October Frights Blog Hop (IX): Welcome to my World

 

(Just joining the hop? Check out this post for prizes, how to enter, and who else is haunting!)

 

Blind Alleys: A Collection of Dead Ends
Free on Kindle on October 10th!

 

 

Today's spotlight is on...

The Demimonde Trilogy

 

Bleeding Hearts, Blood Rush, & Wolf's Bane

 

Enter the world of the Demimonde.

 

Look outside your window. Same old town, same streets, same people, same stories you've lived all your life. Or... are they?

 

Sophie Galen is an advice columnist from the suburbs of Philly. Like many sensitive women, she's done her best to create a shelter for herself in order to live in a safe, predictable world, protecting her vulnerable self: her mind, her heart, her soul.

 

Then he came into her life and blew the walls in.

 

When Marek Thurzo arrived, he brought with him all the secrets she never wanted to know: the world outside was not what she thought. There were people and creatures and powers she'd never dared to believe exist and at the very center of this humongous supernatural web was one single person.

 

Her. The Sophia. The one hope for redemption for the Demivampire race.

 

Some days, she still can't wrap her head around the whole thing. Other days...

 

...she's ready to do whatever it takes to protect her demivamps, no matter the obstacle, no matter the enemy, no matter the personal cost.

 

While meeting her deadlines, natch. Who says a girl can't multitask while saving the world?

 

BLEEDING HEARTS: Book One of the Demimonde was my first novel. It's also the first book in the Demimonde trilogy. I suppose once the story pulled me into its world, it wouldn't let me go...so I kept writing.

I love to read fantasy stories, especially the ones that create such realistic and creative worlds that I'd happy move into the book if I could. (Some I'd be a little terrified to move in, but I'm pretty reckless. I'd do it anyway.)

When writing the Demimonde series, I got to play god and re-imagine Philly the way I wish it could be: full of demivamps, witches, and werewolves. I wouldn't even care if it meant avoiding my favorite cheesesteak joint on full moon nights.

In my world, advice columnists may actually be oracles waiting to manifest and German metal bands like Turn of the Wheel *just happen* to be touring. I mean, check out the tour shirts:

That's right. I'm so submerged in the world of the Demimonde that I had tour shirts made. That's dedication. :)

Ready for a chance to enter the October Frights Blog Hop giveaway? All it takes is a comment on this post.

Think about a book you love in part for the lush world-building. If you could introduce one element from that world into our own, what would it be? A creature? An ability? An aspect of human kind as yet undiscovered? Share your fantasy so we can all wish it comes true...

(And those t-shirts are seriously real. If you want one, I can tell you how to order one from Custom Ink. You didn't think I ironed them, did you? I don't even think I own an iron. Ask my husband. He'll vouch.)

Commented? Got your free book? Get back to the hop...pick your next lucky stop:



October Frights Blog Hop (VII): Halloween Costumes

 

(Just joining the hop? Check out this post for prizes, how to enter, and who else is haunting!)

 

Blind Alleys: A Collection of Dead Ends
Free on Kindle through October 8th!

 

Today's Spotlight is on...
Words That Bind
(paranormal romance)

Social worker Tam Kerish can’t keep her cool professionalism when steamy client Mr. Burns kindles a desire for more than a client-therapist relationship—so she drops him. However, they discover she’s the talisman to which Burns, an immortal djinn, has been bound since the days of King Solomon…and that makes it difficult.

Ethical guidelines are unequivocal when it comes to personal relationships with clients. However, the djinn has a thawing effect on the usually non-emotive Tam, who begins to feel true emotion whenever he is near. Tam has to make a difficult choice: to stay on the outside, forever looking in…or to turn her back on her entire world, just for the chance to finally experience what it means to fall in love.

 

 

Glad you're back for another October Frights Blog Hop post! Hope you're getting your entries in...it's easy, too: just comment on each post for an entry in the big giveaway!

 

Today's spotlight book is Words That Bind, a love story about a genie and his therapist.

 

Mr. Burns, an ancient djinn, spends his time wearing one of a variety of guises. Sometimes, he's Burns, a man who even the normally cool-as-a-cucumber Tam Kerish must admit is attractive. Sometimes, he's a twist of smokeless fire or a screaming whirlwind.

 

And sometimes, he's a complete animal. 

 

WORDS THAT BIND Excerpt:

“So. You’ve destroyed a stereotype for me. A genie who lives in a library. Different.”

“When in Rome, no?” He stirred his cup before setting down the spoon with a light clink against the saucer. “Or, I suppose it is more accurate to say when in human form. When I am Burns, I prefer here.”

“Human form.” It didn’t sound right. Who said things like that, and meant it? “Can you change into anything you want? Any shape at all?”

He stretched out his legs and cocked his head, sliding his gaze up and away. “I suppose I could. I’m getting old and set in my ways. There’s this…” He swept his hands down the line of his body.

Her eyes were unable to keep from following, not even when he lingered over his midsection. Even lounging, his shirt was tightly tucked into his beltline. No belly fat there.

He tilted his head and gave her an upper-teeth smile, nibbling gently at his lower lip. “And apparently this form is pleasing to the eye, so I wear it often. But there are others. Tiger, a favorite. Savage and regal and the colors of flames in the night. Fearsome to behold, but very useful when dealing with physical conditions in which a human form may be outmatched. Plus, I can lash my tail.”

His voice took a teasing, conspirator’s tone. “I love my tail. You’d love it too, if you saw it.”

She trained her eyes firmly upon his. No way would she give him the pleasure of checking out his tail.

 

If you couldn't tell, Burns really loves the way he looks. I always imagined genies would lean toward the cocky side. Part of the fun in writing that book was describing him in all his various forms of glory.

 

Maybe that's also why I love Halloween--the excuse to dress up. Wear a costume. Step out of my normal limits and assume the guise of someone else. (Usually, my costumes involve a black cape. And I'm not talking Batman, folks. I dressed like a vampire long before I'd even starting reading Anne Rice. I suppose it was all that parochial schooling that did it to me.)

 

So that brings us to today's comment-to-enter the giveaway...

If you could change form--be a shape shifter--what form would you choose? And would you want it to be limited, like a Halloween costume for a party? Or would it be something you'd like to slip into every now and then? Tell us in a comment and you're entered into the grand prize giveaway.

 

And today you can get a bonus entry...if you post your favorite Halloween costume on your social media (or find one you love online) POST A LINK TO THE PICTURE in a separate comment! (Optional: tag me if you'd like in your sosh meeds post and I'll share it along! Use #octoberfrights2015 Twitter @ashkrafton or Instagram @ash_krafton)   

Commented? Got your free book? Get back to the hop...pick your next lucky stop:



October Frights 2015: Paranormal and Horror Author Blog Tour

Halloween Blog Hop Time!

This year I'm participating in Clarissa Johal's October Frights Blog Hop! (And it's huge...just check out the link list down below)

I'll be posting throughout the hop with different activities so be sure to stop back often :)

This year, I'm thinking along the lines of Prize-a-Palooza:
Print copy of The Heartbeat Thief: historical dark fantasy
Print copy of Boxed & Broken: spec fic anthology
Print copy of M is for Monster: horror
And I'm pretty sure I have some Halloweenish things that would like to creep their way into your home. :)

(Question is, do you trust my judgment?)

Entries will be collected through comment during the duration of the hop. At the end, entries will be placed in a pretend hat and winners drawn. (Actually they'll be numbers and random.org will pick the lucky digits.)

Stop by each post throughout the hop and enter as many times as you please! There are a great bunch of authors participating and this is a great way to get to know everyone a little better...

Frightful Freebies

You might be too old to go door-to-door trick or treating, but that doesn't mean you doesn't deserve sweets. That's why during the blog hop I'll be offering free copies of two of my books on Amazon...grab 'em both!

Free on Kindle October 1-5: Ebook copy of The Scent of his Feathers
Free on Kindle October 6-10: Ebook copy of Blind Alleys

(Download your copy today. Everyone's a winner :)

SO let's get the ball rolling...today's a mixer so entry will be easy.

 

Since this is a paranormal and horror author blog hop, you're most likely either a reader or a writer (or both!) Leave a comment telling us which one you are, and tell us one of your favorite books or stories in the genres. That's all! Let's see who's here and what we're most fond of reading....

Stop back tomorrow for another chunk of Halloween Hop fun, but visit the other authors today!

See who else is frightening us:

*F*R*E*E* Kindle Short Story Collection: Blind Alleys

This weekend (until Aug 5, 2013) you can pick up BLIND ALLEYS: A Collection of Dead Ends for your Kindle.

Click here to go to Amazon and get your free copy!

Like Blind Alleys? Leave some stars for it by writing a short review...your review will help get the book picked up by other promotional sites.

Thanks for your support!

Keep on the lookout for the next issue in my short story series...RESET BUTTON. Starting over has never felt so final.

Right now I'm scouting the perfect location for RESET BUTTON's cover shot. Like DOORWAYS and BLIND ALLEYS, I want to feature a local image (the two previous books show images from my corner of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania). The area is full of mining towns that popped up 150 to 175 years ago, and is still chock full of remnants from that by-gone era.

The stories are ready to go...I'm just waiting until I see the shot that really pushes my button. Then, I'll finally be ready to push yours. :)

Until then, enjoy BLIND ALLEYS and have a read on me.

Cheers!

Two Ebooks FREE in all formats!

As a writer, I admit that there's been many times when I sat at the keyboard, waiting for the words to arrive. And they didn't.

I've checked and re-checked my email, waiting to hear back from agents and editors to send me heaps of acceptances. And they didn't.

I've sprawled in bed, staring at a dark ceiling, searching the corners of my brain for ideas, waiting for the muses to whisper their secrets to me. And they didn't.

Thankfully, this is not one of those days weeks months. :)

So much going on...working on pre-launch activities for BLOOD RUSH (Demimonde #2) including a huge GOODREADS contest...lookee here! I also heard from my lord editor Rose Mambert of Pink Narcissus Press, who let me know my ARCs are on the way. Huzzah! It'll be red pen time soon...

Final edits are underway on a longish short story about soldiers and wizards and gods. (Potent combination.)  I'm thinking about using KDP for this one so that means I'll be formatting and getting a cover done--I've discussed the possibility with Silvia from Dark World Books already. I love her designs...and you will, too.

Best of all, a new story is cooking up in my brain--and on paper. It's a haunting tale of life and death and time as seen by the gods. I'm really excited about this story and am very eager to get to work on it.

All this wonderful going on--so much that I'm unsure what to do first. So, I'll do what I always do when I can't decide...

A GIVEAWAY!

You can pick up my short story collections for FREE on Smashwords. They are available in all ebook formats so download your choice!

These are my short story collections...a third, RESET BUTTON, is in the works. (More stuff on the TO-DO list)

 

They are regularly priced at $2.99 each but you can get them for FREE right now!

 

And, if you are the GOODREADS type, I'd love it if you added them to your bookshelf and dropped a few stars for me. (See DOORWAYS and BLIND ALLEYS)

 

I'm always eager to see your thoughts and I check GR as ferociously as I check my email these days...

Enjoy and can't wait to get the new stuff out there.