And now for something a little different…maybe. Here’s my sneak peek for Keeper of the Grove (Stewards War, book one) for this Sunday:
Stacy’s gaze went to Aaron’s, and butterflies dashed around in her stomach. A vision flashed before her of how his eyes might look glazed over in passion. “Maybe we should go.” She cleared her throat, stood and moved to the filing cabinet, changed her mind and went to the desk again. The fabled diary! She was beside herself with excitement. She’d have the diary. What a month this was turning out to be. “When can we meet him?” Aaron came forward and ran a finger over the calendar’s slots. “How about tomorrow morning?” “Yes.” She nodded emphatically. “Perfect. Nineish?” “Tomorrow it is.” He nodded and turned toward the door. The thrill of this discovery overwhelmed her. An urge to kiss him in thanks struck her hard in the chest. “Aaron?” He met her gaze, waiting. Her brain screamed, halt! She wanted to touch him at least. Her fingers twitched. She stepped back. She just couldn’t. “I’ll see you at nine.” He turned away with a knowing glint in his eyes. She was such a fool.
****
Synopsis:
Stacy Macken has one goal in mind: saving her renowned history center from greedy creditors. Losing it would be a catastrophe—one she doesn’t know how she’ll avoid.
Until Aaron Fielding arrives. To all human eyes, he is just like any man, but he reminds Stacy of one of the fae. He certainly enchants her like a fae lover would. But Stacy suspects there is more to this sexy fellow, with his tales of the Tuatha dé Danann, and magical warriors from Celtic legend who protect humanity from a wicked enemy seeking their destruction. Does his appearance mean the end of the world imminent?
Can she, a studious woman more intent on history books with no training in or love of war, possibly have anything to offer when a long-prophesied druidic battle explodes around her?
*** Previously published as Passion’s Sacred Dance by Juli D. Revezzo *** Bonus: Includes brand new flash fiction piece, “About A Warrior”
If you’d like to get a copy of this, (or its new novel in the Stewards War series), it’s available for sale or to borrow with Amazon Prime at …well, Amazon 🙂
“I had a freaky encounter with this incredibly strange woman,right here in our courtyard.” Stacy waved a hand in the direction in question. “And you nearly beheaded her.”
“Did I?” He pondered the lost and found box absently. “That is some dream. I’m glad to see I made an impression.”
She frowned. “That wasn’t the dream.”
He set the box aside, folding his hands and giving her his full attention. “Wasn’t it?”
“No, the dream consisted of you whisking me away on some wild trip through the lights. I can’t account for what happened between then and six the next morning.”
“I’m not stupid, Aaron. I remember what went on last evening.” She waved a hand as if batting the problem away….
***
“I shouldn’t rattle on at you like this. I’m sorry to trouble you.”
His eyes twinkled and Stacy gulped. “It’s no trouble,” he said. If possible, his voice got even deeper with an edge of desire to it that curled her toes pleasantly. “I must say you’re pretty enough to be forgiven just about anything.”
No trouble? Her brain, and her honor, headed south every second he stood across from her. If they lived in the sixteenth century, she’d consider begging her father
to make a marriage contract with Aaron Fielding.
Oh, dear….so what happened to poor Stacy to bring on this wild dream? You’ll have to read to find out! If you’d like to try it, Keeper of the Grove* is available at Amazon (for paperback and Kindle).
To see more Sneak Peek Sunday authors see the Sneak Peek Sunday site here.
For our treat today I’d like to introduce you to a sweet new paranormal romance author. Dylan Newton and I had dinner together this winter and I’ve been looking forward to introducing she and her works to you for some time. She’s just had a new title released and I’m glad to bring you this conversation with her.
Author Dylan Newton
Dylan Newton was born and raised in a small town in Upstate New York where the local library was her favorite hang-out. Despite earning a degree in English Literature, Dylan spent more than a decade sidetracked by an executive position in corporate America before leaving to pursue her true passions: motherhood and writing. Dylan married her high-school sweetheart and they are busy living out their own happily ever after with their two incredible daughters in sunny Florida.
Hi, Dylan! Thanks for being here. Why don’t you tell my readers a little something about your work? What was the inspiration for Any Witch Way? Dylan Newton: As I am a huge fan of the band, “Godsmack,” whose lead singer is purported to be Wiccan, curiosity compelled me to look into the Wiccan religion. I stumbled across a passage I fell in love with in the religion’s creed (called the Wiccan Rede): “With a fool no season spend, Lest ye be counted as his friend. Merry meet and merry part, bright the cheeks and warm the heart.” That passage inspired the first scene where my Wiccan hero and young, troubled heroine first meet, and once I’d begun my research and found a sweet, but deliciously sexy-sounding ritual called the “Five Fold Kiss”…well, I knew I’d have to write this book!
Oh yes. I could see that inspiring many a love scene! 🙂
Do you have any advice for writers just starting out? Dylan Newton: It’s not magic. You can do this! My first novel, DESPITE THE GHOSTS, was the product of the NaNoWriMo campaign (where you write 50K words in 30 days of November). After finishing the book (ended up at 83K words), I got writer and reader feedback which I used to revise and polish it until it shone. Then, I created a query letter, and sent it to many, many, MANY agents and editors until landing my contract. I can attest to the fact my formula works–because that is exactly how I got my first publishing contract! It’s really four steps to becoming published: 1. Finish your book. 2. Using writer/reader/agent/editor feedback, revise it to within an inch of its life…or yours. 3. Submit to agents/editors. 4. Repeat steps 2-4 until you get a contract. And while you’re repeating those steps, keep writing, keep reading, and hang out with other authors and writers. Nobody understands a writer’s plight better than another writer, and you need that support system to keep your dream alive.
If you weren’t a writer, what career might you have pursued instead?
Dylan Newton: This one’s easy, because my first career wasn’t writing—it was running a call center and leading project management teams in a Fortune 500 company! For over a decade, I worked in corporate America, where I’m convinced I contracted testosterone poisoning. Working with all men has its perks—they’re easy to get along with. As long as you can talk football, you’re part of the ‘in’ crowd with men—with women, it’s much more complicated. But I believe working within a practically all-male environment for so long pushed me to more estrogen-rich activities when I left—hence romance novels!
What can curious fans expect from you next? Dylan: My spicy little paranormal romance ANY WITCH WAY, from The Wild Rose Press, is out in all e-formats now. It’s by far the hottest book I’ve ever written, and quite a bit darker than the others—I love it! Also, I have another novel coming out in 2014 (also with TWRP) called DESPITE THE FANGS featuring a female werewolf with a bad attitude who meets her match with a mysterious hottie who blackmails her into finding his missing son.
Oh dear. Sounds like trouble! Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers? Would you like to share anything more about your work? Dylan: Here is the book trailer and synopsis for my paranormal romance novella, ANY WITCH WAY:
Graduate student Lily Andrews resigned herself to a life of perpetual virginity. With her recent twisted appetites and weird fugues hospitalizing every would-be boyfriend, it’s no wonder she uses her coursework as an excuse not to date.
Then, she meets a witch.
Joshua enters Lily’s life to complete penance for a deadly spell he cast centuries ago. Joshua must counter Lily’s demon-wrought fugues with his own Wiccan magick, or lose her forever.
As the pivotal Wiccan holiday, Samhain, approaches, time is running out. Together, they must battle an ancient dark force, fighting for their lives and their new-found love…ANY WITCH WAY they can.
Thank you for coming by today, Dylan! It was a pleasure chatting with you. Folks, if you’d like to check out Dylan’s works see the links above. I hope you enjoyed this installment of our little conversations!
Okay, okay, girls. Stop looking under the kilts. 😉 We all know what’s under there. Or do we? I don’t know about wearing a heavy tweed skirt in summer, do you? (Okay, so it’s sweltering here). The weather makes everything just a wee bit uncomfy, doesn’t it? Nonetheless, I am writing (or #amwriting for those of you on Twitter!) and spoke with author Beth Trissel recently about my new release–about the ever-popular topic of men Kilts ;). Interested to learn a little? Then you can see the post here.
And check out Beth’s books while you’re there. They are fantastic! 🙂
Juli D. Revezzo, author of the Antique Magic series and more 