Hans and Greta by Elizabeth Alsobrooks

Ever wonder what really happened to Hansel & Gretel. Find out . . . if you dare. Here's a sample of Hans and Greta, a horror short appearing soon in Tell-Tale Publishing's 3rd Annual Horror Anthology. Are you getting chills yet? I am . . . from excitement! I love October and all its fun Spooktacular events!

She snatched the puppet by the arm and jerked the stiletto from its grasp.  “Knock it off, Mother. You deserved it, you know you did. Did you think you could make me live like your slave forever? You told me if I helped you kill your husband I would finally get to live as your daughter.”

           “How dare you lecture me?” the puppet snarled. “What kind of DAUGHTER kills her own mother? I was working on it. You know I was. I bought us a chalet in France. The passports were being created. We could have lived there under new names and you could have gotten a rich husband of your own.”

           “Shut up, Mother. You know you would never have left. You only cared about yourself, your prestige, your charity functions. What a joke. You didn’t give a damn about any of those people your charities were helping. You used to call orphans useless brats, a suck on humanity. Yet you treated your own daughter as though you were ashamed of her. Was it my fault you were raped and your parents threw you out onto the streets once it became apparent that you were pregnant?”

           “Did I abort you? Did I abandon you? No! I have always taken care of you, and this is the thanks I got?”

“I’m sorry, okay?  I was angry. You kept putting me off until I no longer believed you.”

The puppet jerked her hand away and ran over to the dresser. Its movements were awkward and disjointed, limbs jerking as though seized and released. Clearly it wasn’t used to pulling its own strings. It pressed a button and a secret drawer opened on the bottom of a jewelry box from which she extracted a key. Running to the closet, the jerky movement more pronounced when hurrying, it threw open the door and hurried to the back. Prying up a floorboard, it reached in and took out a book. The key fit snugly into the lock and the puppet opened it, flipping through until it found what it sought.

“Yes, yes, I thought I remembered this. Kill the girl first. I can use this spell to switch bodies and we can burn this puppet in the furnace after she’s trapped inside. Then I’ll inherit the estate again, after I kill the boy, and we can finally move to France, but this time as sisters. We can both get rich husbands, not that we’ll need them.”

“If I help you again, do you promise to do it this time, Mother?”

“How can you doubt me? Haven’t I gotten us this far, despite your screwups? My husband would have survived that car crash if I hadn’t given him that injection and left him in the ruination of his precious sports car for the authorities to find him.”

Would you like to read more? For those of you who aren't faint-hearted, read the entire tale on my website at: www.elizabethalsobrooks.com/blog

And have a Spooktacular October! Be sure to visit Tell-Tale Publishing's Halloween Horror Party!

Hurricane Florence & Other Things That Go Bump in the Night

Hurricane Florence is rushing toward the Carolinas, and no one I’ve met in my hometown seems to be the least concerned. I’m both flabbergasted and concerned for everyone’s welfare. In Houston, where I lived until April 1 this year, the mention of a hurricane and the grocery shelves were bare of milk, bread and water. I went shopping and the shelves were well-stocked! But say the word ‘snow’ and the South closes down—the shelves are bare with the first mention of the ‘snow’word.

As it reaches the coast, the hurricane is dropping from the supposed Cat 5 to a Cat 2. We may only get rain, but lots of it.  I was in Houston last year when the city flooded and watched the water crawling from the bayou (a nice name for a water ditch) into my backyard and creep from the flooded street in front of my house. It was no fun. Luckily, in my area, the electricity never went off.

This year in my new home  I fear losing power.  Yes, I’m afraid of the dark. I have candles and a flashlight, but I’m accustomed to a nightlight.  I’m not good at roughing it—eating food cold and not taking a shower.

By the next time I post, Hurricane Florence will be history. I just hope that when she is remembered, it will be as one of the many such storms that ‘fizzled out'.

But I have my milk and bread.

Medical Futures by Diane Burton

I’m curious. Always have been. The oddest things can make me open Google and try to find out as much as I can about a new topic. For several years, I’ve subscribed to Space.com, EarthSky News, and Life Science—online newsletters about space and science (as if you couldn’t guess). So much info, so little time to read.

Recently, I found another newsletter called The Medical Futurist. That really piqued my interest. When I’m writing sci-fi romances and my characters are ill or injured in the future, I need to come up with some device that can heal them instantly, or as close to instant as possible. Or, if my characters are on a starship zooming through space for long periods of time, I have to figure out how they are going to eat. Even in the future, fresh food spoils.

 

Photo credit: The Medical Futurist

In The Medical Futurist, I’ve learned about all sorts of down-the-road technology that is closer to reality than I thought. How about food replicators? You remember those from Star Trek and other science fiction films, don’t you? They must be fantasy or something way in the future. But, hold on a minute. We’ve heard of 3-D printers. So why not use them to create food? Since I’m not crazy about cooking but love to eat, I’m very interested. A company in Barcelona manufactures a device called Foodini, a 3-D food printer using fresh ingredients. It’s supposed to make it easier to eat healthy. The company estimates that in about 10-15 years everyone will have the device on their kitchen counter. I’d give anything for one now so I don’t have to think about what’s for dinner.

Photo credit: The Medical Futurist

This week’s newsletter brought up a topic that is sure to help those who travel a lot. Right now, in my not-too-small town (but not a big city, either), my doctor is connected to the hospital, as are two urgent care facilities. If I go to Emergency or Urgent Care, they can bring up my whole medical history—the meds I take regularly, allergies, immunizations, etc. But, what if I’m traveling out of state or even out of the country and have a medical emergency? Not so easy to get the info the doctors need to treat me. In an emergency, time is of the essence. The longer they wait for the info, the greater the crisis.

 

photo credit: Fitbit.com

Many of us wear a Fitbit or other fitness tracker that besides reporting the number of steps we’ve taken, measures our heartrate, sleep cycles, cardio fitness levels, etc. In the not-too-distant future, digital tattoos on our skin will reveal our medical history. Doctors will be able to monitor and diagnose critical health conditions like heart arrythmia, sleep disorders, and brain activities without invasive procedures. Let’s say a person has a high risk of stroke. The digital tattoo could send alerts and even call an ambulance and relay medical data. I don’t know about you, but I’m fascinated by this.

 

Photo credit: The Medical Futurist

When we were first married, we lived next door to a little girl who had juvenile diabetes (type I diabetes). At that time, we were just hearing about a revolutionary device—a pump that would deliver insulin as the body needed it. Even though the pump is worn outside the body, it is connected by a tube under the skin. Invasive. South Korean researchers have developed sensors (worn on the skin like a tattoo) that measure the temperature and sweat of people with type II diabetes, analyses the data, and, if necessary, delivers insulin through a microneedle array. Less invasive than the pump.

As much as we love to watch and/or read science fiction, let’s face it. We’re looking at our future. The more writers dream up ways to prevent or cure illnesses, the more scientists will try to make it happen. I’m amazed at what the future holds.

What other things might the medical future have in store?

We Don’t Need Any Characters Around to Give the Joint Atmosphere

The title of this post is a line from what may be my favorite movie of all time: It’s a Wonderful Life. (Not to jump the gun on the holiday season, but it just happened to be on my mind.)

That line is also preceded by one of the lines that always make me laugh: “Look, mister, we serve hard drinks in here for men who want to get drunk fast.” (Read in an exaggerated 40s gangster voice.) It makes me giggle, because, apparently, if George Bailey had never been born, everyone he knows would have turned into an asshole and a caricature of a friendless loser. Everyone his life touched unravels without his friendship or the little acts of kindness he’s done over the years.

The quote popped into my head because I was going to write about what gives a place atmosphere, but I realized that this humorous, throwaway line has some crucial truth to it: Characters are needed to give a joint (or book) atmosphere.

It’s one thing my current WIP is lacking at the moment. I’ve been struggling through it, letting myself write some not-so-great words just so I can at least get words on the page. But so far, I’ve been unable to focus on anyone but the two main characters. There are no fleshed-out supporting characters yet—and there’s very little atmosphere.

Part of the problem with this story is that no one in it is what they seem to be—but no one is fully aware at the moment of their magically altered states. And since I’m a “pantser” who couldn’t write from an outline if one bit me in the ass, I’m kind of stuck fumbling along with my characters in their false identities and delusions, wondering what the truth is, until they figure it all out.

What I think the story needs in the meantime is the development of the characters surrounding the two principals—the friends, the family members, the people with whom they cross paths—and, of course, the villain. Because every story needs its Mr. Potter, after all. (And I’m just assuming you’ve all seen It’s a Wonderful Life a thousand times, like I have. If you haven’t, make sure you sit through it at least once this holiday season. You won’t be sorry. It delivers new things every time I watch it, and I’ve watched it every year for decades. It has layers, and lots of lovely details.) At any rate, my story does have a villain, but for the most part, he hasn’t been on the page. (There are Reasons. But still.)

Going back to George Bailey for a minute, the interesting thing about him is that he did affect so many lives for the better—but he’s not an extraordinary man or a man without flaws. He’s constantly longing for a life he can’t have, no matter how much he’s been blessed in his actual life, and he’s bitter (in my opinion, rightly so) that he’s had to sacrifice his own hopes and dreams to take care of everyone else in his life and give them what they want. And on the infamous Christmas Eve on which he ultimately attempts to take his own life, he’s terrorized his wife and his kids, been verbally abusive to his child’s teacher, and turned on his forgetful uncle, ready to let him go to prison for a stupid mistake—all because something has finally happened that George can’t fix with self-sacrifice.

Strangely, that moment of selfishness and ugliness is what I like about George Bailey. At a critical moment in his life, he’s not a nice person. If he was, there would be no conflict. I’ve been watching a light-paranormal romance series from the Hallmark Channel recently—The Good Witch—and while I’ve enjoyed it, after binging three seasons, I’ve noticed one thing that really bothers me: none of the main characters have any real flaws. They’re always thinking of other people, and they never do anything selfish or mean. They’re classic Mary Sues. My favorite character has turned out to be the “naughty cousin” (shades of Bewitched’s Serena?) who keeps doing things out of selfish motivation—the only character who really does—but even she ends up doing good despite herself. It’s kind of maddening.

So I’m pretty much rambling at this point (it is, of course, the middle of the night, because I can never manage to remember to write these posts until the last minute), but my own rambling has given me food for thought. Are my MCs Mary Sues? I hope not. But they’re going to need some personal conflict and flaws—along with those characters I need to sketch out to give the joint atmosphere. Time to get back to work. (And to stop daydreaming of the holidays. It’s only just Pumpkin Season. Mmmm…pumpkins.)

4 Life Lessons from My Dog

Scruff is my writing partner. Kind of an unusual name for a writing partner unless you realize he’s a dog, a Shih Tzu to be exact. I’ve mentioned Scruff’s role in my writing process before. 

Such as how he waits for me to get in the office to start writing (mostly because he wants a treat—he knows I keep some in there) or how he gets me out of the chair to stretch and play for a while when I need a break. 

But there are other lessons I’ve learned about writing, and enjoying life in general from Scruff.

 

Make Time for Naps 

Scuff naps a lot. Pretty much a large portion of his day is spending

napping. It's made me wonder if he’s part cat. Napping is something I rarely, if ever take the time to do because there is always so much that needs done on my To-Do list. 

Although most of these things would still be there if I took a little break now and then to stretch and rest my eyes. 

My body would probably thank me for the reprieve. Writers, and anyone else who spends a lot of time sitting, benefits from taking care of their body.

Forgive and Forget

No matter what Scruff may have gotten in trouble for, or how

cranky I might be, he quickly forgets it and moves on. He’s just as happy to see me and his sappy smile makes it impossible to stay angry with him, or anything else in the world. 

Most of us tend to linger on past wrongdoings or wallow in guilt or anger over regrets from time to time. 

We are often our harshest critics, and the time we spend doubting ourselves, and others, from things that happened in our past don’t usually provide any benefits. As much as I’d love to find one, so far, a magical “do-over” button has eluded me. If the story isn’t working out, I either push on or work on something else. Focusing on one tiny piece for too long makes me lose track of the big picture. 

Eat Dessert First 

If Scruff gets a little bit of “people food” he waits to see if he’s going to get something better and eats that first. 

We often hold our rewards until we meet a goal, or do all the things we “should” do, but sometimes it’s better to treat ourselves first and celebrate the little triumphs to inspire us to keep moving. 

Don’t wait to read that book you’re looking forward to until you get a large block of uninterrupted time. 

Why not enjoy a chapter now? 

 

Size Doesn’t Matter
 

Scruff is a big dog—in his mind. If the door is open a crack—that he can easily fit through—he waits until we open it more to pass through. If he’s safe on the deck, he fears nothing. He trots around

with the arrogance of a much larger dog where he rules our household.

As a reader, I’m not usually concerned about the length of a story. I’m more concerned about how much I enjoy the characters and the storyline. 

The only time I might be a little upset is if it’s so good that it ends too soon. As a writer, I have my eye on the word count as I’m writing, but I also know when the story is “done”, and it doesn’t usually follow the rules about word count and chapter length.  

Have You Learned Any Lessons from Your Pets?

 

P.S. Don’t forget to check out the All Things Magical Giveaway! Kindle Fire! Ebooks & Gift Cards- Oh My! Click Right Here to check it out.

Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four

seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. Find Maureen on her website, Facebook& Twitter

GUEST: A.R. Braun and her #NewRelease STORM OF THE GODS

When I started writing Storm of the Gods, I had always envisioned an urban fantasy novel. As someone who is a big fan of and reads a lot of urban fantasy, I knew my story had to contain some elements of the genre. I wasn’t going to have traditional vampires and shapeshifters or fae, though Storm has plenty of its own monsters. Instead, I decided to go the route of magic.

Originally, Storm of the Gods focused on witchcraft, but with more rewrites and new ideas as I expanded the universe, I decided “traditional” witchcraft wasn’t a good fit for the story. Not that there aren’t interesting witches in Greek lore. Hecate and Circe are complex and engaging women who constantly toe the line of victim and villain. But early beta reads suggested that was a story seen too many times.

So I went with the alternative, an idea I’d already been playing with: descendants, or scions, as I chose to refer to them as. In Storm, magic is taught to scions at a young age while they’re in school. As each scion matures, they learn to use magic in various ways: they can “sense” other auras by “pushing” their magic outward, using it as a sixth sense if you will. By the time they reach adulthood, they’re able to harness the magic within them into spells befitting their lineage, i.e.: as a war scion, main character Derek is able to control and create elemental fire, Adapt his body to various combat settings/scenarios, learn and master any fighting style easily, and go into a Berserker Rage that makes him a fighting machine that doesn’t respond to exertion or pain.

Other variations of magic can be learned through enchantments, which are spells that can be created through herbs, chants, and rituals. Derek’s mental link with his younger brother Liam was created with an enchantment. The only scions that can access and use enchantments without ingredients are Athena’s descendants, craft scions. Finally, and most dangerously, hexes are enchantments that can be placed on a person to detrimental effect. One of the side characters––and Derek’s target for most of the story––has a hexed memory, and her plotline is one I’m thrilled to explore later on.

The more urban fantasy I read, the more I seek books that challenge the traditional paranormal stereotypes. I will always have a love for the classic werewolf/vampire/mage stories, but I define the paranormal aspects of Storm of the Gods as purely magical ones. They carry power, mystery, and danger, and that’s the paranormal at its core.

Blurb

Thirty years ago, the gods of Greek legend returned to the world. Their return restored their powers, which had been spent in a cataclysmic battle with the Titans. With the ancient deities imprisoned in Tartarus, the Olympians now reside in Néo Vasíleio, formerly known as California.

Twenty-four-year-old Derek Aerios is a war scion, a descendent of Ares, the God of War. He and his brother, eighteen-year-old Liam, capture mythological creatures and rogue scions as part of Ares’s elite military force. As he struggles to cope with his violent powers and the scars of a traumatic childhood, Derek tries to keep the two vows he has made: protect his brother, and never kill a human again.

But when Ares forces him to hunt and kill four rogue scions under Athena’s control—by threatening Liam’s life—Derek chooses to go after the scions in order to save his brother and keep his promise to himself.

Yet the closer Derek gets to the scions, the more he realizes that his orders are part of a deeper conspiracy that put him at odds with his mission and his conscience. Athena may not be the enemy, a traitor could be in their midst, and the Titans could be closer to freedom than ever before. 

Buy it here:

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads

About the Author

Amy is a Canadian urban fantasy and horror author. Her work revolves around monsters, magic, mythology, and mayhem. She started writing in her early teens, and never stopped. She loves building unique worlds filled with fun characters and intense action. 

When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, watching movies, taking photos, gaming, struggling with chocoholism and ice cream addiction, and diving headfirst into danger in Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Amy can be found online on Facebook (www.facebook.com/amybraunauthor/) Twitter (@amybraunauthor) and Instagram (@amybraunauthor)

Social Media Links

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Unique Blog Ideas for Paranormal Bloggers by Sorchia DuBois

Blogging—love it or hate it—the consensus is that consistent blogging builds interest in your work, adds to your readership, and drives book sales. Unfortunately, blog post ideas often dry up like last year’s eye of newt. 

I kind of like blogging when I do it right (which means NOT waiting until the day before, staying up into the wee hours, and sliding the post in sideways well after the deadline.) As we round the corner from Summer to Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, a paranormal writer’s thoughts turn to all things Halloweenie. And thus follows her blog, but after a while, it becomes a ticklish business to avoid repeating yourself. I mean, how many times can you explain patiently what the equinox is and where Halloween comes from?

So I’m looking for topics of interest to paranormal, Gothic, and fantasy readers. Here are a few ideas (feel free to take them and make them your own. We all have unique views on these things—maybe we could even do a series.)

Lists

• A list of horror movies—or any kind of seasonal or genre related movie 
• A list of paranormal books and/or authors who inspired you 
• A list of haunted places you’ve visited or would like to visit 
• A list of the creepiest critters in legend 
• a list of great paranormal blogs 

Advice

• How to survive a ghost hunt 
• How to find a reputable medium (or extra large—whatever) 
• How to read palms, read tarot cards, read tea leave, etc. 
• How to find out if your house is haunted 
• How to get rid of a pesky ghost 
• How to attract fairies 

Information 

• Haunted bed and breakfasts 
• Legendary monsters in your own backyard 
• Historic events that inspired a story 

Giveaways and Freebies

• Excerpts and free stories 
• Serial stories 
• Giveaways of something besides books 
• Giveaways of books 

And, of course, Promotions. 

I have a Thursday feature on my blog called Novel Magic. This is a guest post by authors who write paranormal, horror, fantasy, or a related genre and who have a book to promote. 

I’m adding a straight promo on Fridays called a Book Whammy which is just the blurb, the cover, a little author info and links. 

If you’d like to sign up for either or both of these at any time, just drop by my sign-up calendar.

What else? 

What topics tickle your fancy? What kinds of headlines make you feverish to click the Read More button? Which of those I’ve listed would you be most likely to read? 

Drop a comment and let's get this Halloween Party Started!

Fantastic holiday hints for your nerd(s)

Every year around September one of my brothers-in-law starts poking at me for my birthday/Christmas list. The best thing Amazon ever did for our family was provide the shareable wish list option. I can’t tell you how happy this makes my BIL. Now, instead of poking at us to give him an actual list, he pokes at us to update our online lists. If we don’t, then he just buys what’s still on them…and odds are that it’s the same thing he bought us the previous year because he doesn’t exactly use the wish list feature correctly.

He’s kind of adorable like that.

This year I decided to get a jump on him and update my list now (i.e., stop him from buying me another DVD of I Am Dragon, etc.**) Yes, I realize it’s only August, but my birthday is in November and he likes to buy early. I must redirect him before it’s too late! Just trust me on this, I know what I’m doing.

Oddly, my practical mind has veered in the direction on crazy-nerd-lady this year. As hard as it is to believe, this is not normal for me. Usually I ask for things like a wall calendar for scheduling my writing deadlines, or Amazon gift cards, or books, or music (last year it was all Imagine Dragons), or socks. Stuff I need and use. For some reason "practical" flew out the window the moment I typed “Sci-fi” in Amazon's search box.

Have you ever done this search before? If you haven’t, you must! There are some pretty amazing items of the sci-fi kind out there. If you are a nerdist like me, or you’re shopping for one this holiday season, here are a few of the cool ideas I came across…some of which may or may not be on my list:

“Must Haves” for every Star Trek fan on your list:

 

Ever wonder What Would Capt. Kirk Do? Here’s an insightful book of witty advice from everyone’s favorite Star Fleet captain. https://www.amazon.com/What-Would-Captain-Kirk-Intergalactic/dp/0399539549/

What space cadet wouldn’t want this for their desk? https://www.amazon.com/Star-Original-Sticky-Notes-Booklet/dp/B01F7OO9U0/

For the discerning and social nerd. Alcohol not included. (You can find Romulan ale on eBay, or from Harry Mudd…but you didn’t hear that from me. That stuff’s illegal!) 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072K47WY8/

For your loved ones battling the evil Empire:

Start 'em out right. (Available in 12 different colors!)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0115VZ3VS/

They will thank you every morning when they wake up to Boba Fett's—Star War’s new hottest character—sultry voice murmuring, “As you wish.” Or “Han shot first.” (I don’t really know this, but it sounds cool.) https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Minifigure-plastic-display-official/dp/B000KFCZGC/

If you or your nerd are more the Time Lord type:

Coveted by Whovian chefs everywhere! https://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-Official-Wibbly-Wobbly-Timey-Wimey-ebook/dp/B01LX02Q0Z/

The cuddly blanket inspired by van Gogh’s lesser known painting, Wibbly-Woobly Night. https://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-Throw-Blanket-Exploding/dp/B00937SK4O/

Sci-fi B-movie collector?

This is the pin collection for 2018! 

https://www.amazon.com/MOVIE-BUTTONS-science-fiction-horror/dp/B00JI02YTS/

And finally, in honor of humanity’s greatest entertainment loss:

Draw your grieving nerd from the depths of despair and angry letter writing with a friendly game of Firefly Yahtzee. https://www.amazon.com/USAopoly-YZ006-398-Firefly-Yahtzee-Game/dp/B00L9OPEHU/

I could go on, there are so many unusual and fun items out there (including tons of t-shirts for every nerdtastic member of your family!) and only a limited amount of space on this blog. However, over the next couple of months, I will post some of them on my Facebook page if you’re looking for more creative gift ideas.

~*~*~*~*~*~

USA Today Bestselling Author Lea Kirk loves to transport her readers to other worlds with her science fiction romance Prophecy series. She’s an avid Trekkie, Gryffindor, and wannabe space explorer. She’s made one foray into paranormal romance with her Magic, NM vampire novella, Made for Her, and hopes to write more stories in this world.

When she’s not busy writing, she’s hanging out with her wonderful hubby of twenty-eight years, their five kids (aka, the nerd herd), and a spoiled Dobie mix pup.

Getting Back Out There with @MeganSlayer #writing #publishing #revisions #newedition

There are a few fun things involved in being an author. You're writing books. That's cool enough. I love being able to write for a living. You are welcomed into someone else's life to share your story. That's big. The first time I heard someone sought me out because they wanted to read my book was a crazy, fun moment.

But there are a few things that aren't so fun. One of them would have to be when a publishing house closes. You've got your works there. You want to keep them out. Most of all--at least in my case--you love your publisher and don't want to see them close. But then it happens. Now what?

I ran into that problem. I have books with a pub that's closed. Many publishers don't want previously published stories. They want new works. Makes sense. New hasn't been seen before. New is shiny. New is...new.

But those old stories aren't bad. Some need updated. Some need help. Most don't have anything wrong with them. They're just stories that have been out already. Some have had large reader bases and some have had smaller ones. Some books just need another chance to get out there and be seen.

That's where I'm at. I've got an entire series that's aching to come out again. So that's what I did. The whole series is coming out in October. Which? The Battle Scarred Series. Yes. I'm thrilled to have them back out again. It's great.

Want to know more about the Battle Scarred series? Here's a little bit about book 1, You Have Me:

You Have Me 

By Megan Slayer

Battle Scarred, Book 1

Contemporary Paranormal Romance

M/F, Anal Sex, BDSM, Bondage, Toys, Spanking

When the rest of the world crumbles and fails, you have me. 

Kynan Laing gave up his mortal soul to the will of the Sources, the ancient beings in charge of the universe. With the sensual grace and speed in his vampire form, he serves in his role as a Protector for the Supernatural world. But the impending war between the Supers and Hunters is heating up. The woman he's charged to protect is all grown up and the perfect submissive partner he wants. Can he keep his heart under wraps while keeping her safe?

Alexa Mercury doesn't know why she's supposed to trust the vampire, but she does. Even when she pushed him away, Kynan watches over her. She craves him like no other and wants to submit body and soul to him, even if he is a Supernatural creature of the night. When circumstances beyond her control force them together, Lexa will have to decide whether to offer her heart to the vampire or risk her very soul. 

This book was previously released and has been revamped for this edition.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GQS5HJG

Universal Link: http://books2read.com/u/bzPrnj

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/you-have-me/id1433916926?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Nook: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/you-have-me-3

EXCERPT:

Copyright © January 2018 by Megan Slayer

Kynan closed the door to her room and enfolded her in his arms. He stroked her hair, breathing in the scent of her perfume. Watching her through the window paled in comparison to actually holding her.

“Stay with me tonight.” Lexa’s words curled around his heart. “I need you more than you know.”

“You have me,” he replied. She fit so perfectly against his body, like they’d been fated to be together. He thanked God and the forces who’d thrown them together. He kissed the top of her head. “You’re shaking.” Kynan carried her to the bed and cuddled her on his lap. Was their reuniting too much, too soon? Too bad.

“Don’t peer into my head.” Lexa rubbed his arm.

“I won’t.” Damn it. He’d spent so much time peering into the heads of humans he forgot what it was like to take someone on their word. “Tell me what’s upsetting you?” Besides her scary as hell ex happened to be a hunter and wanted him dead. “I’ll lay down my life for you.”

“You’re dead.” She tipped her gaze to his. His skin tingled from her touch on his arm. Most of the time he felt nothing. Now that he was with her, everything came into sharp focus. Her touch sizzled on his skin, and he longed for his heart to beat for her. He groaned.

“I don’t want to be alone.” Lexa kissed his neck, pressing her face to his jugular. “I want to feel loved, not like I’m a freak.”

“You’ve never been a freak.” Why should she feel that way? Because she liked kinky sex? Because she knew a vampire? Bullshit. “Tell me what you like.”

“You.”

#New Cover for By Reservation Only by Barbara Edwards

Check my new book cover! By Reservation Only will be released soon from The Wild Rose Press.

I’m inviting you to visit the Deerbourne Inn, the setting for my story. Fall is the perfect time to enjoy the cool nights, warm days and glorious autumn colors.  Get acquainted with the new owner, Nathan Harte, an award-winning chef, escaping the rat-race of the city for a slower more rewarding life. His Red Clover Cafe will feature his diverse menu while the Inn’s breakfast menu sparkles.

Walk through the centuries old building and pick a room on the second or third floor. Old fashioned wallpaper, original antiques and crafted items from local artists made each room individual, yet give it flavor.

For those who love the paranormal: Ignore the occasional weeping from an empty room or a snip of female laughter unless you’re curious about who haunts the place. 

Victoria Harte, his sister, has claimed the two cottages for her patients: wounded military suffering from PTSD who need the peace and quiet of the Vermont countryside. 

The Deerbourne Inn is in Willow Springs, Vermont. a fictional small town near all the area attractions. Do you ski? Fish? Hike? Like Fall foliage? Hunt antiques? There is something for everyone. 

Please follow, friend or like me. I love to hear from my readers.

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