Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Excerpts and other Fun-ness.


 First, just a little reminder that the second book in The Crow Series, Shift, is now available for  pre-order through Amazon!

All the edits and tweaks are going well and the book is set for official publication on December 31st.

If you want a sneak peek at the new adventures of Silas and Denora, I've started posting some new excerpts in The Crow Series section of the blog. I'll be posting more in the near future, once all the publishing craziness is over and I can breath properly again.


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For now, here's a look at part of the first chapter to whet your appetite:
 
We crept along the length of the web, moving smoothly across the surface. All eight legs, graceful and strong. The web vibrated under our feet - a gentle shake, but we felt it like a beacon. We turned to where the small gnat shook and shivered some distance away.

Deftly maneuvering across the threads towards the struggling insect, I could almost taste its fear and a cold dread settled in my stomach. I knew what would come next.

I attempted to assert my will, turning our attention away, but the creature was stronger than I was. It paused, confused for only a moment, before quickening our strides towards the target.

The gnat wiggled, pulling frantically against the threads. I panned our eyes across the room, distracting the spider long enough for the gnat to pull its legs free, but the wings were stuck firm.

The web spread across a high corner of the living room ceiling. I could see the rows of brown cardboard boxes stacked throughout the room. Sienna lounged beside my human body where it stretched across the couch in dreamless sleep. The cat was busily grooming his orange striped fur, too preoccupied to wonder at my shallow breathing and blank staring eyes. A leather-bound book was left open across my chest. It was the only thing in the apartment that I hadn’t packed for the move.

The spider was fighting me for control. The more the gnat struggled, the stronger it became. The web beneath our feet hummed when the downstairs buzzer sounded, echoing throughout the space.

Soda was downstairs waiting with the moving van.

Out of time…

I focused my attention - funneling my consciousness back into my own body as the buzzer rang a second time.


Sienna yawned, stretching his paws out across my lap as I slowly blinked my eyes and the room came back into focus. I unsteadily rose to my feet, stashing the leather-bound book of spells under the couch cushions and made my way to the door. My head was pounding - a sharp pain digging in my temples.

Headache must be a side-effect of the spell.

I hit the intercom, allowing Soda upstairs, and rubbed my temples hard with my fingers, trying to make the pain subside.

“Hey Birthday Girl!” Soda greeted me with a crushing hug as he entered the apartment, “How’s it feel to finally be legal?” He was bundled up for the cold weather - a thick, black turtle-neck sweater beneath his jacket. His bright blue hair, the same brilliant color as his eyes, was tucked neatly beneath the green and blue plaid newsboy hat he had taken to wearing lately.

I blinked hard a few more times, knowing he was expecting an answer.

“Old and tired.” I mumbled, hugging him back softly. The pain in my head was making me feel dizzy. Soda’s eyes scanned the rows of boxes and dismantled furniture in the living room.

“Is all this going to your Great Aunt’s place?”

I nodded slowly - anything more forceful and I felt as if my brain were going to pop out of my skull.


Happy Reading :D

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