The month of October has begun so let the festivities begin!
Today I am introducing you to the PJVs latest advertiser, The Laughing Vixen. Without the advertisements I would not be able to run this blog, or at least in it's current form, so please support or advertisers by clicking on the links and checking out the sites and maybe even purchasing what they have to offer.
The Laughing Vixen is kicking off October with a lot of great sales and she would like to offer and exclusive giveaway for Parajunkee readers.
Win your choice of a fabulous zombie pendant or ring from The Laughing Vixen's etsy store. Check it out and tell me which one you would like!
Along with your new fashionable zombie bling, you can also win a copy of Rhiannon Frater's zombie novel, THE FIRST DAYS.
The morning that the world ends, Katie is getting ready for court and housewife Jenni is taking care of her family. Less than two hours later, they are fleeing for their lives from a zombie horde.
Thrown together by circumstance, Jenni and Katie become a powerful zombie-killing partnership, mowing down zombies as they rescue Jenni's stepson, Jason, from an infected campground.
They find sanctuary in a tiny, roughly fortified Texas town. There Jenni and Katie find they are both attracted to Travis, leader of the survivors; and the refugees must slaughter people they know, who have returned in zombie form.
Giveaway Deets:
The Giveaway is for THE FIRST DAYS & your choice of either a zombie pendant or ring from THE LAUGHING VIXEN. The book & bling package is available for US residents only. But, international is available for zombie jewelry only.
Remember to check out Dark Faerie Tale's Site and choose wisely...tweet out your choice #SuperSmack
Name: Ethan Holloway
Book Series: The Holloway Pack Stories
Job: The family owns a property development business. We all work together
Height: 6’5”
Weight: What? You want me to weigh myself? Damn, hang on … okay, 229lbs
Hair Color: Dark brown
Eye Color: Dark brown
From (Location): Wild Woodington, Herefordshire, UK
Significant Other: What d’you mean?
Signature Move: What d’you mean? I punch. It hurts.
Kill Highlights: Anyone who’s crossed my path who shouldn’t have and didn’t get the hint when I told them to take a hike
Enemies: Anyone who pisses me off
Favorite Pastime: Hunting
Other Facts: Dad and Connor are the patriarch’s of the pack. After them, I’m the oldest, which makes it my job to look out for everyone else. The biggest task is doing this without the others realising it. I like watching action films. I’m the best cook in the family. And it makes me smile every day that I got the bedroom overlooking the forest instead of Sean.
“Hey.” I rub at the back of my neck. “I’ve been sent here by my creator, J.A. Belfield. If you want the truth, I’m sick of the shit she keeps making me do but she gave me no choice. Besides, this beats the stupid questions off people she keeps insisting I answer. Maybe I’ll just make her life hell by refusing to talk when she needs me to.”
I smile at the thought before gathering myself and remembering why I’m here.
“Unless you’re a werewolf whose butt I’ve kicked into line, you’ve probably never heard of me—though thanks to my brother’s love life going global, I seem to be getting more attention from females just lately.”
I tilt my head, purse my lips.
“Not sure what to make of that yet.”
My shoulders lift in a shrug.
“Anyway, I’m Ethan—Ethan Holloway. Son of Alpha and oldest younger-generation member of the Holloway Pack. I’m also the pack muscle. If an outside werewolf strays onto our territory, I very nicely ask them to get lost. Should we accidently find ourselves in another pack’s territory, I convince them to let us pass through without incident. And when specialist interrogation tactics are required?” Palms raised, I shrug. “I’m your wolf.”
I pause, scratching at my scalp.
Telling humans my secrets doesn’t sit all that well with me, but J.A. will most likely kill me off, or something, if I don’t comply, so I loosen my lips that want to clamp shut and push on.
“My last kill was called Thomas Richards, or something. He was part of the pack that took my pack sister, Jem—my brother’s mate.”
At the reminder of the occurrence, a growl brews in my chest.
“They snatched her.”
From under our noses.
The vibrations beating against my sternum refuse to die down.
“Nobody messes with my family that way and gets away with it. Nobody. And only an idiot would expect to.”
I take a deep breath.
“Luckily, she escaped. So, at first chance, we snatched one of them in return. And I beat the bastard until he spewed their address so we could pay them back how they deserved. I busted his nose first. Broke an arm. Some ribs. Internal bleeding has to be watched for if you don’t want to send them to their knees before you have your answers. Too many thumps to the torso can do that—especially if each punch lands in the same spot. Pop-pop-pop.” My fist snaps out at an invisible body, three successive empty pummels in time with the sound effects before I catch myself and return my hand to my side. “I watched him with every hit. Watched his eyes cloud as he tried to block out the pain. Watched the blood spray from his lips. And I listened to every sound that passed his lips—his cries, his grunts, his groans—until he gave us what we needed.” My lips twitch into a smirk as my eyebrow quirks up. “Then I snapped his neck.” I fold my arms across my chest. “Personally, I’d have been happier letting him bleed out in the forest where the carnivores would have slowly gnawed him down to the bone. But Dad said we couldn’t afford the mess right then.” My smile evaporates as my hands fist. “Thomas got off light.”
I tilt my head a few times, left, right, left again, stretching out my neck.
“My first kill happened at the age of eighteen. I found myself across the border in another pack’s territory—with one of my pack brother’s to defend. Eighteen months past my initial change in a body I was still figuring out how to use. By the time I’d finished with the wolf who wanted to turn us in to his Alpha, I had a clear idea of my abilities. So did he. Served him right for calling Kyle and me ‘wet behind the ears’ and clouting me round the head for my ‘piss poor upbringing by a father who obviously hadn’t taught me there were limitations as to where I could go’. The shithead did not lay a second finger on me, that’s for damn sure.”
I pound a fist against my palm.
“Anyway … as to why I’m here: the pack made me come today because they reckon I’m too modest about my kills—they said I need to stand up and accept the glory for my achievements. Personally, I think they talk a load of rubbish—I do take credit for what I do. I just don’t shout my mouth off about it …” until now. “Though I’d have come anyway. After all, I have a reputation to uphold. That’s what I’m doing here. This is a contest. And I’m not used to losing. Ever. You understand me? Losing is not an option.”
Jem Stonehouse, a housewife with a neurotic husband bent on keeping her in line, dreams about werewolves in, what she believes, is a bid to escape boredom.
Sean Holloway is a werewolf, living a charade within the human race, whose mind drifts to a bond he shares with a woman he hasn't met--at least, not in this lifetime.
Apart, the two are safe but live unfulfilled lives.
Together, they'll become prey to rival packs just as they have been for hundreds of years.
When their worlds collide, and not for the first time, instinct takes over. Dreams become reality. Futures are uncertain. To keep history from repeating itself, Sean must teach Jem about his heritage, convince her of her role, and win her love.
Can Jem accept her destiny before it's too late, or is her inner wolf buried too deep to save her future with Sean?
Remember to check out Dark Faerie Tale's Site and choose wisely...tweet out your choice #SuperSmack
Name: Heyou
Book Series: The Sylph Series
Job: Battle Sylph. He protects and fights.
Height: variable. He’s a shape shifter
Weight: variable. He’s a shape shifter
Hair Color: Usually dark
Eye Color: Also usually dark
From (Location): Sylph Valley
Significant Other: Solie
Signature Move: He can throw explosive energy at his enemy.
Kill Highlights: Once fought another battle sylph much older than he is to protect his lover and friends.
Enemies: Anyone who would try to hurt Solie. Favorite Pastime: Teasing his friends, making jokes.
Other Facts: Heyou is a young battle sylph, able to change his shape from a black cloud filled with lightning into any form he wants. He’s an empath who’s deeply in love with his master and queen, Solie. He’s a joker and likes to make light of any situation. He’s also utterly fearless and will do anything to protect the people he cares about. Heyou is also unique in that, while the majority of battlers despise men, he doesn’t. He has a lot of male friends and his master is a man.
Heyou laughed, rubbing his hands together and grinning wickedly, a sparkle of utter delight in his eyes. He was a young man, just tall enough that he could tuck his lover’s head under his chin when he held her, his body slim and muscled, his face beautiful. His long, dark hair tumbled down his back, glossy as silk.
“Why did I enter the fight?” he asked. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s a fight! I’m a battle sylph. That’s what we do. We fight. Well, it’s not all that we do, but fighting is surely the best part of it.” He paused, finger raised, thinking that over. “Nah, the sex is the best part, but there’s no competition for that.”
With a chuckle, he grabbed the poster that detailed the coming matches, more than a bit tattered from constant scrutiny and lack of care. “Anyway, fighting! A chance to show my skills! This is what I’ve been waiting for. Solie won’t let us fight nearly enough in the Valley. You could destroy everything, she says. She worries too much. It’s not like my aim’s that bad.
“Anyway…why do I think I’d be good for this?” He spread his hands. “Look at me. I’m a shape-shifting creature of immense power and skill.” He grinned, paused, and looked down at himself. Half a second later, the young man was gone and a floating cloud filled with lightning hovered in his place, as large across as an ox cart. He had roiling ball lighting for eyes and jagged lightning in his huge mouth. Shadowy wings spread out to either side of him. Another second passed and he was the young man again, settling in his chair.
“I’m a shape-shifter of immense power and skill…” He rolled his eyes.
“Well, I am. That’s not bragging, is it?” He grinned again, laughing. “Maybe it is. Okay, I know it is. But I want to do this. I like to fight. I like the fun of it and I’m hoping I can find a real challenge. I’m solid right now, but I’m a creature of pure energy. I can throw that energy and blow things up or lash it around me like a whip. I can change into anything I want or form blades from my hands. I’m an empath so I can feel what my enemy does and I can make them cower from the hate I broadcast to them. You can’t bluff me. I am my weapon.”
His expression turned serious. “It’s just…I’m not the only battler out there. We have fifty in the Valley and almost every one of them is older and stronger than I am. Sure, I’m with the queen, but that’s because she loves me, not because I won her through strength or anything. That’s how it’s done back in the world I came from. Battlers fight to prove themselves and win the queen. Here, we don’t get much chance for fighting. The Valley is a peaceful place. I’ve been in fights before mind you; I saved Solie and everyone in the Valley when a lion battler broke into the place where they were hiding. It took everything I had to win against him, because he was a lot older than me and crazy as well. I got my claws into his back and rode him like a bronco and it was a bastard of a fight.” His eyes gleamed at the memory, gesturing with his hands in imitation of how the fight went.
“He slammed me into every wall he could, trying to scrape me off, screamed and yelled and hit me with a hate aura so strong I could taste it. He was so much stronger than I was, but I didn’t give up. I couldn’t. I hung in there and I didn’t surrender…and none of my brothers saw it.”
He frowned. “That’s what this match is for me. A chance to finally prove myself, to show that I have what it takes to win where people can see it. To see my enemy down on the ground and to know that I beat them, to have all my brothers see me beat him and have them know I didn’t just get lucky. Solie doesn’t care much for that idea, but it matters to me. It’s part of who I am, part of who all of us are. So here I am, and I’m ready to fight!
“Do I think I can win? Of course I can win. I’m a battle sylph, how can I lose?”
It was a dream come
true. Solie had her own battler, a creature of almost infinite magic who
could vaporize legions in the blink of an eye and would willingly
suffer a thousand bloody deaths to protect her. She was his love. More
simply, she was his queen.
Many others feel the same. The
new-built settlement is a haven for all. Erected by sylphs of earth and
fire, air and water, the Valley is Solie’s dominion. But, lovers without
peer or killers without mercy, the very nature of their battler
protectors means peril. It is not in any sylph’s nature to disobey, and
while some are hers to command, others are the slaves of Solie’s
enemies—the jealous, the cruel. Those who guard her must not fail. Their
peasant-born ruler is not yet safe as…
The Giveaway! Digital download of QUEEN OF THE SYTHS. International! Comment to win and fill out the Rafflecopter widget.
Remember to check out Dark Faerie Tale's Site and choose wisely...tweet out your choice #SuperSmack
Name: Rylie Gresham Book Series: Six Moon Summer and All Hallows' Moon (Seasons of the Moon series) Job: Student, art lover, occasional ranch hand, werewolf Height: 5'4" Weight: 117 lbs (knobbly knees included) Hair Color: White blonde Eye Color: Reflective gold From (Location): Used to be a city girl, now a country girl Significant Other: Seth (hopefully) Signature Move: Tearing out my prey's throat with my super sharp teeth. Kill Highlights: A baby deer, some cattle, lots of goats. I also killed the werewolf who bit me by throwing him down a cliff. Enemies: The werewolf inside of me is the worst. But werewolf hunters are lame too. Favorite Pastime: Seeing movies at the two screen theater in town. Other Facts: Until I got bitten, I was totally normal. Now I spend all my time struggling to keep myself from eating people, and two nights a month, I become this huge, sloberring monster thing. And I thought high school sucked before!
Let's get something straight right off the bat: I don't even wear leather. I'm all about designers, but when fur or dried animal flesh comes back into vogue, I'll wear a brown paper sack before putting THAT stuff on. (Or last year's fashions. Equally yuck.) And even though I love art, I avoided that exhibit with all the bone sculptures the whole two months it was at my favorite museum because it made me feel queasy.
So when I say I hate being a werewolf, I want you to know, I am so completely serious about it. Being stronger than the average weightlifter is cool, and the fact I can heal almost any injury in an instant -- as long as silver isn't involved -- is pretty cool too. But the lust for eating people? Definitely NOT cool.
On the other hand, I'm kind of a killing machine now. I would totally bet on me against anyone or anything. The werewolf who attacked me was, like, three times my size, and I still took him down completely on my own. And when I visited some friends in the city, these guys tried to mug us, and I almost ripped their throats out! So if I can take a bunch of crack heads and other huge werewolves, I can take whatever else I need to.
Someone told me that people lose their souls when they get bitten by a werewolf. Or maybe it's that the spirit of the wolf eats the spirit of the human, leaving us these brutal, hollow shells of a person. Is that true? I don't know. I feel totally weird, but I'm still myself.
Maybe it's the werewolf spirit winning, but I don't feel that bad about killing the guy who bit me. And the thought of killing people gets easier and easier as time goes on. If you think I'm going to roll over and die just because I'm only sixteen, or because I'd rather eat tofu than a hamburger, then I think you've got something else coming to you.
Don't push me unless you want to find out.
Rylie's been bitten.
She's changing.
And now she has three months to find a cure before becoming a werewolf... forever.
Rylie Gresham hates everything about summer camp: the food, the fresh
air, the dumb activities, and the other girls in her cabin. But the
worst part is probably being bitten by a werewolf. Being a teenager is
hard enough, but now she's craving raw flesh and struggles with
uncontrollable anger. If she doesn't figure out a way to stop the
transformation, then at the end of summer, her life is worse than over.
She'll be a monster.
The Giveaway! Win Six Moon Summer by SM Reine. Domestic Shipping Only. Comment your vote to win and fill out the Rafflecopter widget thingy! Spread the word, the Supernatural #Smackdown is almost over!
Remember to check out Dark Faerie Tale's Site and choose wisely...tweet out your choice #SuperSmack
Name: Kalevi Hakala
Book Series: Things to Do in Denver When You're Un-Dead
Job: Special Agent Height: 6’ 4” Weight: 210lbs Hair: Blond Eyes: Blue From: Grand Rapids MN Significant Other: None Signature Move: Ripping opponents head off Kill Highlights: Destroying a nest of vampires and killing supercharged ghouls Enemies: Any Supernatural who threatens humankind Favorite pastime: Killing Supernaturals.
PJV gives a warm welcome to, Kalevi Hakala
I guess it’s time to say hello. If you don’t know who I am, it’s because the government doesn’t want you to and that’s a lot safer for you, believe me. However, since the first BSI (Bureau of Supernatural Investigations) file has been made public, the point is moot.
As the name suggests, we at the Bureau investigate Supernatural incidents throughout the United States. My name is Kalevi Hakala, an agent with the Bureau, trained to hunt down and eliminate Supernatural threats by virtually any means necessary. If you’ve read my first file (Things to do in Denver when you’re Un-dead), then you know I’m pretty damn good at my job. Every agent is, but I’ve been there the longest. In a profession where the average life span of an agent is almost three years, I’ve been doing it for ten. I’m the best there is.
Oh, I know what you’re saying: ‘How can he possibly survive a Supernatural Smackdown’. Right? There are several reasons, the first of which is all agents receive SEAL training at Coronado, which, of course, makes us bad ass like you can only dream about. Another reason is we never stop training. Day in, day out, we live, eat, crap and breathe training because not training will see us go down faster than two-dollar hooker. Others might be in good shape as well, but for us it’s a full-time job. All agents are masters of conventional firearms (as well as a few unconventional ones), knives, ancient weapons, and Krav Maga (the most brutal martial art in the world), along with Ju-Jitsu and anything else that will help us kill Supernaturals. That good enough for you?
Oh, you want more. Okay, I can handle that. How about: Great guns, great tech, magical support, magical Bouncing Betty land mines, incredibly efficient body armor, spell absorption gear, nightvision contact lenses, silver bullets, wooden bullets, exploding bullets, armor piercing bullets, magic rings, amulets and equipment, acid bombs and devastating spell gems. Supernaturals are so dangerous, so devastating, that we are trained and equipped better than any other fighting force in the world, bar none. When it comes to new ways to kill, new technology, we have it first.
More fun than humans should be allowed to have.
What makes me, personally so special? Good question. I think it has to do with my early exposure to the Supernatural World (what we in the Bureau call The World Under). When I was fifteen I survived an encounter with what is called a Class Five Supernatural, a Being of Mythic or God-like proportions. It’s name was Iku-Turso and it was the inspiration for Lovecraft’s Cthulu mythos. Encountering the damn thing shattered my mind, but something…strange happened. I remained sane (barely) and developed an ability, one that makes me the baddest of the bad-asses.
The Rage.
Cool, huh? I don’t know how to describe it except as a controlled fury that allows me to consciously tap into my adrenal glands and produce feats of phenomenal strength and speed. One of my most memorable moments was a hand-to-hand combat with a vampire, something no agent has survived. Except me. While in my rage, the vamp and I were locked in crushing embrace, its fingers digging into my titanium body armor, and I began to pound its pointy-head into a steel railing, my hands gripping its skull by its nasty white hair. By the time the fight was over, I’d ripped the vamps head clean off and spat down its neck.
That rage allows me to stand toe-to-toe with nearly every monster that exists, and my equipment allows me to really rip them a new one. That and my 14” bowie knife.
Why do I want to join this Smackdown? What will I get out to it?
I get to kill Supernaturals, don’t I? ‘Nuff said.
For ten years Kal
Hakala has been the Bureau of Supernatural Investigation's top man, the
longest surviving agent in its blood-soaked history. The World At Large
has no idea that The World Under exists. And its vampires, demons,
zombies, and mythic monsters are growing increasingly restless. In all
Kal's time with the Bureau, there has been no case he couldn't crack, no
monster he couldn't kill. Then a plague of zombies comes to Denver,
along with a vicious serial killer dubbed The Organ Donor. A childhood
encounter with a legendary monster has left Kal with an endless supply
of rage and hatred for all things Supernatural. But now the target is on
his forehead, and the Un-Dead don't die easy. The Bureau has a few aces
of its own-a few magicians, a cyber-ghost. Unfortunately Kal is a
perennial loner ... And the World Under is wise to his tricks.
Win a digital copy of
Things to Do in Denver When You're Un-Dead
byMark Everett Stone
International Giveaway! Comment to win...what did you think of Kal?
Don't forget to leave your email address and read over the PJV giveaway policy under the about section!
Remember to check out Dark Faerie Tale's Site and choose wisely...tweet out your choice #SuperSmack
Name: Shadowman Book Series: Shadow series Job: Grim Reaper, Courier of souls from the mortal world to the afterlife, Dark Lord of the Fae Height: Varies (6’4” in my favored incarnation) Weight: Weightless or (260 in my favored incarnation) Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Black From (Location): Twilight, the realm of the fae Significant Other: Kathleen O’Brien Signature Move: Cutting sweep of my scythe Kill Highlights: Too many to name; I am Death
Enemies: Angels Favorite Pastime: Watching over Kathleen Other Facts: None can defeat me
Why do you summon me here to this, this… smackdown? Fools. I am Shadowman, also Thanatos. I am the Grim Reaper, the stealer of souls. What folly do you seek by treating with Death? Did you want to meet me so soon?
Come closer so that you can be duly “smacked” and I can get on with my work. For my love is trapped in Hell and I am forging a Gate to that fell place to fetch her back. So what if devils might course into the mortal world? So what if the angels cannot hold them back? What justice is there that my bright Kathleen is sent to Hell for a crime I committed?
None. So damn the angels and their Order. I’m for Hell and my Kathleen.
I am pouring my fae magic into this wrought iron atrocity, barbed and terrible. And every strike of this hammer bears my rage, my sorrow, and my terror. I forge these strange flowers to adorn the gate—each with three petals folded over its core, as I would protect her soul in that darkness. It’s my hope that she will endure a little longer until I can come for her.
Kathleen knows something of endurance. She battled her failing heart all her life, and I her constant companion on the other side of the veil, waiting for the moment when that organ would fail and I would finally take her.
But she held on and mastered herself. She cheated Fate for years with her iron will. She gleamed bright as Shadow encroached upon her life. And then there was that night, that most criminal night, when fae and mortal sought to touch.
My memories come thick and true before the fire-hazed smoke of my forge. Kathleen, bidding me to cross the boundary between Twilight and mortality. Kathleen, asking me to look at her painting and tell her if she captured any of the magic of faerie in her landscape.
Reader, I was afraid to cross. I, who have looked upon horror and tragedy well beyond your understanding, was afraid to reveal myself to her. You see, for all my power—and it is vast, humanity has some over me as well. I appear in the form that the mortal conceives Death. If Death is a monster, I will take the shape of your deepest fear. If Death is a friend, I will hold out my hand to help you cross.
Kathleen saw in me, her long attendant on the other side of the veil, sweet Shadow, a lover. She made me beautiful and strong, large everywhere, for her pleasure. I’d never known the beat, the want, of carnal desire, but I felt it rise with her heat.
I sundered the boundary between our worlds to come to her. I, not Kathleen. I trespassed and she is in Hell.
There is no justice.
So let us finish this smacking business and I will get on with my own.
I cannot be killed, so don’t even try. I’m made of deepest Shadow. I am Shadow, which is magic. I’ve visited every battle field, presided over every war. I’ve faced hosts of angels, their blades shining, but not even they could harry Death.
I know every weapon ever conceived, and none can match my scythe. No, I do not carry my scythe now. I have abandoned it for the hammer made by the angels. Ironic, I know. But have no fear: This weapon can do dark work, too. Come, and you will see. But select very carefully your line of attack. I have seen and defeated them all because for time immemorial humans have attempted to fight Death, fight the cross into Twilight and Beyond. If you are fortunate enough to land a blow, even one through the heart, or if you should, perchance, take off my head, be apprised that Shadow will only reform me, and instantly. I cannot die. I am Death.
But today I am busy, so come forth, be smacked. I will make quick work of you. Kathleen is waiting.
Ghosts
They haunt the halls of the Segue Institute, terrifying the living, refusing to cross over. But one soul is driven by a very different force.
Love
It survives even death. And Kathleen O'Brien swore she would return to those she was forced to leave too soon.
Shadowman
He broke every rule to have her in life; now he will defy the angels to find her in death.
The Gate
Forging it is his single hope of being reunited with his beloved, but through it an abomination enters the world. Leaving a trail of blood and violence, the devil hunts her too. Pursued through realms of bright fantasy and dark reality, Kathleen is about to be taken...
Erin Kellison is the author of the Shadow Series, which includes Shadow Bound and Shadow Fall, as well as the upcoming Shadowman (Sept 2011), and the e-novella Shadow Touch (June 2011). Stories have always been a central part of Erin's life. She attempted her first book in sixth grade, a dark fantasy adventure, and she still has those early hand-written chapters. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English Language and Literature and went on for a masters in Cultural Anthropology, focusing on oral storytelling. When she had children, nothing scared her anymore, so her focus shifted to writing fiction.
Win Shadow Bound, Shadow Fall, and Shadowman!
International Giveaway.
Comment your vote to win and then fill out the Rafflecopter widget.
Remember to check out Dark Faerie Tale's Site and choose wisely...tweet out your choice #SuperSmack
Name: Octavius Claudius Junii Book Series: PULSE Vampire Series Job: A Master Vampire who was a Roman General, Artist, Poet, Leader of the Consortium of Master Vampires Height: 6 ft. 7 in. Weight: 220 Hair Color: Thick Black and shoulder-length Eye Color: Dark smoky blue From (Location): Ancient Rome Significant Other: Kalina Calloway (Modern Day), Drusilla (A Senator's Daughter in Ancient Rome before he was turned). Drusilla died. Signature Move: Hand-to-hand combat, very fast with each blow deadly enough to cut straight through an opponent. Kill Highlights: Deadly hands, imposing height and perfect physique, killer intellect. Enemies: Evil renegade vampires who would like to enslave and destroy all humans, going after Life's Blood Carriers like Kalina Calloway, to harness its powers for evil. Favorite Pastime: Loving Kalina, showing the world to her, the theater, literature, poetry, philosophy, and travel. Other Facts: Octavius is a lead in the Pulse Vampire Series spin-off The Brotherhood of Blood, where it goes into the time of his turning.
Excerpt from Blue Blood (PULSE Vampire Series #4)
About Octavius
By Kailin Gow
“Octavius,” Kalina said hurriedly, as Justin stuck out a hand. “I think you’ve met at the beach, back when Jaegar, erm, turned human.” She looked around, making sure the hotel concierge wasn’t listening.
“Excuse me,” said Octavius. “I should give you two some room to reunite.” Justin’s eyes followed Octavius as they retreated.
“That’s Octavius?” Justin gave a laugh. “I feel sorry for your other boyfriends now.”
Kalina couldn’t help but laugh. Leave it to Justin to lighten the mood, and make her whole situation feel like a joke. After the turmoil she’d experienced over the past few hours, it was a relief to make light of the whole thing.
“It’s…complicated,” she said.
“Mom always said a girl shouldn’t settle down until she’s at least thirty,” said Justin. “And that she should play the field before that!”
“I thought she met Dad at twenty-eight?”
Mom. Dad. Words that seemed to take on such a strange meaning after meeting Max last night.
Justin looked over at Octavius’ full 6 foot 7 inch frame. “He’s certainly... large.”
Kalina couldn’t help but let her eyes linger on Octavius’ perfectly molded form. Even at seven in the morning, Octavius was attracting quite a bit of attention from the other hotel guests and the concierge, who were all looking at him with varying degrees of desire. Even Justin, normally so oblivious to these things, noticed quite how Octavius was attracting so much attention. Kalina couldn’t help letting a blush spread over her cheeks as her heart swelled with pride. She had been the one he chose, she thought. She had been the one he wanted, the one to hold him, even if it was just for one night.
“Uh…Kalina?” Justin’s voice brought her back down to reality. “Earth to Kalina. Still there?”
Kalina turned bright red as she snapped out of it, hoping Justin didn’t see her guilty blush. “Sorry,” she said. “Uh…I was distracted.”
“I’ll bet you were,” Justin laughed. “No wonder you don’t want to commit to Jaegar just yet.”
Kalina turned even redder. “I can’t believe you just said that,” she laughed.
“My little sister’s all grown up! Let’s see if I can keep track of the number of vampires you’ve gone through…”
“Don’t tease me!” Kalina’s blush was by now the color of a particularly ripe tomato. “It’s hard enough trying to decide.”
Kailin Gow began writing fiction as a way to help girls and young women develop self-esteem and confidence. Along her journey as an author, she has become one of the most interactive and busiest authors in YA today with a fiction writing career that span over 10 years with over 80 books, including the popular book series: Bitter Frost Series, PULSE Series, Wicked Woods Series, Stoker Sisters, Phantom Diaries, and more. When not busy inhaling chocolate and drinking cappuccino by the gallon, Kailin makes time for writing fantasy books, blogging for Fast Company, volunteering as an Emergency Responder and volunteering for battered women's shelters.
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Name: Gideon
Book Series: Adult Paranormal Fiction Redemption Series by Lindsey Gray Job: Demon Height: Presently about 6' 3'' Weight: Presently about 200 pounds Hair Color: Presently blond Eye Color: Presently blue Location: Exists throughout the earthly plane and the underworld but most recently Redding, England. Significant Other: Has had many, but since meeting Rebecca Swift, only she will do. Signature Move: Has the power of foresight and can possess as well as control any living being. Enemies: Too many to mention, but at present mainly Lily Edwards and Abe North. Favorite Pastime: Searching for ways to control and challenge beings.
Why I have joined the Supernatural Smackdown: I have a stealth no other being can claim. I can enter your body, your mind and control your every action. You can scream and pled, but your determination won't save you from what I do. I will have sex with your lover or murder your loved one. I will take over your life for however long I choose and there is not a damned thing you can do to stop me.
Take a look at the conversation my dearest Rebecca had with her friend, Ian Holt, about my past performances. Not my finest hour, but you will get the lengths I will go to get what I want.
Excerpt from “Redemption” Chapter 10
Ian tapped his fingers against his knees as he searched for how to bring up the subject he’d been wondering about for hours. “Truth or dare?”
“What?” Becca asked, practically laughing out the syllable. “This is really not the place to be doing any kind of dare.”
“Truth it is then.”
She twisted in her seat to meet his stare. “What do you want to know?”
He wiped his hand across his brow, preparing to ask the question. Any way he phrased it, he had a feeling it wouldn’t come out right. He knew Abe had something to do with what he had seen on her back that morning, and he wanted to know why.
“I think if I’m going to be your fiancé for that Abe guy’s benefit, I should at least know why.”
She nodded as she dipped her head down. She had hardly ever talked about what had happened except with Lily; Sam hadn’t even known. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks at the thought of those last weeks with Abe. Her palms got clammy, her pulse started to race. She took a deep breath before launching into what was sure to be a very long explanation.
“As you probably noticed, Abe’s not exactly human.”
“It’s the eyes.” He nodded as he blinked overtly.
“I met Abe while he and Lily were working at Manchester. I knew, with our obvious differences, it would never end well, but I never imagined...” She took a long, deep breath. “Abe is a shadow walker. He can pull you into his shadow and transport you anywhere.”
“Hence, the not touching thing?”
“Exactly,” she replied, trying to figure out where to start. At the beginning of the end, she guessed. “It all went to hell when I got assigned to ‘The Monitor’s’ task force a little over three years ago.”
“You were going after that guy? The one who burns his victims?” The vision of the scar on her back came blaring in his mind. A crescent shaped burn put there by a serial killer.
“Yes, much to Abe’s disappointment. He became extremely overprotective and went to the ends of the earth trying to find any being that would be able to help us find the mad man. Abe has visions too. They work differently and for some reason were being blocked when he tried to use them for the case. He did find someone else to help eventually – Gideon. Gideon had the power of foresight and was able to possess almost any living thing. He had been banished decades ago, but Abe assured me that Gideon had visions of The Monitor. We went to meet Gideon, only to find that the truth was...Gideon was The Monitor.”
Ian nodded as he realized why The Monitor had never been caught. “He was possessing people to do his killing for him.”
“He ended up torturing us for weeks. His favorite way to torture me was through Abe. Gideon would take over Abe’s body and beat me into unconsciousness, but I wouldn’t break. He’d burn me just like the rest of his victims and still, I didn’t break. One morning, he strapped me down to a table with leather straps. I was so weak at that point I could barley move, but I promised myself that I would never let him break me. That’s when Gideon came to me as Abe for the last time. He ripped the clothes from my body and crawled on top of me. He raped me as Abe and I couldn’t even cry out for the real Abe lost inside of him.”
Final Thoughts: I am one sick bastard, it was what I was created for. Hurting Rebecca was one of my biggest regrets. But hear me now, I will stop at nothing to make her mine. One way or another, she will be by my side...forever.
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Afterlife is a chance at redemption. As the only remaining female vampire in existence, Lily attempts to make her way towards her ever after. But with best friend Becca, new beau Ian, human husband Ryan, Archangel Peter, and a host of demons all standing in the way of Lily’s chance at a peaceful eternity, how can she possibly survive?
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Name: William Maddox Book Series: Light Series Trilogy (Seers of Light, Whisper of Light...soon to be Circle of Light) Job: Healer/Sentient/Vampire Height: 6'1 Weight: Svelte Hair Color: Raven Black Eye Color: Green as the trees From (Location): All over. Significant Other: Lillian Hunt Signature Move: Repelling/Enthralling (He can send you flying with his energy or control your poor little mind.) Enemies: Depends on the book. It's an ever evolving process. ;) Favorite Pastime: Healing things, making love, reading, outdoor adventures. Other Facts: Sings like a pro, gives hand-gasms, is a total smart-ass Quote:
"Do you intend to get any closer or is arm's length the new black?"
GUEST POST FROM WILLIAM MADDOX:
"I'm supposed to start with an introduction, but, I'm confused where to begin, because it's hard to say who I am. I am--or have been--several things, really. I used to be William Maddox, newfound Sentient and tattered child of the Dust Bowl, but the Vampire race saw to it that my human innocence and my youth was stolen very quickly. Then, I was William Maddox the spirit... the determined spirit waiting for my possessed body to give in and remember the human conscience that had once inhabited it.
Then, I was William the freak.
You can't imagine the life of a Human Vampire, let alone a Sentient one. Sure, I have gifts. I can create any emotion in almost anyone. I can touch you and control your mind. I can touch you and control your body. But forget all of those, because I can heal people, you know. And that has nothing to do with being a Vampire and everything to do with being me.
Where do you fit in when everyone fears you and those who don't fear you pity you? I was William the reject... and then, thank God, because of her, I was William the man. I was William the loved.
But I'm afraid, because the truth is, if it were up to most of them, I'd be William the dead... and while I don't fear dying, I do fear the loss of her, even in transition from one lifetime to another. For her I've walked among the enemy and called them friend, I've walked among friends who called me enemy. I would repel an ocean to save her from drowning. For her, I'm William the Sentient. And that is all I really want to be.
So, why am I here? I suppose it's twofold. First, I admit that I'm a sucker for love. I'll take it where I can get it and you can blame my mother for that. I remember her very well, even though she died before I was ever human again. Cora Maddox, her name was. It's a beautiful name, isn't it? And when she said my name, I heard the love in it. That doesn't happen often for me, nowadays, so by all means, love me, if you're willing.
But also, and more than that, I'm here for you. Because my people and I have a story to tell, a message to share about you. It's about the veil that covers our human eyes, the one that keeps people firmly rooted to the limits of the ground, though they're perfectly capable of flying. Technically, I'm not supposed to be saying these things, since Sentients and Seers have rules (and rules, and rules... the whole thing is out of control, if you ask me), but a wise Seer once told me that a seed planted is a forest, one day, and I want to believe him. Your path is priceless. Your fate is yours and it's the only thing that will ever make you happy. You shouldn't settle for anything less. I refuse to settle for anything less. Hiding from your truth will only chain you to a place you've already been.
Some think I'm weak, because I fight with tact. I fight with patience. I fight with something bigger than me in mind. And if I ever take a life, I fight with the knowledge that it's the only option I have. It's fun to show off once in a while, don't get me wrong, but I think my abilities are better spent in bed than in battle. Power is useless if it's only for show. I've reined in my strength to fool the monsters who thought me like them. I've slept and walked with them. I've watched them feed and borne their stench. I've stood, again and again, at the precipice of instant death and all to save my own kind. Maybe that makes me a bad-ass, maybe it makes me a fool. But as long as it meant a day closer to her...to my humanity, I was willing.
If you want to know who I am, you have to understand the many parts. Because we're more than just the skin and bones and glue that holds us together. Like anyone, I'm a lot of things to a lot of people. It depends on who you ask. My question is, who am I to you? I guess you'll have to follow my story and find out.
Be well,
William Maddox
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Lillian Hunt has never truly lived. Always sensing more to the world than is easily perceived, she fears that her instincts are stubborn flights of fancy, or worse, mental instability. But some things—disappearing strangers, tangible dreams, and visits from malevolent creatures—cannot be ignored. Before it's too late, Lillian is ripped from the only existence she’s ever known and thrust into a reality that she always suspected, but could scarcely believe. She must learn the truth about who she is, the powerful beings that wish to destroy her, and the two men who would die to protect her.
Jennifer DeLucy has created a unique, enchanting tale of destiny and the ageless power of love in her debut novel, Seers of Light. DeLucy's novel charms readers with quirky characters, while sketching a haunting portrait of one woman's journey on the path of the supernaturally gifted. But be prepared. Once you've entered the world of Seers, you will never be the same.
The Laughing Vixen is kicking off October with a lot of great sales and she would like to offer and exclusive giveaway for Parajunkee readers.
