[Guest Post] Succubus Rising by BR Kingsolver

BOOK BLURB

Book 3 of the Telepathic Clans Saga, Succubus Rising

The Goddess has plans for Brenna and Rebecca, and the Goddess has a wicked sense of humor.

Rebecca Healy is a true wilder, growing up with no contact or knowledge of other telepaths. Discovered by a Clan member on the streets of San Francisco, she felt like she’d hit the jackpot. Finally, she knew what she was, or at least she thought she did.

When Brenna O’Donnell, long-lost heir of the O’Donnell Clan, and the strongest telepath in history, is returned to her family, she and Rebecca form a tight bond. Brenna has it all, looks, money, power, and men falling all over her.

Rebecca isn’t jealous, but it would be nice to find someone who would really love her and stick around in the morning. She’s intrigued by a handsome South American general, but of course, he has his sights set on Brenna. Carlos de Vargas wants more than love. His Clan has its back to the wall, and they hope for an alliance with O’Donnell. An alliance that would lead to war.

The story began in The Succubus Gift and continued in Succubus Unleashed. In Succubus Rising, questions are answered and new mysteries are revealed.

AUTHOR BIO

I made silver and turquoise jewelry for almost a decade, ended up in nursing school, then took a master’s in business. Along the way I worked in construction, as a newspaper editor, a teacher, and somehow found a career working with computers.

I love the outdoors, especially the Rocky Mountains. I’ve skied since high school and I’ve hiked and camped all my life. I love to travel, though I haven’t done enough of it. I’ve seen a lot of Russia and Mexico, not enough of England. Amsterdam is amazing, and the Romanian Alps are breathtaking. Lake Tahoe is a favorite, and someday I’d like to see Banff in Canada.

I have a very significant other, two cats and two Basset Hounds. I’m currently living in Baltimore, nine blocks from the harbor, but still own a home in New Mexico that I see too infrequently.

Twitter: @BRKINGSOLVER

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brkingsolver

Web site: http://brkingsolver.com/

I was asked recently what inspired me to write The Succubus Gift, and by extension the Telepathic Clans series. It’s a rather complicated answer.

I’ve long had a problem with the morality in our country and in Western European history. A patriarchal society with women as chattels absolutely repulses me. It’s very evident that women have the same intelligence as men. Women are senators, astronauts, and leaders of countries (though not in the U.S., which is one of the few countries which has never had a female head of state).

But until recently, women were considered property – either of their fathers or of their husbands. An unmarried woman is looked on with pity, as though she was defective. An assertive, ambitious woman is called a lot of things, but few of them are complimentary.

I think that’s a large part of what drew me initially to urban fantasy books. The genre is full of assertive, strong, kick-ass women who stood on their own and didn’t apologize for being who they are.

Another thing I found in urban fantasy was sexual women. Historically, women in literature are either wives, old maids, or harlots. Sometimes they were sorceresses or queens, but again they fit into the old pigeon holes. Richelle Mead’s Georgina Kincaid breaks that mold, as do some other characters, but it still bothered me that for a woman to be blatantly sexual, she had to be working for the devil.

Men in literature can be studs and leave a trail of broken hearts in their wake, and as long as they eventually settle down, it’s fine. A woman gets raped once and her reputation is besmirched forever.

I’ve been a science fiction and fantasy fan since a teacher gave me one of Andre Norton’s books in 7^th grade. I’ve always thought the idea of telepathy was the neatest thing I could imagine. So when I started thinking about what kind of character could be strong, kick-ass, and blatantly sexual while still being one of the good guys, I thought about the idea of a telepath who could drain a man’s life energy, but wasn’t aligned with the devil, and didn’t do him permanent harm.

From there the idea started to grow. I envisioned a matriarchal society, worshipping a Goddess, with Telepathic Gifts where the women are as strong as the men -- a society of equals. And in an equal society, women and men are free to express their sexual identities.

But I didn’t want to write erotica. I wanted fantasy stories like the ones I like to read. The Succubus Gift has been well received and the reviews have been far better than I dared to hope. Readers tell me Succubus Unleashed is even better, which is nice to hear. The third book in the series, Succubus Rising, has just been published and the early reviews have been very good.

[Book Tour] The Awakening & Other Stories by Emma Meade & Giveaway

Title: The Awakening & Other Stories

Author: Emma Meade

Genre: Paranormal

The Awakening & Other Stories by Emma Meade

Put on the kettle, close the curtains and curl up by the fire. Dive into 8 short tales, each with a slice of the paranormal.

Ghost Story – Who is the shadow in the window of the abandoned house, and what or who is he waiting for?

The Awakening – It’s time for Sabrina to wake up and face the light.

End of the Line – Cassie wants to die. When midnight rolls around, she stands on the tracks waiting for the train to come.

Milsa Loris – The once magnificent kingdom of Milsa Loris comes alive one night each winter. The King’s witch is brewing up a little magic, sure to make the soup all the tastier.

The Old Vampire – Hailey spent her life dreaming of a dark prince falling in love with her. He never showed up, until now.

The Knocking – Alison’s grandfather has one eye on the next life. After all, he’s heard a lot of rapping at his door lately.

The Boy on the Beach – Kate’s grandmother warns her about the boy with the green eyes. Will she pay heed?

Snowglobes- It’s busy at Calvin’s Cabins this Christmas. Eddie and Maggie are a young couple in trouble. Not to fear, Calvin is always ready to lend a hand.

Author Bio

Emma Meade lives in rainy Ireland. She loves vampires, slayers, witches, ghosts, aliens & shadow men (or at least the youngest of the Shadow Men), and regular people who live extraordinary lives (think Slayerettes and you’re on the right track).

Books, DVDS & TV show boxsets take up lots of space in her home, and she collects all the Point Horror books she can get her hands on.

Writing supernatural stories and watching marathon re-runs of Buffy are some of her favourite ways of escaping reality.

Links

Connect with Emma

Blog: Emma’s Ramblings on Supernatural Fiction emmameade.com

Website: emmameadebooks

Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Amazon

Buy Links

Amazon.com | Amazon.uk | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Diesel

End of the Line

In the distance, the familiar, white light appeared, cutting through the dark of midnight. She'd watched it come before, but always from the sidelines, imagining what it would be like to face such a beast.

                Cassie drew in a shaky breath and steeled herself. Legs splayed, arms by her sides, fists tightly clenched, she waited on the tracks as the train approached. Her legs shook, and strands of hair licked her cheeks in the gentle night's breeze.

                She swallowed the fear threatening to overcome her. Hang in there, she told herself. Another sixty seconds, and it will all be over. No more drowning, murky thoughts, heavy dreams or stilted breathing. She lifted her head and stared straight ahead, willing her body to freeze.

                Closer now, but not coming fast enough. She was scared. As much as she desired to have it all over with, the fear gained ground. Could the driver see her yet? No, still too far away. Why had time slowed down? An ache began in her ankles, spreading up her legs and winding its way around her thighs and into her clenched hands.

                The feel of her fingernails scraping the soft flesh of her palms roused her, just as she became aware of the vibrations on the tracks.

                Cassie stumbled into the grass growing beside the tracks and ran, tears running down her cheeks. She stopped as she reached the first line of trees and leaned over, resting her hands on her thighs, trying to get her breath back.

                Damn it! She wanted to die. Why couldn't she have stuck it out?

                The train thundered by, unaware of the woman hunched over in the darkness, sobbing. She raised her head to watch the carriages pass, slithering alongside Wilkins Woods like a dark snake. In thirty seconds, the night was once again silent.

                She'd try tomorrow night. Maybe pick up a bottle of Jack Daniel's after work. Might help with the nerves.

                Slowly, her breathing returned to normal, and she wiped the tears away. Cassie followed the edge of the woods the mile back to her squalid flat. She let herself in and headed straight to bed. One more day. She could make it that far.

A random commentor will be chosen to win an eBook copy of two short stories in the collection. The winner would get to choose between The Old Vampire or End of the Line. Be sure to comment about which story sounds the most interesting. 

[Promo] The Witch Hunter by Nicole Taylor - Excerpt & Giveaway

We’re celebrating the release day party of New Adult / Adult Urban Fantasy / Paranormal novel “The Witch Hunter” today.

To celebrate the release, the author was kind enough to offer 5 eBook copies as a giveaway. Scroll down for the Rafflecopter form to participate in the giveaway!

If you can’t wait for the giveaway, then purchase your copy on Amazon (Kindle), Amazon (Print) or Smashwords (ebook all formats) today.

About The Witch Hunter

Title: The Witch Hunter

Author: Nicole Taylor

Genre: New Adult/Adult Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

I was born into the world covered in blood, and that's exactly the way I left it.

 Ever since, I have been damned to walk the boundary between life and death alone. Unwillingly turned and left to my nightmare, I have seen men commit countless horrors and committed many of my own.

 My origins shall remain unknown, my true self hidden. I have been called by many names, but in this life I am known as the Witch Hunter. I have been asleep these past 150 years, until I was awoken by a haunting call.

Zachary Degaud was twenty three when he died. The problem was, he didn't stay that way.

Present day, he's just another vampire with another unremarkable story. That is, until he manages to provoke a two thousand year old witch named Katrin, who wants to make him pay in the most horrible way imagined.

Along with his brother Sam, newly made vampire Liz and their only witch ally, Gabby, his only chance for survival is to summon the ancient and unpredictable vampire known as the Witch Hunter.

Zac is just looking for a way out of his psychopathic witch problems, but instead will find himself falling head first into a blood feud that has stretched thousands of years.

Aya has been asleep for the past 150 years, until she was awoken by a haunting call. The witch she has been hunting for thousands of years, Katrin, has resurfaced and marked a young, annoyingly arrogant vampire by the name of Zachary Degaud. Unless she does something, he will die a slow and painful death. He has given her an opportunity to end the witch, but does she want to help him or leave him to his fate?

Zac will get under her skin like no one else has and she just might find herself making the ultimate sacrifice before he is gone forever.

They will both have to choose sides and look deep within themselves before the end. But, what Zac learns about himself, will surprise him most of all.

Author Bio

Nicole R. Taylor is an Australian born paranormal, fantasy and contemporary fiction author. She is a graduate of the University of Ballarat Professional Writing and Editing programme and is a former music memorabilia sales person and grocery merchandiser.

She currently lives in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia with a two year old rescue cat named, Burger. She enjoys reading, writing (of course!), traveling and a little too much chocolate. One day she hopes to sky dive, but has to work up the courage first.

The first in her new paranormal fantasy series, The Witch Hunter Saga is available in e-edition and print from March 20^th 2013

Learn more about her writing at:

www.nicolertaylorwrites.com

She may be contacted by email at:

nicole.this.is@gmail.com

Visit her online:

www.nicolertaylorwrites.com twitter.com/nicole_noir https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-R-Taylor/452118154855116 http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6907729.Nicole_R_Taylor

Purchase your copy!

Amazon (Kindle)

Amazon (Print)

Smashwords (ebook all formats)

Read an Excerpt

Gabby had found her grimore, her families’ book of spells and incantations, amongst some of her Grams' things in the attic. It was only then she began to better understand her affinity with magic.

She began visiting the cemetery near the old Degaud Manor, conducting her 'experiments' as she called them, trying different spells and rituals that were written in the grimore. Silly things, like lighting candles, making things levitate and communing with the earth. The last was her favourite; every witch had an earth sense of varying strengths. She didn't quite understand what it meant, but when she concentrated, she could feel living things around her. Plants, trees, insects. 

That was why she was surprised at first when she met the brothers. She was sitting cross-legged in the old cemetery early last winter, feeling the shift of the seasons in the plants about her, when she began to feel uneasy. She understood later that it was her latent power warning her that she was being watched. She was startled when upon opening her eyes, she saw a man standing in front of her.

It was as if he was a statue, until he grinned lopsidedly at her. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Gabby panicked a little. She hadn't sensed the man at all and she could always feel people when she had her earth sense focused. That would mean that the man was... dead? That couldn't be right. She scrambled to her feet and took a few steps back.

"Leave her alone, Zac." Another man had appeared beside the first out of thin air.

The first man, Zac, rolled his eyes, "I wasn't going to eat her, brother, if that's what you're thinking. She's a witch and I don't want her to cast any witchy juju spell on me."

"You're both dead," she stammered.

"As a door nail," Zac grinned.

"Forgive my brother," the other man said, stepping forward. "I think you know what we are. We can't hide from you, but we mean you no harm."

"Vampires," Gabby said, finally realizing. The only undead creature that she was aware existed.

"Ten points to Glinda," clapped Zac.

"Ignore him," said the man. "I'm Sam, the moron is my brother Zac."

It took her a while to trust the vampire brothers, being their mortal enemy and all. She quickly came to realize that they were different, despite all their faults. Zac was always an asshole and Sam was always kind hearted, but they never hurt or compelled anyone. They'd ingrained themselves into the town as normal young men. Sam had even got a job as a gardener with help from her childhood friend, Alex. 

So, when Gabby walked into Max's, the bar they frequented after work, she smiled when she saw them sitting in a booth along the far wall. "Happy birthday you musty old man," she elbowed Zac as she sat down.

"Please, don't remind me," his eyes rolled in exasperation.

"Can I get you a drink?"

"Go for it Tabitha." They watched her retreating form. "I've been looking for you all afternoon," Zac hissed, once Gabby was out of earshot.

"I was out with Liz," Sam fidgeted.

Zac didn't notice the gesture, he was too busy eyeballing Alistair, who had just walked in. "Uh oh," he gritted his teeth.

Sam frowned. He knew all too well from his tone that Zac had gotten himself in trouble again. "What did you do, Zac?"

"I didn't start it, just so you know."

"Start what?" Sam groaned, like they needed more trouble.

"Big bad, super creepy vampire over yonder is out to get us," he gestured towards Alistair, who was now over at the bar. "He's looking for some black haired, blue eyed woman who's pissed him off and he seems to think we know something about it."

"Obviously, we don't," said Sam, trying to keep his voice even.

"I told him as much, but I don't think it matters anymore," he grimaced.

Sam sighed, "You couldn't help but talk back, could you?"

Zac raised his hands in defence, "Hey, he came in talking like he was out of Lord of the Rings, even you couldn't pass on the opportunity." Looking over to Alistair, he noticed Gabby standing next to him. They were talking, and he was buying her a drink! Bloody hell, did she know he was a vampire? What kind of witch was she?

Sam snorted his disagreement, and before he could speak Zac interrupted, "Yeah, yeah. Don't say it, bro. I get it. We can't afford to be exposed as blood sucking parasites. Believe me. I get it."

His brother sighed, "We have another issue to deal with." Zac raised his eyebrows expectantly. Like they needed more issues with a vampire bent on making their life hell.  "Liz and I had a run in with the werewolves," Sam said, not looking at his brother.

"Oh, so you want to have a go at me when you've been out pissing off the puppy dogs?" Zac scowled. "Did you piss in their territory?"

Sam nodded, reluctantly agreeing with his brother, "Seems like they want to claim the land bordering the manor."

"Sounds like they already have," Zac sneered.

"They warned us off, but given any opportunity they will attack us anyway," he said through gritted teeth. "They're getting bolder."

Zac felt the anger rising within him. The dogs had threatened his brother and Liz. She was his brother’s girl, but he had fallen for her just as hard. The only thing that had stopped the wolves from attacking was the fact that the moon wasn't even half full yet. He was thinking about the many ways to kill the werewolf pack, when Gabby sat back down at the table.

"I see Sam told you about the pack," she said, when she noticed the scowl etched on his face.

"Wait until you hear who Zac pissed off today," Sam changed the subject.

"Your boyfriend over at the bar," Zac inclined his head towards Alistair.

"He's a..." Gabby stammered, suddenly feeling foolish.

"Yeah," Zac rolled his eyes. "What kind of witch are you that your witchy compass doesn't work?"

"It's serious Gabby. He could expose us all, or kill us. So stay away from him, okay?" Sam warned.

Gabby fidgeted nervously and pushed away her glass, as if she was suddenly wary of drinking it. 

Zac snorted, "What, do you think he put a vampire roofie in there?"

"Shut up," she hissed.

Giveaway

The author is offering 5 eBook copies for giveaway. The giveaway runs for two days, so be quick to participate! Fill in the Rafflecopter form to participate. 

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*Release Day Party* The Promise by Kim Carmichael

We’re happy to celebrate the release day party for “The Promise” today, a steamy  paranormal romance novel by author Kim Carmichael.

Read an Excerpt!

He tilted his head. "You look older."

She forced herself to blink and to remember her goal. "Then I assume I am at last old enough to be a fit for a demon." She stepped forward, stopping less than a foot away from him. The back of her throat dried out, and she swallowed.

He put his hand to his chin, his gaze taking her in. "This old song and dance. When will you use the brains you have and leave it alone?"

His words hit her, but rather than retreating, she moved closer. The energy, the tingle, the wafts of spice encompassed her and lured her toward him. "Never."

"You were smart last time. Why don't you release me so I can do what I came here for." He glanced down at her and then shifted his focus beyond her. "I have needs as well."

"Tonight I am the one you came here for." The mention of his last visit stung, but she willed herself to keep going. She ran her fingers up the buttons of his shirt. "You always told me to take control."

He shook his head. "A lesson you learned well."

She reached up and clenched his collar in her fist. "I let you go last time, but tonight I am the one you need."

He grabbed her wrist. "I spared you before. Never forget that."

She stared right into his eyes. No weakness was allowed tonight. "It's me, Dolan. Me, or you can be celibate until the decade I do you the favor of dying. I don't care about your pain." She tensed, preparing herself for his retaliation.

"I thought I taught you better than to make demands of a demon." He pressed his palm to the side of her face.

Heat radiated through her body, sending a warning to every one of her nerve endings. "A demon who comforts a child is a failure of a demon in my book."

His jaw tightened. "That was a mistake. An oversight."

About The Promise

Title: The Promise

Author: Kim Carmichael

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Demon Dolan Ciar exists on three simple words: desire, denial, and destruction. Every four years, he is allowed one night of earthly passion to punish a deserving female. By the time he is finished, his victims are left as willing receptacles for demons yet to come.

 Since she was four, a demon has been the only constant in Leora Desmond's life. He taught her how to seize control, to never give up, and to take whatever she wanted. At twenty-four, her self-centered existence is focused on one thing. She wants Dolan, and she won't be dissuaded.

 A mistake brought Dolan to Leora. A promise bound him to her. Returning once again to ask for his freedom, he is faced with Leora demanding to be his next conquest. The ultimate retribution would be to take from her the ultimate symbol of her selfishness.

 Now, Dolan must decide if he can doom her to life in living hell or face his own set of unearthly consequences, while Leora must choose between her pleasure and her heart.

 The Promise blurs the line between good and evil, desire and love, and promises and commitment.

Author Bio

Kim Carmichael began writing eight years ago when her need for graphic sex scenes and love of happy endings inspired her to create her own.  She has a weakness for bad boys and techno geeks, and married her own computer whiz after he proved he could keep her all her gadgets running.  When not writing, she can usually be found slathered in sunscreen trolling Los Angeles and helping top doctors build their practices.

Visit Kim’s Amazon page! http://www.amazon.com/Kim-Carmichael/e/B0098RNFUI/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Giveaway

The author is giving away a globe necklace. The giveaway is US only!

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