Margo Bond Collins's Blog, page 24
March 7, 2016
Cover Reveal: Prince Of The Playhouse by Tara Lain
Prince of the Playhouse
(Love in Laguna #3)
By Tara Lain
Blurb:
Driven by his desire to become a successful fashion designer and concerned with hiding his questionable past, Ru Maitland lets his obsession with action movie star Gray Anson on the big screen replace his social life. Then obsession and reality collide when Ru is asked to design fashion costumes for a special performance of Hamlet at the Playhouse in Laguna starring none other than Gray Anson. Gray turns out to be a compelling mix of shy and brash and, despite a high profile engagement to a female socialite, the signals Gray sends Ru have his libido doing the salsa.
Gray Anson has what most people only dream of—great wealth, huge fame, a job he loves. For that, he’s given up any semblance of privacy and the right to say no to the thousands of people who depend on him and the millions who love him. He sees everything he’s ever wanted just outside the bubble of his life, but how can he make the compromises needed to embrace it? When Ru’s shady past crashes into Gray’s paparazzi-haunted present, both men have to learn that sometimes the only acceptable compromise is the truth.
Available for pre-order at
You can pre-order paperback here.
Release Date:
April 5, 2016
Excerpt
Ru cleared his throat. “Just stand relaxed.” Take that advice yourself. He stepped behind him. Gray towered over Ru’s five eleven. The man must be a full six three or four as reported. Stretching his tape, Ru measured the width of those shoulders. Have to do it. He rested a hand against Gray’s arm and let the warmth seep into his bones—and his boner. “Do you usually wear a forty-four long?”
“Uh, yes, I think so. They tailor it for my, uh, waist.”
“Um-hm.” Ru wrapped the tape around Anson’s waist, trying not to pass out. “Thirty-three.”
“Yeah.”
Though he didn’t really have to, he measured Gray’s chest and hips. “How do you see Hamlet?”
“Sorry? What do you mean?”
“What’s your understanding of the character?”
“Oh.” He shrugged. “I guess he’s confused. Pissed that everybody including ghosts wants something from him.” Whoa. That last boiled with heat. “Sorry.”
“No, I like your take on him.”
The edges of his lips turned up. “You do?”
“Yeah.” Ru knelt to measure the inseam. “Just hold still for a second.” He swallowed hard and snuggled one hand in the general vicinity of Gray’s balls. Some balls they were too, nicely framed by the crotch of a pair of old, worn jeans. Movies often unveiled Gray’s awesome ass, but the balls Ru had never seen. He pulled the tape to the floor. “Thirty-six sound right?”
“Yes. I guess.”
If he burrowed his nose in Gray’s crotch and sniffed, could he blame it on the need to gather impressions for his design? His giggle tried to escape again. He stood before he went through with it. “Let me show you what I’m thinking.”
He didn’t usually share his designs until they were further along, but man, he didn’t want Gray to leave. He leaned over the table he’d been sketching at. Gray rested his perfect forearm on the table and looked over Ru’s shoulder. Warmth from his body slammed into Ru like a day in Jamaica, and Mr. Downtown turned into a heat-seeking missile.
Ru sucked in a breath. “Uh, what if we dress Hamlet like a sort of ultrafashionable gangbanger? Baggy pants and a combination of wifebeaters and baggy T-shirts. But we’ll do them in fantasy colors and cover your arms and chest in tattoos.” Ru’s fingers flew across the pages as the ideas took shape, bold lines slashing the white paper. “We’ll even tie your head in a bandana.” He looked up and almost choked. Gray’s face was poised only inches from his, and he was smiling, the huge, flashing-teeth, dimples-as-deep-as-craters smile that had made this man a billionaire. All I’d have to do is stand on tiptoe and I could kiss him. Of course, I wouldn’t get to do costumes for Hamlet anymore, but it might be worth it. He smiled slowly at the incongruity of the perfect face surrounded by the ratty gray wig.
Gray spoke softly. “You really get into this, don’t you?”
Ru swallowed. “Uh, yes, sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. I love the idea, and I love your passion.”
“You—you do?”
“Yes.” He just kept staring at Ru. “Do you know your eyes are almost the color of a cat’s?”
“And yours are like the sky before a storm.”
Love in Laguna Series
Available for purchase at
Paperback from Dreamspinner
Available for purchase at
Paperback from Dreamspinner
About the Author
Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 23. Her bestselling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soulmate husband and her soulmate dog in Laguna Beach, California, a pretty seaside town where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!You can find Tara at
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March 6, 2016
Cover Reveal: Possessed by a Dark Warrior by Felicity Heaton
It’s time for the cover reveal of the next Eternal Mates series book, Possessed by a Dark Warrior. This is one I know a lot of readers are waiting for, since it stars a certain dark elf called Bleu. Yes, it’s finally time for our gruff moody commander to put his head in the sacred noose…
If you haven’t had a chance to step into this passionate and action-packed world of dark elves, fae, demons, vampires, shifters and hunters, then you can take the leap with the first book in the series, Kissed by a Dark Prince, which is only 99c / 99p right now. Find the links to your favourite retailers at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/kissed-by-a-dark-prince-paranormal-romance-novel.php
Here’s more about the next book in the series, due for release on April 9th!
A powerful warrior and commander of the dark elf legions, Bleu is a loyal and devoted male, and one who has never failed in anything—except one thing. Love. When an elusive female dragon shifter surfaces in Hell again, giving him a mission to hurl himself into, he gladly returns to his hunt for her and the deadly blade she stole from his prince seven centuries ago, but as he closes in on his prey, fate reveals she is far more than his enemy.
Having escaped from the black market arena and her life as a slave, Taryn sets her sights back on the task she began seven hundred years ago when her brother stole a precious sword, but in the three centuries she’s been a captive, everything has changed. Corrupted by a craving for power, her brother has become dangerously obsessed with finding the blade and using it to claim the ultimate treasure—the position of King of Hell.
Faced with having to end her beloved twin to stop him from bringing all of Hell to its knees before him, will Taryn be strong enough to use the very blade he seeks against him? And when Bleu finally catches his elusive prey, will he listen to his head as it demands he complete his mission or his heart as it demands he claim his eternal mate?
Pre-order your copy of Possessed by a Dark Warrior today at: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/possessed-by-a-dark-warrior-paranormal-romance-novel.php
Possessed by a Dark Warrior is due for release in ebook and paperback on April 9th 2016 and will be available from all major online book retailers.
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | iBooks US | iBooks UK | iBooks AU | iBooks CA | iBooks NZ | Kobo | ARE | Google Play
Join Felicity’s mailing list to receive a notification when Possessed by a Dark Warrior is released, PLUS a sneak preview of the first 4 chapters of the book and chances to win a signed paperback copy: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk/newsletter.php
Add the book to your Goodreads shelf at: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28524669-possessed-by-a-dark-warrior
Books in the Eternal Mates paranormal romance series:
Book 1: Kissed by a Dark Prince
Book 2: Claimed by a Demon King
Book 3: Tempted by a Rogue Prince
Book 9: Possessed by a Dark Warrior
Book 10: Awakened by a Demoness – Coming Spring 2016
Book 11: Haunted by the King of Death – Coming Summer 2016
About Felicity Heaton:
Felicity Heaton is a New York Times and USA Today international best-selling author writing passionate paranormal romance books. In her books, she creates detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shape-shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! If you’re a fan of paranormal romance authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter and Christine Feehan then you will enjoy her books too.
If you love your angels a little dark and wicked, the best-selling Her Angel series is for you. If you like strong, powerful, and dark vampires then try the Vampires Realm series or any of her stand-alone vampire romance books. If you’re looking for vampire romances that are sinful, passionate and erotic then try the best-selling Vampire Erotic Theatre series. Or if you prefer huge detailed worlds filled with hot-blooded alpha males in every species, from elves to demons to dragons to shifters and angels, then take a look at the new Eternal Mates series.
If you want to know more about Felicity, or want to get in touch, you can find her at the following places:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads
COMING SOON–to an eReader near you
A few months ago, I was delighted to be asked to join seven other authors in an anthology of contemporary western romance. It was quite an honor, considering several of them are far better known th…
Source: COMING SOON–to an eReader near you
February 28, 2016
Spotlight On: Wolf’s Blade by Clare Dargin
Wolf’s Blade
The Paladins 1
Clare Dargin
Contemporary, Paranormal, Shifters, Wolves
Heat Level 4,Words 32,000
Content Notes Intense, Extreme Violence, Non-Sexual Physical Assault
Publication Date 12/28/2015, Liquid Silver Books
Samantha Dixon rescues a wounded wolf shifter in the woods near her home … and unwittingly gets drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a murderer.
Callum Blake is on the trail of an evil man who would be king of all wolf kind, no matter the cost … it’s up to Callum to stop him.
How can Callum fulfill his duty to protect his pack and save the woman who is destined to be his mate?
Buy Links: Amazon Liquid Silver Books
Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019VS3IZK?redirect=true&ref_=s9_simh_gw_g351_i1_r
Liquid Silver Books- http://www.lsbooks.com/wolfs-blade-p1090.php
Author Bio
Clare Dargin is a multi-published romance author. She has written for several publishers in different genres, including erotic romance, military romance, contemporary, paranormal, and sci-fi. She lives in the mid-west, and when not surfing the web, she is hard at work writing her next romance novel. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, and Amazon.
Social Media Links
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/clare.dargin
Clare’s Blog 2 The Haven – www.claresblog2thehaven.blogspot.com/
The Embraced: Scribal Love – www.theembraced.blogspot.com/
www.goodreads.com/author/show/2750164.Clare_Dargin
Google +- https://plus.google.com/u/0/113201930657713285351/posts/p/pub
Twitter – https://twitter.com/clare_dargin
Amazon Author Page – www.amazon.com/Clare-Dargin/e/B005CREN68
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FREE READ Opportunity
Sign up for Clare Dargin’s Newsletter,
receive a free erotic romance e-read from her back list.
Hi everybody, I have a new newsletter that I’ve created that WILL have cool and relevant content for romance book readers including news and previews about my upcoming books, posts and articles you won’t see on my blog and free romance reads from me. Subscribe to my newsletter now and receive a free e-romance read from me today.
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February 26, 2016
Cover Reveal: Water’s Wrath by Elise Kova
Water’s Wrath (Air Awakens #4)
by Elise Kova
Release Date: April 26th 2016
Summary:
Librarian turned sorcerer. Sorcerer turned hero. Hero turned puppet.
The Solaris Empire found victory in the North and, at the cost of her heart and her innocence, Vhalla Yarl has earned her freedom. But the true fight is only beginning as the secret forces that have been lurking in the shadows, tugging at the strings of Vhalla’s fate, finally come to light. Nowhere is safe, and Vhalla must tread carefully or else she’ll fall into the waiting arms of her greatest foe. Or former lover.
[More Preorder Locations to Come]
Previous books in the series (click on images for Goodreads links):
Cover Reveal Exclusive: My Thoughts on the Covers’ Symbolism So Far
Six months ago, almost to the day, Air Awakens came out. It was my debut novel as an independent author, no publisher and no agent behind me, and I had no idea what would come of it. Now, six months later, I can’t believe I’m revealing the cover on the fourth book of the Air Awakens series.
I say every cover is my favorite, because it gets harder and harder to pick. Each of the covers, in their own way, has been perfect for the book they belong with. My cover artist, Merilliza Chan, is amazing at taking direction and incorporating my suggestions.
Part of why each cover is perfect is because there are little hints, teasers, and call-outs to the story within. Without giving too many spoilers, here’s a couple notes on each of the Air Awakens covers so far!
Air Awakens
First off, notice how Vhalla’s sash is black. In the book, the sash that goes with her apprentice robes is cerulean. This, combined with her robes slowly turning black around the back of the cover is indicative of sorcery making a mark on her. But she hasn’t yet committed, she has yet to don all-black robes. The wind in her hair and sense of movement is a call-out to her affinity. The book in her hands, is representative of three things: her work in the library, the book she exchanges notes in, and the book she brings to the garden. Which, speaking of, the roses around her… well, if you’ve read the book you know what, or who, those are meant to symbolize. But I told Meril I wanted something ominous, something wicked about them. And the thorns going through them were perfect!Fire Falling
Here is the first cover we see our dark prince on. Fire Falling is named after three incidents in the book… When Aldrik falls to his knees before Vhalla in the Crossroads, the Rites of the FALLen in the Crossroads for another, and the end of the book. Since two of the three aspects of the title of the book related to Aldrik it was only natural that he had to be on the cover. In Fire Falling, Aldrik is beginning to function as a guiding force for Vhalla and, on the cover, he’s looking over his shoulder at her. He can’t openly admit to their association. Vhalla’s eyes are glowing orange and she’s alight, immersed in flame. This was done to symbolize their Bond and Joining. That not only can his flames not harm her, but that he is connected on a mental and magical level. She is also wearing the armor Aldrik crafted for her.Earth’s End
Now, the symbolism is beginning to get heavy. Vhalla is alone again on the cover, venturing into the wilderness. She’s almost facing the camera, symbolizing how she is growing into her own and becoming a more realized person. In the sky above her is a fire bird. We literally see this formed in the book, but it also is symbolic of a phoenix, rising from its own ashes. I think this works for Vhalla and Aldrik in their own ways through Earth’s End. The cloak she’s wearing is the one she receives from Tim with slash marks. The watch in her hand was gifted to her. And, in her other hand, we see a special sort of magic… Finally, one other note… Carved into a tree that’s on the back of printed books is a symbol – that is actually the symbol of Shaldan!
About the Author
Elise Kova has always had a passion for storytelling. She wrote her first novella, a high-fantasy, in sixth grade. Over the years she’s honed her love of literature with everything from fantasy to romance, science fiction to mystery, and whatever else catches her eye.
Elise lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where she’s currently working on the next installment in her debut YA fantasy series: Air Awakens. She enjoys video games, anime, table-top role playing games, and many other forms of “geekdom.” She loves talking with fans on Twitter (@EliseKova) and Facebook (/AuthorEliseKova). Visit her website, EliseKova.com/, for news and extras about her books!
Author Links:
GIVEAWAY:
Cover Reveal Organized by:
February 24, 2016
Guest Post: Fun Facts about The Domino Project by K. T. Hanna (@KTHanna)
Fun Facts about The Domino Project
The Domino Project idea came from an amalgamation of two other ideas.
Neither of the base ideas behind the book featured Sai as the main character.
Chameleon got K.T. her first ever agent
In the original draft Bastian and Dom got mixed up in scenes far more than K.T. likes to admit.
Sai’s name is – you guessed it – partially due to the Japanese weapon Sai. This reflects a base of her heritage and her abilities.
Bastian was named because KT’s never been able to get the name out of her head since hearing a German 90’s song called: Bastian.
Dom is short for Domino. KT feels no pride in her lack of creativity in this regard.
Nimue was named because of an old Everquest character KT used to raid with.
Originally there was no double agent, but it made the plotline difficult to pull off and one of KT’s cps got into the genius juice during brainstorming and made the suggestion – and here we are!
Deign was always a bitch.
At one point, the book was called Ebony, for one of the materials that make up the game piece also called Dominos. Ivory and Bone were also considered as names for the sequels at that point.
After extensive revisions of book one, Hybrid and Parasite required a lot of adjusting – which included the removal of two characters and the insertion of Sai’s healing abilities.
In hindsight naming Mathur such was a bad idea. The amount of times autocorrect insisted he was mother are too many to count.
The whole first ten chapters of Parasite had to be mostly rewritten.
Parasite (The Domino Project #3)
by K.T. Hanna
Release Date: February 22nd 2016
Amaranthine Press
Summary from Goodreads:
With the Damascus closing in on the Exiled, Sai and Dom must put their grief and inner demons aside as they rush to free the people of the Protected Conglomerate from the influence of the psionic grid.
Chipped and placed under house arrest with a guard, Bastian’s only hope lies in reaching his core to disrupt Deign’s ruthless plan.
Intent on putting a stop to the Damascus and the GNW’s reign, Dom discovers the true extent of the parasite within. Just when Sai thinks the Exiled have a chance, their greatest weapon turns on them.
Buy Links:
Amazon | Signed Copies from Watermark Books
Previous books in the series (clink on image for Goodreads link):
To celebrate Parasite’s release, Chameleon and Hybrid are on sale for $0.99!
Praise for Book #1 – CHAMELEON
“Hanna takes familiar sci-fi genre elements… and spins dystopian gold.” Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
KT Hanna has a love for words so extreme, a single word can spark entire worlds.
Born in Australia, she met her husband in a computer game, moved to the U.S.A. and went into culture shock. Bonus? Not as many creatures specifically out to kill you.
When she’s not writing, she freelance edits for Chimera Editing, and chases her daughter, husband, corgi, and cat. No, she doesn’t sleep. She is entirely powered by the number 2, caffeine, and beef jerky.
Note: Still searching for her Tardis
Author Links:
GIVEAWAY:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Spotlight On: Conflicted by M. M. Koenig
New Adult Romantic Suspense
Date Published: December 2013
Find out what happens when a sexy, tattooed bad boy goes head to head with a sassy, fierce female in the first book of the explosive Secrets and Lies series!
Mia Ryan was on the path to make all her dreams come true. Her life was everything she wanted it to be; until one fateful night changed everything – leaving her broken and without direction. Nearly a year later, she still has little faith in anyone or anything. Desperate to reclaim her life’s ambition, she takes an unexpected offer that promises to solve all her problems. But as Mia moves forward, she’s faced with obstacles she couldn’t have foreseen. The biggest of them lies within the mystery of Ethan Fitzgerald; a man who affects her like no other, but who she should avoid pursuing, at all costs. On a mission himself, Ethan Fitzgerald didn’t care who he pissed off on his road to fulfill his mother’s dying wish. He relied on himself, and was closed off to the world around him – until Mia Ryan walked through his door. Normally one to avoid messy emotions, Ethan’s world is turned upside down by Mia, and he can’t seem to get enough of her. There are lines you can cross that will change the course of your life forever …
Excerpt
“Why are you so upset?”
“I’m angry because you keep denying me when it’s clear you want me. To top it off, you come to my club and dance with countless men right in front of me,” Ethan growled.
He ran his nose down my neck before licking away a bead of sweat. I gasped. The hand that he had moved to my waist slipped underneath my top. He caressed my belly before running his fingers further down, making every ounce of me come to a dull ache. Against my will, my body moved in ways to encourage him to travel further south to take full advantage of me. Ethan’s hands settled along my waistline, lazily trailing his fingers along it. My mind screamed one last time that this was not an option for me. In a last-ditch attempt, I paused his hands so he wouldn’t go any further. Ethan whipped me around to face him. The passion in his eyes was unmistakable.
“I’m trying to do the right thing,” I moaned.
His hands drifted underneath my shirt and up my sides on their way north this time. As he progressed along my rib cage to the lower line of my bra, he moved us off the dance floor. Ethan pushed me up against a pillar at the far end of it. He brought his body right into mine. He tossed in an occasional thrust of the hips as he pinned me, just to remind me how very well he knew my body. Ethan cupped my breast with tender strokes of his hand before pressing his lips on a spot underneath my ear lobe. It was enough to melt every part of me. I was throbbing all over for him.
“You want me. I want you. I don’t care what’s right or wrong,” Ethan hissed.
I tilted my neck as he trailed deep kisses down my collarbone and exposed shoulder. I wanted him so much that it was close to making me burst. I moaned even louder when his teeth grazed the crook of my shoulder. He sucked along my neck with eagerness,making no effort to hold back his want for me. I slanted my head to bring my lips vigorously down on his. My tongue drifted across the top of his mouth before his tongue met mine where they danced to the beat with the music around us. My hands moved down to his hips as he pumped against me. I slid them even further down to his ass. Ethan responded by grinding harder and grabbing one of my legs to raise it around his hip.
Our bodies melded together in an erotic dance as our mouths devoured each other. I lost myself in the music, in his lips, in his body, in his hands, and in the desires he brought out in me. His hands ran up and down my body while his lips and hips brought me to the point of no return – I ached for him.
About the Author
M. M. Koenig enjoys being active and has a variety of interests that coincide with her passion for life. Always one to try new things, she has acquired a variety of skills. Her sarcastic nature and multitude of experiences tend to find their way into her novels.
When she has free time and isn’t writing, she spends as much time as she can with friends and family. To fuel her soul, she is constantly looking for new music, movies, and books to keep the writer’s block at bay.
Get your Copy FREE!
Amazon
Kobo
There are two other books in the series:
Mia Ryan has learned the hard way that her choices can have horrible consequences. Taking an offer that was supposed to get her life back on track was nothing but a ploy. To keep the ones she holds dear safe, she’s forced to finish what she started, without any hope of finding out why she was targeted in the first place. Though Mia has Ethan by her side, she can’t seem to believe in him, especially since most of his life remains a mystery. Ethan Fitzgerald has done everything in his power to prove to Mia that she can trust him, but it never seems to be enough to convince her to drop the last wall around her heart. With deep and dark secrets lurking around every corner, he has his own plan to keep Mia from any danger, but it may just shatter their love forever. There are so many questions – with even more shocking answers – and when Mia uncovers the truth, nothing will ever be the same…
Mia Ryan’s past and present are about to collide in startling ways, leaving her to question everything she’s ever known about herself.
After a shocking turn of events that revealed some mind-blowing secrets, Mia becomes more determined than ever to take back her life from the darkness that’s consumed her. In her pursuit for answers, she quickly discovers that parts of her past, which have always been a mystery, might be the key to saving the ones she loves…and the man that stole her heart.
Ethan Fitzgerald knows that things are never what they seem. Taking down his father’s empire wasn’t supposed to be a challenge—that was before Mia Ryan waltzed through his door. Forever changed by a love that reignites his purpose in life, Ethan is willing to do whatever it takes to protect Mia, and his enemies know it.
In this edge of your seat finale of the Secrets and Lies series, the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. Can Mia and Ethan’s relationship withstand the malicious forces threatening them, or is letting go the answer that saves them and the ones they love? Everything comes at a cost—and it might just be true love.
February 23, 2016
Legally Undead Audiobook ~ Paranormal Love Wednesdays Blog Hop
Welcome to the weekly blog hop featuring paranormal stories. From witches to werewolves, vampires to berserkers, you name it, we have it. This blog hop is open to authors and writers whose work is published or unpublished. We also welcome works-in-progresses/WIP’s! Join us each week and check out all the cool stories!
I’m getting my 2016 publication line-up ready and today I’m sharing a few details.
Check out this sneak peek (or sneak listen, anyway!) of the audiobook version of Legally Undead! Be sure to HOP back to check out the rest of this week’s entries in the blog hop!
You can also get Legally Undead in ebook or print form:
A reluctant vampire hunter, stalking New York City as only a scorned bride can.
Elle Dupree has her life all figured out: first a wedding, then her Ph.D., then swank faculty parties where she’ll serve wine and cheese and introduce people to her husband the lawyer.
But those plans disintegrate when she walks in on a vampire draining the blood from her fiancé Greg. Horrified, she screams and runs–not away from the vampire, but toward it, brandishing a wooden letter opener.
As she slams the improvised stake into the vampire’s heart, a team of black-clad men bursts into the apartment. Turning around to face them, Elle discovers that Greg’s body is gone—and her perfect life falls apart.
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Excerpt
The worst thing about vampires is that they’re dead. That whole wanting to suck your blood business runs a close second, but for sheer creepiness, it’s the dead bit that gets me every time. They’re up and walking around and talking and sucking blood, but they’re dead. And then there’s the whole terminology problem–how can you kill something that’s already dead? It’s just wrong.
I was twenty-four the first time I . . . destroyed? dispatched? . . . a vampire. That’s when I found out that all the books and movies are wrong. When you stick a wooden stake into their hearts, vampires don’t disintegrate into dust. They don’t explode. They don’t spew blood everywhere. They just look surprised, groan, and collapse into a pile of corpse. But at least they lie still then, like corpses are supposed to.
Since that first kill (I might as well use the word–there really isn’t a better one), I’ve discovered that only if you’re lucky do vampires look surprised before they groan and fall down. If you’re unlucky and miss the heart, they look angry. And then they fight.
There are the other usual ways to kill vampires, of course, but these other ways can get a bit complicated. Vampires are notoriously difficult to trick into sunlight. They have an uncanny ability to sense when there’s any sunlight within miles of them, and they’re awfully good at hiding from it. Holy water doesn’t kill them; it just distracts them for a while, and then they get that angry look again. And it takes a pretty big blade to cut off someone’s head–even an already dead someone–and carrying a great big knife around New York City, even the Bronx, is a sure way to get arrested. Nope, pointy sticks are the best way to go, all the way around.
My own pointy stick is actually more of a little knife with wood inlay on the blade–the metal makes it slide in easier. I had the knife specially made by an old Italian guy in just about the only ratty part of Westchester, north of the city. I tried to order one off the internet, but it turns out that while it’s easy to find wood-inlay handles, the blades themselves tend to be metal. Fat lot those people know.
But I wasn’t thinking any of this when I pulled the knife out of the body on the ground. I was thinking something more along the lines of “Oh, bloody hell. Not again.”
Buy Links
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About the Author
Margo Bond Collins She lives in Texas with her daughter and several spoiled pets, where she writes paranormal . She teaches college-level English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and other monsters.
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Connect with Margo
Newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/03A21E5E161401F0
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/margobondcollins
Email: MargoBondCollins@gmail.com
Website: http://www.MargoBondCollins.net
Blog: http://www.MargoBondCollins.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MargoBondCollin @MargoBondCollin
Google+: https://plus.google.com/116484555448104519902
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/vampirarchy
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/MargoBondCollins
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mbondcollins/
Happy Release Day! Open Hearts by Erin Hayes
My heart isn’t my own.
And I don’t mean romantically.
Six months ago, I had a heart transplant. Now I’m learning to live again with someone else’s heart beating in my chest. My scars both inside and out haunt my every waking moment.
Then I meet Rhys, the tattooed Yank that finds himself transplanted to my Southern hometown. Even though he’s haunted by his own scars, he’s determined to show me how to embrace my second chance at life.
I’m not sure if I can give someone my heart when it wasn’t mine to begin with.
And neither of our hearts will survive rejection.
~~~~
A standalone NA contemporary romance coming February 2016.
AMAZON * AMAZON UK
AMAZON CA * AMAZON AU
Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books, like the fantasy mystery novel Death is but a Dream, the sci-fi middle grade book Jacob Smith is Incredibly Average, and the Her Wolf paranormal series.
She works as an advertising copywriter during the day, and she moonlights as an author. She has lived in New Zealand, Texas, and now in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia.
You can reach her at erinhayesbooks@gmail.com and she’ll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.
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Spotlight On: If I Should Remember by K. D. Van Brunt
Young Adult / YA Mystery
Date Published: February 2, 2016
Memories make us human. Are we still alive if we can’t remember?
Seventeen-year-old Zoe Laleigh has accepted that sometimes the only way to survive today is to wipe away the past. That’s what her loving parents and dedicated psychiatrist are helping her do—forget. What, she’s not entirely sure. All she knows is when an entire year of recollections goes missing, there’s definitely something wrong.
Sometimes the past isn’t so easily forgotten…
Through a flood of dreams, Zoe realizes something happened. Something terrible and tragic. Her lost year is a monster hiding in the shadow of her nightmares, taunting her, but unwilling to reveal itself. When her family relocates, she hopes a new town and new school will help her regain a sense of normalcy. If only it were that easy.
Strangely enough, only her dog, Rin, seems to understand her…
He is somehow connected to her lost year—connected to why she keeps doing things her mother calls reckless, foolish, and dangerous. And when she starts to hear voices and sees things no one else can, she is forced to question her own sanity.
The monster of her nightmares has returned, bringing with it the single question that plagues her at night…
What is there to remember?
Excerpt
Did I say how much I hate Dr. Bazely’s office? It starts with the reception area, which always has this citrusy smell. It’s like cheap perfume, and it gets into my hair and my clothes, so I smell it for days. Of course, there are magazines to read during the wait, and there’s always a wait no matter when you arrive, but the magazines come in two flavors: National Geographic and People. Right, gawk at animals or gawk at humans, your choice. Before we sit, we have to deal with Martha, the receptionist.
“Hello, Martha,” Mom says, as we approach her desk.
“Zoe,” Martha responds with faux pleasure. Her smile is like a Halloween mask she slides down over her face whenever she has to interact with clients. For some reason, they refer to us as clients, not patients. Whatever.
“Dr. Bazely will be with you momentarily,” Martha states, as she always does.
I sit next to Mom and scroll through the texts on my phone. Sara has texted me 10,000 times, Hannah and Tory only slightly less. According to Tory, she spent all first period this morning answering one of two questions: Does Zoe have a brain tumor? and Is Zoe rabid? I also have a text from Derek, but strangely nothing from Alex.
Hey, fox ninja warrior, the wildlife around here wants to know if it’s safe to come out, Derek texted.
I laugh out loud at this and text back, Tell the animals crazy girl is in Boston for the day.
He immediately replies. You looked kind of sexy holding that shoe, you know.
I roll my eyes. That’s what I was going for all right—the sexy, scared shitless look.
“The doctor will see you now,” Martha says, rising to lead me back to his office.
I stow my phone in my back pocket, and Mom gives my hand a gentle squeeze of encouragement. My sessions with Dr. Bazely are one-on-one. No Mom. No Dad. Bazely usually does confer with Mom after we’re done, but he’s made it clear to me many times he will not breach the confidentiality of our sessions with anyone. So even if it turns out I’m an axe murderer, my crimes will remain a secret from my mother.
Dr. Bazely’s office is like a nice den, all wood paneling, comfy, an overstuffed couch, and two wingback chairs. I sit in my usual chair and he sits in the other one halffacing me. A round table is strategically located between us. His shiny, bald head reflects the overhead light like a mirror. Dr. Bazely is never mean with me, but I resent him. He never tells me anything. He knows stuff about me, but he won’t share it with me.
About the Author
Young adult writer K.D. Van Brunt has authored four books, including the widely acclaimed Win the Rings. Residing in Rockville, Maryland, he loves all things dogs, the civil war and books.
Contact Links
Website
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Amazon
Limitless Publishing
