Goddess On the Run Virtual Tour and Giveaway

Goddess On The Run

A Tale of the Holy Water Warriors, Book One

By Marne Ann Kirk    

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Crescent Moon Press

Number of pages: 316

Word Count: 91,200 words

Cover Artist: Taria Reed

Book Description:

All Fomorian Hells are about to break loose on earth, making human souls the daily special, if the Tuatha de Danaan can’t stop it.

Teagan, a Celtic demi-goddess hiding from her destiny in small-town Colorado, wants nothing to do with her mother’s forgotten realm or the drama of a battle of the gods. And Merric is forbidden fruit she’s too smart to taste.

Merric, leader of the Tuatha de Danaan warriors, has other plans. Teagan holds the key to salvation, for both him and their worlds, whether she wants to or not. He’ll do whatever it takes to convince her of her duty.

But can he find the key to her heart?

Chapter One

Great. Just fan-friggen-tabulous. Not even halfway through her shift and Teagan had an ass-grabber.

Another one.

Of course, this moron's lack of respect for personal boundaries was why she'd gotten this table of five. The girls had named her The Enforcer for a reason.

She'd let him play for a moment. He wasn't hurting her, after all. But soon he'd pay, and she'd make certain it did hurt him.

Yep, a little public humiliation, and he’d never touch another lady without her permission again.

But first, money. A girl had to have her priorities.

"Can I get you boys anything else?" she asked, setting a Corona in front of each of them.

The Friday night band sang their standard classic, "Friends in Low Places," and several patrons whooped or sang along. Lively crowd tonight--at least a couple hundred cowboys, college kids, tourists, and locals were bound to mean good tips. Everyone was lookin' for love.

Blondie, the man sitting across the table from where she stood, smiled and tossed down a hundred dollar bill. "Tequila shots?"

Mr. Hands, on her left, inched his grope further up the back of her inner thigh. If he went any higher, he'd be fondling parts of her only seen by her doctor and her vibrator.

She snapped her teeth into a grin, ignoring Mr. Hands, as she pulled the Jose Gold from one holster on her costume’s gun-slinger's belt and six shot glasses from the cartridge loops on the other hip. Between the rowdy saloon atmosphere and the waitressing costumes--leather vest, gunfighter's belt over short-shorts, Stetson cowboy hat and boots--it was no surprise Tommie's Knockers drew the largest crowd in the Canyon.

Someone cursed a stream of words his mama would’ve washed his mouth out for, on the other side of the main stage. Chaos exploded in the far section of the bar as a chair shattered and a beer bottle exploded--probably on some poor fool’s head.  A girl screamed and Teagan straightened up, glancing over. The bouncers didn’t need her help, though. Six were already hustling over and stepping in, pulling two men apart and bringing things back to order. It was under control.

So why did she feel on edge tonight? Like all hells were about to break loose.

"If you're buying one for me too, sugar," she said, shaking it off and bringing her attention back to Blondie.

When he nodded, she twisted the cap off the bottle, pouring tequila into each glass before sliding them around. The shot glass she slid to Mr. Hands barely stayed on the table. Damn. She'd hoped to distract him from his blind-man's examination of her butt--no such luck.

Nope. Yesteryear’s Quarterback just kept on going with one hand, like her backside was his winning season’s playbook.

She lifted her shot, saluted the men, and tossed it back. Oh, it burned good. Too bad her kind couldn't get drunk on human alcohol. She could use a little something right now. Something to dull the sudden itch along her spine, urging her to run without motive. She wasn't fooled. Whenever she had that itch, there was a reason.

She forced herself to smile at Blondie as she set her shooter back on the table, then tipped her head so she could surreptitiously study the bar through the shield of her bangs.

Several men milled about the dance floor, looking uncomfortable and awkward, while couples danced the two-step around them. Nothing out of place about that in a bar.

Blondie slid the Franklin across the table and tapped her hand. "Keep the change."

"Why thanks, baby. If you need anything at all, raise your hand. See the brunette, Kelly, over by the bar? She'll see to your every need." Teagan slipped the bill into a pocket inside her vest.

Time to play enforcer, and just in time. She needed to clean this mess up and go on break, if for no other reason than to unwind and figure out why she felt this strung out. If she were human, she’d worry she’d been slipped something, she was so twitchy.

Was it a full moon tonight?

She turned to face Mr. Hands, leaning down slow and low, until his eyes were level with her cleavage.

He grabbed the sides of his chair, leaning closer to her.

Right where she wanted his hands--off her body.

She let her hair fall over one shoulder. "Sweetie, sometimes a little naughty is nice, but every so often, naughty goes, well, too far. Then it’s time for a little lesson in manners. Are you up for a--” She licked her upper lip, sliding her hand up his thigh until she almost brushed the bulge in his jeans. “Lesson?”

He flushed, throwing a victorious grin at his friends. "With a body as hot as you? Hell, you can teach me manners any time."

She brought her mouth to his ear as the band finished their song. Perfect timing.

"Then here's lesson one, hon," she said in a stage whisper all his buddies would hear. She wrapped his package in her palm and squeezed her hand into a fist around it--hard.

"Touch me or one of the other girls again--," she tightened her grip even more.

His eyes bulged in pain, but he sat frozen in place. Men tended to do that when you had them by the baby brains.

"One more time, and I’ll tear your nut sack from your body and feed it to an alley cat."

Such language, but some jerks were also stupid and only understood crass.

Keeping him firmly in hand, she looked at his friends and tilted her head. "I'd feed it to the dog, but she'd barely notice the swallow."

Goddesses In Mythology

First, thank you so much for having me on your blog today. Second, thanks for suggesting such a fantastic topic to blog about. 

Goddesses. Wow, right? I mean talk about the ultimate embodiment of feminine power. Gaia, Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis—are a few of the more well known Greek goddesses. But there were others, too, in almost every culture:

Hindu: Durga-the mother of the universe, supreme being

Buddha: Tara-a Bodhisattva of compassion and action

Aztec: Tlalteuctli-The Earth Goddess

Egypt: Mut-Devine Mother, Queen of all Gods

Norse: Freya-Goddess of Love, Beauty, Destiny, Battle, and Magic

Hawaii: Uli-Mother of Creation

And, of course, in Celtic mythology, Danu-Earth Mother Goddess…

The interesting thing, to me, has always been how these female entities have been portrayed historically, depending on the way the gender-view pendulum swayed. For example, before we became a patriarchal society, these deities were the beings our ancestors worshipped, right? I’m talking pre-pre-Christianity or Judaism, here. Before the Greeks and Romans and Norse organized religion, we were a nomadic people, right? Then, as we moved into a more agricultural society, our ancestors were dependant on the land, or earth, for survival. At this time, the female was revered, as the female was seen as giver of life.

Once we had a little time on our hands and realized how important land was to survival, we wanted more than to just set down some roots and settle in. We wanted to expand, which meant wars. At this point, we became a more dualistic society—gods cropped up, evolving into equal deities before rising in importance over the main goddesses. Minor gods and goddesses gained significance in each religion, until there wasn’t just one main god or goddess in any religion. Once one culture became powerful, their religion gained power, until we had a few major (and very patriarchal) religions, which then became more organized.

The rest, as they say, is history…or, mythology.

But the important thing to remember in this is the female as empowering and holy came first in many religions, and today we again live in a society more open to celebrating the power of the female. It’s one of the reasons why I love using mythology in my novels. The idea of goddesses and demi-goddesses, powerful beings as my heroines, and needing heroes who are strong enough to rise up to their expectations…this idea appeals to me. I hope it appeals to you as well.

Overall:

If you want a book that will grab you by the hair in the first sentence, you got it. 

Teagan is in hiding in a bar in Colorado. She is being hunted by demons and her soul mate, but all she wants is to be left alone. The snarky attitude won me over in seconds and I knew this book was one that I would love. 

The plot is twisty and original and the dialogue is right on. No weird jerky phrases that make you stop and notice. Nope. This book is smooth sailing all the way. Sexual tension radiates from the pages and leads you into books yet to be written. They are so going on my to be read list! I love Teagan's fiery spirit and her not putting up with anyone's crap attitude. I only hope the next book in the series has her in it. Either way, author Marne Ann Kirk has done it and made me a fan. Excellent read!!!

If you like Goddess and mythology based story lines, then this one is for you. Romance and Celtic myth join together for a fun ride you won't want to miss. 

5/5

Author Bio:

Marne Ann Kirk grew up wild, exploring the vast high deserts and mountains of the West with her family as a child. Marne Ann loved making up stories and, well, lied about just about everything. Thankfully, she grew out of the lying stage...now she calls it story-telling.

Her debut novel, “Love Chosen: Book One of The Fae Dragon Chronicles,” is available now. “Love Dared: Book Two of The Fae Dragon Chronicles,” is coming soon. “Goddess on the Run,” a paranormal romance, will be available September 17, 2012. You can find out more about Marne Ann through her publisher, Crescent Moon Press, or visit her at: www.marneannkirk.com  or www.cowboysndragonscafe.blogspot.com

Web: http://www.marneannkirk.com

Blog: http://www.cowboysndragonscafe.blogspot.com

Twitter: MarneAnn

Facebook: www.facebook.com/marneannkirk

Goodreads: Marne Ann Kirk or http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5822484.Marne_Ann_Kirk

Tour Wide Giveaway

5 signed copies of Goddess on the Run (US Shipping)

$20 Gift to Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice)

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