Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Halloween - The Best Holiday of the Year

Halloween is questionably the best holiday of the year. As a paranormal romance author, this time of year is a great time for inspiration to create steaming hot romances involving the sexiest vampires, were persons (to be politically correct, even in fiction) demons and the latest craze; the fae.
To celebrate Halloween, I'm posting the first chapter of Betrayal Bites, the 2nd full-length, paranormal romance in the Tales of Sydney Sedrick Series. Fanged Fury, Book 3, is set for release in 2013. Hope you enjoy and have a fun and safe holiday!


Excerpt:


Chapter 1

Sighing while I dusted the stone and glass figurines throughout the store, I had hoped the mundane tasks would help distract me from the anticipation of the mailman. Kieran, leader of the local vampire coven, was sending out his invitation to the Blood Rites Ball. The purpose in having the ball was to see who would next be elected to watch over the Selected. Since I am the Selected, there was a lot at stake, considering my life and overall well-being hung in the balance. It was possible whoever my new babysitter was might decide to imprison me.
Not everyone believed the Selected should be allowed to walk around of her own free will. Actually, there were a lot of people, vampires, werewolves, demons, and rogues who felt the Selected should be kept in a gilded cage her entire life, or to be executed. They felt the potential threat of the Selected’s powers was too high.
Needless to say, the upcoming events of the Blood Rites Ball had me on pins and needles. The thought of not being invited had me feeling like a furry lump had taken up permanent residence in my gut. If someone else was going to make decisions with such an impact on my future, I thought it would be nice to have them do it in my presence. Kieran said the ball was planned for tomorrow night. He hadn’t mentioned if he put me on the invite list.
While debating which would be better, to go or not to go, the door chimes jingled, signaling the arrival of either a customer or Dale, the mailman. I turned around with a smile on my face to see who it was. The moment reality struck at what my eyes saw, the smile dropped off my face and pain set into my chest like an icy hand had wrapped itself around my heart and had given it a good squeeze.
Blake, the sexiest man to ever have walked the earth, stood in front of me holding his right arm with his left hand. His chest heaved as he struggled for air. Blake was a werewolf who had extra speedy healing abilities, so whoever or whatever hurt him had to be very strong and very dangerous. The dark red blood staining the front of his shirt and caking the right side of his neck made me nauseous and light-headed.
“Blake!” Running past him to the front door, I threw the deadbolt lock into place. It would be very hard to try and explain it if one of my customers walked in and spotted Blake with blood smeared all over him. I raced back to inspect his wounds. He must have lost a lot of blood. My Selected senses hadn’t alerted me to his presence before he walked through the door as it should have. Usually, they kicked in when a vampire or a werewolf entered a five hundred foot radius around me. That included outside the walls of buildings, and my senses seemed to be growing stronger every day.
Even though Blake bore such serious wounds, I couldn’t help but appreciate his wild dark-brown hair that hung just past his shoulders. Typically Blake didn’t look so disheveled like he did at that moment. Looking toward him from the door, his amber-gold eyes bore into mine. He was in a lot of pain. I could tell by the way he winced as he moved. Sighing in dismay, I watched his backside as he stumbled over to the couch on the far side of the store next to the fireplace. He dropped down, groaning in pain as he landed on the cushion.
It didn’t bother me that his boots had dragged in remnants of the slushy snow covering the streets outside.
Blake had a fine backside.
My center throbbed to by caressed by him.
Where did that come from?
“Sydney, I was attacked by a demon, and not just any demon. She was a Judge.”
“Judge? What’s a Judge?” Could my life get any more bizarre? Not long ago, I discovered that vampires and werewolves existed. Oh, and I found out I was the Selected, which meant everyone wanted me to be on their side because according to some old prophecies, I was destined to be some kind of savior.
Blake groaned in pain, bringing me back to the present. My life was a little overwhelming at times. Blake resituated himself on the couch in such a way to avoid putting pressure on his injured arm and shoulder.
“Please explain to me what you meant by ‘Judge’. I’ve never heard you use that term before.” A chill ran down my back as I gently put my fingertips on the pulse point near his wrist. His heart rate was beating a bit fast, but not too fast.
“Judges are demons assigned to the king of the vampires. They do his bidding, uphold vampire law, and execute punishment to misbehaving bloodsuckers when Kieran and his Knights can’t. Someone owed the vampire king big, so they negotiated the Judges’ contract to be servants of the king.” Blake closed his eyes and took a guarded deep breath.
My mouth dropped open. There were royal vampires? No one ever mentioned that fun fact before, not even Aunt Judith. In all the discussions we’ve had, neither Blake nor Kieran had mentioned them either.
A knocking came from the front door, startling me. If the Judges came after Blake at the store, there was little I could do to protect him. I highly doubted if they followed Blake that they’d bother with the consideration to knock. After seeing Blake injured and hearing about demon assassins, I was on edge.
A shadowed figure passed the window.
Dale’s face peered through the glass. He looked around to see if anyone was in the store.
I cracked the door open to keep Dale from seeing Blake, drenched in blood, on the couch. Dale’s knit hat was dusted in fluffy white snowflakes and his cheeks were bright red from the chill in the air.
“Dale, now’s not really a good time, the stock delivery guy just dumped a huge order off, and I have to deal with that before opening the store. You can just give me my mail from here, okay?” I squeezed two fingers through the door and waited.
“Miss Sydney, is everything all right?” He repositioned his big mail carrier’s bag to sit more on his side to allow him to get closer to the door and a better peek inside.
I put a friendly smile on my face to reassure him that everything was on the up and up, but from his expression, he wasn’t buying it.
“Everything’s just fine. I’m busy, that’s all.” I didn’t want to be rude, but I really needed to go hold pressure on Blake’s wounds. He hadn’t stopped bleeding yet.
“Miss Sydney, I think it would be best if you let me in to take a look around and make sure for myself that you’re all right.” Dale wasn’t budging. What was with this town? The people that lived here in Kenosha all seemed to have taken the same medication that made them super bossy.
A little more sternly, I said, “Everything’s fine, Dale. Really, I’m just busy. That’s all, now give me my mail, and you can be on your way.”
Dale was a really nice guy, and it was clear he was just worried. He didn’t deserve the harshness in my tone of voice, but Blake really needed me. Hopefully, Dale would get over my rudeness, but it wasn’t like I’d ever be able to explain to him the situation.
Dale’s eyes narrowed.
“Miss Sydney, if you got one of them abnormals in there, maybe I can help. The abnormal’s blood stinks all the way out here. You see, not many people know this about me, but I’m a healer, Miss Sydney.”
“What do you mean by abnormal?” Did Dale really know? I was coming to believe that maybe I was the only one in the city, before I was bitten, that didn’t know vampires and werewolves existed.
“I know all about them dang vampires and werewolves. They’re everywhere around these parts, and well, my granddaddy taught me a few tricks. Sydney, I know you’re different, special. Well, my family has a special streak in its blood, too.” Dale leaned his head closer to the door and whispered, “You see, we got some fairy blood running in us, and we can heal people with our hands. Plus, I got some supplies in my bag might be of some help.”
His sincerity made me smile. Dale looked at me with such genuine concern. Before making a decision on whether to let him into the store or not, Blake called out in pain.
Decision made.
“Fine, but you have to promise you won’t tell anyone about what you see. You said that I’m special. You’re right, and I have a temper to match. So don’t betray me, Dale. If you do, you’ll have a lot of abnormals pissed and looking for you.”
Dale came into the store. The snowflakes melted into his clothes the moment the fabric hit the warm air. He went straight for Blake. Very carefully, he removed Blake’s shirt to see where all the blood was coming from. After cleaning Blake’s chest and face with a cool washcloth from the storeroom in back, Dale made a quick diagnosis and set to work.
“Blake, these gashes look like you’ve been attacked by a fire demon.” Awe and disbelief was written across Dale’s face as he said it.
Blake looked from me to Dale. Suspicion darkened his gaze as he assessed the mailman.
“You’re right. It was a fire demon, and she wasn’t happy to see me. How do you know about fire demons?” Blake attempted to sit up straighter on the couch, but Dale patted his knee in reassurance.
“Wait, what? The fire demon that did this to you is a female?” It was pretty hard to believe a female of any sort could beat Blake in a fight. He was one of the strongest and fastest werewolves in his pack. His strength came straight from the pack leader himself, Blake’s father. Whoever this fire demon was, she must be pretty nasty.
Dale fidgeted where he knelt on the floor in front of Blake. The talk of demons and werewolves seemed to make him uncomfortable. Placing my hand gently on his shoulder only made him squeak in surprise. The mailman was wound more tightly than me.
Blake must have seen Dale’s uneasiness through his fidgety movements. “Ah, yes. I have heard of your family. You don’t have to involve yourself in our business. We know who you are. My pack appreciates what your people do. We’d be fine if you wanted to stay out of the war. We don’t mind that you keep tabs on us. I’m sure your knowledge will come in handy one day when we need it most.” With the recognition of Dale, and what he stood for, Blake sat back against the couch. His body seemed to relax a smidgen. Apparently, he didn’t see Dale’s knowledge of his pack quite as threatening as I would have thought.
There was a clear understanding between the two men. To my dismay, neither one of them bothered to explain it to me.
“Okay, enough secretive, behind-the-scenes action going on. I must say I’m getting pretty tired of it. Dale, help Blake with his injuries. Blake, start explaining what is going on, right now.” Blake stared at me. I could tell he was hesitating because he didn’t know how much information he should divulge to either of us. If he knew what was good for him, it would be all of it.
Dale nodded and dug around in his mail-carrier bag. When he found what he was looking for, he brought out a leather pouch and a small clear vial filled with a blue liquid. He busied himself adding yellow powder to the liquid making a paste that smelled like fresh lemons. He then applied the green-colored concoction to Blake’s chest wound.
The manipulation of tissue made my stomach churn. The pressure Dale was applying to the wound with the applicator caused more blood to leak through the tissue and drip down Blake’s toned abs, soaking the waistband of his jeans. Ordinarily, such things didn’t make me swoon. Seeing someone important to me injured and in pain was a whole other ballgame.
Blake’s face tightened and he clenched his jaw as Dale packed the paste into the deep gash created by the fire demon’s attack. Dale used his fingertip to push the paste into the jagged parts of Blake’s flesh until the wound was completely covered with the green substance.
“Sydney, a few members of my pack and some of Kieran’s Knights have been doing recon on the compound where you were taken by the lightning demons a few months ago. There has been abnormally high activity buzzing around the place, so we’ve been watching who’s been coming and going. It seems the rogue vampires and werewolves are amassing a small army. Unfortunately, it looks like they have recruited more demons than we originally thought.”
“So, that’s why the fire demon attacked you? Because she found you watching the compound? That doesn’t make any sense if she’s really a Judge, like you said.” I thought Judges were supposed to punish naughty vampires and not attack innocent werewolves. I didn’t understand what had started the fight.
He shook his head and continued to explain while Dale made a makeshift sling out of clean towels from the storeroom to secure Blake’s arm. Luckily no customers had arrived on my storefront’s door wanting to do some shopping.
“The fire demon wasn’t one of the demons from the compound. I actually interrupted her recon mission. When she spotted me, she mistook me for the enemy, attacked first, and asked questions later.” It was obvious from Blake’s tone that he was impressed with the fire demon. To my surprise, his admiration of the female who attacked him sparked some serious jealous feelings on my end, and I could feel the tips of my ears burn.
“So, she attacked you for no good reason? Who is her boss?” It wasn’t like a fire demon’s boss would really take a complaint from a human very serious, but her hurting Blake pissed me off. Maybe the awe I saw in Blake’s eyes when he spoke of her ticked me off, too. I was the Selected with powers of my own. Problem was, my powers were taking their own sweet time developing and getting stronger.
“Sydney,” Blake said as he sat up on the couch. He moved his shoulder a bit and nodded thanks to Dale for his efforts. “The fire demon isn’t just an ordinary demon. She’s a Judge.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense, why is a Judge even here? Aren’t they supposed to be watching over the king and his family?” The pieces of the story weren’t falling into place in my very confused mind. Blake didn’t seem all too surprised to run into the demon, only impressed.
Blake nodded as he spoke to both Dale and me. “I’m not sure what the Judges are doing in town. She mentioned that it had something to do with the Blood Rites Ball Kieran is hosting tomorrow night. The vampire royals are planning on attending. That’s the only explanation I can think of for having the Judges in town. Usually, they are very close to the king at all times. It’s not the first time we’ve run into one, but they’re pretty rare, and there’s always a royal around that they are protecting.”
Dale stood to repack the supplies into his overly large bag. His secret history surprised me. One day I would make him sit down and tell me all about how his family is involved with the war between the vampires and werewolves. Did Dale and his family have a side they were on? I never would have thought he had special healing powers. He’d never bothered to mention that before, even though he came into the store six days a week and personally hand delivered me the mail.
Before leaving, Blake said that he heard the rogues talk about Ley Lines and power points. The compound was situated over a demonic power point, an energy vortex that allowed the rogues to call forth demons from the Underworld. Once the demons were called forth, they were obligated to complete a task before being set free upon our world. The Judge was tracing the Ley Lines to the compound that originated from the underground royal palace located a few miles outside of the Kenosha city limits.
“Blake, so the rogues are calling forth these demons, making the demons beholden to them, but what for? What sort of task do they plan on making the demons perform before they are set free?” My mind was running wild with the possibilities. The rogues seemed to be focused on creating mayhem and destruction among all the vampires and werewolves. They also wanted to live without the rules the Elders and the leaders of the werewolf packs instilled upon them. They wanted to be their own bosses, but right now, they weren’t strong enough to carry out their goals without help from beings stronger than them, such as demons from the Underworld.
My guess was that’s what they wanted to use the demons they were calling forth for; they wanted to rid themselves of any governing body that hindered their lawless lifestyles. Could the rogues demand the demons, as their price for free passage into our world, to kill all the coven and pack leaders? I hoped not. Having out of control vampires and werewolves running amok would be madness.
“We’re really not sure yet, but it’s looking like they have something planned for the Blood Rites Ball. The Judge I ran into also believes that. Sydney, you should really reconsider and not go.” Blake used every opportunity to try talking me out of dealing with the vampires. He knew my obligations to them were just as important to me as my obligations were to the werewolf pack, but he didn’t like it.
Dale decided at that moment to hand me my mail. On the top of the stack sat a crimson-colored envelope. After opening it and pulling out a piece of paper made from thick card stock, I studied the blood-red ink glistening off the bright white paper. Blake leaned over my shoulder to see what had made me stop short. A grumble came from his throat.
“Sydney, I’m telling you that you should not go to that ball. The rogues are clearly brewing up something, and we don’t know what it is. It would be safer for you if you were far away from that ball. Having the Elders, members from the royal family, leaders from other covens, and the Judges all in one place? That’s going to be a very target-rich environment. If the rogues are going to make their move, the ball would be the perfect place and time to do it.” Blake’s forehead crinkled in frustration. I knew that look. He was going to say anything he could think of to try and talk me out of going.
“How are they even going to know where it is? Kieran put right on the invitation the location of the ball will be disclosed one hour before it is to start. The rogues will have a pretty hard time putting their plans in action if they don’t even know where the ball is going to be.” I put my hands up when Blake began to interrupt me. “Don’t worry. There will be plenty of people there to make sure nothing happens to me.” Blake didn’t need it pushed in his face that Kieran, the leader of the local vampire coven, made it his personal responsibility for my protection and safekeeping, so I kept that fun fact to myself.
Blake roughly readjusted the sling Dale made for his injured arm. “You hanging out with the bloodsuckers is bad enough. Having to sit around while you’re surrounded by the worst of them is going to drive me nuts. I’ll have Morris contact Kieran and figure something out. I’ll have him see if there is anything my pack can do to help with the security detail of the ball. Helping them keep you safe would be better than sitting on my hands doing nothing.”
The concern in his gorgeous, bronzed-gold eyes made my heart melt. Even though he insisted we were meant to be together, no matter how much I wanted to run into his arms and accept his mark, it wouldn’t be a good idea. Having a werewolf for a boyfriend would surely piss the vampires off.
Being the Selected meant having to stay neutral and not divulge secrets of one side to the other. In the recent past, the vampires and werewolves were able to work together to rescue me from the lightning demons, but that was pretty much the extent of their working relationship. Otherwise, they tended toward hating each other, both wanting to rule Kenosha for their own selfish needs.
With my being the Selected, I was the only one able to fulfill both of their prophecies that would enable them to dominate the other. If I gave my blood freely to the vampires, it would allow them to walk in the sunlight. If I mated with the heir to the werewolf pack, and a child was conceived, then that child would have complete control of their change, no longer being prisoner to the moon phases. That child, my child, would then be able to infect all werewolves through their saliva. Once that happened, all werewolves would be able to change on a whim. That would give them the strength, speed, and healing capabilities to wipe out the vampires.
As the Selected, it was my decision who I was going to help. I’ve decided to help both the vampires and the werewolves, by not fulfilling either of their prophecies. Neither species deserved to lord over the other. The decimation of the covens or the packs wasn’t an option in my book, so neither one would get any assistance from me on the matter.
I had to go to the Blood Rites Ball no matter how bad Blake wanted to keep me away from it. Since I received the invitation, my presence became required and expected. My worrying about being invited, or not, was over.
The last time Kieran had thrown a small gathering for the vampires, Aaron, Kieran’s second hand, had explained that if I didn’t show up, Kieran would personally come and find me. I didn’t particularly care for Aaron. He was an uptight, overbearing, jerk of a vampire, who thought he could boss me around, and he did it while wearing a fancy suit. Aaron had made it quite clear when he’d come to the store prior to the last gathering that Kieran’s invitations were to be seen as a summons, not a request. I had no choice but to attend the ball, not unless I wanted to be hunted by a very old vampire that I’d personally offended.
No, thanks.
I’d go.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Betrayal Bites :) I have enjoyed creating the complex supernatural world Sydney has been thrust into all while being pursued by the sexiest werewolf in town. 


Monday, October 1, 2012

Winter's Magic by Cynthia Gail - new release contest!


Thank you for inviting me to join you and your fans today. I’m so excited to finally reveal the cover to my debut novel, Winter’s Magic. It’s the first in a four-book series called Music City Hearts.

It’s kind of ironic that I decided to keep the cover under wraps until my contest launch, because I’m rarely able to keep secrets. When I was in grade school, I was the daughter who snooped around in closets before Christmas, trying to find out what my presents were, before Mom had time to get them wrapped. Maybe that’s why I love to read romance so much. I can enjoy the story – all the ups and downs, the tears and laughter, breakups and black moments – without anxiety, because I know the end is always happily-ever-after.
So, the wait is finally over. Today is October 1st and I’m kicking off a month-long contest with the unveiling of Winter’s Magic:


Back Cover Blurb:
Owner of La Bella Vita, a five-star day spa nestled in the affluent suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, Beth Sergeant knows her elite clientele first hand. She attended their private schools. She was even engaged, although briefly, to one of their most recognized bachelors. But she never fit in to their social-elite world.
After losing his parents to a car accident at a young age, Nick Chester was raised by his grandfather, the wealthiest man in Nashville. When he chooses to socialize, he has a never-ending list of exclusive events and beautiful women vying for his attention. Yet he never lets himself forget that everyone has an agenda.
Beth can’t resist Nick’s charm and accepts an invitation to dinner, despite her deep-seated insecurities. She proves she’s nothing like other women Nick's dated and learns to trust him in return. But just as the last of their resistance crumbles and true love is within reach, challenges from Nick's past threaten to destroy everything and force Beth to reveal her most guarded secret.


Did you catch that? There’s a secret!
But I’m not going to tell you what it is.
I can’t.
I won’t.
No matter how hard it is to keep it inside, I have to make you wait until October 24th, when Winter’s Magic goes on-sale, so you can read the book, meet Beth and Nick, and experience their story first-hand.

In the mean time, I’m hosting a fantastic contest. All you have to do is follow my blog or like my Facebook page (you receive an entry for each) and you’re automatically entered in the drawing.

The prizes? I CAN tell you what those are: 5 copies of my ebook, a $25 Visa GC, and a $50 Visa GC. Oh, and of course lots of swag. (If your name is drawn and you’ve already purchased my ebook, I’ll give you one copy of any ebook from the Soul Mate Publishing website.)

But that’s not all. Join me at my launch party, November 2nd from 3pm – 6pm EST, on Facebook.  We’ve got lots of games lined up – each with more great prizes. And at the end of the launch party, we’ll announce the winners of the October drawing.
So, tell me - Do you peek or wait?

Okay, the temptation is huge, so I can't say if I do or not  :)

Congrats on your upcoming release and I can't wait to read all the novels in this series!


Feel free to visit Cynthia's website, if you leave a post, let her know who recommended you :)

Winter's Magic coming October 24th from Soul Mate Publishing
Spring Surprise coming 2013 from Soul Mate Publishing