Friday, June 29, 2012

Giveaway and Guest Post by Colette L. Saucier and her book Pulse and Prejudice



Happy Friday all of my little naughties!!  I have two very special guests with me today.  Bonne Bliss was here earlier (you can take a look at her post here) and right now I have Colette Saucier with me.  We have been discussing her book Pulse and Prejudice, which is a paranormal spin on my beloved Pride and Prejudice.  I must say Mr. Darcy is even more appealing as a vampire!!  This is what Colette had to say about her book:


Pride and Prejudice and Vampires? Oh, My!

I love vampires. I don’t mean like Nosferatu or the monster kind of vampires in horror movies. I love the suave and charismatic vampire—sensual, seductive, and mysterious.

I also love Jane Austen, in particular Pride and Prejudice. Now most people would not see a connection between the two. In fact, many Austen devotees have vilified me for daring to write a vampire adaptation of their beloved novel.  To them, I must say it is beloved by me as well. I did not enter into this project lightly but approached it with great respect for the style and language of Miss Austen.

I have been asked more than once why I wrote a vampire adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. As Thomas Berger said, “Why do writers write? Because it isn’t there.”

“But wait!” you might say. “There are already vampire variations of Pride and Prejudice.”  The simple truth: I never found the vampire adaptation I longed to read, so I had to write one myself! Yes, someone had published a vampire “mash-up,” which essentially takes Austen’s novel and sticks vampires between the paragraphs. I also found a vampire sequel told in gothic style, as well as a fascinating novel inspired by Pride and Prejudice with Mr. Darcy as dhampir, battling against vampires while resisting the urge to become one himself.
I wanted to read an authentic paranormal adaptation that remained faithful to Miss Austen, to Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, and to Pride and Prejudice.

Through multiple readings of Pride and Prejudice, I had come to see Mr. Darcy as a Byronic hero – intelligent, arrogant, introspective, and cynical. Perhaps knowing that John Polidori had written The Vampyre (thus creating the image of the “gentleman” vampire) with Lord Byron in mind caused me to see how well Austen’s Darcy lent itself to a vampire characterization. Hence, I wrote Pulse and Prejudice through the eyes of Mr. Darcy as if Jane Austen herself had conceived the character as a vampire.

The few details Miss Austen provided allowed me to remain true to the original Darcy while expanding on his core characteristics to reveal him as a vampire. This also adds another level of complexity to the attraction he feels for Elizabeth Bennet that he struggles to suppress and to deny. Yes, as in Austen’s classic, Darcy’s vanity and arrogance play a role in keeping our lovers apart; but now Darcy faces further challenges in fighting his deepest desires. Frequently in Austen’s narrative, the reader hears of Elizabeth’s liveliness and how it garners Darcy’s attention. For vampire Darcy, it also triggers his hunger for her very lifeblood as well as a craving for life itself that for him no longer exists.

Although Pulse and Prejudice is not a “mash-up,” it adheres to the original plot and style of the classic romance; but where Miss Austen told us Elizabeth’s story, my novel unravels primarily from Darcy’s point of view and follows him to London after he leaves Elizabeth in Hertfordshire. As their paths continue to cross, vampire Darcy encounters Austen’s Elizabeth. That is, until...

Of course, at some point Elizabeth must discover Mr. Darcy’s dark secret, which as one might suspect deviates from the original narrative. Regardless, Elizabeth had to remain true to the character created by Miss Austen. This required me to meditate and ruminate on how Elizabeth Bennet would react to these extraordinary circumstances. In studying Elizabeth, I discovered a young woman who is curious and adventurous. Of the five Bennet girls, only she would want to tour the Northern country to see its rocks and mountains. She wants to experience new things – all that life has to offer. A hopeless romantic, she becomes excessively secretive in matters of her own heart.  These Austen-given qualities provided the material I needed to weave the behavior of Elizabeth when she steps outside of the original narrative and into the realm of the paranormal.

At long last, I had done it! I had written a vampire adaptation of the classic love story that remained true to Miss Austen’s plot, style and characters.

Alas, I still found something lacking. S-E-X. Darcy and Elizabeth are one of the most romantic couples in literature, yet they never even kiss. As Martin Amis said in The Atlantic, “I wouldn’t have minded a rather more detailed conclusion— say, a twenty-page sex scene featuring the two principals, with Mr. Darcy, furthermore, acquitting himself uncommonly well.”

Jane Austen published Pride and Prejudice nearly 200 years ago. Although in her novels she did make references to women who had sex – and paid the price – she could only hint at the physical aspects of love and desire shared by Darcy and Elizabeth. (Obviously, she would have no reason for Darcy to bite Elizabeth’s neck either!)

Therefore, to satisfy that other craving, I added an additional volume to Pulse and Prejudice entitled “Beyond Pride and Prejudice.” As the name implies, this section breaks from Austen’s story but offers the twenty-first century reader a taste, so to speak, of the culmination of those many months’ suspense. (Anyone who prefers Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth to remain chaste is welcome to skip this section.)

Finally, I had the novel I had wanted (although my daughter was still not satisfied and insisted that I write a sequel, currently in progress).

I hope I have written the vampire adaptation that others want to read as well.

In this thrilling and sensual adaptation of the classic love story, Elizabeth Bennet and the citizens of Hertfordshire know Fitzwilliam Darcy to be a proud, unpleasant sort of man, but they never suspect the dark secret of his true nature. He is not a man at all – but a vampire.

When the haughty and wealthy Fitzwilliam Darcy arrives in the rural county of Hertfordshire, he finds he cannot control his attraction to Elizabeth Bennet – a horrifying thought because, as she is too far below his social standing to ignite his heart, he fears she must appeal to the dark impulses he struggles to suppress.

Set against the vivid backdrop of historical Regency England, this adaptation of Pride and Prejudice follows the cursed Mr. Darcy as he strives to overcome both his love and his bloodlust for Miss Elizabeth Bennet. This compelling variation remains faithful to the original plot and style of the Jane Austen classic but tells Darcy’s story as he descends into the seedier side of London and introduces Elizabeth to a world of passion and the paranormal she never knew existed.



Here is an excerpt from Pulse and Prejudice:
Darcy leaned in with his hands on either side of the doorframe and let his forehead fall against the door. He closed his eyes and imagined her lying on the bed, her hair splayed out on the pillow, the eyes that had challenged him so brightly just that evening now closed in repose. What little effort, how few steps it would take, for him to be upon her, taking what he needed, sating his thirst.
He pushed himself away from the door and leaned back against the wall beside, despair filling him. He had stood watch over Elizabeth and her sister for two nights and had come back to do so again, to protect them from the very thing he now ached to do himself. The irony sickened him but did not staunch his desire. Gathering all the resolve he knew it would require to return to his room, he stepped away from the wall.
Darcy turned just as the door opened and Elizabeth appeared. They cried out in surprise simultaneously.
“Mr. Darcy!"
“Eliz –a – Miss Bennet!”
She was dressed in her night rail and wrapper; and, though more modest than even her day dresses, the sight set his nerves on edge. Her hair hung down as he had imagined. She held one hand to her heart as the other gripped a candlestick.
“Mr. Darcy, you frightened me! What do you mean by all this skulking about in the dark? How can you even see where you are going?”
He steadied himself before speaking. “I seem to have mislaid my book. I was unable to sleep and thought to read.”
“The Lord Nelson? I believe I saw it in the library on the sideboard.”
He nodded. “That would be a good place for it.”
She smiled. “Indeed. Although if you are looking for the second volume, you may have to wrest it away from Miss Bingley,” she said with a glint in her eye. He smiled at that; but then they both became sensible to the impropriety of their current circumstance and their close proximity. “I was on my way to check on Jane.”
He knew he should step aside, but he did not. He knew he should look away, but he did not. He held her eyes in his stare, his resistance faltering. Another moment and he might have moved towards her, reached his hand to hold the nape of her neck, pierced her flesh with his aching teeth, pressed his mouth upon her lips; but the light from her candle illuminated his face, and he saw his wan reflection in her eyes. As with all those with his curse, he could not bear the sight of his own reflection, a vision of death itself. Her candle flickered out in an instant, and she gasped and broke her gaze.

So as an extra treat for you, Colette's modern version of Pride and Prejudice, All My Tomorrows is free Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on Amazon!! Here is the link:  http://www.amazon.com/All-My-Tomorrows-ebook/dp/B008C3670O/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1340940152&sr=1-1&keywords=all+my+tomorrows
Stop by and grab a copy!!  As for here, she is offering an e-copy of Pulse and Prejudice and a paperback copy of  All My Tomorrows!!  Just fill out the rafflecopter for your chance to win!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway





Review: Pulse and Prejudice By Colette L. Saucier








In this thrilling and sensual adaptation of the classic love story, Elizabeth Bennet and the citizens of Hertfordshire know Fitzwilliam Darcy to be a proud, unpleasant sort of man, but they never suspect the dark secret of his true nature. He is not a man at all – but a vampire.

When the haughty and wealthy Fitzwilliam Darcy arrives in the rural county of Hertfordshire, he finds he cannot control his attraction to Elizabeth Bennet – a horrifying thought because, as she is too far below his social standing to ignite his heart, he fears she must appeal to the dark impulses he struggles to suppress.

Set against the vivid backdrop of historical Regency England, this adaptation of Pride and Prejudice follows the cursed Mr. Darcy as he strives to overcome both his love and his bloodlust for Miss Elizabeth Bennet. This compelling variation remains faithful to the original plot and style of the Jane Austen classic but tells Darcy’s story as he descends into the seedier side of London and introduces Elizabeth to a world of passion and the paranormal she never knew existed
.My Review:

I have been asked repeatedly over the years the same question:  Who is your ideal for the perfect male lead?  That answer has never changed, for my heart has remained true to Mr. Darcy.  I still cry as I watch the metamorphisis of his character after meeting Elizabeth.  He truly moves mountains for her love.  How can any other male compare?  So when I heard of this book, where my beloved Mr. Darcy is a vampire, I knew I had to read it!  I was in no way disappointed.  It turned out to be a wonderful story!

It follows along the same lines as the original Pride and Prejudice.  I was completely impressed with how well the story still flowed, even though much detail was still needed!!  Imagine Mr. Darcy as a vampire! It was amazingly intriguing!  It added another layer or two to an already complex character.  Toss in the fact that Mr. Wickham was ALSO a vampire and you put a new spin on their feud.

Elizabeth was such a passionate and headstrung female.  I often wondered, if given the right circumstances, would she choose to tempt Darcy?  I must confess that if I were in her shoes I would be hard-pressed not to!  But we get a little glimpse inside both of their passionate natures, something that was lacking in the original. Putting a paranormal spin on things allows for certain rules of decorum to be broken, which added a delightful reprieve from the story line.

The original version has always been in my top five favorite books.  I completely enjoyed this version and fell in love with Mr. Darcy all over again as a vampire.  I think all paranormal and romantic fans will enjoy this tale.  It's not everday where your favorite hero becomes immortal..literally!!  Excellent read!!




Giveaway and Guest Post with author Bonnie Bliss

Oh, the wicked business of writing BDSM erotic romance. It happens to be my favorite genre to write. If you can’t tell, the bondage undertone happens slithers into each and every one of my books, beyond my control. Well, not totally beyond my control. I just happen to love dominant men. They do it for me. Then you add in two, at the same time, and you just have a recipe for yumminess. When I first went into writing Bondage on the 4th of July. I knew that I wanted two things for sure. Marines, outdoor bondage, and fireworks. It all sort of played in my mind like a big huge mess. A lot of bodies intermingled, fireworks exploding overhead, and orgasms--more than one.

When you fight to take erratic pictures, into a fluid story, it is like a battle with your own imagination. It is a fight that I tend to hate. I need lots of wine, spa time, and just laying in bed and slowly pointing at scenes and putting them in order. When I finally realized the order I wanted this story to take. I started to realize that all the supporting cast had stories too. Soon, Tom Newton, Millie’s brother got a story (more erratic pictures), then Kenny got a story. Oh yes, Kenny diving into this book was just a prelude, because how could a Sadist that wants a pleasure slave really be happy with a independent woman like Millie?

So, this begins a journey. Different levels of BDSM, and different love stories that will fall into each holiday. First we have Millie and Brad (Bondage on the 4th of July), then we have Tom and his finance that was mentioned only, for Halloween with (Halloween in Chains), and last but not least we have Kenny’s story. Which might actually turn out to be the more emotional of all the stories. I haven’t come up with a title yet. What I do know is that it will include some TPE (total power exchange) and the pictures in my head make me cry. It might also be the longest of them all.

But first, you all have to meet Brad, Millie, and Kenny in Bondage on the 4th of July.


Blurb:

Millie Newton has been in love with her neighbor and best friend, Brad Cooper for as long as she can remember. She harbored a secret crush for years, hoping for the one chance with him. It was stolen from her when he enlisted in the Marines, and was sent away. The last time he was home on leave she missed him. This time, at the 4th of July block party she knows it is her chance to get what she wants. Only a surprise has come along with Brad, his buddy, Kenny Willet. She has no clue that Brad is a Dominant in the BDSM scene in Chicago, and Kenny is a Sexual Sadist. Millie simply decides its time. When Brad and Kenny decide they want her together, fireworks erupt in a 4th of July spectacular that none of them anticipated.

Excerpt:

The voice slid over her flesh like wet silk--cool, damp, but altogether appealing when confronted with it. Her fingers wiggled, tiny tremors took over her body and her phone slipped right from her hands into the grass. Millie hadn’t looked up yet. Her throat contracted to get rid of the abundance of saliva that filled her mouth. Her gaze shifted to see the large, callused hands that picked up her phone before disappearing from sight. Visibly shaken by his sudden appearance, she gave herself a firm mental reprimand, and allowed her gaze to travel up his body. His jeans encased firm things, a tight t-shirt covered steel like abs, and broad shoulders that could keep her safe for the rest of her life. Finally, her eyes locked with his. The devastating smile that decorated his masculine features made her want to sigh like some virgin in a Harlequin novel. He was perfect. For her, he was everything she wanted in a man, and that would never change. To be with any other man would be settling for second best. She didn’t want to settle. She wanted him, and this time around she would have him.

Get it together, Millie.

Pressing her lips together, and rising from her chair, she launched herself at Brad. He caught her easily, with a deep, rolling chuckle that made her heart beat faster, and wetness to seep between the now swelling slit between her legs. It was so much, it was overload, and she could feel her skin start to heat with a blush. His thick arms wrapped around her back and waist and she buried her face in his shoulder.

“I’m missed you, dummy.” She nearly purred against the bare flesh of his neck.

“Missed you too, kid.”

It was like ice water between her legs.

Kid.

She wanted to scream, cry, and then punch him in the face. Her nipples were like hard pebbles poking through her tank top and against his chest, and he didn’t feel that? Kid? Her inner musings were shut down as he loosed his grip and started to slide her down his body. She avoided eye contact.

“I’m glad your home. Food is over there if you want any.”

She was abrupt and wanted to get away to plan a new form of attack. Maybe she needed to change into a skirt with no panties.

God, you’re not a slut, Millie.

No, she wasn’t. But she had seen him laughing and flirting with those other girls from the neighborhood, and they were all in micro minis and tube tops. She was the cute girl next door with shorts and a tank top.

“Millie I—“

“Hey, buddy, aren’t you going to introduce me to the infamous best friend.”

Purchase Bondage on the 4th of July:





Where to follow Bonnie:



Bonnie on Twitter: @bonnie_bliss


Now, this isn’t over yet! I got some goodies for you! One lucky winner (Picked randomly on July 5th), will receive a signed--yes, I said signed eCopy of Bondage on the 4th of July. I have embedded my signature in a copy of the book.



will get a one of a kind signed eBook copy that I am offering no where else. I have also recently purchased some awesome swag! Keychain, buttons, and bookmarkers!




All you have to do to enter, is fill out the form below, and comment on this blog. Your question for today is:

Who is your fantasy Dom?





Cover Reveal!!!

Coming this winter!! 



Consumed by madness and tormented by dark memories of blood and death, Hadrian Lucretius, King of the Validus Clan, has returned after living in self-imposed exile for nearly three hundred and fifty years.

            To maintain peace with the vampires, Eva Maldonado is offered as a sacrifice to the crazed vampire king by her father, the alpha of the Silveria Shifter Pack. Hadrian’s reputation is both legendary and lethal; he is ruthless, bloodthirsty, lusty, and soulless. When Eva arrives at the ancient fortress high in the Carpathian Mountains, she is shocked to find a ravaged man with dark burning eyes filled with loneliness and dangerous desire.

            Would she be his lover…or his prey? His savior…or his victim? Would Hadrian lure her into madness or would their perilous passion be their redemption?


Thursday, June 28, 2012

Angels v/s Demons Blog Hop


Welcome to my stop on the blog hop!!  A big thank you to Paranormal G-Spot and Romance with a Bite for putting this hop together!!  A couple of things before I dive into my giveaway!!  There are 2 grand prizes being given out during this blog hop.  The first is a Kindle Touch and the second is a choice of a $60 B&N or  Amazon card.  You are entered into these grand prizes by commenting. So every comment on each post gets you one entry into the drawing.  So as of right now you have the ability to get 103 entries!  So make sure you comment on every post and don't forget to leave your email!!! On this stop ou have the opportunity to win an autographed copy of Ordained by Devon Ashley if you live in the US and an E-copy if you are international!  So everyone can enter!!  Let's take a look at the book:


Normally, the school creates the hunters - not the monsters.

Abby Sorrensten likes to play rough. Ripping the horns off the foreheads of demons, manipulating lightning and setting things on fire with the flick of your wrist can give you a serious rush. So she probably wasn’t the best choice for the Order’s experimental training program. Thirteen years of isolation, lack of affection and a bruised and broken body from horrendous training sessions creates more than just an exceptional fighter. It creates an evil within - an evil responsible for several deaths the night she left.

Two hundred years later Abby resurfaces as the very thing the Order trained her to kill: a vampire. A mythical demon has set his sights on the school and only the ordained hunter has the powers to face it. Unbeknownst to the Order, Abby’s their precious ordained one and their only chance for survival. As much as she would love to leave them hanging, she’s not willing to risk the life of Emily, a fellow friend and hunter also fed up with the organization.

But for Abby, locking herself away in a fortress with angry descendents of those she killed causes suspicions and tensions to run high. Abby must learn the demon’s weaknesses for battle before the Order learns hers.

Although demons are the bad guys in this book, I normally LOVE hot demon heroes!!!  There is just something about a bad bad boy that gets me into the mood to read!!  So for your chance to win a copy of the book, just fill out the rafflecopter!  Don't forget to comment!!!  Good luck and be sure to check out the rest of these awesome blogs!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Review: Ordained By: Devon Ashley





Normally, the school creates the hunters - not the monsters.

Abby Sorrensten likes to play rough. Ripping the horns off the foreheads of demons, manipulating lightning and setting things on fire with the flick of your wrist can give you a serious rush. So she probably wasn’t the best choice for the Order’s experimental training program. Thirteen years of isolation, lack of affection and a bruised and broken body from horrendous training sessions creates more than just an exceptional fighter. It creates an evil within - an evil responsible for several deaths the night she left.

Two hundred years later Abby resurfaces as the very thing the Order trained her to kill: a vampire. A mythical demon has set his sights on the school and only the ordained hunter has the powers to face it. Unbeknownst to the Order, Abby’s their precious ordained one and their only chance for survival. As much as she would love to leave them hanging, she’s not willing to risk the life of Emily, a fellow friend and hunter also fed up with the organization.

But for Abby, locking herself away in a fortress with angry descendents of those she killed causes suspicions and tensions to run high. Abby must learn the demon’s weaknesses for battle before the Order learns hers

My Review:

This is the second book I have read by Devon and I must say I really enjoy her work.  This book had a very thick plot and was extremely well written.   Abby is a very complex character which not only made her the most interesting, but my favorite.  She is extremely powerful and guarded.  She also has a very caring and compassionate heart, even though it is well buried.  Not to mention the fact that she is lethal.  But Abby has many secrets.  Unraveling just who she is and her purpose will keep you wrapped up in this book.  Abby was trained by the very people that she hated and has lost all memory of her time with them. She returns to the Order for answers and slowly regains most of her memories.  Many of the Order fear her, even though they plan to use her for their own purposes.  Sadly, they have no clue that she was the one they have been searching for and the one that will ultimately save their world.

So in their arrogance and ignorance, the Order shuns Abby once again.  They are not quite sure what to make of her, as she was their experimental pupil to begin with.  They did horriable things to Abby in order to produce a better more effecent killing machine.  They succeded in their creation, but lost control of it.  Abby killed five of her instructors before Noel found her.  The things they did to her were unimaginable and have never been tried again.  The Order as a whole has a lot to answer for.

Demons are the main source of evil in this book.  There is a large array of them, and their descriptions were amazing!!!   I loved the twist in the mythology about the creation of vampires.  There are actually two different kinds.  So this book had an array of supernatural beings, and it is well worth the read.  I actually can't wait for the second book to come out.  If your looking for a suspenseful, action-packed, paranormal read, look no further.  I throughly enjoyed this book!!





Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Guest Post with William D. Hicks


Welcome to this stop on William's tour!!  Today we will be talking about villians!!  This is what William had to say about them"

Who’s the Villain?

Some stories have obvious villains. Others don’t. Think of those old movies where the heroine is placed on the tracks by a man dressed in black. Nowadays, people don’t like stories that obvious. Because if a reader knows who the evil character is in paragraph two why bother reading to the obvious ending in paragraph 42.

As an example, while it seems easy to determine who the villain is in the story of Frankenstein, it truly isn’t. Is the real villain Dr. Frankenstein or the village people who want to destroy what they don’t understand? Is it the monster? To some degree it’s almost everyone in the story. Yet the only real victim is the monster. He had no choice about whom or what he was. Such is the case in most horror stories where man alters something or someone.

This is true in my story Killer Flies. While the flies are the ultimate villains who do the killing, they are also the victims. Without some kind of human intervention they would have remained normal house flies, unable to do any harm other than annoying their human counterparts. But all good writers know that villains are good and bad. Just like in real life. Some part of each character causes a situation, making it hard decipher who to blame.

Readers love these shades of grey because life is like that. Not clear cut. Curious. Scary. Exciting.

Especially when you’re a kid. At seven I was a bit of precocious child and didn’t like people directing my actions. I walked home from school every day. Alone. I lived in a safe middle class neighborhood on the north side of Chicago. I’d been walking myself home since first grade, no problem.

This day turned out to be different. The old cinderblock grammar school felt old and gray. More like a haunted church than a place of higher education. Maybe because it was oddly dull and overcast on this early November day. It should have been bright and sunny.

This day I had helped a teacher clean some chalk board erasers so had left at 3:30 and had missed the mad rush home. A few kids lingered and were still mulling around the school. But not many were heading my way. That was fine by me. It felt like rain. The wind had a bite and smell I had begun to associate as a storm front. The school loomed over my shoulder and I a shiver rose up my spine. I was passing the girl’s chain linked playground area, so named because there were two sides to the grammar school. One side where the boys played baseball and one side where the girls giggled, spread rumors, talked about makeup and sometimes got little boys to play tag. I hated this side since some girls had convinced me to play and I had been teased by my friends afterwards.

No kids were in this fenced in area since school had let out 15 minutes before. It was autumn dreary. A man yelled out at me from a black van and told me get. The vehicle had no side windows. I jumped at the sound of his grating voice. And veered toward the chain link fence. I hadn’t seen the van pull to the curb beside me. The man hailed me again.

I couldn’t see him. I didn’t recognize the voice. I didn’t know the van.

I bolted and ran like hell for home. No boogey man was going to child-nap me.

This all happened. In my mind it was all true. The man was the villain. But was he really? Did he have malice in his heart—or was he a concerned parent with a kid my age who wanted to make sure I got home okay?

Who then was the villain—me for possibly falsely accusing this unknown individual. Even if just in my own head. Or him for not identifying himself and scaring me to death? Or was he a real life villain—there to kidnap me?

Who knows? That day everything seemed sinister and suspect, just as it does in many stories. But when I wrote the story I intentionally left much to my reader’s imagination. Because to be like real life it couldn’t be so black and white. It had to have some suspense. Read me eBook Killer Flies and you’ll see what I mean.
Let's take a closer look at William's books:


Twist

As a boy growing up in 1953, Kevin Hull enjoyed playing games with his group of boyhood friends, like the game of "ledge." After one such game with his friend Billy Hawkins, the two find themselves involved in a terrible accident that will forever change their lives.

A work of short psychological horror from our Spectres line.






Killer Flies

The Army plans to use a new breed of flies to protect combat soldiers. But Dr. John Pankow, their creator, is worried that his killer flies are uncontrollable. Will Mother Nature's most genetically-altered weapon be the ultimate armor, or the potential ravager of the entire world?

A work of short horror from our Spectres line.





Excerpt – Killer Flies

“So, you created a vaccine?” General Donner asked.

“Yes, but its effectiveness is only twenty days, or less, depending on metabolic rate. Plus upon further testing this treatment doesn’t work on everyone.”

“Any more questions before I continue?” Pankow waited, no one’s hand went up. “Even though many of my colleagues see little harm in allowing the mix of killer flies with general house flies, I disagree. Currently interbreeding appears safe, because few can survive alone, and without ‘mothers,’ as we call the females, they can’t multiply. But that doesn’t prevent these flies from mutating and forming a new lethal strain. And this would be even more likely if one of the mothers escapes.”

“That won’t happen,” General Bider quickly interjected. “We have one room of mothers which is segregated from all the others.”

“But what happens if one does escape?” Carrie Jacobs, Dr. Pankow’s new research assistant, asked.

Before the doctor could respond, General Willard did. “We’ve taken precautions so that won’t happen; a full bee suit, a security access door, and researchers must go through a sealed room to get at those dangerous mothers. Pardon the pun.”

A slight giggle circled the room. It irritated Pankow. This was serious business, not a place for stupid puns.

“If one female escapes or gets into the wrong hands it will have dire effects. That is why all doors require a key card, and an electrical Flash-Kill system will be installed next year. Funding cuts, you understand, made it impossible to purchase this system until then,” General Bider said, giving no indication he was sorry about the funding issues.

“If one ever escapes it might mean the end of the world,” Pankow finished, allowing his last words to reverberate in their minds.

“I think Dr. Pankow is reading too many science fiction magazines.” General Bider laughed. “These flies will save our soldiers’ lives. We have them under control gentlemen. Are there any questions I can answer?”

Several hands shot up.  


Getting to know Shonell Bacon



Hello and Welcome to this stop on Shonell's tour!!  I was lucky enough to get an interview and this is what she had to say:


How old were you when you first realized you wanted to write?
I was ten. My mom and I were at a flea market, and she bought me a .25-cent green diary. Instead of writing the typical 10-year-old girly things, I wrote sports articles on my beloved Baltimore Orioles and my own scripts to my favorite soap at the time, The Guiding Light. From the very start, there was something about words and using them to tell stories that appealed to me. That appeal has continued to grow throughout my life.



Tell us a little bit about the book.
Into the Web is about twin mystery novelists, Jovan and Cheyenne Parham. Readers met the women in Death at the Double Inkwell. ITW takes off about two years after DDIW end. In ITW, the twins are still working to pick up the pieces of their lives while trying to find a balance between their writing careers and the relationships they have. Their relationships and writing take a major hit when they find themselves connected to a string of murders involving young teenage girls who are lured off a popular teen social networking site to their deaths. Here’s the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsiU17qbBZQ



What made you choose this genre?
Actually, before writing Into the Web (and the debut novel that ITW is a sequel of, Death at the Double Inkwell, I wrote what one would call women’s fiction. Back around 2000, while taking a novel class, we had to pick a book that we would study throughout the semester and then write the first three chapters of a novel in the same genre of the book we picked to study. I picked Mary Higgins Clark’s All Around the Town. It is one of my fave books by Clark, and having reread it for this class, it sparked me to write the first three chapters of what would come to be Death at the Double Inkwell. I enjoyed the whodunit of the mystery genre, of laying complexity into the story to keep the killer at bay from the reader for as long as possible. Writing a mystery, for me, felt like fitting together pieces of a puzzle. Sometimes, you pick a piece and try to fit it, but it doesn’t fit. But then there is that a-ha moment when you see how the pieces fit and can see the whole puzzle. That intrigues me.



Most authors have an unusual story or way that they come up with their ideas for books…Do you have one?
Hmm, not really. My stories come from a compilation of things. Death at the Double Inkwell came from wanting to write a mystery and wanting my main characters to be mystery novelists that somehow get caught up in cases, a la Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote. For one of the main characters, I wanted to put her into a relationship quandary and them amp up the issue to provide her with growing angst throughout the story. Another novel I wrote and plan to publish, Empty Swings, came from writing the bus home one day and seeing a swing set in a park. Only one of the swings swayed back and forth, and in watching that, this empty feeling came over me. I wondered what it would be like to have a swing set in my yard but to no longer have the children to swing upon it. Another novel that I’m working on, INSIDE, came from stories about young girls being abducted and me wondering how their lives go on after being found. So, I guess, in a way, many of my ideas come from snatches of real life that I attempt to figure out, understand, and fictionalize.



What is the key element in your character creation?
Not sure if there is a key element; I do try to make sure that my characters are flawed. No one is perfect, and I can’t let my characters be. When I am working on dossiers for the main characters, I spend some time thinking about whom each character is and what flaw would fit with them to be troublesome in the story and realistic for the readers.



What was your biggest influence that steered you towards writing?
My imagination and the need to escape real life. That’s the honest truth. I started writing when I was ten and became “serious” by the time I was in my late-teens, early-twenties. Life hasn’t always been easy, and my life and my need to be OK influenced me to write to get things out of me. As I got older, the influence came from the MFA degree I pursued. Studying the elements of fiction, reading great literature and analyzing/discussing it, having my own work critiqued, and writing a novel to be approved of to graduate all influenced me in how I write and what I write.



I have to ask, what are the hardest scenes for you to write?
Hardest scenes? Any scene where I have to hurt the main character. My characters are very real to me, and when I have to place them in dangerous situations or hurt them or hurt someone they love, I have to mentally prepare myself for that.



Are sex scenes difficult for you to word?
No. When a sex scene is needed in the story, it comes as easily as the rest of the writing. I would imagine, though I’ve never had to deal with this, that it might be difficult to word sex scenes if they are not integral to the story and you are just writing them for OMG factor.



Do you see yourself writing in another genre?
I DO write in other genres. I started writing in women’s fiction. I also have a few Christian fiction works written. I don’t really fit into any one genre. For me, the goal is to develop real people with real lives and problems and to see where their stories go.



Has your family been supportive?
My family has been supportive since day one. My sister and I have a running joke between us because she always wants to read my synopses and from that says, “That was a really good book” as if she read the whole thing! LOL My mom is my biggest supporter, and my brothers respect what I do. It does mean a lot to me that I have my family’s backing.



Are any of your characters reflective of you?
All of my characters are reflective of me. From the protagonist to the antagonist, there is some part of each that connects to who I am. I think, overall, the main characters of my stories share a lot of my qualities – what I am “for real” and what I would like to be like.



What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I’m a sports fan, so I love watching sports: baseball (collegiate and professional), basketball (mostly collegiate), football (collegiate and professional), and golf and NASCAR. I also enjoy going to the neighborhood cafe to my chocolate-caramel latte, book snooping, and people snooping. I love spending time with my family, learning more about social media and virtual worlds, and finding ways to improve myself.


Who is your favorite book heroine?
Sugar from Bernice McFadden’s novel (also my fave book), Sugar. She is hard. She is soft. She is strong. She is weak. She is competent. She is wanting. She is desired. She is hated. She is everything and nothing all at once. She’s so real to me, and when I see her on the page, I swear I see the page breathe.



Do you have any unusual habits that revolve around writing?
Not really. LOL. I almost wish I did having read the question! Some might think my visual writing/editing is unusual. It’s a whole process for me. When I’m in my writing element, I take time to lay, turn on the mind’s screen, and let the movie of my story play as I talk edits and rewrites into it until it looks how I envision the story unfolding.



What is your favorite mystical creature?
Actually had to think about this one! I think my fave would be the Siren. She is such a modern mystical creature. I think there are plenty of men that have stories about listening to the sweet sounds of words that escaped a women’s mouth and led them to their demise. LOL



What were some of your biggest challenges at the beginning of your career?
Even though I’ve been writing for a LONG time, I actually feel that I’m just in the beginning of my career—at the very onset of it, actually. Earlier on, rejection dismantled my belief that I could do anything with my writing, and several times I had to talk myself into try, try, trying again. With the release of DDIW in 2010, my debut solo novel, I finally felt like I was on the precipice of having a writing career. Now, in 2012, I kinda feel like I’m actually attempting to live the career as I have planned to release several of my works myself while releasing my mystery novels through another pubber.



How do you feel about reader comments?
I take them with a grain of salt. I’ve had comments that I know were written by people who just wanted to hurt me; the comments had absolutely nothing to do with the story and all to do with a person’s opinion of me. I’ve had positive comments that thrilled me beyond belief, and I’ve had criticism that actually made me think and want to learn and develop myself further.



Do you have any advice for new authors?
Love what you write—if you don’t, readers won’t. Live to become a better writer—writers should be lifelong learners of the writing craft. Study the publishing arena—not so that you can write to trends but so that you can become knowledgeable of what’s going on around you.



Where are your books available?
Death at the Double Inkwell is available digitally (via Amazon) and print.

DDIW Kindle: http://goo.gl/Ip38Z

DDIW Print: http://goo.gl/vHGhg

Into the Web is available digitally: http://goo.gl/rV2Hr


What can we expect from you in the future?
A new Double Inkwell series book (in 2013) for sure.

This year, in October, I will be releasing La Doña Rising, a story about a young woman who is shielded from her family’s crime connections but after a tragedy finds her quickly learning the ropes as she seeks revenge. Her actions might be the end of her life—and the lives of those around her.

There are a few shorter works due out, too, and people can learn more about them at my website: http://shonellbacon.com.



Where can we reach you and become informed of updates?
Twitter: http://twitter.com/chicklitgurrl

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Giveaway Celebrating Summer with Chris Lange and her book Blind to Men


Hello and Welcome to a Summer Celebration hosted by my friend Chris Lange!!  LOL..Take it away Chris!!!


Hi everyone,

To celebrate our summer reads I thought you might want to try my fantasy story "BLIND TO MEN". As it happens, I actually wrote parts of it last summer on the beach. Blue sky, a warm breeze, and the endless sound of the ocean; what can be more inspiring for a writer?

What about you? What will you be reading this summer? To enter the giveaway, simply tell me what your favorite genre is. Do you like fairytale kings, knights, princesses, and evil warlocks? Do you enjoy romantic suspense? Or do you go for toothy, handsome vampires?

Wherever you are I wish you all a wonderful summer, and great reads. Thank you Nikki for having me here today, it's always a pleasure.

Chris Lange


Visit my blog for news and updates: http://chrislangeauthor.wordpress.com



Find me on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/chrislange

Twitter: @chrislange3


Its always a pleasure having you on Chris!!  Now let's take a look at Blind to Men:


The day has come for Anya to reclaim her life. Protected by an Amazon, she must go to legendary Palance, the city of her dreams. She has to leave her home without even knowing she was cursed at birth. She is blind to men. She can’t see them, and they can’t see her. Except one.


I really enjoyed this story!!  You can take a look at my review here!


So would you like a chance to win a copy?  Of course you would!!!  Just fill out the rafflecopter below and don't forget to answer Chris's question!!  Good Luck!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway












Guest Post and Spotlight with author Cege Smith and her book Shadows Deep


Hello and Welcome to this stop on Cege's tour!!  We are talking today about her Bad Boy!!  We all love them!  And this is what the Cege had to say:


The Bad Boy’s Spotlight

As I’m winding down to the end of my month long blog tour, I found myself cornered by Mikel, one of my Shadows Deep (Shadows #2) characters. Mikel was a bit put out you see, because I’ve spent a great deal of time on the tour talking about Ellie and David, the book’s heroes. Mikel is the villain of Shadows Deep, and his fingerprints can even be found in some of the events that happened in Edge of Shadows (Shadows #1).


Mikel told me in no uncertain terms that it was high time that he got to be the focus of a blog post. Now, when characters get upset, they are notoriously difficult to work with. As bad as he is, Mikel is usually pretty laid back, so his annoyance came as a bit of surprise to me. After all, he has been mentioned in almost every post as well, although Ellie and David’s romance was usually the focal point.


Since we will be seeing Mikel again in the third Shadows book, I thought it would be best to give him center stage. Plus, we all know that bad boys are the ones that can sometimes be the most fun to talk about.


So here’s are a few things about Mikel that he wanted me to share with you in hopes it will entice you to come spend some more time with him (oh, and Ellie and David too if you are so inclined.) The list was his, but the commentary is mine.


  He’s a romantic at heart.  Yes, Mikel is the big bad now, but he didn’t start out that way. He had an epic love when he was younger, and because he lost her tragically, he gave his life (and afterlife) over to the dark side. Ah, the things we do for love.


  He’s dead, but still sexy. Mikel is a looker, and his physical appearance is something that draws Ellie to him even though she’s in love with David. He’s tall and broad shouldered and when he’s wearing his preferred pinstripe suit he’s hard to look away from.


  He’s ambitious and motivated. Mikel’s a power player in the Afterlife. He’s not playing the game to advance a little bit; he’s got his sights set on a much bigger piece of the pie. He needs Ellie’s help to get there, and Mikel doesn’t take no for an answer.


  He has a relaxing hobby. Every baddie has to have something to do in their free time when they aren’t plotting to take over the world. In Mikel’s case, he enjoys growing and tending to exotic roses. He’s drawn to their delicate, but intense beauty.


  He’s very patient. It takes a lot of energy and time to plot out a way to rule the world, and these things don’t happen overnight. It’s a lot of subtle moves and intricate manipulations to get people to do and act the way you want them too. Mikel’s been at this game a long time, much longer than anyone realizes, and he’ll wait until just the right time to put his next move into action.


Honestly, this list reads a bit more like a dating profile than anything else, and that makes me wonder about his true intentions. Mikel has a way of keeping me guessing. He’s the perfect bad guy that we love to hate, but can’t turn away from. He’s got all the complexities and layers that our heroes have, but no one can condone the fact that he uses all of that for evil.


Well, except for Mikel.


I would love to spend some time with him!!  Now let's take a look at the book details:



Blurb:

Ellie Coulter made a deal with the devil, and now it’s time to pay the price. Little did she know, the shadows that have swirled around her life since her parents’ death were not a coincidence. As Ellie's destiny is revealed, it comes with the knowledge that her fate is the lynchpin in a far larger, and more dangerous game. And the one who found her has no intention of ever letting her go.

Ellie walks a fine line between keeping up the appearance of acceptance while gathering the information she needs to escape. Along the way, she has to decide who to trust and that includes the man she loves.  As facts give way to lies, Ellie begins to question everything.

With her true intentions on the verge of being discovered, Ellie must find a way to defeat her captor before she becomes a shadow herself.



Excerpt:

Letting go was one of the hardest things a person could ever do. Ellie knew that. What happened when she let go of the idea that reality as she knew it was merely a cover on a rabbit hole? She had willingly taken the cover off and fallen down into the unknown darkness. She’d surrendered. Somehow it felt easier that way. But the Voice kept picking at her even though she was deep in her hidey hole. It wouldn’t leave her alone.

“What was it like for you when your parents died?”

Ellie had answered some variation of that question what seemed like a million times over the years, but her response always paled in comparison to the effect of that one event on the rest of her life. How could she explain the depth of pain she felt when the two people who she loved most were ripped out of her life? Or the excruciating, almost debilitating sense of loneliness that followed when she finally comprehended that she was completely alone in the world?

“I was eight,” Ellie replied. “I had no other family. One minute I was surrounded by love. In the blink of an eye I was an orphan. What do you think it was like?” No one could understand what she had been through, and eventually she gave up trying to explain. Her parents’ death was just something that happened to her a long time ago. Ellie preferred to leave that buried there.

“I am sure it was difficult. But you obviously learned to cope, even thrive.”

“Thrive isn’t the word I’d choose,” Ellie said. “I learned how to survive. Eventually I learned ways to be happy again, but I did that on my own. I never felt like I belonged anywhere again.”

The Voice was silent for a while and Ellie was relieved. When it wasn’t poking at her, the darkness was peaceful. Ellie was used to being alone.

“Tell me about your ability. You’ve linked that to your parents’ death.”

Ellie was tired of the questions. They had covered the same ground over and over again. But it was like the Voice was missing some nuance, and so it all started again. Combing through her life. Looking for clues. “I noticed it the first time at the funeral. I was standing there in the cemetery, looking at their caskets, with the social worker beside me. I kept looking around for more people, but it was just the three of us: me, the social worker, and the minister. And then I noticed that the longer the minister spoke, the more these colors seemed to grow out of him. It didn’t make any sense at the time. The colors were deep purple and blue and they got more vivid every time he made eye contact with me. It scared the hell out of me. I didn’t know what to do.”

A familiar cloud of sadness fell over her thoughts as she remembered that lost little girl. “When the service was over, I wanted to kick and scream and lash out. I wanted to push over those caskets because I convinced myself they were empty and it was some elaborate hoax. Any minute they would appear to take me home. But it wasn’t a hoax. My parents raised me to think that showing emotion in public wasn’t ladylike, so as desperately as I wanted to throw a tantrum, I knew they wouldn’t approve. I looked at the social worker and she had a glow of white tinged with yellow around her. Even though I didn’t know what it meant, the colors were soothing. I had to accept that I was left with nothing but this woman to take care of me. I was naive and automatically assumed that she was kind and that she’d be good to me.”

“She wasn’t?”

Ellie sighed. “After twenty-five years of reading auras, I know now that she was indifferent. She probably saw a dozen kids just like me every week. Her aura meant that she was at peace and even slightly happy, but it had nothing to do with me. I was part of her job, and while I was watching my parents be buried, she was probably thinking about getting a manicure or going home and having a glass of wine. Me, I had no home left.”

“You went into foster care.”

“Yes, and in foster care I stayed until I applied for emancipation when I was sixteen.” She remembered the day that the court approved her request. It had been bittersweet.

“Your ability must have been advantageous in that kind of hostile environment.”

“If you mean it helped keep me out of trouble, then probably it did. But I was always a good kid. I studied hard, got decent grades, and generally stayed out of everyone’s way.  I never gave my foster families any reason to really concern themselves with me. I wanted to be invisible. I was pretty good at it,” Ellie said. She had closed herself off from anyone who tried to reach her. It was a defense mechanism that worked well. Perhaps too well. 

“Until you met Veronica.”

A face flashed in Ellie’s mind. A pretty blond with infectious laughter. Whereas her parents’ faces had faded over time, Roni’s was vivid and seemed so real that Ellie almost thought her friend was there with her in the darkness.

“Roni just wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Ellie said. “She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. And for some reason she wanted to be my friend. I owe her a lot.” It was strange talking about Veronica. Those memories were under strict lock and key for a reason.




About the Author:

Cege Smith is a Minnesota based writer who is addicted to lattes and B-rated horror films. She had been crafting spooky stories since she was twelve years old. She lives with her husband, two adorable stepsons, and mini long-hair dachshund, Juliet in the suburbs of Minneapolis.











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