Evil Stalks the Night by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Title: Evil Stalks the Night-Revised Author's Edition
Author: Kathryn Meyer Griffith
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Damnation Books
Paperback/Ebook
Words: 115,000

Book Description

Twenty years ago psychic Sarah Summers fled from the evil that lurked in the woods behind her childhood home after it killed most of her family, but a nasty divorce and financial hardships forces her back when nothing else could.
With her son, Jeremy, she returns to her grandmother’s dilapidated house and tries to begin a new life. She meets a man, police detective, Ben, who falls for her, and she prays her fresh visions of bloodshed and death deep among the dark trees are not true.
Then the murders begin again and Sarah is hurtled back into the familiar nightmare that has haunted her her whole life. The evil in the woods is awake again…and this time it wants her last remaining brother, her son…and her.
With Ben and Jim’s help can she defeat it this time…and live?

Buy Link:

http://damnationbooks.com/people.php?author=79

An Excerpt:
Desperate, Jim got up and, grabbing the wheel, slammed his foot over the driver’s on the brake. They fought for a few wild, dizzying seconds then the bus zigzagged with a sickening crash into an embankment on the other side of the road. People were tossed against the windows and thrown to the floor in heaps. The silence was deafening. Smoke engulfed the bus. Jim had been dumped on the floor again and knocked out cold.
When he came to, he had no idea how long he’d been out. It could have been minutes or hours. The only hint was it was still dark. He woke to an eerie silence and propped himself up on an elbow to survey the damage. So far he was the only one moving. “Damn,” he moaned, staring around at the indistinct forms littering the bus like corpses. The driver was slumped over the wheel, unconscious.
What had happened to the car?
Jim didn’t know what drew him, but he crawled over to the open door and fell outside into the wet grass. He took a deep breath of fresh air and tried to stop his head from spinning. How many were dead in there? It was his fault.
“I can’t take it anymore,” he whispered, looking up into the bus’s blank windows. There was blood all over him and burying his face in his hands, he cried, “I give up!” He yelled into the woods. “Anything you want!” He released a long sigh of defeat. “You win!” There was a great hush as he spoke. Something stirred in the wind. The darkness was silent. Jim didn’t move.
“Jimmy?” The voice, a child’s voice, startled him and he looked up.
“Jimmy, what’s the matter?” A gentle, caring voice.
It took Jim a minute to understand. “Charlie?” His eyes grew wide. It was Charlie, as he’d looked so many years ago as a small child, standing patiently above him in the dawn’s twilight. He was smiling at him and clutching his mangy old cat, the one he’d slammed the door on by accident, and lopped off part of its tail. The one he used to torment to no end.
Jim’s mouth went dry. But Charlie was dead! Charlie was…
“Oh, it’s me,” the ghost child chuckled, petting his cat and looking amused.
“Charlie! My God! Where did you come from?” You’re dead, he thought but didn’t say. Instead he groaned, “What do you want?”
He was quivering. Did this mean he was dead, too? Jim jerked his head around and saw the smoking hulk of the bus behind him.
Was he dead, and didn’t know it yet?
“Oh, Jimmy, are you hurt?” The small ghost reached out its pale hand towards him as if to comfort, but Jim recoiled in fright.
“Don’t touch me,” Jim cried. He stood up unsteadily and propped himself against the trunk of a nearby tree. His eyes never left Charlie. “Am I dead, too?” There was cold sweat beaded on his face. “I don’t feel dead.” He ran his hands over his arms and down his body. The blood had dried on his face and hands, he wasn’t bleeding anymore, so it must mean something. He felt shaken, bruised and sore, but not dead.
Charlie was laughing at him and Jim gaped in amazement at the remnant.
He’d seen a lot of terrible things in his life, had been aware of existences most people would never experience in their lifetimes, but this took the cake.
He’d never thought he’d see Charlie again. Not in this lifetime…not in any.
“You want me to tell you if you’re dead or not?” Charlie chortled again.
Jim put up his hand as if to ward off evil. “No, I don’t want to know.”
“What do you think?” Charlie was floating a few feet above the wet earth stroking his stiff cat in long, gentle strokes and it made Jim’s teeth itch to watch him.
“I don’t really know.” He eyed him suspiciously sideways. “I don’t feel dead.” He mulled over the notion he might be in the Twilight Zone this time for real. No, it wasn’t likely, he felt too normal. “You’re not real.” He glared down at Charlie. “I’m hallucinating this whole thing.”
Charlie shook his head and slowly floated away.
Jim closed his eyes and prayed when he opened them again, Charlie would be gone. It didn’t work. “This isn’t happening.”
“Stubborn.” Charlie giggled. “You’re a silly goose, Jimmy. Like always.” The child had stopped at a distance and was grinning at Jim from behind a tree.
“Go away,” Jim moaned, as he slid down to the ground at the base of the tree and hid his head in his hands.
“I can’t go away. I came here to help you, Jimmy. I wasn’t very nice to you when I was alive, so I owe you something. You and Sarah were my favorites and now she needs us. I can help.” The eerie voice was sincere but Jim sensed fear, too. What could a ghost be afraid of?***

About the Author:

Since childhood I’ve always been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. I began writing novels at 21, over forty years ago now, and have had fourteen (nine romantic horror, one historical romance, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel and two murder mysteries) previous novels and eight short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books and Eternal Press.
I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-four years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois called Columbia, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have two quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha and live cat Cleo, and the four of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die.

Find the Author:

My Space: http://www.myspace.com/kathrynmeyergriffith
(To see all my book trailers with original music by my singer/songwriter brother JS Meyer)

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/profile/kathrynmeyergriffith

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1019954486

Bebo: http://www.bebo.com/kathrynmeyerG

Authors Den: http://www.authorsden.com/kathrynmeyergriffith
Jacket Flap: http://www.jacketflap.com/K.Griffith
Shout Life: http://www.shoutlife.com/kathrynmeyergriffith

Romance Writer and Reader: http://romancewriterandreader.ning.com/profile/KathrynMeyerGriffith
Romance Book Junction: http://romancebookjunction.ning.com/profile/kathrynmeyergriffith

Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:
Evil Stalks the Night (Leisure, 1984; Damnation Books, June 2012)
The Heart of the Rose (Leisure, 1985; Eternal Press Author’s Revised Edition 2010) Eternal Press Buy Link: http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615722327
Blood Forge (Leisure, 1989; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition, 2012)
Vampire Blood (Zebra, 1991; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition, 2011)
Damnation Books Buy Link: http://damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615724253
The Last Vampire (Zebra, 1992; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition out 2010) Damnation Books Buy Link: http://damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615722075
You Tube Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZU77j_q4S8
Witches (Zebra, 1993; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition out 2011)
Damnation Books Buy Link:http://damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615723553
The Nameless One (short story in 1993 Zebra Anthology Dark Seductions; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition, 2011) Damnation Books Buy Link: http://damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615723201
The Calling (Zebra, 1994; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition, 2011)
Damnation Books Buy Link: http://damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615725007
Scraps of Paper (Avalon Books Murder Mystery, 2003)
All Things Slip Away (Avalon Books Murder Mystery, 2006)
Egyptian Heart (The Wild Rose Press, 2007; Author’s Revised Edition, Eternal Press 2011) Eternal Press buy link: http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615724437 My self-made
You Tube Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cogCNYKzPqc
Winter’s Journey (The Wild Rose Press, 2008; Author’s Revised Edition, Eternal Press 2011) Eternal Press Buy Link:http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615724604)

You Tube Book Trailer address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZYCs2DVhHg
The Ice Bridge (The Wild Rose Press, 2008; Author’s Revised Edition, Eternal Press 2011)
Eternal Press Buy Link: http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615725182
You Tube Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28HZqu-my1g
Don’t Look Back, Agnes novella & bonus short story: In This House (2008; ghostly romantic short story out; Eternal Press 2012)
You Tube Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3q9rZryFMo<;/a
Eternal Press Buy Link: http://www.eternalpress.biz/people.php?author=422
BEFORE THE END: A Time of Demons (Damnation Books 2010)
Damnation Books buy link: http://damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615721313
You Tube self-made Book trailer with original song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0-U9c2Lwfo
The Woman in Crimson (Damnation Books 2010)
Eternal Press Buy Link: http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615721979
You Tube Book Trailer Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcRBvDI5G4Y
The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Fiction: Volume 1 (I did the Introduction)

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Bound & Unbound by LolaJames

Lola James
Unbound (Spellbound Series, Book Two)

Lola James has been reading romance novels since her teens, and fell in love with the paranormal after discovering Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Her love of the dark worlds of vampires and witches, as well as her fascination with Greek mythology led her to create the Spellbound Series, an ongoing Paranormal Romance combining all of the above into tales of suspense with a little bit of humor in an Urban Fantasy setting.

A long time lover of reading and writing with a passion for a great story, James became discouraged by the complicated and arbitrary publishing process, James had initially set down her laptop and her hopes of being a writer. However, with the purchase of her first e-reader, James became re-energized by the new possibilities for an undiscovered author to reach the masses. Dusting off her keyboard she finally finished Bound to Remember, the first book of the Spellbound Series and self-published it. Energized and ambitious, James is now hard at work on both the Spellbound Series as well as the Fate Series, a paranormal romance about dreams and what happens if they come true.

Living in Southern California with her two beautiful children, James finds time to write in between her full-time job as a mother as well as her other full-time job as an HR manager, as well as her academic schedule as she studies for her Master’s degree which she hopes to complete in 2013. With the success of Bound to Remember, James hopes to continue to reach an audience that will allow her to leave her HR job and focus on her writing as a full time career.

Giveaway:
Lola will be offering a $25 Gift Card to readers choice of Barnes and Noble or Amazon at the end of her tour. Please use the Rafflecopter code below.

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Blurb:
Unbound, Book Two of the Spellbound Series
Toni went from being a doctor, to the lover of a god in an instant. Remembering who she was, she's now torn between her past self and her current love. Ben is stunned when Toni leaves and at the arrival of his long lost love, Catherine, but her arrival doesn't eradicate Toni from his mind. Unlikely allies will team up to get Toni back from the Lord of the Underworld, Hades, but it's not Hades they need to worry about.

Excerpt:
Ben and I stood alone in the hallway as I moved closer to him. The lust from our kiss still lingered and thick between us.

“Ben…I––”

“Shhh.” His finger touched my lips, stopping my ramble of thoughts. “We have only a short time, and I need to plead my case to you so let me show rather than tell you why it should be me you pick for eternity.”

I had no words. I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded my head as he took my hand intertwining his fingers with mine. We walked to the nearest door that was Hades office, once inside he closed the door behind us.

His lips touched mine, and my free hand fisted a hand full of his dark hair, deepening his light kiss into something more carnal. The faint taste of blood was still on his mouth and it turned me on.

Bound to Remember
Book One of the Spellbound Series
Vampires and Witches and Myths, oh my!
Toni is a young doctor with a past she can't remember and a deadly reason for forgetting it.
Ben is a nurse who has his own tragic past and transfers hospitals after an act of heroism forces his secluded life public.
Ben can’t believe his eyes when he meets Toni, she has an uncanny resemblance to an old friend of his, and Toni can’t help but find Ben irresistible.
Enter Kevin, Toni’s sexy but arrogant Ex. Kevin’s jealousy of Ben blinds him from his main objective, Toni.
A dangerous secret is revealed and a magic spell seems to be a quick remedy, but the witch that helps has a little more than magic up her sleeve…
Read the first chapter of: Bound to Remember

Addicted by Ana Hart

Ana Hart has done it again!
First she gave us Reborn; book one in the “One Powerful Addiction” series that tells the story of Daniel Webb in this paranormal erotic romance.

Just Released

ADDICTED

Addicted is the second book in the series and continues to follow Daniel Webb on his mysterious path.

Synopsis:

All Daniel Webb wants is to be a normal guy, but honestly, that doesn't seem like it's going to happen anytime soon in between him being addicted to a supernatural power beyond his control, keeping his girlfriend Alyssa Drega happy, and dealing with the everyday responsibilities of being a college student. Oh, yeah, and now his nightmares are trying to kill him. And they're not the only ones. When a mysterious assailant attacks Daniel in the woods outside of town and ends up getting to Alyssa in the process, things get real personal real quick and more questions than answers are dumped onto Daniel's already full plate. Now the clock is ticking while something truly dark is stirring in the sleepy town of Stone Hills, Arkansas, and it's all Daniel can do to figure out how to survive the weekend. And keep Alyssa safe in the process

Synopsis of Addicted by Ana Hart
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All Daniel Webb wants is to be a normal guy, but honestly, that doesn't seem like it's going to happen anytime soon in between him being addicted to a supernatural power beyond his control, keeping his girlfriend Alyssa Drega happy, and dealing with the everyday responsibilities of being a college student. Oh, yeah, and now his nightmares are trying to kill him. And they're not the only ones. When a mysterious assailant attacks Daniel in the woods outside of town and ends up getting to Alyssa in the process, things get real personal real quick and more questions than answers are dumped onto Daniel's already full plate. Now the clock is ticking while something truly dark is stirring in the sleepy town of Stone Hills, Arkansas, and it's all Daniel can do to figure out how to survive the weekend. And keep Alyssa safe in the process.

Purchase Addicted from the following estores:
NNP eStore
ARe
Amazon
Amazon UK
Smashwords
About the Author:

Ana Hart is a writer of erotica and romance and an Internet celebrity wannabe. Born and raised in the southern United States, Ana currently resides in Conway, Arkansas with her very supportive boyfriend. When not writing, Ana can often be found talking into a camera on YouTube, lurking on Facebook or Twitter, or just running searches for herself on Google.

Bride of Fae

A love more powerful than magic or time.





Beverly Bratton has a safe, mundane life. No drama. No magic. Since her parents died, she’s cared for her little sister Marion and worked at the Tragic Fall Inn. When a fairy’s charm sends Beverly a hundred years into the past–and into the path of a banished fairy prince–nothing will ever be mundane or safe again.





The regent of the Dumnos fae is turning the court from light to dark, and there's nothing the rightful king, Prince Dandelion, can do about it. The mystical coronation cup which he needs to become king has fallen into human hands. When he meets a human woman with access to the cup, everything changes. Beverly is fascinating as well as useful–but of course Dandelion doesn’t love her.





Love for a fairy is rare. Love with a human, impossible. But when Beverly and Dandelion are thrown together in a battle against both wyrd and fae, they learn that in Dumnos the impossible happens every day.







Event page http://www.facebook.com/events/471663176178149/





Prizes

2 of these awesome roll on shimmer shadows

2 of these fun sparkle shadows

2 of these pretty lip glosses

4 of these beautiful handmade book marks made by The Book Swag Shop

And this adorable movie....very fitting for the theme of the book :)




The Lust Garden


With her perfectly tousled blonde hair and pink, pouty lips, Gianna Salvani is the girl everyone loves to hate. She has it all - fame, fortuneand unrivaled beauty. But behind the seductive smile is an insecure girl who still grieves for the father she lost years ago. With a controversial new film in the can, and the release of her debut album looming, Gianna ispoised to take center stage. But when a shocking secret leaves her exposed, her fame will bring her face-to-face with a nightmare she never saw coming. Because lurking in the shadow of her spotlight is an obsessed killer with plans of his own for Gianna.

Ignited by his first conquest, Gianna's greatest admirer begins a brutal hunt to claim her as the ultimate trophy in a string of look-alike murders. Motivated by envy, he forces himself into her seemingly untainted world and threatens to ruin everything she's built by revealing a hidden tie that binds them. And if you knew his secret, you'd want to kill her too

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Kindle / Paperback



Billy Jolie graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Mass Communications. He lives in the Tampa Bay area.

Follow him on Facebook / Twitter / Blog / Goodreads

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Follow the Tour
Promotional Book Tours and Billy Jolie are giving away a $50 Amazon Gc and 5 autographed copies! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Brought to you by http://Promotionalbooktours.com

She Shifters

Take a walk on the wild side…

Following the success of her ground-breaking Girls Who Bite: Lesbian Vampire Erotica, best-selling author Delilah Devlin and her contributors deliver another stunning collection.

Shapeshifters—beings both human and animal—ignite our imaginations with visions of primal passions and insatiable hungers. Most commonly seen as dark, masculine demons, these sixteen stories investigate shapeshifter myths from around the world, and add fur and claws to a fresh girl-on-girl blending of physical power and inescapable desires.

Embrace your wild child as you journey through worlds of unexpected delights with some of today’s hottest erotic romance authors, including Sacchi Green, Christine d’Abo, Adele Dubois and Myla Jackson. Fly atop the Tower of London in Paisley Smith’s “The Night Crow.” In Anna Meadows’ “Verde,” feel the burn of a hot Mexican summer. Experience the raw lash of a dragon’s tail in “Scorched Retribution,” then linger in the sensual delights of a furry conventional in “She’s Furry Yiffy”. 

Prepare to be embraced inside the warm, feathered wings of a phoenix, race through a rain forest morphing from tiger to kingfisher, and watch your lover surrender her seal’s pelt to walk hand-in-hand with you along a cold and lonely shore. In She Shifters, love comes running, slithering, flying—in all shapes of desire.

Delilah Devlin's one-of-a-kind She Shifters unleashes the wild creature inside us all! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EXCERPT: From “Bound in Bronze” by Chris Kouju: “Fly with me,” she murmured, burying her face against the fur of my neck. “There is a lake where the sun shines on one end and the light of the moon on the other. Have you been there?” “I have heard of it.” It is a pool no mortal has swam in, for the roots of the trees surround the borders of the lake, drinking deeply of its waters. Spirits resided in every branch. “I wish to swim with you there,” she said into my ear, her fingers smoothing down my fur. “They say that any soul who bathes in the waters realizes their life’s purpose.” “A double-edge blade,” I said. But I agreed. I took to the air as a hornbill with wings as black as pearl, my beak the bright amber of the tiger. She shivered free of her human form and became a kingfisher, her wings flitting like leaves whipping in the wind. We soared between trees that touched the sky, the earth surging away beneath us. She brushed against me first, feathers teasing my chest mid-flight before her smaller body dipped away. When she did it a third time, I shifted into a serpent eagle and playfully snapped my beak at her. Aryani gave off a sound like a laugh, blurred into the form of a swiftlet, and ducked beneath me. From there we circled each other, shifting, grazing each other even as we descended. The game didn’t stop once we touched ground just short of the lake. She dropped to the grass as a clouded leopard, spotted tail lashing, head bent as if ready to pounce. I became a sun bear, my mark a blazing orange beneath the neck. With my curved claws, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. She shrank into a mouse deer and slipped free on tiny hooves. Over and over we changed shapes, reacting to each other, until we confronted each other as snake and mongoose. We fell silent. I sank my serpentine head low, aware our choice of shapes could not be coincidence. And then the mongoose leaned forward to blatantly rub its face against mine. In shock, I shifted back to human, and so did Aryani. Delilah will be giving away the following prizes to randomly drawn commenters during the tour: * a grand prize of $50 * Two print copies of the "Girls Who Bite" anthology, signed by Delilah Devlin (editor) - US/Canada only * Digital copies of: Christine d’Abo’s Dom for Sale Sacchi Green’s Girl Fever (Kindle version only) Adele Dubois The Crystal Altar Delilah Devlin’s and Paisley Smith’s Bitten in the Big Easy Paisley Smith’s Beguiled Michael M. Jones’s Like A Cunning Plan: Erotic Trickster Tales Make sure you follow the tour and comment; the more they comment, the better their chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://www.goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/06/virtual-book-blurb-blitz-she-shifters.html AUTHOR Bio and Links: Delilah Devlin is an award-winning author of erotic romance with a rapidly expanding reputation for writing edgy stories with complex characters. Ms. Devlin has published over a hundred stories in multiple sub-genres and lengths with Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Kensington, Kindle, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing. Website: http://www.delilahdevlin.com/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DelilahDevlinFanPage 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DelilahDevlin

Black Hippie Chick Speaks with Louisa Bacio, Author of of The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf: A Threesome Wedding Adventure

Naughty Nick By Louisa Bacio “I like Nick,” an editor-friend recently told me. And you know what? I really like Nick, too.  First introduced in book 2, The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf: Chains of Silver, Nick is a vampire hunter thrown into close proximity with the world of the Others, paranormal creatures. He’s grown up with Silver, his best friend’s younger sister, and he’s faced with sudden un-brotherly feelings toward her. When Silver finds her blood brother, Trevor, she discovers some hidden genetic make-up in the family. She’s a werewolf, who’ll first shift after reaching her sexual maturity.  Nick takes the changes in stride, surprisingly. He’s one of those characters that follows me around on a daily basis. While he seems so real, it’s been almost impossible to find an image to represent his physical description: “His creamy mocha-toned skin contrasted with his long, blond dreads and pale brown eyes that appeared catlike. He wore a white tank top, and as he turned slightly to the side to check out a disturbance, Silver admired the pointed stake tattooed on his shoulder. The only accessory definitely out of place was the ghastly black fanny pack around his waist.” (from Chains of Silver)   While creating the book trailer, the creative artist Lex Valentine used an image that more represents his aura/personality than strict appearance. In my current release, A Threesome Wedding Adventure, Nick falls a bit into the background, but continues to show different facets of his personality.  Here’s a short passage from later in the book: “Do you have any weapons in that bag of yours?” Nick finally asked, breaking the silence. Trevor shook his head. He didn’t feel like explaining to Nick why he packed so light. “I didn’t think we’d need anything. Come on, we’re a tough vampire and a werewolf.” “Going up against the Devil, man?” “We know Dr. Black’s in custody, right? So odds are that Mirabella’s up there all by herself, waiting to be saved.” “By the likes of us?” Trevor held his arms out, palms facing upward. “Think of Shrek, the reluctant hero. We fit the part well. We may not be knights in shining armor, but we’re what she’s got.” “True dat, my man, true dat.” Nick held his fist out to Trevor, and they knocked them together. “So what’s the plan?” As you can tell, his dialogue has grown strong, and he stands out. You know what this means, though? Oh, yes, I can’t leave him alone … yet. Currently, I’m working on book 4, The Wolfe Pack, and Nick plays heavily in the story. Let me tell you, he’s got some growing up to do. The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf: A Threesome Wedding Adventure  By Louisa Bacio Planning a wedding can be stressful and crazy-making.  Planning three weddings at the same time? That’s insanity. While The Vampire, The Witch & The Werewolf embark on a nuptial excursion, Silver & Nick hold down the home fortress in New Orleans.  And as if everyone doesn’t have enough to deal with, the Voodoo King comes calling with a magic elixir that diminishes sexual inhibitions and an eerie quiet spreads across the French Quarter. Life as they know it may never be the same. The threesome is forced to put off honeymoon bliss in order to banish the demons of their past, and embrace the uncertainty of the future. Available via Ravenous Romance, Amazon and other eRetailers. Thanks so much for hosting me today. So tell me, what do you look for in a hero? Can a character sometimes be too unique?  Drop in for a visit at http://www.louisabacio.com   Facebook Twitter http://louisabacio.blogspot.com http://louisabacio.com

CHECKOUT THESE AWESOME PRIZES FOR THE GIVEAWAY: Giveaway

Black Hippie Chick's Take on: Prime Time by Jane Wenham~Jones

C’mon baby, light my crow’s feet

"LIGHTS. CAMERA. ACTION. That was the old Hollywood call that went out in the LA studios and for anyone who has agreed to do a television interview, it still rings true today.”

  So says Glenn Campbell, a TV journalist who came to film me at home for the BBC’sInside Out. I became an instant fan of Glen when he rooted around the house for a small lamp which he placed strategically at my feet. “You look 30, darling,” he emailed later, when the edit was in progress.

I was pleasantly surprised myself. There was one slightly saggy-jawed shot at the beginning where they’d panned in too close but even my son (who was cringing and keeping a weather eye on Facebook in case his friends had seen me) admitted, when it hit the screen, that I looked “OK”.

Praise - as other mothers of teenage boys will know – indeed.

Glenn, I decided, would therefore be a good person to quiz on the finer points of looking half-decent on TV. And you can read his full words of wisdom in my guide to self-promotion Wannabe a Writer We’ve Heard Of? (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wannabe-Writer-Weve-Heard-Of/dp/1906373973/ref=pd_sim_b_3)

But this was the bit that resonated with me – and which I’ve experienced to my cost.

 

“Good lighting makes you look good. It can add years to you, or it can flatter you beyond all recognition. It can make you look like a movie star. Why do you think they insist on seeing how they look when lit? After all, you may have a baggy chin, but a good lighting cameraman can make it vanish!”

 

I hope he wasn’t thinking of my own chin when he said that! But it was this undeniable truth that I had in mind when I started writing Prime Time. Laura’s story is very different from mine but let us say I empathise with her…J

*****

A British romantic comedy by Jane Wenham-Jones, author of 'Perfect Alibis'.

Laura Meredith never imagined herself appearing on TV, she's too old, too flabby, too downright hormonal, and much too busy holding things together for her son, Stanley, after her husband left her for a younger, thinner replacement. But best friend Charlotte is a determined woman and when Laura is persuaded on to a daytime show to talk about her PMT, everything changes. Suddenly there's a camera crew tracking her every move and Laura finds herself an unlikely star. But as things hot up between her and gorgeous TV director, Cal, they're going downhill elsewhere. While Laura's caught up in a heady whirlwind of beauty treatments, makeovers and glamorous film locations, Charlotte's husband, Roger, is concealing a guilty secret, Stanley's got problems at school, work's piling up, and when Laura turns detective to protect Charlotte's marriage, things go horribly wrong. The champagne's flowing as Laura's prime time TV debut looks set to be a hit. But in every month, there's a "Day Ten" ...

 

Buy links

Paperback:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1908766581/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=lucyfelthouse-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1908766581

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1908766581/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=lucyfelt-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1908766581

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/prime-time-jane-wenham-jones/1107994945?ean=9781908766588

eBook:

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http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/prime-time-jane-wenham-jones/1107994945?ean=9781908262790

*****

Jane is the author of four novels and two non-fiction books – Wannabe a Writer? - a humorous look at becoming a scribe  - and Wannabe a Writer We’ve Heard Of?  a guide to the art of book and self promotion.  As a freelance journalist she has appeared in a wide range of women's magazines and national newspapers and writes regular columns for Woman's Weekly and Writing Magazine, where she is the agony aunt. Jane is an experienced tutor who is regularly booked by writing conferences and literary festivals to run workshops and give talks on all aspects of the writing process. She is also a member of Equity, has presented for the BBC on both TV and radio and has done her fair share of daytime TV, particularly when promoting her controversial second novel Perfect Alibis (subtitled How to have an affair and get away with it...) It was those – sometimes hair-raising – TV experiences that inspired Prime Time, her new novel. For more information see http://www.janewenham-jones.com and http://janewenhamjones.wordpress.com/.

Drowning Mermaids

  Drowning Mermaids by Nadia Scrieva   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BLURB:   Deep under Arctic waters lies an ice kingdom carved into a glacier. Those who dwell within it possess magnificent biological secrets. Due to the dangers of impending war, the Princess of Adlivun is forced to flee her undersea utopia and regroup with her sisters in Alaska. Captain Trevain Murphy is a successful king crab fisherman who has spent his life building his empire above the sea, and knows nothing of the empire beneath it. When he meets a mysterious dancer whose father has recently died, he extends kindness towards her, unaware of her unique genetics and royal lineage. Trevain's attraction to the enigmatic Aazuria Vellamo will involve him in dangerous designs that will forever change his life, and his perspective on himself and his world. He embarks on perilous journeys in which he will need to release all of his insecurities and inhibitions in order to survive.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~     Excerpt   It was his angel. He knew her, although she looked nothing like before. She was his Aazuria, his mythical heroine. In the dancing glow of the oil blaze, she was simply too dazzling to be real and he knew that he must be dying. As she hovered in suspension before him, her skin and hair were almost luminous in the dark water, almost phosphorescent. Perhaps she never had been real. It did not matter—she was firmly grasping his hands, and it sent a feeling of comfort and tranquility through him. He knew that she loved him.   He could see forgiveness and acceptance in her expression. None of the turmoil between them mattered any longer in this pacific moment. In her benevolent gaze, he could finally forgive himself. He smiled at her, although his vision was fading, and the world was disappearing. He tightly gripped her hands to thank her for coming back for him. He could not bear the thought of letting go; he did not want to be robbed of her touch. He tried to keep his eyes open for as long as possible, to keep looking into her unfamiliar ultramarine orbs. So this was what she really looked like, in her element. He wished he could have known her true form. It was mystical.   Trevain could imagine no better way to die. No better sight to see the last time he closed his eyes. A peaceful smile descended on his face, and the captain’s tired eyes closed for what he knew to be the last time ever.    AUTHOR Bio and Links:   Nadia Scrieva was born in 1988 in Toronto, Canada. She studied English and Anthropology, graduating with an Honors B.A. from the University of Toronto in 2011. She likes knives. Writing has been the most meaningful part of her life since she was a child. Nadia loves receiving feedback from readers, so do not hesitate to contact her with any of your comments, questions, ideas, or just to say hello.    Website: www.NadiaScrieva.com   Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NadiaFans Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/NadiaScrieva Blog: http://nadiascrieva.blogspot.ca/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fathoms of Forgiveness Review by Black Hippie Chick

MY REVIEW:. This book picks up exactly where the first book in the series ends; Aazuria is about to have her coronation as Queen of Adlivun. Unfortunately, her younger sister’s mother is out to cause pain and is murdered before she can be put to death officially. Everyone is so busy dealing with the ensuing chaos, they don’t notice that Princess Aazuria’s younger sister has been kidnapped. This book will take you on an emotional roller coaster, as you learn the fate of Adlivun. Will Visola survive the vengeful and destructive plan her ex-husband has set in motion, in an attempt to get revenge for his incorrect belief that she cheated on him? Will the Queen & Trevain live long enough to be married, and will the citizens of Adlivun be forced to flee their country? You won’t be sorry you spent your time reading Fathoms of Forgiveness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Fathoms of Forgiveness by Nadia Scrieva   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BLURB:   There is no divorce in the undersea kingdom of Adlivun. Marriage is a bond that lasts until death—even if death comes in several centuries, and in that time your spouse happens to become your sworn enemy. This is the conflict that General Visola Ramaris faces when she learns that the mighty Vachlan is behind the attacks on her kingdom. She has sworn to protect Adlivun with her life, but long ago, she also swore to love and honor her husband...   Visola must choose whether she will destroy Vachlan once and for all, or attempt the hardest thing conceivable: communication. After two hundred years of desertion, she has no faith in their feeble bond and knows she can never forgive him. When he threatens the person dearest to her, she must take action. Confronting Vachlan on enemy territory would be nothing short of suicide. She knows that if she falls into his custody, the deranged man would relish breaking her down and making her lose her sanity.   Princess Aazuria forbids Visola from taking matters into her own hands; she will do anything it takes to protect her friend from the man who wants to crush her. Alas, Visola is a crazy, uncontrollable warrior woman with the blood of Vikings in her veins. Why would she ever consider doing the safe and predictable thing?   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~   EXCERPTS (Please choose only ONE to use with your post):   Excerpt #1:   Meeting the scrutiny of his steel-grey eyes made her feel sweltering hot and bitterly cold at the same time. It was a thousandfold more difficult to tolerate the intensity of his gaze when it was penetrating her skull from the front instead of the rear. She felt like her eyes did not offer as much protection as the dense bones of her skull had. He was already piercing beyond her eyeballs to knead her memories with his knuckles, and to dissect her thoughts with his fingernails. She tried to get past the pain in her skull to objectively observe her enemy. His jet-black hair was pulled back into its classic ponytail at the nape of his neck. Had he not changed his hairstyle in all this time? Had he not grown hideous with all the horrible deeds he had done?   It did not seem possible, but he looked exactly the same. Except for his eyes; those vicious grey-blue eyes would have terrified any lesser woman to tears. Visola could not help seeing the blatant resemblance to her daughter in his face. Although Alcyone’s coloring was closer to Visola’s own, there was still so much of Vachlan in her. Seeing this; seeing the glimpses of Alcyone in this man who was little more than a stranger, drew her spirit to him involuntarily. Visola realized that she had to face the terrible truth.   She was not strong enough to face the father of her child.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AUTHOR Bio and Links:   Nadia Scrieva was born in 1988 in Toronto, Canada. She studied English and Anthropology, graduating with an Honors B.A. from the University of Toronto in 2011. She likes knives. Writing has been the most meaningful part of her life since she was a child. Nadia loves receiving feedback from readers, so do not hesitate to contact her with any of your comments, questions, ideas, or just to say hello.    Website:  Facebook:  Twitter:  Blog: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Willing Sacrifice by Cree Walker

The sequel to ‘Whisper on a Scream’, the paranormal, shape shifting erotic book by Cree Walker, ‘WILLING SACRIFICE’… is due out on the 17th July. It will be available from the Naughty Nights Press EStore and all good ebook sites. Synopsis: Sugar Coon is the widowed wife of Jack Coon, her werewolf pack’s former Alpha. After having died because of a long forced separation caused by the Elder’s Council he hasn’t giving up their ‘forever and ever’ just yet. Werewolves mate for life and normally when a mate dies the other is soon to follow, but Sugar is different from the rest. She is a natural Born Werewolf just like Jack, however, for unknown reasons she doesn’t die within a year of Jack’s death. Sometimes she wishes she had. The haunting from her dead husband starts out as gentle whispers and soft caresses on her skin, but soon as he grows stronger his real intentions are not easy to mistake. He wants what every werewolf wants – a forever mate – and if Sugar won’t die naturally, Jack is willing to take whatever steps necessary to bring them together again. The Elder Coon, Jack’s Grandmother, summons Sugar in an effort to overthrow its newest Alpha, Robert. For Sugar, meeting Robert isn’t exactly love at first sight, but she does feel drawn to him. A part of her thinks it’s just her bad taste in men. Sugar is confused as to her role the Elder’s plan to overthrow this new Alpha. She’s wondering if it’s even such a good idea. The Elder Coon was fond of using Jack’s pack as a bargaining tool to control him, forcing him to become her own personal weapon of mass destruction when things weren’t going her way politically. Trial and error unravels the web of lies and deceit the Elders have woven in order to control her, and attempt to control Robert to further their future conquests. Having decided they both want the same thing they find themselves on the same side when it comes to taking out the main source of the werewolves problems, the Elders. They also find themselves falling in love, something that terrifies Sugar since losing her last mate. Sugar discovers she has a bargaining chip to play with when she speaks to a witch about a little poltergeist problem. Jack isn’t a ghost – or he’s not just a ghost – he’s a Hellhound. It seems that’s where all the bad werewolves go when they die. Hellhounds become servants to the Reapers who handle them in the afterlife, using them as retrievers for the hard to handle spirits headed south. This particular Reaper is willing to help Sugar take out the Elders if she’ll help him trap Jack, but there is an additional cost to the deal. Sugar is pregnant with twin girls from separate fathers. One is Robert’s and the other is Jack’s, it seems Jack had one final wish as well. The freedom of the werewolves has cost Sugar greatly and though she’s made several willing sacrifices in the name of leadership and love, she’s made one she is not willing to forgive herself for. The Reaper has made a request that Sugar love and care for both of her daughters equally, but one day he will return and chose one of them as a final cost for his part in their deal. Follow Cree Walker on her blog page http://creewalker.wordpress.com/

The Quintessential Gemini by Linn B. Halton

Title: The Quintessential Gemini Author: Linn B. Halton Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing Length: 305 pages Genres: Contemporary Romance Available at: Sapphire Star Publishing Blurb: For twenty-one years, the focus of Katherine Dale’s life has been her work. Love interests and hobbies came and went, but what has always been there for her—her only constant other than her cat delightfully named No. 4—was her nine to five habit. Until she’s replaced. With her confidence dented, Katherine is angry at life and at herself. She’s ignored hints of “changes to come” in her horoscope forecasts, written by the wonderful and renowned astrologer, Mark Ainsley-Thomas. Mark is now an “A” list celebrity in the UK and his new Agent is determined to raise his profile in America, so he has to take on the new, but talented, astrologer James Kingman to help him run his web-site. Katherine lives her life according to her daily horoscope. When Katherine finds James has been writing her daily horoscopes rather than Mark, Katherine’s life explodes in confusion and, unexpectedly, love as the three lives become inextricably tangled. Insecurity, self-doubt, guilt, stress, and frustration, coupled with village gossips and merciless reporters wanting eye-catching headlines leave Katherine feeling vulnerable and in need of guidance. Now Katherine has to learn that the stars might be telling her that love is going to feature in her life, but when Katherine finds herself implicated in the headlines ‘Mystic Love Triangle Surprise’ she’s just as surprised as everyone else! None of the men in her life are love interests – so what exactly does fate have in store? Excerpt: My life is falling apart. I knew it, Mark isn’t writing the forecasts and a guy named James has now admitted this to me. I don’t have a problem with that at all, but what I need at this particular moment in time is Mark’s insightful guidance. He seems to be able to tap into the very essence of my life and give simple, yet incredibly relevant, clues. James, on the other hand, is probably catering for the masses; hence, I’m finding I can’t relate to anything he says. It took me all day yesterday emailing James, whom I assumed was Mark, to get to the bottom of the problem. Today is Wednesday and the talk is on Friday evening. Everyone in town is buzzing about it and this could be major humiliation. What should I do? I finally emailed James, asking very politely for Mark’s personal contact details. He came back with a standard, “Mark unfortunately isn’t available to…” I didn’t panic, just took a deep breath and turned to the internet. I found an interesting article about Mark and learned that he gives personal readings. Yes. Thankfully, the email address is different to the one on the Website. I dashed off a few words, asking whether he was available, and what I needed to do. That was four-thirty yesterday and I haven’t had a response yet. I was up at six this morning and have been frantically checking my emails virtually every ten minutes. It’s now eleven thirty and the strain is beginning to tell. I can’t write, can’t eat, and can’t think straight. If Friday night is going to be a flop, then I need advance warning so that I can cancel. I’m having problems thinking of an excuse that doesn’t sound lame. If I say I’m unwell, it probably means leaving it to the last minute and then I’ll be scrutinized and will have to hide for a week. If I say something like “I’m too busy” or even tell the truth, that I’m really just a novice myself, the locals will probably think I’m not taking them seriously. In my defense, I never said to Tom I was a writer, I just said I was writing a novel. The problem is that Tom seems to be basking in some sort of local glory for being in the know and, I hear, regularly having coffee with our famous local writer. This I found out when I was in the library the other day and overheard two women talking. Everything is getting out of hand and I don’t know what to do next. No. 4 flounces into the room with a loud meow, walks around the kitchen table twice, and then just as quickly disappears. Even he can sense the tense atmosphere that hovers like a rain cloud in the room. Suddenly I spot a flashing icon on my screen and I dash over to the table and sit down. It’s from Mark, well his representative, the person who books his personal appointments. From: Kate on behalf of Mark Ainsley-Thomas To: Ms K Dale Dear Katherine Unfortunately, Mark is touring this week, attending a number of book signings around the country. He is sorry that he is unlikely to be able to commit to a personal sitting for at least three months due to his unusually busy schedule. I am able to offer you an individual, full chart reading service, which Mark oversees personally, and I can arrange this upon receipt of the detailed information listed on the attachment. This service is available at a cost of £19.95. Thank you for contacting Mark and please do not hesitate to let me know if you would like the full chart reading service. Yours sincerely Kate Personal Assistant to Mark Ainsley-Thomas I suddenly feel like I have a lifeline. About the Author: Linn B Halton lives in the UK, in the small Gloucestershire village of Arlingham, on the banks of the River Severn with her adorable husband and cat with attitude – Mr Tiggs! She writes romantic fiction with a psychic or astrological theme and many of the paranormal events that feature in her books are real life experiences. Linn is also a featured new Author on http://loveahappyending.com/ and Editor of the feature ‘Author & Associate Catch-Ups’ including ‘Reader/Author Team Reports’ on the website’s magazine-style blog. SSP Author Page: http://www.sapphirestarpublishing.com/linnbhalton Linn’s Author Page: http://loveahappyending.com/linn-b-halton/ Twitter Account @LinnBHalton: http://bit.ly/ksXMDS Facebook Author Linn B Halton: http://on.fb.me/mnvJJs My Review: I found this book to be very interesting,the other described astronomy & astrology in a manner that makes it easy for the reader to learn fun facts without being aware of it. The book takes place in England,so the reader may not have knowledge of certain places & word use. The book went back & forth from the viewpoint of the three main character points of view. This is the first book that I've read that was written in this manner. I think it would be helpful for the reader to know this at the very beginning of story. The reader s able to get a Lear understanding of what each character is thinking throughout the story. If you're looking for a romantic story that has a strong story line, then look no farther.

Saving sunni

Blurb: Jessie Chambers—“Sunni” to the local BDSM community—needs to grow up. Her master, Sir Rune, has told her to get a job. Her sister slave sage is struggling through college, serious as ever. Sunni goes to the local goth/kink store, The Fringe Element, and is immediately embraced by its quirky owner as the newest member of her “little family.” But almost immediately things start to get complicated. Sunni’s ex shows up, claiming he’s found God and that God wants them to get back together. A video of Sunni and Sir Rune doing a scene at the club winds up on television and all kinds of trouble ensues. Sunni must figure out a way to restore her relationships, keep her master from getting deported, take over running the store, and stop everybody else from trying to “save Sunni.” Saving sunni by Kasi Alexander and Reggie Alexander Chapter 1 The Fringe Element was on a little side street right off Colorado Boulevard in Denver. I stood on the sidewalk and looked at it for a minute before I went in. Three mannequins stood in the front window. One was dressed in a short, sexy nurse’s outfit complete with a stethoscope and thigh-high stockings that ended just under the white miniskirt. The next one was in a latex bodysuit with a gas mask covering the face. The third was dressed like a dominatrix, in a leather bustier with a flogger hanging over one shoulder and shiny black boots that extended halfway up the thigh. I briefly pictured wearing that to my job interview and laughed a little as I opened the door and went in. My owner, Sir Rune, had said I needed to get a real job, although he had also said it could be a fun one, and when my sister slave sage had heard through the grapevine that The Fringe Element, a local kink/Goth/punk store, was looking for some help, we all thought it might be a good option for me. I called the owner, Geri, and we set up a time for me to come in and meet her. When I told the girl at the register why I was there, she silently pointed to a woman bustling around the back of the store. I guessed Geri was her late fifties, but trying her best to look like she was a carefree teenager. Her hair was dyed a mixture of colors, mostly black but with thick purple, red, and blue stripes that sort of matched the various articles of clothing that clung, draped, or floated in the vicinity of her body. I could hear her high, birdlike voice and the jingle of her jewelry as she flitted around giving instructions to the two boys who were hanging a display high up on the back wall. It looked like some kind of vampire stuff. sage would just sigh and shake her head at that. I smiled. She preferred real life to fantasy, and the whole vampire thing was completely beyond her. The girl called to Geri, who seemed to ignore us. I leaned against the counter and watched for a few minutes as she alternately scolded and flirted with the boys, who paid almost no attention to her. She abruptly turned and almost skipped toward me, smiling and waving her hands as if she were about to take off and fly around the building. I had a feeling I might like her. Sir and sage were always so serious; this would be a really nice change of pace. If she gives me the job. But there didn’t seem to be too much doubt of that after her first words. “Oh, deary,” she crooned, nearly kissing me in her effort to scrutinize my face over her John Lennon glasses. “Please, please tell me you’re Jessie Chambers. You’re the first actual human to apply for work!” I laughed. “Yes, I’m Jessie, but please call me sunni. That’s my scene name.” I wanted to say it was my slave name, since that’s what it really was, but not everyone appreciated the Master/slave dynamic, and I wasn’t sure what kind of kink Geri was into. From the looks of her it could have been just about anything. She nodded absently, picking up a flyer from the counter and scanning it before slamming it back down. She whirled around to head for what I thought must be her office. “Well, come this way, then, sunni,” she called over her shoulder. I resisted the strong temptation to swing my arms out and march in an imitation of her, not knowing if there was a mirror where she might catch a glimpse of me and get offended. I would be constantly tempted to make fun of her, although in a friendly way, and wondered how much she would catch if I did. I shot the girl a smile, but she was staring down at a magazine on the counter, not paying attention. I followed Geri into her office and sat down in the chair she pointed out. She fluttered around her desk for a minute, then plopped down and leaned forward to stare into my face some more. I laid my resume in front of her, the one Sir and sage and I had spent hours agonizing over, trying to make it sound like I had some practical work experience. She didn’t even glance at it. “So,” she said intently, “Which side are you on?” I’m sure my face went completely blank. I couldn’t imagine what she was talking about, although I could hear Darth Vader’s voice in my head growling, “Come to the dark side, Luke.” My confusion must have shown, because she said impatiently, “Edward or Jacob?” It still took me a minute, but then it dawned on me. She was actually starting my job interview by talking about vampires versus werewolves. I pictured Sir’s face when I told him and nearly burst out laughing. “I… I don’t know,” I finally said, trying to sound as serious as possible. “I think there are benefits to both.” She nodded, as if we were discussing something very philosophical and important. “What benefits?” “Um, well, I like how wild and free werewolves are.” This was a really bizarre conversation, even for me. “And I must confess I do like doggie style.” Geri giggled and nodded vigorously. “But the vampires can make you immortal, and you don’t have to worry about your weight anymore. Although I have to say I would miss ice cream.” She laughed approvingly. “I can see you’re the kind who looks at all sides of an issue. That’s not a bad thing. Tell me more about yourself.” I looked down at the resume, trying to get my head back into a professional space, but she pushed it aside dramatically. “I don’t care about your work history,” she stated. “A monkey could learn the job. What I want to know is how you will fit in with us here. My staff is like a little family, and I don’t want to hire people who wouldn’t be comfortable with us. Tell me who you are. In fact”—she pushed a piece of paper at me—“write down your birth date and place, and I’ll run a chart for you later. That will give me a good idea of your personality traits. But I also want to know about your life experiences.” I blinked at her. I had spent the last few days practicing “interviewing skills,” but none of them had included an interpretation of my astrological chart. I fought down the giggle that was rising in my throat and tried to reorganize my thoughts as I obediently wrote down the information. While I did that she talked about the other employees, when they had come to her, and how much she loved each and every one of them. “Well, I’m not sure what you want to know.” She paused and I hastily went on before she could start talking again. “I got married right out of high school but it didn’t end well. I never went to college, but I’ve tried lots of different kinds of jobs. I guess I haven’t found the right thing yet. I want something that will be fun and give me a chance to meet lots of people. I’m very social.” I ran out of things to say and was happy when she jumped in. “What are your spiritual beliefs and political leanings?” I stopped myself from pointing out that I was pretty sure that was an illegal question to ask in a job interview and instead said, “I don’t really believe in organized religion and I’m not particularly political. I’m curious about paganism but haven’t ever been involved in it.” She nodded again. “Are you kinky, poly, or gay? I assume you’re at least kinky, since you have a scene name.” It occurred to me that my next job interview, wherever it was, was going to seem awfully tame after this. “I’m not gay,” I said, “although I do consider myself heteroflexible. I am kinky and poly.” “Tell me about it.” “Well…” I wasn’t used to discussing my lifestyle with strangers, but I knew she was at least familiar with the scene, if not an actual part of it, so I took a deep breath and plunged in. “I am in a Master/slave household. My master is Sir Rune, and I am one of two slaves.” Geri nodded. “I think I’ve heard of him. I haven’t been very active in the community for a while, but I do still have a lot of contacts, and of course a lot of them shop here. What kind of play do you do?” I wasn’t sure if the conversation was getting too personal or not, but I decided to go with it for the moment. She probably had a good reason to ask. “Oh, general stuff,” I said. “Wax play, fire play, knife play, flogging, bondage, that kind of thing. I’ve been getting into puppy play, too.” She raised her eyebrows. “Puppy play? I’m surprised. That’s mostly boys, isn’t it?” I shrugged. “Maybe, but I like it.” “Why? What is it about puppy play that you like?” “I’m not sure,” I admitted, leaning forward in my chair. “I think it’s the fact that I don’t feel any pressure to be human, or talk, or even think, really, when I’m a puppy. It’s like letting out a whole other side of myself that needs to play. It’s very relaxing for me.” “How did you get into the scene?” She scribbled some notes on a thick legal pad, but I couldn’t tell if she was writing comments on what I was saying or if her mind had gone off in a different direction and she was making a grocery list or something. “After I left my husband, I took a break from relationships for a while. I toyed with the idea of dating only women.” I hoped if she was a lesbian she wouldn’t be offended. “I didn’t find anybody I felt compatible with, but one girl I dated introduced me to the scene, and it felt natural to me. We didn’t go out very long, but she told me about Fetlife, and I set up a profile, met Sir, and decided I wanted to move to Denver to make a new start.” She didn’t say anything, looking totally absorbed in what she was writing. I wondered if she had even been listening to me. When she looked up, I couldn’t tell by her expression if she liked me or was going to call me a freak and tell me to leave. “Tell me about the other slave in your household,” she said, as if that was a standard interview question. “sage? She’s pretty cool.” I tried desperately to think how to describe her. “We grew up in the same small town in Michigan. She’s been living here for a long time, but she joined Sir and me about a year ago. We’re…really different, but we get along pretty well.” “Different how?” Geri persisted. I wondered if she was going to ask about our sexual relationship. “She’s more serious than I am,” I said, trying not to make it sound like an insult. “She and Sir are both really smart. I am more…” I didn’t know exactly what I was trying to say. “Virgo?” she prompted, glancing down at my birth date. I nodded, shrugging. “I guess so. That’s probably why I like being a puppy; I can kind of get away from all of the…thinking.” I stopped, suddenly embarrassed. She smiled and I felt my face get hot, wondering how much of an idiot I sounded like, and if she was laughing at me. Instead, she said, “If this were your store, what kinds of things would you sell?” It took me completely by surprise. Why would she be asking for business advice from someone who had just admitted she wasn’t very smart? But she was waiting for an answer, so I glanced out the window in her door that showed the sales floor and took a deep breath. “I like what you do sell,” I told her, “but if I was going to add things, I think I would bring in more fetish stuff, like collars and harnesses. And maybe costumes too, like puppy ears, tails…things like that.” I shrugged a little lamely, but she nodded and made more notes. Neither of us said anything for a minute or two, then she stood up suddenly, still looking down at the mess of papers on her desk. I stood up, too. Should I offer to shake hands or just walk out? It had been a really odd interview, and she hadn’t even given any indication of what kind of person she was looking for. I had the impression I was just too freaky, and she was rethinking her comment about me being the first human to apply. I was just about to turn and open the door when she said suddenly, “When can you start?” I froze, not sure I’d heard her right. I debated asking her to repeat herself, but I thought that would make me seem like an idiot. Hope bubbled up inside me but I kept my face neutral in case she had muttered something completely different than I’d thought. “How about tomorrow?” she asked, staring intently at the papers as if expecting them to sprout fangs and bite her. She seemed to be unaware that she hadn’t formally offered me a job, and I hadn’t accepted. We hadn’t talked about salary, or duties, or hours, or anything, and she was asking if I could start tomorrow? “I guess so,” I said, and hastily added, “although I’ll have to ask Sir if it’s okay.” She nodded, as if her employees always had to check with their masters before agreeing to their hours. “I’ll try to work with your schedule preferences as much as possible, if you can work with the 8 others on theirs,” she said in the most businesslike tone I’d heard her use. She rooted through several stacks of papers before finding a bright pink one that she handed to me. It was titled “Working at The Fringe Element.” “Here,” she said. “I never remember all the details to tell people. If you have any questions after reading this, we can discuss them tomorrow when you’re filling out your forms. Welcome to our family.” And then, surprising me even further, she jumped up and raced around the desk. Throwing her arms around me, she hugged me ferociously. “I feel like we’re going to be best friends,” she said as she let go of me, opened the door and swooped out of the room. I stuck my head out and called after her, “What time tomorrow?” “Ten, if you can make it,” she said, disappearing into a door in the back. “Or whatever time your sir can spare you.” I shook my head as I gathered up my instruction sheet and purse and wandered toward the front door, absently touching the clothing on display as I went through the store. This was going to be an interesting experience. Available at www.omnificpublishing.com Bio Reggie and Kasi Alexander are writing partners as well as real-life Master and slave. They live the lifestyles that they write about and are passionate about sharing information concerning these relationship dynamics. Their goal is to help educate and dispel common misunderstandings often held by the general public. They live in the Denver, CO area with their partner Eeza and are active in the local kink community. In addition to writing, they own and operate a family business making chainmail jewelry and clothing through their company Poly’s Pleasures (www.polyspleasures.com). They can often be found at writing conventions and fetish events around the country and love to talk with their fans.

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Event Horizon

Event Horizon By Evelyn Shepherd GENRE: LGTB Paranormal BLURB: Valentine’s Day turns into a nightmare when an ancient vampire burns her way through the greater Columbus, ushering in the Aztec God of Death. Theo and Carlos will have to set aside their personal problems in order to put an end to a deranged killer. But as the body count rises, they find out
they’re going up against more than a vampire -– they’re going up against each other.

In the midst of the chaos, Theo faces his own personal turmoil. When Lloyd confronts Theo about his feelings, Theo isn’t sure whether his heart still belongs to Carlos or if he truly cares for Lloyd. If he wants to save the world, Theo will have to overcome his troubled heart and harness the power within. EXCERPT An Excerpt from Evelyn Shepherd's Event Horizon (A Theo Bourne Novel) I thought I was drowning. There was a brief moment—when my vision turned black and my mind went blank—when I was sure I was standing in front of the devil. How many people can honestly walk away from the devil after shaking his hand? No one. Because once you shake his hand, you never truly leave him. He has a piece of my soul. It was the price I paid to come back to life. Eventually he was going to collect the rest of his debt. I wasn’t drowning, though, and he wasn’t here for his final pound of flesh. I cut through the water, and reality cleared in the rise of air bubbles. I started on my first lap, focusing my attention on strengthening my knee and not on the thousands of thoughts swirling in my mind. I had screwed my knee up four months ago, and even though I had been out of rehabilitation for almost two months, I still had to work on getting it back to normal. My back was an intricate network of knots. After a long day, I just wanted to let it all drift away. The Olympic-size pool wasn’t an ocean that could carry me away on the current, though, so I kept on swimming, pushing myself as hard as I could. There were nights when I woke up screaming. I used to think the nightmares that stalked me were bad, but now the ones that followed me, even during waking hours, were far worse. I was just a step away from becoming a monster, and the nightmares reminded me of how close I was to falling over that edge. I hit the other side of the pool, flipped in the water, returned to the opposite end. I was able to work out the stiffness in my limbs after the first lap. I continued to do ten more, each one helping take away the heavy burden of the day. I broke the surface and grabbed on to the concrete ledge of the pool, holding on tight as I dragged in a slow breath of air. “Mi corazón, are you done?” Carlos’s voice drifted down to me. I could make out his scruffy black sneakers just a few feet away from my hands. I looked up at him, taking in the low-slung red basketball shorts, the tight black tank, and the inches of glistening caramel skin slicked by sweat. My cock twitched with life. My name is Theo Bourne, and I’m a detective for the Columbus Police Department’s Preternatural Task Force. It’s my job to control the arcane underbelly of the city. Originally I had been a member of the NYC division, but after losing my partner, I moved back to Columbus. That was when I met Carlos. He was supposed to have been a one-night stand four months ago. But that theory went out the window as soon as I found out he was my partner on the task force. Somehow, without me even knowing it, Carlos had broken through the iron walls around my heart as if they were made of mud. Now he was my lover, and it scared me how much I found myself needing him. “Yeah,” I said and hoisted myself up out of the pool. “What were you doing?” “Basketball with Scott and Hennessey,” he said and reached up to brush some damp burgundy bangs from my eyes. He dusted his fingers over the cross-shaped scar on my forehead. He always seemed partial to stroking it, his sadness radiating with the gingerly brush of his fingertips. When I was a teenager, my parents had our local priest perform an exorcism on me. They couldn’t handle the fact that their baby was a Phantom. Instead, they branded me as a demon and tried to save my soul. The cross on my forehead was the mark I carried for their mistake. I don’t know why the cross the priest held reacted to me. Maybe I am a demon—a monster. Carlos couldn’t seem to let it go like I had. He still held on to the delusion that he could save me from all my pain. Maybe he could, but then again, maybe he couldn’t. It didn’t really matter. I can’t change who I am, a vagabond who roams the world, a soldier without an army, the hero who lost his blade. I’m a Phantom, a will-o’-the-wisp. A Phantom is a rare human with the combined powers of psychokinesis and the ability to create doppelgängers. There aren’t many Phantoms out there; I’ve only met one—an asshole by the name of Rhett Bishop. There is a hierarchy of Phantoms that make up the Council, and if I really wanted, I probably could meet others. But the truth was I didn’t give a damn. “Hey,” Carlos said, breaking through my thoughts. The timbre of his voice, enriched by a Spanish accent, stroked me like fur against my naked flesh. I could always hear the coyote growl that hibernated deep in him. I constantly itched to unleash that beast. “Hmm?” “What are you thinking about so seriously?” he asked as he cupped both sides of my face. I’m not short, six foot to be exact, but Carlos dominated me by an extra four inches. “Nothing important,” I said and tangled my hand in his ponytail. His thick black mane generally fell down past his shoulders, but today he had pulled it back. I pulled out the band holding it up and grabbed a fistful of lush locks, tugging hard. “Sure didn’t look like nothing,” Carlos murmured as his brown eyes brightened to a golden topaz. I gave his hair another tug and ordered, “Shut up, mutt, and kiss me.” Carlos chuckled and closed the space between us. His hand found my left nipple, his long fingers hooking around the silver hoop. He pulled it hard, just how I liked it, and tugged me even closer. I could feel his power sleeping, held in place only by his sheer will. Carlos is the alpha leader to the local werecoyote pack. Sleeping with him was a dangerous game, but I was addicted to it like an adrenaline junkie. His mouth was hot, his tongue stealing the breath I had just gotten back. I could feel his cock bumping against mine, and every part of me wanted to rip his shorts down and drop to my knees to worship him. He let go of my nipple ring—I really should get a second one—and ran his hands over the hard contours of my body. He slid his hands along my broad shoulders, down the tight sinew of muscles cording my arms, and gripped my hips with such strength, I was sure there’d be finger marks left behind. Carlos pulled away and attacked my neck, sucking on my sweet spot on the left side. His teeth grazed my skin, and a shot of electricity jolted down my spine. I grabbed on to his shoulder with my free hand to anchor myself. My body hummed with the heat radiating from him. The tight pain in my right knee dulled against the feel of our hard bodies rubbing against one another. It didn’t even occur to me that someone could walk into the pool area at any moment—even if the pool area had been empty since I came to the rec center. Slowly he trailed his lips over my throat, working his way to my neck. All the tingling sensations abruptly died. The entire right side of my neck down to the collarbone was a mass of pearly scar tissue. During our first case, I’d had my throat ripped out by a werewolf. Luckily I hadn’t started turning furry the following full moon. But now the only thing I felt was the faintest sensation of pressure. The doctor said eventually I’d get feeling back, but so far, nothing. Carlos kept forgetting that fact. I shoved him off. “I can’t feel anything, you damn mutt.” He had the grace to look sheepish. “Sorry…forgot.” It pissed me off more that I was denied the feel of him on that one part of my body. I didn’t want any sensation to be canceled. When it came to him, I wanted to feel it all, have it all. It was selfish, hell, maybe even weak, but he seemed to hold that kind of power over me. He nudged closer again and dotted kisses along my right cheek, whispering, “You’ll get the feeling back soon, corazón. Te prometo.” “Whatever,” I grumbled, not sure if I believed that or not. I didn’t fight him when he leaned in for a chaste kiss. As he pulled back, I looked up at the clock above the door to the pool. It was a quarter till seven. “Shit, I’ve got to go. I have to get ready to meet Lloyd.” The air in the room instantly thickened. Carlos’s aura spilled out like a breaking dam and nearly choked me. His hand seized my bicep tightly and held me in place. “Just come back to the house with me, mi corazón. We can take a hot shower, open a bottle of wine…” I pulled my arm from his grip. “I told you already I had plans with Lloyd.” His jaw tightened, and a glare creased his brows, darkening his gaze. His eyes flashed a brighter topaz, the coyote in him clawing its way up to the surface. Carlos and Lloyd were like two dogs fighting over a scrap of meat, and I was the meat. “Damn it, stop,” I warned. I didn’t break eye contact as he glared at me. Anger and frustration warred behind his eyes, and his power grew thicker, became a pair of hands that grabbed my throat and throttled me. I gave him a firm mental shove, sending him stumbling back a few feet, and snapped, “Carlos!” He let out a growl and ran his hands up his face, slid them through his hair. “Fuck, okay! Fine!” The air in the room instantly became lighter, his aura whooshing out like someone had opened a window. I continued to glare in his direction, gauging his mood. He dropped his hands at his side and asked, a pout coming to his full lips, “What time will you be home?” I shook my head in resignation and said with a small smile, “Once the concert is over, you dolt. I won’t be late.” My apartment had been trashed during a case, to the point that it had to be completely renovated. While it was being worked on, I was staying with Carlos. I didn’t mind living with him temporarily, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a permanent stay. Chocolate spiraled through his eyes, the golden hue spinning down a drain like it had never been. He nodded and leaned in for one more kiss. His hand snaked out around my waist and pulled me close so our bodies molded together. I could smell the sweat on his skin, and it sent tingles down my spine. “Carlos,” I mumbled without pulling away. I wasn’t doing a good job of leaving. “Mmm?” He nipped at my lower lip and then dragged his tongue down my jaw, lapping up a bead of water. My entire body zinged to life. My brain rerouted its thought process, turning its focus on the man in front of me. His hand dipped lower down my waist, inching past the band of my swim trunks so he could sneak a finger down my crack. I arched up and let out a throaty moan, giving him a chance to attack my throat with his skilled tongue. Lloyd. Concert. Got to get to… Oh God that feels good. I felt Carlos’s finger hedge closer to my entrance, and I wanted nothing more than to rut backward into his hand. The door to the pool opened a crack, and someone shouted from the other side, “What did you say?” Carlos and I ripped apart just as the person walked into the pool area. I struggled to switch off the sudden animalistic desire to mount Carlos and said somewhat shakily, “Right…so I’m going.” “Have fun.” “I’ll see you tonight,” I said, more than eager to go home and sink into bed with him. Instead I snatched my towel up and headed to the locker room to get ready to go out for the evening, towel drying my hair along the way. LINKS: Website: 
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