Category Archives: Excerpt

Excerpt: Friends to Lovers by Christi Barth

18366205Friends to Lovers
(Aisle Bound, #3)
By: Christi Barth
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: Oct. 14, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance

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As florist and co-owner of a successful Chicago wedding planning business, Daphne Lovell has been there for the happiest days of other people’s lives. As for her own life? Well, it’s hard to be perfectly happy when you’re carrying a torch for your sexy, womanizing and oblivious best friend. So when the lights go out on New Year’s Eve, she seizes the opportunity to kiss him senseless.

British expat Gibson Moore has a lot on his plate. The hotel he manages is being bought out, his family is crazy and someone just kissed him in the dark. When the lights go on, he searches the room, trying to find the mystery pair of lips. Only, he never thinks to ask the woman standing by his side. He’s shocked when he discovers that Daphne is the woman he’s been searching for. But Gib’s also eager to act upon the attraction for her he’s always fought to ignore.

It takes trust to move from friends to lovers, and as Gib’s work situation worsens, he is no longer sure he can risk the friendship he relies on most. It’s up to Daphne to convince him that some things are worth fighting for…

 

Excerpt

“How long are you going to make me wait?” Daphne asked, her voice low and breathy.

Gib gave a swift glance up and down the hallway. Had anyone else heard her plea? She couldn’t be asking what he thought. Could she? He tried to back away, but his heel barely moved before hitting the kick guard on the bathroom door. “Pardon me?”

Closing the already-narrow gap between them, Daphne put both hands on his lapels. Then she stroked around in a tight circle. “Come on, Gib. Are you really going to make me beg for it?”  Her right hand dropped to his hip. It slid down his thigh, moved inward just enough that in another second she’d feel his cock twitch at the unexpected visit.

Enough was enough. Daphne was his best friend. Of course he wouldn’t make her beg—unless she was naked. Different rules applied in bed. Now that she’d opened this particular Pandora’s box, the possibilities raced into his brain. In fact, he’d like nothing more than to lick her all over until she begged him to crawl on top of her. Crawl into her.

But for right now, he’d settle for a taste of her. Enough to take the edge of the lust rampant enough to drive Daphne to feel him up in the hallway. Gib grabbed her neck with one hand, her waist with the other, and reversed their positions. He drove her against the wall. Tried not to notice how well he fit into the notch between her thighs. And then he kissed her. Just like she wanted.

Gib unzipped her lips with a single swipe of his tongue. She opened to him, giving access to the hot silk of her mouth. The firm grip he had at her neck allowed him to angle her head up to meet him. Fingers thrust deep into the dandelion-soft glory of her hair. He heard the soft, mewling noise coming from the back of her throat, the rasp of her god-awful skirt against his trousers, the muted buzz of the meeting trickling into the hallway.

But mostly, Gib felt. Felt his cock swell. Her pulse galloping beneath his thumb. The slick mating dance of tongue against tongue a tease for what he now knew to be inevitable. Every stroke a fiery arrow straight to his crotch. Every new inch of her flesh he tasted thickening him, exciting him. Her arms cinched tight around his back, pulling him impossibly closer. This wasn’t a hi, how’s your day kiss. This was a launch sequence countdown begun kiss. Neither of them held back anything.

If Gib didn’t stop right now, he’d push her through that bathroom door. Hitch up that oh-so-handy skirt. Hike her legs around his waist. Take her in a stall until she screamed so loud the front desk would have to come investigate. And Gib was fairly certain that didn’t fall under the parameters Milo had laid out for treating Daphne to a real date.

So he backed off. Reluctantly. With a final, bruising brush of lips. Enough to swell her mouth so she’d run her finger over it in an hour, and think of him. Gib planted one hand on the wall, boxing her in to keep Daphne right where he wanted her. With his other, he stroked the edge of her cheekbone, following the path of summer freckles that refused to fade. “Is that what you wanted?”

She blinked a couple of times. Fast. “No.”

The woman was insatiable! Just the way he liked it. “I can’t give you any more, pet, unless we blow off this meeting. There are about five hundred hotel rooms on top of us. Not as good as mine, naturally. But they’ve all got locks on the doors, which is all we’ll need.” Gib regretted the offer immediately. Now it hung out there, like an X-rated thought balloon over a cartoon character.

The agenda for tonight, for once in his life, did not contain sex. He and Milo had laid out a painstaking plan. A decent amount of flattery as a base. A tip of the hat to their close friendship. Cap it off with the dazzling offer to wine and dine her. No mention of the kiss they’d shared. Milo predicted his roommate to be incapable of physical restraint if it came up. After all, an old dog can’t learn new tricks in a day. Gib had tried to resist. But when a woman rubbed herself on him, why wouldn’t he kiss her?

“Whoa. Did you just offer to do me? And in a rival hotel, of all places?” She cocked her head to the side. Wrinkled her nose. “I’m not sure which I find more insulting.”

 

 

Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage.

A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes contemporary romance.

Christi is President of the Maryland Romance Writers and lives in Maryland with her husband.

Excerpt: Almost Demon by AJ Salem

18586128Almost Demon
(Chamber One of the Sigil Cycle)
By: AJ Salem
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: Oct. 31, 2013
Genre: Paranormal YA

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The last thing Gemma Pope expects to study in the after-school book club is demon etiquette but that is exactly what she has to do to succeed as a summoner and save her hometown.

Since taking the blame for the car accident that claimed the lives of her twin brother and two of her best friends, she s been seeing things. Dark shadows, opaque, menacing, multiplying.

The clock starts ticking when the local mild-mannered librarian suffers a psychotic break and pulls a gun on her reading circle. People are dying in disasters and wars all over the world. Gemma s dad is getting weird, her classmates are becoming violent, and the darkness surrounding Harrisport is getting thicker.

Does she trust hot English Lit teacher Mr. Flynn or Ian, the mysterious new kid in town, who has knowledge beyond his years and access to other dimensions?

It is only when the gates to hell are opened, that Gemma learns who her real friends are.

Discover what lies just beyond the veil of humanity in the sleepy town of Harrisport.

 

Excerpt
The loudspeaker interrupted and let out the single tone meant for school-wide announcements. There was some reverb followed by a pert female voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. This is Principal Kelly speaking. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all back to another productive year of higher learning.However, we must all take a moment to reflect on those who will  not be returning to these halls. Please join me, as well as the esteemed members of the faculty, in a memorial dedication in honor of three shining stars that were extinguished too soon in a senseless car accident: Mimi Yin, Jenny Goodwin, and Brian Pope. We will commence before first lunch in the auditorium. There are also additional counselors on staff this week for anyone who needs it.”

My pulse sped up to a break neck speed. I couldn’t believe it.

“Freak!” I felt something wet hit the side of my cheek. I wiped off the wad of paper encased, no doubt, with a million germs, and kept my eyes on my planner.

“All right then. Let me call roll before you all run out of here.” The familiar drumbeat of panic began throbbing in my head. No way was I going to survive the assembly.

“Gemma Pope.”

“Here,” I replied.

I looked up at the clock perched above the threshold and groaned. It was only forty-five minutes into the school day and I was already fuming. Someone could have warned me about the production the school was going to make, starring my dead brother.

 

authorauthorpic

AJ Salem was born in Haifa, Israel to parents who immigrated from the other side of Dracula’s mountain. She was just a toddler when her family picked up and made the big move to New York where necessity had her learning English from Sesame Street and weekly trips to the public library where her mother encouraged her to stock up on books.

When she isn’t writing or reading, AJ is rearing her four children, crocheting and watching too much British Television.

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Excerpt: Winter Solstice Winter by E.J. Squires

Final Cover WSW-2Winter Solstice Winter
(A Viking Saga, #1)
By: E.J. Squires
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: July 8, 2013
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance

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Seventeen-year-old Ailia has vowed to find out if her recurring mare dreams, of what she thinks are glimpses into her previous life, are real. In her dreams, she is married to her soul mate, and an evil Empress named Eiess pursues and kills her.

Lucia, the heir of the Northlandic Kingdom, will be crowned Sun Queen – the Queen responsible for shifting the seasons each solstice. The eve before Lucia’s eighteenth birthday and coronation, Eiess storms the castle, taking Lucia and her Father prisoner. Eiess immediately instigates the prophesied three-year winter before the end of Midgard when she usurps the throne.

One day, and unbeknownst to her – nearly two years later – Ailia wakes up in a glacier cave cold, beaten, and far away from home. She doesn’t remember how she ended up there or even that she was abducted by the ruthless Vikings. When a healer named Soren rescues her, Ailia can’t help but think that she knows him from somewhere, and that they were fated to meet – and destined to fall in love.

And when Ailia, Lucia and Soren discover a shocking secret that intertwines their destinies, one of them betrays the other two – a betrayal that ultimately puts their lives, and the lives of humanity, in which they had sworn to protect, in grave danger.

 

Excerpt

“Are you the girl who is cursing Bergendal with all these Mare Demons?” A young redheaded boy, wearing a dog mask came up and asked.

“What?” Ailia said. She was stunned.

“My big sister says you are a bad omen, and she says that you are cursing Bergendal by bringing all these Mare Demons here,” the young boy continued.

Now Ailia recognized the boy. He was one of Ailia’s friend’s younger brothers – Siri’s brother. “I am not cursing Bergendal with anything,” Ailia said. She folded her arms across her chest and frowned. “It was just a scary dream.”

“My dad says mare dreams are messages from the dark realms, and that you are attracting beings from the dark realms here to Bergendal. He says you’re cursed.” He pointed his finger at her.

“Stop that!” Ailia said. “You’re embarrassing yourself, and you’re embarrassing me!”

“You are cursed!” he yelled, still pointing his finger at her. A few more people had arrived, stopping to stare. Ailia thought it strange that no one came over and reprimanded the misbehaving boy or came to stand up for her. Finally, Siri came over. Her light ash brown hair was pulled up in a braided up-do.

“Is it true? Did you really tell your brother that I’m a bad omen just because of my dreams?” Ailia asked her.

“I thought you knew by now, Ailia. We all believe that,” she said, stepping next to her brother. Her light brown eyes squinted. “You are a bad omen – and cursed.”

“What are you talking about? I’m still the same person. I can’t believe how shallow you are, if you are going to hold my dreams against me,” Ailia said.

“My Father has told me to stay away from you. I should have realized that you are cursed sooner. I mean, even your name is so strange,” Siri said.

“My name?” Ailia looked around the hall, and everyone who had arrived was staring at her. Even the musicians had stopped warming up their instruments and glared at Ailia across the murky room. Ailia smiled nervously. “I’m not cursed,” she said. “I’ve just been having some frightening dreams. That’s all.”

“And you said you believed that you have lived before, too. Our Chieftain probably wouldn’t be too happy to hear about that. He’ll be here later tonight, and if you stay here for the dance, I’m afraid I’ll have to tell him everything you told me,” Siri said.

Ailia couldn’t believe that Siri had ever claimed to be her friend. How could she do this? They had known each other for five years, and Ailia had worked so hard to help her feel welcome in Bergendal when Siri’s family moved here from another town. She didn’t want to continue to make a scene, so she decided to go home. Heading for the exit, she heard Siri yelling after her.

“Don’t think this is over, Ailia. You must turn from your ways, or I’ll make sure you’ll be banned from Bergendal for good.”

authorEvelyn Pic

Evelyn Squires was born in Norway, the land of the Midnight Sun. In 1992, she moved with her parents and seven siblings (!) to the USA. She completed High School and continued College, majoring in Ballet and Comparative Literature. After marrying Aaron, she moved with him to Florida, where they currently reside and are raising their three children.

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Excerpt: Wicked Heat by Nicola Marsh

WH500Wicked Heat
By: Nicola Marsh
Publisher: Brazen
Published: Sept. 2, 2013
Genre: Romance

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Competitors by day, lovers by night…
Allegra Wilks has had the worst month of her personal and professional life. To save her company, she must go on her would-be honeymoon and land the luxury eco-island resort’s lucrative advertising account. But when a lingerie mishap leads her into the arms of a wickedly distracting Australian, Allegra’s tempted to skip the trip and explore the most sensual kiss she’s ever experienced. Too bad their chance encounter at the airport is just that.

Having recently lost his company to his former best friend’s shady business tactics, Jett Alcott is headed to a South Pacific resort to secure an advertising account that will resurrect his reputation and career. Realizing the tantalizing Allegra Wilks is on his flight, Jett envisions a week filled with business and pleasure. But Jett doesn’t know Allegra’s fighting for the same account, or that there’s more at stake than his heart.

 

 

Excerpt

“You should do that more often,” he said, reaching out to trace her bottom lip with his fingertip. “You’re beautiful, but when you smile? Wow.”

Uncomfortable with his overt compliments, Allegra sat there and let a guy she’d just met touch her lips with a slow, sensual caress. His fingertip traced her bottom lip in a butterfly-soft sweep that left her breathless.

Their eyes locked as he lowered his hand, and what she saw made her wish she could ditch Palm Bay and travel to Australia.

Blatant lust. Strong. Sexy. Seductive. His eyes deepened to an incredible green that matched a favorite jade pendant she wore often. He wanted her, and in this crazy moment, the feeling was entirely mutual.

He raised his beer to his lips and took a long swig, his heat-filled stare never leaving hers.

Damn, she had no idea what to do in this situation. Make a joke to diffuse the tension? Acknowledge it? Flirt?

She hated feeling out of control, had instigated steps her entire life to avoid it. Yet in a loaded thirty seconds, Jett had made her damp with just one look and made her flounder.

“Is the blatant charm an Aussie thing or is it just you?”

Thankfully, he blinked, and broke the scorching stare that made her want to grab a napkin off the bar and fan herself. “It’s me.” He leaned in close. “Time you fessed up.”

Yikes. Was her reaction to him that easy to read?

“To what?”

His lips almost brushed her ear. “You’re battling an incredible urge to drag me into the nearest janitor’s closet and ravish me.”

She laughed at his outrageousness. “Sorry. I don’t do sex in cleaning closets. Too many hazardous chemicals.”

“Yeah, those pheromones can be killer.”

She loved his quick wit and for the second time in as many minutes, wished she’d met him at a different place, different time.

“Pity.” He reverted to a smoldering stare that had her wishing she’d ordered a vodka shot chaser. “Sex in confined spaces can be fun.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Heat crept into her cheeks and she signaled the waiter for a glass of water. To douse herself with.

“Not the answer I was hoping for,” he said, shifting his barstool closer so their thighs brushed. “Would’ve been better if you’d said, ‘Sounds good, Jett, let’s go try.’”

She cleared her throat and gratefully accepted the water from the waiter, drinking it all and wishing she could run the cool beaded exterior across her forehead. “How did we get onto this crazy topic?”

“Started with you wanting to ravish me.” He clinked his beer bottle to her empty glass. “Seriously. There’s no need to hold back. I can take whatever you want to dish out.”

 
author583990

USA TODAY bestselling Aussie author Nicola worked as a physiotherapist for thirteen years before she tired of saying “I’m going to write a book one day” and actually did it. She started writing late 2001 and found once she started she couldn’t stop!

Nicola loves the hip, vibrant, cosmopolitan vibe of her home city, Melbourne, where she’s set the bulk of her novels, highlighting fabulous cultural and food havens like Acland Street (St. Kilda), Brunswick Street (Fitzroy) and Lygon Street (Carlton).

When she’s not writing she’s busy raising her two little heroes, sharing fine food with family and friends, cheering on her beloved North Melbourne Kangaroos footy team or her favourite past time, curling up with a good book.

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Excerpt: The Samaritan’s Pistol by Eric Bishop

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18114857The Samaritan’s Pistol
By: Eric Bishop
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Published: Aug. 24, 2013
Genre: Thriller

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Even among his small town neighbors, Jim is a content man. Despite the emotional baggage from his time serving in Desert Storm, he successfully runs a ranch, owns several beautiful horses, and makes extra cash as a wilderness guide for wealthy tourists. He’s a modern-day cowboy.

That is, until he runs into an ongoing mob-hit while riding in the mountains. Now, his most beloved horse is bleeding to death, three mobsters are dead from his smoking gun, and a wounded criminal is begging for his help. Jim has to make a decision. He can either high-tail it out of there, or accept a tempting offer made by the criminal—a promise of millions in stolen mafia cash for any help he gives.

Of course, only an idiot would turn down such an appealing offer when they’re marked for death anyway. Besides, Jim’s good nature cannot allow him to leave someone for dead, even a criminal.

Soon, Jim finds himself on a trip to retrieve a truckload of stolen money near the Las Vegas strip, right under the Mafia’s nose. But even if they escape with the cash, will Jim’s conservative neighbors provide sanctuary for their local Samaritan, and how far will the mafia go for revenge?

 

Excerpt

Duke stood at point, studying a spot in the trail as Jim rounded the corner. A bark, not happy or angry, but intense told Jim he was onto something.
“What you got, boy?” Jim tied Sam and the first horse in the pack string to the limb of a deadfall tree, then walked up to the energized dog. Duke often alerted him to deer or elk tracks, and Jim paid attention. It helped create a working knowledge for later in the year when the big game hunters came visiting.
Instead of animal prints, he found footprints. Four sets of tracks—two of dress shoes and two of athletic—marked the trail. The tracks headed into the woods, but stopped, turning down a shallow gully.
Someone’s got sore feet. Jim thought about the three miles to the parking lot, as he traced a dress shoe imprint with his fingertips.
Curiosity insisted he investigate. Not wanting the dog to get too far ahead, Jim decided to take Sam. The slip-knotted lead-rope undid easily from the tree, and he swung into the saddle.
“Let’s take a look,” he said, reining the horse to follow the tracks into the gully.
Two hundred yards further, Jim came around a boulder at the edge of a clearing. Three men stood there. Two were dressed in knee-length shorts and golf shirts, and one looked like a skater. The three loomed over an enormous black man, bound and bloodied. The two golfers carried handguns tucked into their shorts at the small of their backs.
Jim’s mind raced, and his eyebrows dropped into a scowl.
The victim’s hands were fastened behind his back. The largest man was winding up with the club like a woodchopper splitting firewood. Duke’s growl stopped him.
“What the?” the man said, spinning around. “Stop right there!” Jim shouted.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Step away!” Jim ordered.
The men didn’t move.
The man dropped his club. “We found him here.” The tone was friendly. “Do you have a first aid kit?”
“I said, step away!”
The man responded after looking at his two companions. “I was offering the stick to help him up.”
“With the club above your head?”
The other man—the one on the side opposite the tattooed skater—spoke for the first time. “The only way this turns out good is if you turn around and forget this.”
At least they aren’t bullshitting me anymore. “What about him?” Jim nodded at the man on the ground.
“What about him?” The tattooed young man puffed out his chest. “He’ll be okay.”
Both golfers turned to look momentarily at the tattooed young man as though he’d thrown ice water in their faces.
“His bloody clothes and messed up face don’t say so.” Jim’s neck itched, but he refused to scratch.
“He’s fine, you hick.” The young man stepped forward. “Leave while we’re in a good mood.”
“Every litter has a runt,” Jim muttered to himself.
“What did you say?” the young man demanded.
Jim didn’t respond, his eyes moving across the men’s hands, making sure not to focus for too long on any one thing.
“You have no idea what this is, you—” The man used a combination of words Jim hadn’t heard since boot camp.
“His tattoos are scarier than the language.” Jim pressured his stirrups to make sure Sam would stand. Blood pulsed through his temples and eyelids. His nose twitched and adrenaline sped his heart to twice its normal speed, but Jim focused on his military training: Watch their hands. Project strength, and if you’re lucky, they’ll back down. Under closed lips, Jim’s jaw hung loose, and he exhaled through his mouth. He decided against drawing his pistol, thinking it would make things worse.
Duke growled, baring his teeth as his hackles rose, then lunged forward with a bark.
“Call off the mutt!” the tattooed man yelled.
The man on the left grabbed his pistol, but before he could take aim, Jim drew his own weapon and fired. The bullet tore through the man’s heart.
Duke charged. The two remaining men drew, but paused, watching Duke leap on the falling body. Correcting, they brought their weapons to bear on Jim, but his second shot shattered the second golfer’s skull.
The tattooed runt shot in the same instant, missing Jim but hitting Sam high in the chest between the horse’s front legs with a dull thud that vibrated up into the saddle.
Another bullet whizzed over Jim’s head as Sam staggered. Leaping from the horse, and landing on his feet, Jim stepped toward the runt, who backed up with a fearful look. The young man shot from his heels, missing to the left. Jim shot, and the young man clutched his chest and fell sideways, his tattooed arms beneath his lifeless body.
Jim stood for a moment. He exhaled and re-holstered his pistol before dropping to his hands and knees. His stomach convulsed and he vomited his scant breakfast into the dirt. Drunk with adrenaline, the earth reeling beneath him, Jim gritted his teeth, refusing to pass out. Thinking about Sam, and Duke’s barking drowning out the ringing in his ears, he stood.
Duke growled, bolting between the three bodies, his hackles still on alert.
Sam lay on his side, head resting on the grass. The horse’s great bellow-lungs moved air through his nostrils, wiggling the stems, but as Jim sprinted toward him, it slowed.
Sam was going to die. Tears sprang to Jim’s eyes as he collapsed next to the horse.
Duke nosed the horse’s lip. After smelling his breath for several seconds, he whimpered. The scent of internal blood told him Sam would soon be gone, and he curled up next to the horse’s neck.
Jim sleeved away the tears and took aim at his dying friend; his fourth shot seemed louder than all the other three combined. Gun to his side, he wiped his eyes with his free thumb, the tears soaking into calloused, dirty skin. He remembered sleeping in the barn to witness the birth. A perfect buckskin coat surprised him coming from a brown-bay, quarter-horse mare and a jet-black, Arabian stud.
Sam was the best horse Jim had trained. Capable of running for miles, the gift of endurance from Arabian ancestors mixed with the pleasant disposition of a quarter-horse mother.
Ten minutes ago I was headed home, and now Sam and three men are dead?
He wanted to wish the reality away, and yet the ugly truth surrounded him.
Jim re-holstered the pistol, and stepped over Sam’s neck, the fury growing in his stomach projected onto everything in view. He hocked then spit some of the vomit residue from his mouth as he approached the man.
“Thanks for helping me,” the man mumbled through split lips. The words came out slowly, scarcely more than a whisper. “You saved my life.”
Jim untied the leash from the man’s swollen hands and cut the zip ties. Returning to Sam’s side, he yanked to free the saddlebags from beneath the horse’s body, which came free in a tug-o-war lurch. From the bottom of the bags he pulled his first-aid kit containing peroxide, bandages, antibiotic ointment, and latex gloves.
authorEricBishopAuthor-330x400

As a husband and Father, I do my best to keep up with my wife and four daughters. Each fall we pray for snow while riding horses through our nearby mountains. We ski on what comes until it melts. Then we inflate the rafts for a few float-trips, put shoes on the horses and start the cycle again. I’m lucky and grateful.ERIC BISHOP is known to to his friends and family as an “author version of Clint Eastwood.” As the owner of a successful marketing firm, Bishop spends most of his time on his Utah ranch writing with the music of his adolescence bouncing off the walls. When he’s not writing, Bishop enjoys spending time with his wife and four lovely daughters at his home in Nibley, Utah. Unlike Jim, Bishop hasn’t had any run-ins with the Mafia. Yet.

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Excerpt: Lightpoints by Peter Kassan

LightpointsLightpoints
By: Peter Kassan
Publisher: Mellange Books
Published: March 24, 2013
Genre: Paranormal

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What if you suddenly discovered you had a sense-and powers-that almost no one else in the world did? When Amanda Lindner Nichols, a 24-year-old graphic artist living with her husband in Queens, New York, is revived from a near-death experience, she discovers she perceives everyone around her as points of light-but not with her eyes. She soon learns she can not only perceive the life energy of others, but she can give and take it. With the help of others like her, she brings her husband Chris to the brink of death and back to bestow on him the same remarkable faculty, and they’re the happiest they’ve been. But not for long. All over the world, people who’ve been revived from their own near-death experience at just the right moment discover themselves with these same unusual powers. They find ways to use them-some for good and some for evil. When Amanda and Chris encounter a ruthless group of gangsters with the same faculty, tragedy follows-and Amanda faces the greatest challenge of her life.

 

 

Excerpt

Amanda got a kiss on the forehead from her dad and gave him a kiss on the cheek in return. She put in her earbuds, started iTunes on her iPhone, and hurried across Grand Central Terminal toward the subway station for the last leg of her commute.

One of her favorite songs, “Brown-Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison, was playing when a guy with wild hair and wilder eyes appeared in front her. She had nearly bumped into him. He took his hand from the folds of his filthy raincoat. He held a huge knife. Staring madly into her eyes, he stabbed her in the chest just below her collarbone. She screamed. He locked eyes with her for a moment and then pulled the knife out and rushed away.

Amanda put her hand where it hurt so much. She felt a hot, sticky wetness. The blood coursed through her fingers in spurts. The pain was greater than any she had ever felt. Her right arm was feeling oddly cold. She felt faint.

The next thing she knew, she was on Grand Central’s hard marble floor. A middle-aged man in a suit and tie was holding both hands on her wound. A circle of people surrounded them. She wondered whether they were encircling her to give her space or just because the spectacle fasci­nated them. Above her, she could see the magnificent mural of the night sky, the one they had painted backwards and then beautifully restored, still backwards, because it was impossible to fix, so they made up a ri­diculous, unscientific excuse. She realized her mind was spinning, and then it seemed the mural was spinning, too.

The pain grew greater and greater. She thought she might be dying, and it terrified her. It didn’t seem fair she would die so young, so ran­domly. Then there were more people touching her, a couple of people in uniforms. She supposed they were paramedics.

“I think we’ve lost her,” one of them said. “I can’t get any pulse.”

She realized her awareness had left her body and she was floating toward the beautiful ceiling. Looking down, she saw her body lying there on the marble floor, saw the paramedics, and saw the people surrounding her. As she rose higher and higher, she saw more and more of the enormous main hall of Grand Central, the many people hurrying in all directions, all but a few oblivious to her. Although she knew what was happening was impossible, it was as real as anything she had ever experienced.

As she looked down, Amanda realized she was, impossibly, both disembodied and in another kind of body, floating above herself both in Grand Central and in another kind of space, another dimension.

Amanda heard a loud, harsh, horrible noise, like a police siren wailing into her ears. She could no longer see herself in Grand Central. Infinite blackness surrounded her. The terrible sound had stopped. The chatter in her mind had also stopped. She felt immensely peaceful.
authorpeterkassan

Peter Kassan has been a writer for virtually his entire life, publishing poems in literary journals and national magazines while still a teenager. In his twenties, he was a staff writer at Children’s Television Workshop, where he wrote, among other things, monologues for Bill Cosby. As a technical writer in the software products industry, his work included user’s manuals, marketing materials, and business plans. He is also the author of a cover article about artificial intelligence in Skeptic Magazine. Mr. Kassan currently lives in Connecticut with his wife and their three cats. Lightpoints is his first published novel.

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Excerpt: Cloaked In Fur by T.F. Walsh

Cloaked in Fur CoverCloaked In Fur
By: T.F. Walsh
Publisher: Crimson Romance
Published: Aug. 5, 2013
Genre: Paranormal Romance

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As a moonwulf, Daciana never expected to fall in love with a human. Hell, she never imagined that she’d abandon her pack, endanger everyone around her, and break the worst rule possible. But she did.

A rogue werewolf is killing Daciana’s friends, and she sets on capturing the creature. She’ll do whatever it takes to stop the beast. The police and her boyfriend, Inspector Connell Lonescu, are starting to question her involvement in the murders, which is endangering the pack’s secret existence. But when the pack alpha kidnaps Connell, revealing the awful truth about the creature and its connection to the pack, Daciana must choose between saving the man she loves and saving her pack family from certain death.

 

 

Excerpt

The phone’s strident ringing woke me up, and I glanced over at the bedside clock blazing

5:13 A.M. Too damn early for anything.

Tempted to dive back under the covers, I checked the caller ID: Connell. Crap. The previous night’s events came pouring back: me turning into a wulfkin outside the full moon, running with the pack all night, collecting my keys from the woods, and ditching

Connell again. On top of that, I never retrieved the old books for the elixir. Double crap.

I pushed my legs over the edge of the bed, scrunched the sheet in my fist and answered the call. “Hi.”

“Where are you?” The panic in his voice turned my stomach.

“At home.”

“What happened to you last night?”

My throat dried up as my mind whirred with excuses. “I uncovered something in my research and got stuck into it, not realizing it was past midnight when I checked the clock. I didn’t want to wake you and went straight home. I’m sorry.”

“I suspected you wouldn’t come. Looks like I was right.”

“Come on, Connell, give me a break. I’m working on something majorly important.

When you’re on a case and spend nights in the office, I don’t give you shit about it.”

“That’s not what pisses me off. It’s that you never tell me anything. Send me a message if you’re going to be late or not turn up, anything to let me know what’s going on. It feels like you’re only staying with me on until something better comes along.”

“That’s not true. I only want you.”

Silence.

I lowered my head and stared at the dirt beneath my toenails from the previous night’s run.

“I don’t want to talk about this now,” he said. “We found two more bodies this morning. The victims were located on the opposite sides of the city.” He paused. “Why would a wolf bolt across the city after a kill? They attack in packs, don’t they?”

A shiver rippled down my spine. The possibility of two more dracwulf kills made me furious. There was no convincing myself the attacks weren’t related to the others; I felt the truth in my gut. Worse yet, I wondered whether the dracwulf was simply hungry or territorial, and Sandulf had to know. I flopped onto the bed and curled into a ball.

When I gave no response, Connell continued. “I need you to review the reports from the previous attacks today and visit the new scenes to see if you believe it’s the same animal.”

I cringed at the innocent wolves who could lose their lives over Sandulf’s stupidity.

“Your team can test the evidence and see if it’s the same predator without me.”

“We have limited testing resources in this country, so we need your expertise to move things along.”

The way he said “your” sounded full of contempt, and it pained me to hear him talk like that.

“The chief wants a hunting party issued this weekend, preferably with Romania’s Animal Research Institute’s approval. He’s already spoken with your boss, Vasile.”

I climbed up and paced the room, shaking my head. Typical Vasile to agree to anything the cops asked.

“If I could leave you out of this, I would, but I can’t. Trust me, I tried.”

“I appreciate that. Where should we meet?”

“Piaţa Sfatului. Half an hour?”

“I can do that.”

He hung up.

A snarl ripped past my throat at the terrible start to the day. Who could blame Connell for being upset? I’d be livid if he kept avoiding me.

I threw on a pair of Levi’s, boots, and a gray hooded top. The bathroom mirror reflected gray wolf eyes from my recent transformation, and already the silvery color was fading into a darker shade. I pulled every strand of my nest-style hair into a ponytail and rushed outside into the morning twilight.

 
authorTF Walsh

T.F. Walsh emigrated from Romania to Australia at the age of eight and now lives in a regional city south of Sydney with her husband. Growing up hearing dark fairytales, she’s always had a passion for reading and writing horror, paranormal romance, urban fantasy and young adult stories. She balances all the dark with light fluffy stuff like baking and traveling.

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Guest Post: Ask For It by Selena Blake

askforit5Ask For It
By: Selena Blake
Publisher: Ecila Media Corp
Published:June 27, 2013
Genre:Erotic Contemporary Romance

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Trevor Wyatt has lusted for journalist JJ Fairchild since before he retired from the NFL. Now she’s back in his life and he’s not going to miss the opportunity to show her just how good they could be together.
Words may be JJ’s tool of trade, but when it comes to the bedroom, words escape her. Trevor’s an excellent teacher and before she knows it, she’s asking for what she wants.
But when outside forces threaten to expose dark secrets from Trevor’s past, can he overcome his suspicions and trust the woman in his bed?

 

 

guest post

When I’m reading a really good book, I always find myself wondering how the author came up with the characters. Maybe it’s because I’m a writer. But really… who doesn’t want to know how Chris Merit, Acheron or Wrath came about?

So here’s how Trevor Wyatt (ASK FOR IT, Ecila Media) was developed.

The idea for the story came to me because like JJ, I’d had money stolen from my bank account to buy shoes. So when JJ goes in to investigate the store where her money was used, there’s this tall, golden god behind the counter. He’s big and strong and muscley and well…everything you could lust over in a guy.

Did I mention the muscle defining T-shirt and well worn jeans that fit just right?

Yeah. That type of guy.

And the second he turned around and looked at JJ, she recognized him. That was shock number one for me. Sometimes we authors stumble upon happy accidents.

Shock number two: he’s a former football player. Let’s just say, I’m not up on my football stars so where that came from, who knows. But the chemistry was sizzling.

JJ wasn’t about to forget what brought her to the shoe store in the first place. Actually, she does. I mean, who can remember her own name when a guy like Trevor is staring back at her. But they get into a bit of a disagreement which only heightens the tension between them.

So that was the beginning of Trevor Wyatt. Just a quick glimpse of the man behind the shoe store counter and before I knew it, I had a full, live hero on my hands. He’s handsome, tough, sweet, and he’s got a past. A pretty rough past, if I do say so. He was always named Trevor, although, he originally had a different last name. And he’s more, so much more, than a pretty face.

Most importantly, he’s just the man JJ has always needed. *swoon*

Which romance hero (any author) would you love to know the origin of?

 

authorSelena Blake writes erotic paranormal and contemporary romance. First published in 2008, her series Stormy Weather has been on the best seller lists and nominated for awards.  She’s a fan of action movies, Diet Coke, Milky Way bars and thunderstorms, not necessarily in that order.

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Excerpt: Claiming Her Warriors by Savannah Stuart

Claiming Her Warriors Tour Badge

CHWsmClaiming Her Warriors
By: Savannah Stuart
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: July 22, 2013
Genre: Erotic Romance

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 Two brothers want to possess her…

After her planet was destroyed, Brianna was rescued by two fierce and desperately gorgeous warrior brothers. Aeron and Hauk. They want to keep her, protect her, mate her. But what the brothers wanted from her was too much to handle. Settling into a new culture was hard enough without dealing with the custom that dictates she mate with two males. So she pushed them away.

They’ll do anything to protect her…

An attack sends Brianna back into the arms of the sexy brothers. Now they’ll do whatever it takes to win her over. But can Brianna go against the conventions of her human nature and accept both warriors as her mates? It might not matter because someone is out for blood and it’s up to Aeron and Hauk to defend her against a deadly enemy.

 

 

Excerpt
Aeron let out a low growl, his expression one of approval as he covered her lips with his. This was what he’d been waiting for from Brianna for what felt like forever. The petite woman had been driving him insane from the moment he and his warriors had rescued her from her dying planet. She’d been wearing rags and covered in soot, but nothing had been able to hide her outer or inner beauty. Even though she was a tiny thing, she’d been so damn protective of those around her, ready to battle any one of his men until it had been clear they’d been there to help. Yeah, he’d known the moment he’d laid eyes on the redhead that she would be his.

It had taken a hell of a lot longer than he’d imagined to bed her, but once he’d gotten her underneath him, he’d figured things were perfect. Until he’d screwed things up by opening his big mouth. He was slowly learning that he couldn’t make any assumptions with human women. They were more emotional than his people.

As she started grinding against him, he couldn’t bite back a growl of need. His cock ached to slide inside her wet heat. After having a taste of her, he knew once would never be enough. Aeron slid his hands down and bunched the long shift dress she wore up to her thighs. It clung to her curves in all the right places but right now he wanted it off her. When he’d first met her group of women, she’d worn what she called cargo pants and T-shirts. He preferred the shifts. Easier to slip off.

Taking the time to savor the softness of her skin, he slid his hands up her thighs. She trembled and arched her back, silently begging him to move faster. And beg she would. He couldn’t erase the memory of her hot demands and pleading words when he’d teased her before. She wasn’t shy about what she wanted, something he loved about her. He could feel her hard nipples rubbing against his chest even through the material of her clothes. Though he wasn’t ready to fuck just yet, he needed to see her naked body.

Slowly, he pulled the shift up and over her head, but once her hands were free, he drew her arms behind her back. Using the material, he quickly bound her wrists together. Her dark eyes widened and her breathing grew more erratic as she watched him. He could see the molten desire burning in her expression as she silently begged for more. Oh yeah, she liked what he was doing.

“You trust me?” he asked before nipping her bottom lip between his teeth.

She nodded, the pulse point in her neck going crazy.

Right now he didn’t trust himself to go slow if she was roving her hands all over him. It had been too long. Just the way she watched him with clear hunger was enough to make him crazed. Add in her actual touch…he shuddered. He wanted to bring her pleasure, for right now to be solely about her. Aeron was going to make sure she was so addicted to him that she’d never think about leaving. He’d ease her into mating with him and his brother. Somewhere deep he didn’t even want to admit existed, part of him didn’t like the thought of anyone else touching this woman. Even his brother. It was primal, so he shoved it back down. Right now, he was the one holding her.

 

author

Katie Reus ColorAuthor Savannah Stuart has been reading romance for as long as she can remember. Her stories often have a touch of intrigue, suspense, or the paranormal, but the one thing she always includes is a happy ending. She currently lives in the South within walking distance of the beach with her very own real life hero. In addition to writing (and reading of course!) she loves traveling with her husband.

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Excerpt: Mid-Life Love by Whitney G.

Mid-Life Love
By: Whitney G.
Publisher: Self-published
Published: June 28, 2013
Genre: Romance

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If you’d asked me what love was two years ago, I probably would’ve said, ‘It’s this amazing feeling that obsesses and possesses you; it’s what me and my husband currently have.’ If you ask me that same question today, I’ll say, ‘Please get the hell out of my face.’

Claire Gracen’s life is picture perfect. Her career as a marketing director is on the brink of being legendary, and her marriage to her high school sweetheart has never been stronger. No, wait. It has. It used to be amazing and fulfilling, but one day Claire realizes that she’s been living a lie and her best friend and husband have committed the ultimate betrayal.

Broken and depressed, Claire is in need of something new—new city, new job, new friends.

When she happens to attract the interest of the sexiest man she’s ever met, a man significantly younger than her, she immediately turns him down—only to later discover that this man is Jonathan Statham, self-made billionaire and CEO of Statham Industries. Her boss.

Jonathan Statham is unlike any man she’s met before. He’s used to getting whatever he wants—whenever he wants, and he isn’t about to take no for an answer.

“How long have you been working here, Miss Gracen?” He placed subtle emphasis on the word ‘Miss’ and smiled.

“About four years.”

“Hmmm. I can’t believe I’m just now finding you.” He rubbed his chin. “Do you like it?”

There has to be a better word than “sexy” to describe you…

“Do I like what?”

“Your job, this company.”

“You want me to be completely honest?”

“That would be nice.”

“I absolutely hate it here, but the offices are decorated quite nicely. The interior designers did one hell of a job.”

“Good to know.” He laughed. “I take it that since you haven’t called, you’re not interested in going out with me?”

I nodded weakly. “Clearly.”

“May I ask why, Miss Gracen?”

He needs to stop saying my name like that…

“There are several reasons why.”

“Name the best ones.” He stepped in front of me and looked deep into my eyes. “But your age and the fact that you have kids aren’t good enough reasons for me.”

Poker face…Poker face… “Well, as I’m sure you already know, it’s against company policy.”

“I can have that rewritten by the end of the week.”

“It’s also completely immoral and highly inappropriate.”

“That’s…debatable.” He reached out and pushed a strand of hair away from my face. “Is that all?”

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t say anything.

I was too busy getting lost in his incredible eyes. I realized that they weren’t entirely blue; his irises were outlined in a wispy cloud of charcoal gray and there were speckles of emerald green gleaming within them.

“Miss Gracen? Are there any other excuses?” He inched even closer to me, slightly rubbing his nose against mine.

Why am I so turned on right now? I shouldn’t be feeling this way…He’s way too young for me, way too young for me…

“I’m not attracted to you.”

He raised his eyebrow. “Oh really?”

A self diagnosed candy addict, travel junkie, and hypochondriac, Whitney Gracia Williams LOVES to write about characters that make you laugh, cry, and want to (in the case of Selena Ross) reach through your Kindle and slap them.