Archangel's Desire

Monday, March 31, 2014

Book Blast & Giveaway: Beyond The Veil by @pippadacosta

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Book Blast

 

 

clip_image002Beyond The Veil

The Veil Series

Book 1

Pippa DaCosta

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Date of Publication: 7th Feb 2014

ISBN: 1494242354

ASIN: B00IA3S97K

Number of pages: 250

Word Count: 70,000

Cover Artist: Celairen Art

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Book Description:

“They say I’m half demon, but I like to think of myself as half human, especially as the demons want me dead.”

Charlie Henderson is living a lie. Her real name is Muse and her attempt at a normal life is about to go up in smoke.

When a half-demon assassin walks into her life, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, Muse must return to the one man she hoped never to see again and ask for help. The Prince of Greed isn’t known for his charity. The price is high, but the cost could tear her apart.

Trapped between the malevolent intentions of a Prince of Hell, an assassin with ulterior motives, and all of demon-kind, Muse must embrace the lure of chaos at her core; the demon inside her, in order to survive.

When your ex is the Prince of Greed, you'd better be ready to raise hell.

Excerpt

I should have known he’d be trouble as soon as he walked into my workshop, but I couldn’t have known he’d be the death of me. He wore a three-quarter length red leather coat, had platinum blond hair long enough to sweep back out of his eyes, and sported scuffed Timberland boots, but if the goose bumps shivering across my skin were anything to go by, he clearly was not as human as his appearance had me believe.

At first, I tried to ignore him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me hesitate. A quick glance at my dusty clock told me it was late, past midnight, and I’d be damned if I was going to drop everything just because he’d invited himself in. I continued to work on the sword resting on the anvil before me. I hammered out imperfections in the blade’s surface with renewed vigor, metal singing at each blow. Behind me, the coal forge roared. Rolling waves of heat branded my back. I told myself it was sweltering temperatures sprinkling perspiration across my face and back, making my scruffy tank top cling to me, but in truth, it was fear.

Picking up the unfinished sword with gloved hands, I turned and plunged the blade into the glowing coals before facing my uninvited guest. He’d given himself the tour of my cramped workshop, seeming to admire the various swords on display, some unfinished, some as close to art as I was ever going to get. Shame I couldn’t wield them as well as I could craft them.

“Well?” I managed to instil some genuine irritation in my words in the hope it would disguise the anxiety building inside me. I tried to flick my hair out of my face but a few strands stubbornly clung to my sweaty cheek.

“Impressive.” He nodded once and turned arctic-blue eyes on me before flashing what he probably thought was a knee-weakening smile.

If my guest expected me to gush and swoon, he was in for a shock. “Who are you, and what the hell do you want?” It was late. I was tired. He wasn’t human. I figured I was within my rights to be blunt.

His expression tightened. “You’re Muse, right?” He tossed a gesture at the stuffy workshop. “I was expecting something…else.”

I hadn’t heard that nickname in years. Muse was a tag left over from dark days I didn’t wish to revisit.

Approaching me, he reached inside his coat. I caught a flicker of light slide over a handgun tucked into his waistband and tensed. An unusual motif, like entwined scorpions, adorned the grip. But he didn’t reach for the gun. He withdrew a sword and rested it on my anvil. “I want you to read this.”

I tugged off my glove and skipped my fingers over the smooth surface of the blade. The metal burned cold against my insolent touch, as though the sword resented my presence. It was a wonderful piece of workmanship. The ripple - or hamon - below the surface of the carbon-steel blade hinted at Japanese origins, and the tempered edge was sharp enough to slice through flesh with little effort. An intricate hand-forged guard and leather-wrapped hilt betrayed the sword as functional but with a flair for the dramatic, and yet it was clearly a weapon meant for combat, not ceremony.

A thin snap of power danced up my fingers, and with a small hiss, I snatched my hand back. This sword would not easily give up its secrets. “What’s in it for me?”

“What do you want?”

Now there was a loaded question. I didn’t know what or who he was, and had no idea how much he could afford or what the stakes involved. “It depends on what I’m going to find. If we’re talking murder, then I want danger money. If it’s just a lovers’ tiff you’re interested in, a few hundred should do it. I’m assuming you want recent information. If you need me to go back more than five years, it’ll be another two hundred.”

“Or I could walk out of here now and tell the world where you are. I know there are a few unsavoury characters from your checkered past who’d be very grateful for the heads-up on your whereabouts.” His smooth voice and slight smile belied the threat in his words.

I smiled tightly, my first smile since his arrival. “Now, there, you see? We were having a civilized conversation, and you just had to go and spoil it by threatening me.”

“Why don’t you just read the blade, and I can leave you to get on with your–” he cast a glance about him, “–work?”

And now he’d insulted me. “I’m not telling you anything until you give me more to go on.” Who did he think he was talking to? Some back alley half-human woman who would fall over her own feet to do his bidding? He might know my name, but he obviously didn’t know me.

He blinked, before turning back on the charm, as if I could be bought by a handsome face. “You’re right. I’m sorry. A few hundred, was it?” He dug deep into his coat pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. Without counting it, he tossed it onto the anvil. “That should cover it.”

I tugged my glove back on, pinching the heatproof fabric between each finger. “I think you should leave.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Just read the sword, Muse.”

I didn’t have time to humor assholes, especially those of the demon persuasion. “Get out.”

He pulled his distinctive gun on me, finger resting firmly on the trigger, aim rigid. “You will do this for me.” It wasn’t an order. It was fact–at least as far as he was concerned.

“Go back to hell,” I sneered, before reaching around and snatching the blade from the forge, flinging both the half-finished sword and some hot coals at him. He recoiled, cursing as the embers bounced off his coat. I dashed for the doors. My hand was on the handle, when he slammed into me, knocking the breath from my lungs.

He thrust the gun under my chin, freezing me rigid. “Why do you have to be so difficult?”

I really didn’t want this to escalate. Bad shit happens when she comes out to play. The darkness slumbering at my core began to unfurl, opening like the petals of a flower, but its intent was far from delicate. The trickling touch of power spilled into my muscles. Heat flooded through my body. The warmth of my element embraced me, threading itself through every part of me, the lure of chaos undeniable.

He abruptly released me and took a few steps back, gun up. His narrow glare measured me.

I pressed my back against the workshop door. Power dripped from my fingertips. I couldn’t see it—the human part of me was blind to the energy—but he could. His arctic eyes blazed with a promise of conflict.

He appeared to consider his next move and then, quite unexpectedly, laughed and lowered the gun, tucking it back into the holster inside his coat. “You’re right. This isn’t worth it.” With his hands up, as if in surrender, he turned and retrieved the sword in question before weaving his way back around workbenches toward me.

“I’ll leave you in peace.”

“What?” His sudden change in mood completely disarmed me.

“Step aside. I’m leaving.”

Surprised by his abrupt surrender, I did as he asked and watched him slide the door open and step out into the night. A sharp winter breeze invaded the heat of my workshop, rousing me from my muddled stupor. Confused and somewhat disappointed, I followed him out into the alley. The raw energy he’d aroused began to fizzle out. Its departure left me with a sickly chill and bitter sense of loss.

He climbed into the driver’s side of an old Dodge Charger with rust-bruised red paint. I had no idea who he was, where he’d come from, how he’d found me, or what lay hidden in that damn sword. And he was leaving. That couldn’t be right. Didn’t I deserve some sort of explanation?

“Hey!” I ventured further into the street.

Headlights bathed me in twin beams, forcing me to shield my eyes. He gunned the engine, jammed the box into reverse, and swung the car backward into a J-turn before speeding off, fat tires squealing on wet asphalt.

I stood in the street, hand on hip, head tilted to one side and breathed the crisp night air, clearing my lungs of forge-dust. Then the shockwave hit me. The explosion lashed across my back. I must have briefly lost consciousness, but the furious pain in my back quickly summoned me from the depths. A whine drilled into my skull. Alarms sounded from the industrial units around me.

I turned my head toward the heat, grit digging into my cheek as I peered into the smoke bellowing from the hollow gap between two buildings.

My workshop had gone and with it, my attempt at a normal life.

Giveaway

   

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

About The Author

 

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Born in Tonbridge, Kent in 1979, Pippa's family moved to the South West of England where she grew up amongst the dramatic moorland and sweeping coastlands of Devon & Cornwall. With a family history brimming with intrigue, complete with Gypsy angst on one side and Jewish survivors on another, she has the ability to draw from a patchwork of ancestry and use it as the inspiration for her writing. Happily married and the Mother of two little girls, she resides on the Devon & Cornwall border.

www.pippadacosta.com

www.theveilseries.co.uk

www.facebook.com/theveilseries

www.twitter.com/pippadacosta

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20776238-beyond-the-veil

Author Interview with Author Ruthie Henrick

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Today on the blog we have author Ruthie Henrick here for an interview. Ruthie is the author of Twice in a Lifetime, one of today’s book blasts. We would like to thank Ruthie for stopping by and sharing with us.

 

About Ruthie -

clip_image002Hi there! I'm Ruthie Henrick, and I’m an Arizona girl. I write romantic women’s fiction and contemporary romance.

I’ve always been an avid reader, even as a child. I’ll read just about anything, but I love anything with romance in it. I am a romance junkie.

I first started writing a couple of years ago. I’ve never been that person who dreamed about being an author or loved telling stories. I used to try making up bedtime stories when my kids were little and I’d draw a blank every time. But an idea had been running through my mind for a while so I decided to start typing and see where it led. Three months later I had a really good first draft. Let me tell you, nobody was more surprised than me!

I love music, especially country music, and that’s generally the soundtrack to whatever I have going on. At work, doing housework, in the car—the music is always on. Except when I write—that I have to do in silence.

We have three sons and they’re all grown and scattered around the country, but the Big Kahuna and I are still ruled by a fifteen-year-old deaf Pekinese with OCD. Life is interesting!

I’m not much of a TV watcher, except for shows like The Voice and American Idol. Gives me lots of time to write, and read. Like many of you, I have a one-click compulsion. The number of unread books on my Kindle is really embarrassing.

I love chatting with other readers, sharing my favorite books and authors, and discovering those new to me. Come by and hang out with me on any of my social media.

Media Links-

Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Amazon

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Author Interview

 

Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?

I never aspired to write. I’ve always been an office manager and a bookkeeper. I generally enjoyed the offices I worked in and am good at what I do, but my poor husband has had to listen to me complain (yes, we should probably call it whine) forever that I felt there was something else I should be doing. Something creative that would satisfy my soul. Well, as I was writing my novel and loving every minute of it, I realized…THIS WAS IT!

When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?

I probably didn’t consider myself a writer until after I’d completed the manuscript for Twice in a Lifetime. It was the first novel I’ve attempted—the process of writing was still very new and surprising to me. And honestly, I felt that wherever this story was coming from, it could just disappear and go back there without warning.

How long did it take to get your first book published?

It took me about fourteen months from the time I finished my first draft until I hit publish.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?

Twice in a Lifetime. Is it possible to find your one true love…twice?

Who is your publisher? Or do you self-publish?

I am self-published

What can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?

 Right now I’m working on several different projects, but I love writing contemporary romance. The book I hope to release next is a small town contemporary romance that’s full of quirky characters and witty dialogue. I also have another contemporary romance about a couple struggling to get the spark back in their marriage and basic outlines for three more books in the Love Found series. I need to become a faster writer!

What made you decide to write that genre of book?

I guess I write what I like to read!

Do you have a favorite character from your books? And why are they your favorite?

 I love all the characters in Twice in a Lifetime, even the self-absorbed bitch, but I have a soft spot for Jake. He’s such a guy’s guy, yet he knows how to make a woman feel special.

Who or what inspired you to write?

I honestly don’t know what inspired me to write Twice in a Lifetime. Actually, I call it the book I wrote on accident. I’ve never been that person who dreamed about being an author or loved telling stories. I used to try making up bedtime stories when my kids were little and I’d draw a blank every time. So when these characters came to me with their story and then started waking me up in the middle of the night with their chattering mostly I just wanted them to go away, haha! I decided maybe if I started writing down their story they’d be happy and leave me alone. Let me tell you, nobody was more surprised than me when they didn’t shut up for two whole months and I ended up with an entire novel!

Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?

There’s a lot of controversy about whether an author should read her reviews or not, but I do read them all. I appreciate the time readers take to let me know what she did or didn’t like about my book.

Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?

::Chuckles:: I think this book had three previous titles before I finally came up with Twice in a Lifetime. But once that title popped into my head I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before because it’s perfect.

How do you come up with characters names and place names in your books?

It’s funny, but my characters all seem to come to me fully formed with names, faces and voices. Places not so much. Generally I just try to come up with something that fits the situation, then Google it to make sure it doesn’t already exist. Sparky’s (the pub where the blind date occurs in Twice in a Lifetime) was fairly easy because that’s the mascot’s name for the local university. In the small town contemporary I’m working on right now I needed a name for the town. The setting is in Tennessee—I went through about thirty possible names and was nearly ready to move my fictional town to Georgia when I finally came up with something I liked that wasn’t already the name of a real town.

Are character names and place names decided after their creation?

Or do you pick a character/place name and then invent them? Either way. Sometimes I know I need a certain character or place and then decide on the details. Sometimes they just invite themselves into the book and then I need to decide what to do with them.

Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?

 I’m a true pantser once I start writing. All the details are decided on the fly.

Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?

I love them all! eBooks are easy because I can take them anywhere in my phone. I still prefer paperbacks to read outside, and I have certain authors that I only buy in hardback—true keepers.

Your favorite singer/group is?

I am a huge country music fan, and Chris Young is my music boyfriend!

Your favorite color is?

Blue

Your favorite Author is?

My favorite author of all time is LaVeryle Spencer. I started reading her contemporary and historical romances years ago and love her characters and story lines.

Remember to check out the book blast below to find out more about this amazing author and her book, and don’t forget to enter the rafflecopter.

Book Blast, Giveaway & Dreamcast: Twice in a Lifetime by @RuthieHenrick

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Presented by:
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http://picasion.com/gl/2NTF/


coverslideTitle: Twice in a Lifetime
Author: Ruthie Henrick
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Audience: due to mild sexual content, recommended for 17+
Formats: trade paperback and eBook
Publisher: self-published
Cover by: Regina Wamba of Mae I Designs
No of Pages: 349 paperback
ISBN: 978-0-9914164-1-7 (eBook) Sorry, not sure what the 10 and 13 is. These are the numbers assigned.
ISBN: 978-0-9914164-0-0 (paperback)
ASIN: B00HZZZBIE
Date Published: January 24, 2014
 









 

 

 


 

http://picasion.com/gl/2NT4/
 
 
Is it possible to find your one true love…twice?
Blind date. When Allie and Ben are thrown together to help their friends out of a bind, they find the unexpected—and unwanted—spark of attraction difficult to ignore. Surrendering to it, they marry and live their happyish-ever-after—until Ben’s death reveals a betrayal that rocks Allie’s world.
The sidelines. Where Jake has hovered for the past fifteen years, business partners with his best friend, in love with his best friend’s wife. He’s shocked by Ben's duplicity, overcome by the guilt of a deathbed promise. But he’s waited half a lifetime for a chance to love Allie, and it’s time to make his move.
Marriage. Allie might be ready to take the slow slide from friend to lover, but a lifetime is a leap she won’t agree to. She can’t deprive Jake of the family he’s never had, but longs for—the family she can no longer give him. How can she refuse him, though, when he sets out to prove the only family he needs—has ever wanted—is her?


http://picasion.com/gl/2NTH/
 
 
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His hands forged a path down her rib cage, her abdomen tightening with a quick intake of breath as his thumbs grazed the sides of lace-covered breasts. The mewl of satisfaction that escaped on her gasp had his erection throbbing. His breaths came in harsh gasps. He dropped to his knees. His work-roughened palms rasped against the satiny skin of her hips as he tugged open the snap of her jeans and lowered the zipper. “Jesus, Allie, did you paint these on? Help me out here.” With a laugh she wriggled until he had the curve-hugging denim down and off.
Lust threatened to consume him as he uncovered her silky limbs and left her standing in nothing but mind-altering scraps of pink silk. She palmed his head, her fingers tickling through his hair and across his scalp as his hands explored the firmness of her toned runner’s thighs, roamed her trim hips and kneaded the lush globes of her ass. Jesus, she was…perfect. Better than anything good and soft he could ever imagine. He dragged open– mouth kisses over the front of her panties and was rewarded when she drew in a ragged shudder. His heart raced in his chest.
More. He needed more and he needed it now. Needed to bury himself –. Ah, fuck! Abruptly, he tightened his arms around her thighs and dropped his forehead to her belly. “Shit.”
Her hands held him close. “Not the reaction I was looking for, Jake.”


  TIAL 1st Kiss Teaser
 
 
 
http://picasion.com/gl/2NU5/
 
 
 
dreamcast
 
 
 
 
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Signed paperback of Twice in a Lifetime by Ruthie Henrick
Twice in a Lifetime bookmark signed by Ruthie Henrick
eBook copy of Man of My Dreams by Faith Andrews
eBook copy of Keep Me by Faith Andrews
eBook copy of Mr. Good Enough by Jamie Farrell
eBook copy of Midsummer Sweetheart (Heart of Montana #2) by Katy Regnery
eBook copy of Another Shot at Love by Niecey Roy
eBook copy of Lighthouse Point by Lisa Poston Murphy
eBook copy of Torn by Eleanor Green
eBook copy of Rumor Has It by Elisabeth Grace
Rumor Has It bookmark signed by Elisabeth Grace
Picture Perfect bookmark signed by Elisabeth Grace
eBook copy of Away by B.A. Wolfe
Away bookmark signed by B.A. Wolfe
eBook copy of Searching for Tomorrow by Kathryn McNeill Crane
eBook copy of Divided by Livia Jamerlan
 
 
 
http://picasion.com/gl/2NUj/
 
 
clip_image009Hi there! I'm Ruthie Henrick, and I’m an Arizona girl. I write romantic women’s fiction and contemporary romance.
I’ve always been an avid reader, even as a child. I’ll read just about anything, but I love anything with romance in it. I am a romance junkie.
I first started writing a couple of years ago. I’ve never been that person who dreamed about being an author or loved telling stories. I used to try making up bedtime stories when my kids were little and I’d draw a blank every time. But an idea had been running through my mind for a while so I decided to start typing and see where it led. Three months later I had a really good first draft. Let me tell you, nobody was more surprised than me!
I love music, especially country music, and that’s generally the soundtrack to whatever I have going on. At work, doing housework, in the car—the music is always on. Except when I write—that I have to do in silence.
We have three sons and they’re all grown and scattered around the country, but the Big Kahuna and I are still ruled by a fifteen-year-old deaf Pekinese with OCD. Life is interesting!
I’m not much of a TV watcher, except for shows like The Voice and American Idol. Gives me lots of time to write, and read. Like many of you, I have a one-click compulsion. The number of unread books on my Kindle is really embarrassing.
I love chatting with other readers, sharing my favorite books and authors, and discovering those new to me. Come by and hang out with me on any of my social media.


http://picasion.com/gl/2NUk/
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http://picasion.com/gl/2NUl/
 
Tour Schedule - Two Week Blog Tour for Twice In a Lifetime by Ruthie Henrick from March 31 to April 13, 2014.
 
March 31
Karen Swart - Spotlight with Excerpt, Author Interview & Dream Cast
Lisa Poston Murphy - Spotlight with Excerpt
Fiction's Our Addiction - Spotlight with Excerpt, Review, Dream Cast & Character Bio's
Book Gossips - Spotlight with Excerpt, Dream Cast, Playlist
April 1
Kim's Book Blog - Spotlight with Excerpt
April 2
Cu's Ebook Giveaways - Spotlight with Excerpt
K & T Book Reviews - Review, Author Interview & Playlist
Midwest Book Lover - Spotlight with Excerpt
The Whispering Pages Book Blog - Spotlight with Excerpt & Playlist
Faith Andrews - Spotlight with Excerpt, Dream Cast & Playlist
April 3
The Book Diaries - Spotlight with Excerpt
The Whispering Pages Book Blog - Spotlight with Excerpt & Playlist
For the Love of Books by Jaime - Dream Cast & Playlist
April 4
A Love Affair With Books - Spotlight with Excerpt & Review
April 5
Bound 2 Escape - Spotlight with Excerpt
Fictional Rendezvous Book Blog - Spotlight with Excerpt
I Heart Romance Books - Spotlight with Excerpt
April 6
Darkest Cravings - Author Interview, Spotlight with Excerpt & Guest Post
Book Nook Nuts - Spotlight with Excerpt
April 7
Eclipse Reviews - Spotlight with Excerpt, Character Interview & Character Bio’s
April 8
Our New Generation of Reading - Spotlight with Excerpt
Livia Jamerlan - Review
Bibliophile Mystery - Review
A Book A Day - Spotlight with Excerpt & Dream Cast
The Readiacs - Review & Playlist
April 9
Book Hostage - Spotlight with Excerpt
Platypire Reviews - Spotlight with Excerpt
Maria's Book Blog - Spotlight with Excerpt
Celestial Musings - Musings of a Celestial Mind - Spotlight with Excerpt
Book Bitches Blog - Review & Character Bio's
April 10
Niecey Roy's Blog - Author Interview & Playlist
Bookalicious Traveladdict - Spotlight with Excerpt
Bestseller & Beststellars - Review
April 11
Sweets Books - Spotlight with Excerpt
Pretty Little Pages - Spotlight with Excerpt & Review
April 12
Ramblings of a Book Lunatic - Spotlight with Excerpt, Review, Character Bio's & Playlist
Jen's Book Reviews - Spotlight with Excerpt, Review & Character Bio's
April 13
Lustful Literature - Spotlight with Excerpt, Review & Playlist
The Phantom Paragrapher - Review
Blushing Divas Book Reviews - Review
Elisabeth Grace - Author - Spotlight with Excerpt
Carver's Book Cravings - Review & Character Bio's
Three Chicks and Their Books - Review
Panty dropping Book Blog - Spotlight with Excerpt
Bookaholics Blog - Spotlight with Excerpt
Clarissa Wild's Blog - Spotlight with Excerpt & Playlist
Making your book sparkle.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Cover Reveal: The Eternal Gift by @TheEternalGift

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Presented by:
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covergifTitle: The Eternal Gift
Series: The Eternal Series Vol. 1
Author: Candy Crum
Genre: NA Paranormal Romance
Audience:  17+
Formats: Kindle/Paperback
Publisher: Candy Crum
Cover By: Megan Parker with EmCat Designs
Editor: Nathan Squiers with Literary Dark Editing
Pages: 224
ISBN-10: 061546050X
ISBN-13: 978-0615460505
ASIN: B00522J7HS
Exspected Date of Publishing: April 13th, 2014








 


 
 

http://picasion.com/gl/2Obh/
 
 
A young girl (Kailah) discovers that she is from a lost and forgotten powerful Immortal blood line after she meets a strange new physician at work. She begins to have visions and see spirits and has trouble controlling bad things from happening when she is angry. Along the way she discovers the terrible truth about who she is and the incredible power that is locked away deep inside her. Her Immortal ancestors want to use her to destroy the vampire race. Vampires want to use her power to destroy her Immortal ancestors. But hiding in the shadows are those who have been watching her since she was born. They want to help Kailah discover who she is and help her learn to use her abilities. They simply want for her to make the right decision before it's too late. Unfortunately for them time is not on their side and the Rogue Vampires have plans for Kailah no one could have imagined.
 
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http://picasion.com/gl/2Obl/
 
CHAPTER ONE (first half)
The night was cool and thick as it sheathed me in total darkness. The satin shorts and camisole that I’d gone to bed in were now damp from the moisture hanging heavily in the air. Holding my hands in front of my body, I blindly wandered around in blackness as I tried to find some kind of clue that would give me a better picture. My bare feet told me that I was standing on soft ground, the tall grass tickling my calves as I moved. It was possible that I was in a large pasture, though the clean, crisp scent of the air let me know that no large animals were near.
Thunder cracked in the distance and the ominous, coal-black clouds had even chased the moon and stars into hiding, not even the faintest glow giving away their location. It took a moment, but my mind was finally beginning to recognize this place. This was a dream world, one that I’d seen before. With every passing night, with every passing dream, I was able to travel further and further into this illusion as I tried to discover its meaning. I’d had recurring dreams before, but there was something different, disturbing about this one that seemed to speak to me. There was something that I was supposed to learn here and I needed to find it.
The wind began to pick up and I looked to the north, the same direction that I looked to every night. Lightning cascaded across the sky, illuminating the massive, empty pasture in which I stood. The momentary flash brought something to my attention that I’d never seen in the dream before. Two figures stood off in the distance, several yards between them, facing off. Even with great distance between us, I could feel the tension rolling off of them. That must be the dark, heavy feeling in the air that I’d felt: anger, hatred.
Thunder rolled again as the lightning danced across the sky. Using the display to light my path, I ran toward the figures ahead of me. As I approached, a bolt of raw, electric energy reached down from the sky and ignited the immediate area in flames. The swift turn of events stopped me short, nearly throwing me to the ground. The flames spread into a perfect circle as it surrounded both figures, blocking any further approach by me. Sharp chills cut through me from head to toe as I realized that one of them was fully controlling the blaze.
Now that I was closer, I could tell that the figures were women. One woman, maybe an inch or two over five feet tall, stood around fifty feet away, and to my right. Her long, jet-black hair reached just below her hips and whipped around in the increasing wind. As I studied her, I began to see a deep-red, transparent cloud, like an aura surrounding her. She was strong, very strong, and I could feel her overwhelming power from here.
Looking to my left, her opponent was roughly the same height; only her hair was frosty white and hung to her knees. This woman was much different. She was surrounded by an aura cloud as well, though hers was dark blue. Something about her called to me and it took everything I had not to trudge barefooted through the flames to reach her.
Rain began to fall and quickly soaked everything around us, though it was still unable to extinguish the fire. Movement brought me to attention as the white haired woman lifted her arms. The earth began to quake beneath me as it broke free all around her. She looked like a dancer as she maneuvered her body, forcing the element into submission under her power. The packed earth sailed through the air towards the dark haired woman, but she was quick to react.
In a flash, she completely disappeared from my sight, managing to dodge the attack. My eyes moved quickly as I focused to find her. My body locked up as my vision was suddenly clouded with the mysterious dark haired woman as she appeared before me, seemingly out of nowhere. Her dark, emerald green eyes and dilated coal-black pupils stared into mine, glinting in the firelight. Her raven hair seemed alive as it brushed my skin and sent tingles running through my body. Her flawless, olive-toned skin nearly glowed as she stood there, concern in her expression.
“Kailah.” As her soft, sweet voice spoke my name, I inhaled sharply. Though her mouth barely moved as she spoke my name, her perfect, white teeth showed just enough for me to make out four tiny, yet still elongated, razor sharp fangs. My heart fluttered rapidly as I wondered if this woman was the creature that she appeared to be, and if so, how did she know me and what did she want with me?
“Y-yes?” I stammered.
“This is not a dream, Kailah. It’s a warning.” She leaned in closer. “Run,” she whispered.
“Wait, what?” I asked, chills once again stabbing me like thousands of needles running from the roots of my hair to the bare, wet soles of my feet.
Run!”
As soon as I turned to run, the dark thunder cracked overhead and the lightning began touching the ground all around me, trying to hold me where I stood. I heard a loud growl sound out from behind me, but decided not to look back. The earth began to shake again and my bare feet slid on the wet grass, the soft ground cushioning me as I fell hard on my right hip.
“Hello Kailah.” The new voice sent a shiver down my spine as I looked into the icy blue eyes of the white-haired woman.
Though her hair would have suggested otherwise, she looked no older than me: around twenty. Her skin was also olive toned and absolutely flawless, just like the other woman. Though, normally, one would look to the light as salvation and the darkness as hell, I didn’t think that was the case in this situation. Her crystalline blue eyes had death in them and I found myself backing away from her, toward the raven-haired beauty.
She laughed and the sound enveloped me like frigid water. “Kailah, you would choose the Vampire over your own grandmother?”
Before I could digest the words that she had unleashed on me, her attention shifted and the blue aura cloud surrounding her exploded into a barrier. Instinctively, my eyes closed and I threw my hand out as a large throwing knife bounced off the cloudy shield and headed for me.
“It is you!” she said with wonder.
My eyes snapped open and surrounding my hand was the same blue energy that surrounded the white-haired woman, only mine had a throwing knife buried in it. I couldn’t stop the scream that bubbled up out of my throat as the energy dissipated and the knife fell in my lap. What the hell was going on?
Her attention shifted again and with soft, graceful movements, a lightning bolt responded as it split from the sky and reached for her outstretched hand. She caught the energy easily before throwing it at her opponent. Another loud growl sounded out only a moment before something slammed hard into the barrier. That something, I realized, was the woman she had referred to as the Vampire.
Dark red energy swelled around the supposed Vampire as she pushed against the barrier of the opposing woman. “Kailah! She can find you in your dreams! Go, now!” As soon as the order left the raven-haired beauty’s lips, energy exploded from her body as the white-haired woman was thrown several feet away. “This dream is a figment of your own mind but, make no mistake, this is a premonition. You are the key to ending this war and if she finds you, it will doom all humans to a fate worse than death. Leave this realm now and prepare your mind. Your life is about to change.”
 
 
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clip_image006Candy Crum lives in Indiana and is the Author of “The Eternal Series” and other short stories. She published her first novel, The Eternal Gift, in May of 2011 and has been publishing ever since. Candy is an avid lover of the paranormal genre, stemming from years of reading the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice when she was a teenager. Later, she developed a deep love of the Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead and the House of Night Series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, furthering her love of the genre and pushing her to really push to finish and publish her novel.
Since then, Candy has released three other books in The Eternal Series and will release another later in 2014. Now, Candy is trying her hand at more contemporary pieces of work, like that of Lean on Me and other books she will release in 2014.
Some of Candy’s interests include the usual reading and writing, music (of most types), movies (action and comedy or any combination of the two), cartoons (she loves to say that her children watch cartoons because she does), and drawing. She loves talking with her fans and loves reading the reviews that her fans are kind enough to leave for her. Always feel free to find Candy on Facebook and send her a message!

 
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