I'd like to welcome Waking Up Dead by Margo Bond Collins to my blog.
Hope you all enjoy the excerpt!
Blurb
When Dallas resident
Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead,
when she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a mommy complex,
she went to Alabama. Now she's witnessed another murder, and she's not about to
let this one go. She's determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes
to prison. And to answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake
up dead in Alabama?
Excerpt
When
I died, I expected to go to heaven.
Okay.
Maybe hell. It’s not like I was perfect or anything. But I was sort of hoping
for heaven.
Instead,
I went to Alabama.
Yeah.
I know. It’s weird.
I
died in Dallas, my hometown. I was killed, actually. Murdered. I’ll spare you
the gruesome details. I don’t like to remember them myself. Some jerk with a
knife--and probably a Bad-Mommy complex. Believe me, if I knew where he was,
I’d go haunt his ass.
At
any rate, by the time death came, I was ready for it--ready to stop hurting,
ready to let go. I didn’t even fight it.
And
then I woke up dead in Alabama. Talk about pissed off.
You
know, even reincarnation would have been fine with me--I could have started
over, clean slate and all that. Human, cow, bug. Whatever. But no. I ended up
haunting someplace I’d never even been.
That’s
not the way it’s supposed to work, right? Ghosts are supposed to be the
tortured spirits of those who cannot let go of their earthly existence. If they
could be convinced to follow the light, they’d leave behind said earthly
existence and quit scaring the bejesus out of the poor folks who run across
them. That’s what all those “ghost hunter” shows on television tell us.
Let
me tell you something. The living don’t know jack about the dead.
Not
this dead chick, anyway.
About the Author
Margo Bond Collins lives in Texas with her husband, their
daughter, several spoiled cats, and a ridiculous turtle. She teaches college-level
English courses online, though writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys
reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of
her free time daydreaming about vampires, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, and
other monsters. Waking Up Dead is her first published novel. Her second novel,
Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy, forthcoming in 2014 from World Weaver
Press.
Thanks to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer for organizing the best hop of the year.
I must admit that I've not been very actively lately with my blog. It's been a crazy six months for me. I'm hoping to post more in the next few months.
Now to the good part of the hop.
My Giveaway is a $10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card (winner's choice).
The Deacons of the Order are all
that stand between the wicked spirits of the Otherside and the innocent
citizens of the Empire. They are sworn to protect humanity, even when they
cannot protect themselves…
After the Razing of the Order,
Sorcha Faris, one of the most powerful Deacons, is struggling to regain control
of the runes she once wielded. The Deacons are needed more desperately than
ever. The barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead is
weakening, and the Emperor has abandoned his throne, seeking to destroy those
he feels have betrayed him.
Though she is haunted by the
terrible truth of her past, Sorcha must lead the charge against the gathering
hordes of geists seeking to cross into the Empire. But to do so, she will need
to manipulate powers beyond her understanding—powers that may prove to be her
undoing…
About the Author
New Zealand born fantasy writer
and podcaster Philippa (Pip) Ballantine is the author of the Books of the Order
and the Shifted World series. She is also the co-author with her husband Tee
Morris of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novels. Her awards include an
Airship, a Parsec, and a Sir Julius Vogel. She currently resides in Manassas,
Virginia with her husband, daughter, and a mighty clowder of cats.
Author of: Geist, Spectyr, Wrayth
and Harbinger (2013) from Ace Books and Hunter and Fox and Kindred and Wings
(2013) from Pyr Books
Co-author (with Tee Morris) of
Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences— an Airship Award winning steampunk series.
Novels: Phoenix Rising and the Janus Affair. Also includes digital short
stories and a free award winning podcast series
Christine will be awarding a $10 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Please follow the tour to increase your chances of winning! Click here for a complete list of blogs participating in this Super Book Blast.
BLURB:
Cassie
Scot is the ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers, born between worlds but
belonging to neither. At 21, all she wants is to find a place for herself, but
earning a living as a private investigator in the shadow of her family’s
reputation isn’t easy. When she is pulled into a paranormal investigation, and
tempted by a powerful and handsome sorcerer, she will have to decide where she
truly belongs.
Excerpt :
My parents
think the longer the name, the more powerful the sorcerer, so they named me
Cassandra Morgan Ursula Margaret Scot. You can call me Cassie.
I've been
called a lot of things in my life: normal, ordinary, and even a disappointment.
After the Harry Potter books came out, a couple of people called me a squib.
Since I haven't read them, I have to assume it's a compliment.
Personally, I
prefer normal, which is why the sign on my office door reads: Cassie Scot,
Normal Detective.
You have to
understand that around here, when your last name is Scot, people are easily
confused. Not only are my parents powerful practitioners, but I have six
talented brothers and sisters. Plus, my family hasn't always been known for its
subtlety. When weird stuff happens around here, the people who are willing to
believe in magic are prone to suspect the Scots.
The day I
opened for business I got a call from an old woman who swore her cat was
possessed by the devil. She also swore she'd read my web site, which clearly
stated the types of work I did and did not do. Exorcisms were on the No list,
and while I hadn't specified pet exorcisms, I would have thought it was
implicit.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Award-winning
author Christine Amsden has written stories since she was eight, always with a
touch of the strange or unusual. She became a “serious” writer in 2003, after
attending a boot camp with Orson Scott Card. She finished Touch of Fate shortly
afterward, then penned The Immortality Virus, which won two awards. Expect many
more titles by this up-and-coming author.
Gary Starta is a
former journalist who began writing multi-genre fiction in 2004. He
likes to include science theory in his stories as well as elements of
paranormal, fantasy, mystery and
romance.
Publisher:
Self-Published at Amazon Kindle Release
Date: March 15, 2013 Amazon
Book
Description:
Most
people don't travel to another universe to get a new job, house and
boyfriend but psychic investigator Caitlin Diggs did. Now she's
living the life of her alternate self, working for the FBI's
Preternatural Division where her first case just happens to include
chasing a genetically engineered man hell bent on stealing souls.
Well, there had to be consequences.
Demon
Inhibitions Excerpt
When she found I had
visited Manners, Briana began scurrying about her house, scooping up
a pair of scissors and a red candle. Before I could speak further,
she came at me. I backed away from her in fright. Her placid face
revealed nothing malevolent. But the shears were headed right for me.
I tried to dive away from the contradiction. Who was the real Briana?
The sweet woman who made cookies for me--or her shears wielding
maniac counterpart now standing before me? She screamed not to worry.
I heard a snip. I felt a strange sensation. Not pain. But something
was no longer attached to me. It was a piece of my hair. She caught
the floating lock in her hands as if it were a runaway feather.
“It is very important
we get to work, Caitlin.” Too stunned to process the weird moment,
I could barely utter a groan.
Then she explained how
she must protect me. “He’ll surely make a visitation now that he
has met you.”
I tried to explain it was
a good thing. I would probably get a vision of him and then I could
determine his part in the slayings.
She interrupted. “A
visitation is what he’ll do to you. I don’t know how to break
this to you but the cat judge is an incubus. He’ll surely come to
you in your dreams. And in case he is our murderer, you’ll need a
protection spell, pronto.”
I reminded her I carried
a firearm. I had worked in the FBI.
“No earthbound weapons
can harm the judge once he joins with you. An incubus enters your
dream world.”
'How do you know this?”
My tone grew edgy. She had obviously withheld knowledge of Manners.
Maybe the two were friends or even lovers. And she just admitted an
incubus could have committed these crimes without fear of being
harmed or caught.
“I know things because
I’m a witch, Caitlin. That explanation will have to suffice for
now.”
If you’re truly a
witch, Briana, you must know he’s our best suspect.”<br<
“I do not wish to make
sentence of him, yet. He could very well be innocent, even though he
is not human. You must not be quick to judge. Don’t forget you now
have paranormal abilities. You wouldn’t want to be labeled guilty
just because of who you are.”
She had me there.
I settled in for the
spell.
“I will create a mind
shield for you, Caitlin Diggs.”
She began to chant,
inviting me to join her.
“I call upon the
helpful powers of my ancestors. Please protect and shield me from
harm. By the ancient ancestral power, blessed be!”
Briana played soft Celtic
music for me as we waited for the spell to take effect. I tried to
distract myself with the lovely dulcet tones of harps and violins. It
almost worked until my stomach rumbled--again. We never had supper.
Briana was too intent on saving my ass. For what seemed hours we held
hands waiting for the candle to burn down. I had plenty of time to
drink in the ambience of the McFadden household. Floral print
furniture and lacy doilies surrounded me. But most disturbing, a
poster of Cher is depicting the actress as a witch in the film
Witches of Eastwick, hung right before my eyes. When the
candle finally expired I yawned and thanked Briana.
“Don’t
thank me yet. The night is now upon us. We must return to your house
if we hope to engage the judge.”
“Won’t your presence
discourage Manners from coming?”
“No.” She paused to
smile. “You could have twenty police armed to the hilt and he’d
still come. Nothing from the waking world can harm him.”
muttered something
unintelligible even to me.
“I’ll be in the next
room to supervise so to speak. When he comes I’ll sense it. I will
then cast a binding spell so he can’t attack you – or worse,
drain you. Now the spell won’t last indefinitely so you won’t
want to waste time with small talk. Hopefully you’ll be able to
determine his innocence or guilt in your dream.”
had once interrogated an
evil man named Crowley in a dream state. It didn’t go so well. But
at least he didn’t threaten to harm me. Maybe he couldn’t. I
still don’t know; but I was sure of one thing if the judge
threatened me in anyway I would defend myself. I didn’t care what
Briana said about the dream and waking worlds. I went to bed packing
a handgun.
Thank you for joining us today Irina Argo. Irina is promoting her Vampire Elite Series. She provided us with an interview. So, be sure to continue reading to learn about her.
GIVEAWAY!
Irina is giving away one $50 BN or Amazon Gift Card.
To enter, complete the rafflecopter at the end of this post.
BLURB:
Can
the ultimate choice be made if saving your race means destroying the one you
love?
At
the beginning of the twenty-first century of our era a millennia long war
between two immortal races was coming to an end. The Vampire Elite, the
strongest among vampires, forced the race of immortal beings, the Amiti to
become their blood suppliers, called bloodstock, locking them in their
underground cells and treating them like livestock. The surviving free Amiti
make a final attempt to strike back. The Queen of Amiti is proclaimed a traitor
and is executed. Her death signifies the rise of a new Queen, her young
daughter Arianna who becomes the last hope of her dying race. Arianna totally
embraces her mission and is ready to fight for her people to the last drop of
her blood but encounters an unexpected challenge—the vampire King Tor. They
both are captured into a trap of love where they had to make an ultimate
choice; to kill the loved one or to let their races die.
Vampire
Elite is the epic story of a bitter conflict between two peoples, and the
effect of that conflict on everyone living in its grip. The characters are
driven to love and betrayal, vengeance and sacrifice in a world without easy
black-and-white answers.
Based
on an ancient Egyptian legend, packed with action and intrigue, Vampire Elite
will pull you into the entrancing world of immortals and open new portals into
their hidden universe.
What do you think
you’re really bad at?
Housekeeping …I detest it..Jo-An
Well, not realllly bad.Still trying to understand English
Metaphors, I still take a lot of things literally, spelling is not one of my
best suits and verb conjugation is still a challenge. I was born and raised in
Russia. The influence of the Russian language is strong. If it were not for
Jo-An and Laura, our editor, this book would never have gone farther than being
a dream to becoming a reality .. Irina
Is your life anything like it was two years
ago?
Not even close – two years ago I had a costume shop and 8000
square feet of merchandise, plus designed and created original costumes. I had
no employees, but some of my customers helped out when they could. I was
working 15 to 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, taking some week-ends off to go
water-skiing- I put on theater productions for GLBT Charity Groups handling all
of the costumes, recruiting, script and production.
Now I spend a lot of time working on these books and
traveling in our RV. Reading, going to movies, spending time with my husband
and taking cruises…Jo-An
It is changing now with the book completion but it was
really dark. To witness someone you love paralyzed and helpless on a daily
basis is really a challenge. In addition to that, there was all of the physical
work required after working a 10 hour day with challenging youths..Irina
Have you ever had an imaginary friend?
Yes, as a child I had a bendable dinosaur; I set him on the
back of a milk truck bumper at a store across the street from our house …you
see, there were ‘no pets allowed’ .. when I came back out, the truck was gone
and so was my dinosaur…60 years later, I still miss that little guy. Jo-An
Yes I did. It was a black panther. She was protecting me on
the streets following me around and she could talk. That is why I adore cats.
They are small panthers..Irina
Do you have any
phobias?
No, but I don’t like
speed or high places with ledges. Jo-An
Oh yes—spiders. I’m trying to convince myself that the
majority of them are harmless but it’s not working. How can anything with 8
legs not be scary?..Irina
Ever broken any
bones?
Just my foot, in a cast for 8 weeks..Jo-An
No. I was lucky even when I did what I considered, some
dangerous sports like horseback riding and water-skiing. .Irina
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
Irina Argo is a combined pen name for two authors, Irina Kardos and Jo-An Torres.
Irina
Irina's world is dark. She works as a clinical psychologist in a Juvenile Correctional Facility dealing with the extremes of human behavior on a regular basis and takes care of her paralyzed husband who suffered a stroke several years ago. To bring light into her life she writes. Writing has always been her passion. She is originally from Russia where she was employed as a TV journalist.
Jo-An
Jo-An is a Leo, a lioness who has emerged to follow her dream, to someday write a book of her own. She owned a costume shop for 15 years and was able to satisfy and excel in her creative nature. She is an over-achiever and believes that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and ignore the nay-sayers. Her philosophy is based on Shakespeare "it is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves." She currently resides in California with her 5 cats and 1 husband.
I've read Rook (Allie's War #1) and really enjoyed the book. I look forward to reading Shield (Allie's War #2). I strongly encourage all you readers to start this series. You won't be disappointed!
JC created a guest video blog for today's post. I think you all will enjoy the video below!
GIVEAWAY!!
Two prize packs consisting of a print book, mug, notebook, magnet, and t-shirt.
3 Paperbacks
10 ebooks
(Physical prize packs open to US shipping)
To enter please complete the rafflecopter at the end of this post.
Title: Shield
Allie’s War, Book Two Author: JC Andrijeski
Genre: New
Adult / Urban Fantasy/ Romance
Publisher: White
Sun Press
Cover Artist: White
Sun Press
Book Description:
“And they say Death
will live among them in the guise of a child....”
Grappling with her
new identity as “Bridge,” a being meant to herald the end for all of humanity,
isn’t even Allie’s biggest problem. She’s also coping with a whole new set of
rules around her seer marriage, as well as the power-hungry Rook she helped put
in the White House, who is currently doing his best to start a war with China.
Then the boy
appears. A sociopath with all of the energetic markings of Syrimne, a highly
dangerous telekinetic seer who killed thousands during World War I, he doesn’t
appear to have aged in one hundred years.
Worse, he thinks
Allie belongs to him.
Excerpt:
The lock made a squealing sound as if it hadn’t been turned
in months.
When the door swung wide, Terian had to fight to keep from
gagging at the smell that flooded the hallway from the light-less hole. Bile
rushed to his throat; he covered his mouth and nose with the hand holding the
gun. He swore profusely, fighting the impulse to shoot the two people close
enough to blame for this abomination.
“Not so pleasant is it?” the old man sneered. “Hiding the
sins of the past? Not so neat and clean...”
Terian raised the gun, pointing it at him, then thought
better of it and stepped around him instead, snatching one of the torches from
an iron bracket and entering the small chamber, the sleeve of his forearm
firmly over his nose and mouth. He swung the torch in a wide arc, taking in the
small stone space. The ceiling rose higher than he would have expected, at
least twice the height of the corridor outside, but the floor space stood only
at about eight by eight feet.
Terian turned around twice in the small cell, then stopped,
startled when he saw a gleam of eyes reflect light back from his torch. He’d
missed the creature in his first turn around the room. Even now, it stood as
still as a posed corpse.
Four lowered the torch, blinking as his eyes adjusted.
The boy stood with every muscle in his small frame relaxed.
Yet his demeanor wasn’t one of subjugation or defeat, like the boys
aboveground. On the contrary, his expression was calm, even politely
interested. His shoulders sloped down below his neck, his arms below them, all
the way to his hands, open at his sides, with delicate fingers. In appearance
he was adolescent, perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old for a human, twenty to
twenty-five for a seer.
He stood so motionless and his skin shone with such a dull
gray sheen he appeared to be made of wax. His eyes followed Terian’s every
movement as if gliding on smooth rails, not once jerking or showing a reaction.
After a few seconds, Terian realized he himself had tensed.
He felt as though he were being hunted, watched the way a giant cat might watch
the motions of an antlered buck.
Behind the boy, a palate of rags and what might have been an
ancient mattress stood near one wall of the cell, all the same dark gray with
black streaks. The smell concentrated from there, and moreso from a bucket that
stood near enough to the “bed” that Terian wanted to shove it further away with
the toe of his boot, if only to get the image of this creature sleeping next to
its own excrement forever out of his mind.
“What is your name, boy?” Terian said. He found himself
fascinated by the black eyes, the utter lack of expression. “Can you speak?”
The boy’s expression changed.
Terian saw a dense hatred concentrate in those pupils, so
fathomless it actually caused him to flinch back. Hearing noise behind him, he
turned. The woman stood in the doorway, as did the old man. The boy’s look of
murder aimed precisely at the man with the hole shot through his hand.
“You did that?” The boy turned to Terian.
He spoke Prexci of such an ancient dialect that Terian had to
concentrate to make out the words. He slid into the Barrier, tried to look at
the boy from there. Once he had, he focused and refocused his sight, not
believing what he saw.
Above the filthy creature’s head spiraled a collection of structures
that nearly gave Terian an erection. A kind of fascinated awe fell over him as
he stared at those spiraling shapes.
The boy said again. “You did that? You shot him?”
“Yes,” Terian told him, clicking out. “I did.”
For a long moment, the boy only looked at the wasted human.
Finally, he turned to Four.
“Yes. I will go with you.”
Without fully turning his head, Terian spoke to the other
two. “What the fuck is this precious
bundle of joy?” He glanced over his shoulder.
The woman turned sheet white. “You said you knew. You said he
entrusted you...”
The old man gave another of those sick, grating chuckles. “I
told you. He likely killed your precious Teacher with his own hands...”
“You wouldn’t be far off with that, old man,” Terian said,
raising the gun. “But you still haven’t answered my question...”
The woman raised her hands to Terian in a kind of pleading
supplication, her eyes darting nervously between him and the boy on the cot.
“You must understand. It was for his own protection...for all of our protection.
We feed him well...”
Terian gave a harsh laugh. “Yes. This is practically the
Ritz. But I’m not here to spank you for your housekeeping skills, Fraulein...” Even so, he realized in
some surprise that he was angry. Beyond angry...he was furious. His hand shook
as he pointed it at the two “monks.” That they would keep any seer in such a
place, much less a seer like this, with structures like he had...it was
inconceivable. That Galaith could have been part of such a travesty...
“Unchain him,” Terian said, motioning towards the boy with
the gun. “Now.”
The woman’s face drained further of blood. “Sir?”
“You heard him. He’s coming with me. Now unchain him.”
“Sir! You don’t understand! His collar...the restraint wire
on his sight is attached to his chain! It was a safeguard, so no one could ever
leave with him...”
She trailed when Terian raised the gun to point at her face.
Terian cocked his head, staring at her. The woman stared at the boy, then back
at Terian.
“You can’t possibly understand what you are doing!” she
cried. “He cannot be allowed to leave this place!”
“The boy won’t hurt me. Will you, lad?”
“No. I won’t hurt.” He paused. “...You.”
Terian smiled. “See? We’re going to be pals, me and this
handsome devil...”
The old man with the bleeding hand laughed, stopping only
when he broke into a paroxysm of thick coughs. He spat a gob of phlegm in the
direction of the boy. Wiping his mouth on his dirt-encrusted robe, he spoke up.
“I’ll unchain him.” His voice had a note of finality to it.
“I’ll do it...I’ll let the little bastard go. It’s mine to do...”
“Merenje, no!” the woman cried, but Terian swung the gun back
on her, stopping her from going after him.
“Stay,” he said, smiling when she pulled up short. “That’s a
good girl...”
The old man stumbled across the room, still holding his hand
to his robes.
The boy stood perfectly still as Merenje reached him. He
didn’t move as the old man fumbled with the metal collar around his neck.
Terian hadn’t seen it until then, as it blended so perfectly with the color of
the grimy neck.
Now that he saw it, however, Terian realized the thing was an
antique. Instead of the light, thin organic hybrid metals used on the seers in
the pens upstairs, the boy’s collar weighted his neck with several inches of
what appeared to be iron. The organic skin on the outside looked like it came
from some kind of reptile. The back end, instead of having a thumbnail release
valve triggered with retinal or other scanner, consisted of an iron ring that
connected to a thick chain bolted into the wall above the palate of rags where
the boy slept. The chain didn’t even give him the range of the small cell. No
wonder the bucket remained by the bed.
Feeling his anger return, Terian watched the old man grasp
the chain, which was also coated in organic skin.
“Use the key,” the old man said. His pitted eyes stared at
the boy’s. “Use the key now...I’ve triggered the lock!”
“No!” the woman screamed.
But Terian already understood. Chuckling, he entered the
Barrier space, and found himself facing an elaborate structure that had
Dehgoies’ and Galaith’s aleimic fingerprints all over it. A golden weaving of
light, it configured in a kind of delicate beauty around the boy, strangling
his aleimi through the organic components of the collar.
Recalling the symbol he’d found in Dehgoies Revik’s journal,
the same one he’d used to fool the woman into thinking Galaith had sent him,
Terian imprinted it on the Barrier structure. It fit perfectly into the missing
piece woven into the restraint collar around the boy’s neck and its organic
tissue.
As he withdrew from the Barrier space, Four heard an audible
click.
His vision cleared, leaving him back in the pitch-black
dungeon.
The boy met his gaze, and smiled.
About the Allie’s War Series:
An urban fantasy
paranormal romance set in a unique, gritty version of Earth, populated by a
second race of beings called seers, the Allie’s War series centers on the
relationship of a strong female protagonist, Allie Taylor, and her antihero
guide, Dehgoies Revik. Falling into the new adult genre of books, the Allie’s
War series takes place in a modern version of Earth you’ve never seen, that
spans centuries along with the lives of its main characters, the seers, and the
wars they fight with themselves and their human allies and enemies, (steamy sex
scenes in parts!).
JC Andrijeski has
published novels, novellas, serials, graphic novels and short stories, as well
as nonfiction essays and articles, including the Allie’s War series, The Slave
Girl Chronicles and bestselling novella, The Alien Club. Her short fiction runs
from humorous to apocalyptic, and her nonfiction articles cover subjects from
graffiti art, meditation, psychology, journalism, politics and history. JC has
traveled extensively and lived abroad, but currently lives and works on the
Oregon Coast.
Giveaway Details
1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (International).
Ends 5/31/13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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About the Author
