Sample Saturday Sneak Peek!

Ryder on the Storm, the first installment of the Kindle Bestselling Emerald Seer Series, is 99 cents for a short time longer - get your copy now and begin the quest with the last Sullivan Seer!

An excerpt from Ryder on the Storm:

Storm

“Guys, there are three boxes left in the apartment, since I have handled the last several loads while you two stood here bickering I am going to call it a day.  I am taking Pac Man and heading over to the manor.  You don’t have to lock up but please don’t take too much longer, alright?  I promised the landlord I’d be out by dark.”  Storm dropped the box on the ground next to the others and slipped into her Beetle where Pac Man waited.  He was already drooling, his tongue hanging out to one side and his little eyes flickering beneath their lids.  She’d found the pit bull at a humane society in Alabama.  They had tried to talk her out of it because he’d been abused and was scheduled to be put down due to his ferocity.  Apparently nobody could get close to him.  Still, Storm had a vision about the dog saving her and checked animal shelters in every place she lived.  It took eight months but she knew him the moment she saw him.  When she approached his cage, Pac Man stopped growling and started to whimper.  As long as Storm stayed with him, Pac Man allowed the staff to check him over and administer shots.  They released him to her care with just a little magical coercion.  So, Pac Man stayed with her. 

Storm cranked the air conditioning and that spurred him to sit up and sniff at the vent.  He finally noticed her presence.  “How do you intend to save me if you don’t even know when I am around?”  She reached over and rubbed his head.  “Let’s go home buddy.”

Dan and Shane were still arguing as she pulled away.  She decided to curse them if they didn’t make it to the manor by dark.  That seemed fair.  Thankfully she packed her toiletries and other necessities in the Beetle.  A cold shower sounded perfect.  Bangs stuck to her forehead, tank top clinging to her back and wait, she could actually smell herself.  Wonderful, surely Dan and Shane will find this attractive.  Maybe it is best they take a little longer.  I will never hear the end of it if they smell me like this.

Sample Saturday and more!

Busy, busy, busy.  That's me!  Between my kids' birthdays (less than two weeks apart), my growing business (Kharmic Chaos) and attending Grove City Wine & Arts Festival this weekend I have been just shy of losing my mind.  But, that's quite alright and completely worth it!  I will put some pictures up when I can but for now, an excerpt from Whiskey, Mystics, and Men, my Emerald Seer Novella.  This particular passage shows that Angeline was not always the prim, proper fairy.

“Go! Go! Go! Go!”  The thunder of chants echoed through the fog of her mind but she kept sucking at the tap.  Both hands were going numb from holding the thin rim of the keg but Angeline needed more to drown out the noise.  Finally she signaled the two weres supporting her ankles and found herself right side up again.  The frat house erupted in cheers and her new sisters flooded Angeline from all sides. 

“Wow, Ang, that was amazing.”

“I think it’s a new record.”

“Ang, you are unreal, girl.”

Angeline took in the praise, shook off her conscience, and smiled at a dashing half breed across the room.  She caught him eyeing her more than once since arriving.  Handsome in an unconventional way, by no means the most attractive guy there.  Angeline smiled seductively and flipped her hair to expose the graceful slope of her neck.  Turning slightly to keep one eye on the half breed, Angeline laughed with her sisters nonchalantly.  He continued to watch her, sipping beer from the red plastic cup, his eyes blazing red on occasion betraying his fire sprite nature.  The wild auburn hair and sharp features suddenly made sense.  Angeline worked to refrain from licking her lips. 

“Girl, that is not a good plan.  He looks like he could eat you up.”  Val slid up beside her and thrust a cup in her hand. 

“Val, you are incorrigible.” Angeline took a big gulp of beer though her stomach protested.

“I can see the old Angeline coming out and you know what that means, but promise me you will stay away from that guy.” Val’s eyebrows knitted together in concern.

Angeline pinched her friends arm, perhaps a bit harder than necessary.  “Now is not the time to discuss this.  You saw that keg stand; I am far from playing it safe.  Risk taking abound – but that does not mean I have to bang the half breed or anybody else for that matter.”

“Look who’s talking.” A husky voice reverberated through the alcohol fog.  “Sort of like the pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think, fairy?”

Sample Saturday!!

One of my very favorite passages from RYDER ON THE STORM, is this one describing the aftermath of Storm's first vision.  Clearly, her mother did not take it well but Aunt Trin (who would become a major influence in Storm's life) was non-plussed. Aunt Trin is actually one of my favorite characters and likely to have a spin off novella or novel. I could have some fun with her!

My excerpt from RYDER ON THE STORM:

Storm looked at her mother, mascara dripping down her cheeks like a sad circus clown, wild desperation and sadness warring behind her eyes. Aunt Trin had spoken up at just the right moment, “Sophie, luv, it will be fine. You knew it was a better chance than not that our Storm would receive the Sight as well. She is taking it better than you. Why don’t you go put on some tea and I will figure out what she saw?”
Mother had nodded obligingly before disappearing into the kitchen. Aunt Trin had turned to her, those lovely emerald eyes flashing with excitement, “She did not take that well did she, luv?”

Storm suppressed an eye roll and forced herself to shake her head instead. As always with her aunt, the words flowed easily. Without emotion she relayed what had played out in the vision and Aunt Trin listened in earnest. She reclined back against the arm of the sofa and folded her hands together, the enormous jeweled rings clicking like castanets. Aunt Trin and her mother looked so much alike, from their creamy, clear complexions to their wide emerald eyes, but Storm marveled at how opposite their personalities ended up. Storm sighed as her mother sobbed loudly in the kitchen - very loudly since the dining room and a hallway stood between them.

Sample Saturday

It began with tragedy - the brutal murder of Storm's aunt.

An excerpt from RYDER ON THE STORM....

Storm sighed and brushed the memory away. Looking around, she realized everyone had left. Storm was the last one standing – in more ways than one. Aunt Trin was gone. Aunt Trin who taught Storm about the visions, how to track and interpret them, and most importantly how to recover from the pain of one. Aunt Trin who’d taught her the craft and raised Storm after her mother gave up on life. Aunt Trin who was being lowered into the ground, the grinding of gears echoing through the graveyard. The stargazer lilies on the top of her coffin were wilting in the heat. Sweat dripped off Storm’s brow. She wondered briefly if the sheen gave the appearance of tears. Trin would have liked that. The tears simply would not come, they never had. Most people thought her heartless. She didn’t understand it, couldn’t change it, wasn’t even sure if she wanted to. Aunt Trin had told her time and again that there was a reason for her emotional paralysis. Storm just wished she could summon a few tears for the only person she’d ever cared about.
Two caretakers emerged from a truck with shovels and began filling the grave; burly men with sweat stains under their arms that spread in all directions across the gray polyblend jumpsuits. The larger man even had sweat lines down his back. Storm refrained from sneering as she approached them, her heels sinking into the soft soil with each step.
“Could I have another moment, please?” She loosed the belt of her jacket revealing the navy sheath dress beneath. As expected the caretakers’ eyes bulged slightly at her defined curves and nodded in that stunned manner Storm had become accustomed to long ago. Once they were out of sight, she knelt beside the grave and took a handful of dirt from the pile. With the other hand Storm reached into the pocket ofher jacket and withdrew a vial. She cast them both into the grave, stood up, brushed herself off, and nodded toward the caretakers to proceed. Storm felt their eyes on her as she walked away and pulled her jacket tightly around her, in spite of the sweltering heat.
In the driver’s seat of her VW Beetle, Storm exhaled. It was done. Everything she’d been asked to do. She was free. Sort of. The visions would still plague her. Unless she could break the curse. Storm started her car and flicked the radio on, this one’s for you Aunt Trin, as Jim Morrison blew through the speakers with her namesake song.

Sample Saturday

Just a little excerpt from LIGHT MY FIRE (Emerald Seer II).

“That won’t be necessary, I am sure it is spectacular, Ang. Remember, you promised to surprise me with all of those decisions?” Storm relaxed as Angeline’s magic flowed through her and numbing the pain as it spread. She really didn’t care to go through all of the bags, not now. Kell seemed relieved as he deposited the bags on the desk. Pollux followed suit and then took one of Lucian’s glasses, downed it in one gulp, and set it back in his hand.

“Pour me another you thieving Scot.” Lucian glared up at him. “You should know better than to touch a man’s scotch. What is your problem?”

“Oh, I don’t know, perhaps it was the banshee attack in the parking lot on the way in or the troll confrontation on the way back. Maybe it was because Call of Duty was sold out. Or, most likely, it was the agonizing two hours we spent looking at baby clothes that all look exactly the same. Take your pick. I needed a drink, you had two.” Pollux shrugged, upon seeing Lucian’s reddening face quickly added, “I’ll get you two fresh pours if you down that one.”

“You do that.” Lucian emptied his other glass and deposited them in Pollux’s outstretched hands. “Pour my way too, do not be stingy.”

Happy Mother's Day!

Many happy wishes to Storm Sullivan and all super Moms everywhere who have the hardest and most rewarding job in the world!!

Picture courtesy of http://bootiquefitness.com/happy-mothers-day-2012/

Sample Saturday Excerpt

Now that the series is done, I want to revisit some of my favorite excerpts!!

This is from LIGHT MY FIRE, the second Emerald Seer installment and gives a picture of the dynamic between Lucian, Ryder, and Storm that I loved so much.  


“Alright, let’s walk.” Storm knew Lucian and Ryder both had plenty to say. She still didn’t feel threatened. Not that she was taking anything lightly where her child was concerned, but come on, Willow Wood had become the Fort Knox of the supernatural world, she couldn’t think of anyone or anything more protected than her at the moment. Not that she appreciated the idea of being on lockdown, but it didn’t have to be that way either. Storm looped an arm around Ryder’s waist, cherishing the electric jolt that came with his touch, and followed Lucian into the orchard.

“It really is not that bad.” Okay, so she really sounded like a child.

“Storm, it is that bad. It is worse than that bad.” Lucian plucked an apple off a tree and bit into it. How could he be hungry? He chewed slowly and watched her. She swore the fire flickered again but Lucian just stood there, eating the apple and watching her. Ryder remained silent, his hand settled at the small of her back as they leaned against the old wooden fence. She couldn’t get anything off of Ryder, just images of her, how he saw their child, shadowy figures watching along the edges of each scene. Finally, Ryder exhaled.

“Tell her, Lucian.”

Lucian tossed the apple core into the nearest compost barrel. “Storm, most lovely Emerald, the brethren excommunicated all of us. The notices arrived while we were out. They refuse to sanction your union with Ryder and have declared the Scots, Roane, Ryder, and I to be traitors. We are fair game for all races to capture, hold, and torture as they see fit. They have started collecting everybody linked to us and are attempting to shut down Ryder’s businesses as we speak. Fortunately, they cannot touch Durstine since I signed it over to Federick, you remember him, right? The bartender? Since he still lives as a human and never officially became a familiar they cannot touch him without interfering with human law and apparently they are unwilling to go that far - yet. Frederick will settle into the manor within the week but the Scots are going tonight to gather what we need.”

Storm’s world came to a halt. Dammit! What were they all thinking? She suddenly felt small, and worse, guilty. Gut-wrenchingly guilty. Her voice came out much squeakier than she intended. “You should have gone when they called, Luc. Why did you stay?” For the thousandth time in six months Storm resented her emotions, wished she could put the genie back in the bottle and return to the unfeeling wonder she used to be. Then Ryder squeezed her hand, such a simple thing, but one that set the world right again. Giving up her emotions would mean giving up him. How could she do that?

“Storm, I am only going to say this once for very obvious reasons. I care for you, I think you are amazing and what you have done for Ryder is nothing short of a miracle. When I first arrived here six months ago I told Ryder I would back him and I keep my word.” The intensity of his gaze dissipated, replaced with a sarcastic one, “Besides, I love a good fight and this could prove to be the fight of a lifetime.”

Ryder rolled his eyes and Storm relaxed into a giggle which erupted into a full fit of laughter.