A.K. Michaels's Blog, page 6

A Vampire’s Thirst Victor – Is LIVE!

A Vampire’s Thirst: Dark, Dangerous, and Undeniable!

Victor Strong, ancient Vampire and hard-as-nails businessman, has enjoyed centuries in the human world by following one simple rule: Keep a steely control over your dark side. Then it comes, like a thief in the night, overtaking him mind, body, and soul… a strange, unexplainable ‘Thirst’ that not even he could deny. 

With the craving for blood, and other darker, more enticing desires, rapidly growing out of control, Victor suddenly fears not only for his sanity, but his very life. 

Holding on by a thin, unraveling thread, Victor is pulled from the brink of madness by a sweet, tantalizing aroma. So hypnotized by the scent, he is forced to find its owner, compelled to find the most elusive of all things; a mere myth among his kind. The Vampire’s Bloods-Mate.

Can he reach her in time? Can she save him from himself? Or will Victor be lost to his dark side forever? 

The hunt is on. The battle fierce. Only the strongest survive A Vampire’s Thirst!

Book 1 in A K Michaels’ brand new series A Vampire’s Thirst full of hot as hades alpha males in this smoking paranormal romance story.

Amazon and Kobo now live with other retailers coming soon!

Preorder NOW! 

Do you want KU? Might be time to check it out.

Have you ever thought about Kindle Unlimited? I know a lot of readers have it so they can download and read as many books as they want. Avid readers can get through a TON of books and if they were paying per book it would cost a LOT of money. So KU is the only way they can feed their reading habit. It makes financial sense for them, but sometimes people just don’t have the spare cash to buy into KU…well I just got a heads up that there’s a SALE on for KU! Aye, there is!! So, if you’ve ever wished you had it…to feed your hunger for stories…then maybe you should go check out if you can get it now? Click on the image to see what deals they’ve got but they’ve got up to 40% on some so it might be worthwhile to have a wee look.

Wendy Owens!

WENDY OWENS

My favorite mythical creature has to be dragon. So much power, magic, and I suppose they will always represent what a fairytale is made of for me. Now put a sexy vampire riding a dragon and I may just pass out from the excitement.

Wendy Owens is the Author of Burning Destiny. You can find out more about Wendy here!

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Tynder Crown doesn’t have a clue where her life’s headed, and she’s perfectly fine with that. That is, until the murder of the only person she cares for triggers a transformation she can’t stop.

Who killed Tynder’s grandfather? What kind of strange world was he tied up in? And why did he try so hard to keep it a secret from her?

Tynder has a choice now. She can walk away from her grandfather’s mysterious world and let his killer go free, or try to fill the position that was left vacant by his tragic death—private investigator to the magic realm.

If she wants justice for the man who raised her, Tynder has to convince the powerful Fae Queen she’s all in on her new life. If she fails to do so, she could be the queen’s next meal.

 

Skye Knizley

SKYE KNIZLEY
















I don’t have a “favorite” mythical creature. There are, however, those I am interested in, one being the Skinwalkers of Native American lore. For some reason people think that Skinwalkers belong only to Navajo folklore, however that is not true. Most have some version of the Skinwalker, including my own ancestors. Navajo are just the ones who get all the press.



The consensus is that Skinwalkers are evil shamans (or witches) capable of changing their shape to that of various animals. Depending on the tale being stretched around a campfire, they can change shape at will, change shape only to those animals they have killed and eaten or are those who can don the skin of other creatures and take on their characteristics. The latter are of particular interest to me as villains. The ability to kill and impersonate another human is far more frightening to me than appearing as a wolf or bear. Disinformation and betrayal is what destroyed much of Native American culture to begin with, and impersonating a friend or loved one is the easiest way to betray someone.

I find the idea of magical transformation to be fascinating, and many of my villains are capable of such a feat, often in the most gruesome way possible. Many of my most memorable villains eat human hearts, skin their victims alive or pluck out their eyes and devour their souls. Think about that the next time someone you care about seems to be being weird and tell me it doesn’t give you the creeps.

 

 

 

 

 

Teenage girls are going missing in the St Louis area only to reappear sliced into bloody, unrecognizable ribbons dropped along a lonely stretch of highway, leaving parents in a state of panic and the police baffled. Twin monster hunters, Jynx and Piper Kane, take the terrifying case, digging in where angels fear to tread in hopes of finding a link to the lycan clan that turned their brother and destroyed their family. 

 

 

As clue after gory clue leads deeper into the darkness that lies just beyond the glow of the city Jynx and Piper find themselves facing a terror like nothing they’ve hunted before. Something with no fear and no remorse. 

 

 

It’s out there in the dark… and it’s looking for Fresh Blood.

 

 

Find more from Skye Knizley here!

 

 

S M Blooding

S.M. BLOODING

I would have to say my favorite right now is the Dryad. I mean, I’ve always enjoyed the dragon, but the dryad is one with trees. And they’re incredibly beautiful. I don’t just mean their faces and bodies are gorgeous, but their souls are, too, I would think. 

 

 

And they don’t get a lot of attention, you know? Because they’re not one of the tougher mythological creatures. They’re kind of the underdog and I love rooting for them. LOL! 

 

 

 

 

 

Leslie Whiskey is the invisible glue that holds her coven together. Her amazing kitchen witch grandmother. Her two hell-crazy, hormonal, going-to-tear-this-house-down children. Her amazing mundane husband who puts up with all the craziness.

 

 

And her homicide detective, demon summoning sister and her seems-to-be-normal-so-far daughter. So, when their angel whispering mother strolls into town with eyes on destroying their lives, Leslie knows she’s the one who has to take the stand.

 

 

Everyone else might be fooled by Rachel Whiskey. But not Leslie.

 

 

 

She was there. She remembers.

 

 

 

And she’ll never forget.

 

 

Find more from S.M. Blooding here!

 

Monica La Porta!

                      MONICA LA PORTA

 

Dragons are my favorite mythical creatures. When I was a kid, I spent long hours imagining what it would be like to own a pet dragon and fly over the clouds, looking at the world from above. I’ve read countless books about dragons, and I never seem to have enough of those stories. From fantasy to steamy paranormal, if there is a dragon, I will read it. There is a sense of freedom I experience any time I find a good dragon novel that leaves me at peace with the world. The sheer power, and at the same time grace and elegance, of such creature when combined with a shifter is an explosive union, and it gives an author plenty of opportunities to write an epic story. When I introduced Dragon Sol in the Fifth Moon’s Tales, all I wanted was a badass sidekick for my werewolf, but Dragon’s character grew sentence by sentence, acquiring all the traits typical of its namesake: loyalty, strength, charm, wittiness. Soon, I couldn’t deny him the story he demanded any longer, and I finally gave in and started writing The Fifth Moon’s Dragon. In the process, I realized that I’ve never truly forgotten my dream as a child. I still want a pet dragon, especially if he comes in the shape of a hunk shape shifter.

Monica La Porta is the Author of The Fifth Moon’s Dragon. You can find out more about Monica  here!

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The High Lord of Solaria, Dragon Sol has recently returned to his planet to marry his two promised brides, but instead of savoring the pleasures of his wedding night, he finds himself fighting an enigmatic assassin sent to kill him.

A skilled mercenary, Jade belongs to the Assassin Academy and lives for the thrill of the chase, but her latest mission goes awry since the moment she throws that first arrow at her intended target.

Dragon proves to be Jade’s worthiest opponent yet, and what starts as any other mission becomes so much more, reversing the roles of hunter and prey. Before either of them can stop the inevitable, a deep connection take roots until their hearts and not their lives are at stakes.

Lydia Sherrer!

                      LYDIA SHERRER

 

My favorite mythical creature to write about are the fae, faries, fey, or whatever you want to call them. They’re a fascinating subject because they have such versatility in how they can be portrayed, from their physical description to their personalities, their culture, even their world. We have a rich lore and mythology to draw from, and yet you can even make the fae into a completely different creature that has nothing to do with myth. They are extremely versatile and ripe with possibilities, like the elven and dwarven races, yet better. The fae are the very source of magic and all that is wondrous and beautiful in the world, so you could do anything from humanoid fae, to shifters, to anthropomorphic, or full fae animals, or even fae plants and trees (think I AM GROOT). I am always excited at the potential to create beautiful, yet terrible things with the fae, an inspiration I’ve had eve since I saw Cameron’s “Avatar” and the world they created on Pandora. I am also a lover of plants, nature, and the outdoors, so I guess it was inevitable that I’d gravitate toward the creature that has an affinity for such things. And, yes, my favorite movie as a kid was definitely Fern Gully (don’t judge). But in my book series, the Lily Singer Adventures, I have a ton of fun exploring the fae and fae culture from a unique perspective, not as cute little bobs flitting around, or even as a vindictive race of humanoids just waiting for mankind to let their guard down to swoop in and conquer. My fae are stewards of the earth, a disinterested party, shall we say, in the larger struggle playing out between man and demon. It’s a fun take on fae purpose and culture and I’m only 4 books into a 12 book series, so there’s much more fun to come. What’s interesting though, is that the book I’ve written for the “Creatures” box set, is a spin-off origin story of one of the characters from before he ever met the fae. But it’s alright, I have enough fun with a ghost and some tricksy demons that there’s creatures enough to keep you occupied. Enjoy!

Lydia Sherrer is the Author of Accidental Witch (Dark Roads Trilogy, Book 1). You can find out more about Lydia  here!

“I never meant to become a witch. But when those you love die, logic and reason usually die with them.”

Sebastian Blackwell is your typical high-school popular kid. At least, he used to be. But after his parents are killed in a freak accident, he goes from cool kid to orphan outcast before the dirt even settles over their grave. Now a shell of his former self, Sebastian realizes with soul-wrenching clarity what really matters in life, and is determined to get it back, no matter the cost. But to do it, he’ll to delve into his family’s darkest secrets, secrets his parents tried to protect him from all his life.

With a ghost his only friend, a goth girl his only ally, and a demon prince his only chance, Sebastian sets out on a desperate path of redemption that, knowing his luck, is just as likely to damn him as save him. But as long as he gets his parents back, he doesn’t care.

For fans of paranormal series like Supernatural and the Dresden Files, this tale of loss and the struggle for redemption will keep you on the edge of your seat. So be careful. You wouldn’t want to fall off.

Kyoko M!

                      KYOKO M.

 

I tend to write about angels and demons as my favorite mythical creatures because I think that the morality of what they represent is incredibly interesting. Angels are usually all about saving lives and demons are all about destroying them. I like how they are great foils for each other, and I like that they all came from the same place. They’re on opposite sides after the war in Heaven, but they used to be on the same side, and I think that’s a great central source of conflict. Often, one of the most compelling pieces of advice for your antagonists is that “villains think they’re the hero of their own story” and so it opens you up to a whole new perspective when you consider it that way. Each of them thinks they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing, and that causes them to butt heads, and when you throw plain old human beings in the mix, then things just go crazy.

I also like the idea of immortality in the context of good and evil. It’s got to be extremely difficult to be patient with human beings if you’re an angel or a demon, since depending on the mythos, they’ve been alive for millions of years. They could have acquired so much knowledge in that amount of time that I wonder if they find human beings to be the most ridiculous things they’ve ever laid eyes on. For example, the CW’s Supernatural took the stance that angels are pretty much just self-serving soldiers and most of them are insulted by the very idea of humanity. Conversely, the demons on that show pretty much formed a symbiotic relationship off of humans by either walking around in them via possession or just using them to get what they want in the end. I think immortality weighs into the angels and demons’ decisions a lot in that instance, where the angels think human beings are of no use whereas the demons recognize how they can profit off of them by playing to their desires.

My Black Parade series adopts the idea of benevolent, kind angels, but they are certainly nothing to be trifled with. For example, one of my longtime favorite characters is the archangel Gabriel, who is like walking sunshine until it’s time to fight and then he can split dudes in half like a loaf of French bread. Some of the angels in my books have gotten grumpy with having to essentially babysit humanity until Judgment Day, but for the most part, the angels are protective of the human race and see their value in the long run, whereas the demons just see people as currency, or worse, as a meal. The demons have a predator/prey relationship with humanity and the angels do their best to intercede before things get too nasty. I sort of picture the angels like supernatural police officers, in that way. They’re meant to protect and serve both God and man, and I think there’s something very noble about a mythical creature who is there to guide people, since people are so prone to destruction.

Kyoko M. is the Author of Back to Black. You can find out more about Kyoko M. here!

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Seer and demon slayer Jordan Amador has had it rough lately: separated from her husband the archangel Michael, hated by the angels who think she betrayed them, hunted by demons who want her dead or enslaved, and rejected by her friends and family for lying to them. Disgraced and miserable, she’s all but ready to lay down and die until another Seer named Myra Bennett saves her life. Myra gives Jordan a new mission: to wipe out a nest of demons that are terrorizing her family as well as the innocent people of Houston, Texas. Jordan goes undercover to infiltrate the demons’ nest and figure out how to eliminate them. Meanwhile, she’s locked in a deadly game with the archdemon Belial, who constantly visits her night after night in her dreams to convince her to give him her soul. Between the insanely gorgeous, but deadly archdemon poking around in her head and the vicious creatures surrounding her, she’s not sure how much longer she can survive.

Kimberly Gould!

                      JULIANA HAYGERT

 

Choosing one favorite mythical creature is hard! I like so many of them! I’ve written about a few—gods, demons, witches, ghosts … and I have unpublished manuscripts about vampires, werewolves, fae, and more. I actually invented a few on some of these manuscripts. That’s the fun part about writing, right? Being able to create new things, new worlds …

But if I do have to choose one, I would say witches. The cool thing about witches is that you can do anything you want with them. They can be good witches, evil witches, elemental witches, more like psychic powers witches, or they can have one specific gift and no other kind of magic. They can be linked to Salem and/or witch trials, they can be born or made, they can have grimoires and depend on potions and enchanted objects. Or not. There are no rules and we can have fun with them.

For the Creatures boxed set, I actually invented a “mythical” creature. They are called Tziganes and they are like gypsies but with real, powerful magic. They are just like witches in that sense—the powers and how they use them and the fact that some part of them is human—but laced with gypsies’ traditions and setting. It was fun to write about my dear, mysterious Tziganes and I hope my readers like it too.

Juliana Haygert is the Author of Gypsy Heart. You can find out more about Juliana here!

If twenty year old Mirella could just pretend she wasn’t a gypsy for one second, maybe her life wouldn’t suck. But turning off her enhanced sixth sense isn’t something she can do.

When she’s attacked by mysterious masked men, questions and fear rise. And the answers probably lie with Mirella’s mother, the same woman who she hasn’t spoken with in over a year. Their reencounter is unpleasant, as is learning the truth that Mirella is more than just a gypsy.

She’s a Tzigane, a line of very powerful gypsies, and because she doesn’t live in a secured enclave, she’s an easy target for the Alchemists—a group obsessed with Tzigane’s magic.

Her mother and two enemy enclaves fight to teach her how to control her magic, when all Mirella wants is to go to college and go out with the guy she’s crushing on—while ignoring the trail of bodies amassing around her.

But living free brings danger to her friends’ lives, and Mirella will have to choose between continuing to pretend to be normal or letting her inner power take over to engage in a century old battle where the price might be her own life.

Juliana Haygert!

                      JULIANA HAYGERT

 

Choosing one favorite mythical creature is hard! I like so many of them! I’ve written about a few—gods, demons, witches, ghosts … and I have unpublished manuscripts about vampires, werewolves, fae, and more. I actually invented a few on some of these manuscripts. That’s the fun part about writing, right? Being able to create new things, new worlds …

But if I do have to choose one, I would say witches. The cool thing about witches is that you can do anything you want with them. They can be good witches, evil witches, elemental witches, more like psychic powers witches, or they can have one specific gift and no other kind of magic. They can be linked to Salem and/or witch trials, they can be born or made, they can have grimoires and depend on potions and enchanted objects. Or not. There are no rules and we can have fun with them.

For the Creatures boxed set, I actually invented a “mythical” creature. They are called Tziganes and they are like gypsies but with real, powerful magic. They are just like witches in that sense—the powers and how they use them and the fact that some part of them is human—but laced with gypsies’ traditions and setting. It was fun to write about my dear, mysterious Tziganes and I hope my readers like it too.

Juliana Haygert is the Author of Gypsy Heart. You can find out more about Juliana here!

If twenty year old Mirella could just pretend she wasn’t a gypsy for one second, maybe her life wouldn’t suck. But turning off her enhanced sixth sense isn’t something she can do.

When she’s attacked by mysterious masked men, questions and fear rise. And the answers probably lie with Mirella’s mother, the same woman who she hasn’t spoken with in over a year. Their reencounter is unpleasant, as is learning the truth that Mirella is more than just a gypsy.

She’s a Tzigane, a line of very powerful gypsies, and because she doesn’t live in a secured enclave, she’s an easy target for the Alchemists—a group obsessed with Tzigane’s magic.

Her mother and two enemy enclaves fight to teach her how to control her magic, when all Mirella wants is to go to college and go out with the guy she’s crushing on—while ignoring the trail of bodies amassing around her.

But living free brings danger to her friends’ lives, and Mirella will have to choose between continuing to pretend to be normal or letting her inner power take over to engage in a century old battle where the price might be her own life.