One Magickal Moment – Coming January 27 2012
Cerridwen Obrey is a witch, but that doesn’t mean she knows much about other paranormals, despite the fact her small town is full of warlocks, werewolves, vampires, and other assorted creatures of the night.
When a chance encounter with a handsome hunk of a werewolf leaves her pregnant, Cerri doesn’t expect anything from the man she never planned to see again. Her child needs a father, and she turns to her friends for help.
A lone wolf with a rough past, Kade’s far from ready to be a father. But when a one-night stand turns into a chance at the family he’s never had, he realizes Cerri may be exactly what he needs to make his life complete. But will he be too late?
EXCERPT
Cerridwen Obrey, Cerri to her friends, looked out the window at the wintry night. Wind howled down the chimney and she shivered, wishing she had wood to build a fire. Her hands rubbed up and down her arms, trying to ease the chill in her limbs. The heat was set on 68 degrees in hopes of saving money on the electric bill. The last one had just about wiped out her bank account.
If she only had money to purchase or rent a storefront along the main strip, she knew her business would flourish. Unfortunately, you had to spend money to make money, and that was in short supply.
She had a workroom set up in her home where she mixed bath oils, massage oils, and made herbal shampoo. She also hand rolled incense sticks, which were her best seller, especially the lavender and sandalwood. She’d seen a Wiccan type of shop in town, and had thought of asking the owner if she would stock a few items and maybe agree to a partnership of sorts, but Cerri hadn’t gotten up the nerve. She still held out hope she could open her own store.
She came from a long line of Pictish witches. She’d been known to cast an occasional spell, but only out of necessity. While her father was Welsh, hence her name, her mother had been Scottish and had taught her the old ways, passed down from mother to daughter as far back as their line could be traced. Cerri had several Pictish tattoos — a blue design on her upper arms covered her from shoulder to elbow, an overblown power band. On her back was a Celtic raven in turquoise and black. The wings spread across her shoulder blades, and the tail dipped to the middle of her back. The tattoos weren’t just art, they were part of who she was.
Looking over her shoulder at her workroom, she knew immersing herself in work would be a sure way to take her mind off the cold, and her recently deceased mother. With a sigh, she headed to her workroom, and lighting some Jasmine incense, began to work on a new shampoo.
* * *
Later that night, Cerri woke to the realization she had fallen asleep at her worktable. Stretching, she winced at the crick in her neck. She frowned, not knowing what had woken her.
Rising from her stool, she pulled her sweater tight around her body, trying to ward off the freezing air. She checked the thermostat in the hall and cringed when she saw the house was registering at 63 degrees. She knew she’d have to raise the temperature to 75 for the house to get warm overnight, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, it seemed the blasted thing was broken again, not that her landlord would care.
She shook her head and looked out over her small living room. Light from the silvery moon illuminated every square inch of the small space. Something drew her to the window, calling to her on a primitive level.
Crossing the small area, she peered out the window and gasped. A large, black wolf stared at her from the snow-covered yard. She wasn’t sure when it had snowed, but a thick blanket covered everything in sight. The animal stared at her with eyes glowing in the night, and a shiver raked her body from head to toe. It felt as if he was looking into her very soul.
Pulling away from the window, she went into the bathroom for a hot shower. She stood under the water, reluctant to leave the warm paradise. Finally, she turned the water off and hurried to the bedroom to put on her pajamas and crawl beneath the covers.
Outside a wolf howled, and she burrowed further under the covers. She just knew it was the wolf she’d seen outside. Having grown up in Los Angeles, she wasn’t used to wildlife, much less having a wolf at her door.
Lucian D’Angel and Angel’s Fire, Demon’s Blood
Today I have Lucien D’Angel joining me, from Angel’s Fire, Demon’s Blood by Tamela Quijas. Thank you for joining me, Lucien!
Thank you for having me at your site. I am, if I may admit, feeling more alive than I ever have during my existence. Lately, I have been cross examining various emails from fans of my television show Those Among Us and contemplating new paranormal research locations.
How do you feel about your story being published for all to read?
A bit disconcerted. I have always kept my life as private as possible. To have my past revealed to the curious eyes of the public is a situation to which I am not comfortable.
Did you read it? What did you think, did the author do a good job capturing your story?
Yes, I have read Angel’s Fire, Demon’s Blood. My life is complicated and borders on the surreal but I do feel that the author did take the time to capture the essence of my life.
Wonderful. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a best selling author of two paranormal books, both which had made the best seller lists. I am, also, the leader of the paranormal investigation group Those Among Us. The program does have a large fan base and is nationally televised.
What do you think about Evangeline Keegan, is there anything you can tell us about her?
Evangeline is brilliant. She is the top investigative reporter for a television news station in New York. I have known her for years and must admit that she is my angel. In fact, for lack of a better word, she is my eternal salvation.
Well, how did you two meet?
(laugh) Long ago, when I had felt my world was a barren wasteland of darkness.
Well, thank you for joining me today, Lucien. I’m glad I had the opportunity to speak with you. I know you must be busy, but before you leave, is there anything else you’d like to say?
What would I ask your readers? Do they know the dark side of the world, the plane that exists just beyond the human eye? Do they ever wonder about that cold chill that brushes across their flesh during the hottest hours of the day? Do they wonder why the name of some long lost suddenly comes to mind? Do they know of the evil and the good that walks among them?
Available at Amazon, BookStrand, All Romance Ebooks, and other online retailers!
Book Sale!
For a limited time, select titles are available for 25% off at Bookstrand.com.
Magnolia Magick
When Lissa travels to Georgia to stay in an antebellum plantation home, she doesn’t count on sharing it with a ghost. But this ghostly man makess her feel more than anyone has in a long time. Knowing she can’t have a relationship with him, she dates the first man who comes along, thinking she may have found a winner. But Jared isn’t the sweet, caring guy he first appears to be.
Jesse has been dead for almost one hundred years. In all of his time on earth, both living and spectral, he has never met anyone like Lissa. If he had a heart, it would have stopped beating the moment he saw her. Why couldn’t this beautiful, talented woman have come along while he was still alive? Jesse would love nothing more than to take Lissa into his arms and kiss her senseless.
When Jared finds out Lissa is a spell casting witch, will he still stand by her side? Or will he push Lissa away, moving her towards the impossible – finding a way for her and Jesse to be together.
Christmas Wishes Come True
Elise doesn’t feel like celebrating Christmas this year. A divorce has left her feeling more like Scrooge than Santa. But will the handsome, charismatic Nathan be able to change her mind? He may be just the present she needs this year.
Yule Be Haunted
A Christmas Anthology…
While dodging vampire bats, Lucy meets the guy of her dreams. So what if he’s a vampire hunter? Every relationship has its quirks.
When Rylee finds an old spell book, she discovers that she comes from a long line of witches. Oh yeah, and that first spell? It just happens to zap the cutest guy she’s ever seen.
An ancestor is haunting Annabel, causing her no end of trouble, but when that trouble turns into a rather yummy Cal, she doesn’t mind so much.
Visit Bookstrand.com today for my Adult titles under Jessica Coulter Smith and Young Adult titles under Jessie Colter!
New Silver Falls series
Witches, werewolves, warlocks, shapeshifters, gods, fairies… anything you can think of lives in the town of Silver Falls.
Book one, One Magickal Moment, was recently contracted with Changeling Press. It’s currently being tweaked before going to the editor, but I’m hoping it will release in early 2012. I don’t have a date yet.
Here’s a little about the book -
Cerridwen Obrey may be a witch, but that doesn’t mean she believes in the paranormal, despite the fact that her small town is full of witches, werewolves, vampires and other paranormals. When a one night stand doesn’t turn out quite the way she’d planned, she turns to her friends for help. Scared of his impending fatherhood, Kade isn’t sure if he wants to fight for Cerri. When decides he can’t live without her, will it be too late?
Stay tuned for updates!
Moonlight Savior, an Ashton Grove Werewolves novel
Ramsey has returned to Ashton Grove with Luna. They’re only friends, but she wants to be much more, and she isn’t shy about letting people know. Knowing that Ramsey doesn’t want her, Luna will stop at nothing to make him her own.
But Ramsey has someone else in mind as his mate. When he meets his best friend’s sister, he can’t take his eyes off her. While having Harper by his side is wonderful, they have a bumpy road ahead of them. Especially when a werewolf from her past moves to Ashton Grove.
Moonlight Savior is book 5 in the Ashton Grove Werewolves series and will release mid-December 2011 in e-book. Look for it at All Romance Ebooks and Amazon Kindle.
Ashton Grove Werewolves updates
Through the end of November the Ashton Grove Werewolves books (1 – 4) are on sale for 25% off at All Romance Ebooks.
Moonlight Savior, book 5 in the series, should be turned in to my editor by Monday. If all goes well, it looks like we might be looking at a mid-December release for ebook. Just in time for the holidays!
Vaaden Warriors: Randar — an excerpt
Vaaden Warriors: Randar |
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by Jessica Coulter Smith
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My eyes adjusted to the dim interior as I entered the building where all new slaves were kept. I’d never been inside before, as I’d never purchased a slave — until now. I had thought of taking a slave for a while, especially after getting to know Susan, my cousin’s slave. But I’d been dragging my feet over it. I already owned a unit in the slave quarters, the one where Susan had stayed, and had had it redecorated. Now it was time to actually select a slave of my own.
It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy the harems, but there was something more intimate about owning your own slave. I wanted the opportunity to get to know the woman I was with, and as I hadn’t thought of taking a wife, I hoped to find someone close to my age, someone who could possibly become more than just a slave at some point in the future. My cousin had come to love his slave, as had several of my friends, and I had to admit that I wanted that for myself.
Rheul had told me about a slave a few days ago. A quiet young woman in the holding cells, purchased and returned for unknown reasons. He didn’t know her name, or really anything about her other than what she looked like, but it seemed important to him that she be saved. I’d promised I would take a look at her before I made my selection.
As I entered the holding cells, I nodded to the guards. I studied the occupants of each cell until I spotted a woman matching the description Rheul had given me. She looked like she would barely reach my shoulder, and her honey blonde hair hung halfway down her back.
I stepped into the cell and stood before her. Gently, I reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to look me in the eye. When her eyes met mine, the brilliant green of them astounded me. The stark terror in her face was nearly my undoing. I had no idea what she’d experienced since being on Vaaden, but it had obviously been bad.
She flinched when I reached to take her hand, but I kept my touch gentle as I grasped it and tugged her closer. With her body a mere inch from mine, I reached out and stroked her hair. She was trembling from what I assumed was fear, and I wished I could take it away.
I nodded to the guard. “I’ll take this one.”
The guard looked at her. “Is this acceptable, or would you prefer the harems?”
“I’ll go with him,” she whispered. Her voice was soft and musical, delicate like she was.
Lifting her into my arms, I carried her out of the holding cells and into the light of day. The brightness of the double suns of Vaaden was brutal to someone not of my planet, and she hid her face against my neck.
“It isn’t far,” I told her.
“I’ve been there once before,” she reminded me.
“Why did your owner return you?”
“I didn’t please him,” she whispered.
After we entered the slave quarters, I should have set her down and let her walk, but I found that I liked carrying her. Her weight was slight, and it had been a while since I’d felt feminine curves pressed against me — not including my brief visits to the harems. I went there for a service and nothing more. Being with a slave was going to be more intimate, even more intimate than having a wife. Not that I had one of those offending creatures. Vaaden wives were horrible things, cruel and vicious, cold and heartless. Not something I planned to inflict upon myself any time soon.
When we reached the apartment Sylon had given me, I put her down and opened the door. She hesitantly stepped inside, and I followed her, making sure the door closed behind us. I watched as she took in her surroundings, trying to see it through her eyes.
I knew it was a simple apartment compared to some of them, but I’d had it redecorated and hoped she liked it. The floor was plush like the fur of Earth rabbits we’d seen on previous raids and was a dark lavender color. The walls were pale lavender, nearly white. The chairs were a soft aqua and lavender print, with a small round table in front of them. I’d made sure there was a bookshelf installed and had filled it to capacity. There were card games and games of chance to keep her occupied when I wasn’t around.
She moved toward the bedroom, which had the same color scheme as the main living space. Her fingers trailed across the bed. When she faced the closet, she hesitantly placed her hand over the door and opened it. Inside were several slave garments, but I’d made sure they were the best, all of them made of silk and a little longer than the one she currently wore. I wanted her to be as comfortable as possible in her new home.
“I don’t even know your name,” I said softly, not wanting to scare her.
“Lyssa.”
Author Ashlynn Monroe and her latest release…
Kiss Me, Kill Me, Bite Me…Why I chose a title like THIS!
This title might seem unexpected for a romance, but after giving it careful thought, I had to follow my gut instinct and use it. When you’re a reader of paranormal romance, you expect a hero with some bite. Quinn, isn’t your typical hero. He starts the story as more of a villain. This is the story of a woman who finds herself caught between who she is and what she is. It’s a tale of internal struggle and striving for holding onto who you want to be. I loved writing this story. It’s different from any of the other books on my backlist. I normal write about heroes who start out as the good guy, but Quinn makes many mistakes, unforgivable choices. Finding it in your heart to forgive is hard, even when you have eternity to work it out together.
Blurb:
Turned during the vampire war of the 1940′s, Eden lost her family and the only life she’d ever known. Murdered by the man she loved, she resents him to this day.
Quinn died as a human doctor on the European front lines, a victim of a vampire. Discovering his beloved Eden moved on, he does the only thing he can think of – kills her so they can be together forever.
His path has been shaped by her revulsion over what he made her. Her desire for what she lost has made her hate everything about what she is. Can love find away after decades of pain to bring them together again?
I drive past a very large cemetery every day on my way to work. I love paranormal romance and wanted to do something unique with vampires, something a bit darker than my typical work. This story creates an alternative history for our world and gives us a glimpse of what life might be like if vampires ran the world. I enjoyed telling Eden’s story in her own voice, I hope you’ll enjoy reading it too.
Excerpt:
I walk alone through the night – smelling the air. I’m surprised as I detect the fragrance of life in this place of death. Something smells delicious and I can feel my hunger roaring within me; I’m starving. I’d not taken nourishment for three days. Usually I abstain as long as possible. Jasmine, my roommate, said I’m the only anorexic vampire she’s ever met. Thinking of Jasmine always makes me smile. She has a way of turning my melancholy into joy. Jasmine loves being what we are. I hate it. It was so long ago that I was a woman who lived and breathed sometimes I cannot remember what it was like to be alive. Jaz always says it is best to forget. She experienced a lot of pain when she was alive. My life was happy. I guess that’s what makes the difference in our feelings on the subject. I love Jaz like a sister, but when she feeds, it makes me sick. I’m sure I’m the only vampire who’s ever blanched at the sight of blood. Seeing how much Jaz enjoyed the feast, taking twisted sexual pleasure in the kill, makes me cringe.
I’ll never be human again. I’d not have chosen this life. While I may be dead, I can still end my existence. I just don’t have the courage. I’ve never taken a life and I hate being inhuman and unholy. Jaz said I’m full of it and that if God hated vampires he’d never have created us; we are like a lion eating a zebra and God doesn’t hate lions. I always bite my tongue, but I know zebras don’t eat zebras so that makes me inhuman.
A virus has created my species and while I understand the science behind my kind, that still doesn’t make it okay or take the stain off my soul. My friends at the blood bank say I’m just overly dramatic and need to stop thinking like I’m a damned monster.
I’ve been a vampire since 1945. Today is my birthday, but I’ve been dead seventy-eight years. If I was going to enjoy what I am, I think it’d have started by now. My birthday makes me sad, as it is also the anniversary of my death.
This morning when I looked in the mirror at my smooth albeit pale skin, I tried to imagine what I would have looked like if I were still mortal. I thought of the wrinkles, the age spots. I’d gladly trade my eternal youth for those wrinkles and the memories they’d have come with. I’m a grandmother; my little girls are old ladies now, too. It is hard to imagine what my little beauties look like by now.
I feel the pain gripping my stomach as I move closer to the delicious scent. In a graveyard on the vampire side of town near the boundary at midnight, any human foolish enough to be here must want to die. Killing humans is against the law; turning humans can only be done in extreme cases, such as terminal cancer. Even with all the paperwork and legalities, there are still humans who long to be what I am. It never ceases to surprise me when I hear of someone who has recently turned.
I was made during the vampire wars, it was a long time ago but humans have never forgiven my kind, I cannot blame them, I hate the one who turned me as much as the humans hate me.
I see the foolish mortal, young and female. She can’t be older than sixteen; the delightful aroma is making it very clear. My mouth waters, my incisors extend, a reflex out of my control. My keening moan of hunger makes the mortal glance around, looking for danger. I’m torn between running away from the girl and running towards her. I want to sink my fangs into her while ripping out her throat to feel her warm delicious blood run down my throat and filling me with her sweet tender life. These thoughts I’ve no control over and it makes me shudder with a monstrous ecstasy. This was not who I want to be. My inner predator is awake and ready, adrenaline spikes in anticipation of the hunt. I’m unable to control the instinct even as my mind rebels against my need.
She’s a dark mortal, one of the kids dressed in black who’s painted her face white wearing black lipstick and black nail polish. I can tell she’s dyed her light hair unnaturally black. They hang out in moody little packs like groupies at the blood bank.
Jaz loves them. She owns one of the hottest underground vampire clubs in the city. Jaz turned in 1899 and that is how she came up with the name of her business. Human hunts take place weekly at Club 99. For the right price, a vampire can purchase a mortal to kill. Her voluntary humans are dark mortals who’ve fooled themselves into believing the sensuality of the vampire is worth death, or that they can convince the vampire who bought them to turn them. Jaz imports most of her humans from poor countries. Some were sold by their starving families. It always makes me sick to see them brought in. Their terror hurts me, even as I feel the same sick desire as the others who watch and long for the chase. Jaz leads them to the mazes where the screams echo as they are murdered.
I love Jaz, but I hate what she does. I owe Jaz a lot; she’s the one who rescued me, and taught me I can eat without killing. I’d have starved to death otherwise.
The little dark mortal is sitting on a gravestone writing in a little book looking unhappy. I want to laugh and cry as I watch her pretend to be a part of my dark, cold world. In the distance, I can hear the whistle of a steam engine and see the smoke. I’ve not been on a train for many years. It is only recently the trains started running again in this part of the country. There is so much death and devastation from the last of the wars. This little morsel of a mortal has never experienced the fear and hunger of war; the last of the terrible battles ended in 1989, the year the first vampire president made the reservations. He signed human protection bills, making random slaughter a crime. Those laws preserve our food source. Without his leadership, the world would probably be a burnt, empty lifeless husk by now.
I watch the girl. The demon within me comes to life. With my unnatural movements, I’m beside her soundlessly. I’m nothing but another night shadow to her. I feel drool running down my face as I salivate thinking of letting myself forget, lost in the bliss of my bloodlust. I battle my inner demons more fiercely than I’ve had to in seventy-eight years.
She is turning and looking at me. I have the sharp night vision of my kind and see her pupils dilating with her sudden fear. I smell the adrenaline in her blood it only seasons the already delicious life flowing in her veins. I want to give in to the beast. I feel my nails piercing the skin of my palms and my own blood dripping down my hands as I fight with myself not to kill the foolish child.
“Do you really want to die so badly tonight?”
She shudders, I can hear her fear and I smell it in her blood.
“I want to be like you and do anything I want. I want to have the power you have and live forever. Please, make me a vampire.”
I laugh. It sounds demonic to my own ears. Her impassioned plea is breaking my heart even as it fuels my ravenous hunger.
“I wouldn’t be able to give you eternal life child, only eternal death. If I let myself taste the nectar of your veins, I’ll kill you. You don’t want to be me.” I hear the menace of my predatory instinct.
She looks so afraid. I feel a little sorry for her, but only a little. Each second she sits there, I want to take the sweet blood her frail human body houses. I finally snap, giving in to what I’ve denied for so long. I lunge, grabbing her hair and yanking her head back, ready. I know later I’ll tell myself it was her fault and I’m the victim of her poor choice. Finding my iron control again, I gritting my teeth and tell her how she can spare herself.
“Don’t run, get up slowly and walk away, backwards so that I can see your very human face. Don’t run until you are far from me, then run back across the border to the safety of your reservation and your parents. I don’t want to take your frail life. There is five hundred feet between you and the safety of your reservation. Once you cross the line, it will be physically impossible for me to reach you. Start now, go.”
Fear causes her to stumbling away. I have to hold back. Inside me, the predator screams and thrashes, desperately wanting to chase the child down and devour her. I remind myself of what I have lost, she could be my granddaughter. That thought reins in the beast, giving the girl a little more time.
I feel my muscles bunching, ready to spring after the meal getting away. I’ve never been on a hunt, but the instinct is natural for my kind. I know what to do. Being a good girl for so long, I deserve to enjoy the snack who’s offered her blood up to me. She is obviously unhappy; I’d be doing her a favor.
I no longer need to rationalize the monster’s in control now. I’ll have her. She’s close to her point of safety I will not have much time to capture her. I feel the predator take over completely. Screaming a primal rage of my inner evil, my voice sounds like a wild cat to my own ears. I spring after the terrified teenager.
She is only a few feet from safety, but I’m fast, motivated, and I can hear her pants of fear and exhaustion. She is close to being out of reach. I push forward finding a burst of speed. I know that she will see my red feral eyes as she dies and I laugh at the thought. She loves the darkness and I am going to love eating her up. I reach forward; my nails have grown more claw-like, weapons to take down my prey. I have her. She’s mine. Victory is all mine to enjoy. I snarl my triumph.
A hard force rams into me and sends me flying. I fall sprawling away from the tender vittles that have just made it safely where I cannot cross. I snarl. Something has stopped me from having what is mine. I’ve come of age tonight. I starved the monster free in my attempt to kill it. I push against the ground something heavy is on my back and I kick and thrash trying to free myself.
Hearing the voice, I wonder if my hunger is causing a hallucination.
“My God Eden, when was the last time you ate something. You’re so thin. I feel like I might’ve broken you. We need to get some nourishment into you.”
Quentin, a nightmare from my past, is holding me down, keeping me from my desired objective. I only hate one person – Quinn, the creature who took everything from me. I am staring into his beautiful blue eyes. Once I cared for him very deeply.
Quinn picks me up as if I weigh nothing. He holds me too tightly for my weak body to escape. My inner monster roars with her angry indignity. How dare he do this? He was the one who first tried to get me to kill. He was the one who wanted me to relish this life, and now, after seventy plus years, I’ve finally let the monster he has planted inside of me loose and he’s decided I’m not allowed to be what he made me? I kick out at him; the rumble of his masculine chuckle only enrages me more, making my hatred grow. I bite down on him hard. His blood rushes into my mouth. Vampires don’t usually drink from each other, too cannibalistic even for monsters, I guess. I remember the taste of him even after all these years. He tastes exotic on my tongue; I’ve ingested a lot of different blood types, but none like his. Strangely, it satisfies the monster in my soul. I hear him moan. I taste the change in him, his desire. Even after all these years, it seems everything I do makes him want me.
Being away from the girl’s blood is clearing my mind. I will still rip her throat out in a second, if given the chance, but I feel my control returning. Feeling lightheaded, I pull my mouth from the wound on his shoulder; my tongue swirls across and closes the two punctures my teeth left in him. I wonder if he’s uncomfortable with his lack of control. He’s never been able to control himself when it comes to me.
Eternally Mine available June 2011 with Changeling Press
Salena Roarke has chosen yet another stellar boyfriend. Running for her life from the enraged Derrick, she collapses outside of a mountain cabin. Little does she realize her savior is a deadly predator, a vampire.
Whittaker longs to be with Salena, but he knows his maker is still out there. Doubting he can keep her safe from the bloodthirsty creature who turned him, he tries to hold her at bay. But once he succumbs to Salena’s charms, he knows his life will be forever changed and he will do anything to keep her safe.
Interview with a S’nat
Interviewer: Today I’m interviewing Fray Matsen, hero of the YA paranormal romance S’nat Wars by the mother/daughter team of Linda Palmer and Julie Kimbrell. To begin, maybe you should tell us what, exactly, a “S’nat” is.
Fray Matsen: ”S’nat” is a slang term for a Supernatural. Actually, make that vampire or shapeshifter.
Interviewer: You qualified that rather quickly. Are there other kinds of S’nats out there that we don’t know about?
Fray Matsen: Vampires and shapeshifters came out several years ago.
Interviewer: That doesn’t really answer my question.
Fray Matsen: I know.
Interviewer: Hm. Tell us about WatchDogs, Inc., the personal protection agency you work for.
Fray Matsen: My dad and his brothers, all shapeshifters like me, own the agency. We’re dogs. We also have normal guys working there, too. Dad makes assignments based on the situation.
Interviewer: And what situation brought you to the Daniels’ house?
Fray Matsen: Mr. Daniels is a lawyer who represents S’nats in court. Lots of humans hate S’nats, so when he won a high-profile case, someone threatened the family. I was assigned to guard Gabi Daniels, his seventeen-year-old daughter.
Interviewer: What kind of dog do you shift into?
Fray Matsen: A Rottweiler.
Interviewer: Does Gabi like Rotts?
Fray Matsen: I guess. She didn’t complain, though she did ask if I could shift into a Chihuahua so she could stick me in her purse when she went to the mall. She was joking, though. At least I think she was.
Interviewer: Did you and Gabi get along, then?
Fray Matsen: Most of the time. She was pretty stubborn and didn’t take orders well. Sometimes it seemed like she was deliberately trying to irritate the he– um, heck out of me.
Interviewer: What did guarding Gabi entail?
Fray Matsen: I spent every second with her Monday through Friday, which meant going to her high school; running, shopping, and eating with her; and even tagging along when she went to a movie with a, um, friend.
Interviewer: Guy or gal?
Fray Matsen: Guy.
Interviewer: You went on a date with her? Wow. I’ll bet that was awkward.
Fray Matsen: It wasn’t a date, and I went as a Rott and stayed in the back seat so I could watch them.
Interviewer: Watch them?
Fray Matsen: The movie. I watched the movie.
Interviewer: O-kaaay. How did you handle the nights?
Fray Matsen: I slept with her. Well, not with her. I slept nearby…on the floor…as a dog. Let me start over. I shifted into a Rott and slept on a rug next to her bed.
Interviewer: I…see. And what about the weekends?
Fray Matsen: My brother Dion took over.
Interviewer: What’s that frown about?
Fray Matsen: What frown? I’m not frowning.
Interviewer: My bad. Is there anything you’d like to tell readers?
Fray Matsen: Check out S’nat Wars if you want the whole story. A lot happened, and sometimes it was hard to tell where the threat was really coming from.
Interviewer: Do you still talk to Gabi now that everything is resolved and you’ve both moved on?
Fray Matsen: You could say that.
Interviewer: What’s that grin about?
Fray Matsen: What grin? I’m not grinning.
S’nat Wars blurb:
Everything should’ve changed the day vampires and shapeshifters came out to the world six years ago, but it didn’t–at least not for Gabi Daniels. She still sleeps, eats, runs, and goes to school. And when she’s out in public, she still can’t tell if the people she passes on the street are humans or actually Supernaturals, a.k.a. S’nats. No one else can, either, which is the problem. If S’nats have actually populated the globe for eons without anyone knowing, what else might be lurking out there, ready to pounce?
Then Gabi’s dad, a lawyer, defends a vampire accused of murdering a human. His high-profile win results in threats from S’nat haters. To keep Gabi safe, he hires WatchDogs, Inc., a personal protection agency with bodyguards that actually shapeshift into dogs. Fray Matsen, a Rottweiler, has his work cut out for him and not just because he finds Gabi a big distraction. Is the threat really human? Or could it be S’nats with an agenda of their own? And will his human strength and canine senses be enough to save Gabi when they find themselves face-to-face with the enemy?
Available at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Allromanceebooks, 1placeforromance, and Smashwords.
Linda’s website: www.lvpalmer.com
Julie’s website: www.juliekimbrell.com and www.laneystrykerbooks.com
