Posts Tagged ‘urban fantasy’

Welcome to the blitz for Broken Souls!

If you haven’t heard of the Primani Series, I’m happy to introduce you now.

Check out that cover art.

Learn more about this urban fantasy.

Get the first book in the series free February 23rd thru 27th!

Links provided further down in my post.

And enter the giveaway!

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Broken Souls

Primani #4

by Laurie Olerich

Dark Urban Fantasy Romance

Published on September 2014

This is the first standalone book in the Primani series. It’s a dark romantic suspense that layers a decades-old murder with chilling demon possession on top of two broken people who must somehow heal wounds too deep to see the light of day.

Stalked by evil… Psychic Rori Austin’s life is over. She just doesn’t know it yet. Suffering from recurring nightmares and terrifying fugues, she’s hanging on by a thread. When she blacks out and wakes up in 1969, she knows she’s out of control. Broke and alone in the city that never sleeps, she’s desperate to find someone who can hold back the darkness in her mind. When gorgeous Declan shows up out of nowhere, she’s thrilled until he starts asking questions she has no intention of answering.

Haunted by guilt… Declan Manning is a ruthless killer and a renowned healer. Demons fear him. Humans love him. Life is good. The last thing he needs is a human woman. After saving Rori’s life, he walks away but can’t forget the fear in her exotic eyes. It haunts him, dredging up memories better left buried deep. Intrigued by her secrets, he uncovers the horrifying truth: She’s marked for Hell, and her time is almost up.

AmazonBarnes & NobleiBooks – Smashwords

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SPECIAL OFFER:

The first book in the series, Primani, is currently FREE!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laurie Olerich is the author of the urban fantasy romance series Primani. She loves to create guilty pleasures full of exciting locations, roller coaster action, strong, quirky heroines, and steaming hot heroes who’ll raise the temperature in any room you’re in! Paranormal romance? Check! Urban fantasy? Check! Romantic suspense? Check! Her Primani series combines the best of the three. When not plotting, writing, or fantasizing about her next hero, she’s planning parties, traveling the world, and spending lazy nights with her son, her Dal pals, and friends. Laurie spent most of her life in the Northeastern United States and in Germany. She now lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her son and Dalmatian duo, Domino and Rambo. Before throwing caution to the wind and diving into a writing career, Laurie dedicated 20 years to a career spent around men with guns and cool toys…this explains her obsession with both!

WebsiteTwitterFacebookPinterestGoodreads

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One lucky winner is going to take home:
Swag bag
E-copies of Call the Lightning, Stone Angels and Darkness Calling by Laurie Olerich

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Welcome to The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

 

This is a really fun meme!

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find a sentence or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Then go over to Freda’s Voice and leave your link so we can visit your 56!

My 56 for this week is from

Strings

by Ruthanne Reid

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My 56

Then the slivers came, and I stopped caring about anything else.

They landed like meteors, foreign and destructive, erupting grass and dirt with the force and etheric power of their crashes. They shook the earth, making Barry stumble. And then it got worse.

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Synopsis

Need help? You probably shouldn’t ask Grey.

He’s a runaway Fey prince in New York City. He feeds on love like some kind of vampire. He really doesn’t like people.

But sometimes, fate doesn’t care who you are or what you like. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you aren’t the one pulling the strings.

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Another fun little story by Ruthanne Reid !

I just finished the first book, A Christmas Dragon and will be reviewing both of these later.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Leave your link and I’ll drop by your 56.

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Click on the widget to friend and follow me!

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Graveyard Shift Banner 851 x 315

You know you want it!

Just look at that cover.

And it’s got reapers.

So come on in and check out Graveyard Shift.

Grab your free copy.

And enter the giveaway for a chance to win some awesome prizes!

Graveyard Shift

Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc.

Book One

Angela Roquet

Graveyard Shift Front Cover with IRA sticker

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Genre: Urban Fantasy

Original print publication October 2009

ISBN-10: 1480004189 / ISBN-13: 978-1480004184 / ASIN: B009M0ARH0

Number of pages: 258 / Word Count: 70,000

Cover Artist: Angela Roquet

 

Book Description:

 

The Inferno has Evolved…

Lana Harvey is a reaper, and a lousy one at that. She resides in Limbo City, the modern capital of the collective afterlives, where she likes to stick it to the man (the legendary Grim Reaper himself) by harvesting the bare minimum of souls required of her. She’d much rather be hanging out with Gabriel, her favorite archangel, at Purgatory Lounge. But when a shocking promotion falls in her lap, Lana learns something that could unravel the very fabric of Eternity. If the job isn’t completed, there could be some real hell to pay.

 

Free ebook copy available at Amazon BN   Smashwords

Excerpt:

“Go help Coreen and Kevin! I’ll take care of them.” Josie fired another arrow through the nearest demon’s eye. Pus exploded from the gaping wound. The beast wailed and clawed at its face before Josie darted it through the skull. A cloud of murky smoke rose in its place. The second demon was quicker. It rolled away from her and scrambled behind a semi. Josie pounced onto the hood of a car and hurried after it.

The sound of traffic crunched in my ears. Angry horns blared as cars and trucks slowed around the charred bridge and missing chunk of railing. Humans may fear death, but they never pass up an opportunity to gawk at it.

I leaned over the wrecked ledge and caught a glimpse of the bus before it disappeared entirely. Kevin and Coreen’s robes laid abandoned on the crumbling bridge. I yanked mine over my head and tossed it next to theirs. It was no good to me in the water. I grasped my scythe in both hands and jumped.

The momentum of the fall pulled me under the icy water, and I found the bus, still bubbling as the remaining air inside tried to escape. I latched onto an open window and pulled myself around to the door.

Inside, Coreen and Kevin cut away the passengers’ seatbelts. Coreen jerked around and then relaxed when she saw it was only me. Kevin’s mop of curls floated around his face, rendered weightless in the dark water. He struggled with a dagger, trying to free the last man. I slipped the blade of my scythe under the buckle and tore it loose from the seat. He gave me a relieved smile, but only a brief one. Air bubbles leaked from the corners of his mouth and he pinched his lips shut again. He grabbed two of the men under their arms and heaved them out the door.

There were only five. One of the band mates must have been driving. Coreen grabbed the next two and left the drummer for me. He was unconscious. The others had a chance of making it out alive, and I hoped they did. We had enough problems. We didn’t need four additional souls to tend to.

Mickey, our catch, was slowly drowning in my arms. This wasn’t how he was meant to go, but I wasn’t about to go to the trouble of saving him just so he could die an hour later. That’s as far as destiny would take him. I was just saving him the extra trauma.

His soul glowed as I pulled it free from his body, and his eyes flashed open in surprise. I pulled him close and wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him from turning back and seeing his body. The shock is too much for some souls. I pulled him out the door and swam towards the ascending bubbles, fleeing for the surface.

 

About the Author Angela Roquet:

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Urban fantasy author Angela Roquet is a great big weirdo. She collects Danger Girl comic books, owls, skulls, and random craft supplies. Her obsessions include the Wizard of Oz, over-sweetened coffee, and all things Joss Whedon. She’s a fan of renewable energy, marriage equality, and religious tolerance. As long as whatever you’re doing isn’t hurting anyone, she’s a fan of you, too.

Angela lives in Sedalia, Missouri with her husband and son. When she’s not swearing at the keyboard, she enjoys painting, goofing off with her family and friends, and reading books that raise eyebrows. GRAVEYARD SHIFT, the first novel in Angela’s Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc. series, is now available for FREE on Kindle, Nook, & Smashwords.

You can find Angela online at:

Website ~ Newsletter ~ Blog ~ Twitter

Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Youtube ~ Google +

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Tour giveaway

1 $25 Amazon card

1 signed set of paperbacks open to US Shipping

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

Raffle button

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To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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I love sharing books with fellow word lovers.
Come on in and check out Fading Light, the second book in the Shadow Born Series by Angela Dennis.
I have an exciting excerpt to share with you.
And there’s a giveaway too, so don’t forget to enter.
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Title:  Fading Light
Series:  Shadow Born #2
Author:    Angela Dennis
Published:  September 23rd, 2014
Publisher:  Samhain Publishing
Word Count:  72,000
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Content Warning:  Sexual Material and Violence
Recommended Age:  18+
 
Synopsis:
Everyone has a breaking point.
Her hundred-year penance lifted, Shadow Bearer Brenna Baudouin returns to the Earthly plane with her partner, Gray Warlow, to keep the peace between humans and supernatural creatures—and to prevent another apocalyptic war from happening.
The attraction between them is nearing a critical point, but their checkered history has left Brenna unable to trust either her heart or her instincts.
It’s chaotic business as usual until humans begin turning to statues of dust. There is no explanation, no sign of magical foul play or a biological toxin. The humans are convinced it’s the work of a deviant supernatural faction, twisting the knife in the already tense relationship between their species. Brenna and Gray agree—the deaths have a former comrade-turned-rogue stamped all over them.
In a race against time, they enlist the help of both friend and foe to save the human race and stop the impending civil war. Along the way, they are forced to come to terms with their past and decide, once and for all, whether they will come together or fall apart.
Warning: Contains a heroine who knows her weapons but not her own heart, an outbreak of supernatural proportions, copious bloodletting, and a race to save an endangered species—humans. All tied up in a tight bow of sexual tension.
Excerpt:
Darkness embraced Brenna like a thick wool blanket. It wrapped around her, blocking the dim lamplight as she walked toward the seedy bar. Glass residue from the riots crunched beneath her leather boots. Mixed with snow, the bits of broken beer bottles and smashed windows glittered like an army of broken icicles. She breathed deeply, inhaling the cool night air. It smelled of sour beer and clove cigarettes and left a bitter taste on her tongue.
Shadows embraced the sides of the stone structure that housed the Dirty Ruby, one of the few multi-species bars in Denver proper. They stalked across the snow and mixed with the night to merge into a black mass. From its midst stepped a man. Well over six feet, he moved with grace in contrast to his size. The moonlight played across his face, highlighting his chiseled features.
Brenna’s pulse quickened and she took an involuntary step forward. Self-conscious, she ran a hand through her copper curls, freeing them from the careless bun. The thick strands streamed down her back like fire as she moved, her breath coming in quick harsh bursts. She slipped off her black leather duster and draped it across her arm. Without it the tight black corset left her taut belly and back exposed, but she didn’t feel the cold. She never did around Gray.
“Four demons. Thirty humans. Keep the casualties to a minimum.” Brenna brushed past him, tossing him her coat. “I’ll bring them out. You send them back to hell.”
“Hell?” Gray grinned. His teeth gleamed in the moonlight. “You speak human now?”
She shrugged. “When in Rome.”
Her back to him, she turned toward the freshly white-washed door. But before she could move, he had her shoulder in a vise grip. His fingers twined in the hair at the base of her skull. His breath hot against her cheek. “I know your other partners let you boss them around.” He turned her to face him. “I’m not them.”
He stepped forward, forcing her back. They moved in an awkward dance until her ass hit the stone wall. Trapped, she stared at him, wary. A shadow fell across his face hiding all but his piercing violet eyes.
“We enter together. Once they’re dead, we leave.” He stepped back, loosening his hold.
“The humans—”
“Won’t remember a thing.” He crushed his lips to hers even as he slid the duster across her shoulders. “And I’m not your coat rack.” Releasing her, he stepped back.
Brenna rubbed the back of her hand against her bruised lips. Gray would be the death of her.
If she didn’t kill him first.
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About the Author:
Angela Dennis lives outside Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, son and a sheltie with a hero complex. When she is not at her computer crafting stories, she can be found feeding her coffee addiction, playing peek-a-boo, or teaching her son about the great adventures found only in books.
 
 
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Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
$25 Amazon Gift Card & eBook copy of Fading Light (1 winner)
Giveaway is International.
Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.
Raffle button

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To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Michael West
Featured Book Release:
Hades’ Disciples
July 7 to 13 , 2014

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I had to be a part of this tour!

I’d already read Poseidon’s Children and loved it, so I was thrilled to get a chance to showcase Michael West’s series and review the first two books for ya!

Come meet the cast, human and monster. Follow the mystery. Enter the world of The Legacy of the Gods!

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MY REVIEW

I’m trying to think of one thing the author did wrong with this book, and can’t come up with anything.

The setting is great. The island of Colonial Bay reminds me of the movie The Fog. The locals are close-mouthed and secretive. Being isolated from the mainland, life is very different.

The creatures. Michael got very creative. I watched the movie Dagon, and drew from that to picture these fearsome beings. Even the ones that weren’t trying to kill people must have been terrifying to behold. I also remembered some of the characters from Pirates of the Caribbean and came up with some nasty critters.

The characters. So many of them, and that’s a plus for me. I love character driven stories, and the humans aren’t the only ones I connected with.

Artist Larry and his girlfriend Peggy. On the island for a vacation, Larry is awakened by a bad dream and gets up to get a drink. Glancing out the window, he sees something off the beach. A girl is being attacked by a shark near the shoreline. But then he’s not so sure it’s a shark. Something doesn’t look right.

Carol always new Atlantis was real. Now she’s discovered it. When things start pointing to Colonial Bay, her and Alan go to investigate. What they find is beyond belief. But, once they’re drawn into the middle of an ancient myth, when the beings of nightmares attack, they’ll have to believe if they want to survive.

With action and adventure, monsters, characters to love and loathe, and mysteries from the deep, Poseidon’s Children is a blast and I’m anxious to get started on Hades’ Desciples, the next book in this series.

I’m thrilled to give this 5 STARS

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Synopsis

Man no longer worships the old gods; forgotten and forsaken, they have become nothing more than myth and legend. But all that is about to change. After the ruins of a vast, ancient civilization are discovered on the ocean floor, Coast Guard officers find a series of derelict ships drifting in the current-high-priced yachts and leaking fishing boats, all ransacked, splattered in blood, their crews missing and presumed dead. And that’s just the beginning. Vacationing artist Larry Neuhaus has just witnessed a gruesome shark attack, a young couple torn apart right before his eyes….at least, he thinks it was a shark. And when one of these victims turns out to be the only son of Roger Hays, the most powerful man in the country, things go from bad to worse. Now, to stop the carnage, Larry and his new-found friends must work together to unravel a mystery as old as time, and face an enemy as dark as the ocean depths.

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MY REVIEW

This is the second book in this series. Just wanted to warn you if you haven’t read Poseidon’s Children yet. I’ll do my best not to spoil it for you.

The story picks up around two years after Colonial Bay and, while some of my favorite characters aren’t in this story, some are.

Carol and Alan are now living in Japan and settling in nicely when someone from Carol’s past comes calling. Kari is a very close friend from back in her college days. She’s asking for their help in finding her father. He disappeared after heading off to Nepal to find what he believes is the Ark. Not that he thinks it’s Noah’s Ark.

The decision is made for them when a rampaging tiger crashes into their home, bent on obliterating them. Carol and Kari manage to take it out and Alan reluctantly joins them as they prepare to scale the frozen mountain of Makalu, the location of the Ark. Also a place of hidden danger and myth. Even the Sherpa won’t guide anyone up there. Local superstition says it belongs to the Yeti.

Earl, now working for Homeland Security, is back and has a bigger role this time. He barely survives an attack by Hades Desciples. They want the old Gods back. Seems they forgot the bit about being slaves to them. Earl forms an alliance with the creatures that rescued him and they rush to protect his partner, laid up in a hospital.

This second book delves deeper into the history of these creatures. I learned more about how they came to be here and why.

There are three clans.

Poseidon’s Children are water based. They take on the aspect of creatures from the deep.

Zeus’ Warriors are human in appearance.

Hades’ Desciples are beasts of all kinds. Some of nature and some of fantasy.

All were created by someone or something for a reason that will be revealed.

Werewolves, bats, yeti, satyrs, and many more monsters will keep your hair standing on end.

Three clans.

Three agendas

One final outcome.

And one heck of a cliffhanger ending!

Just thought I’d warn ya.

Zeus’ Warriors: Book Three in The Legacy of the Gods Series is coming soon and I’ll be there!

If you love monsters, myths and urban fantasy, you’ll love this series and I recommend you give it a go.

5 STARS

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Synopsis

Terrifying creatures exist all around us, hiding in plain sight. Ancient. Deadly. They gather in secret, conspiring, dreaming of nothing less than humanity’s destruction, and their numbers are growing.

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Earl Preston knows the danger all too well. After tangling with a horde of mythological sea monsters in Colonial Bay, he has been tasked with finding these beasts and exposing their plans whatever they may be.

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But Earl is not the only one with a mystery on their hands. At the very top of the world, Carol Miyagi has stumbled onto an artifact from Earth’s past, something magnificent held captive in a prison of ice and snow. Now, Carol and Earl must work quickly to decipher the will of the gods–a plot that defies imagination–and to stop their followers from carrying it out.

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They thought the nightmare was over, but they are about to discover that the horror has only just begun.

Amazon Links for Hades’ Disciples

Print Version ~ Kindle Version

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About Author Michael West:

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Michael West is the bestselling author of Cinema of Shadows, Skull Full of Kisses, The Wide Game, Spook House, and the critically acclaimed Legacy of the Gods series. He lives and works in the Indianapolis area with his wife, their two children, their turtle, Gamera, and their dog, King Seesar.

West avoids manhole covers and sidewalk grates whenever possible. He just doesn’t know what’s down there, and he’s not sure he wants to find out.

Author Links: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Tour Schedule and Activities
7/7 Shells Interviews Guest Post
7/7 Come Selahway With Me Interview
7/7 Beauty in Ruins Guest Post
7/7 Fuonlyknew ~ Laura’s ramblins and reviews Review
7/8 Deal Sharing Aunt Top Tens List
7/8 Jess Resides Here Top Tens List
7/8 I Smell Sheep Guest Post
7/9 SpecMusicMuse Interview
7/10 Coffintree Hill Guest Post
7/10 Armand Rosamilia, Horror Author Guest Post
7/11 Bee’s Knees Reviews Review
7/12 A Haunted Head Top Tens List
7/12 Willow’s Author Love Interview
7/13 The Rage Circus Vs. The Soulless Void Review

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Sentinels of New Orleans Banner-2 450 x 169

I recently won the hard cover copy of Elysian Fields and am dying to read it. But I want to start this series at the beginning. Can’t wait to dive into these and read for myself about the great things I’ve been hearing.

Check out this series, enjoy the glimpse inside the book and the book trailer and don’t forget to enter the awesome giveaway!

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Elysian Fields Sentinels of New Orleans Series

Book Three

Suzanne Johnson

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Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Tor Books / Date of Publication: August 13, 2013

ISBN: 978-0765333193 / ASIN: B00CQY7TOI

Number of pages: 352 / Word Count: approx. 102,000

Cover Artist: Cliff Nielsen

 

Amazon  Barnes and Noble Book Depository

 

Book Description:

The mer feud has been settled, but life in South Louisiana still has more twists and turns than the muddy Mississippi. New Orleanians are under attack from a copycat killer mimicking the crimes of a 1918 serial murderer known as the Axeman of New Orleans.

Thanks to a tip from the undead pirate Jean Lafitte, DJ Jaco knows the attacks aren’t random–an unknown necromancer has resurrected the original Axeman of New Orleans, and his ultimate target is a certain blonde wizard.

Namely, DJ. Fighting off an undead serial killer as troubles pile up around her isn’t easy. Jake Warin’s loup-garou nature is spiraling downward, enigmatic neighbor Quince Randolph is acting weirder than ever, the Elders are insisting on lessons in elven magic from the world’s most annoying wizard, and former partner Alex

Warin just turned up on DJ’s to-do list. Not to mention big maneuvers are afoot in the halls of preternatural power.

Suddenly, moving to the Beyond as Jean Lafitte’s pirate wench? It could be DJ’s best option.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NskZi9B0gU]

Excerpt

By midafternoon, I was out of ideas and full of nervous energy that finally sent me out of doors, catching up on yard work I’d neglected all season, raking the small, crunchy leaves from the live oaks into piles a kid would love to play in.

“Need help?”

I ignored the voice and counted to ten, hoping it would go away. Instead, Quince Randolph knelt next to a tall pyramid of leaves I’d erected and took the lid off the big green trash can he’d brought with him. He began scooping up armfuls and piling them in the can. “You should compost this down. It would make a good mulch for flowerbeds. Plus you need more color in your landscaping.”

           “Whatever.” I didn’t know what mulch was, didn’t care enough to ask, and had such a brown thumb that flowers never survived my gardening efforts.

Rand wore a chocolate-brown sweater almost the same color as mine, with jeans in a similar wash. With our comparable shades of long blond hair, we resembled grown-up Bobbsey Twins, except he was prettier. Freddie and Flossie do New Orleans.

“Are you here for any particular reason?”

He squinted up at me against the soft afternoon sunlight. “I just want to get to know you better.”

Uh- huh. “Tell me what you are, and then we’ll know each other better. I’m betting elf or faery.” I was kind of betting elf— it might explain his interest in me although, thankfully, he’d never shown any inclination to plunder my brain.

He grinned. “Go to dinner with me and I might tell you.”

I noted the return of his peridot earrings. Big liar. Super-big cheater. “Where’s Eugenie? You know, your girlfriend?”

A flash of irritation spoiled his perfect features a half second before he answered. “Working. Can we—”

What ever he planned to ask, my answer would be no, but he didn’t get a chance because a clomping noise reached us from the direction of Prytania Street. Rand and I both were stricken speechless at the sight of Jean Lafitte sitting like royalty in the back of a gold and white French Quarter tourist carriage. It was being pulled by a light- gray mule wearing a hat festooned with

fake flowers and driven by a smiling guy who had no idea how many daggers his undead pirate passenger had hidden on him.

The ornate carriage rolled to a stop, and the mule flicked an ear at the passing traffic. Those animals pulled tourists around the French Quarter all day, and it would take more than an impatient Toyota driver to rattle one of them. The carriages were also ridiculously expensive if one commissioned a ride outside the Quarter.

Then again, Jean Lafitte was loaded. The driver probably had a reason to smile.

Jean exited the carriage with extraordinary grace for such a large man. He was tall, powerfully built, black-haired, cobalt-eyed, a shameless flirt, and talked with a raspy French accent that made me swoon even though he was technically dead. In other words, I had a bit of a problem with Jean Lafitte and my own common sense being present at the same time.

Jean said a few words to the carriage driver, then turned to prop his hands on his hips in a broad pirate-like stance, giving Rand a disapproving visual once-over. The mule backed up a

few awkward steps before pulling the carriage into my driveway.

God help me, I hoped Alex didn’t get home in time to see this. I’d never hear the end of it.

“Do you wish me to rid you of this intruder, Jolie?”

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River Road

Sentinels of New Orleans

Book Two Suzanne Johnson

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Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Tor Books

ISBN: 978-0765327802 / ASIN: B00842H5VI

Number of pages: 336 / Word Count: approx. 92,000

Cover Artist: Cliff Nielsen

Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Book Depository  Indiebound

 

Book Description:

Hurricane Katrina is long gone, but the preternatural storm rages on in New Orleans. New species from the Beyond moved into Louisiana after the hurricane destroyed the borders between worlds, and it falls to wizard sentinel Drusilla Jaco and her partner, Alex Warin, to keep the preternaturals peaceful and the humans unaware. But a war is brewing between two clans of Cajun merpeople in Plaquemines Parish, and down in the swamp, DJ learns, there’s more stirring than angry mermen and the threat of a were-gator.

Wizards are dying, and something—or someone—from the Beyond is poisoning the waters of the mighty Mississippi, threatening the humans who live and work along the river. DJ and Alex must figure out what unearthly source is contaminating the water and who—or what—is killing the wizards. Is it a malcontented merman, the naughty nymph, or some other critter altogether? After all, DJ’s undead suitor, the pirate Jean Lafitte, knows his way around a body or two.

It’s anything but smooth sailing on the bayou as the Sentinels of New Orleans series continues.

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Royal Street

Sentinels of New Orleans

Book One

Suzanne Johnson

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Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Tor Books

ISBN: 978-0765327796 / ASIN: B006OM459U

Number of pages: 337 / Word Count: approx. 94,000

Cover Artist: Cliff Nielsen

Amazon    Barnes and Noble   Book Depository

 

Book Description:

As the junior wizard sentinel for New Orleans, Drusilla Jaco’s job involves a lot more potion-mixing and pixie-retrieval than sniffing out supernatural bad guys like rogue vampires and lethal were-creatures. DJ’s boss and mentor, Gerald St. Simon, is the wizard tasked with protecting the city from anyone or anything that might slip over from the preternatural beyond.

Then Hurricane Katrina hammers New Orleans’ fragile levees, unleashing more than just dangerous flood waters. While winds howled and Lake Pontchartrain surged, the borders between the modern city and the Otherworld crumbled. Now the undead and the restless are roaming the Big Easy, and a serial killer with ties to voodoo is murdering soldiers sent to help the city recover.

To make it worse, Gerald St. Simon has gone missing, the wizards’ Elders have assigned a grenade-toting assassin as DJ’s new partner, and undead pirate Jean Lafitte wants to make her walk his plank. The search for Gerry and the killer turns personal when DJ learns the hard way that loyalty requires sacrifice, allies come from the unlikeliest places, and duty mixed with love creates one bitter roux.

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About the Author:

Suzanne  Johnson

On Aug. 28, 2005, Suzanne Johnson loaded two dogs, a cat, a friend, and her mom into a car and fled New Orleans in the hours before Hurricane Katrina made landfall.

Four years later, she began weaving her experiences and love for her city into the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series, beginning with Royal Street (2012), continuing with River Road (2012), and now with Elysian Fields (August 2013).

She grew up in rural Alabama, halfway between the Bear Bryant Museum and Elvis’ birthplace, and lived in New Orleans for fifteen years—which means she has a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football and fried gator on a stick.

As Susannah Sandlin, she writes the best-selling Penton Vampire Legacy paranormal romance series and the recent standalone, Storm Force.

Website and Blog    Twitter    Facebook    Facebook Fan Page     Goodreads

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1 $25 GC to Amazon or equivalent to Book Depository

2 $10 Gift Cards

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Where to begin?!!

Celebrate the spooky season with this collection from some amazing authors.

Many you will recognize and you’ll also discover some new ones.

I love short stories and collection. What better way to discover new authors and sample their writing. I personally am partial to them because I love writing reviews and it’s very difficult to review shorter stories without revealing much. I accept that challenge and try to tell about the story while teasing readers to read the book to find out what’s really happening.

Check out Urban Harvest.

Meet Donna Ansari, one of the authors, and enjoy her excerpt from Vampires of the G Train.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaways!

Yep, two giveaways and both are open Internationally!

UrbanHarvest

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Urban Harvest: Tales of the Paranormal in New York City Anthology
Publication date: September 22nd 2013
Genres: New Adult, Urban Fantasy
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Synopsis
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New York City–it’s home to 8 million people trying to make their way through the day–a crop of humanity seething with hopes and fears, dreams and nightmares. Autumn comes, and nine authors harvest nine tales from this unique setting and people. From stories of everyday life in an otherworldly light to nightmarish tales of human darkness, Urban Harvest has something for everyone.
Urban Harvest contains tales of the paranormal from Alex Shvartsman, Laurie Treacy, Donna Ansari, Tara Hill, Laura Wenham, Andrea Stanet, Don Corcoran, Saif Ansari, and Sean Sakamoto.
In keeping with the spirit of harvest, all proceeds from this anthology will go to support City Harvest, an organization that feeds NYC’s hungry.
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AUTHOR LIST:
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An Interview with Donna Ansari and an excerpt from  Vampires of the G Train
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Donna Ansari is the editor and a featured author in Urban Harvest: Tales of the Paranormal in New York City.

Tell us about Urban Harvest. Why urban fantasy? Was this your first anthology? How did you settle on City Harvest as the charity of choice? 

New York City is so full of people that on one hand, it seems a highly unlikely location for paranormal activity. But on the other hand, it also seems like the perfect location—lots of places where all sorts of nasties can hide in plain sight.

There are so many worthwhile charities, so picking one was a difficult decision. But you can’t live in NYC without seeing how many people are going hungry. It’s often a stark contrast to the amount of cheap junk food that’s available. And with the season now being autumn, the harvest, I couldn’t help but think of those who go without enough food.

As an editor, what do you look for when reading submissions? Can you share any tips for writers (like something you see repeatedly or things that bother you)?

Apart for being good stories in their own right, each story that goes into an anthology has to fit in and play nicely with all the others. In this anthology, I tried to feature a mix of different kinds of stories, while having them all feature NYC in a prominent way. As to what particularly bothers me as an editor–that would be writers who don’t proofread their work! You could have a brilliant idea for a story, but if I’m going to have to spend several hours picking through the mistakes, it’s not worth it.

Who are some of your favorite authors? Have they inspired you in any way?

About 20 years ago I first read a book by Charles DeLint, and was introduced to the concept of urban fantasy. Neil Gaiman has also been a big inspiration to me, particularlyNeverwhere, which takes place in London, another one of my favorite cities. Mike Carey’s graphic novel, Lucifer, taught me that it’s okay to route for the “bad” guys, and I’m currently enjoying his urban fantasy Felix Castor series.

Can you tell us a little bit about any other projects you are working on?

I also write an urban fantasy series, Vampire in the City, which is about vampires in New York City. Emma, the protagonist of the series, was turned into a vampire in book one. Prior to becoming a vampire, she worked at an ad agency, lived alone, and had relationship issues. Now she still works at an ad agency and still has relationship issues, but lives with a witch and a werewolf. Emma has not fully come to terms with being a vampire yet. She is happy about not being allergic to her cat or having to wear glasses anymore, but doesn’t like to involve herself in vampire politics. There will be a total of six books in the Vampire in the City series, and Book Four is about to come out.

Do you think you’ll put any other collections together?

I enjoyed putting together Urban Harvest so much that I am strongly considering doing another one next year. Perhaps I would do one with a different theme and to benefit a different charity. An anthology to benefit an animal shelter that features shifters sounds kind of cool.

Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

Webpage: http://donna-ansari.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vampire.in.the.city.series

Twitter: @donna_ansari

 

Vampires of the G Train

Deciding that keeping him talking was the best strategy, she asked, “Are you going to turn me into a vampire?”

The man looked surprised. “No. Why? Do you want to be a vampire?”

“Sure. I mean, it sounds so interesting.”

“I guess it’s pretty cool,” he admitted. “Even though I’m kind of new at it.”

“What do you like best about being a vampire?” Claire asked.

“Besides the blood?”

Claire gave the generally accepted hand gesture for hurry it up.

“Well, doesn’t everyone want to live forever and stay young and beautiful?” he asked.

Claire tilted her head to the side and gave him a questioning look.

“I mean young,” he quickly amended.

Then what Claire had been waiting for happened. With a lurch, the train finally started moving again.

The man frowned. “Must be on some kind of a switch or a timer.”

But Claire didn’t want him to notice what was happening with the train, so she said, “What’s your name, anyway?”

“It’s Harold.”

“Do people call you Harry?”

“No.”

“Anyway, Harold, I’m Claire. So, can you tell me what it’s like being a vampire?”

“Well, I’m new at this,” Harold admitted.

“You said that. How new? Like are you less than a thousand years old or something?”

“I was just turned about a week ago. As I was saying, you are meant to be my first kill.”

“Me, specifically?” Claire asked. “Or just any idiot who wandered into the train alone at night?”

“Not you specifically,” Harold said, almost smiling.

Claire suddenly had an idea. “How about I bring you over my boyfriend’s apartment instead? He’s much bigger than me, and that means more blood for you.”

The man shook his head. “I’m not supposed to get off the train.”

The G train had just pulled into a station, and the doors dinged open.

“Well, that works out for me,” Claire said. She managed to twist around enough to land a pointy elbow in his inner thigh before jumping up and leaping off the train. Unfortunately, something caught her mid-leap.

Harry had caught her around the waist and pulled her back into the train as the doors closed.

“Good try. I’m not letting go of you again.” He sat back down and pulled her beside him. Then he yanked her head to the side until her throat was by his mouth.

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Two Giveaways! Both open Internationally!
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The first one is for an ebook copy of Urban Harvest.
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To enter, please leave your email address and answer this question,
“What do you like best about reading a collection of stories?”
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The second Giveaway!
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Signed Paperback of Urban Harvest!
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Click on the rafflecopter link below to enter.
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!
For all of my giveaways go HERE.

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Welcome to the reveal for these newly re-designed covers for the Valkyrie Series (Book 1-3) by T.G. Ayer, designed by Eduardo Priego.

If you’re like me, you’re a sucker for a pretty cover!

These are exciting and I love that they are all similar in theme.

I’m curious to see if how the protagonist is portrayed on the cover relates to the adventure inside each book.

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Dead Radiance (Valkyrie – Book #1)

DEAD RADIANCE NEW COVER Front x900

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Dead Embers (Valkyrie – Book #2)

DEAD EMBERS NEW COVER Front x900

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Dead Chaos (Valkyrie – Book #3)

DEAD CHAOS NEW COVER Front x900

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Dead Radiance, Dead Embers, Dead Chaos  by T.G. Ayer (Valkyrie #1-3)

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Valkyrie Bryn Halbrook is broken and damaged…
Struggling to accept the loss of her wings, Bryn’s not sure if she can be a real Valkyrie anymore. But when a mysterious prophecy claims she will be the reason the All-Father dies, she is determined to ensure the prediction will not come to pass.
A visit to the three fates who live beneath the great Tree of life, sends Bryn racing against time to find the missing Heimdall and his horn. As Odin’s life hangs in the balance and Ragnarok draws ever closer, Bryn has to find a way to save Heimdall and Odin before she can discover the truth about who she really is.
In the thrilling conclusion of the Valkyrie series Bryn must battle not only the formidable frost giants and the hated God Loki, but she must also find a balance between what she will lose and what she will gain.

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T.G. Ayers

 I have been a writer from the time I was old enough to recognise that reading was a doorway into my imagination. Poetry was my first foray into the art of the written word. Books were my best friends, my escape, my haven. I am essentially a recluse but this part of my personality is impossible to practise given I have two teenage daughters, who are actually my friends, my tea-makers, my confidantes… I am blessed with a husband who has left me for golf. It’s a fair trade as I have left him for writing. We are both passionate supporters of each others loves – it works wonderfully…
My heart is currently broken in two. One half resides in South Africa where my old roots still remain, and my heart still longs for the endless beaches and the smell of moist soil after a summer downpour. My love for Ma Afrika will never fade. The other half of me has been transplanted to the Land of the Long White Cloud. The land of the Taniwha, beautiful Maraes, and volcanoes. The land of green, pure beauty that truly inspires. And because I am so torn between these two lands – I shall forever remain crosseyed.

Author links:

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Check out this cover art. It had me thinking The Hills Have Eyes.

Seriously though, it does make ya really curious doesn’t it?

There’s been an apocalypse. It looks the air is unsafe to breath. And I heard something about monsters!

I’ll be watching for this come December. I’m looking forward to meeting the characters and experiencing Shauna’s writing.

WOA (1)

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World of Ash
by Shauna Granger
Release Date: 12/2013
Book Summary:
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There are two inherent truths in the world: life as we know it is over, and monsters are real.
The Pestas came in the night, spreading their pox, a deadly plague that decimated the population. Kat, one of the unlucky few who survived, is determined to get to her last living relative and find shelter from the pox that continues to devastate the world. When it mutates and becomes airborne, Kat is desperate to avoid people because staying alone might be her only chance to stay alive.
That is, until she meets Dylan. Dylan, with his easy smile and dark, curly hair, has nowhere to go and no one to live for. He convinces Kat there can be safety in numbers, that they can watch out for each other. So the unlikely couple set off together through the barren wasteland to find a new life – if they can survive the roaming Pestas, bands of wild, gun-toting children, and piles of burning, pox-ridden bodies.

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Shauna

Like so many other writers, Shauna grew up as an avid reader, but it was in high school that she realized she wanted to be a writer. Five years ago, Shauna started work on her Elemental Series. She released the first installment, Earth, on May 1, 2011 and has since released four sequels, with the series coming to an end with Spirit. She is currently hard at work on a new Urban Fantasy series, staring a spunky witch with a smush-faced cat named Artemis.

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Author Links

Author Links:

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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Cover Reveal Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

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Just check out this cover!

Isn’t he just yummy?

Let’s see,

Great hair: check

Dreamy eyes: check

Sexy mouth: check,check!

Bad Boy: Oh Yea!

Shadow's Son ebooksm

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The Shadow’s Son by Nicole R. Taylor

Series: The Witch Hunter Saga #3

Publication date:  August 1, 2013

Genre: NA / 17+ Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:

I am the oldest vampire alive and I am the most feared. Wherever I walk, death follows. The downtrodden have the fiercest fire inside of them. Those are the  vampires I want by my side. The pain they have been through only fuels  their thirst for blood. Those I would ask to kill for me, simply because they bask in the glow of their true nature. The nature I created in my  own image. We are each our own devil and this world is our hell. I was the first of six and now I am the last. My revenge has only just begun. You better start praying, because I’m coming for you first.
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When a mysterious stranger from Aya’s past shows up in Ashburton it’s not  all good news. Tristan, a man she saved almost a thousand years ago,  brings a warning that will affect not just her, but her new family. Regulus is coming. To protect Zac, Aya has to destroy the best thing that has ever happened  to her. She has to pretend that their love has been a lie. But, is it  really the right thing to do? Aya travels to the other side of the  world with Tristan to learn the secret behind Zac’s blood and to hunt  down Regulus before he can find them first. Tristan is her way into the  Roman’s circle, but she might just find that both her quests are more  linked than she ever thought possible. Heartbroken again, Zac must  surrender to the darkest places inside himself if he ever hopes of  coming back. Even if that means aligning himself with his greatest  enemy. Even if that means turning his back on everything he’s worked for and walking away from his brother, Sam. Lovers are torn apart,  friends are pitted against each other and families are splintered. But,  what they find buried under the streets of London will change everything they’ve ever known about their world. Something that should have been  left alone.
But, what Regulus does is the most unexpected of all.

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The first two books in this series
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The Witch Hunter
The Witch Hunter Saga #1
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The Witch Hunter (Witch Hunter Saga #1)
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I was born into the world covered in blood, and that’s exactly the way I left it.
Ever since, I have been damned to walk the boundary between life and death alone. Unwillingly turned and left to my nightmare, I have seen men commit countless horrors and committed many of my own.
My origins shall remain unknown, my true self hidden. I have been called by many names, but in this life I am known as the Witch Hunter. I have been asleep these past 150 years, until I was awoken by a haunting call. Zachary Degaud was twenty-three when he died. The problem was, he didn’t stay that way.
Present day, he’s just another vampire with another unremarkable story. That is, until he manages to provoke a two thousand year old witch named Katrin, who wants to make him pay in the most horrible way imagined.
Along with his brother Sam, newly made vampire Liz and their only witch ally, Gabby, his only chance for survival is to summon the ancient and unpredictable vampire known as the Witch Hunter.
Zac is just looking for a way out of his psychopathic witch problems, but instead will find himself falling head first into a blood feud that has stretched thousands of years.Aya has been asleep for the past 150 years, until she was awoken by a haunting call. The witch she has been hunting for thousands of years, Katrin, has resurfaced and marked a young, annoyingly arrogant vampire by the name of Zachary Degaud. Unless she does something, he will die a slow and painful death. He has given her an opportunity to end the witch, but does she want to help him or leave him to his fate?
Zac will get under her skin like no one else has and she just might find herself making the ultimate sacrifice before he is gone forever. They will both have to choose sides and look deep within themselves before the end. But, what Zac learns about himself, will surprise him most of all.
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The Return
The Witch Hunter Saga #2
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The Return (Witch Hunter Saga #2)
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I’ve wandered my afterlife believing that I was the monster my maker told me I was. It was the only thing I knew. Not even my brother, Sam, could convince me otherwise. Not until her. Not until Aya. She walked into my life like a hurricane of destruction and nothing would ever be the same again. None of us could have known what would happen next. What fate had in store…
I finally grew a heart, only to have it ripped out. Now, I will stop at nothing for revenge. Zac’s afterlife is just going from bad to worse. He grew a heart only to have it torn out by the founding vampire, Arturius. Nobody is sure what he wants, but Zac doesn’t want to know. He’s more interested in finding a way to end him for good. But, it might just be that he’s after Gabby, who’s harbouring a secret of her own, one that Arturius would do anything for.Aya’s past will come back to haunt Zac in ways he never thought possible and what he finds out will alter everything he ever knew about her. He will uncover a deadly secret that should have remained buried. A secret Aya has fought to keep for thousands of years. One she has killed for.
In the end, who’s secrets will betray them to the one man who wants them all dead? Aya’s or Zac’s? They’ll need to figure it out sooner rather than later, because death is not an option.
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AUTHOR BIO:
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shadows son Nicole
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Nicole R. Taylor is an Australian born paranormal, fantasy and contemporary  fiction author. She is a graduate of the University of Ballarat  Professional Writing and Editing programme and is a former music  memorabilia sales person and grocery merchandiser.
She  currently lives in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia with a two year old  rescue cat named, Burger. She enjoys reading, writing (of course!),  traveling and a little too much chocolate. One day she hopes to sky  dive, but has to work up the courage first.
The first in her new paranormal fantasy series, The Witch Hunter Saga is available in e-edition and print from March 20th 2013
Links: