Showing posts with label Bewitching Book Tours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bewitching Book Tours. Show all posts

Monday, October 12, 2015

Spotlight: Special Levels of Earthly Hell


Special Levels of Earthly Hell
An Atheist's Experience with Demonic Possession
Merry Freer                           

Genre: Paranormal, Occult,
Horror, True crime
         
Date of Publication: July 3, 2015

ASIN: B010YBFKH2

Number of pages: 244
Word Count: 82,000

Cover Artist: Kalen O’Donnell

Book Description:

Drew Collins is an atheist who experiences the world in black and white. As an educated man of science, he rejects belief in the paranormal and the existence of demons. Until an energy he calls "The Beast" takes possession of his wife.

What he witnesses at night in his own bedroom cannot be reconciled with science. And yet he sees it with his own eyes, feels its presence, ominous and evil, with his entire being.

Against every instinct, Drew reaches out for help. It is not just his marriage that’s at stake. The evil force has permeated his wife's family, tearing them apart and culminating in bloodshed and murder. Drew must face a stark choice: sacrifice his beliefs and fight an entity he doesn’t understand and is reluctant to label, or abandon his wife and her family.


Available at Amazon

Excerpt:

The most difficult battle is with an enemy you can’t identify.
“This is what I’ve learned about The Beast,” Laura said. “It doesn’t exist in our plane of existence. It has no physical form. Use that fact to your advantage. It gains power from negative energy. Remove your negative energy and replace it with positive energy. Be its opposite. It’s the only way to fight evil.”
Spending his lunch hours receiving an intense and personalized lesson on the finer points of demonic shielding, as well as an education on the various cultural ideologies of good and evil, was the last place Drew Collins expected to find himself in his five-year plan. His plan was loose and flexible, but he was certain it included love. He even had a vision about it before he left on his dream adventure, traveling through Mexico after he graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a degree in Bio-Psychology. He dreamed he was destined to go to Mexico to bring something back. What he returned with was better than his wildest dream and worse than his most horrific nightmare.
Yet here he was, spending his lunch breaks with his boss, Laura, on the grass at the Self-Realization Temple. Today he was learning to control his personal energy. Laura studied with two shaman from different indigenous tribes. One was the Hopi, a small tribe within the Navajo nation. The other was from the Yaqui Indians, who lived in the Sonoran Desert in Mexico, south of Arizona, the same tribe associated with the mentor of Carlos Castaneda, a trained shaman and American author who held a Ph.D. in Anthropology. Castaneda claimed to have learned his craft from a Yaqui named Don Juan Matus, whom he claimed was personally trained by a Diablero, or devil, though some say his mentor never existed. Under ordinary circumstances, Drew would have considered the teachings of shamans to be fascinating fodder for an excellent conversation. Today, he considered them to be a necessary component in the lessons he agreed to pursue – the lessons he hoped would help him save his wife. Drew was a self-proclaimed atheist, a man whose beliefs were based in science, a godless man, to put it bluntly, who was in the peculiar position of being married to a woman who appeared to be possessed by a demonic presence.
A reasonable person might ask themselves how this could be so. How could a godless man, an atheist, believe his wife was possessed? Aren’t demons, the kind that possess humans, take over their bodies and voices to spread a vile message, associated with religious belief? Certainly the Catholic religion makes this connection. His wife was Catholic and he’d seen The Exorcist. For Drew though, The Beast was secular. It existed as an evil energy, separate and independent from the confines of religion. It had to. He didn’t believe in God, so he couldn’t accept The Beast as His antithesis, as a religious man might do. Religious belief as an explanation for his experience was discarded. He believed in science. But The Beast was an entity unidentified by scientific study. The Beast. Science.

Drew recognized with an awareness that shook the foundation of his being that they could not be reconciled. In the science he had studied there was no place for demons. And yet he knew they existed. He had seen The Beast for himself. In his own home.


About the Author:

Merry Freer is an author of memoir and fact-based fiction. She is a native of San Diego, where she lives surrounded by a large, eclectic family and a treasured handful of truly close friends. While "Doctor, Doctor" is her debut novel, she has been a writer and editor for many years, including work with the San Diego Chargers and the San Diego Hall of Champions. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from San Diego State University and has been a featured speaker for classes dealing with medical ethics.

Her controversial memoir, "Doctor, Doctor," topped the Best Seller List in True Crime/White Collar Crime for 10 months and received a "Best Books of 2014" award from "Suspense Magazine."


Twitter:   @MFreerWriter

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Blood and Metal Review

Synopsis -

She's his last chance for redemption...if she doesn't kill him first.

Copilot of the Blood Hunter, Daisy is a newly-turned vampire, and she's hungry. Really hungry and it's interfering with her plans for revenge. Unfortunately, the only thing that can distract her from said hunger is sex...which is a problem when she can barely refrain from draining any man dry within moments. But old flame Fergal Cain might just be the sexy-assed solution to her problem.

Part human, part cyborg, and with a poison coursing through his system, Fergal's running out of time to find the scientist who has the cure. Unfortunately for him, the misfit crew of the Blood Hunter put a serious kink in his plans. And if the poison doesn't kill him, the hot little vamp he can't resist might do the honors herself...


5 BLOODY FANGS!
"From being green to sporting fangs, Daisy's life, or rather un-life, is anything but dull."

Review -

Nina Croft brings readers back on another starship ride on the Blood Hunter, and once again does not disappoint. Picture Star Trek, mixed with Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, mixed with Riley Jensen and a little bit of Kim Harrison's Hollow's thrown in, and you'll have a close image of this amazing series. The perfect dosage of sci-fi, paranormal, romance and non-stop thrills.

It's Daisy's turn in the spotlight as she loses her green and learns what it truly means to become a vampire. Hopefully without ripping the throats out of any of the crew. When happening upon an old fling from the past, she may have found to perfect solution by substituting her hunger for blood for a hunger of a different kind of lust. Problem? When she allows him entrance into more than just her bed it complicates matters, and may interfere with the crews plans of revenge against the Church. Particularly High Priest Hatcher, the man personally responsible for the deaths' of two crew members.

Fergal Cain is just your average insane reporter who happens to be part cyborg, and on his own since the age of twelve. His most current undercover story is finding the man who made him within six months, before he dies, or worst. And just when his plans to find him, Cain's plans are turned upside down as someone who seems all too familiar, only she has the wrong skin tone, walks back into his life and everything seems to get turned upside down. When Fergal learns of what the crew has planned for the Church, lets just say conflicting emotions doesn't even begin to describe his predicament.

This book should not, I repeat not, be read as a stand alone. In order to fully enjoy it, especially emotionally, readers should read the series in its entirety. A must read for any gender and lover of Paranormal and/or SciFi.


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Monday, August 31, 2015

Spotlight: Blood and Metal

Blood and Metal
A Dark Desires Novel
Nina Croft

Release Date: 25 August 2015

Genre: Sci-fi/paranormal/romance

Publisher: Entangled

Book Description:

Copilot of the Blood Hunter, Daisy is a newly-turned vampire, and she's hungry. Really hungry and it’s interfering with her plans for revenge. Unfortunately, the only thing that can distract her from said hunger is sex...which is a problem when she can barely refrain from draining any man dry within moments. But old flame Fergal Cain might just be the sexy-assed solution to her problem.

Part human, part cyborg, and with a poison coursing through his system, Fergal's running out of time to find the scientist who has the cure. Unfortunately for him, the misfit crew of the Blood Hunter put a serious kink in his plans. And if the poison doesn't kill him, the hot little vamp he can't resist might do the honors herself...

Amazon     BN    Entangled     Goodreads


About the Author:

Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia, which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of nine-to-five work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain.

Nina writes all types of romance, often mixed with elements of the paranormal and science fiction.







Giveaway

2 sets of the paperback copies of the first three books in the series, Break Out, Deadly Pursuit and Death Defying

5 ecopies of Temporal Shift, book 4


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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Spotlight: Rush


Rush
Penelope Rivers

Genre: Gay Werewolf, M/M PNR

Publisher: ARe Books

Date of Publication:  July 1, 2015

ISBN: 9781943576142

Word Count: 50,000

Cover Artist: Erin Dameron Hill

Book Description:

Out of desperation and danger comes love. What a rush!

Strapped for cash, Dante Kinnaird agrees to sell a sample of his werewolf DNA to the owner of a security company intent on breeding fierce and fearsome dogs. Dr. Crios Mantzaris Karras III, a brilliant but arrogant scientist, creates the serum and gets on Dante’s last nerve. Dante can’t wait to cash his check and get away from this man.  

Crios’s ego takes more than a beating when his hybrid were-dogs become uncontrollable and terrorize the countryside. Dante knows he must make things right, and puts aside his feelings for Crios as they team up to stop these bloodthirsty monsters.

In the heat of battle, he never expected those feelings to change.


Excerpt:

Two hours later, Dante sat strapped in the chair as Crios ran his fingers over his bare arm, seeking out a vein so he could draw blood. The other man didn't hesitate before thrusting the needle straight into his inner elbow. Dante barely felt the needle dipping into his skin. To him, being prodded was nothing. 

Crios examined the dark crimson liquid that filled the syringe, his eyes gleaming. "Interesting."

"What's interesting?" Blood was blood, after all. 

Crios sighed as if dealing with the questions of the common man was oh-so-exhausting. "Werewolf blood looks the same as human blood."

A grin covered his face before he could stop it. "Did you think that werewolves bleed blue or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Blue blood? Whoever heard of such a thing? This is reality, not a comic book." Miffed, Crios shook his head. "I just wasn't sure what to expect. I've never worked with werewolves before, so for all I knew your blood could have had a different consistency and color than a human's."

"I take that to mean you haven't been gene mashing werewolves and animals for long?"

Crios picked up the vial of blood and transplanted it into a metal vat beside him. "No, I haven't. I didn't even know that werewolves existed until Norm shared the truth with me. And even then, I was skeptical until I did the research myself."

"I wonder how Norman discovered werewolves." He reminded himself to ask Norman when he returned from the restroom. Werewolves were a pretty well-kept secret, and for a good reason. If the human population discovered their existence, then their kind would never be left alone. 

Pulling a white cotton ball from his pocket, Crios rolled it between his thin fingers. "Norm told me that he saw a werewolf transform when he was walking home from a bar. After that, he couldn't get thoughts of werewolves out of his mind. He dug around and found out all about them."

Well, it looked like Dante hadn't needed to wait until Norman returned from the restroom to question the man after all. "The werewolf who was seen should have been more careful. Most of my kind tries not to transform in the presence of humans. It'll put us in danger."

"Accidents happen, I guess." Crios shrugged. "Open."

"What?"

"Open your mouth." Crios rolled his eyes. "I have to do a swab."

"Oh." He blinked in surprise before opening his mouth wide. Maybe he was being ridiculous, but he could only pray that his breath didn't stink.

The man ran the cotton swab along his cheek and then opened a plastic bag and put it inside. As Crios laid the bag next to the blood sample, Dante couldn't help but feel mounting curiosity in regards to this brilliant but socially inept person.

"Have you always liked science?" He noted how natural Crios appeared floating around in his lab coat. 

"Science isn't something I like as much as it is something that is in my blood." Crios pushed the glasses further up his nose. "I come from a family of scientists. My mother and grandfather were brilliant chemists. I, however, chose to specialize in a few different scientific fields. I figured that I'm smart enough to work in several different scientific areas at once."

I love how he had to add a little self-plug in there…"You just made it sound as though you don't like science."

"Like I said, science runs in my blood. That's all there is to it. It's not a matter of me liking or disliking it."

"But what's the point spending your life doing something you hate?" He'd rather spend his life trying his best at something he enjoyed even if he was crappy at it. "It sounds like you're setting yourself up for years of pain and misery. I don't know why you'd do that."

"I don't hate science. I just don't particularly like it." Crios stopped talking as his face became the color of a freshly plucked plum. "Why on earth am I talking to you about this? I shouldn't have to defend my life choices to a perfect stranger."

"Sorry."

Crios huffed and pulled another cotton ball from his pocket. "This is why I hate dealing with people. It's always so exhausting."

Other people were exhausting? Dante had once had to run fifty miles in one go, and that had tired him out less than this conversation. "Sorry I'm such a trial."

In response to his jab, Crios said nothing. Zilch. Nada. The guy probably hadn't even noticed his tone. 

"Do you have any family?" He wanted to know how Crios had ended up so much like, well, Crios.

"They're all dead." Not even a smidgeon of emotion crept into Crios's crisp voice. Dante had heard someone become more emotional about a deceased goldfish. 

Still Dante's stomach twisted. "I'm sorry." 

"Don't be. My parents were non-existent in my life even when they were alive." Once again, Crios delivered the earth shattering information with emotional detachment. It was strange that the man blew up over the eggs on his sandwiches, but spoke without remorse about his own dead family. 

"Still, you have to miss them." It would be impossible for him not to. 

"No, I really don't." 

The man had to miss them a little. "Not at all? Oh, come on." 

Annoyance flickered in Crios's steely eyes. "No, I don't. Not at all. Not even in the slightest bit."

The words made Dante fall silent. 

"Open," Crios snapped, prodding his lips with a cotton ball. 

At once, he opened his mouth.


About the Author: 

Penelope Rivers is an erotic novelist of M/M romance novels and short stories. A hopeless dreamer, she spends her day thinking about all things fantasy, romantic and not. It is her view that when you start choking on the occasionally dry bread of life, you need something sinfully delicious to chase it down with. Currently, she lives in Utah with an abnormal amount of pets.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009714120727

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4998872.Penelope_Rivers

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Monday, July 20, 2015

Guest Post: Why Shifters? by Tami Lund


Of Love and Darkness
Twisted Fate
Book One
Tami Lund

Genre: Paranormal, Shifters

Publisher: Soul Mates Publishing

Date of Publication: June 24, 2015

ASIN: B00ZJ7SRB8

Number of pages: 181
Word Count: 60k

Cover Artist: Syneca Featherstone

Book Description:

OF LOVE AND DARKNESS kicks off the new Twisted Fate shape-shifter series. There are two kinds of shifters: Rakshasa and Light Ones. Rakshasa want to snack on human bones. Light Ones want to protect the humans.

Unfortunately, the Rakshasa are currently winning the battle, as the Light Ones are not fertile. Only one type of Light One, exceedingly rare females called Chala, are able to produce offspring. The Rakshasa know this, and have managed to nearly decimate the population.

Enter Gavin Rowan, a cursed Rakshasa who believes he is a Light One. He feels all his Rakshasa urges to kill, but has been cursed to protect the Light Ones instead.

Throw Sydney Amataya into the mix. She is a Chala– except she doesn't know it. At least not until Gavin saves her from a Rakshasa attack and then declares her as his mate.

But that’s not how Sydney operates. Encouraged by her cross-dressing Fate, William, she refuses Gavin’s claim. If he wants to mate with her–once she gets over the shock of discovering this supernatural world, that is–he's going to have to woo her, impress her, wine and dine her. Romance her. She deserves no less, end of the world be damned.

Available at Amazon


Guest Post: Why Shifters?

Here’s a question: why shifters? I’ve now started two series centered around shifters – the Twisted Fate Series (Of Love and Darkness is the first of three books) and the Lightbearer Series. Twisted Fate is entirely about shifters, while Lightbearer was supposed to be about magical beings called, well, Lightbearers. Yet when I threw shifters into the mix in that series, it became about shifters. How did that happen?

The answer is simple: shifters are one of my favorite genres to read. So not coincidentally, I also happen to enjoy writing about them. They are sexy, strong, powerful, hot, did I mention sexy? In my reasonably extensive research, I have learned a few things about these seductive alpha beings.

I’ve learned they all have one thing in common. All shape shifters have the ability to change from human form into…something else. And that, as far as I have been able to determine, is the single aspect that defines every shifter in every book I’ve ever read or written. Beyond that, well, every author interprets them a little differently. Which is the way it should be, right? We’re talking magic, and magic is defined by the imagination of the person writing it.

Some shifters can only change into the form of one animal. These are typically referred to as were-animals (werewolves, were-bearers, were- you get the picture). Others are able to shift into pretty much any animal, or, as I like to explain in my books, the form of any warm-blooded being. The shifters in my Lightbearer Series can even shift into the form of birds, if they are so inclined. This comes in handy when one wants to escape rapidly and he’s on the second floor or at the top of a cliff (both situations occur in the first book in this series).

Many shifters’ clothing cannot shift with them. The clothing is either shed before the shift or, if the shift must occur with little notice, the clothing is torn to shreds when the body changes and alters, and the shifter must figure out another means of covering his naughty bits when he returns to human form.

The shifters in my books can shift while wearing clothing, and when they return to human form, their clothing returns to their body exactly as it was before the shift. I admit, I made this decision out of convenience. I considering the no-clothing route because, let’s be honest, that makes more sense, from a non-magical standpoint. But I was having a difficult time writing the whole, “Hold on, I have to strip and hide my clothing for later” aspect into the various scenes and plots and sub-plots of the series. So I decided if magic can make a person change from human to animal, then magic can make that person’s clothes reappear when they return to human form.

Some shifters have the ability to speak to each other telepathically. Some are able to harness other forms of magic, too. Some have glowing eyes. In my Lightbearer series, the shifters’ eyes glow when they are feeling strong emotions. Anger, frustration, sadness, passion. Even if the shifter is trying to act stoic and passive, the object of his desire, if she is smart enough, can figure out pretty easily that he feels something, if his eyes are glowing. It’s practically a declaration of love.

Or lust.

Some shifters eat only red meat. Actually, the desire to eat red meat might possibly qualify as the second thing all shifters have in common, now that I think about it. Or maybe not. A vegetarian shifter could make for an intriguing storyline.

Many shifters have obsessive, jealous personalities. Like a dog, protecting his bone. Or his house. Or his mate. My shifters have this trait. In fact, it plays heavily into the next couple of books in the Lightbearer series.

I’m sure I’ve missed a few common traits. What other traits do you notice in your favorite books about shifters or weres? Which common traits are your favorite?



Excerpt:

It was silent for long moments before Sydney realized the two animals had stopped fighting. She risked a quick glance over her shoulder and saw that one of them, the larger, bulkier one lay on the ground in a pool of blood, his lifeless eyes staring at her, unseeing. Sydney swallowed back bile and turned away from the grisly scene.
And found herself staring at Gavin’s T-shirt-covered chest, as he crouched in front of her and cradled her wounded arm with more gentleness than she would have given him credit for. She tried to wrench her arm free and let out a gasp of pain.
“Stop moving,” Gavin commanded in his gravelly voice. He gently slid her shredded coat off her shoulder, as if he meant to inspect the wound more closely.
“Where the hell were you?” Sydney demanded. “I just got attacked by a rabid dog. A really big dog. I need to go to the hospital. I need a rabies shot. Damn it, that hurts.” She hissed as he ripped off the arm of her sweater, instead of trying to tug the entire thing over her head.
“Hey,” she protested, “that’s my favorite sweater.”
Gavin gave the sweater a look that indicated he could not quite understand why it was her favorite, and then he prodded the wounds on her arm. Blood poured freely from four long slashes, dripping off the tips of her fingers and onto her now-ruined coat.
“I doubt he had rabies,” he muttered as he continued to inspect the wounds. “And I just rescued you, so you’re welcome.”
Sydney gaped at him. “Rescued me? Rescued me? You ran like a cat when somebody pulls out the water hose, you moron. There were two dogs. One jumped out at me and the other attacked him. They started fighting and I somehow got caught in the crosshairs. We should probably get the hell out of here though, because only one of them is dead back there. The other one might decide to come back and attack us.”
“He won’t,” Gavin said with an odd inflection in his voice. “But you’re right, there are others, and the scent of blood will bring them relatively quickly. Especially your blood. What are you?”
To Sydney’s utter horror, he leaned close to her wounded arm and sniffed, like a dog checking out another dog’s scent.
She gave her arm another jerk, but Gavin held her in a death grip. “What are you doing?” she asked as he bent closer still and then . . . licked her wounded arm.
“Ew!”
Gavin’s eyes glazed over, as if he had fallen under some sort of spell. He blinked dazedly for a few heartbeats, his hands grasping her arm in a tight enough grip she thought the appendage might go numb. And then he bent his head and licked her wounds again, this time with earnest, licking over and over, as if he intended to clean up every last bit of blood. By the time the entire area was cleansed of all traces of blood, he was panting heavily and his eyes were still glazed. Sydney couldn’t be certain, but the bulge in his pants seemed to have gotten larger.
“Gross,” she snapped. “Now I have to get a rabies and a tetanus shot. I hate shots. Can you get hepatitis this way? I bet you have some sort of sexually transmitted disease, and now you’ve given it to me.”
“No disease,” he managed between pants and licks.
“I’m supposed to take your word for it? Get away from me.” She twisted her shoulder, and slid her arm out of a grasp that had gone slack. She was startled that she only experienced a twinge of pain, and when she looked down at her arm, her eyes widened as she realized the four long gashes were no longer bleeding, and in fact, appeared to actually be healing right before her eyes.
“What the . . .?”
“Chala,” Gavin whispered, his eyes still glazed and, were they glowing? It was the third time that evening she thought she saw glowing eyes. Sydney glanced up at the darkened, cloudy sky and wondered if it wasn’t some trick of the lights in downtown Detroit.
“Chala,” he whispered again.
Sydney gave him a cross look. “My name isn’t Chala.”
“You are a Chala,” Gavin said. The glazed look faded from his eyes, and while they still appeared to glow faintly, they had taken on a far more calculating look. Despite her current situation, she couldn’t help but think he had lovely silver-blue eyes.
“And you are my mate.”



About the Author:

Tami Lund likes to live, love, and laugh, and does her best to ensure the characters in her books do the same. After they've overcome a few seemingly insurmountable obstacles first, of course.

Tami is multi-published, both self and with a few publishers, including Crimson Romance, Liquid Silver Books, and Soul Mates Publishing. Chances are, there is a new book coming out soon. Be sure to stalk her on social media, so you know when.

And most important, if you enjoyed one of Tami's books, please let other readers know by leaving a review on the site from which you bought it, or on Goodreads. Otherwise, how will they know which book to read next?


Newsletter Signup: http://eepurl.com/baCo4j








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Thursday, July 2, 2015

Guest Blog by T.W. Mordrake


Succubus: Shadows of the Beast
T.W. Mordrake

Genre:  Paranormal and Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Nocturnal Trinity

Date of Publication: May 16th, 2015

ASIN: B00WV6L28A

Number of pages: 475 pages
Word Count: 138,000 words

Cover Artist: Ravenborn

Book Description:  

Entering the real world after college often educates one to the true horrors of the harsh obstacles life has to offer. For Kailey Yates the discoveries are far more terrifying and dangerous. Two days before she graduated with a degree in investigative journalism, her brother Vincent is found dead in his swimming pool with a syringe stuck in his arm. His death is ruled as a suicide, but Kailey doesn't buy it.

She suspects Vincent's new wife Cassie is the one who actually killed him. Her suspicions are drawn from his rapid health deterioration during his short six month marriage. During one of her last Skype conversations she had with Vincent, Kailey's roommate Raven witnesses their conversation and immediately senses that Vincent is being soul-drained by a succubus. Since Raven is a witch, Kailey has no doubt about her friend's perception and concludes that Cassie must be the demon responsible.

Kailey leaves Boston and flies to Seattle for her brother's funeral. While there she investigates the circumstance surrounding his death. She uncovers dark information that leads her to Nocturnal Trinity, a nightclub in the heart of Seattle. And worse, the underground club is run by a powerful alliance of vampires, demons, and witches that wish to protect Cassie at all costs, which includes killing Kailey or anyone else if necessary.

Warning: Adults 18+ due to adult theme/scene.

Available at Amazon


Excerpt: Chapter One

Kailey Yates knew that her brother Vincent would never have killed himself had it not been for his new wife, Cassie.  And yet, Kailey stood at Vincent’s graveside while the workers prepared to lower her brother’s casket into the cold ground, his final resting place.

The gray overcast Seattle sky with its chilly swirling mists set the mood for the burial and the gloom that also possessed her broken heart.  The towering leafless oaks in the cemetery were sinister skeletons forewarning that the dangerous kiss of winter’s death would soon settle over them, harsher than ever before.

One never escaped death, but sometimes death came too early with an unfairness that made Kailey want to scream at the heavens from her inner rage and loss.  After all, her brother had been a successful attorney in his early thirties and destined to become the first in their family that had graduated from college to live a prosperous lifestyle.  He was never a man who entertained suicidal thoughts.

The workers and his ritzy friends from the Langston Law Firm had come out in great number.  She estimated no less than one hundred people had arrived.  Never had she seen so many expensive suits and vehicles.  Coming from a modest middleclass family, she never imagined she or her brother would rub elbows with the upper class of society, but he had been adamant that they would be wealthy and worked painstakingly to get them there.

While the priest gave the eulogy, the men and women stood stoically silent, their eyes staring at Vincent’s casket.  The priest finished speaking and led the audience in a proper prayer, praying that Vincent’s soul found forgiveness and mercy for leaving this world by suicide.

How fitting, Kailey thought, wringing her hands.  Blame the innocent for what the murderer did.

While the others respectfully closed their eyes, she gazed around, trying to see Cassie, but the two men standing in front of her sister-in-law blocked Kailey’s view.  Moments after the priest finished his lengthy ill-placed prayer, the wealthy people mingled to hug, shake hands, and chat.

The slight breeze swirled Kailey’s long reddish-brown curls, forcing her to pull her hair back and letting it fall onto her back and shoulders.  Her jaw suddenly tightened, hiding the wrinkles that deepened into cute dimples whenever she smiled.  Her hazel eyes suddenly blazed with anger and vengeance.

Across the grave Cassie stood dressed in a form-fitting black skirt that accentuated her perfect curves and perhaps distastefully revealed more leg than what was suitable at a funeral for one’s husband.  Her tight long-sleeved jacket cut off at her midriff, revealing her well-defined abs.  She wore black-netted hose and velvety black high heels.  Hell, streetwalkers wore more clothes in this cold weather.

Cassie hid her pale face behind a white handkerchief and sobbed.  Kailey understood how a man might be immediately drawn to Cassie’s exquisite beauty.  Her slender oval face with high cheekbones gave her a regal presence even at this dismal funeral.  She carried herself with the utmost grace, in spite of her poor choice of attire, but she also had a seductively dark energy radiating from her.

When Cassie’s dark eyes met Kailey’s, Cassie lowered her hands and meekly folded the handkerchief.  Her tearless eyes weren’t even slightly tinged red.  A bit of amusement curled Cassie’s pouty lips.  An odd flicker of recognition blazed in her eyes and hinted slight detestation, even though they had never met in person.  Kailey felt the resentment and didn’t understand why, unless Cassie had somehow figured out that Kailey suspected her of murdering Vincent, which Kailey did.  Perhaps Cassie read it in her eyes.  Or worse, perhaps this she-devil could read Kailey’s thoughts.

Moments later, Cassie broke their connection and returned to her fake sobs, wiping at her eyes with the cloth in a way that demanded pity from the solemn onlookers.

One of Vincent’s former attorney friends wore a gray pinstriped suit and overcoat.  He approached Cassie to console her.  He was trim with brown hair, a firm jaw, and offered a tender smile as he spoke to the widow.  She buried her face against the man’s chest.  Obviously surprised by her approach, he gently patted her back from an awkward distance, but Cassie aggressively wrapped her arms around him.  To lessen his discomfort in the situation, he finally leaned in closer and embraced her.

She nuzzled against his chest, reached beneath his jacket, and clung to him.  Her body shook with what people nearby might consider being violent heaving sobs.  He rested his chin atop her head and whispered.  His hands gently rubbed her back, and she seemed to calm at his touch and gentle words.  She stopped sobbing and became less broken.

Don’t you see that those tears aren’t real?  A slight breeze rustled Kailey’s long flowing brown hair.  Instead of remorse for her brother’s death, she felt a growing resentment toward his widow.  A bitter taste came to the back of her throat, and she fought the rising gag reflex from seeing this woman’s blatant slutty behavior and utter disrespect for her husband.  What did Vincent ever see in you?

Kailey also battled the growing urge to march across the cemetery and rattle the woman with several jabs to Cassie’s face and swift punches to her stomach.

Another place.  Another time.

Kailey’s sister-in-law, even now, wore little makeup.  Her lipstick was a bright red hue, which made her pale reflection appear even lighter.  Her raven hair was neatly styled with silver pins and sprigs of Lady’s Breath.  Her pretend tears had not smudged the dark mascara around her eyes, and with her ashen complexion she resembled a corpse better than her brother probably had at his viewing.  To others, even the hundred or more attending the funeral, she appeared stately, reserved, and the perfect widow.

Well played, Kailey thought.  You’ve fooled them, but not me.

Cassie was a cold parasite that had preyed upon Vincent, seduced him into marrying her, and then taken his life to possess his wealth and million-dollar estate.  Kailey couldn’t act on her suspicions alone.  She needed proof.  The coroner had ruled her brother’s death as a suicide, but she believed it was not.  Relevant details had never been disclosed to her, and she wanted answers.

Vincent had been murdered.  Cassie had killed him, made it look like a suicide, and Kailey was determined to prove it.

Soundtrack for Succubus: Shadows of the Beast
by T.W. Mordrake


While writing I do a LOT of research about cities, myths, legends, and so forth.  But I love writing to music and happened upon a group I had not heard of until I was working on the Succubus novel

The group is HIM and the album is “Dark Light.”  Since there are vampires in my novel, I found this album to be great musical inspiration while I wrote.  The song list is below.  Out of all the songs, “Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly” is my favorite.

The song title sounds violent, but when you get the songwriter’s meaning behind the song, it makes a lot more sense.  “In this song, Ville  valo is basically saying that it comes from a Greek mythology that they belived that if you ripped the wings out of a butterfly then they would live forever. Would you be able to destroy something buetiful to live forever and  are you willing to take a chance to ruin something beautiful (a butterfly. But in this case, he's using a metaphor. Ie butterfly = life) To take a risk (ripping the wings off = a relationship) in order to gain something greater (eternal life from ripping the wings off = Love).” (HIM blogspot Lyrics, http://himlyricss.blogspot.com/2011/02/him-lyrics-wings-of-butterfly-meaning.html )


1. "Vampire Heart"   4:46
2. "Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly"  
3:30
3. "Under the Rose"   4:50
4. "Killing Loneliness"  
4:29
5. "Dark Light"   4:31
6. "Behind the Crimson Door"   4:37
7. "The Face of God"   4:36
8. "Drunk on Shadows"   3:49
9. "Play Dead"   4:36
10. "In the Nightside of Eden"   5:40
Total length: 45:44


Another album that I’ve listened to for years is Nox Arcana’s Transylvania.  I bought this album in 2007.  The dark mood music is great as background while writing.  According to my iTunes player I’ve listened to the album more than 100 times.  Yeah, it’s that good!

Check these out, and perhaps you’ll understand why I found them so inspirational while I wrote Succubus: Shadows of the Beast.

T.W. Mordrake



About the Author:

T.W. Mordrake writes Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, and Fantasy.  A lover of all things mystical, T.W. explores the strange, unusual, and haunted places in the U.S., which lends to the underlying charm for writing about the paranormal creatures that lurk in the dark shadows of night.


@TWMordrake




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3 ebook copies of Succubus: Shadows of the Beast




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Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Spotlight: Idol of Blood

Idol of Blood
Looking Glass Gods 
Book 2
Jane Kindred

Genre: Dark fantasy 
with erotic and romantic elements/
LGBTQ

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Date of Publication: June 23, 2015

ISBN: 978-161922-372-1
ASIN: B00U3M5ZNM

Number of pages: 232
Word Count: 80K

Cover Artist: Kanaxa

Book Description:

The price of revenge may be her sanity…and the lives of those she loves.

No longer haunted by memories of her life—and death—as the Meer of Rhyman, Ra looks forward to a quiet existence with her lover Jak in the Haethfalt highlands. 

Having made peace with Ahr, her consort from her former life, Ra can finally explore her new relationship, free of the ghosts of the past—until she unwittingly unearths Jak’s own.

Out of instinct, she uses her Meeric power to heal the pain of Jak’s childhood trauma.

But all magic has a price, and Ra’s bill has come due.

Succumbing to the affliction inherent in her race, Ra flees to the mountain ruins where her mother’s temple once stood. As the madness takes hold, she resurrects the ancient city of AhlZel in a tremendous act of magic that seals her fate—and threatens to destroy those who would give up everything to save her from herself.

Product Warnings: Contains dark themes, violence, gender-bending sex, and recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse.

Available at Amazon   BN   iTunes   Kobo   Samhain

Book One Available on Amazon  iTunes  BN  Kobo Samhain

Excerpt:

Since the light was beginning to lower, they set up camp, only a dozen leagues from the green riverbanks of Rhyman. Jak and Geffn lay on either side of Ra, a peculiar triad of necessity, and Geffn, fatigued, was asleep almost instantly.

Ra curled away from him toward Jak beneath her blanket, eyes seeming to glint like a cat’s, though nothing else was visible in the darkness. “We haven’t really had a moment alone since…” The soft murmur trailed off. Jak knew precisely what moment Ra meant. Before they’d left Rhyman; before Ra had disappeared in the night to rescue little Pearl—a Meerchild bred in captivity and kept in a cage by the prelate of In’La; before Ra had set fire to the temple there, and the prelate with it, Jak had thrown caution to the wind and climbed into bed with a goddess. The commitment to celibacy Jak had tried to maintain since before Ra’s arrival in Haethfalt had been tossed aside like a cheap shirt.

After returning to Rhyman with Pearl, Ra had made no further overtures toward Jak, and Jak hadn’t presumed to make any toward Ra.

“It’s all right. We don’t need to—” The weak protest died on Jak’s lips as Ra’s descended on them. Her kisses had a tendency to take one’s breath away, as if she gathered it all into herself, holding it, holding time, before giving it back.

When she finally let them both breathe, Ra slid beneath the blanket and rested her head on Jak’s breast. “I could deepen Geffn’s sleep.”

Jak considered it for a rash moment before squelching the thought. “No. That wouldn’t be fair to him.” That was an understatement. Screwing one’s new lover while asleep next to the jilted lover whose heart one had recently broken would be in bad form, to say the least. And it would add more to that invisible price Ra must be paying if she were to expend magical energy when she had so little physical energy to spare. “We’ll have time enough when we get home.”

“Home.” Ra snuggled closer. “That sounds very nice. I’ve never had a home before. Just a temple.” She said the word as if it meant “jail”. While she spoke, however, her hand moved down Jak’s arm with feathery strokes, dipped over Jak’s hip and across Jak’s belly, and played at the loose drawstring waistband, fingers just inside it.

Jak placed a hand over Ra’s, meaning to stop her, but Ra entwined their fingers and slid them lower. As if it were an act of self-pleasuring, Ra used Jak’s fingers to delve deeper and press against the supple flesh, tentative, leisurely motions encouraging Jak to show her how to proceed.

“When we return to Mound RemPetaJakGeffnMelKeirenRa—” She murmured the absurdly long name of their Haethfalt household as if they were only having a quiet conversation—“I’d like to make a quilt by hand.” She drew Jak’s fingers in a complex pattern, up and down, over and across, doubling back in infinity symbols that ended in sharp, insistent points, like the edges of rings bisecting each other. “Do you like this pattern?”

Jak shivered and breathed ascent as Ra pressed Jak’s fingers into the center point of the bisection. Her motions became smaller, tighter and more definitive.

“Some little rosettes where the squares join,” Ra whispered. “One. Two. Three. Four…” She demonstrated. “With a diamond in the center. Right…there.”

Jak had to grab the blanket and bite down on it to keep the sweet little crooning howl Ra had inspired from escaping audibly.

“And another, there.”

Jak struggled not to thrash, rationing sharp rhythmic breaths into the fabric of the blanket.

“And there.”

Oh gods.

“And then just there.”

In the grip of a wave of pleasure so intense it was almost unbearable, Jak clutched Ra’s hand so she could no longer effect her blissful torment, the other hand digging into the bedroll as pantomimed moans were buried in the crook of an elbow.

“Perhaps in peacock blue with threads of gold,” Ra continued as if she hadn’t just destroyed Jak utterly, her other hand casually stroking once more up Jak’s arm. “The colors of Ludtaht Ra. Though it may be time for new colors. I’ve always liked indigo.” She nestled against the hollow of Jak’s neck, putting a little kiss there before relaxing with a sigh to match Jak’s heaving breath. “Does that work for you?”

It took a moment to remember how to swallow and speak. “Work for me?” Jak let out a nervous, whispered laugh. “Just about killed me. I’m crazy about it.”


About the Author: 

Jane Kindred is the author of epic fantasy series The House of Arkhangel’sk, Demons of Elysium, and Looking Glass Gods. She spent her formative years ruining her eyes reading romance novels in the Tucson sun and watching Star Trek marathons in the dark. She now writes to the sound of San Francisco foghorns while two cats slowly but surely edge her off the side of the bed.












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