Interview and Giveaway: Shifter School by Gwendolyn Druyor

Shifter School

by Gwendolyn Druyor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Urban Fantasy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

She’s gonna get them all killed.

So they locked her away.

Laylea has been hiding her entire life. She’s never been to school. She’s never had a friend her own age. She’s never known anyone else like her.

All that is about to change. 

In a world hidden from wyrdos and humans alike, shifters are still recovering from a vicious plot to destroy them all. They have two laws they live by now:

1) Hide 

2) Protect the children at all costs.

Laylea has just broken rule number one. But she’s only fourteen. So they’re sending her to school. Where she’s going to learn . . .

Anyplace can be a prison.

The Lincoln Park Shifter School is not your grandma’s uber-secret, underground academy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT

A long, shrill scream drew Laylea back into the zoo. The guard who didn’t want to be called Beta was backing away from a tall black man in jeans, a button-down, and Fox sandals.

“Kyle!” Laylea screamed his name even as she heard KC screaming hers. “Kyle! You’re a good man! Think of Jeannie and KJ!”

The vampire looked her way. His familiar, affable smile appeared and he waved at her. “We’re just gonna have a talk. Get back to school, you reprobate.”

Then the smile melted away as though it had never been and Kyle stalked out of sight.

“Lee, come on.” KC yanked her out the entrance.

“No,” She tried to pull away but KC was strong. “I have to help him.”

“No one can help that guy now.”

Tears poured down Laylea’s face. KC was right. If Kyle had already killed a pack of werewolves, Laylea wasn’t going to be able to stop him from killing one guard. But she had to try. She hadn’t spent the last seven months hiding him from Dee and Morioka and everyone else just to give up on Kyle now. “I can.”

She yanked her arm out of KC’s grip and they both fell on the uneven steps of the plinth.

top ten vacation spots Top Ten Places I’ve Lived

I don’t like to vacation. I love working. If I don’t love a job, I very quickly get out of it and move on. I get my travel fix by booking jobs and moving to new places. You can tell I’ve lived all over just from reading my books. The Mobious’ Quest series takes place in Kaveg (inspired by Amsterdam), Chicago, and Denver. WereHuman is in the Pacific Northwest. The Killer on Call books have been set in a small town inspired by the many diverse college towns I’ve toured to with four productions and they’re going on the road in the next six books!  Shifter School takes me back to my adopted hometown, Chicago!

I guess I can blame my Navy parents for my wanderlust. I was born in Rhode Island. Six months later we moved to Maine. Six years later we moved to Ohio. When I was sixteen, we moved to Illinois. (1 week after I got my driver’s license, I drove to Illinois and had to take driver’s ed all over again!) Once I got out of college, I really started travelling.

Here are my six favorite homes:

1. Amsterdam, NL!  After three grueling days of auditioning, Pep Rosenfeld himself invited me to play with Boom Chicago in Amsterdam. I spent every day making people laugh. I got to work with Allison Silverman (The Colbert Report, The Unbreakable Kimmy Shmidt, Portlandia), Greg Scott Shapiro (Superburger, How to Be Orange), Peter Grosz (Late Night, Veep, The President Show), and Seth Meyers (Late Night with Seth Meyers). Plus, I got to LIVE IN AMSTERDAM! Every American should live outside of this country for a little while. I loved Amsterdam. I loved getting around on bicycle and learning a new language. I wrote much of my first book, Geoffrey’s Queen, in Amsterdam and most of the Kavegan language comes from Dutch. Kaveg MEANS Go away.
2. Chicago, IL  I was not born there. I didn’t live there for very long. But when someone asks, I call Chicago my hometown. I lived in Rogers Park when The Matrix came out. The Wachowskis lived in Rogers Park when they wrote it! For one year, my cousin and I lived in separate studios on the same street right behind The Green Mill. Every Wednesday we went swing dancing there. One night, the band didn’t like the boys we were dancing with, so after their second set, they walked Julia and I home! It’s just a friendly town with tons of amazing experimental theater. If my mother-in-law didn’t live there, I’d move back in a heartbeat.
3. Harrisburg, PA  I didn’t spend a LOT of time in this adorable little town with THE BEST breakfast spot anywhere. Which is extra hard to achieve when the smelliest business in town is the dog food factory. This is where we were based when I performed 14 roles in three Shakespeare-era shows with ten other actors, travelling the continent in three tiny vehicles. Shenandoah Shakespeare! A true adventure.
4. Kennebunk, ME  Best place to spend the first six years of your life. We lived on the beach. I have probably eaten a truckload of sand. You had to hold on tight to your PB&J to keep it from the seagulls and sometimes they knocked you down. I don’t actually remember even attempting to brush off my sandwiches. Perhaps the sand is why I only eat SuperChunk peanut butter. My friends tell me about the joy of getting to go to McDonalds as a kid! My family went to the Maine Snack Bar. I’d get fried clams and French fries and then go next door for a Dilly Bar. On specialish occasions, we’d go to Shadrack and Gooch and get my idea of a happy meal. Lobster. Lobsters come with a toy too. If you take the claws off carefully, you can pull on the tendon to make the claw open and close.
5. Lake George, NY  My first job out of college was dancing as a CanCan girl in upstate New York. The Great Escape in Lake George. An AWFUL job where I met some FABULOUS people. Upstate New York is just stunningly gorgeous but I am grateful I moved away before winter hit. The producers told me I wouldn’t need a car so I ended up rollerblading three miles to and from work every day through the Adirondack Mountains. I left that job with THE best ass.
6. Los Angeles, CA  I moved West for Sex Signals, an absolutely stunningly funny and effective show aimed at preventing rape. I will forever be honored that I got to perform in this show with three of the most talented and passionate humans on earth. There are parts of L.A. that are exactly how you see it in movies and on TV. But there are also a hundred different little neighborhoods with their own personality. No one could explore them all. But we’ll keep working our way through the little local dives until I figure out where to go next.

I’m ready to go. LA is fun. I adore my friends here. But I’ve lived in one place for too long. It’s time to move on. Where should I go? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Gwendolyn Druyor was born at the Quonset Point Naval Air Station Hospital, North Kingston, RI. The ID bracelet wrapped three times around her little wrist. She could swim before she could walk and read before she started school.

She has traveled the world telling stories. After a year in Amsterdam writing and performing sketch comedy at Boom Chicago, she toured North America with Shenandoah Shakespeare and with the incredible educational show Sex Signals. From Paris, FR to William’s Bay, WI, you’ll find her gypsy life reflected in her books. If you met her on the road, read her closely, you may find yourself in there.

For now, Gwendolyn lives in Hollywood with her Irish Jack Russell, Josh Lyman Zyrga, who is still pouting over the fact that she didn’t put him on the cover of WereHuman.

www.GwendolynDruyor.com

For more information on Gwendolyn and her projects sign up for her newsletter at www.GwendolynDruyor.com.

LINKS:

www.GwendolynDruyor.com

www.Wyrdos.net

https://www.facebook.com/GwendolynDruyorAuthor/

https://twitter.com/GwendolynDruyor

https://www.instagram.com/gwendolyndruyor/

http://amzn.to/2Bl8rRa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Gwendolyn Druyor will be awarding $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Promo and Giveaway: Defining Human by Candace Blevins

DEFINING HUMAN

ONLY HUMAN 

Book Four

Candace Blevins

Genre:  Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Excessica

Date of Publication:  2/2/2018

ISBN: 1230002076652

ASIN: B078TJKST7

Word Count: 85,000

Cover Artist:  Syneca Featherstone

Book Description:

Book four of the ONLY HUMAN series…

Kirsten negotiated for what she hopes will be two glorious hours with Xaephan, but the Lord of Lust has his own ideas of how the afternoon will transpire, and the consequences of her evening are long lasting.

Her deal with Ryan means she must go to Africa to help guard gazelles for a week. She trains for the event, but her preparation doesn’t cover the Strigorii vampires who have their eye on her. Since she broke up with Abbott, gaining control of her will be like hanging a sign saying they’re more powerful than The Abbott without having to actually fight him.

Throw in complications with Nathan and a few battles with her old enemy Aquila, and Kirsten doesn’t know whether she’s coming or going. She wants peace and quiet with her daughter, but is it possible? Is she too embroiled in supernatural politics to live a normal life? Kirsten feels as if she’s become a game piece in a sick game of chess, and she wants off the board.

Book Trailer:  https://youtu.be/HLUWBFu6IIU

Series Trailer:  https://youtu.be/1dNZydE_LNI

Amazon    Kobo    BN      iTunes

Excerpt:

“Chère, it’s good to see you.” Xaephan walked to a nightstand, opened a drawer, and chuckled. “Your lion follows instructions well.” He stood and inhaled. “He’s close enough to keep an eye on you. Nice.”

“He isn’t my lion. He’s my friend, and he happens to be a lion.”

“He’s more yours than anyone else’s, Chère. Eventually, you’ll have to confront his Pride, but he’s keeping them in check, for now.”

I forgot what I’d intended to say when he lifted a paddle and flogger from the drawer, followed by a large glass butt plug and a worn leather strap.

The first three items were obviously new, but the strap wasn’t, and I eyed it a few seconds while I tried to figure out how to word my question. “The strap has a story. I want to hear it before you use it on me.”

“It belongs to your lion and is on loan to me for the evening.”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t know what you hope to accomplish by using something of Nathan’s to whip me, but I don’t agree to it.”

“Nothing in our agreement says I can’t, Chère. You said I’d have to act in your best interest, and you bound me from tricking you into anything. I said to find a place I could spank you and make you scream without us being heard, and I warned you moving the marks will hurt nearly as bad as receiving them in the first place. Nothing in that agreement says I can’t use something belonging to the Lion King to spank you with.”

I crossed my arms. “I don’t like it.”

He gave me a rakish grin. “Works for me. Our two hours of Earth-time doesn’t begin until we get started, so get rid of the robe and bend over the bed.”

Part of me wanted to bitch about him being a jerk, part of me appreciated the emotional distance it created. I stood, tossed the robe onto a chair in the corner, and bent over the tall bed. I’m short, so I don’t think it worked out quite the way he intended.

“On second thought, tiny human, bend over the chest at the foot of the bed.”

About the Author:

Candace Blevins has published more than thirty books. She lives with her husband of nineteen years and their two daughters. When not working or driving young teens all over the place, she can be found reading, writing, meditating, or swimming. The family’s beloved, goofy, retired racing greyhound is usually at her side as she writes, quietly keeping her company.

Candace writes Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Contemporary BDSM Romance, and a kick-ass Motorcycle Club series.

Her urban fantasy series, Only Human, gives us a world where weredragons, werewolves, werelions, three different species of vampires, and a variety of other mythological beings exist.

Candace's two paranormal romance series, The Chattanooga Supernaturals and The Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club, are both sister series to the Only Human series, and give some secondary characters their happily ever after. 

Her contemporary Safeword series gives us characters who happen to have some extreme kinks. Relationships can be difficult enough without throwing power exchange into the mix, and her books show characters who care enough about each other to fight to make the relationship work. Each couple in the Safeword series gives the reader a different take on the lifestyle. 

AMAZON       iTUNES     KOBO      BN      GOOGLE PLAY      WALMART

AMAZON FOLLOW-  Did you know Amazon will automatically email you a link every time I publish a new book! Click the yellow FOLLOW button under my author picture.  http://amzn.to/2gYAj3m

NEWSLETTER  http://eepurl.com/W_Cij

CANDACE'S KINKSTERS READER GROUP   https://www.facebook.com/groups/CandacesKinksters/

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/candacesblevins

INSTAGRAM   https://www.instagram.com/candaceblevinsauthor/

PINTERES  https://www.pinterest.com/candacesblevins/

BOOKBUB   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/candace-blevins

TWITTER https://twitter.com/CandaceBlevins

WEBSITE  http://candaceblevins.com/

GOODREADS   https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4489132.Candace_Blevins

INSTAFREEBIE https://instafreebie.com/author/candaceblevins

Tour giveaway

10 copies of Bash v.1

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Promo: Deadline by Jennifer Blackstream; Review coming soon.

"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend."

Deadline

(Blood Trails Series, Bk 1)By Jennifer BlackstreamBlurb: As a witch with a dark past, Shade Renard knows the Otherworld isn’t always successful at policing itself. Humans don’t believe in magic anymore, and their ignorance renders them easy prey. So when an FBI contact hires her to consult on a possible haunting in a missing persons case, Shade seizes the opportunity to see justice done. 
Her case takes an unexpected turn when an undead crime lord shows up on her doorstep. A bold thief stole the vampire’s little black book of secrets—and he’ll pay a lot more than an FBI consulting fee to get it back. To collect, Shade will have to confront a rogue sorceress, a vengeful wizard, and a lethally seductive fey, with only her wits, her growing magic, and a sarcastic pixie familiar. 
Success means bringing a killer to justice and taking the first step to redemption. Failure means a war between humans and the Otherworld.

No pressure.

Available for purchase at 

iBooks | Amazon Paperback | Kobo | B&N

Excerpt

My instincts flared as I pulled into my driveway. The sun had set and it was dark, but the automatic light on my garage didn’t come on. I frowned.

“Did you disconnect the automatic light?”

Peasblossom curled against my neck, her wet dress adding to a sudden chill in the air inside the car. “No.”

Unease rolled down my spine. I murmured a spell, drawing a few circles in the air. “Lumen.” Three glowing balls of reddish light bloomed to life and hovered before me. I kept one over my head and sent the other two forward, illuminating my path to the front door. I didn’t open the garage door and pull in, but got out while I was still in the driveway, already preparing another spell as I climbed out of the driver’s seat.

“Revelare.” My power flowed in a wash of silver toward the house, probing for any foreign magic.

Nothing.

“Stay here,” I told Peasblossom. “If I don’t call for you, go to Mother Hazel and tell her everything that happened today.”

“But I won’t have anything to tell her unless I stay to see what happens,” Peasblossom hissed. “I’m not leaving you.”

“This might be nothing.” I kept my voice as low as possible. “The bulb may have burned out. Don’t be silly.”

“I’m not silly and I’m not stupid. You think there’s something bad inside. And a witch never ignores her gut.”

A lump rose in my throat, and I fought to swallow around it. “Please stay out here. I can’t bear the idea of anything happening to you.”

Peasblossom gave my ear a ferocious hug. “I’ll stay out here, but only as backup. I will never leave you.”

I waited for her to fly up and off my shoulder before straightening my spine. This was my house. My village. Whatever was here, whatever had violated my home, would be sorry. Power rose in my throat, feeding the spell I’d readied.

“Shade, look out!”

I whirled around and spat behind me. The spell hurtled through the air, and I had a split second to see a dark figure separate itself from the maple tree beside my driveway. The spell landed in the grass, the viscous blue fluid of the entanglement spell pooling in the tree’s shadow.

“Such attacks will not be necessary.”

A man spoke from beside me, smooth and masculine, voice heavy with an accent I hadn’t heard in a long time.

A very, very long time.

I turned, knowing I’d never call up another spell fast enough. I raised my hand anyway, needing to try, to go down fighting. A hand closed around my wrist, tight enough that I swore I heard my bones creak. I gritted my teeth and stared into the face of my visitor.

He was dressed in a suit that probably cost more than my car. Long white-blond hair brushed his shoulders and framed a pale face with sharp, graceful features. I couldn’t see what color his eyes were in this light, but it didn’t matter. I remembered his face.

He went by the name Anton Winters, majority shareholder of the Winters Group, a company that made the Forbes 500 list look like a gathering of struggling start-ups. There were whispers he had criminal connections, that he was former KGB. I knew the truth. And it was scarier.

Anton Winters had once been known by a different name.

Prince Kirill of Dacia.

A vampire.

About The Author

USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Blackstream is…odd. Putting aside the fact that she writes her own author bio in third person, she also sleeps with a stuffed My Little Pony that her grandmother bought her as a joke for her 23rd birthday, and she enjoys listening to Fraggle Rock soundtracks whether or not her children are in the car.

Jennifer doesn’t have spare time, but she makes it a point to spend at least one night a week with her sibling binge-watching whatever show they’re currently plowing through (currently Numbers on Netflix), and she ferociously guards quality time with her son and daughter. She cooks when she has the sanity for it—adding garlic to the recipe whether it calls for it or not—and tries very hard not to let her arachnophobia keep her out of her basement on laundry day.

Jennifer’s influences include Terry Pratchett (for wit), Laurell K. Hamilton (for sexual tension), Jim Butcher (for roguish flair), and Kim Harrison (for mythos). She is currently writing the series of her heart and her dreams, the series that has been percolating in her brain for the last decade…Blood Trails. An Urban Fantasy Mystery series that will combine the classic whodunit spirit with a contemporary fantasy setting. Expect mystery, magic, and mayhem, with characters that will make you laugh, cry, and probably stare at the screen with your jaw hanging down to the floor. Well, that’s how they affect Jennifer anyway…

You can find Jennifer at

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Presented By

Book Blitz & Giveaway: Don't Rush Me by Jackie May

Don’t Rush Me
Jackie May
Publication date: January 25th 2018
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Most humans have no idea that a dark and deadly underworld, filled with magic and monsters, exists. They wander through life blissfully ignorant of the supernatural world around them. Nora Jacobs is different. Nora knows exactly what kinds of hellish creatures haunt the streets of Detroit.

Thanks to a unique set of psychic abilities, Nora has managed to steer clear of the underworld most of her life. But all that changes the night the most powerful vampire in the city discovers her gifts and decides to use her as a tool to find one of his missing clan members.
As if that’s not bad enough, Nora believes she’s cursed. All her life, people, especially men, have been drawn to her—some to the point of obsession and violence. Underworlders, it seems, are not immune to this curse, and now she’s caught the attention of some of the most dangerous monsters in the city.
Neck deep in an investigation only she can solve, Nora quickly makes as many new allies as she does enemies. Her biggest problem is staying alive long enough to decide which is which.
**This series is a slow burn reverse harem.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“Stay out of this, Gorgeous,” Henry snaps suddenly. Parker helps him sit up and Terrance growls again, but it’s not quite as menacing as before. He must be calming down a little.
“Nora is my responsibility. I’ll take her to my own healer—” Henry’s cut o by another vicious snarl, and I’m scooped up into Terrance’s arms so fast I lose my breath. “Yeah…” Gorgeous says to Henry. “Doesn’t look to me like that’s happening.” If his smugness wasn’t directed at Henry, I might and his arrogance annoying. Instead, the guy is my hero. “She’s still mine. I’ve claimed her for a mate.” Gorgeous chews on this new bit of information. He holds up the blood-soaked stake to examine it in the
light and then points the tip at Henry. “Seems to me she’s not too interested in becoming your mate.” “Not at all,” I clarify cheerfully. “He’s holding me against my will.” Henry glares at me, then scowls so hard at Gorgeous his eyes start to turn red again. Whether he doesn’t like
what Gorgeous said or he simply doesn’t like the man himself, I can’t tell. But it’s clear Mr. Gorgeous loves to irk Henry.
“She’s human,” Henry says indignantly. “Claiming her is my right. I don’t care if she triggered Terrance’s protective instincts. He can’t just take what is mine.”
“Well, I’m sure as hell not going to argue with him while he’s in that state, so why don’t we all head down to the Agency, get the pretty human all healed up, and sort this mess out with the director?”
“What agency?” I ask. “Director of what? Who are you? And…is your name seriously Gorgeous?” Gorgeous grins at me like I’ve just made his entire day. “Can you think of a more appropriate name?” I snort again and then wince. e guy needs to stop making me laugh. “Conceited much?”  “And proud of it.” He pulls a leather ID wallet from his pocket and tosses it to me. I’m still cradled like a baby in Terrance’s arms, but I manage to catch the ID. “Nick Gorgeous, at your service. I work for the Federal Underworld Agency. e F U Agency for short.” I roll my eyes at his stupid acronym—though it’s admittedly more entertaining than S.H.I.E.L.D.—and focus on the more important fact. is guy’s a cop. An underworld cop. Like an FBI agent or something. I didn’t even know that existed.
And, I’ll be damned, his name really is Nick Gorgeous.

Author Bio:
Jackie May is a pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. Josh and Kelly live in Phoenix, Arizona with their four children and their cat, Mr. Darcy. Jackie May is their only daughter. (And she keeps asking for her cut of the profits since we’re using her name.)

Website / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Heroines & Hellions Book Blitz and Giveaway

Heroines & Hellions: An Urban Fantasy and Fantasy Collection
Publication date: January 2nd 2018
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

NO DAMSELS ALLOWED! @nodamselallowd #heroinesandhellions #urbanfantasy http://heroinesandhellions.com/

22 Kickass Heroines.
22 Exclusive, Full-length Urban Fantasy and Fantasy Novels.
0 Damsels in Distress.
Do you like your leading ladies to save the day…or raze it?
No matter which you prefer, this set is brimming with 20 magical stories (many BRAND NEW) told by some of the leading voices of urban fantasy and fantasy in the industry, including several New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors!
If you want strong female leads who strike back against the captivating worlds of vampires, elementals, fiends, and paranormal monsters, then you’re ready to charge into the adventures of HEROINES & HELLIONS, a pure Urban Fantasy/Fantasy collection!
Grab your stake, silver bullets, and your limited edition copy of HEROINES & HELLIONS today!

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks / Google Play

—

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour and Giveaway: Blaze by Sierra Cross

Blaze
Sierra Cross
(Spelldrift: Coven of Fire, #4)
Publication date: December 13th 2017
Genres: New Adult, Urban Fantasy

The demon is still out there.
Tenebris—the monster who killed my parents, violated my mind, and destroyed my coven sister Callie—has gone into deep hiding. I won’t rest until I find him and personally take him down.
Luckily the vampires have a bead on him, and they want me along for the demon-hunting ride. But with his brand new skinsuit and the magic amulet he stole from a witch, Tenebris is more powerful than ever. I’m not dumb enough to go up against my mortal enemy without the Coven of Fire at my side. The vampires, however, flat-out refuse to let my “non-traditional” coven in on the job. It seems that no one in the magicborn community respects us, no matter how many lives we save or how many sacrifices we make.
Callie was one sacrifice too many.
So screw the vampires. Forget working within a system that won’t accept us. Matt, Asher, Liv, and I may be misfits, but we’re a coven. And our coven is not complete without Callie. Somehow, we’ve got to track her down and find a way to save her. Then, we’re going to avenge our loved ones and take down Tenebris once and for all…but we’ll do it as a coven. As a family. One witch for all and all for one, no magicborn left behind.

Goodreads / Amazon

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

Every day of the blitz, Enigmatic Books is giving away FIVE free e-copies of the Spelldrift Coven of Fire Books 1-3 bundle on their Facebook page. Enter HERE!

—

For a limited time you can grab RISE, the first book in the Coven of Fire series, for just 99 cents!

—

EXCERPT:

“I’m sorry, Director,” I said. “Something’s come up. I’m afraid I can’t get on that plane.”
Bonaventura spun and sucked in a breath in that almost soundless way only a vampire could. He’d already thought I was a flaky amateur, now he probably thought I was a nutcase. Even Matt and Asher were looking at me like I’d lost my mind. I could really see how it might look that way.
Didn’t matter. Callie was my coven sister, and she needed us to save her. Family first.
“So am I to understand,” Bonaventura’s voice dripped with condescension, “that after begging me to help with the amulet, insisting you be present when Tenebris is killed, you’re now refusing to accompany me?”
“Believe me, if it weren’t absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t do this.” My magic was begging to come to my fingertips. But starting a brawl with a vampire seemed like one of those “poor life choices” they’d warned me about in middle school.
Bonaventura composed himself with a smooth exhalation, then turned to Liv. “I suppose you’ll have to do.” Another finger-snap. “Let’s go.”
“It’s a coven matter that has come up,” Liv said. “None of us can go.”
“We’ll send you the deactivation spell,” I said, not caring in the least that I was giving up the only leverage we had with the Director.
If Bonaventura could’ve killed me with a look, I’d be bleeding out right now. I’d seen what he’d done to Wes, his own son. I got the feeling he was picturing doing worse to me. “Not an option, Ms. Hill.” The terminal dropped ten degrees in an instant. “One of you two witches will board the plane. Or I will release you from your pitiful existence.”
Strange what a difference a little blood could make. More than scaring me, those words hurt. I’d disappointed him. I took a deep breath and shrugged off his compulsion. Vampire mind tricks aside, I owed no loyalty to Bonaventura. And as badly as I wanted to take Tenebris down, I needed to do this more. “If you want to try,” I said, “have at it.”
Matt, Liv, and Asher had already flanked me, ready to fight at my side even if they didn’t fully understand. Bonaventura’s crew did the same for him. The Director narrowed his eyes, looking at each of us in turn. I couldn’t decipher the calculations he was making behind those ice blue eyes. “Know this, witch—and this goes for your whole coven—when our paths cross again it will not be a friendly encounter.”
My heart was racing. Did I really want to make the director of the Council Suprema my enemy? But what choice did I have? We had to follow up on that phone call. We had to find my coven sister.  “If that’s how you want to play it.” I hoped there’d be a way to make things right with Bonaventura later.
The Director turned on his heel and all the other vampires followed suit. I watched as they disappeared through the gate door.
“Alix, luv.” Asher turned to me, his voice sweet as saccharine. “Be so kind as to tell me why I just voluntarily incurred the wrath of the one of most powerful vampires in the northern hemisphere?”

Author Bio:
Spells and skyscrapers. Warriors and warlocks. Coven secrets and forbidden romances. Sierra Cross lives for urban fantasy, for modern magic and the bold supernatural beings who stalk our contemporary world. Her Spelldrift universe stars kickass witches and their heroic guardians, as well as vampires, shifters, mages, Fidei, and the dark  demonic forces that threaten them all.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Amazon

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour: For Whom The Reap Tolls by Jack Wallen

For Whom The Reap Tolls

Reapers Series

Book 3

Jack Wallen

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Devil Dog Press

ISBN: 978-1542311281

ASIN: B01MU3CHW8

Number of pages: 290

Word Count: 61,782

Cover Artist: Dane

Tagline: All is fair in love and death.

Book Description:

A Reaper’s job is never done!

The Scythe has been eradicated. Now it’s time for Grim and company to enjoy much-needed rest, pizza, and romance. Thing is, Death has darker plans and deep-seated secrets to reveal.

With the help of a bookstore dedicated to all things occult, Grim uncovers a truth that could very well set him at odds with Fate and send the natural order spiraling into chaos.

The soul-reaping Scooby Gang is back to help the spirits of humanity return to the Universal Pool and challenge the Eternal status quo.

For whom will the bell toll? Inquiring minds want to know.

Amazon     BN      iTunes     Smashwords

Check Out Book One
A Tale of Two Reapers

About the Author:

Jack Wallen is what happens when a Gen Xer mind-melds with present day snark. Jack is a seeker of truth and a writer of words with a quantum mechanical pencil and a disjointed beat of sound and soul. Although he resides in the unlikely city of Louisville, Kentucky, Jack likes to think of himself more as an interplanetary traveler, on the lookout for the Satellite of Love and a perpetual movie sign...or so he tells the reflection in the mirror (some times in 3rd person). Jack is the author of numerous tales of dark, twisty fiction including the I Zombie series, the Klockwerk Movement, the Fringe Killer series, Shero, The Nameless Saga, and much more.

http://www.jackwallen.com

http://www.facebook.com/author.jackwallen

https://www.twitter.com/jlwallen

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004MZWR3W

Book Tour: Bitter Harvest Series by Ann Gimpel

Deceived
Bitter Harvest
Book One
Ann Gimpel

Magic shattered the world, but the worst is yet to come.

“Provocative and engaging. A fast-paced, supernatural ride.” Michelle Fox, NYT Bestselling Author

Book Description:

The sea may have been a harsh mistress, but Viktor longs for the challenges of wind and weather, for the sound of waves crashing over his hull. Turned by a Master Vampire, he hates what he’s become, but there’s no escape. Not from Ushuaia that’s turned into a city of bones, or from the Vampire who rules him.

Ketha and eleven other Shifters traveled to Ushuaia to harness the power of an eclipse and were trapped there when the world turned upside down. Ten years later, they’re staying one step ahead of Vampires who blame them for the cataclysm.

With her luck running low, Ketha turns her badly depleted magic on the Vampire assigned to lock her away and gets sucked in by her own spell. Maybe magic can’t save the world, but love might be able to salvage what’s left.

Author Store     Amazon     BN     Kobo     iTunes     Google Play

Deceived Excerpt:

.....Ketha woke in the middle of a dozen Vamps. Iron burned her skin where manacles circled her ankles and wrists. If she’d thought the smell was bad before, it was an absolute reeking horror now. Vampires smelled of blood and death and rot. How could any Shifters worth their vows align themselves with these bastards? Taking care to be stealthy, she glanced about an oval room, inlaid with wood. It had a church-ish feel that was clinched when she spied a Christ figure attached to one wall.

Close to a dozen Vamps crowded into the space. All of them held an eerie beauty, but Ketha wasn’t fooled. Their striking good looks ran less than skin deep. Skilled, ruthless killers, they counted on blood to survive. Living blood. Blood tapped from dead things ran a poor second.

The back of her head throbbed painfully, and she shut her eyes to buy herself time to think. Maybe no one had noticed she wasn’t unconscious. The Vamp standing nearest kicked her, right before he ordered her to wake up.

She flinched away from her attacker. Eyes flickering open, she regarded the one who’d struck her. Long, dark hair fell around his perfect face, and he augured fog-colored eyes her way. Ketha edged beyond easy reach of his booted feet into a sit, awkward because of her bound limbs. She didn’t waste words telling him she was already awake, or that no one could rest easy in their midst. She stared at a newly dead rat clutched in his hand and beat back a knowing smile. If they were using rats for blood, the Vampires were in as desperate a predicament as she’d assumed.

“You’ve captured me,” she sneered, opting for defiance. “Now what? Do I get to be everyone’s dinner?” She swung her head from side to side, encompassing the room full of Vamps. “At least remove my shackles. If I’m going to die, I’d rather face you as a wolf.”

The rat-wielding Vamp didn’t answer.

“I’m Ketha.” She held onto her slender advantage and flowed to her feet. Once she got her balance, she folded her arms as best she could beneath the swell of her breasts. “Rat got your tongue?” She jerked her chin at the rodent still clutched in the Vamp’s hand.

Before he could answer, she kept right on rolling, taunting him. “If you’re going to kill me, get on with it, but know this—” She summoned what magic she could, given the iron circling her wrists and ankles. The air about her shimmered with the blues and golds unique to her castings. “You will never escape Ushuaia without us.”

The Vamp faced off against her. “What makes you think we want to escape, Shifter?”

Ketha shrugged, favoring him with the full force of her gaze. “You like it here? Soon there won’t be anything left to eat or drink, and then all of us will die. Even Vamps. But if you’re good with that”—another shrug she hoped spoke for itself—“I suppose there’s nothing to talk about. Go on.” She made shooing motions with her bound hands. “Get on with it. I’m prepared to die. We don’t have too many more months here at the ass end of the world before none of us will be left. Take a chance, Vampire. Face my wolf.”

The Vamp smiled coldly. “I’ll pass. I suppose you have the answer to all our problems.”

“I do.” Ketha let a small, secretive smile play about her mouth. “But I’ll never tell you. Funny thing about being captured. It quiets the tongue.”

The Vampire’s chilly expression didn’t change. “Show some respect. No one addresses me that way.”

“It appears I just did.” Ketha tossed her shoulders back. She’d be damned if she’d let the blood-sucking bastard intimidate her. “You need us. Unfortunately, we need you as well, but what I had in mind was equal partners at a conference table, not being knocked over the head and dragged here.”

Satisfaction warmed her when a vein throbbed in the Vamp’s temple before he crushed the rat to bits of bone and tissue, splattering her with blood. Apparently, she’d gotten to him. What that meant remained to be seen. He summoned one of the others, a Vamp named Viktor. Ketha watched with interest when the other Vampire—clearly some minion—didn’t race to comply, but took his sweet time making his way to where they stood.

Another gorgeous man. This one had copper-colored hair that fell to his shoulders. A high forehead, square jaw, and emerald eyes made him movie star dazzling. Ketha bit down on her lower lip to force her thoughts away from his allure. Like the other Vampires, he was dressed in a motley collection of rags. Either they couldn’t sew—or they had no idea how to create garments that resisted decay.

As Viktor drew near, she assessed him with magic and shielded her surprise. He didn’t feel anything like the one with bloody rat remains on his hands, and the characteristic rot smell was absent Moving with the unholy speed characteristic of his breed, Rat-Vamp slapped cuffs atop her manacles and snapped, “Take her to the caves,” all but shoving her into Viktor’s arms.

Viktor latched a hand firmly around Ketha’s elbow, focused his attention on the other Vampire, and asked, “What then?”

Rat-Vamp sent a sharp look his way. “Lock her up and return. I’ll decide her fate once she tells us whatever she knows about escaping Ushuaia.”

“I already explained how that would happen.” Ketha made her tone pointed. No reason to be subtle around these fuckers; they didn’t deal in nuance. “At a conference table as an equal. So long as you hold me captive, my wolf and I will die before we help you do anything.”

Rat-Vamp shifted his gaze her way. “It appears we’re at a stalemate. Perhaps some cell time will alter your perspective.”

“Don’t count on it.”

She turned her magic toward Viktor, wanting to know what was in his mind. The answer shocked and thrilled her. This one was different, malleable. It wasn’t her imagination that he’d dragged his heels reacting to Rat-Vamp’s command. Viktor might be her ticket to freedom. He might actually let her go—if she played her cards right.

“Lead out.” She hip-butted him to spur him into action. “This room stinks of Vampires, and it’s giving me a headache.”

Rat-Vamp snarled and lunged for her, wrapping his hands around her shoulders and shaking her until her teeth rattled. “Never forget who runs things in Ushuaia. This is blood’s dominion. My dominion.”

Ketha stood her ground. “Funny, but I thought I and my Shifters were in charge. Besides, if you were going to kill me, I’d already be dead.” Ketha could’ve said more. Could have voiced her suspicion that he was intrigued by what she’d said, but she opted to keep her mouth shut. The sooner the weak one left with her, the sooner she’d be free.

Hopefully.

Rat-Vamp drew back his lips and extended his fangs, bloody from his earlier skirmish with the rat, but he didn’t say anything further before Viktor herded her from the room.

“Remain quiet,” Viktor said sternly and shepherded her toward a stairwell. “Vampires have excellent hearing.”

Ketha took a chance. Easy enough since she had nothing to lose. Could he hear telepathy? Now was as good a time as any to find out. “I’m sure they do, and you don’t want them to know what’s in your mind. Lucky for you, Vamp magic can’t hold a candle to mine, even bound as I am by iron.”

They’d started down stairs dimly illuminated by long-unwashed windows. A startled look flashed across his face, and it gave her hope. “Son of a bitch. You heard me.”

Twisted
Bitter Harvest
Book Two
Ann Gimpel

Book Description:

A small group of Shifters sails south from Ushuaia, determined to assess what’s left of the world. A Vampire attack, a possessed priest, and a gateway to Hell mean fallout from the spell gone bad that pinned them in Ushuaia for years is far from gone.

Back on a ship again, Juan reconstructs what’s always been a comfort zone. The sea is the only life he’s ever known—if you don’t count the ten years he spent as a Vampire. His new magic, fueled by a bond with a mountain cat, brings its own set of challenges, but they pale in comparison with the white-hot need knifing through him whenever Aura is anywhere close.

A historian by trade, Aura deals in prophecies for her Shifter pack. Attraction for Juan ignited when they fought the Cataclysm, but she figures he left a string of broken hearts during his years as chief navigator on cruise ships. They have to work together. A self-indulgent affair could ruin everything. She does her damnedest to keep distance between them, but the ship’s not big enough to escape yearning for a future together.

Author Store     Amazon     BN     Kobo     iTunes     Google Play

Twisted Excerpt:

“Watch it!” Her cat was near the surface, and a snarling hiss punctuated its words.

Aura ground to a halt. She’d pulled well ahead of everyone else with her leggy stride. Viktor and Ketha strolled with their arms wrapped around each other as lovers often did. Karin and Rowana brought up the rear, chatting.

“Watch what?” she asked her bond animal.

“I caught a whiff of wrongness. Check for yourself.”

“What is it?” Ketha pulled up next to her. “Why’d you stop?”

“My cat thinks something’s not right.”

Viktor slipped the rifle off his shoulder in a fast, fluid motion that spoke to his familiarity with it.

Aura shut her eyes, urging her senses to preternatural sharpness. Something unpleasant and eerily familiar zapped her. She curled her hands into fists and dug deeper. She had to be wrong.

Before she was through dissecting what she sensed lay beyond, perhaps in the barracks a couple hundred yards away, Ketha muttered, “Shit! It isn’t possible.”

Aura opened her eyes and gripped the other Shifter’s arm. “You picked up on Vampire emanations, right?”

Ketha nodded, eyes wide with disbelief. “How? They’re all supposed to have transformed into humans or Shifters.”

“Why are you talking about Vampires, dearie?” Rowana asked. She and Karin had finally caught up with them.

“I have no idea how,” Aura gritted out the words, “but they’re here.”

Karin narrowed her eyes to slits. “Vampires? Don’t be ridiculous. The Cataclysm altered them, removed the Vampire mutation in their DNA.”

“Or not.” Rowana twisted her face into a grimace.

“Check for yourself,” Ketha told the other two women.

Aura scrubbed the heels of her hands down her face, urging rational thought, and then scanned the place that felt menacing one more time. “It’s not quite right for Vampire, at least not the Ushuaia variety,” she muttered.

“Not exactly,” Ketha agreed. “But there are at least two of whatever they are, and their emanations are closer to Vamp than anything else.”

“The question of the hour,” Viktor said, “is whether we move forward or retreat. It’s a group decision.”

Aura thought about it, and when she spoke, her words came hard. “We left Ushuaia to figure out what was left in the rest of the world. If we turn tail and run the first time we encounter anything, we may as well never have set sail.”

Viktor grinned wryly. “Spoken like a true explorer. Shackleton would have been proud of you.”

“I remember reading about him,” Aura muttered. “If this is Grytviken, isn’t he buried here?”

“He is, indeed,” Viktor said. “His grave is on the far side of the post office, but only because his wife told the ship with his remains to bring him back here. I guess he was quite the philanderer, and she wasn’t interested in footing the expense of bringing his cheating ass home.”

“Interesting,” Aura said, “but we’re stalling. My vote is to see what the hell feels like Vampire.”

“Mine too,” Rowana said.

“I’m in,” Karin said. “If we could survive Armageddon against the Cataclysm, how hard could this be?”

Viktor cocked his head to one side. “Depends. If they’re Vamps, only beheading with iron will do them in.”

“Maybe they’ll be friendly.” Ketha screwed her face into what might have been a hopeful expression, except it came off more like a grimace.

“Friendly and Vampire in the same sentence is an oxymoron,” Viktor said in a flat, dead tone. “It appears we’re all game, so all of you get behind me and stay close. Deploy your magic. It’s still far more finely honed than mine.” He shouldered the rifle. “If I have to, I’ll use this. It should at least slow them down.”

About the Author:

Ann Gimpel is a mountaineer at heart. Recently retired from a long career as a psychologist, she remembers many hours at her desk where her body may have been stuck inside four walls, but her soul was planning yet one more trip to the backcountry. Around the turn of the last century (that would be 2000, not 1900!), she managed to finagle moving to the Eastern Sierra, a mecca for those in love with the mountains. It was during long backcountry treks that Ann’s writing evolved. Unlike some who see the backcountry as an excuse to drag friends and relatives along, Ann prefers solitude. Stories always ran around in her head on those journeys, sometimes as a hedge against abject terror when challenging conditions made her fear for her life, sometimes for company. Eventually, she returned from a trip and sat down at the computer. Three months later, a five hundred page novel emerged. Oh, it wasn’t very good, but it was a beginning. And, she learned a lot between writing that novel and its sequel.

Around that time, a friend of hers suggested she try her hand at short stories. It didn’t take long before that first story found its way into print and they’ve been accepted pretty regularly since then. One of Ann’s passions has always been ecology, so her tales often have a green twist.

In addition to writing, Ann enjoys wilderness photography. She lugs pounds of camera equipment in her backpack to distant locales every year. A standing joke is that over ten percent of her pack weight is camera gear which means someone else has to carry the food! That someone is her husband. They’ve shared a life together for a very long time. Children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out their family.

Find Ann At:

www.anngimpel.com

http://anngimpel.blogspot.com

http://www.amazon.com/author/anngimpel

http://www.facebook.com/anngimpel.author

https://twitter.com/anngimpel