They say it’s an honor to just be nominated. How true, how true. You can imagine my shock (and several high-pitched squeals) when I found out my novel, “Redemption in Blood: A Novel of The Penitent” had been nominated by InD’tale Magazine for a 2012 RONE Award. *insert silly grin*
Seriously.
This is the second round of voting: the public round. Which means I now I have to convince you to pop over there and vote for me. The shameless begging begins now. Please. Here’s the link: http://indtale.com/rone-awards/2012/week-4-paranormal
In order to influence you to take those few minutes to go over, login (it’s required, but nothing hinky), and click the button next to my book, I’ll throw the amazing cover in your face for good measure. Kudos to Miranda Stork for making Vesper look hot as hell on the brand new cover.
Second, if you haven’t read it (please do!), here’s the blurb telling you what it’s all about.
Murder is serious business among vampires. If you kill, so do they. They are the Penitent – a military order among vampire society charged with one task only. Execute the condemned.
Vesper Hyde is a model Penitent. Solitary. Skilled. Deadly. Only once has she ever lost a target, even though it almost cost her life. Now the one that got away is back with a vengeance, and this time he’s determined to finish the job. She needs to overcome the whispers of doubt and let her instinct and training take over to redeem her failure. But on this second time around, she doesn’t expect a sidekick. A very sexy, stubborn, human sidekick.
Homicide Detective Decker Price has seen it all, including the murder of his wife at the hands of a twisted serial killer. When another murder pitches him headfirst into a world of vampires, witches, and sorcery, he is given a chance to mend shattered parts of his soul. But Vesper’s world is as dark and alluring as the Penitent herself and he will come face to face with echoes of his past in order to help her keep a vicious enemy at bay.
If they are to succeed, they will need to push aside both their failings and work together to ensure the balance of their worlds remains unchanged. Redemption comes at a cost – is their love worth the price?
Sounds like an award winner, right?
Third, “Redemption” has 37 reviews on Amazon with a 4.8 out of 5 star rating. This pleases me. You can go here and read some.
And last (but certainly not least), InD’tale Magazine reviewed “Redemption” in their April issue, giving it 4 stars and 5 steam kettles for sexiness. You can read the review here.
Finally, it would make me so happy to advance to the next round where industry professionals will be voting on a winner, which will be awarded at the Romance Novel Convention in August in Las Vegas.
Voting lasts for one week. Please help me make it to the next round! If you vote, thank you. If you have read “Redemption”, thank you. If you’ve left a review, thank you. If you do nothing but read this post and wish me all the best, thank you. Any encouragement is fuel for the writer’s soul. Your support means so much.
SideStreet Cookie Publishing is rolling out a long-term promotional opportunity for indie authors. We’re calling it 50 States of Indie. We’re looking for at least one promoter in each state to represent indie authors in their community. Your job is simple. Indies will send you book swag to put in your local bookstores and paperbacks to donate to your library system. The goal is spread the word across the country about indie authors.
But that’s not all. We are also looking for authors who want to get their name out there, and who doesn’t? Authors will be responsible for their own orders, postage, and shipping, but it’s otherwise free promotion!
If you’re interested please contact Tyffani Clark, at Tyffani (dot) C (dot) Kemp (at) gmail (dot) com with your name, address, email, phone number, and whether you are a promoter, an author, or both!
The 3rd installment of The Station Series has a cover and it is beautimus!
Thanks must be given to the designer, Deb Rogers, for her time and talent – thank you, friend!!!
So…feel free to sit back and stare for a bit…I am.
Dying to Return is the 3rd book in the Young Adult Fantasy The Station Series. Piper Willow’s adventure in the afterlife continues as she struggles to discover who she is and what is expected of her. Faced with decisions that could change everything, she must weigh her desire to be with the ones she has come to love, or satisfy her curiosity and find out what lies beyond her world with someone new. What Piper experiences and the choices she makes could not only alter the delicate inner workings of the Station, but the delicate balance that Piper has managed to maintain inside herself. In the end, will it all be worth it?
Excerpt from the book:
A heaviness settles over the table and Andella is no longer giggling. “Why did you do it, Piper Willow?”
“Andella!” her father hisses. He seems embarrassed for her, but she holds my stare across the wide table. I see nothing sinister, just simple curiosity in her eyes.
I reach for my blue-tinted glass and sip at the water. Gulping down air, I try on my best smile and elbow Rush slightly when I feel his gentle prodding at the locked gates my mind.
“I can’t answer that. I mean…” I pause, allowing myself to reflect, “I guess I do know why. But I don’t know why I thought killing myself was the only option.” With a shrug, I sip more water.
Andella reclines slightly in her chair and nods. “Unlike my brother,” she shoots Rush a warm smile, “I have not traveled to your world, but I have seen into it. There is much sadness there. Such a loss of potential. I think you are different though. I think on some level, you must have known there was something else beyond your life. Did you not?”
I twirl the fabric napkin on my lap while considering the question carefully. “I think I just wanted that life to be over.” I feel the tears building up in my eyes as my voice drops to just above a whisper, “Some people call it Heaven, a better place after life. I didn’t care about Heaven or Hell, I just wanted out.”
A large hand reaches toward me and I look up through my blurred vision to find Andulen’s hand atop mine. Rush is also touching me, and though she’s clear across the table, I feel Andella’s calming presence as well.
“Child. You cannot fit your life into a square coffer. It will find a way to spill out over the sides and explore that which surrounds it. Even once that coffer is lidded, your life doesn’t cease to exist – you carry on. That is what you have done, Piper Willow. That is why you sit here with us this evening, eating and drinking and breathing. Your life – it will always struggle to stay outside that coffer. Do you understand this?”
I nod at Andulen and smile as he squeezes my hand before releasing it. My voice wouldn’t work even if I had words appropriate to use, so I sip from my tinted glass again.
“Now. I have serious matters to discuss about this Earth of yours. The first thing, a question I have had on my mind since my Son here breached the subject to me.” He pauses with his face set into a hard expression and I gulp. “Can you explain to me what Rugby is?”
Welcome to the tour for Welcome To The Family! A debut vampire novel by Caroline F Levy, it’s out now at Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, and Moon Rose Publishing. Why not check out a little more about the book below?
Blurb
“Do you believe in things that go bump in the night?”
At only a few hours old, Angela is left on the steps of St Paul’s church. Alone in the world, the only link she has to her past is a pink blanket bearing an emblem with two crossed swords and a snake.
A troubled childhood spent in orphanages leads to Angela attempting to rebuild her shattered life as an adult. Meeting the priest who found her eighteen years previously, she gets a job and a boyfriend, and settles into her new life.
Until she meets Jack.
Drawn to her new boss, she throws herself into work, feeling an unusual bond with people she hasn’t known very long.
Angela becomes embroiled in this new life, feeling a change within herself. A change which isn’t altogether human. Within this change she finds a terrifying secret…a secret which involves her past, her present, and definitely her future…
Trailer
Author Bio
I was born in Chatham, Kent in 1970. I now live in Yorkshire with my daughter and our five mad cats.
My first memories of any book would have been my mother reading The Enormous Turnip. It must have driven her mad, as it was always our first choice when asked what we should read tonight.
I grew up with the classics; Little Women, The Railway Children, but it would have been The House That Died and Bluebeard that I remember wanting to read.
I can remember writing a verse for the school song, and being chosen as a winner for what was then 3rd year juniors. I stopped reading so much in my late teens to my mid twenties. Life seemed to always be too busy for that pile of books I so wanted to read. It was when I went into hospital to have my daughter, that I had time to read again–and thankfully I haven’t stopped since.
However, it wasn’t until my late twenties that I realised I wanted to write. I have spent a few years trying to complete an online creative writer’s course; without much success, but it led me to what I am writing now. So never give up if you really want to write!
I am very influenced by Fantasy fiction / Horror, most of the books I read are in this genre. I have many Authors I like to follow; Anne Rice was very influential in the beginning. I also discovered Laurel K Hamilton and many, many more. I could go on about different Authors I like to read. However, I will say that this year I have also discovered there are literally, well, probably thousands of very talented Indie Authors out there. And a very welcoming and friendly bunch they are too, but I digress–yes, I get very excited about the subject of books!
I have finished my first novel called Welcome To The Family, which will be published April 29th 2013. I also have other novels in the pipeline, Nikki’s Revenge and Protecting The Family, due out later in the year.
Welcome to the official cover reveal of Warrior Unleashed, book 1.5 in the Mythrian Realm series! When Breaking the Nexus released on 12/12/12, readers fell in love with the Mythrian Realm and clamored for more. Since the follow up, Waking the Phoenix won’t be ready until sometime this summer, I knew I had to give readers a taste of Mythria.
Warrior Unleashed, a novella featuring Sha’s half brother, will be released on May 7! This novella is set entirely in the Mythrian Realm and while the hero and heroine are not Sha and Connor, I think you’ll all fall in love with this couple. Find out what happens when the sexy panther Chimerae, Achaius Rilke, must team up with feisty Gaelen Sorceri Saia Makan in this action packed novella!
Without further ado, I present the gorgeous cover designed by Blue Harvest Creative!
Blurb:
Nothing is more dangerous than a warrior unleashed.
When Sentinels begin dying under mysterious circumstances, the deaths are believed to be unrelated. Only one man sees the truth: an unknown enemy is targeting the elite group of warriors and no one is safe. As a panther Chimerae, Achaius Rilke recognizes the signs of an unpredictable predator. The only person he can trust is Saia Makan, the tempestuous Sorceri who has driven him crazy for years. But when the killer has set his sights on Saia, Achaius faces the hunt of his life.
Don’t miss the first book, Breaking the Nexus, available now on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and in paperback!
A warrior trying to save humans. A detective searching for a killer. And a powerful romance neither expected.
Throughout history, myths and legends of extraordinary creatures have been told and retold. Fantastic tales of demons and banshees, gryphons and dragons, and of course, magic. Stories that every child grows to learn are nothing more than fantasy…or are they?
Beyond the world you see lies a hidden realm, the Mythrian Realm, inhabited by all of the creatures you’ve been told are mere fiction. Only one thing lies between humans and the truth: the Nexus. A magical barrier erected millennia ago to separate the two realms, it has stood the test of time. Until now.
For Mythrian Sha Phoenix, magic is nothing new. But when she stumbles upon a portal on the verge of collapse, her fate will forever change. Pulled through the portal into the Human Realm, she lands in the middle of Detective Connor Flynn’s brutal murder scene. Soon it is obvious someone is using blood magic to try to bring down the Nexus. Together, Connor and Sha must work to unravel the secrets before the barrier falls and the realms collide.
The Nexus is breaking and all hell is about to unleash…literally.
I am a wife, a programmer, and now an author. I have an adorable mini Schnauzer and more books than I have room for. I love reading romance because no matter what may be happening in my life, I can always count on my books to end happily ever after. The day I met my husband was the day I truly began believing in happily ever after. After hearing me complain a few too many times that I had “nothing” to read despite the hundreds of paperbacks scattered around the house, my husband began suggesting I write my own stories. When I finally took his advice I discovered that although I enjoy my day job as a software engineer, my true calling is to be an author.
My sister drilled into me an appreciation for fantasy and mythology, something I try to bring to my books. My debut novel, Breaking the Nexus started as a book written for NaNoWriMo and has grown to so much more. It was the conduit that introduced me to a fantastic group of independent authors who have changed my life in unimaginable ways.
When I’m not writing, I’ve found a passion for blogging and interviewing fellow authors. I also love reading, baking, crochet, sewing sock monkeys, playing video games, and all sorts of random crafts. I have an incurable love of rubber duckies and stuffed animals, and I believe nobody should have to grow up if they don’t want.
Pack your bags! We’re going on a trip. The second installment of the Eternal series is about to be released! Like Witches? Love Vampires? What about a mysterious and magical island that can only be seen with a magic password? You can go there. I can take you. C’mon! *waves arm* I’ll help you pack!
About the Authors:
Kristie Haigwood (a.k.a. K.S. Haigwood) is currently writing her 8th novel. She lives in Arkansas, US. She is the mother of 2 awesome kids and 2 great dogs. She is happily married to her soulmate who thinks reading is a solid waste of time. Opposites attract. Kristie’s works include ‘Save My Soul’, ‘Forbidden Touch’, ‘Eternal Island’ and ‘Hell’s Gift’ (available on Amazon in ebook and print). ‘Eternal Immortality’, ‘Eternal Inception’, ‘The Last Assignment’ and ‘Good Side of Sin’ are all releasing soon.
Ella Medler is an author and playwright who lives in Cornwall, UK. She likes to experiment with different genres and is passionate about the human nature. Her works include the satire Martin Little, Resurrected, and the action thriller Blood is Heavier, both part of a series. Blood is Power is due for release in May 2013, and Martin Little Takes Epic Action, in summer 2013.
ABOUT THE ISLAND
A place where vampires rule, witches play, danger lurks and dreams really do come true.
Eternal Island is a paranormal suspense novel, deeply rooted into myth. Vampires and magic form a unique backdrop to a love story with long reaching consequences. Human girl Ariana Lochalan finds herself transported from the relative calm of her ‘Nowhere, Arkansas’ life into a diametrically opposite existence when she discovers she is a powerful witch and meant to wed High Vampire of Eternal Island, Abe Cambridge. Despite first-sight magnetism, the two protagonists are being pushed apart, obstacles tripping them at every step, outside forces interfering and threatening their peace, and ultimately their lives. A world rich in magic and intrigue, Eternal Island is the first instalment of a saga which has love at its core and delves through the mire that is human nature in a turmoil of feeling and emotion.
Would courage, resilience and love be enough to bring together two soul mates?
How much would you sacrifice to save the one who owns your heart?
COVER REVEAL OF ETERNAL IMMORTALITY
Kristie and Ella’s Gift to you!
In celebration of Eternal Immortality’s cover release, Kristie and Ella are making Eternal Island FREE April 4th-5th! Grab it up and tell your friends, so they can too!
Welcome to the release tour of Lucius; The Fallen! The first in a hotly-anticipated series, it follows the leader of a band of hard-living, hard-drinking angels after their fall to earth. The series will span six books, each one more enticing than the last! Keep reading to find out more, and check out our giveaway at the end……AND a special surprise if you’ve ever wanted to ask the authors a question!
Blurb
“Relish this moment in My favor. It is your last.”
Six angels once sat at the right hand of The Almighty, but an ill-fated decision cast them out of Heaven. Now they serve Him on Earth, slaying demons for their redemption. They are…The Fallen.
Lucius, once revered at the side of God, fell to Earth with his brothers to pay penance and atone for his lapse in leadership. Wingless and forsaken, they have all paid a price for their complicity. Lucius’ hubris is now a curse, and he cannot rest until they carry out the last of The Almighty’s orders…and stop a war that has been millennia in the making.
Persephone Roberts is always in the right place at the right time, the serendipity allowing her to help people on her travels. When it leads her to cross paths with the band of hard-living fallen angels, she sets her sights on their leader, and is determined to restore Lucius’ faith in their quest. And in himself.
But the ancient evil the angels strive to fight has put Persephone in its crosshairs. It will be up to Lucius and his brothers to save her and destroy the minions of the dark. Can the amber-eyed beauty with her accepting heart heal wounds that cut soul deep, and force him to reclaim a glory he once tossed aside? Is he strong enough to realize the path back to Heaven begins with her, or will he be forever…fallen?
Trailer
Excerpt (18+)
The subtle whoosh of air from the doorway ahead made all five angels turn as one.
“Is there another one?” Lucius muttered. Turning to Domniel, he said, “Can you smell another one?”
Domniel lifted his head and walked toward the doorway. “Hard to tell. That smell’s everywhere. I’ll follow it and see what I find.”
“Good. Elijah, go with him,” Lucius said as he bent toward the pool of goo to begin purifying the remains. From the corner of his eye, Lucius watched Elijah nod and jog off to catch up with Domniel.
Task finished, he placed the vial of holy water in his pocket, and called after the blind angel. “Dom?”
“Yeah, man, out here.”
He motioned to Jude and Mordecai, and they ran across the street to another parking lot. He paused as he realized Domniel and Elijah weren’t alone.
A woman stared at them from across the lot. She looked calm. A dark halo of thick curls was pulled back tight, emphasizing an oval face and high cheekbones. The assassin-chic ensemble she sported could not detract from the feminine perfection she represented.
She laid smoldering eyes on them and growled, her voice smoky and rich, “Figures I would find pigeons here. It is the gutter, after all.”
Domniel’s head tilted and Lucius knew he was trying to locate her. He caught a whiff of sand and something exotic and ancient. He knew the blind angel had found her when he turned, putting his shades on her.
“Where the fuck did you come from?” Domniel snarled.
She laughed, the sultry sound designed to stir men’s loins. “A higher plane of existence, you useless bird.”
His dark sunglasses looked her up and down. “No shit, you a Jersey girl? That explains a lot.”
She glared at him before bringing her arm forward to reveal a flaming scimitar. “You pigeons always have to crap on somebody else’s sidewalk, don’t you?”
Lucius stepped forward and laid a hand on Domniel’s shoulder, urging him to stand down. Apprehension collided with recognition like a shot to his gut, and he gave the deposed goddess a slow, tight smile, hoping that this encounter would leave them with all their limbs.
“Hello, Khemrhy.”
“Do you have any idea what you just screwed up?” Khemrhy laid the scimitar across her back, the fire dying and sword disappearing before she leaned against an old Chevy pickup, one foot planted squarely on the front bumper.
Before anyone could slap a hand over his mouth, Domniel spouted, “Could it be your hot date for this century?”
Khemrhy smiled and stood back up. “No, you fool. You messed with my hunt. He was leading me back to something important. Not that you could ever understand that.”
Always cautious in his dealings with Khemrhy, Lucius put a hand over Domniel’s mouth and said, “We think there’s a second one. Did you see anything?”
“Of course. The other one went that way,” she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder to indicate the alley behind her. Something about it seemed too simple, but a gust of wind brought the stench of brimstone strong enough that they could all smell it.
As Lucius, Jude, and Mordecai began to head past Khemrhy, they instinctively gave her a wide berth. From behind them, Domniel said, “I’ll stay here and keep an eye on her. I still don’t trust the bitch.”
“Little hard to keep an eye on someone when you’re blind, pigeon,” she quipped. “Maybe you should get a dog.”
Lucius heard Domniel mouthing off in the distance and rolled his eyes, hoping she didn’t remove any limbs. This time.
“A dog, huh? You’ll do. Let me see if I can find a leash and a muzzle,” Domniel snapped back. “Though you might be a little front end heavy to be running around on hands and knees, fetching shit for me.”
As the wind picked up, Lucius could see Domniel’s head swivel as he struggled to locate Khemrhy’s dissipating scent. Elijah signed to him in a panic, the fluttering of his fingers reaching through to the blind angel.
“Shit! Shit! Shit! I lost her! Where is she? I don’t speak finger-fuck!”
Lucius whirled in a circle, hoping that even he could get a quick scent to target the goddess.
Ten feet in front of his sightless brother, Khemrhy growled, “I’ve got a front end for you.” And then the truck came crashing down on Domniel.
From his viewpoint behind Domniel, Lucius watched as Khemrhy planted her boot on the truck’s bumper and pushed down hard to lever it upward. When she started pushing down with her foot, Elijah began frantically signing the word, “Chevy” to no avail. As the truck stood on end, she reached down, grabbed the bumper, and swung the entire vehicle over her head.
The pickup came down in a barrage of creaking steel, slamming Domniel hard into the pavement. He gave a loud, anguished grunt as Elijah ran to his side. Twisted metal groaned as Elijah tried to maneuver chunks of the vehicle up off him.
“Get…off me… fucking bitch!” he gurgled. Khemrhy laughed as she made her way to a Triumph motorbike parked beneath one of the street lights.
Lucius and Jude ran to assist. “What the fuck happened? Dom?”
“Chevy half-ton pickup,” Elijah signed to Lucius.
Lucius winced, reaching for parts of the vehicle. “Ouch.”
The sound of the Triumph’s throttle rumbling got their attention and they turned. Khemrhy smiled back, flipping them her middle finger before roaring off down the street.
Domniel lay on his back, his chest caved in, laboring for enough breath to groan.
Lucius shook his head. “You know better than to piss her off. She could’ve killed you, dumbass.”
Domniel wheezed, turned his head and spat out two bloody teeth. “Get ‘Magic Fingers’ over here – good to go.”
Elijah tapped Lucius on the shoulder and gestured to Domniel.
“Yeah,” Lucius nodded. “Do your thing. And get him to walk. I’m not fucking carrying his wiseass back.”
They came forward and closed ranks, making a circle around him. Elijah knelt down next to the blind angel, stretched out his hands and cracked his knuckles.
“Just fucking get to it, mute. My balls are wedged up in my ribcage.” Domniel’s eyes fluttered closed in between gasps.
Jude snorted. “Why can’t you be the mute?”
Lucius held a hand up, silencing them.
Elijah rubbed his hands together and closed his eyes. The silent angel’s hands trembled for a moment and then glowed with a soft, white light. He placed both of them, palms down, on what was left of Domniel’s chest and took a deep breath.
Domniel lit up, his chest echoing the glow from Elijah’s hands, and he let out a deep, relaxing sigh. “Fuck, yeah. I bet the chicks love that shit.”
“Shut up,” Lucius warned.
Domniel sighed again and gave into the healing.
Author Bios
Tara Wood divides her time between creating domestic bliss and creating hot paranormal romance with the occasional side of kink. When not playing June Cleaver for her hubby and daughter, she can be found at the local Starbucks slamming back Frappuccinos and plotting out her next idea. Or she’s watching the BBC. Tara resides with her wonderful and tolerant family in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. She is currently at work on several projects, one of them being the next book in her In Blood series.
Lorecia Goings is a native Houstonian who did not escape in her adulthood. So she camps out in NW Houston concocting her own special variety of chaos but rarely finishes it without the continual prodding of best friend Tara. She loves to laugh, bead, write, eat and hug kitties. She also loves to have fun and can usually be found on any given Friday night off chatting her head off at Denny’s with her bestie.
LIVE Question-and-Answer session with the authors!
And now for the giveaway—and that special surprise! As part of the tour, the author will be answering your questions about Lucius and writing LIVE on April 29th, via Google+ Hangouts! To take part, all you need to do is go to the event page here at http://www.moonrosepublishing.com/#!author-questions–lucius-the-fallen/cfzv and post the question that you would like to be answered. The best ones will be chosen, and as many as possible answered within a 30 minute session. The address to watch and take part in the Hangout will be posted a week before, and you must follow Moon Rose Publishing on Google+ at https://plus.google.com/114000878667510243231/posts Have fun!
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