Sunday, September 30, 2018
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Friday, September 28, 2018
Please Welcome Maria Hammarblad as She Tells Us About Her Space Opera Romance, OPERATION EARTH
by Maria Hammarblad
Genre: Space Opera Romance
Publisher: Sadowski Media
Date of Publication: August 30, 2018
Originally published by Desert Breeze August 2013
ISBN: 1722281871
ASIN: B07GZ1ZHH7
Number of pages: 192
Word Count: 49282
Cover Artist: Patty Jansen
Tagline: They’re here. Are you ready?
Book Description:
Seven billion people on Earth go about their daily lives, and no one is prepared when a global EMP slows the world to a crawl. Within days alien soldiers line the streets, and life will never be the same. In the midst of chaos, Rachael Hill struggles to adapt to the new order, doing her best to keep herself and her cat alive.
On a ship far above the planet surface, Peter just got his new Earth name, and can’t even remember his identity from the last world he visited. It’s another day on the job, one more planet on a never-ending list. That is, until Rachael bumps into him, dropping exotic objects all around his feet. His culture taught him females should be obeyed and protected, but he never had an urge to leave himself at a woman’s mercy until now.
Excerpt:
The neighbor’s
house mocked her. Were they still watching her, or had they given up? Had they
noticed Peter was no longer around, and if so, what did they make of it?
Rachael probably
kept her eyes as much on them as they did on her, and in less dire
circumstances the situation would have been comical.
Bonbon wanted to
go outside, and she followed the cat into bright morning sunshine.
It’s a fine day.
I wish I had coffee. This would be a good day for having morning coffee on the
porch.
She glanced over
toward Melissa’s house. They had a window open. Interesting. Before she knew
what she was doing, she pulled her hairclip off and tossed it into their yard.
“Oops, I must
have dropped it there that one day I went over to see them. I’d better go get
it.”
Setting foot on
the other side of the hedge seemed dangerous, but she had Peter’s gun tucked in
a pocket, and the hairclip glittered in the grass, close to the open window.
How did she
become so bold?
Walk casually.
How the hell does one walk casually? Do I whistle? No, make as little sound as
possible...
She strolled,
doing her best to look normal. Just an ordinary woman going over to pick up
something ordinary she dropped on an ordinary day.
Seconds later,
she crouched under the window. At first, she couldn’t hear anything, then
Melissa’s voice drifted out.
“I
don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Of course it
is. We need to show them what we’re made of.”
That was clearly
Ryan. She didn’t know his voice all that well, but the feisty attitude gave him
away.
A third voice
followed. It must be Martin of the tobacco-stained teeth and bad breath.
“It doesn’t
matter what you think, Hon. The missile is ready and will be launched.”
Missile? What
the hell are these people up to? Do they know I’m out here? Did they leave the
window open to see if I’d overhear and tattle, or do they feel safe now when
Peter isn’t around?
Either way,
overthinking wouldn’t do her any good. She strained her ears and heard Melissa
speak again.
“I didn’t think
missiles could go into space.”
“It’s
complicated. I’m worried about the guidance system, we’ve scraped together bits
and pieces, but nothing is as good as it should be,” Martin answered.
Another long
silence followed, and Rachael dried her palms on her clothes, immediately
scolding herself for doing so. Her mom would have had a field day with that
behavior. Maybe they were coming out, and she should hurry to leave.
“You know, the
guy next door, he doesn’t seem so bad.”
Something heavy
fell to the floor and Rachael imagined Ryan’s chair toppling over. His voice
was anything but patient.
“Don’t be such a
goose. Rachael’s just as bad as them and should burn with them. If she chooses
to stand with them, she will. With any luck, that guy is on the ship when we
bomb it and we can talk her back to the right side. If not, well, we’ll just
have to kill him anyway, won’t we?”
What
Makes Operation Earth Special?
I
obviously find the book special, but I wrote it, so I might be biased... I
lived with the characters chatting in my head for a long time, and to me
they're almost real people.
Will
the book be special to readers? I hope so.
When
working on the story, I got caught up in imagining the spaceships, the alien
technology, and their society. (Don't worry - most of that never made it out of
my notebook.) I wanted enough of it in the book to tickle readers' imagination,
but not so much that it would bore the audience. The characters and their
adventures need to be the focus - without them, it doesn't matter how
intriguing their world might be. It's just a background, like an empty
stage.
Our
hero is a handsome alien invader - who is very fond of women. Our heroine is a
fairly average Earth girl who finds herself pulled into events much too large
to handle. The heart of the story is about forbidden love, overcoming
differences, and overcoming fear of the unknown.
In
Operation Earth, it's about humans and aliens, but it could be any two people.
The concept of "us and them" is more vivid in our society today than
it has been for decades, but it doesn't have to be like that. Once you get to
know someone, we're not all that different. :-)
About the Author:
Maria Hammarblad is an author and bass player whose fascination with books started early. Before she could read or write, she made her mother staple papers together to resemble books. She drew suns in them and claimed they were "The Sun Book." They were all about the sun.
The four-year-old also claimed her existence on Earth was a mistake, the result of a horrible mix-up, and that her real family would come to bring her home to her own planet at any time. This didn't happen, but her fascination with books and other worlds stayed with her.
Besides novels, she also writes award-winning screenplays, enjoys photography, and works with animal rescue organizations.
Website: http://www.hammarblad.com
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Please Welcome Cynthia Sax as She Tells Us About Her Sci-Fi Romance, The Cyborg's Secret Baby
When Characters Change
by Cynthia Sax
Romance novels are normally stories about change. The
heroine and hero (or hero and hero or whatever the relationship construct is)
aren’t emotionally ready for a lasting, loving relationship at the beginning of
the story. That’s why they’re single (or in messed up relationships).
Throughout the story, they grow on their own or together,
conquering hidden fears, gaining confidence until they’re finally ready for a
lifelong commitment. They aren’t changing for the other person. They’re
changing for themselves, becoming more of whom they truly are.
In The Cyborg’s Secret Baby, my most recent release,
Zebrina, the heroine, becomes a mother during the story (this isn’t a spoiler –
grins – it is right there in the title). If you’re a mother, you know how this
changes a person.
Before having a baby, Zebrina is a giving, caring person but
she often puts herself first. Her well being and the well being of Stealth, our
hero, are her priorities. She’s young in thinking, often acts before she
thinks.
This changes when she has a baby. Her child is now her first
priority. Zebrina will sacrifice everything, including a forever love and her
own life, for her ‘baby.’ She no longer has the luxury of leaping before she
looks. She has another being to take care of.
She still isn’t ready for lasting love. Having a baby didn’t
magically fix that. If anything, her situation is even more complicated because
she isn’t the girl Stealth first fell in love with.
This is one of the many reasons I love Secret Baby Romances.
The change in the characters are even more pronounced. That’s very exciting.
Have you ever experienced a huge change in your way of
thinking? Maybe you became a parent or you underwent another huge event in your
life?
Blurb:
The Cyborg’s Secret Baby
A fierce cyborg warrior and his curvy human female share a
no-longer-so-little secret.
Stealth, a K Model cyborg, knows his passion for Zebrina,
the commander’s human daughter, is forbidden, yet he can’t resist the curvy
female. He craves her touch, cherishes her sounds of pleasure, would do
anything to keep her safe.
When he’s faced with the choice of protecting his fragile
human or living to see the next sunrise, he chooses her, always her, sending
Zebrina halfway across the universe to safety. He doesn’t realize their stolen
moments had consequences neither of them believed possible.
After hearing her warrior died in battle, Zebrina focuses on
the last gift he gave her. Doing what is right for their child is her sole
priority. She will put their son’s happiness first, even if that means choosing
another male over the love of her life.
The Cyborg’s Secret Baby is a STAND-ALONE story loosely
connected to the Cyborg Sizzle series.
It is also a Second Chance Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a
dark, gritty, often-violent universe.
Buy Links:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/870968
Bio:
About Cynthia Sax
USA Today bestselling author Cynthia Sax writes SciFi,
contemporary and paranormal erotic romances. Her stories have been featured in
Star Magazine, Real Time With Bill Maher, and numerous best of erotic romance
top ten lists.
Sign up for her dirty-joke-filled release day newsletter and
visit her on the web at www.CynthiaSax.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/cynthia.sax
Twitter: @CynthiaSax
Monday, September 24, 2018
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Now Available in Print! MIRACLE Beyond Measure, Miracle Bk. 2, a Paranormal, Supernatural, Contemporary Fantasy Romance
MIRACLE
Beyond Measure, Book 2
Paranormal/Supernatural/Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Word Count: 43.1K
$3.99 e / $9.99 p
Life on
the run is hard. Food is limited, and clothes are difficult to come by,
but I’ll keep going. We’ll keep going. We have to. The world is
depending on us.
My name
is Casi Clarity, and there’s a prophecy that says I will be the one to
save the world, along with my protector, Coheed. But we don’t know how,
or when, or why. We just will.
Our
travels have taken us to New Orleans, where the demons are getting
stronger, smarter, and harder to evade. With new allies and enemies
alike, who can I trust? Is my protector even who he says he is?
I’m in
the fight of my life, with or without Coheed, but fighting without the
help of my love is impossible to fathom. I’d rather die myself. But if I
did, would I stay dead this time?
My name
is Casi.
The
undead call me Little Mouse.
Coheed
calls me his Miracle.
Warning! Contains a special tea, a trailer in the swamp, deception,
bitter cold, a lost testament, a new revelation, and the loss of a loved
one that tears the heart apart.
Excerpt and buy links.
Excerpt and buy links.
Friday, September 21, 2018
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Please Welcome Victoria Danann as She Tells Us About Her Paranormal Romance, STALK
Stalk
by Victoria
Danann
Genre: paranormal romance
Publisher: 7th House, Imprint of
Andromeda LLC
Date of Publication: October 21, 2018
Number of pages: 388
Word Count: 82,000
Cover Artist: Victoria Danann
Tagline: Every breath you take.
Book Description:
The first coming of chaos. Twelve
thousand years ago, members of a more advanced race crossed into our dimension
when the barriers temporarily collapsed.
Trapped in our world, the aliens,
who were also shifters, built structures that eventually caused the great flood
and the sinking of Atlantis.
Some of the alien DNA survived in
progeny that carried an untraceable shifter gene, dormant until awakened by
mating with a full blooded werewolf.
Excerpt:
Shortly after the incident, the event came to be known as May Day simply because it occurred on the first of May. The term would be forever after altered to represent the pandemonium that followed the dimension overlap that left so many stranded. It worked because it was a good choice because of disassociating the incident with high emotion.
Some from other places were left here. Some that belonged here had disappeared and, even though every city had a centralized location where loved ones could post photos and leave flowers or burning votives, everybody knew somebody who had lost someone. And the world had been turned on end in the blink of an eye.
The conventional wisdom about withholding news panic-inducing news from the public was bypassed. Cover up was impossible in this case and overnight, everyone knew that we experience reality alongside many others, invisible to us. Everyone also learned conclusively that other species exist in those realities.
One of the species that had been stranded in this dimension were canine shifters, werewolves as they were sometimes called in fantasy. Being disinclined to panic, the werewolves, each individually, used their cunning to quickly assess their circumstances and determine what was required to survive. Utilizing their innate talent for strategy, and seduction, they were able to identify missing humans who were a reasonably close match to anthropoid bodies, were without families and were, basically, antisocial. Being shrewd as well as cunning, they made matches with candidates with financial assets.
New lives could be built in a new world without money, but money could go a long way toward building walls of privacy and providing the one thing they needed most, after company, of course. That thing was territory. Freedom.
The government made it almost too easy by publishing an open database of the missing and requested that corrections be made if someone listed was present and accounted for. Each shifter made his choice then notified the government that they were not missing. They were sorry for the misunderstanding, but had been sailing in the Caribbean or fishing in the Gulf or on an archeological expedition in the Amazon.
By the time the dust of the catastrophe began to settle, seven shifters had found each other through a curious intersection of tech and primeval instinct. Each of the seven, while dealing with his own personal disorientation and sense of loss, quickly identified the Pacific Northwest as the most suitable habitat on the North American continent. Millions of acres of national parks and wildlife reserves was attractive. That, and the cooler temperatures, made the locale almost ideal as shifter temperatures run a full three degrees warmer than humans.
It took only a few weeks to come across each other. Shifters in wolf form can cover great distances. In so doing they came across the scent of others who were similar to themselves if not identical, but definitely distinctive from wild wolves. And each felt immeasurable relief to find others. For social animals, abject solitude would be a sentence to hell.
That was one of the reasons why Ken Sahabe was admitted to the pack without hesitation even though he was not a canine, but a spotted hyena. The pack decided Ken’s social and hunting needs were close enough and admitted him.
The hard wiring of pack behavior hadn’t changed for millennia. However, the language used to describe certain facts of pack life was altered for modern times so that it seemed more politic. For example, rather than saying the alpha decided, which was true, the thought would be expressed as ‘the pack decided’. In Ken’s case, though the actual wolves didn’t have a real vote, they accepted him like one of their own species.
About the Author:
Eight times #1 Amazon Paranormal Romance Bestseller
OVER ONE MILLION BOOKS SOLD
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Victoria Danann, has won the prestigious Reviewers’ Choice Award for BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES the past four years in a row! Click follow to get notifications of new releases.
Knights of Black Swan – BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE SERIES (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
A Summoner’s Tale – BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVEL (2013)
Moonlight – BEST VAMPIRE/SHIFTER NOVEL (2013)
Solomon’s Sieve – BEST VAMPIRE NOVEL (2014)
Falcon – BEST PARANORMAL ROMANCE NOVEL (2016)
In addition to the brave and beautiful vampire hunting knights, Victoria writes other paranormal romances that often touch on scifi/fantasy along with contemporary bikers for those who love it when the bad boys are soooooo good.
Victoria co-hosts the popular ROMANCE BETWEEN THE PAGES podcast which can be found on itunes or at www.romancecast.com. She and co-host, Riley J. Ford, interview the biggest names in romance every week. Ever wonder about the personalities behind your favorite books? Some of them just might surprise you with their interests, wit, lifestyles, and sense of humor.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Please Welcome Christine Amsden as She Tells Us About Her Fantasy Romance, The Seer's Fate
The Seer’s Fate
A novella by: Christine Amsden
She can see the future, but she can’t escape it…
Danielle Hastings has lived countless possible futures, and
getting involved with Adam Scot always ends in heartbreak. The gift of
foresight has led her to one solid conclusion: avoid Adam at all costs. But
when she sees a tornado tearing through downtown Eagle Rock – and Adam helping
her save dozens of lives – she knows she has no choice.
Adam lives a charmed life; thanks to his powerful gift of
charisma, everyone has a hard time saying no to him. Everyone, that is, except
Danielle. Adam is determined to break through her shell…until he finds out the
real reason she’s avoiding him. But by the time he realizes there’s no hope for
a future for them, he’s in too deep to back out.
It seems there’s only one question the fates haven’t already
answered: Will he break her heart, or will she break his?
Buy Links
·Barnes and Noble
coming soon
Ebook Release: September 25, 2018
The Cassie Scot Series
Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective
(Cassie Scot Book One)
Secrets and Lies (Cassie Scot Book Two)
Mind Games (Cassie Scot Book 3)
Stolen Dreams (Cassie Scot Book 4)
Madison's Song (Cassie Scot Book 5)
Kaitlin’s
Tale (Cassie Scot Book 6)
About the Author
Christine Amsden has been writing fantasy and science fiction
for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that
others will be inspired by this love and by her stories.
Speculative fiction is
fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real
people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes
primarily about people and relationships, and it is in this way that she
strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.
At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s
Disease, which scars the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now
legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her
dreams.
Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her
husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. In
addition to being a writer, she's a mom and freelance editor.
Social Media Links:
Social Media Links:
· Website
· Blog
· Facebook
· Twitter
· Google+
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Monday, September 17, 2018
Please Welcome S. Peters-Davis as She Tells Us About Her Supernatural, Suspense-Thriller, Romance MALEVOLENT, Kendra Spark Book 2
A
Kendra Spark Novel
Book
Two
by S.
Peters-Davis
Genre: Supernatural,
Suspense-thriller, Romance
Publisher: BWL Publisher
Date of Publication: August 10,
2018
ASIN: B07G36D3JC
Number of pages: E-book length: 150
Number of pages: Print length: 195
Word Count: 57,500
Cover Artist: Michelle Lee
Tagline: Trafficked girls marked to lose their souls by a malevolent
supernatural entity require someone with explicit abilities for their rescue.
Will Kendra be able to save them?
Book Description:
Kendra Spark, suspense-mystery
writer and communicator with the dead, signs on to the next FBI Special Task
Force case, trafficked girls that are marked to lose their souls.
Jenna Powers, ghostified criminal
analyst, sticks close to the case as she and Kendra are also marked by the same
malevolent supernatural force.
Derek Knight, lead FBI Agent on
this case, learns of the malevolent entity and the deeper paranormal realm of
danger.
Kendra’s unfiltered feelings for
Derek struggle to take a backseat, and as the menacing threat grows more
intense, so does her passion for Derek.
Derek faces uncertainties he’s
never dealt with in his past, like malicious entities and the loss of his heart
to love. How can he protect Kendra against forces he can’t see?
As boundless supernatural danger
intertwines with the future reality of the trafficked teens, Kendra and Jenna
realize only they can shoulder the rescue by calling in a voodoo priestess…
I expected Derek
to grab the suitcase. Instead, his arms wrapped around my waist. His spicy-wood
scent filled the air around me as he drew my body into his. I rose on my toes
to meet his gaze, and his lips gently touched mine, turning into a crush of
passion that sent sparks of pleasure to every part of me. His moan slipped
between my lips followed by the tip of his tongue. A tremor quaked downward, to
the bottom of my belly, his lips trembled as our breaths meshed.
Vanilla sweetened
the air, indicating Jenna was back. “Good grief, Sparky. You’re steaming up the
windows.”
I opened my eyes.
Jenna stood beside us. With a regretful groan and shaken with emotions, I
pressed my palms to Derek’s chest to gain some distance. A distance I should
have been compelled to follow for a working relationship. Our kiss hinted at
something greater, and I wasn’t ready to dive that deep. At least, not yet.
“Jenna thinks we’re steaming up the windows.”
Derek sighed.
“Jenna, your timing is impeccable. Or, rather it stinks.” He looked around the
room as if attempting to hone in on where she might be standing. Our
communication improved ten-fold with Derek’s knowledge and acceptance of
Jenna’s spirit still being earthbound.
I pointed. “She’s
beside you.”
He shook his head,
face flushed, as he took a deep man-breath. “I’ll get this loaded in the car
while you finish packing your carry-on.” He lifted the suitcase off the bed and
instead of allowing it to roll on its wheels, he carried it outside.
I looked at Jenna.
“We’re headed back to D.C. Two dead Hispanic girls were found on a North
Carolina beach, one washed up two weeks ago and another this morning. FBI task
force called in to investigate. They believe it’s related to the container
truck of girls found on Friday…or was that Saturday?”
“I know Merretti
has something to do with this. Let’s go
prove it.” Jenna sashayed to the bedroom window facing the roadside of the
house, where Derek loaded the suitcase. “Told you he’d get animated if you
kissed him. You two are sexy together, you know that?” Her belly laugh echoed
in the room, even after she shimmered out of sight. Hearing her after she’d
disappeared was a new ability, something to ask her about.
I shuffled through
my carry-on, discarded a few things I didn’t need and added new items I might
want. Not knowing the length of time I’d be staying in D.C. made packing a bit
difficult, plus the fact I needed to include my laptop and notebooks for novel
writing. I committed to a new series of books and the first one was due the end
of August, but the publicist wanted the cover and blurb at least a month
earlier. Not an easy feat when I hadn’t even started character sketches or
plotting.
“Is this it then?”
Derek slung the strap of the laptop storage bag over his shoulder, along with
my carry-on. “Is Jenna still here?”
“No, she’s gone.”
I looked around, thinking of anything I might have missed, but my mind kept
skittering between Derek, the new case, Jenna, and my writing commitments.
Derek’s brows drew
inward as he eyed my face. “You haven’t caught up on your sleep, have you?” He
grabbed my upper arm to lead me along.
“Not really. Have
you?” I clicked off lights and locked the lakeside door as we made our way out
the driveway entry. His fingers remained around my arm as he guided me to the
SUV, reminding me of all the times we were together in D.C. and North Carolina.
He opened the
passenger door. “I’ve slept, but probably not enough. Climb in while I set this
in the back.”
I settled in the
seat and sent a quick text off to Denise and Lexi, telling them I was leaving
and not sure when I’d be back. I asked if they would mind doing what they did
last week for me. I sent another one off to Sharon, my writing accountability
partner. I’d sent her the details of my contract with Knixton, so she had a
good idea of how pinched for time I would be if this case took too long.
Derek started the
vehicle and headed toward the main road. “We’re booked on a flight to D.C.
There may be a few other agents on the plane, not more than ten people, so you
should be able to catch a couple hours of sleep.”
Like I would get
any sleep with Derek sitting next to me. Being near him seemed more of a
challenge, deflecting his magnetic draw. I wondered if being away from him had
something to do with it like absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Halloween
Short Story:
All Hallows’ Eve Silent Night
By S. Peters-Davis
“I gotta make a
quick trip to the restroom. Can I use the flashlight?” I asked, glancing at
Rory as he tilted his head. “Oops.” We’d made a pact not to talk, experience
the night of stargazing with each other in silence.
Rory handed me the
flashlight. “Remember, no talking when you come out. Sasha?”
“Got it.” I
nodded, grabbed the flashlight, and then rushed into the dimly lit park
restroom. Rory and I had come to the Haggerset Lake Park for the last four
years to stargaze on Halloween night, ever since we’d graduated high school. We
loved our creep-night, the one night we dropped whatever we were doing and
wherever we were to come back to each other on this one night.
A rustle outside,
like something heavy falling on the ground, startled me. I hurried with my
business and ran out to check on Rory. He stood waiting for me. I slid the
light beam his way, and he smiled, pointing toward the ground.
I didn’t say a
word at the blanket and cooler strewn over the dewy grass, assuming he’d
tripped over something. We both picked up the stuff and headed down the hill
away from the tree line to the beach by the lake. The perfect place to lay for
an open view of the star-ridden sky.
We spread the
blanket and sat. I dropped the flashlight on the blanket, and then pulled the
wine and glasses from the cooler. Rory grabbed my hand so I looked at him. He
shook his head. I set the bottle next to me, thinking we’d open it later.
He stretched out
on the blanket and patted the spot next to him. The moon cast enough light to
see his shadowed face and body. I bent down, knees on the blanket, and then
flipped to my backside, sliding close to him. His hand found mine and our fingers
intertwined.
A spike of
electricity charged through me, like what always happened when Rory touched me.
I missed him during the long months we’d attended separate colleges, and this
would be our last semester apart.
His breath sucked
in as he pointed upward. A falling star streaked across the sky.
I gasped, but
remained silent as per our pact. An owl hooted in a tree on top of the hill.
Crickets set a rhythm, adding to the croaking bull frogs all around us. I
adored the sounds and smells of the night, just like Rory had admitted the
first time we’d done this.
He squeezed my
fingers, raised my hand to his warm moist lips, and kissed my palm. His tongue
slithered up and down my wrist, making me giggle. Then his lips attached to my
skin and he sucked. My whole insides melted and fluttered at the same time. I
panted, wanting more.
His body flipped
over mine, his moist lips kissing, nipping, and sucking over my neck. Every
cell in my body responded, zinging sparks spiked through my veins. His tongue
slathered my skin. My eyelids closed on automatic.
“Sasha!” Rory? His
voice came from on top of the hill.
I opened my eyes
wide and pushed against the body on top of me. He sat on top of me and covered
my mouth with his hand, his other hand held both of mine above my head. The
skin on his face shimmered and blurred. He leaned over me, close to my face. A
thin forked tongue slithered from his mouth, licking my face.
“Sasha, are you
there?” Rory shouted again from a distance.
I bucked, but to
no avail. The thing’s skin turned to scales, his eyes…glowed amber, their
pupils narrowed into slits like a snake. Fins grew along his forearms.
I fought, hard,
struggling to free a hand and bucking to throw him off. My hand came free and I
reached for the wine bottle.
Footfalls pounded
down the hill, the monster glanced up. I wrapped my fingers around the neck of
the wine bottle and swung. The monster’s head snapped sideways and his body
fell from on top of me.
Rory stood over
us. “My gods, what the hell is that thing? It attacked me and I woke up in the
middle of the woods, afraid of what that thing had done to you.” He gave me a
hand up.
A rancid odor
burst through the air and the creature’s body sizzled, like brats on a grill.
We stepped back as
it turned into bright embers and then dust. Rory pulled me into his arms as the
night breeze carried the smoky particles over the water.
“That thing looked
just like you. It licked me.” I yanked the bottom of my T-shirt up to wipe my
face and neck.
“You couldn’t tell
that thing wasn’t me?”
“It never kissed
me on the lips.” And I couldn’t help but wonder what it had planned on doing
with me. “What do you think its end game was with me?”
Rory took a knee
and extracted a small box from his shirt pocket. “Not this.” He turned so the
moonlight shone on the box and then flipped it open. A diamond sparkled. His
gaze melded into mine as he asked, “Sasha, monster-slayer of All Hallow’s Eve,
will you marry me?” He grinned, and then added, “Before some scary creature
sweeps you off your feet?”
S. Peters-Davis writes multi-genre
stories, but loves penning a good page-turning suspense-thriller, especially
when it’s a ghost story and a romance. When she’s not writing, editing, or
reading, she’s hiking, RV’ing, fishing, playing with grandchildren, or enjoying
time with her favorite muse (her husband) in Southwest Michigan.
She also writes YA paranormal,
supernatural novels as DK Davis.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/spdavis788
BWL Author Page: http://bookswelove.net/authors/peters-davis-s-suspense-paranormal/
BWL Publishing Inc.: http://bookswelove.net/
a Rafflecopter giveaway