Entangled Christmas!

So you spent hours putting up the tree, decorating the house, baking those holiday treats and searching for the perfect gifts for everyone on your list...now, it's YOU time.

What better way to get into the holiday spirit, and treat YOURSELF than a few sexy, romantic, heart melting holiday reads?!?!

Check out a few that are on my wish list...

If You Believe in Me 

Natalie J. Damschroder 

Three years ago, Amber Benedict fell in love with Kale Riker and pledged to wait for him to return from the military. Even though she rarely hears from him, she’s steadfast in her belief: he’s coming home to her, and soon. Then the government tells Kale’s family that he’s missing in action, and they have given him up for dead. 

Kale Riker has been away from civilization and Amber for three long years. He’s been promised he can retire his commission when he completes his current mission, but now he’s seriously wounded and facing a long recovery. Worse still, security risks force a communications blackout, leaving him no way to let Amber know he's alive. 

Can Amber hold out against an entire town pushing her to give up on love while Kale fights to get back home to her before Christmas?

A Cinderella Christmas Carol (Suddenly Cinderella) 

Hope Tarr 

There’s nothing On Top managing editor Cynthia “Starr” Starling hates more than Christmas. With an important deadline looming, plus her dreaded Christmas Day birthday, Starr just wants the holiday to end. But when she wakes up Christmas Eve night to the ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Future—all in the form of the super-hot Matt Landry, the new art director—she knows she’s in for a long night.

Matt is the one person on Starr’s team she can’t boss around and the only one she doesn’t need to. He’s also her employee and totally off limits, even if he does seem interested. Though he’s seven years younger and all kinds of forbidden fruit, he’s the form the Powers That Be decided she’d be receptive to.

Because they have a message for her: learn the true meaning of Christmas spirit or risk being alone for the rest of her life.

All I Want for Christmas is a Duke 

Delilah Marvelle, and Máire Claremont 

A Christmas anthology by two hot names in historical fiction...

Merry Christmas, Mrs. Robinson by Delilah Marvelle

Lady Jane left her father, the Earl of Chadwick, and the ton behind to experience life on the stage. After a disastrous marriage, the widow is living on the edge of poverty, determined to guard her heart, when a secret admirer from her past demands a second chance.

Shy and retiring Martin Nicholas Pierce, the Sixth Duke of Somerset, has carried a torch for Lady Jane since her youth, but he is five years her junior. When she married another man, he left for Europe, determined to put her out of his mind. After returning to find Lady Jane free, he vows to replace the memories of her cursed Twelfth Night with a new beginning.

The Twelve Days of Seduction By Máire Claremont

Alexander Hunt, Eighth Duke of Berresford, is aware his ward's governess isn't quite what she seems. Although Miss Flint is beautiful and intelligent, she misrepresented herself to gain employment, and he threatens to give her the sack mere days before Christmas.

Desperate to convince the sexy duke not to tear her from the little girl she's grown to adore, Adriana challenges him to seduce her before the Twelve Days of Christmas have come to an end, although she fears it may cost her heart. Alexander accepts the challenge, unconcerned that he has as much to lose, if not more, than the delectable Miss Flint.

Holiday in Crimson 

Patricia Rosemoor

Westbrook Department Store's Christmas party wasn't that wild--until, that is, Santa ended up dead. Now window designer Shelby Corbin is the prime suspect in his murder, and the holidays are anything but festive. If Shelby doesn't figure out who killed Santa, she'll be ringing in the new year behind bars.

Westbrook's impossibly sexy co-owner and CEO Rand McNabb's romantic attentions both thrill and frighten Shelby. But is he really helping her search for the truth about that fatal night? Or does Rand have a deadlier motive for courting the only possible witness to the crime...?

Jane's Gift 

Karen Erickson

A devastating house fire cost Jane Clark nearly everything: her husband, her confidence, and her looks, with the physical scars marbling her body. Now, two years later, she’s living and healing back in her childhood hometown of Lone Pine Lake. The upcoming holidays are the perfect opportunity to bring some Christmas cheer into her young children’s lives, starting with a visit to the firehouse, where her brother’s best friend has offered to help quell their residual fears.

Lone Pine’s resident playboy, fire captain Christian Nelson is happy with his single-guy lifestyle. He’s an everyday local hero, so he’s never wanting for attention around the holidays. But when Jane Clark shows up, Chris is immediately drawn to the beautiful widow—even though kids and commitment have never been his style.

Despite her brother’s warnings about his friend’s playboy status and dangerous occupation, Jane can’t help but fall for the gorgeous fire captain. The holidays are a time of new beginnings, but can two scarred people find the strength to let go of their pasts to live in the present, when a lifetime together might be the sweetest gift of all?

Nightmare in Crimson 

Patricia Rosemoor

Another year, another Christmas party...another dead Santa! Run down by eight tiny reindeer and a sleigh, was he killed by accident—or was it murder? 

At last season’s party, it was Pippa McNabb’s faithless Santa-clad husband who died—so after another St. Nick ends up dead, she’s at the top of the police suspect list. When hunky sleigh-driver Sky Thornton offers his help to find the real culprit, she accepts, and soon finds herself snuggled up with him before a holiday fire—and falling hard for the blue-eyed stranger. But how does he know so much about her...? 

Suddenly she isn’t certain if her mysterious new lover is attempting to help her clear her name, trying to frame her for a murder he might have committed...or working to win her heart forever.

The Billionaire's Christmas Baby 

Victoria James

Jackson Pierce didn’t make his fortune entertaining every half-cocked idea, especially one involving diaper changes. Not even the cute brunette who links him to the baby in her arms can crack his icy heart.

A baby on the doorstep is the least of Hannah Woods’s problems—she has to find the baby’s uncle, or the child will end up in foster care. She sleuths her way to the reclusive CEO’s doorstep only to find six feet of holiday sexy—and a door slammed in her face. But when Jackson comes around and urges they marry for little Emily’s sake, Hannah finds herself falling for the jaded billionaire and wishing for a holiday miracle of their own…

Secret Santa Baby 

Robin Covington

Tessa Stoneman hasn’t been able to get long-time friend and business partner Nicholas Boone out of her head since they shared a single kiss in college. Even when she dated Nicholas’s best friend. Now that she’s giving up her position at GameNerdz to strike out on her own—and now that she’s single—maybe it’s the right time to see if there’s still something between them.

Nicholas knows once Tessa leaves the company she helped found, they might drift apart. Before she starts her own company in the new year, he wants to woo the woman he fell in love with during college. So he poses as her Secret Santa, gifts her with items from the song “Santa Baby,” and plans a big reveal at the company holiday party. But when his best friend wants to rekindle his romance with Tessa, will Nicholas lose his last chance?

The Prince's Gamble

Caridad Pineiro

Prince Alexander Ivanov is scrambling to save his reputation and his livelihood. One of the Russian Nights Casino's hostesses has disappeared, and his business is suddenly under investigation by the FBI for associations with the mob and money laundering. 

Special Agent Kathleen Martinez has no patience with rich, entitled aristocrats, especially one like Alexander Ivanov whom she believes is involved in the vicious human trafficking ring which she'd tried—and failed—to shut down two years earlier. With a second chance to bring him to justice, she goes undercover in the casino, but instead of facing the villain she expected, she finds herself battling a sizzling attraction to the man. 

Now, forced to work together to trace the source of the illegal activities, the danger—and the passion between them—grows out of control, and they slowly begin to realize the biggest danger isn’t to the casino, it’s to their lives…and to their hearts.

They sound awesome, right? So go on, treat yourself. Trust me. You deserve it!

Have a happy and safe holiday!!

Get Entangled Under the Mistletoe!

This holiday season, get Entangled Under the Mistletoe!

My publisher, Entangled Publishing, is hosting its very first blog hop and with over 50 authors participating, all of whom are signed with Entangled Publishing, this is your chance to win a ton of fantastic prizes from your favorite authors!

For my part, I'm giving away a signed copy of HELLSBANE.

     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

To enter just leave a comment below with your email address. Tweet this post and get an extra entry when you leave the Tweet URL!!

The hop runs from December 7th to 14th, and make sure to visit all these authors’ blogs during that week!
You really don’t want to miss these giveaways.

Don’t forget to check out what the other authors participating in the hop are giving away!

Happy Holidays!!

and happy hopping!

HELLSBANE release day!!

It's Official! HELLSBANE releases today!!!!!

Ohmygosh, I've got a million things running through my head...YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!! (Okay, mostly just that.)

*ahem*

First...let's get the names out there of our two winners:
Congratulations to Tess H. winner of a Free signed copy of HELLSBANE

And congrats to  Carey winner of the Angel Tarot Card deck.

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by and entered. Don't feel bad if you didn't win. Why? 'Cause I'm starting another HUGE contest!!

Here’s how it’s going to work. Throughout the two weeks of the HELLSBANE blog tour, six peeks at Chapter One will be revealed, so be sure to check them out. There is also Scavenger Hunt with some seriously wicked awesome giveaway prizes, so keep an eye out for the hidden word in the chapter reveals which will give you an extra entry in the giveaway.

On top of that, each of the stops will be giving away an eBook of HELLSBANE so you won't want to miss a single stop on this tour.

Be sure to check out all the stops on tour to find the words for the Scavenger Hunt, and to get additional peeks at HELLSBANE's first chapter and for more chances to win!

Nov. 19 - Fiktshun’s Annex - Chapter 1 part 1
Nov. 20 - Shortie Says - Q&A
Nov. 21 - A Diary of A Book Addict - Chapter 1 part 2
Nov. 23 - Winterhaven Books - Guest Post
Nov. 24 - What The Cat Read - Chapter 1 part 3
Nov. 26 - Kindle and Me - Guest Post
Nov. 27 - A Life Bound By Books - Chapter 1 part 4
Nov. 28 - K-Books - Guest Post
Nov. 29 - My Shelf Confessions - Chapter 1 part 5
Dec. 1 - All Things Urban Fantasy - Chapter 1 part 6

Cool, right?!?! Wanna know what you could win?

A Nook color, 3 signed copies of HELLSBANE and 2 $25.00 Amazon Gift cards!!

RIGHT?!?!?! ACK!!!!!!

So go...Enter...Winnith!
Oh, and, ah...Don't forget COMMENCEMENT, Hellsbane prequel novella is FREE (right now!) on Amazon!

Excerpt 5 She's Famous!

One more day until the OFFICIAL  release of my new urban HELLSBANE!!! (I'm so psyched!! goodygoodygoody!!)

That means you still have one more day to enter to win a free copy of HELLSBANE or be the runner up and get an awesome Angel tarot card deck!

To be eligible to win, just fill out the form after the excerpt or leave your name and email in the comments. The winners will be posted here on release day--TOMORROW!!

Now...on with the excerpt. Today's slice is from chapter fifteen-- Emma's made quite a name for herself in her chosen field and in the following excerpt we get to see what that's like.

 ~*~

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Hey.”

I refused to turn, just kept my eyes on the numbers rolling over the gas pump, like I hadn’t heard a thing.

“Hey, aren’t you Madame Hellsbane, the psychic?”

Most times I get a kick out of being recognized. This wasn’t most times. I tensed my cheek muscles, forcing a smile as I looked over my shoulder at the guy standing next to the minivan. “Hi.”

“It is you. I knew it. Hey, honey...” Mr. Minivan, in his tie-dyed T-shirt and faded jeans, turned, yelling to his honey, who’d already gone into the convenience store. He spun back to me. “She’s gonna be thrilled. We’re big fans.”

“It’s great to meet you,” I said, practiced professional smile in place.

I seriously didn’t have time for this. I’d just gotten a huge clue to the identity of my angelic father and I still needed to figure out a way to get close enough to take out Tommy’s. I needed to get home and do some serious Googling. Plus...I needed gas.

The problem was, in my business, reputation was everything. And this guy seemed nice. Nice enough to have a lot of friends. Plus, he kind of reminded me of Tommy. Maybe I was just seeing what I wanted to see.

But he was tall like Tommy, over six feet, with the same thin, gangly, long-limbed build, though Tommy had been more muscled and about ten years younger. My tie-dyed fan kind of reminded me of a high school science teacher, with his hawklike features and his silver wire-framed glasses. 

“My name’s Kyle.” He offered his hand, and I shook it over the top of my other, still on the gas pump. “You probably remember my wife, Sherry. You did a three-card reading for her at the big Beltane gathering last year. Waited two hours in line to see you.” His smile brightened. “It was great, by the way. Dead on.”

I nodded with a polite “good to know” smile. Even if I didn’t do thousands of readings a year, I’m horrible with putting names to faces.

The gas hose clicked off, and I yanked the nozzle out of the Jeep, turning to hook it back in the pump. “It was great seeing you again, Kyle, and I’d love to say hi to Sherry, but I’m kind of in a hurry...”

“Kyle?” a woman’s voice called, two beats before she joined us between my Jeep and the gas pumps. Seeing her tie-dyed shirt and jeans, I made the giant leap that she was Kyle’s wife.

“Ohmygod...You’re...you’re...”

“Madame Hellsbane,” Kyle said, translucent brows high on his forehead, smile wide and bright. “I tried to tell you.”

Sherry rushed toward me, shouldering Kyle out of the way. She grabbed my hand and shook it hard enough I thought she’d loosen my arm from my body.

“It is you—do you remember me—I can’t believe you’re pumping gas like a normal person—I’m such a fan—you’re shorter than I remember.” Words gushed out of her like she’d taken a verbal laxative.

I didn’t mind much. She was a sweetheart with twinkly milk chocolate eyes and a cheery smile. And she clearly liked me. Always a big plus.

“Of course,” I said, amping up the professional smile a few watts. “Sherry, right? We met at the Beltane gathering last year.”

Her jaw dropped, eyes wide. “That’s right. That’s right. You remember.”

I would’ve admitted to gleaning the info from Kyle if he called me on it, but he didn’t. Typical. People only pay attention to about half of what they say.

“Ohmygoodness, would you use your powers to tell us if we’re going to get pregnant soon?”

Crap. I exhaled, smiling as I said, “Sure.”

~*~

Once again, I hope you enjoyed today's EXCLUSIVE excerpt from HELLSBANE (book 1) and check back tomorrow (a.k.a. RELEASE DAY!!) to see who won the free copy of HELLSBANE and who won the Angel tarot card deck!

Stop back tomorrow for the BIG release day happenings!! 

I'll be starting another HUGE contest where you'll have a chance of winning a Color Nook, 3 signed copies of HELLSBANE and 2 $25 Gift Cards from Amazon!!

Now, don't miss this last chance to enter!!You can either fill out the form or leave your info and answer in the comments. Good luck!

Commencement is FREE!!

Yay--yay--yay!!!

To celebrate HELLSBANE releasing TOMORROW, my publisher is GIVING AWAY the prequel novella, COMMENCEMENT!!

        Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn for frat guys…

Emma Jane Hellsbane knows something evil is worming its way through her college campus—she can feel it. Literally. Her freakish ability to feel other people’s emotions as though they were her own has always been monumentally awkward, and it’s easier for her to just pretend it doesn’t exist. But this time her paranormal ability just might help her save lives. 

Emma Jane’s fairly certain that whatever the hateful, egomaniacal, Godlike thing is, it’s set up shop inside her boyfriend, the frat boy/soccer star Justin. And if she doesn’t figure a way to get it out of him soon, Justin’s soul will be the appetizer to the main course—the whole student body. Problem is, the big baddy is granting sinister wishes, and with each one the risks grow higher and the phrase Be careful what you wish for becomes a real-life dire warning. Of course for Emma, what feels like it could be the end is in fact just the beginning…

For a limited time, download this novella free on Amazon HERE

It's a great way to meet Emma Jane and get a feel for her story...and it's FREE!! So go'on...download it, give it a try...what'ya got to lose?

hehehehe...goodygoodygoody!!!!

Excerpt 4: Teleporting while driving

I missed yesterday. Crap.

I have no (good) excuse.

Sorry.


OKAY! So that's out of the way. The release date for HELLSBANE is just around the corner. November 20th!!! (I'm so psyched!!) But to keep me from going crazy obsessing over it, I've been posting never-before-posted excerpts right here.

I'm also offering a little giveaway, the winner gets a free print copy of HELLSBANE and the runner up gets a cool Angel Tarot card deck.

To be eligible to win, just fill out the form after the excerpt or leave your name and email in the comments. The winners will be posted here on release day--which is when???

NOVEMBER 20TH!!!

Now...on with the excerpt. Today's slice is from chapter eleven and shows why teleporting and driving can be dangerous. 

~*~

CHAPTER ELEVEN                                    

“Where you goin’?” Tommy asked, and I jumped, jerking the steering wheel of my Jeep so hard, I nearly drove into a tree.

“Holy—crap.” I swerved the car back onto the road and slugged Tommy, who’d suddenly appeared in the passenger seat.

“Ouch. Hey.”

“Don’t ever friggin’ do that again. Got me?”

“No doubt. Sheesh,” he said, rubbing the sore spot on his bicep.

Then it dawned on me. He’d traveled fast enough to land in a moving car. Cool. It’d been nearly two weeks since my trip around the world with Eli. Two weeks of squeezing in combat practice between clients, two weeks of testing out my strength, my speed, my enhanced psychic gifts. I’d only been attacked once since the last demon got away, but I’d managed to slice off her head in the handicap bathroom stall in Walmart.

I still felt like I didn’t know what was going on half the time and could never really shake the fear of being ambushed by some berserk demon. Luckily, I faked normal better than most people. I’d had years of practice.

“What, are you stalking me or something?”

“I like to think of it as keeping an eye out for you,” he said.

“Right. They’ve got laws against it.”

He shifted to a comfortable position in his seat, slouching. “So, where are you going?”

“To the library,” I said. “I thought they might have copies of the yearbooks during the years my mom taught high school English in McKeesport. She’s always been all about her job and her family. If a horny angel wanted to get close to her, he’d have to come at her through one or the other. I’m betting job.”

I glanced back and forth between Tommy and the road. He nodded. “Makes sense. So, you figure you’ll look over the yearbooks and see if you notice any wings or halos?”

I scoffed. “No.” Smartass. “But I thought there might be some candid shots of my mom. If she was having an affair at school, someone might have caught a photo of them together. Plus, I can check male teachers who were only at the school the year I was conceived, then gone the next year.”

“Actually, that’s not a totally idiotic idea,” he said.

“Gee...thanks. Careful, that kind of gushing praise will just go to my head.”

“I know.” He stretched his arm out to drape it over the back of my seat and tried to lounge his legs a little more. A Jeep Wrangler isn’t made for lounging. “Where’s your sword?”

I tipped my head and caught his following glance to the hilt laying on the backseat.

“You’re taking it in with you, right?”

“Nah. Doesn’t really go with the outfit. Yes, I’m taking it in, nag.”

“That’s Mr. Nag to you,” he said, and shifted his gaze out the window.

The conversation quieted. Several seconds ticked by without a word, but when we were almost to the library, I said, “Don’t you, um, have someplace to be?”

He shook his head. “Not until tonight. Besides, I’ve been doing this gig for a while now. Maybe I’ll recognize someone or notice something you don’t.”

That wasn’t it. My gaze flicked to him again as he shifted once more in his seat. His leg bounced on his toe, his hand tapping a counter-rhythm on his knee. “Why are you so wired?”

He looked at me, and all his nervous motion suddenly stopped. “Nothing. Why?”

“For one thing, you’re tagging along with me to a library,” I said.

“So?”

“You’re a jock, Tommy. I mean, you might be a nephilim warrior now, but you’ll always have the mindset of a jock. Jocks are allergic to libraries.”

“That’s so prejudiced.” His face pinched in offense, mouth agape. He was faking it. “Don’t label me. I’m a whole person, not just the beautifully toned athlete you see on the outside.”

I rolled my eyes. “Right. Okay, Mr. Toned Athlete, what’s got you so keyed up you can’t sit still?”

He followed my quick look at his knee—bouncing again. It stopped, and he swung his gaze back to me. His smile bloomed across his handsome face, dimpling his cheeks and twinkling in his eyes. I almost sighed. So cute. 

~*~

Once again, I hope you enjoyed today's EXCLUSIVE excerpt from HELLSBANE (book 1) and check back Monday (my birthday is Sunday. I'm not blogging on my birthday. m'kay?) for the last never-before-posted slice of the book before...RELEASE DAY!!!

Now, wouldn't you love to have your own crisp new copy? Or be the runner up and win a cool Angel Tarot Card deck? Take the time to enter below. You can either fill out the form or leave your info and answer in the comments. Good luck!

Excerpt 3: Full House, Doritos & Sleeping

It's Day 4 in my countdown to the OFFICIAL release of HELLSBANE in mass trade paperback.

November 20!!!! 

If you haven't been here in a while you may have missed the start of my attempt at holding onto my sanity by posting never-before-posted excerpts each day while I wait for the release. And if you missed that then you probably also missed that I'm GIVING AWAY a free print copy of HELLSBANE (includes BONUS chapter!) and a cool Angel Tarot card deck. 

Read on after the excerpt for details on how to enter and win!

There. That's out of the way. On to today's excerpt. This next slice of HELLSBANE involves a few favorite things from my childhood

Okay, so technically I still enjoy sleeping but...you get the idea...I mean, you will once you read the excerpt.

~*~

CHAPTER TEN

             It was noon when I opened my eyes and heard someone in my room...eating. Fear snaked through me. The last thing I remembered was being charged by a bunch of stinky, drooling, pissed-off demons.

The green digital display on my alarm clock flashed 12:01. Five and a half hours of sleep does not make for a happy Emma. From behind me, jaws snapped and crunched and mashed: crackle—snap—crunch—chomp-chomp-chomp. It sounded like the Rice Krispies guys with a case of ’roid rage.

“Ahh, Mary Kate, Ashley, you were such cute kids. What happened?”

Hey. I know that voice.

“I think Michelle could really use a hug from her uncle Jesse.” Bob Saget? I rolled over.

“How the hell did you get in here?” I asked Tommy. He sat next to the bed at my vanity, which was really just a cheapo desk with a lighted, trifold mirror on top and all the makeup brushes, foundations, eye shadows, and blush I hardly ever used scattered around it.

Tommy lounged with his dirty Converse sneakers propped on the edge of my bed. The jeans looked the same as the last time I’d seen him on Mount Washington: faded, raggedy, with a hole in one knee. His blue, snug-fitting I’m with Stupid T-shirt was speckled with red Doritos dust.

“Hey. Are those my chips?”

He twisted the bag, then glanced at me. “Yeah. They’re a little stale, though. You should get one of those bag clips.”

Afternoon sun streamed through my bedroom window, adding a gleam to Tommy’s pale blue eyes, making the dark circle around the iris all the more intense. Soft, sandy-blond curls brushed over his forehead and neck, his cheeks flushed with health and youthful vitality. He winked at me.

Crap. The man was too cute for his own good, and he knew it. That’s just irritating. I tugged the covers up to my neck. “I’ll try again. How. The hell. Did you get in here?”

He laughed. “How do you think? We can go anywhere, Em.”

I shoved my foot into his and knocked his grimy sneaker-feet off my bed. They hit the floor with a loud clomp and knocked him off balance on his chair. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself. This is my bed...and I’m in it.”

His gaze moved to the comforter I clutched as though it were the key to my chastity. “What’s the big deal? You’ve got clothes on under there.” His brows bobbed and his smile turned lecherous. “I checked.”

I peeked under the covers. Pink tank top over white, and tan shorts—I was still wearing the clothes from my trip around the world with Eli. I didn’t even remember getting home this morning, let alone crawling fully dressed into bed.

“By the way, you’ve got some”—Tommy motioned to the corner of his mouth with his pinky—“I think it’s dried spit.”

I scrubbed the back of my hand across my mouth. Crap. “Get out, Tommy.”

“Nope. Can’t.” Tommy straightened, crumpling the empty chips bag, then reached to trade it for the remote sitting on my vanity and turned off the TV. “We need to talk.”

He brushed the chip dust from his hands and shirt, then swiveled in the chair toward my bed. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “What happened with you and Eli before he brought you home this morning?”

~*~

I hope you enjoyed today's EXCLUSIVE excerpt from HELLSBANE (book 1) and check back tomorrow for another never-before-posted slice of the book.

Now, wouldn't you love to have your own crisp new copy? Or be the runner up and win a cool Angel Tarot Card deck? Take the time to enter below. You can either fill out the form or leave your info and answer in the comments. Good luck!

Excerpt 2: Sword fight!

Day 3 in the count down to the OFFICIAL release of HELLSBANE in mass trade paperback

November 20, 212

So to keep me from going crazy waiting, I'm posting never-before-posted excerpts right here. I'm also GIVING AWAY a free print copy of HELLSBANE (includes BONUS chapter!) and a cool Angel Tarot card deck. 

Read on after the excerpt for details on how to enter and win!

I've always thought sword fighting was such a noble form of battle. The idea of blades clashing and men in shining armor fight for honor, king, and country was kind of romantic.

Okay, in HELLSBANE it's not quite as noble...not really romantic either...but still really COOL! 

Today's excerpt shows the heroine, Emma Jane during her first training session, learning how to sword fight. 

~*~

CHAPTER SEVEN

“You’re late.”

I checked my watch. “Only a half hour.”

Tommy opened his arms, his sword loose in his hand. “Yeah?”

My brain shifted. Oh, crap. The Hellsbane family time issue strikes again. I’d become my mother. “Right. Sorry. I overslept.”

“You were sleeping?” Tommy said, crestfallen. “It’s three am, and I’ve been standing on this overlook for almost an hour. You think I don’t need sleep?”

“I said sorry.”

“Sure. Whatever.” He sliced the air with his sword, obviously still angry.

“Hey, this was your idea. Mount Washington isn’t my neighborhood,” I said.

“Yeah, I know. You’re right.” He looked dutifully pitiful. “I’m so whipped. Just got off work. I wanted to get some training in with you before I hit the sack. My apartment’s like two blocks away, but I don’t have a backyard. This was the first place I thought of. After this, I’m hitting the sack.”

I shrugged. “It’s okay. I love it here. This place is kind of visually epic, you know?”

With the Appalachian foothills as an observation stage to the city, the view from the Mount Washington overlook was fantastic. On a clear day you can see for miles, beyond the city and off into the nearby suburbs.

But at night, the scenery is even better. It’s like a postcard, buildings twinkling like Christmas trees, stoplights blinking color, neon signs adding a rainbow of hues and the lights tracing over the bridges shimmering along the dark rivers. Epic.

I kicked off my flip-flops, the cement cool against my feet, and drew the hilt of my sword from its sheath, willing the blade to gather and form. Knees bent, feet wide, I assumed a fighting stance, hands double-fisting the hilt.

“I’d like the place better after a few hours sleep,” he said.

I straightened. “Me too. I had five live readings today and four phone readings. Plus, I had lunch with my mother and sister. Tired is an understatement.”

“You should keep your distance from them,” Tommy said. “From anyone you care about. Never know when a demon’s gonna show up.”

“I didn’t think about that,” I said, trying to keep the guilt from showing on my face. “I mean, I’m used to talking to them all the time. Damn, this sucks.”

“Tell me about it.” He sighed. “Okay, enough complaining from both of us. You need the training, and if this is the only time we can get together, so be it.”

“Yeah, except when we’re done, you’ll be home in bed two minutes later. I’ll still be on the road.”

“Ah, grasshopper, the road to true wisdom is long and full of potholes,” he said in his best Master Po voice.

“Ah, Master Tommy, you spew much bullshit.” My Master Po wasn’t so hot. But he got the point.

“Right.” He raised his sword and I mirrored him. “Remember, you have an instinct for using your sword. Just relax and trust your gut.”

“Absolutely. Wait—no. We’re not actually going to hit each other with these things, are we? I mean, ’cause...that’d hurt.” My side gave a quick little twitch of phantom pain from where I’d been stabbed by the demon.

He shook his head. “Don’t worry. You won’t get through my blocks and I’m just going to push you hard enough for you to feel your power take over. It’s just practice. No going for the kill. Besides, we heal fast, right?”

“Riiight.” I’d worn sparring clothes just for the occasion: khaki shorts, loose on my hips, and two ribbed tank tops—pink over white. I’d even scooped my too-short hair into a spastic ponytail...mostly. A lot of the pieces had already slipped free from the elastic ring. Not sure why I bothered.

We circled each other. Tommy swung and I blocked. I swung and he blocked. He swung again, faster, and I blocked. I sliced down fast enough that the blade was a blur, spinning as I advanced. Tommy blocked and then sliced straight out toward my gut. I jumped back and he lunged, stabbing forward. I blocked. Somewhere between the first couple attacks and parries, I stopped thinking about any of it and just did it.

The clanks and metal hisses of our swords hitting and sliding against each other echoed off the nearby townhouses and over the cliffside.

The upside to innate ability is that it doesn’t take much mental concentration. I realized conversation was surprisingly easy.

“I met a guy today.”

“Should we celebrate?” Tommy said, driving me back three steps with a volley of blows. After the third strike, I found an opening and drove him back.

“Har-har, cute and funny. I’m all a-twitter. I didn’t mean I met a guy guy. I meant I met a person who happened to be a guy,” I said. “He was an illorum.” 

~*~

I hope you enjoyed today's EXCLUSIVE excerpt from HELLSBANE (book 1) and check back tomorrow for another never-before-posted slice of the book.

Now, wouldn't you love to have your own crisp new copy? Or be the runner up and win a cool Angel Tarot Card deck? Take the time to enter below. You can either fill out the form or leave your info and answer in the comments. Good luck!

Countdown Excerpt 1

We're counting down to the OFFICIAL release of HELLSBANE in mass trade paperback,

November 20, 2012 

So I've planned some fun while we wait for the big day. Each day I'll be posting a never-before-posted excerpt from HELLSBANE! And then after you've enjoyed the slice, you can enter my giveaway. You can enter once a day, every day, until the release (November 20th) when the winners will be announced HERE.

What can you win? (excellent question!)

Runner up will win this cool Angel Tarot card deck:

And the Winner will win a print copy of HELLSBANE in mass trade paperback which includes a never-before-seen BONUS chapter!

So don't forget to enter after the excerpt! You can fill out the form or leave your answer and info in the comments.

Okay...so without further delay, here is today's EXCLUSIVE excerpt from HELLSBANE (book 1)

~*~

CHAPTER FIVE

I love my mom. And from outside the family, she seems almost...sane.

I checked my watch. She and my sister were only twenty minutes late, which meant I still had another fifteen or so minutes to wait—according to Hellsbane time. My family takes being fashionably late to a whole new level—myself included. It’s one of our long-running jokes.

“You done?”

I glanced up at the potbellied guy standing next to my table, white paper-wrapped sandwich and matching Styrofoam cup in hand. “No,” I said. “Plus I’ve got people coming to join me. So...sorry.”

The big guy huffed, angry, and waddled off mumbling, “This ain’t no TGI-friggin-Friday’s, lady. Eat and get out.”

I don’t have a problem sitting alone in restaurants or going to movies by myself. Sometimes I actually prefer it. But I’d been getting dagger stares from the other customers since I’d dared to sit down at one of the busy restaurant tables with just a Coke and order of fries.

The Primanti Brothers restaurant, in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, had started life as a lunch cart, then moved to the brick-and-mortar location still holding to a kind of lunch counter mentality. Over the past seventy-eight years it hadn’t changed much. They’d added a wait staff, but locals knew for the fastest service it was best to place their order at the counter—using as few words as possible—get their food, and, with any luck, find an open table or seat at the bar on their own. It’s not that the wait staff wasn’t good, but trying to get a server to notice you in the busy place could leave one...frustrated.

You were supposed to eat your food and get out. People were constantly moving, tables filling and emptying. That’s the way the regulars liked it. And today was no different.  The place was busy, seating was at a premium, and I was taking up space. Oh well.

I wasn’t sure if it was the hater vibe being focused on me or something else, but the longer I sat there, the more my stomach felt like it was trying to make the US gymnastics team all on its own. When my belly gave a particularly strong roll that made me feel like it was in my throat, I decided to take a quick trip to the bathroom before I gave Primanti Brothers back their fries.

I zigzagged through tables and customers to the back hallway and pushed the door on the right marked ladies.

“You always make a target of yourself, lass? Or do ya just have a death wish today?” A weird little guy was beside me, when he hadn’t been an instant before. He leaned against the wall by the door.

I’d backed away too fast and slammed against the other side of the hall. My stomach roiled, my heart thumping in my throat. “Where’d....How—Who are you? What do you want?”

“Relax,” he said, folding his arms and crossing one ankle over the other. “If I was here to take your head, I’d have it by now. Believe me.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“Aye, but it’s what you were thinkin’. At least for a wee bit there in between the ‘How’d he do that?’ and the ‘Should I make a run for it or just scream?’ thoughts.” He leaned toward me and winked. “I don’t recommend either.”

His accent made me think Irish, maybe Scottish. Couldn’t tell which. He was only two or three inches taller than I was, which made him pathetically short for a man, and his cockiness totally unjustified. He had the kind of red hair that’s more brassy, almost orange, and he wore it long to his chin, with kinky wild curls and enough freckles to make me think boy rather than man.

But his mannerisms, the way he held himself, moved, and smiled, with a wise glint in his green eyes, belied the first-glance impression, adding years to his age. I figured he was a year older than I was, maybe two. And judging by his rumpled clothes, a brown leather vest, T-shirt, loose jeans, and battered work boots with broken shoestrings, he wasn’t a nine-to-five kinda guy.

“You read my mind?”

“Aye. Wasn’t hard. You’ve got no shielding a’tall. Bess to work on that. Been reading you since you walked in the door there. Couldn’t help it if I’d tried. You’re like a bloody bullhorn.”

“What are you?” Crap, two days as an illorum, and I was already about to be hacked to ribbons for a second time.

His hand dropped to the hilt of a sword at his side. I hadn’t noticed it until he touched the silver pommel. “What do you think, lassie? Right now, I’m what’s standing between you and certain death, I am. Where’s your sword?”

His gaze dropped to my side and my hands flexed. There was nothing to grab. I’d left my sword in the Jeep. Sue me. The thing kept poking me in the ribs or the small of my back when I sat. There was no good place on my belt to keep it.

“Near enough,” I said. 

~*~

I hope you enjoyed today's EXCLUSIVE excerpt from HELLSBANE (book 1) and check back tomorrow for another never-before-posted slice of the book.

Now, wouldn't you love to have your own crisp new copy? Or be the runner up and win a cool Angel Tarot Card deck? Take the time to enter below. You can either fill out the form or leave your info and answer in the comments. Good luck!