Encore by Jamie Salisbury & Guest Post

Title: Encore!

Author: Jamie Salisbury

Series: A Tudor Saga (Book #1)

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Self Published

Release Date: June 29 2014

Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis:

Mary Stuart and Daniel Kennedy have not seen each other since attending a prestigious performing arts school.

Now a world renowned violinist, and married to his career, Daniel stumbles across Mary through her images at a London gallery. He is in need of a photographer with vision - she is a photographer in need of clients.

Mary has all but given up the stage - or has she? Her photographs pay the bills far more than her fancy musical education. But Mary has secrets. . .secrets she dare not share with even the roguish Mr. Kennedy.

A roving paparazzi lens changes all that for them. . .

Can Daniel forgive Mary for hiding her past - and her present? Will their relationship break like a violin string - or will their love endure the chaos?

So here I am - going over images from a photo shoot the day before when I hear the front door bell chime. Looking up I see the most perfect man, hell the most beautiful man I had laid eyes on in - oh hell I don't know - years perhaps. Oh h-e-l-l! It was him!

"Mary Stuart?" He asked as the door shut behind him. The sunlight caught his light brown hair as he stepped inside. His hair was long, though pulled up in some sort of knot in the back. The rest was pulled away from his face, showing off just how handsome he really was. He had the most expressive brown eyes I think I'd ever seen on a man, and that smile would melt your heart.

"That'd be me," I cockily replied. "Mary Stuart at your service. And you would be?"

"Daniel. Daniel Kennedy." His brown eyes bore through me, but somehow didn't make me uncomfortable. "Forgive me for staring, but you look familiar."

"I was just about to say the same thing. Why don't you tell me what I can do for you and perhaps it'll come to one of us." Yeah I could think of a few things I'd like to do with this man and none of it had to do with taking his picture either.

"I saw some of your work at a gallery and thought you do amazing work. I'm looking for someone to shoot new images for me, and I think you may be that person."

His voice was soft. The cadence in the manner in which he spoke entranced me. He had a hint of an underlying accent, which I'd always found sexy. His voice, his mannerisms...

"Could I get you something to drink, Daniel? A coffee or some tea? I even have water if you'd like. We can sit down and you can tell me exactly what you're looking for." I pointed to a small floral sofa and chair in a corner of the studio.

"Water would be fine."

"I'll be right back. Feel free to look around."

I turned and walked towards the back room where we kept the refrigerator. I opened the door and pulled out two waters and returned to the gallery. Suck it up! He has no idea it was you he's seen at the clubs. Just act as though you're both trying to figure out where you know each other from.

Daniel, mister tall, dark and definitely handsome, not to mention trouble, was standing in front of a grouping of photos I had taken of an elderly duchess on her eightieth birthday. Hearing my footsteps, he turned and proceeded towards the sofa.

I paused in front of him and handed him the bottle of cold water before proceeding to the sofa where I sat across from him. "Tell me something about yourself Daniel. What you do for a living, that sort of thing." I lied.

As I waited for his reply I couldn't help but make note of the heavy silver rings he wore. I instantly recognized one as a skull. He certainly didn't look the part of a Goth. He was dressed nicely enough in a pair of form fitting black jeans, some sort of graphic t-shirt underneath a dark grey pin stripe jacket. He popped the cap off the bottle and took a long swig before closing it again and setting the bottle on the floor.

"I am a violinist…" he began.

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A Boy & His Corpse by: Richard B. Knight (Interview)

Title: A Boy & His Corpse

Author: Richard B Knight

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: YA Horror Comedy

Publisher: Self Published

Release Date: Sept 24 2014

Edition/Format Available In: eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis:

Like any fifteen-year-old, Alan Chandler has to deal with the horrors of adolescence—social awkwardness, joblessness, and a father who drives him nuts. But there are some not-so-typical horrors too: His father’s job is to resurrect people as anti-terrorist soldiers. Even though his father keeps warning him that the day will come when he’ll need to take over the family business, Alan is more interested in starting an Undead Wrestling Federation—if only he could keep a corpse on its feet for more than a minute at a time.

Meanwhile, troubles are brewing in the Middle East. A mad dictator threatens to start World War III, and Alan knows that if his father leaves for war, he won’t be coming back. Not alive anyway. With the future at stake, Alan must choose between his adolescent dreams and becoming the leader his father needs him to be. He needs to find himself and understand how his powers work...before it’s too late.

“We didn’t want to have to resort to this, Herbert,” Agent Heinzelman said.

            “But you pushed us to it,” Agent Convington concluded.

            “Gentlemen, please,” Rosewater said as he got back up. “I want to resolve this peacefully.”

            As the two agents neared Herbert, Alan held his stomach. It was happening all over again. The fear, the claustrophobia, the madness.

            His living room turned green before his eyes.

            Everything that happened next was a blur. Mort moved with uncanny speed across the room. He got behind Agent Covington and grabbed him by the Adam’s apple. In one sharp maneuver, he pulled back and snapped the man’s neck as if it were made out of clay. The agent collapsed forward dead on his feet.

Alan watched a fleeting look of terror wash over Agent Heinzelman’s face as Mort punched a hole through the man’s chest and pulled out his heart. The man made a single gasp before he grabbed at the gaping hole and fell to the carpet. The blood ran out of him like water from a hole in a bucket.

            “No. More. Fire!!” Alan screamed, but his voice, which was unearthly and deep, didn’t come out of his mouth. It came out of Mort’s.

            Alan pointed at the President and Mort raised his arm in turn.

            “Get out,” Mort said in his horrible, throaty voice. “Get out! Get out! GET OUT!”

            President Rosewater didn’t have to be told twice. He stumbled over the corpses of his bodyguards and sprinted out the house.

            Alan shook his head and fell to his knees. The green shade left his eyes, and the room began to spin. James rushed into the house and gasped as he looked down at the two dead agents on the ground.

            “What the hell did you do?” he asked with bulging eyes.

            Alan couldn’t form the words to answer him before he passed out on the floor.

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Transition: by K.A. Salidas Spotlight

Title:  Transition

 Author:  K.A. Salidas

Series:  Chronicles of the Uprising (#4)

Genre: Paranormal/Dystopian

Publisher:  Rising Sign Books LLC

Release Date:   Dec 15

Blurb/Synopsis:

Peace is just a breath between battles for Mira. Hardened by slavery and war, she longs for the simpler life, knowing that it might never be hers to enjoy. There is always another battle waiting to be fought, another foe on the horizon. Peace between humans and otherkin may be nothing more than a dream, but Mira holds out hope.
It is during this brief respite that Mira is gifted one of her greatest weapons. Though it brings with it memories of a time when she was not so jaded it also comes with a reminder of terrible pain and loss. Awakening deeply hidden emotions within her, If Mira can use this to her advantage, she’ll have a new ally in the next battle to come.

“Oh princess, you are cute… but leave the fighting and defense to the real warriors.” Justine said.

“I can fight.”

I’d barely seen her get up before my world turned sideways and I was sent crashing to the ground. She’d kicked the chair out from underneath me and before I could recover, she’d snapped the leg in two, pressed her knee down on my chest and cocked her arm back, ready to stab me with the shattered wood.

“Woah! What the hell!” I screamed. Neither Theo nor Marcel had gotten up to my aid. Were they really going to let her kill me?

“You can fight, right.” Justine glared at me.

Fight? I could hardly move, she was like a boulder on my chest and my ears rang so loudly from the fall. Head throbbing, I couldn’t even think of how to try and squirm away. “okay… point made.”

“You want to die? Fight me. Kill or be killed because I won’t hesitate to do it.”

She punctuated her words with a quick slash of the fragmented wood across my face. The sting of it snapped me out of fear and straight into rage. I tried to slam against her body with my arms and wriggle out from under her knee holding me to the ground but she would not budge. She tried to swipe me again and I reached up and grabbed hold of it. In the struggle to control the weapon, I gained enough leverage to slide out from under her weight. I rolled away as fast as I could but not before she sliced the back of my neck.

When I turned to face her, she threw a cocky grin at me. “You’d be dead if I wanted it.”

Point taken. “So teach me how to not be dead.”

“First lesson, do whatever it takes. You could have used a crotch shot, but you didn’t. You could have bit my leg, but you didn’t. You wiggled around and gave up. That’s going to get you killed. Be willing to fight dirty to stay alive.”

Interview Fury From Hell by Rochelle Campbell

Title: Fury from Hell
Author: Rochelle Campbell
Series: From Hell Series (Book 1)
Genre: Paranormal/Cop Thriller (with dashes of Horror & Suspense)
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: Sept 9 2014
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook
Blurb/Synopsis:
Fury From Hell is a paranormal thriller about good vs. evil.  Here, the good is in the form of Detective Jennifer Holden, a homicide cop that is haunted by her own personal demons of a murder she committed when she was just a teenager.  The trauma she suffered at the hands of social agency after agency hardened Jennifer into a staunch atheist making her gun and her bank account the only things she truly believes in.
We meet Detective Holden, shortly before she begins working on her first solo murder case.  The victim is Kyma Barnes who was brutally raped and killed. As Kyma’s soul leaves her body, a demon being called by a coven of dark witches at nearby Prospect Park, is drawn to the dying woman by her death throes.  Fury Abatu offers to avenge Kyma’s death. The price?  The dying woman’s soul.  Kyma gives it gladly to ensure the man who killed her pays dearly.
At the crime scene, Jennifer becomes possessed by Fury Abatu.  Hosts usually die a violent death within weeks of the initial possession. Detective Holden does not know she is possessed…
With her own demise on the line, Jennifer must fight for her life and her very soul – something she’s not sure she even believes in – to rid herself of the dark force surrounding her and her friends.
Can Jennifer be saved from the demon?  Will she be able to find the faith to believe in something greater than herself and her material things?

What Lies Within Us & Interview with Kiki Howell

Title: What Lies Within Us

Author: Kiki Howell

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: Gothic/Paranormal/Romance/Contemporary/

Suspense/Thriller

Publisher: Self Published

Release Date: Nov 1 2014

Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis:

After receiving a letter from an aunt she never knew existed, Kyna Hughes travels to Ireland only to find out that her whole life has been a series of well-orchestrated lies. Suddenly, this poor girl from the foothills of the Alleghany Mountains is thrust into a life of not only the wealthy and affluent, but of dark magic and secret societies. As Kyna learns of the magic hidden inside her, purposefully stunted as she grew up for her protection, she must now battle mystical hauntings which are the result of curses while getting a crash course in utilizing her powers. Kidnappings and satanic weddings become her daily events as she struggles not to lose her heart to one of two men—a former Navy SEAL hired to protect her or a wizard hired to train her. Soon she will realize just how true it is that “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

Excerpt

She nodded as he pulled her door shut. Then, she turned to see her bed illuminated in another round of lightening. The sensation of having caught a ball of it settled over her hands. Turning them until her palms faced up, the way they shook wasn’t exactly fear, or flight, but all fight. She curled her fingers in, let her nails bite into her palms. Angry, she made a few stiff and heavy strides back to bed. Not only did everyone here baffle or betray her, as did her ominous surroundings, but her own body took cues from the vivid imaginings of those she’d encountered today.

As her eyes closed again, she swore the power in her body build with each bolt outside her window. Her skin crackled with some sort of electricity of its own, frying what was left of her brain that she tried to force into a fitful sleep.

The sudden awareness of being watched courted with the sensation of having her life energy pulled from her body. As she opened her eyes, weak and dizzy, a streak of lightening backlit a black form at the edge of her bed. Kyna scrambled until her back hit the wooden backboard with a breath-stopping thump. Her muscles ached in earnest almost as if small cramps had taken over her body. Small figments of light, burning silver threads, extended from herself to the shadowy person.

Fear, the kind that freezes time, makes every bone in a body cold, gave way to anger, red-hot and resilient. In a cold sweat, she sprang from the covers. Her arms extended with her palms out in front of her as if signaling stop. Pushing against the dark energy that seemed to suck her very life from her, she sliced, in her mind, the cords. Imaginary or not, nightmare or pure horror, the glowing threads broke and fell. Tiny shards of light hung in the air a second before they disappeared.

Finally, a scream ripped from her lungs. The shriek was outrage laced with angst. The shadow at the end of her bed fell to black smoke, which seeped into the wooden floor. Running to her door and throwing it open like it weighed nothing, she ran smack into Aedan in the hall.

Suddenly, though still shaking, she became aware of her soft breasts throbbing having hit the solid muscle of his chest. His arms strong around her, his fingers pressed firmly into her back, and her eyes closed, the shadow image reappeared in her mind’s eye.

“I got you,” he whispered as her body went through some mini fear-induced seizure for a second.

Her breath released, hot and fast. Kyna panted herself past calm into aroused. However, the house wouldn’t allow her attention to be diverted. Thunder rocked the walls. Once her eyes opened, shadows formed and unformed around her.

“Can you see them?” she whispered to Aedan.

“See who?”

“I’m going crazy,” she growled.

“No, your aunt warned me of this type of magic. The group after you, they use dark magic that forms some sort of mystical hauntings. Nothing should hurt you, though they may give the appearance of it. Your aunt can explain it better in the morning. For now, let’s get you back to bed.”

“It took from me. It took something from me with these bright cords. Don’t leave me,” she begged and then winced.

Uncharacteristically weak, she wondered if her courage all these years came so easy due to nothing real eventful having happened in her life. No. No way. She promised herself to be brave, to make her mother proud, no matter what they threw her way.

“I won’t leave you this time,” Aedan promised. “I’ll sit in the chair and watch you sleep. I’ve probably gotten more than you already at this point. There’re only a few hours left now until morning. But, he or it took what?”

“It felt like the shadowy image was draining my life from me, not blood, just energy or something. A life force maybe. It felt so real, like my heart slowed and my mind became fuzzy. I got so weak.”

“I’m sure it is all part of the haunting, some magical images and feelings projected onto you to scare you.”

She bought the explanation, had to in an attempt to get any sleep at all with the shadows that still lingered. Pretend. You’re just pretend, she challenged them with her thoughts as she stood at the foot of the bed.

“Silly,” she scoffed.

“What? Because I see nothing silly about being afraid of something you don’t even understand. Sometimes fear is good, that is if you let it fuel you rather than make you quit,” Aedan advised.

“I meant it was silly that I was trying to threaten them with my mind, as if because they are shadows they can hear my thoughts. Seen too many ghost movies I think.”

“You’re not silly at all. Most women would have run from this place screaming, demanding to be driven to the airport in her beautiful, white nightgown,” he soothed, voice deep and gravely. “Now, off to bed with you my brave woman.”

Comforted by his praise, she obeyed. Yet, Aedan in the same room also made sleep not come easily, just for a whole other set of reasons entirely.