Okay, so I've missed my last two releases, but I'm trying to make progress here, so.... ta da...
Today is release day for me. Book 1 of my new series with Resplendence Publishing is out today! And I have Authors After Dark to thank for it. Well, actually, I have the wonderful bloggers who attended the event to thank.
Way back when, I was asked to do a blog about New Orleans from the perspective of one of my characters as a promotional piece for AAD. Since I'd never been to New Orleans, and quite honestly, the only character I had that had ever lived there wasn't exactly a fan of the place, I decided, like a few others, to create a new scene that occurred in New Orleans. In fact, I ended up writing the entire first chapter to this book. I was so intrigued by the outcome that I decided the story couldn't simply stop...left hanging so to speak. So I proposed a new series to my editor and well...here is book 1.
I think what intrigued me most about the dubious first chapter was that I'd planned on the having a different hero. The main lead... Avery Smith... was going to be this spoiled rich kid asshole... then I got to the scene with the demon and bam....all of a sudden Avery's the hero and is bound on being redeemed. I love it when a story just surprises you like that.
Anyway, if you like ghosts and demons, this might be up your alley. Oh, and there's a fair share of hot loving, too... here's the blurb and a quick excerpt.
Temperance Dunnigan can’t believe she’s agreed to travel to
New Orleans to be part of Avery Smith’s special ghost hunting squad—and in the
midst of Mardi Gras no less. There isn’t a sane reason to be there…other than
Avery. Though she considers him a spoiled, rich kid, his money is her ticket to
finally getting some concrete evidence to lay the eternal question of spirits
to rest.
Avery didn’t think twice about inviting one of the foremost
paranormal investigators to his retreat. After all, Temperance is smart, daring
and totally not his type. He’s more than aware of her feelings toward him and
embraces the chance to work with someone he has absolutely no interest in…that
is until she becomes entrenched in a deadly summoning. Saving her life wasn’t
part of the plan and now he can’t stop his heart from racing every time she
looks at him. They’ve got one week to figure it out before all hell breaks
loose, and Avery loses more than just his reputation.
And a sneak preview...
Saint Louis Cemetery, next
exit.
“Finally.”
Temperance Dunnigan watched the sign disappear in her
rearview mirror as she allowed the car’s speed to bleed off, staying right as
the ramp appeared ahead of her. She’d had one hell of a time picking her way
through the various road closures and weaving amidst a spider web of one-way
streets and pedestrian-filled alleys. She’d even been forced to backtrack
around a couple of police blockades and had sat at a stoplight for several
minutes as a forty-foot dragon boat had meandered down the center of the
street. Why she’d agreed to visit the offerings of New Orleans during Mardi
Gras was a mystery to her. Mixing business with pleasure rarely resulted in
anything other than pounding headaches and missed opportunities.
She sighed and guided the car to a halt. It wasn’t really
a mystery. She knew damn well why she was here—Avery Smith. Infamous ghost
hunter and self-proclaimed psychic, he’d sent her a personal invitation to join
a few of his handpicked researchers in a weeklong investigation of some of New
Orleans’ most notorious sites. And if Avery could be believed, there’d be no
shortage of spirits, though she wasn’t holding her breath. She’d been there a
day already and hadn’t spied anything vaguely transparent, other than the rest
of investigators, who insisted on following Avery around like a pack of
lovesick puppies.
She huffed, unclipping her seatbelt as she grabbed her
keys. At least the back gate of the cemetery had been left open, a testament to
what money could buy in this city, though she suspected her time would be
limited. Thank god she’d tossed a few pieces of equipment in the trunk before
leaving the hotel…or should she say escaping? Though the Lamothe House Hotel
was known for its own paranormal activity, there wasn’t a chance in hell she’d
catch anything on tape with the entire street partying outside her window.
Ghosts might be adventurous, but she doubted even the most active spirits would
put on a display with endless jazz music blaring through the rooms.
“Avery and his idea of ‘research’. What a crock of shit.”
The man was an ass at the best of times, a criticizing
bastard every other minute of his life. He’d used his inherited wealth to buy
his way into stardom then he’d looked down his nose at every other struggling
paranormal investigator, who’d had the courage to go for substance over flashy
tricks. Not that she wasn’t thankful for the opportunity his money had afforded
her it was just…she hated walking to the beat of someone else’s drum. And god
help her, the guy had his own freaking band.
A cool breeze tickled her skin, soothing the raw feelings
as her hair billowed in the wind. Thankfully everyone else had elected to stay
at the hotel, instead of insisting on joining her. She knew Avery had planned
on visiting the cemetery first, apparently to ‘scout’ out interesting places,
but he’d gotten caught up with the other investigators, allowing her to slip
out unchaperoned. Besides, she wasn’t really in the mood for company, and she
could only imagine what she looked like—faded jeans topped by a hand-knit
sweater, both of which had seen better days. Her shoulder-length auburn hair
hung in curly strands about her face, the tousled mass blowing in the wind. She
hadn’t even bothered to put on any make-up, not that she usually wore any. But
there wasn’t much chance of anyone spotting her at a graveyard at sunset and it
wasn’t as if she had someone to look special for.
Temperance pushed away the annoying thought and glanced
around the cemetery. This was the largest of the three burial grounds spread
around New Orleans, and one of the most ornate. Towering marble tombs lined the
rows, with the occasional tree casting finger-like shadows along the ground.
The setting sun glowed at the edge of the horizon, staining the small gathering
of clouds a fiery orange. She’d been warned not to come here alone, and never
at night, but the sounds of Mardi Gras had grated on her nerves until she
feared she’d go crazy. That was part of the reason she loved being a paranormal
investigator…quiet, lonely places where even the hidden residents generally
needed special equipment to talk to her. Besides, she wasn’t helpless. She’d
taken years of self-defense training, and she knew how to maneuver through the
stone monuments while maintaining the highest degree of safety…that and she’d
promised herself she wouldn’t stay more than an hour…just enough time to snap
some photographs, try to catch a few electronic voice phenomena on her digital
recorder and take some temperature readings. It wouldn’t even be fully dark by
then.
Temperance gathered her gear and locked her car, ambling
over to the far end of the grounds. She could see why tourists flocked to this
place…she’d never visited a cemetery quite like it. Historic and beautiful, it
was more of a piece of architecture than a burial ground. But she hadn’t come
to stare at the pretty tombs. She wanted to talk to their residents.
She lifted her camera, snapping stills of the various
monuments from different angles. Sometimes she’d get lucky and catch strange
light anomalies or shadows that would be revealed when she examined the footage
later. The camera clicked in rapid succession as she walked up and down a few aisles,
finally stopping at one of the tombs. But unlike the others, this one looked as
if it’d been vandalized. Burn marks charred the face of the once pristine stone
and someone had painted graffiti across the side. Dark-red pentagrams and
strange symbols plastered the surface, the edges running down the face like
dried streaks of blood. While she’d expected to see names and dedications
scribbled across some of the tombs, the sheer malice emanating from the marks
was disturbing, and the uncharacteristic defacement piqued her curiosity.
She glanced over her shoulder. The grounds were still
empty, with only the long shadows from the setting sun following her movements.
She snagged her bottom lip and decided to chance a closer look. Like many of
the tombs, a fence of wrought-iron bars surrounded the grave, these ones high
enough she’d have to climb over them. The pungent smell of urine greeted her
first, and she nearly retreated when she noticed something glittering near the
ground at the rear of the tomb.
“So much for keeping a level head and avoiding danger,
girl.”
Temperance scolded her impetuous nature as she vaulted
over the bars. One of the pointed ends caught on her jeans, leaving a small
tear down the side. She brushed it off and turned on her digital recorder,
determined to catch any electronic voice phenomena that might pop up as she
edged forward, squeezing through the tight space between the bars and the tomb.
This wasn’t her smartest decision, but as she stepped out on the other side,
she knew it’d been worth the risk. A small medallion hid amidst the stone, one
edge sparkling in the last rays of sunlight. She reached for it, when the air
around her suddenly heated.
Temperance pocketed the medallion then pulled out her
digital thermometer, scanning the immediate area. There wasn’t much to see, the
view blocked by the massive tombs on either side. She ignored the prickling
feeling down the back of her neck and pressed the button, watching as the
temperature rose from a comfortable sixty-three to a blazing eighty-five. The
hairs on her arms stood up, and despite the heat, a rash of goose bumps erupted
across her skin—she wasn’t alone. And if her instincts were right, the presence
was less than friendly.
She took a deep breath, clipping the gauge back on her
waist as she thumbed at her camera again. A low rasp sounded behind and she
spun, afraid she was about to be mugged. But what stood before her wasn’t
human—at least not anymore. A figure in a black-hooded robe hovered above the
ground, its body mostly transparent as it wavered in and out of focus. Tiny
flames danced in circles around its hands, licking at the robe as if desperate
to ignite it. Its face was shrouded in darkness, save for a slight wedge of
pale skin near the side of its mouth. She stared at it, feeling her stomach
drop when the edges of its lips curled into a sadistic smile.
“I knew you’d come…I’ve been expecting you.”
The disembodied voice echoed around her, the sinister
tone sending shockwaves of panic through her veins. She took a step back, just
as a set of hands wrapped around her waist and mouth.
She tried to scream, but nothing more than a muffled gasp
made it past the fingers holding her captive. She shifted her weight, readying
her elbow when a puff of warm breath coasted over her earlobe.
“If you want to live, I suggest you follow me, and
quickly, before our demonic friend gathers enough strength to take you back to
Hell with him.”
“Avery?” She glanced back at the man, pinned by the deep
blue of his eyes. She’d never seen them so vivid.
“Now, Temperance. He’s already feeding off of your
energy.”
Temperance nodded, allowing Avery to tug her away, back
through the tight press of stone and over the fence. Bellows of rage sounded
behind them, followed by the hiss of fire on stone, but she didn’t stop to look
when Avery broke into a sprint, his hand still entwined with hers. She could
feel the entity reaching for her, its fiery hands searing her skin, but she
kept running, nearly slamming into Avery’s Porsche when the man veered sharply
to his right.
He released her hand and slid over the hood, landing on
his feet. “Get in!”
She stared at the vehicle. How the hell did he afford this kind of stuff?
“Damn it, Temperance, we can discuss my obscene use of
money later. Now get in the fucking car before that demon drains every ounce of
energy from your body!”
Temperance glared at him, hating that he’d seemingly read
her expression so easily, but jumped in, clicking the seatbelt tight as he
revved the engine and ripped out of the lot, skidding across two lanes as he
hit the accelerator and peeled away. Her entire body got sucked into the seat,
but at least the burning sensation on her skin diminished. She looked down at
her hands and felt the color drain from her face. A black star at the base of
her left wrist glared back at her, the edges tinged a dark red.
She looked over at Avery, but he merely shook his head.
“Consider yourself lucky. Another few minutes and your
body would have been covered in those things. You wouldn’t have been able to
leave if that had happened.”
She forced herself to swallow past the lump in her
throat. “But I don’t understand…what the hell was that?”
“That, my dear, was the king bastard of demons…a nasty
bugger who lures innocent virgins to his lair so he can drain them of their
life force. They say once he has enough souls, he’ll walk the Earth and inflict
pain and suffering on all of us.”
Temperance snorted at him. “Nice try, but there’s just a
few holes in your story. There’re no such things as demons. You said that
yourself in one of your more ‘dramatic’ interviews. That was nothing more than
a ghost…albeit an evil one.”
“Guess I can’t argue with myself.” He nodded at her,
though his eyes didn’t convey the confidence in his voice. “Any other flaws?”
She smiled at him. “I’m hardly a virgin.”
His eyes lit up with a fire that made her knees go weak
and her flesh burn, in a way far more alluring than the ghost had caused.
He gave her body a long, slow sweep, ending it with a
wink. “You don’t say…good to know.”
Temperance stared at him, wondering when he’d gone from
asshole to charming hero without her even realizing it. And since when did a
look from Avery Smith make her feel hot and lightheaded, as if all her blood
had left her brain and pooled in her groin? She was more than aware of his
feelings for her, or should she say lack of. That was another reason she’d
accepted his invitation. No hidden motivation. He saw her as a
professional—period. Besides, she wasn’t his type—her breast size didn’t equate
to her IQ and she didn’t care about his money. So why was his lingering gaze
making the temperature in the car rise until she was tempted to roll down the
window?
She groaned and leaned back in the seat. If this was any
implication of the remaining seven days, she was definitely going to be in for
one hell of a long week.
Hope you enjoyed the book...
