Fairytale Ambrosia Excerpt

Hey all,

If you haven't had a chance to meet Maggie, now is a great time. There is a special going on for her series this month. The first book is free and the second is only .99 at all retailers.

Excerpt:

There was an immediate sense of falling, though my feet were firmly planted on the ground. A too perfect, too green meadow stretched out in front of me. Lilacs danced in a breeze I couldn’t feel. A thatched roof cottage stood at the end of the meadow, just before a dark and ominous forest. Behind the woods, a tall castle loomed, the spires almost reaching to the clouds. I turned around to watch for Boone and Phoenix, but the doorway wasn’t behind me. There was only a dirt road that looked identical in both directions.

“Let go of me. Who are you?” Boone said as both guys appeared, though they looked completely different.

Boone’s dark blond hair was shorter and parted on the side into a perfectly unnatural wave. He was suddenly wearing a red cape and hat with a tan tunic and brown pants that were pretty tight. Phoenix, on the other hand, was wearing a turban, baggy pants, and an open leather vest with no shirt underneath it.

I snickered. “Did you stop for a wardrobe change?”

“Looked in the mirror lately?” Phoenix said, letting go of Boone.

Except for being too pale, Phoenix was pulling off the new look.

He caught me staring and winked, reminding me that I was mad at him. I grabbed his arm and dragged him to the side. “I thought you weren’t coming.”

“And I told you, it’s my job to protect you.”

“Maggie, I think we should hurry,” Boone said, giving me an impatient gesture, but I didn’t miss the tightening of his square jaw as his eye went to Phoenix’s hand on my arm.

“Just so we are clear, this doesn’t change anything,” I said to Phoenix then strode over to Boone, my dress swishing around my legs.

Wait. Dress? I glanced down. I was wearing a knee length blue dress with a white apron. “What the holy hell?” I reached up and touched my hair, feeling a velvety headband. I had to look a lot like…I pulled a chuck of hair forward. Yep, hair was blonde. I looked at the guys again. We were all dressed in costumes. I pictured the kids. I’d noticed they were dressed oddly, but as what hadn’t struck me.

“We’re in a fairy tale,” I said. 

Easy Bake Coven Book 6!

If the Broom Fits is heeeeeerrrreeee.

Hello, friends.

This month's release is none other than the next book in the Easy Bake Coven series. Woohoo! Also, make sure you are signed up for my new release newsletter to hear about all my new releases and the next one will also include a newsletter only sign up to become a member of my beta reader group, The Coven Counsel.

The power to control the undead isn’t as glamorous as it sounds and it never comes without a price. Sure a necromancer can control any formerly living being, but the cost is losing everything else. Or at least that is what Frost always believed. 
Having spent her whole life knowing that a single touch of her skin could kill anyone, she avoided things most people take for granted: friends, family, and connections. But, despite her best efforts, those things found her in the form a tenacious coven of witches who offer her the only thing she has ever wanted: a place to belong. She knows it is only a matter of time before someone slips and touches her, ending the single greatest shred of hope she ever had to find a cure. 
Following the clues left behind by her mother, a dark witch, Frost embarks on a journey to not only end her curse, but to protect the friends she never believed she could have. However, more than she bargained for is waiting for her to return home. And a danger like she has never known turns her from the hunter to the prey. 

Amazon    iBooks     Barnes and Noble


Have a great weekend and happy reading!

Liz

#CurrentlyReading The Jinn Trilogy by Liz Schulte

So yes, I am cheating by talking about my most current book, but this is my blog so I do what I want. Bam!

Anyway, the last book in the Jinn Trilogy released last week. Woohoo!!

Olivia and Holden always beat the odds. Destined to be apart, there was nothing they wanted or fought for more than simply to be together. But no matter how great their love, the hurt they've caused each other may be more than they can bear.

An evil like no other has risen from the underworld, leaving nothing but death in its wake as it seeks out the one thing it requires: complete and utter submission from the jinn.

Losing the angel has left Olivia weakened beyond repair and unable to help even herself. Frustrated with her loss of power and devastated by her part in the death of two cherished loved ones, she struggles to find the hope she once relied on even though her relationship with Holden is crumbling. An offer to help comes from an unexpected source, but it isn’t without cost. To save herself, she will have to give up everyone else.

Holden’s powers are stronger than ever before, but his control slips further and further from his grasp, putting everyone around him at risk. Unable to forgive himself or Olivia for the death of a friend, he focuses on the only thing that matters: insuring the freedom of the jinn. But as his past comes back to haunt him, he is pushed further and further into the darkness.

In their final battle between good and evil, no one is safe and everything will change.

Eeek! *bites nails*

Things other people have said about it:
- "Finished vestige, loved it. Was a little concerned when I read your teaser but well done, well played. Not to many tears shed."
- "I LOVED the ending of Vestige."
- "Thank you thank you thank you it was everything your readers could ask for! Loved it so so much!"
- "Finally finished Vestige... ... That about sums it up. Thanks for another great ride"
- "Damn. That was fantastic!! This is why I stalk Liz"
- "Just finished Vestige and wow! I went through every emotion possible.Absolutely amazing bòok!"

So there you have. This book may or may not make you cry, it will make you want to stalk me, and it's a solid ending. 

Okay, that's enough shameless self-promotion until the next release!

-Liz

#CurrentlyReading The Best Man by Kristin Higgans

Let me start with saying I love this book. I love it a lot. This week's read is actually a reread for me. I think it is like the third maybe fourth time I have read it (I do this a lot with books I like). 

Basically the Best Man is your typical sweet contemporary romance. However, what sets it apart from other books is that Higgans voice. Her books are funny and sometimes painfully realistic. She isn't afraid of making you laugh or cry and most often a bit of both. 

In the Best Man we meet Faith Holland and Levi Cooper along with a large cast of quirky and endearing characters who will go on to have their own novels in the Blue Heron series. Faith is just getting back into town at the start of the book. Through bit and pieces of flashbacks we learn why she left to begin with. Faith had the perfect relationship with her high school sweet heart that was going to end in a happily ever after, that was until Levi Cooper (war hero, best man, and not much of a talker) stops the wedding because her fiance is gay. 

The road to these two opposites coming  together and learning to navigate each other's baggage is fun to be a part of. So if you are looking for a great weekend read that is totally addicting check out Kristin Higgans. I have yet to read one that I haven't loved. 

-Liz

Dawn Pendleton Cover Reveal

Title: Crazy Dreams (Dreams #1)

Author: Dawn Pendleton

Release: June 30, 2014

  Stone Tucker has big dreams. Someday, he wants to be on a country radio station. Flash forward to reality, and Stone isn’t any closer to his dream than he was months ago when he left his high school sweetheart and hometown in Pennsylvania to move to Nashville. Every one back home thinks he’s going to fail, and unfortunately, Stone has started to believe it, too.
  Enter Ember Daniels.
  Ember lost her dad years ago in a car accident, and more recently, her older sister to leukemia. She’s had her fair share and then some of heartbreak and needs to get away from the modeling life her mother has been pushing on her. A summer trip to Nashville is just what she needs to find herself. She isn’t prepared for Stone, with his hot body and overall indifferent attitude toward her.
  One night can change everything, and with seemingly endless summer nights, Ember and Stone both discover exactly what they’re looking for.

About Dawn Pendleton...

Dawn Pendleton spends her time between Maine and somewhere warm for the winter, dragging her husband and pup wherever she goes. A lover of travel, an avid reader, and a softie at heart, Dawn writes romance novels that face the dark reality of life, which is that not everyone gets a happily ever after right away.

Want to meet Dawn? Check out the list of Events she will be attending!

Website † Facebook † Twitter

2012 Cheap #EBook #Reading

A friend of mine who just got a #Kindle asked me for a list of my books and books of my writer friends or books I would recommend. I thought I would share this with everyone and perhaps make it a semi-regular segment. All the books are $2.99 or less and are by independent authors.

Who knows, you might find your new favorite author!

Liz Schulte (Mystery and Urban Fantasy)-

Dark Corners- Ella Reynolds knew from the first moment she walked into the old house someone or something was watching her. Waiting. Her husband's violent murder sent her spiraling into a world of grief and isolation, but Ella isn't alone. Who or what is responsible for her husband's death is still with her. Darkness has engulfed the past year of Ella's life. Everyday reality slips a little more between her fingers as she struggles to break free from her memories. She must look deeper into her past as well as the present to discover truth of her husband's homicide. A string of uncanny events takes place and practical explanations run thin as Ella follows the terrifying road to closure. As the past and present come to a head, Ella must decipher who or what the murderer is before it takes her as well.
Amazon

Secrets- (Book 1- Guardian Trilogy) While Olivia Martin observed life through her camera, the abyss gazed back at her. She discovers mysterious men follow her around, people close to her are dying, and her dreams are no longer her own as she falls head over heels for a perfect stranger. A chance encounter leads to an obsession that could destroy everything she has ever known or loved. Olivia is about to find out there is a lot she doesn't know and sometimes what you don't know can kill you.
Amazon

Elizabeth Sharp (YA Urban Fantasy)-

Natural Selection- What do you do when you find out your family isn't your family, death is knocking at your door, and that guy you can't stop thinking about knows more about who you are than you do?
Amelia Hoffman was just a normal 15 year old until she found out the truth. Now ancient myths, supernatural beings, and murder have changed everything. Tests and school dances are no longer the biggest worry in her life-- she has to figure out how to save everyone she loves and accept the future in front of her before it’s too late.
Amazon

Second Nature- Amelia Hoffman always knew she would be with Nathaniel Peplow forever, but after they bonded everything started to go wrong. Nate treats her like the enemy, her siblings are in danger, and an old threat grows closer. As Nate pulls away and Amelia’s burgeoning friendship with a handsome stranger blossoms, she worries she made the biggest mistake of her life. If sorting out her love life wasn’t enough, a new drug emerges that not only threatens the ones she loves, but seems to be part of something larger than she could ever imagine. Amelia’s new and old friends must work together to not only save themselves, but the whole world.
Amazon

C.G Powell (Paranormal Romance/Science Fiction)

Spell Checked- Broken relationships were a constant in Mae’s life, causing her to swear off men forever. Unwittingly lured to Ireland, Mae finds herself knee-deep in a hidden world she never knew existed and head over heels for the very man that tricked her to coming there. His deception is complicated by his own feelings for the one person that holds the key to merging the ancient races that once ruled the ancient word.
Mae finds herself in an underground world of witches, and vampires, which are half-breeds of aliens long gone. She learns about her own unique parentage and powers, which she must study in order to control, before they consume her.
Beck and Helen’s love for one another spans across a millennium, her human soul reincarnated to match Beck’s own immortality. This time however the body she occupies is of a being that cannot be eclipsed by her return. After waiting two hundred years, Beck finds himself tormented by Helen’s inability to return and his growing love for her new host.
Some of the underworld creatures welcome her with open arms as a savior, while others seek to destroy the abomination they believe her to be. Will the knowledge of her existence cause a race war when the true power of her blood is discovered? Or will love become her ultimate downfall?
Amazon

Stephanie Nelson (Paranormal Romance)

Craved- Gwen Sparks just wants to live a peaceful life in the supernatural town of Flora, but from the moment she read about the first murdered witch, all hope of peace was abandoned. Possessing the rare ability to read the memories of dead, she volunteers to help catch the culprit behind the string of drained witches. Gwen has to team up with the one man who broke her heart, deal with a ghost who pulls her into the deathly realm at will, and a fight off the advances of sexy but frustrating vampire who not only craves what runs through her veins—he wants her heart.
Amazon

Deceived- The vampire drug, brew, nearly ruined Gwen Sparks’ life. Just when things started to get back to normal between her and Aiden, she is summoned by the North American Witches Council to their central city of Moon. A war is imminent between vampires and witches, and Gwen’s experiences with brew are being used to fuel the fire. She is about to discover just how powerful she is with the help of the ruggedly handsome Angel of Death and just how far some people will go to get what they want. Gwen is going to learn exactly what it means to be Deceived.
Amazon

Olivia Hardin (Paranormal Romance)

Witch Way Bends- Devan Stowe has only one thing on her mind when she teams up with Kent Crosby and his gang—putting an end to her father’s child trafficking business. Her determination takes her on a journey to discover her true strength and the… one man she was destined to love. In his arms, she’ll learn the meaning of trust, honor, and courage. Devan will unlock an amazing gift that will free her from her past and open up a future full of magic, faeries and more things than she ever imagined possible.
Amazon

Nicole Chase (YA Paranormal Romance)

Mortal Obligation- Ree will face the darkest form of betrayal before the year is out.

Seventeen year old Ree McKenna has three goals: get through high school, convince her crush she is more than his best friend’s little sister, and save money for college. Fate, though, has other plans for her. After the untimely death of her older brother, Ree is haunted by dreadful nightmares and terrifying visions. To make matters worse, Ree has started to suspect that something dangerous is stalking her from the shadows.

A night full of frightening surprises leaves Ree with unsettling news. Gifted by the gods with unusual powers, she must devote herself to a battle that could very well lead to not only her death, but the demise of everyone she knows and loves. After all, Ree is the only mortal standing between the Earth and utter darkness.

Set in Savannah, Ga, Mortal Obligation is the first book of The Dark Betrayal Trilogy.
Amazon

Mortal Defiance- One short week turned Ree McKenna’s life upside down. Not only does she have the weight of the world on her shoulders, but she still has to juggle homework, a job, and a curfew. While Ree tries to find her footing amidst the chaos, the Dark Ones and their champion are busy hunting down any humans that have a touch of the gods running through their veins. Allies have turned into foes, and enemies have become stronger.

The world is growing darker, but the passion between Ree and two irresistible guys blazes hotter. Romantic ties from a past life will threaten to break Ree away from the love of her life and will cloud her judgment. In order to follow her heart, Ree will break rules put in place by the gods, risking her life and the lives of her friends in an act of Mortal Defiance.

Mortal Defiance is book two of the Dark Betrayal Trilogy.
Amazon

J.A. Titus (Drama)
Kindness of Strangers- What happens when a child’s innocence & trust gets taken away by someone they love? After years of abuse, Sydney Venery finally escapes. With no one else offering to help around her, she accepts the assistance from a kind stranger by the name of Irene. After a frightening attack it is another stranger that comes to her rescue; Ian, who charges in to save her like a knight in shining armor. With the help of Ian & Irene, Sydney slowly begins the healing process & moves forward with her life; raising her child, attending school & accepting that what has happened to her isn’t her fault. Learning to love & trust again isn’t easy, but it is with The Kindness of Strangers that she learns to get by.
Amazon

Secrets Trailer!

Thank you everyone for your support yesterday. I am so happy to share Secrets with you. Today I have the book trailer to share. Please let me know what you think!



Secrets can be purchased in ebook for .99 at- Amazon,  Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords

Secrets: Guardian Trilogy Book 1

4 more days until the release! So in honor of that I having a little #giveaway and an excerpt.

First I am giving away an ARC to one person when I reach 500 fans (only 19 away). Second, I am giving away a bookmark to everyone who comments on this post with their favorite fictional stalker. **Don't forget to leave your email address!** :-)

No matter how much of my dreams were real, no one had eyes like that. I needed to see once and for all, so I could dismiss the silly notions suddenly floating around in my head. Vampires? Ridiculous! I’d read too much Ann Rice. And a lot of people had cold hands—poor circulation. So what if he’d found me without a car, maybe he’d been following me since the morning.

Great, Liv, now you're hoping he’s a more dedicated stalker.

 I stopped in front of him and studied the determination settled across his face, which was now completely smooth of all lines. His eyes never moved or fluttered. I took a deep breath.

“Holden.”

He opened his eyes—his perfectly normal eyes: green flecked with gold. The only change was that now they lacked their indifference; an inner flame waged war against the coldness surrounding it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Secrets Revealed

Hello friends! I know I have been quiet. Lots going on here in Bat Country. Of course there is NaNo and editing, but I am also getting the final polish on Secrets for you so it will be ready on the 22nd. Woohoo! I just sent it for formatting and so far everything is going well. So I thought I would share a juicy excerpt of the book with you if that's okay.

Secrets

Urban Fantasy Book 1 Guardian Trilogy

“I’m Olivia Martin.” I extended my hand towards him. Instead of shaking it, he took my fingers and planted a smooth, cool kiss on the back of my hand without breaking eye contact. His eyes weren’t cold when they looked back into mine. This time they were warm and inviting . . . hungry even. He kept my fingers in his cool grasp, then slowly, deftly pulled me closer to him. No thoughts, warnings, or alarms were in my head, the only thing on my mind were his lips moving closer and closer to mine.

“Holden, I’m bored,” said a whiny voice from behind us. My eyes flickered from him to see who was interrupting. He gave a low growl of frustration and pulled away, releasing my hand.

“Candi … Didn’t you look at the pictures?” His patent expression of boredom was back in place, masking his face.

“It’s Cathi.” Holden shrugged as if her name was a minor detail. “Besides they're only of ugly people.”

A bitter laughed slipped out of my mouth. A slight smile touched Holden’s lips. He wasn’t apologetic or embarrassed though, he was amused which irritated me further.

“Cathi, this is the photographer, Olivia Martin.”

“Neat,” she said as if she couldn’t care in the least. I extended my hand towards the 60% plastic model who obviously lived to make others feel inferior, because I was determined to be an adult. She looked at my hand as if it might not be safe to touch me—some plainness might wear off on her—but eventually shook it. I resisted the urge to squeeze her fingers together until she said mercy. Like I said, I was being an adult.

“It’s lovely meeting you, Candi was it?” I asked innocently

“Candi, why don’t you go get our jackets? I'll meet you at the door.”

“Cathi—”

“Does it matter? Please get them.” He brushed his hand against hers and her face went blank. She went towards the coat check line. Holden gave me his attention again, raising an eyebrow.

“Can you not remember all of your girlfriends’ names, or was that for my benefit?”

He leaned in close and whispered in my ear. “I bet I'll remember your name, Olivia.” His breath was warm and made me want to press up against him. And the way my name rolled out of his mouth like a caress made my cheeks flush.

“Only time will tell,” I whispered back, then forced myself to step away, and flashed him a dazzling smile. I wouldn’t let him muddle my thoughts; his girlfriend was waiting. “It was nice meeting you, Holden.”

“And you,” he said with a slight bow. He walked out of the door with stripper Barbie. Story of my life. 

#NaNoWriMo

Begins today!!!! For those of you who don't know, NaNoWriMo stands for National November Writing Month. The goal is to write 50,000 words during the month of November.

I am sort of prepared for it. I have a partial outline (something I never do) and chatty characters in my head. I also have a cover and a blurb, again something I normally wait until I finish to work on, but this time I am trying something new. So with out further adieu here is what I will be doing this month.

The ninth floor of St. Michael’s Hospital in Goodwin Hollow was shut off to the public, staff, and administrators in 1984. The doors were welded and chained shut, the stop was removed from the elevators, and the no one talked about what happened there—ever. The deaths stopped and the voices lessened, but the evil wasn’t gone, it merely slumbered.

Ryan Laurie’s life was going well until she received news her favorite aunt was deathly ill. Ryan moved back to the town she swore she would never set foot in again to help. When strange things start happening in the hospital, Ryan’s investigation leads to a horror she never imagined possible.

Ryan never wanted to go home again, now she may never leave.

Coffin Hop! and Trick or Treat for e-books

Come check out the awesome horror writers who are giving away AMAZING PRIZES this week at the COFFIN HOP! The prize for Bat Country is...

A signed copy of Dark Corners, Bloody Window Clings, and an Edgar Allen Poe Memory Box

Just leave a COMMENT with your EMAIL ADDRESS and your FAVORITE HORROR MOVIE to enter. Good luck! Also, don't miss the other awesome blogs in this hop or the second giveaway listed at the bottom of this post.


You're never too old for trick-or-treating! Roam the virtual neighborhood in another fantastic event, TRICK OR TREAT FOR EBOOKSs. You never know what amazing books you might find. For your trick-or-treat stop here, pick up DARK CORNERS for FREE just this week on Smashwords with the coupon code YB28R!

Guardian Trilogy

I have a fun surprise today. Brand new covers for the Guardian Trilogy.

Book 1: Secrets

Release date- November 22, 2011

While Olivia Martin observed life through her camera, the abyss gazed back at her. She discovers mysterious men follow her around, people close to her are dying, and her dreams are no longer her own as she falls head over heels for a perfect stranger. A chance encounter leads to an obsession that could destroy everything she has ever known or loved. Olivia is about to find out there is a lot she doesn't know and sometimes what you don't know can kill you.

Book 2- Choices

Release Date- February 2012

Book 3- Consequences

Release Date- May 2012

Weekend Reading: Big Dragons Don't Cry

 Good morning! The wonderful C.M. Barrett has stopped by today to share an excerpt from her book, Big Dragons Don't Cry. Enjoy!

Blurb:
Morale in the country of Oasis has never been worse. The Earthers, a tree-hugging sect, beg forgiveness for their crimes against twigs and weeds. The Godlies preach penitence and suffering and inspire their followers into submission by threatening them with an afterlife spent being chased by a fire-breathing dragon.

All Oasans fear the dragon in the swamp at the country's edge, and they don't know that he fears them. Druid, a water dragon who puts out fires, steams up when he learns that a cunning opportunist intends to exploit dragonphobia and have the dragon killed so that he can level the swamp for suburban housing.

Tara, a kitten with charisma, is trying to bring humans back into balance. She needs to enlist Serazina, a young human woman who hides her ability to read emotions in order to avoid imprisonment in the Ward for the Chronically Crazy. Serazina's troubles grow when Phileas, Guardian of Oasis, chooses her to be the mother of the heir he so badly needs. Before he can consider fatherhood, he needs to stem the mysterious rumors that he's soft on dragons.

Somehow these four must overcome communication difficulties, mutual mistrust, and delusions of human superiority to save the country. Otherwise, even though Druid doesn't breathe fire, Oasis will be toast.


From the Book:

Orion stood on a ridge overlooking the city. As he swayed, exhausted and hungry, the threads of its winding, dirty streets seemed to tighten around his neck in a noose that limited both breath and freedom.

His sister, Sekhmet, nuzzled him with her black nose. “Lost in thought?”

“Wishing you’d waited a year or so to haul me away from the good life.”

“We thought we’d better get on the road before you wore out your equipment, Mr. Tomcat Stud.”

Orion’s other sister, Bast, trotted toward them, her white fur gleaming in starlight. “We’ve come to the right place. The pull is strong.”

“Praise the Many-Taloned One,” Sekhmet said. “My paws are killing me.”

The lights of the city flickered in eye-burning imitation of the starry sky. “It’s not going to be easy,” Orion said. “The smell alone makes me gag. It’s not just the physical stench, but also the foul odor of self-righteousness and fear. And some of the fear is mine. I’ve never failed before.”

Sekhmet raised her ears. “It’s hard to fail when you mount a willing cat. I’m glad you realize you’re facing a far bigger challenge. It gives me hope that you’ve become something more than a swaggering young tom. She of the Rough Tongue is molding you into the cat you were always meant to be.”

“I don’t know about Her rough tongue, but I’ve never doubted yours.”

Bast growled softly. “Enough. Orion, you have to guide us now.”

Panic bristled his fur. “I don’t know; I can’t feel anything.”

Bast scraped her claws against a stone. “Then ask to feel. Have you forgotten you were chosen for more than shining fur and golden eyes?”

“And equipment,” Sekhmet said.

He turned his back on them and washed himself briskly to hide his shame. How could he forget the first lesson all kittens learned? When you got lost, She would always nudge you home.

Orion closed his eyes, and the rasp of Her tongue shivered through him, massaging away the tension that had tightened his limbs, clearing away the resistance and fear that had hidden his path, and even temporarily blurring the memory of well-fed, sleek females.

One final moment of doubt kept him in place. “Are humans worth our sacrifice?”

“Not yet, they aren’t,” Bast said, “but we’re weaving a dream.”

Orion loped down the hill, praying that the gathering strands wouldn’t knot into a noose.

LINKS!
Amazon URL for Dance with Clouds  $2.99
Amazon URL for Big Dragons Don't Cry: $.99
Author Web Site:

Teaser Tuesday- Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

"The only phone on the island. I looked over at it--it was the kind that had a door you could pull shut for privacy, like the ones you see in old movies--and realized with dawning horror that this was the Grecian orgy, this was the raging frat party I had been connected to when I called the island a few weeks ago. This was piss hole."
I am a third of the way through this marvelous story written by Ransom Riggs. Based on what I have read so far I highly recommend it.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. Share two 'teaser' sentences from somewhere on that page.
4. Add the title and Author's name too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR pile.