Monday, August 25, 2014

The Twisted Veil

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Title:  The Twisted Veil
Series:  A Twisted Sister Anthology, Book 1
Authors:   Dovey Mayali Cralk, Riley Ross, Kaydence Rayne, and Sally Slayer
Published:  August 25th, 2014
Word Count:  40,000
Genre:  Paranormal
Content Warning:  Mild Violence
Recommended Age:  16+
Synopsis:
Join the Sisters as they twist the veil of reality as we know it.
Good and evil collide in The Memory Remains, a short story by Riley Ross.  Samantha has to protect her loved ones from an evil witch, who also happens to be her mother.
Not all is what it seems in An Almost Ghost Story by Dovey Mayali Cralk. Pippa Harrington moves into her dream house only to discover she isn’t the only occupant. What will she do about this “Griffin” who haunts her new home?
BONUS: Get a sneak peek into the full-length novel The Summer of Alyssa by Kaydence Rayne! Alyssa has been trying to get Seth’s attention for what had felt like forever, but his family secret demands that he stays away from her. What will happen if she discovers the truth?
BONUS: Get a sneak peek into Deviate 2 (A Cleo Perry Novel) by Sally Slayer! Cleo’s struggles continue as she tries to determine her identity and keep her sanity intact.
If you would like to read book one, just send proof of purchase of this book to SallySlayerAuthor@gmail.com and she will send you a free e-copy.
 
Excerpts:
The Memory Remains Riley Ross “Hush baby girl, I am gonna keep you safe from her.” My grandma said softly as she touched my face. “She will never harm you. Delia and I will take care of you. My sweet baby girl, you are bonded to us.”
An Almost Ghost Story Dovey Mayali Cralk "Ha!" she laughed, "I'm not gonna be bossed about by some ghost! Sod off; I'm trying to unpack here." With that, she bent down and retrieved the cloth, then turned her back on him to spread it out on the table, picking up her tune again.
The Summer of Alyssa Kaydence Rayne "I suppose I should just come out and say it, because I can't stop thinking it. I would like to clear the air between us. Because, well, I haven't really seen you in years. And don't try to say some crap like, 'I see you every day', because it really isn't the same..." "I know," he cut her off, "and I have an explanation for it." She froze. This wasn't going as planned at all. She expected him to protest or something. She had a whole speech planned!
Deviate book 2 Sally Slayer "Hey, Cleo! What's got your panties in a twist?" Jack grinned playfully. I yelped and jumped, and cursed the blush that crept up my neck at his use of the word "panties". "Not a thing, all right? Not a damn thing." I grumbled uncomfortably.
 
 
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About the Authors:
The Twisted Sisters are a group of friends who happen to be writers. They had a cockamamie idea to write short stories together in a series of anthologies, and now they have! The Sisters included in The Twisted Veil include Kaydence Rayne, Dovey Mayali Cralk, Sally Slayer, and Riley Ross.
Riley’s Links: Goodreads | Amazon Author Page
Sally’s Links: Goodreads | Amazon Author Page
Kaydence’s Links: Goodreads | Amazon Author Page
Dovey’s Links: GoodReads | Amazon Author Page
 
 
Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
  • Two $10 Amazon Gift Cards & a print copy of The Twisted Veil
Giveaway is International.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Unlit Star is now LIVE

Happy news! Unlit Star has been released a little over a week early. It is also only 99 pennies for a limited time, so get it now. It is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Createspace.

BLURB:

Rivers Young was the popular guy untouchable by reality. He was like a star—bright, consuming, otherworldly. The thing about stars, though, is that they eventually fall, and Rivers Young was no different.

He fell far and he fell hard.

Delilah Bana was the outcast enshrouded in all of life's ironies. Alone, in the d...ark, like dusk as it falls on the world. When Rivers fell from the sky, she was the night that caught him. In the darkness, they found one another. Together they melded into something beautiful that shone like the sun.

Only, the greater the star is, the shorter its lifespan.


EXCERPT:


“Thanks for the sandwich.”

He nods, flexing the fingers of his left hand.

I exhale, ignoring the overactive beating of my heart. “What are you doing?”

“Staring at my super hot legs.”

Rolling my eyes, I say, “Don't you already have enough admirers without being one yourself?”

“Funny.”

“What are you thinking?” That's the real question I want answered. What does Rivers think about the kiss we exchanged last night? I am not sure I want to know, but I decided I couldn't hide out in the upstairs of his house indefinitely, so here I am.

“It shouldn't have happened.” His eyes are downcast as he fiddles with the hem of his yellow shirt.

A crack forms somewhere inside me. I pretend it isn't there, forcing a lightness to my tone I do not feel. “What shouldn't have?”

He glances up, a scowl on his face. “You know what I'm talking about. The kiss.”

I sit down in the grass beside him, partially turned away from him. “Are you sorry I kissed you?”

“Aren't you?”

“I instigated it, didn't I?”

“Yeah. About that. I don't get it. Why did you?” Our eyes meet, his dark and searching. I don't have time to answer before he says, “When you look at me, you have to be repulsed.”

“By what?” I ask.

He gestures to the scars that line his face and then to his legs.

“I don't even see them,” I say with all honesty.

His eyebrows lower and his eyes follow. I caught the blatant yearning in his gaze just before he hid it. He wants to believe me, but can't allow himself to.

My fingers curl into the palms of my hands to keep from reaching out to him. I blow out a noisy breath and look at a caterpillar ever so slowly creeping along the grass. I put my finger out and it carefully feels my skin before crawling over it, tickling my flesh as it goes.

I smile. “He's so slow, but you know what? He never gives up. He knows, one day, he'll be free,” I say in a low voice. “He's ugly to most, but to those that matter, he's beautiful. They know his potential. They know where he started and where he'll end, and how long it will take for him to get there. It's something to be admired, not tossed aside.”

“You're saying one day I'll be a butterfly,” he says skeptically.

I look up. “I'm saying you've always been one.”

Rivers stares at me for a long time, his eyes tracing the angles and curves of my face. “You say a lot of strange stuff, you know that?”

Nodding, I hide a smile. “I guess so.”

His tone is thoughtful when he tells me, “I like it. I like being around you.”

My pulse picks up. “Why?”

With a shrug, he states, “I don't feel so sorry for myself when you're around. I don't feel so ugly or worthless. I feel normal.”

“You are neither of those things.”

“Yeah.” His voice says he doesn't believe me.

I run a finger along the soft grass as I say, "I kind of like being around you too."

"Why?" he shoots back.

I tilt my head, my hair falling to the side as I ponder this. "Well, aside from the fact that you make me look good—oddly enough, I think I like your personality."

"Hmm. You think? I'm usually wanted for my body and not my mind."

"Given the circumstances, we all have to make exceptions."

His mouth twitches. "What circumstances?"

"Your hideous disfigurement," I tell him airily.

"Thanks," he says dryly, a faint smile on his mouth.

“Sure. I'm all about looking on the bright side. Want to go for a walk? We'll go slow,” I add when he hesitates.

His face darkens. “I hate that—that you even have to say that. I don't want you to have to go slow for me.”

I get to my feet. “So I won't.” I walk to the fence gate, opening it and going through. A tendril of elation webs through me and spreads when he follows.





Unlit Star


Incomplete Book Trailer


Complete


Take Care, Sara Book Teaser Trailer


Dating Husbands


Friday, August 15, 2014

DATING HUSBANDS HAS A NEW COVER

Dating Husbands has a new cover! Please share.

Genre: Romantic Comedy

eBook price: $3.99

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Dating-Husbands-Lindy-Zart-ebook/dp/B00AGBHEUC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408119926&sr=8-1&keywords=dating+husbands

Excerpt:


Justin was to Bianca’s left, a fact neither of them was happy about. Apparently her family thought the more they clumped them together, the more likely they were to get along. Did they know nothing?

Beans,” she said, staring across the table at her sister.

Gwen rolled her eyes and buttered a roll.

Bianca’s lips pressed together. “Beans.”

Say the magic word,” Justin said in a low voice.

Bianca’s face twisted into what she was sure was something ugly. She didn’t have a mirror handy, but she could only imagine what it looked like.

Wimp?”

I’m sorry, Gwen, did you say you’d like some beans?” Justin held out the bowl of green beans to her sister.

Gwen accepted the bowl with a shrug directed at Bianca.

Bianca smiled tightly and elbowed Justin under his outstretched arm. Satisfaction washed over her at his grunt.

I think I’m drunk,” Uncle Bill said, staring at the ceiling light. He was to Bianca’s right and she was ecstatic that she got to view his magnificent male specimen up close.

You’re drinking non-alcoholic beers, Bill,” Dennis said, plopping a generous amount of mashed potatoes on his plate.

Uncle Bill glanced at his brother-in-law. “Drunk on life,” he specified, shoving ham into his mouth and moaning in pleasure. “Delicious, Natasha.”

Sabrina and Emily giggled behind their hands.

Nadine’s eyes caught Bianca’s. “Don’t they remind you of us?”

Bianca scooped up mashed potatoes and made a circle in the middle of her plate. “Sure. Before weenie Justin came along.” She spooned a bite into her mouth, the butter and garlic-y goodness melting on her tongue.

Justin choked on his drink. Bianca gave him a hard whack on the back. He turned his head and promised her death with his eyes.

What’s...weenie?” Emily asked, her little face set in concentration.

Sabrina, being older and wiser, told her sister, “It’s what Bianca calls Daddy because she loves him. It‘s a…deer…mint. Right, Mommy?”

Bianca snorted and pulled the green beans from Justin’s limp hands.

Uh…” was as far as Nadine got.

Girls, eat your food,” Natasha told them.

So, Mom, Dad, what’s new?” Bianca asked, dividing her gaze between the two, which took some time, seeing as how they were on opposite ends of the table.

I’ve been thinking of buying a fishing boat.” This from her dad.

The gravy bowl thumped to the table. Bianca looked at her mother, who was looking a shade to the left of her husband. Not at him, never directly at him, like he was Medusa. Which was completely unrealistic since Medusa had been a chick and her father obviously was not, but Bianca wasn’t going to tell her mom that.

I started a yoga class last Thursday and I love it. I never thought I could be so limber. I can‘t understand why anyone would buy a fishing boat when they never fish. Pass the rolls, Gwen.” Bianca’s mother was a master at inserting verbal lashes at her father mid-conversation. Bianca hoped to someday be like her.

If I had a boat…I’d fish,” Dennis said, looking at Uncle Bill. Uncle Bill had the plate raised to his mouth and was licking it.

Because docks don’t exist, Bianca.” Her mother. Also, Natasha Fisher liked to address other people while insulting her husband. She was a P-R-O.

Need a roll?” Justin asked, and threw one at Bianca’s head. It bounced off her ear and landed, amazingly, on her plate in a puddle of butter.

She gave him a thumps up. “Thanks. Less work for me.”

How about some ham?”

Justin,” Nadine said warningly when he reached for the dish full of delicious, steaming meat baked in brown sugar and pineapple.

Hit me,” Bianca said, holding her plate under Justin’s nose.

He looked at it, clearly thinking of spitting on it or something equally vile and Justin-like, and instead slapped one tinny tiny piece of ham on it. Bianca shook the plate until he added another slightly larger piece.

You’re the best,” she said, batting her eyelashes.

Don’t choke,” he said, smiling evilly.

I wouldn’t give you the pleasure.”

You never did.”

Listen, you little toad—”

All right.” Natasha shot to her feet, startling the table into quiet. “Can’t we act like a normal family and have a normal meal with normal conversation?”

Define normal,” Bianca said.

Real mature, Bianca,” Gwen said.

Define mature.”

Bianca started it,” Justin said.

Real mature, Justin,” Bianca scoffed, rolling her eyes.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, August 11, 2014

Suicide and Me

I don't know if I should be talking about this. I literally feel sort of sick thinking about what I am about to write, but I feel like I should. Imagining the people reading this, envisioning their judgment as they drink in the words; it doesn't put a pleasant blanket over the whole thing. And yet...being a writer is about facing what hurts us, what helps us, what we regret, what we cannot change, what we are. We can share ourselves with the world, or we can hide and pretend we are someone we are not. I've never been good at pretending. And so, here I go.

Suicide.

I just put my head in my hand and closed my eyes as this word slithered through my brain. It's a horrible word. It's viewed as being a cowardly word. It's this black, bitter word people whisper; the word we pretend doesn't exist. We don't talk about it. And if one dares to bring it up, they are looked at in disgust, or with wariness. No one wants to talk about it. Maybe if we did, it would happen less often. Anyone who attempts such a thing is reviled and anyone who succeeds at such a thing is scorned. I mean, if you take your life, aren't you supposedly forever damned? Aren't you committing the utmost sin in the removal of your life? You're weak. You gave up. You took the easy way out. That's what we're told. That's what we're supposed to think.

I'm sorry, and this is my opinion, but that's bullshit.

I've been told I'm crazy, and maybe I am. I have issues. We all have issues. Sometimes they are because of decisions we make, and sometimes they are because of instances in our life that we have no control over. Sometimes, there's just something not quite wired right in our heads. Whatever the reason; sometimes it's hard to deal with everything going on around us, whether it's by our choice or not. There are some people who would never think of suicide as a solution. There are some people who see it as the only solution. For those who have never thought of it, I envy you. For those of you who have, you have my empathy.

You are me. I am you.

I thought about it a lot growing up. Let's just say my childhood was not perfect, and we'll leave it at that. I think I was eleven the first time I attempted it. I know, I shouldn't be speaking about such things. I should keep them hidden, right? The second time when I was sixteen. That time I was close; that time there was a chance I wouldn't make it. The reasons for why I did this are not as important as the fact that I felt it was necessary to go this route. So I understand those who think life is too hard, too full of shit, to want to keep enduring it.

But I also have to say this: I am so glad I am still here.

I caught a glimpse of a world minus me, and I realized something. To me, death was no longer an option. To me, no matter what, I had to live. It takes more courage to keep living than it does to stop. And I wanted to be strong. So I became strong. You can too, all of you, any of you. Suicide should not be an option, it really shouldn't, and not because it's a sign of weakness, but because we are all given this life, and we should all embrace it, and even if it's full of shit, you know what? One day, someday, it will be better. And you know why? Because you'll make it that way.