Today I have a real treat tor you.. Bayou Brew Publishing is releasing Skin Deep A Book of Poetry by Ash X'Connor and re-releasing Concrete Angel by Carly Wallace. Oh I cannot wait. They are coming 3/1/2013!!!
Skin Deep A Book of Poetry by Ash X'Connor
Buckle in for a journey through pain, love and depression as you ride the whirlwind of this dark poetry collection.
A Moment of Peace:
Tear filled eyes and broken hearts,
I’ve seen a world of love and I’ve seen it fall apart!
Ethereal is more than her name it will become her state of mind. After a sudden loss Ethereal is given a choice in her afterlife. Choices are all it takes sometimes to find the forgiveness to move on. However the things we learn through our choices may lead to bigger and better things, both inside and out. Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17415965-concrete-angel
I am so happy to bring you Author Shane KP O'Neill on the blog today. Shane has offered Bound By Blood for Free this weekend February 22, 23, and 24, 2013. Go Get Ya SOME ~ It's FREE!
Meet Shane KP O'Neill
The author developed a fascination with Dracula from an early age. Like many others he was enthralled by Christopher Lee’s portrayal of him on the big screen. It was in his late teens that he discovered Dracula the man and the love affair began from there. An avid historian, for many years he studied the period in which the real historical Vlad Dracula lived, 15th Century Balkan. It followed from there then that with his love of writing he would always choose Dracula as his subject.
Away from writing, the author has a wide range of interests. He has lived and travelled all over the world. He has a love for all things historical, with a particular fascination for medieval Europe. Anywhere he travels he likes to search out locations with an historical interest. He is well read and in recent times has a preference for the work of James Patterson, Carlos Luis Zafon, John Grisham, Jeffrey Archer and Stephen King. He also keeps his library well stocked with historical texts.
For a time he played scrabble on the international stage and represented Wales at the 2007 World Championship in Mumbai, India. He has a real love of sport, most notably football, rugby union, cricket and boxing. His great loves in the football world are Manchester United, Glasgow Celtic, Internazionale and lowly Luton Town. His sporting heroes include George Best, David Beckham, Roy Keane, Ian Botham and Muhammad Ali. His only other activities away from these are long country walks and time spent with friends and family.
Blurb:
The Dracula Chronicles is the brilliant and terrifying new concept of Dracula. It is an epic journey through the ages where the forces of Light and Darkness struggle for supremacy until the Second Great War, as foretold in the Book of Revelations. This bitter feud began after the creation of mankind. Lucifer’s jealousy leads to the First Great War of the angels. Hundreds of thousands of years on the feud simmers beneath the surface. It plots the course of history as we know it today. Both sides manipulate the major players through the centuries to seek an advantage over the other.
On a cold night in December 1431 in Sighisoara an old gypsy woman delivers a prophecy to the great Vlad Dracul. She tells him he is about to sire two sons, one an angel and the other a devil. He returns to his fortress just as his wife bears him a son, whom he names Vlad. In the very same moment across the country on the border between Transylvania and Hungary a gypsy girl gives birth to another son, Andrei. The die is cast. The twin souls are born. The young Vlad Dracula becomes the instrument of the forces of Darkness. To balance this, the baby Andrei is blessed by the angels and bestowed with awesome powers.These chronicles are their story.
Excerpts:
The Prologue - Dracula lies dying on the steps below the altar in the chapel of the monastery at Snagov. Lucifer has come to claim him.
Before Dracula could respond Lucifer lifted him up by both his arms. He raised his protégé high into the air. The pain was intolerable, but paled in comparison to that when the Devil bit hard into his neck.
The pain was more concentrated than the blade or arrowheads that had left him near death. Lucifer’s breath was like fire upon his skin. His eyes bulged from their sockets and he fought hard to breathe. As his throat muscles spasmed he felt like his face was about to melt.
He managed one loud scream. Inside his body he felt the little blood he had left emptying from his veins. The sound alerted the boyars. Their efforts to force open the door of the chapel finally paid dividends. They burst into the chapel and made for the altar to see what ailed their master so.
The sight that met their eyes left them both horrified and stunned. They saw Dracula suspended two feet above the ground. A vicious wound showed on his neck. They could see blood there, but it did not trickle down.
The boyars ran up to him. They drew their swords and cried out to him for direction, not knowing what to do. Lucifer continued to drink. At the same time he absorbed the fear of the men around him. When he had drunk enough he discarded Dracula on the steps below the altar.
He licked his lips. The taste satisfied him. He took a moment to savour it, and the smell. It was good. He smiled, having wanted to do this for such a long time.
The boyars felt a presence as he walked among them. They tried to put it out of their minds. The sight of their master on the floor concerned them more. They attempted to resuscitate him. But there was no need. He was not yet dead.
Dracula clutched at his stomach with both hands. The movement was so sudden it scared the men half out of their minds. He emitted a cry that was almost inhuman. His men stepped away. The presence amongst them grew more apparent. They turned their focus to it and scanned the empty air around them in an attempt to locate it.
Their master’s body shook violently on the steps. His arms and legs flailed wildly. Foam and vomit streamed from the corners of his mouth and his eyes rolled up inside his head. They watched until only the whites of the orbs showed.
A second animal-like cry filled the chapel. It echoed off the walls around them. Outside the abbot dropped to his knees in prayer. Every other man and woman that had not done so, did so now. Lightning raged across the darkening skies. The thunder bellowed after it, as a prelude to the downpour that followed.
Chapter 21 - A location near Cluj in Transylvania. March 1502. Dracula’s twin soul, Andrei, is waking with his wife in their tent.
Antonia awoke at the crack of dawn. The morning was cold. She thought about getting up, but did not feel too good. It was warm beneath the blanket. She decided to remain there and snuggled into her husband.
Andrei groaned in his sleep. She smiled at the familiar sound. They had not spent much time apart in their fifty-four years of marriage. One night a month he sloped off. At sunset on the thirteenth day the Dark Ones could see him. It meant he had to go well away from his loved ones. He would find a quiet spot to hide and build up his defences. Then and only then were they ever away from each other.
She groaned too. Her bones felt stiff and ached when she moved. For a while she had not felt too well. Andrei sensed it, but she never let on. When he did ask she assured him she was fine. They had known each other from birth and wed at seventeen. He trusted her word even though he sensed otherwise.
He felt warm as always. She moved her knees in behind his and moulded into him until they were one. The padding beneath them was a comfort. She was glad of it. They needed it at their age sleeping against the hard ground.
That was one of the many things she loved about him. He did everything he could to ensure her comfort. She deserved it he said. Everything he had she had given to him. Six sons in their first ten years together.
After the split with the tribe many years ago they raised and nurtured their sons alone. She watched her boys grow into fine young men. Each one was the image of their father in one way or another. He proved the perfect role model.
In time her boys all fell in love and married. Their wives joined them so as not to break the family unit. The unions produced another twenty children. Eight of those had married to produce a half a dozen more. It capped a perfect life for her. She lay there thinking if her time came now she could have no complaints.
Andrei stirred when she moved against him. He reached back with a hand and rubbed her thigh. She wrapped an arm around him and snuggled up closer. “Good morning, my love,” she whispered.
He shifted slowly around to face her. His body ached too. “You are awake?”
“I always wake before you,” she smiled.
“That is what you keep telling me.”
She reached her head up a touch to kiss him. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
He pulled her in closer. They locked in a tight embrace and kissed again, slowly.
“You are such a beautiful man,” she said, barely above a whisper.
“I am what you have made me.”
“No, my love. This has always been you.”
“It is as well for me then that I am. Or you may not have loved me.”
“I have always loved you. How could I not?”
“It helps me know how lucky I have been when you say such things.”
“I am the lucky one,” she said, kissing his neck gently. “I have been blessed. I and our children. What more could a woman ever want from a man than you have given me?”
He held her tight in his arms. The same rush of love that had passed through him almost every day of his life did so again. “You still take my breath away.”
She nuzzled into his neck. “Thank you,” she said. “You have given me a wonderful life.”
He pulled away a touch. “You say that as though it is about to come to an end?”
“We are old, Andrei. It cannot be that far away. For either of us.”
“Well not quite yet. I am not ready for you to go.”
“Do we have a say in such things?”
“I do. You know I have stopped people from crossing over.”
“Yes I know. But promise me one thing.”
“What, my love?”
“When it is my time, let me go.”
“It is not your time.”
“Promise me.”
He sighed. “I promise.”
“My body is tired. I do not know how much more it can give me.”
“You need to rest. That is all. We will not travel for a time.”
“A rest will be nice.”
“Until you feel better. I am not ready to carry on without you yet.”
“We can never be ready for such things.”
“Not I anyway. My earliest memories are all of you.”
“Mine too.”
“I love you, Antonia.”
“And I love you, Andrei.”
He heard her gasp quietly. “Antonia?”
Her body fell limp at his side.
“Antonia?” he said again. He moved back and sat up.
He looked down at his wife. She lay with her eyes closed and her lips slightly apart. Tears welled in his eyes. He knew she had gone. A terrible feeling crawled through him from the pit of his stomach. A feeling of dread and loss.
He raised her up in his arms and cradled her head into his chest. Her hair still smelt so good. He stroked it softly, as he rocked her gently back and forth.
The tears flowed freely down his face. “How can I go on without you?” he cried quietly. “I do not want to.”
He felt so tempted to lay her down and breathe life back into her. Many times in his life he had done such a thing. But he knew he could not do that for her. He promised her that he would not. She knew it was her time. That is why she said it.
Andrei looked up. Her soul rose from her body. It stood only a foot away, looking somewhere far off. He reached out to touch it, but his hand passed through.
“Please do not take her from me yet,” he begged. “Give me a little more time.”
He hummed a soft tune. It was the one she loved most of all of the few he kept in his head. He used to do it over her swollen belly during each of her pregnancies. She always said it was the reason their sons were all at peace with the world when they were born. How he wished he could relive one of those times.
Her soul turned to look at him and smiled. He looked up through teary eyes and smiled back. “Do not go yet.”
A light shone through the tent. It touched against Antonia’s soul. They were coming for her.
He cried harder. What is there without her? He had not known a world that did not have her in it. Yet now he was going to discover just that. His heart felt heavy. After saying goodbye to her he knew he had only one thing left to do in his life. Then there was nothing more for him.
The light grew brighter and her soul turned to face it. He could see the excitement on the face of all that was left of his wife. It should have made him happy. Instead it devastated him. Very soon they would take her. That would be his last moment with her in the mortal sphere.
Then he saw them. He laid her body down gently and jumped to his feet. Her soul reached out with both arms. The White Ones walked up to her and took it by the hands. He fell to his knees in despair. They did not even look at him.
He dived full length to try and come between them. His efforts proved in vain. He passed straight through them and hit the ground.
They stopped. Antonia turned to look at him. “I have to go, Andrei,” she smiled. “Do not be sad.”
He fell back on his haunches. His heart ached. He needed her so badly.
“Do what you must do,” she said. “And then come to me. I will be waiting.”
She smiled and blew him a kiss. “I love you.” Then she turned towards the light.
With that it disappeared and they were gone. He dragged himself back over to where her body lay alone on the blanket. Lying down beside her he pulled it over them both. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close and cried.
I heard today that Amazon has removed the tagging section completely off of the Product Detail Page. How sad...
I was shocked, so I had to check for myself. GONE! You up to a good challenge and SCREAM IT ACROSS THE INTERNET!
If you strongly adore an Indie Author let them know, post your review everywhere possible. The more exposure we, as fans, provide, the larger the audience we reach collectively.
I propose a challenge for those interested:
Post your favorite author below and express how much you appreciate their work.
Leave comments on Goodreads, where many authors have a listing of every single book that has been entered under their name. Believe me - authors care about what we, as readers, have to say.
Other ways to Help an Indie Author:
Do not to disrespect or criticize their work in open forums. If you do not like the book, find a positive way to state your opinion without being degrading, rude, offensive, or harassing or just walk away and say nothing. It reminds me of the old adage:
If you can't say anything nice; don't say anything at all.
Don't PIRATE! If you really want to read a book, borrow it from your library, a friend, or buy it. It is not only ILLEGAL it hurts everyone in the long run.
Happy Friday! Have a great weekend... Thanks for stopping by...
WELCOME to I Love My Authors!
Come on in and relax a spell... I am just curious--how many of you are San Francisco 49er Fans?
Being from California and growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area most of my life, I am a San Fancisco 49er Faithful... Win, Lose, or Draw...
