Queen of Jastain by Kary Rader

New release from Crescent Moon Press. What a gorgeous cover!

The Light brought her to him, but does he have the faith to make her his queen?

For twenty years, Avant plotted revenge against the dark king, but when a mysterious woman suddenly appears, everything changes. Although his prophetic Gift reveals she’s the Seed of Light chosen to restore the Crown, his overwhelming attraction to the women threatens his long-held plan for revenge and two decades of fidelity.

Abby Randall is inexplicably transported from Dallas to the medieval land of Jastain. There she meets Avant, who claims she’s the foretold champion of his people. While the hot guy has her hormones pumping, his crazy talk of defeating an evil king leaves questions to his sanity. Through his supernatural Gift, Avant transplants his memories into her, but neither are prepared for how their hearts intertwine.

Together they embark on their quest, but when Abby and Avant come face to face with destiny, will they sacrifice what matters most to provide a happily-ever-after for the people of Jastain?

Excerpt:

When Avant climbed back to the cave, his hair was wet. He’d slicked it back from his face and tied it into a little ponytail with a leather string. The sexy shadow of a light beard softened his angular jaw, and the thick waves of his hair shined with chestnut highlights in the morning sun. It was a good look for him, but then again, what wasn’t? Abby ran her fingers through her own tangled tresses and pulled her hair back. What she wouldn’t give for a hairclip.

“Would you like a thong for your hair?”

She giggled at the word thong, certain that what she pictured was not what he referenced. “Do you have an extra one? I’d like to get it out of my face, and I don’t have anything.” Actually she had her own thong, but she sure as hell wasn’t putting it in her hair.

He immediately unlaced the tie at the neck of his shirt and handed it to her.

She gasped and put a hand to her face to hide the heat in her cheeks as his shirt fell open below his breast bone. “You don’t have to do that.”

Her blood coursed wildly at the sight of the smooth muscles of his chest. A soft sprinkling of dark hair beckoned her fingers. She swallowed hard.

 “It’s all right. Please use it. It will be a hard day’s journey with hair in your face.” His words rang in her mind so sincerely she forgot her embarrassment, but her eyes kept flitting to his heavenly chest.

“Thank you, Avant, and not only for the lace but for everything you’re doing to help me.”

Holding her gaze, he nodded once, and her heart fluttered. Was it getting warm in the cave? She wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead.

 “It is time to be off if we are to make it to the next shelter before nightfall.” He picked up his pack and walked to the mouth of the cave. She grabbed her bag and followed.

Climbing down proved to be more difficult than going up. The muscles required to lower herself from one level to the next worked her thighs and butt like no gym equipment she’d ever experienced. It was like doing hours of squats. She trudged down the mountain with the previous day’s tumult weighting her down like the “freshman ten.” Avant helped her along on the steeper steps, but, for the most part, she made them on her own, clippity-clopping in those damned Docinis all the way.

When he reached the bottom, he disappeared around an outcropping. Abby took the last little step to the base and hurried after him. As she turned the corner, Avant grabbed her arm and spun her around. Driving her back against the rock, he pressed the length of his rigid body against her. His face, barely three inches from hers, clenched in thin lines of stress. Her heart raced…with fear.

She was pretty sure it was fear.

More here on amazon

About Kary Rader

Kary Rader is a part-time Twitter sage, stay-at-home mother of three, and slave to the characters and worlds inside her head. Always creative, she’s drawn to stories with fantastical worlds and creatures. With a little bit of magic and divine guidance, there isn’t anything that can’t be accomplished with words. It’s the power of words that creates and destroys. Vanquishing evil and injustice while finding eternal love in the process is all in a day’s work. With the help of her critique partners and master cartographer imaginary places come to life.

 You can find her at:

www.karyrader.com

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Celebrating Earth Day and my book contract for the 2nd book in my series, An Angel Falls, I’m visiting over at a couple of my favorite bloggers sites and I am giving away 2 e-copies of Death Lies Between Us

For an amazing look into Death Lies Between Us and its author, pop on over to Author Open MIC on Wicked Romance Blog page. Jean Murray is hosting me and offering an ecopy of Death Lies to one lucky person. This giveaway will run April 22-29. Make sure to comment and enter the rafflecopter.

and…

Read a special excerpt from Death Lies Between Us and enter to win an e-copy of Death Lies Between Us here: Alythia Brown.com This giveaway is open from April 22-26 (These giveaways have ended)

Earth Day is a wonderful day to celebrate, but I also have another reason to dance and jump up and down in celebration. Book two of the An Angel Falls series has just been signed to Crescent Moon Press. Release day TBD.

What others are saying about Death Lies Between Us.

“This story was very well paced. The characters were engaging, showed depth, character growth, and a lot of emotions. The conflict was well written, had some good plot twists, and a good amount of information to fill in any questions you might have about the Native American mythology and beliefs.
I really, really enjoyed this first book by Jody A. Kessler. Personally I’d suggest it for anyone that’s a fan of Amy Plum’s Revenant series or Kelley Armstrong’s Darkness Rising series. I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!” Paranormal Reads

“The author has managed to write a story which pulls the reader in very quickly. There are so many different elements within its pages but they all work well together. I couldn’t wait to see how she would pull it off, or if these 2 two were destined to forever be apart. The ending will surprise some, but it is perfect in my opinion. I look forward to seeing what comes next from this author.” F.W. at I heart Books

“Death Lies Between Us is a fascinating paranormal romance that has twists and turns that can’t be predicted. I was on the edge of my seat, flipping pages furiously through most of the book. Jody A. Kessler has created the beginning of a series that keeps you wanting more. The story is tightly woven and flows beautifully from beginning to end. The supporting characters are just as well written as the main characters. There are those you love, those you hate, and some you just can’t quite wrap your head around. This is definitely an author, and a series, to keep your eyes on!” My Book Addiction

The Grave Winner by Lindsey Loucks

WOW! I love this cover. The moonlight over the graveyard is spectacular and the girl sitting by the spiderweb speaks straight to my goth-girl at heart alter ego. Congratulations to Ms. Loucks and her amazing cover artist, Liliana Sanches!

The Grave Winner, from Crescent Moon Press, will be released May 15, 2013. I can’t wait to start reading it. Here is a little more information about the novel and the author.

The Grave Winner

Leigh Baxton is terrified her mom will come back from the dead — just like the prom queen did.

While the town goes beehive over the news, Leigh bikes to the local cemetery and buries some of her mom’s things in her grave to keep her there. When the hot and mysterious caretaker warns her not to give gifts to the dead, Leigh cranks up her punk music and keeps digging.

She should have listened.

Two dead sorceresses evicted the prom queen from her grave to bury someone who offered certain gifts. Bury them alive, that is, then resurrect them to create a trio of undead powerful enough to free the darkest sorceress ever from her prison inside the earth.

With help from the caretaker and the dead prom queen, Leigh must find out what’s so special about the gifts she gave, and why the sorceresses are stalking her and her little sister. If she doesn’t, she’ll either lose another loved one or have to give the ultimate gift to the dead – herself.

Lindsey R. Loucks works as a school librarian in rural Kansas. When she’s not discussing books with anyone who will listen, she’s dreaming up her own stories. Eventually her brain gives out, and she’ll play hide and seek with her cat, put herself in a chocolate induced coma, or watch scary movies alone in the dark to reenergize.

She’s been with her significant other for almost two decades.

Links:

Add The Grave Winner to Goodreads.  Check out Lindsey’s website.

Follow Lindsey on Facebook. Follow Lindsey on Twitter.

Speak of the Devil by Shawna Romkey    Crescent Moon Press — 2013

What can I say about Ms. Romkey’s debut novel? It is crazy good! Here is a review I wrote up. If you want a great read, I highly recommend this novel. Cheers!

A fun, entertaining, and light read — with a hint of dark.

I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book. The author has a quirky and smart sense of humor that comes across through her characters.

Lily is an average mid-western girl who is a bit nerdy and just wants to get through high school with her two best friends. When tragedy strikes, Lily moves to St. Louis, starts a new school, and suddenly finds herself surrounded by a group of not so normal drama students. At first sight she feels an instant connection with Luc, but Luc’s friend, Mo, makes the first move on Lily, and Luc fades into the background — but not for long. When Lily begins to lose all hope that she will ever feel like a regular teenager again, she has a heavenly encounter with her deceased best friend and begins to realize that there may be more to heaven and earth than she realized.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers but let’s just say that Lily and I were both equally surprised to find out what her “new friends” — including Luc and Mo — are up to. The plot has plenty of action to keep the story moving along at a quick pace, but also enough down time so I didn’t feel like the story was forced or unbelievable.

Horns and tails vs. halos and wings? If you’re feeling intrigued, you’ll have to give Speak of the Devil a read and find out  how Lily survives a battle of good versus evil while falling in love.

From beginning to end this is a great book! Shawna Romkey does an excellent job creating a world where Angels walk among us — though they may forget their purpose, or even fall from grace.  Great writing, creative, and so entertaining. I can’t wait for book two.

I had privilege of receiving an advanced copy of Shawna Romkey’s debut novel, Speak of the Devil. It is fantastic! If you would like to purchase your own copy,

here is a link to amazon. Available in ebooks and paperback.

Back cover blurb

What happens when falling in love and falling from grace collide?

After dying in a car accident with her two best friends, Lily miraculously awakens to grief and guilt. She escapes to her dad’s to come to terms with the event and meets some people at her new school who seem all too eager to help her heal. Sliding deeper into sorrow and trying to fight her feelings for two of them, she finds out who…what they really are and that they are falling too.

Can she find the strength to move on from the past, reconcile her feelings for Luc, find a way to stop a divine war with fallen angels, and still pass the eleventh grade?
A little about the author

Shawna grew up in around farms in the heart of Missouri but went to the University of Kansas, was raised in the US but now lives on the ocean in Nova Scotia with her husband, two sons, two rescue dogs and one overgrown puppy from hell. She’s a non-conformist who follows her heart.

She has her BA in creative writing from the University of Kansas where one of her plays was chosen by her creative writing professor to be produced locally, and two of her short stories were published in a university creative arts handbook. She earned her MA in English from Central Missouri State University where she wrote a novel as her thesis.

She’s taught English at the university and secondary levels for close to twenty years and can’t quite fathom how all of her students have grown up, yet she’s managed to stay the same. She’s a huge geek and fan of Xena, Buffy and all kick ass women, and loves to write stories that have strong female characters.

Visit her website www.shawnaromkey.com

or connect with her here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shawna-Romkey-Author/137998326331706?ref=hl

https://twitter.com/sromkey

http://pinterest.com/shawnarp/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6869437.Shawna_Romkey

A short excerpt from Death Lies Between Us.  The first kiss…

He turns to stand in front of me, silent as a shadow. His hand lifts out of the dark. His fingertips brush the underside of my chin gently tipping my face up to his. How does he move and make no sound?  His fingers move to my temple, brushing away a hair then trailing down to the edge of my jaw where they halt. He watches my face and looks into my eyes. I feel a surge of loneliness from somewhere deep inside him. I don’t understand it or have time to dwell on it but it makes me want to hold onto him. His gaze lowers to my mouth.

He’s so close. I didn’t see it before, but he glows. The slightest iridescent shimmer encapsulates him, so totally different than the way Chris’s aura looked. He smells good too, like I remembered, and more. It’s so familiar, but I can’t say where from. The ozone smell of clean air after a storm and hints of cinnamon and honey swirled in cream. It’s intoxicating. Even the feel of him standing near me is like a caress passing over my skin. I can’t believe myself. I’m going to let this vague stranger kiss me, and I want him to.

First kiss……or is it? You’ll have to read the novel to find out what happens.

Resurrecting Harry by Constance Phillips

Most of us have heard of the great Harry Houdini, master escape artist and illusionist, but maybe you didn’t know that he died rather young, at 52, and not from a failed escape attempt, but from complications after a ruptured appendix. Constance Phillips has taken the somewhat well known story of Harry Houdini and added a beautiful twist.

After Harry passes away, he leaves behind the love of his life — Bess. Resurrecting Harry is a story about what could have happened to Bess if Harry had been able to make the greatest escape of all — escaping death. The story begins when an awe-inspiring and supernatural spirit named Jaden, offers Harry a chance to return to life and his beloved Bess. However, there is a catch, Harry must assume a different body and not tell anyone who he really is, especially his wife. His new persona is the young and handsome Erich Welch. Erich/Harry now has only one month to convince Bess not to contact Harry via a séance on the one year anniversary of his death. If she cancels, Harry will be granted a second chance to live the rest of his life with his true love.  Unfortunately Bess is being heavily influenced by her friends; friends that Harry does not trust.

I was immediately drawn into the story and the history.  Resurrecting Harry is a wonderful tale of how love endures and conquers everything, even death. It is beautifully written and told through both Harry’s and Bess’s points of view. The transformation of Harry’s feeling and attitudes throughout the novel are believable and moving. The interactions between the other characters in Resurrecting Harry are well developed, interesting, and kept me turning pages as fast as I could. I won’t give away any spoilers, but I thoroughly enjoyed the interplay between the characters and the suspenseful ending. I was touched by the writing and felt the author captured the lengths to which men will go to honor, protect, and love the women in their lives.

I was given an advance reader copy (ARC) of Resurrecting Harry from the author. The novel is absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend it. I also had a chance to interview Constance Phillips. She willingly put up with me and answered a few of my questions.

What inspired you to write a novel about Harry Houdini and his wife?

There were several things about their story that attracted me, but it really all boils down to the love story.

I’m a sucker for a love-at-first site story and always love stories about fated souls. While it’s romantic that she never found love again and spent several years conducting séances on the anniversary of Harry Houdini’s death, I also found it tragic. I always want that happily-ever-after.

I was in the car one day (all of my best story ideas seem to come to me while I’m driving) and was struck with the thought “What if Harry Houdini had escaped death?” I did want a spiritual contact from the other world, but truly escaped death.

I sat down later that day and wrote the first, short chapter – which really hasn’t changed much in all the revisions. Once I had that foundation, there was no looking back. I knew it was a story I had to write.

What was the most fascinating or intriguing thing you learned about Harry, or Bess, while doing your research for the novel?

He was really a fascinating man. I knew about his dislike for spiritualists and the coded message that had been promised from beyond the grave, before I started writing the book. What I wasn’t aware of was his meager beginnings and how hard he worked to gain success. (Though, that isn’t really surprising given the level of his success.)

I was also intrigued by how Bess was really a partner in their act.

Do you only write paranormal?

No. I do write contemporary stories, too.

What are you currently working on?

I’ve just finished polishing a short story that is in the Fairyproof world and am about to start revising the rough draft I have for a second full-length novel that would follow up Fairyproof (and hopefully this short.).

I’m also trying to polish two contemporary stories (One full length and one short) and hope to start writing a follow-up to Resurrecting Harry soon.

What is your writing space like?

I have a room in my home that is designated as my ‘office space.’ When my kids were younger, they attended a digital academy from home and we had their school computers and my space set up in that room so I could write and help them with their school work.

Though I still have that space, I most often write on my laptop in my favorite recliner after my house has emptied out in the morning. I have recently been able to cut back to working only afternoons in my husband’s company so those precious morning hours have become my writing time.

Other than writing or reading, do you have a favorite hobby or pastime?

Uhm…is watching those reality shows on Discovery and the History channel a hobby? I’ve recently started stringing beads. My ninety-two-old grandmother got me started over the holidays.

Coffee or tea? Perhaps other?

Before noon, I have to have my coffee. After noon, I switch to diet coke.

Will you share something that is on your bucket list?

I would love to see the world. Australia, Greece and Italy are three countries that I would absolutely love to see before I die.

Blurb      You can get a copy here Amazon

Can the greatest escape artist ever known break the grim reaper’s chains to save the only woman he’s ever loved?

In order to save Bess from self-destruction, Harry Houdini puts his afterlife on the line by entering a wager with purgatory’s keeper. He gives Harry a younger face and body, and a new name: Erich Welch.

Bess clings to his promise to deliver a coded message from beyond the grave, determined to provide the bridge for him to cross, even if that means befriending her husband’s sworn enemy.

Erich needs to help Bess over her loss and put her on the road to healing, but will any good come from resurrecting Harry?

About Constance

Constance Phillips lives in Ohio with her husband, two ready-to-leave-the-nest children, and four canine kids. Her perfect fantasy vacation would involve hunting Dracula across Europe with her daughter, who also digs that kind of stuff. When she’s not writing about fairies, shifters, vamps, and guardian angels, she’s working side-by-side with her husband in their hardwood flooring business.

Constance is actively involved in her local Romance Writers of America chapter (MVRWA) and the Southeast Michigan chapter of the United States Pony Club. When not writing or enjoying the outdoors, she loves reality television or can be found at a Rick Springfield concert (just look for the pink Converse high tops).

Constance blogs regularly at www.constancephillips.com. You can also follow her on Twitter or friend her on Facebook.

Website/blog: http://constancephillips.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6470282.Constance_Phillips

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ConstancePhillipsRomanceAuthor?ref=hl

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CPhillips

Today’s spotlight is on The Last Keeper’s Daughter, by Rebecca Trogner. Releasing today from Crescent Moon Press. Congratulations Rebecca!

The Last Keeper’s Daughter   

Born into old money, Lily Ayres lives at Waverly, her family’s estate situated at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Paris, Virginia.  She is a strange, small, almost mute, young woman who has no idea that her father has given her to the Vampire King Krieger.  Walter Ayres is the King’s Keeper and part of a secret society of historians who unearth, preserve, and attempt to understand relics of long forgotten civilizations.

Lily has never felt comfortable in the human world, but after she suspiciously falls down a flight of stone steps, and is healed and claimed by Krieger, she realizes there is another world.  In this Other Realm she feels a sense of belonging, and begins to untwine the mysterious event which left her mentally and psychologically damaged.  When Walter disappears in England, Lily works with human and supernatural beings to uncover his whereabouts.  With each new discovery, she is pulled deeper into the vortex of magic, intrigue, and dark desires that permeates the supernatural world.  The revelations revealed unfold a story of deception and betrayal that threaten to tear the thin veil between the supernatural and human world asunder.

To get your own copy, visit amazon http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Keepers-Daughter-ebook/dp/B00BEGPGBM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360935708&sr=8-1&keywords=the+last+keeper%27s+daughter

About the Author:

Rebecca Trogner lives in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia, and frequently crosses the Blue Ridge Mountains that were the inspiration for Krieger’s home. She always dreamed of being a writer, but got sidetracked by the day-to-day adventures of life. With the encouragement of her family, she has finished her first novel and is currently writing the next book in The Last Keeper’s Daughter series. Rebecca lives with her husband and son, and a rescue dog named Giblet. To find out more about the author visit www.rebeccatrogner.com.