Goodbyes are always hard

Orginally posted on Writerspace.com December 2014.

Saying goodbye to fictional friends is a special kind of sweet pain. With this finial book in my Hellsbane series, HELLSBANE HEREAFTER, finally out in the world, it’s time to say goodbye to some very dear friends.

Normally when I finish a book I do a little happy dance, maybe have a glass of wine, and breathe a long satisfied sigh of relief.  My mind shifts to the next story, new characters to discover and stories to unravel. It’s always a little sad letting go, but my imagination won’t let me dwell on the past.

But releasing HELLSBANE HEREAFTER brought a special kind of sweet sorrow to my heart. Over the last three years writing the story of Emma Jane Hellsbane and her doomed love Eli, I’ve grown used to having them and the rest of the Scooby crew around. They evolved from fictional characters to dearly loved family members.  They’ve been there, keeping me company, entertaining me and driving me a little nuts at times for years. They saw me through my empting nest, bitter winters, and even my husband’s deployment. They talked to me, and pulled me along on their adventures, tugging at my heart with their forbidden love. Saying goodbye to Emma and Eli is like saying goodbye to trusted friends.

Emma Jane was born out of a nagging curiosity. I’ve always been fascinated by the biblical stories about angels taking human wives and producing these giant children. I thought how cool it would be if they were still doing it, but over the eons had figured out a way to make their children seem just as normal as any human. Then these children, these nephilim, would be living among us, not even realizing themselves the true supernatural power they possessed. The entire Hellsbane series grew out of that premise.  Depending on your beliefs it could all be very possible…and I love that!

The curiosity is still with me, even after telling Emma Jane’s tale. Just recently more attention is being paid to the real life skeletal remains of giants they’re unearthing, and uncovering in the case of Smithsonian Institution, all over the world.  Could these be ancestors of Emma Jane and the other nephilim like her? Did they die out? Were they killed in the great flood? Or did they evolve to protect themselves, become less fearsome and more human? The questions are endless.

thequeen

Now the Smithsonian Institution is being accused of deliberately hiding their collection of remains. Physical proof these impressive beings really did walk the earth. Why? Is it because they fear their existence might substantiate this passage:

The Bible in Genisis 6:4

“There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old men of renown.”

We may never know the truth, but nothing can stop our imaginations and news clippings like this are a writer’s food and fuel. But all good things must end.

This is the first series I’ve written and I don’t think I was prepared for how much a part of me the characters would become. Of course there’s more to Emma and Eli’s story. In this last book everything flips and a page is turned that can’t ever be turned back. Despite how desperate things have become for characters, they move forward, accepting what’s become of their lives—each of them starting new chapters. Maybe one day I’ll peek in on them again, see what new things Emma has discovered about herself. But for now, it’s farewell, my dear ones. I will miss you.

To my readers, I hope the Hellsbane stories have given you some laughs, a few tears and even a longing sigh now and then. And my most heartfelt wish is that this final book leaves you with a smile in your heart and spark to light your imagination.

HELLSBANE HEREAFTER

Taking sides could be deadly…

The war between good and evil is on, and nephilim Emma Jane is caught in the middle. Both sides want her working for them. And both sides know how to make her suffer if they don’t like her choice. Now someone has raised the stakes and is using innocent humans as pawns in the ultimate fight for humanity…

Emma Jane isn’t sure which side is responsible. What she used to believe about right and wrong, good and evil—even what she used to believe about herself—is changing. Because whether she likes it or not, the final reckoning comes down to Emma Jane Hellsbane. And she’ll have to choose between humanity…and the man she was never supposed to love.

Raise a little HELL this Year! HELLSBANE HEREAFTER 

HELLSBANE is #FREE

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My Hellsbane series got an awesome cover makeover. To celebrate (and get the word out) Entangled is GIVING AWAY the first book in the series!! You know what that means?

HELLSBANE

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NOW!

Hellsbane

Book 1

ISBN- 978-1620612330

Twenty-three-year-old Emma Jane Hellsbane just found out she’s not human, at least, not only human. She’s half angel, too, and now Heaven’s got a job for her: round up all the Fallen angels and their red-skinned, horned devil-demon minions and boot their butts back into the abyss. Only problem? The demons and their Fallen masters fight back…and they don’t fight fair.
   Luckily for Emma, she can put a stop to the constant threat of having her head hacked off if she figures out which Fallen angel is her father—and then kill him before he kills her. Of course, in the meantime, she’ll have to avoid accidentally seducing her angelic mentor, help an old friend conquer his own Fallen sperm donor, and basically save the world from a cataclysmic divine smack down.
No one said being Heaven’s bounty hunter would be easy. But with a name like Hellsbane, Emma Jane was born for the job.

What READERS are saying....

5 / 5 - "A truly unique and quite intriguing story. I enjoyed it immensely."

                     - Reviewer: Simplistik Halloz Books

Reviewer Top Pick,I highly recommend this book not only for the fabulous Urban Fantasy story, but also to enjoy a very talented author weaving magic with her words.

~ Reviewer: Night Owl Reviews Talina

5 Roses - "Buffy the Vampire Slayer's counterpart minus the vampires!"

~ Reviewer: Romanceing the Darkside

Hellsbane is a thrilling read with just enough fast-paced action and excitement to leave you hanging onto the edge of your seat!

Reviewer:  The Page Turner

Emma Jane's character is awesome, I can't wait to read more in the next book of this incredible series. I recommend this most awesome book to all and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!!!

Reviewer: Purple Jelly Bean Chair

Reviewer Top Pick, Loved, Loved this book!!! ... I cannot wait to see what happens next.

~ Reviewer: Night Owl Reviews Missyb0103

Read an Excerpt! 

“Perhaps you’ve mistaken my statement for a request,” he said. “It wasn’t.”
 

“Ah. So it’s like that, is it?”
 

He snaked an arm around my waist, jerked me to him so our bodies were flush against each other. I gasped, my hands going to his chest on reflex.
 

“Yes,” he said. “It’s like that.”
 

A soft wind shifted through my hair, and the world around us blurred as if in motion. But our feet hadn’t moved. The overlook, the cars, the townhouses, the sky, everything raced past us.
Then it was gone. Darkness engulfed us, with only the distant stars twinkling in the vast emptiness. My hands leached around Eli’s neck, brought us cheek to cheek.
 

“You’re safe in my arms, Emma Jane. Always,” he said, his lips brushing my ear. A shudder traveled straight down to my center with the sweet sound of his words. The man had an orgasmic voice. What a waste.
 

His embrace loosened, and I leaned back enough to see his face. A soft glow lightened the shadows from behind me, just enough to cast a silvery glow over his expression. Time and space suddenly rushed in on me, and my brain spun like I’d been twirling around on my toes for an hour.
 

I let go of him with one hand, pressing it to my forehead to stop the spin and to keep my brain from coming out of my ears. “What was that?”
 

“Your mind is struggling to match speed with your body. May I help?”
 

I’d told him once never to use his power to give me false rapture, but it was like asking a fish not to swim. I nodded and he rested his hand over mine, the warmth of his skin heating through me. The nauseating twirling stopped.
 

“I hoped moving slower would help lessen the shock, but it seems the effect allowed your vision too much time to try and compensate,” he said.
 

“We moved at angelic speed?” I asked, guessing.
 

“No. I am able to travel at the speed of thought. We moved an increment slower.”
 

“Um, thanks.” I tried to see over his shoulder, to get my bearings, but I couldn’t push up on my toes. I moved the muscles, and nothing happened. I looked at my feet—there was nothing beneath us. No floor, no ground, no...anything, just more blackness and millions and millions of distant twinkly lights.
 

An icy bolt of panic shot up my spine and I clutched at Eli. My gut twisted and a scream caught in the back of my throat. Eli hugged me tight.
 

“Where are we?”
 

“Look behind you,” he said.
 

It took a few seconds of internal argument, but eventually my courage rallied, and I glanced over my shoulder. “Is that...”
“Earth,” he said.
 

Sheer awe loosened my grip. I shifted my feet to his—I had to stand on something—and turned, holding his hands to my hips to anchor me, my back to his chest.
 

The world looked exactly the way it does in all the pictures...but so much more. More beautiful, more breathtaking than any picture could capture.
 

There was a storm swirling over one of the oceans, and night was quickly approaching for half the world. A thick line of darkness crept over land and water as the planet spun. On the other side, brilliant light ate away the darkness at exactly the same pace.
 

“This can’t be real. How?” I asked, my brain fighting reason and everything I knew about space and time and reality.
 

His hands slipped over my belly, his embrace enveloping me. “In the arms of an angel, Emma Jane, all things are possible.”
 

My eyes closed, and I leaned back into his chest. I tried not to enjoy the feel of him around me, but the heat of his body, the comforting strength of his muscles, and the sweet, summery scent of his skin decimated my willpower.
 

“Behold what your birthright has brought you, Emma Jane,” he said. “No mortal human could claim as much.”
 

I opened my eyes and felt that rush of awe all over again at the view. “It’s amazing, Eli. Thank you.”
 

“This is only the beginning. You have been chosen to battle creatures far more powerful than mere mortals. You are not like other humans; you cannot be. Your task requires much of you, and for it, much has been given. Time and space unravel for you to traverse with the same intrinsic understanding as those you hunt. The world is quite literally at your feet.”
 

Before I could take a breath, I found myself staring out over a large valley and an ocean beyond. Gone was the great global marble spinning in the endless black of space. Suddenly, I was blinking at a waking cityscape miles below with large water inlets and busy harbors. There was blue sky above me and green land below. We were back on Earth.
 

Hard, unrelenting wind whipped my hair, making it hard to see. But I could make out the white sand-lined shores and the short mountain ranges that blocked sections of the city from the ocean.
 

“Where are we?” I yelled, but my voice was lost on the roaring wind.
 

Eli tucked me under his arm, and silence descended over us like he’d closed a door. My hair floated back against my head and I could stand on my own. I shoved at the strands over my face and tried to clue in my brain. “Brazil.” Eli pointed at the city. “Rio de Janeiro.”
 

“It’s beautiful.” My gaze followed the landscape below to the base of the mountain, then to the long winding staircase tracing up the side until they disappeared far below the edge of the outcropping we stood on. It’d been nearly six a.m. in Pittsburgh by the time Eli and I left Earth, which made it nearly seven a.m. in Rio, and the city was already bustling.
What are we standing on? I fisted my hand around Eli’s jacket and leaned over for a better look. “No way. Christ the Redeemer? Seriously?” We were on his arm and I looked to the left at the huge, white, carved face of Jesus.
 

“Remarkable, isn’t it?” Eli said. “And yet it pales in comparison to the miracle that is you and those like you.”
 

He smiled wide, so pleased with himself, and I could almost forgive him for not warning me one wrong step could send me tumbling over a hundred feet to the very, very hard landing below.

And now, for a LIMITED TIME, it's totally FREE!!

Before you leave, don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY for a chance to win $50 Amazon GC and the COMPLETE HELLSBANE eBook SERIES!! 

Who's writer's desk is this?

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Authors are my ROCK STARS!

One of my quirky little interests is seeing the writing spaces of my favorite authors. I realized I wasn't alone in my quirkiness when I started posting my collection on my website. Writing Caves.

It got me wondering. Does a writing space say something about the writer who works there? Can you tell, just by looking, what kind, genre, writer uses the space? Let's find out.

Just for fun, I'm going to post a few writer's spaces from my website and you tell me which author it belongs to.

A) 

 (B

C) 

 (D

E) 

 (F

G)

 (H

Here are the possibilities: 1. Bob Mayer,  2. Paige Cuccaro,  3. Carly Phillips, 4.  Eloisa James, 5. Natalie Damschroder, 6. Simone Elkeles, 7. Sherrilyn Kenyon 8. Susan Elizabeth Phillips 

Ready for the answers?

Highlight the lines below to see the answers.

A= Carly Phillips

B=Eloisa James

C=Natalie Damschroder

D=Paige Cuccaro (ME!!)

E=Bob Mayer

F= Sherrilyn Kenyon

G=Simone Elkeles

H=Susan Elizabeth Phillips

How many did you get right? Any of them surprise you? 

My favorite things are all the knickknacks we all collect and have close at hand. And I LOVE imagining these talented people creating the magical worlds and characters we've all grown to adore. 

Who's writer's desk would YOU most like to see? Check out my collection and see if they've already shared. 

If not, let me know and I'll see if I can talk them into snapping a photo for us! 

And don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY for a chance at 

$50 Amazon gift card &

The complete HELLSBANE eBook series!!