Drasmyr: The Guest Blog and Virtual Tour

Drasmyr

by Matthew D. Ryan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

We vampires do not make easy prey. Our weaknesses are few, our strengths many. Fear is something we do not know, and death but a distant memory. So tread softly, pray to your god, and gird yourself with silver when the moons arise and night’s dark prince awakens. We fear not the wizard, nor the warrior, neither rogue, nor priest; our strength is timeless, drawn from darkness and we know no master save the hot lust of our unending hunger. We long for blood, your blood and no blade, nor spell, nor clever artifice, can keep us long from our prize. Feel our teeth at your throat, your life ebb from you, and know as darkness comes to claim you that the price of your folly is your everlasting soul.

I change shape and take to the air. It is a clear, cold night, with no clouds to hinder my vision. Below me, the dark canopy of the forest bears an even darker scar; the trail of the old river and its sister road to town and Arcalian.

Despite my near limitless power, I am cautious about openly wandering in a human city on a clear night. I have had run-ins with them before and I have no wish to draw undue notice. I soar in a long gliding circle to free my mind for concentration.

It takes but a moment.

Then the storm begins to build, drawing in clouds from the distant sea. They roil and churn in the darkening night, reaching forth with long writhing tendrils as if to grasp the town with a shadowy hand. A chilling gust of wind sweeps through the forest trees and the mists boil forth from the valley floor. All told, I spend an hour circling the town while the storm gathers its strength. Then, as the first lightnings begin to flash and the rains begin to fall, I descend on shadowy wings into the heart of Drisdak, the city on the Sea of Sorrows.

The mages guild is easy to find; its rancid stench of magic can be smelled from blocks away. It’s a tall building, made of stone, looking more like a miniature keep than a guild house. Five circular towers loom up from a central stone edifice. I have no doubt that Arcalian can be found in the highest tower in the room of the guild master, undoubtedly basking in the luxuries my services provided. 

Guest Post: Zombies vs. Vampires

The question of the century has been posed: mythical plagues ravage the human race and there is a New World Order coming. Who will claim the world for their own? The rising might of the vampires, or the horrible scourge of zombies?

An interesting question to be sure. What does each side have going for it? I think strength, intelligence, wit, and a larger array of special powers go with the vampires. Depending on how true you want to be to the original folklore, vampires have shape-changing ability, control over weather, and are exceptionally difficult to kill. They are also exceptionally strong and virtually immortal unless slain. Zombies tend to be construed as mindless killing machines that are very difficult to destroy; their animated flesh can keep going, no matter how much you damage it, unless you zap it in the head.

What about weaknesses? Here, going by most modern accounts, zombies have the edge. They really don’t have weaknesses, except that they can be killed by a blow to the head. Oh, and they are also quite stupid. Vampires (again, if you follow the folklore) cannot enter buildings unless invited, are incinerated by sunlight, and are repelled by holy objects. Modern accounts of vampires usually do away with the invitations and the holy objects and leave only the sun as a weakness. Regardless, that is a very serious weakness indeed, limiting the vampire’s activities to just one half of any twenty-four hour period.

So, who would rule the world? Assuming that neither one’s bite affects the other, I’m afraid I must go with the vampires. No matter their weaknesses, they have the great gift of intelligence, and a more telling advantage would be quite difficult to find. They could understand and manipulate science and technology, if necessary. They could organize their forces and use military tactics. Zombies usually attack via a mindless swarm. Intimidating in numbers, but not useful in the long term. There is also the fact that vampires have the potential of ruling an orderly and disciplined planet with thought and planning. There could be a vampire government that issues decrees, gathers humans to be farmed, and generally maintains order for the purpose of continuing its legacy. Zombies usually don’t show such restraint. If the zombies were to win control of the planet, things would quickly degenerate into chaos. There would be no government, no controlled human farming, and no restraint. The humans would be wiped out until there was nothing left but zombies. Zombie rule would lead to annihilation of pretty much everything; vampire rule would simply lead to slavery. I’m not sure that’s necessarily preferable, but that does seem to be the final outcome of each.

Finally, one on one, a zombie could never defeat a vampire, simply because the zombie wouldn’t be cognizant of how to kill its foe. Even if it were lucky enough to ram a stake through a vampire’s heart, it wouldn’t think to do that again, if it encountered another one. The mental capacity just is not there. So, actually, with that in mind, I think vampires would be the clear winner, unless the zombie’s bite affected them. In such a case, all bets are off.

Matthew D. Ryan

http://www.atoasttodragons.com

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Matthew D. Ryan is a published author living in upstate New York on the shores of Lake Champlain. He has a background in philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. He also has a black belt in the martial arts and studies yoga. He has been deeply involved in the fantasy genre for most of his life as a reader, writer, and game designer. He believes he saw the legendary Lake Champlain Monster (a.k.a Champy) once and he has a cat named Confucius.

Author’s Smashwords Page: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/matthewdryan

Author’s Book Page: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/131156

Author’s Blog: http://www.atoasttodragons.com

Author’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000038781652

Author’s Twitter Handle: @MatthewDRyan1

Author’s Goodreads Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/579148.Matthew_D_Ryan

Author’s Shelfari Page: http://www.shelfari.com/matthewdryan/shelf

The book is available on Smashwords and elsewhere for no cost.

Matthew will be awarding a package of metal miniatures of vampires/vampire hunters to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US/Canada only).

The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/07/virtual-book-review-tour-drasmyr-by.html

New Moon Rising and Harvest Moon Rising by L.M. Pruitt

New Moon Rising
Book One

Nothing ever happens in Selene, Georgia. The biggest events in the past ten years have been a wedding, a funeral and a bar fight. It's slow, sleepy, a little narrow-minded--but for Cari Gravier, it's home.

Now things are starting to happen that nobody's seen before. Strange things in the woods, dead animals--and dead people. Cari's about to discover a whole new side to Selene. And a past that may come back to bite her...

Amazon buy link

Harvest Moon Rising
Book Two

Cari Gravier might have learned Selene's big secret, but some things remain constant: the Old Town Cafe, blackberry harvesting, and the shaky relationship with her ex-husband, Mike Sullivan.

But there's more change in the wind, the kind even half blind Old Willis can see. The seeds of the past--betrayal, violence, and heartbreak--are ready for harvest.

And some sleeping dogs just won't stay down...

Amazon buy link

1. Paranormal stories in small town settings are a great combination. Where did the inspiration for The Moon Rising series come from?

Moon Rising started as a writing exercise. I was having problems getting past a block while writing Shades of Desire, a lot of problems—just one of those times where nothing was clicking. I wrote the first half chapter as a way to get the creative juices flowing, so to speak. From there, everything just kind of blossomed.

2. You have written several series. What are they for folks that have not read your books before?

The Jude Magdalyn series is set in New Orleans and deals with magic, vampires, and local myths. The Moon Rising series is set in the fictional town of Selene, Georgia and focuses on werewolves—Native American mysticism will also play a part in later books. The Frankie Post series is set in New York and is crime fiction with a touch of a psychic bent.

3. Where do you see this series going?

I’d love to say that everybody is going to have a happy ever after—but I’m still not sure. There are a lot of issues involving love and trust and right and wrong. Until there’s some kind of resolution , nobody gets a happy ever after, because they haven’t earned it.

4. Do you have a playlist for the books?

I have a general playlist for writing. It runs the gamut from country to classic rock to showtunes to pop. 

5. Walking Dead vs. Shaun of the Dead?

Shaun of the Dead

6. What three things would you want with you in case of a zombie apocalypse?

A bus with a full tank of gas, access to a zombie-free gunshop, and my friends and family.

7. What is your favorite zombie book or movie? 

Mira Grant’s NewsFlesh trilogy. I consider it a must read for anybody who loves zombies and the apocalypse.

8. Cheeseburger or Pizza?

Pizza

9. Beer or Margarita?

Margarita

10. What is your current writing project?

I’m currently working on the second book in the Frankie Post Series, Borrowed, due to be released in October, as well as another book set for release in January—more details on that later.

Overall:

The first book New Moon Rising was a page turning thriller that I could not put down. If you like a good werewolf story with a fresh perspective, give this book a try. Small town Cari has a huge chip on her shoulder, but as the story progresses, you see what she is made of. Secrets are kept and finally revealed and when everything she thought she knew was thrown out the window, we really see what this great heroine is made of. The story line is fresh, the plot original and the interaction with the characters right up there. A great read that will keep you up nights!

The second book, Harvest Moon Rising will bring you to tears. In a good way. Promise! Werewolves asunder! Hurray for more furry fun from this talented author. The drama, secrets, heartbreak, plot, new and old characters...well, everything! I can't wait to read the next one.

If you like your werewolves with a whole lot of sass and grit, then check out this awesome series!



5/5

L.M. Pruitt has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember. A native of Florida with a love of New Orleans, she has the uncanny ability to find humor in most things and would probably kill a plastic plant. She is the author of the best-selling Jude Magdalyn series, the Moon Rising series, and the Frankie Post series. She is currently at work on the next Jude Magdalyn book, Shades of Blood. She makes her home in Florida with one two cats—one smart, the other an idiot.


Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/LM-Pruitt/364776895104

Blog: http://www.lmpruitt.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/lmpruitt

Amazon Author Page

Revamp: The Guest Blog and Virtual Tour

Revamp
By Beck Sherman

Genre: Horror

ISBN: 9780985732707

ASIN: B007Q4LK9I

Number of pages: approx. 439

Word Count: approx. 162,024

Description:

FOR THREE DAYS, IT WAS DARK.

News reporters scrambled. This was the biggest story to come along in weeks.

They called it a blackout.

The last one was in New York City in 2003, but this one was different, special, because the grids in six major cities across the country had been fried, kaput, see-you-next-Sunday. Everyone with some jurisdiction blamed each other, and when there was no one left to blame, terrorism rode in on its gallant steed.

It was the media’s fault. They were so busy stuffing fanatical Muslims with a penchant for Allah and decapitations down the American citizen’s throat, that they never saw it coming. I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on them.

They were partially right.

It was terror after all, but a whole new kind. And when the lights came back on, things had changed.

The dark had brought us visitors. 

Buy Links:

Smashwords       Amazon           BN

Guest blog with Beck Sherman

Do Vampires Exist?

You say no, but back in the day, many really believed that these toothy creatures were out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportune moment to partake in fresh blood. Imagine a world in which the undead are a real threat? Would you still take that shortcut through the woods? Would you still wear your headphones in the parking garage? Would you still travel anywhere alone at night?

That noise behind you…is it a vampire?

Let me introduce you to three “real-life” vampires from my neck of the woods. Then you can decide.

Mercy Lena Brown, the Exeter Vampire

Nineteen-year-old Mercy Brown, a member of a prominent farming family in Exeter, Rhode Island, fell ill with “galloping” consumption and died a few months later on January 17, 1892. She was not the first of the Brown family to succumb to the disease. Her mother, Mary Brown, died almost a decade earlier, along with the eldest daughter, Mary Olive. Edwin, the Brown’s only son, became sick a few years after Mary Olive, but didn’t die right away, and lived to see Mercy laid to rest with the others in the Chestnut Hill cemetery behind the Baptist church.

As Edwin’s condition worsened, a desperate father made a last-ditch attempt to save his only remaining child. He responded to the local stories of an undead Mercy wandering the cemetery and farm fields, stealing the life force from her brother and other villagers, by exhuming his daughter’s grave. Mercy’s body was found turned over, with a flushed face and fresh blood seeping from the heart and liver. Her heart was then removed, burned to ash, mixed with water, and fed to Edwin to break the spell put on him. He died, still, two months later. 

Sarah Tillinghast, the Poetic Vampire 

In the year 1776, established farmer and father of fourteen Stukely Tillinghast had an unpleasant dream one night. Half the trees in his apple orchard died. Soon afterward, his beloved eldest daughter, Sarah, who had a fondness for poetry and wandering the local cemetery, came home feeling ill. Within weeks, Sarah was dead. Five children followed, each saying before their death that Sarah had come to them in the night. When his wife fell ill, Stukely took the farmhand, Caleb, to dig up his dead children. All of the bodies were in various stages of decay, except for Sarah’s. According to one account, the young girl’s eyes were open in a fixed stare. Fresh blood was in her heart and her veins. Stukely cut out Sarah’s heart and burned it, before reburying her. The last child, who was already ill, died, but his wife recovered and the rest of the Tillinghast children lived.   

James P Riva, the 700-Year-Old Vampire

In 1980, 23-year-old James Riva of Massachusetts shot and killed his grandmother with gold-painted bullets, sucked her blood, and set fire to her house. He claimed to be a 700-year-old vampire who needed blood to survive and that he was also satisfying his vampire masters by making a human kill. In later claims, his grandmother had been a vampire, too, and would come to him at night to feed. During the trial, it was released that Riva would sometimes drink a concoction of ketchup and oil because it resembled blood. He’s currently serving a life sentence at Walpole State Prison.

A painting by Riva hangs in his former defense attorney’s office. It’s a picture of the Boston skyline. All of the buildings are black.

So, again, do vampires exist? Still, no? Then snuggle up in your bed, pleased-as-punch, feeling safe, with a copy of Revamp and a mug of hot cocoa. Ignore the scratching at your window. Tree branches. Ignore the creaks outside your bedroom door. House settling. Ignore the screaming. Howling wind. And keep telling yourself that everything is going to be fine. Because there’s no such thing as vampires, right?

There’s no such thing as vampires…   

Author Bio:

Beck Sherman was born and raised in Massachusetts, studied undergrad at Syracuse University, has a master’s degree in photojournalism from the University of Westminster, London, and when not writing, enjoys exploring abandoned insane asylums and photo-documenting the things that go bump in the night, when they’re kind enough to pose.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13581365-revamp

http://www.becksherman.com/

http://www.facebook.com/revampnovel

http://www.facebook.com/becksherman

https://twitter.com/#!/BeckSherman

Win 2 Print copies of Revamp on a tourwide giveaway! Open to US  shipping.

e-books international

The Corpse Goddess Virtual Tour

The Corpse Goddess

By Kristi Jones

Genre:Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

ASIN:B008EZXJ7E

Number of pages: 274

Word Count: 79,034

Blurb/Book Description:

Party girl Meg Highbury wakes up the morning of her twenty-first birthday with one hell of a hangover – and a walking corpse in her apartment.  Meg turns to her straight-laced neighbor Armando for help and together they discover that Meg is a Valkyrie. 

What’s more, her first duty is to trade places with the corpse.  But Meg is being sent to her Death Duty too soon. In a race against time, Meg frantically tries to find a loophole to her gruesome fate, but while Meg is determined to live whatever the cost, Armando's strict moral principles keep getting in the way of her plans for escape.

Can Meg walk the 'right' and narrow path, possibly sacrificing her mortal life, for love? And if she can, will Armando have the stomach to love a rotting corpse of a girl who is falling apart in more ways than one?

Evernight Publishing

Amazon

Excerpt:

Tee picked up on the third call. “Wha’ is it?” Tee mumbled, obviously still half asleep. 

 “Tee. What. The. Hell?”

            “Whosis?”

“It’s me, Meg. What the hell was in those drinks last night?”

“Drinks?” Tee coughed. Meg heard the flick of a lighter, the gentle grind of flint against steel, and waited for Tee to suck down her first drag of the day. “What’re you talking about?”

“The wine,” Meg said, her voice a screeching tire. She kept her eyes on the zombie. She stared at it for two reasons. One, to be ready in case it made any sudden moves. And two, hoping that it would suddenly vanish, and she would be free to get off this freak show carnival ride. “The Merlot we had last night. In the graveyard.”

            “Oh, yeah. That. Why? What’s up? You want some more?”

“No,” Meg said, biting back a scream. “I do not want some more. I want to know why there is a freaking zombie standing in my apartment.”

“What happened to you last night? Danny was asking for you.”

“Tee, listen. Focus. I need to know. Did you put something special in the wine? A little birthday boost?”

Tee laughed. “Shit, Meg. Did you sleep with Danny?”

“What?”

“He is a lousy lay. No doubt. Thinks he’s in love with you, right?” She laughed again. “Kick his ass out, girl. He’s got no business staying over if you want your privacy.”

“I don’t want my goddamn privacy, Tee! I have a zombie in my apartment!” Meg screamed. The zombie jumped at the sound of her scream, as if a bolt of electricity had suddenly brought the thing to life. 

“Stay back!” Meg said in a pleading tone of voice. Her heartbeat went into overdrive, and it set her teeth chattering painfully together. 

            “Whoa,” Tee said, obviously offended. “Don’t get all commando on me. Not my fault you fucked up and shagged a loser.”

            The zombie jerked its right leg forward. Then the left.

“Oh, shit,” Meg whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks now. “Shit, it’s coming.”

“Meg, you really need to get a grip. Just say no, girl. Just because it’s coming, doesn’t mean you have to take it.”

“I don’t think I have any control over that, Tee,” Meg said, explosions of fear wracking her body.

“You want my advice? Sleep it off, Meg. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Tee, wait…”

Meg heard a click and then the dreaded dial tone. Her best friend, her only real friend, had disconnected the call.

The zombie jerked toward her, snapping and creaking with every step. Meg crab-walked backwards, scuttling off her bed and landed on the floor with a painful thud.

Her mind racing, playing catch-up with what her eyes were seeing, Meg tried to come up with a plan. She could shove the thing, hard enough to make it fall, maybe into a hundred pieces like one of those plastic toy snap skeletons her parents liked to give on birthdays. The next part of the plan was easy. Run. Run away as fast as her feet would carry her.

Her studio apartment was just under five hundred square feet. The front door was not more than a few paces away. 

But what if the thing moved faster than she expected, like a lazy alligator suddenly darting for the kill? 

She still had her phone in her hand, but whom could she call? Meg didn’t have many close friends, and you couldn’t call a casual acquaintance to help with a walking corpse, real or imagined.

The zombie walked around the bed, coming for her. The smell emanating from the thing was turning the wine in her stomach to vinegar, but Meg swallowed back the nausea. She threw back the comforter and clambered off the bed, keeping her eyes on the zombie. Pieces of rotting gray cloth and leaves fell to the floor.

It was coming closer, no more than three feet away now.

Meg’s heart ran a thumping rhythm inside her chest, and she broke out into a cold sweat that left her shivering on uncertain legs.

“Stay back,” she said, but the thing stepped closer, its bare knee bones peeking through the shredded trousers.

Panicked, Meg lunged forward, legs scrambling, stomach lurching. She thrust out her hands, making contact with the zombie.  

The impact, when it came, was like a jacked-up haunted house gimmick. She felt her fingers plunge through the fabric of the thing's tattered white shirt as her hands sank into its rotting chest. The flesh beneath its shell of leathery skin was surprisingly gooey. Her hands sank into the gelatinous mess, and she had a fleeting thought that this was how people went crazy. She could feel her mind slipping away from the shocking reality of her predicament and into a deep, dark hole somewhere in the depths of her mind.

And then the rancid flesh embraced her, pulled her in. An intense burning triggered her hands to start shaking, and the sensation traveled up her arms. She screamed and tried to pull her hands away, but they stuck, super-glued to the monster. A bolt of blue ran across the zombie's chest. Meg screamed again, howling like a wounded animal, desperately trying to free herself from a nightmare she didn't quite believe in.

The Corpse Goddess Music Play List

Changes by David Bowie

All This and Heaven Too by Florence and the Machine

Monsters by Matchbook Romance

When We Were Young by The Killers

Sweet Child of Mine by Guns N Roses

99 Problems by Hugo

Demons by Imagine Dragons

Ain't No Grave by Johnny Cash

Dead! by My Chemical Romance

Carry Me Down by Demon Hunter

Gravedigger by Willie Nelson

Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner

Everybody's Changing by Keane

The Interview:

1.      

       What is your favorite critter that goes bump in the night?

An armadillo! Seriously, I live in Texas and they’re always running around the neighborhood at night. They freak me out, with their dinosaur skin and weird hobbling walk!

     How did you first get interested in zombies?

You know, I think I first got interested in zombies back in the 80s with The Return of the Living Dead. I loved the humor in that film because really, the whole idea of zombies is sort of ridiculous…and yet incredibly frightening at the same time.

    Where did the storyline to Corpse Goddess come from?

I guess I’ve always had a macabre fascination with what happens to our bodies after we die. When zombie fiction and zombie films started to make a ‘come back’, I started thinking about what it would be like to become a zombie. I’ve always had a thing for Valkyries and somehow the two things just blended together in my mind. There are a lot of myths and legends from around the world dealing with the dead walking the earth…I tried to create a world where this is really happening.

 

    What was the toughest scene you ever had to write?

One of my beloved characters doesn’t make it. That was tough. I love the character and I kept taking breaks. Killing your darlings is never easy!

Walking Dead vs. Zombieland?

Both! I love The Walking Dead, but of course the humor in Zombieland really strikes home for me. Sorry, can’t choose one over the other!

    Shaun of the Dead vs. Fido?

Shaun of the Dead, hands down! Love that film!

   Who are some of your favorite authors?

I love Stephen King. I’m one of his constant readers. I also like Neil Gaiman, Justin Cronin, Kate Morton, Rosamund Lupton, Victoria Holt, Jane Austen, John La Carre, Sarah Waters, and many, many more. I don’t think there’s anything I won’t read.

    In the book, the main character wakes up and has a zombie kind of hanging out. Did zombies give you nightmares as a kid and what would you do if you woke up with a zombie in your room?

When I was about six or seven years old, we lived in England. I used to follow my parents around, visiting old churches to do brass rubbings. There were always graveyards in the churchyard. One time, I saw an open stone coffin…these stone coffins or sarcophagi are all over Britain…and went to investigate. To this day, I don’t remember what I actually saw, but I remember this feeling of a terrible presence. I’ve been afraid of the rising dead since that day.

If I woke up and found a zombie in my room, I’d probably try to talk to it! I also think I’d be like Meg and not quite believe it.

 Baseball bat vs. machete?

Oh, a machete for me…I’m not strong enough to inflict much damage with a baseball bat, but I think I might do okay with a machete!

What are you currently working on?

I’m finishing up a paranormal romance tentatively titled An Inconvenient Ghost. It’s about a no-nonsense scientist, Raine Cunningham, who is haunted by her Dad’s ghost. She doesn’t really believe in the supernatural, but having exhausted all other options, she is forced to seek out the help of a gorgeous medium to try and get rid of the ghost before her impending nuptials. Dad’s ghost has a purpose though and Raine’s desire for a normal life is wildly derailed!

When I finish that, I’m diving into the second Corpse Goddess book! 

YAY!

Thanks Kristi for hanging out with us today!

Author Bio:

Kristi Jones spent her childhood exploring European castles, crumbling manor houses and ornate cathedrals, always looking for secret passages and hidden rooms.  She holds a degree in European history and loves to throw ‘ordinary’ characters into extraordinary circumstances. 

She currently lives in south Texas with her husband and two children, who inspire her daily.  She is a member of the Writers’ League of Texas and Romance Writers of America.  She loves old movies, being a Mom, the feel of paper in her hands and things that go bump in the night.

http://kristimjones.com/

http://authorkristijones.blogspot.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15724882-the-corpse-goddess

http://www.facebook.com/authorkristijones

https://twitter.com/authorkristi

Shades of Desire Blog Tour

Are you ready to visit New Orleans and discover a world you never knew existed? Join Jude Magdalyne Henries as she is catapulted into a world of vampires and magic...

Shades of Gray
Book One
By L.M. Pruitt

Jude Magdalyn Henries lives what many would call an unconventional life. 

Orphaned at birth, raised by nuns, a teenage runaway living on the streets... she now earns a living at odd jobs, including one as a fake tarot card reader. Very little about Jude's life appears normal, by any scale. 

When she accepts a gig to do a private reading, unconventional takes on an entirely new meaning. Life as she knows it ends when she's thrust into a world she never knew existed-one filled with magic, vampires, and her beloved New Orleans on the verge of an underground war. 

To make matters worse, she's got two men in her life vying for attention, Williams and Theo. Both call to a different part of her, but one scares her just a little bit. 

Can she step up to the challenges set before her and make the right choices for the greatergreater good?

Shades of Desire
By L.M. Pruitt

Blurb

All I wanted was a little peace and quiet.

Instead, I've got dead Covenant members and a steady stream of letters from the new guy in town. His beverage of choice? A 2002 Merlot, with a shot or two of powerful virgin blood.

On top of that, I'm breaking in a new police liaison, failing at playing matchmaker, and fighting nausea like it's a full time job. All I wanted was a little peace and quiet.

Instead, I've got dead Covenant members and a steady stream of letters from the new guy in town. His beverage of choice? A 2002 Merlot, with a shot or two of powerful virgin blood.

On top of that, I'm breaking in a new police liaison, failing at playing matchmaker, and fighting nausea like it's a full time job.

Did I forget to mention that I've also got enough girls living at the Crossroads to start my own boarding school?

Peace and quiet? Out the window.

Shades of Blood
Book 3

If it's not one thing, it's another.

Felipe, one of New Orleans's most infamous—and crazy--vampires is back in town. And to say he's unhappy is an understatement.

Duprees and Williams have to track down Felipe, fast, before he claims any more victims. If that means making a deal with the Devil--otherwise known as St. Germaine--and using an untrained dhampir, so be it.

If that wasn't enough, I've also got rebellious teenagers, feuding couples, and a suddenly full social calendar.

The more things change....

Excerpt

“I’m going to kill her.” I didn’t throw the phone across the room like I wanted to, but instead, set it down gently on the coffee table. I took a deep breath and held it for a long moment before releasing it. “I’ll just have to owe Williams another favor.”

“That would put you at owing him three times, which is three times too many.” Theo slid the phone out of my reach. I’d already thrown two phones this month, so I didn’t begrudge him the action. “What exactly did Danie do this time?”

It’d been almost a month since Williams had shown up in the foyer and left his niece—Hart’s daughter—in my care. Not that I really wanted her here or that she wanted to be here. Things were just getting back to normal after the terror of Halloween, after darting around the city trying to find Hart’s other psychopathic brother. Having Hart’s daughter under my roof made me more than a little uneasy, even though he was still at the bottom of the Mississippi.

I’d argued with Williams. Danie had argued with Williams. Even Mickeal, Williams’s second-in-command and currently stationed at the Crossroads, had argued with Williams. He refused to budge. And my conscience wouldn’t let me throw her out without a definite place to go.

So Danie stayed. And did her best to make all our lives a living hell.

“Shoplifting. Again.” I drummed my fingers over my stomach, then stopped when one of the bumps kicked a little. Theo and I still called them the bumps, even though it was starting to look like I’d swallowed a small beach ball. At the rate I was going, I’d be as big as a cow by the time I delivered in May. “Down at that tourist shop.”

“Which one? There’s only half a million or so.” Theo made a little circle motion with his finger and I gave him my back. I always seemed to have a knot between my shoulder blades these days. Whether it was from Danie or from the bumps, I couldn’t begin to guess.

“Voodoo Blues. The owner recognized her, so instead of calling the police, he let her go and called me. I’ll send Elizabeth down tomorrow to take care of it.”

“Have you ever thought about letting her get picked up by the police? Seeing if having the law come down on her would actually make her see how stupid she’s being?” Theo pressed a kiss against my bare shoulder. I shrugged half-heartedly, tapping my fingers on my knee.

“Maybe it would work. Or maybe she’d go nuts on them and then we’d have a serious problem.” Restless now, I stood up to pace in front of the fireplace. It was just now ten p.m. and most of the house had been up long enough to start getting into trouble. Any minute now, someone was going to knock on the parlor door and tell me they needed help with something.

I wasn’t psychic. It had happened often enough that it was a given.

Overall:

This series was a wild romp through the shady streets of New Orleans. Vampires, myth and magic reign in this page turner of a series. If you love a good vampire story with some bite, check out these books. The dialogue is spot on with all the sarcasm and wit that I love to see in a heroine. She doesn't take anything from anyone. The character development was great and the first book lead right into the second. No nasty cliffhangers here!

With the second book, Jude is hunting a killer of young women. The two male lead characters are hunky and full of sensual promise it gave me shivers. This one was even better than the first one, and that is saying something. The increasing conflict between the Covenant and the evil that challenges it is growing and it will be up to Jude to stamp it out. In the third book we again see an old face and more drama ensues. 

The only thing that bothered me at all about the book was Jude's reaction to her friend's death. I wanted to see more from her than I did, but other than that, it was a great series and I am looking forward to the fourth book.

4/5

About the Author:

L.M. Pruitt has been reading and writing for as long as she can remember. A native of Florida with a love of New Orleans, she has the uncanny ability to find humor in most things and would probably kill a plastic plant. She is the author of the best-selling Jude Magdalyn series, the Moon Rising series, and the Frankie Post series. She is currently at work on the next Jude Magdalyn book, Shades of Blood. She makes her home in Florida with one two cats—one smart, the other an idiot.

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