Guest post: “Human No Longer Backstory,” by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

AMAZON KINDLE

Human No Longer. It’s my 17^th published book – yeah! – and my fourth vampire novel. First, let me tell you where I got the idea for it. About five years ago, I was still trying to please the agent (who I no longer have) who’d sold four of my earlier paperback novels to Zebra in the 1990’s and, because she didn’t seem to like any of my new potential concepts, I asked her what she would like to see. Out of nowhere, she said, “You know your 1991 Zebra vampire novel, Vampire Blood? I liked that one a lot. The characters. Well, how about writing me a sort of sequel with basically the same cast, but with this premise: A woman, a mother, after being turned into a bloodthirsty vampire, must learn to adapt to the human world and still be a good mother. You know, how would she deal with everything when she had children she loved; didn’t want to hurt or leave them…but still had the need to feed on blood? Still had all the urges and desires of a vampire?

Yikes. I hated the idea but, to please her, I went ahead and begrudgingly wrote the book. I tentatively called it The Vampire’s Children or The Vampire Mother or something like that. I finished it. Not too happy with it. I had never liked writing what other people wanted me to write. Stubborn, I guess.

My agent, in the meantime, had begun her own online erotic (which I don’t much care to write) publishing company and when I’d gotten done with the novel she was too busy to even read the finished book. She handed it off to an apprentice intern. An intern? What? Who didn’t like it at all. Duh. So, disgusted, I tucked the file away on my computer and, fed up with the whole agent thing, returned to writing what I wanted to write. An end of days novel called A Time of Demons and a new vampire novel where the evil vampire wasn’t a mother. In 2010 I went with a new publisher, Kim Richards at Damnation Books/Eternal Press, and she contracted not only those two books but asked me if I’d like to rewrite, update and rerelease all 7 of my older out-of-print Leisure and Zebra paperbacks going back to 1984. Heck yes, I said! So for the next 2 years I was busy doing that. Some of those books were over twenty-five years old and very outdated. Their rewriting, editing and rereleasing took a lot of work and time.

Then, in late 2012, I decided to take a very old book of mine (Predator) which was contracted to Zebra Paperbacks in 1993 but, in the end, never actually released, and just for the heck of it, as my 16^th novel, self-publish it to Amazon Kindle Direct. Just in ebook form. A kind of grand experiment. The first time I’ve ever tried self-publishing. See how it’d sell. Dinosaur Lake. A story about a hungry mutant dinosaur loose in the waters of Crater Lake that goes on a rampage. Hey, I wrote Dinosaur Lake before Jurassic Park, the book, ever came out! Really. I had my cover artist, Dawne Dominique make a cover for it…and it was stunning with a dinosaur roaring on the front. And I did everything else myself. Editing. Proofing. Formatting. With forty years and endless publishers behind me I felt I was capable. And it’d been selling so well I decided to self-publish another one…and I remembered the mother/vampire book. Hmmm. So I revamped (ha, ha, inside joke), polished, and self-published it, as well. I retitled it Human No Longer. Got my fabulous cover artist, Dawne Dominique, to make me a lovely haunting cover with a troubled-looking woman standing outside a spooky house, with two children behind her in its shadows, on the front and voila! All in all, I don’t think the book turned out half bad. In fact, with the changes I made I think it’s not bad at all. Now I just hope my readers will like it.

So that’s the story of Human No Longer. My 17^th published novel.***

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About Kathryn Meyer Griffith…

Since childhood I’ve always been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. I began writing novels at 21, over forty years ago now, and have had seventeen (ten romantic horror, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance and two murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press and Amazon Kindle Direct.

I’ve been married to Russell for almost thirty-five years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois called Columbia, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha, live cats Cleo and Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s Books available at Amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Kathryn+Meyer+Griffith

Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:

Evil Stalks the Night (Leisure, 1984; Damnation Books, 2012)

The Heart of the Rose (Leisure, 1985; Eternal Press Author’s Revised Edition 2010)

Blood Forge (Leisure, 1989; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition, 2012)

Vampire Blood (Zebra, 1991; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition, 2011)

The Last Vampire (Zebra, 1992; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition 2010)

You Tube Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZU77j_q4S8

Witches (Zebra, 1993; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition 2011)

The Nameless One (short story in 1993 Zebra Anthology Dark Seductions; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition, 2011)

The Calling (Zebra, 1994; Damnation Books Author’s Revised Edition, 2011)

All Things Slip Away (Avalon Books Murder Mystery, 2006…Amazon Kindle Direct ebook & paperback 2013)

Egyptian Heart (The Wild Rose Press, 2007; Author’s Revised Edition, Eternal Press 2011) My self-made

You Tube Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cogCNYKzPqc

Winter’s Journey (The Wild Rose Press, 2008; Author’s Revised Edition, Eternal Press 2011)

You Tube Book Trailer address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZYCs2DVhHg

The Ice Bridge (The Wild Rose Press, 2008; Author’s Revised Edition, Eternal Press 2011)

You Tube Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28HZqu-my1g

Don’t Look Back, Agnes novella & bonus short story: In This House (2008; ghostly romantic short story out; Eternal Press 2012) You Tube Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3q9rZryFMo

BEFORE THE END: A Time of Demons (Damnation Books 2010)

You Tube self-made Book trailer with original song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0-U9c2Lwfo

The Woman in Crimson (Eternal Press 2010)

You Tube Book Trailer Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcRBvDI5G4Y

The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Fiction: Volume 1 (I did the Introduction)

4 Spooky Short Stories (Amazon Kindle 2012)

Telling Tales of Terror (I did the chapter on Putting the Occult into your Fiction)

Dinosaur Lake (from Amazon Kindle Direct 2012)

Human No Longer (Amazon Kindle 2013)

Scraps of Paper –Revised Author’s Edition (Avalon Books Murder Mystery, 2003; Amazon Kindle ebook 2013)

My Websites:

http://www.myspace.com/kathrynmeyergriffith (to see all my book trailers with original music by my singer/songwriter brother JS Meyer)

http://www.bebo.com/kathrynmeyerG

http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1019954486

http://www.authorsden.com/kathrynmeyergriffith

http://www.goodreads.com/profile/kathrynmeyergriffith

http://www.jacketflap.com/K.griffith

http://www.shoutlife.com/kathrynmeyergriffith

http://romancewriterandreader.ning.com/profile/KathrynMeyerGriffith

http://www.romancebookjunction.ning.com/profile/kathrynmeyergriffith

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On the Spotlight: SURRENDER by Rhiannon Paille

SURRENDER
The Ferryman and The Flame Book 1
Rhiannon Paille
Genre: YA Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 978-1480029859
Number of pages: 402
Word Count: 100k
Cover Artist: Marc Wolfe www.marcwolfeart.com

Book Description:

How far would you go to save everything you ever loved?

Kaliel was warned about her love for the Ferryman. One day he will marry the land and leave Avristar forever. She doesn’t listen, and because of what she is– a Flame– one of nine apocalyptic weapons, she sparks a war. In a desperate attempt to save her home and her love, Kaliel tries to awaken Avred, not knowing she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16049030-surrender

 About the Author:

Rhi was never a normal girl. Her life was an urban fantasy wrapped in a paranormal romance and served with a side of horror. To escape her everyday weirdness she began writing fantasy. She studied at U of Sedona and MIMT, obtaining a PhD in Metaphysical Science and Parapsychology. She’s married to a chef/comic book shop owner and she has a fondness for architecture. She frequents twitter and facebook, but if you really want to get to know her you should visit her site: www.yafantasyauthor.com

http://www.yafantasyauthor.com

http://www.twitter.com/rhiannonpaille

http://www.facebook.com/rhiannonpaille

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4653530.Rhiannon_Paille

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On the Spotlight: John Paul Jaramillo Talks about his Short Story Collection, The House of Order

A native of Southern Colorado, John Paul Jaramillo now lives, writes and teaches in Springfield, Illinois. He has an MFA in creative writing from Oregon State University, and presently holds the position of Associate Professor of English at Lincoln Land Community College.

His writing has been featured in Acentos Review, Copper Nickel Review, Antique Children Arts Journal, Fogged Clarity Arts Journal, Digest Magazine, Verdad Magazine, Polyphony Online, Paraphilia Magazine, Sleet Magazine and forthcoming in Palabra Magazine of Chicano and Latino Literary Art. 

He’s the author of the short story collection,The House of Order, published by Anaphora Literary Press.

About the cover…

“The artwork is from an amazing Illinois artist named Felicia Olin. Her work inspires me and this particular piece titled ‘Breathe Out’ caught my eye at an art showing at the University of Illinois Springfield. I’ve been told these stories are very raw and I hoped the artwork matched. I also liked the way composite stories could break down a family and also a man so that we might see a fuller understanding. A fuller dimension in the layers of storytelling and narration. I like the idea that narration of a story can give us the inside and outside view of something. As in Olin’s work I guess things aren’t as pretty on the inside of folks or in the inner-workings of the world. I’m all for more complication in fiction to match the complication that exists in what Amy Hempel calls ‘the problem of being alive.’ Hopefully when one reads the book they might see a fuller view of a man or character, or situation for that matter, they might otherwise ignore or become offended with.”

About his writing style…

“I’ve always been more interested in the form of books rather than the meaning. Expressing rather than communicating. I try to teach that to my students. Content only matters as much as it is organized and structured on the page and I have studied literary minimalism so closely. Obsessed with it really. I’m attracted to the idea of doing more with less. That’s the failed poet in my I guess. I’ve always been inspired with the minimalism of Amy Hempel and Denis Johnson. The minimal form works best with stories about such weighted subject matter such as abusive fathers or delinquent parents. I’ve tried to steal an elliptical and bare bones style to match the laconic male family members.”

About what makes a good story…

“I think I’m particularly interested in trouble. Folks getting in and out of trouble. The thing within folks that creates that trouble around them. Expecially Latino males. Tom Spanbauer describes his style as dangerous writing. And I’ve tried to steal that for my stories. I think finding the trouble and putting the reader in an uncomfortable position along with the characters creates the most interest for the reader. So that’s one. I also think the language needs to mean more to the writer than the reader. That comes from my study of poetry. Tracy Daugherty told his workshop members that language is a character’s skin. I like that idea. We have to get inside of our character utilizing more and more intimate language. I guess that’s when I started using more and more mixing and switching of English and Spanish in my stories. To match the intimate language of the old folks from Colorado that influenced me and that best represent me. So that’s trouble and language. I guess the story must also be affecting. And I guess I mean that stories need to be less plot-driven and more driven by emotion. The best stories that I return to again and again are stories that give less plot and storyline but through the deep use of language and care for the main character makes me feel the most. The work has to be character driven and affecting to create a true immersible experience to compete with films and television and more visual mediums.”

What’s next for John Paul Jaramillo…

“I’m working on a follow up to my first collection of stories. I’m tentatively calling the book Huérfanos named after the nearby county I grew up around and it is more of a traditional novel rather than literary minimalism styled collection of short stories. The criticisms of my shorter stories have been a complaint on the length of the stories. We don’t spend much time with characters and within a novel I can spend that time. I can give a fuller trajectory for the characters. I jump from generation to generation in the short work but I like the idea of adding even more dimension of time within a novel. I also like the idea of following more characters. I’m also interested in creative nonfiction essays about the steel mills and steel unions of Southern Colorado. I’m also interested in turning blog posts from my writing and teaching weblog I keep into fuller essays on the subject of so-called “Spanglish” and the use of intimate language within my written work. I’m interested in writing on the representation of Latinos in popular culture and in films as well as in literature.”

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The House of Order, the first collection of composite stories by John Paul Jaramillo, presents a stark vision of American childhood and family, set in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. Manito Ortiz sorts family truth from legend as broken as the steel industry and the rusting vehicles that line Spruce Street. The only access to his lost family’s story is his uncle, the unreliable Neto Ortiz.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

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On the Spotlight: Voodoo in My Blood: A Healer’s Journey From Surgeon to Shaman, by Dr Carolle Jean-Murat

About Dr. Carolle 

Dr. Carolle was born and raised in Haiti to a family of healers, herbalists, midwives and shamans, and was educated in Haiti and the best universities in Mexico, Jamaica, and the US.

After completing her postgraduate training in obstetrics and gynecology in Wisconsin she settled in San Diego in 1982. She soon was regarded as one of the best ob-gyn around-tall and regal, a lone black female among the elite. But her success harbored a secret: when a patient entered her office, Dr. Carolle could quickly and intuitively see the root cause of her patient’s illness, often times knowing she could help the patient without having to put her under the knife. She knew she dared not make these claims aloud. Struggling to fit in with the Western medical paradigm, her intuition and vision were best left unmentioned until she had no choice than to quit.

In 2005, she built the Dr. Carolle’s Wellness and Retreat Center of San Diego, the only place in the world where you can get UNSTUCK by spending as much time as you want – a few hours, one day, or a weekend with her. She helps those who want to quickly discover the root causes of their disease, which usually are hidden emotions. She provides guidance on how to bring them to consciousness, and how to effectively deal with them.

Dr. Carolle has worked extensively with female veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to sexual trauma during their military experience – MST, to include in-depth assessments, providing specialized alternative treatments, and testifying on their behalf at the Department of Veterans Affairs. In July 2012, she joined forces with Tara Wise, the founder of the National Military Women Veterans Association to help bring MST – military sexual trauma to the forefront.

Dr. Carolle continues to provide free intuitive gynecological care to the people of Haiti and underserved women through Catholic Charities and St. Vincent de Paul Village with Father Joe Carroll, and Native-American Health programs. In 1993, Dr. Carolle founded the non-profit organization, Health Through Communications Foundationand its Angels For Haiti Project to provide the undeserved with education, health-care, and hope for the future. See www.HealthThroughCommunications.org.

As an international motivational speaker, Dr. Carolle brings her message of self-empowerment to women through her award-winning books, CDs, DVDs, live workshops and training programs, radio, media appearances andvirtual events.

To find out more about Dr. Carolle and her work, please visit: http://www.drcarolle.com 

ABOUT VOODOO IN MY BLOOD

Born and raised in Haiti to a family of healers, US trained physician Carolle Jean-Murat came to be regarded as a world-class surgeon. But her success har­bored a secret: in the operating room, she could quickly intuit the root cause of her patient’s illness, often times knowing she could help the patient without surgery. Dr. Jean-Murat knew that to fellow surgeons, her intuition was best left unmen­tioned. But when the devastating earthquake hit Haiti and Carolle returned to help, she had to acknowledge the shaman she had become.

This mesmerizing story takes us inside the secret world of voodoo as a heal­ing practice, and sheds light on why it remains a mystery to most and shunned by many.

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“Taking the World Hostage,” by Timothy Korzep

“When I lived in Vienna, I’d cross the Reichsbrücke every day and look over at the United Nations complex. I thought it’d make for a great setting for the abduction of the G-10 leaders. Coupling that image with today’s global religious, political, and financial situations, I developed the motivation for The Prophet’s Alibi,” says Korzep.

Humanity watches as chaos surrounds the modern world, markets crumble, and society struggles with their unsure future. The fate of the helpless world leaders now rests in the hands of a money hungry, political extremist group, who will stop at nothing to satisfy their ravenous greed. Up against the unpredictable and dangerous mind of a terrorist known only as “the Prophet,” Sylvia must rely on her militant training, quick thinking, and fearless commitment to rescue the G-10 and save the world from the brink of disaster.

About the book:

The President of the United States has been abducted.

While meeting with other world leaders in a unified Europe of the future, President Marge Haydon is among the members of the elite G-10 taken captive by militants who crash a peaceful inaugural luncheon. The terrorists, led by a mysterious man called the Prophet, now have control of some of the most powerful people in the world.

Sylvia Jensen is President Haydon’s personal assistant. She is a child of the new millennium, trained in anti-terrorism and modern combat. Whether it’s mere fate or divine intervention that puts her in the right place at the right time, she may be the world’s only chance at a peaceful resolution. But even Jensen can’t be sure who she’s up against in the gray area of foreign relations, and no-body knows the identity of the Prophet.

Jensen finds herself up against a power-hungry threesome who has already amassed almost seven percent of the world’s gold re-serves. These men want more, though, and now lives are at stake in the name of domination and greed. The world must watch and wait as world leaders suffer hours of terror and the world approaches the brink of disaster.

Author’s bio:

Timothy Korzep was raised with a Wall Street Journal in his hands. He soon began to work beside an elite core of fund managers, market strategists, and analysts, enabling him to navigate the often-intimidating financial field. His work took him to an impressive collection of cities such as London, Paris, Milan, Munich, and Hong Kong, which inspired the backdrop for The Prophet’s Alibi. Having published two previous books, Final Approval and The Kondratieff Crisis, he continues to pursue his passion for writing and currently lives in California.

Link to excerpt: http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000509353/The-Prophets-Alibi.aspx

Link to purchase page: http://www.amazon.com/The-Prophets-Alibi-Timothy-Korzep/dp/1469737019

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Making Red Hot Sky a Red Hot Read, by Gordon Gumpertz

A report on the rapid buildup of CO2 in our atmosphere over the past 50 years sparked the idea for my new thriller novel Red Hot Sky. After I read the report, I began wondering what would happen if the rapid CO2 increase continues unchecked. In the past, high and low levels of CO2 in our atmosphere have been associated with radical changes in earth’s climate. The CO2 level was very low during the last ice age. And the levels have always risen dramatically during warming periods between ice ages. Could our present CO2 buildup reach another tipping point, and another radical shift in world climate? But instead of an ice age, can it kick earth into a much hotter and more dire kind of climate?

I used that possibility for the setting in Red Hot Sky. But how will people behave when faced with an approaching disaster that could end of human survival? In this scenario, a powerful computer model foretells the looming disaster. The situation brings out the best In some of the characters, the very worst in others.

The characters were developed out of the challenges they faced. Ben Mason and Claudine Manet are co-developers of the secret computer model. They are the ones who are willing to sacrifice everything to save the planet. They are also in love, and sometimes their passions sizzle, and other times their feelings and misunderstandings drive them apart and put their relationship on thin ice.

A disgraced Russian general waits for a chance to regain his power. He learns of the climate threat through a hacker and seizes on this as this opportunity to not only take over Russia, but to ultimately rule the world. Ben Mason, who had started with the CIA in their forensics lab before leaving to take over the development of the national lab computer model, returns to the CIA and is sent on a hazardous mission to block the general’s scheme. His cover is blown and he’s on the run in hostile territory.

Claudine is put in charge of a massive NASA program to hold off the looming disaster. But just when her project is ready to launch, it is stopped dead by bureaucracy. The climate change catastrophe steadily approaches.

I chose a worldwide stage to emphasize the threat to the whole planet, and to speed up the pace of the story. The action moves from Washington to JPL in Pasadena, to Geneva, to Tehran, to Prague, and finally to Moscow. The aim in writing Red Hot Sky was to provide a fast-paced, knuckle biting, and thoroughly enjoyable experience for the reader. I must confess, I also had in mind the hope that in the process, the reader might become more aware of the risks unchecked global warming poses for the future health of our planet.

Gordon Gumpertz brings fiction readers another exciting action/adventure experience in his new novel RED HOT SKY. This is the author’s second book, following his highly acclaimed novel TSUNAMI.

In addition to writing novels, Gordon has won gold and silver awards in national and regional short story competitions. He is a member of the Authors Guild, the Palm Springs Writers Guild, a UCLA graduate, and an instrument-rated private pilot. He keeps his website current by blogging on natural disasters and natural phenomena.

Gordon and his wife Jenny live not far from the San Andreas fault, where the Pacific Plate thrusts into the North American Plate, building increasingly high levels of faultline stress which, the seismologists say, may soon produce the Big One.

Visit his website at www.tsunaminaturaldisaster.com.

Amazon | Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

About Red Hot Sky

CO2 buildup in earth’s atmosphere reaches a tipping point. Global weather destabilizes, turns chaotic. Ice storms, dust storms, floods, blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes pummel the earth nonstop. A secret computer model reveals that the frantic weather will peak out, and transform world climate into an alien environment devastating to human survival.

Scientists Ben Mason, Claudine Manet, and Bertrand Short are developers of the computer model. Ben and Claudine are lovers as well as lab partners. While they work frantically to head off the approaching catastrophe, a disgraced Russian general hacks into their model and sees earth’s bleak future as his opportunity for ultimate world power.

Ben, who had left the CIA to develop the computer model at the national lab, is reactivated by the Agency and sent on a perilous mission to block the rogue general’s plot. Claudine, not realizing that Ben is on a secret mission, misunderstands his absence, putting their relationship on thin ice.

Claudine is placed in charge of a massive NASA project that, if completed on time, could stop the approaching doomsday climate change. But her project is stalled by bureaucracy. Ben is on the run in hostile territory. The climate change calamity steadily approaches.

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Guest Post and Excerpt by Paranormal Author Serena Zane

There are things in this world that can’t just be explained away, happenings that occur and evil that dwells in the darkest recesses of the Earth. Have you ever wondered what causes a darkness to settle over you, that eerie feeling that something just isn’t right? I know I have, and so has Detective Nikki Adams.

Nikki is a homicide detective for the Boston Police Department and she quickly discovers that there may be more to the Boston nightlife than good music and the corner bar. I’ve always admired women who stand up for what they believe in, no matter the circumstances. Nikki is bombarded with vampires, werewolves, and a dark secret her family has kept for generations, but she is still determined to do her job and keep Boston safe from the killer that is wreaking havoc on the city.

Snow Beast, the first in my new Dark Warrior series, delves into the world of the paranormal while inter-mingling my love for criminal justice. As a paranormal writer, I get to explore history, crime, and all the fascinating aspects of the unexplained. Setting the Dark Warrior series in Boston allows for a rich setting of history. My fascination with criminal justice is explored through the eyes of Nikki as she solves each case. Just to twist things around, Nikki discovers vampires are real.

Detective Stephanie Wills already knows this in The Christmas Present. Her family has been hunting vampires for years. She just doesn’t believe they are all bad. Stephanie’s life gets turned upside down Christmas Day when she is called in to her job with the Seattle Homicide Division, and there is a body drained of blood hanging suspended from the ceiling at the downtown art gallery.

Stephanie has to face her worst fears, and go vampire-hunting with her family before vampires drain the good citizens of Seattle. I live in the Northwest with my husband and son, and the area lends itself to mystery and suspense. With the sky darkened by rain clouds for most of the year, it’s easy to imagine the place infested by vampires. The Christmas Present is the first in a series called The Hunter Diaries, I look forward to releasing the next book Bite Me soon.

Taking these two brave women on a harrowing journey both dangerous, and full of possibilities, I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Excerpt The Christmas Present

Preview

Chapter 1

Large white flakes of snow floated down. Stephanie Wills stood on her back porch. Her finger trailed a path along the cold metal of the old wrought iron railing. It was Christmas Eve, and she was alone. The spot where her engagement ring had rested was bare.

Who needs men anyway? Stephanie raised the champagne glass to her lips. Not me. Nope. It had been the same all her life. One guy after another had left. Her damn family always chased them off, and Daniel was no different. She had waited this time, until she had a ring on her finger, and a wedding date set. It hadn’t done any good.

Stephanie’s brother had let the cat out of the bag, crashing in on their nice family dinner, looking like he’d been beaten and dragged through the dirt for a few hundred yards. She guessed that wasn’t far from the truth. Daniel had been fine with that part. It was when her brother yelled to secure the house, and her mother handed him a stake that things really started to turn.

The night ended with Daniel walking stunned from her parents home, after an all-out battle against a group of vampires. He’d asked for his ring back, and Stephanie was too proud to deny him. After all, who wanted to have a family of vampire hunters as their in-laws? A tear slipped down her cheek. She sniffed and wiped angrily at the tear, taking a gulp of champagne. Stephanie was giving up on men.

Christmas lights twinkled at her merrily. Perhaps she shouldn’t give up on men entirely, after all. They were so much fun to have around, most of the time. Maybe she could make a list; a New Year’s Resolution list. The New Year was just around the corner. People came up with lists all the time. Why not one for relationships? Knowing just what she would put at the top of her list, she wanted to get started.

Stephanie stumbled back into the house, glared at the Christmas tree in the corner of her living room, and made her way to the desk. Placing her glass on the desktop, she yanked open a drawer, pulled out a notepad, and rummaged around for a pen that would write. After several unsuccessful tries, she growled and marched over to her police jacket hanging from her coat rack. Stephanie pulled out the pen she knew worked, smiled at it, and sat down to write her list.

At the top, she scrawled Resolutions.

1) No settling for less, go only for eternal bliss – no more losers

2) Stay away from my family and all things supernatural

3) Lose 10 pounds

There. Stephanie racked her brain. She couldn’t come up with anything else right now, and her head was spinning. Glaring at her champagne glass, she pushed it back on her desk and stood up.

Maybe a good movie would take her mind off things? Wondering what was on the television she wandered over and pushed the power button on the remote. It’s A Wonderful Life flared on the screen and Stephanie grimaced. It was going to be all Christmas movies tonight. She flipped through the channels rapidly, and decided there wasn’t anything on that was going to make her feel any better. Powering off the TV, she leaned her head back on the arm of the couch. Perhaps she should just go to sleep.

Stephanie closed her eyes, and tried not to think of her fiancé, well, ex-fiancé. It didn’t help. Her head started to spin more. Restless, she popped her eyes open, and got up. Perhaps a good book would help. Her bookshelf called to her, and Stephanie pulled out her favorite. If she couldn’t find a man in real life then Nicholas would just have to do. Opening the first page, she began to read about the exploits of her favorite character, Nicholas Garreth.

About the Author

Serena Zane currently lives with her husband and her son in the Northwest. Working full-time at a day job, she also plays hard, and spends her free time studying the Middle Ages in a re-creationist organization called the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc (SCA). Much of her time is spent between training for heavy armored combat, learning about music in the 16th Century, and writing her novels.

Serena started writing at an early age with short stories, and poetry inspired by her mother, a strong independent woman who loves to help others, and wrote her own stories. Dark Hope was picked up and published by Southwest Publications in 2008.

In 2009 Serena became a member of Romance Writer’s of America, and has been working on her craft with the wonderful members of the Olympia Chapter. Though she does love the Middle Ages, and will most likely write a historical romance in the near future, she fell in love with the idea of writing a contemporary action/adventure romance while she was attending college to study Criminal Justice.

After months of working on homework assignments late at night that made her want to turn on every light in the house, she decided it would be a great idea to take some of the ideas running through her head and commit them to paper.

Serena has recently stared exploring the world of Short Story writing and will soon be releasing her first Short through Books To Go Now.

Link to author’s website or blog: http://www.serenazane.com

The Christmas Present

Books to go Now: http://www.bookstogonow.com/thechristmaspresent.html

Amazon Ebook: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ASJQKQ

Amazon UK Ebook: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006ASJQKQ

Barnes&Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1036585889?ean=2940013502369

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On the Spotlight: Teenaged Author Heather Paye

I first started writing when I was about six years old. I started out writing lyrics, then short stories, then when I was ten I moved on to full-legnth novels. Next, I started dabbling in poetry. Currently I am working on a book series of nine, with the first installment finished and being prepared to be released on bookshelves soon. The first draft of the second installment is almost finished. My novel that I wrote for NaNoWriMo (nanowrimo.org) in 2008 was published March 28th, 2009 – a tribute to my parents as it was published on their anniversary. I’m also working on another novel written for NaNoWriMo 2009. I’m a part of many organizations and author groups. I’m a graphic design artist, and editor. So far, this is all of my “story” that has been “written”.

About the book:

You know those kids you see in the grocery stores? The ones who always get whatever they ask for? The ones who throw fits sand scream: “I want that!” The ones you cringe at as you walk by? Well, Celia Meyers is one of those little girls. Which is why when she is no longer an only child, what starts out as magic and fantasies turns into a hellish nightmare for her. But soon, things get even worse when she’s convinced her family has shunned her. So she remembers the one person whom always loved her no matter what she did – her old nanny, Millie. But Celia isn’t even sure where Millie lives, and finds herself wondering more and more why the nanny left so suddenly years ago.

Purchase from Amazon.

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Featured book: INVASION OF THE BABY DADDY, by Dr. John Bell

EVERY UNWED MOTHER’S NIGHTMARE COMES TO LIFE IN THE PAGES OF INVASION OF THE BABY DADDY, a compelling and moving debut novel that echoes the emotional and cerebral frustrations of unwed mothers throughout the ages. Its unforgettable characters and authentic story line are interwoven with current and real facts about the volume of unwed mothers in our society today. In the story, Dr. Sands believes he has found his perfect mate only to discover that she is pregnant from a previous relationship. Not fully aware of the ramifications of this colossal news, Dr. Sands and Rachel date via long distance during her pregnancy and ultimately decide to get married. In order to make a life together, Rachel must move to Tennessee to start a new life with her husband. But the Baby Daddy has other plans for them. Determined to make this marriage work, Dr. Sands goes to extraordinary lengths to try and negotiate with the Baby Daddy. Brimming with honesty from the author s own experiences, Invasion of the Baby Daddy comes alive with unique freshness, candor and rich detail.

Find out more about the book HERE.

About the author

Author Dr. John Bell has a Masters degree in Health Services from Strayer University and currently serves as a professor at Strayer University at Shelby Oaks campus in Memphis, TN. Dr. Bell has a Doctorate of Podiatric Medicine from Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Bell is currently a practicing Surgical Podiatrist at 4 locations throughout the Memphis and Greater West TN community. He is a Veteran of the Gulf War serving 10 years in the U.S. Navy. Bell is also a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Dr. Bell has one daughter.

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On the Spotlight: Vampyre Blood-Eight Pints of Trouble, by George Earl Parker

In this comedy of errors, a young lawyer, Bradley Harrington Chester III, is not living his dream. He has married a gorgeous woman against his parents’ wishes, and his less than stellar performance at law school has earned him a job in the New Orleans district attorney’s office, instead of at his father’s prestigious firm. On his first day there he meets up with Richard Bleddon, the self-confessed golden boy of that office, and a man who will go to any lengths to keep his position. Which is proven true when Brad usurps him by stealing his big case away, and Bleddon arranges to have him murdered.

Brad has gotten through life because of a winning smile, surfer-blonde hair, blue eyes, high cheekbones, and a body sculpted by Michelangelo. But when a monster car runs him down in the street, and leaves him hanging out in a throng of gray figures shuffling into a bright light, it seems that his winning days are over, until Count Dracula approaches him. The Count tells Brad he’s given up his evil ways, and now plays violin in a band called the Techno Zombies. But more importantly he’s looking for a lawyer, and he offers to save Brad’s life with a transfusion of his own immortal blood.

Julia Harrington Chester III is supermodel gorgeous, but she isn’t stupid. She knows that the fairytale is swiftly disappearing from her young marriage, and she isn’t going to take it. So when Richard Bleddon invites Brad and her to a swanky restaurant for a fancy meal that he pays for, she resolves to tell Brad that she wants a divorce, and she does, just before he is cruelly run down in the street, crushed, and mashed to death. She cannot forgive herself for being so insensitive, but this is only the beginning of her ordeal, an ordeal that will test the bonds of love, into death and beyond.

Everybody wants something. Something they will go to any lengths to get. It could be love, it could be money, it could be honor, or it could be just to preserve one’s good name in the face of ruin. What lengths would you go to, to get what you desire, and if it meant crossing the line and committing a crime; would you do it?

The New Novel By George Earl Parker
Is Practically A Movie Playing In Your Head!

www.georgeearlparker.com

About the author:

George Earl Parker is an Author, Singer/Songwriter, and an Artist. As director of the short film The Yellow Submarine Sandwich, included in Eric Idle’s pseudo-documentary of a band called the Rutles, Parker received accolades, awards, and a showing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. His art has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the country, and three of his songs have climbed the European Country Music Association charts.

Vampyre Blood-Eight Pints of Trouble is his first novel. He currently lives in California where he continues working on music, and his second book. You can visit his website at www.georgeearlparker.com.

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