Spotlight on #ParanormalRomance: Claimed Series, by @AndreaRCooper
Hello Dear Readers! Fellow Champagne Books author Andrea R. Cooper is here today with not one, but four books from “Claimed,” her paranormal romance series. Read on for info and excerpts. Enjoy! xo, Celia
Title: Claimed
Series & #: Claimed, book 1
Author: Andrea R. Cooper
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Champagne Books
Date of 2nd Publication (new cover): August, 2019
ASIN: B07X3VDJBX
Page Count: 313
Renee Maxwell lands her dream job as assistant to archaeologist Damon Cubins in wondrous Turkey. However, she starts seeing strange things after finding a unique crystal. For one, hot Damon now looks like the sexy demi-god and underwear model of her dreams. Her feminist ideals are challenged with each bit of banter and seductive look he gives her, but she’s not falling for his charm.
Time is of the essence for incubus, Damon Cubins, who must find a one-of-a-kind crystal or turn into a full-fledged demon. He has neither the time nor desire for love, but his new assistant tests his resolve. When he discovers she’s got the crystal he needs to save himself, he must make a decision to either romance it from her or walk away. But can he?
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Claimed Excerpt
After his nod, she breathed out a sigh. She looked as if she anticipated that he would haul her back into the water for a lesson. Her movements reminded him of abused animals. He speculated that most people, who couldn’t swim but who may have grown up around water, would try to learn unless they experienced a trauma or drowning in the past. Could that have happened to her? There was more to this situation than her usual stubbornness. Vulnerability even.
As she leaned over to finish filling her canteen, her ample bosom peeked out. His lust twisted at the thought of the sounds she would make when he kissed her nipples until they pebbled.
Suddenly, she jerked up, spilling some of the water. “Did you get a good enough view?”
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Without waiting for his reply, she stormed away.
Damon flopped backward, letting his body float. His mind drifted to images of making love to Renee in the river. After he helped her overcome her phobia, somehow. Hmm, he could kiss her down there while she treaded water.
Nah, she’d never go for it.
This is a business trip. No time for sleeping with the staff, no matter how sexy they are when arguing with him.
Title: Fallen
Series & #: Claimed, book 2
Author: Andrea R. Cooper
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Champagne Books
Date of Publication: September, 2019
ASIN: B07XDF3D3D
Page Count: 278
She has seduced men everywhere…but never fallen in love. Until now.
Succubus Adeline lost her powers. The crystal that all her kind crave has attached itself to her and rendered her powerless. Unless she finds a way to remove it, she’ll transform into a human–a fate worse than death.
Soon the tables are turned on the succubus, and the succubus finds herself the one at the mercy of desire.
Jack is running from vamps and weres. They want his hidden doppelgänger talents to locate a stone that enables weres to transform at will, but he just wants to be left alone. Now he has a bounty hunter after him.
In a race against time, vampires, and weres, Adeline and Jack travel from Boston to Greece to New Orleans to stay ahead of the hunters.
When Jack confronts a dangerous voodoo queen alone, Adeline learns that love is sacrifice. But will they both survive the lesson?
Fallen Excerpt
She scrolled through her cell as the taxi turned at a light, and Greek swear words were exchanged between their driver and an electric scooter rider. Jack’s eyes closed, and his head rested on the back of the seat, his cheeks pale.
What would she do if the order came from the master vampire who was after him? Jack tied himself to Beth in order to save Adeline. How can I repay him? The crystal latched onto her wrist caught the light. Right, if I don’t get this thing removed soon, all of my kin nearing 5,000 years will put a bounty on me. Visiting the Oracle, on behalf of a witchdoctor, would give her the chance to get information about removing the quartz without dying.
Her gaze glided over the Oracle voodoo doll. No, she’d probably be lucky if the Oracle didn’t strangle them when she met them.
Adeline dug out a mint and shivered when she pushed aside the cuffs in her purse. Snippets of hot memory of Jack on her made her debate sending the cab driver away for a few hours and straddling Jack. She offered him a mint and took one for herself. His hand brushed hers as the taxi took a sharp turn, its tires squealing.
Focus. It’s only his borrowed powers that make you feel this way. My powers. She checked her texts. Most were from men around the world asking when she’d come see them. Delete, delete, delete. Two messages from Renee, one from Damon, and one from her employer. She cringed.
Status update pronto. Never taken you this long to tag and bag a guy.
Yeah, well she’d never been without her abilities before. Working on it. She texted a reply.
Both of Renee’s notes were short, and the last one cryptic. You okay? Any update? And Call us when you can. We have something to discuss with you.
Damon’s text was blunt: Gotten the rock off yet? Or are you being chased?
Meaning by incubi and succubus who craved the crystal to amplify their gift and avoid becoming demons, or ones who already twisted and sought more wars and violence in the world of mankind. Of course, she’d tried everything to get it off. Even offered it to Damon and her succubus cousin, Samara, but the bracelet wouldn’t let go.
Title: Lyric
Series & #: Claimed, book 2.5
Author: Andrea R. Cooper
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Champagne Books
Date of Publication: April, 2017
ASIN: B06Y41CQCZ
Page Count: 139
No man can resist a siren’s song…
Cassie must convince a CEO to give her interior decorating company a chance at his offices in order to stay in the black. But even using her half-siren voice, he refuses. What can she do to change his mind?
Daniel Davis has a secret he’s paid hundreds of thousands to keep that way. Now when exotic Cassie marches into his office, he can’t stop thinking about her and makes her an offer. Be his date for a high-profile party and he’ll consider her company for his office redecorating project.
After an accident, Cassie gives Daniel her blood to heal him. Trouble is, if she can’t keep him alive, he’ll become a soulless ghoul.
Worse, someone is out to kill him. Can Cassie keep him alive…both in fighting her nature and from whoever is after him?
Lyric Excerpt
Cassie rummaged through Daniel’s kitchen. Where did he hide the alcohol? The refrigerator was full of Styrofoam and plastic containers, a carton of milk, and… Who puts peanut butter in the fridge? She took it out and placed it on the counter. At least she could have a snack while she searched for a beer. Finding the silverware, she dug out a large spoon and dipped it in the peanut butter. They nutty flavor coated her tongue and she sighed with pleasure. Okay, so cold it tasted it good, but smearing it on bread would be nasty work.
Her mouth pasty and dry, she spotted a cabinet at the far end of the cabinets. A wet bar! She seized a bottle of whiskey and downed most of it as she walked into the living room to check on Daniel.
He lay on his back, his legs dangling over the arm of the couch. Dark circles lined his closed eyes, but his breathing was steady and deep. At least the guy didn’t snore. Was he cold? She picked up a jacket that was draped across a leather chair and, a bottle of alcohol hanging in her hand, she trailed the jacket up and over his legs.
When he grasped her arm, she murmured, “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”
He blinked at her with dilated pupils, his lips full and inches from hers. “Am I dreaming?”
The huskiness of his voice sent a shiver through her.
“Then I can do this.” He stretched his other hand, grasping her behind her head and drawing her lips down to his.
He tasted soft and warm and delicious. Like chocolate and oranges. Moaning against his lips, she let the whiskey slip from her fingers and it rattled onto the wooden floor beside her. Daniel’s hands lifted her further onto the couch, until she was partially straddling him and somewhat kneeling. Hot desire shot through her and she nearly ripped off his clothes.
Her hands weaved into his dark hair. Inside, her siren side called, demanding to satisfy her sexual needs, then devour him. No, she must control this. Couldn’t she for once have love? Have a future with a man that made butterflies dance in her stomach whenever she was around him?
Title: Tainted
Series & #: Claimed, book 3
Author: Andrea R. Cooper
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Champagne Books
Date of Publication: April, 2019
ASIN: B07QBJQH18
Page Count: 223
She’s marked for death. He’s an incubus possessed by her enemy…and if she’s not careful, both of them could die.
Carla is the last, true surviving Oracle. If she doesn’t defeat her enemy who stole her ancestral powers, she’ll die within days. Except the woman with Carla’s powers, a woman who is supposed to be dead, has the ability to see the future and is hunting Carla.
Ty has lost everything including his own mind. It’s only a matter of time before his fiancée’s murderer takes over him completely. His only hope is to find a way to stop her, and if that means working with Carla, he’ll do whatever it takes. He just can’t lose his heart again.
When Carla slowly falls for Ty, their secrets place them both in more danger than she ever thought possible
About the Author
Andrea has always created characters and stories. But it wasn’t until she was in her late twenties that she started writing novels.
What happened that ignited the writing flame in her fingers? Divorced, and disillusioned by love songs and stories. They exaggerate. She thought. Love and Romance are not like that in the real world. Then she met her husband and realized, yes love and romance are exactly like the songs and stories say. She is now a happy wife, and a mom to three kids (two boys and a girl).
Andrea writes paranormal and historical romance. When not writing or reading, one may find Andrea dancing in Zumba.
She believes in the power of change and counting each moment as a blessing. But most importantly, she believes in love.
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Spotlight on #YA #Dystopian #SF #UF: The Unadusteds by @MarisaNoelle77
Hello Dear Readers!
Both this week and next, I have some fun paranormal fiction spotlights for you from my fellow Champagne Books authors. First up is Marisa Noelle with her gripping Young Adult Sci-fi/Urban Fantasy/Dystopian story, The Unadjusteds. Enjoy!
xo, Celia
Title: The Unadjusteds
Author: Marisa Noelle
Genre: YA dystopian, YA urban fantasy, YA sci-fi
Release date: November 2019
ISBN 10: 1948115034
ISBN 13: 978-1948115032
# or Pages: 414
Sixteen-year-old Silver Melody lives in a world where 80% of the population has modified their DNA. Known as the altereds, those people now possess enhancements like wings, tails, and increased strength or intelligence. Although Silver’s parents created the nanite pill used to deliver these genetic modifications, Silver is proud of her unadjusted state.
However, when the president declares all unadjusteds must take a nanite, Silver has no choice but to flee the city with her father and some friends to prevent the extinction of the unadjusteds.
With Silver’s mother in prison for treason, Silver’s father is the unadjusteds’ only hope at finding a cure. But time is running out as Silver’s father is captured by the president’s almost immortal army. Vicious hellhounds are on Silver’s trail, and her only chance to recover her father involves teaming up with a new group of unlikely friends before all humanity is lost.
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Excerpt
Chapter 1
“Get it down! Get it down!”
The crowd shrieks around me, jostling each other to reach the front.
A girl with swan wings tunnels past me, her feathers brushing my cheek as she takes off toward the school. A boy with scales stumbles and falls onto me. I regain my balance and continue fighting my way to the front of the growing crowd.
“Get it down! Get it down!” The chant grows louder.
A fairy type with wings from a morpho butterfly flutters above the crowd, smiling and clapping in rhythm with the chant. I spot a few unadjusteds among the gathering who hang back at the edges, their fearful expressions far different from the glee of the adjusteds, or as I like to call them, the altereds. They think they’re a class above, some perfect version of a human being. But really, they’re just a bunch of mutated DNA.
I push against the stab of sharp wingtips and pointed elbows, trying to find a gap, trying to catch a breath. Anxiety trembles through my limbs and I hesitate, the crowd pinging me in all directions. An agonized wail from the thickest part of the melee gives me the spur I need. With my head down, I barrel my way to the small clearing. I brace myself, already knowing what I’ll find.
“He’s foaming!” someone yells.
The fairy’s hands fly to her mouth and she screams. She kicks at the air, her ponytail bobbing about her shoulders. Two towering bulks in football jerseys laugh at her and slap each other’s backs.
More screams ripple through the gathering. Finally, I break free from the crushing crowd.
My heart drops.
A boy falls to his knees as thick, white foam pours from his mouth. His eyes bulge and his face turns beet red. His hands clutch at his neck as though he can wrestle away the pill’s effects. Just like Diana.
“Someone call an ambulance!” I bark at the immobile group. “Now!” I toss my cell phone to a girl with pixie ears and kneel so my eyes are level with the boy’s. Gripping his shoulders, I force him to look at me.
“You’re not alone,” I say, placing my hands either side of his face. “Please fight. Try. Hold on. The ambulance is coming.” Don’t be another Diana.
I shudder against the memories. The foam and the bulging veins.
It’s happening all over again.
Blood trickles from the boy’s nose, dripping onto his fresh, white T-shirt. He drops sideways, falling from my grip. His head smacks against the cement.
The pixie girl shouts into my cell phone about the blood and the foam and the gurgling and the choking. Just like I did for Diana over two years ago. But I already know it’s too late.
“What did he take?” I ask the now silent kids at the front of the group. “Which nanite pill did he take?”
“Bulk,” the fairy says quietly. She folds her wings into her back as her feet touch the ground, one foot tucked neatly behind the other.
I look toward the dying boy as his body convulses. He took the bulk nanite pill. He wanted to be a football player, big and strong and immortal with rock-hard skin. It’s a level ten nanite. The paperwork involved takes months, not to mention the expense. All for nothing. His body rejected the change. It happens sometimes.
He reaches a hand toward me, and I hold it as he chokes out one final syllable, but I can’t tell what it is through the gurgling blood.
His hand falls limp. His bloody eyes see nothing; not the lone black bird flapping in the bright blue sky nor the crowd of worried students slowly shuffling backwards toward the school.
He’s dead.
About Marisa Noelle
Marisa Noelle is the writer of middle grade & young adult novels in the genres of science-fiction, fantasy & mental health. The Unadjusteds was released November 2019 and The Mermaid Chronicles – Secrets of the Deep is due out Spring 2020. She is a mentor for the Write Mentor program that helps aspiring MG & YA authors. When she’s not writing or reading or watching movies, she enjoys swimming. In the pool she likes to imagine she could be a mermaid and become part of some of her make-believe words. Despite being an avid bookworm from the time she could hold a book, being an author came as a bit of a surprise to her as she was a bit of a science geek at school. She lives in Woking, UK with her husband and three children.
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Spotlight on #LGBTQ #Romance: Girl Crazy by @RedLJameson
Hi Everyone! The second book in the multi-author Cupid Dating Agency series is out now! Details are below. I’m putting the finishing touches on my first of four books for the series, and will tell you about it soon! 🙂 Reminder: each story in the series is a unique, standalone read. Happy reading! xo, Celia…
Title: Girl Crazy
Author: Red L. Jameson
Series: The CUPID Dating Agency
Series #: #2 (standalone read)
Genre: lesbian romance, paranormal romance
Date of Publication: September 24, 2019
ISBN: 9781370721757
ASIN: B07XYGV64R
Page/Word Count: 113 pages
Join bestselling author Red L. Jameson for her first lesbian romance in this fun, funny, and free-spirited read!
Lia Hamasaki is smugly happy as a top editor at the world’s most prestigious publishing house. She’s been passing for human for more than twenty years—her angel wings carefully protected from sight. Those darn wings are her biggest secret. When she hears news that the Cupid Dating agency has found her match and she has to—by law, she has to!—meet a demon, she’s obviously disturbed. Her secret has been carefully kept for decades through a façade of sophisticated elegance and outright lies, and nothing and no one will reveal her secret.
Saphie is free—free from Lucifer’s dungeon where she’d been head writer for thousands of years, and she’s free from Lucifer’s torture. Not only that, but the ever-romantic demon has just been matched with an angel—be still her punk-rock, poetess heart. But as she meets the angel who could be the girl of her dreams, she realizes she won’t fit into the angel’s elegant world. Further, heartbreakingly, the angel doesn’t seem to want her in the first place.
But the law is the law, and the two opposites have to stay glued to each other for the next forty-eight hours where they have a snowball’s chance in hell to fall in heavenly love. But sometimes, especially when the Devil is in the details, those chances are worth the risk.
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About Red L. Jameson
Red L. Jameson lives in the wilds of Montana. While working on a military history master’s degree, she doodled a story that became her bestselling, award-winning romance, Enemy of Mine, part of the Glimpse Time Travel Series. After earning her gigantic master’s—the diploma is just huge, she couldn’t stop doodling stories, more Glimpse stories—because she can’t get enough of hunky Highlanders and buttoned-down Brits—and other stories, a paranormal romance series and contemporary series, which grew into the pen name R. L. Jameson, under which she writes cerebral and spicy erotic romance. She’s currently working on another master’s degree, so who knows what she’ll doodle next!
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About The CUPID Dating Agency
The secret is out: angels and demons walk among us. The Cupid Dating Agency, once merely responsible for aligning the fates of compatible humans, have expanded their portfolio. Operators of luxury cruises and charitable organizations are as valued as casinos and trendy bars, and it’s up to the cupids to find the angels, demons, and humans who will run these businesses. Should a heavenly attraction between the participants lead to all sorts of sinful fun, well, that’s just the icing on the cake.
Interested in Book #1? Check out “The Mediator” Spotlight –>
Spotlight on #UF #YA #PNR: Pictures of Dorianna by Catherine Stine
Hi Everyone! November is upon us and for me, that means Nanowrimo! I’m working on a new series I’ll share with you soon. Today, author Catherine Stine is here with her YA Urban Fantasy and a prize-packed giveaway, too. Enjoy! xo, Celia
Title: Pictures of Dorianna
Author: Catherine Stine
Genre: Urban Fantasy, YA paranormal romance
Publisher: Konjur Road Press
Release date: October 23, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-7333901-0-1
e-book: 978-1-7333901-1-8
ASIN: B07WGB5HQ6
# or Pages: 327
Word count: 90K
Cover Artist: Najla Qamber
Internet followers, beauty, power. It all sounded good. Until it transformed into a terrifying reality Dorianna couldn’t stop. New twist on Dorian Gray with the first-ever female lead!
When her father is jailed, her mother ships lonely, plain Dorianna to her aunt’s in Brooklyn, NY. There, Dorianna yearns to build a new identity, but the popular Lacey bullies her—mostly for getting attention from her ex, Ander.
Ander takes Dorianna to Coney Island where Wilson, a videographer, creates a stunning compilation of her. She dreams of being an online sensation, as she’s never even had a birthday party, and vows she’d give anything to go viral. Wilson claims he’s the Prince of Darkness and offers her the beauty and fame, even love she’s dreamed of—warning her that a pledge has its downsides. Dorianna has no idea of how dire those consequences might be.
She’s thrust into the spotlight, and an incomprehensible nightmare. Not only is she prettier, she’s gaining harmful powers of manipulation. When her dark forces grow beyond anything she can control, she’s desperate but clueless as to how to stop them.
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Wilson taps impatiently on the keypad. “You want beauty and youth forever, Dorianna? I can give you that. Power over those mean girls; over a lot of people? It’s yours for a price. Just say it.” His eyes are golden and black and red all at once, like unearthly spears, piercing through me. I’m dizzy. I need fresh air now. But I want this promise more than anything. Ever.
“What’s the price?” I rasp.
Wilson’s stare burns into me. “Can’t say exactly. But there always is.” His words are ice and fire. Flutters of snowflakes pattering silently under my skin that melt into scorching sparks.
I follow an irrepressible urge to stand up, and look down on Wilson with his narrow, feral face and piercings. I need Ander to look at me with that passion. I need those hater girls put in their place. I need a friend, and for people to want to be with me all of the time, to never be bored. Only to love me.
It’s worth any price.
A powerful force in me breaks loose, as if a flu bug is racing rampant down my spine.
“Would you… give your soul?” Wilson’s whisper invades my gut, my brain.
Ander’s aching gaze from our time at the beach shimmers in front of me. Enticing. I can almost feel his kiss. Like water. Drink it in. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want this. “I’d give anything for power, easy youth and beauty.” My voice comes from all around me, spreading, gluey on my skin. “Yes, I’d even give my… soul.”
The air spirals into a funnel, draining all oxygen from the room with a hiss.
So, so, soul.
In an instant, new air swoops in, suffused with rich, delicious minerals. I gulp it in, openmouthed, so very thirsty. “To be seen and accepted,” I murmur.
Wilson goes head to head with me. “Forget about just being accepted. How about having a following of millions, going viral?”
“Really?” I’m whirling. “Going viral.” Wilson’s promises are golden brands, anointing me, conferring an otherworldly legitimacy I’ve never, ever felt. How does he manage to do this?
Ander returns with the brownies. I luxuriate in the sexy new glint he’s giving me.
“Something feels different in here,” he notes. “It’s colder.” He puts the brownies down. Who needs sweets when he’s looking at me like this? Is this vow a real thing? Is it already working?
An unfamiliar power in me swells with precarious danger and weight as I study Ander and Wilson. Abruptly, I’m flung out of my body, inexplicably looking down on them as pitiful peons who will someday worship at my feet.
As two of the very, very many.
Then, I’m back inside myself stunned by how I was seeing them. The room seems to rush with the force of souls washing through, and I flinch when I hear them moaning. I tell myself it’s only the whir, whir of the hard drives.
About Catherine Stine
Catherine Stine is a USA Today bestselling author of historical fantasy, sci-fi thrillers, paranormal romance and young adult fiction. Her novels have earned Indie Notable awards and New York Public Library Best Books for Teens. She lives in Manhattan and loves spending time with her beagle, writing about witches and other fabulous creatures, gardening on her deck, and meeting readers at book fests.
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Spotlight on #postapocalyptic #darkfantasy: The Famished Trilogy by @theanniewalls
Hi Everyone! Author Annie Walls is here today with her post-apocalyptic trilogy. Perfect reading for Halloween. Read on and be sure to enter her tour giveaway, too. Happy Halloween! xo, Celia
Title: The Famished Trilogy Box Set
Author: Annie Walls
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic
Publisher: Annie Walls
Release date: October 1, 2019
# or Pages: 942
Word count: 314K
Cover Artist: Annie Walls
After surviving four years alone, Kansas Moore ventures from her refuge to uncover mankind resumes without her. Upon encountering Rudy Hawthorne, she plunges into a new world deep with secrecy, deception, and manipulation.
Kansas struggles to preserve her humanity from distorting and fading like that of society around her. Not only does she fight the undead, she battles for the resistance. Answers prove dangerous to seek as everything is not what it seems.
As Kan accepts comforts in new friendships and love, she soon realizes civilization isn’t the only thing worth fighting for.
In an exhilarating plot thick with twists and turns, The Famished Trilogy propels you through a unique journey that’s emotional as much as it is gripping. Nothing will prepare you for the ride.
Title: Taking on the Dead
Series: The Famished Trilogy
Number: Book One
Author: Annie Walls
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic
Publisher: Annie Walls
Release date: Sept. 2012
ISBN 10: 1478276258
ISBN 13: 978-1478276258
ASIN: B009EB4YDU
# or Pages: 310
Word count: 107K
Cover Artist: Stephanie Mooney
Life for Kansas was perfect until the day the world changed. She has been hiding out for four years in solitude. It’s the only way to survive. The only way not to draw zombies. Helping a small group of people, she learns the new world might not be what she assumes.
Venturing out of her refuge and comfort zone, she meets Rudy, who helps her find a greater purpose. She realizes the world has moved on without her. Only it’s not what she expects. Her knowledge of the living dead grows and only makes her more curious as humanity continues to hang on by a thread.
While on her search for answers she finds comfort in new friendships and love, but her past seems as if it will haunt her forever. Kansas takes it upon herself to help other survivors, which would be easy if the famished were the only obstacles. In a post apocalyptic romance trilogy plot thick with twists and turns, this adult dark fantasy is emotional as much as it is horrifyingly gripping.
*Not intended for a young audience. Mature content.*
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Title: Controlling the Dead
Series: The Famished Trilogy
Number: Book Two
Author: Annie Walls
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic
Publisher: Annie Walls
Release date: November 2014
ISBN 10: 149361472X
ISBN 13: 978-1493614721
ASIN: B00G8JB1FU
# or Pages: 280
Word count: 95K
Cover Artist: Annie Walls
With the help of her new companions, the path Kansas follows leads to more knowledge of the ever adapting famished.
The team finds help in unlikely places, meeting more survivors, and discovers the possibility of a new beginning.
When the team experiences a devastating loss, Kansas struggles to keep her humanity from fading and distorting like that of the surviving society around her. It begins with knowing who to trust and who to leave behind. First, she must trust herself – she won’t make the same mistakes twice.
As the answers to her questions are revealed, Kansas begins to understand the knowledge comes with a heavy price and great responsibility of controlling the dead.
In a trilogy plot thick with twists and turns, this adult dark fantasy is as emotional as it is horrifyingly gripping.
*For Mature Audience*
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Title: Living with the Dead
Series: The Famished Trilogy
Number: Book Three
Author: Annie Walls
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic
Publisher: Annie Walls
Release date: July 20, 2019
ISBN 10: 1085805409
ISBN 13: 978-1085805407
ASIN: B07VGZ1L76
# or Pages: 370
Word count: 112K
Cover Artist: Annie Walls
For five years, life is strenuous for Kansas Moore as she travels with her team and saves more people from the clutches of the revolutionists. On the downtime, they construct and enlist for their own cause.
When the general assigns her to search for Mago, she turns to the team and what they find overturns everything they’ve learned so far.
In this dramatic conclusion of The Famished Trilogy, things are not what they seem and comfortable living is far from reach.
*This book contains graphic violence, intense language, sexual situations, drug use, and is intended for a mature audience.*
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About Annie Walls
Annie Walls is an author of dark and urban fantasy. She resides on the Tennessee countryside with her husband, son, and bulldog. Far, far away from society. She’s a romantic and misanthropist. When she is not writing, she is reading.
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Famished Trilogy Tour Giveaway
Prize = 1 Halloween-themed junk journal (value $85) and $25 Amazon GC.
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Spotlight on #ParanormalRomance #Werewolves: Lust by Lola Taylor
Hi Everyone! Say hello to author Lola Taylor. She’s here today with sexy werewolves from her Blood Moon Rising series. Enjoy an excerpt and be sure to enter the Bewitching Spooktacular giveaway, too! xo, Celia
Title: Lust
Number:Companion Novella to Book 2
Series: Blood Moon Rising
Author: Lola Taylor
Genre: Werewolf Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Indigo Dreamer Press
Release date: November 25, 2015
ISBN 10: 0983513171
ISBN 13: 978-0983513179
ASIN: B018PH0R84
# or Pages: 188
Word count: 42K
Cover Artist: Deranged Doctor Design
Takes Place During the Same Timeframe as Book 2 in the Main Series
Can love be born from hatred?
A WOLF WHO HAS SPENT HIS LIFE IN THE SHADOWS OF HIS PAST…
Beta werewolf—and ex–bounty hunter—Shadow knew when his Alpha commanded—er, “politely growled”—for him to attend the werewolf summit, that it was going to royally suck. Not only does he not want to fool around with all that royal werewolf bullshit, but he also knows he’s not exactly everybody’s favorite guy. Considering he ruined a lot of those werewolves’ lives in his old profession, he’ll be lucky if he can survive the weekend. Not to mention his mating Fever is driving him insane—and so is the feisty Alpha female he’s Marked as his mate.
A QUEEN OF WOLVES WHOSE REIGN IS THREATENED…
Spirited Breanna Whiteclaw is barely holding it together. With an ornery Alpha named Strider out to make her—and her pack —his own, and with her pack recovering from recent attacks by an unknown enemy, she has her paws full. Attending the summit means leaving her pack in their time of need, but as a royal werewolf, she knows she has no choice. Add to that the fact that her Blood Moon is approaching, and she has yet to find a mate—until the devilishly handsome Shadow Marks her as his own.
CAN LOVE BE BORN FROM HATRED?
Shadow never intended to go through with the mating ceremony—especially with the daughter of a man he killed. But his Fever has other plans. The more he’s around her, the more he craves her touch, longs to hear her voice, and aches to claim her.
From the moment Shadow’s Mark formed on her hand, Breanna knew her mate-bond was destined for failure. The bounty hunter responsible for her father’s death is the last wolf on this earth she could ever bind herself to forever. But if she wants to remain Alpha and save her pack, she might not have a choice. As Strider closes in on her, she finds herself relying on Shadow’s quiet strength—and craving those rough hands all over her curves.
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Shadow felt her watching him before he saw her.
His eyes followed his senses, locking onto a tall raven-haired woman with olive skin. Her eyes were slanted and deep brown, her brows thick and black, her lips full. Her features made her look like an Indian princess. Tribal tattoos of black ink covered her biceps and wrists in bands. The simplicity of her inky dress complimented the turquoise stones dangling from her ears. She was radiant.
And pissed as hell as she stormed over to him.
He raked his brain, trying to figure out who this woman was.
“How dare you show your face here, murderer!” she screeched, getting right in his face. Anger seethed from every pore in her lovely, toned body. Not that he was looking.
Eyes upward, mate.
He didn’t flinch at the flung insult. He’d been called worse.
Drake stepped up to stand beside him. “Breanna,” he said smoothly, ever the diplomat. “I see you’ve met my new head of security, Sh—”
“I know who he is,” she spat, still glaring at him. “He’s the man who murdered my father.”
Stunned silence followed the statement. It was the first time Shadow had seen Drake struck speechless. A crowd had gathered around them as people pretended to be chatting but were secretly listening to the fight.
Freaking rubberneckers.
Drake at last shook his head and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, you must be mistaken.”
“No,” Breanna said coldly, holding Shadow’s gaze. The burning fire in her eyes only made her more attractive. Breanna… Breanna… why couldn’t he remember who she was? “I’ll never forget the face of the man who killed Bear Whiteclaw.”
Bear White… Oh fuck.
This was his daughter? Shadow remembered seeing her at his trial, giving a passionate testimony that nearly had the jury ruling in favor of killing his ass. He hadn’t recognized her. She’d changed in the years since they’d met. She’d grown more into a woman.
A harder, colder version of the tearful pup mourning over her father, a man who deserved to rot in hell for the crimes he’d committed against mankind and paranormals alike. Killing Bear Whiteclaw had been doing the world a favor. Instead, it had earned him the scorn of a lot of people, including the fiery female in front of him.
Words of apology dried up in his mouth. How did you say you were sorry for something like that? “Miss, I—”
“What? You’re sorry? Don’t you dare lie to me, you son of a bitch.” Her dainty hands formed fists, which trembled at her sides. Blood dribbled between her fingers, dripping to the floor. Her claws must have come out. He’d bet his retirement she was itching to tear his face off. She’d probably smile while doing it.
A tall blond man who looked as if he could bench press a bus walked up to Breanna and whispered something in her ear. The tension eased out of her, but only slightly.
She stepped up to Shadow, her lips brushing his cheek and making him shiver.
“If it’s the last thing I do,” she whispered, “I’ll kill you.”
In one fluid motion, she was gone. He watched her walk away, his body too wired from the heat burning through him.
A fire that had blazed to life the second her lips had caressed his skin with the threat of death.
About Lola Taylor
“Lola Taylor” is a pen name created for the romances I can’t show my grandma without blushing. My favorite genre to write is romantic suspense, usually involving hot werewolves, warlocks, or any other type of paranormal creature. Keep the action hot and the romance hotter—that’s my motto! I’m a horror film junkie, I still love Halloween as an adult (seriously, I think I get more excited for it than some kids do), and what precious spare time I have is spent with my family, reading (everything from sci fi to middle grade), playing the flute, painting pretty pictures, or screwing around on Pinterest or Etsy. Hailing from the South, I currently live in the Midwest with five fur babies and my hubby.
Spooktacular Giveaway
Lola Taylor’s prize in the multi-author giveaway: 5 ecopies of Forever, a sequel to Lust. (Features the same couple. Winners will receive a Bookfunnel link to download their choice of format.)
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Spooktacular Spotlight on #ParanormalRomance: T.L. Christianson’s Shades of Red Series
Hi Everyone! It’s a spotlight on two books today from T. L. Christianson’s Shades of Red series. Enjoy an excerpt plus TL’s viewing recommendations for Halloween. Be sure to enter the giveaway, too! Enjoy! xo, Celia
Title: Scarlet – Taming the Thirst
Series: Shades of Red #2
Author: T.L. Christianson
Genre: Paranormal Romance / Thriller-Suspense
Publisher: Myth and Moon Press
Release date: 12/04/18
ASIN: B07J6SGQY1
ISBN: 978-1097339587
# or Pages: 284
Word count: 86K
Cover Artist: German Creative
Sarah’s determined to cure the vampire plague…if she can control her bloodlust.
Sarah’s determined to cure the vampire plague…if she can control her bloodlust. To keep her in line, sexy, soldier Karsten has been assigned to her. He may be just what the doctor ordered…
A rogue scientist is infecting the Moroi of the world with a deadly disease, and one woman is willing to risk it all for the cure. Dr. Sarah Shepard doesn’t let anything get in her way. She’s a renegade virologist who’s on a mission to find a cure.
However, as a new vampire, her out-of-control bloodlust has ruined her marriage, taken her kids and continues to plague her at every turn.Karsten Ingvar is an elite Danish soldier who specializes in taming new vampires. When he takes an assignment to help the prestigious Dr. Shepard, he can’t help but be fascinated and compelled by her determination and beauty.Together, they begin to track down this madman, but the more they learn, the more questions they have.When Karsten’s centuries-old past steps between him and Sarah, she’s forced to make an unthinkable choice between her love for the soldier and her old life.
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I’m Dr. Sarah Shepard, and I’m a vampire.
Apparently, my “blood lust” has become an issue for my employers, and I’ve been assigned this crazy cute soldier. But, I’ve got a better use for his skills…no…not that, as tempting as it is. Don’t be so dirty minded…
No, someone out there has created a disease that’s ripping through the moroi world. With our combined skills, I’m going to find this scientist, capture him and cure this disease once and for all!
I know this can’t make up for the loss of my husband and my children, but it’s a start.
Title: Ruby – Blood is Thicker Than Water
Series: Shades of Red #3
Author: T.L. Christianson
Genre: Paranormal Romance / Thriller-Suspense
Publisher: Myth and Moon Press
Release date: 6/25/19
ASIN: B07R1M3L9S
ISBN: 978-1073899142
# or Pages: 300
Word count: 68K
Cover Artist: German Creative
Caught between a vampire clan leader and a sexy human bounty hunter, Hazel Richards, unfortunately, can’t have them both.
Finding herself kicked out of her clan, job, and Manhattan apartment, Hazel teams up with bounty hunter Alexei. Their target is the Butcher, a notorious killer of Vampires. During the investigation, sparks fly between the two. However, Hazel’s clan leader, Aurev, won’t escape her mind. She’s been close to him for almost 80 years. Surely, she’d know if Aurev wanted more…or would she?
When a cryptic thumb drive comes in Hazel’s life, it implicates her clan and could spell ruin for them all. Alexei already has a job, but he’s willing to abandon a rich reward to help solve the mystery. But he might not help her if he knows that she’s devoted to her leader. Is Aurev really unattainable or has he harbored feelings for Hazel all along? Is Alexei who she really wants or is he just a backup?
A sexy bounty hunter, a loyal clan leader, a mysterious thumb drive and a threatening letter. Someone’s accusing the New York vampire clan of treachery and Hazel has to figure it out before her world comes crashing down!
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T.L. Christianson’s Top 10 Halloween Movies
Halloween is my most favorite holiday! There are so many reasons why I love it! The air has become crisp and clean, with a scent of leaves and rain. There’s a bustle of hurry as all the fields begin their final harvest for the year, and a sense of celebration is in the air. Besides, I have a huge sweet tooth and what better way to celebrate eating some candy and the change of seasons than with a movie? Here are my top 10 films, enjoy!
10 – Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)
This is such a classic vampire movie. Buffy’s scrunchie, bunchy socks, and big bangs will take you back to the ’90s. Buffy deals with all the stereotypical “girl” problems like boys and periods, but manages to kick butt and look good while doing it. Even though it’s been eclipsed by the Buffy TV series with Sarah Michelle Gellar, this movie is still a fantastic flick and will forever feel like Halloween to me.
9 – Ghostbusters (1984)
Nothing says spooky and Halloween like this original film. Ghostbusters is such a classic that it’s been duplicated, imitated but never replicated. It’s fun and scary, and I just love the entire storyline. If you haven’t seen this movie, stream it tonight!
7 – Scooby Doo (2002)
Alright, this movie is kind of a guilty pleasure for me. It shouldn’t be good, it should be terrible, but for some reason I love it. As a Nancy Drew fan and a definite old school Scooby Doo fan, this movie just struck a sweet spot for me. For Halloween, this is a go-to film.
6 – The Village (2004)
Yas Queen…The Village. I love the entire premise of this movie. While it has some big names like Sigourney Weaver, I don’t think it’s that well known. I love The Village because the story has such a surprising reveal midway through, flipping the entire paradigm the original plot is built on. This scary story has a ring of plausibility for me, and that’s why it’s on my Halloween top 10 list.
5 – Practical Magic (1998)
This falls into the classic witch tale catagory. Two spinsters raising little girls, a curse and best of all the most fantastic house ever! This house has its own cult following. I mean part of watching this movie is to see this house…am I right? Also, with heavy hitters like Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, Practical Magic makes magic feel practically real.
4 – Zombieland (2009)
Ah man, what’s not to love? This is a super fun, modern zombie flick. There’s a nerd, a pretty girl, zombies, and Bill Murry. If you haven’t seen this little-known film, go check it out!
3 – The Craft (1996)
This movie seemed dangerous and forbidden to me as a youth, but I love this film for the sheer believability of it. If four teenagers had magic, how would they use or misuse their power and what would the consequences be? I’d think kind of like this.
3 – Lost Boys (1987)
“Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never Die. It’s fun to be a vampire.”
I think the Lost Boys were the first sexy vampires—I mean they were scary and total hoods, but this movie is funny, frightening and hot as hell.
2 – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
This is the first movie of the Harry Potter series, which has been wholly capitalized on in the last 18 years it’s been out. From Diagon Alley being recreated in the swamps of Florida to actual grown adults running around with sticks between their legs to imitate Quidditch (a game on flying broom sticks to those of you living under a rock.) Nevertheless, I will always love this book and movie because of the sheer enchantment, hope, and wonder it evokes. It’s genuinely one of my all-time favorite movies, but I save it to watch during October to add to that sense of amazement and change we feel during this time of year.
1 – Goonies (1985)
This uber classic movie not only reminds me of Fall and Halloween, but of my childhood and a more innocent time. Everything about this film screams nostalgia for me and for that reason, it’s my ultra-all-time fall favorite. There are bad guys, bullies and romance all wrapped up in an HEA. Goonies never say die!
About T. L. Christianson
T.L. lives in Colorado with her husband and two children. She’s a graduate from the University of Colorado in Boulder and an avid outdoorswoman. When she’s not outside or writing, you’ll find her playing the Sims, a new Nancy Drew Mystery game or watching some Netflix.
She’s always jotted down stories and even wrote her first novel at age 16. T.L. finally decided to share her stories with the world and pursue publication after a severe injury left her in the hospital. She was given a bleak prognosis with lots of restrictions. Fighting to overcome them, T.L. has defied her doctors expectations and now lives a normal life. Although she still struggles occasionally from the fallout of her injuries, she’s a fighter and wants merely to give her readers the joy and contentment that she feels when reading a good book.
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Spooktacular Giveaway
eBook set of Scarlet – Taming the Thirst; and Ruby – Blood is Thicker Than Water
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Spotlight on #urbanfantasy: Gallowglass by Jennifer Allis Provost @parthanan
Hi Everyone! Jennifer Allis Provost is here today with the first book in her urban fantasy series, the Chronicles of Philip Williams, plus some spooktacular info on Scottish ghost stories and Halloween traditions. Be sure to enter the Bewitching Spooktacular giveaway, too! Enjoy! xo, Celia
Title: Gallowglass
Series: Chronicles of Philip Williams #1
Author: Jennifer Allis Provost
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Bellatrix Press
Release date: June 6, 2017
ISBN: 978-1622510320
ASIN: B06XXQCPFB
# or Pages: 271
Word count: 75K
Cover Artist: Deranged Doctor Designs
Karina didn’t set out to free the Seelie Queen’s gallowglass. Now she’ll do anything to keep him.
After Karina and her brother, Chris’s, lives fall apart in separate yet equally spectacular ways, they leave New York behind and head to the UK. Karina buries herself in research for her doctoral thesis, all the while studiously not thinking about the man who broke her heart, while Chris—who’d been a best-selling author before his ex-fiancée sued him for plagiarism—drinks his way across the British Isles.
In Scotland, they visit the grave of Robert Kirk, a seventeenth- century minister who was kidnapped by fairies. No one is more shocked than Karina when a handsome man with a Scottish brogue appears, claiming to be the Robert Kirk of legend. What’s more, he says he spent the last few hundred years as the Gallowglass, the Seelie Queen’s personal assassin. When they’re attacked by demons, Karina understands how dearly the queen wants him back.
As Karina and Robert grow closer, Chris’s attempts to drown his sorrows lead him to a pub, and a woman called Sorcha. Chris is instantly smitten with her, so much so he spends days with Sorcha and lies to his sister about his whereabouts. When Chris comes home covered in fey kisses, Karina realizes that the Seelie Queen isn’t just after Robert.
Can Karina outsmart the Seelie Queen, or is Robert doomed to forever be the Gallowglass?
My jaw dropped, and if I hadn’t already been on the ground I would have fallen. As it was, my arm went out from under me, and my shoulder bumped into Robert. “Are ye all right, lass?” Robert asked.
“Yes,” I lied. There was nothing all right about this. “Why did the queen take you?”
“She fancied me,” he replied. “Offered me an apple, ye ken. I said no, it angered her, she cursed me. And here we are today.”
I looked up at him. He still had his head tipped back against the tree, his eyes closed. “That sounds like the ridiculously oversimplified version.”
At that, he opened his eyes and speared me with his gaze. “Would ye be likin’ all the details, then, lass?”
I swallowed. “Um, maybe not just yet.” My gaze moved from Robert’s face to the quartz in my hand. “What makes you think I freed you?”
“Ye made contact wi’ the tree, wishin’ to rescue me. Wishes are powerful things, ye ken.” Robert leaned over and touched the quartz. “Then ye dropped your stone, and a door opened for me. I ha’ been waitin’ for ye ever since.”
“Wishes are powerful things,” I repeated. “Why do you want to leave with me? You don’t even know me.”
“I know ye freed me, and that is no small thing,” Robert replied. “I also know that as soon as Nicneven kens I’ve left me post, she will send her creatures to retrieve me.”
“Creatures?”
“Aye. And I do no’ want to be here when they arrive.”
I took a deep breath and got to my feet, Robert following suit. Once we were standing I looked into his clear blue eyes, his guileless face, and sighed. He was either telling the truth, or he was the greatest actor in the world. Or I was the world’s biggest idiot; the jury was still out on that.
“Well, let’s go.”
“Go?” he repeated hopefully.
“If you’re telling the truth—and I’m not saying that you are—I can’t just leave you here. And, if you’re not telling the truth, I’ll drop you at the nearest police station,” I added, trying to act tough in front of the armored man with the sword.
Robert inclined his head, and took both of my hands in his. “Lass, soon enough ye will ken that I only speak what’s true.” He once again brought my knuckles to his lips; this time, I let him kiss me. It was nice, having one’s hand kissed by a dark, handsome man. “Karina Siobhan Stewart, I am now your charge, and I shall follow your every command.”
“Okay. Um.” I looked him over and issued my first command. “First of all, you can’t tromp around Aberfoyle wearing chain mail. You’re going to have to take off your armor.”
Scottish Ghost Stories by Jennifer Allis Provost
As the calendar approaches Halloween each year, talk inevitably turns to ghost stories. What better way to celebrate the season that with ghost stories from Scotland, the birthplace of Halloween? Below are some of the most chilling tales based in two of Scotland’s largest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Edinburgh is the ideal setting for a ghost story, what with its gruesome past and ancient warren of streets. Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, located in the Old Town, was the scene of religious persecutions in the seventeenth century. There have been more than five hundred recorded poltergeist attacks within the kirkyard.
Not quite a ghost story, the tale of William Burke and William Hare is chilling nonetheless. They were body snatchers turned murderers that operated in Edinburgh between 1827 and 1829. They sold their corpses to one Dr. Knox at Edinburgh University to use in his lectures. Eventually, the pair were implicated when Dr. Knox made a full confession. Hare turned king’s evidence on Burke, and Burke was hanged shortly afterward. His corpse was dissected and his skeleton displayed at the Anatomical Museum of Edinburgh Medical School, where he remains today. A fitting end, if you ask me.
Several stories originate in the city’s underground alleys, one of the most famous being Mary King’s Close and the Blair Street Vaults. Costumed tur guides will regale you with tales of intrigue, plague, and murder. Or better yet, visit the Edinburgh Dungeons where you can take a turn on the Drop Dead Ride, where you learn what it’s like to be hanged in excruciating detail. If you survive, you can hear all about Scotland’s most famous cannibal, Sawney Bean.
As the most populous city in Scotland, Glasgow has plenty of ghoulish tales to tell. Some say a lovely lady haunts Hillhead station. Witnesses have seen her wearing pre-WWII finery, and she’s always laughing or whistling a song. As ghosts go, she’s ne I wouldn’t mind running into.
The ghosts associated with the track between West Street and Shields Road aren’t nearly as fun. Reports of this ghost claim it’s half boy, half animal, and it tends to be gnawing on something. I suppose it’s for the best that we don’t know what that “something” is.
Glasgow’s southern Necropolis made headlines in the 1950s when children began roaming the graveyard in search of a seven foot tall vampire. The vampire—who was said to have metal teeth—was blamed for two missing children. Neither the children nor the metal-mouthed vampire were ever found.
What are some ghost stories you’ve enjoyed, Scottish or otherwise? Tell us in the comments!
Scottish Halloween Traditions by Jennifer Allis Provost
The day we call Halloween has its origins in the Celtic holiday Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The ancient Celts believed that on Samhain the veil between this world and the Otherworld grew thin, thus allowing humans to interact with the spirit world. This thinning of the veil not only made contact with spirits easier, it also allowed monsters to enter our world.
Celts would leave offerings outside their doors, such as a bowl of milk or a loaf of bread, to appease the fae. Some creatures, such as the impish puka, took their offerings directly from the fields. And some creatures were a death sentence to all who saw them, as were the Dullahan. They were headless men who rode horses with fire in their eyes, and if you saw one death was imminent.
Also on horseback were The Sluagh, or Faery Host, was made up of the spirits of the restless dead. They came from the west on Samhain, their mission to steal souls. Celts would keep all western-facing windows and doors shut on Samhain to keep the Sluagh from entering their homes.
With all these monsters afoot, folk devised several ways to ward off evil spirits. Large bonfires were set to ward off malevolent entities, and lanterns bearing scary faces were carved from neeps, what we Americans call turnips. Of course, this custom gave rise to the pumpkin jack o’ lantern we still see today.
Our custom of trick or treating also has roots in the Scots tradition of guising, in which children would disguise themselves as evil spirits. This way, they could venture out on Halloween without being detected by ghouls and monsters. However, guisers couldn’t simply knock on their neighbor’s door and expect candy. They first had to perform a trick, such as reciting a poem or joke, and candy was their reward.
Other traditional customs still practiced today, in one form or another, include dookin’ for apples. Much like the modern game of bobbing for apples, this game involved trying to grab apples from a tub of water using your mouth, or a fork clenched between your teeth. Children would also try to bit treacle scones suspended from ropes, while their hands were tied behind their backs. If you were recently engaged you might throw a nut on the fire. If it quietly burned amid the embers your union would be good, but if those nuts hissed and crackled it foretold of discord in the house.
Does your family still practice traditional Halloween customs? Let us know in the comments!
About Jennifer Allis Provost
Jennifer Allis Provost writes books about faeries, orcs and elves. Zombies too. She grew up in the wilds of Western Massachusetts and had read every book in the local library by age twelve. (It was a small library.) An early love of mythology and folklore led to her epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Parthalan, and her day job as a cubicle monkey helped shape her urban fantasy, Copper Girl. When she’s not writing about things that go bump in the night (and sometimes during the day) she’s working on her MFA in Creative Nonfiction.
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Jennifer Allis Provost’s prize: Signed set of Gallowglass books 1 and 2.
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Spooktacular Spotlight on #UrbanFantasy: Amber Ruin by @SuzanneMSabol
Hello Dear Readers, Suzanne Sabol is here today with Book 8 of her urban fantasy series, The Blushing Death, plus her top 10 favorite fantasy series. Be sure to enter the Bewitching Spooktacular giveaway, too! xo, Celia
Title: Amber Ruin
Series: The Blushing Death Series #8
Author: Suzanne M Sabol
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Release date: October 9, 2019
ASIN: B07YCKXRMZ
# or Pages: 308
Word count: 106,733
Cover Artist: Rae Monet
Racing to survive the traps set by Baba Yaga and the magic of the Outer Realm to rescue two of her wolves, Dahlia Sabin enters the Outer Realm understanding she may never come out again.
Dahlia, Dean, and Patrick are attempting a political coup of the supernatural world. Gathering allies to upset the balance and throw off the shackles of the ancients won’t be easy. But to live alongside humans instead of in their shadow, they’ll have to overcome enemies at every turn; vampires, shifters, the fae, and humans.
Baba Yaga, the queen of the dark fae, has her own designs for Dahlia. Moving her chess pieces on the board, the ancient witch has set a trap to draw The Blushing Death back into her clutches. To possess Dahlia and the power of Fertiri magic for her own purposes, Baba Yaga will do almost anything -sacrifice anyone – to rise to power once more.
Racing to survive Baba Yaga’s traps and rescue two of her wolves, Dahlia enters Baba Yaga’s mountain understanding that she may never come out again.
Available at: Amazon
Suzanne Sabol’s Favorite Fantasy/Urban Fantasy Series
10. TIE: Night Huntress–Jeaniene Frost / Anita Blake (1-5)–Laurell K.Hamilton
9. Blackthorn & Grim – Juliet Marillier
8. Mercy Thompson – Patricia Briggs
7. Vampire Huntress – L.A. Banks
6. The League: Nemesis Rising – Sherrilyn Kenyon (McQueen)
5. Hidden Legacy – Ilona Andrews
4. The Hollows – Kim Harrison
3. Sevenwaters – Juliet Marillier
2. Immortals After Dark – Kresley Cole
1. Kate Daniels – Ilona Andrews
About Suzanne Sabol
Suzanne M Sabol is the author of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University and has two Bachelor of Arts degrees with majors in Criminology, International Studies, Russian, and Political Science. She has a Master’s degree from The Ohio State University’s John Glenn School of Public Affairs. She is married with one child and lives in Columbus Ohio.
Suzanne M Sabol is a member of several professional organizations; Romance Writers of America, Central Ohio Fiction Writers, North East Ohio Romance Writers Chapter, and the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Chapter of RWA.
The Blushing Death Series and the Blood and Bone Legacy are published through Soul Mate Publishing. Editor, Debby Gilbert, can be contacted through their website at www.soulmatepublishing.com.
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Spooktacular Giveaway
1 prize pack of goodies including the following:
1 wine glass
1 journal
1 relaxation gift packet
1 book in the Blushing Death Series
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Spooktacular Spotlight on #UF #PNR: The Darkest Gateway by Jeri Westerson
Hi Everyone! The Bewitching Spooktacular tours continue with Jeri Westerson’s Book of the Hidden UF/PNR series. Enjoy an excerpt plus Jeri’s Halloween playlist. Be sure to enter the Bewitching Spooktacular giveaway, too! xo, Celia
Title: The Darkest Gateway
Series: Booke of the Hidden #4
Author: Jeri Westerson
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Publisher: JABberwocky Literary
Release date: October 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-625674-25-8
ASIN: 978-1-625674-23-4
# of pages: 301
Word count: 90,181
Cover Artist: Mayhem Cover Creations
“Whoever said country life was dull didn’t know Moody Bog.”
With the arrival of Samhain, the supernatural Booke of the Hidden is set to release a barrage of deadly creatures onto the hapless village of Moody Bog, Maine.
Tea proprietor Kylie Strange knows the showdown is coming and wants to end the Booke for good. But the only way to accomplish this is a journey to the Netherworld and get the help of the only being powerful enough to destroy the Booke: Satan himself. And, though the brooding and elusive demon Erasmus Dark has captured Kylie’s heart against her better judgment, she ignores his repeated warnings that the mission guarantees her doom.
I moved to the very edge of the road and waited.
The sound grew louder. It couldn’t be anything except hoofbeats. They clopped, not in a gallop but in a leisurely canter. And soon, there was the Dullahan coming around the curve. His head looked even greener and slimier under his arm than it had before, if that were possible.
His weirdly roving eyes spotted me easily. He kicked his red-eyed horse’s sides and hurried toward us. All the while, he swung that spine whip. With each revolution around his headless neck, the weapon grew longer and longer.
I kept the spear close to my side. I didn’t want that whip to catch it the way it had gotten the crossbow the last time.
He was almost upon me when he shrieked, “Kylie Strange!”
“That doesn’t work on me, you idiot!” I yelled.
The face frowned under his arm. It cast its googly eyes toward Erasmus and opened his mouth to yell his name.
“He’s a demon, remember? We’ve been through this before. Boy, you sure have a short memory. Must be because your brain is decaying faster than the rest of you. Looks like a bad case of melting Roquefort you got there.”
His dead face either grimaced or it really was melting. “Then I don’t need to say your name,” he said in a high screechy voice.
He spun the whip. Before I could get out of the way, it came at me and wrapped around my body, trapping my arms at my sides. I barely got out a yell before I was yanked off my feet.
The horse started galloping and I was flung out behind it almost parallel to the road. I couldn’t bring the spear up. I was whipping around in the air and getting a little seasick, but it was better than being dragged behind on the asphalt. There wouldn’t have been much left of me after that.
The bones of the spine whip were digging sharply into my skin. I tried wriggling free. If Headless decided to fling me off a cliff, there wasn’t much I could do about it. I knew Erasmus must be around somewhere, but this was up to me to figure out…if I could.
The Dullahan galloped around a sharp curve and I was thrown and dragged through the limbs of pine trees shouldering the road.
“Dammit!” I yelled, spitting out pine needles. “I am so going to kill you!”
He lifted his head up with his other arm. It swiveled and glared at me. “Not if I kill you first, Mistress Strange.”
“No need to be so formal,” I grunted, struggling. I slammed into some holly bushes and OW!
The face cackled and turned away, tucked back under his arm again. Then I looked up and saw what he was cackling about. The next curve of the road didn’t have any nice prickly holly bushes or spikey pine boughs. It was just granite all the way up the rock face.
“Shit!”
Shivery Playlist for a Creepy Halloween
by Jeri Westerson
I must confess, my playlist isn’t the typical fare of “Monster Mash” and “Love Potion Number Nine.” It’s about the soundtrack I like to listen to when I’m writing my paranormal tales. These are for my series Booke of the Hidden that takes place during all of the month of October and culminates on Halloween. The series wraps up with the fourth book, THE DARKEST GATEWAY. Tea proprietor Kylie Strange finds and opens the mysterious Booke of the Hidden, and must capture deadly creatures she’s unwittingly unleashed, while juggling the advances of an alluring and dangerous demon and a very human and handsome sheriff. So I need different tunes to get me in the mood.
So let’s start with “Devils” from Say Hi. Because my urban fantasy deals with a supernatural Booke and a demon guardian who gets intimately close to Kylie, the song deals with the devil getting hold of everything in the singer’s life, even “he make it to my heart”—just like Kylie. YouTube
The next one is Valerie Broussand’s “A Little Wicked”, because Kylie and Erasmas Dark, the demon, do get a little wicked. Especially when she can’t decide between the handsome sheriff or the demon. Who would YOU chose? YouTube
And then there’s “In the Shadows” by Amy Stroup. This mysterious and evocative tune really takes you there. There may be humor in these books, but there is still something not quite right, not…quite…human going on. It’s a song that gives me the shivers. YouTube
And just to lighten things up—and because the First Werewolf comes out of the Booke and bites one of Kylie’s friends—there’s the incomparable Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London”. Who doesn’t like a werewolf with a pina colada in his hand “…and his hair is perfect.” YouTube
And finally, a haunting song that will spirit you away, right to the dark shadows of Samhain, Halloween, with all the dangers and powers that shimmer and awaken this night. Loreena McKennitt’s “The Mummer’s Dance” recalls strange and secret Celtic festivals in a darkened wood lit only by moonlight. YouTube
About Jeri Westerson
Los Angeles native JERI WESTERSON is the author of twelve Crispin Guest Medieval Noir Mystery novels, a series nominated for thirteen national awards from the “Agatha” to the “Shamus”. Her fifth novel BLOOD LANCE was named one of the Ten Hot Crime Novels for Colder Days by Kirkus Reviews, and her sixth, SHADOW OF THE ALCHEMIST, was named Best of 2013 by Suspense Magazine. For BOOKE OF THE HIDDEN, her urban fantasy series, Publishers Weekly said, “Readers sad about the ending of Charlaine Harris’s MIDNIGHT, TEXAS trilogy will find some consolation in Moody Bog.” The fourth and final in the series, THE DARKEST GATEWAY, releases October 2, 2019. Jeri also writes the humorous SKYLER FOXE LGBT MYSTERIES under the pen name Haley Walsh. Jeri’s short stories were included in several mystery anthologies, including Shaken: Stories for Japan (for the 2011 Earthquake Relief Fund). Jeri was also featured on two local NPR shows, “My Awesome Empire” and KVCR-Arts. She has served two terms as president of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, twice president of the Orange County Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and as vice president and California Crime Writers Conference co-chair for the Los Angeles Chapter of Sisters in Crime. See more about Jeri at JeriWesterson.com, BOOKEoftheHIDDEN.com, and SkylerFoxeMysteries.wixsite.com/novels.
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Celia Breslin
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