A.E. Jones's Blog, page 46

Cover Reveal: The Fledgling

Here is my newest cover reveal! Check out The Fledgling, book two in the Mind Sweeper Series which will be released on October 13th! But you can preorder now if you would like ;)

The Fledgling is a novella about Jean Luc. After you have perused the new cover, make sure to read the blurb and excerpt below.

And tell me what you think!!

Preorder:          Amazon          iBooks

 

 

The Fledgling – A Novella

Book Two in the Mind Sweeper Series. This book is a novella at approximately 20,000 words.

A Mind Sweeper novella that peeks into Jean Luc Delacroix’s past. He has lived for centuries as a vampire, but the 1980’s may be his biggest challenge yet. How does a nearly four-hundred-year-old vampire survive a decade of shoulder pads, big hair, and music videos? Simple. Concentrate on his job.

Jean Luc and his demon partner, Misha, work for the Bureau of Supernatural Relations. Their task: keep humans from finding out about the supernatural. Not a simple thing to do when dead bodies keep turning up with their throats ripped out. So the team’s first priority is to stop a supernatural serial killer from striking again. The only problem is the beautiful bounty hunter who keeps interfering with the investigation.

Talia Walker is a bounty hunter who also happens to be a newly turned vampire. She deliberately avoids other supernaturals and knows nothing of what being a vampire truly means. Her job: find a murderer and bring him to justice. The problem is she has never dealt with a supernatural bounty before…or an overbearing, ridiculously sexy vampire.

When Jean Luc and Talia butt heads over the investigation, only Misha can see that their animosity has more to do with attraction than anger. And unless Jean Luc and Talia can set aside their troubled pasts and learn to trust each other, they may never have an opportunity to explore their true feelings. Especially when they come face to face with the killer.

 

Excerpt:

 

Chapter 1

Sometime in the mid 1980’s…

The smell of blood no longer excited him. Whether that was a good thing was debatable. However, in this particular instance, it worked to his advantage. The stale, tinny odor engulfing the room had already sent several men out the door to lose their most recent meal.

“Jean Luc?”

Mon Dieu. He turned toward the voice and stifled a groan. Three hundred and seventy-five-year-old vampires did not groan in the face of overzealous human females. And one such female sashayed toward him.

Well, sashayed was perhaps an overstatement, since she wore paper slippers over her shoes and studiously tried to avoid the human detritus littering the floor. The extraordinarily large shoulder pads in her suit made her look like a small child playing dress-up in her father’s clothes.

“It is you! Hi, how have you been?”

“Good evening, Muriel.”

She smiled, and her eyes assessed him quickly, the way a shifter would peruse a fresh piece of meat. “You still look the same. I’m trying to remember the last time I saw you…”

Was she really flirting with him? Here? Jean Luc took a calming breath. “We met over the previous dead body.”

Muriel giggled. “Of course. Well…I guess I should get to work then.” She snapped on her rubber gloves and squatted down next to the corpse.

And within a matter of seconds, the flirtatious woman disappeared, replaced by a focused, professional medical examiner who barked orders. “Harper, did you get pictures on both sides of the body?”

When no one responded, Muriel’s head jerked up in irritation. “Harper!”

“Is he the redheaded technician with the camera?”

“Yes.”

Jean Luc nodded toward the door, and the muted sounds of retching. “He is a bit indisposed.”

Muriel sighed. “He’s new. I hope he sticks around longer than the last tech. They all think this job is going to be like the TV show, Quincy.” She stood and scanned the room, homing in on an older officer. “Simmons, would you go get the camera from Harper and make sure all angles are captured?”

When Simmons returned, Muriel stepped out of his way and motioned for Jean Luc to follow her into the garage.

Peeling off her gloves, she blew out a hard breath. “I thought I had seen it all before, but this? His throat was ripped out. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was attacked by a bear or a wolf.”

“Indeed.”

“Except we’re in a split-level in the Indianapolis suburbs.”

Jean Luc shrugged. “There is that.”

“Come on, Jean Luc, the department didn’t just hire you for your pretty face. Give me something to work with.”

The department had not actually hired him at all, but the misconception helped him with his real job. The police commissioner contacted the Bureau of Supernatural Relations whenever something “irregular” occurred, so Jean Luc could help cover it up. But there would be no concealing this type of death. The killer might as well have posted it on a billboard. And claw marks did not narrow the field of potential supernatural killers. They could mean vampire, demon, or shifter.

He paused for a moment, debating how much to say. Unfortunately, he had seen this type of kill before. “The viciousness of these murders is increasing. He either knew the victim or is beginning to enjoy the savagery of the act.”

Muriel nodded. “I see no evidence of hesitation this time.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but something light as a gossamer thread brushed his consciousness, and he looked out the open garage door, casing the yard. Several uniformed police officers stood outside, but none were paying attention to his discussion with Muriel.

A supernatural was nearby.

“Jean Luc?”

He turned back to the Medical Examiner. “What do we know about the victim, Muriel?”

“Not too much yet. But they should have found out something by now. Charlie!”

After a few seconds, a heavyset man in a worn corduroy suit lumbered into the garage. “You bellowed, Muriel?”

She chuckled. “You’re the only one who isn’t scared of me. Why is that?”

“Unlike some of these cavemen, I think you actually know what you’re doing, even if you don’t have a penis.”

Muriel grinned. “You always say the nicest things. What have you got for us on the vic?”

Charlie pulled out a small notebook and flipped it open. “Guy’s name is Peter Peters.”

Muriel rolled her eyes. “Cut the crap, Charlie.”

His mouth quirked up a bit. “Honest, I’m not making it up. His parents need to be smacked upside the head a couple times. According to the neighbors, he’s been living here for two years. He was, and I quote ‘quiet and kept to himself.’ Why am I not surprised?”

“Do we know if he had any recent altercations?” Jean Luc asked.

“Nada. I’ve radioed into the station, and they’re checking the files, but nothing came up so far. No domestics. The neighbors don’t remember seeing any steady girlfriends, either.”

“Did he have a steady job?”

Charlie turned the page of his notebook. “That’s where it gets interesting. He was an accountant for Manny Edwards.”

Muriel frowned slightly. “You don’t think it’s legit?”

“Oh, he probably did work with numbers, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t on the up-and-up. We’ve never been able to catch him, but I’d bet my shield Manny’s restaurant is a front for a bookie joint.”

Manny was also a shifter who dealt with many of the supernaturals in the city, but they did not need to know that.

“We’ve tried to place several cops under cover in his operation, but no one has ever lasted for long.”

Which was no surprise. Shifters were incredibly skillful at sniffing out emotions—walking supernatural versions of a lie-detector. They would see right through a cop’s cover. “Will you be interviewing Manny?”

Charlie smiled. “Oh, yeah. He’s top on my list.”

Once Charlie had finished with his interrogation, Jean Luc would visit himself to find out the truth. After all, Charlie had no inkling of what to ask.

###

Jean Luc watched a very irritated police detective peel away from Manny’s establishment. He would wait a few more minutes before approaching the restaurant.

He rested his head against the car seat and closed his eyes. He was tired, as much as a vampire could be tired, and he longed for a moment of quiet. However, instead of silence, he was being serenaded by his partner, who, if he was not mistaken, was whistling the theme song from one of the multitude of television shows he regularly devoured, memorized, and then trotted out to fill every quiet moment.

“Misha, may I have a moment of peace, s’il vous plait?”

The whistling stopped.

Jean Luc took several deep breaths. Why did he continue doing this work? Another dead body. Another case of a supernatural risking exposure to humans. Another lie he must fabricate to conceal the truth. A century of the same issues, of moving back and forth across the country, unable to build a sense of permanence. Misha and he had only been living in Indianapolis for a couple of months. Nicholas had reassigned them to Indiana a week before the killings started. Which was a very significant coincidence, and Jean Luc didn’t believe in coincidence. But until they found the killer, he would table the list of questions he had for his boss.

“What is wrong, my friend?” Misha asked, his deep Russian accent rumbling in the close quarters of the car.

“Nothing. We should go see Manny now.”

Misha shook his head slightly. “You may be older than I am, vampire, but it does not mean you’re a good liar.”

Jean Luc turned to issue a retort, but instead quirked a brow at his teammate. He had not paid attention to the demon’s outfit earlier. He was wearing a white suit with a turquoise t-shirt and shoes with no socks. Did he dare ask him why he was dressed this way? No, ignorance was truly bliss when it came to Misha’s peculiarities. And he was glaring at him as only a stubborn Russian could.

Jean Luc blew out a breath in defeat. “These murders worry me. I have not seen this kind of blatant disregard for exposure of our kind in centuries.” Not since The Wars, and that was not a subject Jean Luc wished to discuss.

“Do you have a theory yet?”

“No. And I have arrived at the crime scenes too long after the killer left to sense any residual energy that might reveal what type of supernatural we are pursuing.” He reached for the door handle. “Shall we go in?”

They climbed out of the car and were greeted at the restaurant door by Manny’s version of a host. He loomed as tall as Misha—who stood six feet six inches—and his neck was as big around as Jean Luc’s waist.

“Welcome to Manuelo’s.”

Jean Luc glanced around the restaurant. “We would like to speak with Manny.”

The behemoth crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Sorry, he’s not available right now.”

A door behind the host’s counter opened, and a short, portly man appeared. “It’s okay, Jacob, I’ll take it from here.” He gestured them to a corner booth.

Once they were seated, he smiled and said, “I’m Manny, and you must be the new team Nicholas assigned to the city.”

“How did you know?” asked Misha.

He shrugged. “Vampires and demons don’t normally mix, so I put two and two together.”

“Then you also know we are here to discuss Peter’s murder,” Jean Luc said.

Manny frowned. “I can’t believe Peter’s dead. The cops wouldn’t tell me what happened.”

“Peter was killed by a supernatural.”

“Damn.”

“What can you tell us?” Misha interjected.

“Same things I told the cops. I don’t know who would want to kill him. He was a good employee and got along with everyone.”

Jean Luc tuned into the flow of Manny’s blood, listening to his heartbeat, which remained slow and steady. “What about one of your clients who might hold a grudge?”

Manny’s eyes narrowed for a moment, as if he was trying to decide how much to say. “Peter didn’t deal directly with my customers. He worked in the back room and balanced the books.”

“Did he know about supernaturals? That you are a shifter?”

“Nope. We’re careful here. Our human employees don’t have a clue.”

###

Jean Luc opened the restaurant door. Dusk cast a light orange hue over the street as the sun sank beneath the skyline.

Misha walked around him toward the car. “Well, that was a bust. It reminds me of a recent episode of Magnum, PI. Magnum questioned this guy who had stolen…”

The tingling started again, traveling lightly up Jean Luc’s spine, and Misha’s voice faded away. He would swear he sensed a fledgling, but it was not possible. Vampires were required to register with them when entering their jurisdiction. And there were no new vampires under the age of fifty currently living in the city.

He looked across the street, studying the area illuminated by the neon sign advertising the Gentleman’s Club. But unlike the refined gentleman’s clubs Jean Luc had frequented centuries ago, the name now represented something seedy, sordid.

He surveyed the immediate area. No one stood outside the club, and the windows were covered with thick curtains. The street appeared to be empty.

But someone was watching.

 

Book Signing Recap

[image error]Hello my followers! I have had a wild ride so far with my book release. You have all been reading my various blog posts on different sites over the past two weeks. Last week, one of my dear friends from work decided to throw me a book signing party. And I thought that it would be a low-key event with a small handful of people. Not so much! The book signing had over 70 people in attendance and I sold out of my books!

 

So for an hour and a half, I got to feel like Nora Roberts, or if I stay true to [image error]my paranormal roots, I felt like Sherrilyn Kenyon as I sat at a table and signed and had my picture taken with my “fans”. And that night, I was wide-eyed as I lay in bed and thought about the wonder of the occasion.

I am so lucky to have friends and family who support my dream of writing!

So what do I have in store for you this week? Well, my cover release for The Fledgling will coming soon! So stay tuned for the cover (which is AWESOME) and the blurb and excerpt!

We’re moving ahead with our publishing plans, my friends…full speed ahead!

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Look at the line!

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So surreal!

Dad and I, or is it Dad and me? Oh well…you get the idea ;)

Why I Write a Smorgasbord of Supernatural

Today I am blogging on Literary Escapism about why I write ALL kinds of paranormal. I couldn’t settle with just one type, oh no…that would be too easy. Find out my reasons why by clicking HERE

To Blog or Not to Blog

…that is the question today. Obviously with the amount of guest blogs I have been doing for the past week or so to celebrate my book release, you already know what my answer is. Blogging allows you to ‘get your voice out there’ and for a writer that is a GOOD thing. So today, I am going to recap the guest blogs over the past week that I took part in. If you didn’t get a chance to go read them, then please do so by clicking on the blog names below.

Mythic Scribes – wrote a blog about secondary characters and how they play an important part in stories.

Reading Frenzy – answered interview questions which made me feel quite important about me and Mind Sweeper.

Romance Junkies – wrote a fun post about why a mystery lover (me) writes romance, or what I like to call ‘romanstery’

Reading Between the Wines Book Blog – wrote an article about how small details like food and drink develop characters

Savvy Authors – wrote an article about the power of using humor in your writing

Romcon – wrote an article about why paranormal is for me

Am I making your tired? Well, you don’t have to read them all! ;) Must pick out one or two that sound interesting to you.

And….tomorrow and Tuesday I will be on two more blog sites that I will share with you to so, happy reading!

 

 

Why Paranormal For Me

Happy Saturday (or Sunday for some of my followers)!

I know you all have busy weekend schedules, but if you have a minute to check out my blog post today on Romcon please do. I wrote about Why I Write and Read Paranormal. A lucky commenter will receive a free ecopy of Mind Sweeper, so get to typing! ;)

Visit Romcon blog by clicking HERE

 

The Funny in Writing

Today I have written an article for Savvy Author on the power of humor in writing. Funny should not be relegated to the back corner. It can be as powerful as the drama around it…so check out my post by clicking HERE

Blog Tour – We Are What we Eat and Drink

I have blog post up on Reading Between the Wines. A fun little article about how details such as food and drink help develop characters. Come check it out if you have a minute.

To Read Click HERE

Release Day Recap

Hello my followers! It is the day after my BIG RELEASE and what am I doing? Well, talking to you most importantly and sharing what I did yesterday. Of course, I was tweeting and Facebooking and spending time on my own and other people’s blogs. If you haven’t had a chance to visit these sites, please stop by:

I wrote an article on how Secondary Characters are Important Tools in a story for Mythic Scribes.  Visit the site HERE
I did an interview on Reading Frenzy, talking about little old me and Mind Sweeper. Check it out HERE
And I wrote a fun article where I tell you why I write ‘Romanstery’ – yes that is a word in MY world. Read it by clicking HERE

Note: I will be posting other blog stops on my tour over the next week or so as well, so stay tuned.

And I had my Twitter party last night. Was a manic hour and 20 minutes where 6 authors tweeting about their books. And it was a great group of authors! If you didn’t get to party with us, I will give you there names now. Check out their websites and books when you get a chance… Hanna Martine, Julie Morgan, JL Murray, Mercedes M. Yardley, & AJ Larrieu

While all this was going on,my writer friends tweeted and spread  the news of my release like the wonderful people that they are !

And my friends and family also stepped up and made me feel special. I got three, yes THREE, bouquets of flowers and congratulations balloons and my Dad made me one of my favorite meals and gave me an awesome card about believing in myself! Talk about being pampered…maybe it was the tiara that did it ;)

So I have to say how grateful I am to all of you who have been taking this journey with me and know that this is JUST THE BEGINNING so HANG ON!

I will leave you with a picture of all my release day gifts! I still feel special…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mind Sweeper Release Day!

Wow, I bet you never thought we would get to this day, right? Well, we made it! It is Mind Sweeper’s birthday and how am I celebrating? Right now, I am typing this post, eating yogurt and wearing a tiara. Yes, you read that right, a tiara. On this auspicious occasion I spared no expense and went to the dollar store and bought myself a tiara and wand (they came in a two for one pack, so why not?). And I did this because it IS a special day even if most of it will be spent sitting in front of my laptop with my cat on my lap. That is how I write most of the time, so it makes sense that I will also spend today doing the same thing!

But I also have some really fun things happening today that you should check out as well. I am on two great blog sites!

Check out my interview on Reading Frenzy by clicking HERE

I am also on Romance Junkies today talking about why a mystery lover like myself writes romance. Come read all about it HERE

And tonight from 8-9 pm EST I will be having a Twitter party to celebrate all things Mind Sweeper. You can follow along by searching on #mindsweeper. You can also ask questions too, just make sure to use #mindsweeper in your tweet and I will see it. There will be other authors participating AND there will be GIVEAWAYS!

So before I end this, I thought I would share the selfie I took so that I could immortalize my tiara and wand celebration. Thanks for celebrating today with me!

AE

 

Blog Post on Mythic Scribes

As part of my release tour, today I am visiting Mythic Scribes where I discuss the value of secondary characters in a story. Come visit and leave a comment and you may win an ecopy of Mind Sweeper!

Click HERE to check it out!