It's All in the Lines...
Today I'm super excited to have the spooky Jami Gray on my blog. She's peculiar, fascinating, intriguing, and mysterious. And when she grabs a pen...well, it's mightier than a sword. So watch out. Without further ado, here she is. JAMI GRAY
I’m a writer of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Suspense, which translates to—I not only believe in the strange and unusual, I’m generally promoting it. Recently, I made my first trip to New Orleans. I didn’t get a chance to do all that I wanted, but I got to tick a few things off my bucket list. Don’t worry, I’ll be back, there are too many things left unvisited—cemeteries, the swamp, and plantations, just to name a few.
Since Aneta is a lover of the strange, I thought I’d share my visit to Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo (http://www.voodooneworleans.com).
First to give you a sense of setting—in the French Quarter, especially the closer you get to Bourbon Street and Royal Street, the smell can knock you into the next life faster than a horse drawn carriage if you’re not careful. Cobbled streets lined with bars, shops and art galleries crouch below balconied homes. There are realtor signs letting you know if one condo comes with it’s own ghost or not. (Kid you not!) AC: Sorry to jump int, but isn't this awesome?
People abound, on the sidewalk, in the shops and bars and on the streets themselves. I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to try forcing a car down those narrow strips. My hubby, BFF, and I are making are way down the sidewalk when we see the sign: Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo.
We go up two cement steps, brush by a couple with a stroller heading out, and find ourselves surrounded by strange masks, chicken feet, hand crafted mojo bags, gris-gris, and voodoo dolls. Any and everything designed to help you maneuver your way through the modern karmic world.
Immediately, I’m drawn to the colorful collection of candles nestled next to the beautiful, but strangely disturbing alter to the Voodoo Queen herself, Marie Laveau. There are gris-gris, cooled wax, bits and pieces of past offerings while signs warning customers “NO TOUCHING” stand guard. Not to mention the shop’s proprietress who has to reiterate the point to one or two customers who somehow miss the signage.
For all the strange items cluttering the walls, shelves and ceiling (oh yes, there were things hanging from the rafters—voodoo dolls, masks, hand-made crosses), there was a quiet peacefulness to the shop.
Eventually BFF and I make it to the back, submit our names for a palm reading. We patiently wait our turn, debating if we want to pick up some chicken feet or a decorative skull (yep, that’s me).
Our readings are individual. I slip inside to find a white haired woman who could have been any one of the many authors currently invading New Orleans that week. She has a sweet smile and the steadiest gaze I’ve ever encountered. She reads my palm, gives me some interesting insights.Then she picks up a well-worn stack of playing cards with, of all things, playing kittens on the back make their way through her hands. I keep my questions silent and let the cards fall where they may. She used a standard Tarot layout the first time, but with each following draw, the layout changes. It’s been awhile since I’ve dusted off my own Tarot deck, so I’m not sure which patterns she used, but what she gave me—hmmm, the future holds some interesting times.
Nope, won’t share, because I’m a firm believer readings are to be kept personal. I will tell you, I’m curious to see how much she gave me comes about.
My BFF and I did compare notes, because you have to enter some of these readings with a dose of skepticism. Yet, there was enough individual predictions in the readings to make us both believe there are some truths in them.
Now, is it a chicken and egg thing? Will our futures fall into what the woman saw because that’s what we believe will happen, or will it happen that way because that’s the way it’s suppose to? I’ll leave the answer up to higher powers to answer, for now I’ll keep on, keeping on and we’ll see what the future brings.
Do you think there’s an element of truth behind
Bio:Jami Gray grew up on the Arizona-Mexico border, and was adopted at the age of 14 to suddenly become the fifth eldest of 37 children. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and three minors-History, English, and Theater. (Decision-making was not her forte at the time.) Shortly after marrying her techie-geek hubby (who moonlighted as her best friend in high school) she completed a Masters in Organizational Management from University of Phoenix Oregon.
Now, years later, she’s back in the Southwest where she’s outnumbered in her own home by two Star Wars obsessed boys, one Star Warsobsessed husband, and an overly-friendly, 105-pound male lab. Delving into the wild paranormal worlds where romance collides with suspense and Urban Fantasy is queen, manages to salvage her sanity. Or so we let her believe...
Blurb for Shadow’s Edge:Everyone fears what hunts in the shadows—especially the monsters…
It takes a monster to hunt one, and for Raine McCord, forged in the maelstrom of magic and science, she’s the one for the job. In a world where the supernatural live in a shadowy existence with the mundane, a series of disappearances and deaths threatens the secrecy of her kind and indicates someone knows the monsters are alive and kicking. Partnering up with the sexy and tantalizing Gavin Durand proves to be a challenge as dangerous as the prey she hunts.
When the trail points back to the foundation which warped Raine’s magic as a child, her torturous past raises its ugly head. Gavin and Raine sift through a maze of lies, murder and betrayal to discover not only each other, but the emerging threat to them and the entire magical community.
Blurb for Shadow’s Soul:Some nightmares are born of love…
Raine McCord has no problem taking down the monsters of the world, it’s one of the reasons she’s so good at her job. So playing bodyguard to Cheveyo, head Magi of the Northwest, as he consults with the Southwest Kyn should be an easy assignment. Unfortunately, simple task turns into a nightmare when Cheveyo is kidnapped and Raine is left for dead by one of the Kyn’s most feared beings, a Soul Stealer.
The Stealer’s attack leaves lasting wounds, undermining Raine’s confidence as a warrior and damaging her unruly magic. Her ability to heal her mind and spirit hinges on the one man who can touch her soul, Gavin Durand. Compelled to face the emotions raging between them, they must embrace not only their stormy relationship but their evolving magic to escape the twisted threads of murder and betrayal to find Cheveyo.
As Raine and Gavin come together and begin to unravel the complex web of secrets and hidden vendettas haunting the Southwest Kyn, they discover unsettling new truths that threaten their very existence.
Blurb for Wrapped in Shadows:The magic of the holidays can be hell…
Celebrations abound during the holidays, but this Christmas an engagement celebration goes horrifically wrong. What appears to be a simple murder/suicide hides a vicious surprise. The type of gift Raine and Gavin, elite member of the Kyn, didn’t want humans to unwrap, because revealing the monsters in the shadows isn’t the way to spread holiday cheer.
Blurb for Shadow’s Moon:Even a wild heart can be broken…
A blonde, a brunette and a monster walk into a bar and all hell breaks loose.
It should have been the start of a bad joke, but days from a full moon Xander Cade, Tracker for the Northwest Motoki Pack, finds nothing funny about confronting an enraged Shifter in a crowded Portland nightclub filled with unsuspecting humans. The resulting carnage frays an already thin veil of secrecy shielding the supernatural Kyn community from public scrutiny, and ensures she can’t escape the one man she’s been determined to avoid, her Alpha and mate, Warrick Vidis. Dominating, protective and compelling, Warrick threatens her individuality like no other.
As the Northwest Alpha wolf, compromise isn’t in Warrick Vidis’s vocabulary, but when his reluctant mate, Xander Cade, refuses to leave off the hunt for a killer, he has no qualms using whoever or whatever necessary to protect her or his pack. A series of unusual deaths involving lone wolves, along with anonymous threats against him and his Pack, begin to jeopardize his normal steely control. Add in Xander’s continual reluctance to fully accept their Soul bond, and the line between intellect and instinct begins to blur, leaving him wondering if one woman’s love and acceptance will be enough to save both man and wolf. As the danger escalates, threatening not just their Pack but those closest to them, Warrick and Xander must find a way to trust each other and accept their rare bond or risk losing everything-their pack, their friends and each other.
Blurb for Hunted by the Past:Sometimes death is the only way to out run the past…
A reluctant psychic who can relive the past, a man well versed in keeping secrets, and a psychopathic killer enter a deadly game where the past determines the future.
Changing the past is an impossibility ex-Marine, Cynthia “Cyn” Arden, understands all too well. Struggling in the aftermath of a botched mission, which cost her two teammates, her military career, and a fledging relationship, she’s brought home by a panicked phone call. The psychic killer behind her nightmares has escaped military custody to hunt down the remaining teammates, one by one. Next on his murderous list--Cyn. Her only chance at survival is to master the psychic ability she’s spent years denying.
The killer’s game brings her face to face with the one person guaranteed to throw her off kilter—the unsettling and distracting man she left behind, Kayden Shaw. Once she believed he’d stand by her side, until he chose his job and his secrets over her. A choice that’s left the scars of the past etched deep on her mind and heart.
To survive this twisted game, Cyn must risk trusting her heart and accepting who and what she is, or lose not only her life, but the man she loves. Available Now: Shadow’s Edge: Book 1 of the Kyn Kronicles
Shadow’s Soul: Book 2 of the Kyn Kronicles, Paranormal Romance Winner of 2012 Shooting Star
Wrapped in Shadows (.5) part of Things That Go Bump For The Holidays—A Collection of Short Stories
NOW AVAILABLE: Shadow’s Moon: Book 3 of the Kyn Kronicles, 2013 Golden Claddagh Finalist
Coming in July 11th, 2014 from Muse It Up Publishing: Hunted by the Past: Book 1 of the PSY-IV Teams
And Fall 2014 brings Shadow’s Curse: Book 4 of the Kyn Kronicles.
You can find me at:
Black Opal Books: www.BlackOpalBooks.com
Muse It Up Publishing: http://museituppublishing.com
Website: www.JamiGray.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamigray.author
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/JamiGrayUFWriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamiGrayAuthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/JamiGray
Google+: https://google.com/+JamiGray
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.com/e/B006HU3HJI
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/LvoZn
BUY LINKS: You can find all the buy links for both books in all formats at:
http://jamigray.com/kynkronicles/
http://jamigray.com/psyivteams/
Or you can use the following:
THE KYN KRONICLES:
Shadow’s Edge: Bk 1 of Kyn Kronicles
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0061CAXJ4
Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Shadows-Edge-The-Kyn-Kronicles-Book-1/Jami-Gray/e/2940013239838
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-shadow039sedgethekynkroniclesbook1-625433-139.html
Black Opal Books: http://blackopalbooks.com/blackopalstore/product/56-shadows-edge
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/101023
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/shad...
Shadow’s Soul:Bk 2 of the Kyn Kronicles
Black Opal Books: http://blackopalbooks.com/blackopalstore/product/57-shadows-soul
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B008DIZ9OI
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-shadow039ssoulthekynkroniclesbook2-848561-139.html
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-soul-the-kyn-kronicles-book-2-jami-gray/1111742135?ean=2940014698955
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/174291
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/shad...
I’m a writer of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Suspense, which translates to—I not only believe in the strange and unusual, I’m generally promoting it. Recently, I made my first trip to New Orleans. I didn’t get a chance to do all that I wanted, but I got to tick a few things off my bucket list. Don’t worry, I’ll be back, there are too many things left unvisited—cemeteries, the swamp, and plantations, just to name a few.Since Aneta is a lover of the strange, I thought I’d share my visit to Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo (http://www.voodooneworleans.com).
First to give you a sense of setting—in the French Quarter, especially the closer you get to Bourbon Street and Royal Street, the smell can knock you into the next life faster than a horse drawn carriage if you’re not careful. Cobbled streets lined with bars, shops and art galleries crouch below balconied homes. There are realtor signs letting you know if one condo comes with it’s own ghost or not. (Kid you not!) AC: Sorry to jump int, but isn't this awesome?
People abound, on the sidewalk, in the shops and bars and on the streets themselves. I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to try forcing a car down those narrow strips. My hubby, BFF, and I are making are way down the sidewalk when we see the sign: Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo.
We go up two cement steps, brush by a couple with a stroller heading out, and find ourselves surrounded by strange masks, chicken feet, hand crafted mojo bags, gris-gris, and voodoo dolls. Any and everything designed to help you maneuver your way through the modern karmic world.
Immediately, I’m drawn to the colorful collection of candles nestled next to the beautiful, but strangely disturbing alter to the Voodoo Queen herself, Marie Laveau. There are gris-gris, cooled wax, bits and pieces of past offerings while signs warning customers “NO TOUCHING” stand guard. Not to mention the shop’s proprietress who has to reiterate the point to one or two customers who somehow miss the signage.
For all the strange items cluttering the walls, shelves and ceiling (oh yes, there were things hanging from the rafters—voodoo dolls, masks, hand-made crosses), there was a quiet peacefulness to the shop.
Eventually BFF and I make it to the back, submit our names for a palm reading. We patiently wait our turn, debating if we want to pick up some chicken feet or a decorative skull (yep, that’s me).
Our readings are individual. I slip inside to find a white haired woman who could have been any one of the many authors currently invading New Orleans that week. She has a sweet smile and the steadiest gaze I’ve ever encountered. She reads my palm, gives me some interesting insights.Then she picks up a well-worn stack of playing cards with, of all things, playing kittens on the back make their way through her hands. I keep my questions silent and let the cards fall where they may. She used a standard Tarot layout the first time, but with each following draw, the layout changes. It’s been awhile since I’ve dusted off my own Tarot deck, so I’m not sure which patterns she used, but what she gave me—hmmm, the future holds some interesting times.
Nope, won’t share, because I’m a firm believer readings are to be kept personal. I will tell you, I’m curious to see how much she gave me comes about.
My BFF and I did compare notes, because you have to enter some of these readings with a dose of skepticism. Yet, there was enough individual predictions in the readings to make us both believe there are some truths in them.
Now, is it a chicken and egg thing? Will our futures fall into what the woman saw because that’s what we believe will happen, or will it happen that way because that’s the way it’s suppose to? I’ll leave the answer up to higher powers to answer, for now I’ll keep on, keeping on and we’ll see what the future brings.
Do you think there’s an element of truth behind
Bio:Jami Gray grew up on the Arizona-Mexico border, and was adopted at the age of 14 to suddenly become the fifth eldest of 37 children. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and three minors-History, English, and Theater. (Decision-making was not her forte at the time.) Shortly after marrying her techie-geek hubby (who moonlighted as her best friend in high school) she completed a Masters in Organizational Management from University of Phoenix Oregon.
Now, years later, she’s back in the Southwest where she’s outnumbered in her own home by two Star Wars obsessed boys, one Star Warsobsessed husband, and an overly-friendly, 105-pound male lab. Delving into the wild paranormal worlds where romance collides with suspense and Urban Fantasy is queen, manages to salvage her sanity. Or so we let her believe...
Blurb for Shadow’s Edge:Everyone fears what hunts in the shadows—especially the monsters…
It takes a monster to hunt one, and for Raine McCord, forged in the maelstrom of magic and science, she’s the one for the job. In a world where the supernatural live in a shadowy existence with the mundane, a series of disappearances and deaths threatens the secrecy of her kind and indicates someone knows the monsters are alive and kicking. Partnering up with the sexy and tantalizing Gavin Durand proves to be a challenge as dangerous as the prey she hunts.
When the trail points back to the foundation which warped Raine’s magic as a child, her torturous past raises its ugly head. Gavin and Raine sift through a maze of lies, murder and betrayal to discover not only each other, but the emerging threat to them and the entire magical community.
Blurb for Shadow’s Soul:Some nightmares are born of love…
Raine McCord has no problem taking down the monsters of the world, it’s one of the reasons she’s so good at her job. So playing bodyguard to Cheveyo, head Magi of the Northwest, as he consults with the Southwest Kyn should be an easy assignment. Unfortunately, simple task turns into a nightmare when Cheveyo is kidnapped and Raine is left for dead by one of the Kyn’s most feared beings, a Soul Stealer.
The Stealer’s attack leaves lasting wounds, undermining Raine’s confidence as a warrior and damaging her unruly magic. Her ability to heal her mind and spirit hinges on the one man who can touch her soul, Gavin Durand. Compelled to face the emotions raging between them, they must embrace not only their stormy relationship but their evolving magic to escape the twisted threads of murder and betrayal to find Cheveyo.
As Raine and Gavin come together and begin to unravel the complex web of secrets and hidden vendettas haunting the Southwest Kyn, they discover unsettling new truths that threaten their very existence.
Blurb for Wrapped in Shadows:The magic of the holidays can be hell…
Celebrations abound during the holidays, but this Christmas an engagement celebration goes horrifically wrong. What appears to be a simple murder/suicide hides a vicious surprise. The type of gift Raine and Gavin, elite member of the Kyn, didn’t want humans to unwrap, because revealing the monsters in the shadows isn’t the way to spread holiday cheer.
Blurb for Shadow’s Moon:Even a wild heart can be broken…
A blonde, a brunette and a monster walk into a bar and all hell breaks loose.
It should have been the start of a bad joke, but days from a full moon Xander Cade, Tracker for the Northwest Motoki Pack, finds nothing funny about confronting an enraged Shifter in a crowded Portland nightclub filled with unsuspecting humans. The resulting carnage frays an already thin veil of secrecy shielding the supernatural Kyn community from public scrutiny, and ensures she can’t escape the one man she’s been determined to avoid, her Alpha and mate, Warrick Vidis. Dominating, protective and compelling, Warrick threatens her individuality like no other.
As the Northwest Alpha wolf, compromise isn’t in Warrick Vidis’s vocabulary, but when his reluctant mate, Xander Cade, refuses to leave off the hunt for a killer, he has no qualms using whoever or whatever necessary to protect her or his pack. A series of unusual deaths involving lone wolves, along with anonymous threats against him and his Pack, begin to jeopardize his normal steely control. Add in Xander’s continual reluctance to fully accept their Soul bond, and the line between intellect and instinct begins to blur, leaving him wondering if one woman’s love and acceptance will be enough to save both man and wolf. As the danger escalates, threatening not just their Pack but those closest to them, Warrick and Xander must find a way to trust each other and accept their rare bond or risk losing everything-their pack, their friends and each other.
Blurb for Hunted by the Past:Sometimes death is the only way to out run the past…
A reluctant psychic who can relive the past, a man well versed in keeping secrets, and a psychopathic killer enter a deadly game where the past determines the future.
Changing the past is an impossibility ex-Marine, Cynthia “Cyn” Arden, understands all too well. Struggling in the aftermath of a botched mission, which cost her two teammates, her military career, and a fledging relationship, she’s brought home by a panicked phone call. The psychic killer behind her nightmares has escaped military custody to hunt down the remaining teammates, one by one. Next on his murderous list--Cyn. Her only chance at survival is to master the psychic ability she’s spent years denying.
The killer’s game brings her face to face with the one person guaranteed to throw her off kilter—the unsettling and distracting man she left behind, Kayden Shaw. Once she believed he’d stand by her side, until he chose his job and his secrets over her. A choice that’s left the scars of the past etched deep on her mind and heart.
To survive this twisted game, Cyn must risk trusting her heart and accepting who and what she is, or lose not only her life, but the man she loves. Available Now: Shadow’s Edge: Book 1 of the Kyn Kronicles
Shadow’s Soul: Book 2 of the Kyn Kronicles, Paranormal Romance Winner of 2012 Shooting Star
Wrapped in Shadows (.5) part of Things That Go Bump For The Holidays—A Collection of Short Stories
NOW AVAILABLE: Shadow’s Moon: Book 3 of the Kyn Kronicles, 2013 Golden Claddagh Finalist
Coming in July 11th, 2014 from Muse It Up Publishing: Hunted by the Past: Book 1 of the PSY-IV Teams
And Fall 2014 brings Shadow’s Curse: Book 4 of the Kyn Kronicles.
You can find me at:
Black Opal Books: www.BlackOpalBooks.com
Muse It Up Publishing: http://museituppublishing.com
Website: www.JamiGray.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamigray.author
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/JamiGrayUFWriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamiGrayAuthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/JamiGray
Google+: https://google.com/+JamiGray
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.com/e/B006HU3HJI
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/LvoZn
BUY LINKS: You can find all the buy links for both books in all formats at:
http://jamigray.com/kynkronicles/
http://jamigray.com/psyivteams/
Or you can use the following:
THE KYN KRONICLES:
Shadow’s Edge: Bk 1 of Kyn Kronicles
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0061CAXJ4
Nook: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Shadows-Edge-The-Kyn-Kronicles-Book-1/Jami-Gray/e/2940013239838
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-shadow039sedgethekynkroniclesbook1-625433-139.html
Black Opal Books: http://blackopalbooks.com/blackopalstore/product/56-shadows-edge
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/101023
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/shad...
Shadow’s Soul:Bk 2 of the Kyn Kronicles
Black Opal Books: http://blackopalbooks.com/blackopalstore/product/57-shadows-soul
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B008DIZ9OI
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-shadow039ssoulthekynkroniclesbook2-848561-139.html
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shadows-soul-the-kyn-kronicles-book-2-jami-gray/1111742135?ean=2940014698955
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/174291
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/shad...
No comments have been added yet.
Aneta Cruz's Blog
- Aneta Cruz's profile
- 10 followers
Aneta Cruz isn't a Goodreads Author
(yet),
but they
do have a blog,
so here are some recent posts imported from
their feed.
