Dylan's Song Super Book Blast

DYLAN'S SONG

By

p.m. terrell

BLURB:  

Dylan Maguire returns to his native Ireland with psychic spy Vicki Boyd. Their mission: to locate and extract a CIA Agent who disappeared in Dublin while on the trail of a known terrorist. But when Dylan receives word that his grandmother is dying, he is plunged into a past he thought he’d left behind forever. His mission and the dark secrets he’d sought to keep hidden begin to merge into an underworld that could cost him his life. He must now confront his past demons and the real reason he left Ireland—while Vicki harbors a secret of her own.

Suspense Magazine says, “p.m.terrell’s writing is powerfully written and masterfully suspenseful; you have to hang on for the ride of your life.” Midwest Book Review says the Black Swamp Mysteries series is “page-turning action, unforgettable characters, breathtaking descriptions and unexpected plot twists.” And syndicated reviewer Marcia Freespirit says the series is “riveting, spell-binding, sexy and intense!”

Brenda motioned for her to stand to the side. Then she parted the curtains.

Dylan had come around the back of the house while three men tumbled out of the pickup. They immediately converged at the truck bed, where they picked up pipes and headed toward the front door.

“So, Eoghan,” Dylan called. His voice was loud and heavy as he moved further from the house, drawing the largest man’s attention to him. “What’re wantin’ with me now?”

“What have they got in their hands?” Vicki whispered hoarsely.

“Lead pipes.” Brenda’s voice was husky and strong.

“You know what we be wantin’,” the largest one shouted. “We’re here to finish your sorry arse off; what we should’a done a long time ago.”

The men began to separate. They looked like a pack of wolves, Vicki thought, as one moved to Dylan’s left while the other moved to his right. The ringleader, Eoghan, stood his ground directly in front of him.

“He doesn’t stand a chance with the three of them,” Vicki gasped. “Not spread out like they are, not even with the gun.”

“Killin’ me won’t bring ‘er back,” Dylan called. He continued backing away from the house.

“No, but it’ll put you in ’ail that much sooner,” one of the others shouted.

“Kill me and you’ll spend your life in a prison cell, Aidan,” Dylan said to him. “I’m not worth your freedom.”

“Why should we spend our lives in prison for killin’ a man?” the third shouted. “You didn’t spend a day in the clink for killin’ our sister!”

Vicki gasped. “My God!”

Brenda grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to look her in the face. She hadn’t realized that her sister had disappeared from the window. But now as she stared at her amber eyes burning hot, she began to take in the pistols in each hand. “Slip on a coat and your shoes,” she hissed. “Fast.”

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

p.m.terrell is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 16 books. Vicki's Key, one of the first books in the Black Swamp Mysteries series, was one of five finalists in the 2012 International Book Awards (Mystery/Suspense) and 2012 USA Best Book Awards (Mystery/Suspense.) River Passage, an historical work based on her ancestor's migration to Fort Nashborough in 1779-1780, won the 2010 Best Fiction & Drama Award. The Nashville (TN) Metropolitan Government Archives determined it to be so historically accurate that they entered the original manuscript into their Archives for future researchers and historians.

Prior to becoming a full-time author in 2002, terrell founded and operated two computer companies in the Washington, DC area. Her clients included the United States Secret Service, CIA, Department of Defense and federal and local law enforcement. Her specialty is in the areas of computer crime and computer intelligence. Her experience in these areas have greatly influenced her books' plots.

She is the co-founder of The Book 'Em Foundation, whose slogan is "Buy a Book and Stop a Crook" and whose mission is to raise awareness of the link between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She founded Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair, an annual event to raise money to increase literacy and reduce crime.

For more information on Book 'Em North Carolina, visit www.bookemnc.org and www.bookemnc.blogspot.com.

p.m.terrell's website is www.pmterrell.com and her blog is www.pmterrell.blogspot.com.

She can be found on Twitter @pmterrell

On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/author.p.m.terrell and https://www.facebook.com/pages/pmterrell/129318810431554.

Want to win a beautiful Celtic Knot necklace based on the one in the story? Leave a comment and your email for the tour wide giveaway!

Wolves and Witches

Wolves and Witches, a collection of fiction and poetry by Amanda C. Davis and Megan Engelhardt. 

Witches have stories too. So do mermaids, millers’ daughters, princes (charming or otherwise), even big bad wolves. They may be a bit darker–fewer enchanted ball gowns, more iron shoes. Happily-ever-after? Depends on who you ask. In Wolves and Witches, sisters Amanda C. Davis and Megan Engelhardt weave sixteen stories and poems out of familiar fairy tales, letting them show their teeth.

“Sisters Amanda C. Davis and Megan Engelhardt are the female Brothers Grimm.” —K. Allen Wood, Shock Totem

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Read the digital edition for $4.49 from these ebook retailers:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | OmniLit

Read the trade paperback edition for $7.95 from these and other online retailers:
Amazon

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• Release date: February 19, 2012 (ebook and paperback)
• Genre:  Fairy Tale / Short Stories / Poetry
• Length: Collection, approx. 85 pages
• Praise for Wolves and Witches
• Excerpt from Wolves and Witches
• ISBN-13 (print): 978-0615763231
• ISBN-10: 0615763235
• ASIN: B00BGR4H96
• BN ID: 2940016284798
• Kobo: 1230000107305
• Goodreads Listing/Reviews

Praise for Wolves and Witches

“Wolves and Witches is a fabulous collection of re-imagined fairy tales. I made the mistake of starting it late one evening and couldn’t go to sleep until I had read it all. With their dark prose and evocative poetry these sisters have done the Brothers Grimm proud.”
—Rhonda Parrish, Niteblade Fantasy and Horror Magazine

“It’s in the details that Davis and Engelhardt get you. I don’t know if it’s love or obsession or maybe just succumbing to the spell, but what stays with me is the tenor and texture of these tales retold — whether the fabric of a dancing shoe, the hollowness of bones in the wind, or the sharp critique of stereotyped social norms. Let yourself be enchanted and enjoy.”
—Dan Campbell, Bull Spec

“Sisters Amanda C. Davis and Megan Engelhardt are the female Brothers Grimm.”
—K. Allen Wood, Shock Totem

“Davis and Engelhardt’s Wolves and Witches: A Fairy Tale Collection is a joy, start to finish. At times eloquent, at times written in a bare-bones style, this collection of verse and prose takes familiar fairy tales and turns them into something darker, deeper, and delicious. My very heart was stolen by a cobbler with a bad leg. That’s good storytelling.”
—Mercedes M. Yardley, Author of Beautiful Sorrows and Shock Totem Magazine Staff Member

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Read the digital edition for $4.49 from these ebook retailers:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | OmniLit

Read the trade paperback edition for $7.95 from these and other online retailers:
Amazon

SEVEN FAIRYTALE WITCHES THAT GOT AWAY WITH IT

It's the most basic maxim of storytelling that the villain has to get his comeuppance at the end. It's not enough to see the hero win; someone's gotta lose. At the very least, you don't want to leave open the possibility that the bad guy will come back and ruin things all over again.

Try telling that to fairy-tale writers. Their stories are brutal reminders that life ain't fair, and sometimes the worst offenders walk away without a scratch.

We kind of love that.

Here are seven fairytale witches who committed heinous crimes and suffered no retribution whatsoever.

RAPUNZEL: MOTHER OF THE YEAR

Once upon a time, there was a witch who kidnapped a baby girl, raised her in isolation, blinded her blueblood babydaddy, then banished her to the desert. Harsh! After the lovers are reunited and healed, you'd think the now-wealthy couple would have mustered an army to go after the woman who just about ruined their lives. Well, if they did, it was in the fanfic that Wilhelm Grimm kept hidden in his mattress, because there's no mention of the witch after she dispatches the two. For all we know, she went on to steal a replacement baby. Thanks for dropping the ball, Rapunzel.

Speaking of dropping the ball...

THE FROG PRINCE: DO ME A SOLID, MAN

What I love about the Grimm brothers' record of The Frog Prince is that the only mention how the prince was cursed is "he had been enchanted by a spiteful fairy." A male one, which becomes interesting in light of the conditions of breaking the spell: "a princess should take him out of the spring, and let him eat from her plate, and sleep upon her bed for three nights." A frat brother, just trying to get his princely bro some royal action? It's a mystery, because does the prince ever hunt down his spiteful assailant, if just to say, "Not cool, dude"? Of course not! He's too busy living happily ever after as the heir of two kingdoms.

SLEEPING BEAUTY: GOOD FAIRY, BAD FAIRY

In Sleeping Beauty (Briar-Rose), a fairy ("who was a bit of a witch") curses a baby to death because she wasn't invited to the christening, because get this--the happy parents did not have enough plates for everybody. I don't know, if I've only got twelve place settings and thirteen magical friends, I would probably also decide not to invite the one who liked to kill babies.

So child-murder is pretty bad. But here's a case where the cure is worse than the disease, because ANOTHER fairy--one of the ones who DID get a gift-bag--turned the curse from "one girl dies young" into "the entire kingdom goes into suspended animation for an entire century." Who's the villain in this piece again?

THE LITTLE MERMAID: PREDATORY LENDER

On one hand, Hans Christian Andersen's sea hag is mostly guilty of giving the Little Mermaid exactly what she wanted. On the other hand, she made sure to do it in the most vicious way possible.

"You want legs?" says the sea hag. "It'll cost you your voice. No, I mean give it to me. And it'll really hurt. And it won't stop hurting! Oh, and you'll turn into sea foam and die if you can't get your prince to marry you. You've got three days. SEA HAG OUT."

For comparison, a vocally able Kate Middleton got Prince William to the altar after a whirlwind romance of...nine years.

DIAMONDS AND TOADS: MASTER OF DISGUISE

We have no idea what this fairy had in mind when she sat herself down in the freezing woods to administer a moral test, but we know how it turned out: the nice girl who gave bread to an old lady ended up with diamonds falling out of her mouth with every word, and the proud girl who wouldn't dip water for a princess ended up spitting out vermin, presumably cussing up a storm at the same time. (That's what we'd be doing.) This isn't rewarding the good and punishing the bad; it's sowing chaos, consequence-free.

I want to look back at the moral test, because that's the most demented part. The fairy decides to test the second girl in the appearance of a princess. Because if you want to know the true measure of a man, watch how he treats rich, pretty, powerful people who could totally draw their own water.

CINDERELLA: POLITICAL CHESSMASTER

Yeah, yeah, the fairy godmother in Charles Perrault's telling of Cinderella is technically playing for the good guys. But this is some epic meddling going on. We assume the king who threw his sons all those balls was expecting to draw out wealthy, well-groomed, educated women of good standing. No less for a prince, right? And instead the prince ends up with an outcast kitchen maid. Don't get us wrong; it seems to have been a great move for the kingdom. But the fairy godmother could have put anyone in that position. Suddenly a few simple acts of kindness look like Machiavellian political maneuvering--with MAGIC.

It's also worth noting that in the Grimms' telling, Cinderella's dead mother sends a flock of birds to peck out the stepsisters' eyes. So there's that.

BABA YAGA

Not only does Baba Yaga have a name, in contrast with so many other fairy-tale characters (let alone villains), but she has stories named after her. She has an awesome house (it walks on chicken legs!), a sweet ride (a flying mortar!), and she doesn't always win, but she never really loses. You couldn't get a better model of a successful fairy-tale witch.

Oh, and she eats people.

So raise a glass and drink deep the draught of "Screw the rules, I've got magic." Here's to the ones who got away with it!

Review to come...

On My Wish List: Night of the Witches

"Spring has come to the northern forest. The evening wind blows cold as the breath of the frost giants. Just overhead, there is a sound like the rushing of crows’ wings. Can it be a coven of witches has flown over these woods?

"On any other night, you would probably swear that there was no such thing as a witch—at least, not the kind that streaks through the sky on a broomstick with guttering taper and billowing cloak. But this is no ordinary night; it is the thirtieth of April, the eve of May. Tonight is Walpurgis Night."

The roots of Walpurgis Night reach deep into the Pagan past, and modern Europeans celebrate it with as much abandon as their ancestors. Learn about the sacred rites of spring and the thirteen herbs that correspond with the Night of the Witches. Discover how this “lost” holiday has changed from a lusty fertility festival to a children’s night of fun and treats. Learn about brooms and how to make one, and meet a collection of old-time witches, from Ash Wives to Wolf Crones. This charming, impeccably researched book features a wealth of folklore and herb lore, plus original and traditional recipes, crafts, and activities.

Buy link

This book looks like a great read for the spring festivities coming up. Whether you just want a reference or a seasonal walk through some old traditions Night of the Witches is on my list for a great read this spring.

The Everyday Psychic: A Visit With Karen Harrison

Discover how psychic you really are with this comprehensive and practical guide to developing and honing your psychic skills. "The Everyday Psychic" shows you how to harness your natural psychic abilities and experiment with psychic tools to get answers, guide your decisions, and enrich your life.

For the curious seeker as well as the skilled practitioner, "The Everyday Psychic" offers techniques, tips, and tools designed to awaken, refresh, and sharpen one's natural psychic gifts.

"The Everyday Psychic" offers techniques, tips, and tools designed to awaken, refresh, and sharpen one's natural psychic gifts by:
Activating Your Psychic GiftsBecoming More IntuitiveRemembering Your DreamsTools and Techniques for Accessing the Subconscious

Karen Harrison has helped many thousands of people awaken their psychic selves and improve their daily lives. Now she offers that in a book.

A Guest Post With the Author:

EVERYONE IS A NATURAL PSYCHIC

Luckily for me,  I was born into a family in which using psychic abilities was considered quite normal and a part of daily life.  Discussing and interpreting our dreams at the breakfast table, talking about how experiences from a past life can effect the present life, making games of predicting who was on the line when the phone rang were all part of how I grew up.  Every family has their favorite funny stories and we were no exception.  We enjoy recounting the story about the time when I was four years old in kindergarten and I had been telling my teacher, Mrs. Street, about my life in Holland.  I told her things about the kinds of food we liked to prepare, my favorite shoes and what our home looked like.  When my mother arrived for back-to-school night, Mrs. Street inquired about when we had moved to the United States from Holland.  My mother's reply?  "Oh, no - we haven't moved from Holland.  Karen was just telling you about her most recent past life!"

Being human is being psychic.  From the moment that you were born you had psychic abilities.  As with any of your other senses - taste, smell, sight, hearing, sensation - you were born with the ability to sense energy and the ways it moves, the ways it can change and sense its effects on your life.  Psychic ability is not a supernatural force, it is an innate, inborn, completely natural part of our lives.  It may not be as directly or easily perceived and experienced as the five basic physical senses that we all possess - that is, until you  open yourself again to your unconscious awareness of the subtle nature of energy patterns and how they can be interpreted and understood. 

When you were a young child, your inborn psychic senses were open and you were using them all of the time, but as you grew and matured a couple of things might have happened to cause you to disregard or deny your psychic ability.  Perhaps your family or peers were skeptical or afraid of the psychic world, making you afraid or skeptical as well.  Or perhaps as you became busier and more engaged in your social life, schoolwork and other activities you stopped listening to your 'inner voice', causing you to neglect using your psychic abilities.   Like using your physical muscles strengthens them or neglecting them makes them weak,  the use or neglect of your psychic abilities acts in the same way.

Just because you ignore your psychic inner voice doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.  You can rebuild your relationship with your subconscious psychic senses and reignite them to be a resource and tool that you can use every day to enrich and deepen your experiences and help you make more informed decisions.  Being able to use and rely on the psychic senses is not extraordinary, it is something we are all born with.   It is something that you can develop and use in a conscious, purposeful manner to aid in every aspect of your life.

Think about the things you have already experienced that involved one or more of your psychic senses.   How did you ‘know’ that that innocuous looking person at the bus stop was potentially dangerous?  They may have appeared to look perfectly normal and calm at initial sight.  But you unconsciously noted a certain look in their eye or felt a butterfly sensation in your stomach as you approached them.  This unconscious (psychic) response alerted you to the fact that you needed to keep a closer eye on them or even keep on walking to stay away from the energy that they were transmitting and the potential danger they might exhibit.

Why did you instinctually pause at the green light, even though your eyes did not at first detect the car hurtling around the corner to run the red light?  Because you sensed a quickly shifting energy pattern and were fast enough to react to it on an unconscious (psychic) level.  Your eyes did not detect the accelerating car because it was out of your line of sight around the corner, but your psychic senses were on alert and aware on your behalf, transmitting the unconscious information to your brain that you should not move forward.

We have all felt a slight prickling sensation at the back of our heads and turned around to see someone staring at us.  We felt the energy of their focus on us and this subtle feeling prickled our conscious awareness and senses.  These are all natural yet unconscious assessments of energy patterns that we encounter every day as we go about our mundane business.  The trick is to use your more sensitive senses in a conscious way, acknowledging them and acting on them when they occur so that you can strengthen these senses by their use.   In that way you can employ all of your senses, physical and subtle, to know what is going on around you at all times.  Yes, some people are born with more active psychic gifts, just as some of us can sit down and play a piano without a lot of instruction.  But with use, practice and the deliberate exercising of our natural intuition and in-born psychic tools, all of us can utilize our  psychic talents and abilities to enhance our lives.  Being psychic is not extra-ordinary or mysterious – it is a natural state of being for everyone.

One of the easiest ways to begin is to mentally 'unplug' yourself at different times during the day with the intention of listening to your inner intuitive voice. Turn off your cell phone, get off of the computer, shut off the television or radio.  Stop living in a state of distraction and move your mind into a quieter, more introspective space. Ask yourself a question - it could be a question regarding a decision you need to make or it could be something more general like 'what is the biggest challenge to my success?' Then simply stay in that quiet mode and allow your subconscious mind (which is where your psychic abilities reside) to give you the answer. You might get your answer right away while you are in that quiet space, you might receive your answer that night in a dream or it may come to you in a day or two when you are doing something mindless like weeding the garden. The point is to ask the question and stay receptive to the fact that you will receive your answer. Start doing this on a regular basis to open the dialogue with your psychic subconscious mind and you will find that, through use, you are strengthening your psychic inner voice and making a very positive difference in your life.

Karen Harrison has been involved with magick, the psychic arts,

and occultism since early childhood. She earned a Master of Herbology

from the Emerson College of Herbology in Montreal, and has

worked as a professional psychic since she was seventeen years old. A

third-generation psychic, she has taught thousands of people how to

open to their own intuition and use that insight to enrich their lives.

Karen is the proprietress of Moon Magick Alchemical Apothecary.

Since 1981, she and her husband have owned Isis Books, Gifts,

and Healing Oasis in Denver, Colorado (www.isisbooks.com), the

largest and most complete brick and mortar store in the U.S. specializing

in world spirituality, magick, and herbs/essential oils. She is

the author of The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook and blogs regularly at

karen-harrison.com where she discusses matters herbal, psychic, and

magickal.

The Review:

Have you ever wondered what it took to become psychic? Let Karen Harrison guide you through some helpful exercises to find your own inner psychic.

The layout of this book draws you in immediately. The voice of the author grounds you in her practical experience and helps you warm up to the idea that having some latent tendencies might not be so far off the mark after all. Who among us hasn't felt something like intuition now and again?

The exercises in this book are designed to draw out your inner ear and help you to listen to the voice that dwells within. This book works to activate your psychic gifts, access the subconscious, listen to your own intuition and remember dreams. All of these can be used to further your connection with your own inner psychic.

I found The Everyday Psychic to be a useful guide. In particular, the exercise for centering really resonated with me. There are many further explorations that deal with angelic and dream influences that were thought provoking and intriguing. 

If you are looking for ways to awaken your inner psychic, then this book is for you!

4/5

For the Love of Hades Virtual Tour

For the Love of Hades 
Loves of Olympus, Book 2

Sasha Summers

Genre: Romantic Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Crescent Moon Press

ISBN:  978-1-937254-83-4

ASIN: 978-1-937254-84-1

Number of pages: 309

Word Count: 78,500

Cover Artist: Jeannie Ruesch

Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/LXx52Vve8hY

Book Description:

Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, has no patience for living things or his Olympian brethren. His purpose is order, administering justice to those who enter his realm, and keeping the balance decreed by the Fates. Meeting Persephone sways his focus, her gentle sweetness threatening his control. But he will not be tempted.

Poseidon’s scheming wreaks havoc upon Persephone. Hades has no choice - he must rescue her.

Hades awakens something within the Goddess Persephone. She feels no fear from his brooding presence. In truth, she’s never felt so alive. Every stolen moment together only confirms her instinct: he is meant to be hers. Such a powerful union suit will face opposition – from Olympus, her troubled betrothed, the Fates, even Hades himself – but she is determined to win his heart.

Tagline: Hades, God of Death, has no heart. Persephone is determined to prove otherwise…

Short Excerpt For the Love of Hades         

Hades glanced at the lily propped atop the mantle. The blossom was bright white against the black silk to which it was pinned, light against the darkness. He reached up, tracing one petal with an unsteady finger. He saw the tremor, cursed it, and clenched his hand, drawing back from the flower as if it had burned him.

Turning abruptly from the fire, he made his way to his chair and sat heavily. There was a sweetness to his burden, but it was no less a burden.

He leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees and covered his face with his hands.

What had he done? How could he make amends now that his heinous act had been hidden so long? Using his powers to aid a mortal would seem trivial in comparison with the offense he’d committed against Demeter. Against Olympus.

And yet, he felt whole.

The raw emptiness that he’d held at bay, for nigh on an eternity, no longer threatened to consume him. Having her here, with her constant laughter and endless conversation, had changed his world irrevocably.

If not for her, he would have remained bitter and angry. He would not have interfered at Cyprus. He would never have thought to champion the mortal, Ariston…

“My lord.” Her soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

He lifted his head from his hands, surprised.

Persephone stood, beauty to behold, watching him with wide green eyes. In the blazing firelight her hair glowed copper, warm and rich. Her face, normally alight with smiles and laughter, was drawn. Was she not fully recovered? Or did the tension between them tire her as well?

His voice revealed nothing. “Persephone.”

Her steps were cautious, but she made her way to him. “Aphrodite?”

So she had seen Aphrodite. “Has gone.” And she should have gone with her fellow Olympian. He should have insisted she do so. He swallowed against the lump in his throat, ignoring the tightening in his chest.

“I thought as much.” She stood so close he could see the front of her tunic. The fabric trembled, thundering in time with the rapid beat of her heart.

Was she disappointed? Was she ready to leave him… his realm?

She should go. She should have gone weeks ago. He knew it was right. Yet knowing it did nothing to soothe his agitation. He clutched the arms of his throne, clinging to control.

“I’ve not asked you for anything in my time here.” She paused. “Have I?”

He shook his head once. No, she’d seemed happy, though he had little knowledge of true happiness, he supposed. His gaze found shadows beneath her eyes and a tightness about her mouth. He was a blind fool.

Have you been miserable? He could not ask the words aloud, fearing her answer.

Her voice was no steadier than her pulse. “Nor would I trouble you now, if my need were not so great.”

“What is it?” he asked. His voice sounded harsh to his own ears.

She sank to her knees, glancing at him with an almost timid gaze. Her hands lifted, wavered, and covered his hands. He stiffened, stunned by her actions. She touched him… He swallowed. The feel of her hands upon him squeezed the air from his lungs.

“Show me mercy. Show me the same mercy you’ve bestowed upon the mortal… the soldier Ariston.” Her hands clasped his tightly.

He would not reach for her, he could not. No matter how he might want to.

“Have I been cruel, that you feel the need to beg for anything from me?” His words were a harsh whisper. She shook her head and he continued, “Then why do you kneel before me?”

“It is a selfish request, one that may turn you from solicitous to,” she paused, her cheeks growing red, “… sickened.”

Was it possible for him to feel so towards her?

He stared at her hands, wrapped about his. He would not meet her gaze. He would not reveal his damnable weakness to her. He could not risk losing himself in the fathomless depths of her green eyes. “Ask me,” he murmured as his traitorous eyes sought hers.

                She drew in a wavering breath, ragged and labored. Her whispered words were thick.

                “My lover… Release him. Release the man who loves me, please.” Her eyes sparkled, mesmerizing him while his heart, so newly discovered, seemed to shudder to a stop once more.

Medusa A Love Story

Loves of Olympus Book One

By Sasha Summers

Book Description:        

It's said love can change a person. Medusa wasn't always a monster...

Medusa is ruled by duty, to her Titan father and the Goddess Athena. She's no room for the tenderness her warrior guard, Ariston, stirs. When Olympus frees her from service, her heart leads her into the arms of the guard she loves... and curses her as the creature with serpent locks.

Ariston goes to war with a full heart... and dreadful foreboding. He learns too late of the danger Medusa faces, alone, and a Persian blade sends him into the Underworld. But death, curses, nor the wrath of the Gods will keep him from returning to her.

Poseidon will use Greece's war to get what he wants: Medusa. He does not care that she belongs to another. He does not care that she will be damned. He is a God, an Olympian, and she will be his.

book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90fH7xoZiCo

"This tragic and beautiful retelling of one of the world's oldest stories tackles the eternal battle between duty and happiness. Medusa, A Love Story broke my heart then filled in the cracks with joy. Sasha Summers is simply a mesmerizing new talent."  ~Stephanie Dray, Author of the critically acclaimed Song of the Nile

If you want to read a series that will bring to life the mythological characters you have watched on the big screen and studied myths about, then this series will surprise and delight you. I fell in love with Medusa, A Love Story from the first page and I can tell you the same holds true for For the Love of Hades.Sasha Summers breathes life into her characters and makes you feel their love, their heartache and their every emotion in between. This is a must read for any lover of myth and legend. You won't be able to put it down. Excellent read!

5/5

About the Author :

Sasha Summers is part gypsy. Her passions have always been storytelling, history, and travel. It's no surprise that her books visit times past, set in places rich with legends and myth. Her first play, 'Greek Gods and Goddesses' (original title, right?), was written for her Girl Scout troupe.

She's been writing ever since. She loves getting lost in the worlds and characters she creates; even if she frequently forgets to run the dishwasher or wash socks when she's doing so. Luckily, her four brilliant children and hero-inspiring hubby are super understanding and supportive.

Sasha is an active member of RWA and several Texas Chapters. A self-proclaimed movie-addict, she is full of all sorts of useless movie tidbits and trivia.

Website   Twitter   Goodreads  Facebook  Blog   Pinterest

Siren's Call E-Zine: Women In Horror Edition (Featuring Yours Truly)

http://www.sirenscallpublications.com/ezine.htm

Issue #07 - Women in Horror
Featuring 120 pages of Short Stories,
Flash Fiction, Poetry, Photography,
Ads, an interview with Dark Media founder Eva Layne,
an interview with Creatrix of Rae Beth Designs,
and an extended excerpt of
Julianne Snow's Days with the Undead: Book One.

This issue is dedicated to Women in Horror Recognition Month,
so you guessed it - it's an all female issue!

Greetings everyone! Check out my zombie short in this great e-zine! A free download, you are in for a treat if you enjoy a bit of horror...and this issue, it is all about the ladies...

Evil Girlfriend Media: An Interview with Bite

1. How did you get involved in publishing? I self-published a short story collection, "He Left Her at the Altar, She Left Him to the Zombies". The growing pains of that experience started me on a journey to help other writers who wanted to consider the path. A member of my writing group decided she wanted to self-publish and after talking to her about my experience we agreed to use my LLC- Evil Girlfriend Media to publish it. What started as a small endeavor to help her out has become a real publishing company. I realized that I only wanted to put out great work under the name and help writers, artist, and editors work for something they could believe in. I've been blessed to find talented editors for our anthologies, an amazingly guiding entertainment law firm to help us with contracts, and I have great friends who already work in the business giving advice that has helped keep me on track. 

 

2. What was the inspiration for the name Evil Girlfriend? It's the nickname my husband gave me over seven years ago when I drew a very evil cartoon. I was being bullied in nursing school. (I should make this clear though, it was not a fellow nursing student or one of my professors. I'd hate to tarnish their name. They are good people.) I'm from the south, women are always taught to smile, be nice, and polite even when you want to physically hurt someone for torturing you. After that day, I started being sarcastic around him and letting him see a side of me that I've always hid from the world. The side that is a little dark. He's the person who encouraged me to start writing again and pushed me to be authentic even if it's not always pretty, sweet, and cute. So, Evil Girlfriend Media is not always pretty, sweet, nor cute. We are writers who have deep dark twisted places that need to come out and scare the crap out of other people. Of course, we want to entertain them as well. 

 

3. Cheeseburger or sushi? Oh, definitely sushi with gluten free tamari. A big slab of tuna with wasabi all over it. YUMMY.

 

4. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? I'm a huge fan of coconut milk ice cream, vanilla bean flavored. I'm one of those people that food hates me.

 

5. What sorts of anthologies are you thinking about going forward? Oh my goodness, so many ideas... Well, if it isn't apparent, I love alliteration, assonance, consonance, and dissonance. The Three Little Words anthology series will continue and we plan to put out calls for certain themed manuscripts to give guidance on what we are looking for in a story. 

 

6. Tell us about some things that really make you love a story... The minute that I open the book or start the story, I'm in it. The world is open to me. I'm sitting beside the character watching the events unfold or I am in their head looking out at their world. 

 

7. What are some pet peeves that you wish you didn't see in a submission? I don't give a damn about the color of the wallpaper unless you are telling me that blood just splattered all over it when the zombie ripped the person's face off. I know some people love that stuff, but give me good compelling characters, a solidly structured world, pull me in and I'll create the rest. With that said, we will consider super detail oriented people because I'm weird and I know this. There are readers that love to know what each strand of hair looks likes on the top of the heroines head so as a publisher I need to recognize that other people need that. 

 

8. What are some tips for writers to get them thinking in the right direction? Be yourself. Be honest to who you are as a person and writer. Your authentic voice is what will set you apart. The people who read, "He Left Her at the Altar, She Left Him to the Zombies" (people not related nor affiliated with me aka my friends), told me that they forgave every single grammatical error and formatting problem because the voice of the characters really blew them away. So, remember that. Of course, I've pulled the book and am fixing all the grammatical errors and formatting problems, but hearing that from complete strangers made me realize I had to continue to write in a way that was uniquely mine. 

 

9. Chocolate or angel food cake? Chocolate but it has to be gluten-free other than that. I'm happy.

 

10. What are some of your favorite books? This question always gets me because there are so many! I'm going to give you a list that has influenced me and then your readers can see where I'm coming from. I'm an old school sci-fi reader and been loving post apocalyptic dystopian since a very tender age. Mom didn't know what censoring meant and it was a good thing! I will give you a couple childhood favorites then go from there: 2nd grade- Madeline L'Engle, "A Wrinkle in Time", 4th grade- Nevil Shute, "On the Beach", Aldous Huxley, "A Brave New World"....various Babysitter Club books to fill the time (uh yeah, Scholastic book flyer to blame). 5th grade, George Orwell, "1984",  7th grade, Ray Bradbury, "Fahrenheit 451",  9th grade, Stephen King's, "The Stand". 10th grade Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale". Got picked on for being a nerd, only read what was instructed by teacher for a couple of years. Started reading for fun again and found Max Brooks, Timothy Long, Octavia Butler (where was she all my life?), and now I read a book every two weeks for enjoyment plus all the submissions for Evil Girlfriend.  

Thanks Katie for hanging out with us at On the Broomstick! I hope this inspires you all to write some great submissions to Evil Girlfriend.