Karpov Kinrade's Blog, page 4
January 21, 2015
Survive or Succumb: Two authors, two epic novels, one massive giveaway!
This week, the amazingly talented Angela Scott is joining us in an exciting giveaway you’re not going to want to miss! Her dystopian mystery, Anyone? has some surprising similarities to our superhero urban fantasy, Court of Nightfall. I’ve read it and LOVED it…plus, we’re doing a BIG giveaway together that you should definitely enter…check out the Rafflecopter below my review! (And go check out Angela’s review of Court of Nightfall–she has some incredibly kind words to say! Thank you, thank you!)
To kick things off, I want to introduce you to Anyone? because it’s an amazing book that I couldn’t put down!
Kimberly’s thoughts on Anyone?
Anyone? is a fantastic dystopian suspense that keeps you engaged from beginning to end. After the sky literally starts to fall, destroying her house and her life, Tess is left alone in a bunker to count down the days until her father returns with her brother.
After three months, she realizes help isn’t coming.
Still, she waits, her kitten as her only company, surviving on supplies her father stocked their bunker with.
It isn’t until she loses power that she realizes she can’t stay in hiding forever, and she takes her first tentative steps into a world she no longer recognizes.
All the people have disappeared. There are no sounds of animal or life anywhere. Entire cities have been destroyed, and the weather now fluctuates between 120 degree heat and freezing cold blizzards.
Tess is not prepared for hardcore survival and soon finds herself injured, scared and desperate for help.
Help comes in the form of Cole, a mysterious stranger who has made his utopia within the ruined remnants of the city. He gives Tess first aid and joins her on her quest to find her father and brother and figure out what happened to their world.
Angela Scott is a masterful writer, as evidenced by her other brilliant novels–Desert Rice, Desert Flower, and her Zombie West series. I’m a huge fan, and I have to admit this might be my favorite book she’s written. Anyone?, like it’s title, will leave you with more questions than answers, but that doesn’t detract from the brilliance and addictiveness of the writing and story.
Check out ANYONE? on
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Make sure to add it on Goodreads, too!
January 18, 2015
New Seduced Saga Covers SO SEXY we broke Amazon
With a new year upon us, we’re making plans, checking lists, planning launches… all that jazz. And in so doing, we realized something. The Seduced Saga, our bestselling series ever, is now 2 years old! Can you believe that? Two years ago this month, Seduced by Innocence first launched. When Seduced by Pain came out the following month, we started making enough money on this series to go full time as authors. Needless to say, The Seduced Saga holds a special place in our hearts.
On March 2, the last book in this saga is launching, completing the mystery and suspense of this romantic paranormal series, and we couldn’t be more excited. We’re celebrating by giving the whole series a sexy makeover. That’s right, new covers for everyone, and we reorganized the series to ultimately make it easier for fans to discover the series and follow along in the correct order.
These new covers are so sexy, we broke Amazon! In fact, as of the time of writing this, Innocence and Pain are still in weird categories (graphic novel and comic erotica????) and are stuck there. lol We’re sure we’ll get it sorted soon.
In the meantime, here’s the breakdown of what we’ve changed and what we’ve kept the same in this beloved series.
Now, this may initially sound a bit confusing, but it’s actually pretty simple. We even made a meme to help explain.
Here’s the gist.
The first three books (Seduced by Innocence, Seduced by Pain and Seduced by Power) have basically stayed the same, just with new covers and a fresh coat of editing.
What changed the most is how the Seduced by Lies serial was organized. Instead of making it four novella length books (in which the first three were already published as Lies 1: Elysium, Lies 2: The Emzara, and Lies 3: Ancient One), we have combined them into 2 novels. The books no longer exist as novellas. Instead, Seduced by Lies now includes the books formerly known as Elysium and The Emzara, and the new book coming out, Seduced by Darkness (now on pre-order), includes the previously published Ancient One along with what was going to be the final novella, The Nephilim).
What does this mean for you, dear reader?
If you’ve already read everything we’ve put out: Seduced by Innocence, Seduced by Pain, Seduced by Power (or Seduced: Rose’s Story), Seduced by Lies Vol. 1, Seduced by Lies Vol. 2 and Seduced by Lies Vol. 3: Then you’re fine. When you read Seduced by Darkness, you will have the option to re-read part 1 (what was once Vol. 3) or you can skip straight to Part 2 and dive in to the new material. As a bonus, if you are signed up for our newsletter, you will get Part 2 of Seduced by Darkness FREE!
If you’ve just read the first three books in the series (Innocence, Pain and Power, or the formerly available omnibus, Rose’s Story), then you’re all set. Just start on Seduced by Lies (book 4) and grab Seduced by Darkness (book 5). BAM! Done and done.
If you’re here because you’re confused. You read through Lies 1 but didn’t get Lies 2 before we pulled it and now don’t know what to do… never fear. Email us at Books@KarpovKinrade.com and show us some proof of purchase for Lies 1 (a screenshot of your Amazon purchase, the email, anything you have), and we’ll send you what is now the second half of Seduced by Lies so you can finish that book before diving into Seduced by Darkness when it launches. You can also just pick up Seduced by Lies and read it to the end to get caught up as well.
What you SHOULDN’T DO! Do not go from Seduced by Lies Vol. 1: Elysium, to Seduced by Darkness. You will be missing a HUGE chunk of the story if you do. So please email us or pick up a copy of the new Seduced by Lies (this might require going into your Amazon account, deleting the current Seduced by Lies Vol. 1 from your books and repurchasing it) before moving onto Seduced by Darkness.
To summarize, The Seduced Saga is now a 5 book series with the final book on pre-order on Amazon.
We do not currently have any plans of writing more in this series, but if you love this world as much as we do, you can check out the origin story of Sam, Drake and their friends with The Forbidden Trilogy, and see what the future of this world looks like in our new super fantasy, The Nightfall Chronicles.
All of these books are currently exclusive to Amazon, which means you can read them all FREE if you sign up for KindleUnlimited. They have a 30 day free trial, so check it out!
We hope you enjoy the new makeover and organization to The Seduced Saga. Let us know if you have any questions. You can find us on Twitter or Facebook.
*** The Seduced Saga is a paranormal romance/mystery series with adult sexual content and mature themes. The Forbidden Trilogy and The Nightfall Chronicles do NOT contain adult content and can be read by younger readers. ****
Here’s to a kickass 2015!
December 14, 2014
#Nightfall is here! AAAH! YAY! Plus a giveaway!
NIGHTFALL IS HERE! We can barely contain ourselves.
WE LOVE HER! Go get her!
Get Court of Nightfall (The Nightfall Chronicles, book 1) on:
Add Court of Nightfall to your Goodreads shelf!
This book is the first in the Court of Nightfall series, and is an epic superhero fantasy that is appropriate for most ages and does not contain any explicit content (for those who are careful with what they share and read).
I’ve spent my life in shades of grey. It wasn’t until I died that my world filled with color.
That night, I still lived in black and white. There was a full moon. Full and looking as if it had been rolled in powdered sugar then plopped back into the sky, so that a white dusting shone around it like a halo.
I’ve never believed in monsters, or any of that nonsense. Never believed that the dark could be scary. Until that night. Now I know the truth, but it is shrouded with lies. Now I can see the world in color, but it is covered in shadows. Now, I must find the monster that killed my parents. And when I do, I will use my new powers to seek vengeance. A life for the lives that beast stole from me. I am no longer just Scarlett Night, the color-blind girl who dreams of flying.
Now, I am Nightfall—a fallen angel with a lust for blood. And I shall have my revenge.
Read the preface and Chapter 1 (part 1 of 3) HERE, part 2 of 3 HERE, and part 3 of 3 HERE.
Get Court of Nightfall (The Nightfall Chronicles, book 1) on:
Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Kobo
Add Court of Nightfall to your Goodreads shelf!
December 12, 2014
#NightfallisComing: Read the first chapter of COURT OF NIGHTFALL: THE LAST NEPHILIM [and a giveaway!] (Part 3/3)
The first book in our genre-bending epic superhero scifi urban fantasy series, Court of Nightfall, is coming on Sunday, December 14, but we SERIOUSLY could not wait to have you guys start reading it. So we’re not waiting! We’ve posted the first chapter in 3 parts: You can read the preface and Part 1 HERE, and part 2 HERE. The conclusion to Chapter 3 is below! We LOVE Nightfall, and we cannot wait to hear what you think, too!
Without further ado, we present to you: The end of the first chapter of Court of Nightfall: The Last Nephilim!
Chapter One
Shades of Grey
(conclusion)
His words took time to sink in. “You’re leaving?” I asked, my burger and fries forgotten.
“Looks like it. It’s an amazing opportunity, and you and I both know Montana is a dead end for our careers.” He looked so earnest with his beautiful half-smile and handsome face. Even in shades of grey he radiated confidence that had been reducing me to jelly since the moment I hit puberty.
“But New York? That’s so far away. When do you leave?” I choked back my tears, refusing to cry in front of my best friend. But this whole thing felt surreal, and my heart was breaking as surely as if he were ending our friendship.
“In a week. Classes start on the first.”
I gulped. “That soon?” I wanted to grip his hand, to feel the physical presence of him, to assure myself that he was still here, still a part of my life, but I kept my hands in my lap instead.
He reached into the inside pocket of his leather bomber jacket and pulled out a slip of paper, handing it to me. The messy loops of his familiar handwriting filled the page.
“It’s my new address.” He tapped his e-Glass. “And with this we can talk anytime, day or night. See each other every day. We’ll keep in touch. I promise.”
I forced a smile and kicked myself for being so selfish that I’d make him feel bad for his dream coming true. Some friend I am. “I’m so happy for you, Jax. This is wonderful. You’re going to be the best pilot in the program!” And I meant it, even if a small corner of my heart withered in my chest. I meant it.
“You’ll be joining me soon,” he said. “As soon as you pass your test and get approval, I’ll make sure they have a place for you there.”
I excused myself to use the bathroom, and only then did I let the tears fall. It was silly, stupid and entirely juvenile, but I missed childhood. I missed, for just a moment, the simplicity of not having to wrestle with this kind of loss, these kinds of pressures. As a child I could imagine anything was possible. Now, barely eighteen, I knew some dreams weren’t meant to be, and never would.
I washed and dried my face, and studied my appearance in the mirror. I couldn’t tell if my eyes looked red from crying (“Your eyes look red—with some swelling,” Evie helpfully informed me.)
“Thanks, Evie.” I reapplied my mascara, careful lest I make myself into a clown without realizing it. I knew from the comments of others that my silver eyes were startling and my pale blonde hair coveted by those who grew theirs from a bottle. I’d always assumed my strange eyes were a result of my genetic color-blindness, but there’s no real proof that’s true. Regardless, it always struck me as odd that others could see me in a way I could not see myself.
Finishing up a light coat of pink lipstick, I shoved it into my purse and plastered a smile onto my face. I would not ruin Jax’s good news with my own maudlin desires and disappointments.
I returned to the table and, with my appetite gone, fiddled with my uneaten food.
“No hurry,” Jax said. “The server had to leave for her break, so I settled the bill, but we can hang out and talk.”
I didn’t know what we could talk about. Yes, we could ‘see’ each other daily, but that wasn’t the same as hanging out all night watching movies and eating popcorn and chocolate chip cookies until we were sick to our stomachs. That wouldn’t replace time spent in the sky together, sharing our passion of flight. That would never be enough for what I’d hoped would one day grow between us.
I tried to smile at him as I stood and grabbed my purse. “I should get home. It’s getting late.”
He stood and put his arm around me. “Cheer up, Scarlett. You’re still my best friend in the world. Nothing will ever change that.” Something in his eyes shifted as he looked down at me. “Please remember that. No matter what happens, no matter what life brings us, you have always meant more to me than you’ll ever know.”
Those words would come to haunt me, but at the time, they just broke my heart.
***
The voices carried through the kitchen and into the living room as I dropped my purse on the couch, my gift from Jax tucked inside. My parents rarely argued, and I shamelessly listened in concern.
My mom sounded frustrated, like she’d repeated herself too many times already and didn’t want to say it again. “We’ve been ordered to stay.”
“They’ve found us, Violet.” My dad sounded equally frustrated, though he did his best to hide it. Of the three of us, he had the most patience.
His words sent a chill up my spine. Who’d found us? And why would anyone be looking for us to begin with?
“We don’t know that for sure,” my mom said, walking out of the kitchen, my dad following. When her blue eyes landed on me she smiled, but it didn’t soften the anxiety on her face. “Hi, honey. We didn’t realize you were home.”
“I just got in,” I told her. “What’s going on? Who’s found us?”
My dad, his dark hair a mess, looked at my mom, and she shook her head, her eyes pleading him to… what? I didn’t know, but he didn’t listen. Turning his attention back to me, he took a breath. “Come with me. I’ll show you.”
“Marcus, we promised to keep her out of this.” My mom moved to stand between me and my dad, as if he was about to show me something dangerous.
His eyes were sad when he replied. “Perhaps we were wrong, Violet. Perhaps we’ve been wrong about everything.”
###
So, what did you think? OMG NIGHTFALL IS COMING IN JUST TWO DAYS! So excited!!
Preorder Court of Nightfall: The Last Nephilim
Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Kobo
December 11, 2014
#NightfallisComing: Read the first chapter of COURT OF NIGHTFALL: THE LAST NEPHILIM [and a giveaway!] (Part 2/3)
The first book in our genre-bending epic superhero scifi urban fantasy series, Court of Nightfall, is coming on Sunday, December 14, but we SERIOUSLY could not wait to have you guys start reading it. So we’re not waiting! We posted the preface and first part of Chapter 1 yesterday and we’re posting some more of Chapter 1 today. Tomorrow, we’ll wrap it up..and starting getting ready for LAUNCH! We LOVE Nightfall, and we cannot wait to hear what you think, too!
Without further ado, we present to you: The first chapter (part 2/3) of Court of Nightfall: The Last Nephilim!
Chapter One
Shades of Grey
(continued…)
The Helena Airport is small. Really small. Which is why I was glad I lived close enough to hang out there regularly. My dad rented a hangar here for his Cessna, though he kept a second plane at our house as well, and being the homeschooled geek that I was, I spent most days in the hangar with him, learning about ground control, pre-flight check-lists, airplane maintenance and flying.
I pulled my e-Glass from my pocket and slipped the small device around my ear. It turned on and Evie’s voice spoke in a clipped British accent. “Hello, Scarlett. How did your test go?”
“No idea. Any chance you can hack into their system and get my results for me?”
“The hacking skills you’ve programmed me with are likely sufficient. I can try if you would like.”
Tempting. So very tempting. But likely they would find out, and it could jeopardize everything. I’d just have to wait. I didn’t have the most current e-Glass, so I couldn’t give Evie the upgrade to do untraceable hacking. In fact, mine was several models old. Nearly outdated. But I’d made some of my own modifications. To the point that it could do more than any on the market today.
I didn’t see my parents anywhere, but Jax came out of the small office carrying two cups of coffee. He smiled big, his dark eyes (“They are brown,” said Evie) locked on mine as he walked toward me. My heart did a little happy dance, and I accepted the coffee he handed me.
“How’d it go?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said between sips. “Okay, I guess?”
Jax had recently gotten his pilot’s license but didn’t have the money for his own plane. Since he’d been my one and only friend since I was a toddler, and his dad had been close to my parents before he died, it hadn’t been hard to talk my dad into letting Jax work for him in exchange for time in the sky. He had to log in his hours in order to become a flight instructor and then go commercial—though in truth we both wanted to pursue a military career with the United Front Initiative: international travel, a chance to work with the best of the best flying around the world, protecting and defending the innocent from the cockpit of a fighter plane. The dream for us both.
He tousled my hair. “I’m sure you aced it. I’ve never seen you fail at anything you set your mind to.”
I appreciated his confidence, but my own plummeted as I second-guessed every choice I’d made. “Have you seen my parents?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.
“They’re inside. They’re really nervous about the test.”
“Or maybe the apocalypse has come and we just don’t know it yet. My dad’s probably mentally checking the stock in our bunker to make sure we have enough canned beef stew or something.”
Jax laughed and tossed an arm over my shoulder as we walked toward the office. Oh if only that gesture meant to him what it meant to me. Even the touch of his fingers against my bare shoulders sent chills through my body, but he and I were squarely in the friend zone. He’d seen me in diapers, after all. I’m afraid there’s no recovering from that.
“Your dad is just looking out for you and your mom. And the entire neighborhood. It’ll be handy when the zombies come.”
I rolled my eyes. “So handy.” Though, to be fair, having a bunker and being prepared for the worst had become pretty commonplace since the Nephilim War. To the point that there were reality shows based on it. My parents seemed downright moderate compared to some of the apocalypse nuts out there.
As we entered the office, I saw my mom finishing up a call on her e-Glass. She flipped it back over her ear as my dad pulled her onto his lap. “Do you have a moment, Mrs. Night?”
She grinned at him, in that private way they had. “A moment for what, good sir? My time is valuable.”
He pulled her closer and caressed her face with his hand. “A moment for me to look upon the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
She ran her hand through his dark hair, smiling. “For that, I suppose I can indulge you.” She leaned in and kissed him as I approached.
When she saw me, she laughed and pulled away. “Promise me, Scarlett, you will find a man as loving as your father.”
I didn’t often admit this, but I secretly enjoyed how crazy in love my parents were. But then I remembered Jax and willed my blood not to rush to my face. He’d seen and heard it all and his impish grin wasn’t helping the situation.
My dad came up to me, arms outstretched for a hug. “How’d it go, Star?” My dad had an easy manner about him. His accounting clients loved it, and animals seemed drawn to it, always showing up at our front door waiting for the food they knew he’d leave. It wasn’t hard to see why, and it wasn’t just that he was a handsome man with dark hair and warm brown eyes. It was his smile, his kindness, the way he set everyone around him at ease with his authentic charm.
“Hard to tell,” I said, stepping away so my mom could get her hug, too.
His smile didn’t waver at my own uncertainty. “Well, no matter what,” he said, “you’ll find a way to fly.”
My mom hugged me next, her face still soft and glowy from flirting with my dad. “I’m proud of you no matter what. I know you think I don’t support you in this, but I do, honey. I just want you to be happy doing something you love. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“I know, mom,” I said. My mom was a computer genius, but instead of pursuing a high tech career, she went into teaching. She was always doing after school tutoring for kids who needed help. Each year she ran a food drive and donated her hand-made jewelry for charity fundraisers. She said she had a tough start as a kid and wanted to give back. I learned all my computer skills from her.
She and my dad made a handsome couple standing together. Him tall, dark and rugged, her petite, pale like me, with fair hair and blue eyes.
Jax pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me. “I got you this gift. As a good luck charm.”
I took the small silver bag from him and opened it, my heart fluttering in my chest. Inside was a silver pin of wings with an ‘N’ in the middle. My initial! I looked up into his handsome face, my heart full of unexpressed emotion. “These are pilot wings,” I said.
“Whatever happened today, you’re a pilot, Scarlett, born and bred. You deserve your wings.”
He took the pin from me and attached it to my tank top.
I hugged him hard and whispered into his ear. “Thank you.” He understood more than anyone what this meant to me.
“Let’s go celebrate,” my mom said, breaking up our moment in true parental style. “What are you kids in the mood for? Pizza? Greek? Thai?”
Jax shoved his hands into his pocket and shifted on his feet. “I was actually hoping I could borrow Scarlett for a bit. I… uh… made a mess of something on my computer.”
My mom and I both laughed as my dad looked on sympathetically.
“I see this coffee wasn’t just a gesture of good will. Did you get a virus again?” I asked.
He smiled lopsidedly. “Maybe.”
“Let’s take a look,” I said, sitting down.
“I’ll take Scarlett out for dinner after, if that’s okay?”
I couldn’t tell if he was asking me or my parents, but they smiled knowingly at each other and waved goodbye, holding hands as they walked away.
When Jax passed me his laptop, I saw the computer screen and sighed.
He grinned sheepishly at me. “I was trying to update my website and… ”
“And somehow deleted the entire thing?”
“Can you fix it? I think it was hacked.”
“Of course I can.”
I spent the next few hours sorting out HTML coding and hacking into Jax’s site. Sure enough, he’d been hit with a pretty nasty bug. It took me awhile, but I sorted through the mess, restored his content and placed stronger firewalls to prevent this from happening again.
My mom was the one who got me hooked on computers as a kid. I could barely walk, but I was already learning to type. By the time I was twelve I fancied myself the world’s best hacker.
One night, I used my fledgling skills to find a video my parents wouldn’t let me see, something they were watching but had turned off when I came in.
So, I hid in my room, door closed, and played it. A man, handcuffed, was being escorted down a street by another man dressed in red. People were gathered around, gawking.
I heard someone twist the handle on my door, and I clicked my e-Glass to shut down the video before they came in.
“What were you just watching?” my mom asked.
I shrugged, playing it cool. “Just something I found on an online channel. It’s—”
She sat down next to me on my bed. “Scarlett? Are you lying right now?”
I debated whether to keep lying, but my mom would know. She always knew. “Yes,” I said, shoulders slumping.
She smiled gently. “Then let’s try again. What were you just watching?”
“The news reel you wouldn’t let me see. I hacked the news network.”
I glanced up at her to gauge her level of mad, but she was suppressing a grin. “Why?”
“Because you wouldn’t let me watch it. Zeniths are being mistreated, and people need to do something. I need to do something.” I’d seen Zenith kids on the street, wearing a tag in their ear, getting picked on, getting beat up… store owners telling them to get lost. It wasn’t fair. Just because they were different, just because they had para-powers others didn’t.
“What do you intend to do?” she asked, still curious more than anything.
I thought about it, glad I wasn’t in trouble—yet. “Well, I haven’t settled on a plan. With some time, I could hack the Inquisition security system.”
She shifted on the bed to look at me better. “If you do, they will find you.”
“I could cover my tracks.”
She tilted her head, a long curl coming undone from her clip and falling over her shoulder. “Some of them. But, Star, understand that other people have been at this for far longer than you. Whatever you can do right now, no matter how amazing, Inquisition security can do much better.”
I folded my arms across my chest, knowing I probably looked like a pouty kid but not caring. “But I have to do something.”
She smiled again, her eyes crinkling. “You can keep practicing.”
“Practicing doesn’t change anything,” I said, dropping my chin to my chest as feelings of impotence and frustration built in me.
My mom was still for a moment, her eyes distant, reflective, before she focused on me again. “Come with me,” she said. “I want to show you something.” She stood and left the room, walking downstairs.
I hurried to follow. “What?”
“The video I didn’t let you watch,” she said over her shoulder.
The television in our living room covered nearly the entire wall in a grey reflective material. With it we could access networks or play videos sent via satellite signal from an e-Glass.
My mom clicked her e-Glass and a video appeared. A man was tied to a beam on a wooden platform surrounded by hay. People circled him, throwing food, stones, rotten vegetables, calling him names and sneering.
Another man dressed in a red and gold cloak walked forward holding a torch, speaking to the crowd, but the people were too loud to hear the Inquisitor’s words.
“That man on trial was a hacker,” my mom said. “He wiped multiple Inquisition bank accounts. They found him a day later.”
I felt a small surge of pride for what he’d done. “He must have really messed them up.”
My mom sat on the couch and I joined her as she asked, “Do you think those accounts mattered?”
“I imagine they would. Money’s important, right? But… ” I thought about it more and realized… “The Inquisition isn’t hurting for money, are they? They can always get more.”
My mom nodded.
“Well,” I said, “at least he showed people they could fight back.”
“Did he?” my mom asked. “Or did he simply become another example of the Inquisition’s power?”
I looked back up at the video just as the Inquisitor set the torch to the haystack. As the hacker began to burn, his cries mixing with the cheers of the crowd, my mom turned off the video and set the display to a serene mountain scene.
She turned to me and reached for my hand, squeezing. “My Star, one day, when you’re older, you’ll make a difference. A real difference. But you need to be ready. Hone your skills. And…” she ruffled my hair, “try to avoid stupid mistakes.” She stood and walked toward the kitchen and I slumped in the couch, depressed.
All of my practicing was for nothing. I didn’t want to end up like that guy in the video. “I guess I’ll stop hacking then,” I announced to the world in all my despondent pre-teen angst.
My mom turned back, a mischievous grin forming on her face. “I didn’t say to stop,” she said, winking. “I just said to be careful.”
When I finished fixing his site, Jax hugged me, and I melted a little.
“Thanks, Scarlett. Now, how about that dinner? On me.” He glanced at the computer. “I owe you.”
I linked arms with him, happy to have spent a few hours immersed in something that took my mind off my future. “You do owe me, don’t you? Is this going to be a real dinner, or are we dining on airport food again?”
“Real dinner. I’ve got something I want to tell you. Something important.”
He looked at me with such intensity, my stomach knotted. Maybe we were finally leaving the friend zone? Suddenly the test seemed far away as he walked me to my car, and I followed him to the nearby hotspot for dinner.
###
We’ll post the final part, part 3, tomorrow. SO EXCITED!
Preorder Court of Nightfall: The Last Nephilim
Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Kobo
December 10, 2014
#NightfallisComing: Read the first chapter of COURT OF NIGHTFALL: THE LAST NEPHILIM [and a giveaway!] (Part 1/3)
The first book in our genre-bending epic superhero scifi urban fantasy series, Court of Nightfall, is coming on Sunday, December 14, but we SERIOUSLY could not wait to have you guys start reading it. So we’re not waiting! We’ll be posting the first chapter in three parts this week, from Wednesday to Friday. We LOVE Nightfall, and we cannot wait to hear what you think, too!
Without further ado, we present to you: The first chapter (part 1/3) of Court of Nightfall: The Last Nephilim!
PREFACE
The soldiers reached me. They aimed their guns and fired before I could even turn around.
I thought I couldn’t feel more pain. That I’d maxed out the human capacity to endure.
I was wrong.
The bullet of fire entered my body and moved through me, leaving a trail of burning agony in its wake.
I slumped over the crystal box, my blood seeping out of me, staining the opaque quartz.
Red. Scarlet. Evie whispered the color of my own name into my ear as I slowly died.
My last vision was of scarlet blood—still just grey to me—spreading into the cracks, into the intricate carvings that decorated the encasement.
It almost seemed to glow, and I smiled and closed my eyes as the crystal shattered and darkness took me.
Chapter One
Shades of Grey
I’ve spent my life in shades of grey. It wasn’t until I died that my world filled with color.
But that day I still lived in black and white, and my future, my dream of becoming a pilot, rested in my ability to see past my two-toned world and into the nuances of shades that would help me pass this test.
I stood in the middle of the airfield in Helena, Montana, surrounded by airplanes, some taxying, some grounded, all of them beautiful. I longed to be in the cockpit of one of them, to feel the power and thrill of controlling a 300,000 pound metal tube with wings amongst the clouds.
Dr. Crayton stood beside me, his glasses perched on the end of his nose, clipboard in hand, as we waited for the controller in the air traffic control tower to flash the first light from the light guns.
I would have to identify which lights were green and which were red. If I passed, I’d get an exemption for my color-blindness and would be allowed to start flight training.
If I failed, my dreams would end.
I wouldn’t fail.
I’d been dreaming of flying since I was a child, since the first time I went up in a Cessna with my dad. It was love at first flight, and I haven’t looked back.
When my parents realized I was color blind, they tried to dissuade me from this career path, but I refused to budge. When my parents told my doctor the severity, and rarity, of my condition, he insisted it would be a waste of time. I insisted we try.
Somehow, someway, I would fly.
Dr. Crayton, the FA Medical Examiner responsible for issuing me a Second Class Medical Certificate—something I needed before I could train for my pilot’s license—texted someone on his phone and then looked up at me. “Miss Night, are you ready to begin?”
I took a deep breath, reining in my nerves, and nodded. I could do this. I’d tried to make a case that these restrictions were outdated rules from a bygone era that lacked the technology of today. I had my e-Glass, and Evie—the most advanced artificial intelligence. She guided me through this colored world I lived in grey by telling me what I was seeing. I’d never be a danger or risk to passengers. But they persisted, convinced that I had to navigate the sky without the aid of AI, just in case we ever lost it. But we were as likely to lose the ability to fly, so I failed to see the sense in this. Still, I’d been training without Evie for weeks to pass this one test. I was ready. I nodded and focused my sight on the horizon.
“Very well,” he sighed, a resigned look of smug knowing on his face.
I wanted to kick his kneecaps but that wouldn’t help me get his stamp of approval. Instead, I closed my eyes, controlled my breathing, and let my body relax. I imagined a world of color, a world denied to me since birth, and I willed the lights in the sky to tell me their secrets, to give to me their truth so that I could see beyond the grey.
When the first light flashed from the tower, I hesitated. Red or green? Red or green?
Dr. Crayton cleared his throat. “Red or green, Scarlett?”
Oh the irony that my name would represent such a vibrant color I could never see. “Red,” I said, sure that the shades I saw hinted at what I’d learned to be red.
The next light gun flashed. Red. Then green. That one was different. I was sure of it. Red again. Three more greens. We continued this way for an eternity that was likely not more than twenty minutes. The heat from our warm Montana summer beat down on me. Sweat pooled under my arms. I ignored it and stayed focused.
Finally, he texted someone, then clasped his pen to the clipboard. “Very well. We’re finished. I’ll message you with your results, once I’ve spoken to the Controller.”
“Can you give me any hint as to whether I did okay?” I wasn’t above begging to stop this pain in my gut as my future hung in the balance of his decision.
“I’m afraid not.” For the first time, his brown eyes softened and he almost smiled. “I’ll let you know soon, though.”
As I walked across the airfield alone, I couldn’t decide if his change of tone was good, or very, very bad.
###
We’ll post part 2 tomorrow, and part 3 on Friday. SO EXCITED!
Preorder Court of Nightfall: The Last Nephilim
Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Kobo
#NightfallisComing: Read the first chapter of COURT OF NIGHTFALL: THE LAST NEPHILIM [and a giveaway!]
The first book in our genre-bending epic superhero scifi urban fantasy series, Court of Nightfall, is coming on Sunday, December 14, but we SERIOUSLY could not wait to have you guys start reading it. So we’re not waiting! We’ll be posting the first chapter in three parts this week, from Wednesday to Friday. We LOVE Nightfall, and we cannot wait to hear what you think, too!
Without further ado, we present to you: The first chapter (part 1/3) of Court of Nightfall: The Last Nephilim!
Chapter One
Shades of Grey
I’ve spent my life in shades of grey. It wasn’t until I died that my world filled with color.
But that day I still lived in black and white, and my future, my dream of becoming a pilot, rested in my ability to see past my two-toned world and into the nuances of shades that would help me pass this test.
I stood in the middle of the airfield in Helena, Montana, surrounded by airplanes, some taxying, some grounded, all of them beautiful. I longed to be in the cockpit of one of them, to feel the power and thrill of controlling a 300,000 pound metal tube with wings amongst the clouds.
Dr. Crayton stood beside me, his glasses perched on the end of his nose, clipboard in hand, as we waited for the controller in the air traffic control tower to flash the first light from the light guns.
I would have to identify which lights were green and which were red. If I passed, I’d get an exemption for my color-blindness and would be allowed to start flight training.
If I failed, my dreams would end.
I wouldn’t fail.
I’d been dreaming of flying since I was a child, since the first time I went up in a Cessna with my dad. It was love at first flight, and I haven’t looked back.
When my parents realized I was color blind, they tried to dissuade me from this career path, but I refused to budge. When my parents told my doctor the severity, and rarity, of my condition, he insisted it would be a waste of time. I insisted we try.
Somehow, someway, I would fly.
Dr. Crayton, the FA Medical Examiner responsible for issuing me a Second Class Medical Certificate—something I needed before I could train for my pilot’s license—texted someone on his phone and then looked up at me. “Miss Night, are you ready to begin?”
I took a deep breath, reining in my nerves, and nodded. I could do this. I’d tried to make a case that these restrictions were outdated rules from a bygone era that lacked the technology of today. I had my e-Glass, and Evie—the most advanced artificial intelligence. She guided me through this colored world I lived in grey by telling me what I was seeing. I’d never be a danger or risk to passengers. But they persisted, convinced that I had to navigate the sky without the aid of AI, just in case we ever lost it. But we were as likely to lose the ability to fly, so I failed to see the sense in this. Still, I’d been training without Evie for weeks to pass this one test. I was ready. I nodded and focused my sight on the horizon.
“Very well,” he sighed, a resigned look of smug knowing on his face.
I wanted to kick his kneecaps but that wouldn’t help me get his stamp of approval. Instead, I closed my eyes, controlled my breathing, and let my body relax. I imagined a world of color, a world denied to me since birth, and I willed the lights in the sky to tell me their secrets, to give to me their truth so that I could see beyond the grey.
When the first light flashed from the tower, I hesitated. Red or green? Red or green?
Dr. Crayton cleared his throat. “Red or green, Scarlett?”
Oh the irony that my name would represent such a vibrant color I could never see. “Red,” I said, sure that the shades I saw hinted at what I’d learned to be red.
The next light gun flashed. Red. Then green. That one was different. I was sure of it. Red again. Three more greens. We continued this way for an eternity that was likely not more than twenty minutes. The heat from our warm Montana summer beat down on me. Sweat pooled under my arms. I ignored it and stayed focused.
Finally, he texted someone, then clasped his pen to the clipboard. “Very well. We’re finished. I’ll message you with your results, once I’ve spoken to the Controller.”
“Can you give me any hint as to whether I did okay?” I wasn’t above begging to stop this pain in my gut as my future hung in the balance of his decision.
“I’m afraid not.” For the first time, his brown eyes softened and he almost smiled. “I’ll let you know soon, though.”
As I walked across the airfield alone, I couldn’t decide if his change of tone was good, or very, very bad.
###
We’ll post part 2 tomorrow, and part 3 on Friday. SO EXCITED!
Preorder Court of Nightfall: The Last Nephilim
Amazon | iBooks | Nook | Kobo
December 4, 2014
KK Store-Stuff Your Stocking with Signed Books in many genres! For all ages.
PS>> Don’t forget to add a shipping option to your order before checking out. It is dependent on the number of books you buy
HITCHED* 18+ for sexually explicit content*
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas… or it changes your life forever.
He called me “wife.” This man standing naked in front of me. Tall. Dark. Sexy as sin… He’s my husband?
Disjointed images from the night before, the night I can’t entirely remember, float into my mind. Meeting him in the bar. Sharing tidbits of our lives. I own a company that plans bachelor parties. He’s a pediatric heart surgeon. We both live in Las Vegas, but we come from very different worlds. And then I remember that kiss. The way his lips brushed against mine, gentle at first, then harder, deeper, with more urgency. Sex in the elevator. Hot, forbidden, delicious.
I remember the way he made me feel. The way our bodies fit perfectly together. But I don’t remember marrying him. And now, he won’t let me go. Dr. Sexy who saves children for a living. He wants the summer to prove we are meant to be.
I can give him a summer. But can I give him a lifetime?
Hitched $8 ADD SHIPPING AT BOTTOM OF PAGE
The CALL ME CAT Trilogy*18+ for explicit sexual content*
When Catelyn, a straight A law student at Harvard, finds herself broke and unable to make tuition, she turns to the one job she can do with her busy schedule: a phone sex operator. But when the guy she’s trying NOT to fall for in real life becomes her alter-ego’s phone client, all bets are off.
But Catelyn can’t trust anyone, not even the billionaire bad boy biker, Ashton Davenport. Because someone wants her dead, and the clues are pointing straight to the man she’s falling in love with.
Get the sexy mystery trilogy that has fans raving and has hit #1 in multiple lists. Each book comes signed by the authors.
Call Me Cat $8
Leave Me Love $8
Tell Me True $8
ADD SHIPPING AT BOTTOM OF PAGE
THE SEDUCED SAGA18+ for explicit sexual content
When Rose and Derek meet, they never imagined they were already enemies. But with Rose’s dark powers as a witch, and Derek’s secrets as a Shifter, will they discover the truth of their family’s feud in time to save those they love? Find out in the saga that has become an international bestseller on Amazon over the last year and a half. This print version includes the complete three book set of Rose’s Story, signed.
Seduced: Rose’s Story $15
ADD SHIPPING AT BOTTOM OF PAGE
WHEN THE HEART FALLS(Appropriate for mature teens and adults. There’s no explicit sexual content, but there is language, sexual innuendos and mature themes.)
“From start to finish I couldn’t help but laugh, cry, cheer…” –Dalene Kolb
“This book made me run through a gambit of emotions from being happy and laughing my butt off to being angry and upset with the characters to feeling incredible sadness and loss.” –Sharon Hughes
When the city of love
brings two lost souls together,
only their darkest secrets can tear them apart.
Winter Deveaux tried love once. It didn’t end well. Unable to open herself up to another heartbreak, she hides in her romance novels as she struggles to break out as a real author. She thinks Paris holds the answer to a new start, but when her nightmare follows her across the world, she’s forced to face the darkness living like cancer inside her soul. If she doesn’t, she might miss her chance to become the kind of writer she’s always wanted to be. But more than that, she’ll miss out on the greatest love she’s ever known.
Cade Savage is heir to the largest ranching family in Texas. Part cowboy, part architect, Cade has his feet forever in two worlds. When he receives an acceptance letter from the school of his dreams, he must decide between family and destiny. But ghosts from his past still haunt him, and circumstances beyond his control may decide his fate.
When Winter and Cade meet, everything they believe about life, love and what it means to be happy is put to the test.
Will the magic of Paris pull these two lost souls together? Or will their darkest secrets tear them apart?
When the Heart Falls $10
ADD SHIPPING AT BOTTOM OF PAGE
THE FORBIDDEN TRILOGY
(Appropriate for most ages of mature teen/YA reading level or higher. No explicit sexual content, some mild language and mature themes.)
Now’s your chance to get all of your favorite paranormal teens under the tree this year! Get The Forbidden Trilogy signed just in time for Christmas and discover the truth behind the mystery and secret school that raises kids with extra-ordinary powers to become lethal spies. You can get each book signed and/or the omnibus trilogy edition with all three. (There might even be some swag included!)
Forbidden Mind $8
Forbidden Fire $8
Forbidden Life $16
The Forbidden Trilogy $25
ADD SHIPPING AT BOTTOM OF PAGE
THE THREE LOST KIDS(Appropriate for children of all ages — and their parents!)
Get your signed copy of the Three Lost Kids and give your child not only an epic fantasy adventure with valuable lessons for any age, but also a coloring book based on the story (included in each print book.)
Battle Garbage Goblins in Lexie World, save the world from Dragons in Bella World, and stop a Fairy War in Maddie World!
Lexie World: $16.00
Bella World $16.00Maddie World: $16.00
ADD SHIPPING AT BOTTOM OF PAGE
Shipping Options
1-3 books $8.00 USD
4-6 books $12.00 USD
7-10 books $16.00 USD
11-14 books $20.00 USD
15+ books $25.00 USD
November 23, 2014
HITCHED is here! Are you ready for an (almost) fairy tale romance? ;-)
HITCHED has landed and we can’t wait for you to meet Kacie and Sebastian…you’re going to LOVE THEM! If you still need some convincing 
check out Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3…and then grab your copy on Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, or Kobo! 
He called me “wife.” This man standing naked in front of me. Tall. Dark. Sexy as sin… He’s my husband?
Disjointed images from the night before, the night I can’t entirely remember, float into my mind. Meeting him in the bar. Sharing tidbits of our lives. I own a company that plans bachelor parties. He’s a pediatric heart surgeon. We both live in Las Vegas, but we come from very different worlds. And then I remember that kiss. The way his lips brushed against mine, gentle at first, then harder, deeper, with more urgency. Sex in the elevator. Hot, forbidden, delicious.
I remember the way he made me feel. The way our bodies fit perfectly together. But I don’t remember marrying him. And now, he won’t let me go. Dr. Sexy who saves children for a living. He wants the summer to prove we are meant to be.
I can give him a summer. But can I give him a lifetime?
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas… or it changes your life forever.
WARNING: This book contains a lot of sex and a lot of swearing. Now go enjoy it.
Get HITCHED! Amazon | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Add it on Goodreads, too!
November 21, 2014
Last day to enter our AWESOME #HITCHED Rafflecopter! A Coach bag is up for grabs!
Just a quick note to remind everyone that today is the LAST DAY to enter our fabulous HITCHED Rafflecopter giveaway! A red leather Coach bag, MAC Red Russian lipstick, autographed HITCHED paperback, and HITCHED swag pack will go to one lucky winner! Go, go, go! Enter below! a Rafflecopter giveaway
