Snippet Saturday: Sept 5th

I haven’t done a Snippet Saturday in forever, so let’s start again! This snippet comes from next week’s release, Negative Energy. It’s a standalone in the First Blood world, and reading the original trilogy is not required to understand it. You really don’t want to miss this one.

When I turned around, I spotted a new face sitting at the desk next to my usual place. It wasn’t the shaved sides of his head with a short, spiky mohawk running down the center of his head that first caught my attention. Nor was it the wide, wolfie grin he aimed at me. Nope, it was those deep pools of steel gray eyes that made me come up short when I saw him.

“Hey.” His light, tenor voice shook me from whatever trance those eyes had put me under.

I jerked out of it. “Hi.” Ignoring him, and Theodore’s odd stare, I took my seat and opened the textbook, pretending to read it as two sets of eyes continued to be preoccupied with me.

“The name’s Jackson,” the new boy stated, extending a hand in my direction, which I caught sight of in my peripheral vision.

Turning, I met those gray eyes again and swallowed. “Shannon,” I stated without taking his hand.

The boy’s nose flared, giving him away. Wolf boy. His grin grew wider as my lips pressed into a thin line and worry crept up my spine.

“It’s nice to meet you. I mean it.” Jackson shrugged and looked to the door as a strange female entered the room. The girl took one look at him, and then us, as she strode passed Jackson and took the seat behind him. Jackson ducked his head for a second before turning his attention back to me, the grin plastered back on his face. “So, what’s interesting to do here in town?”

“Nothing,” Theodore stated, voice hard and stern, not the usual tone for my cousin.

The tone didn’t faze Jackson, who stared at me. I shook my head. “Honestly, not much. Small town.”

“I see.” The first bell rang, cutting him off. “I guess I’ll just have to find something to do then.”

He winked at me. My cheeks heated as I turned away. It didn’t help that the girl behind Jackson snorted. The flush crept down my neck and I took a deep breath to steady my emotions, already feeling my power wanting to flare. It didn’t matter the emotion. As long as it was strong, my magic would react to it.

mybook.to/NegativeEnergy

#SnippetSaturday: Nov 8th

It’s Snippet Saturday again! That week rolled by pretty quick. Today’s snippet comes from the upcoming Christmas book, Snowbound Christmas. Here we have Flint meeting some of the North Pole’s occupants! Cider is one of my new faves.

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Cocoa House was on the corner of Mistletoe Lane and Christmas Crossing, and like the Bakery, it was bustling inside. A tiny elf with spiky black hair with red tips noticed us walk in and she squealed as she ran around the counter and straight for Lizzette.
“You’re back!” She threw herself into Lizzette’s arms and the two hugged one another for longer than was customary, so they had to be friends, if the excited greeting wasn’t enough to prove that. “Who’s this?”
“This is Flint, he’s the polar bear shifter we brought back with us from Alaska. He likes hugs too.” Lizzette winked at me before the elf threw herself into my arms for a tight squeeze that wasn’t nearly as long as Lizzette’s hug had been, but I didn’t expect it to be any longer considering we were strangers. “Flint, this is Cider, my best friend in Christmas Village. Actually, she’s my bestest friend in the whole of the North Pole.”
Cider stepped back and surveyed me, tapping her fingertip against bright red lips. “Polar bear, huh? I heard Santa was bringing one of them back. So, what, you’re on tour guide duty?” She arched a brow at Lizzette, who grinned and shook her head.
“No, Flint is a friend.”
I’d better end up being more than a friend by the end of this or I’d done something seriously wrong. My bear and I had taken quite a bit of time while shoveling to study our mate, and not in a friendly way. If Lizzette had noticed, she hadn’t said anything. Then again, would she have called me out if she had caught me staring?
Of course she wouldn’t. We weren’t supposed to be anything more than that publicly. This was depressing.
Cider studied me again, and I kept my gaze locked on hers until she nodded. “He’ll do. Okay, now boy, follow me.”
Turning to Lizzette, I gave her a questioning stare, but she shrugged and motioned me to follow her friend. Before I moved, I handed over our muffins, my stomach complaining about giving the food away. Then I followed Cider behind the counter, hesitating to do so until she crooked her finger at me.
“Take your coat off,” Cider ordered, and I did. She took it from me and tossed it into a back room before returning to where she’d left me and handed me a tray with four mugs of hot chocolate on it with four cookies on a center plate. “You see that table in the far corner, this goes to them. Hurry up before it grows cold.”
Uhhh….

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZZKVG4R

It’s That Time of Year Again! #Christmasbook

If you’ve followed me for any length of time on social media, it’s probable that you already know this, but I’m a Christmas fanatic. Yes, I’m one of those people who not only has their tree up (Since Nov 2) but my apartment is also fully decorated for the season. We’ll skip the argument of whether this is skipping Thanksgiving and move on to the subject of this blog post: This year’s book is up for pre-order!!

If you haven’t read any of the other books in the Collection (this is #4), that’s perfectly all right. They’re written in a way that you don’t have to read them in any order. I try to do a good job of explaining who everyone is as they enter the new books. This was the first written in a guy’s point of view, and it was interesting. I’ve written in male POV’s before, but this one was just different. Maybe it’s because I’m so used to a Christmas fanatic as the leads for the Christmas books, and Flint is not. He likes Christmas, but he’s sooooo not on the elf level of Christmas loving.

So, why a Christmas book every year? Well, it started with wanting to write a Christmas book (Cause, you know, I like Christmas), and then I realized there was so much to this world that I couldn’t NOT explore it. Then readers began requesting certain elves’ stories (Holly and Jolly) so I wrote those. I’m loving these characters and what they have to offer. Plus, these books make me happy. I love the world they throw me into and to see what happens next. While not my most successful series, I’m never going to stop writing these Christmas books. They are too much a part of who I am at heart. So, with that being said, here’s more about SNOWBOUND CHRISTMAS!

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What’s worse than being friend zoned by your ultimate crush? To Flint, not much, especially now that his Alpha brother has found love for the second time. If that wasn’t hard enough to deal with, Santa wants a polar bear ambassador to join him in Christmas Village, and he’s requested Flint by name. Leaving another new home once again, and this time his pack as well, Flint’s only consolation is that he’ll know one person in Christmas Village.

Even the dragon clan in Christmas Village doesn’t know much about Lizzette. Being a private person, she only has a few close friends, and her newest one is a polar bear shifter. Once they land in Christmas Village, pounding snowstorms land with them, raging through the North Pole one after another. With Christmas already on the line, can this unlikely pair find a way to help the elves dig out while discovering the relationship neither had anticipated?

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZZKVG4R

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZZKVG4R

Snippet Saturday: August 3rd

It’s been a while since I posted here, but life has been crazy! So, I’m finally back, and here’s a new snippet! This is from Zero Tolerance, the prequel to the First Blood trilogy. The fun part about this prequel is that it can be read completely outside the series as a standalone novel. It wraps up the story completely. If you’ve read the series, this book gives you more insight as to past events. For most effective reading order in the series, read this before Third House.

zero tolerancekindleAvery and I set our bags down against the wall near the door and headed toward the mat. While I stopped at the mat’s edge, he continued walking onto it until he faced the gorilla shifter, who gave him a wicked grin. Both took defensive stances, and I held my breath.

“Give me all you’ve got, and don’t worry about hurting me,” Smith warned. “I can take it.”

I was positive he could, but I wasn’t so sure about Avery. Without warning, my friend shifted and dove at Smith like he’d done to me yesterday morning, only Smith shifted just as fast, grabbed Avery right before his teeth could latch on, picked him up, and tossed him across the mat. Okay, tossed wasn’t the right word. Chucked was more like it.

The snow leopard hit the ground hard, stunned, and took too long to recover, giving Smith the upper hand, allowing Avery to be chucked to the other side of the mat. That blow sparked something in Avery I hadn’t seen yet, and he stood, turning bared teeth toward Smith. For the next ten minutes, the two exchanged blows. Avery was a much better fighter than I’d given him credit for during our Interview. I was likely our weakest link that day and he’d been making up my slack.

When he was satisfied, Smith shifted to his human self, a very naked human self, and ordered Avery to stand down. Both shifters’ clothes had shredded upon shifting, which was another good reason for Avery to bring a second set. He limped over to his bag, but Smith stopped him halfway to it.

“Don’t bother, kid. You’ll be shifting again. In fact, I want you to work with Fennel and Cage for the next hour. Bobcats, don’t kill him. We need him alive and learning.”

The two cats were already shifted and now eyed the bigger cat approaching them. I would’ve guessed that Avery could take them since they were smaller, but the wicked grins they gave him didn’t bode well for Avery’s future. Neither did the wicked grin cast my way from Smith.

“Now, you’re the one who interests me,” he drawled. “I’ve never fought beside or against your kind, but I’ve heard stories.”

I shrugged. “Sometimes stories are just that.”

“We’ll see. On the mat.”

mybook.to/ZeroTolerance1

Snippet Saturday: June 8

One week until release of First Blood! Okay, I’m a bit biased, but Raven is one of my all-time favorite male leads, just saying. Hope you enjoy him too!

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By the time I’d set my suitcase on the bed, I was exhausted and ready to call it a day. Staring at the clothes and items inside made my already tired muscles and brain feel fried. It was time to hit the sack. There was no doubt in my mind Raven started his day early, which meant I was likely to join him. He’d probably want to torture me more before breakfast.

“Pajamas. Of course I’d forget pajamas,” I moaned, throwing a pair of jeans onto the bed as I rifled through the suitcase to find my sleep clothes. Yes, I’d packed comfortable clothes and sweats, but I was pretty sure I’d need all of those for training. There was no way I would risk running out of clean workout clothes so I could sleep in them, and I wasn’t going to bed in my birthday suit, especially with Raven living down here with me. Jeans and a hoodie it was going to be until I could find a way to purchase something more comfortable.

Raven cleared his throat, and I turned to find him standing in my open doorway. Apparently closed doors didn’t mean much down here. “Don’t you know how to knock?” I almost shrieked. “I could’ve been half naked.”

He shrugged. “I heard you say you forgot something to sleep in. Will this work?”

I eyed the clothes he held up and narrowed my gaze at him. “You just so happened to hear me or were you eavesdropping?”

“I was walking past your room, and I have excellent hearing. You will too when you finally mature. Now, do you want these or not?”

“What is it?” I held out my hands and he handed over a large t-shirt and a pair of workout shorts that would be way too big on me around the waist. But they were better than nothing. “Yeah, these will work. Thank you.”

“Get some sleep, and be up by five. Training starts no later than six.” With that, he was gone, closing the door behind him. Of course there was no lock on the door handle. Privacy appeared to be a thing of the past.

mybook.to/FirstBlood1

 

Snippet Saturday: May 11

Y’all, I have a new book coming out on June 15 and here’s the first snippet I’m posting for it!

first bloodkindleFIRST BLOOD

“Hey boss,” called a light, tenor voice from the other side of the truck. “I smell a human.”

My gaze met a pair of steel grey eyes that belonged to a tall man with a wolfish grin who leaned against the hood of the truck. He winked at me, but his smile fell when Raven growled, a human snarl lifting his lips. When the other man’s eyes met Raven’s, the man stood straight and nodded his head.

“It’s not her. He’s the human,” Raven jerked his thumb in Lee’s direction. “And stop flirting, Jackson. You know I have rules against it.”

“Yes, but rules are meant to be broken,” a light, feminine voice called from the mansion’s front steps. A blonde, slender woman with more curves than I could count strode across the stone walkway to the pavement until she stood before us, her hands settled on her hips, drawing the attention of every male eye to her form. Every eye except for Raven’s. His attention remained on her face, a bored expression crossing his.

“Do not break my rules, Luella.”

Luella snorted. “You know I wouldn’t, blood drinker. I like my job, and I won’t ruin that for some male. Now that the fireworks have started, introduce us to the new recruits.”

“Not without me.” Looking back at the house, I smiled. A chestnut haired woman half my size strode across the lawn. Power oozed from her, making the skin on my arms prickle. “I’m Shannon, resident witch. Jackson, the wolf, is my familiar. If he gives you a hard time, threaten him that you’ll tell me and he should back off.”

Jackson snorted, but remained silent, watching Shannon finish her approach. Yeah, he was definitely a wolf. If that grin hadn’t given him away, the intensity in which he kept his attention on our surroundings did. It screamed predator and guard dog, though I knew better than to describe him that way out loud. At least the dog part.

mybook.to/FirstBlood1

Teaser 2

#TeaserTuesday with a twist!

Hello there beautiful Tuesday! Monday was way too long, so it’s good to have you back with us once again. Time to show off what a friend and I have been working on!

We’ve all seen movie trailers, or at least I hope we have. Unknown to some people is that book trailers are now becoming a thing. I’ve created a few of them, but this is the first time I’ve teamed up with my friend, Sharon Drury, to do it. She is the amazing musical talent behind this video. The song is original, and totally all her doing. I sent the video to her, she created the amazing music to go with it. You should check out more of her work at: www.northcountrystudios.com.

This trailer is for my upcoming release, which is on pre-order right now, and for only $.99! Phoenix Awakened is a New Adult Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy. See below for the summary. If you love dragons, elementals, and one hot Phoenix, this is your read. You can view snippets of this books (and others) on my Snippet Saturday posts!

Fire Dragons, the most powerful dragon race on Earth.

Until the war left them as shadows of the race they once were.

Little more than slaves to the water dragons, they’re kept in line through destitute conditions and tracking devices. Sparks has known both lives, the prosperous and the starving, so when the opportunity arises for a little indulgence, she jumps at the chance, setting into motion a chain of events from which there is no turning back. With her fire power and dragon acting out, Sparks has no choice but to attempt escape, or face the consequences of her actions.

On the run, Sparks’s countdown begins. If she can’t remove the tracker, she’s dead. So when a gorgeous stranger shows up offering his help in exchange for hers, she has little choice but to accept. It isn’t long before Sparks discovers that Phoenix may be more than he seems, and that their lives are tied together in ways neither expected. Time is of the essence, but will they have enough to save both Sparks and her people from the water dragons?

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NMNCF34

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NMNCF34

Snippet Saturday: March 2

Today’s Snippet is from Phoenix Awakened, my upcoming release! Available for pre-order. Releasing April 13th.

The closer the car came, the more the headlights blinded me. When the car pulled up beside me, I was able to make out the outline of a large jeep, which likely had four-wheel drive and could navigate in this slush better than my bald-tired car. Instead of rolling the driver’s window down like I thought would happen, the driver opened the door and hopped out. Since my eyesight was still clear, I was able to make out his ginger colored hair that I assumed had once been styled so the longer hair on top was slicked back, but at the moment, a long day of mussing with it had the strands falling out of place to cover the shorter trimmed sides. A thick, short beard helped shield his face from the wind, and a thick coat that hugged his body shielded a manly torso.
Phoenix Teaser 6However, it was his height that stalled my footsteps as he approached, and I tried to keep my anxiety in check. This man was well over six feet tall, rivalling a male dragon. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe they would come from the other direction, and maybe they wouldn’t want to end me quickly, but take their time beating me to a pulp.
It took the man until he was on top of me to notice my tense stance and wary glare. When he did, he stepped closer and reached out to me, like I was a deer ready to flee. I retreated as he stepped closer, but he was well within range of my senses.
Taking a deep breath, I scented the air for the scent of dragon. None reached me. Human, then. Still, that didn’t mean he wasn’t a threat. At this point, everyone was considered a threat to my existence.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he murmured in a rough baritone voice, stepping closer.
Sure he didn’t. I moved into a defensive position, keeping my hands in front of my face just like my father taught me. If he came any closer, I’d kick him in the family jewels, which I learned from my mother. My parents had both made sure I knew how to protect myself. Since he was human, I’d have to be gentler so I wouldn’t permanently damage him since dragons were far stronger than his kind. That didn’t mean I’d have to take it easy on him, though. I’d bring him to the ground without hesitation and remorse. Then I would run.

 

Phoenix Awakened:

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NMNCF34

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NMNCF34

Snippet Saturday: Feb 16

I can’t believe it’s already time for another Snippet Saturday! This week I had the chance to do a cover reveal for my upcoming release, Phoenix Awakened. Today’s snippet comes from the opening scene of that book. If you like it, the book is only $.99 on pre-order!

Phoenix Ebook Final

The keys clattered against the scarred and beat up desk where I tossed them the moment I strode through the apartment door. It had been yet another hellish day on the job and already tomorrow didn’t look much better. Sure, my promotion, if that’s what it could be called, now limited how many times a day I was yelled at, cussed at, and smacked around, but that didn’t mean it never happened. It meant it happened less often.
Kurt, my new boss, was better than most. He didn’t yank my ponytail until I was in tears or slap me. Nope, he gave me a pay cut. A large one. All because I’d lost some minorly important paperwork. I still wasn’t certain that the lady who I’d replaced hadn’t lost it, but I hadn’t found it yet either, so my argument was null and void. Not that I would argue with Kurt. None of us did.
With my thoughts on Kurt and my new, almost nonexistent budget, I flipped off the light I’d turned on when entering my apartment and settled for dinner in the dark. Thankfully my shifter eyesight made searching through cupboards for a valid excuse for a meal possible. However, it didn’t help fill the near empty shelves. There wasn’t much left to eat or in the bank.
“Looks like another night of dry cereal,” I grumbled to the darkness, setting a bowl on the counter as I weighed the almost empty box in my hand. Too light. Much too light.
Pouring half of what remained in the box into the bowl, I scowled at it before tucking the flaps closed and setting the container aside. All it took was three short steps to cross the studio apartment to sit on my rickety twin size bed. The metal frame screeched when I sat my weight on it and every spring in the mattress pushed against me.
The first chomp of cereal made me cringe. It wasn’t nearly as delicious as it would be with milk, and that was out of the question since I’d run out a week ago and couldn’t afford anymore yet. If I could consult the dragon within me, she’d tell me to bite into a juicy steak, but that was beyond hopeful. It would take a serious miracle.
A hard knock alerted me to company. My sharp hearing should have warned me I had a visitor, but I was too focused on my misery to pay attention. People died that way, and I refused to be one of them.
Setting the bowl aside, I reached under my mattress for the knife I hid there. Yes, I could shift into one of my two dragon forms, but that was illegal and I’d rather have blood on the carpet than have to fix walls or go to prison. It was cheaper to clean the floor and the landlord would be none the wiser. Well, once I hid the body anyway.
Step after cautious step, I moved toward the door, keeping the blade ready. I’d stupidly only locked the door’s handle instead of the deadbolt and chain. Not that those would stop a determined dragon, but at least it would show I did my best to keep the intruder out.

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NMNCF34

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NMNCF34

 

 

Valentine’s Day present to myself: A cover reveal!

Last November, I participated in NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, along with many other authors. The goal: write a 50k word novel in the month of November. Well, mine reached 50k by halfway through the month, so I decided to see if I could pull off 100k since my novel wasn’t even close to being finished. If you were keeping up with me, you know that I reached my goal and finished the novel, writing over 104k words in one month. It was crazy!

Well, I’m happy to report that this book is now available for  pre-order, for a special pre-order price of $.99! It releases April 13th, and I can’t wait! But for now: the cover reveal!

Phoenix Ebook Final

Fire Dragons, the most powerful dragon race on Earth.

Until the war left them as shadows of the race they once were.

Little more than slaves to the water dragons, they’re kept in line through destitute conditions and tracking devices. Sparks has known both lives, the prosperous and the starving, so when the opportunity arises for a little indulgence, she jumps at the chance, setting into motion a chain of events from which there is no turning back. With her fire power and dragon acting out, Sparks has no choice but to attempt escape, or face the consequences of her actions.

On the run, Sparks’s countdown begins. If she can’t remove the tracker, she’s dead. So when a gorgeous stranger shows up offering his help in exchange for hers, she has little choice but to accept. It isn’t long before Sparks discovers that Phoenix may be more than he seems, and that their lives are tied together in ways neither expected. Time is of the essence, but will they have enough to save both Sparks and her people from the water dragons?

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NMNCF34

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NMNCF34