Oh, yes they do!
Today my first urban fantasy Kissed by Darkness is LIVE on Amazon and Smashwords.
You can buy it here:
Melissa over at Were Vamps Romance is interviewing me today. She has given Kissed by Darkness a 5/5 review. SQUEE! Stop by her blog because she’s running a contest today. You can win your very own copy of KbD FREE!!! Even more SQUEE!!!
Just in case you haven't heard, tomorrow is the release date for my urban fantasy novel, Kissed by Darkness. Woohoo! Find out Jack's answer on my Wordpress blog.
Kissed by Darkness is out this coming Thursday, 30 June 2011!!!Danger is always on the menu for Morgan Bailey, a sexy and street-smart bounty hunter, who prowls the dark underworld of Portland, Oregon hunting creatures of the night. Morgan’s never met a vampire she couldn’t dust or a demon she couldn't kill until she's hired to destroy a new kind of mystical threat: the Sunwalker.
A powerful immortal once believed myth, the Sunwalker carries with him an ancient secret which, if left unchecked, will destroy Morgan’s world. Pursued by a passionate Templar Knight and the target of the local vampire clans, an ancient power is awakened within her, unlike anything she’s ever known. Morgan must uncover the truth behind her mission and about herself, before the Darkness lurking inside swallows her whole.
“You’re dripping blood on my carpet. Again.” The voice was as expressionless as the face. Only a slight glint behind deep brown eyes betrayed the fact that Kabita Jones, my boss and best friend, was extremely peeved.
I could sort of see her point. Last time she’d had to replace the carpet. This time the blood only went up to my elbows and it was mostly dry already. There were just a couple of drips. It wasn’t like she couldn’t get the place steam cleaned.
“That’s what you get for calling me in right after a hunt.” I dropped into one of the two chairs in front of her massive mahogany desk. She scowled at me. She didn’t like me getting blood all over her fake leather chairs, either. Bad for business, having a client sit down in a pool of vampire blood.
“Here.” She tossed me a box of wet wipes, only semi-effective for cleaning blood off things, but certainly better than nothing. I grabbed a wipe and scrubbed at my arm. That’s when I noticed a few drops of blood in my cleavage. Gross.
Kabita leaned back in her chair. “How do you like weird?”
As though killing vampires and demon spawn and other creepy crawlies for a living was normal. I tried to raise an eyebrow at her, but I was no Mr. Spock; both went up. “Define weird.”
“Weird. As in: ‘up your alley’ weird.”
Ah, she meant blood suckers. Nightwalkers. Minions of Darkness. Otherwise known as vampires. Right.
Except for Kabita and me, vampires weren’t weird. They were normal, everyday stuff. Or maybe I should say every-night stuff. It was like saying that baking bread was a weird job for a baker.
Kabita ran a private investigation firm which specialized in hunting down things the government liked to pretend didn’t exist. Creatures that would give most normal people nightmares. The government paid us decent money to track and kill the monsters while maintaining a cover as private investigators that did nothing more exciting than investigate cheating spouses. We got excitement and fortune, if not fame. The government got plausible deniability. We all went home happy.
“And how is this weirder than any other ‘up my alley’ case?” I asked as I cleaned off the last of the blood.
She pushed a file gingerly across the desk. Despite being one of the best demon spawn hunters in the business, Kabita found vampires extremely distasteful, not to mention creepy. Go figure. “It’s not an ordinary vamp,” she said. “It’s a Sunwalker.”
I checked to make sure my jaw wasn’t lying on her desk. Nope, still attached to my face. “A Sunwalker? You’re kidding, right?”
“Our new client wants us to hunt this Sunwalker and kill him, but more importantly, he wants us to retrieve something the Sunwalker stole from his family. He’ll fill you in on the details. You’re to meet him at this address.” She shoved a piece of paper across at me while carefully tucking a strand of long, ink black hair behind her ear.
Despite edging on forty, she didn’t have a single strand of gray. I hadn’t quite hit thirty yet, twenty-nine to be exact, but I hoped I looked half as good as she did at forty. I had my doubts. My job wasn’t exactly the kind that kept one young.
I shook my head. “This is insane. A Sunwalker? As in vampires who can walk in sunlight? You do know they’re not real, right? Sunwalkers are just a myth.”
She gave me a look. She was good at “the look.” “Excuse me, oh Great Slayer of Vampires, but you don’t have a choice. Not if you want to keep your job.”
Which I did, and she knew it. There was something so immensely satisfying about going to work and hacking someone or something’s head off. They didn’t usually let you do that at, say, the pharmaceutical company or the post office, even if that someone really deserved it. They kind of frowned on it, actually. I also got to wear jeans and really cool kick-ass boots every day.
Truth was, though, Kabita knew I loved a good challenge. She wasn't just my boss, she was also my friend and would never give me anything I couldn’t handle, no matter how much I bitched and moaned about an assignment. I was damn good at killing vamps. A Sunwalker would just be a little more … tricky. Not only were they not supposed to exist, but how were you supposed to find a vampire that could walk around in daylight? Heck, he probably even had a nice tan.
“Jesus, Kabita. What have you gotten me into this time?” It was rhetorical and accompanied by an eye roll. I snatched the paper off the desk. “Fine. I’ll meet him after I take a shower.”
“Good idea.”
I just glared at her. Sarcastic witch.
Her return smile was annoyingly beatific.
It's a well known fact in certain circles that I am in possession of a Weirdo Magnet. I attract random human weirdness like a cow pie attracts flies. Something I have in common with the main character of my novel, Morgan Bailey.
Like most people, I collect certain things. I collect teacups, Christmas ornaments, books, ex-husbands and stalkers.
Oh, yes, my Weirdo Magnet is fully charged and working just fine. Let me give you an example.
This was probably about a year and a half ago, I was waiting at the bus stop after work with my nose in a book, as usual. I got on the bus and rode to my stop, as usual. I got off the bus and cut through the shopping centre on the way home, as usual. What was not usual was that I found myself suddenly with a walking companion. One who started chattering away at me with an accent so thick that I only understood about every fourth word.
He must have rambled on for a good fifteen minutes, of which I caught only a fraction. I would have thought my eyes glazing over would have shut him down, but no. The gist of his monologue was something to do with my appearance. I'm pretty sure he found it attractive. Though I'm not entirely sure since there was mention of "lots of other women". He also repeated over and over that he didn't know me. Obviously a genius of some renown.
It really got weird when he started telling me how he'd followed me on the freaking bus! That's right, he lived in an entirely different area of the city (London is pretty substantial.), yet not only did he follow me onto the bus, he followed me OFF the bus. So he could talk to me.
Right. Because following a complete stranger around the city is so dead sexy.
We'd just spent 20 minutes on the same bus. There was even an empty space next to me, yet instead of approaching me on the bus where I might have felt safe, he pretty much stalked me through the shopping mall. He would probably have even followed me to my home (I got the feeling that was his intention.), but I refused to budge from the shopping centre. I may be in possession of a giant Weirdo Magnet, but I'm not stupid.
When he started rambling about meeting up, I knew I was in trouble. I got the distinct feeling this guy would not take "no" for an answer. Now I'm not one to use the fake boyfriend for an excuse to get away from a guy, but at that moment instinct was screaming VERY loudly. So, I lied. Sort of.
"I'm married!" I blurted out. It wasn't exactly a lie. I've collected more than one husband in my time. Unfortunately, he wasn't phased. He just started mumbling something about "divorce" and "separation". I think he wanted wait listed or something. There was also frequent mention of him living in another part of town. Apparently, this makes it OK to cheat on imaginary husbands.
I assured him my husband would not appreciate me meeting with him in any capacity. Thanked him nicely, told him I was flattered, but made it very clear that... HELL NO!!!!!!!!!
He was angry. That much was obvious. Fortunately I'd had the brains to stay inside the mall very close to where all the security guards hang out.
I still double checked several times on my way home to make sure I wasn't followed.
Just a suggestion. If you think a girl is hot and want to ask her out, stalking her may not be the best idea. It ain't sexy. Actually, it's kinda creepy.
Of course, my Giant Weirdo Magnet makes for some good stories. In fact, stories of the weirdos met during my attempt at online dating inspired one of my favorite
scenes in Kissed by Darkness: Morgan's blind date. I had a lot of fun writing the scene and it was really quite cathartic.
I’m in the midst of re-reading my novel to catch any last minute errors before shooting it off to the formatter. (Egads!) So, I’m a little short on time. But I wanted to share this BRILLIANT post from Kristen Lamb (Whose book We Are Not Alone is a MUST read for any indie writer.) on what we can learn about writing from Star Trek.
Enjoy!
I haven't done Friday Book Club in awhile. Bad me! To be honest, I keep forgetting. (Rolls eyes at self.)
Can Mick find love for her Losers and love for herself? Humorous romance with a chick-lit feel.
Jake thought he was rescuing a juvenile delinquent witch… Light romance with a little magic.
Spellcoding witches, ice cream, and irresistible characters. Light fantasy with a good dose of love and laughter.
r weird grammar and random additions of vowels, it's not surprising I've lost the plot. Which means, uh, gone a little mad. My poor editor...
This building inspired the detective agency where Morgan works and which her best friend, Kabita Jones, owns. I think the real building is a cafe or something, but that's the beautiful thing about imagination. It's now an the location for an undercover monster hunting operation. Oh, yeah, baby!
Funky, no? 
Majicks and Potions was on the northeast side of town, sandwiched in between a used car lot and a burger joint. It was a ramshackle building with a huge Third Eye painted dead in the middle of the wall above the entrance and arcane symbols in day-glo colors scattered around the rest of it. It looked like it had barely survived an attack by spray paint.
The bell above the door jangled merrily as I entered the shop. That, at least, was normal. Nothing else was. Row upon row of shelves lined the room, jammed with crystals, colored glass bottles, bowls of candles, and gods knew what else.
The place reeked of incense and the stereo system was playing something I was pretty sure was a pan flute and wind chimes. Maybe even a gong in there somewhere. Chinese/Andes fusion gone horribly wrong. I like fusion music, but I wasn’t sure you could call this music. I winced as a dulcimer was added to the mix.
The shop was otherwise empty. No customers and no Eddie. Not even a bell to ring for service, so I decided to wander. There was a second room toward the back. It, at least, looked somewhat normal. Books, mostly, and a few packs of tarot cards, some CDs, DVDs and other knick knacks. The books were all on various spiritual and magical topics. I picked one up. Sex Majick: Majickal Spells and Potions for a Fulfilling Sex Life.
Hmm. Now there was something that might come in handy, if I actually had someone to have a sex life with. I slid the book back onto the shelf.
Maybe there was something in here about Sunwalkers. Doubtful, but one never knew. I quickly scanned the shelves. There was an entire section on mythical creatures. Lots of stuff on vampires. Most of it utter rot. Nothing at all on Sunwalkers. Too bad.
There were two doors along the wall to my right. I turned the knob on the first and pushed the door open carefully. Toilet. Always good to know where the nearest toilets are.
The second door led to a store room. Instead of the antique wood shelves out front, back here they were cheap metal and filled with boxes of unpacked goods. There was a proper work desk stacked high with books and papers, nearly drowning a PC that looked at least 10 years out of date.
Still no Eddie. I was starting to get a little concerned. People don’t just open up their shops and then leave. So, either Eddie was bloody stupid, or something was wrong. Maybe he knew I was there and was hiding or something. Yeah, right. I’m so scary. I gave myself a mental head slap.
I cleared my throat, “Ah, Mr. Mulligan? Eddie Mulligan? Cordelia Nightwing sent me. Eddie, are you here?”
A head popped down from the ceiling. I nearly let out a yelp. Fortunately for my sense of self-respect as a bad-ass-vampire-hunter, I held it back.
“Oh, hey,” said the head, “Didn’t hear anyone come in. Cordy sent you, huh? Haven’t seen her in awhile. Crystal ball must be working a treat. Be right down.” The head disappeared before being replaced by a pair of feet, followed by legs, and then the rest of what I presumed was Eddie Mulligan.
He dropped to the floor and turned to face me, dusting his hands off on his trouser legs. He was short. A good five inches shorter than me, and I’m not exactly tall. A fringe of curly gray hair surrounded a cherubic face, set off with a burgundy bow tie at his throat, which unfortunately clashed with his mustard yellow vest and olive green pants. He was either color blind, or he liked to make an impression.
“Mr. Eddie Mulligan?”
“Yep, that’s me,” he said, holding out his hand.
I took it. His grip was firm, but not hard. The grip of a man secure in himself and at one with the world. Cordelia was right. I could sense the gift in him as surely as I’d sensed it in her.
Eddie Mulligan was no ordinary human. “So, how can I help you? If Cordy sent you, it must be important,” he said, leading me out to the front of the shop.
“It is,” I assured him. “I’m looking for… well, a Sunwalker.” I was embarrassed to even say it out loud.
He went utterly still for a moment, then let out a little laugh. “Good one. Sunwalkers are extinct.”
“So, they did exist then?” I was on the right track, from the sound of things.
“Oh, yes indeed. Once upon a time.” He waved me to the front counter before ducking behind it.
“Can you tell me about them?”
His gaze was sharp on me, measuring me, judging me. Then with a little nod, he led me to the counter. From behind the counter he lifted out a package, wrapped in silk. He carefully unwrapped it to reveal an ancient book complete with leather cover and brass fittings. It was kind of what I always imagined the Doomsday book would have looked like.
“All right,” he said with a gentle smile, opening the cover, “Let’s see what this little baby has to say about your Sunwalkers.”
He flipped through the pages, sending dust flying everywhere. I sneezed. “Oh, sorry,” he gave me an apologetic smile. “I don’t consult the book too often. Most people are more worried about your average, run of the mill vampires, werewolves, that sort of thing. Not much call for Sunwalker info.” I wondered just exactly what sort of clientele Eddie Mulligan catered to. It was very rare that I ran across a civilian who knew such creatures were real. One who wasn’t bat shit crazy, anyway.
“Okay,” he stopped at a page with a sketch of a handsome, muscular man. He looked human, but it was obvious he wasn’t. The fangs sort of gave it away.
“That’s a Sunwalker?” He looked suspiciously like the guy I’d dreamed about last night, the knight with the ocean eyes.
“Yes, indeed,” he grinned up at me. I noticed his eyes were a slight almond shape. Might explain the huge section of books on Chinese folklore and dragons. I really hoped I wouldn’t need his help with any dragons.
“What does it say?”
His fingers ran down the page. “All right, according to legend, the Sunwalker is essentially a vampire that is able to withstand daylight.”
Great. I knew that much.
He continued, “It also says they are descendants of an ancient race that was destroyed long ago.”
“Does it say who they were? The ancient race, I mean.”
He shook his head. “No, it says nothing about this ancient race. Very interesting. I wonder…in any case, it says the last of the Sunwalkers was killed during the 1300s when the King of France slaughtered the Knights Templar.”
I blinked. That was not something I’d expected. “Excuse me? Did you say Knights Templar?” I swallowed hard. Surely my dream about the knight was just a coincidence.
“Yes, apparently the Knights were in league with the Sunwalkers. Protected them, something like that. The gods only know. In any case, when the Templars were killed off, so were the Sunwalkers. Not a single one has been seen in over 700 years.” He shut the book with a thump, sending up another dust cloud.
I sneezed again. “But I thought some of the Knights survived the Purge?” They certainly never mentioned Sunwalkers when they were talking about the Knights Templar in history class.
He shrugged and wrapped the book back up in its silk covering. “That’s the rumor, but no one really knows. It was such a long time ago. Records have been lost, truths have been covered up.” He frowned as he stuffed the book back under the counter. “I would have thought, though, that this book would tell the truth. It usually does.” His face brightened, “Then again, it has a mind of its own, most days.”
Riiiiight. “Sure. But theoretically, if some of the Knights Templar survived, a Sunwalker could have survived, too, right?”
He gave me a rather shrewd look, “Theoretically, yes. If any Knights truly survived, it’s entirely possible a Sunwalker could have survived as well, though one would have thought that there would be rumors of such a thing.”
“You don’t think he would have gone underground for 700 years?”
He laughed. “I wouldn’t have thought so.” He grew thoughtful. “Then again, the bloodlust could have been disguised as a vampire attack, if Sunwalkers have such a thing as bloodlust. And if he’d been careful not to turn anyone, then it would be less noticeable. No one’s exactly sure how the Sunwalker ability was passed, or if it could be passed. Some think they were an entirely different species from vampire, though the book says otherwise.”
I sighed, “Right, so how do I find this guy, if he exists? Look up Sunwalkers in the yellow pages? Take out an ad in the Oregonian, better yet, the Willamette Week?” I named the two biggest newspapers in
He threw his head back and laughter spilled in waves. There was almost a magic to it. Certainly nicer on the ears that whatever he was playing on the stereo. “Now that would be interesting, but no, I don’t think it works that way.”
“What then?”
He stroked his lower lip, “Well, you obviously won’t be able to count on the usual vampire haunts, seeing as how, if he exists, he can walk around in daylight.” This guy really knew how to state the obvious. “Your idea might not be that bad after all.”
“What, taking an ad?”
He chuckled, “Maybe not that exactly, but something similar. Imagine you are an ancient, mythical creature that’s been able to hide out for centuries without detection. Then some nosy person comes along and starts blabbing all over about looking for you. You might get a little nervous that her investigation would be heard about in certain circles, putting your very existence in jeopardy. What would you do about it?”
“Shut her up.”
He grinned, “Exactly. “
Great. I was about to go out and seriously piss off a centuries old Sunwalker. Yay, me.
