Margo Bond Collins's Blog, page 113
June 6, 2014
Spotlight On: The Anna Wolfe Series
I’ll Be Damned, Book 1 of the Anna Wolfe Series
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ASIN: B00FM0NRKI
Book Length: 437 pages
Publisher: Nevermore Press
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DESCRIPTION
A sister kidnapped.
An impending war between Heaven and Hell looming around the corner.
A Grand Witch who has no idea what she is.
The Prince of Darkness’s obsession in claiming her.
Two sinfully gorgeous men pulling her in two different directions.
As the owner of the coffee shop Deja Brew in Savannah, Georgia, Anna thought her life was ordinary. That is until her sister is kidnapped by a demon, prompting two handsome men to march into her life unexpectedly. Valen, the sinfully gorgeous, overprotective werewolf who is Anna’s sworn guardian and Roman, the most handsome and powerful Warlock in the entire Netherworld.
Suddenly, her world is stripped of everything she knows and replaced with frightening news about who she really is – a powerful Grand Witch. Now, it’s up to her to draw out her dormant magic, rescue her sister and stop an impending heavenly war threatening to eradicate the human race all while staying alive.
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Goodreads link to book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17693317-i-ll-be-damned
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EXCERPT
…Searing, damp stones press into my cheek, squishing my other eye closed. I sit up, wiping the nasty grime off my face. The slickness of it makes me wince. God knows what it is. I try to take a deep breath, but fail. Breathing is a chore in the dense, blistering air. It feels like I’m inhaling globs of boiling water. I stand, allowing my limbs time to regain their balance. Suddenly, I’m running down a passageway without any light to guide me… Thousands of butterflies take flight in my stomach as a current of air swiftly engulfs me. I’m falling at a high rate of speed, like the dip in a roller coaster, minus the excitement and safety harnesses. I try to scream, but panic hijacks my voice. I hit the bottom hard, miraculously unscathed.
I stand, wiping a sticky substance off my jeans. I try not to dwell on it. Lifting my arms, I extend them in front of me, searching for a doorway. My hands grope over the hundreds of clammy bricks surrounding me like the bottom of a well. In the loud silence, I hear my name, but Janie isn’t calling me. This voice is lower than a whisper, almost inaudible. Am I losing my mind? Confinement in closed quarters and pitch-black darkness have been known to do that. Again, I hear my name… Anna… It echoes off the tightly enclosed walls, and smacks my ears. It grows louder before abruptly stopping. A velvet voice soothes my sore ears, but makes me jump backwards. The back of my head rams the wall, forcing me to slink onto the ground. My muscles tense and my entire body begins to throb. I prop myself against the bricks, hoping it will cease. I attempt to fold my legs into my chest, but they rebel in pain. I focus my thoughts on survival, rather than the insects I know must be blanketing the ground…
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Saved by the Spell, Book 2 of the Anna Wolfe Series
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ASIN: B00FS1RPLS
Book Length: 174 pages
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DESCRIPTION
Two worlds in danger.
A Grand Witch behind bars.
A stunning Werewolf and a devilishly handsome Warlock’s pursuit for her affections.
You think you have it bad? Grand Witch Anna Wolfe awakens to find herself imprisoned by Micah, the Prince of Darkness. Micah’s on a quest for world domination—and it’s not just the Netherworld that’s in danger. The human world is threatened as well. Now, it’s up to Anna to escape from Micah’s clutches so she can locate The Scholars and an ancient book before both fall into the wrong hands.
With a fiercely loyal Werewolf and immensely powerful Warlock by her side, what can go wrong?
A lot apparently.
If fighting off the Prince of Darkness wasn’t enough, Anna’s emotions are a whirlwind, as she battles between what fate demands and what she actually wants.
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Goodreads link to book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18659357-saved-by-the-spell
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EXCERPT
…His magic continues its course through me, draining all of mine. I need to resist… to fight him. I have to do something before he has the chance to completely snuff me out or find The Scholars. My jaw clenches and my hands roll into tight balls. My shoulders tense, preparing myself for the upcoming battle. I focus all of my energy into stopping him. Bit by bit, my magic shoves its way past his like a bully on a schoolyard. His grip stiffens. A trickle of blood glides down the side of my forearm from his piercing fingernails.
“Go ahead, Anna, fight me. I guarantee it will only hurt you more.”
I throw every memory and emotion Micah has created or tarnished, tossing them into the raging furnace of hate burning inside of me. I slam my eyelids shut and Valen’s face pops inside my head. I need to get back to him. I squeeze my eyes tightly, channeling all the vigor I have, hoping to push Micah out. A fissure breaks right down the middle of his magic, allowing mine to explode to the surface. I feel his power retreat as mine conquers his. I flip my eyes open, stealing a glimpse of his face…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I was born in Philadelphia, PA and grew up in the suburban outskirts of this amazing city. I love anything paranormal and/or supernatural – seriously I live in Philadelphia! For those of you who don’t know, this city is an awesomely haunted place! This healthy paranormal addiction has provided me the motivation to write my first book, “I’ll Be Damned.”
I graduated from Drexel University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and I’m currently working on the Anna Wolfe Series.
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Buy Links
I’ll Be Damned:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Be-Damned-Anna-Wolfe-ebook/dp/B00FM0NRKI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=
Saved by the Spell:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Saved-Spell-Anna-Wolfe-Series-ebook/dp/B00FS1RPLS/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1
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Contact Links
Website: http://www.caseykeen.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WolfeSeries
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnaWolfeSeries
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Casey-Keen/e/B00C0XICK0/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
You Yube link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6S9Vtgh9Iscn7QjP8LmlvQ
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Spotlight On: Baby (Aliens Species Intervention #6609 Book One)
Review:
Set during the era of Prohibition, Baby begins as the story of a young woman, Netty, married off to a much older, brutal, self-serving man. When Netty runs away from her abusive spouse, she discovers a strange creature, injured and alone, and nurses it back to health under the assumption that it’s a hitherto unknown animal. Thus begins an interspecies love-story different from the usual run of such tales. The physical differences between species is elided by Netty’s physical changes, and the very land on which they live is transformed by their connection. When Wil, a handsome stranger, enters their lives, he is included rather than excluded.
If the book ended there, it would be a story of connection and completion. But Netty’s past catches up with her in the form of her spouse, and his actions set off a chain of events that lead to death and destruction.
In compelling (and sometimes interestingly, if unusually, phrased prose), J.K. Accinni offers a story that draws upon the interconnectedness of lives (human and other) and highlights the ways in which those connections can be used for good or ill. This is not necessarily a comfortable book, but it is imaginative and interesting, designed to push at the boundaries of science fiction.
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About the Author
J.K. Accinni was born and raised in Sussex County before moving to Randolph, New Jersey, where she lives with her husband, five dogs and eight rabbits, all rescued. Mrs. Accinni’s passion for wildlife conservation has led her all over the world, including three trips to Africa, where ten years ago she and her husband fell in love with a baby elephant named Wendi, that had been rescued by a wildlife group. That baby is the inspiration for the character Tobi, the elephant featured in her fourth book titled Hive.
The character of Caesar is inspired by a real life iconic tiger from Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary in Sarasota.
Mrs. Accinni also invites you to visit her blog at http://www.speciesintervention.com. Readers are encouraged to comment about the book or your own creature experiences.
June 5, 2014
Guest Post: Me and My Secret Identity by C. B. Pratt
Guest Post
Me and My Secret Identity
By C.B. Pratt
I’m a pleasant-faced fifty-something year old American woman. I’ve traveled a bit, lived in different places, been married to the same guy for 25 years, a mom. Fairly ordinary, really. But like Clark Kent or Diana Prince, I have an alter-ego.
My secret identity is a mighty man, a towering, brawny mass of muscles. He’s available to fight your battles, defeat your enemies, magical or mortal, and maybe seduce a maiden or two on the way out of town. He has a wry sense of humor and a slightly twisted sense of chivalry. He is Eno, a Thracian. He lives in the Ancient World, Greece, Egypt, Babylon, circa 1250 B.C.E.
I live in Orlando, circa 2014.
So how did we meet? Why does this ordinary woman write about Gods, monsters, and a mercenary hero with the motto ‘Swift Sword, Reasonable Rates’?
I’ve been fascinated with the myths of the Ancient World since I could read. But I always felt there was something not quite right about the versions we grow up on. The Greeks were especially fond of good living. Wine, cheese, parties, singing, dancing, drama, comedy…if the Greeks didn’t invent leisure activities, they certainly worked at perfecting them. So then why are so many of the myths dreary, quasi-Biblical, and, frankly, a bit boring?
I blame the interpreters. Most of the men who interpreted the Greek myths were in Holy Orders. They’d grown up on the Bible, the beautiful but not exactly laugh-a-minute King James’ Version. So when they began translating the Greeks, they adopted the same style of language. Besides, many of them were school-teachers and you didn’t want the fifth form breaking up every time Homer mentions Aphrodite’s glorious white breasts. So we wound up with much more serious stories than I think they were intended to be.
Some are serious. The story of Orestes’ torture by the Furies or Oedipus’ crimes (unwitting though they were) are not cheerful tales to pass an afternoon. But Hermes’ making off with older brother Apollo’s cattle? That’s funny! Odysseus’ adventures would be a primitive laugh riot. You can just imagine the guardhouse on a golden afternoon with a passing bard earning his supper telling the rough-necks all about Hephaestus catching his wife in bed with Ares and getting the worst of it.
When I started writing Eno’s adventures, I wanted to bring out the joyful, funny side of the stories and the ‘embrace the moment’ ethos of the Ancient World that lives and breathes throughout those stories, once you know where to look.
So much for the intellectual reason for writing my books. Now let me tell you about the emotional side.
For a couple of years, I had been suffering from writer’s block. It wasn’t so much that I couldn’t write, I simply felt that nothing I was writing was worth pursuing. Then, one day, Eno came along and just wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. I’m now three books into the series and can’t see running out of monsters for him to fight, Gods to meddle with his personal life, or jokes to tell. He made me a writer again. I’m very grateful and happy to be sharing Eno with readers through these e-books.
About The Author
C.B. Pratt is a multi-published author, both traditionally and independently. She lives in Orlando, Florida, not far from the Mouse Empire.
About The Book
Got monsters? You need Eno the Thracian! He’s the guy with the answer to your problems, whether they’re as small as a dragonet you need moved to the other side of the mountain or as big as a minotaur wreaking havoc in your palace. He can train your youth for battle, cure your vizier of fatal ambition, or slay hydras (up to seven heads only, please).
As you may know, there’s a serious hero shortage in Greece at the moment. Most of the more famous heroes have heeded their ancient promises and gone to help out one side or the other in the Trojan War. But the need for heroes hasn’t lessened since the war; if anything it has increased. More monsters than ever are appearing in our blessed islands. If you’re one of the unlucky ones beset by strange beasts, summon Eno the Thracian.
Swift sword…reasonable rates.
Links
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Google+ | Goodreads | C.B. Pratt Amazon Author Page
Welcome to the Covergasm Blog Hop!
This blog hop is all about the covers! Today, I’m featuring my very favorite cover artist, the amazing Liliana Sanches. I love her artwork, and she creates glorious covers. You can see more of her work on deviantART, here: http://princess-of-shadows.deviantart.com/gallery/
For this hop, I’m giving away an e-book with a Liliana Sanches cover. Check out some of her amazing covers below (including the cover reveal of the forthcoming Midway, by Melanie Karsak). Be sure to tell me in the comments which one you’d like to win–the comment will gain you an entry on the rafflecopter! Then enter to win, and HOP to check out all the rest of the fabulous covers in this blog hop! And don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of the post to enter to win the GRAND PRIZE for the hop!
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GRAND PRIZE:
Entry-Form
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Spotlight On: Run by Eve Vaughn
Run by Eve Vaughn
Genre: Futuristic Erotic Romance
Coming August/September
The Hunter…
Dare
O’Shaughnessy had the world in the palm of his hand. A man known and feared for his ruthlessness, his
word was law. The last word he ever expected to hear was no. Until he met her.
The Prey…
Aya Smith
despised the ruling class who looked down on hardworking people like her. Sick
of being treated unfairly by laws that protect the wealthy and punish the poor,
she takes a stand but soon realizes, she might have crossed the wrong man.
The Game…
Created as a
government program to assist in the repopulation of the country when an
untested drug wipes out millions of women, The
Run eventually evolves into something much more sinister. Now played for the amusement of the super
rich, women down on their luck find themselves the prizes of sadistic masters.
Aya is
forced to volunteer for The Run, and
Dare, the most sadistic of all, places her in his crosshairs. She will belong
to him, body and soul. But when he catches her will she succumb to his mastery,
or will he find more trouble than he bargained for?
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author Eve Vaughn has always enjoyed creating characters and stories from an early age. As a child, she was always getting into mischief, so when she lost her television privileges (which was often), writing served as her outlet. Her stories have gotten quite a bit spicier since then! When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, Eve is reading, baking, traveling or kicking butt in 80′s trivia.
Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook Page | Facebook Friend Page | Website
Spotlight On: Late Night Campfire Chillers by Rajeev Bhargava
Late Night Campfire Chillers – PROMO Blitz
By Rajeev Bhargava
Horror
Date Published: November 19, 2013
The Aztec demon is unleashed. The green bottle is his “trick.” They’re his bait.
When a group of friends decide to take a break for the night, pitching camp around a crackling fire, their team leader sees a creepy green bottle embedded in the ground. It looks ancient. He pulls it out, deciding to use it as a “spinner.”
And so, they all take turns to tell their tale, unaware that within this bottle abides an ancient creepy Aztec demon spirit, vowing to teach them all a lesson; one they will never forget.
Will they make it through the night? Or will the forces of evil prevail?
EXCERPT
The kitchen curtains were never drawn. They projected silvery moonlight onto Tom’s face. Tonight he was restless. He opened the fridge door and rooted around inside. His eyes lit up when he found a wine bottle.
“Caaw…Caaw.”
“What the hell!” He shuffled to his feet and plodded to the window. The crow still sat perched on the ashes of her love letters. As long as it stayed put, Tom didn’t mind the old crow. But wasn’t it odd that a stuffy old bird, black as night, should sit in solitude, cawing every night.
“Mother would have shot you. That’s why I won’t.”
Returning to the fridge, he uncorked the bottle with his long fingernails. It dripped all over his chest. But what he saw was not wine. It was blood.
“All right, Tom, take it easy old boy. You’re still under shock. That romantic old fluff is taunting you. Go back to bed quietly.”
Consoling himself, he lay down, humming.
“Caaw! Caaw!” It was the old crow.
Tom shuffled to his feet again, upset. His stomach stiffened and a jet of blood trickled from his belly-button. “W-what’s happening? Am I cracking?”
It was 6:30 a.m. The dimming moonlight tempted Tom to peer outside to get a better look at the crow; that was not difficult. The darn thing never moved an inch. But why was it perched there, on her love letters?
“It’s not there. It’s…not there!” Now Tom really was scared. Overcome with giddiness, he fought back. “M-must…resist…mustn’t fall down.”
But the forces of evil were bent on destruction tonight of all nights. Nine days since the night. Nine days since his mother vowed to come back for her beloved son. It was then that the crow appeared before him…and for the first time, revealed its putrefied face.
“Nighty night, Tom.”
Tom screamed until the crow’s sharp beak tore at his throat, cutting off his cries.
About the Author:
Rajeev Bhargava lives in Harrow, Greater London.
He enjoys writing stories on various themes, some of which include horror, science fiction, fantasy, mythology, adventure and for children. He also enjoys writing poetry and doing illustrations. His writing career began in 1991, and since then, to-date, his works have been appearing frequently in various small press and main stream magazines and books. His all-time favorite publication is Night to Dawn magazine, which he enjoys reading and writing for, and where his most recent works continue to appear.
To contact him, e-mail him at: TSilverPhoenix@aol.com.
Visit him at: silver.phoenix.3591@facebook.com
Facebook | Website
Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords | Kobo ebooks|
GIVEAWAY
$10 Starbucks Gift Card
June 4, 2014
Spotlight On: S.R. Johannes’s UNSTOPPABLE
Title: Unstoppable
Author: S. R. Johannes
Series: The Nature of Grace #3
Genre: Young Adult
Publication: June 3, 2014
After everything that has happened, Grace moves to the Everglades to live with her grandmother, Birdee, and hang out with old man Rex, Birdee’s “friend with benefits”. Grace quickly befriends Dylan, Rex’s nephew, and Dylan’s girlfriend, Sadie, who is a die-hard teen activist. Sadie spends her time leading protests against the roadside zoos that run rampant in Florida with a total disregard for animals or the flimsy law.
One day while out in the marshes of the Everglades, Grace and her friends rescue an abused—and endangered—Florida panther. She and Birdee spend time rehabilitating the animal. But when the panther runs off, Grace follows it toUncle Bob’s, a large roadside zoo they all have been protesting. One that is illegally filled with a variety of endangered and exotic animals. Before she can rescue the panther, she and her friends are kidnapped by the ruthless owner and dragged deep into the Everglades for a hunting challenge.
Only this time, Grace is the prey.
During a sick game of cat and mouse, Grace and her friends are offered one chance at survival, but only if they reach civilization before being caught. With a small head start and very little supplies, only time and skill stand between the hunter and the hunted. But out in the Everglades, there may be more dangers than Grace realizes.
Against all odds, Grace must make it out alive and win, or everything she holds dear could be lost.
Purchase :
Amazon
Other books in the Nature of Grace series:
Untraceable
Book #1
Amazon | B&N | Goodreads
Uncontrollable
Book #2
Amazon | B&N | Goodreads
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About the Author
S.R. Johannes is the award-winning author of the Amazon bestselling thriller series, the Nature of Grace (Untraceable and Uncontrollable). Unstoppable (book 3) is scheduled for May/June 2014. S.R. Johannes is currently repped by Lara Perkins at ABLA. For foreign rights on the Nature of Grace series, contact Jennifer Custer at AM Heath (London).
S.R. Johannes is the YA advisor of ALLi and a winner of the 2012 IndieReader Discovery Awards (Young Adult category) as well as a Silver medalist (2nd place) in the IPPY awards for YA Fiction. She was also nominated for 2012 Georgia Author of the Year (Young Adult category), a Finalist in The Kindle Book Review’s Best Young Adult of 2012, and a YA Finalist in the US Book News Best Book of 2012.
After earning an MBA and working in corporate America doing marketing for over 15 years (Spanx and Good hair Products were my fav because of the perks :), S.R. Johannes traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her dog, English-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Newsletter | Bilan Inc
Waiting on Wednesday ~ A Guest Post
Release: June 9, 2014
Contemporary Romance {Adult}
High on life and all its luxuries, Brayden James has no intention of slowing down. That is until his womanizing ways catch up with him and he gets a much needed wake-up call. Just as he decides to clean up his act, the ultimate temptation enters his life.
When Mackenzie Reed meets Brayden, the attraction is instant and she knows that together they could achieve the kind of career success she’s always craved. But Mackenzie isn’t like most women. She has very good reasons for keeping her heart locked up tight. For her, this isn’t about love. This is about power.
Sparks fly as Brayden and Mackenzie try to avoid the one thing neither of them wanted. Each must choose between the life they’ve worked hard to achieve and the one they never imagined. Will they come to the same decision before it’s too late? Or will a hidden threat keep them apart?
Check out what the author has to say about Chasing Desire…
Check out the FAN MADE BOOK TRAILER…
Jennifer Domenico started
writing as a five-year old child in the back of her mother’s bible in
church. It was a way to keep the fidgety child quiet but even then she
took simple stories and twisted them into even more imaginative tales.
As she grew, the stories grew with her and she filled notebook after
notebook with her musings.
As an adult, she knew she wanted to be
a writer but she lacked the attention span and inspiration required to
produce a full length story. Eventually she put away her notebooks and
turned her attention to the business world where she toiled away for
many years.
She stopped reading fiction, stopped entertaining her
outlandish imagination, and stopped dreaming of being a writer. Until
one day, many months ago she went to sleep and a beautiful love story
played out in her dreams.
When she awoke she felt compelled to
write it down. And she wrote and she wrote, for days and days she wrote.
The result is part one of Enzo and Ava’s story. Turn Towards the Sun is
her first, but certainly not her last, novel.
Ms. Domenico lives
in Phoenix, Arizona with her very Italian husband, a dog that adores
her, two cats that tolerate her, and wicked sweet tooth. She is
currently working on part two in the series.
Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website ~ Pinterest
June 3, 2014
Loving Tennessee: a Guest Post by Russell R. James, author of Dark Vengeance
People must think I hate the state of Tennessee.
My first novel, Dark Inspiration, had Laura Locke and her husband move into a haunted house in rural Moultrie, Tennessee. Things got grim. My fourth novel, Dark Vengeance, returns to Moultrie. Laura and her friend Teresa uncover a coven of witches trying to resurrect a demon. Things get even grimmer.
I really love Tennessee. My wife was born there, I lived there for eleven years, I have great friends that still do. The countryside is beautiful, the people warm and friendly.
But horror needs a setting that engenders isolation. Small town living is isolating, surrounded my acres of woods and farmland, pitch black at night in the absence of the light pollution suburban and city folks take for granted. Your nearest neighbor is a mile away, and anything could be going on over there, even witchcraft. Tennessee fit the bill both times, benign as it is in real life.
Laura and Teresa are also isolated emotionally in this story. Best friends in the first novel, they went through a lot. Evil haunted spirits, psycho neighbors, a murderous husband and a murdered sheriff. Both women barely escaped with their lives, and the stress was too much for their friendship to endure. As the evil outside town starts to build, both of them face it alone.
But they can’t defeat it alone, and the story follows their struggles with each other, and the coven that threatens the unsuspecting town.
A novel takes me almost a year to complete. I couldn’t stay in my fictional Tennessee that long if I didn’t like the real one so much. So pick up Dark Vengeance and come stay a spell in Moultrie. When the ghosts stay still, and the witches aren’t casting spells, it’s a great little place.
About The Author
Russell R. James was raised on Long Island, New York and spent too much time watching Chiller, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and The Twilight Zone, despite his parents’ warnings. Bookshelves full of Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe didn’t make things better. He graduated from Cornell University and the University of Central Florida.
After a tour flying helicopters with the U.S. Army, he now spins twisted tales best read in daylight. He has written the paranormal thrillers Dark Inspiration, Sacrifice, Black Magic and Dark Vengeance. He has two short story collections, Tales from Beyond and Deeper into Darkness. His next novel, Dreamwalker, releases in 2015.
His wife reads what he writes, rolls her eyes, and says “There is something seriously wrong with you.”
Visit his website and read some free short stories, follow on Twitter @RRJames14 or drop a line complaining about his writing to rrj@russellrjames.com.
About The Book
Laura and Theresa, the heroines of
DARK INSPIRATION, are back fighting the supernatural again in the small town of Moultrie, Tennessee.
Three witches have summoned the longarex, a creature of Mayan myth, to sow vengeance in town and beyond. Each feeding strengthens the beast and soon the full coven will release it with a final dark ritual. Only Laura and Theresa have the combined skill and insight to stop the plan.
But Laura’s depression in the wake of the Galaxy Farm incidents has strained the women’s friendship past the breaking point. Two men enter their lives, one to help and one to hinder their uncovering of the coven’s plot. Hundreds of souls hang in the balance, including those of the ones the women hold most dear. Will they be able to heal their rift in time to save the town from the wrath of the longarex?
Links
Website | Twitter | Amazon | Amazon UK
