K.C. Stewart's Blog, page 11
August 2, 2014
SINGE MEGA AWESOME GIVEAWAY!
Enter the MEGA AWESOME GIVEAWAY in the link below….
Join me next weekend for more giveaways at the release party…
https://www.facebook.com/events/349391078547682/
July 30, 2014
Singe: Chapter 1
So I realized that since I have a new blog that the sneak peek of Singe was no longer visible. This is to rectify that.
CHAPTER ONE
“I don’t care who you are ma’am, no one is to enter.”
“Look Mr. Guard-who-thinks-he’s-God, I spent entirely too much time picking out my underwear for tonight for it to go unnoticed. I promise you,” she said assuringly, “he is expecting me.”
“I hear that many times a day, Ms. Holloway. As I’ve said before, you need to leave now or I will be forced to call the police.”
Hailey let out a frustrated grunt. So far, date night was going splendidly. “Fine. It’s your head when Dak finds out why I stood him up for our date.”
“Have a nice night, Ms. Holloway.” She put her car in reverse and backed out into the street. Two hours of prepping and four different outfits just for her to sit in the driveway; next time he was coming to her.
Tonight was their third official date, the big one that held hopes of a sweaty dragon and tangled sheets. He had a shiny new body that needed to be taken for a drive. Hailey had planned tonight in her head for days. After dinner and their sexcapades, she was going to tell him that she loved him. It was long overdue on both their parts, but it felt right…
Or it did before she was denied entrance to his house.
The annoyingly protective guard ran toward her car. She braked to not run him over. Hailey considered it was her good deed for the week. The window on her car stuck on the way down—like it always did at the most inopportune moments.
“Ms. Holloway! I have orders to let you through.”
“Oh really? Gosh, I don’t know why. I mean, what would the big bad dragon up at the house want with little old me?” So maybe the sarcasm was laid on a little thick, but the guard’s blush was satisfying.
“The gate is open. Please pull around to the front.”
With a sweet smile, Hailey gave her thanks and pulled back into the driveway, this time she moved through the gates. The frosty November air poured through her half open window. The button did nothing but make a grinding noise when pushed.
“Gah! Why don’t you work?” She pounded on the window. “You worked when I bought you.” Hailey had only had the car for a week and a half and it was already falling apart.
“Of course Dak couldn’t have a short driveway either,” she muttered she pulled her scarf up over her frozen nose and turned the heat on high. It did nothing but mix with the cold air, but at least she tried.
The house was set back on the property so not to be seen from the road. It was in typical Gladwyne fashion, that is, the old money of Philadelphia. Dak had stuck with the classic colonial look. Stone covered every inch of the three-story home. White shuttered windows glowed with a soft light, while the three chimneys puffed out smoke. It was beautiful and warm, not like many of the other architecturally stiff modern homes in the area.
Out front, Dak waited. He wore a black, button down shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with the top few buttons undone. He was disheveled, or as much as he could ever be. Hailey loved when he didn’t look polished and perfect. His fingers were a blur as they flew across the screen of his phone. But as her car came chugging along, his head lifted and a piece of his dark brown hair fell from its carefully pushed back position. His eyes lost their frustrated blaze as his amber gaze tracked her progress. Pocketing the phone, Dak walked around the car and leaned down over the open window.
“You’re late.” His voice said pissed, his face said amused.
Hailey stuck up her favorite finger while she turned off the car. He had the door open and a hand ready to help her out. To his surprise, she accepted his hand.
“You are frozen too.”
“And you happen to be a living breathing heater.” Hailey wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled into his chest. A sigh of utter contentment echoed through her mind. He was warm. He was always warm. She missed having that warmth right inside her but loved the feel of it in her arms.
“Should we go inside or would you like to stand out here by your sad excuse of a car all evening?”
“Well, aren’t you the sweet talker.”
“Only for you,” he laughed.
The foyer was gloriously warm. She unwound the scarf and pulled off her gloves. Dak tugged on the ends of her hat and smiled. It had two braided ties that hung down with pompoms on the ends and one giant fluff ball right on top. He removed it, which left her hair flattened and static-y.
“Ah, there she is. I was beginning to wonder how many more layers you had on till I found my Hailey.”
She went a bit gooey inside with the way he said “my Hailey.” To distract him from the goofy grin on her face, she pushed the coat into his hands and piled it with all her extras. “So, nice place you got here.”
“Hold that thought.” Dak retreated to another room with her belongings and was back within a second. His hands rested on her waist and pulled her towards him. A devious smile sent naughty thoughts to her girly bits. “I never got a proper greeting.” He kissed her like he always did, in a way that left her breathless and wobbly. She held on to his shoulders and accepted what he gave. His heat enveloped Hailey through the kiss and warmed her down to her toes.
“Hellooo Nurse,” Hailey mumbled out a wolf whistle when her breath was her own again.
“Pardon?”
“Animaniacs.”
“Gesundheit?” he asked with a grin.
“Hah. When I sneeze you will know it. Animaniacs is a cartoon and when I have to explain it all, it loses its fun. So, moving on.” Hailey grabbed his hand walked down the hall. She had no idea where she was going but she couldn’t stop now. At the first set of doorways, she chose left and went into the kitchen. Something in the oven gave the air a warm season of oregano.
“Mmmmm, Italian?” Hailey asked while she sniffed the air and wished she could eat it.
“Lasagna. Care for some wine? I thought we’d eat, then I can give you a full tour of the house.”
“Works for me.” Hailey settled herself on one of the barstools. To her surprise, Dak was comfortable in the kitchen; he moved around it with ease. The fact that he cooked for her was in itself beyond astonishing. None of her previous boyfriends had ever done anything like that. The closest she got to a cooked meal was a frozen pizza or a box of mac and cheese.
Hailey frowned at the bottle of red wine he set on the counter next to the wine glasses. She was not a fan of red wine. It gave her headaches. But as Dak pulled the cork from the bottle, his arms flexed in way only a woman could appreciate, and Hailey forgot all about her dislike of the red wine variety.
Sometimes, when she looked at him, she still couldn’t believe he was real. Two months earlier she had saved Dak by inviting his essence into her. It was purely unintentional, but the best accident she could have asked for. They were Mates, and after a rough start, each of them had accepted their fate. One she wouldn’t trade for all the cookie dough at Tollhouse.
“You’re quiet. Something wrong?” Dak poured a glass of wine and corked the bottle.
“No. Just admiring.”
He switched the bottle with a white and gave her a wink. Smartass, she thought. After her glass was poured, he came around to her side of the counter and took the stool next to her. His hand rested on the chairback and tugged on the ends of her hair.
“What do you think of the place? I know you haven’t seen all of it yet, but of what you’ve seen, do you like?”
“It’s beautiful. I especially like the wood beams.” Hailey looked up to the dark exposed beams that ran across the ceiling. They paired well with the cabinets of the same wood. Everything was so natural and rustic. “It’s so warm and homey. Not what I expected from this neighborhood.”
Dak sipped his wine and watched her. Hailey always felt so exposed when he did that. His eyes penetrating her so deeply, she could feel their gaze on her heart. “I’m glad you like it,” he finally said. “Why don’t you go set up in the living room. We can eat by the fire.” With a quick kiss, he was back on the other side of the counter to pull the lasagna from the oven.
Hailey took their wine glasses into the next room. Two big, oversized green chairs opposed an equally large couch. She pictured herself sitting sideways in the chair with her feet hanging off of the arm, a slipper bouncing along with her foot. Her tea would be on the coffee table and every so often she would pat the table until she found her cup of warmth, never letting her eyes leave the page of the book she was reading and sip until she was warm both inside and out.
“I see you’ve found your spot.” Dak kissed her neck then moved past her with two plates. He set the food down on the coffee table and tossed a few pillows on the floor. Hailey got the idea and sat closest to the fire on the floor.
The food was delicious. The surroundings were cozy. The company was sexy as hell. Hailey leaned back into his chest as he told her of his day. The search for Silas was still on, but not as high on the list of shit to do. Lia’s sister, Chloe, had shown up with Detective Dane earlier that day. The dragon was not nearly as dead as everyone had previously thought. Chloe had taken him to a healer in Olympus but ran into complications getting him back out. Dane had told him that they would have sent word, but keeping him alive was more important. Hailey couldn’t agree more and it’s not like they would have been able to do anything with the knowledge anyway. Dak had set him up in one of the guest houses out back. Apparently, he had two.
“So, he’s ok?”
“As far as I can tell.” He wrapped his arms around Hailey’s waist and nuzzled into the crook of her hair. “He’s welcome to stay as long as he needs and then I’ll find him something to do. Maybe head of security unless he wants something more low key.”
“And Silas?”
“Nothing. He’s hiding for the time being. Not sure why. That isn’t like him at all.” Almost as an afterthought he added, “He’ll let us know when he wants to be found.”
“I still find it weird that he was at the hospital but didn’t do anything. He could have taken me at any point, but he didn’t. That’s weird, right?” Hailey twisted in his arms to look up at him.
“Yes.” He smiled and took advantage of her position to kissed her. “Would you like the tour now?”
She only really needed to know where the bedroom was. Everything else was inconsequential. “Yes, please.”
She had seen most of the first floor. He showed her the dining room, bathroom and study before going upstairs. Hailey rushed him through it all. With each room she peeked her head in and said, “Nice!” then kept moving. She sensed the change in him, but ignored it. Hailey figured he was just excited to show her the bedroom; she was definitely excited to see it.
After another ten minutes of rushing along, they ended up in the doorway of the master bedroom. Hailey looked like a five year old about to enter her first ball pit. Giddy and excited, she bounced into the room and gaped. It wasn’t the enormous bed with the carved dragon headboard, or the fireplace that took up an entire wall; it was the pictures of the two of them hung everywhere that had her dazed. Most of the photos she never even knew were taken. Hailey turned in a circle and took in every picture there. She was overflowing with love at that moment. Fuck her plan, he needed to tell him now.
“Dak, I lo-“
“Let me guess. You like it? It’s nice?”
Oh, he’s grumpy, she thought. His arms crossed over his chest, he watched her with a scowl. “It’s beautiful,” she said sincerely with a smile. So maybe rushing through the tour wasn’t a great idea on her part.
He leaned with his arms crossed against the door frame with a scowl etched into his brow, “Hailey, you will be sharing this house with me. So if there is something you don’t…what’s wrong?” He frowned. “What is it?”
“Living here? Me?”
“Yes, you are my Mate,” he said it so matter-of-factly that it raised her haunches.
“You didn’t think to ask me first? Just bang your chest and throw me over your shoulder while yelling MATE!”
“I didn’t think I needed to ask.” His voice was like steel, hard and cold. “Was I wrong in thinking that you wish to be with me?” Dak raised an eyebrow and watched her squirm.
“You know that’s not true. But how can I move in when we barely know each other?”
“I thought I proved you wrong on that point weeks ago.”
“Ok, so you know me,” she rolled her eyes, “but I don’t know you very well yet.” She knew random things but not the kind of stuff that comes with time. She was certain that if they were on the Newlywed Game they would lose horribly. Hailey worried her bottom lip between her teeth.
“What do you need to know that is imperative to moving in?”
“Your last name,” she immediately shot back.
Dak scowled. “You know that.”
“I don’t.”
“MacKenna. Dacea Renny Quinlan MacKenna. But, like all sept leaders, I only go by my first name. Is that all?”
She said it a few times in her head to let her mind find familiarity with it. “No, that’s not all,” Hailey sighed. “Dak, besides not knowing each other well we are skipping a vital step.” She glanced at the bed and back to him. “Sex,” she clarified when he still looked confused.
“What’s that got to do with it?” he asked and pushed from the doorway.
“Well, being that I thought we might be having it…tonight…” Hailey waved her hand toward the bed. “Right fucking now.”
“What?” His head tilted to the side, confusion clouding over the anger.
“Never mind. I should go.” Hailey knew if he wasn’t so baffled she never would have made it out of that bedroom, let alone the house. She found the closet by the front door with her coat and shoved her arms through the sleeves. Out, her mind said, just get out. Her gloves and hat lay on the floor but she could hear Dak coming down the steps. She’d get them later. Or not, her mind added. Either way, Hailey needed to leave before he had a chance to stop her.
July 26, 2014
The neighbors
Guys…
I think they are gone. Like for real this time. The car is still there but all the windows are open, and the AC isn’t running, and some stuff in the window has been cleared. But more importantly, it’s been 2 weeks since I last heard anyone up there. I went to the beach and came back to silence.
Glorious silence.
Maybe they got evicted…or maybe they are dead up there.
I don’t really care as long as there are no more drugs, dance parties, or police.
July 23, 2014
Singe Release Info
First off join the Singe release event on facebook here…https://www.facebook.com/events/349391078547682/
Now what is happening at the release party? There will be a huge multi-author giveaway. Keep a look out for how to enter next week. Then throughout the day of August 10, I’ll be posting random giveaways. And let me tell ya, I have some pretty cool things to giveaway. There will be candle sets of the men of Singe and the women of Singe. Some freakin’ awesome metal dragon bookmarks, a mug, tons of bookmarks and magnets, and of course there will be ebooks and paperbacks of Singe and Spark. I was also thinking of a few amazon (or barnes and noble) gift cards.
So if you are interested, check out the facebook event. That’s where it will all be happening. Stop by and get some free stuff.
July 9, 2014
To my fellow authors….
In celebration of my almost new release, I am putting together a massive giveaway. I would greatly appreciate any and all donations toward the giveaway. If interested, please fill out my form and I’ll be in touch with the winner’s info.
![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000026_00021]](https://kcstewartauthor.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/singe-cspaperback3.jpg)
Singe book 2 of the Hailey Holloway series –Coming July 2014
July 8, 2014
Beta readers…
Anyone interested? I need some betas for Scorch (book 3) and would be happy to send you an ARC of Singe so you are not lost when reading book 3. If your not up for this series maybe you’ll be interested in signing up for my next book called Too Far Gone? It’s a shifter series (maybe, possibly, haven’t decided if it will be a series or not.) Anyone interested in beta reading any of my books and providing helpful feedback feel free to email me at kcstewartauthor@gmail.com or message me on facebook at www.facebook.com/kcstewartauthor.
July 4, 2014
New look, new site.
As you can see my site has changed. After having my google accounts shut down and most reactivated, I decided to take the opportunity to combine my blog and website.
TA DA! *jazz hands*
This is what I have thus far. I will continue to work on it over the weekend however, I am done for today. It’s my day off and I really don’t want to spend it in sweats with my laptop perched in front of me…..who am I kidding? That’s exactly how I want to spend my day, but I have shit to do that includes real clothes and moving from the couch.
So, have fun this weekend. I’m out, *salutes*
June 24, 2014
Book Review: My Daylight Monsters & Mary Hades by Sarah Dalton
Mary HadesBook 1 of Mary HadesSarah Dalton
SynopsisMy Daylight Monsters
I always thought my demons came out in the day, rather than at night. I’ve never been scared of the dark. I’ve only ever been scared of real things: getting ill, having injections, physical pain… death. Those are my monsters, not ghosts or vampires or whatever else can hide under your bed at night. I was wrong.The dark makes everything worse. When Mary’s psychiatrist advises a short stay at a psychiatric unit, her worst nightmares are confirmed. How can she get better in a place that fills her with dread? When she meets the other patients, she begins to gather some hope, until she realises that the death toll in the hospital is rising without explanation. Something sinister stalks the corridors and maybe she is the only one who can stop it… Mary has to confront the Things that she sees if they are to stand a chance. But will she survive a confrontation with death itself?AmazonBarnes and Noble
Mary Hades
Not many seventeen year old girls have a best friend who’s a ghost, but then Mary Hades isn’t your average teenager. Scarred physically and mentally from a fire, her parents decide a holiday to an idyllic village in North Yorkshire will help her recover. Nestled in the middle of five moors, Mary expects to have a boring week stuck in a caravan with her parents. Little does she know, evil lurks in the campsite… Seth Lockwood—a local fairground worker with a dark secret—might be the key to uncovering the murky history that has blighted Nettleby. But Mary is drawn to him in a way that has her questioning her judgement. Helped by her dead best friend and a quirky gay Goth couple, Mary must stop the unusual deaths occurring in Nettleby. But can she prevent her heart from being broken?The first in a series of dark YA novels, Mary Hades follows on from the bestselling Kindle Single 'My Daylight Monsters'. A spine-tingling tale with romance, readers will be shocked and entertained in equal measure.AmazonBarnes and Noble
Review
I originally downloaded Mary Hades when I saw it on my daily ebooksoda email. After adding it to my goodreads shelf I saw there was a novella that went before it. So of course I bought that too. Personally, I don’t think you need to read My Daylight Monsters (novella) to understand Mary Hades but it does give a background into a few things and people mentioned in Mary Hades…and it’s a good story.
It was nice to read something that wasn’t drenched in romance (even though I adore that genre.) Mary Hades is a girl who sees things. These zombie-like creatures give her warnings when something bad is about to go down. Problem is, everyone thinks she is crazy. Even her parents who send her to a psychiatric hospital. My Daylight Monsters is about her time in the psych ward. Mary Hades is about the following summer when her family is camping and a vengeful spirit trying to kill the boy she has a crush on.
There is a little romance in each and a bit of mystery. Mary is learning to accept the unusual about herself and turn it into a way to help people. I look forward to reading the next two books once they are released. I think Mary is a strong character who has a lot of great adventures ahead.
4 stars for both
June 19, 2014
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June 10, 2014
Book Review: Death has a Daughter by Candice Burnett
Synopsis
Cendall, history's first female Grim Reaper, has until her eighteenth birthday to prove she's worthy of the role. The only obstacle in her way are those pesky Guardian Angels who protect human souls, but Cendall is certain she can handle any Guardian who gets in her way.
However, nothing could have prepared Cendall for Lacie-a soul that is protected by multiple Guardians, wanted by Demons, and, most startling of all, can see Cendall.
Cendall uses every trick in the book to try and slip past Lacie's Guardians and collect her soul, but a Demon interferes at the last moment. In the chaos, Cendall accidently saves Lacie's soul, along with one of the injured Guardians. Realizing Cendall fears termination for her mistake, the Guardian blackmails her with an offer she can't refuse: in exchange for his silence, Cendall must keep Lacie's soul safe from the Demon, until he recovers from his injuries. Cendall agrees-with the intention of checking Lacie's soul off her list, the instant the Guardian is healed. But as the three of them are forced to work together, Cendall begins to question why Lacie is wanted by the Demons and if her name actually belonged on Cendall's list in the first place.
Review
I stayed up late reading this for two reasons.
1.) Because it was good.
2.) Because the next Outlander was coming out the next day and if I didn’t finish it then, it wouldn’t be finished till after I caught up on Claire and Jamie Fraser.
Let’s focus on that first reason. Death has a Daughter reminded me at times of Camp Half Blood in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. But instead of Demi Gods it’s with Grim Reapers. A new twist on the battle of good and evil. Reapers are not the minions of Lucifer but merely collectors. They take the soul and deliver it to others who will research the soul and then pass judgment. Problem is, there are people protecting these souls called Guardians. It’s not a “Hey how ya doing? Ready to die?” kind of thing. There are battles for these souls at vulnerable moments. This is where Cendall’s story begins. She is the first female Reaper to ever be born. She knows she has to work harder, fight smarter, and be all around better to be taken seriously. After graduating top of her class she has proved to the realm that she is good enough. On her first list of souls though, things get sticky. Her first soul is not protected by one, but five Guardians. In a twist of fate, Cendall ends up saving the soul and one of her guardians. Now that she has broken one rule, why not break the rest?
It’s a fun tale that doesn’t leave you hanging at the end. (Yes, I am a cliff hater.) I do want to read the next one and look forward to its release.
4 stars
AmazonBarnes and Noble
