Friday, July 31, 2015

Taste the Flavors of Barbados: Recipes to Help You Experience "The Awakening of Tara" by Sara McBride



The setting for the book “The Awakening of Tara” is the tropical island of Barbados. I chose this island as the backdrop for my series Charmed in Paradise because after spending several weeks there for work (I periodically taught yoga at a high end resort there) I found it to be the closest thing to paradise I had ever experienced.  Not only was the Island warm, romantic and beautiful, the food was heavenly!

If you would like to experience a little of this paradise I suggest you read book one, “The Awakening of Tara” and try out a couple of these recipes. By the way, these recipes make up the meal that Mimi makes for Asha in the book. Who is Asha, you ask? Guess you’re going to have to read the book to find out!

Barbados Pepperpot Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 onions, finely-chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 Scotch Bonnet pepper or 1 habañero pepper, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 cups acorn squash or 4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes or 4 cups carrots, peeled and diced
1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, chopped, including juice
4 cups vegetable stock or 4 cups chicken stock
1 (14 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1⁄4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:

Cook onions in oil in a skillet until tender. Place onions in crock pot along with garlic, ginger, chili powder, scotch bonnet, coriander, celery seeds, salt, pepper, sugar, squash (or carrots), kidney beans, tomatoes and stock.

Stir to mix well.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours or until vegetables are tender. Add coconut milk and stir well. Set crock pot to high and cook for 15-20 minutes more. Garnish with cilantro before serving.


Fried Plantains

Ingredients:
2 cups water 
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
2 green plantains

Directions:

Combine water, garlic and salt in medium size glass bowl and set aside.

In a large (12-inch) saute pan, heat oil to 325 degrees F. Peel plantains and slice crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Carefully add plantains to oil and fry until golden yellow in color, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. (The oil should come halfway up the side of the plantain). With a spider or slotted spoon, remove the plantains from the pan and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, standing them on their ends. With the back of a wide, wooden spatula, press each piece of plantain down to half its original size. Then place the plantains in the water and let soak for 1 minute. Remove and pat dry with a tea towel to remove excess water.

Bring oil back up to 325 degrees F and return plantains to pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a dish lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt, if desired. Serve immediately.

This recipe is from Alton Brown and Foodnetwork.com

Tamarind Sweet Balls

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 (7-ounce) package tamarind paste*
1 tablespoon Thai-style hot sauce (recommended: Sriracha)
Pinch salt

* Can be found at specialty Asian markets.

Directions:

Put 1/4 cup sugar in a shallow plate. In a bowl, combine the tamarind, hot sauce, salt, and remaining sugar. Using your hands, mix the ingredients together. Divide the tamarind mixture into bite-size portions, and shape into balls. Add the tamarind balls to the sugar, and roll to coat evenly.

This recipe comes from the cooking channel



The Awakening of Tara
Charmed in Paradise Series
Book One
Sara McBride

Genre: Paranormal Romance/ BBW Witches and Wizards

Publisher: MLF Press

Date of Publication: July 15th 2015

ASIN: B010MFYDP0

Number of pages: 77
Word Count: 24975

Book Description:

Tara’s a big girl whose life is in shambles. Her fiancé left her for some skinny little bitch, work is overwhelming and her self-esteem has been shredded. So when her best friend suggests a vacation on the tropical paradise island of Barbados, she jumps at the chance.

A freak accident on a Caribbean beach leaves Tara with a magical gift that makes her virtually irresistible to men, rebuilds her broken self-esteem and introduces her to a mystical world of witches and wizards as well as one of the sexiest mega millionaire pro athletes on the planet.

When an evil billionaire wizard decides to take what he wants, the real question is, can Tara and her friends escape this adventure with their lives.

This paranormal romance adventure series is filled with steamy romance, sizzling sex, paranormal adventure, evil billionaires and hot, curvy BBWs.


Available at Amazon


Excerpt:
“A couple of people said they had seen the box you were looking for.”
Radella tried to keep the emotion from showing on her face. She and her people had been down here for a month asking questions and no one said a word about the box. This was the first solid lead they had. She felt her heart skip a beat.
“So what’s this box look like?” she asked coolly.
Kai didn’t take his eyes off her. She could tell he was trying to decide how valuable this information was to her. “Just like you described it. Old dark wood with shiny white squares across the top… real fancy. People say some woman that works down on the beach selling junk and telling fortunes has it.”
Now it was Radella’s turn to smirk. “You got anything else?”
Kai didn’t say anything for a couple of beats. Radella knew he was up to something and he was trying to decide what his next move should be.
“Look, I know this box is worth a lot to you. Tell you what, for another $500 me and Navas will steal this box from her and bring it to you. What do you say?”
Radella smiled, crossed her arms and gazed directly at Kai. “No, I’ll get the box myself.”
This clearly wasn’t what Kai expected her to say. “What do you mean you’ll get the box yourself? You don’t even know who this bitch is. I KNOW who this bitch is!”
In her peripheral vision, Radella saw Navas begin to inch in towards her and saw one of his hands go, without any attempt to conceal the movement, into his back pocket. She took a half step back, but kept her eyes on both men.
“This island isn’t that big, so finding someone who sells souvenirs and tells fortunes on the beach isn’t going to be that hard.”
Navas turned to his brother. “Fool, you told her too much!”
“Shut up Navas!” Kai shouted.
As the two brothers stared each other down Radella took another step back as she continued to talk.
“Besides, I’ve known from the beginning that I couldn’t trust you two. If you stole the box and the things we want are actually inside, you’d either steal them and try to sell them yourself, or you would try to make me pay you some ridiculous price to give me the things I already paid you to get. As I said, I’ll get the box myself.”
A look passed between the brothers. Navas produced a large folding knife from his back pocket and flipped the blade open. Kai picked up what looked like a bowie knife from under a pile of food wrappers on the table.
“Fine, have it your way,” whispered Kai. “But it’s going to cost you $500 to get out of the house alive.”
Radella gave them both an icy, appraising stare. “I didn’t bring any money.”
Navas spoke up. “That’s not a problem. We’ll just take the necklace.” With a wide grin he gestured toward the star pendant hanging around her boney neck.
Radella smiled back and reached down taking the star pendant in both hands pointing the large stone in the direction of the two men.
“You mean this old thing?” The emerald began to glow and Radella began to chant, “Lamina lamina lamna, inermis, prehendo, fervens, letum!”
A flash of green light filled the room and then it was gone. Kai and Navas were taken aback, but Kai recovered quickly enough.
“Nice trick lady. But that ain’t gonna help you. Now hand over the necklace.”
Radella’s eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Gentlemen, I have good news and I have bad news.” She smiled. “Let’s start with the bad news. I’m a witch and I’ve put a spell on your knives.” She stopped and thought for a second. “That’s not entirely true. I’ve actually put four spells on your knives.”
 She held up her index finger. “The first spell won’t allow your knives to harm me.”
She held up a second finger. “The second spell won’t allow either of you to let go of your knives.”
She held up her third finger. “The third spell will make your knives begin to grow hotter and hotter until finally the metal and whatever else they happen to be made of burns away or melts.”
She paused for dramatic effect, and then finished.
“You can just imagine what that will do to your hands.”
She smiled brightly at both men.
“Now here is the good news. The fourth spell is your way out.  All you have to do is kill your brother with your knife,” She looked at Kai then over at Navas, “and the spell is broken. Your knife cools off and you can set it down.”
Radella started toward the door but Navas lunged at her, leading with the wicked looking blade pointed at her throat. But he never came close. The knife swung away like her body was the bad side of a magnet, slashing harmlessly through the air.
Kia leapt forward, stabbing at Radella’s torso but again the knife was repulsed, the tip wrenching straight up before it reached her, leaving the man standing holding the knife over his head.
The brothers looked at each other with panic-stricken eyes. Navas tried to open his hand and let the knife fall to the floor but his fingers stayed clamped like a vice on the handle of the folding knife.
Kai tried to throw his bowie knife but had no more success than his brother.
Radella turned lightly and as she reached the door she heard Kai cry out in pain. The knives were beginning to heat up. She smiled contentedly and turned to study the two brothers as they began to stalk each other around the room.
“Oh, and did I mention that you have about five minutes? Her smirk widened to a full skeletal grin.
“Have a nice evening, gentlemen.”


About the Author:

When a life-changing injury forced her to give up a successful career as a personal trainer, Sara McBride did what any girl with the gift for gab and a typing speed that is freakishly fast would do—become a paranormal BBW erotic romance writer. 

Long frustrated with the fitness industry’s lack of acceptance that many people naturally have a body mass index above the “normal” range, she has always championed acceptance and wellness for all—not just those crazy people who love to exercise. Viva la BBW!

A lifelong reader of fantasy and paranormal fiction, Sara lives with her very patient husband and two small children who now begin every sentence with “As soon as you’re finished writing that chapter, could we….”

Her license plate holder reads “My other car is a broom.”

This is her first work of fiction.

If you would like to read Sara’s blog or sign up for an email letting you know when her next book will be released, please visit:





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Guest Blog and Giveaway with Jennifer Snow



My Journey to Publication


Growing up, I was very fortunate to be raised in a family where my brother and I were never told we couldn’t do something. From a very young age, my parents instilled in us that we could accomplish anything we set our mind and our heart to, therefore at sixteen, I decided I was going to be an author. I had always written short stories and poetry, so in high school I decided to try to write a novel and I did. It was a lovely sweet teenage romance and I thought it was the best piece of fiction ever written, so naturally, I submitted it to Harlequin Romance. But not only did I submit my novel, without a clue how to do so…I also pitched them a new series line. When I think back on it now, I marvel over my lack of fear and possibly common sense, but either way-off it went.

            I remember getting the rejection letter because it was summer time and I was sitting on my front step with a few friends when the mail courier arrived with the envelope. I was so excited I couldn’t breathe and when my friends asked what it was, I remember saying-“Harlequin wants to publish my book!” I was so naïve back thenJ  What was actually inside though was almost as good. The letter was a rejection, but a very positive, helpful one that said my writing showed promise, but they didn’t currently have a YA line and in order to write for the adult lines, I would need more life experience. It went on to provide some helpful writing resources, and they encouraged a future submission.

            Flash forward a couple of years-okay eighteen years, and I am about to release my 9th book-BREAKING HER RULES. The first book in my new MMA Sports Romance series releasing through Berkley/NAL.  With three holiday themed novellas and my Harlequin Heartwarming Brookhollow series, it’s been a busy four years since my first novella was published through The Wild Rose Press, but I’ve enjoyed every moment.

            Eighteen years ago, writing full-time was a dream. One that I’m so glad I never gave up on.

Xo~ Jen
           
           



Breaking Her Rules
Beyond the Cage
Book One
Jennifer Snow

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Date of Publication: July 21, 2015

ASIN: B00UGG11L0

Number of pages: 300
Word Count: 72k

Cover Artist: Penguin Random House

Book Description:

MMA fighters go the distance in this all-new series from Jennifer Snow, author of the Brookhollow novels.

Walker Adams was supposed to follow in his lawyer father’s footsteps, but instead he’s training to be an MMA fighter. And while he works for his chance to make it in the Maximum Fight League, he’s bunking on his baby sister’s best friend’s couch. Gracie Andrews is all grown up—in all the right places. But she’s engaged to the fight match-maker who holds Walker’s career in his hands…

Gracie had almost convinced herself that she’d put her silly childhood crush on Walker to rest. But the sight of him sleeping in only a pair of boxer briefs makes it clear that some things never change. And as old sparks turn to flames, Gracie is forced to decide between the future she thought she wanted or the man she’s never stopped loving…



Available at Amazon

Excerpt:

“Whoa…occupied,” Walker Adams said, quickly reaching for a towel as the bathroom door swung open.
          “Shit, sorry.” Grace shut her eyes as she slammed the door, but not before seeing much more of her best friend’s older brother. Something her fifteen-year-old self would have gone to extreme measures to see.
Well, that image was going to take a brain injury to forget.
          “I’ll just be a second,” he called through the door as she turned to leave.
          “No worries-take your time.” She checked her watch. She had fifteen minutes before she had to leave for work. They would need to come up with a better routine if they were going to be roommates for several weeks.
          Several weeks. Holy shit. How had Kylie talked her into this? When her best friend had called from California to ask the favor, she wished she hadn’t answered the call because Kylie had asked her a question she’d been unable to refuse.
          “He’s desperate,” Kylie had said.
          Desperate was one word that failed to come to mind when she thought about Walker. She was pretty sure he’d never wanted anything too long before getting it. “Really?”
          “Yes. I mean, he will never admit it, of course, but he’s left himself zero options. If he’s not attending classes, Dad says he’s not paying his rent or helping him financially until he wakes up and realizes he’s ruining his future.”
          That sounded like Judge Adams. He saw one future for his son and Grace didn’t expect the man to ever support the fighting career Walker had dropped out of law school to pursue. She’d sighed. “All I have is a pull out sofa-no spare room.” She cringed at the thought of someone sleeping in her living room…even for a few weeks. She’d never had a roommate, preferring her privacy and space.
          Roommates were messy and loud and…messy.
          “Trust me-he’s not picky right now. He’s been sleeping in his Jeep for the last few weeks. He finally told me and I’m a little worried about him living on the streets in Las Vegas.”
          Her resolve melted. The idea of Walker Adams down on his luck was a completely foreign one. The high school valedictorian and football star was not exactly lacking in the ‘good fortune’ category. Not when it came to success or brains or looks…so how had the guy voted ‘most likely to succeed’ in high school end up needing her pull out sofa?
“Okay, he can stay here…but you know I’m moving in three weeks, right? July 31st my lease is up and I’m moving in with Erik.”
          “I was kinda hoping you’d come to your senses…” her friend had mumbled.
          “Nope, still planning a future with a successful, gorgeous man.” She didn’t take offense at Kylie’s attitude toward Erik. The one and only time her friend had met her boyfriend, the Christmas before, they hadn’t exactly hit it off. Erik was kind of an acquired taste. His abrupt manner could be a little off-putting to those who didn’t know him well.  Normally, if her best friend and boyfriend didn’t get along, it would be a cause of stress for Grace, but with Kylie a thousand miles away in L.A. and their visits rare these days as they both climbed their respective corporate ladders, her friend’s opinion seemed to matter less.
          “Fine…Well at least he hasn’t proposed yet, so there’s still hope.”
          Grace rolled her eyes. “So when is Walker getting here?” Changing the subject was always the best course of action whenever their talks turned to her relationship.
          “I’ll text him right away with your address and he’ll be there soon. He can’t be that far away.”
          Fan-fucking-tastic. Her best friend’s brother, a guy she’d been completely in love with at fifteen, and a man she hadn’t seen in almost five years would be her new roommate in a matter of minutes. “Can’t wait to see him,” she’d lied.
          And boy, in less than twenty-four hours, she had certainly seen him. Every last perfectly tanned, sculpted inch of him. From the short dark hair, chiseled chest and shoulders to his drool-worthy abs and-ahem-everything else. Everything else.



About the Author:

Jennifer Snow lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband and four year old son. She is a member of the Writers Guild of Alberta, the Romance Writers of America, the Canadian Author Association, and SheWrites.org.  She is also a regular blogger on the Heartwarming Authors site and is a contributing author to Mslexia Magazine, WestWord Magazine and RWR. She has also taught RWA Chapters courses online.  Her 2013 Holiday Romance-The Trouble With Mistletoe was a finalist in the 2014 Golden Quill Contest and the Heart of Denver Aspen Gold Contest.

Her publishing credits include two holiday novellas, previously published by The Wild Rose Press, now re-released or being re-released as self-published editions through Amazon. The Mistletoe Fever was an Amazon bestseller for two weeks in the category of Kindle Short Reads. Her six book small town, Brookhollow series is published through Harlequin Heartwarming and she has a new MMA sports romance series releasing through Berkley/NAL Intermix in 2015. RT Reviews has given each of her Brookhollow series books 4 stars.

She also hosts an annual SnowGlobe Award contest in recognition of holiday themed romance stories, with over forty entries each year, with participants ranging from new authors to NYT Bestselling authors, such as Brenda Novak and Sarah Morgan.

More information about the contest can be found at www.snowglobeawardcontest.vpweb.ca

She is active on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and various blog sites and has a monthly author newsletter.

More information can be found at www.jennifersnowauthor.com

@jennifersnow18


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Spotlight and Giveaway Milan by Jordan Ashton





Milan
Harbor of Lost Souls
Book 1
Jordan Ashton

Genre: Erotic Alternative,
MM Paranormal,
Werewolves, Romance

Publisher: Siren Publishing

Date of Publication: June 2014

ISBN: 978-1-62741-905-5
ASIN: B00LSZXDM8

Number of pages: 94
Word Count: 24,103
Cover Artist: Harris Channing

Book Description:

Milan Ambrozi has hidden from the world and from love for far too long. After he receives a letter from his sister, Ari, that their father is dying, he decides to finally face his inner demon and go back to be with everyone he loves who he left behind.
Carlos Hernandez has been picking up the pieces ever since his ex-lover, Milan, suddenly disappeared from everyone’s life five years ago. Carlos has been helping Ari and her terminally ill father through this trying time. When Milan returns, Carlos lashes out at him with pent-up anger and hurt he’s kept bottled all of these years.

Milan explains he had no choice, that he had to leave to keep them safe. Yet he refuses to say why. They decide to set aside their differences and try to be friends. But that passionate fire Carlos and Milan had never died. It’s alive and hotter than ever, so is their love they keep denying to each other.

When people in the city start dying from spontaneous combustion, Carlos uncovers that Milan’s involved somehow. Will Milan tell Carlos the truth or will his inner demon lash out at everyone he loves?

Available at Bookstrand   Kobo   BN  

Excerpt:

Never in a thousand years would Milan Ambrozi have expected this. He leaned on the door to his room and stared at the letter in his hands. Father Theosis had hand delivered it to him just minutes ago. As he turned the folded manila envelope, he frowned. It was from his sister Arianna.
Five years had passed since Milan last saw her. It was a day Milan could never forget and wished had never happened, because it was the worst day of his life, the day the world as he knew it ended.
The images of elongated, sharp fangs, black fur, and demonic red eyes seared his eyes as the haunting memories of that night returned. They were still as painful now as they were five years ago.
He released a long breath and tapped the letter on his chin. A part of him wanted to open it and find out what Arianna wrote, but another part of him dreaded it.
They hadn’t kept in touch all of these years. Arianna had tried and so had his father, sending him letters to the sanctuary’s P.O. Box, but Milan had never replied. He read every single one of their messages and his heart ached with each breath he took. He missed and loved them so much. Just as he missed and loved his one true love, Carlos Hernandez, whom he’d abandoned that night just like he did them.
It was supposed to be the first night of the next chapter in their relationship. Carlos had popped the question before the nightmare ever occurred that ripped Milan from him and everyone else he loved.
Not a day went by that Milan didn’t fantasize or reminisce about their love and what he had left behind. Carlos was and would forever be his soul mate. No one would ever replace him in his heart.
If only he could turn back time to the way things were. Back to a time when he and Carlos were madly in love and having passionate sex every waking hour, and his baby sister was still in pigtails, and his father was happy and not angry with him.
But unfortunately that wasn’t an option. Time only moved forward, not backward, and so must he. Sooner or later he needed to step forward and out from this shelter he had immersed himself, and return to his family and friends and his past life.
But how could he ever face them again? How could he tell them the truth?
Casting his thoughts and fears aside, he sighed and slumped onto the edge of his bed. The springs in the mattress creaked under his weight. He combed his wavy black locks out of his eyes and tore the envelope open in one swift and smooth movement.
The scent of rose water drifted into the air, tickling his nose. He closed his eyes and sniffed the folded letter he extracted. It smelled of his baby sister. Tears filmed his eyes as memories of her in pony tails, smiling at him in a wide, dimpled grin flooded his mind. Her sixteenth birthday had passed three months ago. He wondered how much she had changed in these past five years. Not only had he missed all of her teen years so far, but her sweet sixteenth birthday, as well. He’d never regain those lost precious moments, ever.
He unfolded the paper and began to read, preparing himself for a back lashing, words of hatred, of resentment at being abandoned and forgotten. But what he read took him completely by surprise.


Dear Milan,
This letter will probably never reach you as my other letters before this haven’t, but I had to send it just in case you do get it and read it.
I don’t know how to write this. What words can I use to make this any less painful for you? I know they’ll break your heart and make you cry, but there is no good way to pass on bad news.
A few months ago Daddy was diagnosed with lung cancer. Treatments haven’t helped. The cancer spread. We found out yesterday that he has only a few weeks or months to live.
Please come home. We really need you.
Love always,
Ari

His grip on the paper slacked and it drifted to the carpeted floor as the silence in the room ended with his cries. He covered his face with his hands and leaned his elbows on his knees. He cried for his father, for his sister and their suffering. He cried for his damnation and the cruel God he had come to know all too well.
Life wasn’t fair, and the good always suffered undeservingly. His father, a kind and generous man who had loved and nurtured him and his sister all of his life, was suffering a slow and painful death. And there wasn’t anything anyone could do to stop it.
He let the sorrow and despair flow out, until there were no more tears or energy to spare. He lay back on the bed and stared at the twirling ceiling fan, being mesmerized by its simple and constant spinning motion.
Now that this detrimental blow had been delivered, he knew without a doubt that the time for hiding had passed. He needed to face his inner demons and conquer them.
The letter screamed its purpose in his ears. His father and baby sister needed him. Now more than ever. It was time to go home.


 About the Author:

Jordan Ashton is a writer and wife whose passion for reading romance novels led her to writing them, too. She believes love can conquer all and that it makes the world go round, not money. Her heroes, heroines, and the worlds she creates bring this belief to life. She is and will always be a true romantic at heart.






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J

Release Day Blitz Guarded by Carmen Fox


Tell us about the role of women in your writing.

They’re strong. And I’m not talking about a token ‘feistiness’ to balance out an inherent need to find refuge in a man’s arms, but about an inner strength that allows them to weather any situation alone. If they choose to be with a man, it’s because they want to be, perhaps driven by passion or love, but never by a need for safety.

Who is Ivy?

Ivy, GUARDED’s main character, doesn’t let her past define her. Or so she thinks. In truth, her experiences have left her with emotional pressure points she doesn’t want anyone to poke. She deals with most situations with her special brand of humor, and although she’d do anything for her friends, she’s far from perfect. When people vie for your attention, perhaps it’s natural to take their support for granted. Worse, her curiosity often gets the better of her. It’s not that she deliberately walks into danger, but rather her idea of what is safe is a little skewed. Most of all she’s self-reliant. Not too proud to accept help, but she will act alone if she has to. In many respects she is who I want to be.

Why does Ivy have such a hard time deciding between the men in her life?

Ivy dithers between her sexual urges and her desire to be loved. Each of the three men offers her something different. One promises a normal future, the one she’s always wanted. Guy number two is incredibly hot and satisfies an itch the first man might not be able to scratch. And the third might be the most passionate, but also the most possessive of them. Sometimes, heart, body and mind simply cannot agree.

Tell us about Ivy’s relationship with Florian.

Florian is Ivy’s best friend. I imagine he’s every woman’s ideal best friend. No matter the situation, he has her back. Plus, he’s funny, and a little goofy. The two of them just click. He’s quickly become the most memorable character, and I’ve had women tell me he’s their ideal book BFF.

Do you have a Florian in your life?
I used to have a Florian in my life, the kind of person I spent every free minute with without ever being bored. We’d do the craziest things. And the total absence of sexual tension made it easy for us to laze in front of the TV in our sweat pants, greasy hair or not. Sure, our closeness wasn’t always straightforward, especially for my boyfriends or his girlfriends, but we made it work.

Would you categorize GUARDED as urban fantasy or paranormal romance?

I wish I didn’t have to categorize it. An agent informed me that GUARDED is a romance, since it has a HEA, a happily ever after, which is the payoff readers of that genre expect. But some romance readers have struggled with the fact that they can’t immediately tell who Ivy is going to end up with. She experiences different chemistries with different men. It’s part of the fun. Also, there’s a strong non-romance plot, which shifts the book closer into the urban fantasy or suspense genres. To me, it’s an urban fantasy romance.








Guarded
The Silverton Chronicles
Book 1
Carmen Fox

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Romance/Suspense

Publisher: Smart Heart Publishing

Date of Publication: July 31, 2015

epub: 978-0-9931992-0-2
paperback: 978-0-9931992-1-9
hardcover: 978-0-9931992-2-6

Number of pages: 276 print pages
Word Count: 104k

Cover Artist: Ana Grigoriu

Book Description:

When everyone's existence depends on the lies they tell, trust doesn't come easy

Ivy’s neighbors have a secret. They aren’t human. But Ivy has a secret, too. She knows. As long as everyone keeps quiet, she’s happy working as a P.I. by day and chillaxing with her BFF Florian, a vampire, by night. When a routine pickup drops her in the middle of a murder, her two worlds collide. While Florian knows how to throw a punch, deep down he's a softie. His idea of scary? Running out of hair product. It’s time Ivy faced facts. Even with a vampire on stand-by, one gal can only kick so many asses.

For help, she must put her faith in others. A human, who might just be the one. A demon, who will, for a price, open the doors to her heritage. And a werewolf, who wants to protect her from herself.

Torn between these men, Ivy must tread carefully, because one wants her heart, one wants her body, and one wants her dead.


Review Trailer: http://youtu.be/rpI5DtqvR8E


Blurb Read by Voiceover Artist: http://youtu.be/6i3DmvcaMWs

About the Author:

Carmen lives in the south of England with her beloved tea maker and a stuffed sheep called Fergus. An avid reader since childhood, she caught the writing bug when her Nana asked her to write a story. She also has a law degree, studied physics for a few years, dabbled in marketing and human resources, and speaks native-level German and fluent Geek. Her preferred niches of geekdom are tabletop games, comics, sci-fi and fantasy.

She writes about smart women with sassitude, about pretty cool guys too, and will chase that plot twist, no matter how elusive.

Expect to be kept guessing.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER, Carmen’s first urban fantasy novel, was published in March 2015. To find out more, visit her at www.carmen-fox.com.


Twitter: @authorcarmenfox


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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Interview and Giveaway with Jay Falconer Author of the Emily Heart Time Jumper Series





Have you ever based your book or characters on actual events or people from your own life?

Yes, all the time. I’m a very social person and everyone I meet is a candidate to become a memorable character in one of my stories. I usually try to dream up a character who is the exact opposite of them, allowing me to have some serious fun at their expense. Ask anyone who knows me, if you suffer a horrible, mangled death in one of my books, it’s a badge of honor. I tend to reserve the most intense scenes for my closest friends and family.

Is there a theme or message in your work that you would like readers to connect to?

You’ll never know what’s coming next in my books. I go out of my way to be unpredictable and keep you guessing. Just when you think you know what’s happening, I’ll change it all and take you down a new path of discovery.

What would your readers be surprised to learn about you?

I have a full time software engineering job that keeps me busy during the week. I have to squeeze writing time in when I can, and that usually means in the wee hours of the morning or over the weekend. Having two jobs makes for very long days, but writing doesn’t feel like work to me. I find it therapeutic, especially if I’m working on a new action scene or introducing a new villain.

Which romance book or series (or other genre, if you don’t write romance) do you wish you had written?

Hunger Games. The author pushed the envelope with the subject matter and I commend her on taking such a huge chance. It’s very risky, just like with my Glassford Girl series where I write about a homeless teenage girl and the evils she must face every day on the streets. The subject matter I cover can turn some readers off. Especially when I take them down a dark, dangerous alley with a hint of sexuality. It takes guts to be different. An author runs the risk of alienating some readers, but Suzanne Collins nailed it. Hopefully, the majority of my readers will say the same of me and my work.
Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that you haven’t tackled yet?

Apocalyptic fiction for sure. Then, possibly an erotic thriller or two down the road.

Of all the characters you’ve ever written, who is your favorite and why?

Hands down, it’s Emily Heart in my Glassford Girl series. She’s an amazing young girl who never gives up. What she has to deal with on a daily basis as a homeless teenager would break most people three times her age. But she handles it like a champ. Emily has a heart of gold and keeps her feet moving forward, trying to survive another day on the street.

If this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?

Glassford Girl: Part 3 is next in the series and was just released. It’s available now and starts immediately where parts 1 and 2 left off. Emily’s relationships get even more complicated in the next installment, as do her decisions. I’ve cranked up the heat on Emily in the next book, but even so, it pales in comparison to what I have in store for her in parts 4 and 5.

What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled upcoming releases or works in progress?

I’m starting work soon on a new series called Redfall. It’s a unique spin on a global disaster that threatens to take down humanity.

What book are you reading now?

Wool, by Hugh Howey. It’s a wild ride, to be sure.

What is in your to read pile?


The next book I plan to read is the first book in the new Cicada trilogy, due out soon by my good friend and fellow author, ML Banner. After that, it’ll be a couple of new releases from another author friend, AG Riddle.

Glassford Girl Boxed Set: Parts 1 and 2
Emily Heart Time Jumper Series
Jay J. Falconer

Genre: Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Paranormal / Young Adult

Publisher: Bear Down Publishing

Date of Publication: 4-10-2015

ISBN: 978-1508985815
ASIN: B00VXYTS2S

Number of pages: 430

Book Description:

Teleportation. Telepathy. Superior strength and speed. Abilities she never wanted. Abilities she must learn to control.

Emily Heart used to have a normal life. A life filled with family, friends, and a warm bed to sleep in. But that was before the night of The Taking. The night when she was abducted and genetically transformed against her will.

Now she's lost everything and living on the streets of Glassford Park, struggling to stay alive one more day. But it won’t be easy. Not when a gang wants to kill her, cops want to arrest her, and a reporter wants to expose her.

However, Emily’s problems don’t end there. Any uncontrolled burst of emotion can send her jumping randomly across time and space, arriving naked and alone. If she's not careful, she could travel to infinity and beyond, never to be heard from again.

Emily doesn't quite know what she is, or what she's capable of, but she knows what she can't afford to do -- feel anything.

And she can’t afford to make any mistakes.


Available at Amazon


Chapter 1:
August 11, 2013
1:16 a.m.

Emily Heart pushed through the burning pain in her chest and thigh muscles, convincing her legs to run faster. She dodged a park bench before jumping over a homeless man lying under a pile of cardboard.
Her mind’s eye could see the gunman aiming his sights at the back of her head and squeezing the trigger, sending the bullet out of the barrel and downrange with supersonic intent. She leaned to the left, letting the round whiz past her fifteen-year-old body. It took out the headlight of a cement truck parked across the street near the alley behind Glassford Street.
The flickering specks of blue light were fading in her vision. It wouldn’t be long before she turned normal again. She would then be unable to see through the gunman’s eyes, or sense the cold blackness of hate she could sense in his heart.
She bent forward at the waist, using a low-profile running pattern, hoping she’d make it safely to the alley. She ran through the grass at the edge of the park, over the sidewalk and hit the asphalt, racing across the empty lanes of the street.
More gunshots rang out, one after another in quick succession. She couldn’t see where the bullets were headed, telling her the link with the shooter was broken. Bricks and mortar exploded all around her as the hailstorm of rounds missed her. They hit the side wall of an old warehouse covered in spray paint and gang signs. She turned right, just before the cement truck, and ran down the alley.
“Don’t lose me!” she yelled at Junie, who was sprinting in front of her, a book bag bouncing on the back of her rail-thin body. Emily was falling behind, unable to keep up with the speed and endurance of her twelve-year-old friend from the homeless shelter.
A minute later, she heard another round of weapons fire erupt as she was nearing the far end of the block-long corridor, plinking and ricocheting off the walls around her. She felt the wisp of a bullet fly through strands of her flowing red hair. It took out the painted window on the wall ahead of her, shattering it into a million shards of colored glass.
She looked back and saw the gang leader standing at the entrance to the alley, changing the magazine in his weapon. His crew came running into view, just catching up to him.
She made the corner and ran further down the passageway, which stank of garbage and sewage. She hurdled a pothole, then flew over a garbage can laying on its side, almost losing her balance in the process. But she managed to keep her feet under her while her shoes pounded the pavement ahead.
Faster, she told herself, faster! She pushed her feet to their tripping point, trying to draw more blood and oxygen than her teenage body could deliver. Her legs wanted to quit—so did her lungs—but she wouldn’t let them.
She pressed on, looking ahead, trying to spot Junie, but she couldn’t see her anymore. She turned another corner and saw a scrawny, dirt-covered leg sticking out from behind a pile of stained mattresses leaning against the wall. She ducked in and grabbed her friend by the shoulder, dragging her eighty-pound frame forward.
“Run, baby, run! Don’t stop! One more corner and we’re there! It’s on the left!”
Emily had learned over the past two years of living on the streets of Phoenix that the blistering summers were endless and miserable, and so were the nights, keeping most of the normal people indoors. She knew that nobody was watching, and nobody cared. There would be no rescue. Not at this time of night, and not in this part of town. It was up to her to get Junie to safety before the shooter and his crew killed her.
She felt a familiar tingle start to grow at the base of her spine when she turned the last corner. “Oh, no! Not now! Not again!” she cried, trying to steady her nerves as she caught up to Junie, who was squeezing her skinny body behind the dumpster.
She couldn’t let it happen. Not so soon. She’d barely recovered from the last time. She needed to focus all her attention on Junie, and let the balance of her emotions run dry. It had only been four days since she’d met her fiery companion in the homeless shelter, but she felt a strong connection with this girl, even though she barely knew her. She didn’t know why, but something inside of her told her to protect Junie. She was important somehow, not just another homeless girl with a deadbeat mother nobody cared about.
She followed Junie behind the garbage bin and into the hidden doorway; darkness engulfed them. “Down the stairs. And stay quiet,” she told Junie in a whisper, locking the door behind her.
“But I can’t see.”
“Go slow and use the handrails. There are twelve steps. Count ‘em as you go.”
They made it down the steps and through another doorway that led into a basement storeroom. It was piled high with junk and old restaurant equipment that had been mothballed by the owner. Emily knew this place well, spending at least one night a week there in recent months. It was her secret hiding place where she could escape the insanity of the city.
An emergency exit sign hung over the inside of the door that she’d just entered, showering an eerie redness over the scene. On the wall to the left stood another door. It led to a flight of stairs that rose up to the kitchen of a high-end Italian restaurant. Emily had made friends with the eighteen-year-old busboy, Parker, who was also a volunteer at one of the local shelters. When he was the last one to leave for the night, he’d push the red dumpster close to the door as a signal to Emily that the door was unlocked and she was welcome. She’d swoop in around midnight, and lock the door behind her.
“Over here,” Emily said, gesturing to a huge metal cabinet with rusty hinges that was standing next to a stack of Styrofoam coolers. “I think we lost them.”
Junie’s chest heaved in and out as it worked to recharge her lungs after the long run. “How do you know?”
“I can’t feel them anymore,” Emily replied, equally as winded.
Emily quickly opened the white cooler sitting on top and put her hand inside, pulling out a cellophane-wrapped peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a banana. As usual, Parker had left the food for her in the top cooler with a chilled Pepsi acting as ice to keep the contents from spoiling until she arrived. She tore the cellophane off, split the bread down the middle, and gave half of it to Junie.
“Here, eat while you can,” she said, before stuffing the sandwich into her mouth, chewing it with abandon.
Junie did the same, smiling, with peanut butter stuck to her teeth. “Sea food,” she said with her mouth full.
Emily laughed. “We have a banana for dessert.”
She popped the Pepsi open and waited to see if the contents would bubble up. It did. She sucked the cola off the top of the can until the carbonation settled down, then gave the soda to her friend.
Junie guzzled several swigs before giving it back to her. Emily swished the can around in a circle to test its volume—only a quarter of the liquid remained. Emily finished her half of the sandwich, then washed it down with the last bit of Pepsi.
They plopped down against the wall beside the cabinet. Junie wrapped her arms around her knees, keeping the dual-strap backpack sandwiched between her thighs and flat chest.
“Junie, that’s not yours. Where did you get it?”
“I—” Junie hesitated. “I took it.”
Emily sighed, feeling disappointment spread across her body. “What’s in it?”
She shrugged. “I snatched it from those boys right before you showed up.”
“Lemme see.”
Junie gave her the backpack.
Emily unzipped it and peered inside. “Uh-oh,” Emily groaned. “We’re in big trouble.”
She tipped it to the side and opened it wide so Junie could see the money inside. Lots of it. Bundles and bundles of wrinkled $100 bills, each wrapped with a blue rubber band and slip of notepaper with a four-digit number written on it.

* * *

Outside, the group of West Side Locos that had been pursuing the two street girls were becoming agitated. Their leader, Flaco, was more than agitated: he was pissed. The chase had taken them several blocks outside of their home turf and into enemy territory. He knew it was only a matter of time before a member of the Glassford Gatos noticed their trespass. His crew was light, no match for a full-out fight with a two-dozen-strong gang.
The crew stood in a loose bunch on the sidewalk at the far end of the alley where the girls had disappeared. Flaco was sure that the girls couldn’t have made it all the way to the end before his crew rounded the corner. They must be hiding in the alley somewhere.
“Where’d they go?” he yelled at his lieutenant, Nesto, shoving him against the wall, his gun pointed up under his chin. “El stupido! You let that street chica snatch the buy money?”
Nesto shoved him back, hard.
“Get the fuck off me!” he yelled. “I didn’t do anything. She was already there. It was your dumb-ass idea to set up the buy at the rec center. Back the fuck up.”
Flaco backed away, lowering his gun. He looked down the alley, the way they had come.
“Okay. They have to be in this alley somewhere. No way they made it all the way through here before us. Split up. You two, this side; you two, that side,” he said, gesturing down the alley. “Search everywhere. Garbage cans, dumpsters, everything. We gotta get it back. Nesto, go back to the other end and keep eyes. I got this side.”
The crew split up, following his orders.
Flaco knew that if they didn’t find the money, he was a dead man. His uncle would kill him without a second’s remorse. He’d trusted him to make this drop with the Russians—the first really big one since he’d decided to quit high school and join the family business. He paced back and forth, trying to find a way out of the situation. He was about to give up on the search when one of his crew whistled from down the alley. It was the new kid, barely 14 years old. What was his name? Derek? Kid didn’t look Latino, but he swore he’d grown up in Hope Gardens on the West Side. Not that it mattered. His uncle told him to take him along and break him in, so he did. “Do as you’re told, and don’t ask questions” was a phrase that he knew all too well.
The new kid was waving at him to come take a look at something.
Flaco ran down the alley at full speed. “What you got?”
“Doorway,” Derek replied, pushing the dumpster away from the wall. He pointed at the doorframe where a torn shred of clothing was hanging on a nail. “Check it out. Wasn’t the older girl wearing a blue T-shirt?”
Flaco smiled. “We got ‘em. Good eyes, new boot.”
Flaco heard a cry from Nesto, who was running toward them in a full gallop. “Policía! Policía!”
A police cruiser came screeching to a halt, blocking the alley at the end where they’d originally entered. The cop gave the siren a quick double blast and then called over the loudspeaker.
“You there! Stop where you are! On the ground! Hands behind your head!”
Flaco and his crew took off running in the opposite direction, but another police cruiser with lights flashing and engine roaring skidded into the mouth of the alley, trapping them.
“This way!” Flaco yelled, instantly reversing direction. He ran a few feet, then veered and kicked in the door that the new kid had found. He ran into darkness, not expecting the ground to disappear from under his feet. He yelled as he fell down the void face-first. He bounced and flipped, cracking his head on one of the steps on the way to the bottom.

* * *

Emily’s spine tingled again, deep down at the base, but the tingle was stronger than before. She knew it was coming, and she wasn’t going to be able to stop it this time. The gunshots must have started the countdown. Guns always sent her mind into a blur and her heart racing, charging her body with a rush of uncontrolled emotions that seemed to act as the trigger for the blue light. Gunfire and gangs were two things that she had fought hard to avoid during her time on the streets.
The jump was coming, but she couldn’t leave Junie to fend for herself. She needed to think of something. She usually had seventeen minutes from the first tingle until the blue light consumed her and she’d vanish. The pre-jump process used to proceed like clockwork, but lately it had been different. The lead time was now ten minutes, tops, from the first indicator to the last moment. Barely enough time to find seclusion before it happened. She didn’t understand why the timer suddenly decided to change, it just had.
Now that she had a friend in tow, she couldn’t slip away into the shadows and let it take her. Not with Junie depending on her. This is why you never break the rules, she scolded herself, as she reviewed the list in her head. Her mind highlighted rule number seven in bold—never get involved; nothing good ever comes from it.
Junie was babbling on and on, trying to explain what she was doing on the playground next to the shelter in the middle of the night, and why she’d stolen a backpack from a bunch of West Side Locos.
“I was sitting in my secret place under that little arbor thing, ya know, in the corner by the bathrooms. I was waiting for some drunk to finish his dump and leave so I could wash up. I heard the Locos coming up the walkway through the trees by the picnic tables so I hid. I knew the bag was important because they were arguing about it. Then they all turned their backs and kept yelling at each other. English mostly, but some Spanish sprinkled in. They just left it sitting there on the picnic table. I thought I could sneak up and grab it and get away, then sell whatever was in it. I hate living in that shelter, Em. Too much touching. I don’t like all those hugs, and people wanting to give me a bath all the time. They think they have to help me just because Mom leaves me alone for an hour to go out and get high. Plus it smells like vomit all the time.”
The tingle in Emily’s spine crept up to her shoulder blades, confirming what she already knew—the countdown had started.
“Shhhhh,” she said, covering Junie’s mouth with her hand. “I hear voices outside.”
“Are they coming in?”
“I don’t know. I can’t sense them. The walls must be blocking.”
They listened. There were muffled voices just outside the door, at the top of the stairs where the dumpster had hid their escape route. Emily’s pulse started to pound even more, thumping in her eardrums. The tingly feeling shot up to her neck. She took a deep breath, trying to focus her thoughts away from the ticking bomb inside of her. She had to do something with Junie, and fast. She only had minutes.
“We have to get out of here,” she whispered. “We can sneak out through the upstairs—it’s a restaurant, and they close early. I doubt anyone is there this late, but we’ll probably set off the alarm when we leave.”
“Alarm?”
“Do you remember my friend Parker that I told you about? The busboy?”
She nodded.
“He disabled the sensors on the back door so I can sleep here whenever it’s raining, or when he leaves food out for me. Nobody ever comes down here except him when he takes the trash out, so he leaves food for me whenever his boss leaves early. I never go beyond this basement. That’s our deal. But we don’t have a choice this time. Just stick close and we’ll be fine. If I run, you run. Got it?”
Junie’s eyes widened. She looked scared, but she nodded.
They got up and made their way across the room as shouting rang out from the alley above. They froze. Emily heard a police siren chirp twice, then an amplified voice that sounded like it was coming over a loudspeaker. Shit. Cops. Definitely cops.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
“The Locos are trying to kick the door in!” Junie said.
Thump! Thump! Crack! The door at the top of the stairs to the alley slammed open, and one of the West Siders came tumbling down head over heels. He fell through the door at the bottom and landed on his side in a heap, just inside the entrance of the storeroom. His eyes were closed and his head was bloody. He started to moan.
Junie screamed.
Emily covered her mouth.
“Flaco?” a Latino voice called out from the top of the stairs. “Flaco? You okay?
Emily held a finger to her mouth, reminding Junie to be quiet.
The same voice spoke again. “Send Derek down to check.” A few moments later, footsteps pounded the wooden steps, getting louder with each beat.
“Run!” Emily whispered in Junie’s ear, shoving Junie across the room toward the door that led to the kitchen upstairs. Junie opened the door and ran up the steps. Emily was about to follow her friend, but stopped when she heard another person breathing heavily behind her. Something told her to turn and look at him. It felt like curiosity, but it was more than that.
He was young—too young. Maybe a little younger than she. The red glow of the exit sign made it difficult to be sure, but his spiked hair looked to be jet-black, with triangle sections cut down to the scalp above his ears. His eyes were either blue or green. She hoped blue. Tattoos covered both of his forearms like a sleeve, and a single gold earring hung down below his left ear. She didn’t recognize its unique shape—maybe it was a symbol, or something that he’d made. He was two inches taller than she, with high cheekbones that perfectly offset his narrow, aquiline nose and full lips.
Emily couldn’t help herself. She stared into the eyes of the pretty boy. A thought came unbidden into her mind: he’s way too cute to be part of this.
“Damn girl, you’re smokin’,” he said, with a voice much lower than she had expected. His eyes moved down across her figure, then back up.
She smiled when he made eye contact with her again, sensing that he wasn’t going to shoot. He was calm and quiet on the inside. There was no malice in his thoughts, just a growing feeling of desire that excited her.
He lowered his gun.
She relaxed.
Then a voice came flooding down the stairs, as did more footsteps, breaking the calm. “Derek?”
Derek bolted across the room at her. Emily came to her senses and lashed out with her right foot, just like Master Liu had taught her. The lightning-fast front kick struck him in the groin and he fell back to the doorway and landed on top of Flaco, temporarily blocking access for the rest of their crew.
Emily ran upstairs and shut the door behind her, jamming a metal garbage can under the doorknob to slow the gang down.
Junie stepped out of the shadows in the dimly lit kitchen. She was holding a stainless steel skillet cocked by her ear, ready to brain whoever came up the steps.
“It’s me!” Emily hissed, taking the weapon from her friend. She put it on the counter next to the prep station. “Hurry, out the front. This way.”
She ran past Junie through the double swing doors where the dining room of the elegant restaurant was waiting. Lights from the street cast shadows across the empty chairs, wooden tables, and the bubbling lobster tank. The tables were covered with white tablecloths and folded linen napkins, wineglasses, and elegant cutlery. The floor was spotless and shiny, and there was a fresh scent of pine in the air.
Emily felt a tremor rise up through her body. What had begun as a tingle in her spine was now an overwhelming, full-body sensation. She felt electrified and alive, like she always did right before a jump, meaning that her senses had now been supercharged, allowing her to have visions of the immediate future. Normally, she would use this ability to know where to hide until the jump came and she could disappear. But this time, she couldn’t just use her abilities to protect herself. She had to make sure Junie would be okay before she vanished.
She knew that another thug was about to start kicking at the door to the kitchen behind her, and then bolt through it and find his way into the dining area, where he’d start shooting his machine gun. She could sense his plans, and felt the anger boiling inside his chest. It wasn’t the pretty boy that she’d kicked in the basement. This one was itching to kill.
She waited a few seconds for what she knew would come next. It did—the extra strength that hard-charged her muscles, allowing her to become stronger and faster, but only for a short time. It would fade from her body the moment time began to slow down, which was the last step in the process right before the jump.
She scooped Junie in her arms like a rag doll, ran across the dining room in a flash, and dove over a low wall that separated the foyer from the dining room. Junie sat in a ball, clutching the backpack to her chest, holding onto it for dear life.
“You know they don’t serve peanut butter in a place like this,” Junie mumbled.
“What?”
“My mom used to be a hostess, so I know. Your friend must have brought it from home. I think he likes you.”
She took Junie’s head in her hands and looked her in the eyes. “Listen to me. We don’t have much time. As soon as I’m gone, wait for the glass to break on the front window. Then go through it and run outside. Hide the backpack somewhere safe and go find the cops.”
“Cops? We don’t like cops!”
“This time we do. They’ll protect you. They’re holding back now, but they’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“When do I run, again?”
“After I’m gone, you’ll hear gunfire, but don’t be afraid. The bullets won’t be coming at you. A man will scream, and then glass will break. That’s when you run. After the glass breaks. Got it?”
Junie gulped as tears began to flow, but she seemed to pull it together. She sniffed and nodded. “Thank you, Em.”
“You should use a tablecloth so you don’t get cut,” she said, helping Junie put her backpack on.
“When will I see you again?”
“It might take me a while, but I’ll find you. Now cover your ears, and don’t scream when you hear gunshots. He won’t be aiming at you. Just wait for the glass.”
Emily heard the double doors swing open and smash against the walls on either side of them.
Emily took a breath and steadied herself for what she was about to do. The closer she got to a jump, the more it happened: time got slow and she got fast, but only for about fifteen seconds of her time immediately preceding a jump.
She felt the blue energy rise up through her body, telling her that it was time to act.
She sprang over the wall and ran at the gunman in a cloud of blue. She could see three bullets just leaving his gun, hanging in midair, with smoke trails behind them. She touched the bottom of each bullet with her finger as she zipped past them, then grabbed the wrist on the man’s gun hand and added a twisting force to it.
She turned her attention to the second villain who had been frozen in time, stepping through the double swing doors. There was another man in the kitchen behind him, but she didn’t see the pretty boy, Derek, anywhere. She grabbed the second man’s shoulders and spun him around so that his gun was facing the third man, who was not far behind. She gently touched the trigger finger of the second gunman, then moved to the third Loco and did the same with his trigger finger.
She dashed out of the kitchen and into the dining room, where she applied pressure to the underside of a table built to seat eight people, calculating the trajectory of its flight in her head.
She knelt on the ground, then curled herself into the fetal position and waited for the last second of the countdown to tick by. It did.
The jump pain hit as her body began to sizzle with blue lines of energy, like tiny lightning bolts crisscrossing her skin. A searing bolt of agony shot from the back of her skull to the center of her forehead, just as she was consumed by the blue fire and vanished.

* * *

Junie heard things happen just as Emily had described: first there were three shots of gunfire that tore through the ceiling panels above her, then a man screaming in pain, then more gunshots, then more screaming, then glass breaking, and a second after that, the alarm system began to wail.
She took a deep breath and ran to the front window, seeing a man on his knees holding his wrist, and two bodies a little further back lying on the floor, bleeding from their chests. She snatched a tablecloth, stepped on the wooden chair closest to the broken window, spread the tablecloth over the bottom of the frame, and climbed out. She heard sirens coming from the right, but she decided to go left instead, running as fast as her feet could take her.

About the Author:

Jay J. Falconer is an independent author, publisher, blogger, editor, engineer and Sci-Fi junkie who lives in the mountains of northern Arizona where the brisk, clean air and stunning mountain views inspire his workday. He makes his online home at: www.JayFalconer.com and is an active member author with BookBreeze.com.

Mr. Falconer is the author of the critically acclaimed Narrows of Time Series and The Emily Heart Time Jumper Series, and is currently developing an all new apocalyptic Sci-Fi series called Redfall, The Flames of Tomorrow, due to be released in 2015.

Be sure to watch the video trailer for the Author's Narrows of Time book series by cutting and pasting this link: http://youtu.be/QXic3vkwC1U



Twitter: @JayJFalconer


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