Giveaway and Guest Post with Shona Husk and her book Dark Secrets

Happy Monday Everyone!  Today I have an extra special guest talking about her take on magic, and her latest book of course!  And Encounters...this looks like a good one!!  Take it away Shona:

The downside of magic

Magic, superpowers, favourable mutations…call it what you want but wouldn’t it be fun to be a little paranormal? To have talent no one else did? A skill that gave you an advantage?

Most of us would say yes without pausing to think…and yet when studied there is always a downside to having power.

Super heroes have weaknesses. The X-men had issues and even in fairy tales magic has a price. Physics tells us that there must be equal and opposite forces, and that energy can’t be created only changed. Magic has to come from somewhere and there has to be a trade-off.

What that trade-off is something the author decides when writing.

In Kiss of the Goblin Prince it was energy, Dai needed to eat—he even acknowledges that real magic uses are thin. He also gets terrible migraines if mixing alcohol and magic. But he also knows that using magic to change one thing has ripple effects so it has to be done carefully and with great consideration first.

In Dark Secrets the magic is more subtle; it is part of the person, not a learned skill like Dai’s abilities. Haidyn, the hero, was born with magic but it developed late. The Arcane Union rejected him because they thought him too weak to be a danger and his skill useless—who wants to make people smile? But his talent grew, and through hardship he became strong. Now he can control people’s minds—a very useful skill when pretending to be a whore. The Arcane Union doesn’t suspect he is using magic, if they did Haidyn would be in vast amounts of trouble.

As it is his magic is giving him grief. Because he was never taught how to use it properly it is slowly driving him insane. Every time he opens his mind to control someone’s thought, he sees into them. His mind is filled with other people’s thoughts and desires. But shutting down the magic means he can’t do his job. He is caught.

It’s the consequences of magic that make it fun. A hero with limitless power would be a little boring—there’d be no hard decisions to make as everything would be easy. Giving a character power means giving them an extra burden to carry, an extra problem to work through. And who doesn’t like a tortured hero?

Carina Press

18 February 2013

ISBN: 978-14268-9511-1

Kindle | iTunes | Barnes & Noble

Six years ago, Haidyn Mast left his home and his betrothed Anisa to follow his magical calling. Too weak to join the Arcane Guild and too ashamed to return home, he has made a life as a prostitute--to all outward appearances. In truth, he sells his mind but not his body, using magic to let his clients experience their most secret fantasies while his hands stay clean. Even the Lawman, the arbiter of justice in Reseda, is one of his clients, but Haidyn would rather not know the extent of that man's depravity.

Though successful, Haidyn is shunned as a whore and his lack of formal training is causing his power to grow out of control. He's ready to retire and leave the city, but when he sees his Anisa standing at Lawman's side, he knows he must rescue her from the abusive enforcer. Risking his life and his sanity, he devises a plan, knowing that failure will mean death for him, and a lifetime of torment for her...

Shona Husk Bio

Shona Husk lives in Western Australia at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Blessed with a lively imagination she spent most of her childhood making up stories. As an adult she discovered romance novels and hasn't looked back. Drawing on history and myth, she weaves new worlds and writes heroes who aren't afraid to get hurt while falling in love. 

With stories ranging from sensual to scorching, she is published with Ellora's Cave, Samhain Publishing, Carina Press and Sourcebooks.

Printable Book List

Connect with Shona:

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Shona Husk's

DARK SECRETS Blog Tour Schedule

02/03 - GraveTells

02/04 - I Smell Sheep

02/05 - United by Books

02/06 - The Reading Café

02/07 - Romancing the Book

02/08 - Bookworm 2 Bookworm

02/09 - All Things Books

02/10 - All The Fun Starts After Dark

02/11 - Close Encounters with the Night Kind

02/12 - Cocktails and Books

02/13 - Book Lovin' Mamas

02/14 - Vampires, Werewolves, Fairies Oh My!

02/15 - Book Monster Reviews & Literal Addiction

02/16 - Ramblings From This Chick

GIVEAWAY INFO:

Shona is giving away an eBook of DARK SECRETS to one winner at each tour stop.  Just fill out the rafflecopter to enter!!  Good Luck!!

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