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Saturday, July 27, 2013

Excerpt from Fall: The Ragnarok Prophesies - Book Two #bbf #newadult

Happy Saturday, lovelies!

I promised a surprise for today, and I have it all ready for you. Below is the entire prologue of FALL. Some of you have probably already read a version of this in the March of Dimes charity compilation, but I hope you enjoy this newer version anyway. :)

Thanks so much for visiting during the Blogger Book Fair and Sizzling Summer Giveaway!

 
FALL: Prologue

Iceland, December 1783

My eyes burned from the acrid smoke billowing through the village in great plumes. Gray ash swirled within the clouds of smoke, covering everything in an inky film. The siege maps spread across the table before me were stained with soot, making it all but impossible to see the siege lines laid out below. Still, the thin maps fared better than most everything else caught in the poisonous mists.

How long had the fires from Laki burned now? Eight months? Longer?

I could not remember.

"Six months," Katrín murmured from across the room.

I looked up from the maps and into the weary, hazel eyes of my betrothed. Her cheeks were flushed, and her auburn hair was a wild tangle around her face. Soot made dark streaks down her simple dress, but she was still the most beautiful girl I’d ever laid eyes on.

"Aye," I said, deciding the maps could wait. I moved across the room toward her, my arms aching to feel her in them again. "Six months."

And two and twenty days since we were betrothed.

My bottom lip curled upward when her soft reminder floated through my mind in a whisper. Two and twenty days since I promised to make her my wife. Despite the chaos swirling around us, and the fires burning the countryside alive, they’d been the best two and twenty days of my life.

Maybe our only two and twenty, Katrín whispered on the private link binding us firmly one to another.
 
"Nei," I said aloud, my heart stuttering at the fearful tremor coming from her.

Geri rumbled in the back of my mind. As always when fear gripped Katrín tight, the great wolf curled his essence around her, protecting her as best he could. Flickers of images skittered through me in a soft rush as the animal living inside me pushed soothing thoughts at Katrín. I did the same thing, wrapping my arms around Katrín and holding her to my heart.

Despite mine and Geri's combined efforts to ease her, Katrín still trembled in my arms.

Fear hung in the air around me as thick as the smoke and ash boiling from Laki. The villagers' fear. The wolves’. Katrín’s. Aside from my betrothed’s, I scarce knew what came from whom any longer. Not even Geri and his sharp wolf senses could pinpoint which of our people owned the choking emotion.

I was no longer sure it even mattered. Man and wolf alike had plenty of reason to fear.

The fires of Laki had burned for six months now, covering the countryside in the same palpable film of ash and mist that marred the siege maps. The livestock was dying. The rivers and streams were polluted. Farmlands, once bountiful, produced little more than poisoned, rancid shoots. Katrín’s people and our wolf brethren were starving.

Worse, somewhere out there, hidden by the ash and lava still spilling through the countryside like a thing alive, Sköll and Hati roamed free. The monstrous wolves struck like snakes, rising from the mists when least expected. They attacked without mercy, felling their targets one by one. I had centuries of memories stored away, but not once in all of those lifetimes could I remember Fenrir’s brood ever coming so close as this to fulfilling their destiny.

Iceland was dying, and soon, the world would follow.

Geri growled at me as another ripple of fear waved through Katrín like long grass in a summer’s breeze. Her wolf, Freki, whined.

The sound seemed little more than a hushed murmur in the back of my mind.

Nei, fallegt, I soothed woman and wolf, reaching out to touch Katrín’s flushed cheek. We shall find them again.

"Já," she answered aloud. "We will."

I didn’t need the unbreakable bond linking us to know she only half meant the words. Her fear was the same that’d taken up permanent residence in my heart since the twin wolves took their latest victim a fortnight before. Katrín and I would find Sköll and Hati again, but gods only knew if it would be soon enough. Asdis and Dagur were the only of Sol’s descendants remaining, and I no longer knew if we could protect them from the hellhounds.

The combined might of the shifters and the wolves we commanded was failing. How long until Fenrir’s brood fulfilled their destiny? Until we were unable to beat them back as we were meant to?

I didn't know, but I felt the end barreling toward us.

"You cannot think that way, Jon," Katrín admonished, her worried eyes meeting mine again. "You mustn’t."

I stood silently for a moment before sighing in defeat. Katrín was right; I couldn’t think that way. I couldn’t afford to think that way, but I couldn’t help it either. I knew what Sköll and Hati were capable of.

How many times had I lost the girl in my arms to them?

I'd lost count long ago, but I remembered each and every time vividly.

I still heard the way Katrín screamed for me when Sköll hamstringed Freki a century before. Katrín's name was Sarah then, but her face had been the same.

I remembered the way she reached for me, mouthing my name, as Hati leapt upon her from behind three centuries before that, and the way her blood spilled across the Savaran Pass in the Jebal Barez a century before that.

Each time, she had a different name and lived in some new place, but she’d been the same. And so had her heart. That was as pure as Freki’s snowy-white fur had ever been, a lighthouse beckoning me home.

Home . . . .

Mine and Geri's home would ever be with Katrín and Freki.

"Jon," Katrín said my name softly, the worried gleam in her eyes melting away.

I tilted my head down to hers and brushed my lips across her cheek. "Tis true, you know," I said against her flushed skin. "You and Freki have always been home for us."

And you, I, she returned. Ég elska þig. Always.

Geri rumbled in pleasure when Freki’s weak thoughts echoed Katrín’s vow of forever.

I closed my eyes as tension drained away, leaving peace in its wake. Only Katrín could do that for me, could calm me so easily. Geri felt the same, and so did Katrín and Freki. We were each parts of one whole. Soul mates in the truest sense, created and loved by Odin himself.

I scarce remembered Odin now, but a piercing sense of longing twisted through me and Geri at our master’s name echoing in the innermost places we shared between us.

"I think I remember him sometimes," Katrín said, twining her arms around my waist and resting her head upon my chest. "I wake some nights and remember the feel of his hands stroking Freki’s fur before holding out some new treat. There is always a sense of pride, as if, even then, Freki and I knew how loved we were by him. As if we knew the honor he bestowed upon us by feeding us from his hand . . . ." Katrín trailed off with a sigh. "Do you think, when this is over, we get to go back to him, Jon?"

"I don’t know, fallegt." I tucked Katrín closer as Geri whined, the sound full of hope.

"I pray so," Katrín murmured. "I think . . . I think I’ll be glad when this is over, Jon, when we’re finished." Her shoulders slumped as soon as the confession left her lips. "I should not think such grim thoughts, either."

Her guilt pricked at my heart like the point of a sword.

"Nei, fallegt," I soothed again. "’Tis not wrong to wish this war ended."

"Nei?" she said. "When it’s finished, the world ends, Jon. Everything Odin loved dies."

"Aye, I know." I stepped back and reached out to tip Katrín’s face up to mine. "But ‘tis ever the way it was meant to be, Katrín. There’s no shame in wishing to be done. Even Odin knew we could not stand against them forever. He would not begrudge you the desire to see this duty discharged."

"Perhaps not," Katrín said, biting her bottom lip. "But . . . ."

"But what?" I prompted when she fell silent. I caught little more than the shape of her thoughts in my mind.

"But he dies, Jon," she said. "When this is over, Odin dies."

Geri whined, the sorrowful sound sweeping through me in a rush.

A soft, mournful flutter of thought came from Freki.

"Aye," I whispered, wiping a tear from beneath Katrín’s eye with the pad of my thumb. "He does."

"Do we?" she asked. "Do we die with him?"

"I know not," I said, swallowing down the fear that thought sent spinning through me. My death mattered little to me, and I knew Geri felt the same, but Katrín's death? Freki's? Geri and I would fight Sköll and Hati back for another thousand millennia if it meant Katrín and Freki lived on to be reborn again.

I couldn't imagine a world without Katrín. In truth, I never knew a world without her. In every life, Katrín walked at my side. Odin might have been my master, but she was my life. My heart. She and her wolf were the reason Geri and I fought to preserve what Odin created. Without her, would we even wish it preserved?

"I would not," Katrín murmured, glancing up at me again. "I think Odin knew that."

"Did he?" I asked and then nodded once. "Perhaps he did."

Odin sent us together, to stand together, to fight together, but we were always destined to fail at this duty eventually. I had the feeling the end would come when Katrín and Freki, or me and Geri, were reborn alone to face it. Odin had to have known Geri and I would be incapable of fighting without Katrín and her wolf, and she and Freki without us. 

There was a lot I didn't understand about the myths surrounding my life and Katrín’s, but I'd learned enough in the last months to understand one thing clearly: the end would come for us sooner or later. Already, death lay like a shroud on the edge of my vision.

Freki was weak, failing, leaving Katrín barely able to shift into wolf form. And the mind that Geri and I shared was fracturing apart like a sliver of wood beneath an axe. Soon, in this life or in the next, our mind would splinter apart as Freki and Katrín’s did lifetimes ago, and the connection that always bound us together would fail.

Death would come for us then, and for the world.

When it came, did we get to go home to Valhalla?

Our fates had never been written as had Odin's and his brethren’s. Geri and Freki simply disappeared from myth and prophecy. I did not know what that meant, and neither did Geri. If Hugin and Munin, the ravens sent to stand guard with us, ever knew, they did no longer. As with me and Katrín, the ravens were weakening. Soon, too soon, we would fail altogether and Fenrir would be freed.

As if thinking the grim thought set the Norns to spinning their weave, a shrill scream rent the air outside the cottage. Another scream followed on its heels, and then came the human cries of the villagers.

"The devil comes. Oh lud, he comes! The hellhounds are loose!" one of the village women cried right outside the door.

Katrín jumped. Terror lanced through her thoughts.

Geri responded with a rage-filled roar.

I swore savagely as the wolf attempted to claw his way to the surface and force the change in response to our mate’s fear.

Nei, nei, hold off, I commanded the wolf, already knowing my demand was useless.

Geri would not stop now.

My men’s shouts bounced around the village and through miniscule cracks in the walls until the entire room seemed full. The thoughts of the wolf pack arrayed beyond the village bounced back to me in a clamor.

They were under attack.

"Jon!" Katrín cried out.

Another shrill scream cut through the clash and clamor outside. Whether it was Hugin or Munin, I didn't know. But I knew what it meant, and so did Katrín.

Sköll or Hati was out there somewhere, coming closer.

Death might not be so far off after all.

My vision blackened, fear for Katrín and Freki blinding me as Geri roared to the surface, melting bone and sinew before knitting it together again in a flash. When my vision cleared, I saw through eyes of my wolf. The world was slanted, sharp, and tinged with an animal perception far beyond what my human eyes ever saw.

Katrín cried out my name again, the sound full of pain.

I felt Freki trying to force the change for her, but it came upon her slowly, creeping inch by inch through. The wolf was too weak to make the change painless for Katrín.

Geri lashed his head back and forth, angry roars erupting from his throat.

The thoughts of the pack beyond the village dropped into our mind one after the other. Their alpha, Shidan, was being torn apart by a wolf twice his size. Despite the combined efforts of the pack, they could not stop the monster. Shidan would die where he stood, but like the alpha I knew him to be, the wolf had every intention of meeting death on his feet.

We have to help him! Katrín screamed through our bond, the change finally taking her.

I watched from eyes that no longer belonged to me as she dropped to all fours, not a hazel-eyed, soot-streaked woman any longer, but a snowy-white, lethal wolf. She was as beautiful in wolf form as she was human.

Freki staggered before catching herself hard against the leg of the table holding the siege maps. Fear for her and Katrín raced through me and Geri. We couldn’t lose her. Not yet. Not if we could stop it.

Aye, I vowed as our men tore open the door to the cottage in response to Geri’s furious roar. We will stop it.

We must, Katrín whispered.

Geri and Freki leaped as one through the door and into the chaos of the village beyond.

Men, women, and children ran this way and that, crying to the gods for protection, for shelter, for a miracle. My men, gifted shifters down to the last one, raced alongside them through the misty village on twos and fours. Great cats and wolves ran side by side with shifters still in human form to Shidan’s aid. Down to the last one, they knew they’d be too late, but they ran anyway.

Geri lifted his muzzle to the sky and howled, a thousand lifetimes of defiance echoing like a clap of thunder through the village. Freki’s furious response ripped through the air a split second later, blending with ours until the air seemed full of rage.

Hugin and Munin burst into sight at the edge of the village, giant wings flapping on great puffs of thick, sooty air. Neither Geri nor Freki slowed as the ravens circled above us, leading us through the chaos of the village and into the misty field beyond.

Geri and Freki overtook the ordinary shifters in seconds.

The scene waiting beyond the edge of the village was as familiar to me as Katrín and Freki. I’d seen it a thousand times, in a thousand different lives, playing out in a thousand different settings. Shidan’s pack fell upon a great, black wolf in silent, snapping waves. The monster shook them off as easily as rainwater, the alpha’s throat clamped between his massive jaws. Shouts bounced around the misty valley in a rush of sound, seeming to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.

Geri and Freki raced into battle a full thirty seconds too late.

With a single shake of our enemy’s head, my wolf brother died, blood pouring from his throat and down the hellhound’s muzzle. I did not know if the massive wolf was Sköll or Hati, but it mattered little. Shidan died either way.

Odin save us, Katrín prayed.

The beast dropped Shidan’s lifeless body and turned feral yellow eyes in our direction. He snarled, the alpha’s blood still dripping from his muzzle.

Aye, death was coming.

 
* * *


I hope you guys enjoyed this peek into the past.
 
xoxo,
Ayden


Fade - The Ragnarok Prophesies: Book One - On Sale at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million

Friday, July 26, 2013

@TishThawer's Top Ten Magical Books - Blogger Book Fair




 
Are you familiar with the saying “you are what you eat?” Well, in the writing world it's been said “you write what you read.”  *Raises hand* I confess...that's totally me. Not in the negative way that we've seen plastered all over the news feeds recently *cough - plagiarism* but in the way of being so consumed by a specific genre that I couldn't have possibly written any other type of book, even if I tried. Does this sound narrow-minded and limit my reading choices? Maybe. But I know myself well enough as a person to know what I like and to stick to it with no apologies.
The reason for my particular fondness of this genre is simple: I've always had a VERY strong connection to anything paranormal or otherworldly. (Some would even say this connection is akin to a sixth sense or psychic gift.) Since I was a little girl my gift has always helped me to live my life with an open mind and heart, and eyes that can see the magic that permeates the world when I take the time to look hard enough. It's that awareness which led me to read and immensely enjoy books which transported me to worlds where magic was an everyday occurrence and not something metaphysical, but something that coalesces into a very physical presence in the characters’ everyday lives.
Below you'll find my top ten favorite magical books, which by the way was extremely difficult to choose since I have hundreds of favorites. But I had my own stories to tell and these books evoked enough passion within me that I was able to turn the flurry of thoughts in my head into words on a page that I hope will transport you as well.
 
~Tish Thawer
 
About the Author:
Tish Thawer write paranormal romances for all ages, including her new adult series The Rose Trilogy, and her adult paranormal romance, The Ovialell Series, as well as young adult short-stories. It's been said her magickal elements and detailed world-building are a welcome constant in every novel.
Before becoming a writer Tish worked as a computer consultant, a photographer, and a graphic designer. She also operates a custom glass etching business, in addition to being a wife and the mother of three wonderful children.
You can learn more about Tish and her books at http://tishthawer.com. Or you can follow her on Twitter or Facebook.

The Rose Trilogy

 



 

What if vampires were the good guys and a human girl was the one to fear?
 
The Rose Trilogy is a new adult PNR series featuring a young woman named Rose, and Christian, the vampire who loves her. You can grab a copy of the trilogy and accompanying short story, Roses & Thorns, at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. The third and final novel in the trilogy, Death of a Black Rose, will be available in August of 2013.
 
And don't forget to keep an eye out for Tish Thawer's adult paranormal series, The Ovialell Series, available at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
 
 
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You can check out the rest of the Blogger Book Fair at: http://www.bloggerbookfair.blogspot.com.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Finding Valor by @Charlotte_Abel: Quiz and Giveaway. Blogger Book Fair #bbf

 

Now that Charlotte Abel has completed the Channie Series, we are celebrating by giving away copies of her short companion stories, The Gathering or Love Hurts.
 
If you haven't started the series, you can pick up Enchantment for Free at Amazon or BN.com.
 
Now, for a little bit about Finding Valor, Book 3 in The Channie Series...
 
 
Josh awakes with no recollection of the previous six months of his life, including his relationship with Channie. Not only is it hard for him to believe that he's married and his wife was kidnapped, but accepting that he is a mage and prophecies of the Book of the Dead are almost impossible. Will he be able to save Channie from her mother's dark magic before she is sacrificed? And more importantly, will he live up to his power-name and find Valor in time to save all the clans?

Not suitable for young teens.
 
Take this quiz to receive a free copy of either The Gathering or Love Hurts.

 

About the Author:

Charlotte Abel was born and raised in Oklahoma where she met her soulmate, Pete. She chased him to Boulder, Colorado and finally convinced him they were meant to be together forever. They've raised three kids, two ferrets, three dogs and countless hamsters -- and are still happily married. She's in love with "real" life and paranormal romance. When she's not reading or writing, Charlotte enjoys hiking, bicycling and primitive archery (although she's never shot at anything other than a target!) The final book of The Channie Series, "Finding Valor," will be available in June 2013. Look for "River's Remorse," the second book of "The Sanctuary Series" in 2013.

You can follow Charlotte at http://charlotteabel.blogspot.com, or on Facebook or Twitter.

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You can check out the rest of the Blogger Book Fair at: http://www.bloggerbookfair.blogspot.com.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Ten Rules of the Selkie World & Giveaway by @KrysteyBelle. Blogger Book Fair #bbf



 
Ten Rules of the Selkie World

1.      To summon a selkie, you must cry seven tears into the ocean. (This is the preferable way if you want to meet one.)

2.      To capture a selkie, you must steal her/his seal skin. (Warning: If you do this, you will get what you deserve.)

3.      Selkies can also be kind. If you rescue one, you have earned a friend (or more) for life.

4.      Selkie males have great abs. You know, from all that swimming.

5.      Selkie skins have powerful magic. The extent of it is unknown, but hunters will pay millions for just one skin.

6.      Selkies love to collect treasures they find in the ocean. Think Ariel and her dinglehopper.

7.      However, selkies are not mermaids, and they will get very upset if you make that mistake.

8.      Most selkies prefer to be in their seal form.

9.      Just like actual seals, they do not like sharks.

10.  If you ever befriend a selkie, remember this above all else – Selkies may look human, but their hearts will always belong to the sea.
 
*Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post!

About the Author:


Krystalyn spent thirteen years working at Walt Disney World in a variety of roles: entertainer, talent coordinator, and character captain. Her degree in theatre as well as many, many hours spent in a dance studio, helped with her job there.

Her various other day jobs have included working in zoology at Sea World, as an elementary teacher, and currently as a support technician for a website. In the evenings, she does mad writing challenges with her sister, who is also an author.

Krystalyn lives near Orlando, Floridawith her husband, son, a were cat, and a Yorkie with a Napoleon complex.

You can learn more about Krystalyn at: http://krysteybelle.blogspot.com, or by following her Short Story blog, Twitter, or Facebook.

Legasea

When sixteen-year-old Aileen sees a dead girl floating in the bay, she never imagines selkies may be involved. They're mythical creatures, not flesh and blood families with secrets bigger than the ocean. Fascinated by their mysteries, Aileen grows close to one of the selkie families. In the process, she uncovers the truth about them and the murder. Or is it the truth? As the body count grows, Aileen must find the killer or risk becoming a victim herself.

Legasea is available from Curiosity Quills Press at Amazon \ Barnes and Noble \ Kobo

 
Spirit World
 
All Riesa Adair wants is a normal life. With the end of high school only months away and an outstanding GPA to bolster her college plans, that doesn't seem like too much to ask. Unfortunately, the voices screaming in her head keep getting in the way. Somewhere between her summer in a mental institution, and her stepfather's attempt at an exorcism, she's learned to keep quiet about her situation. But, pretending to be normal hasn't prevented the spirit world from taking notice of her. Both sides of an ever-present war have focused in on her. Now she’ll need all the help she can get to escape a powerful spirit threatening to fulfill a prophecy that endangers the entire human world.

Spirit World is available from Entranced Publishing at Amazon \ Barnes and Noble \ Kobo

 


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You can check out the rest of the Blogger Book Fair at: http://www.bloggerbookfair.blogspot.com.



 

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

How to Sell Your First Novel by @woodtop255 (Heather Topham Wood) Blogger Book Fair #bbf


 
The thing that I never realized after writing my first novel, the aptly named First Visions, is that putting the story to paper was the easy part. Everything else involved with selling a book would be the cause of my sleepless nights and nail biting.

I was completely clueless after I wrote First Visions. I knew very little about the book blogging community, honestly I never even heard of Goodreads. Most of the information I learned about book publishing and marketing came from Absolute Write, a forum for authors. It is hard for me to fathom that this was only last year.

Querying my first novel was such an eye-opening experience. The one thing I learned is that you shouldn’t query every single agent you can find contact information on. If you want to sell your book, find the agents that are looking for manuscripts within your genre. AgentQuery is a fabulous resource to find information on agents that are accepting submissions. Read guidelines closely to avoid ending up in the slush pile.

Selling your first novel may also be the first time you experience the worst type of ego bruising. Expect to hear back from agents and publishers with phrases such as “not for me,” “didn’t connect with me,” and “nope.” Do not let them break you! Be strong, author, and keep writing. Agents and publishers may ask you to revise and resubmit. This can help get you closer to an offer as well as improve the quality of your manuscript.

With First Visions, I did receive several offers through small publishing houses. Ultimately though, I decided to self-publish the novel. This is not an easy or inexpensive route and although I’ve been successful, I’ve put a lot of work into marketing my books. I’m working with Crescent Moon Press for an upcoming series and it has been less stressful to hand over cover and editing duties to them.

Once my book was released, successful marketing was a trial and error process. Book tours are a great way to get the word out about your novel. It can also help your book get reviews on Goodreads and book retailer sites. Other successful promotions I’ve done are sponsorships through Kindle Nation Daily and Book Bub. Offering your book for free as part of the KDP Select program on Amazon can also help boost sales.

I hope this helps new and aspiring authors avoid some of the mistakes I made. But above all else, writing should be fun! Even if the sales don’t happen, you should be proud that you accomplished something that many other people were unable to do.

About the Author:



Heather Topham Wood’s obsession with novels began in childhood while growing up in a shore town in New Jersey. Writing since her teens, she recently returned to penning novels after a successful career as a freelance writer. She’s the author of the paranormal romance Second Sight series and the standalone The Disappearing Girl .

Heather graduated from the College of New Jersey in 2005 and holds a bachelor's degree in English. Her freelance work has appeared in publications such as USA Today, Livestrong.com, Outlook by the Bay and Step in Style magazine. She resides in Trenton, New Jerseywith her husband and two sons. Besides writing, Heather is a pop culture fanatic and has an obsession with supernatural novels and TV shows.

You can learn more about Heather and her books at: http://www.authorheather.com, or by following her on Twitter or Facebook.

 

The Disappearing Girl

Summary: Kayla Marlowe is slowly vanishing…

Last year, Kayla’s world imploded. Her beloved father died, leaving her alone with a narcissistic mother who is quick to criticize her daughter’s appearance. During her winter break from college, Kayla’s dangerous obsession with losing weight begins.

Kayla feels like her world changes for the better overnight. Being skinny seems to be the key to the happiness she has desperately been seeking. Her mother and friends shower her with compliments, telling her how fantastic she looks. Kayla is starving, but no one knows it.

Cameron Bennett explodes into Kayla’s life. He’s sexy and kind—he has every quality she has been looking for in a guy. As Cameron grows closer to Kayla and learns of how far she’s willing to go to stay thin, he becomes desperate to save her.

Kayla’s struggles with anorexia and bulimia reach a breaking point and she is forced to confront her body image issues in order to survive. She wonders if Cameron could be the one to help heal her from the pain of her past.
The Disappearing Girl (for ages 17+) is available at Amazon and BN.com.


First Visions: Second Sight Book One
 
 
Two years ago, 21-year-old Kate Edwards became deathly ill and slipped into a coma. While unconscious, she crept into the mind of a missing boy and awoke with the knowledge of his location. Friends and family were skeptical and wary of her new ability to see into the minds of others. Their fears prompted Kate to keep her psychic powers a secret. Feeling alienated, she dropped out of college and spent most of her days holed up at her mother's home.

Now another child has been abducted. Police detective Jared Corbett seeks out Kate for her help in solving the case. Reluctantly, Kate agrees and they must work together to bring 8-year-old Cori Preston home to her family. Although attracted to one another, Jared has a girlfriend with ties to the abduction case and Kate is sarcastic and guarded since her coma. With visions she can't control and an uncontrollable attraction to the detective, she wonders if she can leave the past behind and finally stop hiding from the world. Otherwise, Cori may be lost forever.
 
 
 
 
 
Be sure to check out the rest of the Second Sight series here.
 
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You can check out the rest of the Blogger Book Fair at: http://www.bloggerbookfair.blogspot.com.
 

Monday, July 22, 2013

Sizzling Summer Giveaway and the Blogger Book Fair #bbf #giveaway

Hello, lovelies!

The Sizzling Summer Giveaway and the Blogger Book Fair officially kick off today! All week long you can expect great guest posts and giveaways right here on the blog.

Here's the line-up:

July 23rd - Heather Topham Wood
July 24th - Krystalyn Drown
July 25th - Charlotte Abel
July 26th - Tish Thawer

Don't forget to leave these fabulous ladies a little love when you stop by to check out what they have in store for you. :)

You can also expect to find me guest blogging in all sorts of places this week, like Book Jems, Read It in Houston, Toot's Book Reviews, My Fiction Nook, and Krystalyn Drown, Heather Topham Wood, Tish Thawer, and Charlotte Abel's blogs.

Beginning today, you can also vote for FADE in the Fantasy category of the Blogger Book Fair Reader Choice Awards hosted by Sheri at Shut Up and Read.

When you visit me on Book Jems, Read it in Houston, or Toot's Book Reviews, you can enter to win one of two Kindle HD Fires loaded with all the books below:

NA and Adult Titles


YA Titles

Pretty awesome prize for following me around this week, yes? I think so!

Finally, on the 27th, if you stop by to visit me here on the blog, I'll have a little surprise or two for you.

I hope to see you this week!

xoxo,
Ayden



Fade - The Ragnarok Prophesies: Book One - On Sale at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

A #JulNoWriMo Progress Report and Teaser #teasertuesday

Happy Tuesday, lovelies!

You know those days when you just want to crawl under your bed and stay there for a while? I'm having one of those days. Nothing's really wrong, I'm just tired and sore, and the more I look at my to-do list, the bigger it seems to grow!

But that's what I get for deciding to do JulNoWriMo with so much else going on! The good news is that my word count is creeping along at a decent pace. I'm taking things slow with FLAME out of an obsessive desire to get the first chapters just right. This book is so action packed, and Ari is a totally different person than the girl I spent six years with while working on FADE. Not to mention, Dace has suddenly become a lot more talkative. I don't want to screw this pivotal point in their journey up right out of the gate.

I'm also working on Stricken here and there. I love this story, and I think you guys will love it too. As with The Ragnarok Prophesies, Stricken deals with the end of the world, in a different way. The prophecy from the Dead Sea Scrolls, specifically the War Scroll, sits at the heart of this story. There's a deadly plague, Angels and demons battling for dominion, and the Elioud girl who sits at the heart of it all. You can read the summary for Stricken and the first, unedited chapter here.

But for now, let's get on with this week's teaser from FLAME. This is short, because, well, because I'm trying my damndest not to spoil anything (which is hard work for someone who lives for spoilers!) so no one kills me. I think this one is suitably vague.

Enjoy!

I pulled the door open to find chaos waiting for me.
My mattress was shoved away from the boxsprings, the comforter shredded. The table lay on its side, and one of the chairs was missing a leg. Stuffing from my pillows was strewn around the room. Fuki lay in the middle of the mess, his head on his front paws. Puffy white cotton from the destroyed pillows littered his fur.
He looked up at me and whined.

I hope you are all having a lovely week. How is JulNoWriMo going for all of you?!

Don't forget, FADE for Kindle is only $0.99 right now!


Fade - The Ragnarok Prophesies: Book One - On Sale at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million

Monday, July 8, 2013

FADE for Kindle is Only .99, Plus an Excerpt #newadult #paranormal #romance

Hello, lovelies!

All month long, Curiosity Quills Press is offering books in their catalog for 99 cents. This week, FADE is on sale. Yay! So are many other great titles from the CQ catalog, like EVER by Jessa Russo, The Gathering Darkness by Lisa Collicutt, Legasea by Krystalyn Drown, Zarconian Island by Aja Hannah, and Wilde's Army by Krystal Wade.

You can grab a copy of FADE here, and these other fabulous titles here.


Summary: What do you do when you realize nothing in your life is what you’ve believed it to be?
When Arionna Jacobs loses her mother in a tragic accident, her world is turned upside down. She’s forced to leave her old life behind and move in with her father. Dace Matthews, a teaching assistant at her new college, is torn in two, unable to communicate with the feral wolf caged inside him.

When they meet, everything they thought they knew about life unravels. Dace has intimate access to Arionna’s mind, and something deep within her fights to rise to the surface. They don't understand what's happening to them or why, and they're running out of time to sort out the strange occurrences around them.

Their meeting sets an ancient Norse prophesy of destruction in motion, and what destiny has in store for them is bigger than either could have ever imagined. Unless they learn to trust themselves and one another, they may never resolve the mystery surrounding who they are to one another, and what that means for the world.
 
Excerpt:
 

 
"What about . . . ?" Did I really want to say what I thought? Dace was already angry. I didn't want to make it worse, and I had a feeling he and his wolf weren't going to be all sunshine and daises talking about how Ronan factored into all of this.
"What about what?"
"It's nothing," I lied, averting my gaze on the off chance he could see as perfectly in the darkness as I suspected he could.
He stopped walking and reeled me in until our faces were inches apart. Breath blowing across my cheek, he slid his hands up my arms. "What about what, Arionna?" His question sounded commanding and seductive at once.
"That's not fair, Dace," I said, my voice breathy. I couldn't form words through the haze he created in my mind when he got so close to me.
"Isn't it?" He leaned down until his mouth was right next to my ear. "It's what you've done to me every single time I've been in the same general area as you."
I groaned, my body feeling like rubber.
"Tell me, Arionna." His sinful tone was more effective so close to my ear. His lips barely brushed my skin, but the sensation sent arcs of heat racing up my spine.
"I . . . ."
He nuzzled my neck right below my ear, and words ceased to form at all. The fact that I couldn't see him made his actions that much more intimate and world quaking. My other senses heightened, opening wide to the scent that was all Dace, as well as the heat and sense of rightness I felt any time his skin came into contact with mine.
"Tell me." His lips hovered over the pulse in my throat, his breath burning at my skin. "Say it, please."
"Ronan's involved." I groaned his name as if it had been pulled from some deep, dark place inside. My legs shook beneath me.
Dace tensed and then, ever so slowly, leaned forward and flicked his tongue across that spot where his lips hovered.

 
Fade - The Ragnarok Prophesies: Book One - On Sale at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Fall - The Ragnarok Prophesies: Book Two #teasertuesday #newadult

Two teasers in one week? I must be crazy.

Well, we already knew that, but I love teasers, so I figured why not.

This is from FALL, which is currently with my right hand woman and bestie, Jen, who tells me when I make no sense. After she gives her stamp of approval, edits will go back to the B.E.E for her to work more of her magic, and so on and so forth until I deliver it safely into your hands some time this fall (Octoberish). :)

Enjoy!


          "Oh, Dace." I hugged him harder.

            He sighed. "I can replace everything I lost. I have insurance." Something dark vibrated in his voice, seething right below the surface.

"What can I do?" I asked, hopelessness stabbing like a knife in my chest.

"Stay safe," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I can't lose you too."

I pressed my lips to his chest, over his heart, biting back the urge to sob in his arms. He sounded so broken, felt so small in my arms. And I couldn't help him.

He held me tightly for long moments, rocking us back and forth. I melted into him, doing my best to comfort him. I knew what it was like to lose everything, and it sucked. But this . . . this sucked more. Dace had nothing left. No family. No home. Nothing but a messed up destiny threatening to rip apart the rest of his world. And me. He still had me.

"What happens now?" I asked when his arms loosened around me.

"I have to go make a statement to the police." He brushed his lips across my forehead. "Are you okay with Naomi here?"


Sad Dace. Oh no! I feel like I should apologize for ruining his day, but then I remember how much of a pain in the ass he is, and I feel smug and vindicated for being on the giving end of a bad day for once. Important Declaration: I'm not a sadist. Really. 

xoxo,
Ayden


Fade - The Ragnarok Prophesies: Book One - On Sale at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million

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