead, I will talk about why I like the recipe, how I changed it up, and tools and tricks I used in preparing them.
About seven months ago, I started a journey that I’ve kept quiet on the interwebs. I started following a plant-based diet. In coming weeks and months I’ll share more about the reasons and results of that journey, but today (and in the coming weeks) I want to share some of my experiences with new and favorite plant-based recipes. Today: I want to share a Fettuccine Alfredo with Roasted Vegetables. This recipe is adapted from the
Today: I want to share a Fettuccine Alfredo with Roasted Vegetables. This recipe is adapted from the PlantPure Nation Cookbook.
As you might guess, this dish doesn’t utilize a traditional Fettuccine or a traditional Alfredo sauce. They are both PlantPure substitutes.
My favorite pasta is one made with brown rice. The ones made with lentils are splendid too.
The Alfredo sauce is typical of a plant-based substitute (Containing plant milk, cashews, and Nutritional yeast) but had an unexpected addition of dijon mustard. I was a little hesitant to add that, but in the end, the flavor was fantastic.
The key to making smooth sauces that start with cashews (or other nuts) is a good blender. I had to be dragged into this kicking and screaming–was sure my Ninja was the bomb–but nothing beats a Vitamix.
If you’re like me, the price tag might scare you at first. I will tell you, though. Don’t think you’re buying just a smoothie machine.
I use my Vitamix every day! Multiple times.
It is a multi-purpose appliance. (That will make the best smoothie you’ve every taste ). It will also make smooth sauces that are protein packed (Something a lesser blender just can’t do.)
My second piece of advice, check the website for reconditioned models. I bought mine this way at a fraction of the price the website sells new models for. It came in about a week’s time and carries a warranty.
A caveat to that–if you are a Costco member, you can buy a brand new Vitamix for a very similar price to what I paid for my reconditioned one.
Either way, it is my must have appliance to fix my plant-based meals.
Another thing I liked about this recipe is it’s flexible. I used the vegetables that the recipe called for and then did my refrigerator clean up. What’s this? I scanned my crisper drawers and dumped the veggies that were in danger of reaching the end of their shelf life–and dumped them in the bowl.
This plant-based recipe called to toss the veggies with olive oil and coat with a lemon-pepper spice. Instead, I added the juice of half a lemon to the olive oil and used my favorite combination spices.
The lemon–combined with the dijon mustard of the sauce–was a non-typical Alfredo flavor, but I really enjoyed it.
Once coated, the veggies go on a cookie sheet (I use parchment paper to save on clean up) and go in a 400-degree oven for a half-hour.
In the meantime, I cooked the pasta.
I warmed the sauce. This is a necessary step because the sauce thickens as it comes to temperature.
When the sauce is warm and thick, I mixed it with the strained noodles. I used them as a base on my plate, and then dished a heaping pile of the roasted veggies on top of the noodles. (See pic at the top of post). Normally my salad would be full of veggies like this, but since they were the topping on my pasta, I went with a simple side salad.
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November 18, 2016
Featured Author: B. Brumley
I am so pleased to have B. Brumley on the blog this week as our featured author. She is a fellow Hotel Paranormal author. Her installment in the series — Feather — is out this week.
Before we get to the interview, let me share her bio.
B. Brumley
Bokerah Brumley is a speculative fiction writer making stuff up on a trampoline in West Texas. When she’s not playing with the quirky characters in her head, she’s addicted to Twitter pitch events, writing contests, and social media, in general. She cares for a ten-acre Permaculture farm with her husband, five home-educated children, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and two dogs. With several novella releases scheduled for 2016, Bokerah has too much planned for this year, but is happily doing it anyway. In her imaginary spare time, she also serves as the blue-haired Publicity Officer for the Cisco Writers Club.
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Website
The Interview
Tell us about your latest release?
Feather is about a peacock shifter named Jane Jones. Jane Jones first appeared in my novella, Wings Over New York (now a part of Woe for a Faerie), but Jane needed her own story. Feather grew from that. Jane isn’t a hero. She doesn’t want to be. I think that’s what I love most about her.
Are you a plotter or pantser?
Hahaha! I love this question. Originally, I was a pantser, but I’ve learned that my productivity favors a little planning. So now I’m half-pantser / half-plotter, preferring instead to write by beats.
What was the most difficult part of the publishing process for you?
Marketing is hard to figure out. Mostly, it’s all very one foot in front of the other, plodding along. Of course, blurb writing is pretty hard. You know that short bit that describes a story? THAT is one of the hardest things about publishing. Those two hundred words are three parts marketing and one part story.
How about the most fun?
I enjoy social media, Twitter and Facebook. But, lately, I’ve really been enjoying my blog. Since my husband and I started a Permaculture farm, I’ve sort of resurrected my photography, and that’s made blogging a lot of fun again. Beyond that, I love networking, and I love people. Meeting everyone – in person or on social media – is one of my favorite things.
What inspired you to write your first book?
Reading inspired my first writing. When I was a teen, I wrote a middle-grade novel. Then I got married and had kids. Though, I never left the dream for very long. More recently, in 2015, I met some ladies of the Blazing Indie Collective. They asked me to be a part of a Mermaid box set, and that was the first time I wrote, finished, and published a novella as an adult. I promptly learned all the things that I did incorrectly, and it’s been pedal-to-the-metal since.
Do you have any writing rituals? (Time of day to write, must have beverages? Etc?)
I write business correspondence in the mornings, but I write fiction better in the afternoons. I usually have coffee or tea on-hand, but neither is a must as long as I have something to drink.
Who is your go-to author, the one you know you can always count on to deliver a great story?
I know a lot of these. I’ve enjoyed work by Melanie Karsak, and I’ve just started reading a science fiction romance called Edge of Darkness by Vikki Romano.
What projects are you working on at the present?
Feather, first and foremost. I just love this idea of The Hotel Paranormal, and I can’t wait to read work from the others. Woe for a Faerie just released. It’s about a fallen angel named Woe (you’ll meet her briefly in Feather). And I’m actually writing a light-on-the-SciFi Rom-Com (called The Teacher and the Astronaut). I’m also co-writing a Gothic Romance with Eli Constant. It’s fantastic. I love it.
What do your plans for future projects include?
I’ll be starting Leviathan’s Rise, book two in Keepers of New York, my fantasy trilogy. After that, I’ll be working on a creepy re-telling: Cinder/Ella: When Shoes Speak.
What paranormal creature is featured in your book?
I have a peacock shifter and a shadow assassin. A fallen angel, a whale shifter, and a priest also make cameos.
How does your main character feel about his trip to the HP?
Jane Jones is pretty sure it’s the only way to convince the shadow assassin not to kill her. Beyond that, she hopes to have a little fun convincing him she’s worth leaving alive.
What was your favorite part about writing in this group project?
To be honest, I loved seeing how creative everyone was. The wide variety of stories and characters. It’s amazing. There’s something for everyone, and I don’t think anybody could get bored with the series.
Feather
Average is for the birds.
And Jane Jones is average in every way. With sixty-seven Jane Joneses on Facebook alone, it’s easy to blend in. So when the universe spins its vindictive web of chaos, Jane refuses to interfere. Saving humans is somebody else’s job. She’s just here for the buffet.
When the local wanna-be-a-hero-priest corners her in Central Park, she’s convinced he’s lost his mind. He soon makes it clear that a shadow-villain is out to kill her. Plain Jane has a price on her head. Her only hope for survival is joining his mysterious band of misfits.
But when their plans fail, she does the most logical thing: she captures the would-be-hitman and drags him to the Hotel Paranormal for the weekend.
In a fancy room with six hundred thread count sheets and complimentary champagne, can Jane turn an assassin to an ally?
A Hotel Paranormal story.
The Hotel Paranormal is THE place for supernatural beings looking to get away from it all. Beings like werewolves, vampires, elves, sprites, djinn and more check in from all over the world for business and for pleasure—and sometimes for both.
Buy Links:
Kindle (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KGQAZCK
iBooks (Apple): https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1146681509
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/feather-5
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November 15, 2016
Feather: Tuesday Teaser
This week’s Tuesday Teaser is Feather (The Hotel Paranormal) by B. Brumley. I’m so excited to share this book from my fellow Hotel Paranormal author.
Feather (The Hotel Paranormal)
Average is for the birds.
And Jane Jones is average in every way. With sixty-seven Jane Joneses on Facebook alone, it’s easy to disappear in Manhattan. So when the universe spins its web of chaos, Jane refuses to interfere. Saving humans is somebody else’s job. After all, as a peacock shifter, she’s just here for the buffet.
When the local wanna-be-a-hero-priest corners Jane in Central Park to warn her that she’s a hitman’s target, she’s convinced he’s lost his mind. But it soon becomes clear that a shadow-villain is out to kill her. Plain Jane has a price on her head. Her only hope for survival is joining the priest’s mysterious band of misfits.
When those plans fail, Jane does the most logical thing: she captures the would-be hitman and drags him to The Hotel for the weekend.
In a fancy room with six-hundred-thread count sheets and complimentary champagne, can Jane turn an assassin into an ally?
A Hotel Paranormal story.
The Hotel Paranormal is THE place for supernatural beings looking to get away from it all. Beings like werewolves, vampires, elves, sprites, djinn and more check in from all over the world for business and for pleasure — and sometimes for both.
Buy: Kindle (Amazon) | iBooks (Apple) | Kobo | Nook
About B. Brumley
Bokerah Brumley is a speculative fiction writer making stuff up on a trampoline in West Texas. When she’s not playing with the quirky characters in her head, she’s addicted to Twitter pitch events, writing contests, and social media, in general. She cares for a ten-acre Permaculture farm with her husband, five home-educated children, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and two dogs. With several novella releases scheduled for 2016, Bokerah has too much planned for this year, but is happily doing it anyway. In her imaginary spare time, she also serves as the blue-haired Publicity Officer for the Cisco Writers Club.
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bokerah/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/msbbrumley
Blog: https://superbokerah.com/
Website: http://www.bokerah.com/
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November 11, 2016
Sheri Queen is the Featured Author This Week
I’m so pleased to have Sheri Queen (Fellow Hotel Paranormal author) on my blog today. I’m so excited to be a part of this series and so proud of the work Sheri and the rest of the authors have done (and are doing). I hope that all of you have been reading and enjoying these books!
Before I get to the interview, let me tell you a little bit about Sheri.
Sheri Queen
Sheri Queen received her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. 
She grew up in the Hudson Valley region of New York—an area she loves to depict as a backdrop for her stories—and enjoys traveling to new places where she is constantly discovering inspirations for her writing. In particular, she loves visiting graveyards.
You can follow the author at her website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads (Book on Goodreads), and her Amazon Author page.
The Interview
Tell us about your latest release?
Bounty Huntress is a paranormal romance set in the Hudson River Valley area of New York, in and around Sleepy Hollow. It centers on a young woman, Janda Gray, who has spent her life living on the fringes of her community because she’s a Lykoi–half werecat and half wolf.
She makes her living as a bounty hunter. It’s not the easiest life, and she’d like nothing more than to create a new existence far from the wolf pack she grew up in. She thinks her luck is finally turning around when she obtains a lucrative contract to capture a werepanther accused of killing the woman he was supposed to marry.
But nothing is simple. Janda must go through an interdimensional portal to get to the Hotel Paranormal where her target is holding up. Once there, she finds herself siding with her target, and quickly falling in love with him.
Now she must risk everything to help him—including the love they share.
Are you a plotter or pantser?
Both. I start out with the best of intentions by plotting, but find myself diverging down the pantser path as the story unfolds.
What was the most difficult part of the publishing process for you?
The technical issues of formatting for the various platforms, and dealing with trying to update material when I find a typo that MUST be corrected or the world will come to an end.
How about the most fun?
Connecting with other authors about their publishing experiences. It’s such a good feeling to know you aren’t walking this path alone. The outpouring of support has been amazing.
What inspired you to write your first book?
My first book, which isn’t Bounty Huntress, came from an article in an 1881 newspaper that got me thinking about how I could make it into a modern era story. That story was my thesis novel for my MFA program, and it’s sitting not so quietly on my to-be-published shelf. It really wants off that shelf but it has to wait its turn. Bounty Huntress had to be released first.
Do you have any writing rituals? (Time of day to write, must have beverages? Etc?)
I write whenever and wherever I can. I help raise my toddler grandson, who is exhausting. I generally wait until he goes to sleep to start writing, so I’d say I don’t have a set ritual—just survival.
Who is your go-to author, the one you know you can always count on to deliver a great story?
There are several, so it’s hard to pick one. I’d say the one that inspired me for this particular series I’m writing is Patricia Briggs and her Mercy Thompson books.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I love to quilt, although it’s been a while since I’ve been able to have that kind of time. I also recently started dabbling in jewelry making. With jewelry, I can do it in short increments, which fits in nicely with my caregiver responsibilities. I also read whenever I can, and find great joy in introducing my grandson to books.
What do you think makes a good story?
A story with characters I can connect with and root for as they struggle to triumph over the obstacles in their life.
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
I don’t recall any one thing. It changed—a lot. I’ve never been one to live my life as doing one thing. Variety is the spice of life.
What projects are you working on at the present?
The next story in the Sleepy Hollow Hunter series. Bounty Huntress is the lead-in to the series. I’m really enjoying where it’s going.
What do your plans for future projects include?
My thesis novel won’t be able to remain on the shelf too much longer. It’s very antsy and wants its turn, but I’m not ready to juggle two series at the moment, so I may have to padlock it to the shelf a while longer. I’m also polishing a story for an anthology that will be coming out early next year.
What paranormal creature is featured in your book?
A Lykoi. It’s a paranormal creature of my own making. As far as I know there are no other instances of Lykoi creatures being written about in the genre. A Lykoi is a real animal. It’s a cat that has the look of a wolf and behaviors of a dog. It’s been called the werewolf cat. I just made my Lykoi a LOT larger than the real Lykoi. Lol.
How does your main character feel about his trip to the HP?
My character feels out of place and mistrustful of the Hotel. She likes to think she’s in control of her own life and her trip to HP tests her in many ways.
What was your favorite part about writing in this group project?
I love seeing what everyone else is doing with the world. We all have the same Hotel and staff, but it’s how the authors’ version of it comes to life that is fascinating.
THIS OR THAT
• Breakfast or no breakfast? Breakfast
• Eggs or pancakes? Pancakes
• Pork Bacon or Turkey Bacon? Both
• Scrambled or Over Easy Eggs? Scrambled with kale or spinach, and other veggies thrown in.
• White or Wheat Bread? Neither
• Macaroni Salad or Potato Salad? Neither
• Mashed Potatoes or Baked Potatoes? Baked
• Hot Dogs or Hamburgers? Hamburgers
• Cookie Dough or Cookies from Scratch? From scratch
• Pumpkin Pie or Apple Pie? Apple
• Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt? Frozen yogurt
• Taco Bell or McDonalds? McDonald’s because that’s where I take my grandson
• Carrabba’s or Olive Garden? Olive garden
• Sweet or Sour? sweet
• Sushi or Smoked Fish? Neither
• Chicken Nuggets or Chicken Fingers? Neither
• French Fries or Salad? Salad
• Pringles or Lays? Neither
• Salt and Vinegar or Sour Cream and Onion? Neither
• Coke or Pepsi? Coke
• Surge Soda or Mellow Yellow? Neither
• Black Coffee or Cream and Sugar? I don’t drink coffee
• Gatorade or Powerade? Neither
Buy Bounty Huntress: Amazon | iBooks
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November 8, 2016
Tuesday Teaser: Bounty Huntress by Sheri Queen
Bounty Huntress by fellow Hotel Paranormal author Sheri Queen is this week’s Tuesday Teaser book. I’m so excited to share this book with all of you.
Bounty Huntress
Janda Gray’s a Lykoi—part werecat, part wolf—shunned by both sides of her lineage.
She yearns for the day when she can escape the disdainful glances and leave her home on the outskirts of Sleepy Hollow, NY. When she lands a lucrative bounty hunter contract, she thinks her life is finally turning around. All she has to do is lure her werecat target from the safety of the Hotel Paranormal.
Then she meets a werepanther. Her life will never be the same.
Alexander Holden, second-in-command of a powerful werecat clan, is accused of murdering the woman he was to marry. He must find the real killer to clear his name or spend the rest of his supernaturally long life on the run.
Complications arise after Janda falls for the man she’s supposed to be capturing.
Now she must decide if following her heart is worth risking everything, including the love they’ve found in each other’s embrace.
Love is about making sacrifices. Saving him is all that matters.
Bounty Huntress is the introduction to the Sleepy Hollow Hunter series.
It is also a Hotel Paranormal story.
The Hotel Paranormal is THE place for supernatural beings looking to get away from it all. Beings like werewolves, vampires, elves, sprites, djinn and more check in from all over the world for business and for pleasure—and sometimes for both.
http://www.thehotelparanormal.com
“A beautifully descriptive, fast-paced tale full of paranormal twists and turns with a dash of romantic heat.” ~ Traci Douglass, USA Today Bestselling Author
“Thanks to Sheri Queen’s smooth, immersive style and her penchant for interesting characters, you’ll not only want to follow Janda Gray into the Hotel Paranormal, but will soon be clamoring for your own magical room key.” ~Heidi Ruby Miller, award-winning author of the Ambasadora series.
An Excerpt from Bounty Huntress
Half a block stood between me and my future happiness, but it might as well have been a mile for all the good it would do me. From the alley to the bar there was no cover, no shadows to absorb my presence. I’d scoured the surrounding area for another entry point to no avail. Barred windows and a padlocked backdoor thwarted me. I had one shot at getting inside before anyone could stop me, and that meant waiting until the barkeep kicked the last of his patrons out at closing time. While they were busy getting on their bikes, I’d make a mad dash to the front door. I was grateful the street was deserted at this hour, but it was almost too quiet. One stupid move on my part could mean disaster.
I calculated the distance from where I stood, hidden in the alley, to the bar’s entrance and figured I’d probably be fast enough to make it as long as the wolves were so drunk they wouldn’t notice me until it was too late. It was a long shot, but the only one I had. Wolves were quick, even inebriated ones. Their metabolism burned off alcohol within minutes of downing it, which meant my window of opportunity was about the size of a mouse hole. In my Lykoi state I was faster than a wolf—I’d honed that particular skill long ago with all the times I’d been chased—but I couldn’t go Lykoi. Paws didn’t lend themselves to turning doorknobs, so I’d have to do this the hard way. Nothing new there.
I leaned against the brick wall and let the cool autumn air soothe my restless body. My calf muscles twitched, and my stomach rumbled. It was tempting to give in to the urge to transform and run through the woods I’d passed on the way into town. Maybe even hunt a bit of rabbit. I let out a slow breath and resisted my primal desires.
I counted four bikes outside the bar. Mutther’s might be a neutral, no-colors establishment, but I still had to get past the owners of those bikes. Four big-ass obstacles between me and the portal to the Hotel Paranormal. I knew portals existed in most major cities—definitely in Manhattan—but, of course, my only way into the hotel would be through a wolf biker bar. My luck ranged from bad to stinking bad. I was long overdue for a bit of good luck, but I didn’t look for that to happen tonight. My usual mode of blending into the background to avoid attracting attention wasn’t going to work here. There were no crowds to lose myself in, and the glaring neon sign covering three quarters of the bar’s facade was a beacon spreading a swath of red across the sidewalk. Anyone wishing to enter the bar would be doused in light. This had to be the hotel’s idea of a joke—or a test.
About the Author
Sheri Queen received her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She grew up in the Hudson Valley region of New York—an area she loves to depict as a backdrop for her stories—and enjoys traveling to new places where she is constantly discovering inspirations for her writing. In particular, she loves visiting graveyards.
You can follow the author at her website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads (Book on Goodreads), and her Amazon Author page.
The post Tuesday Teaser: Bounty Huntress by Sheri Queen appeared first on Constance Phillips, Romance Author.
November 4, 2016
Featured Author: Melissa Lummis
I’m so pleased to have Melissa Lummis (Fellow Hotel Paranormal author) here today. Before we get to the interview, let me tell you a little bit about this wonderful author.
Melissa Lummis
Melissa Lummis writes new age suspense in a fantasy setting, but her stories are also straight up, steamy adult romance. The Love and Light Series is currently available at Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, and other ebook retailers, as well as the Little Flame Series, a spin off focusing on the character Fiamette from the Love and Light world.
A Yankee by birth and a Penn State graduate, she lives in rural Virginia with her husband, two children, an Alaskan Malamute, and a myriad of forest creatures. Melissa believes the universe conspires to help an adventurer, and if we live our lives as if it is a daring escapade (and it is!), then everything we need will find its way to us.
The Interview
Tell us about your latest release?
Skin Thief is an exciting change of pace for me, taking place in a whole new world where Europeans never conquered the natives and America as we know it never existed. The native peoples evolved their own nation state, but they face a whole different threat to their way of life.
Ninovan Arrighi is an agent for the Red Council, who rules during war times. In pursuit of a skin thief who’s killed at least 5 top level officials in the Red Council, she is about to uncover secrets and ancient conspiracies that will make her question everything she’s ever known.
Are you a plotter or pantser?
A plotter, for sure. But while I work through the story before I actually write it, I don’t plot out every little bit. I think of it as writing very short drafts hitting the main story points along the way. So when I’m ready to write there is still a lot of room to play.
Who is your go-to author, the one you know you can always count on to deliver a great story?
I’m still a die-hard Stephen King fan. I’ve rarely been disappointed by his work, except maybe one book but I can’t say it was bad, just didn’t resonate with me.
What projects are you working on at the present?
I’m currently working on my first contemporary romance. I wrote a short story in the genre a couple years ago and found I really enjoyed it and got a great response. Its about two old high school friends who meet up after college and discover there was more to their relationship than either understood at the time. The twist is he’s being deployed to Afghanistan in a few days.
What do your plans for future projects include?
I have several projects on deck. First, my contemporary titled As You Were. Then I’ll be creating a new series called Southern Charms that will connect my current urban fantasy world with another series that will complete Ninovan’s story in Skin Thief. I don’t have a name for that series, yet, but it will take place in Ninovan’s world.
What paranormal creature is featured in your book?
Skin walkers. In traditional Native American lore, they are considered evil beings who steal people’s identities. I wanted to play with that assumption and test the boundaries in my Hotel Paranormal contribution.
How does your main character feel about his trip to the HP?
She’s been there once before and is a little skeptical of the place. She doesn’t know what the rules are, and rules are very important to her.
What was your favorite part about writing in this group project?
I have to say two things: First, seeing all the different creatures the other authors are writing about. Love to explore paranormal creatures and their lore. Second, the hotel itself. It’s such a great way to connect different authors’ worlds and characters.
Buy Skin Thief: Smashwords | KOBO | B&N | iBooks | Amazon
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November 1, 2016
Skin Thief by Melissa Lummis – Tuesday Teaser
I’m so excited to share Skin Thief (A fellow Hotel Paranormal book) with all of you today!
Skin Thief
Ninovan Arrighi thought she’d seen it all, until she’s assigned to track down a skin thief. She’d heard the stories, even learned the magic as a shaman and member of the Red Council, but she’d never encountered one…or the skinned bodies of his victims. But just when Ninovan thinks she has the monster cornered, he slips away to a place between worlds where the council has no power and her precious rules don’t apply. 
But she soon discovers larger forces are at work, and she can no longer deny that the people and principles she so deeply believed in are unraveling before her eyes. Because Quil Boudinot, with his dark good looks and quiet earnestness, can’t be the psychotic fiend who peeled the skin off those people while they screamed, can he?
BUY NOW:
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Excerpt
Quil Boudinot ran down the wheelchair ramp as I swung my car into the church parking lot, tires squealing. I slammed on my brakes, and he glanced over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes as if I were the psychotic one.
I was halfway out of the still-running car, my service weapon in hand, when he opened the basement door.
“Halt! Quil! It’s over!” I yelled. I sprinted across the lot, but stumbled when I realized with heart-stopping clarity what was happening. Then my foot slid out from under me and I fell.
I tried to scramble to my feet, but I moved in slow motion. As Quil stepped through the doorway, I glimpsed the other side: a large water fountain, red and black carpet, candle light. Music spilled out into the late afternoon, and then the door slammed shut, the sound echoing in my head as if it came from a long, dark tunnel. My heart knocked in my chest. A chill coursed through my limbs.
The vision.
My vision.
Everything sped up and I ran to the door. The view through the glass revealed a completely different scene, a church basement rec room.
Exactly like the one from my vision twenty years ago.
I holstered my gun and reached into my jacket pocket. Behind me, the sun was disappearing behind swift storm clouds. I pulled out and studied a black business card.
The gold text swirled around and then settled into:
Hotel Paranormal
748 Chantilly Lane
Pochinata, Powhatan
“Damn it!” I stepped back from the door, fear feathering along my spine.
Melissa Lummis
Melissa Lummis writes new age suspense in a fantasy setting, but her stories are also straight up, steamy adult romance. The Love and Light Series is currently available at Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, and other ebook retailers, as well as the Little Flame Series, a spin off focusing on the character Fiamette from the Love and Light world.
A Yankee by birth and a Penn State graduate, she lives in rural Virginia with her husband, two children, an Alaskan Malamute, and a myriad of forest creatures. Melissa believes the universe conspires to help an adventurer, and if we live our lives as if it is a daring escapade (and it is!), then everything we need will find its way to us.
More about Melissa: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter
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