C.D. Hersh's Blog, page 146
July 7, 2016
Friday Features The Mercenary and the Shifters
Focuses on
The Mercenary and the Shifters
Today we’re sharing a little more about the story of Mike Corritore and Fiona Kayler and the continuing saga of the
Turning Stone Chronicles.
Mike is an ex-Marine who served two tours in Afghanistan and experienced some traumatic events that have colored his outlook on life and love. Fiona has had her share of unhappy life events as well. She’s on the brink of losing her father’s shipping business which she inherited and is taking desperate measures by aligning herself with rogue shifters in a last ditch effort to save the company.
When she discovers funky things are happening at the shipping dock, she reaches out to her brother’s FBI contact for security protection. He’s unable to come, but sends Mike Corritore instead—a hunky, masculine specimen of a man. She’s immediately attracted to him, and he to her. But both Mike and Fiona have issues and secrets that get in the way.
Here’s a little taste of their story.
Mike Corritore wheeled up the circular drive of the impressive house on Lakeshore Road and cut the engine on his motorcycle. After a quick glance around, he shouldered the bags containing his clothes, ammo, pump shotgun, and talwar sword. Then he headed for the carved front door. The doorbell echoed inside indicating the mansion had a cavernous entry hall. He searched the entrance stoop for security cameras and found none.
What the heck had he gotten himself into? A rich bitch, with no security on her home, mixed up with a bad syndicate spelled major trouble. With this chintzy level of security, it would take more time than he originally anticipated to make her house and business secure.
After a couple of minutes the door opened.
“Can I help you?” asked an attractive redhead.
“I’m Mike Corritore. Here to see Fiona Kayler. Will you tell her I’ve arrived?”
The redhead looked him over, then braced her legs shoulder width apart and crossed her arms over her curvy bust. “Do you have identification, Mr. Corritore?”
Mike returned her once-over. Her porcelain complexion blushed pink at his bold examination, and she tossed her mane of wavy, mahogany hair defiantly.
Damn, she was gorgeous.
If she thought her insolent pose enough to keep him, or intruders out, she’d better reconsider.
“Hugh sent me.” He stepped forward but she blocked him.
“A driver’s license for your very expensive motorcycle will suffice,” she said, wiggling her fingers at him. When he didn’t comply, she stepped back and reached to the side of the door.
The distinct cachung of a gun cocking sent him flying to the right of the doorway.
“Identification, Mr. Corritore. Please,” she said as she leveled a pistol at him.
Mike dug in his rear pants’ pocket. “Hugh lied,” he said as he held out his driver’s license. “You don’t need protection.”
After inspecting his identification, she lowered her weapon and waved him inside. “For my business, Mr. Corritore. I’m capable of protecting my home, but I can’t draw my gun just anywhere.”
“You should get a conceal and carry license,” Mike said as he entered.
She put the safety on the gun and stashed the weapon in the table beside the front door.
“I take it you’re not the help,” he said, glancing around the entry hall.
She held out her hand. “Fiona Kayler. Nice to meet you, Mr. Corritore.”
“Mike,” he said, taking her hand. Her palm, warm and soft, told him she lived a life of leisure. But her strong grip screamed, No patsy. He held her hand a bit longer than he should have. She wriggled free and waved him to the left.
“Ladies first.”
With a nod, she led him toward a sumptuously decorated room. He followed, his eyes taking in the soft curves of her rear as she sashayed across the marble-tiled floor. Mike’s body reacted to the seductive wiggle of her bottom. She walked as sexy as she looked.
Keep your mind on the job, Corritore. He shifted his gaze away from temptation, searching the ceiling and corners of the entry for security cameras. If she had them, they were well hidden.
The measured click of her high heels on the hard marble tile floor disappeared as they stepped on the thick, white carpet of the living room. This room appeared cozier than the entry. A huge gold, gilt-edged mirror hung over the fireplace reflecting the scene outside the oversized plate-glass window.
She motioned to a seat beside the fireplace. Mike chose a location less exposed to the exterior, where he could watch the entrance to the room. Fiona dragged a side chair across the room to where he sat, positioning it at a right angle to his seat. Two vertical furrows appeared in the carpeting, bisecting their shoe impressions and the vacuumed paths in the thick fibers. Apparently, she didn’t use this room much.
“So, Ms. Kayler—”
“Fiona,” she corrected.
“Fiona, exactly what do you need me to do?” As he said the words, he had a lurid vision of what he’d like to do to this lovely woman. He shook it off. She was Hugh’s friend and in trouble. He had no business screwing around with damsels in distress. They were needy. The last thing he wanted.
“A couple of years ago I had a problem with smugglers. They brought in some hazardous materials which got me in trouble with Homeland Security and the FBI. They cleared me, but my business took a pretty big hit. To keep things afloat, I’ve had to get in bed with some rough characters recently.”
At the phrase get in bed with Mike cocked his eyebrow at her.
“Not literally,” she amended quickly, as a dusky pink blush crept over her pale complexion. “I need my security beefed up so I don’t have a replay of two years ago.”
“Any good security company could upgrade you.”
“I also need someone I can trust implicitly. Hugh vouched for you, and I trust Hugh.”
“We should start with your home security. I didn’t see surveillance cameras at the door.”
“My home is perfectly safe. It’s my business I’m concerned about.”
Fiona crossed her arms over her chest, her body language closing off to further suggestions. Mike followed her motions. As he did, he spotted a red dot on her chest. The dot wiggled.
“Get down!” Mike shouted as he dove for Fiona.
Want to read more? The book will be out July 27th on Amazon. In the meantime, why not check out the other three books in The Turning Stone Chronicles?
Amazon buy links:
The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 1):
eBook: http://amzn.com/B00DUMODKI
paperback: http://amzn.com/1619353504
Blood Brothers (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 2):
eBook: http://amzn.com/B00OVNFC8W
paperback: http://amzn.com/1619358271
Son of the Moonless Night (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 3):
eBook: http://amzn.com/B00XK3E172
July 5, 2016
Wednesday Special Spotlights The Mercenary and the Shifters Release Date
Announces
The Mercenary and the Shifters
Release Date
July 27th the fourth book in The Turning Stone Chronicles, The Mercenary and the Shifters, will be here!
When mercenary soldier Michael Corritore answers a desperate call from an ex-military buddy, he finds himself in the middle of a double kidnapping, caught in an ancient war between two shape shifter factions, and ensnared between two female shape shifters after the same thing … him.
Shape shifter Fiona Kayler will do anything to keep the shipping company her father left her, including getting in bed with the enemy. But when she believes the man trying to steal her company is involved with kidnapping her nephew, she must choose between family, fortune, and love. The problem is … she wants all three.
Watch this site for pre-buy link and upcoming excerpts.
Tell Again Tuesday Red Skelton’s Pledge of Allegiance
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
Today a little something different due to the 4th of July having been yesterday when we celebrate the birth of our nation. This video gives meaning to the Pledge of Allegiance. We hope you enjoy this as much as we do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZBTyTWOZCM
June 30, 2016
Friday Features Cerian Hebert The Staying Kind
Presents
Cerian Hebert
Author of
The Staying Kind
At the age of twelve Cerian was going to be a great mystery/adventure writer with her friends and her as the main characters and their adventures in their rural neighborhood the basis for the stories. As the years went by, adventures in the neighborhood gave way to an enduring interest in horses and boys. So, instead of writing about twelve year olds solving mysteries regarding old, empty houses and strange gusts of icy wind she started writing about romance. And horses.
While growing up in New Hampshire, Cerian dreamed about becoming an Olympic horseback rider, the curator of the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History in Washington DC, a paleontologist, and a famous actress in Hollywood. While none of that worked out, she kept up the writing. While either mucking stalls at a New York horse farm, or taking reservations for cruises, she never stopped writing in her ever growing pile of notebooks.
Currently Cerian lives in southwestern New Hampshire with her husband, two of their four children, one dog, one cat, and three geckos. Her mundane job keeps her busy working as a customer satisfaction rep, until she makes enough at her writing to retire from the glamorous life of data entry.
Her book, The Staying Kind, is available from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H5WVIBU
The books blurb is:
Rio Presley isn’t looking for a place to fit in when she finds a job at a stable in New Hampshire. Travis Lithgow isn’t expecting to discover a drifter taking up residence in his hunting cabin and working for his aunt. Just back from a tour in the Middle East, he’s rebuilding his relationship with his rebellious teenage daughter. He’s sure Rio’s presence in their lives won’t make things easier, but he admires Rio’s strength facing the adversities in her life.
As Rio fights the urge to get back on the road before she becomes too comfortable with her newfound love of horses, her feelings for Travis become stronger than the need to flee. Both he and his aunt are offering Rio everything she’s ever been afraid to want, but staying could bring her past crashing into the happy life she’s begun to build.
Excerpt from The Staying Kind for your reading pleasure.
As sleep began to pull her down, she heard a noise from inside the house this time. She sat up in bed, now wide-awake. The noise repeated, coming from out in the kitchen.
Rio sat still for a long time, listening. Her bedroom door was shut so the sounds were muffled, but constant.
Slowly she climbed out of bed, padded to the door, opening it a crack, enough to peek out. She couldn’t see the entire kitchen from her vantage point, so she stepped out, creeping further down the narrow hall, with only her fists to defend herself.
The sight of Travis standing by the sink surprised her, followed by a flood of relief. So the rain had apparently driven him in and cut his hunting trip short.
Beyond the comfort of having someone home at last, a not-so-new emotion wound its way in. Thick, undeniable attraction came on much stronger, much headier than before.
The fact he stood there bare-chested, in the soft illumination of the light over the stove, did nothing for her resolve to keep those damned lustful thoughts at bay.
I should turn around. Slip into her bedroom, climb into bed and be glad she wasn’t alone. That was what she should do.
Instead she couldn’t tear her gaze away from him. So much about him remained unknown. He’d spent years in the service and she could see it in his build. His tanned skin stretched taut over the muscles of his chest, his abdomen tight.
Rio flexed her fingers and balled them up. The desire to go to him and stroke her hand up the smooth, hard expanse of his back overwhelmed her. She’d struggled with this misplaced attraction for too long, and seeing him this way only made the battle harder to fight.
Damn. Why couldn’t she leave? Go to bed? Why did she have to be so transfixed by him?
Just a second longer, one more glimpse. Then she’d have enough to dream about for a good long while.
Finally, she found the will to leave, but she didn’t even take one step before his voice stopped her.
“Rio.”
Too late to escape.
Where to find Cerian:
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H5WVIBU
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ceriansbooks/
Twitter https://twitter.com/CerianHebert
Website: http://www.cerianhebert.com/
June 28, 2016
Wednesday Special Spotlight Son of the Moonless Night C.D. Hersh
Illuminates
Son of the Moonless Night
Son of the Moonless Night is the third book in The Turning Stone Chronicles. Book one The Promised One. Book two Blood Brothers. Book four, The Mercenary & the Shifters, coming soon.
Blurb for— Son of the Moonless Night (The Turning Stone Chronicles)
Owen Todd Jordan Riley has a secret. He’s a shape shifter who has been hunting and killing his own kind. To him the only good shifter is a dead shifter. Revenge for the death of a friend motivates him, and nothing stands in his way . . . except Katrina Romanovski, the woman he is falling in love with.
Deputy coroner Katrina Romanovski has a secret, too. She hunts and kills paranormal beings like Owen. At least she did. When she rescues Owen from an attack by a werebear she is thrust back into the world she thought she’d left. Determined to find out what Owen knows about the bear, she begins a relationship meant to collect information. What she gets is something quite different-love with a man she suspects of murder. Can she reconcile his deception and murderous revenge spree and find a way to redeem him? Or will she condemn him for the same things she has done and walk away from love?
Excerpt:
A crash in the alley stopped Katrina Romanovski mid-stride. Like the October mist swirling in off the lake, her gypsy blood stirred sending her intuition into high gear. Something unnatural was happening.
Go see what’s wrong. She heard her father’s voice as clearly as if he stood next to her.
On the heels of his words came her mother’s pragmatic warning in clipped British tones. You know what curiosity killed. Katrina pushed the ever-present warning aside. Mom never approved of Dad’s supernatural hunts and even less of his drawing her into them.
Pulling the oversized cross she always wore out from under her shirt, Kat looked around for a weapon. Please, not a vampire. I hate vampires! A piece of wood sticking out of the trashcan at the front of the alley caught her eye.
Grabbing it, she broke the end off into a sharp point. The mist-filled air filtered the light from the single bulb over one of the alley doorways. The wind swirled the loose trash around making a quiet approach difficult. Sidestepping the paper, with the stake in one hand and holding the gun she took from her purse in the other hand, she crept into the alley.
A roar echoed against the buildings, the sound nearly sending her running. That roar wasn’t a vampire. It sounded more like an animal. Kat inched closer. In the yellow pool of light from the back door of the building, a black bear, over seven feet tall, reared on its back legs and swung its paw at the man standing at the edge of the light. He crashed to the ground, shirt torn open from the slashing claws. Blood covered the fabric, and he clasped his left hand over his shoulder to stem the flow. The bear bent toward him, teeth bared in a smile. A wicked smile.
Kat aimed her gun, but before she could pull the trigger, a shot rang out. The flash of gunpowder lit the face of the injured man. The blast reverberated against the buildings. With an enraged bellow, the bear staggered backward against the wall. Shaking his head, the animal dropped to all four paws. Weaving like a drunk, he lumbered toward his attacker. The man took aim again, shooting the animal between the eyes. Animal and human collapsed on the dirty, littered pavement.
As she started to move forward, Kat’s gypsy senses crawled over her skin like angry red ants. As she slipped back into the shadows, the bear shed fur. Changing size. Then, finally, turning into a man.
Shape shifters. Her stake wasn’t any good against them, and her bullets weren’t silver. This one appeared dead anyway. Had the wounded man seen the shift? Tossing the stake aside, she paused by the shifter and quickly moved to the wounded man. Out cold. Still human.
When she touched him, his eyelids fluttered open. “Did I get it?”
“What?”
“The bear.”
C.D. Hersh Amazon buy links:
The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 1):
eBook: http://amzn.com/B00DUMODKI
paperback: http://amzn.com/1619353504
Blood Brothers (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 2):
eBook: http://amzn.com/B00OVNFC8W
paperback: http://amzn.com/1619358271
Son of the Moonless Night (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 3):
eBook: http://amzn.com/B00XK3E172
paperback: http://amzn.com/1682910709
Sizzle in the Snow: Soul Mate Christmas Collection
eBook: http://amzn.com/B0186SCT74
Tell Again Tuesday The Ohio Firelands
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
The Ohio Firelands
June 3, 2016 by Becky Lower
When I moved back to Ohio after an absence of several decades, I ended up in a part of the state previously unexplored by me, despite having spent the first twenty-two years of my life in Ohio. One of the things I noticed was the constant reference to the Firelands. On nearly every corner in my newly adopted part of the state, there are schools, medical centers, churches, credit unions, a cattle company, grocery stores, retirement centers—all with the Firelands name. I asked people every chance I got what the Firelands was in reference to, but no one had a good explanation.
So, being the historian that I am, I decided to find out. What I didn’t expect was to find was the origin of the name had its roots in . . .
For the rest of the blog go to:
https://historyimagined.wordpress.com/2016/06/03/the-ohio-firelands/
June 23, 2016
Friday Features Midnight Angel Tracey A. Wood
Visits with
Tracey A. Wood
Author of
Midnight Angel
Today we get a special treat. As with most books, from the first writing to the final not every scene is kept. Author Tracey A. Wood has stopped by today to share with us one of those scenes from her first book Midnight Angel. Tracey thank you for giving us a glimpse into something other readers may not get to see. Take it away.
Thank you, Catherine and Donald for hosting me today.
Kat Shaw, is the heroin of Midnight Angel.
This is a scene that didn’t make it into the book.
Kat and Jonathon were friends from high school.
Their friendship began when Kat got into trouble fighting with the school bitch, who was pushing him around. He would not fight back which she saw as a weakness. But that was not the case. It was because she was a girl and Jonathan would never hit a girl. She had been having a go at him every day for months, making snide remarks behind his back about him being gay. Things gradually got worse and worse until she started to get physical with him and by physical I mean violent.
One day it all came to a head. It was when the bitch, also known as Donna, punched Jonathan in the nose. She started off pushing him around. Then moved on to slapping him at the back of the head. Her grand finale was the punch in the nose. The blood erupted like a volcanic explosion, splattering ever one within a few feet of the incident. I had seen everything and kept my temper well, until that happened.
My blood boiled as I tried to control the emotions welling up inside me. She was a bully. Something, I couldn’t and still cannot stand. I felt the anger start in the pit of my belly. In a sudden crescendo, it erupted. I could not stop it! I was shaking all over. Before I knew what had happened, I was on top of her and she was flat on her back. I was reigning blows down on her. She was trying to cover her face, screaming like a banshee, and begging me to stop. The more she screamed the more I hit her, until I realised Jonathan was pleading with me to leave it. She wasn’t worth it. The next thing I knew, I was lifted in the air, landing on the ground with a hard thump on my backside. It all happened so quickly. I looked around wondering what the hell had happened. I realized, Mr Newman, one of the teachers, had seen what was going on. Everyone knew what Donna had been doing but I still got into trouble. Two wrongs don’t make a right, the headmaster told me.
Whatever.
From then on Jonathan and I were friends and he didn’t get any more shit, from that bitch Donna.
Wow Tracey thanks for a glimpse of a deleted part of your book. If that scene didn’t make it, the rest of the book must be really intense.
So, let’s take a look at the blurb for the story.Back of book blurb:
After almost losing her life in a vicious, bloody attack. Kat Shaw, a thirty-something, divorcee, discovers that there are such things as monsters. And the predator who attacked her is not human. She starts to develop unusual skills which have murderous consequences. And is an unwilling witness to multiple, brutal murders, seen through the eyes of a killer. Thrown into a battle of Good vs. Evil, she falls in love with two men who are not what they seem. While her attacker stalks her and continues to murder the innocent. She has to find the inner strength to take on and fight the demons from hell. To protect her family and friends while also trying to save her own life.
If that short bit and the cover haven’t interested you yet let’s try an excerpt:
I had set my alarm clock so I could get up early in the morning, to head off to the cottage. Turning off the light and lying down, I snuggled under the covers.
I was just nodding off when I heard ringing. I hit the alarm clock, but the noise didn’t stop. Blinking, it dawned on me that it wasn’t the clock, it was the phone. I jumped up and answered it before the machine did.
“Kat?” the voice on the other end said.
“Yes?” I didn’t recognize the voice. Who would be calling at this time of night?
“It’s me, Sam.”
“Oh, hi,” I said, my voice flat.
What does he want?
“I was wondering, do you want to go out on Monday evening?”
“Oh, no, I don’t think so.” I tried to think of an excuse.
He went quiet, then asked, “Why not?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
As the words left my mouth, I realized I shouldn’t have said them. I should have thought of something better. I didn’t know what else to say.
“Oh, so that’s it? You don’t want to see me again, do you?” I could hear the attitude in his voice.
“No. I think we should call it a day.” The phone went quiet.
“Sam?”
“That’s about right, you bitch!”
I froze, stunned.
“You lead me on and then dump me, you whore.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My God, where was the caring man from earlier? The one who had given me his jacket.
I slammed the phone down. As I did, I could hear him shouting and swearing at me. I couldn’t believe my ears.
Wow! I certainly had a narrow escape with him. I’m glad I didn’t tell him in person.
I was angry, annoyed that I hadn’t retaliated.
He was so nice. Who would have thought he could turn so nasty? Just wait until I get my hands on Jonathan. I’ll wring his bloody neck. What was he thinking, introducing me to a lunatic?
I made sure all the windows and doors were locked and finally went to bed.
I dreamt about the man on the rock. It was different this time.
The nameless vision of masculine beauty watched the water bubble and swirl as it flowed past him. He turned his head in my direction and smiled. There was something wrong with his eyes. They were not the beautiful blue eyes I loved so much. They were yellow! He glanced back at the stream and my gaze followed his. I looked back to where he stood and took a step forward. He wasn’t there! My heart sank.
Where had he gone?
I scanned the area but he was nowhere to be seen. I heard a noise above me and saw a large bird flying high in the sky. It swooped toward the stream and took off into the woods. Where did he go? He was there one minute and gone the next. I had just plucked the courage up to speak to him and he’d disappeared.
Damn it!
Buy Link: https://amzn.com/B01GQIZJG4
Here’s a little bit about Tracey:
Tracey A Wood has lives in Staffordshire, in the United Kingdom. She has been married for over thirty years and has two children. One of her boy’s lives at home due to being disable the other has flown the coup. She has three cats that are her babies, and she talks to them all of the time. Funny thing is they don’t answer back.
She loves snowboarding, skiing, jumping out of aeroplanes and bungee jumping. Well, that is when other people are doing them. She prefers to have her nose in a book or writing one. She also loves to people watch which her husband is always telling her to stop doing. She has a job that she enjoys and works full time. Although if she won the lottery, that might change! She has also got a very good imagination.
In 2014, she decided to take the bull by the horns and send her manuscript to Soul Mate Publishing. She feels so privileged to have her book published, as this is the first one that she has written. It has made her dream of being a published author a reality. Life really is too short to wait, you’ve got to go for it. She is still working full time and is also working on another book in her limited spare time. Her favorite saying is ‘Everything happens for a reason’ which she also believes is true.
Her books are fast paced and centered on a female lead who finds an inner strength after being thrown into situations that are beyond her control.
Where to find Tracey:
Website: http://traceywood.wix.com/tracey-a-wood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TraceyAWood.Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/traceya_wood
Google +: https://plus. google.com/+TraceyAWoodAuthor
Blog : http://tracey-a-wood.blogspot.com
WordPress : http://traceyawoodblog.wordpress.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/tracey_a_wood
A reward for those of you dedicated/interested enough to read this far down. This trailer gives you a little more information about Kat’s story.
June 21, 2016
Wednesday Special Spotlight Blood Brothers C.D. Hersh
Focuses on
Blood Brothers
Blood Brothers is the second book in The Turning Stone Chronicles. Book one The Promised One. Book three Son of the Moonless Night. Book four, The Mercenary & the Shifters, coming soon.
Blurb for—Blood Brother (The Turning Stone Chronicles)
When Delaney Ramsey is enlisted to help train two of the most powerful shape shifters the Turning Stone Society has seen in thousands of years, she suspects one of them is responsible for the disappearance of her daughter. To complicate matters, the man has a secret that could destroy them all. Bound by honor to protect the suspect, Delaney must prove his guilt without losing her life to his terrible powers or revealing to the police captain she’s falling for that she’s a shape shifter with more than one agenda.
The minute Captain Williams lays eyes on Delaney Ramsey, he knows she’s trouble. Uncooperative, secretive, and sexy, he can’t get her out of his mind. When he discovers she has a personal agenda for sifting through all the criminal records in his precinct, and secretly investigating his best detective, he can’t let her out of his sight. He must find out what she’s looking for before she does something illegal. If she steps over the line, he’s not certain he can look the other way for the sake of love.
Excerpt:
The telephone jangling pulled Delaney Ramsey out of a deep sleep. Moving the digital clock on the nightstand closer to her, she squinted at the bright green numbers. Three a.m. She fumbled for the receiver.
“If you’re calling at this ungodly hour, someone better be dead,” she mumbled into the phone.
“Delaney, ’tis Eli McCraigen.”
Sitting up, she pulled the duvet cover with her. Why was the Keeper of the Stone calling her? “What’s wrong, Eli?”
“Dinna worry yerself. ’Tis good news.”
Slumping against the headboard, she yawned, the adrenalin draining away with his words. “If it’s such good news, why couldn’t you wait until tomorrow?”
“I need ye tae call a special meeting o’ the council before they get away from the city.”
“All fifteen?”
“Nay, only the senior council. I’ve a new Promised One tae present.”
“Why wasn’t he presented last night at Samhain?”
“He hadnae committed tae the cause, and he dinna have a ring until minutes before midnight.”
“This is highly irregular, Eli. I don’t know if I can get the council to agree.”
“Ye have tae. He’s a verra special man.”
“A Promised One who hasn’t even had his ring more than a few hours. That’s unheard of. How can you expect someone like that to pass even one proof test?”
“He’s already shown me two–and they’re not the paltry tests most Promised Ones have failed. He has the elusive, legendary powers, and he did them using the power of other shifters’ rings.”
She snapped awake. “Other shifters’ rings? Whose?”
“Mine, Alexi Jordan’s and Sylvia Jordan’s.”
Delaney switched the light on, knocking her reading glasses to the floor with the motion. Great. She’d just bought them. Leaning over the edge of the bed, she retrieved the glasses and put them on. “Sylvia Jordan Riley?”
“’Tis that what the she-witch is calling herself now?”
“Seems so. Her name has come across my desk in her official capacity with Homeland Security.”
“That’s the other thing I need from ye. Sylvia’s butting intae Rhys’ and Alexi’s jobs and personal lives. I’m pretty certain she knows what he is, too. I need reinforcements.”
In all the years she’d known Eli, he’d never asked for assistance. And he comes to me now. At the worst possible time. “I’m honored you’d think of me, but I can’t do more than call the council for you. Ask one of them to get your reinforcements.”
“Fine, the council can arrange that, but I need ye on a more personal mission.”
“I’m in the middle of something very important and time consuming. I can’t help.”
“Dinna ye know who’s asking ye, lassie?”
She knew all right. The most powerful man in the entire Turning Stone Society. She was crazy to even consider refusing him. Her position on the council rested on his say so. However, finding her daughter meant more to her than anything else. “Normally I’d be willing to die for you, Eli, but–”
“Let’s pray dying won’t be what we’ll be needing. But I could be putting ye in a verra dangerous position.”
That did it. No way could she help if it might cost her life. Not now. Not until she found Lila. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“I need ye, Delaney. Come tae University Hospital and see me. I’m in ER.”
“ER? Are you all right?”
“We had a little run-in with a panther.”
C.D. Hersh Amazon buy links:
The Promised One (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 1):
eBook: http://amzn.com/B00DUMODKI
paperback: http://amzn.com/1619353504
Blood Brothers (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 2):
eBook: http://amzn.com/B00OVNFC8W
paperback: http://amzn.com/1619358271
Son of the Moonless Night (The Turning Stone Chronicles Book 3):
eBook: http://amzn.com/B00XK3E172
paperback: http://amzn.com/1682910709
Sizzle in the Snow: Soul Mate Christmas Collection
eBook: http://amzn.com/B0186SCT74
Tell Again Tuesday Free Promotion for Marketing Your Novel
A blog series where we shamelessly share posts from others that we have enjoyed.
Free Promotion for Marketing Your Novel
May 25, 2016 Author Angela Christina Archer
We try to save money every day of our lives, but what happens when you are trying to market your novel? Marketing your novel is hard enough without the added pressure of the dreaded B word-budget. But let’s face it, in this economy any way you can save money or get the chance at free you should take it.
So where are these wonderful free marketing hot spots?
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June 16, 2016
Friday Features The Recalcitrant Duke Emma Lane
Talks with
Emma Lane
Author of
The Recalcitrant Duke
We are talking with Emma Lane today about her characters’ “Job Description” to be in The Recalcitrant Duke. This is an interesting way to think about characters and their motivation. Please tell us more Emma.
Noblesse Oblige is a French phrase which means the nobility obliges. The concept is that with privilege come responsibilities. When thinking of this particular character I wondered if ever there was a duke who just detested the thought of all that “obliging” he’d need to do in order to take up his title. Leadership is complicit in the concept of fulfilling a particular role for the nobility. Our hero rebelled against the strict interpretation of what his father thought he owed to his title. Choosing life’s work is one thing; being born into it is quite another as we shall see in The Recalcitrant Duke.
Contrast that to a woman who has all her life shouldered responsibilities which belonged to others. The concept that she could make different choices has never occurred to her. As they stand staring at each other across a wide gulf, the story begins. One thing we have learned. Not every character thinks the role of a title is a wonderful thing. Even in modern history we know of one king who abdicated his role in order to marry the woman he loved.
The Recalcitrant Duke
A prodigal son returns to find his birthplace usurped by an unworthy successor. To his confusion, he faces a dying father and a woman who claims an engagement of which he knows nothing. Almost he returns to his travels rather than face the responsibilities thrust upon him by his birth, but to his glee he discovers his childhood sweetheart residing in the ducal residence. Beautiful Miss Leticia Harrowgood, turned governess, has done little more than assume duties others have abandoned, until she meets the future duke, who teaches her invaluable information concerning the freedom of choice. Lessons learned from each other grow until both are poised on the precipice of final commitments.
Buy Link: https://amzn.com/B01EXOKHZ6
The author:
Emma Lane/Janis Lane writes Regency Romance and Cozy Mysteries. She lives with spouse on a few acres on the edge of a typical small American town in Western NY.
Where to find Emma:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000338539637
https://twitter.com/emmajlane1
https://www.pinterest.com/emmajlane/
