Cover reveal: ‘Armageddon Rules’ by J. C. Nelson
Posted: September 28, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: book covers, urban fantasy Leave a commentNote from Cass: This is book two in the Grimm Agency series. If you want to see the equally gorgeous cover of book one, JC guest posted on my blog last month. (Also, the guest post is awesome too. Check it out!)
Marissa Locks, newly appointed partner of the Grimm Agency, has a reputation for making a mess of magical matters—although causing Armageddon is a new low, even for her…
Marissa is due for a little happily ever after. After all, she did kill the evil Fairy Godmother, end a war, and snag a sweet promotion within the Fairy Godfather’s magical-problem-solving Agency. But between maintaining a relationship with someone whose amorous advances can cause third-degree burns, dealing with a killer-poodle infestation, and helping her best friend, Princess Ari, learn to wield spells more powerful than curing a hangover, she’s not getting as much peace and quiet as she hoped.
When an enemy from her past appears to exact a terrible revenge, Marissa’s life goes from hectic to hell on earth. With Grimm inexplicably gone and Ari trapped by a sleeping spell, Marissa decides to fight fire with hellfire—and accidentally begins a countdown to the apocalypse.
With the end of days extremely nigh, Marissa will have to master royal politics, demonic law, and biblical plagues in a hurry—because even the end of the world can’t keep the Agency from opening for business…
Chapter excerpt
In my defense, I didn’t mean to start the Apocalypse. It wasn’t just my personal aversion to oblivion, I had a clear financial motive: the end of the world is bad for business.
Speaking of business, that Monday began the same way almost every Monday had for the last three weeks: with a plague. Last week it was frogs.
I rolled into the office at about nine forty-five, and, as usual, the Agency was pure chaos. Rosa — our receptionist — was opening a fresh container of Taser darts and we’d only been open for forty-five minutes.
“Miss Locks, you gotta help.” A man in an orange jumpsuit with “Corrections Department” stamped in block letters down the side grabbed my shoulder as I walked past, spinning me around. “I gotta get me a wish.”
Strike one: Escaping from a garbage pickup crew. Strike two: Putting grubby fingers on my brand new top. Strike three: Calling me “Miss” instead of “Ms.” Locks. Far as I was concerned, Miss Locks left the building the day I turned eighteen and hadn’t been seen around here since.
“I’ll make a few calls.” To the police, if possible. To the morgue, if necessary.
He nodded gratefully and sat down on a bench.
I slipped through the “Staff Only” door, made it to the kitchen and almost poured a cup of coffee before the screaming started. One should never face disaster without caffeine. So I got my coffee and headed back out to the lobby, strolling through the door to see exactly what we’d been struck with.
Rats ran everywhere. They scrabbled on the walls, gnawed on the furniture and covered the floor like a shag carpet from 1973. In the middle of the lobby stood a teenage girl, six foot tall, rail thin with platinum blonde hair. Her clothes hung in tatters from bony white arms, and red blotches surrounded each of her many, many piercings. Her extravagant collection of tattoos spoke of poor impulse control and even worse decision making skills. She looked up at me with baleful eyes. “Please. I need help.”
I glanced around the room. The couple nearest the door held a cage with a amphibian I could only loosely call a frog. In the corner waited a group of kobolds. Roughly five feet tall, and with humanoid features except for their scaled skin and forked tongues, these Germanic lizard-men came every Monday to demand and be refused Grimm’s help in forming a professional soccer team. That left the homeless guy by the door, a man we called Payday George. He still hadn’t figured out this wasn’t a payday loan joint, probably because most days I felt sorry for him and just give him a twenty. I opened the staff door and waved to the girl. “Come on.”
Rosa glowered at me, mumbling curses in Spanish. She hated when I picked clients, and if she had her way, we’d take them one at a time, from number one to number six-hundred in exactly that order. Even if fifty-three was a starving fungal giant and sixty-two was a samurai with a serious shitake addiction. To her credit, Rosa kept her mouth shut. One does not argue with the boss.
We headed down the hall to a conference room, me, the girl, and enough rats to supply a hot dog factory running three shifts, seven days a week. I took a seat on one side of the table, she took a seat on the other and the rats took seats everywhere. Flicking one off my knee, I began the interview. “So what exactly do you want me to do for you?”
Tears smudged the sludge of makeup she wore, and she waved her arms around. “Duh. Isn’t it obvious?”
Absolutely. Obvious that she needed help. Figuring out which kind first, that was the hard part. I walked over and ran my fingers through her tangled, crispy hair, took a good look at all sixteen rings in her ear and the tasteful depiction on her shoulder of what was either Bob Dylan in “The Man in the Long Black Coat”, or a velociraptor playing acoustic guitar. “We can help. First, let’s take out those piercings. I’ll get you some alcohol and a prescription for some antibiotics. Your hair is crunchy from whatever you used to bleach it, and the tattoos are going to take years to remove.”
A rat jumped into my coffee and poked its head out. The girl stared as I fished it out by the tail, set it on the table, and handed it a sugar cube.
“What about the rats?”
I took another sip of coffee, which tasted Parisian, with a hint of rat. “What about them?”
“The only thing I need is for you to get rid of the rats.” She shivered.
I pushed a box of tissues across to her. “What’s your name?”
She scratched out a tissue and wiped her eyes. The tissue caught in her makeup and left shreds clinging to her cheeks. “Elizabeth. I like Beth.”
I brushed the rats out of the way and sat down on the table, my mind already made up. “Well, Beth, I have good news and bad news. Good news is I can help with the hair, the piercings, and I’ve got a lady in my wardrobe department who can teach you how to use less than a pound of cosmetics a day. The bad news, I’m not going to do a thing about the rats.”
She stared at me as her brain tried to process what I said. I leaned across and patted her hand. “You look hungry.” Truth was, she looked like one of those commercials for starving kids. I used to watch TV, and every once in a while I’d see commercials where you could mail order a kid for fifty dollars a month. Always wanted to try, but given my track record with pets, I’d signed an agreement with animal control that anything more than a goldfish required daily home visitation. Anyway, Beth reminded me of those kids.
“I can’t eat. Every time I try to eat the rats take it from me.”
I should’ve asked about her credit. I should’ve asked Rosa if her application was complete, but one look at her said I’d found my charity case for the week. “I’m going to order a pizza or two. I’ll have one of my employees bring a barrel of garbage up from the dumpster to distract your companions. I need you to sit tight for a bit, okay?”
She nodded and put her head down on the table. Walking out the door, on the way to my office, I made a mental note to have the table cleaned, or burned, or both.
About JC
A Texas transplant to the Pacific Northwest, JC Nelson lives with a family and a flock of chickens near rainy Seattle.
Media Links for JC Nelson
Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest
Goodreads
Buy Free Agent now
Pre-order Armageddon Rules
Blitz: ‘Running Away’ by Julie Hutchings (The Shinigami series, #2)
Posted: September 27, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: book covers, new adult, urban fantasy Leave a comment
Eliza Morgan is desperate to escape the horrors of her mortal life and understand why death follows her, leaving only one man, Nicholas French, in its wake. He’s the one she loves, the one she resents, and the one fated to make her legendary among the Shinigami — an ancient order of vampires with a “heroic” duty to kill. He’s also decaying before her eyes, and it’s her fault.
On the ghostlike mountaintop in Japan that the vampires consider home, Eliza will be guided by the all-powerful Master for her transition to Shinigami death god. When Eliza discovers that sacrificing her destiny will save Nicholas, she’s not afraid to defy fate and make it so—even when Nicholas’s salvation kills her slowly with torturous, puzzle-piece visions that beg her to solve them. Both Nicholas and his beloved Master fight her on veering from the path to immortality, but Eliza won’t be talked out of her plan, even if it drives the wedge between Nicholas and her deeper.
Allying with the fiery rebel, Kieran, who does what he wants and encourages her to do the same, and a mysterious deity that only she can see, Eliza must forge her own path through a maze of ancient traditions and rivalries, shameful secrets and dark betrayals to take back the choices denied her and the Shinigami who see her as their savior. To uncover the truth and save her loved ones, Eliza will stop at nothing, including war with fate itself.
Note from Cass
Here’s an excerpt from my review of Running Home, the first book in this series:
This book is a bit like riding a roller coaster. It starts clicking along the track, and there’s a slow build … and then you get to the top of the first incline and it’s all waaaaaah!
If you haven’t read the first book, you totally should. BECAUSE THE SECOND ONE COMES OUT TODAY! SO EXCITE! This series has one of the most unique vampire mythologies I’ve ever seen, as well as snappy dialogue that I love.
About Julie
Julie’s debut novel, Running Home, giving you vampires with a Japanese mythology pants kicking is available through Books of the Dead Press. Julie revels in all things Buffy, has a sick need for exotic reptiles, and drinks more coffee than Juan Valdez and his donkey combined, if that donkey is allowed to drink coffee. Julie’s a black belt with an almost inappropriate love for martial arts. And pizza. And Rob Zombie. Julie lives in Plymouth, MA, constantly awaiting thunderstorms with her wildly supportive husband and two magnificent boys.
Julie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HutchingsJulie
Julie’s Blog: http://deadlyeverafter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeadlyEverAfterBlog
Julie on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7104966.Julie_Hutchings
Other books by Julie & Buy Links
Running Home on Goodreads and Amazon
Cover reveal and giveaway: ‘Isla’s Inheritance’ by ME!
Posted: August 30, 2014 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy | Tags: book covers, Isla's Inheritance 6 Comments
Oh my god. YOU GUYS! I’m so excited to finally be able to share my Isla’s Inheritance cover with all of you. Plus I decided to have a fabulous giveaway, to show my love! Scroll down below the pretties for details. ❤
Big thanks go to Kim at Turquoise Morning Press for the lovely cover, and also to another Kim, at KILA Designs, for the amazing banner. Kims rule!
Isla was content to let her father keep his secrets, but now she can’t stand the touch of iron and her dreams are developing a life of their own. She must discover the truth — before it’s too late.
Seventeen-year-old Isla Blackman only agrees to participate in a Halloween party séance because Dominic, an old crush, wants to. She is sure nothing will happen when they try to contact the spirit of her mother. But the séance receives a chilling reply.
SHE IS NOT DEAD.
Isla doesn’t want to upset her father by prying into the family history he never discusses. When the mysterious and unearthly Jack offers to help her discover the truth, Isla must master her new abilities to protect her loved ones from enemies she never knew existed.
Giveaway
Click HERE for your chance to win a $25 gift voucher from either Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winner’s choice).
About Cass
For another author’s cover reveal on my blog, a bio would normally go here. But since you guys already know more-or-less who I am (I assume!), here are three random facts about me:
- I’m not scared of spiders or snakes, but I am terrified of leeches.
- My childhood toy was a doll named Sarah. Sarah is also the name of Isla’s cousin. Coincidence?
I think not!Yes, actually. - My favourite colour is brown. Because coffee. And chocolate. And my gorgeous book cover. Wheeee!
Cover reveal: ‘Deceptive Cadence’ by Katie Hamstead
Posted: August 16, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: aussie-owned, book covers Leave a comment Genre: new-adult romance with paranormal elements
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Date of Release: to-be-confirmed
Cover Artist: Alexandria Thompson http://gothicfate.com/
Cadence awakes in a hospital to find her husband and daughter dead, killed in an earthquake. So when her guardian angel appears and offers her a chance to go back in time with all the knowledge she has, she accepts, desperate to prevent their deaths.
She shoots back eleven years to her fourteen-year-old self, and faces high school all over again. She is determined to do everything better, including preventing the loss of her best friend and not dating any of her original, drama-inducing boyfriends. Her main focus is on her future husband, who she won’t meet for several years.
But James Gordon crosses her path. While she wishes to remain single, the bad boy pursues her. He threatens to disrupt everything that is to come as she begins to develop unwanted feelings for him, and distract her from her original goal: to save her future family.
About Katie
Born and raised in Australia, Katie’s early years of day dreaming in the “bush”, and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing. After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. She is currently at school studying English and Creative Writing.
Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother. She now works as a Clerk with a lien company in Arizona to help support her family and her schooling. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.
Cover reveal: ‘Eventide’ by Christine Allen-Riley
Posted: August 14, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: book covers, urban fantasy Leave a commentEventide (Iron Falls, #1)
by Christine Allen-Riley
Release Date: 10/2014
The driver in a tragic car accident that killed her best friend, Devon Greer is consumed by guilt. When powerful hallucinations convince her that she’s seeing Rachael everywhere, Devon thinks she’s going crazy. But her friend isn’t truly gone.
To save Rachael from the faeries who stole her, Devon must pit herself against the Court of the Sidhe. Once she witnesses the true form of the fey, Devon’s life is in danger—and so are the lives of everyone she loves.
Now, Devon must not only protect herself, but also Jonah Seafort, Rachael’s cousin and the only person Devon can trust to help her. While the Sidhe walk among them, no one is safe…
About Christine
Lover of books, nature, cats and shiny things. Active disliker of cooking, cleaning and stress. Mom, freelance editor and YA author — also a bit of a nerd.
Author Links:
http://chrisallenriley.blogspot.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8389838.Christine_Allen_Riley
http://www.twitter.com/ChrisAllenRiley
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Allen-Riley/484216054955321?ref=ts&fref=ts
Cover reveal: ‘Restless in Peaceville’ by Pippa Jay
Posted: June 27, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: book covers, writing 1 Comment
Welcome to Peaceville, population 2067 and rising…from the grave…
Luke Chester has had enough. He’s the school geek, the girls laugh at him, he’s lost his dead-end job at the pizza place, and in the midst of the world’s messiest divorce his parents don’t even know he exists. An overdose of his mom’s tranquilizers and a stomach full of whiskey should solve all his problems…
But they don’t. Instead, Luke finds himself booted out of the afterlife for not dying a natural death, with nowhere to go but back to his recently vacated corpse and reality. How the hell is he going to pass for one of the living without someone trying to blow his brains out for being one of the undead?
And it just gets worse. He’s got to fight his own desperate craving to consume the living, evade the weird supernatural hunter who’s having a field day with the new undeads rising, and there’s this creepy black shadow following him around. Add to that the distraction of female fellow undead Annabelle burning to avenge her own murder, and clearly there’s no rest for the wicked. Jeez, all he wanted to do was R.I.P.
A YA supernatural novella, coming from Lycaon Press 20th August.
Add it to your Goodreads shelf HERE.
Sign up to Pippa’s no-spam newsletter HERE to get early sneak peeks at covers, and news of the latest releases, giveaways and contest.
Excerpt
Where the hell am I?
Not the most original question, I know, but it’s the best place to start. The only place. I don’t know where I am. I can’t remember where I was. What I was. But nothing about this place is familiar, and some part of me didn’t expect this.
There’s a line of people all the way to infinity. I’m not exaggerating—I do mean infinity. And it hurts to look at it because the human mind can’t handle that. Not completely. You think you know how that looks? You don’t. You can’t. Try to imagine the whole of creation. Can you see every last ant, every last star? No.
Around us—well, it’s a big gray hall. A really, really huge space, like an aircraft hangar kind of place, only no planes and no doors. In fact, no walls or roof either. The edges just blur into the darkness, as though none of it exists except the floor we’re standing on, and I’m not even sure about that. Looking up makes me giddy. You know when you’re dizzy from spinning around, and you lay down, but you feel as if you just keep on falling? That. So I don’t try it again. I keep my eyes away from the endless line of other people waiting. Instead, I stare at the back of the person in front of me and try not to think about where I am and what may be going on. Because now I have a nasty suspicion about it and what might have happened. My mind scurries away from the thought. This ain’t good.
Oh, by the by, my name is Luke Chester. That much I do know. I can’t be that old—my hands aren’t wrinkled or calloused, although there’s a cool scar across my left palm. My skin is pale gray. So are the long sleeves of my T-shirt. In fact everyone and everything is gray, just like the room. I stare at the guy in front of me, hoping for some clues. He has dreadlocks and his skin is so dark as to be almost black. He’s wearing a tank top, torn and covered with dark streaks that something tells me should be red, but, like everything else here, have no color. There are two deep slashes in the back of his neck, and more on his arms. They aren’t bleeding though. I guess they’ve all dried up, or maybe he’s all bled out. His jeans are ripped too, although that could be a fashion thing. I can’t see any wounds on his legs.
I look down at myself. My jeans are in one piece, but my feet are bare. I wriggle my toes and watch them dance like I’ve never seen them move before. I can’t feel the ground. I don’t feel warm or cold, just kind of numb, and distant. It’s as if I’m not really here, but clearly I am. What happened to me? How did I get here? That bothers me. I shouldn’t be here. Then again, I’m not sure where else I should be.
About Pippa
After spending twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay is now a stay-at-home mum who writes scifi and the supernatural. Somewhere along the way a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. In between torturing her plethora of characters, she spends the odd free moment playing guitar very badly, punishing herself with freestyle street dance, and studying the Dark Side of the Force. Although happily settled in the historical town of Colchester in the UK with her husband of 21 years and three little monsters, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.
Pippa Jay is a dedicated member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade, blogging at Spacefreighters Lounge, Adventures in Scifi, and Romancing the Genres. Her works include a YA science fiction novel—Gethyon—published through BURST (Champagne Books), two self-published short stories (Terms & Conditions Apply and The Bones of the Sea), and she’s one of eight authors included in a science fiction romance anthology—Tales from the SFR Brigade. She’s also a double SFR Galaxy Award winner, been a finalist in the Heart of Denver RWA Aspen Gold Contest (3rd place), and the GCC RWA Silken Sands Star Awards (2nd place).
You can stalk her at her website http://pippajay.co.uk, or at her blog http://pippajay.blogspot.co.uk, but without doubt her favorite place to hang around and chat is on Twitter as @pippajaygreen.
Top Ten Tuesday: Book Cover Trends
Posted: June 24, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: book covers, top ten tuesday 8 Comments
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday subject is book cover trends I like or dislike (or both!). I’ve mixed it up, colour-coding accordingly. But I can only think of two trends that I really dislike, and one I’m sitting on the fence on. Although there are bad examples of every trend I’ve listed, I’m more predisposed to loving the others.
I haven’t listed ten trends, only seven. That being said, I’ve got twelve examples of those seven. That TOTALLY counts, right?
Decapitated models. I’m not talking about covers that only show one part of the body, but the ones where the model is visible except for his or her (or their) face, which is cut off by the top of the page. It’s particularly common in YA at the moment—a popular example would The Moral Instruments trilogy by Cassandra Clare. (Although they have chins, I guess…) I get why book designers do this—to let the reader imagine the character’s appearance—but usually it looks to me like they couldn’t find the right model or, in the case of simpler covers (usually self-published), didn’t have the skills to Photoshop any changes required onto the stock image.
Body parts. It may seem fussy of me to not like decapitated models but like covers with body parts, but I do. It’s a question of whether it looks unfinished or deliberate. Twelve Steps by Veronica Bartles is an adorable example of only showing the feet that I think was done well; Cinder by Marissa Meyer is great too.
Models facing the other way. Another (IMO superior) way to not show the model’s face is to use stock where the model’s back is to the viewer. Ideally the thing they are looking at should also be interesting, and if they’re in a fabulous outfit all the better. The Archon by Sabrina Benulis is a good example of this. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake is another. (Their hair is blowing the same way. What’s that all about?!)
Inexplicable formalwear. I love a good ball gown as much as the next girl. But when a story has a modern setting and not a prom in sight, why is the main character dressed in a gown on the cover? Fallen by Lauren Kate has such a cover (and also a model hiding her face, although at least it hasn’t been lopped off). It’s gorgeous, but left me scratching my head.
Handwriting on a simple background. Although not my favourite cover type, this can be really striking when done right; at least, the covers certainly stand out. John Green’s The Fault in our Stars and J. K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy are both great, very distinct examples. I don’t know what Green’s other covers are like, but in Rowling’s case this style of cover tells the reader very clearly, “This isn’t Harry Potter!” It’s not my favourite cover (probably because of the colours) but I can see what it’s doing.
Abstract covers. I LOVE abstract covers—especially combined with bright colours (either a little splash or a whole lot). Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig (in fact, all of the Miriam Black books) has a great cover. Take a close look: Miriam is flying apart, into dozens of birds. How awesome is that? I also love this edition of The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth.
Silhouettes. Often these covers are also abstract (have another look at The Wild Girl, above), but not always. Silhouettes are another great way to let the reader imagine the character for themselves while still showing them. For example, Graceling by Kristin Cashore or Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey. (Yes, I know the top of Loup’s scalp in that second cover is missing. But her face is still there.)
What’s your favourite (or least favourite) cover trend?
Cover reveal: ‘Tethered’ by Pippa Jay
Posted: June 13, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: book covers, sci-fi 1 CommentShe can kill with a kiss. But can assassin Tyree also heal one man’s grief, and bring peace to a galaxy threatened by war?
For Tyree of the Su, being an assassin isn’t simply something she was trained for. It’s the sole reason for her existence. A genetically enhanced clone—one of many in Refuge—she’s about to learn her secluded lifestyle, and that of all her kind, is under threat by a race capable of neutralizing their special talents to leave them defenseless.
For Zander D’joren, being a diplomat has not only cost him his appearance, but also the love of his life. Scarred, grieving, he must nonetheless continue in his role as co-delegate to the fearsome Tier-vane or risk a conflict that could only end one way.
Now both of them need to keep each other alive and maintain a perilous deception long enough to renegotiate the treaty with the Tier-vane, or throw their people into a war that could wipe out Terrans and Inc-Su alike. But there’s more at stake than humanity, whether true or modified. Can the love growing between them save them both? Or merely hasten their destruction?
A science fiction romance novella, coming from Breathless Press 25th July.
Add it to your Goodreads shelf HERE.
Sign up to Pippa’s no-spam newsletter HERE to get early sneak peeks at covers, and news of the latest releases, giveaways and contest.
Excerpt
A thrill of excitement shivered down her spine as she backed away a few steps with Zander following. He shrugged off his formal outer robes, and for the first time she could appreciate the broad expanse of his chest, the close-fitting fabric stretched over well-defined muscles. It appeared he hadn’t allowed his physique to slacken, despite leaving the Galactic Commission.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
Zander spread his hands in an open gesture to say that he was.
So why is he just standing there like a defunct Manikin instead of poised to fight?
Tyree took her combat position and Zander matched her, just as the Manikin had done. She’d never fought a human in combat practice before. This should be interesting.
She sprang forward and aimed two rapid punches at his face. Zander evaded both with a speed and grace totally out of proportion to his bulk. Her third he blocked with little effort, and she stepped back to reassess her strategy. But only for an instant.
A quick step forward and she lashed upward with her foot, snapping his head back. Zander staggered but didn’t fall. Her second kick failed as he grabbed her ankle and jerked her off balance. She twisted as she dropped and caught him hard in the knee. Zander collapsed. Both rolled aside, and then jumped up to face each other again.
Not bad.
Tyree bit back a laugh as they exchanged blows, each faster than the last. Zander blocked or evaded most, but not all. His skill almost matched hers, yet his defenses were just a fraction too slow. Each move she made tested his reach, his reflexes and his stamina until she could sense him struggling a little.
Time for the kill.
She floored him with a kick to the chest, the full weight of her augmented density behind it, but as she moved in to finish the fight he dove into her. Tyree landed on her back hard enough to drive the breath from her lungs.
Zander had her pinned to the ground. She bucked but couldn’t shift him. The triumphant smile on his face sent rage blazing through her gut. With hardly a whisper, she Misted out and went through him. Golden warmth filled her for a second before she pulled free. Zander pushed to his feet and spun to meet her, but she cranked up her molecular density and punched him hard in the chest. He collapsed, gasping and coughing. In one fluid movement she sat astride him at full density, and the air whumphed out of his lungs. She pinioned his arms with her hands, her face hovering mere centimeters above his.
As her breathing slowed to normal, a huge grin split her face. She’d made a vow to herself to jump him, and she’d done it. Perhaps it was childish, but it warmed her heart.
“Your…reputation…is well deserved,” he gasped.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she complimented him. He’d fought well, but perhaps not quite with the determination—and certainly not the desperation—of most opponents she’d faced. “For a human.”
“Thank you. Perhaps we could try this again tomorrow?”
Tyree laughed. As much as he could irritate the hell out of her, he was equally amusing. “If you want to spend most of your morning on the floor…”
He gazed up at her with that easy smile, making no effort to struggle. Most humans, without the influence of her pheromones and the distraction of her naked body writhing above theirs, would not have been so trusting. So compliant. She found herself staring at his mouth. What would it be like to kiss him, without the use of her talents? Would it be as satisfying? As sensual? The warmth of him, the firmness of his body beneath hers, sent heat spiraling through her abdomen.
“Perhaps you could let me up now?” His words jerked her from such musings. What the hell was she thinking?
About Pippa
After spending twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay is now a stay-at-home mum who writes scifi and the supernatural. Somewhere along the way a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. In between torturing her plethora of characters, she spends the odd free moment playing guitar very badly, punishing herself with freestyle street dance, and studying the Dark Side of the Force. Although happily settled in the historical town of Colchester in the UK with her husband of 21 years and three little monsters, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.
Pippa Jay is a dedicated member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade, blogging at Spacefreighters Lounge, Adventures in Scifi, and Romancing the Genres. Her works include a YA science fiction novel—Gethyon—published through BURST (Champagne Books), two self-published short stories (Terms & Conditions Apply and The Bones of the Sea), and she’s one of eight authors included in a science fiction romance anthology—Tales from the SFR Brigade. She’s also a double SFR Galaxy Award winner, been a finalist in the Heart of Denver RWA Aspen Gold Contest (3rd place), and the GCC RWA Silken Sands Star Awards (2nd place).
You can stalk her at her website http://pippajay.co.uk, or at her blog http://pippajay.blogspot.co.uk, but without doubt her favorite place to hang around and chat is on Twitter as @pippajaygreen.
Top Ten Tuesdays: Cover Art
Posted: May 6, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: book covers, top ten tuesday 4 Comments
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is the ten covers you’d hang on your wall as art. The hardest part of this was limiting myself to only ten! It’s an interesting mix in terms of its status on my TBR pile — some of them I’ve read and loved, some are on the “to be read” shelves (yes, plural shelves), and a couple I know absolutely nothing about…except I saw their covers on Pinterest and adored them!
In terms of their artistic content though, all bar two have females (or parts of females in the case of Cinder) on them. One of those females is 12 and carrying an axe, though, and another is 16 and weilding a katana.
All of that said, I’m aware of my preference for gorgeous ladies on the front of books. I’m not sure what that says about me. 😉
I considered writing a blurb on each book, but this post is dedicated to the art, so I decided to let them speak for themselves. I’d love to see your favourite covers, though. Please link them in the comments so I can check them out (and add them to my Pinterest board).
Double cover reveal: ‘Elsker’ and ‘Tur’ by S.T. Bende
Posted: April 15, 2014 Filed under: On Books | Tags: book covers, self-publishing 3 CommentsBefore I reveal these smexy new covers, I should tell you there’s a bit of a story that goes with this. You may remember how in July last year I took part in the NA Crush Tourney, in support of a piece of epic hotness named Ull, the hero of S.T. Bende’s The Elsker Saga. I even wrote poems. True story.
You may also remember how last month I wrote about a small press folding, and the authors who were left behind. S.T. Bende and Ull were among the many casualties of that collapse.
But, like all good heroes, that wasn’t enough to keep Ull down. He’s coming back, with a set of gorgeous new covers to mark his return! Fan yourself, ladies and gentlemen!
Elsker (The Elsker Saga #1)
by ST Bende
You don’t win the heart of an immortal assassin without making a few enemies along the way.
Kristia Tostenson prefers Earl Grey to Grey Goose and book clubs to nightclubs, but when she transfers from her one-stoplight town to Cardiff University in Wales she falls in love with Ull Myhr. Her new boyfriend isn’t exactly what she was expecting. He’s an honest to goodness Norse God – an immortal assassin fated to die at Ragnarok, the battle destined to destroy Asgard and Earth. Kristia’s crazy visions are the only thing that can save their realms. Her orderly life just got very messy.
TUR (The Elsker Saga #0.5)
by ST Bende
Inga Andersson is the envy of every girl in Asgard. On the surface she has it all — great friends, a job as Odin’s personal fight choreographer, and a happy ever after with her realm’s hottest assassin. But when evil invades Asgard, her perfect world comes crashing down. Someone is planning to kill off the gods, and Inga’s best friend Ull is first on their list. With the Norse apocalypse a nanosecond away, Inga has to decide how she’ll spend her final moments of freedom. Because from the moment this battle begins, Inga’s happily ever after will be nothing more than a memory.
Some things are worth fighting for.
Giveaway
Enter to win one of several ebooks!
Author Info
Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, ST Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (became overly fond of Peet’s Coffee) and Europe… where she became overly fond of the musical Cats. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired the ELSKER series. She hopes her characters make you smile and that one day pastries will be considered a health food.
You can follow ST Bende on Twitter @stbende, or send an e-mail to stbende@gmail.com.
Links
http://stbende.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/ST-Bende/102116099988944
https://twitter.com/stbende
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6868809.S_T_Bende
Cassandra Page 