A Powers That Be Novel, Book One
by J.M. Jinks
Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Champagne Books
Date of Publication: 10/22/2018
Word Count: 58K
ASIN: B07JMCGNM6
ASIN: B07JMCGNM6
Tagline: If you can’t beat them, seduce them
Book Description:
Meet Layla James, your typical smart and snarky chick—except
for the whole succubus thing. After nearly a millennium on Earth, Layla’s
settled down in a boring life in Palm Springs, until a smoking-hot hunter comes
to arrest her for murder. But Layla knows the rules—she'd never kill someone
and incite the wrath of The Powers That Be.
Elijah Daines is a hunter, maintaining the balance of good
and evil in the mortal realm, his power stronger than any hunter she’s ever
encountered. Plus, he’s a seriously sexy distraction. Too bad he’s accused her
of a crime she didn't commit.
As the killer continues a murder spree that not only frames
Layla but threatens to expose the existence of supernatural creatures to
humans, Layla and Elijah team up to investigate. Hopefully, they can fight off
their escalating attraction for each other long enough to exonerate her and
stop the murder madness.
Excerpt:
He approached
the counter. I, or maybe my succubus, decided on a whim I would not be
intimidated by his power. I wasn’t sure where my sudden courage came from. He
had to have felt my succubus signature. We weren’t a violent race when we
controlled our urges. I’m Queen of Control over here. I’m sure he knows I
won’t, hurt him. Right?
But why was he here? Something must have been
wrong.
As I walked
toward him, I got a better look. His dark hair was in slight disarray and his
bright blue eyes scoured my face. He towered over me in every sense of the
word.
He and Jolene
should go back-to-back so I can get an accurate measure of his height.
I shook away my
thoughts of him—it was obvious he came here on a mission. Greek god or not, he
was still a hunter, and I—I was a product of evil, aka something he hunts.
“Succubus,” he
growled. The one little word was filled with eons of unabashed hatred. The word
vibrated through me. All hopes of him wanting a new bathroom paint color
vanished. No, this visit wasn’t going to be pleasant, not at all.
Perhaps I could
seduce him. Hell, he could do me right on the floor of aisle nine next to the
light fixtures, if it kept him from killing me. I bit my lip. But…hunters
weren’t typically susceptible to succubi charms. A failed attempt of Aprhodisia
could earn more problems.
I released a
breath. Some buried deep natural instinct rolled through me again. With that
feeling, I decided to stand my ground. I looked him in the eyes, stood up
straighter, and replied, “Hunter?”
Topic: What
is it about this book that makes it special?
Before
I actually sat down and started writing Mostly Innocent, I had Layla’s
story stuck in my head for months. I loved the idea of a succubus as the main
character. Succubi are underrepresented in fantasy novels, and to me, they are
one of the most intriguing supernatural creatures. What I love about Layla is
she is the heroine of the story, but she is an evil creature in the fantasy
world. Or as she puts it, she is “evil adjacent.”
I
love characters that are evil but do good things. The clashing of personality
adds a lot of depth and grit to a story, versus the always good hero. Layla is
a good person, but makes a lot of selfish decisions. She literally collects
souls for hell, but wants to do the right thing. She commits small bouts of
innocent “evil” from time to time. For example, Elijah, her do-good lover
interest, is always perfect (in her eyes.) He has perfect handwriting, tidy
desk, etc. So when she has the opportunity to do small things to purposely
irritate him, she will. For example, she mixes up his alphabetized
files—harmless action but no real reason for her to do it.
The
other enigma I love about Layla being a succubus is she has to, ahem, get down
and dirty regularly to exist. This allows for some steamy scenes and for her to
push the boundaries a bit. However, Mostly Innocent has an underlying theme of
romance. How can she collect souls and maintain a relationship at the same
time? Should she harm the man she cares about or get chunks of souls from
another man? This idea makes her dating life a little challenging to say the
least.
Mechanically,
I wanted to push typical writing norms as well. I always assumed writing meant
I needed to use a vast vocabulary and a thesaurus. However, I started reading
books that redefined typical writing mechanics. I liked the idea of using
hashtags in lines because people use them so much today. I also broke down the
“fourth wall,” in some lines using second person. I’ve been told that reading
Mostly Innocent is like sitting at a bar and hearing a story. I love that
because I didn’t want to take myself to seriously. I wanted to write something
you could enjoy after a long, hard day.
Kick
up your feet, pour a glass of wine, and pop some popcorn before reading. Mostly
Innocent is just a fun, flirty, quick read. It is escapism at its finest.
About the Author:
J.M. Jinks was born and raised in Southern California. She lives with her husband, two dogs, and two cats in her hometown. J.M. has a Bachelor’s in French and a Master’s of Education. She is a teacher by day and a writer by night. J.M. and her husband welcomed a baby boy in May 2018.
J.M. has always had a love of reading that progressed into writing. Mostly Innocent is her first completed manuscript.
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