I’ll be going on a virtual book tour starting the last week of this month (August). There are a lot of stops along the way that will include reviews, guest posts, and interviews. If you all would like to follow along or check any of them out, this is the list of sites I’ll be at, along with the dates. I’ll also post reminders on Facebook and Twitter for those who follow me there.
Tag Archives: The Sensor Series
Official Blurb for Darkness Taunts
I’ve been giving updates on Facebook, but for anyone who may have missed them I’ll restate everything here. The cover for Darkness Taunts is now finished (as of two days ago). The novel itself won’t be ready until the end of June, but I will be releasing three excerpts/snippets with the cover reveal to tide you over. One of those will be here on this blog, so be on the look out. I’ll add links to the other two once I have them. I can tell you they will be at the following sites:
For those who have requested a scene with Lucas, I promise at least one of them will have him in it. Now for the official blurb for Darkness Taunts:
Melena Sanders has managed to avoid all things inhuman for most of her life, but after coming to Fairbanks, Alaska to rescue her best friend from supernaturals she hasn’t been allowed to leave. That is, until her long-time nemesis comes to collect a favor she owes him. Lucas might be half angel, but he’s all bad as far as she’s concerned.
Paying him back might get her out of town for a while, but her new destination will be anything but enjoyable. Mel’s got to help the nephilim take care of a demon possession outbreak in Juneau. Although something like this hasn’t happened for thousands of years, Lucas is certain Melena’s rare abilities are the key to solving the problem.
With violence in the capital city growing, she’s going to have to figure out how to stop it fast before the trouble spreads to other places. Not only that, but working closely with Lucas is changing the dynamics of their hate-hate relationship—worrying her even more than the demons. Getting back to her captivity in Fairbanks never looked so good.
If you’d like to add Darkness Taunts to your “to read” list on Goodreads, click here. It is listed on there now with the blurb and will have the cover added once it is revealed. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions below. Provided you aren’t asking for major spoilers, I’ll be happy to answer.
Furry Temptation- Short Story Set in The Sensor World
For those of you who have read Darkness Haunts and are patiently waiting for the next book in the series, I have a short story that takes place approximately six weeks after the first novel. It will give you a brief glimpse into how things are going for Melena and hopefully make you even more ready for when Darkness Taunts releases. I wrote this last summer, but haven’t released it for anyone to read until now. Enjoy!
*****
Furry Temptation
I wanted to ignore the mewling sounds coming from a box beside the dumpster, but mama had been hit by an idiot driver moments before. The helpless cries pulled at me. October in Fairbanks, Alaska would not be kind to these little ones.
“Damn.” This was the last thing I needed.
I took a step closer, but caution kept me from going further. A sweep of the parking lot revealed nothing but a pair of stumbling drunks from the nearby bar I’d left. I couldn’t go back in there and ask my former date for help. He wouldn’t be too obliging after the drink I’d thrown in his face. My only regret was that the glass had been half-empty.
My attention returned to the box. Those felines were going to turn me into a bloated vegetable. Cats and I did not go well together, but I also knew what being an orphan felt like. Maybe someone else could take them in for the night. Felisha might be willing. I couldn’t trust them with the vampires or werewolves. God knows what they might do with them.
I crept closer.
The wind whipped up my hair to sting my face and blur my vision. I’d left it down and gave it a loose curl to look nice for my date. Too bad that hadn’t worked out. Human men were as difficult to understand as their supernatural counterparts—not that I’d ever consider being with a sup. My kind and theirs didn’t mix well together.
I burrowed into my wool coat and cursed the Alaska climate for the thousandth time since coming here a couple of months ago. My last escape attempt hadn’t gone so well, damn Lucas and his ability to track me, but there was always next time. They couldn’t keep me in this town forever.
The tiny chorus of meows echoed out even louder than before.
It was impossible to resist the call, even for me. I reached the box and found crumpled papers and napkins littering the inside. Small bodies were wriggling through it. I wrinkled my nose at the pungent odor coming from all around. It was too dark to make out their coloring, but a flash of white caught my attention. At least mama had cleaned them up before meeting her demise.
My breath stilled as I reached out. The kitten fit in the palm of my hand. A place in my heart I’d thought long dead warmed as it snuggled close to my chest. The decision of whether it lived or died was up to me. I’d seen far too much death.
Two more warm bodies came out to join the first. My eyes watered. I had to grasp them tight when a series of sneezes shook me. All three of them had taken an unhealthy liking to my neck.
They protested when I put them back in the box. No matter how cute they were, I couldn’t take responsibility for them. The little guys didn’t understand the effect they had on my allergies.
I pulled my phone out.
“Melena?” Felisha never got a call from me this late.
“Yeah, it’s me. I need a favor.” I didn’t give her the full details. My sneezing and wheezing were enough to send her on her way once she had the directions.
She pulled into the parking lot ten minutes later. A few patrons came out of the bar at the same time. They shouted suggestive comments at her as she passed, but she didn’t bother to glance their way. The red-headed woman could have passed for a model. Instead she chose to run a local herb shop and cater to the local supernatural population. She’d been trying to get me to work for her, but I hadn’t decided yet. The idea of working for a sup—even a nice one—galled me.
I stood up as she approached.
“Oh, Melena.” Sympathy filled her eyes. “Look at your face.”
I scratched my swollen nose. “It’ll pass.”
At least the drunks wouldn’t be bothering me—probably.
She knelt down and inspected the contents of the box. The kittens crawled eagerly into her hands. I took a couple of steps back and pretended not to be envious at how easy she held them. Cats were not my thing, but these were kind of cute.
“Can you take them?” I asked.
She sighed. “I’ve already got two at the house.”
“I know. That’s why I never visit.”
“There is a way around that.”
I shook my head. “I’m not drinking vampire blood.”
“You did before.”
“Dying will make you do strange things. Will you take them or not?”
Felisha rubbed her face into their fur. Of course, she didn’t sneeze. “I’ll take them on one condition.”
I crossed my arms. “What’s that?”
“You’ll come visit them once a month.”
“I can’t.” Nope. No way would I go near them again.
She started to put them back in the box.
“You wouldn’t.” She was too kind for that.
“In this case, I would. You have to stop hiding from the things you fear.” Damn, she would. My senses told me she spoke the truth and they were never wrong.
“That’s ridiculous. I don’t fear kittens.”
“But you fear the cure that would allow you to be near them.”
Tiny stars lit up the sky. I wished I could be up there with them right now.
“Fine, I’ll visit once a month—for a few minutes, but that’s it.” I could suffer for that long without drinking vamp blood as a temporary fix. She wouldn’t win this battle entirely.
A smile spread across her face. Her green eyes might have twinkled as well. With fairies anything was possible.
“Good,” she said. “Don’t back out of it either or I’ll bring them to your house.”
I shuddered. Cat fur in my home would be a disaster. I’d fought hard to have my own place—even if it was only a five-minute walk from Nik’s home, the master vampire of Fairbanks. Orphaned kittens were not going to mess that up for me.
“I won’t back out,” I said.
“Then it’s settled.” She took the box in her arms. “We’ll make an animal lover out of you yet.”
“Not likely.”