Author Spotlight - Leanore Elliott, Author of Beasts - The Eyes of Constance

Hi everyone! I'm very excited to be hosting the wonderfully kind Leanore Elliot, author of the Beasts series. Today, she's introducing us to this wonderful erotic paranormal romance series and sharing excerpts from The Eyes of Constance. She's also got a special treat for us - The Eyes of Constance is FREE from Amazon today and tomorrow only. Hurry and get your free copy. Now, take it away, Leanore!

GET IT FREE HERE TODAY!

BEASTS~The Eyes Of Constance

Author: Leanore Elliott

Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance

Synopsis 

Constance, a psychic who has visions of Serial Killers.  

Jack, a rebel cop who will break every law to stop these killers. 

They meet at a bloody scene of a murder, and team up to track some of the most deadly fiends in existence.

After three years together as partners, is there something even more sinister, which Constance cannot see? 


What will she find, when she finally comes face to face with the Beasts of Forever? 

70, 763 words / Full Novel 

Reviews for The Eyes of Constance

'The tale begins one way and takes you to a world that you never knew existed.'—PRG Reviews

---'I don't think we are in Kansas anymore.'—Lovestodive Amazon Review

---'If you like hot, erotic romance, this is a must read.'—Karen Fuller, Amazon Review

---'Leanore Elliott created a completely different set of characters, unlike any that I have ever read about.' Paranormal Kiss Reviews
---'An Erotic Epiphany', 'Because baby, this beast is all man!' Review line from Close Encounters of the Night Kind

Leonore Introduces us to the Beasts Series

I am so excited to be here at Kristine Cayne's Blog! Her and I met and she will always be the most precious Love Junkie I know. LOL (inside joke) We became great friends in Wickedness and she has the Beasts series herself to read. Today here at her site, you will find out how to get book one FOR FREE.

The three Beasts Books were for me, as a writer? An Erotic Epiphany. I started out with an idea: A psychic who has grisly visions of serial killers. She meets a sexy rebel Homicide detective and they partner up, to track and stop the killers.

Great premise, right? Well, about chapter two? The story took a turn and it felt like someone else took the wheel from me, driving me to an amazing plane no one had ever seen before!

'The story wrote itself', some authors say. I never knew what they meant until the day a whole new paranormal world opened up before my startled eyes!

I went to the net, with a heart pounding excitement and researched this premise. To my surprise, Low and Behold: there was the legend, in 10 different parts of the world. The very legend my story was weaving!

I typed out three of these fantastic tales as fast as my fingers could move on the keyboard. (I went through two key boards while doing it) My family thought they had certainly lost me to some place they could not even understand.

In just 3 months time? I had three full beasts' novels.

You as the reader will be stunned, as stunned as I was. These beasts are also Hot, Hungry and like no other characters; you will read in the paranormal genre.

There are two more beasts' books in the series. All can be read as stand alones in fact, some readers discovered the series by reading book two (BEASTS~ A different Life) instead of one. I believe that someday an audience who has already read many vamp and or ware books will read these books widely. These beasts have all the supernatural qualities of other beings, but they are not really out for blood, they are out for some hot loving, (chuckle). 

Meet sexy Jack Aka Lycian from ~ The Eyes Of Constance (Heat warning!)

(Note: The excerpts below contain themes of a very HAWT nature.)


DREAMS & NIGHTMARES

"Sleepy head?" Someone whispered to her.

Constance tensed at the voice. Another dream? She was pinned to a cold concrete slab. I was in the jeep in the jungle and Jack… Her thoughts halted as she remembered the bloody carnage on the jungle road. 

The creature came down from the sky, black as night and in just minutes all of Jack's men were dead.

Next, she found herself spread eagled by black velvet ropes on a cold cement slab.

Black opal eyes were there above her. "Well, lookey who I finally caught!"

"Who are you?" she asked.

He leaned close his shiny black skin rippling. "Your hubby."

Constance attempted to laugh at the outrageous claim but it came out like a groan.

"Oh yes, it's true but I lost you. It’s been a very long time."

Hands pushed at her ribs and she realized she was entirely nude.

"And I have you, now that Lycian has thrown you away, yet again."

"Thrown?" 

He nodded solemnly while he wore a sympathetic expression. "When he tires of you? He just throws you away!"

Stinging tears fell down her scratched cheeks.

He reached out and swiped one. "Such wasted body fluids, my Bella."

Constance trembled and shrank back from his touch on her face.

He grinned at her with a cold malice.

"Are you going to hurt me?"

"Tsk-tsk now, don't worry, my love. I’m gonna free you." His breath blew on her lips. "And to be honest, it may hurt just a teeny bit." He gave her a malicious looking smile. "But––do not fear when you wake up, all this will be gone and you will be my wife again."

A bizarre nauseating dread jolted through her as he hovered above her. She became terrified when something cold dripped across her skin. What is that?

The black opaque beast laid his body over hers.

The mysterious oozing substance slinked across her skin, thick and cold as it crept along her body. Constance tried to raise her head to see what was occurring. He placed a lone finger onto her forehead and it pushed her head back to the slab. She stared up at the long black fingernail, piercing her skin. A black secretion traveled down along his finger through the fingernail and dripped onto her face. It seeped into her eyes, nose and mouth and she let out a scream.

"You will be better after this, you’ll be mine again."

She fretfully fought to shake it away as it overflowed onto her eyes, dripping down over her hair. Her tears flowed black while they rolled along her cheeks and she struggled to spit the slick substance out and nearly choked on it. Her body lurched as she uselessly battled against the swiftly spreading dark tide and all at once, she knew what it would do to her. It will take my memory of all that I am and all that I‘ve become!

"Yes, it certainly will," Nicco whispered to her ear.

*  *  *  *  *

SOME PLAYFUL HEAT

Latching onto his delicious tongue, she met it with a fierce yearning. Her breathing became ragged as he lowered his mouth to her neck. "Now you undress." She yanked at his shirt.

Chuckling, Jack slid her down over his hard jeans. "Nope, you’re still clothed." His hot gaze roamed over her lace bra and panties.

Baffled, she peered down at her lacey undergarments. "Oh, yeah." She peeled the bra up and off, swiveling her underwear down to her thighs. 

He placed his hands on hers and her panties, tugging the frilly garment, high over her hips.

Constance puzzled at the unusual maneuvering of her underwear.  

He yanked the undergarment higher and stood closer to her, taking a hold of the flimsy lace material, he slid them back and forth. Reaching around, he maneuvered them to her crack, sliding the lace front to back. He smiled and lowered his mouth to her breast.

Her breathing accelerated. "Oh, so not fair," she whispered breathlessly. He licked a slow circle around her nipple and switched to the other. Overwhelmed, she threw her head back with a low moan. 

Jack held her there by her panties and would tow her close and ease her back as he switched from tongue flicking one nipple, and then the other. 

She gulped for air, her moving underwear got wetter and tighter, like a silken vice and it was all that kept her standing on her now weakened legs. "Stop, Jack!"

He raised his head and let go, she stumbled back and he swiftly steadied her."We were not taking it slow enough."

Constance exhaled. "You could take it slow or you could speed it up, but I will still burn up like a f***ing firecracker!"

Jack smiled furtively at her.

"Just look who still has his clothes on?" she teased.

He looked startled. "Um... yes that's––"

She stepped closer, unbuttoning his shirt and lowered the sleeves over his arms, dropping it to the floor. She put her fingers on his jean snaps and unsnapped them, the sound loud in the room as she tugged them down and over his smooth skin.

Jack studied her closely while she eased his jeans down and lowered her nude body over his skin, following the path of his jeans. He drew in a deep breath when her bare skin smoothed along his thighs. 

Constance took her own sweet sensual time, lithely massaging her breasts across his stomach as she rose back up.

He stepped out of his jeans and watched her naughty seduction.

She grabbed his black briefs in a tight fist. "My favorite color too, but I like mine hard and ready."

{I want to thank Kristine for allowing me to give you a peek at The Beasts Phenomenon.}

Beasts - The Eyes of Constance Book Trailer

Where Can I Learn More?


BEASTS webpage


Reminder


Beasts - The Eyes of Constance is free on Amazon today and tomorrow only!  (March 22 and 23, 2012)


Thank you, Leanore! That was a great introduction to your series and to The Eyes of Constance. I've already started reading it, and I'm enjoying it (and Jack!) very much :)


Question


What do you like most about (erotic) paranormal romance? Werewolves, vampires, or new types of creatures like Leanore's beasts? Comment and let us know!


Happy reading, everyone :)
~Kristine

Author Spotlight - Sheila Welch, Author of Waiting to Forget

Today, I'm pleased to be hosting my second guest from Making Connections Book Tours. Author Sheila Welch is joining me to talk about her new book, Waiting to Forget. Welcome, Sheila!

Title: Waiting to Forget
Author: Sheila Welch
Ages: 10 and older
Grades: 4th - 8th


Click here to read the story synopsis and reviews on the publisher's website.

Excerpt: Pages 20 – 24 : WAITING TO FORGET by Sheila Kelly Welch

In this excerpt, twelve-year -old T.J. has been waiting for a long time at the hospital while his little sister, Angela, unconscious after a fall, is being examined in the ER. Their adoptive parents are with Angela but take turns checking up on T.J. He's been looking through a scrapbook – or life book, as their caseworker calls it –  that he put together shortly before he and Angela moved into their new home about a year ago..

namelos

South Hampton, New Hampshire

Copyright © 2011 by Sheila Kelly Welch

All rights reserved

Chapter Three

Now—

“Timothy?”

            He slams his life book shut and looks up into Marlene’s face. She’s standing directly in front of him, but he didn’t see or hear her coming.

            “I’m sorry you’ve been waiting here alone. But I … your dad … the doctors don’t think you should come back there.” Marlene stays standing, her arms bent as if inviting a comforting hug.

            T.J. waits. He doesn’t ask about Angela. His fingers feel stiff and moist where they are touching the cover of his life book.

            “She’s still not awake,” Marlene says quietly. “They’re doing tests. X-rays and all that. Only more complicated. A CAT scan. You know.”

            T.J. says nothing.

            “Are you okay? Do you need anything? Here. Here’s some money.” She dumps a pile of change into his cupped hand.

            The coins are cool on his warm palm. “Go get yourself some juice, apple or orange, plus something to eat. There are machines around that corner.” Marlene points and T.J. turns his head to look. But his stomach is clenched around that familiar pain, holding it tightly inside him. No way can he eat anything.

            Marlene reaches out to brush a strand of hair off his forehead, and he ducks instinctively. She draws back, frowning, then says, “I’ll come for you as soon as they say you can see her. But right now—it’s not a good time.”

             T.J. tries to look into his adoptive mother’s eyes, but she is already turning toward the swinging doors.

            She calls back to him, “Be sure to get some food, Timothy. It’s time for lunch, but we can’t leave Angela. We don’t want you getting sick from not eating.”

            T.J. is silent. He feels a tiny measure of relief, like when you open the refrigerator door on a really hot day and you breathe in a little blast of chilled air. Marlene didn’t say that Angela was dead. And she didn’t mention anything about Angela’s fall. Or why it happened. Not yet.

            His mouth feels dry. He thinks about his tongue, wondering if it’ll stick to his teeth if he doesn’t get a drink soon. He’s not thinking about Angela behind those doors, having weird stuff—tests—done to her.

            He stands up and dumps all the change Marlene gave him into the left front pocket of his jeans. It feels heavy. Then he sits down again and carefully pries open his life book to the second page.

Between Then and Now—

“Draw a picture of the first house you remember, T.J. It can be one you lived in with your birth mother or a foster home. Put in lots of details.” Mrs. Cox was sounding helpful and supportive. It was her job.

            T.J. grabbed the top piece of construction paper off the neat pile Mrs. Cox had arranged on the table halfway between him and his sister. The paper was brown. He used a black magic marker to draw a rectangle with a triangle for the roof. Next he selected a blue marker and began coloring in the house. The blue on top of brown turned a dark, nondescript color, almost black. The picture looked like something a baby would draw. Not worthy of an eleven-year-old. He pretended he didn’t care.

            Mrs. Cox was busy trying to get Angela to do something—anything—other than make yet another folded bird.

             T.J. had really wanted to draw that blue house, but it looked all wrong. He thought about crumpling up the stupid picture and tossing it onto the floor. If he did, Mrs. Cox would insist that he get up and take it over to the wastebasket by the door, so instead he began drawing a tree next to the house. He tried to make a cat, balancing on one limb. Felicity Feline. He wrote her name in the space above the stick-figure cat, but the marker was too thick, so the letters got all mushed together. And he wasn’t exactly sure how to spell Felicity.

            Spelling was not his favorite subject. Funny how reading could be so easy but spelling so hard. Actually, nothing about school was a favorite with T.J. Maybe recess if nobody was picking on him or Angela.

            “You lived in a black house?” Mrs. Cox sounded concerned.

            T.J. shook his head and said, “It’s supposed to be blue.”

            “Oh, well, here, why don’t you start over? Use this white paper. That way the blue will turn out blue. Or better yet, use crayons. When you’re filling in a large area, crayons work better than markers. Don’t you think?”

            “No,” said T.J.

            Mrs. Cox sighed. “Maybe we’ve done enough for one session. Neither of you seems to be trying. I mean, these books are something you can treasure the rest of your lives. You can show them to your new family. Marlene is a scrapbooker herself. She will love looking at your life books! You can add on new pages after you move in with Dan and Marlene. And I’m certain they will be interested in your past. In everything about you.”

            He didn’t believe Mrs. Cox. There were a lot of things T.J. didn’t think his new parents would want to know. There were things he didn’t want to remember himself.

            Mrs. Cox glanced at her watch and sighed again. Evidently it wasn’t yet time to take them back to their foster home.

“Here.” Mrs. Cox handed him an unlined 3 x 5 card. “Write down your memories about this house, T.J. You don’t have to draw it over if you don’t want to.”

            He sat for a few minutes with a thin magic marker in his hand. He was aware of Angela humming softly to herself as she folded an orange bird. She had finished a pink bird, too, and set it on the table next to the purple one. The paper cranes looked as if they’d fallen, each listing to a side on bent wingtips.

            T.J. wrote carefully. This was are house for a wile. I licked living there. They had a lot of cats. I don’t rememmber there names. I mean the peple. The cats had good names like Felcity Felin.

            He stuck the card under the drab picture of the house. He wished that Mrs. Cox had insisted that he redo the drawing, but he didn’t want her to think he agreed with her about how lousy it looked, so he left it alone.

Now—

T.J. stares at the picture in his life book and then shuts his eyes, trying to remember that blue house the way it really looked. But he imagines it just like his babyish drawing—crooked, smudged. Best forgotten.

            But he can’t forget the days leading up to their going there. It all started when Momma left them with her friend Tanya. He was little then, years younger than Angela is now. He had just started kindergarten, and Angela was toddling around, wearing diapers that gave her a fat butt and smelled worse than dog poop.

About Sheila

Hello! Rather than introduce myself with my standard biographical information, which is easy to find, I decided to provide some little-known facts about me.

A Baker's Dozen of Facts about Sheila Welch

1. When I was born, I broke the record for the longest baby girl ever born in Pottstown Hospital. A boy beat me by half an inch. 
2. I was a few months old when I ate a caterpillar that fell into my baby carriage.
3. My first cat was named Icky, and he sometimes slept under a weeping pear tree that I called Icky's house.
4. When I was seven, I had rheumatic fever and spent six months in bed, and we had no TV, computer, or electronic games. Guess who soon realized there is magic in reading!
5. Three days before I started third grade at a new school, a chair I was standing on fell over and broke my right arm. That chair is now at our kitchen table 845 miles from my old home. I never stand on it.
6. One day when I was about ten, I was crawling over some huge tree roots in the woods. My head was down near the roots when, suddenly, I came face-to-face with the biggest spider I've ever seen.
7. My pet goat was named Valentine, and my dog was named Tam. He could add, subtract, multiply, and divide by barking the correct number of times. He could do any math problem that I could do. 
8. I had a hand-me-down horse named Flash who was a go-anywhere, do-anything kind of horse.
9. We didn't own a TV until I was 15.
10. I milked goats for several years and drank goats' milk.
11. When I was in high school, I won an Achievement Award in Writing from the National Council of Teachers of English, and colleges all over the country invited me to enroll. I decided to study art instead of English.
12. I was sure I'd meet my future husband at a summer camp, and I did. 
13. My children have called me the Bionic Woman because I have an artificial heart valve that's older than a lot of you who are reading this. Sometimes I can hear it ticking, and when I can't, I get a little bit worried.

Tour Schedule
Want to see more? Click here to see the rest of the Waiting to forget tour schedule.


Giveaway

Sheila has generously offered to gift a lucky commenter with a copy of Waiting to Forget. International participants will receive and ebook (mobi, epub, or pdf). US participants will receive and ebook or a print book according to their preference. The contest closes 3/20/2012 at 11:59PM.

Question

Tell us a little-known fact about yourself. And have fun with it!

I'll start the ball rolling -- I met my husband, who by the way doesn't touch a drop of alcohol, at a little bar called Cheers. And no, it wasn't the one in Boston :)

~Kristine

St. Patrick's Day Blog Hop - The Winners Are...

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the St. Patrick's Day Blog Hop!  Across the 120 blogs, a whopping 7,846 comments were entered. Amazing!


My own movie tickets prize generated  and incredible 136 entries. I'm thrilled to have had the chance to meet so many new people and I hope you'll all come back to visit me. I'm doing another blog hop in April, so stay tuned.


Now onto the winners 

Winner of the Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet


#136 from Carrie Ann Ryan’s
Melissa L 
I'll be attempting Irish Car Bomb cupcakes this St. Patrick's Day! 


Winner of the $90 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

#4186 from Wendy Smith’s Blog

Shadow
True love? To me is being there, knowing you will always have there love and can count on each other for anything. Youd give up and do anything to make the other happy. 



Winner of the pair of AMC Theatre Movie Tickets


#80 from Kristine Cayne's Blog


VanillaOrchids
About my only tradition is the wearing of green. :)
Thanks for the giveaway.
Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Congratulations, Melissa L., Shadow, and VanillaOrchids!

And a huge thank you to all the authors and blog hoppers!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
~Kristine


Image courtesy of http://www.computerclipart.com

St. Patrick's Day Blog Hop - Enter now to win great prizes!

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day! Well, okay, it's one day early but we're wearing green and raising a mug! Over 120 authors are participating in this blog hop, so please once you're done entering for the chance to win great prizes here, be sure to follow the links at the bottom of the post.


Each author is giving away an individual prize and we have two grand prizes for two different winners. You can enter for the grand prize at each blog! So increase your chances by blog hopping all day :)


(In order not to miss any upcoming posts about new releases, contests, and giveaways, please consider subscribing to this blog via email, RSS feed, Google Friend Connect, Google+, or NetworkedBlogs. The links are in the left sidebar.)


My Prize

Nic "the lover" Lamoureux, the hero of Deadly Obsession and Hollywood Oscar-winner extraordinaire has managed to snag a pair of movie tickets from a fan at AMC Theatres! These are Gold Experience tickets. 


The blurb on the back says, "Good at any AMC®, AMC Showplace, Loews, Cineplex Odeon, Magic Johnson, and Star theatres, excluding Canadian theatres. Subject to surcharge for 3D, IMAX®, ETX, alternative content, and premium services and locations." There are no restrictions on the movie or timing during which the tickets can be used!


(I'm so sorry my Canadian friends! Next summer when I go to Montreal, I'm going to pick up some gifts so I can include you in my giveaways!)


To enter, fill out the rafflecopter. Earn more points by executing one or more additional actions. Contents closes at 11:59 EST on 3/16. Good luck!

Author Spotlight - Amethyst Eyes by Debbie Brown

Courtesy of the Making Connections Book Tour, I'm please today to be hosting Debbie Brown who'll be talking with us about her new book, Amethyst Eyes. 

Title: Amethyst Eyes
Author: Debbie Brown
Genre: Fantasy/YA


Waking up in the hospital from the car accident that claimed his mother’s life, 15-year-old Tommy is told his father is on his way. Unaware of his father’s true identity or the reason he left so long ago, the teen is unprepared for the reality of the life he must now lead. In the blink of an eye Tommy finds himself on an alien vessel…his father is not from Earth!


The challenges Tommy faces go beyond adapting to a new home and school. But first, he has to survive Jayden…the reluctant, unsympathetic tutor, tasked to help him fit in. When he finally thinks things are getting better, things come crashing down as he learns that being born with amethyst eyes has made him the target of some very unfriendly beings.


Excerpt


     “Hold on!” Tommy’s mother yelled as she tried to steer their old Cherokee from the truck’s path. Tommy never saw it coming. It was just there, on the wrong side of the road and out of control.
     “Mom?” Closing his eyes tight, he grabbed hold of the arm she placed across his chest to shield him from the crash, and as suddenly as the truck had appeared, his world went black.
     The smell of the smoke was the first thing he noticed. Opening his eyes, he saw that they were still in the jeep. What was left of it. His entire body screamed with pain as he tried to move. “Mom,” he called. She was pinned to her seat by the steering wheel. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth.
     “T-om-my,” she managed. 
     Tears filled his eyes. Don’t die, he thought to himself. Removing his seatbelt, he attempted to slide closer to her. A sharp stab of pain surprised him, releasing a wave of dizziness. Sweat beaded on his forehead. “Mom…”
     Stirring ever so slightly, she tried to speak. Her voice was barely a whisper. “Join…the…p-pen-dant.” The effort seemed to cost her greatly. She coughed and let out a small cry as she slipped into unconsciousness.
     Tommy’s mind raced. The pendant, the pendant. He knew what she meant, he just never believed it. He thought she was joking when she said it was their 911 line to his father. Forcing himself to focus, he pulled on her chain until he located the clasp. Sliding it open and removing the chain, he secured it around his neck. Then he proceeded to join the two stone halves. Would his father come? Where was he? What had Mom meant when she told me ‘you will know your father’s world soon enough’?
     A burst of coloured light filled the car. Tommy dropped the pendant as if it had suddenly become too hot to handle. Before the pendant hit his chest, the molecules shifted, rendering it invisible. He knew now that his father would come. Another wave of dizziness hit as he gazed one last time at his mother.
     “I love you, Mom,” he whispered as darkness claimed him.


     Tommy’s stomach knotted as he recognized the antiseptic smell that could only belong to a hospital. Opening his eyes, the memory of the accident came slowly back. He began to cry. The heart monitor raced in response to the sudden onrush of emotion, and he couldn’t control the sobs that took hold of his body. He didn’t try to either.
     A nurse stepped in to check on him. After a quick evaluation, she wrapped her arms around him tight, and without saying a word, let him grieve over his loss. 
     When the tears were all but spent, Jenna (according to her name tag) brushed the hair from his forehead. He felt so empty and alone, even in the comfort of her arms. His breaths caught sharply when she gently repositioned the brace around his shattered leg, but he said nothing.         
     “I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said in a soft voice. She helped him settle back in the bed, stood and checked on his various tubes and wires. “Your father has contacted us

and will arrive in a few days.” Pulling a pad from her pocket, she checked her notes.
 “You aren’t due for more pain medication for another hour.” She shoved the paper back in her pocket. “But if the pain is too intense, I can-”
     “I don’t want it.” He cut her off.
     She smiled in a gentle manner. “Well, we’ll wait and see, ok?”


     On the day of his father’s arrival, Tommy stood in the bathroom with the help of his crutches and examined his features closely. He wondered how much he looked like his father. Did he have the same amethyst eyes, or the strange gold highlights in his hair? The glow of the overhead bulb seemed to accentuate the unearthliness of his most prominent features.
     Jenna poked her head into the room. “Are you ready?”
     He avoided her gaze. “I still have a few things to pack.”
     “To meet your father, I mean.” Without missing a beat, she walked over to him, placed his hair quickly and proceeded to escort him to the door.
     “I can’t.” He stopped before stepping out into the hall. “He left almost thirteen years ago. I don’t even remember what he looks like. I was only two...” his voice trailed off.
     Jenna placed a comforting hand on his arm. “He’s as nervous as you are, and I don’t think you’ll have any trouble recognizing him. Let’s go, gorgeous.” She winked at him in an attempt to lighten the mood, but her support and reassurance were genuine. 
Jenna led Tommy to a private lounge where a tall, uniformed man stood by the window, looking out over the city. Tommy didn’t recognize the blue-and-black uniform but thought nothing of it. The commander turned at the sound of the door opening, and two sets of amethyst eyes met for the first time in years. A silent exchange of acknowledgement passed between the two. 
     Jenna stood, hands on hips. “Now don’t tell me you’re one of those cold military types who can’t risk an emotional display by hugging a son you haven’t seen in years.” 
Jenna’s outburst caused the commander to blush ever so slightly. He made his way over to his son. Tommy let his crutches fall to the floor as he held tight to his father.
     “Leave us,” the commander ordered with no room for discussion. He lifted Tommy’s chin and examined him closely. “I am saddened at the loss of your mother. This was not how we had planned it.”
     “What do you mean?” Tommy’s could barely get the words out.
     “Come, sit.” A strong arm held Tommy by the waist, and guided him to the couch.    Taking a deep breath the commander continued, “As you know, your mother and I are of different origins. She chose not to follow me but to remain here and raise you until the age of eighteen. At this point, I was to return and give you the choice of worlds.”
     “The choice of worlds?” Tommy repeated. “I’d never even thought about a military career.” Why would his father talk about this now?  “How far were you stationed that you couldn’t even write?” Painful questions Tommy usually avoided were beginning to stir inside. 
     A look of surprise crossed the commander’s face. Releasing the breath he had been holding he said, “I see your mother has not prepared you for this at all.” He passed a hand over his mouth and then tapped his watch twice.
     “Yes, Commander?” A man’s voice filled the room.
     “Molecular transport, on my mark.” Standing, he helped Tommy to his feet and collected the crutches. “I will show you my world, and I will explain.” 
     Confused, Tommy nervously accepted his father’s support.
     Holding his son tight, the commander gave the order.
     Tommy blinked as everything around him faded. He was no longer in the hospital lounge but on a raised platform at the back of a square, unadorned room. A shimmering glass wall separated them from the two men who sat at some kind of computer console. He froze in place. This was not possible. “Father…” Tommy whispered.
     “All clear, Commander,” one of the two men said. 
     His father nodded to the officer. “Follow me,” he said to Tommy. 
     Tommy couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. He was trying to process what had just happened, but his mind wasn’t able to accept it. His heart rate shot up and his legs felt weak.
     “Do you require assistance?” his father asked.
     Forcing himself to focus, Tommy shook his head ‘no’ and hobbled forward. 
     “We will take it slow, one step at a time.” His father helped him down from the platform, and they stepped out of the room into a brightly lit, ice-blue corridor. “Are you able to walk, or would you prefer we-”
     Tommy cut him off. “I can walk.” He took a few unsteady steps forward. “A bit.” 
     “Do you know where we are?” his father asked as they moved slowly down the corridor. The answer came as they made their way to the large, oval port hole at the end of the corridor. It showed Earth in all her glory, directly below them. 


Watch the Book Trailer

About the Author


For as long as she can remember, Debbie has been creating stories in her head. She hated to go anywhere without a pen and paper, just in case. As a graduate of the Institute of Children's literature, while pursuing yet another writing course, she finds herself doing what she loves . . . learning and writing. The course gives her an excuse to just sit down and write. 

Over the years she has worked as a nurse, a teacher, a martial arts instructor and a CIC officer in the Canadian Forces. Her hobbies have varied from woodworking, to auto-mechanics, with music, painting, karate, holistic medicine, gardening and camping thrown into the mix. Let's not forget reading.


Debbie's perfect cure for a long winter's night is curling up in front of a fire with a good book while snowflakes drift slowly past the window. Never having been much of a city girl, she lives with two of her four children, her husband Jean-Pierre and their pets in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec. She couldn't imagine life without the beauty found in the trees, mountains and lakes that surround her.


Contact Info


Debbie likes to talk with her readers. Find her on Facebook, Goodreads,  and on her Blog.


Twitter: @amethysteyes01
Email: amethysteyes01@yahoo.ca



Buy Links


Amethyest Eyes is available from the following retailers:

Amazon, Chapters Indigo, Powell’s, Barnes & Noble, SONY Reader Store. 


It is also available through over 100 online bookstores worldwide; you just have to Google it to find it!


If you like the book, feel free to LIKE its facebook page.


Giveaway 


Debbie would like to offer an ecopy of Amethyst Eyes to one lucky reader. Simply comment below and you are entered! 


If you have any questions feel free to ask and Debbie promises to get back to you.  Debbie also invites you to post comments and reviews. 


Thank you for reading!
~Kristine and Debbie

Interview with Kristine Cayne on First Lines

Hi everyone! 

I'm being interviewed by Scarlett Archer on the 1001 First Lines blog about--you guessed it--first lines. Come check it out and see if you agree with my thoughts on what makes a great first line and what makes a terrible one. 
This could be a lot of fun!


~Kristine

Interview with Scarlett Archer - Author and Cover Designer

I'm excited today to be hosting Scarlett Archer, author and cover designer. Scarlett is the author of 1001 First Lines. 


She also created the fabulous cover for my book, Deadly Obsession (which you can see in the right sidebar), and is currently working on the cover for Deadly Addiction. Welcome, Scarlett!




Kristine: Why did you decide to write a book on first lines? Why are they so important?


Scarlett: I think first lines are vital to the first swell of a book, to draw the reader into the tide. I love them, I love looking at them as an art form and I realized that others might have the same inclination as I do. They're so important because they establish the setting, the speed, the agony or the ecstasy. Without a good first line a lot of people put the book down and that's it, the end!


Kristine: What's your favorite first line? Why?


Scarlett: "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." Stephen King, The Dark Tower. This is my favourite because when I read it I felt like I'd been punched in the face. It still makes me reel when I read it.  


Kristine: What's your least favorite first line? Why?


Scarlett: Least favourite, I can't recall. But now I'm so focused on first lines I'm sure I'll have soon enough!


Kristine: Do you think what makes a first line great differs by genre? If so how? If not, why not?


Scarlett: With the number of first lines I had to scour I would have to say yes. And probably for the opposite reason people think so. 


First lines of chick lit are vastly different to first lines of biographies, or general non-fiction. Each genre has its own format that is followed so often - consider breaking those cliches. Become familiar with your genre and how all the first lines begin to sound the same, then get cosy with other genres. Ask yourself 'How would it sound if my fantasy/sci-fi novel opened up with the same style as a biography, or thriller?' 


Kristine: You also make book covers. What makes a book cover great?


Scarlett: A cover that doesn't give away the story, but invites the reader to pick it up. Essentially I've seen some absolutely horrific book covers but I feel compelled to pick it up and find out what it's about. You gotta give it to the designer, that's pretty effective advertising. 


But regarding good design one thing that can make or break a cover is typography. What's typography? The use of type. The layout, the format, the structure. A lot of hobbyists, and people who like playing around in Photoshop, don't realise the importance of typography. They put all their time in to the image and slap a title on there in Arial and voila. They don't realise should they put the amount of time on type as they do on everything else, they will come out miles ahead!


Kristine: What's the best book cover you've ever seen?


Scarlett: It's a series of covers done for Vladimir Nabokov's books, designed as a display case holding something inside: http://bookcoverarchive.com/Vladimir_Nabokov I find them ingenious. 


Kristine: What's the worst book cover you've ever seen?


Scarlett: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41PMlxkPaTL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
But this made one of the best covers I've ever seen because of the title. It's fairly self explanatory. I actually own this book.  


Kristine: You are no doubt proud of all the covers you've created. But what's the one you have the biggest soft-spot for and why?


Scarlett: http://booksat.scarlettrugers.com/books/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/scandal_web.jpg


I designed this cover when I was in University. It was a project to design a book, which I was totally over the moon about! I designed it for a series of short stories I'm writing, the first titled "The Scandal". It's a series about a paparazzo in Hollywood, and the adventures she has and the trouble she gets in! 


I love this so much because it was designed with the same style of the Nabokov book designs, as a display case. The cover is a blonde girl pinned down, with tags on the pins like a butterfly. The concept is that the paparazzi are out to capture, analyse, and investigate celebrities. The book was printed and placed into a specially made wooden box with a clear plastic top. My teacher was so impressed by it she bought it off me! 


Kristine: Do you have plans to write other books? Can you tell us a little bit about those plans?


Scarlett: I'm in the middle of three different projects. One is a romantic comedy of a female cab driver in NYC [in editing mode for that], another is a dark retelling of The Wizard of Oz [in outlining for that], and the third is a novella about two children who stop ageing, and how they live through the decades. I won't bore you with the details, but I ALWAYS have plan to write books :) Writing is who I am, no matter how much I design writing is number one.  


Kristine: Anything you want to tell our readers?


Scarlett: Buying my book 1001 First Lines isn't just about having fun reading first lines, but if you're a writer I recommend it as a vital addition to your library. It has a tick list in the back to check off all the books you've read, and I spent a lot of time on the design so you won't be disappointed buying it paperback!  


About Scarlett

Scarlett Rugers (writing as Scarlett Archer) has just released a book 1001 First Lines which is now available at Amazon! You can purchase a paperback, .lit, .epub, .mobi and PDF versions here: http://www.1001firstlines.wordpress.com.


She has been writing for over fifteen years, completed over eleven novels, and her main drive is in speculative fiction or its contrasting opposite romantic comedic novels. She has a passion for studying the art of story telling and is a grand lover of movies. Her focus in work is book cover designs which enables her to put all her energy in to the area she loves most- literature. 


Scarlett's Amazing Cover Deal


You can get in touch with Scarlett about getting a book cover designed for you for the super affordable price of $50! But there's only 30 places for $50 and they're running out fast! Check it out at http://www.booksat.scarlettrugers.com


Your Turn!


Okay, readers, here are a couple questions for you: 

• What's the best or worst first line you've ever read? 
• What's the best or worst cover you've ever seen?

Scarlett and I would love to hear your opinions!


Happy reading!
~Kristine