D.R. Racey's Blog: D.R. Racey, page 6

"Athine Verses" FREE for Amazon US for Kindle

Athine Verses - Book One in The Daughters of Ares Chronicles

Free for Amazon US for Kindle

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Athine has always been told that she is to be the protector of the lands. She has trained for years to be this protector and possible future ruler, but Athine has no desire to be ruler of a conquered land. She wants only to have her own adventures. She gets her wish when she is tested in the A'samrad and finds out that she has the power to kill other immortals. She also discovers there is a prophecy about her destroying the world with her powerful magic, but is that prophecy true or being manipulated by someone else?

Join Athine in her first adventure as she learns about herself, her destiny, and if she really will destroy all that she knows.

Amazon US Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Athine-Verses-Beginning-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0052374LI

Purchase Links
Barnes and Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/athine-verses-shannon-mcroberts/1114972286?ean=2940044385702

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/296549

KOBO: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Athine-Verses-The-Beginning/book-2Ic5J7yHME-3rIBG5I66Wg/page1.html?s=rrczO-Iw90KNCWuYbsykgA&r=1


5 of 5 Star Review for Athine Verses
Athine Verses was a great read for me. The detailed story packed into this novella was interesting from start to finish.

The book starts off with a prologue that gives some history into the gods and events that had happened earlier in history. If you are not one for lots of history then you can skip the prologue and go right to chapter one. Some readers love history and lots of names and places, other readers don’t like the history.

Don’t worry though if you are one of those that don’t like history up front....you can skip the prologue and not miss a beat in the book. I for one read the history as it was enlightening and well written. A very good job of tying both Greek and Norse mythology into one encompassing story

The story flows seamlessly as you learn about Harmonia and Athine, two half sisters, both the daughters of Ares. The story moves between both character leads and shows the world from their point of view. The transitions between the character leads were well written, even in places where things happened at the same time. It was a nice transition to see multiple things happening at the same time as Shannon did well at story showing instead of story telling.

Without spoiling the plot..... There is an effort to save the world and another effort to destroy the world. I will not say who is involved in which part of the plot, but it was well written and made for a nice surprise towards the end of the book.

Technical aspects of the book were almost flawless. The sentence structure was well written and provided details that let the reader visualize what their surroundings looked like. This was expertly done as the perfect amount of detail was given which kept me interested in the book.

Athine Verses kept me in my seat for three hours straight and left me wanting more when I was finished. I will definitely be reading the next three books in the series to get more of what Shannon has started in this book.

I would recommend this book for readers in middle school grades and higher. There is no use of profanity, no sexual encounters, and the violence is mild but realistic.

A must read for lovers of fantasy and mythology. If you like a book with a strong female lead, then you are going to love this novella.

5 out of 5 Stars for a very well written story in regards to content, technical style, and enjoyment.

Enmity Awakened by D.R. Racey

Enmity Awakened by D.R. Racey
Coming Soon!

(Contains some profanity)

Prologue

I had always heard that right before you die, that you saw your life flash before your eyes. Since I was only nineteen, I did not have much to flash in front of my eyes, but it was enough to make most people break down and contemplate how good or bad their life had really been. I wonder how many girls had been kicked out of boarding school, beaten by their father, raped by their boyfriend, and murdered in an alley all before they turned nineteen. I guess you could say that most of my short life had truly sucked. This was a fitting end to a shitty childhood.

*****

At the tender age of fourteen, Dad sits me down and tells me that there were going to be some changes. It seems there is a good school for teenagers in upstate New York and I was going to get to spend the next four years there. Do not let me mislead you though. Mom and Dad were staying in Queens. Only I was moving.

So, Dad loads me and a couple suitcases into the car and we head down the road. Mom would have come too, but she had been drinking the night before and could not make the trip.

Dad drops me off and the headmistress rushes me in to a dormitory and shows me where my room is. I end up going to some initiation meeting later that day in the gymnasium with all the other new kids. They kept telling us about rules and penalties. What we could do and what we couldn’t do. I sat there in silence as they rambled on and on with all these rules. By the time we were done, I couldn’t give a damn about rules.

I spent the next two years of my life in that place with four hundred other girls. I mean, I did get to go home for holidays and Queens was my sanctuary during the summer. Not that it mattered though, since my mom and dad were never at home anyway.
My dad always told me that he sent me there for my own good. He said they could teach me about being a proper woman and how to be successful in the business world.

It is not as if I was dumb though. I figured it out when I was ten that my mom wasn’t punching herself in the face. Did that mean that I wouldn’t get my face smashed in by my husband because I was smart?

Don’t get me wrong, I loved my dad. He just wasnt what you would call a “knight in shining armor”. Guess it just goes to show that sometimes the money is worth it. I can’t blame my mom though. What kind of job could she get after drinking and partying for the past fifteen years?

Back to those rules I was talking about. I started my junior year at the boarding school and finished it almost as quick. Another girl started a fight with me, on my sixteenth birthday nonetheless. Ok, maybe I started it. Situations like these are always hard to keep track of, but I am still going to say that bitch started it. I was dropping fists like I was a street fighter, and this girl couldn’t do anything about it except lay there and take it.

This teacher who I hated anyway, tries pulling me off of the girl from behind. She had my hair in her hands, so I figured it was another girl trying to help her friend get an upper hand. I turned swinging and some of my hair pulled loose in her hand. My fist slammed into the teacher’s face like a sledgehammer hitting a grapefruit and a shower of blood poured out. Her blood covered the floor and sprayed out on top of the girl whose ass I had already beaten.

I could feel the anger in the headmistresses’ eyes when they drug me into her office kicking and screaming. They really do frown on beating another girl’s ass then breaking a teacher’s nose. I was lucky that she did not suspend me from school. That saving grace of an angel expelled me instead and told my dad never to bring me back on school grounds. Let’s just say he wasn't too freaking happy about the entire incident. I was not going to complain about being expelled though. Well, not yet anyways.

I did not have a mark on me from that fight, but I had a dozen bruises my dad gave to me. He beat my ass so bad that I thought he meant to kill me. I had to believe that he had a good reason why he reacted to stress like he did.

Dad accepted the fact that I couldn’t go back to the boarding school and enrolled my ass in public school instead. I mean really. You home school me until I am fourteen, then throw me in a school for girls for two years. Now I get in trouble one time and you send me to public school? Give me a break asshole.

Have a happy sixteenth birthday Cassandra. Good riddance anyway. I was tired of those stuck-up bitches calling me Cassie. It wasn’t my name, and I didn’t like it.

My first day of public school was a bit different for me. I was used to orderly lines flowing down the hallways between classes, but this place was a mad house. Kids rushed back and forth between classes. Other kids smoked in the restrooms, and flushed the occasional firecracker down the toilet. A group of guys, that definitely looked too old for high school, were selling drugs in the hallway. This is what society has come to in two thousand years of evolution?

Classes during my junior year were easy and I tried to stay out of trouble since I remembered the beating my dad gave me. He was a real prick, but I am sure he taught me a lesson in there somewhere. I still hadn’t figured out what he was teaching my mom though.

*****

I was pumped by the time the Junior/Senior Prom rolled around. Paul Anderson, the captain of the football team, asked me to go to prom with him. I was excited that I was going with one of the most popular boys in the school. He had to play the formalities though, so I invited him over to meet my dad. Dad took a liking to the kid right away. I guess he saw something in his eyes that showed that he might have a future. I didn’t know it then, but this kid’s future was limited.

Prom went off without a hitch and we headed to the after party. I convinced my dad to let me sleep over at Cindy’s house instead of coming home after prom. It took a bit of doing, but he finally gave in.

I left the prom with Paul and we headed to a small hotel on Long Island. There were probably ten couples partying in the room and most of the girls were still in their prom dresses. The boys had paid a friend to stock the hotel with alcohol earlier in the evening and there wasn’t a single person there who was sober.

By two in the morning, most of the kids had left to go home. The only ones left were Paul, two of his friends, and me. I don’t even think the other two guys went to the prom that night. If they did, then their dates had gone home instead of coming to the hotel. By this point, I was totally drunk and had trouble standing on my own. My eyes kept shifting in and out of focus as I tried to stay awake.
Paul came up to me while I was sitting on the bed and started kissing me. I tried to push him back, but he kept moving in closer. He pushed me back on the bed and kept kissing me as his hands roamed over my body. Why fight it right?

Before I knew what was happening, he was on top of me while I was blankly staring at the slow moving ceiling fan. So much for making my first time special. By the time I passed out, from the alcohol and whatever else they put in my drink, the other two guys both had a turn at me. When I woke up the next morning, I was still in my prom dress, panties missing, and all three boys were gone.
I spent the next hour sitting down in the shower with the hot water running over me. Paul had torn my heart to pieces, as I truly believed he liked me. It made it even worse that he let his friends join in.

I probably would have stayed in the shower longer but the room door opened and a Latino woman came in. She politely excused herself when she looked in the bathroom and saw me huddled on the floor of the shower. She didn’t even bother to ask if something was wrong. What kind of person doesn’t ask if something is wrong when they find a teenage girl curled up on the floor of the shower?

Thirty minutes later, I left the room and headed for the subway. It was going to be a long ride back to Queens in my prom dress. I had to hope that Cindy didn’t call my house looking for me before I got home.

It took me three trains to get back to within a few blocks of my house. I got some strange looks from a lot of people on those three trains.

My dad was sitting in the living room when I walked in the house. He set the newspaper down and asked me where I have been. I tried to tell him that I was at Cindy’s house and he graciously explained to me that he had talked to her an hour ago. It seems that Cindy’s mom had explained to him that she had not seen me all night. I guess my alibi was shot all to hell.

So, Dad orders me to my room, and I can hear him walking up the steps a few minutes later. He was a big man, so the steps creaked as he placed his weight on them. I heard the door handle turn and in he walked with his belt pulled from his trousers. I mean really, I am almost seventeen and you are going to spank me? I guess spank is a bad way to put it. He beat my ass and left me lying on the bed. Your daughter gets raped by three guys, and you just beat her. Well, unless I tell him, he probably was not going to know what happened the night before. I decided then and there that I was not going to tell him or anyone else the details about the party.

I let things go as they were. Blood and tears soaked the white satin sheets of my bed as I lay there. It would have probably been all right if he used the belt to smack my ass, but it just didn’t seem fair when he wrapped the belt around his hand like a glove.

Prom was finally over, I wasn’t a virgin anymore, and my ribs and face were bruised. Thanks Daddy, I love you too. At least I can only blame my dad for the bruises.

I spent the better part of the next two days in my bed. Dad had gone off to work shortly after beating my ass and had not returned since. Mom, I am assuming was drunk the entire weekend since she did not come into my room once. The quiet gave me plenty of time to think. Boy did I do some thinking.

*****

Paul was waiting for me at my locker when I got to school Monday morning. It seems that he didn’t remember raping me early Saturday morning, or he wasn't going to bring it up. I will blame it on the latter. Sorry prick of a boyfriend he made.

Something about small talk, in light of what he did to me, was just not interesting. He blocked me when I tried to leave my locker and go to my first class. Paul had a way with words and made sure I knew to keep my mouth shut. The words still ring clearly in my mind today, just as they did when he first said them. “If you say a word then I’ll kill you and your mom.”

I guess I shouldn’t have believed him. What kind of pull does an eighteen-year-old boy have in the ways of the world? I politely told him to “fuck off” and pushed past him as I went to class.

Even after his threat, I still refused to tell anyone about that night. It was not because of what he said though. It was because I was ashamed and embarrassed. One day I will get over those feelings that young women tend to bottle up. I let the thoughts simmer in my head and I thought about someone killing Paul for what he did. The fantasies of him getting his due brought me a little pleasure, even if it didn’t take the pain away.

I finished the rest of high school without any major issues. My dad still had a temper and beat my ass on occasion. The bruises on my face made me miss a few days of school, but other than that, I managed to get by. Graduation was the culmination of my childhood years. I wasn’t so certain that I didn’t want to be a child any more.

Considering I had little else to do, I went to college and lived at home. My favorite class was a self-defense elective. I so enjoyed that class as I pretended that I was hitting my dad or Paul every time I punched the practice bag. It was a sad excuse for trying to get even with them, but it did help release some pent-up frustrations.

Dad was still up to his old tricks. He kept my mom drunk and had her out on the town every night. His stress levels seemed higher than they used to be and he spent even less time at the house than he had when I was growing up. I overheard him arguing with someone on the phone one night; his voice seemed as if he was scared. It wasn’t long before he started carrying a concealed gun with him every place he went.

Summer time came and he made me an intern at his company, DynaSys, while I was out of school for the summer. I finally found out what my dad did, and it was kind of enlightening. His business made experimental weapons, and from the amount of money he made, I guess he did pretty well. His research and development program just blew my mind. The facility had to be the size of a football field and was filled with all sorts of weapons. I had to get a special card just to get access to the room. Rows and rows of guns, rockets, and other weapons filled the entire place. One of the researchers had developed a whip that had electrodes running through the cord. The whip was bad-ass, but Dad said it would never get picked up for production because it was impractical for modern warfare. I guess it would be alright if you where hitting a bull with it, but animal rights activists would probably through a fit.

I developed a little bit of respect for my dad working for him during the summer. He was still a prick for beating my mom’s ass and mine, but he was a successful prick.

Summer ended and I started my sophomore year in college. I enjoyed my internship with my dad so much that I continued working for him in the evenings as a way to make a little bit of my own money. It sucked always having to rely on Dad for every bit of money I had, even if he was rich, so getting paid to work was better in my mind.

I turned nineteen and spent my birthday in the research and development facility. The facility had its own indoor range and I used it a lot while testing weapons and learning how to shoot. I had become a fairly decent shot with a pistol and was not half bad with a crossbow either. That whip that just sat on the table was my favorite though. I can’t even count how many times I cut myself with the tip as I was practicing on the walls of the building. It didn’t help that the whip had an electric current running through it. I remember getting it wrapped around my leg once and falling to the floor as I was electrocuting myself. Luckily, someone saw me on the floor and ran up to turn the current off.

*****

One night, a group of three men broke into our house and tied my mom and dad up in his office. I was taking a nap in my room and woke up when I heard them screaming. They were yelling at my dad about a rifle he was working on. I knew what they were talking about and knew why they wanted it. The rifle did not with a traditional powder cartridge; it fired by sound. He told me the round could penetrate up to eighteen inches of concrete or six inches of steel, but he never let me see it in action.

In the end, I ran into the room as the man with the pistol in his hand fired four rounds into my mom’s chest then turned on my dad and put two bullets in his head. My gasp was what gave me away. The men turned on me and I heard gunfire as I ducked around the door.

I ran like hell for the back of the house and made it to the back door. It was locked, but I got it open and made it into the alley. It was evident from the yelling, that they were closing in on me and would catch me within a few moments. The rain was getting into my eyes, but I didn’t slow down. I kept my pace when I made it to the crossroad and continued across to the next alley. Before I made it to the next street, they caught me.

The man grabbed me by the back of the hair and pulled hard. My feet left the ground and I slammed onto the ground. I guess if it was daylight, they might have picked a better place to kill me, but no one was going to see anything in the alley at this time of night.
The three men kicked me in the ribs and the face. If I had not run, then maybe I would have gotten a quick death like my parents. They were going to make me pay for making them chase me down though. It seemed like an eternity while they beat the life from me; Dad never beat me this bad.

In the end, I saw the man with the gun standing over me. My vision was blurry and I could not make out his face. Not like it mattered though. He was going to put a few holes in me on top of the broken bones. My chest hurt as I tried to breath with the broken ribs, but the pain increased a hundred times when the cold steel penetrated into my chest. He fired the gun three times and probably would have fired more if the slide had not latched to the rear.

The three men talked for a minute, then ran down the alley in the rain. Who knows where they went? Who cares where they went? I was lying in the alley with the heavens pissing on me and was all but dead. Soon enough I would join my mom and dad in whatever kind of afterlife I was destined to spend eternity in.

I lived a tragic life in my nineteen years. I’m just glad it is finally over. Fuck this sorry ass world we live in.

 

I hope you enjoyed the prologue for Enmity Awakened, due out by Summer of 2013.

D.R. Racey author page on Amazon
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/D.R.-Racey/e/B0...
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/D.R.-Racey/e/...

Interview with Indie Author Masimba Musodza

Interview with Indie Author Masimba Musodza

(D.R.) Today I welcome Masimba, author of Uriah’s Vengeance, the opportunity to sit down with me and talk about himself, his novel Uriah’s Vengeance, and his works in progress.

(D.R.) Welcome, Masimba. It is good to have you here for an interview today and to be able to give readers some insight on you as a person, not just a name on the cover of a book. Will you please tell us a little about yourself, like where you are from, and how you started your writing career?

(Masimba) Thanks, David. I was born in bred in Zimbabwe, southern Africa and came to England in 2002. I have lived in the UK since. I have always been in to literature. After I left school, I trained as a screenwriter and it looked like I had taken off as Zimbabwe’s film industry was ascending. But as you know, the turn of the century saw the country face turmoil and most of my generation left. It wasn’t until around 2005 that I actually felt settled enough to resume writing.

(D.R.) Your accomplishments include the ZIMMA Writer of the Year Award. Can you tell us more about ZIMMA and what winning that award meant to you and your career?

(Masimba) The Zimbabwe Music and Arts Award ceremony is one of those events organized by the Zimbabwean community in the UK to recognize artistes who have distinguished themselves. Unfortunately, there aren’t that many Zimbabwean writers, and I believe the Literary category has been discontinued. Winning the award was significant to me because it meant that Zimbabweans are aware of my work. Most of the time, Zimbabwean authors tend to gain international recognition before anyone at home takes notice.

(D.R.) As I was reading the synopsis for Uriah’s Vengeance, I noticed that the story took place in Zimbabwe. Can you tell us some about the setting of the book and how you came up with the idea for the setting?

(Masimba) The original story was part of a proposed television series I wrote around 1998. I was going to play Farai and I did have someone in mind for Ce-Ce, hence the physical description of the characters at the beginning. The TV station that I was talking to about the detective series was shut down. But I still have the stories. I used the city of Chitungwiza, some 30 km from Harare, and home to one of the largest Rastafarian communities in the country as the setting.

(D.R.) Is there a deeper message in Uriah’s Vengeance, and any of your other works, that you are trying to get across to readers?

(Masimba) The most obvious theme is that it challenges popular stereotypes about Rastafarian people. The perception of Rastafarians in Zimbabwe is not a very favorable one, with police harassment, education and employment discrimination rife. Writing a story where the main characters are Rastafarians overturns many misconceptions about us. However, I look at the wider Zimbabwean society as well; the avarice that has blighted many of our core values as a people literally overnight.

(D.R.) What kind of drama can we find in Uriah’s Vengeance? I mean, are there parts that are going to keep us on the edge of our seats?

(Masimba) Uriah’s Vengeance is essentially pulp fiction. But there are readers who have seen the layers below, hence all these epithets I have had thrown at me, like “the Rasta Hemmingway” and at my work, such as “Intelligent Pulp”. It is a murder mystery, but woven in to an exploration of Zimbabwean society. Murder doesn’t come as easily to Zimbabwean society, most murders that do occur are not the premeditated ones. But when it does happen, such as I have depicted in the novel, the suspense will be killing readers, if I allow myself a little pun!

(D.R.) It seems like your books are written, at least partly, on your views of the world. Have you written any of your real life family or friends into your books?

(Masimba) Hmmmm. Farai Chisango is partly based on me, and Ce-Ce is a composite of several female friends and associates.

(D.R.) Can you tell us some more about this/these character/s and do your family and friends know you put them into your book?

(Masimba) I think I’ll pass on that one today and leave that one to the speculation of future literary critics!!

(D.R.) Some authors describe having periods of writer’s block and some really struggle through these periods. Did you experience writer’s block while writing Uriah’s Vengeance?

(Masimba) Not wishing to brag or anything, but I have never had writer’s block. What I would like is the time to finish up all the stories swirling in my head.

(D.R.) Every author has their own technique for overcoming writer’s block. How did you manage to overcome this period when you were unable to continue with the story?

(Masimba)I am always creating. As I go about my daily business, my mind is crafting stories and organizing them. A bit like those poor folks in Stephen King’s The Tommyknockers, who just found themselves possessing creative powers. By the time I sit down at my PC, the story is all there.

(D.R.) I started writing many years ago as a hobby and eventually turned it into a little more when I published my first book. Are you writing as a hobby or are you writing full time to provide an income for you and your family?

(Masimba) I am a full time writer. When I was younger, it was just something I did but I never considered it a hobby. It’s something I do, but it is nice when the royalties come in!

(D.R.) Can you tell us the author or set of authors that influenced you the most for your particular genre?

(Masimba) I was privileged to have been exposed from childhood to a wide range of writers and literary genres. I have already mentioned Stephen King, but the list is rather too long to mention here without doing an injustice to those names that would have to be omitted for reasons of space.

(D.R.) If you were to get a movie deal for Uriah’s Vengeance, who would you cast to play the lead roles in the book?

(Masimba) I still think I’d play a brilliant Farai. For Ce-Ce, one of the ladies I had in mind was Karen Stally, who once represented Zimbabwe at the Miss Universe pageant. She now does television appearances in the UK and has a music career going. There is also South African reggae legend Lucky Dube’s daughter, Nkulee and Zoe Saldana. When I see these ladies on screen, I feel there is a lot of Ce-Ce there.

(D.R.) Can you tell us a little about the other novels you already have published?

(Masimba) There’s MunaHacha Maive Nei? which is in my first language, ChiShona. It has the distinction of being the first novel in that language to be published as an e-book first before going in to print and the first definitive work of science-fiction. I have another novel featuring the Dread Eye Detective Agency, but that too is only available as an e-book. But it has mostly been anthologies, and appearances in anthologies with other authors.

(D.R.) Do you have any other works in progress and if so, when do you plan to release them to your fans?

(Masimba) There are more Dread Eye Detective Agency novels, of course, but I am returning to my horror/fantasy roots. A vampire novel called Herbert wants to come home, which blends the European vampire myth and the Zimbabwean belief in ancestral spirits. In this case, Herbert dies abroad, but when his family find out that he had a child, they prepare for a ceremony where his spirit will be evoked to join the pantheon of family spirits. What they do not know is that he has become a vampire and is waiting to be invited home….. The other is Cursed Shall Be Thy Kine, which is set in Zimbabwe, England and Pakistan and goes back and forth across time to reveal events in these three places and their connection. It is mostly about immigration and belonging, but the title comes from the bovine mutilation that is one of the supernatural manifestations that drive the story.

Oh, and I have a feature film screenplay I was commissioned to do, but I can’t say much about it because of the agreement I have with the producer.

(D.R.) Which major retailers are your books currently available from?

(Masimba) Amazon seems to be the main one. I have seen some of my titles on some of the main online bookstores around the world too.

(D.R.) Before we part ways, is there anything else you would like to say for your fans and readers around the world?

(Masimba)
Thanks for the support, and all those emails and nice things you say.

(D.R.) Masimba, I would like to thank you for sitting down with me today for this exciting and revealing interview. I wish you the best of luck in your writing career and hope readers around the world will enjoy your books for years to come.

(Masimba)
Thanks, David, it’s been my pleasure.

Purchase Links:
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Uriahs-Vengeanc...

Social Media Links:
Facebook Book Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dre...
Facebook Author Page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Masimb...
Amazon Author Page - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Masimba-Musod...
Blog – http://.masimbamusodza.blogspot.com

Blood Rites - Excerpt Two

Please enjoy this excerpt from Blood Rites by D.R. Racey



http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Rites-Tri...

Sara stood naked in the woods with Daniel. He explained what would happen to her when the full moon rose within view and its rays shined down upon her now. She still wasnt the happiest that he made a decision for her without her input, but she decided that she would honor his decision because she knew he truly loved her.
They would hunt together tonight, but it was crucial that Sara made the kill and drew first blood.
She felt the tension rising in her body and could feel her organs shifting inside of her. The fever passed and she felt comfortable in the brisk night air. Daniel moved to her, placed his hands upon her breasts, and kissed her. He desired her badly and wanted to make love to her, but there was not time before her transformation. He settled for comforting her and making her first transformation easier. He kissed her and she kissed him back. She needed and welcomed his gentle touch.
Sara’s body began to shift and her bones cracked and popped as they realigned themselves to carry her new form through the woods more gracefully. She howled into the night air and the sound echoed through the valley that lay beneath them.
A couple of minutes later, they stood together and howled at the moon. Sara completed her first transformation and hungered for the thrill of the hunt and the taste of fresh blood. She turned and sprinted into the woods with Daniel close behind her.
*****
Sara could smell her prey not far in front of her. She followed the deer for the past hour and got closer to it with each passing moment. Daniel moved apart from her and spotted the deer in the woods well before she did. He used his mental tie with the newly formed lycan to allow her to see the deer with his eyes. From her current vantage point she could see the deer in front of her, or shift her vision back to what Daniel was feeding her and see the deer from the opposite side. She noticed that he was closer to the deer than she was.
She shifted her vision back to her own sight and circled the deer. Daniel knew she just made a mistake. The deer looked up and jumped to its feet. It leapt away just as Sara landed where it had just been lying. The deer stopped as it almost ran into Daniel and it turned to run back the other direction. Sara was waiting for it as it turned around and dug her fangs into the deer’s neck. She could feel the bones crunch under her powerful jaws and the deer quit struggling moments later as it hung lifeless from her maw.
Sara dropped the deer to the ground, and then dug into its belly and ripped chunks of flesh from it. Daniel let her feed till she got her fill, and then moved in to feast upon the carcass. She snarled at him and he growled back at her. Sara lowered her head and let him join in the feast.
*****
The next morning Sara awoke before Daniel. They lay naked in the woods next to the deer’s carcass. Blood covered her face and ran down her chest. It dried in the night and did not wipe away when she rubbed her hand across it.
‘What have I become?’ she thought to herself.
Daniel heard her stirring and awoke to see her staring at the rising sun. He looked at her perfectly formed ass and became aroused. She turned around as she heard him stirring. Her nipples were hard in the cool morning air and the sight of them aroused him even more.
“It is time for us to go,” he said as he stood up.
“Where are we going to? Won’t they be looking for us in town?” she asked.
“I parked my truck in the woods yesterday close to your mom’s house before I went to the hospital. I have already packed bags for both of us,” replied Daniel. “We have to leave town today.”
“Can I say goodbye to my mother?” Sara asked. She could not bear just running off and not letting her mother know what was going on.
“It isnt safe, for her or for us,” he replied.
“I can’t just leave. I need to at least see her,” she pleaded with him.
“The Sheriff’s residence is on the outskirts of town. We can visit her at the guest house on our way out,” he compromised.
Daniel knew this was going to be hard on Sara, but he knew she could handle it. He only hoped that they did not have any more encounters prior to them leaving.
“Thank you,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug. His manhood felt hard against her leg. “That guy is awake early.”
“Morning wood, I just need to piss,” he moved to a small tree and relieved himself on it. Steam rose from the warm piss as it sprayed out on the ground.
“Likely story,” Sara laughed.

The Indie Author and Social Media Marketing

The Indie Author and Social Media Marketing

Let me start out by saying that this is not an all inclusive guide. It offers points to assist indie authors in getting ready to publish their books or to help market their books. It is kind of long, so please enjoy the read.

Indie authors have been popping up like crazy over the past few years and have flooded the listings on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and other online self-publishing companies.
Self-publishing has taken shape over the past few years and has led to so many authors on the market that readers have millions of books to choose from. Literary agents are swamped every day by dozens to hundreds of query letters for authors wishing to have their book or books published. Indie authors used vanity publishing for years before it became so easy to self-publish online for Kindle, Nook, and many other platforms.

Some indie authors self-publish their books online at prices well below that of traditionally published authors, while others attempt to sell their books at a price range with the better-known authors.

What is the biggest difference between traditionally published authors and self-published authors though?
There are several answers to this question. Indie authors do not get an advance when they sign a contract for a novel. They also have to pay out of pocket for editing, cover art, and marketing expenses. Due to the cost of editing through the larger editing companies and cost for graphic designers, many indie authors create their own cover art and edit their own books.

Marketing takes many shapes as indie authors have found out over the past couple of years. Let me list a few types of social media marketing and explain what they can do for you as an indie author.

Twitter
Twitter is great and if used properly an author can reach a large audience. Is this going to happen quickly? No it isnt since it takes time to get followers. Try to stay away from accounts that offer tons of followers in a few days or less. Start your twitter account six months to a year ahead of releasing your book and build your audience. In doing such, you will have a base to sell your book to once you release your novel. Tie your twitter account in to your blog or website and post excerpts on the site then tweet them. Be creative as readers will not want to always read the same tweet over and over again.

Facebook
Facebook is another great tool. Again, create the account six months to a year before your book release date. You do not even need to start a new account. You can use your current account and create an author page tied to that account. Use that page to post book excerpts and progress on your novel. Share those postings on Twitter and link them directly to your author or book page so fans can like your page. Once you have a nice following then you can run and manage events on Facebook. This provides you a way to get your friends to invite other readers to your event. During these events, you can give away printed copies of your books. (CreateSpace is a great way to purchase cheap author copies of your book). This will help you build your fan base. Even if someone does not win a giveaway on your Facebook event, readers may buy the eBook if they thought it looked interesting.

Goodreads
Goodreads does not sell as many book as Amazon, and as of the date of this posting, they are not currently accepting new books for sell. The big difference with Goodreads though, is that they have an extensive number of readers looking for books. This is a huge help and you can import your friends from Twitter and Facebook directly to your Goodreads account. Utilize the Goodreads Author Program and do a giveaway for your book. The standard giveaways require that you send physical copies of the books to readers, but you can also set up an event just like on Facebook where you can gift the eBook version as well.

Google +
I am not a big user of Google +, but many authors use it to spread word about their books. Give it a shot, import your friends from your address book and see what it does for you.
Blog and Official Website

Your Blog and Official Website is probably your biggest friend for marketing your book. Again, get your page up and running six months to a year prior to your release date. Post excerpts and blubs about your book and get readers interested in what you are working on. In all hopes, this will lead readers to buying your book the very day it releases. Keep your blog on topic as well. Readers do not want to see random postings about coupons for cleaning supplies if you are writing a novel about a 19-year-old girl with a childhood filled with turmoil. They want to see information about your book. Give them what they want. Do some research on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and get your site populated on Google, Bing, and Yahoo search engines.

I set all of these accounts up, now what do I do?
Use them like crazy. As mentioned before, you need to keep your posts relevant to your book. You can also conduct interviews on other authors and post reviews on books you have read on your site. This will help bring readers to your site, even if your book isnt what they normally read. If you build the right audience or community of readers then you will have people lining up to purchase your book when you release it.
Are you going to make a bundle of cash self-publishing? Probably not, but most indie authors do not write to get rich. Do not get me wrong, I would love to get rich from my books, but it isnt in the cards that every indie author makes it big. Just be patient and your success will come, even if it is very slowly.

Beta Reads and Reviews
Find readers interested in your specific genre and provide them a free copy of your book for a beta read or a review. Beta reads are great, as readers will give you feedback on what they think of your book and what you can do to make your book better. They can also tell you if they think it just sucks. Make sure you find beta readers that read the genre of book you are selling. You do not want someone who focuses on young adult books reading your erotic novel or vice versa. If your book isnt published yet, then it is going to be hard for reviews to be posted anyplace. For this, you can have readers send the reviews directly to you for posting on your website. Do not lie and publish false reviews though, you would never get over the damage that would do to your name if someone found out. Once the book is available in print or a digital version, email the people who wrote the review and ask them to post it on the website your book is for sale on. Also, modify the back cover of your book and have the review put on the back under your bio or the book synopsis.

Paid Advertising and Book Launch Tours
This is a good way to get your name out there right before or right after your book is released. There are plenty of services on the internet and Facebook that will gladly accept your money to do an author interview, book feature, or host the book launch party. Find one that seems reasonable and go with it. These services can range from as little as $10.00 for an interview to as much as $500.00 for a book launch tour on Facebook. There is no guarantee that this will help you sale more books, but it works for many authors.

Support Groups and Indie Author Networks
There are many social media groups for authors available to help you get you moving in the right direction. Join one of these groups prior to your book release and offer it to other members of the group for beta reads. Remember, that these are other authors and they know how words should flow when a book is being read. They can give you loads of feedback to help make your book better. Trust them, as they have no reason to not be honest. The two most popular groups that I know of are the Author’s Social Media Support Group and the Independent Author Network (I will provide links to both later in this post). Research both groups and see which one works best for you.

My book is already published, so what should I do now?
If your book is already available to readers in either digital or paperback versions, then start your networking. It is great to build a fan base ahead of time, but you can start your fan base today if you had not started yet. Utilize the free services for blogs and websites, along with Twitter and Facebook. If you have the extra cash, pay for your own domain name as it makes you look more professional.

Where can I find resources?
There are multiple places resources can be found. My website offers a resources page with links to many resources for indie authors. The Author’s Social Media Support Group and Independent Author Network offer resources on their pages as well. I am going to make it easy on you though. Check out the links below and see what is right for you. Links for both Indie Author groups are posted along with links to low cost editors, cover artists, and other resources.
Please subscribe to my blog and join my website for future postings to include articles to assist writers, books reviews, author interviews, and book features.

Best of luck in your self-publishing journey and we wish you the best from Indie Authors and Books.

Posted by David at Indie Authors and Books

Some of the companies/people below may offer more than one service to authors.

Self-Publishing Platforms
Amazon for Kindle: https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishin...
Barnes and Noble for Nook: http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/pubit...
Smashwords (all eBook formats): www.smashwords.com
Amazon CreateSpace for Paperbacks: https://www.createspace.com/Login.do

Author Groups:
Author’s Social Media Support Group: http://asmsg.weebly.com/
Independent Author Network: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/

Low Cost Editors:
Kim’s Editing Services: http://kims-editingservices.webs.com
The Wordsmith, Inc: www.proofeditcheck.com
Helen’s Editing and Proofreading Services: helenmoule@hotmail.co.uk
Amalgam Consulting: http://www.amalgamconsulting.com

Cover Artists:
Shannon McRoberts: www.shannonmcroberts.com
Bull Art Media: ray@bullart.com.au
J.C. Harker: www.thinksentient.com/covers

Book Reviews:
Independent Book Reviews: http://www.ibreviews.co.uk

Author Interviews:
Armchair Interviews: http://www.armchairinterviews.com
Indie Authors and Books Interviews: www.indieauthorsandbooks.com

For more resources stop by the Indie Authors and Books Website and check out our resources page. The list of resources grows almost daily and provides numerous links for self-published authors. Indie Authors and Books also offers advertising plans for book features and formatting services for eBook and Paperback publishing.

Feel free to check out our web store in regards to the services we provide in house.

Indie Authors and Books
www.indieauthorsandbooks.com
www.indieauthorsandbooks.wordpress.com

Writer's Shorts Challenge - Now Accepting Entries!

Writer's Shorts Challenge

The "Writer's Shorts Challenge" features authors against each other in a head to head battle of writing skill and originality.

Short stories will be judged based on votes from readers.

Readers will vote to decide the best story in each of the following categories.

Categories:

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

Horror

Romance

Young Adult

Childrens

Paranormal

Writer Submissions Requirements:

Please send all submissions to david.rieckmann@gmail.com

Submissions should be in .doc or .docx format.

All works must be 2,000 words or less. (Works over 2000 words will only have the first 2,000 words posted)

Works need to be original and unpublished at the time of submission.

All stories remain the property of the author and the author maintains all copyrights to their submitted work.

Authors grant Indie Authors and Books permission to post and maintain their short story on the Indie Authors and Books website/blog.

Use of graphic language or sex is not permitted. (Readers of all ages will be reading the stories)

Author must include the category they wish their submission to be entered in when submitting their story.

Each story may only be submitted for voting in one category.

Authors may submit up to a max of two stories to be voted on in different categories.

Authors may include one link to either their Blog, Official Website, or their Facebook page.

Submission deadline for all stories is midnight CST 7 April 2013.

All stories will be posted on 15 April 2013 and an email will be sent to each author upon the competition going live.
Winners will be announced on the 1 May 2013.

Authors are encouraged to share the links to the challenge with other writers and page links to readers.

This is an opportunity for authors to showcase their writing skills to readers around the world.

Authors may use blurbs such as "Voted #1 Fantasy Short by Indie Authors and Books", or a similar blurb to note their success in the competition.

For more info please email David at david.rieckmann@gmail.com

Visit the Indie Authors and Books Challenge Rules and bookmark/follow the blog posting.
http://indieauthorsandbooks.wordpress...

Blood Rites Official Trailer

Stop by YouTube and check out the official trailer for Blood Rites by D.R. Racey.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcgBp...

http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Rites-Tri...

Blood Rites - Chapter One

Caution! Graphic language and violence!



Blood Rites - Chapter One

Daniel walked down the well lit trail within the Appalachian Mountains under the dim light of the crescent moon. The moon held his gaze as he strolled carelessly along the leaf covered trail. The cool autumn air blew through the trees whose leaves were already starting to turn shades of red, yellow, and orange as winter drew near. Up ahead, the light of a campfire flickered as a group of campers cooked their dinner. He could smell the three course meal as the aromas traveled in the wind towards him. The feast would be enjoyable to say the least and he would definitely enjoy it more than the campers would.
Daniel removed his shirt and dropped it to the ground. He stopped briefly to remove his shoes and pants as well before he continued towards the campfire. The chilly late fall air did not seem to bother him as he walked naked through the woods. The forecast called for snowfall upon the area over the next few days. He raised his head to the sky and turned his neck to the side. It snapped as he turned it all the way to the left, then he did the same in the other direction. The smell of the feast overcame his other senses and he eagerly pressed forward as his muscles began to bulge and his arms elongated.
His stature of six foot began to rise under the dim moon light. He was nearer to seven feet tall on his mutated legs. Daniel’s feet and hands turned into massive paws and long sharp claws grew from them. The spine of his back curved and fur sprouted from his skin, covering the entirety of his body. His face began to shift as his nose protruded and turned into the snout of a wolf. His short, flat ears lay upon his head as they listened intently to the sounds from the three people who sat around the fire. The entire transformation took only a few seconds since he mastered the mutation process years earlier.
Effortlessly he crouched and began to walk upon all fours as he neared the campsite. His footsteps were silent as the soft paws touched the ground beneath. Daniel’s rational thoughts faded from him, as the transformation was complete. He could already taste the camper’s blood and wanted nothing more than to sink his sharp teeth into their flesh. Shifted into his greater form, the urge to feeding upon human flesh was his greatest. Werewolves could sate their hunger on wild animals, but it never satisfied them as well as human flesh. Tonight, the werewolf would feed upon humans for it had been too long since he tasted of their flesh.
The man closest to where he entered the campsite stared at him in awe as he moved from the thick brush and towards the fire. Fear overcame the man and he could not even muster a scream of warning to his friends. Daniel could smell the piss as it ran down the man’s leg.
The creature leapt upon the heavyset man and dug his sharp teeth into his throat. He pulled at the flesh and ripped chunks of meat free as he fed upon him. The smell of fresh blood sent the werewolf into an uncontrolled rage as the liquid of life poured out upon the ground. The two women screamed in fear at the sight of the giant wolf that killed the man in a bloody frenzy. The creature then turned to face the two women that rose to their feet and fled blindly through the woods.
Its eyes glowed as yellow slits in the light of the fire as he bound towards the woman nearest to him. She struggled through the brush in the half light of the moon. The woman could hear the wolf growling as it neared her from behind. It was not long before the weight of the beast drove her to the ground and her back snapped under the force of the blow. Again, the savage creature sank its teeth into its victim, and the woman soon lay in a pool of her own blood.
There was but one more that ran from the beast. The thrill of the hunt filled its primal urges as the rage within forced the creature to chase its prey. The wolf stood up on its hind legs and raised its dog shaped head to the moon then howled into the night. It lowered its snout and sniffed the air before bounding into the darkness.
The young woman struggled to keep on her feet in the dark woods, but stumbled many times. She was not accustomed to traveling in such terrain, even less so in the dark. The creature circled the woman as one did when playing with its food. She could no longer hear the sounds of her friend’s screams or the rustling of the brush from the creature that followed her. She desperately hoped that perhaps she had outrun it. Continuing forward, she saw the river in front of her and clung to the hope that safety waited for her on the other side if she could but make it across in time. The tears upon her face left a sweet smell within the air, and the great beast became eager to taste the flesh of its prey. She stopped in her tracks as she passed a large tree. Somehow, the creature had circled in front of her and waited for her to come to it. The woman screamed one last time as the massive head came down upon her with open jaws. The growl of the werewolf was the only noise that remained after the headless body fell to the forest floor.
The werewolf ate well on this night then returned to each of the bodies and snapped their spines to ensure they could not mutate and become one like it. He was always careful to ensure no others lived to transform, as too many werewolves killing in one place would lead to unwanted attention.
*****
Daniel woke the next morning in his small apartment. He had changed back into his human form shortly after feeding upon the flesh of the three he fed upon within the woods. His hunger, for now at least, was properly sated and he would not need to feed upon the flesh of humans for several weeks. His home within the mountains served him well with the abundance of animals that he could hunt in the woods. Daniel craved the taste of human flesh the greatest, but he could not satisfy this hunger regularly without drawing unwanted from the citizens of the town. Few people missed the random tourists that went missing while on vacation, so they were often his first choice of prey. He attempted to leave the local townsfolk alone, but sometimes the urge to feed upon human flesh outweighed his rational thoughts and overshadowed his desire to lead a normal life in the quiet mountain town.
He walked onto the streets of Boone, North Carolina and lifted his head into the air. He could smell the coffee brewing and bacon cooking at the local café. Most of all he could smell the wondrous scent of his favorite food, that of the tourists that came to see the changing of the leaves.
Daniel walked into the café and sat down at the counter. “What can I get for you this morning Daniel?” the waitress asked him from across the room.
“I’ll have the usual Judy,” he spoke as he picked up the morning paper and scanned the headlines. Front page news, three campers viscously mauled in the woods. The authorities warned of recent bear attacks and urged campers to take caution. ‘Well that’s a comfort, though I didn’t think they would find the bodies in time for the morning paper.’ his words were silent as they passed through his thoughts. He put the newspaper back down upon the counter and turned his attention to the glass of ice cold water that Judy brought to him.
“You look tired. You have a long night last night Dan?” Judy asked of him as he drank the glass of water. “So, what’s her name?”
“You know a gentleman never tells. You should be ashamed of yourself for asking,” he replied sarcastically to the middle aged waitress as she refilled his glass of water. Her long brown hair sat in a bun on top of her head. She waddled a bit as she walked and seemed as though she could stand to lose a few pounds. ‘She would make a decent meal.’ he thought .He pushed the thought from his mind, lest the urge got the better of him.
“Order up,” came the call from the cook, and Judy moved to pick up the plate of food.
“Here you go honey. Just yell if you need anything else.” She put the plate of steak and eggs in front of Daniel and walked away to attend to her other customers.
The rare steak was savory and he enjoyed the taste, though not quite as well as human flesh. He had eaten breakfast in the café almost every morning for the past six months and his selection never changed. Daniel feasted enough on the tourists and deer within the mountains that eating in the café was more of a show than for any real need for nourishment.
“Danny!” The excited greeting came from the woman who ran up from behind him and wrapped her arm across his shoulders then kissed him on the cheek. He smelled her scent even before she got within two blocks of the small café.
She was beautiful. Her lightly tanned skin glowed under the lights within the café and her light blonde hair hung to shoulder length while her bangs fell into her blue eyes. What he liked more than her appearance though was her laid back attitude. They had been dating for a while now, and she never crowded or nagged him, she just kind of fit into his life.
Daniel started dating her to satisfy his more human urges, but over the course of the past four months, he had fallen in love with the young woman. His human wife died from cancer forty years earlier and he promised himself years before that he would never love another woman. Even wounds of the heart and soul can heal in time though. It just took the right woman to heal those wounds.
She took a seat at the counter and Judy came up to take her order. “What can I get for you Sara?” Judy asked as she handed her a glass of water.
“Just a cup of coffee please, I’m not hungry this morning,” Sara replied as she turned her attention to the newspaper sitting on the counter. “This is so sad. This has got to be the third bear attack in as many months. The campers should just stay out of the woods until the authorities solve the bear problem.”
“So this is why you look so tired?” Judy teased him openly.
“Tired? I thought you were going to bed early when I left your apartment last night.” Sara looked at him and could see the dark circles beneath his eyes.
“I did go to bed. I just didn’t sleep very well,” he replied defensively.
“That’s because you need a woman over there, to keep you company in bed,” Judy laughed as she spoke and nudged Sara’s shoulder.
“I doubt that would make me sleep any better,” he replied to her and winked at Sara.
Judy smiled then replied sarcastically, “But, you would sleep so much better when you did close your eyes.” They all laughed then Judy wandered to another customer that was waiting to pay at the cash register.
“Do you have to work tonight?” he asked his beautiful twenty two year old girlfriend that sat next to him. ‘So young, compared to his age’ he thought.
“Yeah, the bastards have me working every Friday night. It’s like they can’t find anyone else to cover the bar on Fridays.” Sara dropped two spoonfuls of sugar into her cup of coffee and then poured twice that much again into the cup directly from the glass dispenser. “It would be nice to actually be able to relax once on a Friday night instead of serving drunks all the time. The tips are pretty good though.” She smiled and took a sip from the cup.
Sara worked as a bartender at Sam’s Pub in the college district of the small town. She spent many of her nights serving the students and a few locals while they became inebriated and danced under the colorful strobe lights. Daniel’s first instinct upon meeting Sara was that she would make a fine meal. She approached him as he sat at the bar and started talking to him. The sweet flow of her voice and the native accent tore into his heart and reminded him of his former wife. It had been many years since any woman afflicted him in such a manner. Daniel grew to love her and spent many nights at the bar just enjoying her company while he fought the urge to feed upon her. On occasion, his lust for blood would overcome his love for her and he would leave the bar to feed. He may have loved her greatly, but his hunger drove his more primal actions. Daniel doubted that he could forgive himself if he killed Sara in a blood-frenzied rage.
“Are you coming by tonight?” she asked him as she bounced about on the stool her small frame rested on.
Daniel smiled and looked into her blue eyes, “How can I say no when you look at me like that?”
“Great! I will save you a spot at the bar.” Sara said then looked at her watch. “Shit, I have got to go. I’m going to be late for class.” She stood up, grabbed her backpack from the floor, and began to leave the café.
“How much for the coffee Judy?” she asked as she dug in her pocket for some change.
“I’ve got it Sara. Hurry up so you’re not late for class,” he laughed as he hurried her on her way. She stopped long enough to kiss him on the cheek then ran out the door and down the street.
“Like I said,” Judy leaned across the counter. “A woman in your apartment would make you rest better.” She nodded her head towards the girl and then turned around to attend to her other customers.
‘If only it was that easy.’ his thoughts ran quietly through his mind as he thought of the lithe girl who just ran to her morning class.
Daniel finished his breakfast and left enough money on the counter to pay his bill and to leave a nice tip for Judy. “I’ll see you tomorrow Dan,” Judy called out as he opened the door and stepped onto the sidewalk. He waved to her through the window as he pulled his coat about him.
*****
The feel of the air turned crisp as the wind blew through the mountains. The sun recently set and no longer provided the town with its warming rays. College students hurried along the sidewalks. Some were in route to their dorms and apartments, while others sought to start the night of drinking a bit early.
Daniel’s keen ears, even though in human form, listened to the conversations of the town’s citizens as they passed by. He could smell their scents floating on the breeze as it blew in his face. Tonight though, he would have to resist his natural urges. The bar was just up ahead and Sara should have already begun her shift.
He entered the bar and the strobe lights, which rapidly changed colors and spun about the room, shined in his eyes. Daniel lowered his eyes to the floor, walked to the far end of the bar, and took a seat on one of the barstools.
Sara placed a glass of whiskey and a draft beer on the bar in front of him. “This one is on the house,” Sara said as she stared at him. Her words sounded quiet compared to the loud music within the half empty establishment. “I told you that I would save a seat for you,” she said as she turned around.
“And a fine seat it is,” he said then stared at her slender figure as she walked to the other end of the bar to attend to another customer that just arrived.
The bar filled up over the next few hours as the party crowd began their Friday night rituals. On more than one occasion he was offered a drink by one of the more promiscuous females that already consumed too many of the intoxicating beverages. The patrons within the bar continued to drink and dance under the colorful lights. He could smell the sweet scent of their sweat as it ran down their bodies. Their scents filled his nostrils and he could imagine tasting their warm flesh.
*****
Daniel’s thoughts became a blur and he thought about his past. So many years before within the colonial city of Williamsburg and of the one who made him what he was today. His maker, Makareus, was a direct descendant of the original werewolf Lycaon. Makareus was the great grandchild of Lycaon and was a purebred werewolf. No more than a dozen purebred werewolves were alive today. With the exception of Makareus, the purebred werewolves all lived in Europe. The western hemisphere was for Makareus to hunt and rule and the others would not intrude.
A beautiful woman walked with Makareus, his wife Karen. Together they ruled a pack of werewolves that numbered in the twenties. Karen’s weakness for men, and Daniel’s weakness for beauty, eventually led to his flight from Williamsburg, Virginia.
The moon was especially large and bright as Karen and Daniel feasted on the flesh of several young men. The blood ran from their teeth and dripped to the ground as Karen shifted back to the form of a woman and urged him to do the same. Blood covered their naked bodied as they embraced each other in the open field. Howls rose from the woods and the two released each other as Makareus came towards them. He did not see what they were doing, but he could smell the scent of Daniel on his wife. Enraged, Makareus tore her head from her body while she was still in human form. As the creature dismembered his own wife, Daniel called on his natural instincts and transformed into his lycan self. He was smaller than his master was and knew he would not fare well against him. Daniel only had one choice if he wished to live, so he ran from his maker.
Makareus’ obsession over his wife drove him to madness as he chased Daniel for many days. He followed his scent closely as he struggled to find the one that betrayed him. For two long years the chase continued. A trail of bodies littered the ground as Makareus ate of the flesh of all that crossed his path. Makareus’ pack grew in numbers as he chased the traitor, but he never caught him. In time, Daniel broke free from his pursuer and found his solitude within the small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. It was here that he lived for the last hundred and fifty years. It was here that he remained in his sanctuary.
*****
“Hey, are you alright?” Sara’s words sunk into his consciousness and brought him out of the remembrance of his past life. “I have been standing here for like three whole minutes and you haven’t even noticed,” she looked at him as he stared into the distance.
Daniel reached up and rubbed his eyes. “Sorry, I guess I kind of dazed out there,” he took a drink from the beer that sat in front of him. “Did I miss anything?”
“Nope, just me shaking my ass as I walked up and down the bar. You better be tipping me good tonight.” She leaned across the bar and kissed him on the forehead, then went back to her other customers.
One of the patrons at the bar called out to Sara. “I want a kiss,” he stuck out his tongue and wiggled it in the air.
She sat a beer on the bar and spoke, “You would have better luck getting a goat to kiss you.” Sara laughed as she slid the beer towards him.
Anger grew in the man’s eyes and Daniel could smell the man’s rage building. The man reached forward and grabbed Sara by the back of her head. He pulled her towards him and spun her so that her back lay upon the bar and she looked directly up at him. His face was just above her head and he held a knife in his other hand. Its blade pressed lightly against her throat as he spoke, “I said I want a kiss bitch.” Spit fell from his mouth as he yelled in her face.
Daniel approached the man from behind and said, “I think she told you to find a goat to make love to.” A smirk was on his face as he stood a few feet from the man.
The man released Sara and turned his attention to Daniel; his knife still within his hand. “You got something to say pretty boy?” He stood still, the blade of the knife flickering under the strobe lights.
“I think its time you left,” Daniel spoke. His eyes appeared as though the pupils yellowed and turned into slits. The drunk saw his eyes, but assumed the lights within the bar made them appear as they did.
Daniel restrained his urge to kill the man where he stood as his rage boiled within him. He saw see beads of sweat forming on the man’s forehead and could smell the man’s fear. He did well in hiding his fear from normal men, but Daniel knew better.
The man charged Daniel, but stopped quickly as Daniel’s hand came up and jammed two fingers into his throat. The man fell to the floor, gasping for breath. “I said it was time you left.” He reached down and picked up the knife that the man dropped. Daniel closed the blade and slipped it into his pocket. A couple of the regulars came to assist the man out the door. They tossed the drunk out the open door and he landed upon the sidewalk then rolled to the curb.
Sara regained her composure and seemed only slightly distracted by the intense situation. “Like a knight in shining armor. How many times now have you pulled me from the clutches of a drunk?” asked Sara as she downed a shot of whiskey and poured another for Daniel.
“I quit counting. Seems like you get at least one every night. Maybe we should dress you in burlap instead of those tight jeans you are always wearing. If you looked a little more hideous we wouldn’t have half of these problems.” He laughed as he downed the shot and chased it with a beer.
“More hideous? Are you saying I look hideous?” Sara smiled as she placed her hands on her hips and spun in a circle.
“Don’t twist my words. You know what I mean.” Daniel sat back on his barstool and looked past the other end of the bar at the man who stood outside the window. The drunk raised his fist and cursed at Daniel from the safety of the sidewalk then stumbled off several minutes later.
“You’re walking me home tonight, so don’t try to leave early,” she smiled, her blue eyes flickering under the strobe lights.
Daniel laughed as he drank his beer. “If I must. Now go do some work before they fire you.”
Sara turned and made her rounds. Even after the tense altercation, she still looked beautiful leaning across the bar. Daniel stared at her. His eyes drifted from her face, down her neck, and to her cleavage.
*****
Sara walked with Daniel down the sidewalk in the cool breeze. His pulled her close in to him as he wrapped his arm around her waist. She could feel the heat coming off of Daniel’s body and snuggled closer to his warmth.
“You are so warm,” she said as she laid her head onto his shoulder.
“Isn’t it my job to keep you warm?” Daniel asked as they walked.
“Yeah it is. No slacking,” she laughed as they continued.
They reached his truck a few blocks from the bar and he opened the door so she could climb in. Daniel closed the door behind her, then walked to the other side and hopped in the old truck.
He turned the key and the starter screeched as the truck struggled to turn over.
“You need a new truck,” coaxed Sara.
He looked at her and turned the key again. “This truck is just fine.” The engine turned over and black smoke blew out of the dual exhaust mufflers. “I told you so.”
The drive to Daniel’s apartment was short as he only lived a few blocks down the road. He pulled the truck into the parking space in front of his apartment building and stepped out of the truck. Sara slid across the seat and exited through his door. Daniel sniffed the air and thought he smelt something familiar.
“Are you ok?” Sara asked him as he stood there in silence.
Daniel looked at her “Yeah. I was just daydreaming,” he lied to her.
“Well get me inside then. It is cold out here,” she said as she grabbed one of his hands and pulled him away from the truck.
Daniel pushed the truck door shut with his free hand and followed Sara onto the steps of the building. He looked down the street of the small town and finally let his thoughts pass as though his imagination was just playing tricks on him.
*****
Daniel and Sara entered the small second floor apartment. She pulled off her jacket and tossed it onto the chair next to the door.
“Do you want something to drink?” he asked as he walked into what should have been the kitchen.
The apartment was a single room dwelling that was perfect for a single man living in the mountain town of Boone. The bedroom sat on one side of the midsized room opposite the kitchen that was just a few cabinets, a small stove, and a sink. Daniel had placed a couch and television stand midway between the rooms and called it his living room. The only part of the dwelling that did not sit in the main room of the apartment was the bathroom.
“You got any coffee?” asked Sara as she plopped down on the couch. “I am beat.”
“Sure. Give me a few minutes.” Daniel rummaged in the cabinet and found a small bag of coffee. He did not drink much coffee, but he kept it at his apartment for when visitors stopped by. He filled the pot with water and poured it into the back of the coffee maker.
“That shouldn’t take too long to brew,” he said then pulled off his flannel shirt and hung it on the hook on the back of the bathroom door.
“Don’t make me just sit here alone,” pleaded Sara from the couch.
Daniel walked over to her and sat down next to her. Sara leaned back against his muscular body and relaxed against his warmth. He could smell the apple scented shampoo that she used earlier that day. Daniel ran his hand through her hair and brushed it out of her face, then leaned over and kissed her forehead.
“So what was the deal with that guy this evening? He was a total ass,” she said as she looked up at him. “For a minute there, I thought you might actually kill him.”
“Nah, that’s not in me. He just got me heated up pretty bad,” replied Daniel as he leaned over and kissed her on the lips. “Coffee is ready.”
Sara rolled over and then pulled herself onto his lap, effectively straddling him. She leaned in and kissed him on the lips then moved to his ear and down to his neck.

THIS PORTION WAS REMOVED PRIOR TO POSTING DUE TO EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT
(Please purchase the book for the full version to see what you are missing)

“Do you think you can handle another round?” he asked her.
“Don’t tease me Daniel,” she said as she leaned in and kissed him. “I love you.”
He looked into her blue eyes as she kissed him. He pulled his head back and spoke, “I love you too.” He kissed her again then pulled her on top of him.
In almost two hundred years, Sara was only the second woman that he ever professed his love to. The first was his wife of twenty years. They lived happily in Lynchburg, Virginia, but their time together ended when she lost her life to a long battle with cancer. He could not tell Sara about his wife or of his long life; she just would not understand. Sara would have to believe that she was the only woman he ever loved; he would hide his secret from her.
*****
Sara woke up and looked at the clock. It was nine in the morning.
“Shit,” she said as she rolled out of the bed and looked for her clothes.
“What?” asked Daniel as he opened his eyes and rolled onto his side while watching her quickly putting her clothes on. He stared at her breasts when the loose fitting shirt she was wearing opened at the top as she bent over to put her shoes on.
“I’m going to be late,” replied Sara.
Daniel had no idea where she needed to be so early on a Saturday morning, “Late for what?” he asked.
“I am supposed to be having breakfast with my mom,” she said. He could hear the sarcasm in her voice.
“Then I guess you should be hurrying up then.” Daniel laughed as she frantically buttoned her jeans.
“This is your fault,” Sara said as she stood up from the couch and walked over to the bed and sat down next to him.
“How so?” he asked.
“If you didn’t keep me up so late last night then I might have gotten to sleep sooner.” She kissed him on the forehead and walked to the door.
She opened it and was about to walk through when Daniel spoke to her.
“You should put that on,” he said and pointed to the bra in her hand. “That is if you don’t want your mother asking questions.”
“Good idea. I’ll see you tonight at the bar.” She blew him a kiss and closed the door behind her as she walked out. Her bra was back on before she got to the street.
*****
Daniel slid out of bed naked and walked into the kitchen. He placed a frying pan on the stove and turned the gas burner on high. Daniel removed a steak from the small refrigerator, tossed it in the frying pan then cracked two eggs, and dropped them each on one side of the steak in the pan. He flipped them over and let the eggs finish cooking.
Daniel grabbed the handle of the frying pan and dumped the food onto a plate. Rare was the only way he would eat his steak. He wanted it to be runny with blood, but he wanted it warm as well. It was a sad excuse for a real meal, but he could not feast on humans every day. Daniel survived many years by blending in with his surroundings and acting as one of the common people he lived around. He also held a regular job at the lumberyard, because physical labor suited him and ate regularly at the local restaurants.
The rare steak currently on his plate served as an ample substitute, but several days each week Daniel would go into the woods and hunt deer or other large animals. The Appalachian Mountains, in which the small town sat, provided ample game for him. Once or twice a month he would feast on campers and hikers that were from out of town. Normally, no one ever found the bodies and friends would file missing person reports with the local authorities. Every now and then though, another camper or hiker would find the shredded bodies and call the local Sheriff’s office to report what they found. It was a good thing that there were so many bears and mountain lions in this area since most of the time the authorities placed blame on the wild animals that lived within the mountains. With winter approaching though, there would be fewer campers. Daniel would have to be very selective in which residents of the small town he feasted upon.
Daniel licked the warm blood from the corner of his lips as he finished his steak and egg breakfast. He turned the television on and watched the local weather scroll across the screen. It was going to be a cold week in the mountains due to a cold front moving in from the northwest.
He walked to the sink and placed the dirty plate in it. Now he wondered what he was going to do to occupy his time for the rest of the morning.
*****
“I thought you stood me up.” The middle aged lady stood up from the table and hugged Sara.
“I over slept, but you know I would never stand you up,” replied Sara as she sat down.
“Late night at work?” her mother asked.
“It was a normal night. Just took me awhile to get to sleep,” she replied.
“How are your classes going?” she asked her daughter as the waitress put two glasses of orange juice on the table.
“You mean besides statistics right?” Sara laughed. “They are going really good.”
Her mom drank from the glass the waitress set in front of her. “How bad is bad?” she asked, convinced of the worst before she even got an answer to her question.
“Low C right now. I just need to focus on that class a little more,” replied Sara.
The waitress came back to the table. “Are you ladies ready to order?” she asked.
“Go ahead sweetie,” her mother said as she looked at the menu.
“I’ll have half a grapefruit and toast please,” Sara said as she sat the menu on the table.
“And for you ma’am?” asked the waitress.
“I’ll have the same, no butter on the toast,” replied her mother.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes with your food.” She took the menus from the table and walked back into the kitchen of the small restaurant.
“Well, make sure you take extra time studying for that class. Your classes are costing us an arm and a leg,” she scolded Sara.
“Yes, I know mother. Dad didn’t work for thirty years as a cop for me to throw your retirement away.”
“That’s not what I said,” retaliated her mother.
“That’s how it came across,” replied Sara.
The waitress came back to the table and set the two grapefruits and the toast on the table. “Is there anything else I can get you today ladies?”
“No, we are fine. Thank you,” replied Sara’s mom.
“I’m doing fine in my classes mom. Do not worry about me graduating. I am still set to get my diploma next spring.” She bit into her toast. Crumbs stuck to her mouth and she wiped them away with a napkin.
“Well, I do worry. Let me know if you need some extra help. We can always get you a tutor.”
“It’s ok mom, everything is going to be fine,” Sara said as she stuck the spoon into the grapefruit.
Twenty minutes later, they said their goodbyes to each other and Sara gave her mom a big hug. That was not as bad as she feared it was going to be. All in all, it was a good breakfast with her mother.

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon Kindle US: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Rites-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00AVKKVXA/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364009201&sr=1-1&keywords=d.r.+racey

Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Rites-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00AVKKVXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364009802&sr=8-1

 

Author Links:

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/D.R.-Racey/e/B00AYPKBXC/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1364009880&sr=1-2-ent

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/DR-Racey/128381040675583

Blog: http://drracey.wordpress.com/

Official Website: http://drracey-books.webs.com/

Twitter: @DRRaceyBooks

 

3 Star Review of Bloodaxe by James Tallett

Bloodaxe is a very short novella that borders just over being a short story. I got the book for free on Smashwords.com and read the book in a few short hours.

The story is about the King Bloodaxe of Rudvic. In the beginning of the book he is killed by his son and later reincarnated in the form of a baby boy. The baby grows up, apparently with the memories of his former self. Those memories spur the child through his growth to reclaim what was rightfully his when he was killed by his son many years earlier.

The book is written almost entirely as a narrative by King Bloodaxe and details his thoughts and actions. It was an interesting read and kept me in my seat for the entire 15,000 words or so.

If you like story telling type books where the main character leads you through the book based on the character’s narrative, then this is a good short book for you.

There are not many typos in the book but enough that it could be distracting to some readers. Some of the writing in the book seems out of context as though it doesn’t fit into the time period that the book takes place in. Some of the humor also makes no sense. There is also a lack of character development as Bloodaxe is the only person in the book that you are able to make any connection to.

I believe the story is definitely developed enough that the author could turn it into a full sized novel if some writing style was changed and some more depth was added to his characters.

Over all I rate Bloodaxe at 3 of 5 Stars for originality and presentation of the narrative.

For a bonus, there is a 15,000 word excerpt from James Tallett’s full length novel Tarranau. The excerpt is fairly well written and gives you an idea in what to expect when you read Tarranau. I do plan to read Tarranau at some point because I want to see what else James Tallett has up his sleeves.

Purchase Links:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

Reviewed by: David at Indie Authors and Books

4 Star Review of Summer Storm by Elizabeth Baxter

Review of Summer Storm by Elizabeth Baxter

I have been focusing on novellas and short novels this week and picked up this book as a free read from Smashwords.com. (also currently free on Amazon Kindle) Overall I was very pleased with the find and the time I spent reading this novella.

The book starts out with Falen, the princess to the Kingdom of Variss in the mountains. She is out of the city without her father’s permission and is checking on her experiments that she hopes will get her into an Academy of Science.

While out on the mission she finds an old man floating in the river and rescues him from what would have surely been a cold wet death. Falen brings the man to her home in Varsiss and later finds out that he is a wandering monk that is spreading the word of the Lords of Light.

In time Falen’s father, the King, accepts the old man into his council and appoints him as the High Priest of the Lords of Light for the Kingdom of Varsiss.

Turmoil begins to surround Falen as her father begins to change. She blames the changes on the High Priest Nashir which causes more turmoil within the city.

The book is technically sound with few errors and flows seamlessly as you continue through this novella of 26,000 words. Elizabeth Baxter does well in progressing through the story and providing details so the reader can understand their surroundings and the people interacting with Falen.

This novella does well in giving you a basis of understanding prior to starting the Wrath of the Northmen series.

I give the book 4 out of 5 Stars and look forward to reading the Wrath of the Northmen series. The only downside is that there should be more details of the relationship building between Falen, the King, and Nashir. A few more details could be provided to enhance the turmoil and emotions between the three which would increase the overall enjoyment of the novella.

Purchase Links: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009...
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

Reviewed by: David at Indie Authors and Books