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For
centuries the shape-shifting mermen of the Morvann Islands have lived
incognito among humans. But one of them, Yann, has developed some bad
habits. Like rescuing humans, even when doing so risks revealing his
true nature. When he fishes Alex out of the sea, he doesn’t expect
her to reappear eight months later, and turn his life upside down by
asking him to be her guide.
Alex
is determined to fulfil a promise to her dying grandmother, by
gathering pictures and stories of the Morvanns. But she soon
discovers that, on these remote Welsh islands, legends have a habit
of becoming true!
Over
the course of a few days, Yann and Alex grow close. But some mermen
hate humans. Their hostility, and Yann’s secret, threaten to tear
the couple apart just as they are discovering that they are soul
mates. Can Yann overcome the obstacles in his path and make the right
choice?
I
was born and brought up in Brittany, Western France, my father was
French and my mother British (from Wales). I moved to London, UK, in
1997, where I now live with my husband and son. I have been writing
since I was 14. I got quite a few short stories published in UK
magazines, before moving to longer fiction. I wrote three
contemporary romance books, but didn’t find a publisher for them. I
then realized that mermen, sea witches and water demons were a lot
more fun than sheikhs and billionaires! My first two paranormal
romances did not find a publisher either, then I wrote A Merman’s
Choice, which was accepted for publication this year by Black Velvet
Seductions. It is the first book in a fantasy romance trilogy
inspired by the landscapes and legends of Brittany and Wales. I love
reading and writing stories, and sharing them with anyone who’s
interested!
The girl wasn’t swimming any more. Yann’s sonar gave him a clear picture of her
distress. She was flailing. Sinking.
Fear punched him between the ribs. Just a few minutes earlier, she’d been splashing in
the shallows, laughing and humming to herself. That music had rippled around him,
brightening his journey. Now the sea was snuffing that light out. No! He wouldn’t let it
happen. His webbed hands and feet churned the water, and he shot towards her like a torpedo.
Not this one, sea. Not this time.
She came in sight, slim and lovely, with long bronzed limbs and hair the colour of
sunshine. But her eyes were closed, her movements slow, hesitant, as if she were falling
asleep. His fear hardened into cold, sharp dread. He poured all his energy into the last
powerful strokes. He’d almost reached her, when his eye caught the shadow, beyond the
crystal surface, out there in the dry world. He sent a sound wave. It came back with an image,
and the icy blade inside him twisted: two-legged shapes on the beach. Humans!
If they saw him, they’d know him for what he was. His people’s secret, kept for
thousands of years, would be out.
The girl’s head vanished under the waves. To hell with that. He couldn’t let her
drown.
He grabbed her and dragged her back to the surface. She thrashed in his arms and
coughed up seawater. Intense relief swept through him as he hugged her to his chest. He’d
sworn he’d never again swim by and let a human drown, and he’d kept his promise. If the
young woman’s eyes remained closed, he might even get away with it. He wanted her to
breathe, not scream in horror at the sight of his dark grey face.
He looked up. The shapes on the beach had gone. Another miracle, or perhaps he’d
only imagined them. What if they came back? A fresh stab of anxiety propelled him through
the surf. He lay the girl down on the sand, cushioning her head on his arm. Her round breasts,
encased in the turquoise bikini top, rose and fell in a regular rhythm, but her skin felt clammy
under his hands. He scanned the beach in vain for something to cover her with, and saw the
motorbike. A sleek, sporty number, well camouflaged among the grass-covered dunes.
Shit. He retracted the webs between his fingers and toes, but his body would take at
least twenty minutes to shift from the aquatic shape to the human form. And even when it
did, what would the humans think, if they found him naked next to an unconscious girl?
They’d arrest him for indecent exposure, or worse. He touched the girl’s face with a
tentative finger. The thought of leaving her sickened him. But he couldn’t stay.
Her eyelids fluttered and she muttered a name. “Boris?”
As if in answer, a male voice tore through the air, from behind the dunes. “Alex!”
Yann flew towards the waves. Help was coming for the girl. She’d be fine.
He sped into the open sea, leaving the human world and human fears behind. He’d
saved her. That knowledge glowed inside him as he plunged into the depths. She was safe,
and his people would remain safe too. He sang as he rode the riptide, a song full of triumph
and laughter. Far away, the humpback whales heard him and picked up the tune. He’d got
away with it.
For now. His euphoria abated. No humans had seen him, but his people had sharper
eyes and ears. He shouldn’t even have been hanging around, in full merman shape, so close
to an inhabited island, but he’d thought he’d be OK. In late September so few tourists were
around, and locals had better things to do than go swimming in cold water. He sniffed the
current, tuned his sonar towards the Clans’ Islands. Nothing. With luck, no one would notice
that he’d broken the merpeople’s rules.
Again.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
Kenton Morley and
Lawrence Derrickson have hated each other since they were feuding
border lords in medieval England and Scotland…seven hundred years
ago.
When their bloodlines
were cursed, birthing the world’s first vampires.
Their feud has carried
through the centuries based on an old argument: Kenton seeks to
destroy the Cheld—the only line of humans capable of killing their
kind—while Lawrence seeks to save them.
It’s said that men
can forget, but never forgive. It’s also said that true love knows
no bounds.
When the vampires move
to Stone Haven, Pennsylvania, Alessandra Fiore will find out
firsthand which of those old adages is true.
It doesn’t matter
whether she believes in vampires or not…
Because they believe in
her. And she’s on the very cusp of discovering her dormant powers
as a Cheld—a potential vampire hunter.
With both of these
strangely wealthy newcomers’ storming into her sleepy, peaceful
town, warning her to stay away from the other, what is a girl to do?
Especially when Kenton—the one that supposedly wants to kill
her—has a devilish twinkle in his eyes that she just can’t
say no to?
No matter how dangerous
she instinctively knows both men to be, strengths and powers of her
own are beginning to bubble to the surface, encouraging her that she
can take care of herself, thank you very much.
Love and Hate—two
sides of the same coin. Literally.
The only thing left to
do is flip that coin and hope for the best…to see which old saying
is true. And how many innocents bet the wrong way.
Lady Isobel brought
death and destruction to the world, though she never meant to do it.
Reliving her tale opens old wounds and horrifies the man she’s chosen
to transcribe it.
What has she done?
Nothing more than
inadvertently create the first two vampire families who happen to
despise each other. A seven hundred year old blood feud in the
making. . .
The Healer’s Curse
is the origin to a love story so wickedly passionate, its
heroine won’t be the only one left shuddering.
Cecelia
Mecca is the author of steamy historical and paranormal romance that
transports readers to another time and place.
Every
heroine, from Lady Sara in the Border Series to Alessandra Fiore in
Bloodwite, is your best friend– the one who kicks ass and takes
names. When these ladies meet alpha-males who try to take control,
sparks fly until the very last page.
Cecelia
writes the bestselling Border Series which takes readers to an
admittedly romanticized time of knights and castles in 13th century
Northumbria along the Anglo-Scottish border. She’s also currently
jumping into a new world which tests the patience of even the most
steadfast romance heroine. After all, dealing with the ultimate bad
boys– sexy, wealthy and swoon-worthy vampires– is not for the
faint of heart.
Our
Highlander-loving, vampire-writing author can be found in Northeast,
Pennsylvania, chai in hand, thinking up new ways to tame both
medieval and paranormal playboys. She is firmly House Stark and
Gryffindor.
Not even
the wildest Bayou Bachelor of all can resist the right woman.
Jeb DeVillier has a lot of explaining to
do. True, he did steal millions from the sailboat business he ran
with his partner, Brandon, and disappear to South America. But Jeb
has a good reason—Brandon’s sister, Jena Boudreaux. A decade ago,
she broke his heart when she chose career over their relationship.
Still, when he learns she’s being held for ransom by drug dealers,
he doesn’t hesitate. He’ll save her life, no matter what the
danger.
When Jena called Jeb out of the blue, it
was to ask him to give her last words to her family. She knew the
risks when she took one final mission for the CIA. Suddenly, Jeb’s
riding to the rescue like her own personal Cajun knight. Yet now that
they’re both safe in New Orleans, he refuses to give her a second
chance.
That’s not good enough for
Jena. Because when you find someone crazy enough to risk everything
for you, the only sane thing to do is to hang on tight . . .
Sweet
and sultry, hot and wild…that’s desire, Louisiana-style. And
there’s no one better to explore it with than one of the Bayou
Bachelors…
Returning to her
flooded New Orleans home to face Henry Boudreaux, the man she jilted
at the altar, is the hardest thing attorney Sonja Bosco has ever
done—even before she discovers she’s pregnant. Sonja backed out
of the marriage for Henry’s sake. He wants to be part of his
father’s law firm, and his parents will never approve of an
interracial marriage. Better to bruise his heart than ruin his life.
Henry can’t forgive
Sonja, and doubts that he can trust her again. But learning that
they’re going to be parents means there’s no avoiding each other.
Springtime on the bayou is already steamy enough…now they’re
living in the same small space while their damaged house is repaired.
And with each passing day they’re getting a little more honest. A
lot more real. And realizing that nothing—not even New Orleans at
Mardi Gras—glows brighter than the desire they’re trying to deny…
There’s
nowhere hotter than the South, especially with three men who know how
to make the good times roll. But one of the Bayou Bachelors is about
to meet his match…
New
York City stylist Poppy Kaminsky knows that image is everything,
which is why she’s so devastated when hers is trashed on social
media—after a very public meltdown over her cheating fiancé. Her
best friend’s New Orleans society wedding gives her the chance hide
out and lick her wounds…
Brandon
Boudreaux is in no mood to party. His multi-million dollar sailboat
business is in danger of sinking thanks to his partner’s sudden
disappearance—with the company’s funds. And when he rolls up to
his estranged brother’s pre-wedding bash in an airboat, a
cold-as-ice friend of the bride looks at him like he’s so much
swamp trash.
The
last person Poppy should get involved with is the bad boy of the
Boudreaux family. But they have more in common than she could ever
imagine—and the steamy, sultry New Orleans nights are about to show
her how fun letting loose can be…
“New
Orleans serves as a strong supporting character in Fully
Dressed as
Krotow gives an inside view on the sights, sounds, and tastes of the
bayou.” —RT
Book Reviews
Geri
Krotow is the award winning author of more than thirteen
contemporary and romantic suspense novels (with a couple of WWII
subplots thrown in!). While still unpublished Geri received the
Daphne du Maurier Award for Romantic Suspense in Category Romance
Fiction. Her 2007 Harlequin Everlasting debut A Rendezvous to
Remember earned several awards, including the Yellow Rose of Texas
Award for Excellence.
Prior to writing, Geri
served for nine years as a Naval Intelligence Officer. Geri served as
the Aviation/Anti-Submarine Warfare Intelligence officer for a P-3C
squadron during which time she deployed to South America, Europe, and
Greenland. She was the first female Intel officer on the East Coast
to earn Naval Aviation Observer Wings. Geri also did a tour in the
war on drugs, working with several different government and law
enforcement agencies. Geri is grateful to be settled in south central
Pennsylvania with her husband.
Whena freak accident hospitalizes Marty Golden’s sister and condemns
him to babysitter duty,
he thinks it’s just another case of hardwired badluck in Silicon
Valley.
Until a suspicious murder suggests the mishap was no mere coincidence.
Something must be done.
Too bad this quirky, fashion-backward uncle isn’t
exactly hero material.
Convinced his sister is
in mortal danger, this amateur sleuth follows clues to an
oddball array of suspects. Armed with nothing but an eye for detail
and powers of self-delusion, Marty tangles with gangsters, a cantankerous school secretary,
and a perplexing
woman he can’t help but fall for. Glitches in his
investigation seem like a piece of cake compared to dinner-prep and
bedtime stories with his two precocious, pre-teen nieces.
Can Marty catch the culprit, save his sister, and get his
life back in
order before he gets unplugged?
Uncle and Ants is the first novel in a refreshingly modern mystery series set in
Silicon Valley.
If you like clever
humor, sassy side characters, and average Joes facing
extraordinary circumstances, then you’ll love this twisty mystery.
Buy Uncle and Ants to login to a fresh, funny mystery today!
Can super-agent (in his
own mind) Uncle Marty solve not one, but two mysteries without
becoming a victim himself? Will he ever be forgiven for bringing
Buddy, the Labrador, into his sister’s house?
All your
favorite characters from Uncle and Ants are back in a crazy, new adventure.
Plus, introducing a new member of Marty’s family!
Marc Jedel writes humorous murder mysteries. In his high-tech marketing
roles, he’s also written fiction. These are just called emails, ads,
and marketing collateral.
In his family, Marc was born first — a fact his sister never lets him
forget, no matter what milestone age she hits. For most of Marc’s
life, he’s been inventing stories. Some, especially when he was
young, involved his sister as the villain. As his sister’s brother
for her entire life, he feels highly qualified to tell tales of the
evolving, quirky sibling relationship in the Silicon Valley Mystery series.
Family and friends would tell you that the protagonist in his stories, Marty
Golden, isn’t much of a stretch of the imagination for Marc, but he
proudly resembles that remark.
Like Marty, Marc lives in San Jose, the heart of Silicon Valley, where he
writes within earshot of the doppler effect of the local ice cream
truck. Unlike Marty, Marc has a wonderful wife and a neurotic but
sweet, small dog, who much prefers the walks resulting from writer’s
block than his writing.
Visit his website, marcjedel.com, for free chapters of upcoming novels,
news and more.
In the lobby, I found a quiet corner to call Sergeant Jackson. If this wasn’t all just a crazy series of mishaps, then I had no idea who might have tried to kill Laney. It could have been someone good with technology, like me, who tried to get the drone to crash into her. Maybe they’d heard she survived the crash on the news, instead of getting a call from the nurse, like me. They could have learned what hospital room Laney was in by checking the directory … just like I did. I put the pieces together. Either I had tried to kill her, this was all a crazy coincidence, or someone else was trying to murder Laney. I knew I hadn’t done it so that left a valley full of other techies. Or, my imagination was overheating again. Sergeant Jackson’s voicemail answered on the first ring. I hadn’t prepared a crisp summary of the situation. Instead, I left a lengthy, and likely confusing, message for him. Perhaps in another lapse in the childhood etiquette lessons from my mother, I’d never practiced crafting a voicemail message to a police officer that someone might have tried to kill my thirty-seven-year-old sister with a rogue drone and then had accidentally killed a terminally ill, elderly Vietnamese woman in a room with my sister’s name on the door. Or that the elderly woman, who wasn’t my sister, had a really loud and close family in a city outside of the officer’s jurisdiction, and was in the process of distracting those police officers from investigating the possible attempted murder of my sister. Well, maybe crazy people practiced things like that in their head. Too many people already thought I was wacky. I didn’t want anyone thinking I was paranoid. But as they said, just because you were paranoid didn’t mean they weren’t after you. Or your sister. OPTION 3 I realized I hadn’t updated my
Guest Post by Marc Jedel: An Interview with his protagonist, Marty Golden
My book, Uncle and Ants: A Silicon Valley Mystery, is a humorous murder mystery.
Silicon Valley is not your typical, cozy mystery locale and Marty Golden doesn’t fit the normal
profile of a mystery protagonist. Despite finding himself thrust into challenging situations, Marty
isn’t exactly hero material. He has a wonderful combination of wit, irreverent humor and
sarcasm mixed in with nerdy insecurities, absent-mindedness, and fumbling but effective
amateur sleuthing skills. With an active inner voice and not a lot of advanced planning, he
throws himself into solving problems.
To get a better understanding of Marty, his Silicon Valley and his friends, here’s the transcript of
a recent interview I completed with Marty. [Responses have been edited for clarity.]
Marc [Author]: Thanks for meeting with me today. How do you feel about all this attention?
Marty: Have to tell you the truth, it makes me uncomfortable. Is everyone here because I did
such a good job at work? Am I getting a bonus or something? Is there going to be cake?
Marc [Author]: Mmhmm
Marty: Wait, are you writing that down? Geez, you seem a little obsessed with my life. Every
time I turn around it seems like you’re hanging over my shoulder.
Marc [Author]: Calm down. You’re imagining things. I’m not obsessed with you. I’ve got my
own life. I’m just being friendly and supportive. You’ve had a tough week recently, didn’t you?
Marty: I sure did. Work was crazy busy. On top of that, I had to take care of my nieces while my
sister was in the hospital all week. And then everything went off the rails when I started
investigating her clients. It feels like I barely kept my job. I don’t know how people do it.
Marc [Author]: Yes, raising kids while working is really hard, especially if you have to do it by
yourself.
Marty: Oh, I meant being a detective. But, sure, I agree with you.
Marc [Author]: Do you have a personal motto?
Marty: What?
Marc [Author]: A motto. You know, something that defines who you are and helps remind you
how to live your life.
Marty: That’s kinda out of the blue and seems weird. I mean I know this is California and all.
Well, I guess I’d say I try to live by words from my dad: “If the appetizers are good, eat them.
You never know what’s coming for dinner.”
Marc [Author]: Interesting perspective. Speaking of dinner, tell us about your unusual dining
experiences with your nieces the other week.
Marty: Every night, something bizarre seemed to happen. I’m not the greatest chef in the world,
although I do make a mean chocolate-chip pancake. On the positive side, we did find an
amazing El Salvadorean restaurant. Well, the food is great. I, uh, can’t go back there for a while,
but I’d recommend it.
Marc [Author]: You mentioned being a detective. Is that something you’ve always wanted to
be?
Marty: I’d rather be a superhero, to tell the truth. Not so much for the costume, but I’d like to
have superpowers and some really cool gadgets. Oh, oh, instead of a cool car, could I have
something that flies? Then I could bypass all the traffic around here. Since I work at Rover, I get
free access to our self-driving car service. When it’s working, at least.
Marc [Author]: Thanks Marty! Now’s a great time to read Uncle and Ants (available on
Amazon and free via Kindle Unlimited) because Chutes and Ladder, book 2 in the Silicon
Valley Mystery series, will be released soon. Read the first chapter of either book free, learn
more about the author or books, and find out about special offers at www.marcjedel.com.
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
The young poet Ashley Dioses has already established herself as a
leading
voice in contemporary weird poetry. Known for her meticulous use of
rhyme and meter, her deft melding of the strange and the erotic, and
her novel treatments of such age-old themes as the vampire, the
witch, and the ghoul, Dioses now gathers the best of her recent
poetry into her first collection—a scintillating assemblage of
nearly 100 poems short and long, published and unpublished.
With this single volume, Ashley Dioses takes her place as a worthy
successor to the long line of California Romantics, beginning with
Ambrose Bierce, Clark Ashton Smith, and Nora May French, and carrying
on with Donald Sidney-Fryer and K. A. Opperman (The Crimson Tome),
with whom she has worked closely.
Ashley began writing at the age of 12. Upon discovering the macabre work of
Edgar Allan Poe, she took a borderline obsessive interest in writing
horror and dark fantasy poetry and even a few fantasy novels. Her
favorite authors of horror and fantasy at that time were Stephen
King, Dean Koontz, J.R.R. Tolkien, Piers Anthony, and Brian Jacques
who also influenced her work.
She wrote up until her senior year of high school and then took a break
before starting up again after college in 2011. With a nudge from a
new friend, she discovered a new kind of horror, dark fantasy, and
weird work from authors such as Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft,
George Sterling, Donald Sidney-Fryer, and David Park Barnitz.
With this new treasure trove of horror and weird authors, she began to
broaden her writing.
Aside from writing, her other passion is martial arts. When she was 12
she
started practicing a shotokan Japanese karate mix (called ‘American’
karate) and Judo at Red Dragon until she reached 3rd class brown belt
at 15. At 18 she started practicing Soo Bahk Do, a Korean karate,
where she stayed for four years, getting her black belt and taught as
an instructor for a brief period of time before leaving.
Atop the Crystal Moon
To George Sterling and Clark Ashton Smith
I long to be atop the Crystal Moon,
Where dreams of marble wharves and silver dunes
Entice my way to magical black mountains
Of onyx spires and obsidian runes.
I drink rubescent wines from jeweled fountains,
Listening to the pomegranate lips
That whisper wicked things between deep sips.
Pale amethyst-eyed nymphs all spin and dance
Beneath rich crimson waters of rosehips
And grapes, as satyrs play gold flutes to trance
The wary constellations to come down
From haunted shores Plutonian, to drown
In aphrodisiacs they so adore.
Sweet poisons scent the blooms atop the crowns
Of faeries from the cosmic courts of lore.
Auroral skies light up the irised pearls
Beneath the crystal water’s dainty swirls.
The sirens lurk beneath with tempting forms,
And beck with amber eyes and golden curls,
While their enticing songs call distant storms.
Sleek undersides of peridot just show
Above the sparkling sea, as serpents flow
Throughout the opal foam of turquoise waves.
Dragons unfurl their wings to soar and blow
The fire into the very stars, to save
The cosmos from the ever lurking dark;
Their emerald eyes at night shine with the spark
Of wisdom. They return to jeweled troves
And curl on golden coins beneath their arcs
Of copper colored scales, in secret coves.
Bedecked with dust from all the shining stars,
The unicorns and Pegasus all spar
And dance and play on Saturn’s spectral rings,
Then leave for constellations near and far
On golden rose-hued hooves and moonstone wings.
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