Thursday, December 27, 2012

A Sneak Peek at NIGHT HAWK

Night Hawk - Coming in 2013!

Selling your soul has never been so charming and Mark throws in a little something to sweeten the pot, his girlfriend Naomi.


Sentenced to death at the hands of a demon, Naomi Hawk has a firsthand lesson in despair and betrayal in Mark’s deal for fame with all the trimmings. Deep in the clutches of the underground brotherhood, Naomi's light is coveted for the Master's gain.

When she slips and falls eighty stories from a precarious ledge, Naomi resigns herself to the inevitable impact and death by shattered bones. Before she can escape her demons in eternal slumber, something sinister plucks her from the plummet, stealing her out of the night to sacrifice her forever to the shadows.

Imprisoned in bottomless darkness, Naomi thirsts for justice…and revenge.


Chapter One - Naomi



I still remember the first night.

The full moon illuminated the landscape and I could see for miles from my perch. The eighty-floor drop left me dizzy and I stepped farther back into the wall. My heart thundered in my chest and the adrenaline warmed my skin against the frigid air.

“What are you waiting for?”

His growl yanked my gaze from the busy city street below to his dark and crazed eyes.

My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth, dry as desert sand and I shook my head. I didn’t want to jump, no matter how horrifying death at his hands promised to be. The fear of dying by terminal velocity was just too great, cementing my feet to that small ledge.

“I can wait.” His evil laugh hung on the air, chilling whatever heat I had left right out of my bones and I clamped my jaw tight against the tears that threatened, leaving my vision warbled.

I slid farther away from the open window and the glistening blade in his hand. He ran it slowly along the brick, creating a screaming sound that made my teeth ache.

Either way, I was screwed. A flare of anger shot through the fear, adding to the tremor in my skin. Damn you Mark, why did you turn me over to these vultures?

Demon boy looked up at me and chuckled like he heard my silent question. His shaded gaze flashed red before it sank back to the sharp blade. “It was the only way my boss would honor his deal,” he muttered and glanced back at her. “His soul and your life and your boyfriend would have all the fame and fortune he could ever envision.”

“But why me?”

“Your life force is quite a delicacy.” The knife scraped against the brick again. “My boss has waited for centuries to taste the beating heart of a child of the light.”

“I don’t believe you. Mark would never sell me out.” I said, my voice shook with disbelief and I took another step away, but a gale caught me off guard and I teetered on the edge trying to grasp at the brick wall, but my hands were too cold to gain the purchase necessary to catch my balance. All it took was another wind gust and I fell, the scream barreling out of my mouth at the sudden weightless freefall.

I had a moment of satisfaction when the demon’s expression fell into fear tinted shock at losing what his master coveted.

Gravity pulled and my hair whipped across my face, blinding me to anything but streaks of light. I thought my heart would catapult out of my chest it beat so hard and I drew in a breath, waiting for the impact that would turn out the lights for good.

Pain bit around my waist and I was yanked from the descent by a strong grasp. A sharp cry ripped from my throat, and the sound of beating wings filled my world. Before I could focus on what had saved me from certain death, I was tumbling through space again, this time, the hard asphalt of a nearby roof bit into my skin and I rolled away.

When I got my bearings, I brushed the hair from my face in time to see a human form at the edge of the roof. A man in a dark overcoat stepped from the shadows, his intense glare fell on me and he licked his lips, revealing a sharp set of canines.

“Who are you?” I whispered and climbed to my feet. My legs shook under my weight, barely able to hold me up.

He smiled and stepped into the light.

“I’ve been watching you for a while.”

The mere thought of a fiend like him studying me from afar gave me the creeps. The movies always made it quite romantic to be the object of a vampire’s affection, but in reality all they wanted was an entertaining meal.

“Why?” I asked fumbling for the knife clasped to my belt. When my hand came up empty, he laughed, dangling the weapon from his fingers.

“You really think your little daggers will stop me?” He tossed the knife to the edge of the rooftop and stepped toward me.

Being a demon’s meal was bad, but being this bastard’s chew toy was worse, I would rather have been splattered on the pavement. I took another shaking step backwards, too aware of my near frozen condition.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I said, trying to stall him until I could maneuver close enough to dive for my weapons.

He stared me down with hard black eyes. Eyes no more distinct than the shadow he stepped out of.

“Why?” he replied. “Because I swore I’d destroy anything that demon bastard wants and you are at the top of that list. I’m sure he’s gutting his little lackey right now for losing you and he’ll be even more pissed when he finds out I’m the one that stole your life.”

The bitterness in his voice nearly quelled the fight in me, but when he stepped closer, my survival instinct flared and I ducked under his reach, swinging my fist, hoping to get a shot in, but my knuckles only grazed his hard cheek.

His vice-like grip clamped on my throat, pulling me close. The burn of his bite seized my muscles, his poison saturating my entire form with exquisite pain. Each beat of my heart hurt, and I screamed. He pulled away from my neck and stared into my eyes.

“My god, you are delicious,” he whispered, his voice laced with rough desire and before I could pull another breath in, his teeth ripped at my throat again.

My fading gaze landed on the arch of his neck and my scream morphed into a growl. I sank my dull human teeth through his skin and was rewarded with a gasp and the gush of black blood filling my mouth. He pressed me closer, still drinking from my throat and pressing my mouth to his. I tried to wiggle out of his grasp but he clamped down hard enough so I had no choice but to ingest his blood.

A wave of dizziness hit and he loosened his grip, stepping away from me. I crumpled to the ground, heaving the blood from my stomach, but I knew it was too late. I had already swallowed too much of the vile poison and no matter how much I threw up, I couldn’t stop the infection.

“I bet you never saw that coming,” I whispered and sent a glare in his direction.

He no longer held that smug look, instead his handsome face transformed into a mask of horror and his hand clamped his neck, the blood flowing freely over his fingertips.

As the infection spread, it crystallized my cells into a hard shell and transformed my senses into acute hunting weapons. The pain that had gripped me moments ago faded and I stood with a ravenous need. I ran my tongue over my teeth and winced at the cutting edges that would puncture steel if I so desired.

The human soul inside me cried at the injustice. I should be dead, but instead, I was now one of the undead all because the bastard before me decided to pluck the demon’s meal out of the sky.

I stepped toward him with a growl and his eyes widened, reflecting a blue as crisp as the fall sky and I stopped.

“You bit me,” he whispered, his voice unsteady and shaking.

“Did you think I’d just let you drain me dry without a fight?”

His hand dropped from his throat and he stared at the wet blood covering it before raising his gaze to me. “No one has ever bit me before,” he said.

I crossed my arms and studied him. “Sucks, doesn’t it,” I said. I couldn’t help it, the disbelief in his face made me want to laugh but I kept a check on my chuckle.

He blinked and then the smile that spread over his lips sent a shiver through me. Laughter followed, rich and full and as hypnotizing as his smile.

“Yes. It does,” he finally said and wiped at his neck again. The flow of blood had finally stopped and he glanced at me.

“You aren’t such a badass after all,” I said.

The menacing shadow was gone, replaced by a man barely out of his teens. I studied him, taking note of the uncomfortable shift along with his worried scan of the night around us. It took a minute to understand the hesitation in his gaze.

He glanced back at me, and I knew. This kid was scared shitless, but I wasn’t sure if it was me or something else.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re in trouble,” I said.

He laughed and caught my gaze, moving faster than I could blink and I found myself pressed to the wall by his incredibly hard body. His intense stare left me breathless, but this time, it wasn’t food he hungered for and he leaned in to kiss me.

I swept his feet out from under him and he landed on his back with a thud, surprise plastered across his face.

“Not going to happen.” I pointed at him. “You may have turned me into a monster, but that doesn’t give you the right to screw me any time you please.” I didn’t want to rely on any man, never mind a blood crazed vamp, no matter how good looking he was.

I swallowed, suddenly thirsty and my gaze dropped to the dried blood on his collar. I knew soon enough the thirst would overwhelm me but in that moment I swore I’d never become a shadow dwelling killer.

He climbed to his feet, brushing the roof grit from his jacket. “You’re mine now,” he said, trying to exude authority.

I laughed and crossed to the knives, picking them up and hesitating. The silver glinted in the moonlight and I sighed, running a fingertip down the length. The metal created a warm glow on my skin unlike anything I had seen before, but it didn’t penetrate and draw blood like it should have.

I understood his mocking of my weapons now and glanced over my shoulder at him. “No one owns me.” I sheathed both blades and turned toward him, ready for battle.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Holiday Wishes

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!


My heart still aches for those in Newtown, and for the past week, I’ve been wondering if I would feel anything akin to the excitement I’ve felt in the past at this time of year. However, as the numbness relents, I can feel the joy of the season seeping in. The celebration of my son’s thirteenth birthday helped immensely, especially with having two young ones in the house for the night.

Now, looking at the tree in our living room doesn’t leave me as sad as I have been since the 14th. Instead, I’m starting to get that childish excitement again and instead of focusing on those that are left with empty hearts, I’m thinking of how excited my niece and nephew are for Christmas.

My husband, the sweet man that he is, has had the urge to hug every child he has come across and yesterday, he had the chance to act on that urge with our niece and nephew. A little healing came into our home and I wish the families a piece of that healing spirit, although I know for them, it will be years before the sadness doesn’t overwhelm them.

The outpouring of love across the nation is inspiring. Although it is sad that a national tragedy has to happen to bring us together as one. I’d love to see that spirit personified in everyday life. The 26 acts of kindness that is going around in memory of those lost in Newtown reminds me of Pay it Forward.

It’s a fantastic concept and one we should follow always in everything we do. Maybe it’s not the end of the world that the Mayan’s forecasted, but the end of an era.

Perhaps it’s time we all put aside the building animosities and embrace kindness and love and respect as a way of life.

Perhaps then, we will all find peace.

I wish you all a happy and healthy 2013!

Until next time,

Ciao

JET

Coming in 2013:
                        

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Thoughts and Prayers

I wanted to take a moment to extend my deepest sympathies to the families of the victims of Friday's massacre and honor the memories of those lost. 

The teachers and administrators who put themselves in harm's way to protect the children...
-- Rachel Davino, Female, 07-17-83
-- Dawn Hochsprung, Female, 06-28-65
-- Anne Marie Murphy, Female, 07-25-60
-- Lauren Rousseau, Female, 06-?-82
-- Mary Sherlach, Female, 02-11-56
-- Victoria Soto, Female, 11-04-85

We honor your memory and thank you for those you were able to save. God bless.

The children whose lives were cut short by this tragedy:
-- Charlotte Bacon, Female, 02-22-06

-- Daniel Barden, Male, 09-25-05
-- Olivia Engel, Female, 07-18-06

-- Josephine Gay, Female, 12-11-05
-- Ana Marquez-Greene, Female, 04-04-06
-- Dylan Hockley, Male, 03-08-06
-- Madeleine F. Hsu, Female, 07-10-06

-- Catherine V. Hubbard, Female, 06-08-06
-- Chase Kowalski, Male, 10-31-05

-- Jesse Lewis, Male, 06-30-06

-- James Mattioli, Male, 03-22-06
-- Grace McDonnell, Female, 11-04-05
-- Emilie Parker, Female, 05-12-06

-- Jack Pinto, Male, 05-06-06
-- Noah Pozner, Male, 11-20-06

-- Caroline Previdi, Female, 09-07-06
-- Jessica Rekos, Female, 05-10-06
-- Avielle Richman, Female, 10-17-06

-- Benjamin Wheeler, Male, 09-12-06
-- Allison N. Wyatt, Female, 07-03-06

May you be playing in heaven's light. God bless.

To the families of the victims - I know it will be a while, but my prayer for you is to find strength and peace.


Thursday, December 6, 2012

Special Guest Interview with Poppet

JET: Can you tell us about your most recent book?


Poppet: My newest books came out a few weeks apart as I wrote them the wrong way around. I started writing Indigo Vamporium, was midway when the second book wouldn't give me peace, so I wrote that (Scarlet Vamporium) and then went back to complete Indigo Vamporium. I released Scarlet earlier than Indigo on fan request. So to me these two books feel like 'my latest book' as a unit.

Indigo Vamporium takes my adult series and characters and examines the vampyre family as teenagers. Seithe was the first book in the vampyre series, so I set Indigo Vamporium in the same city to give it continuity as the book revolves around Seithe coming to terms with and trying to perfect his own abilities. He has a lot of responsibility on his young shoulders and doesn't get on well with his guardian; his father's brother Venix.



In IV he has to dive for hidden halos, has a close call with a ghost ship out on the high seas, is sent into the Vamporium alone to battle the scourge of the underworld, and falls for a local human girl, Tasmin. Ellindt, his twin sister, is on a mission to engage human love and redemption and does what most girls her age do, this has her uncle banishing her to Scotland to stay with her aunt for punishment, severing the close bond Ellindt and Seithe have had since birth. It all falls apart for Seithe and it gets ten times worse when the karma collector kidnaps his human girlfriend.

Book 2, Scarlet Vamporium, follows 17 year old Ellindt as a foreigner in Glencoe, where she meets a wonderful varsity crush. Luckily for her Douglas believes in monsters and beasties because Scotland is rich in tales of the Fey, (the Seelie and Unseelie courts), loch monsters, and has a unicorn as their national animal. It's a match made in heaven, until her family interferes.

JET: What drew you to paranormal romance?

Poppet: I've always found vampyres an intriguing and enigmatic topic.

JET: What’s been your most challenging hurdle on the road to publication?

Poppet: Lordy, where to begin? I tried to get published MANY years ago, but ran into many roadblocks. I write paranormal fantasy and horror, and when I submitted my books to local publishers was told they don't publish these genres, I must write for the 'local' market. So I thought I'd try overseas, only to be met with the issue that I needed an agent. At that time this country had 2 literary agents. I went to the only one in my 'state', only to find out after paying her all the money I had and she'd given me the runaround for 2 years, that she only publishes diaries and autobiographies by famous people. I was so frustrated, the world loves reading romances and, horror and romance are to date the best selling movie genres worldwide, and yet I couldn't even be heard because of the local clampdown on these genres. I tried my hand abroad, but had not enough money to send the printed MS's to big publishers, it was only when the publishers started using the internet broadly and widely that I finally had a chance at knocking on doors. I got an agent in Ireland who did nothing for a year and answered my emails to her twice. So I gave up on the agent idea, joined Authonomy, learned A LOT, and started submitting to any and all publishers who allow you to submit manuscript's unagented. It was a heartbreaking journey, one that often depressed me severely (it seemed so hopeless just because of my geographical location). And often I nearly gave up. It was only the friends I made on Authonomy that kept me going at all. I was even told by a big publisher represented locally that they'd consider my book if a main character was black. They deny it now and I wish I'd kept the email. That shocked me!

JET: What was your favorite moment in the journey?

Poppet: When Wild Wolf published me. I had a previous publishing contract, but I chose to leave that publisher because we didn't see eye to eye. I know I sound like a fangirl but Wild Wolf Publishing just gets me, I adore them, and will stay with them no matter how many of my other books make it or break it in the world.

JET: Which authors had the most influence over you growing up?

Poppet: Enid Blyton. The Magic Faraway Tree changed my perception of planet earth.

JET: When did you know you wanted to take the plunge into the writing world?

Poppet: When I worked for an ad agency and the creative director (also a film producer) read my work and thought it was good enough. His words encouraged me a lot.

JET: What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of book research? Most interesting fact you uncovered?

Poppet: I read the Kabbalah, I-Ching, Nag Hammadi texts, dead Sea Scrolls, and five versions of the bible, researched metals, drugs, geography, astronomy, ancient astrology, archeology, the Greek myths and legends, the Egyptian myths and legends, spent 3 months just working out the ancient Greek calendar, read the Popoh Vuh and all the Mayan legends – all for 1 book.

JET: Of all the novels and stories you’ve written - which one is your favorite? Why?

Poppet: Sveta. Because I think the right person for you knows your insecurities and still wants to love you.

JET: Any advice (from a writer’s standpoint) for the novices out there?

Poppet: Never give up. Work at it day and night. Write and write and write some more. Perfect your writing skills, join a group of authors that aren't afraid to shred your work and tell you the truth, and learn from them. They will remove your ego and polish your writing ability like no other. Only by writing and writing some more will you improve. As Steve King likes to say, the first million words are just practice. If you are good enough, someone, somewhere, will say yes.

JET: All right - now that I’ve hammered you with the big questions, let’s tackle my favorite (and geeky) quick ten. . . starting with:  Paper or Plastic?

Poppet: Paper

JET: Steak or Tofu?

Poppet: Neither

JET: Beach or Mountains?

Poppet: Both (lol). But if I had to pick one, I pick mountains.

JET: Country or Rock-n-Roll?

Poppet: Rock – always.

JET: Leather or Lace?

Poppet: Why do I have to choose? :P hmmmm, lace would probably win this war.

JET: Angels or Demons?

Poppet: Both. Demons – but my view of demons is based on their Greek origin. It's a Greek word spelled Daemon. I have this great OLD book that gives ancient astrology lessons by the different cultures (Persian, Greek etc), and it was in there that I first read the Greek definition of daemon. I love daemons!

JET: Paper or Digital?

Poppet: Both (lol) Damn girl! Digital wins, but I like the everlasting aspect of paper. Where would we be now if the scrolls hadn't been hidden in caves for thousands of years? When archaeologists dig up your ebook reader, they won't learn a damn thing.

JET: Silent Film Classics or Cheesy B Rated Horror?

Poppet: Silent Films for sure.

JET: Twilight or True Blood?

Poppet: True Blood

JET: Coffee or Tea?

Poppet: Coffee

JET: Thank you for indulging me. Before we wrap this up, can you tell us what you're working on now? What's next?

Poppet: Aisyx, the final installment of my vampyre / neuri series. It's due out 31st December (after the world ends hahahaha). Call me an optimist, or a non believer in paranoid hype. The first quarter of 2013 will see a number of horrors by me, including Paint (a serial killer), Tithe (a medieval horror on the abuse of religion), Night Blind (more killing and stalking), and a haunting story where antiques end up ruining lives.

Thank you JET!


Thank you so much for taking the time to chat on my blog. Folks, you can find out more about Poppet and her work at the following places:

Twitter: @AuthorPoppet
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Poppet/197111090356326
http://authorpoppet.wordpress.com
http://authorpoppet.weebly.com

Other titles by Poppet include Seithe, Venix, Zauran, Sveta, Ryan, Arelstin's Lair, Scarlet Vamporium, Indigo Vamporium, Darkroom, Erra, Shar, Erra More & the Sibitti, Djinn, Blindsided, Penance, Heresy, Dusan, Fey's Adventures, The Scorpion's Sting (Heresy), Solar Eclipse (Heresy), Quislings, Fractured, The Demenion series, Spellbound, and Ruthless.

Until Next Time,
Ciao,
JET