Showing posts with label Vampires. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Taken by the Necromancer by @meganslayer #outnow #newrelease #necromancer #vampire @changelingpress

Taken by the Necromancer (Taken 7) A Dark Fantasy Women's Fiction Novel by Megan Slayer ~~$4.99~~ /Sale Price: $4.24

A newly turned vampire and a necromancer shouldn’t work. But what if they do?

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Briley Reed never expected to be a vampire or thought she’d find herself heading to Eerie, but a brutal attack changes everything. When a mystery man sends her to Eerie to find Atticus, she realizes just how much her life has changed.

But could it be for the better?

Atticus Maguire wants to be left alone. He’s had his heart broken and he’s done with love. Then Briley shows up in his life and it’s turned upside down. He wasn’t planning to fall in love, but the magic never lies.

Right?

EXCERPT:

His skin tingled. A vision formed in his mind. A woman approaching and his brother warning her to find him. He frowned. Who was this woman, and why would his brother appear in his vision? He tipped his head. Who was she? He wasn’t sure. The vision wasn’t clear enough.

He glanced over his shoulder. The woman wasn’t even in Eerie, but he felt her. Another vision formed in his mind. This time, the woman stood in his living room and wore nothing.

A nude woman in his home.

What was he getting himself involved in?

He’d figure it out when she arrived. If he knew one thing more than anything else, fighting the future wasn’t smart. The future would happen no matter what he did.

Still, he wished he knew more about this person trying to locate him. She might end up hating him. The nudity might be because she was getting revenge… on him? Someone else?

The more he thought about this woman, the more the vision of her nude in his living room came into focus. Slender, curly brown hair down to her shoulders, wide eyes, blushing from her hairline to her chest, breasts just right for his hands and curves to make his mouth water. He longed to touch her. He hadn’t even met her yet, and she’d stirred his magic.

He wondered what her kiss would taste like.

He shook his head. Her kiss! She might not even want to kiss him.

The water sloshed against the bank and tore his attention from the woman. His woodland oasis would be invaded. Did he mind?

Not really.

He headed back to the house as a shiver ran the length of his spine. The woman hadn’t reached Eerie, but she was on the outskirts. She also needed his help.

He grabbed his keys, then tucked his phone into his front pocket. Once he locked up the cabin, he rushed out to his motorcycle. He sped out of the shed toward the gravel path, then the road. Living on the far side of the lake meant he’d waste precious minutes rounding the body of water to get to her, but his magic swore she was closer than he’d thought.

Atticus sped down the back road to the edge of town. Her car wasn’t broken down, but she had a follower. He couldn’t see the person in the truck tailing her. Didn’t matter. He’d use a cloaking spell to hide her from the other driver. He spotted her little car, and his heart skipped a beat. He’d never met her, but he had a connection to her.

He pulled out onto the main road between her and the truck, blocking the following vehicle from getting to her. At the same time, he spoke the words to the spell and enveloped her in the invisible cloak. She’d never know he was behind her, but she would know the truck was gone.

Now he could deal with the truck.

Sunday, August 25, 2024

An Embarrassment of Riches by Nancy Gideon

In an effort to avoid doing any real work over the past muggy days while my car was in the shop, I spent mid-week weeding out one of my computer files – that ominous “In The Wings” topic. Was I surprised . . . no SHOCKED! . . . by what I found. Not one or two, not a half dozen but a WHOOPING 28(!) new and expanded book and series proposals dating back to the ‘80s. In various stages of development, some were simple thumbnails/outlines of projects I flirted with, but a surprising amount (not surprising, I guess since I’ve been in the biz for going on three decades!) were proposals with/without chapters that had been sent to agent/editors but not contracted for various reasons from shift in market interest to overstock on that topic. So I moved on to one of the eighty projects I did sell/publish, leaving those projects in publication limbo.

Since I hate to leave a good idea unfinished or a great book unread, it’s time to revisit those stories to see if they’re still viable in today’s market or self-publishable.

How about helping me decide which direction I should take?

Here’s what I have in either series outline or proposal form with or without chapters:

Existing Series Continuations

Three PNR, one historical, and one romantic suspense

New Series

Three PNR, five RS, eight (!) contemporary, and four YAs

Which would you like to read? If you have a particular series you’d like to see more of, feel free to name it.

(Click here for my full title list)

Time for me to hunker down at the keyboard . . . a little help from my friends!

♚♚♚♚♚

Nancy Gideon on the Web

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Monday, March 25, 2024

Sink Your Teeth into Midnight Redeemer on SALE - $0.99! by Nancy Gideon

I’m doing double duty over this holiday-filled (and a full moon!!) end of the month by posting on both my Weekend Writing Warriors and Paranormal Romantics blogs with the same Woo Hoo for Woo Woo post for my vampire romance MIDNIGHT REDEEMER, now on SALE for only $0.99 (!) through the end of the month.

I love smart men and women playing dangerous cat and mouse games. But which one is playing which role in this sixth book of my Touched of Midnight series? Scientist Stacy Kimball is looking for a cure for the blood disease that will eventually kill her, as it did her mother. Mysterious philanthropist Louis Redman could provide her funding . . . and the answer to immortality. All she needs is a sample of his rare blood type. What Stacy doesn’t know is they share the same driving interest. He wants her blood, too. Here’s a peek at MIDNIGHT REDEEMER.

Midnight Redeemer (Touched by Midnight Series - Book 6)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooks

Published: May 3, 2011

Length: 196 Pages

Add to Goodreads TBR→

Hunt or be hunted . . . A centuries-old obsession stalks a noble family fighting to hide their dark secret from an ever-changing world. Sink your teeth into Nancy Gideon's Touched by Midnight series.

Will his dream . . .

Centuries-old vampire Louis Redman is desperate to believe an inquisitive researcher's claim that she's close to finding a cure for his age-old curse. Determined to become human again, he must trust the lovely geneticist who has pushed her way into his guarded life . . . and heart . . . not to betray him to the government agency that wants to uncover his secrets for their own purposes.

. . . be the death of her?

Scientist Stacy Kimball discovers potential fame and the answer to immortality in a murder victim's blood sample. But as she gets closer to the truth, danger stalks her from the shadows. Who wants to silence her from making the breakthrough of a lifetime? Is it the agency that funds her work? The killer who's terrorizing Seattle's night scene?

Or the mysterious Louis Redman, whose kisses seduce her beyond caring . . . ?

"A rare treat . . . this exciting thriller will keep you up all night as Ms. Gideon weaves her spell." — Romantic Times

"Nancy Gideon is one of the best supernatural writers on the market today!" — Midwest Book Review/BookWire

The Excerpt

Almost six centuries . . .
The life of Florentine noble, Luigio Rodmini—a life that instead of ending after an expected number of years, continued with new names in new cities. In the early 1800’s he surfaced in London, wedding Arabella Howland, the daughter of an acclaimed physician. He was then Louis Radman. As his surname changed to Radouix and his residence to France, Arabella bore him a daughter, Nicole. As Louis Radcliffe, he appeared in New York near the Turn-of-the-Century, living with his grandmother, Bella, who was his most likely wheelchair-bound and aged wife. After her death, he married Cassandra Alexander, heiress to a newspaper empire. They disappeared in Europe, their businesses handled by proxy. His daughter, Nicole wed a French expatriate and lived with their daughter, Fredrica, on the island of Martinique. Then, more silence as the family seemed to vanish, from print, at least, until wealthy eccentric, Louis Redman set himself up in Seattle.
How could Rodmini and Redman be one in the same?
How could they not be given all the evidence before her?

How, indeed?

I loved writing this book because it’s got a bit of everything I like to read: A paranormal love story, a Who-Done-It mystery with Frankenscience ethics, sneaky government ops, and a return of characters and complications I adored from previous books (You don’t have to have read them to appreciate them here) along with an unexpected extra – a new hero by the name of Frank Cobb. I couldn’t wait to give him his own story. And then there’s that almost otherworldly nighttime world in a setting that’s almost another character—Seattle—the dreamy site of my first romance writers’ conference waaaay way back. All this for only $0.99 through the end of the month!

After this fantastic sale, I’m back to updating (not rewriting!) the books in my By Moonlight series that I’ve gotten the rights back to. Talk about walking in two very different worlds. Vampires or Shapeshifters – which is your favorite?

I plan to spend the rest of this quixotic sunny-to-cold-to-who-knows-what of an early spring weekend visiting your excerpts before the cats start yowling for their second trip into the great outdoors (need a few more degrees and a little less snow, but try telling them that!).

♚♚♚♚♚

Nancy Gideon on the Web

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Follow @Gideon2Nancy

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Take a (fang) BITE out of this Tasty MIDNIGHT ENCHANTMENT $0.99 SALE! by Nancy Gideon

A dead (literally!) sexy dark hero, a gutsy, desperate, and driven heroine in a historical Turn of the Century setting I can’t wait to return to (at the end of this month!!) all in one spine tingling setting – New Orleans! Gerardo Pascale first appeared as a villain in the original trio of my Midnight vampire romance series – a villain who quickly became my favorite character (I DO love a bad boy!!). He was just too good to waste. Scarred and in hiding, he’s been living undetected by the human world – until an unscrupulous bargain binds him in unholy matrimony to a woman carrying another man’s child. Here’s a tasty nibble from MIDNIGHT ENCHANTMENT . . .

Midnight Enchantment (Touched by Midnight - Book 4)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooks

Published: May 3, 2011

Length: 230 Pages

Add to Goodreads TBR→

The Excerpt

“Now, I may not be able to convince anyone that you are a . . . a vampire, sir, but, if I give this information to the newspapers, they will hound you unmercifully, and without access to your monies, you’ll have no means to flee the city.”
Silence as the dark night creature pondered this, unperturbed, and that alarmed Percy, as did the words that followed.
“And if I were to just tear out your throat before you could give that information to anyone?”
The casual way he presented Percy’s death made the lawyer’s blood run icy because it was no idle threat when dealing with a dangerous being who’d survived centuries by preying upon human lives, and would snatch his soul without a moment’s remorse. But prepared for that, too, solicitor told him, “The original papers are in a safe place with instructions to turn them over to the authorities should anything happen to me, and be assured, they might not believe what you are, sir, but they take murder very seriously.”
A frustration of rage pulsed from Gerardo Pasquale in palpable waves. Suddenly, Percy knew an instant of true terror as the solidity of Pasquale’s figure seemed to flicker before his eyes, becoming so faint as to be transparent, edges shifting, transforming into something else, something horrible, alien and monstrous, but exactly what was not quite clear. Standing frozen, Percy feared he’d made an irrevocable error in believing himself safe.
Then, to his relief, Pasquale assumed his human shape once again and with a deadly quiet, asked, “What do you want?”
“I want you to marry my sister.”

Hmmmm! A vampire in the family . . . How’s that going to work out? Not as planned, I guarantee!

While you’re devouring ME, I’ll be trying to stuff my entire wardrobe into a travel suitcase and sighing over my five-day agenda for a vacay in New Orleans! Warning: Pictures to come!! And maybe another NOLA-set book or two . . . historical, contemporary, suspense, paranormal? Which would you like to read?

HAPPY HOWL-OWEEN!!

♚♚♚♚♚

Nancy Gideon on the Web

Goodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group

Follow @Gideon2Nancy

Sunday, October 22, 2023

October One of My Favorite Months by Tena Stetler

October has finally arrived and marks one of my favorite months of the year! Boasting vibrant hues of

red, orange and gold, chilly mornings and evenings, yet sun-warmed afternoons. I call 'em cozy weather conditions, and best of all the promise of Halloween. Celebrated annually on October 31st, Halloween brings with it superstitions that come alive on this bewitching festival and brings people of all ages into costume wearing and carving pumpkins jack-o'-lanterns to join trick-or-treating activities - adults typically host themed parties while kids have lots of spooky fun collecting as much candy as they can!

October means there is pumpkin spice everything and everywhere.Yum! A first for me was the car wash that I use, Quick Quack, offered pumpkin spice scented car wash. I kid you not. Yep, my red Durrango smelled like pumpkin spice for a whole week.

Each autumn brings with it its own magic as nature transforms before our eyes while folklore whispers its ancient tales around us. As summer winds down and autumn breezes kick in, October offers us all of its delights - from Halloween fun to quirky decorations to cozy drinks - giving October its special magic.

It also marks the beginning of holiday season - from Halloween at its end to Christmas in December where there's an enthusiastic carnival-like atmosphere all throughout.

Halloween would not be Halloween without a vampire tale. Bwwwwahhh... My award-winning novel, A Vamipire's Unlikely Alliance, is not what you’ve come to expect from a Vampire Tale! Join Stefan and Brandy for an exciting romantic fantasy where Irish legends and magic may save the day. But will it be too late? Find out, grab a copy to day! Universal Buy Link!

A wee bit more about A Vampire's Unlikely Alliance - Stefan is a Native American vampire and, former assassin for the Vampire Council. In a twist of fate, he now DJ’s the midnight shift for a small radio station in Whitefish, Montana, on the edge of Glacier National Park where his secret is safe until...

Born in Ireland, Brandy now works as a park ranger and trail guide in the park. During a full moon, Stefan and Brandy’s paths cross in a near physical collision on a trail. Their attraction is immediate and undeniable, almost as if fate demanded it.

Their union was foretold long ago in Irish folk tales where vampires and gryphons, warlocks and demons, witches and faeries must work together for the good of man and magic kind. Is a trip to Ireland the key to unravelling secrets and returning the magic?

Happy Halloween! See you in November a month we count our blessings.

Saturday, March 25, 2023

L🖤VE BITES . . . on SALE! by Nancy Gideon

I get sooooo excited when my backlist paranormal books go on sale! It’s the perfect time to stir up promo vibes for both my lengthy vampire and shapeshifter series. So let’s get this gratuitously out of the way . . .

Midnight Redeemer (Touched by Midnight Series - Book 6)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Books | iBooks

Published: May 3, 2011

Length: 196 Pages

Add to Goodreads TBR→

Will his dream . . .

. . . be the death of her?

Or the mysterious Louis Redman, whose kisses seduce her beyond caring . . . ?

"A rare treat . . . this exciting thriller will keep you up all night as Ms. Gideon weaves her spell." — Romantic Times

"Nancy Gideon is one of the best supernatural writers on the market today!" — Midwest Book Review/BookWire

✦✦✦

While I adore Max and my “By Moonlight” family, it was those nocturnal naughty boys (and girls) in my “Midnight” series in the late 1990’s that got my PNR career going. It all started at a meeting with my then publisher, Zebra, who was looking for authors interested in tiptoeing into the dark side by writing paranormal romance and wondered if I’d be one of them. WOULD I?!?! I had proposals to them by the time they got home from the conference. Romance with a Bite! Squee!

I grew up delightfully scared by those things that go bump in the night (and I don’t mean tripping over a snoozing pet on the way to the bathroom!). Those were the days of horror classics and DARK SHADOWS, and I embraced their evolution into smarter, darker, and sometimes funnier venues like Twilight Zone/Night Gallery, Journey to the Unknown, and Night Stalker. I’d watch Creature Features through my fingers while huddling on the couch . . . and my mom would wonder why I had such a hard time getting up for school in the morning. I read everything Shelley, Stoker, Poe, Jackson, King, and Koontz (but not Lovecraft – too weird. Brrr!).

Reaping those shivers on the screen and off the page became picturing them in my mind, as my own spooky tales spun from thoughts onto lined paper then to ancient typewriter. Writing about things that terrified me as a child let me own those fears.

Good-bye night light. I’d embraced my inner demons and invited them onto the blank pages in front of me.

Currently, I’m busy reissuing Books 4-8 in my “By Moonlight” shapeshifter series and, wouldn’t you know, reading through them has gotten my storytelling vibes tingling again . . . Perhaps another walk on the dark side is long overdue.

Shapeshifter or Vampire? Which direction do you think I should go?

Does it look like Spring’s begun in your area? Here in Michigan, we just get teases that could lead to a blizzard. One never knows. And now that I don’t have to work outside the home, I don’t have to care! But hurry up budding trees and greening lawns – the cats want to go out on their leashes!!

♚♚♚♚♚

Nancy Gideon on the Web

Goodreads “Nancy Gideon by Moonlight” group

Follow @Gideon2Nancy

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Bite Me for Christmas by @meganslayer #vampires #romance #witches #hotread #newrelease

Holidays got you down? You're stressed? Tired? Want to escape from it all for a little while? Then pick up a copy of Bite Me for Christmas. This hot vampire and witch paranormal romance is a great escape from the madness of the holidays and it's steamy, too! Plus, if you buy a copy on Changeling Press's website, you'll be entered to win free books for a year!!

Check it out!

Bite Me for Christmas by Megan Slayer

Contemporary, Paranormal Holiday Romance

MF interaction, Age Gap, Vampires, Witches

15,000 words

From Changeling Press

Cover Art: Bryan Keller

Rachael isn’t good at magic, and she’s not versed in life, but this witch wants to lay her hands on the sexy vampire who’s come to her in her dreams. She wants just one thing for Christmas wish -- her vampire.

Gavin wants the witch in his dreams, but he doesn’t believe he’s worthy of her. Part of him wants to devour her magic and save himself, but what if being saved doesn’t involve dying?

Anything is possible with a little Christmas magic.

https://books2read.com/u/4joVMj

https://www.changelingpress.com/bite-me-for-christmas-b-3274

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L6N5CG5

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bite-me-for-christmas-megan-slayer/1140498081

https://books.apple.com/us/book/bite-me-for-christmas/id1594064927

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bite-me-for-christmas

Now for an excerpt

She left her bed and ventured over to the window. Santa might not listen, but she had to try. Christmas was in two days, and she had a Christmas wish. If anyone could come through for her, it was Santa.

She held onto the windowsill. She hated being interrupted before she reached orgasm, but she needed her vampire to be there so she could. He mattered. Him being real mattered.

“Dear Santa, I should write a letter, but this seems faster. I could conjure you, but if I did, I’d probably give you four heads or turn you into a dragon by accident. Anyway, I’m tired of getting three-fourths of the way to climax and not being able to finish. Why? I know this seems like a strange thing to mention, but I’m trying to have sex in my dreams -- which isn’t as good as the real thing -- and it’s with a vampire. He could kill me, but I’m drawn to him. I don’t know who he is, Santa, but I want him. My Christmas wish is for the vampire in my dreams to come to me in real life. He might destroy me, but he might be what I need, and I want to find out. I accept the risk. Please, fulfill my Christmas wish and put a vampire under my tree.”

She swore she heard other voices and paused. Damn it. Her sisters must still be awake downstairs and heard her moving. If they did, they’d want her to get to work on whatever chore they’d found. They treated her like their servant.

“Are you awake?” Serena, her oldest sister, called. “Rachael? If you’re awake, then there’s a sink full of dishes that need done.”

“It’s too early for her to be up,” Millie, her other sister, said. “She’s not awake. You’re imagining things.”

How could she sleep with the noise from her sisters downstairs? They treated her like a child and servant. The only way she’d have a chance at a life of her own would be to find the vampire and run the hell away.

“Please, Santa,” Rachael said. “I want my vampire for Christmas.”

Sunday, October 24, 2021

When Night Bumps Out the Day, Vampires Come Out to Play by Sydney Winward

I’ve always had a fascination with vampires, from their skewed moral codes to their diet to their strengths and weaknesses. I've written an entire vampire series, but it wasn’t without a heavy amount of research. Here are some interesting things I came across as I was writing the series.

Interesting Facts About Vampires I Came Across in My Research for The Bloodborn Series

1. Burial

Some people, who were believed to be vampires, were buried with a severed head, with the head face down. That way if the vampire still lived, it couldn’t use its teeth to dig upward, but only dig themselves deeper downward.

2. Mirrors

Mirrors were backed with “pure” metals, which didn’t interact with a vampire. That’s why they were never able to see their reflection. It’s only when mirrors started being backed by metals not as pure were they considered able to see their reflections. This is only one take on mirrors and vampires, but it was my favorite one.

3. Weaknesses

Although vampires have many strengths, they also have weaknesses as well. Some of these include sunlight, garlic, holy water, and stakes (silver or wooden).

4. Vampires Can’t Enter a Building Without Permission

As long as you stay in sunlight, keep garlic on you, or stay inside, you are safe from a vampire! Unless you unknowingly invite one into your house…

5. Transformation

Vampires are known to be able to transform into animals such as bats, cats, mice, and more. They can even disappear into puffs of smoke as if they had never been there in the first place.

Although not all of these vampire facts made it into my Bloodborn novels, some things in the series are heavily based off of of few of these interesting details and superstitions. I’m particularly excited about book #5 coming out because I included a mirror crafted with impure metals. What happens when a vampire sees his reflection for the first time?

Find out in book 5!

For more cool stuff about vampires, check out The Bloodborn Series below.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Beautiful Charleston, South Carolina & Sinners' Opera

Sinners’ Opera is set in Charleston, South Carolina, one of my favorite cities in the world (that I’ve visited). It’s beautiful and on the ocean—two requirements of being a favorite. I’d simply love to live in one of the Antebellum mansions along the Battery. If you ever visit Charleston, take a buggy ride around the historic sights.

Charles Towne was founded in 1670, during the reign of Charles II of England. This is important in the book because Morgan (the hero) became a vampire in 1659, and in 1670, the King sent him to the new colony to inspect its progress. Later, he returns to watch over a baby girl (the heroine) as she grows to womanhood.

Charleston boasts cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, and pastel Antebellum houses, particularly in the elegant French Quarter and Battery districts. The Battery promenade and Waterfront Park both overlook Charleston Harbor. Fort Sumter, a federal stronghold where the first shots of the Civil War were fire, lies across the water.

Two beaches, Folly Beach and Isle of Palms, are near Charleston. Another requirement for a favorite of mine.

In nearby Mt. Pleasant, you can visit Boone Hall plantation. Some of the tours they offer are, "Exploring The Gullah Culture", House Tours, Plantation Coach Tour, Black History In America Exhibit, Slave Street and History Presentation, Garden Tour, and a Butterfly Pavilion.

My personal favorite is the Dock Street Theater, America’s first theater. On February 12, 1736, the Dock Street opened with The Recruiting Officer. Flora, the first opera performed in America took place at the Dock Street. Now, the Dock Street is owned and managed by the City of Charleston. I was enthralled by it when I went for a concert. The Dock Street looks like a 17^th century playhouse with rows of wooden benches in the orchestra seating. The boxes overlooking the floor are draped in dark green, almost black velvet. The stage backdrop is an antique tapestry of Charleston Harbor. Photo Credit: By Frances Benjamin Johnston.

The Battery is a street along the seawall on the Atlantic Ocean. The pastel and colorful Antebellum mansions cost in the millions. When I was writing Sinners’ Opera, I drove up and down the Battery until the residents must have thought I lived there…or was a stalker. I finally chose a house for my hero. It’s Roper House, a brick structure with green shutters and a Greek portico to the left. A beautiful house, but because the main attraction, the portico, is on the side, it looks like the house has its shoulder to the sea. A house with secrets.

I’ve driven those cobblestone streets in my little red Miata, eaten at some good downtown restaurants (never made Magnolias for shrimp and grits), and have gone to the Dock Street for a piano concert. Morgan is a concert pianist, an English lord, and a vampire.

If I haven’t yet inspired you to visit Charleston on your next vacation, what can I say? Real movie stars are moving to Charleston, and it is one of the most concentrated centers of wealth in this country. It’s also famous for art (Spoleto), culture, and history—and entertainment galore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sinners' Opera (Obsession) by [ Nightingale, Linda]

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X3RSRXQ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

~~~~~~~~~~~

Sinners’ Opera

From The Wild Rose Press

Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor

Editor: Callie Lynn Wolfe

Release Date: October 7, 2019

Digital Price:

Rating: Spicy

Buy Link:

Book Video https://youtu.be/hSsuAW7-UPE

Blurb:

Morgan D'Arcy is an English lord, a classical pianist, and a vampire. He has everything except what he desires most—Isabeau. As the Angel Gabriel he’s steered her life and career choice, preparing her to become Lady D'Arcy. Many forces oppose Morgan's daring plan—not the least of which is Vampyre law.

Isabeau Gervase is a brilliant geneticist Though she no longer believes in angels, she sees a ticket to a Nobel Prize in Gabriel's secrets—secrets that have led her to a startling conclusion. Gabriel isn't human, and she fully intends to identify the species she named the Angel Genome. Morgan is ready to come back into Isabeau's life, but this time as a man not an angel. Will he outsmart his enemies, protect his beloved and escape death himself? For the first time in eternity, the clock is ticking.

Excerpt:

Chapter 27 – Confrontations

Do not speak ill of society, Algie.

Only people who can't get in do that.

Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

As she strolled to the bathroom, she flung over her shoulder, “I had a visitor today.”

My attention snapped to matters other than her dynamite figure. I pictured John Payne daring to enter my home. Fury and indignation ping-ponged in my head. “Who?”

“Kirsty,” she called. “We need to talk.”

Four words that strike terror in the heart of every man. I fled to the window, opened the curtains, the UV proofing and the shutters to listen to night song. A sea-scented breeze cooled my cheeks. Mortal thoughts and voices washed over me. Idly, I eavesdropped on young lovers strolling by the sea. A white horse and buggy rolled down the Battery. On the horizon, ship lights twinkled. The scene was peaceful. I felt I belonged with them, a part of the simple beauty of everyday life. I’d never been as content...and happy at long last.

The patter of the shower lured me to the bath. Steam billowed from the brass and glass enclosure. I’d had the glass etched with the St. Averil griffin. The black granite and gold fixtures were new. While the outside kitchen was transformed into Issie’s lab, I’d had the master bath renovated to remind me of my London Mews house. Feeling languorous, I joined Isabeau under the warm spray.

“Wash my back.” She rotated her shoulders. “Kirsty was angry with me for disappearing. She accused you of putting me under a spell. Little does she know you actually can.” The back I was soaping turned to stone. “Did you? Am I enthralled?”

I bent to kiss her neck, and she wriggled back against me. “I’ll never force you to do anything against your will. You’re not under any vampire enchantment of my making.”

“Oh, you are enchanting.” She turned, slid her arms around my waist and kissed me, water sluicing over our faces. “I believe you. I trust you. But my friend turning against me hurt.”

“I’m sure it did.” I ran the back of my hand down her cheek.

About Linda:

After 14 years in Texas, Linda just returned home to her roots. She has seven published novels, four of which are available from Audible.com in audio. For many years, she bred, trained and showed Andalusian horses. So, she’s seen a lot of this country from the windshield of a truck pulling a horse trailer. Our local author has won several writing awards, including the Georgia Romance Writers’ Magnolia Award and the SARA Merritt. She retired from a career as a legal assistant at MD Anderson Cancer Center to write full time.

She has 2 wonderful sons—one in Texas; one in England—and 4 equally marvelous grandchildren.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LNightingale

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaNightingaleAuthor

Web Site: http://www.lindanightingale.com – Visit and look around. There’s a free continuing vampire story.

Blog: https://lindanightingale.wordpress.com/ - Lots of interesting guests & prizes

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4839311.Linda_Nightingale

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Happy week, everyone!

Linda

Friday, June 14, 2019

Mutated DNA, Morgan and You

In my mythos, my vampires never died to be resurrected corpses. They are mutants, a virus having altered their mortal DNA into immortals with powers greater than their original human selves.

My anthology, Morgan D’Arcy: A Vampyre Rhapsody and in the soon to be released Sinners’ Opera, the book of my heart, both star Morgan D’Arcy, my favorite of my characters. These vampires can’t bear sunlight, but the Cross and garlic have no effect on them. The vampires as a race are called Vampyre. Morgan is something of a rebel and determined to marry a mortal. Lucien, the Chief Councilor of the council that rules the Vampyre, must prevent him from doing so. Rhapsody is now available on Amazon and other on-line sites.

Back to the mutated DNA! Interestingly enough, I found the information below on the internet. My viral mutations are actually possible (maybe not to the extent in my books yet still within reason):

Date: January 8, 2010

Source: University of Texas at Arlington

Summary:

“About eight percent of human genetic material comes from a virus and not from our ancestors, according to a new study. The research shows that the genomes of humans and other mammals contain DNA derived from the insertion of bornaviruses, RNA viruses whose replication and transcription takes place in the nucleus.”

In the 2000s, a scientist at the University of Michigan studied people with HIV and found other viruses in the blood of these subjects. Surprisingly, these viruses came from within the patients’ own DNA.

Retroviruses, including HIV, share three common genes: gag, which gives rise to the inner shell that stores the virus’s genes; env makes knobs on the outer surface of the virus, allowing it to adhere to the cells and invade them; and finally pol. The latter makes an enzyme which introduces the virus’s genes into the host cell’s DNA."

Actually, the human genome contains segments of DNA matching pol, env, and gag. Scientists have found sizeable quantity of retrovirus DNA in our genes, in fact, as stated above, eight percent of the human genome. Both in human and other species, studies of these endogenous retroviruses reveal that they have genetically merged with the human DNA. Retroviruses regularly infected our ancestors, but rarely infected sperm or an egg, but when they did, they managed to permeate an embryo, new cells in the embryo inheriting the retrovirus DNA. When the child grew into an adult and produced offspring, the DNA of the virus was transmitted as well.
So, Morgan, Lucien and the Vampyre could possibly exist.

Happy Friday! You have viral altered DNA. J

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

You Own Me by @MeganSlayer #shifters #paranormal #erom #magic

You Own Me

Book 2 in the Battle Scarred Series

Megan Slayer Publications

Contemporary, Paranormal, Action/Adventure

Vampires, Shifters, Magic, M/F, BDSM, Anal Sex, Spanking

When the rest of the world fails, we’ve got each other.  

Always.  

Creighton Leigh likes to play by his own rules—until he’s tasked with defending the other Supers. Not a problem. He’s called by the Sources, the mystical beings in charge of the universe, to find his mate. There’s only one problem—he’s convinced he’s already got her in his arms.   Will he be able to embrace the will of the Sources while following his heart?

 Vanessa Skye loves her tiger shifter. He’s everything she’s ever wanted in a man and a dominant. But her will and the will of the Sources isn’t the same. They have other ideas for her man.  

Sometimes accepting the future means letting go, but she’s not leaving him without a fight.

Available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GRF85KM/

Anywhere ebooks are sold: https://books2read.com/u/bQ9GoD

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/you-own-me/id1434367860?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/you-own-me-10

Bn: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/you-own-me-megan-slayer/1123369124?ean=2940156066995

EXCERPT:

“You were summoned, weren’t you?”

“Yes.” The moment he replied, he wished he hadn’t been asked the question. He hated to admit he’d been summoned, because then he’d have to explain that Vanessa wasn’t his pasha. The color drained from Kynan’s pale face, but he didn’t say anything.

“Summoned? By whom and for what?” Vanessa slid out of his arms and stood. She smoothed her T-shirt down her curvy frame. “What’s going on, and why do I have a bad feeling about what you’re going to say?”

Shit. He knew this would happen. Creighton leaned against the wall and forked his fingers into his hair. “The sources called on me. It’s my time to find my mate and build up my power so we can fight the war.”

“When do we get started?” Vanessa asked. “I’m game.”

“It’s—it’s not that simple.” Kynan nodded and folded his arms. Once he’d found his pasha, Lexa, he’d been able to step out of the shadows and walk in the light. He was still a vampire but much more powerful. “Finding one’s mate can be life or death. Vanessa, you should go back to your suite and talk to Creighton.” He nodded and left them alone in the hallway.

“Yeah,” Creighton said and pushed off the wall. “This is complicated.”

“Okay.” Vanessa offered her hand. “Let’s do this thing. How do we make you all super and powerful?” She threaded their fingers together. “Hot sex? Special words? Hot sex and special words? Come on, I’m trying to lighten the mood a little.”

“I know you are.” He draped his arm around her shoulders. “I appreciate it.” He opened the door to the suite they shared. “It’s a long process, finding my mate. I need to soul search and follow my heart.”

“I’m right here. Done.” She bounced into the room ahead of him. “Now what?”

Creighton stood in the doorway. How the hell was he going to crush her spirit and tell her the truth when he wasn’t so sure the sources were correct? Down in his gut, he believed she was his pasha. “Like I said, it’s complicated. Sit, and we’ll talk.” And hopefully you’ll still count me as your friend when all of this is over.