Thursday, May 28, 2015

Q+A with Steve McHugh (Hellequin Chronicles)

Q+A with Steve McHugh author of Hellequin Chronicles urban fantasy

Please welcome today's guest author, Steve McHugh!  Steve is the author of the Hellequin Chronicles urban fantasy series, including Crimes Against Magic, Born of Hatred, With Silent Screams, and Prison of Hope.

Q+A with Steve McHugh

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Steve:
  I’ve written since I was very young and always loved doing it, but it wasn’t until my daughter was born ten years ago when I was 25 that I got really serious about it. I joined a critique group and wrote my first book which won’t be seen by anyone ever. From there I started on my second, which turned into Crimes Against Magic, my first published book.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Steve:
  I’ve always loved Urban Fantasy, mythology, monsters, magic all those kinds of things and figured I’d put them all together to make a story I wanted to read. I read a lot of stuff in that genre; Jim Butcher, Mike Carey, Kelley Armstrong, so it was one I’ve always wanted to do something in. And four books later it looks like I’ve got a good few books left in that genre yet.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Steve:
  Picking only one is hard, but I’d probably go with the ability to control time and space. Why? Because if I'm going to get powers I want them to be the most awesome powers you can imagine. And controlling time and space is pretty much the upper echelon of power.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Steve:
  It’s action/packed, with some brutal fight scenes, but it’s also got a lot of humour between Nate (the main character) and his friends. And at the core of it all is a crime mystery, a who-done-it, that I think is pretty fun.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Steve: 
Before I saw Daredevil I would have said that Antony Starr from Banshee would make a great Nate. But I think Charlie Cox has that combination of friendliness to those he cares about and viciousness to those who cross him that Nate has. I think he’d be good in the role.

Michael Fassbender would make a great Hades. He’s got the right look for him and I think he’d be pretty cool as Nate’s friend and all round terrifyingly powerful badass.

Thank you Steve for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

Prison of Hope Hallequin Chronicles urban fantasy by Steve McHugh

Prison of Hope (Hellequin Chronicles #4) by Steve McHugh.

Long ago, Olympian gods imprisoned the demon Pandora in a human—Hope—creating a creature whose only purpose was chaos and death. Remorseful, the gods locked Pandora away in Tartarus, ruled by Hades.

Now, centuries later, Pandora escapes. Nate Garrett, a 1,600-year-old sorcerer, is sent to recapture her and discovers her plan to disrupt the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, killing thousands in a misplaced quest for vengeance.

Fast forward to modern-day Berlin, where Nate has agreed to act as guardian on a school trip to Germany to visit Hades at the entrance to Tartarus. When Titan King Cronus becomes the second ever to escape Tartarus, Nate is forced to track him down and bring him back, to avert a civil war between those who would use his escape to gain power.

Prison of Hope is the fourth book in the highly acclaimed and action-packed dark urban fantasy series, the Hellequin Chronicles.

Release Date:  April 14, 2015
Genre:  Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Add to Goodreads.

To learn more about Steve McHugh and his books, please visit his website.

Monday, May 25, 2015

Paranormal Road Trip: Destination Boston with Nancy Holzner

Paranormal Road Trip: Destination Boston with Nancy Holzner

Come on boys and ghouls!  It's time to hop on Route 666 for a spooktacular Paranormal Road Trip.

This week's stop is Boston, Massachusetts and our special guide is Nancy Holzner author of the DEADTOWN urban fantasy series.

Nancy's Top 5 Spooky Places in Boston

My urban fantasy series, Deadtown, is set in Boston for many reasons. It's a city I know well—I went to college in Boston and lived there as a young adult. It has a rich history but is also very modern. It has a Puritanical past and a liberal present. It's full of tradition and buzzing with the energy of a college town. Boston has always been one of my favorite cities, and I'm excited to share its spooky side.

1. 77 Gainsborough Street, Back Bay

In the early 1960s, the city was terrorized by the Boston Strangler. Thirteen women died at his hands between June 1962 and January 1964. No one seemed safe—the victims were murdered in their own homes, they ranged in age from 19 to 85, and they belonged to a variety of ethnic groups. Women at the time tried to protect themselves by barricading their apartments, taking self-defense classes, and sleeping with a variety of weapons, including ski poles and umbrellas. Eventually,  a man named Albert DeSalvo confessed. However, a lack of physical evidence to corroborate his confession meant he was never tried for any of the murders. Instead, he was sentenced to life in prison for unrelated crimes. He was stabbed to death at Walpole state prison in 1973.

For years, people wondered whether DeSalvo was the real Boston Strangler. Other theories were proposed. But in 2013, DNA evidence from the scene of the last murder was found to be a match—first with DNA donated by DeSalvo's nephew and then, after an exhumation, with DeSalvo's body itself.

Although multiple sites are associated with the Boston Strangler, 77 Gainsborough Street is the one that spooked me. It was the site of the very first murder, and it was just around the corner from an apartment I rented as a college student. Even though by then years had passed since DeSalvo's chilling crimes and death, it was scary to think he had started his murder spree in my neighborhood.

2. Fort Warren, Boston Harbor

Boston Harbor is dotted with small islands. One of these, George's Island at the harbor's entrance, is home to a 19th-century fort. Built of granite and shaped like a five-pointed star, Fort Warren held Confederate prisoners during the Civil War.

There's a legend that a woman traveled north from Georgia to help her husband escape from Fort Warren. She was caught and executed as a spy. Today, the island is open to the public, and visitors to the fort sometimes report seeing a mysterious woman in black haunting the grounds—perhaps still searching for her captive husband.

3. Granary Burying Ground

This cemetery is Boston's third oldest, dating back to 1660. It's the final resting place of many famous Bostonians, including the victims of the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and James Otis—who predicted his own death by a lightning strike. The literary minded can visit the graves of poet Phyllis Wheatley, the first published African-American woman, and Mary Goose, thought by some to be Mother Goose (but probably not).

Granary Burying Ground can be eerie, especially at night, with crooked rows of tilted slate grave markers. Many of the markers display winged skulls as a memento mori—a reminder that death comes to us all. The cemetery's age and atmosphere are why I chose it as the setting of the climactic scene in Hellforged, where my protagonist, Vicky Vaughn, battles a spirit of winged death.

4. Boston Common

The oldest public park in the United States, Boston Common is 50 acres of green space used for promenades, picnics, concerts, and winter ice skating on the Frog Pond. In the past, this space wasn't always so benign. On the west side of the Common is a plaque that marks the site of an oak tree used for public hangings. Criminals were executed there, but so were Quakers and women accused of witchcraft. The Common is also the site of Central Burying Ground, a cemetery established in the late 18th century. When the Tremont Street subway was being built in 1895, many unmarked graves were discovered in the area around the cemetery. More than 900 bodies were reburied in a mass grave inside the burying ground. Some visitors report a sense of oppression when they visit the site, as though there's a crowd of people impatient to be elsewhere.

Several ghosts are said to wander the Common—perhaps inhabitants of these disturbed graves. The most famous are two women—often believed to be sisters—dressed in fashions from the 1830s. They walk or sit together, conversing. If you approach them, they disappear. Another ghost said to haunt the Common is a teenage girl with no face. (The Girl with No Face—sounds like a great title for a spooky YA novel, doesn't it?)

5. Omni Parker House Hotel, Downtown

This hotel, which opened in 1855, is famous for inventing Boston Cream Pie and Parker House dinner rolls. But it's equally famous for its resident ghosts. The hotel's founder, Harvey Parker, who died in 1884, has been spotted walking the 10th floor. There's a story about a guest staying on that floor who awoke in the middle of the night to see a gentleman in Victorian dress standing at the foot of her bed. He asked how she was enjoying her stay and then faded from sight. She later recognized her nighttime visitor when she saw a portrait of Parker in the hotel dining room.

Guests staying on the ninth and tenth floors have complained about being awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of a rocking chair. Trouble is, there are no rocking chairs in the hotel. Glowing orbs have been reported in the hallways of those floors.

The third floor is also purported to be haunted. The elevator stops there when no one has pushed the button; the doors open to an empty hallway. Could the elevator have been called by one of the famous guests who stayed on that floor—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Charles Dickens, or the actress Charlotte Cushman (who died there)? Room 303 was supposedly the site of a suicide, committed by a liquor salesman. Afterwards, guests reported maniacal laughter and the smell of whiskey in that room, which was later turned into a supply closet.

Any city as old as Boston is bound to have its share of tragedies and restless spirits.

Thank you Nancy for giving us such a haunting tour of Boston!  

To learn more about Nancy Holzner and her books, please visit her website.  You can add her Deadtown series here on Goodreads.

Deadtown urban fantasy by Nancy Holzner

Have you visited Boston?  Ever experience anything of the supernatural kind in and around Boston?

What did you think of Nancy's picks for spooky places?

Last week on Paranormal Road Trip we visited Dunnsmouth, MA with Daryl Gregory.  Next week we'll be traveling to San Francisco, CA with Celia Breslin.

Join us for another spine-tingling Paranormal Road Trip...
if you dare!

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Q+A with Nadia Nader + The Enchanted Rose $50 Giveaway

Q+A with Nadia Nader + The Enchanted Rose Giveaway

Please welcome today's guest author, Nadia Nader!  Nadia is the author of THE ENCHANTED ROSE.

Keep reading for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

Q+A with Nadia Nader

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Nadia: 
I began to write seriously a couple of years ago. Prior to that, I have been keeping diaries since I was in elementary school. I started writing short stories in fourth grade. It wasn’t until recently that I attempted writing a full novel.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Nadia:
  I’m an escapist. Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and I enjoy the supernatural. Give me magic, shape shifters, vampires, witches, and demons and I’m a happy bookworm and writer! I love the creation of new worlds and including paranormal elements.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Nadia:
  I would love to be a shape shifter. I would enjoy to experience heightened senses and experience the world as another being. Imagine being able to shape shift into a bird and experiencing flight! Or what about turning into a wolf and running through the woods at night? Those sound great to me. I would love to see the world through different eyes.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Nadia:
  The Enchanted Rose is full of twists and turns. I think readers would resonate with Vivian and her struggle to re-establish normalcy in her life despite the fact that nothing in her life is normal anymore.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Nadia: 
I can see Selena Gomez playing the role of Vivian. I keep changing my mind about the leading guys. There are so many good looking actors out there I can’t commit to one!

Thank you Nadia for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Nadia Nader and her books, please visit her website.  You can also learn more about her novel The Enchanted Rose below.

The Enchanted Rose by Nadia Nader

The Enchanted Rose by Nadia Nader.

When Vivian’s mother dies in a tragic accident, Vivian’s world is turned upside down. Her life, as she knows it, is over. A new life, full of her mother’s secrets, begins…

Sent away by her father to live with two eccentric aunts on the mysterious Tremaine Estate, Vivian comes to learn that a powerful curse lurks over her family – one that only she may have the power to break. With each day she spends in Misty Hills, Vivian uncovers more unsettling discoveries about the town, her reclusive family, and herself.

Can Vivian let go of every truth she’s ever believed and discover who she really is, before the dark secrets hidden within the supernatural town threaten to consume her and those she loves?

Release Date: January 14, 2015
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Add to Goodreads.

The Enchanted Rose Giveaway

The author is giving away a $50 Amazon gift card to one lucky winner!

To enter, please use the Rafflecopter form below.  This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  This is a book tour giveaway, so the winner will be randomly selected by the author or publisher.  Giveaway ends June 2, 2015.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!

Monday, May 18, 2015

Paranormal Road Trip: Destination Dunnsmouth with Daryl Gregory

Paranormal Road Trip: Destination Dunnsmouth with Daryl Gregory

Come on boys and ghouls!  It's time to hop on Route 666 for a spooktacular Paranormal Road Trip.

This week's stop is Dunnsmouth, Massachusetts and our special guide is Daryl Gregory author of HARRISON SQUARED.

Dunnsmouth's Top Five Spooky Places

Harrison Squared is a Lovecraftian adventure set in the bleak fishing village of Dunnsmouth, Massachusetts. Monsters lurk in the caves beneath the town, and in the waters just offshore. In fact, just about every square inch of Dunnsmouth is creepy, but here are the highlights.

Map of Dunnsmouth, Massachusetts from Harrison Squared by Daryl Gregory

Dunnsmouth proper:
...is a severe disappointment to our hero, Harrison Harrison. He’s moved to this town with his mother, Rosa Harrison, so that she can pursue her quest to find the sea creature who drowned her husband and cost her son his right leg. But something strange is going on in town. Everyone seems to be in the same cult, and even worse (to Harrison) the cell coverage is negative bars. While Mom pursues her quest, Harrison has no choice but to go to school at...

...Dunnsmouth Secondary:
Once an ancient temple devoted to the worship of elder gods, it’s now a high school for the town’s youth. (Cutbacks are a bitch for everyone, even the denizens of horror novels.) The top floors seem to be typical classrooms, but the basement? All kinds of weird things are in the basement, including....

...the Scrimshander’s lair:
In caves below the school, the Scrimshander works his art. He's a legendary boogey-man, a seemingly immortal serial killer who inscribes his victims’ souls onto the bones of whales... and other mammals. Harrison’s mother has been captured by this inhuman beast, who works for the town cult. It’s Harrison's duty to rescue Rosa before her body becomes an empty husk suitable for sacrifice in...

...the  realm of the Dwellers:
This ancient race of fish-like humanoids live in the deep waters off Dunnsmouth bay. They worship an elder god called the Urgaleth—the “Mover Between Worlds.” Harrison already lost his father to Urgaleth, and soon he’ll lose his mother unless he finds her before the ritual takes place. Fortunately, Harrison has some allies, including Lub the Fish Boy, who lives in...

The Lighthouse:
To be more accurate, the ruins of Dunnsmouth’s old lighthouse. Lub, one of the Dwellers, has made the crumbling and abandoned tower his secret hideout on land. Lub is fascinated by humans, and this is where he keeps his collection of human pop cultural items: comic books, bicycles, pulp fiction... the flotsam of jetsam of human civilization. Lub, for example, is perhaps the greatest living fan of Aquaman, and Harrison can’t persuade him of the lameness of his devotion.

Thank you Daryl for giving us such a haunting tour of Dunnsmouth!  

To learn more about Daryl Gregory and his books, please visit his website.  You can add Harrison Squared here on Goodreads.

Harrison Squared young adult lovecraftian novel by Daryl Gregory

What did you think of Daryl Gregory's picks for spooky places?

Last week on Paranormal Road Trip we visited Temperance, Wyoming with Laura Bickle.  Next week we'll be traveling to Boston, Massachusetts with Nancy Holzner.

Join us for another spine-tingling Paranormal Road Trip...
if you dare!

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Birthright ARCs

Book bloggers!  Birthright ARCs are now available.

Sign up for your free ARC of BIRTHRIGHT, the fourth novel in the award-winning Ivy Granger urban fantasy series.  

Birthright ARCs are available in Kindle, PDF, and ePub formats.  Previous books in this series available upon request.  All review copies are available to book bloggers worldwide. 

Birthright by E.J. Stevens from the Ivy Granger urban fantasy series

Birthright (Ivy Granger #4) by E.J. Stevens

Being a faerie princess isn't all it's cracked up to be...

Ivy must go to Faerie, but the gateway to the Wisp Court is through Tech Duinn, the house of Donn—Celtic god of the dead. Just her luck.

Unable to share her secret with Jinx, and with Jenna called away on Hunters' Guild business, Ivy must rely on Ceff and Torn to lead her to Death's door, literally, and back again. As if that wasn't dangerous enough, there's no saying what horrors lay in store within the Faerie realm. Too bad the Wisp Court is the one lead Ivy has in the search for her father—and possible salvation.

Maybe hiding away and dodging sidhe assassins isn't so bad after all...


Release Date: July 14, 2015
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Series: Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective
Pre-order on Amazon.
Add to Goodreads.

*Birthright ARCs are provided free to book bloggers in exchange for an honest review.  Please keep in mind that this is an uncorrected proof copy.  ARC content may vary from the final published work.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

The Violet Hour Book Excerpt + Kindle Fire Giveaway

Today we have a special book excerpt and giveaway for our readers.  Keep reading for a chance to win a Kindle Fire HD!

Book Excerpt: The Violet Hour

     I sat up and pulled my knees in close to my chest.  Electricity flared in the air as Luke inhaled.
     “You know, Logan, you’re not who I expected you to be,” he said, taking a long thought-filled pause.  “I thought the next twelve months were going to be hell living with a California socialite, but you’re pretty amazing.  I guess I owe you an apology.”
     “So, it’s a good thing that I’m nothing like you expected?” I asked.
     “It’s a really, really good thing.”
     As I started to smile back he craned his neck to look away from me.  His eyes focused.  Something black flashed across the road but I was more scared by Luke’s reaction.  The warmth had vanished from Luke in a heartbeat.  The object stopped moving toward us when it got to an opening between the trees.  Even though I could feel Luke’s concern, I leaned forward toward the window, curious.  It was a wolf – a really big wolf, staring directly at us with bright green eyes.  It was close enough I could see quick breaths escape into the crisp rain-drenched air.  I was startled when the engine roared to life.  Luke threw the car into reverse, and I nearly slammed into the dash as the sound of gravel scattered everywhere.  He quickly jockeyed around and pulled back onto the road heading home.  I kept my eyes on the wolf until he was no longer in sight.
     “Was that a wolf?” I asked.  Everything happened so quickly, I had to be sure.
     “Yes,” he spit.
     “I’ve never seen a wolf before – that thing was huge.”
     Luke immediately turned to look at me with an expression that I couldn’t begin to read.
     “What’s going on?” I pressed, puzzled.
     When he looked toward the road and didn’t answer, I knew my question needed to be more specific to get results.
     “Why are you freaking out?  It was just a wolf.”  I was worried.  He had gone from warm and comforting to moody and distant over such a small thing and I second-guessed how quickly I had fallen for him.
     “Because I need to get you home, it’s getting late,” he muttered, failing to control his tone.
     “That doesn’t make any sense, Luke.  I have no curfew and you flaked as soon as you saw the wolf.”
     “Wolves are dangerous.”
     “We were in the car,” I countered.
     “Doesn’t matter.”

What did you think of the book excerpt? 

The Violet Hour by Andrea L Wells

The Violet Hour (The Violet #1) by Andrea L. Wells.

Still shocked over her mother’s mysterious death, California socialite Logan Keller is handed a one-way ticket to her long lost roots in Wyoming where love, deceit and danger await. Though she could forget everything staring into Luke Callahan’s eyes, Logan is quickly thrust into a fight for survival. Taking fate into her own hands, she begins unraveling the dangerous deceptions that abound at every turn. Her father is keeping secrets and Luke is keeping more. But Logan is keeping the biggest secret of them all.

The Violet Hour is a page-turning captivating twist of young romance and the supernatural.

Release Date: May 2015
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult
Add to Goodreads.

The Violet Hour Kindle Fire Giveaway

The author is giving away a Kindle Fire HD to one lucky winner!

To enter, please use the Rafflecopter form below.  This is a book tour giveaway, so the winner will be randomly selected by the author or publisher.  This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!

Monday, May 11, 2015

Paranormal Road Trip: Destination Temperance with Laura Bickle

Paranormal Road Trip: Destination Temperance with Laura Bickle

Come on boys and ghouls!  It's time to hop on Route 666 for a spooktacular Paranormal Road Trip.

This week's stop is Temperance, Wyoming and our special guide is Laura Bickle author of DARK ALCHEMY.

Temperance's Top Five Spooky Places

The West is weird in DARK ALCHEMY. Long-buried alchemical experiments surface to meet the local undead, warring with drug lords and cattle barons in the tiny town of Temperance. It’s an odd place…as the new stranger in town, geologist Petra Dee, is discovering. These are the top five spooky places this scientist is trying to make heads or tails of:

5. The Compostela. Every weird west locale needs a bar. Formerly a church, the Compostela is now reincarnated as the town tavern. It retains much of the architecture of its former days as a house of worship, including stained glass windows and the elaborate apse, which now holds a bar. Behind the bar work mysterious men and women dressed in black, impassive folks who watch bloody fights break out in the street but never intervene.

4. Specimen Ridge. Nearby Yellowstone National Park is the home of many geological wonders, including Specimen Ridge, a forest of fossilized trees. At work taking samples in the forest, Petra discovers the oddly-calcinated body of a hiker at the feet of one of the trees. It’s as if the victim is encased in a prison of his own bone, and she can’t explain why.

3. The Eye of the World. Stained a glorious shade of turquoise by algae, this pool of water is rumored to be a window to the spirit world. Petra drinks from the pool – and falls headfirst into a hallucination about her missing father.

2. The Garden. In alchemy, the Alchemical Garden is the place in which the puzzle of immortal life is unraveled. In Temperance, the Garden is a dilapidated field around the local meth dealer’s house. This is the place where blood is drawn and hallucinations are made real. Stroud, the meth dealer, believes that he’s the heir to the alchemical mysteries of Temperance. He’ll stop at nothing to reclaim his birthright.

1. The Lunaria. The alchemical Tree of Life is real, and it stands alone in a field owned by a ruthless cattle baron. Its roots twist deep into the earth, and its branches brush the sky. At the center of an underground warren of tunnels that reach into the very depths of the earth, the Lunaria guards the secret of the Hanged Men. The local undead, the Hanged Men masquerade as ranch hands. Forever in the company of ravens, they must return to the Lunaria every night to decompose and be reborn. The magic of the Lunaria isn’t perfect – many of the Hanged Men are little more than broken automatons. But they will defend the tree against any incursion – whether from Stroud or Petra. Are they responsible for the murders? Or is something even more fearsome at work? Petra will have to puzzle it out…or risk becoming the latest victim in this string of weird horrors rooted in Temperance.

Thank you Laura for giving us such a haunting tour of Temperance!  

To learn more about Laura Bickle and her books, please visit her website.  You can add Dark Alchemy here on Goodreads.

Dark Alchemy urban fantasy by Laura Bickle



What did you think of Laura Bickle's picks for spooky places?

Did you know that Laura also was our guide for a spooky trip to Detroit, the setting of her Anna Kalinczyk series?  You can check out Paranormal Road Trip: Destination Detroit with Laura Bickle here.

Last week on Paranormal Road Trip we visited Annwyn with Shawna Husk.  Next week we'll be traveling to Dunnsmouth with Daryl Gregory.

Join us for another spine-tingling Paranormal Road Trip...
if you dare!

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Q+A with Miranda Shanklin

Please welcome today's guest author, Miranda Shanklin!  Miranda is the author of the SOUL paranormal romance series, including Soul Journey, Soul Redemption, Soul Knowledge, Soul Freedom, and Soul Discovery.

Q+A with Miranda Shanklin

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Miranda: 
I started writing about two years ago. It took me some time to feel comfortable with it so the first book took me a lot longer than the rest.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Miranda:
  I have always loved reading paranormal so it just seemed natural to write it when I finally got the nerve to start writing.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Miranda:
  I would have to say a faerie because I am fascinated with them. I would love to have the power to transport. I love to see new places but the traveling there can take forever. I would love to have my options open to see anywhere in the world whenever I wanted.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Miranda:
  I don't have a new release but now that my series is done I think that it is more enjoyable. There is nothing worse than waiting for the next book in a series to come out. Since this one is complete you can read it from beginning to end with not waiting.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Miranda: 
I don’t really have a dream cast but here are some people that I could see playing the roles: Tori – Julia Roberts; Brad – Matt Damon; Lydia – Jennifer Garner; Derek – Ben Aflak; Rachael – Kaley Couoco; Henry – Chad Michael Murphy; Rayne – Peyton List; Peter – Ian Somerhalder; Annisa – Abigail Breslin; Chase – Grey Damon; Landon – Shane Meier; Penelope – Alexis Bledel.

Thank you Miranda for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

Soul Journey Soul Paranormal Romance Series book 1 by Miranda Shanklin


To learn more about Miranda Shanklin and her Soul paranormal romance series, please visit her website.

Have a question for author Miranda Shanklin?

Miranda will be stopping by to answer questions, so please leave a comment below.

Monday, May 4, 2015

Paranormal Road Trip: Destination Annwyn with Shona Husk

Paranormal Road Trip: Destination Annwyn with Shona Husk

Come on boys and ghouls!  It's time to hop on Route 666 for a spooktacular Paranormal Road Trip.

This week's stop is Annwyn and our special guide is Shona Husk author of THE DARKLING LORD, the fourth novel in the Court of Annwyn paranormal romance series.

Shona's Top 5 Spooky Places in Annwyn

You might think that the land of the fairies across the veil is all sunshine and flowers…and it is most of the time (unless it’s in winter and you really don’t want to visit then as winter affects the fairies as well as the land).

1. The most creepy place in Annwyn has to be the river of the damned. Even the name is creepy. It is the river that encircles Annwyn, and where the souls that are beyond saving go to drown forever. The water also has a tendency to reach out and grab anyone who gets too close so don’t be tempted to see if there’s anyone you know in all those ghostly faces swirling beneath the surface.

2. Castle Annwyn is the ultimate treehouse. It is made of trees that have grown to form the amazing structure. And yes it is what humans would call haunted. Souls that need to do penance or fairies that are being punished become shadow servants. Faceless, shadowy figures that are there to do your bidding if you dare to ask.

3. Are libraries too quiet for you? Perhaps you prefer audio books? In Annwyn they have the singing stones. The entire history of Annwyn and fairy interaction with humans is recorded here. All you need is the patience to listen. Of course you don’t want to get so lost in the stories that you for get to eat and drink…

4. The parties that mark the old festivals (solstice, equinox etc) are something to behold. However if you are mortal you might want to avoid the food, the wine and also the dancing so you don’t get trapped in Annwyn forever. Probably best to avoid the party actually as they are really an opportunity for fairies to let go of the morals they pretend to have.

5. The gambling halls. Fairies love to gamble, but not with money. They trade information and favours (yes, including those favors) and souls. Fairies don’t have souls, so tricking humans out of them is very entertaining. The human is then beholden to the fairy. Gambling with a fairy is risky at best and deadly at worst.

While fairies are beautiful, and tempting and Annwyn seems like a beautiful place to visit any time of the year, my best recommendation is to stay firmly on the mortal side of the veil as once you cross over you may not come back.

Oh, and one final warning if you are still tempted by the allure of all things fairy. Time moves differently in Annwyn. You may think you have only been gone from the mortal a week only to find a decade has passed.

Thank you Shona for giving us such a haunting tour of Annwyn!  

To learn more about Shona Husk and her books, please visit her website.  You can add her Court of Annwyn series here on Goodreads.

The Darling Lord paranormal romance Court of Annwyn series by Shona Husk

What did you think of Shona's picks for spooky places?

Last week on Paranormal Road Trip we visited Krymzyn with B.C. Powell.  Next week we'll be traveling to Temperance, Wyoming with Laura Bickle.

Join us for another spine-tingling Paranormal Road Trip...
if you dare!