Showing posts with label Faerie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faerie. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

R.S. Belcher Guest Post + The Night Dahlia Giveaway

Please welcome R.S. Belcher the award-winning author of Nightwise, The Brotherhood of the Wheel, The Six-Gun Tarot, The Shotgun Arcana, and The Queen of Swords.

Keep reading for a chance to win a The Night Dahlia trade paperback!

Push Play: The Soundtrack for the Night Dahlia

I get some pushback for the music I put in my Urban Fantasy novels, like the Night Dahlia which is releasing in April from Tor Books. Night Dahlia is the sequel to my 2015 novel, Nightwise, which is also full of tunes. Apparently, some think having a “soundtrack” in your book is a sign of immaturity and shallowness. 

Music is magic. It changes moods, resurrects the dead, lets you travel in time, and can take you out of your body. Music plays a big part in my writing, driving scenes, creating ideas and moods.  So, to those critics who don't like music in my books, I say: simmer down, pot roast.  Try to cultivate an open mind.

Okay, for all you other fine folks who have told me how much you enjoy the music I include here is a sample of some of the music you'll find in the Night Dahlia:

“Nasty Freestyle” by T-Wayne
“Gone Daddy Gone” by the Violent Femmes
“I see a Darkness” by Johnny Cash
“Blood in the Cut” by K. flay
“BonBon” by Era Istrefi
“Endless Sleep” by the Raveonettes
“Fire and Load” by TyDi
“California Dreaming” by Benny Benassi
“Is Your Love Strong Enough,” by How to Destroy Angels
“Secret” by Oceanlab
“Let it Bang” by A$AP Ferg
“All the Gold in California” by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis
“Acquainted” by the Weekend
“Way Down We Go” by Kaleo
“Behind the Wall of Sleep” by the Smithereens
“Burnin' for You” by Blue Oyster Cult
“Forty Six & 2” by Tool
“Hard Time” by Proper Dos
“Panama” by Van Halen
“Saved by Zero” by the Fixx
“Cold Desert” by Kings of Leon
“Pray to God,” by Calvin Harris and Haim
“Sweet Dreams” by JX Riders and Skylar Stecker
“Stripped,” by Shiny Toy Guns
“Going Under” by Erase Negate Delete
“Lost Cause” by Beck
“Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

There are very few kinds of music I don't enjoy. I am always on the look-out for new stuff to listen to. I'm currently kind of enraptured by In This Moment and the Suuns—check them out. Please feel free to drop me a line at rsbelcher.net and share your favorite bands and music and let me know what you think of the Night Dahlia. Oh, and for that one guy, stuff it—I like Arcade Fire.

*****

The Night Dahlia fantasy noir R.S. Belcher

The Night Dahlia by R.S. Belcher

Laytham Ballard once protected humanity as part of the Nightwise, a secret order of modern-day mages dedicating to holding hellish supernatural forces at bay, but that was before a string of sadistic ritual murders shook everything he believed in--and sent him down a much darker path. One that has already cost him most of his soul, as well as everything he once held dear.

Now a powerful faerie mob boss has hired Ballard to find his lost-lost daughter, who went missing several years ago. The long-cold trail leads him across the globe, from the luxurious playgrounds of the rich and famous to the seedy occult underbelly of Los Angeles, where creatures of myth and legend mingle with street gangs and sex clubs, and where Ballard finds his own guilty past waiting for him around every shadowy corner. To find Caern Ankou, he will have to confront old enemies, former friends and allies, and a grisly cold case that has haunted him for years.

But is Caern still alive? And, perhaps more importantly, does she even want to be found?

Release Date: April 3, 2018

*****

Win The Night Dahlia

We are giving away a trade paperback copy of The Night Dahlia by R.S. Belcher.

For a chance to win, leave a comment on this post (don't forget to include your email address so we can contact you if you win!).  This giveaway is open to the US and Canada.  Giveaway ends April 6, 2018 midnight EST.

What to learn more about R.S. Belcher and his books?  Visit rsbelcher.net.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

One Smoking Hot Fairy Tail Book Excerpt + Giveaway

This month is Faerie Celebration Month at From the Shadows and today we have a special ONE SMOKING HOT FAIRY TAIL by Kevin James Breaux book excerpt and giveaway for you.

Keep reading for a chance to win a One Smoking Hot Fairy Tale prize pack, including a signed book, postcard, bookmark, and $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Book Excerpt: One Smoking Hot Fairy Tail

     Sitting in her shadow-soaked bedroom, Moselle Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair repeatedly glanced at her smartphone, eager for it to ring. A candelabrum burned seven small red flames, illuminating her room just enough for her to not only spy two of her Abyssinian cats as they chased each other across the marble floor, but to also see what she was mixing.
     Moselle poured jojoba oil from a large container into a small, dark glass bottle with a glass rod applicator. Ten drops of jasmine oil from the flowers she had handpicked in her garden the night before splashed into the bottle as she pondered how much ylang-ylang oil she should add to the mix, desiring nothing but the most erotic scent to seduce the man she had been dating.
     At the chime of her smartphone, Moselle set the bottles aside and pressed the answer button with the tip of her index finger’s nail.
     “Greetings, Father.”
     “You sound disappointed, my daughter.” Moselle’s father’s voice was deep and steeped with his strong Egyptian accent.
     “No, no, no… not at all.” Moselle cleared her throat and presented him with the respect he was due. “How may I serve you, Father?”
     “I am pleased to inform you that everything has gone as designed with the new Club Afterlife,” he said. “This opening is already being touted as a once-in-a-lifetime, red carpet event.”
     “Blessings be, Father.”
     “Have you made travel arrangements yet, Moselle?”
     She took a second to compose her words before speaking.
     “I have not. Father, it is a great honor to attend, not only as the subject of all of the advertisements in your recent campaign, but as your loving daughter, still I have a request.” She sat up. 
      “You know full well your mother is currently unable to entertain,” he stated, clearly assuming she was going to ask if her mother could be at the opening.
     “Oh, yes that. I haven’t broken bread with Mother since last year’s birthday party. I do miss her.”
     “Birthdays?” She heard her father’s dissatisfied tone. “Moselle, you know I find them a foolish distraction.”
     “Yes, I know.”
     “Good,” he replied quickly. “I will send the private jet to Los Angeles in two days. It will transport you to New York City for the event.”
     “Father, my request,” she reminded him. “I have met someone very special, a young man whom I have been dating. He works at the advertising agency you hired for the new club.”
     “Tell me again, Moselle, why do you find them so interesting?” Her father’s tone was filled with frustration and annoyance. “What could you possibly have in common with this… this American?”
     “He is strong, handsome, and funny, Father.”
     “He is not one of us.”
     “I do not care about that. He warms my soul with his humor and kindness. When we work together preparing your advertisements, I find myself inexplicably drawn to him. I have not felt this way in ten or more years.”
     “Moselle!”
     Her father’s raised voice startled her so badly her body froze. She had not angered her him in many, many years, not since long before she had moved out of his home into her own.
     “Why do you tell me this?”
     “I would like him to accompany me to the grand opening as my date,” Moselle answered timidly.
     The phone went silent, and Moselle waited patiently.
     “So be it,” he conceded. “Invite him, but he will need to find his own means of travel to New York. Understood?”
     “Yes.” Moselle beamed.
     “Did you pass along my request to your other friend?”
     “I spoke to Sabrina earlier; she accepted the invitation already.”
     “She is well now, you say?”
     “As well as can be,” Moselle admitted.
     “Good, then, regardless, this will be an opening night for all to remember. Safe journey, my daughter.”
     “Safe journey to you too, Father.”
     Moselle watched the slender metal hands on her wall clock tick forward another notch as she hung up. The hand’s movement boomed in her ears like the footsteps of a titan. It was nearing nine o’clock at night; she had hoped her new boyfriend would have called by now. She unconsciously tapped the bottom corner of her smartphone on the table, harder and harder until… Snap. The protective case broke.    
     “Curse this devil’s game.” Moselle ran her finger over the jagged crack. “My phone, a sacrifice to you, Hathor. See it not wasted.”
     Moselle pressed the speed-dial graphic, a tiny photo associated with his name: Jackson Abernathy.
     “Hello.”
     “Jackson, darling, it is Moselle Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair.”
     “Hey, Moselle…” He paused a moment before finishing. “What’s happening?”
    Jackson’s voice did not ring with the excitement she had yearned for, and she had a clear guess why.
     “Are you still at work?”
     “Yeah, I’m putting the finishing touches on that freelance project I did with Candice Swanepoel.”
     Moselle finally heard a hint of excitement in his voice, but it was not for her.
     “You work too hard and play too little.” Moselle stood feeling suddenly jealous; she was more driven than ever to see Jackson now.
     “To be honest, I need the extra money. I lost a few bucks on the game last night.”
     Moselle admired herself in the full-length mirror attached to the inside of her closet door as she listened. She examined her eye makeup, which included a coat of sparkling purple mascara that complemented her dark eyes.
     “All I am suggesting is that you take a short break.”
     “I took a break earlier when you sent me that one text message. The one with the picture attached. What did it say again?”
     “It said that tomorrow marks a full month on the calendar since you asked me out. It said to prepare for a night filled with earthly delights.”
     Jackson laughed. “Moselle, you are unlike any other girl I’ve ever known.”
     “You are right, Jackson. All you have known are girls, scatterbrained models with apathy toward most things. I am a woman, one who knows what she wants.”
     “Well… I wanted to finish this project and then get a jump-start touching up that advertisement of you in the silver bikini with the—”
     “Jackson.” Moselle’s voice rose in frustration. “Such labor should be done during the hours our beloved sun is high above us.”
     “You’re right, but wouldn’t your father be even more impressed with me if I handed him extra work?”
     “While I find it pleasing that you strive to win my father’s approval, Jackson, I must ask you this: would you have me spend the next few hours alone while you stare at my likeness, or would you gaze upon me in person over a few drinks?”
     “Would you like to go out for coffee, Moselle?”
     “I would love to.”

ONE SMOKING HOT FAIRY TAIL by Kevin James Breaux

One Smoking Hot Fairy Tail by Kevin James Breaux.

Sabrina, a lovely fairy has it all: fame, fortune, and beauty—until her boyfriend Cade, a rebel vampire, films their involvement in a crime as well as the passionate lovemaking that follows.

But Cade loses his camera and the video is posted online, ruining Sabrina’s life. After a year of nursing her wounds, she resurfaces only to find herself hunted for her wings.

The lives of all unearthly beings are at stake—fairies, windigos, mummies, and elemental spirits, caught up in a frightening flood of events that threaten their discovery. Sabrina and Moselle, a sex-starved mummy and the daughter of a wealthy businessman, find themselves in the middle of the conflict, forced to take drastic action to protect their identities and lives.

In trying to save themselves can they also prevent the United States from falling into the hands of an evil mind with horrible intentions?

Add to Goodreads.

OSHFT Prize Pack Giveaway

We are giving away a One Smoking Hot Fairy Tale prize pack, including a signed book, postcard, bookmark, and $25 Amazon Gift Card!

  • Signed Book
  • Postcard
  • Bookmark
  • $25 Amazon Gift Card

To enter, please use the Rafflecopter form below.  This giveaway is open to US mailing addresses.  Giveaway ends December 16, 2016 midnight EST.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
What did you think of the book excerpt?  Do you recall the name of the club where the red carpet event is scheduled take place?

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Q+A with Ruth Frances Long + The Treachery of Beautiful Things Swag Giveaway

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Ruth Frances Long.  Ruth is the author of The Treachery of Beautiful Things.

Keep reading for a chance to win a The Treachery of Beautiful Things bookmark and postcard.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Ruth: 
I've been writing as long as I can remember, and probably making up stories before that. Certainly by the time I was a teenager I was writing novels, because I remember getting caught in German class writing in a copybook under the table. Still don't know any German.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Ruth:
  I've always loved paranormal and fantasy stories. I started out on the Hobbit and Greek legends. And of course Ireland, where I live, is rife with myths and legends. All part of the psyche, perhaps?

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

Ruth: 
Flying. I was going to pick teleportation, not because I'm lazy but because I could avoid going out in the rain. But then I figured if I could fly I could go above the rain clouds and it would generally be a lot more fun. I would have to get over my fear of heights though. But if I could fly, I wouldn't need to worry about falling. So win win.

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

Ruth:
  The Treachery of Beautiful Things is dark and mysterious, ful of beautiful creatures you can't really trust, much like the Realm of the Fae and the Fae themselves. It's action packed, full of adventure and a dash of romance with a fae boy, with torturous secrets of his own. Jenny is a heroine who learns to save herself and others, and that true strength lies within.

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

Ruth: 
This is SUCH a difficult question. The characters are so real to me in their own right that I can't really imagine someone else playing them. That said... I'll try.

Jenny - Need to be strong, but vulnerable. Someone like Saoirse Ronan or Emma Watson.

Jack - One of my friends on Twitter told me she pictured Jeremy Sumpter, which I can totally see. I also imagined Andrew Lee Potts as Hatter in Alice, or Brad Kavanagh from House of Anubis. It think its mostly about the pathos with this character. I'd love to see him come to life.

Oberon - Intensity is the key here, someone like Gerard Butler?

Titania - Michelle Pfeiffer. I love Michelle Pfeiffer.

Puck... I actually can't even begin to imagine who could play Puck...

I'd love to know what readers think and who they would pick. My ideas are totally subjective.
























The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

A darkly compelling mix of romance, fairy tale, and suspense from a new voice in teen fiction

The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.



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

To learn more about Ruth Long and her books, please visit her website.

**The Treachery of Beautiful Things Swag Giveaway**

We are giving away a The Treachery of Beautiful Things bookmark and postcard to one lucky winner.

To enter, please leave a comment on this post and include your email address so we may contact you if you win.  This giveaway is to US mailing addresses only.  Giveaway ends September 13, 2012 midnight EST.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Grimoires and Guardians

I found this beautiful art print Forest Guardians by Ravens Feather Studio at the Reliques shop on Etsy.  I also recommend visiting the artist's blog, Little Faerie Tales, where she currently has pictures posted of her amazing mixed media Fayre Grimoire.