Archive for July 8, 2013

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What’s inside the Box of Infernos?

That’s what I want to know.

Join me on this tour of discovery organized by Bewitching Blog Tours and lets find out together!

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The Chronicles of Darkness: The Box of Infernos

The Chronicles of Darkness Book One

Matthew Head

Genre:  Supernatural Mystery

ISBN:  978-1-78299-263-9

Number of pages:  204

Word Count:  85,000

Cover Artist: Matthew Head

Teaser trailer: http://youtu.be/STsB96OFZfw

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Book Description:

In the south of England, in the city of Monks-Lantern, events are starting to unfold which have the potential to threaten all of creation. Isaac Jacobs is a young university student with a haunted past who has long been fighting the supernatural monsters of this world and now he fights them alongside his four friends; Gabbi Gurtpasha, Billie Stamford, Laura Henley and Ben Pokeley.

What starts off as a disturbing but relatively low key investigation soon explodes into something much larger, darker and more fearsome than any of them could have imagined. Just what is behind the slow but steady disappearance of people from the city? Who is the much feared Imperator? What is the worst thing you can hope to see beneath a door in an empty building? How do you define a good man from a bad one? And what terror lies within the Box of Infernos?

A plan which has been in motion for millenia is now coming to fruition and Isaac had better be ready as his life will never be the same again from now on.

Something is coming.

Here is a peek inside!

It is said by some that all of creation can be divided into good or evil. Light or dark. Right or wrong. True or false. Those who say this say it as a comfort to themselves, as they are undoubtedly the ones who will claim to be good, light, right and true and it makes their lives just a little easier if they can believe that those adjectives really apply to them.

It is said by others that all of creation can be classed together – that every being is a combination of good and evil, that there is in fact no true good and no true evil in existence. Those who say this say it also as a comfort to themselves, as it means they can sleep better in their beds believing that there is no true evil lurking in the world, or perhaps in the shadows of their own bedroom.

It’s an unfortunate truth then for both of those groups of people that they are both wrong in their beliefs. There is pure good, there are beings of pure light in existence. And there is pure evil, and rest assured there are many beings of pure darkness in existence. But then there are also creatures who straddle both camps, which are impossible to class one way or the other.

The beings of light are predominantly the angels who sing and blaze in the higher realms, radiating love and beauty. They live their lives in what we as humans have decided to call heaven but that isn’t to say that they don’t make their presence known still in our world from time to time. They aren’t the only beings of light however – there are the Witches of the Veil who pass through worlds offering help and kindness, and legends also tell of ancient beings that swirl in the deserts of the east of the world – always happy to show love and friendship to any who need it.

The beings of darkness can be loosely tied together with the common term of demons, however this broad term does their numbers an injustice. There are many creatures of hate and lies – soul dwellers, ghouls, the Children of Despair, the Ar’karnak, the shadows, malignant fairies – the list can continue almost indefinitely as the dark realms have spawned infinite monsters in the time since the dawn of creation. Higher up than simple demons there are also the primordial beings of chaos and hatred that have long been forgotten by our world although that is not to say that they have forgotten us.

It might seem on the face of it that the beings of darkness outweigh the beings of light, but then it must be remembered that a single match shines brightest when surrounded by the pitch blackness and that a single truth if properly wielded can topple a whole tower of lies.

Still there is another group to look at, the beings that fall in between. Those gloriously grey beings that refuse to be either the deepest black or the purest white. Humans. People. Grey is often seen as a boring, drab kind of colour but in the case of humanity it shines brilliantly. Many people in the world would resist being painted with the grey brush – some may claim to be pure good, some may well claim to be pure evil. But whatever you may think of an individual you must remember the truest truth there is in the whole of the world – they are all grey. They are all somewhere in-between. No person is wholly right ever, everyone has their own faults and everyone makes mistakes and does wrong from time to time. And equally no person is wholly wrong ever, behind the most wicked people you will always find some glimmer of good – a shadow of the person they once were perhaps or an indication of some terrible event which once turned them down darker paths.

The greatest strength of humanity is its ability to comprehend and exhibit the emotion we’d loosely call love. Love binds people, binds families, binds friendships together and holds them close. It pulls you close to people and keeps you with them and through that it can be a source of great joy and great happiness. But despite being the greatest strength love can also perversely be the greatest weakness of a person too. For many it never becomes an issue because their lives are too ordinary. But for some who find themselves dealing with those creatures who dwell purely in the darkness then love can twist and turn. Before long it can lead to terrible choices, awful deeds and heartbreaking consequences.

So then, we can see that there are beings of true light, beings of true darkness and beings of the in-between. All are important and all will play a crucial part in the story which is about to begin before the final move is made and we see whether creation ceases to exist or if it will continue to flourish in all its diversity. For there is one more truth to impart.

Something is coming.

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Giveaway

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Two signed print copies of The Chronicles of Darkness:

The Box of Infernos by Mathew Head – open worldwide!

To enter, click on the rafflecopter link below.

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About the Author:

My name is Matthew Head and I’m a writer from Surrey. Well, I say from Surrey – I was born in Kent, moved to London for a bit and then moved out to Surrey to live with my partner Andrew. I was born in the eighties, raised in the nineties and then I was inspired in the noughties during my time at university where I studied Theology.

Theology is quite possibly the most fascinating subject in the world. Sounds boring I know, sounds like church and everyone knows that church is boring. But it’s not like that at all. It’s packed full of myths and monsters, gods and goddesses – mad, bad, sad ones alive in stories which rival many blockbuster movies in terms of how epic they are. It doesn’t matter whether it’s all real or not – it’s the story that counts. Stories are beautiful because absolutely anything is possible within them. That’s why I love writing because I love the idea of contributing to that and creating stories. Stories that will make you cry, make you laugh, make you scared. Because I think there is some magic in writing – that simple words have the power to make us feel and react so strongly to them.

When I’m not writing or doing my day job then I really enjoy going out and exploring new places. I love going somewhere I’ve never been before, especially if there’s some history linked to the place. Old places are the best – the older the better. You just get this sense that so much has happened there, so many different people have come and gone and yet the place remains.

A few more random facts about me – my favourite pet is the humble goldfish, my favourite dinner is macaroni cheese, I love banana flavoured things but I strongly dislike bananas and the only real phobia I have is a phobia of frogs. Yeuch.

Web: www.chroniclesofdarkness.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheChroniclesOfDarkness

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chronofdarkness

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Chronofdarkness

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6536000.Matthew_Head

Unraveling of Lady Fury VBT

Every now and then I step outside my reading box and read something different.

I usually read horror and suspense, but how could I resist The Unraveling of Lady Fury!

The title caught my attention and when I saw this cover art, I had to have it.

I was reminded of my younger years, lying on the pier, reading a smexy romance while the waves lapped at the shore. I became lost in the adventure.

I’m looking forward to reliving that experience.

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Rule One: There will be no kissing.

Rule two: There will be no touching…

Widowed Lady Fury Shelton hasn’t lost everything—yet. As long as she produces the heir to the Beaumont dukedom, she just might be able to keep her position. And her secrets. But when the callously irresistible Captain James “Flint” Blackmoore sails back into her life, Lady Fury panics. She must find a way to protect herself—and her future—from the man she’d rather see rotting in hell than sleeping in her bed. If she must bed him to keep her secrets, so be it. But she doesn’t have to like it. A set of firm rules for the bedroom will ensure that nothing goes awry. Because above all else, she must stop herself from wanting the one thing that Flint can never give her. His heart.

Ex-privateer Flint Blackmoore has never been good at following the rules. Now, once again embroiled in a situation with the aptly named Lady Fury, he has no idea why he doesn’t simply do the wise thing and walk away. He knows he’s playing with fire, and that getting involved with her again is more dangerous than anything on the high seas. But he can’t understand why she’s so determined to hate him. He isn’t sure if the secret she keeps will make things harder—or easier—for him, but as the battle in the bedroom heats up, he knows at least one thing. Those silly rules of hers will have to go…

Unraveling of Lady Fury VBT

Excerpt:

Fury sat down and dipped the quill into the ink. She detected the faintest trace of nerves. It must be the fact Thomas lay in the cellar. Why else would a man, so great, so stalwart, so worldly as Captain Flint be nervous of her?

“Well, yes,” she said, listening to the pleasing scratch of the nib on the soft paper.

“Babies are not always made in a night. Of course, you wouldn’t know that, being you. It will take time.”

“All the more reason then to just get going. After all this time, sweetheart, you don’t know how eager I am.”

He strode across the tiled floor and the ink trailed a long dark path across the paper as he dragged her to her feet. Had it blobbed it might have been something to worry about. But she was very set on this. And calm. As calm as one could be having this man in her bedroom, knowing what was coming next out of dire necessity, her husband in a box in the cellar and her cast off, potential lovers on their way out the door.

“No, James.” She held a hand up between their lips. “There will be no kissing.”

“No kissing? Why in hell not?”

It displaced her calm to see him grin. She would have preferred that he was indignant. Especially as he was a man who thought he could settle all his arguments—with women anyway—with a kiss. But she kept her face cold, blank.

“Because.” In some ways she was cold. Cold with rage.

“Aw, come on Fury, didn’t you like my kissing? Hmm?” His breath, hot and male, brushed her fingertips. He wrapped his arms around her, splaying his hands across her back, so her hand might as well not have been there for all the protection it was.

But she was calm. Didn’t she have to get into bed with him after all? So, even the impulse to squirm was one she would squash. When she thought of all he had done to her, she would give him nothing. Not even the knowledge she found his proximity so unsettling that she sought to pull away.

“Your kissing was fine, in its way, I suppose. But kissing is a sign of affection.”

“How do you make that out?”

She knew exactly why he scratched his head. Their love-making had been torrid. It had been sensual. It had been shaming. And it had been absent of any affection. Certainly on his part. So, why on earth would a kiss be a sign of anything? To him anyway. She was the damn fool who had thought it had. Who even now was forced to concede the pleasure it would be to take her hand across his face to assist his understanding of her feelings. The impertinence of the damn man, the stinging ignorance.

“It just is.” She eased the distance between them a whisper. “So there will be none. Not now. Not at all.”

“All right then. Saves time. It means—”

“Rule two.” She saw his eyes freeze as he readied himself to yank off his shirt. She persisted anyway. Why not? In many ways she walked a tightrope here. If she paused it might be to her detriment. “You will be fully dressed at all times.”

“What? How the hell am I meant to—”

“I am sure you will manage. You managed plenty before. But I do not desire to look at your body before, during, or after. Nor in any shape or form wandering about this house in just your breeches. Is that understood?”

He dropped his hands from his shirt and glared, so he must have. “You wanted to look at it plenty before. In fact, it makes my head spin, just how often you—”

    True. But that was then. “Rule three.” Clasping her fingers around the cool edge of the dressing table to create another inch of distance, she continued.

   “Rule three? You mean there’s more?”

    “I will not touch you in any place, intimate or otherwise. I will lie. You will perform.”

Buy Links:   Amazon   Barnes and Noble   All Romance Ebooks

About the Author: 

Shehanne Moore, a Scottish author, who writes gritty, witty, as much risky as risqué, historical romance, set wherever takes her fancy. Stories that detail the best and worst of human behaviour, as opposed to pouts and flounces. For years she worked at various things, while pursuing her dream of becoming a published writer, so she was gobsmacked to sell her book, The Unraveling of Lady Fury, written in three months,  to U.S. publishers, Etopia Press,  six days after subbing it.

Shehanne still lives in Scotland,  with her husband Mr Shey. She has two daughters. When not writing intriguing historical romance, where goals and desires of sassy, unconventional heroines and ruthless men, mean worlds do collide, she fantasizes about cleaning the house, plays the odd musical instrument and loves what in any other country, would not be defined, as hill-walking.

Author Links:  Site      Facebook      Twitter       Pinterest

SOR Tour Host 3

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I love discovering new authors and their exciting stories.

Book tours are a fun way to do so.

How else would we find gems like Reconnaissance (Paradise Reclaimed #2)

Look at this cover art!

It creeps me out, but at the same time it pulls me in.

Lets see what its all about and don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a lovely jeweled necklace!

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Reconnaissance (Paradise Reclaimed #2)

by Aubrie Dionne

YA Sci-Fi/Futuristic Romance

Categories: Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian

Publisher: Inkspell Publishing

Release Date: May 1, 2013

Heat Level: Sweet

Word Count: 50,000

Available at:

Amazon | ARe | B&N | Inkspell Publishing | Kobo

Description:

Nova Williams has lost her one shot at Lieutenanthood and at love. Lieutenant Crophaven has promoted her rival, Andromeda, all because her lifemate, Sirius, sacrificed their mission to win back Andromeda’s love.

While sneaking out to prove Andromeda is a fake, Nova finds an alien ship hovering over their colony. Lieutenant Crophaven assigns her to a reconnaissance mission, giving her a second chance to redeem herself. Sirius must fly her and a research team to the vessel to decide if they are a threat. Thrown together with the lifemate that betrayed her, she battles with her own jealousy while her team battles for their lives.

Can she forgive Sirius in order to save her team and warn her colony?

Aubrie grew up watching the original Star Wars movies over and over until she could recite and reenact every single scene in her backyard. She also loved The Goonies, Star Trek the Next Generation–favorite character was Data by far–and Indiana Jones. But, her all time favorite movie was The Last Unicorn. She still wonders why the unicorn decided to change back to a unicorn in the end.

Enjoy this Excerpt:

A drone, as deep and low as the growl of a primordial beast, resonated in my gut and I yanked my hand away. My heart sped like someone had fired a starter gun to a race, and my chest tightened until I couldn’t breathe.

That blaring blasphemy wasn’t from my ship.

The sound tapered off, leaving me in silence. I stared at the bones, wondering if I’d imagined it, or if I should hide here in the ruins in case the sound came back.

What am I doing? I’m a team expedition leader, for crying out loud!

I pulled myself back together. Everyone else was attending the ceremony on the ship. The thick hull, designed to protect us from deep space, blocked all sounds from the outside world. I was the only one who would have heard it. The only one who could investigate. I thought about going back for help, but every second I delayed, the source of the sound could disappear. Besides, I didn’t want the credit taken away from me. Not this time.

I scrambled to the window and climbed over the ledge, throwing myself down so fast my ankles exploded in pain. Cursing, I hobbled up the embankment of the excavation site. The sound boomed around me, vibrating the crystals underneath my feet. I fell to my knees and covered my ears. It reminded me of warping metal, growling monsters, and screeching alarms all at the same time.

The sound came from the jungle. I pulled myself up the incline and peered over the edge. A dry, fiery breeze blew my hair back, and I looked above the rustling canopy.

My heart stammered then beat into a frenzy. A massive ring of a ship, twice as large as the New Dawn, hovered over the jungle. Spires jutted from the top and the bottom, like a two-sided pin cushion. Blinking reddish lights adorned the ends. The hull was a dull gray shield of impenetrable metal with no sight panels or markings of any kind.

The buzzing sound made my eardrums throb. I pressed my nose up against the crystal ledge and peered over as my whole body shook. The lowest spire, thick as a nuclear reactor, lengthened from the belly of the ship until the tip hovered a meter from the jungle canopy. A trap door opened, and a beam of white light seared a hole in the foliage. The smell of burnt vines choked my throat, and I cowered against the side of the ledge.

I have to warn the ship.

 

About the Author:

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Aubrie wrote in her junior high yearbook that she wanted to be “a concert flutist” when she grew up. She majored in flute performance at the University of New Hampshire on a full scholarship, then secured two teaching jobs at a University and a local community music school. While playing in orchestras and teaching, stories popped into her head, and she used them to make the music come alive for her flute students. Her students said they were so good, she had to write them down! Maybe they were right, who knows? Two careers seems to keep her busy. For now.

She is represented by Dawn Dowdle and writes sweet and adventurous fantasy, science fiction, and contemporary romance.

Connect with Aubrie Dionne:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

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Giveaway

Look at this pretty jewel necklace you can win!

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Click on the rafflecopter link below to enter.

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 Contest ends July 13.

Follow the tour and check out what’s happening at the other stops here!

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For all of my giveaways go here.

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Welcome to My Monday Minis.

This is where I review very short stories and flash fiction.

For today I’ll be telling you about The Rain Wouldn’t Take Away The Pain

by Cedrix E. Clarke

The Rain Wouldn't Take Away the Pain

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The cover left me clueless, but it did catch my eye while browsing for a short story.

I downloaded this for free and want to say thanks to Cedrix and to all of you wonderful authors for your free books.

How else could I afford to sample so many different stories.

What was supposed to be a lovely drive to my parents house for Thanksgiving was turning into something more serious.

Mary, a brilliant and lovely young woman and possibly the love of my life, was showing an unusual side of herself.

I never realized she was so insecure about how strangers would feel about her.

I was trying to figure this out, but the odd noise coming from under my car was a distraction. I should have got that looked at before we left.  Also, as I was behind the wheel, I needed to pay attention to the road.

I admit, I was a bit over it with her worries, but I felt a need to reassure her, and to find out what she was so afraid of.

Meanwhile, I’m worried about those noises still coming from under the car. They seem to be caused by turning to the left, so I baby the car around those turns. The tunnel ahead, created by a canopy of thick trees, is a straight shot and we are almost to my parents, so I feel safe to speed up.

There, smack dab in the center of the road, stands a magnificent buck. Expecting him to move, I’m surprised when he calmly gazes at me, standing motionless.

I keep expecting him to move as I draw nearer. If he doesn’t, maybe I can go around him.

I apply the brakes, not knowing what the deer will do….

So much in such a short story.

The conversation between these two lovers and the introspection by the narrator make you feel like a fly on the wall, viewing and listening to everything.

The conversation flowed so naturally and the scenes were depicted in visual detail.

As the story progressed, I became curious about Mary and what was going through her mind to make her so worried. But, then I felt this creeping sense of dread, of suspense. Somehow, without really mentioning it, the author weaved in this calm before the storm feeling. I began to anticipate what could be coming.

What came, was so different from what I was thinking. I actually wasn’t sure what would happen, but I never saw this coming.

The Rain Wouldn’t Take Away the Pain will make you think. It will make you ask yourself some poignant questions and it will push the limits of believability.

This is a very short story that left me with a “what do I know” feeling.

4 Stars

About the author

Cedrix E. Clarke is a pseudonym for a Kentucky writer that has written his entire adult life, but only recently began publishing. Cedrix has a professional day job in a small town in Kentucky and writes at night, and like most comic book heroes, he must protect his identity. Cedrix does not fight crime…not yet, anyway.

For more about the author and his books:

Amazon / Website