It's In The Blood by Juanita Aydlette - Novel Spotlight

I'm pleased to welcome fellow author and dog lover, Juanita Aydlette today, with her latest release 'It's In The Blood'. Be sure to read the excerpt and watch the video below. Sounds like a real edge of the seat read!

BLURB:

Never stare at a shirtless hunk with green eyes. Gabrielle Madsen is drawn in by

such a pair of eyes that captures her soul and leaves her a prisoner of an addictive kind of love--not that she's complaining. But her educational trip turns out to be more than just a fun-filled summer escapade.

She’s faced with a life-changing decision that could affect the world around her.
Her discovery of this ancient, legend-come-to-life proves to be deadly, but her heart can’t break away. She and Josh Van Ness fall in love and must battle the forces that want to keep them apart.

EXCERPT:

Away from the open menagerie was a path surrounded by dense trees. It was across a narrow decorative bridge built into the landscape. The thick greenery provided a shady side to the open garden. A spotlight created by the sun beckoned to me from inside and I walked away from the others. My eyes were fixed on the pink and red groundcover that glimmered with a hypnotic seduction. I ventured toward the fragrant breeze, unaware of how far I had strayed.

After only a few yards inside the cover of the trees, my body was seized again by a rumble and a frightening snarl. A chill blanketed me and I couldn’t move. I didn’t dare look around, for the back of my blouse had already been saturated by the heated moisture from the breath of the beast. My first instinct was to scream, but fear had stolen my voice. So I took a deep breath and held it. The scent of horror filled my lungs. It was familiar. Was I being stalked by the animal that lurked outside my hotel grounds?

Help me please, rang inside my head. My eyes squeezed shut as its sharp fangs pinched my shoulder. Tears filled my eyes and my hands formed a fist. I waited to feel my bones snap when suddenly, it let go. The leaves crunched. The sound grew fainter by the second, then nothing. My eyes remained closed as I trembled and listened.

“Miss?” A woman’s voice severed my nightmare. “I saw you come out here. We’re getting ready to go to another area. You don’t want to be left behind.”

Without hesitation I ran past her, clutching my throat and sobbing. The other tourists were boarding the van and I made my way to the back. The woman I believed saved me from certain death, came and sat beside me.

“Hi. My name is Kara. Are you okay?” She placed her hand on my shoulder.

“Did you see anything?” I searched her eyes for a confirmation. “An animal? It was behind me.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see anything,” she said and smiled.

“Was it a spider?” the little lady with the blinding yellow blouse asked.

“No. Never mind, Kara. I guess I’m just tired. Thank you for checking on me.”

“You’re welcome, you take care.” She quickly returned to her seat.

My body trembled as the bus came to stop. I ran from the tourist center to the hotel. Once inside the bathroom, I stripped and examined my shoulder. A painful bruise was both in front and in back. I cried out loud, shook convulsively, and then laughed hysterically. Was I going mad?

About the Author:

Juanita Aydlette is from Shreveport, Louisiana, and now lives in Texas.  She’s the only girl in a family of four brothers. She love music, planting flowers and is a dog lover…that’s why she works at an animal clinic.

Find out more about Juanita at:

http://thesouloffiction.com/

https://www.facebook.com/juanita.aydlette

https://www.facebook.com/Class-Act-Books-279355422086332/?fref=ts

Twitter: @Juanita Aydlette

BUY LINKS:

Publisher’s website: http://www.classactbooks.com/component/virtuemart/cat-fantasy/it-s-in-the-blood-716-detail?Itemid=0

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Its-Blood-Juanita-Aydlette-ebook/dp/B01KEC287G/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1471477043&sr=8-3&keywords=It%27s+in+the+Blood

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/658257

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! 
http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join 

Every new subscriber will get a free download of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com) Every new subscriber will get a free download of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com) and I'll make sure you get your copy.

Saven Defiance Release Day, #Giveaway and Review

EXCERPT FROM SAVEN DEFIANCE

The sun shines high from an elevated position in the sky, beating a burning path straight for us. My feet sink into the thick, dense sand of the desert, to the point where my legs throb with the effort involved in walking. Sweat coats my skin like a new outer layer, and my clothes are practically welded to my body at this stage.

The frosty reception—from Haydn—is in direct contrast to the hot, humid climate. He continues to ignore my questions as he guides me toward the ship that has just shimmered into existence in front of us.

It’s as if we share a cloak of invisibility—this ship and I.

“Where’s Logan?” I ask for the umpteenth time, channeling more patience than I ordinarily possess.

Haydn’s response is to tighten his grasp on my arm and clamp his lips shut. I inwardly sigh as I glance around me. Neve is escorting Izzy on my left, and Rylan is guiding a cuffed Axton in front of us. Every so often, Ax peeks over his shoulder at me, a stern frown creasing his forehead.

I’m as confused as he is. I don’t understand why I’m being treated like a common criminal, because the three Saven—whom I thought were my friends—are refusing to talk. “Please, Haydn. Where is he? Is he okay?” My breath huffs out in exasperated spurts at the unrelenting chilly silence.

“Walk ahead of me,” he instructs as we approach the open mouth of the craft. It’s the first time he has spoken since the ominous “Make one false move and I’ll shoot” comment he threw at me when the three Saven first appeared here. Wherever here is, because I’ve no clue how I managed to teleport us safely from Torc or where we landed.

Ax and Izzy are ascending the walkway into the belly of the ship, and I trail behind them. A welcome, familiar face is waiting to greet me at the top of the steps. Fern leans against the railing, her usual sunny features obscured behind a mantle of worry. Spotting me, she brightens for a split second until she takes in my transparent prisoner status.

She skips toward us with purpose. “What the hell?” Piercing Haydn with a murderous glare, she deposits her hands on her slim hips.

“Don’t. Interfere.” He growls out a warning as he pushes past her, hauling me along for the ride.

I shrug my shoulders as I eyeball my friend. “Don’t ask me for an explanation. No one is even speaking to me.”

“This is completely ridiculous, and totally unnecessary,” Fern yells as she stalks behind us like a miniature tornado.

“Babe,” Rylan says, stalling on the steps above us. “Let’s get to the cabin and we’ll clear everything up.”

Haydn snorts and shakes his head. I deliberately impale him with my penetrating gaze, willing him to look at me so he can absorb the full glare of my frustration. But he’s as stubborn as ever, and he pretends not to feel my eyes burning a hole through the side of his skull. As I continue to stare at him—noting the ashen pallor of his skin and how his once shorn hair has grown out, now curling and twisting around his ears and over his neck—I wonder if I’ve ever really known him at all. Or if he has ever truly known me.

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon.com:              http://amzn.to/1XlQTJG 

Amazon.co.uk:            http://amzn.to/1UiZh69 

Amazon Canada:        http://amzn.to/1Y59vwD  

Amazon Australia:       http://bit.ly/24lkLo6 

Amazon India:             http://amzn.to/22ARI0D  

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR SAVEN DEFIANCE

"Everything Siobhan publishes has a touch of breath-taking suspense, complex characters that engage your interest, and new worlds that pique the imagination. Saven Defiance is no different." Goodreads Reviewer

"Siobhan has knocked it out of the park! Saven Defiance has all of the things we love about her writing - action, romance, plot twists, and characters that we are drawn to ... this book is amazing." Goodreads Reviewer

"Siobhan Davis is hands down one of the best YA authors writing today. She creates wonderful characters, amazing worlds, and provides them with solid, entertaining storylines." Goodreads Reviewer

"Saven Defiance has soul-deep romance, heart-pounding action, amazing characters, gut-wrenchingly intense moments, and once you start it you will be drawn into the story so completely ... sleep be damned!" I Have a Book Obsession
           

"Saven Defiance is another incredible notch on the literary belt of Siobhan Davis and her crazy-wicked imagination." Tome Tender

MY REVIEW
I've read all the Saven novels so far and unlike some series they just keep getting better. There are so many revelations in this latest book - unexpected family relationships, power plays, deceptions and intrigue, and the action does not let up.  A real page turner. This really is one of those 'roller coaster' reads where one wonders how on earth Sadie will get out of this one! I have to say Sadie is not my favourite character - which is not to say I don't like her, she has a lot of admirable qualities, although I do find her a little annoying at times.There are so many great, multi-dimensional characters in this series, who are very easy to identify with. Another great plus for me is the world building. There are some fantastic descriptions and the settings really come alive in the minds eye, through Siobahn Davis's skillful  way with words which put the reader right there, in the worlds of her imagination.  The cliff-hanger ending is what I have come to expect from this author and prepares us for yet another layer of intrigue in this hugely enjoyable series.

I can recommend this as a 'must read' for anyone who likes edge of the seat suspensful Scence Fiction/Fantasy and doesn't mind having to wait for the next book!

Five comets from me.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

S.H.A.Y. Spotlight and #Giveaway

S.H.A.Y.

The Almost Series

Book One

Christina Leigh Pritchard

Genre: NA S-F Romance

Publisher: Limitless Publishing

Date of Publication: 8/16/16

Word Count: 20-25k approx

Cover Artist: Deranged Doctor Design

Tagline: “Experiment 318: Gone Rogue”

Book Description:

Shay is scientific experiment #318. Science may have created her, but she refuses to allow it to blind her to the difference between right and wrong…

Synthetic Hominid Assumed Youth (S.H.A.Y.) is eighteen years old, which means she has completed Phase One: Developmental. Shay no longer requires the assistance of her Optional Human Parent, Darla, who has guided her in the process of discovering her morality. Shay loves her easy, charming life aboard the marine research facility and doesn’t want it to change.

Phase Two: Experimental. All S.H.A.Y. ages 18-20 will experience loss…

Darla shouldn’t have to die because of an experiment. The thought of losing the only parent she’s ever known is too much. Determined to make sure the scientists at the facility don’t get their way, Shay entraps Darla in a transport device to escape across the Miami Border. There, on the mainland, law enforcement will keep her human parent safe. 

Escape Mission: Failed…

Shay crashes into one of the Lone Keys off the coast of Florida, abandoned to all humanity, except for the stranger who drags her ashore. Shay must get Darla to safety or she will die of radiation poisoning trapped inside the Freeze Portal, but Shay can’t do it alone.

The boy who found her, an Ersatz Reproduction Intelligence Clone (E.R.I.C.), is her only hope. He has adaptation skills she needs to complete her mission. Eric was created by the same scientists who want to kill Darla, though. She tries to keep their interaction strictly business, but it’s hard to hate him. He’s flirty, charming and not to mention devastatingly handsome.

Shay must put her trust in Eric’s hands if she wants to save Darla from her fate. It may be worth her heart, but will it be worth her life?

Excerpt:

S.H.A.Y. argues with the E.R.I.C.

“Well then, I’m not going to get in the water.” I bent over, snatching my clothes. He helped me, handing me my shirt. I snatched it from him. “I’ll just wait up here for you to get back.”

He laughed, poking me in the stomach. “Look, creampuff, I’m not going in without you.”

“Oh yes you will, or I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Talk to yourself some more?”

I narrowed my eyes at him, stumbling as I tugged my pants on.

“You’re the one who needs my help, remember?”

“You make me sick.” My shirt slipped down over my head and I struggled with the buttons.

He smiled. “Take your clothes off.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

Amie groaned. She stood beside me, rolling her eyes. “You’re just creating more and more sexual tension with the E.R.I.C. Soon, you’ll forget all about your Darla and I’ll have no human mother for S.H.A.Y. 319.”

“I won’t!” I unzipped my pants again. “I’ll do whatever it takes to save them both.”

Eric backed away. “Whoa, there, I was just teasing you.”

“I’m not talking to you.”

He rolled his eyes. “Right, I forgot, you have others here with you.”

“I’m not doing this for you, you’re the enemy. I’m trying to save my, my—”

“You’re trying to save your ‘what’ exactly?”

“It doesn’t concern you. Just follow me into the water. That way, we can get started.”

“Are you hitting on me?” His eyes widened. “I enjoy a little banter and all, but—”

I shoved him. “Like I’d ever flirt with you.”

About the Author:

Christina Leigh Pritchard was born and raised in South Florida. Her first stories were written at the age of nine in spiral notebooks and in the various diaries she kept.

Since she's upgraded to a computer, she's completed over fifty books, including her ALMOST Series, signed with Limitless Publishing.

Christina Leigh Pritchard is still going strong with many more to come! Her genre's include science fiction, dark fantasy, young adult, drama, suspense, historical romance, multicultural, comedy, poetry and many more.

Web: http://www.christinaleighpritchard.com   

Twitter: www.twitter.com/teeny120    

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Christina-Leigh-Pritchard-118941638145057   

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3240669.Christina_Leigh_Pritchard  

Tour giveaway

25.00 GIFT CARD & AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF S.H.A.Y.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join   Every new subscriber will get a free download of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com) Every new subscriber will get a free download of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com)

I always knew Jane Eyre was strong...

...but I never expected to come across her at a steam rally!

As a romance write, I loved Jane Ayre of course, but I was quite surprised to come across her name at a local steam rally. There was  a large variety of steam engines at this particular show, as well as tractors, vintage cars and heavy horses. Some of the engines were even scaled down miniatures - perfect replicas of the full sized versions.

Getting back to Jane Eyre - we love our strong heroines, and Charlotte Bronte's Jane was  certainly a strong character. The steam version proved her physical strength  by winching another traction engine, twice her size, across the arena. The larger engine isn't reversing, it's actually being pulled across by little Jane Eyre!


As well as the magnificent steam engines and vintage farm vehicles there was also a display of beautiful heavy horses, Shires, Percherons (the greys) and the lovely chestnut Suffolk Punches, my favourites.

The Percherons and The Suffolk Punches were driven as 'four in hands' and some of the other horses were pulling vintage farm implements, a Welsh hay sled and an Irish hay cart.(You may want to turn the sound down for the videos it was rather windy, so I apologise for the sound quality.)

I hope you enjoy these photos and videos bringing back images of a bygone era.





For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join   Every new subscriber will get a free download of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com) Every new subscriber will get a free download of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com) and I'll make sure you get your copy.

The Son of Dark - Guest Post

I am delighted to welcome Jeremy Higley to the Flightdeck today, to tell you about himself and his book 'The Son Of Dark'

Author Bio:

Jeremy Higley was born in California but now lives in Arizona. As of 2016 he’s a graduate student working on a master’s degree in English. He’s also an instructional aide at a local elementary

school, a novelist, and a contributing editor for a nonprofit student success company called LifeBound

Let's hear from Jeremy himself:

When writing a “swords and sorcery” style fantasy like The Son of Dark, it is very easy to let the sorcery overpower the swords. I’ve noticed this trend in so many fantasies, and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For my book, though, I wanted a more even playing field. I wanted magic to be ever present, certainly, but when fight scenes came I didn’t want my non-magical characters to be deadweight.

To make this work, I had to do two things. First I had to build my magic system with weaknesses that sword-users could take advantage of. Second, I had to write non-magical characters who could still hold their own in a world full of magic.

In many ways the magic system for The Son of Dark is very traditional. For wizards, magic is performed through a language of power, and the strength of the spell comes from the energy of the wizard’s soul. This has its obvious disadvantages when fighting. It takes time to explain to the elements around you that you want them to do something, and whether your spell is offensive or defensive, time is something a swordsman isn’t going to give you. The very versatility of language becomes a drawback. There are a hundred things a wizard might say in response to a sword thrust. While all the possibilities are crossing the wizard’s mind, his practiced opponent doesn’t need to think deeply in order to deliver a killing blow with a sword.

Further, the wizard can’t influence the swordsman directly with his magic.

The magic still has its bite, though. Wizards can call swords to them or turn them against their opponents, turn sand to glass and throw shards of it in all directions, or conjure flesh onto dead bones to create terrifying allies. Dragons can possess humans, or create a magical kind of fire that ignores flesh and cloth and burns the very blood inside your veins. Thrown into this magical world are characters like Zar, Morkin, and Largalarg.

Zar is easily the least magical major character in The Son of Dark. He’s a pirate turned merchant, and his most valuable asset in a fight against magic is his quick decision-making. He takes in a situation quickly and determines the best, most logical course. Before swords are drawn and spells are spoken, he has often already leveled the playing field by changing the environment to his advantage.

Morkin quickly becomes Zar’s most trusted ally, in spite of a vague background and even vaguer motives. The idea behind Morkin has always been that of a man who has turned a disability into a weapon. He and his entire people are cursed with silence…they can neither hear nor be heard. This silence extends to all human noises, including footsteps, clapping, and breathing. As a result, Morkin has perfected a ninja-like regimen of skills.

Largalarg, on the other hand, is a ten-foot-tall troll known as a Grag. Grags are known for making good non-magical mercenaries, and sure enough Largalarg serves as Zar’s personal bodyguard. His weapon of choice is a ball and chain, and his superior size and strength makes this a formidable choice indeed. Though impractical on a medieval battlefield, I figured that in a one-on-ten fight, wielded by a behemoth like Largalarg, a cannonball on a length of chain would be a sensible option.

Balancing the world so that characters like this could hold their own against magic-users was a personal goal of mine as a writer, as I hope I can demonstrate with the excerpt below.

Excerpt from The Son of Dark:

Marga pointed to the south. Zar didn’t turn, but he heard a gasp of recognition from Skel.

“Aja-aja,” he said with concern. “Three of them, about two miles away.”

Zar sighed in trepidation. The aja-aja were rare, enormous snakes prowling the Eltar plains, preying on elephants and any herders foolish enough to attack them. They had three heads each and stocky, powerful bodies to match, and could grow to over forty feet long. They killed and then predigested their prey by spitting streams of corrosive poison from their mouths.

“The aja-aja will be no problem,” he bluffed, staring into Marga’s eyes. “I have two magic-users with me now, a wizard and a Phage. They’re perfectly capable of dispatching a few overgrown snakes.”

“If so, then I’ll simply have to wait longer to be reunited with my precious one,”

the Wyvern said, eyeing the flattened snake corpses around her.

Something inside Zar began to burn like a fuse at the words “precious one.”

“You knew her before, I presume,” he continued, his voice much quieter. “Before you kidnapped her, I mean, and took over her mind.”

“She was mine to take,” the Wyvern retorted through Marga’s lips. “She was always mine to take.”

The last words hissed from Marga’s mouth like a challenge. Zar’s fingers wrapped around his sword’s hilt. He wanted nothing more at this moment than a way to strike at

his enemy, but the Wyvern was far, far away.

“If you want her,” Zar said, “you’ll have to kill me.”

“Too risky,” the Wyvern replied. “You crave nothing more than to die for her. To kill you might break my grip.”

“If you don’t kill me she will never truly be yours,” Zar said. He walked to within an arm’s length of her. “As long as there’s breath in me, I will always be fighting to free

her.”

“I’m sure you mean that,” the Wyvern said. “Once you’re dead, there’s nothing to stop me from singing her back to me.”

Buy Links:

Publisher’s website:  http://www.classactbooks.com/index.php/component/virtuemart/cat-young-adult/the-son-of-dark-tales-of-the-darksome-thorn-book-1-detail?Itemid=0

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Son-Dark-Darksome-Thorn-Book-ebook/dp/B01IG983XC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469025983&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Son+of+Dark+by+Jeremy+Higley#navbar

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Son-Dark-Darksome-Thorn-Book-ebook/dp/B01IG983XC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469026331&sr=1-1&keywords=The+SOn+of+Dark+by+Jeremy+Higley

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/650660

Social Media:

www.darksomethorn.com

https://www.facebook.com/darksomethorn/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeremy.higley.3?fref=ts 

                   https://www.facebook.com/darksomethorn/

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-higley-93b0b418

Google+: https://plus.google.com/100303315189666735431

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join   Every new subscriber will get a free download of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com) Every new subscriber will get a free download of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com)

Reviews - a great post by Rosie Amber

I'm giving my Monday's ramblings   over to Rosie Amber today. She's written a great post on her blog about reviews - of you're hesitant about leaving a review for a book I think she explains why reviews are so important to an author and need not be a problem to write, very succinctly.

Check out her article here:

https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/4-quick-ways-to-write-a-bookreview-and-overcome-your-fears-mondayblogs/

Also this follow up post by UK author and fellow RNA member, Lizzie Lamb
https://lizzielamb.co.uk/2016/07/30/how-to-write-a-review-and-help-your-favourite-authors/comment-page-1/#comment-7535

And, of course if you've read any of my books and would care to leave an Amazon Review, I would be truly grateful - thank you so much.

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join   Every new subscriber will get a free download of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com) Every new subscriber will get a free download of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com)