Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Sleeper Blog Tour







Title: Sleeper (Book I in the Toy Soldiers series)

Author: S. M. Johnston

Release Date: December 2, 2013

Publisher: Entranced Publishing, Rush

Genre: Upper YA/NA speculative fiction

Rating: 3 Stars


Blurb: A new heart should mean new life, not a living nightmare.

Mishca Richardson’s life is at an all-time high after her heart transplant. With new boyfriend, Ryder, the two of them have the perfect summer romance. Even the nightmares that have been plaguing her sleep since her operation can’t dull the high she’s on.

Things start to unravel as Mishca develops superhuman abilities. She does her best to hide them so as not to end up a science experiment in a lab. But she can’t ignore the instant attraction she experiences when she meets her university professor, Colin Reed.

Torn between the blossoming love and the obsession, Mishca must decide if she wants Ryder or Colin. But the organization responsible for her changes and her connection to Colin, is moving to secure Mishca for himself so that she can be the weapon he always intended her to be. If Mishca can’t resist her programming she’ll have a lot more to worry about than romance.

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17837453-sleeper?from_search=true

Review Snippets:

 

SLEEPER is a fast-paced adventure filled with mystery, romance, action, and humor. Mishca and Ryder rank up there with my favorite heroines and heroes ever! S.M. Johnston is an author to watch out for.” ~Wendy Higgins, author of Sweet Evil, Sweet Peril, and Sweet Reckoning.
 



Excerpt:
 

Being dead and coming back to life runs the risk of something from the other side crossing over with you. Even with a medically controlled death and revival like mine. At least that’s what Nerissa theorised when we discussed what could be with my new attributes. With my friends staring at me in horror, I’m beginning to think she could be right.



There’s no strain or sweat from me as my hands come together, bending the iron bar in my hands. I avoid eye contact with my friends for a moment, focusing instead on my shadow on the sand.



Nerissa does her best impersonation of a goldfish before closing her mouth back up. Her blue eyes plead with me. “You’ve got to entertain the idea now that you could be—”



“Possessed? Come on.” Ryder runs his hand though his hair. Not that his theory is any better.



The sun peaks over the bush-clad mountains that skirt the hidden beach we’re on. We’re lucky Nerissa’s parents have this holiday house, just north of Brisbane. Hopefully, no one will see me being put through my paces.



Finlay places his pen against the clipboard. “Okay, so we know you’re unbelievably strong. What do you want to try next?”



I toss the iron bar on the ground. “I don’t know. What else is on your list?”



“Hearing and speed are obvious ones,” he replies. “So how about one of those?”



“We could do them together if you run to the end of the beach and then wait to find out if you can hear us?” suggested Ryder.



“Sure,” I reply.



Nerissa clicks on the stopwatch. “Ready. Go!”



My muscles tense and coil, and then spring to life. The wind whips around me and in seconds I’m at the other end of the beach. I pause, waiting for the old pain in my chest to start up, but it doesn’t. My eyelids scrunch up as I focus on picking up distant voices.



“How far do you think that was?” Ryder’s words come though like an echo down a tube.



“Maybe two hundred metres?” replies Finlay. “It’s more than the length of a footy field.”



“What’s the sprint world record?” pipes up Nerissa.



“Not as quick as that,” says Ryder, with a tinge of concern in his voice. “Do you think she can hear us?”



“If she can, she’ll know I think Ryder would like some superhuman loving tonight,” says Finlay with a laugh.



“Eww. Could you be any more crass?” complains Nerissa.



I snort, and then relax and let their voices drain away. I jog back. That’s the farthest away I’ve been able to eavesdrop. It’s mainly been hushed whispers that I’ve picked up so far. It’s not something I get all the time, just when I want to, thank goodness.



“Could you hear us?” asks Ryder once I’m closer.



I nod, shooting Finlay a dirty look.



“She heard me all right,” he laughs.



“How do you block it out? I’d go insane hearing everything all the time.” Nerissa makes no attempt to hide her concern.



“It doesn’t work like that. It’s like I tune in on conversations,” I reply, trying to reassure her.



“I wonder if you can hear me through the trees,” says Finlay as he starts up the beach, flinging his folder in the sand. “Wait a few moments and then listen for me.”



“Are you okay?” asks Nerissa, looking me up and down.



“Sure. Who doesn’t like being a human guinea pig?” I try to smile, but it falters. She swoops in and embraces me. I sigh. “I’m sick of being different.”



“You know that doesn’t matter to me.”



I nod into her shoulder. She releases me, smiling, and I can’t help but grin back.



“Can you hear that knucklehead?” Ryder looks up into the foliage that hedges the beach.



I drop Nerissa’s hand and lean forwards. “Nope, not a peep.” I wait a bit more and when I still can’t hear Finlay I call out to him, “Okay, you can come out now!”



“What’s he playing at?” huffs Nerissa.



I dash up the sand, following his footsteps, but pause when I reach the vegetation. Most of the grass is curving to the right with the breeze, but there’s a small line that’s bent to the left. I follow that line up, and then as it veers off in a crocked path, the grass is replaced with dirt and rocks. Up ahead, a freshly spun spider web hangs limply, broken. I head towards it and continue that line as I see small rocks overturned, their dark bellies showing where they’ve been kicked out of the dirt. Suddenly, there are no signs of previous movement and I stop in my tracks and survey my surroundings. Bark, on the ground at the base of a tree. On the trunk is a bare patch.



“Come down, Finlay.” I don’t even bother looking up.



“Good at tracking too, eh,” he says as he shimmies down.



“I guess,” I reply.



We walk in silence until we get back to the others. Finlay picks up his board and writes.



“Care to share?” Nerissa asks.



“I purposely stayed quiet. I wanted to see if she could find me,” he replies, looking up at me. “And she did. The girl’s got tracking skills, too.”



“I guess noone will want to play hide-and-seek with me anymore,” I snap.



“Did you ever do karate?” asks Finlay.



“No,” I respond, cocking my head at him as he puts his stuff down.



“Surely your parents would have gotten you to do self-defence classes,” he continues, taking a few steps towards me until we’re just an arm’s length apart.



My skin prickles and I watch him cautiously. Without warning, he throws a right hand punch at my head. I easily sidestep him, grab his arm, and snake my arm around his until it’s locked in. Eyes narrowed, I hyperflex his arm back until he groans with pain and taps his leg. I stay still. Behind me, Ryder and Nerissa are yelling out for him to cut it out and for me to release him.



“I’m tapping out, Mishca,” he gasps. “It means I yield and you can let me go.”



Reluctantly, I ease off the pressure and start to unwind my arm. Before I’ve released him fully, he swings a left. My hand catches his fist and I clench my fingers. I sweep out his legs with a swift kick, and then jump on his chest, pinning his arms with my knees. I then strike at his face, stopping my hand millimeters from his face.



“Oh, I like this position.” Finlay grins. “Maybe I should jump you more often.”



“Oi!” cries Ryder, lifting me off his friend.



“So what was that all about?” I brush the sand off my knees as I wait for an answer.



“I wanted to see if you could fight. You’ve never had any training, yet you instinctively took me down.”



“And so easily,” chimes in Nerissa.



Finlay pulls a face as he gets to his feet. “I don’t know what’s caused this change, but looking at this list, I think we’ve forgotten one.”



The rest of us whip our heads towards him. He looks me up and down. It’s obvious he no longer sees the stuck-up rich girl he thought I was when his mate and I started dating a couple of months ago. I was so scared when the three of them saw me catch the boulder that they’d be spooked. But they’ve got a fascination with me now that seems to be preoccupying them.



“What?” asks Ryder.



“Do I have to spell it out? She’s like a female Superman. We haven’t gone through all his powers.”



The image of me in spandex flashes through my mind. With my almost-afro, caramel skin, and almond-shaped eyes, I think I’d make a pretty kick-arse cartoon hero.



I stare intently at Ryder. While my boyfriend is in my sights, my mind starts drifting to Colin. Tearing my eyes away from his face, I concentrate instead on his clothes, trying to push away any other thoughts.



“Nope, no X-ray vision,” I say.



This gets me a wink instead of a blush. “Such a shame, too.” Ryder lifts up his T-shirt to show his ripped abs “But all you have to do is ask if you want to see me out of my clothes.”



I can’t help but grin.



“I think we can count out heat vision, too,” says Nerissa, pulling her blond hair into a makeshift ponytail. “Mishca was staring so hard that Ryder’s clothes would have spontaneously combusted if she had that power.”



Finlay shakes his head. “You guys are missing the obvious one.” He pauses and looks up.



“Hell no,” I say, folding my arms.



He could just be taking the Mickey out of me. It’s always hard to tell with him.



“You know that the Supes is an alien. Maybe you’re an alien,” he teases.



I want to punch that Roman nose right off his face.



“I’m not an alien.”



It’s true I don’t know who my real parents are. But I’ve got a birth mum and father somewhere, and I’m going to find them.



“Prove it.” Finlay folds his arms defiantly. “Try and fly.”



“Come on, mate,” starts Ryder, but I signal to him that it’s okay.



“Fine.”



“This is crazy,” says Nerissa in a shrill voice.



“Not as crazy as me being possessed,” I shoot back with a wry smile.



I take a few steps back and focus on the rocks at the end of the beach. My legs start to pump, building up speed quickly. I jump up a couple of metres, the air rushing past my face. Stretching my body out into the “conventional” flying position, I try to guide myself towards my goal. It only takes a couple of seconds before my face meets the ground and I’m eating sand.

My Review: Sleeper was an unique and enjoyable despite having a few things that I didn't like(more about that later). I love the fact that the story is set in Australia which is huge departure from the (U.K./US setting). Mishca (the MC), thankfully wasn't a Mary Sue. She had her flaws and strengths. Mischa is the sort of girl you want to hang out with and want to befriend. The characters themselves had their own personalities and there was never a time when characters seemed to blur. One of my favorite characters was Ryder.

He was a genuinely sweet guy and he wasn't an Edward Cullen clone (thank God). The supporting cast was great like Mischa's mom and Dad along with Mishca's friends. The story itself is quite fascinating. After Mischa gets a heart transplant, she starts getting nightmares along with supernatural abilities. The mystery makes the reader want to read more as they dying to know the answer.

The twist at the end is great and I am looking forward to seeing what will happen next. However, I didn't like the fact that there was a love triangle involved. Personally, I really don't care much for love triangles to begin with so once it appeared in Sleeper, I groaned. I also had a problem with the insta love and the teacher/student romance. 

But for the most part, I thought Sleeper was a great read and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a story filled with romance and mystery



Buy Links:

 

 



Giveaway Code: <a id="rc-88d39a10" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/88d39a10/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>

<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>

 

About the Author:


 



Sharon is a writer from Mackay in Queensland, Australia who has short stories published in anthologies and was also runner-up in the Australian Literary Review's Young Adult short story contest with KARMA. By day she is a public relations executive and by night she writes weird fiction and soulful contemporaries while her husband, two sons and cat are fast asleep.

 

Social Media Links:

Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/authorsmjohnston
Twitter: https://twitter.com/S_M_Johnston
Website: www.smjohnston.com
Blog:
www.downunderwonderings.blogspot.com


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Cover Reveal: Shadows and Embers


Today, I am delighted to do a cover release for a friend of mine. Her book is Shadows and Embers, the official sequel to Cursed With Power. What's CWP?

(More information concerning CWP is posted below.) But let's take a peek at the pretty cover, shall we?



 
Isn't it amazing? In case you are wondering what Shadows and Embers is about, the blurb is posted below:


It's 1569 in Transylvania; Léal Irvine has committed to a powerful man all for the sake of revenge. Handsome, young Irvine is a high-ranking magician working for Esmour's organization, Destin, which is composed of Dark magicians from around the local areas. However, one by one magicians vanish or die, and suddenly the world of magic is not as safe as it once was. One of the members and Léal's best friend, Nicia, betrays the organization before the downfall. Unfortunately no one realizes the act of treason might have saved her life.

A year later Destin has fallen, and Léal sees the world through icy blue eyes. With only five Dark magicians alive his survival is constantly threatened, and he has no great leader or trusted allies to turn to. After infiltrating Belsgar and killing a member of the Magic Council, the war between darkness and light is no longer something anyone can walk away from. A new villain rises with a secret that could be deadly; meanwhile Nicia works to prove her loyalty to Léal while trying to revive their friendship.

Sides will be chosen, relationships will be at stake, and in the end the balance of the magical world will depend on the outcome of the war. When you're walking on a thin line between revenge and forgiveness how do you choose the right path without stepping too far over the crack?


The expected release date is July 26th.

I know I said at the start of this post, I would give more information about Cursed With Power. So here it is:

Cursed With Power is a YA Fantasy novel and it was Lindsey Sablowski's debut novel published by Old Line Publishing. The book cover for CWP and its pitch are posted below:





Celestria Hale learns that she is one of the last living Dark magicians.

Upon leaving her hometown, she searches for others like herself to find out what has happened to her kind. She meets Alaire, another Dark magician with a dangerously sinister past. Through their travels, Celestria and Alaire come face to face with their enemies. The White magicians plot against them, developing a conspiracy that will overtake the last of them. While struggling for survival,

Celestria must also come to terms with her sister's death. But is her sister dead? There's no way out. The battle's already begun, and only the most powerful force will prevail. Everyone shows a longing hunger in their eyes, but their greed for power is only the beginning of a war raging between darkness and light. With the war approaching to determine the fate of magicians, Celestria fears for her and Alaire's existence. Destiny may find them, but will it be enough?


Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Cursed-With-Power-Lindsey-Sablowski/dp/1937004740
http://lrenees-fictionalwriter.blogspot.com/
http://lindseyrsablowski.wix.com/lindseysablowski#


Tuesday, July 2, 2013

July NaNoWrimo: Day 2

Today is the second day of NaNoWrimo. I had better luck writing today than what I did yesterday. The words came to me easier and I was able to get into the story. My motivation to write is slowly returning.

How fitting that I'm watching my brother play Assassin's Creed III a few days before the 4th of July. It is so patriotic.  Anyway, I have completed 2% of Tattered Dreams and I'm okay with that. I have to write 2,622 words per day in order to finish on time. As much as I would love to complete my first NaNoWrimo, it isn't worth straining my eyes looking at a keyboard.

Here is the word count per day:

Day 1: 646

Day 2: 1,700

I hope everyone's NaNo project is going smoothly.

Monday, July 1, 2013

July NaNoWrimo! (Day 1)

Today is day 1 of July NaNoWrimo!

I'm trying to see if I can finish a NaNo project this time. So far, I have never been lucky enough to do that. Either time gets away from me or I suffer from writer's block. So far I have written 425 words so far. I'm hoping to get up to about 2,000 words tonight so that way I have a fighting chance to finish it.

My goal is 80,000 words which is considered the minimum length for an adult novel. Tattered Dreams (which is my July NaNo) is inching its way along. It is the first thing I have been writing in a long while. I lost my motivation to write for quite some time and only recently have I been able to write anything at all.

Only time will tell if I actually finish the first draft Tattered Dreams or not. I plan on writing six drafts in total for Tattered Dreams. I will try to write every day during July NaNo and complete the project.

Providing that Jake cooperates with me and doesn't decide to do anything cheeky.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Edits and Criticism is a Writer's Best Friend

A while back I entered a giveaway at Nightwolf's Corner which offered three different prizes to choose from. One was substantive editorial critique, two was a custom logo design, and the third one was a ready made demo concept. I chose the first one to be my prize should I win. I needed another eye to look at Departed Innocence. I have been working on it since 2005 and it has been completely rewritten numerous times.

Since it is such an out of a box idea and is quite unusual, I want to make sure I'm going in the right direction and perhaps polish it up so when the time comes I can start querying. To my utter surprise and delight, I was informed that I won the giveaway!

I'm so excited, I can hardly put it into words. First it was winning and then now a free editorial critique. I'm speechless.

I'd considerate an awesome belated birthday present :D

Recently as of May 31st I got some feedback for Chapter 1.  I was excited when I found it in my mailbox. I got some useful feedback which will point me in the right direction. As we writers know, edits and criticism is our best friend.

Sure "I Luv this", "U Rock", "the best thang eva" is nice to hear but it is only stroking our ego. It is the criticism that helps us improve as a writer.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Sleeper Cover Reveal

I am very pleased to do a cover reveal for a fellow Inkie! Sharon's Sleeper is coming out in December and the cover is to die for!
 
 
 
 
 

About the Book:


Title: Sleeper (Book I in the Toy Soldiers series)
Author: S. M. Johnston
Release Date: December 2, 2013
Publisher: Entranced Publishing
Genre: NA speculative fiction
After a life saving heart transplant, eighteen-year-old Mishca Richardson is plagued by nightmares and an urgent desire to find her birth parents, which she puts down to post-operation depression. But her new heart seems to bring more than a second chance at life in the form of speed, strength and love at first sight.


 



 About the Author:
Sharon is a writer from Mackay in Queensland, Australia who has short stories published in anthologies and was also runner-up in the Australian Literary Review's Young Adult short story contest with KARMA. By day she is a public relations executive and by night she writes weird fiction and soulful contemporaries while her husband, two sons and cat are fast asleep.



Sleeper sounds so awesome right? To know more information about the author or Sleeper,  please check out the links below. (It is also okay to ask where she gets her high heels from.) 



Social Media Links:
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/authorsmjohnston
Twitter: https://twitter.com/S_M_Johnston
Website: www.smjohnston.com
Blog: www.downunderwonderings.blogspot.com
 
And to find Sleeper on Goodreads:
 


Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Cover Reveal for Danny

I'm pleased to do the cover reveal for Danny, which is going to be released May 20th 2013.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Paige Warren is sure she’s come to terms with her impending divorce, until she wakes up in bed with her soon-to-be ex, Danny. Worse yet, the bed belongs to Stacey, the sexual surrogate Paige and Danny have been sleeping with for months -- and Stacey’s not there.

As much as Paige tries to deny it, she soon realizes she’s still in love with Danny. Now she’s torn between him and the woman who holds them together. Should she risk hurting Stacey to rekindle a monogamous relationship with the man she once thought she’d spend the rest of her life with, or should she learn from past experience?

Danny is a sensual, erotic novella following one woman's struggle between a love she thought was over and a relationship that's barely begun.

Author info:
Margo is a marketing specialist by day, and a writer of erotic romance by night. When she's not busy penning steamy fantasies, she can be found man-watching on the beach. She is a lover of shiny things and an avid collector of shoes, but her heart will always belong to books.
 
 

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Book Review # 3 The Gathering Darkness by Lisa Collicutt

The Gathering Darkness by Lisa Collicutt

The Gathering Darkness by Lisa Collicutt
 
 
 
When it comes to young adult fiction, there are certain clichés that are typically found. The love triangle, the instant love, the star crossed lovers, down to the brooding love interest and the Mary Sue main character with the personality of stale moldy toast or better yet of a cockroach. And YA paranormal romances are infamous for incorporating all of these things. Together they create an abomination-and these said abominations saturate the market. They thrived best during the paranormal boom but for a while dystopian novels were the hot new thing but now they are wearing out their welcome.

The Gathering Darkness used some of the clichés that were mentioned above but unlike many other novels, an attempt was made to turn the clichés and use them in a way that makes sense and even be good. Whether this was a success or an epic fail will be discussed later. The reason why The Gathering Darkness was given 3 stars rather than 4 or even 5 stars is largely in part by the way I felt about the characters. In my humble opinion, the main characters themselves were meh. I didn’t hate them like Bella Swan from Twilight or Lucinda Price from Fallen. On the other hand, I really didn’t love them either.

They just didn’t have enough of a presence to stand out and be memorable. I forgot the name of the main character Brooke, which is never a good thing. There were some cheesy aspects to it such as the “Day” and “Knight” along with the star crossed lovers to name a few.

Yet despite these things, there was a great deal of brilliance in The Gathering Darkness. There were creepy moments that were described beautifully and it never seemed forced or over the top. When it comes to paranormal romances, there isn’t any fight scenes. (Women can’t defend themselves-no- fighting is something that men do because why should they mess up their hair and *gasp* break a nail. Instead women are meant to be damsels in distress and their whole life must revolve around men and they must be demur and submissive and do whatever the big strong men tell them to do. Or the fight scenes themselves are nonexistent) But The Gathering Darkness does have action sequences which pleasantly surprised me.

A while back in the review I talked about how The Gathering Darkness used some clichés and whether this was a success or an epic fail. The answer to that question is yes. The backstory about the reincarnated love was explained clearly and it was to the point. There wasn’t an obnoxious info-dump that made you head spin or you have to wait until book 3 for it to be finally explained.

The villain was deliciously vile. She was cruel and powerful, but she commanded attention. Many of the pitfalls for YA fiction is that the villains are poorly developed and clichéd. Since I have a soft spot for villains, it brought back pleasant memories of a time when stories had villains you love to hate evil (not to mention the villain songs that were to die for). As I was reading, I couldn’t help but to imagine the old woman for Within Temptation’s Faster music video.

To be honest, The Gathering Darkness grabbed my attention and it was quite the page-turner.  The suspense and the twists and turns were well delivered and wonderful. Despite the issues that I had with the main characters, overall, I’d say that I enjoyed reading The Gathering Darkness. I would be looking forward to reading more from Lisa Collicutt and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a good paranormal romance.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Lucifer Launch Date Tour

 


 
Lucifer
(Sons of Old Trilogy, Book 1)
Author: Annabell Cadiz
Genre: New Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural
Published: January 31, 2013
 
Synopsis: Have you ever wondered what could be hiding in the shadows?

Well, for eighteen-year-old Zahara Faraday, she doesn’t have to wonder. You see she comes from a lineage of Light Witches, those who have chosen to help protect and serve between the supernatural world and the human world. The only problem is Zahara, like her father Solomon, is as human as a human being can be whereas her mother, Mia, and her Aunt Catalina, were born as Light Witches. As a family they hunt down rogue supernaturals—creatures who harm humans or who have committed an act against their kingdom. 

Zahara’s hunting skills are usually kept dormant since her parents would prefer she live life as a normal human girl without knowledge of the supernatural world. She plans on doing just that—except when she finds a couple being attacked by fairies, she has no choice but to step in. Before she can return to pretending to be blissfully ignorant, Zahara encounters a problem she isn’t the least equip to handle: Bryan Hamilton, the good looking new co-worker she has to help train. In a heartbeat, her best friend, Becca King, has set her up on a double date with herself and her new crush, Rekesh Saint-Louis, who happens to be the most powerful leader of the biggest Imago Coven in South Florida –supernatural creatures with the ability to control water . . . and suck out human souls. 

Zahara has no time to focus on how she’s going to explain her double date with her best friend and the enemy they have a tentative truce with to her parents because soon one of the members of Mia and Catalina’s coven is found murdered with a strange tattoo of a snake with wings carved into his arm.

Zahara is then thrown into a whirlwind battle with an angel determined to have revenge against God, an Imago coven she doesn’t think they should trust, and slew of dream-eating fairies and powerful Nephilims, hybrid children of angels and humans, more than happy to rip her to shreds.

Normal just got a deadlier definition.
Excerpt
The fairy moved slowly, his eyes roaming the park for movement. He sniffed the air as the breeze wafted through the bushes then turned his attention sharply back to the bushes. Zahara jumped back to her feet to steer him away from Becca and took off running. The fairy ran after her, moving so fast Becca thought he could merge with the wind. She let out a long breath and stumbled out of the bushes, knowing her best friend couldn’t fight him alone.
Zahara just ran, trying to find a place to hide and catch her breath, but seeing none. She staggered forward as the wind pushed her from behind and was suddenly gripped by the neck by a hand composed of pure muscle. The fairy threw her onto the ground and raked his nails across Zahara’s face. Zahara managed to cover her face with her arms, and cried out as she felt the skin ripping open.
“Hey! Get the hell away from my best friend, you demon, tree-hugging bastard!” Becca yelled and rammed herself into him. She fell to the ground with the fairy and drove the dagger into his side as hard as she could. She flipped herself up off the fairy and jumped back to her feet, standing hunched forward with her muscles locked as the fairy stood.
He removed the dagger from his side and threw it onto the ground, eyeing Becca with a hard glare. Zahara aimed another arrow at him, but the fairy swung his arm out, throwing Zahara into the air with the strength of his power. He pounced on Becca, who managed to dodge him and stay on her feet. She eyed the dagger quickly, trying to measure how far she would have to jump to retrieve it. The fairy moved toward her and Becca leapt, except she couldn’t move. Her arms and legs were as rigid as an iron board. She couldn’t even blink.
The fairy curled his lips into a wicked smile and grabbed her hair, yanking her head back forcibly and bringing his lips to hers. Becca tried to close her eyes. If she closed her eyes than he wouldn’t be able to steal her memories or her dreams, but she couldn’t make her eyes listen. Her brain was sending out a loud warning signal, but nothing was happening. The fairy opened his mouth slightly and inhaled deeply. Becca saw the memory before it left her. It was the one where she had gone to the Father-Daughter Dance at church with her dad the year before. She could feel the memory fading, her dad’s smile and warm arms around her disappearing into darkness, as the memory was sucked out through her lips, a thick layer of blue, corporeal energy, before being transferred into the fairy’s mouth. Becca could feel tears streaming down the side of her face.
Zahara got onto her knees, and wavered back and forth as she tried to shake the pain out of her head. She grabbed another arrow from the canister strapped across her shoulders and aimed for the fairy. She blinked a few times, since her vision was still out of focus, shifting between seeing Becca and seeing a blurry version of her. She shut her eyes tightly and opened them again, staring intently at the fairy, and shot off the arrow. The arrow bounced off some kind of shield the fairy had put into place.
Zahara growled underneath her breath and took off running toward Becca and the fairy. She could see the blue stream of energy escaping Becca’s lips and felt her heart pounding in her veins as she roared and launched herself at the shield. The fairy paid no heed to Zahara’s attempt to save her best friend. Zahara pounded her fist against the invisible shield. She stepped back, breathing hard, and stabbed one of the arrows into the shield as hard as she could. The shield cracked and burst open as the tip of the arrow set itself on fire.
The fairy hissed at Zahara and threw Becca onto the ground. Zahara tried to aim the arrow at the fairy, but was once again thrown back by his power. Zahara lifted her head and grabbed the bow. She tried to get to her knees—every muscle in her body protesting—so she could aim another arrow, but the fairy threw her back again. Zahara cursed under her breath as her bow flew out of her hand and she was smacked into the back of a bench.
Zahara looked up toward the fairy, feeling behind her back for another arrow, but finding none. She cursed under her breath again. She had forgotten to restock them after training. The fairy was moving with slow steps, his eyes blazing in triumph as he neared her. He was enjoying having finally worn out his prey and Zahara scowled at him.
Suddenly, the fairy turned his head sharply to the right and another figure emerged. Zahara’s shoulders slumped back. She could not handle fighting off two of them; she wasn’t even sure how to defend herself against one of them without any kind of weapon. But Zahara realized the fairy wasn’t moving anymore. He was crouched forward and his hands were in fists. Zahara looked at the new figure and cringed. It was Rekesh. His skin revealed his true nature as he slid off the glamour and the moonlight caressed his bare neck and face, turning his skin silver.
Rekesh was an Imago, a creature born of a mermaid and the fallen angel Kutiel. He could move ten times faster than any human and had the strength to rip a human apart with his bare hands. During the day, he looked like an ordinary person but at night, in the moments Rekesh dropped the glamour of magic, his skin would turn silver because of the power of the moon. The moon controlled the ocean and since his ancestry connected to the water, when nightfall came, his strength increased, and so would his power to control the element of water, if he had not been exiled from the Celeste Kingdom. Rekesh, like any Imago exiled, was stripped of his elemental power, but that did not make any less dangerous.
            “You have one chance to make this easy for yourself,” the Imago spoke out. He had his hands placed behind his back, eyeing the fairy with patience as if he were training a puppy.
            Zahara used the back of the bench to help her rise slowly to her feet, keeping her eyes on the fairy and Rekesh.
            “This does not concern you, Moonlighter,” the fairy spat. 
            “Attacking humans is against the law, Pixie,” Rekesh said. He had not moved. His demeanor was as relaxed as when he had first stepped into the battle.
            The fairy curled his lip at the last word. “You are no longer part of the Royal Court. I do not answer to you.”
            Zahara inched toward her bow, which was stuck in a bush twenty feet from where she stood.
            “You are in my domain. Any supernatural creature caught attacking humans will be captured and returned to the Kingdom from which you were exiled for sentencing. Now, I can see you will not make this easy for yourself, so I suggest enough of the idle pleasantries,” Rekesh said, before he launched himself toward the fairy so fast Zahara barely had time to take a breath.
            Zahara took off running as Rekesh and the fairy fought, moving with the wind. She could hear the thundering of fists and the cracking of broken bones, but could not see them. She didn’t care. She ran to Becca, determined to get them out of there before either one of the supernatural creatures had time to recover.
VOTE FOR LUCIFER!
 
About the Author: Annabell Cadiz was born in the sweltering heat of South Florida. She was raised surrounded by Puerto Rican chefs and band of siblings that weren’t all related to her. A self-proclaimed nerd and book-a-holic (her room does hold much evidence to prove her claims are justifiable), she created TeamNerd Reviews to showcase her EXTREME love for novels where, along with her best friend, Bridget Strahin, she hosts book reviews, interviews, giveaways, Indie Shoutouts and much more. She also blog tour services for authors. She also had the pleasure of being published in three separate issue of Suspense Magazine. She also adores Cinnamon Teddy Grahams, has an addiction to Minute Maid Orange juice, and is a proud Jesus Freak. Lucifer is the first book in the Sons of Old Trilogy.
 
 
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Annabell Cadiz
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