Colour Wielders by @DawnaRaver Excerpt and Giveaway #newrelease

I'm happy to announce that Colour Wielders is back on the market with a pretty new face and updated content. It thrills me to be able to share it with you today.

Thank you Jade Hart at Black Firefly for all her work, Michelle Johnson for my amazing cover, and Danielle Blanchard for all your hard work and help.

If you have time, please stop by Facebook tonight and party with us at 4:00 central https://www.facebook.com/events/314183782060128 hosted by the wonderful Leslie Whitaker.

Behind the Faerying Mysts, hidden from Mortal eyes, is a land where gods and creatures of myth and legend dwell. And in the Mortal Realm, their Princess is hidden away.

Quinn Sinclair lives an ordinary life with her less-than-loving mother in Conifer, Colorado, clueless of her true nature. On the night of her birthday, a staggering betrayal sends her life spinning out-of-control. As she struggles to pick up the pieces, a vision of a man with haunting tourmaline-blue eyes begs her for help, and she is transported into a Magykal battle-forever changing her life.

Arik Morgaine—Demigod bad boy and outcast of the Magykal Realm—tried to avoid contact with Princess Quinn for eighteen years, not wanting to make good on an old threat. But the fates have other plans. Arik can no longer deny his growing desire for Quinn, or the need to protect her from those wanting to control her burgeoning powers.

Can the two of them come together and save the Magykal Realm from being destroyed by the Darkest of Magyks?

New Adult. Recommended for 18 and above. Mature themes, sexual situations, and profanity.

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Excerpt:

Gentle fingertips grazed the edge of her jaw, trailing down her neck to her collarbone. His citrine gaze stared deeply into her eyes, and her body heated at his tender touch.

“You’re okay, yeah?” Thaene asked, his voice hoarse from their lovemaking.

Am I okay? She hardly knew. Though she had nothing to compare it to, this feeling was more than giving her virginity to him. Quinn felt like something bigger inside had stirred to life, wanting to escape.

“You know I love you. I’m sorry if it hurt.” He kissed her again, his lips caressing hers, as if he could take the ache away. “Say something, Quinn. Please.”

“I love you, Thaene.” She pressed herself into him, passionately returning his affection. As their kiss continued, Quinn wondered if he wanted more. She also wondered if she had more to give.

“I want us together, always. Do you want that, Quinn?” Thaene’s eyes danced with a mixture of emotions—love, passion, possessiveness, and something else she couldn’t name.

“We can have forever. You want that, don’t you?” Thaene asked.

“Yes,” Quinn answered breathlessly, before realizing what she’d agreed to. She smiled, finding his need for her exciting. “Forever is a long time. But I could do it with you.”

Thaene smiled back. Happiness lit his face. He looked like he’d just won a major prize—he looked triumphant.

“Being with you on your twenty-second birthday was very special to me. You’ve given me such a precious gift.”

“I love you. I can’t imagine my first time with anyone else.”

Besides, my gift of Sight showed you to me, over and over. How could I not give myself to you?

Her gift had shown her something else as well. Since she didn’t understand it, Quinn ignored it. She’d followed her heart where Thaene was concerned. Not even her mother’s dislike—or in spite of it— changed her mind. Following your heart always led you down the right path.

Thaene lightly brushed her hair from her face, then he rested his forehead on hers.

“There’s something else I’d like you to give me. Will you do that? Give me what I desire the most?”

The longing in his voice made Quinn squirm underneath him. Right now, she’d give him anything.

“It’s the most precious gift of all. One I’ll cherish forever.”

Oh my God. He wants to marry me.

“Yes,” Quinn said, drawing in a breath. “I’ll give you anything.”

“Good.” Thaene nuzzled her neck. “I want you to show me your Magyk.”

“What?” Quinn blinked at him, wondering if she’d heard him right.

“If you want us to have forever, you must show me your Magyk.”  

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About the Author:

Dawna Raver is an author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Colour Wielders, Book One, is her debut novel. When she's not spending time in her fantasy world, Dawna loves football, reading, and pretending she's a top chef in the kitchen. Oh, and fawning over her dogs and husband, sometimes in that order.  

You can follow Dawna on her blog, or at Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Colour Wielders is now available at Amazon!

Ravish: The Teplo Files Teaser #teasertuesday #adult #thriller

Hi lovelies,

I think I ran out of teasers for FALL we all need a change of pace this week. So I've skipped right past the Ragnarok tales and dug into Ravish, the first book in The Teplo Files series for your teaser this time.

The series is about drug trafficking and organized crime, which are ugly, ugly things in and of themselves. I wanted to capture that sad reality with this story, so I spent a lot of time researching all sorts of awful things to bring this story to life. I'm pretty proud of how the story turned out as a result.

Unlike most of what I post here, this series is strictly adult oriented. It's a risque crime thriller, full of sex, drugs, violence, murder, mayhem, and maybe even an explosion or two. But I hope my adult readers enjoy it anyway.

Janet poked her head into Jason's office half an hour after he sat down to his desk. "Tristan's here," she said, the hesitant way she spoke coming across as both surprised and wary at once.

"Send him in," Jason demanded, tossing the Vetrov file back on his desk.

Janet hesitated briefly in the doorway. "Warner just called."

"And?"

"Miss Maddox is on the way to the emergency room and herdoorwaskickedin," she said in a rush.

"Do what?" Jason's brow rose, not sure he'd heard her right.

"Don't shoot the messenger," Janet said, "but Miss Maddox is on the way to the E.R., and someone kicked in her front door."

"Someone?"

"Tristan."

"Motherfucker." Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting for calm. He was going to strangle Tristan. Possibly even shoot him in the kneecaps. Alexis would just have to deal with it.

"Tristan, get in here now!" he bellowed.

Janet hurried from the office without another word.

Tristan ducked in behind her, pulling the door closed. He stood rigidly, his hands in fists at his sides. He clenched his jaw so hard a muscle in his cheek jumped. Anger and something Jason refused to consider burned in Tristan's blue eyes eyes.

And then Jason saw the hand print across Tristan's cheek.

"Did you touch her?" Jason asked quietly, gripping the desk to keep himself in his seat, though he made no promises he'd stay there.

I hope you enjoyed this little teaser.

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

Ten Rules for a Successful FIRST Author Signing by @JasonKing1979 #newrelease

Hello, lovelies!

Please help me welcome Jason King to the blog today. Jason is in the midst of his blog tour, and agreed to stop by today to give us his take on successful first signings. I don't know about the rest of you, but I have nightmares about these things!

The Lure of Fools, Jason's NA Fantasy, was released on August 10, 2013 from Curiosity Quills Press. 

"Adventure is the lure of fools, and excitement glamour to the gullible. The siren song of the world is as music to the wanderer’s feet, but that dance leads only to the soul-less grave.” So Jekaran’s uncle has warned him. But that doesn’t stop him from leaping at the exhilarating chance to single-handedly rescue a beautiful woman from a gang of lecherous thieves.

But the bored farm boy quickly finds that he is no match for the group of angry street thugs, and only escapes death by bonding a magical sword that grants him the strength and skill of a master swordsman. Unfortunately, a peasant wielding such magic is forbidden and punishable by death.

Thus Jekaran finds himself a fugitive with his fate tied to that of the exotic and mysterious, Kairah; a fey woman who must deliver a dire warning to the king that, if heeded, could prevent the very extinction of humanity.

 

 

Ten Rules to ensure a successful FIRST author signing.

*DISCLAIMER: Most of this is based on theory, as Jason’s first REAL author signing won’t be until September 5^th through 7^th at the Salt Lake Comic Con.

RULE #1: It is bad manners to leave the table when guests want to visit with you. So don’t drink a lot of liquids in the hour preceding your event and make sure to go to the restroom five minutes before your signing is set to begin. If you are uncertain as to whether or not you will be able to “hold it,” then I suggest wearing an adult diaper or bringing an empty mason jar.

RULE #2: Be sure that the book you are signing for is actually written by you. Not doing so can lead to a lot of awkwardness, especially if the author whose book you are signing happens to be at the same event (I really am sorry Brandon Sanderson).

RULE#3: Setting up a card table in a bookstore bathroom does NOT count as an official book signing event. It can compound the problem if you have set up in the wrong bathroom I.E. – A man in the women’s bathroom. Although the positive side of this is that you WILL get a lot of attention and possibly make it onto the local news.

RULE#5: It’s tacky to proffer your guests a tin cup while saying in a forlorn tone; “Alms for the Poor.”

RULE#6: Make sure you are fully clothed, I cannot stress this enough.

RULE#7: Do NOT hire hookers to pose as your groupies. People can tell, and cops (and your wife) won’t believe that you hired them just for your signing.

RULE#8: Don’t discuss controversial hot-button topics with your guests. Such topics to avoid may include:  The 1986 American Canadian War, the possible existence of Bigfoot, how many chucks would a woodchuck chuck, old man slippers, and the Harlem Shake.

RULE#9: Keep your hands to yourself. Guests tend to react poorly to friendly swats on the behind or playful purple-nurples, especially the female fans.

RULE#10: Do NOT threaten people or their loved ones with physical violence if they don’t buy your book. While some consider this just an aggressive business tactic, the sales usually won’t cover law suits or bail.

Hope you enjoyed my list of rules. Check out my new fantasy novel, The Lure of Fools, published by Curiosity Quills Press.

-          Jason King

About the Author:

 

It was Jason’s love of fantasy epics that inspired him to write his own, and he has wanted to be an author since he was in the third grade, and has always been involved in some sort of storytelling project.

Jason holds a Bachelors degree in IT Management, but plans to pursue a Masters in Creative Writing.

He lives in Salt Lake City with his beautiful wife, and four adorable children. He likes chocolate cake donuts, playing table top games, and his favorite color is green.

 You can learn more about Jason at http://authorjasonking.com or via The Independent Author Network and Twitter. And don't forget to grab a copy of The Lure of Fools, now available at Amazon, Kobo, or Barnes and Noble.

   

The Ragnarök Prophesies Blog Swag #teamapocalypse #fall

Hello, lovelies,

Some of you have inquired about blog swag, and I've finally gotten a few things put together for you!

A few include FALL's release date. Others are more general. The first is a blinkie I absolutely love. Some will undoubtedly need to be resized. That's beyond my skill level!

Check them out below, and feel free to snag whichever you'd like for use on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, GoodReads, or wherever you want to stick it. I don't mind. Promise. ;)

<div align="center">
<a href="http://akmorgen.com" title="A.K. Morgen"><img src="http://i963.photobucket.com/albums/ae115/AydenMorgen/34nm0.gif" alt="A.K. Morgen" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Teaser Tuesday: #FALL

Happy Tuesday, lovelies!

I hope you are having a wonderful week.

Mine has been interesting. For some brilliant reason, I thought it would be a good idea to quit nicotine and caffeine at the same time. Anyone else would have known this was a bad plan, but I like challenges. So far so good. It's a process for sure. :)

Kind of like editing, which I finished doing to FALL today, I might add. Yay! Now it goes back to Chrystal, and I spend some time working on release day plans.

I woke before dawn to flashing lights and the screech of sirens filtering in through the window. A parade of feet hurried up and down the stairs outside. The entire room shook from the pounding steps.

Fuki paced back and forth in front of the door, alternating between short, distressed barks and angry snarls.

I crawled from the bed, slapping my hair out of my face.

The floor vibrated beneath my feet as I stumbled across the room to look out the window. I reached for the curtains, barely closing my hand around the fabric, when a series of heavy thumps rattled the door.

Fuki barked.

"Who is it?" I called, snapping my fingers to quiet the little wolf.

"Let me in," Ronan said. Even though the door muffled his tone, it didn't hide the urgency in his voice.

I shuffled to the other side of the room, turned the light on, and then quickly unfastened the deadbolt, sliding chain, and simple knob lock before pulling the door open. Ronan stood on the other side, his dark hair uncombed, and his clothing disheveled. He gripped his duffle bag in one hand.

I craned my neck to see around him. A group of emergency vehicles crowded the parking lot and street beyond the hotel. The lights on a police cruiser and an ambulance spun in a dizzying blur, illuminating the dirty, white stucco in distorted shades of red and blue. People lined the balconies on the other side of the lot, watching as a group of officers questioned an older woman and a little girl.

"Move," Ronan said, gently pushing me out of the way so he could enter the room. He closed the door on the chaos below. Fuki chuffed once and then quieted down.

"What's going on?" I demanded, spinning to look at Ronan when he crossed the room to peek out the window. Fuki trotted along at his heels.

"We need to go," Ronan said, briefly glancing at me. The curtains shook as he moved them back into place over the windows.

"Why?" The word felt thick and cottony in my mouth.

Ronan swore softly. "A woman was murdered last night."

 * * *

 

 

Want to be part of FALL's upcoming release festivities? Let me know via comment, email, tweet, FB message, carrier pigeon, smoke signal, etc! :)

 

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

Saving Missy: The Road to Recovery and How to Help #neglect #abuse

Hello, lovelies,

Not too long ago, my husband and I woke up to growling and barking from our newest rescue, Odin. When he ran to the front door, we went out with him to see what was going on. A car sped out of our driveway and disappeared down the street. Soon thereafter, we found a sweet little dog in the yard.

She approached me tentatively, and the sight broke my heart. She was in bad shape. She was emaciated and had sores and scars all over her body. Her eyes were infected, and entire portions of her body were hairless.

 

 

I went inside and got her some food. When she didn't immediately run off after eating, I called the Humane Society to let them know about her, but they didn't have room to take her. The receptionist I spoke with reluctantly suggested I call Animal Control. I didn't have the heart to do that, so my husband and I decided to keep her with us until we could find a rescue willing to take her.

We put the call out to every rescue group we knew, and did what we could for her in the meantime. We started calling her Little Miss (or Missy for short). She was very well behaved. She followed basic commands, walked on the leash, was house trained and very loving. We were happy to keep her with us until we could find her a home, but we couldn't afford another vet bill when we just paid hundreds of dollars for Odin's care, were nursing an injured cat back to health, and were paying for my physical therapy and related expenses.

 

 

Two days after we found her, we thought we found a rescue to take her. A lady from the organization came out to meet Missy. The lady said she had a foster dog that would be leaving to go to his new family in a couple of days. If we could keep Missy until he left, she'd take him to foster. We agreed with this.

The day Missy was supposed to go to her new foster home came and went with no word from the rescue or their foster home. I emailed the organization to find out what happened. The next afternoon, we received a call informing us they decided not to take her until her skin condition was treated because she could be contagious.

This was beyond discouraging. The only other rescue who had a place for her gave it to another dog when the first rescue agreed to take her. I was so upset, I cried. It wasn't fair to Missy that she'd been neglected and now no one wanted to take her because of her skin problems.

My friend Lisa from Ohio had been following along with our efforts to find a home for Little Miss. She consoled me when I cried and listened to me vent as we tried to find Missy a foster home. She came to Little Rock to visit and she fell in love with Little Miss. Little Miss fell in love with her, too.

Lisa had extra money saved up, and decided to use it by taking Missy to the vet. We learned what we thought was the extent of her problems. She had bacterial dermatitis that had gone untreated so long it resulted in all those sores and scars, an infection in her eye, worms, possibly Lyme disease, and was seriously malnourished. The vet started her on antibiotics, a special shampoo to help heal her wounds, medication for hookworms, and a heart worm medication.

 

 

Over the course of the next few days, Lisa decided to adopt Missy. We were all thrilled. Lisa would make a great mommy for Missy, and Missy would make a great pet for Lisa.

They left for Ohio a few days later. Lisa's regular vet saw Missy when they got home, and agreed with the initial treatment our vet began with few modifications.

Everything was progressing great, and then last week, Lisa fractured her heel. She's now in a boot cast and may require surgery.

This weekend, with Missy's skin condition beginning to clear, Lisa was finally able to really get an idea of what sort of scars she would have when all was said and done. But she didn't expect to find a tumor underneath all the damage to Missy's skin.

 

 

They went back to the vet yesterday, only for the vet to confirm that Missy has a tumor on her leg that will impede her ability to walk and potentially cost her life if it's not removed. Missy will undergo surgery on the 19th.

We are heartbroken, but no one more so than Lisa. While she's only had Missy for a short while, Missy has become her baby. Lisa has nursed her back from some pretty awful neglect, and really made a home for her.

After everything this poor dog has already been through, she's now facing surgery, which the vet estimates will cost $1300.00, plus related care which pushes the total close to $2000.00.

Lisa is understandably scared. Which of us wouldn't be when told a pet has a tumor and needs an expensive surgery?

Which is why I'm writing now.

Lisa saw past Missy's sores and scars and did something extraordinary by giving this neglected girl a forever home. Most dogs like Missy are shooed away until they eventually find themselves picked up by Animal Services and put down. They're given a life sentence for a treatable condition, one that could have been prevented with proper care.

 

 

Lisa gave Missy a home, now she needs our help to ensure Missy continues to get the care she deserves.

One person alone finding an additional two thousand dollars for treatment is overwhelming. For an entire community, it can be as simple as each of us giving up one cup of coffee or one meal out this week. That's not nearly as difficult, so I'm asking you guys to join me in helping Lisa and Missy by donating a few dollars to help cover the cost of Missy's surgery.

 

You can view Missy's page and make a donation here.

 

In the coming days, we'll be coming up with a list of rewards for donors -- like the opportunity to name a special character who will appear in FLAME, FEAR, and FOREVER. If you have something you'd like to donate as a prize, please let us know by posting a comment below.

 

And if you can't help, that's okay too. :)

 

Please just remember Missy's story, and  help prevent others from suffering by making a point to report any suspected animal abuse or neglect to the Humane Society or the authorities.

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

Catching up and catching things on fire

Hello, lovelies!

I took vacation last week to hang out with a dear friend who came to visit from the East Coast. At least that was the original purpose for my time off.

The Friday before, I had to go in for an MRI of my hip. Dislocating it again royally screwed it up, so the doctor thought I might need surgery. I don't, thank goodness! But the muscles and ligaments around the joint are pretty much useless at this point, so the joint is doing way too much work, which means it wasn't healing from the dislocation. The doc ordered me off my feet for a week to give the joint time to heal before resuming physical therapy. I'm not going to lie and say I followed his orders because, well, I don't know how to sit still, let alone for an entire week. But I did take it as easy as possible.

We hung around the house, watched movies, and attempted to keep the demon cat occupied so he'd stop trying to escape every time we open the door. Total failure by the way... he's now decided if he can't go out, I'm not allowed to sleep. He's figured out how to open my bedroom door, sneak up on the bed, get right in my ear... and meow as loud as possible. At two in the morning. This is why I call my cat an asshole a demon. He is an asshole a terror. Whatever though. I have caffeine, all sorts of stuff to keep him out, and I'm stubborn as hell. He'll lose this war or I'll curl up in the fetal position and admit defeat. Either or. ;)

My sister, my mom, and the kids came over Thursday so my friend's girls could meet my sweet little nephew. He charmed them into playing games with him. Embarrased my husband by shouting out, "Hey! Can I pull your finger?" as loudly as possible at the most random moment possible. And SQ and the girls got to see the inner workings of my family, which is kind of frightening. We're all kinds of crazy Southern. They may be scarred for life.

They headed home on Friday, and my husband's friend arrived Friday night. I behaved myself and stayed on the couch for the most part. They cooked dinner, and didn't destroy my kitchen. Yay!

On Sunday, I went back to work at my favorite charity. Half an hour into my shift... I set the kitchen on fire. Yep. As in flames shooting from things.

I was doing dishes that were sitting on top of the stove for some unknown reason, and accidentally bumped the knob to turn the burner on while moving some over to the sink. While throwing stuff away, I started thinking, "Man, it smells like burning plastic in here.". So I probably should have been prepared to see flames shooting from the dishes on top of the stove when I turned around, right?

Pfft. No. I turned around and nearly died.

I managed to put the fire out. A burner plate and a plastic serving dish were the only causalities, thank goodness. Also, my pride. I'm never living down setting the kitchen on fire. Ever. Laughter has been the general consensus. When I walked in yesterday, the Executive Director shouted for a fire extinguisher. Today, my doctor almost fell off the stool laughing at me. The husband just looked at me and shook his head. I don't even want to see that thought bubble!

Ay yi yi.

Little Miss, the sweet little dog who was abandoned in my yard has been adopted by my friend Lis! I'm so happy she went to a wonderful home. And I'm still pissed at whoever neglected her so dreadfully. The poor girl has a lot of health issues and needs a lot of medical attention as a result of her neglect. We're really rooting for her, but it's tough right now. Once we know more, I'll update all of you.

Odin is doing great. He's recovered so well! He's spoiled rotten and is such a big, lovable baby. He's terrified of storms, so he's had a rough time lately. Poor guy tried to curl up in my lap like a toddler yesterday. That didn't work so well. He's almost 75 pounds now. His separation anxiety is improving, though he may need drugs to cope with the storms when we're not here to sit with him. They really terrify him.

I have a new editor. Her name is Chrystal, and I'm excited to work with her. I have my fingers crossed she's ready to tackle my crazy and all those pesky passive phrases I love so much, because lord knows I gave the B.E.E. a run for her money with both. I will miss the B.E.E. dearly, but I'm so excited about the wonderful things happening in her career and life. Go, Krystal! :)

The lovely Michelle is hard at work on the cover of FALL. We're not quite ready for a reveal, but the whole thing is starting to feel real now. How the heck did I become a soon-to-be twice published author?!

I'm really nervous excited about the release plans I've been cooking up with some of my favorite people. I can't wait to share those with you. Which will hopefully be soon! :)

Anyway, that's what life's been like around here lately. After the insanity of the last week, I'm excited to settle back into writing this week. Because of the hip pain, I didn't accomplish as much as I'd hoped with JulNoWriMo. I got about 20,000 words, which was close to my goal. But those words were spread between three different WIPs instead of solely dedicated to FLAME. Yikes!

What's happening in your life this summer? Anything exciting I'll be completely jealous about? Share, share, share!

 

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