Excerpt Reveal: The Space Between by Kristie Cook

The Space Between(Book One in The Book of Phoenix Series)

By Kristie Cook
Release Date: April 5, 2013
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

When Life Falls to Pieces, Answers Lie in the Space Between After a month-long dance tour through Italy, 20-year-old Leni Drago returns to Georgia to care for her great-uncle, only to find him gone, the home they shared empty and any evidence he ever existed wiped out. All that’s left is a journal she can’t open.
Jeric Winters has been searching for a piece of his past for over a year, only to reach a dead-end in Georgia. When an urgent and magnetic pull draws him out of his hotel room, he comes face-to-face with the beautiful dancer who’s been haunting his dreams day and night.
Jeric’s one to stay away from—a bad-boy, hit-it-and-quit-it type—but Leni can’t escape the fervent feelings between them. As their own existences begin to crumble around them and shadowy forms that are more monsters than men attack, they realize there’s more to the connection between them than physical fascination.
To solve the riddle their lives have become, they must embark on a journey that requires them to face their pasts and release their true souls. And they must do it fast—dark ones from another world are closing in, intent on killing them. Permanently.

Excerpt:

LENI – The overhead lights fell dark for the last time as I opened the dressing room door. The back exit stood open at the end of the hall, allowing in enough light from the streetlamp outside to show my way. I inhaled slowly, cherishing the musty smell of an old theater mixed with the odor of dancers’ sweat and the fragrance of white roses. I silently said my goodbyes as my feet carried me outside.

“Thank you, Uncle Theo,” I whispered as I left the theater for the last time. Only because of him did I even have this opportunity. I couldn’t wait to tell him all about it.

A large, muscular body flew at me, swept me into his arms and twirled me around as though we were still on stage. Laughter bubbled out of my chest.

“You ready to celebrate, cara mia?” Alberto asked as he set me down.

“Celebrate that you’re finally getting rid of me?” I teased. 

He clapped his hand over his heart, and his face fell into an exaggerated expression of pain. “Oh, Leni, you do not know how I will miss you and your mane.”

He swatted playfully at the bottom of my curls. He had no idea how I would miss the way he said my name, drawing out both syllables, “laaaay-kneee,” like only an Italian could do.

“But you won’t miss my heels on your toes or my arm in your face?” I said in mock disbelief.

He took my hand and danced me down the cobbled street toward the plaza at the center of town. “You are a stunning dancer, cara mia. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” He spun me under his arm, my duffle bag banging me in the butt the whole time. “Of course, you have become much better since becoming my partner. But everyone does.”

He winked at me before dropping me into a dip. My bag slid off my shoulder and a hand darted beneath me to catch it. Alberto swung me up and around so that I came face-to-face with the most unbelievably stunning vision I’d seen my whole time in Italy. Which was saying a lot. His eyes—blue, I thought, though the light from the corner post wasn’t enough to be sure—enraptured me. He held my bag out with a small smile that hinted at dimples.

“Grazie,” I said breathlessly as I wrapped my hand around the strap of my bag. He gave me a nod almost deep enough to be a bow, his shaggy blond hair falling in his face. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away. My mouth fell open. “How rude.”

“Must be American,” Alberto said. I punched him in the arm.

“Who goes out of their way to catch a falling object and then can’t even say ‘you’re welcome’?” I asked absent-mindedly as I stared after the retreating body that rivaled Alberto’s. No, scratch that. It totally beat out Alberto’s even on his best day.

“What an ass,” Alberto muttered.

“Rude, yes, but I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

“No, I mean what an ass that man has.” He let out a low whistle.

I laughed and admired the view as well. “I can agree with that.”

“He’s going to Alonzo’s. Lucky us.”

~ ~ ~

JERIC – I flipped to the picture I’d drawn a couple of weeks ago during my search in Italy. I’d woken from a dream, one I’d been having for years, and as I had previously, I’d felt the need to sketch the girl who had me waking with a painful boner. Now that I’d met her in real life, I couldn’t deny the girl in my sketches was Leni—curly hair, exotic green eyes, full lips and breasts, her skin … as if the absolute best features of both African and European blood had been blended together and given to her. The Leni I’d just met would probably never wear the leather bra, miniskirt, and knee-high boots I’d drawn her in, but damn if she wouldn’t look hot in them. The vision came to me clearly. Too clearly. I had to place the book over my lap to hide the full-blown wood pressing against my jeans.

I needed a distraction. I needed to get her out of my head. I bought several little airline bottles of rum and dumped them in my Coke, but they weren’t enough to blur the image of Leni’s face in my mind. When the smoking hot flight attendant ran her finger over my arm then dropped a napkin with a message on my tray (“Meet me upstairs?”), I couldn’t resist. I snuck up the spiral staircase to the empty upper level and found her in the bathroom wearing nothing but heels and thigh-high stockings, tendrils of bottle-bleached hair barely hiding her fake tits. Flight attendants like this had made me a lifetime member of the mile-high club—they wanted nothing more than something to make the transatlantic flight more interesting. My perfect kind of girl.

Unfortunately, my eyes only saw Leni’s body under my hands.

About The Author:

Kristie Cook is a lifelong writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle.

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Book Spotlight: Conflicting Hearts

Conflicting Hearts

Contemporary Romance

Date Published: November 2012

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Synopsis:

Rachel Hayward hoped to have a quiet thirtieth birthday alone. Instead, fate had different plans.

Caught in traffic and late for work, she can do nothing except wait for the freeway gridlock to ease. A three-car pileup has caused the snarl. Just as cars begin to move at a faster clip, Rachel takes her eyes off the road to gawk at the accident and rear-ends the car in front of her.

Sick over having ruined her day, she lowers her head onto the steering wheel and waits for the driver to begin a tirade over her stupidity. Instead, a kind man taps on her window showing genuine concern about her welfare. The brief colliding encounter suddenly starts a relationship between two strangers that takes off under odd circumstances.

When the couple becomes intimate, their relationship turns into a conflicting set of desires and needs. Rachel is bound by a shameful, dark childhood. After she falls in love with the handsome Ian Richards, she is faced with the decision to leave him or finally confront her demons to obtain the one thing in life she's always needed--healing from the sexual abuse she endured as a little girl.

EXCERPT

Ian slowly turns me around so that I’m facing him. We’re nose to nose. Our bodies are touching front to front. This is not good, or maybe it is good. He doesn’t say a thing, except to look at me with a smoldering gaze. A second later, he lazily moves his eyes toward my lips.

I’m frozen. I look at him with half anticipation and half panic. He’s going to kiss me; I know it. His intentions are clearly expressed in his blue eyes, which have turned a shade darker. I’m losing it. Hurriedly, I remind him of his words to fend off the advance.

“Uh, I thought you wanted to be just friends?”

A look of admiration sweeps across his face. He gently brings his hand up to my forehead and brushes a few strands of hair out of my eyes. Ian is silent, but it’s obvious he is thinking this through. It’s driving me crazy being close to his body.

“You want more?” I whisper, trying to get him to say something.

“Do you?”

He answers with a question. It’s annoying. “I asked you first,” I reply, not cracking a smile or giving away my heart pounding in my chest. I can’t look at him any longer. I close my eyes, and silently ask God, who I’ve ignored for years, to help me.

Then I feel the warmth of his breath approach. He circles my lips with his and gives me a long, tender kiss. Sweet Jesus. He tastes so delicious! I hope the breath mint I popped in my mouth a half hour ago is still working. Eventually, he pulls away, and I open my eyes.

“Does that answer your question?”

Read Chapter 1 Online via a Flip Book:

Here

Author Bio:

J. D. Burrows is a pen named used for contemporary romance written by Vicki Hopkins. She has authored four other historical fiction/romance novels. Her recent historical (Dark Persuasion) won the 2012 USA Best Book Awards Finalist for Fiction Romance.

The author lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with a pesky cat who refuses to let her sleep in. She enjoys traveling to England, researching her English ancestry, finding long-lost relatives from the Holland lineage, and creating stories that touch the hearts of women.

For information about her historical romance, visit http://vickihopkins.com

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Purchase Links

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Thankful Thursdays

It's my favorite day of the week: Thankful Thursday!

Even though my first year as a teacher is rocky and unplanned at best (the instinct to run away from the classroom screaming explicitly did cross my mind), I am still grateful for a lot of things:

1. I am thankful for having books.

You know, if there's one thing I've learned this year, it's this: Books connect people. Doesn't matter the background, culture or language. Books, movies, and television remain the same. They connect people through the same experience.

I still get excited to share the experiences of The Unfortunate Events with my students, or Bluford High Series. I love seeing the light bulb moment and the "Oh wow, my teacher read that book too?" look on their face. It literally makes my day. It makes teaching worthwhile.

2. I am thankful for my place.

I literally love my apartment. Especially my patio. Sitting out there reading books and sipping hot cocoa is the best thing since sliced bread. 

Seriously.

3. I am very grateful for gardening.

There were times when students or even life in general got me so frustrated that I had to go gardening. More specifically, I would go to the garden and pull up weeds. Sometimes, I even had names for the overly stubborn weeds.

Overall, gardening was there when sometimes family members and friends didn't understand. And that made gardening special to me. And even to this day, I will continue to be thankful for the weeds in my life despite my cleverness in mulching bed design.

Well, I've listed all of the things I'm thankful for. What are you grateful for?

Author Interview: Krystal Milton

Please welcome to Feed My Need, the fabulous author, Krystal Milton!

When and why did you begin writing?

I began writing as a past time in my teenage years. It was more like a hobby intertwined with all the others; crocheting, sketching, sewing, singing, painting. There were a lot of things happening in my life and using these vises was a positive outlet for me. I would write poetry and short stories just for my eyes only, sometimes I would share with family and friends and they’d go “Whoa Krystal this is really good.” 

At first I thought they were just giving me a generic response to what I had written but slowly people began asking for my creative opinion or requesting a copy to show to their friends. And as my life continued to progress writing always stayed at the back of my mind.

Writing to me had been therapeutic. It helped me overcome so much of the turmoil I was experiencing but it wasn't until later in life in my twenties where I started to become more passionate about it, when I ultimately decided it’s more than just jotting down ideas or circumstances. I found that the more I wrote the more in tune with my characters I became. And finally when I was ready I shared these stories through self publishing.

                                                         What was the hardest part of writing your book? 

The hardest part of writing for me is reconciling the differences between me and the characters I write about. For instance, I was born and raised in Brentwood NY , which has become its own ghetto. When I was younger I could walk around after dark without fear of anything happening to me, now I won’t even let my children play on the porch after the sun goes down. There isn’t a lot of violence on my own street or those closest to mine, but you have to take precautions in that type of climate.

When I was writing Charge that to the Game, my character Finesse was someone born and raised in Brentwood . It was easy for me to write about him in that type of setting because I know this town, and it is easy for many people to relate to. The problem with writing Finesse was incorporating the language. While I do throw out a curse word once in a while, say should I stub my toe, I do not however talk in that tone or manner on a daily basis. In order for me to stay true to Finesse’s nature I had to not only put myself in his frame of mind but cloak myself in his persona, speak his language, move as he himself would had he been real.

For me it was a very difficult process and after completing the series, I felt like I had to reprogram my mind and how I present myself. I also felt like I needed to sit in the corner with a bar of soap in my mouth. But I don’t regret writing about Finesse because seeing life through his eyes and hearing the words as he would say them himself had given dimension to his character. 

I was so pleased when a reader emailed me and said she couldn’t believe how well it came out, she said it was almost as if she could hear him speaking the words right off the page. The Dialogue was exactly as you would hear if you were standing with a group of homies on a Brentwood corner listening to an average conversation.

What is the easiest?

The easiest part of writing for me is getting a story started. By the time I sit in front of the keyboard I have the basic idea of what I want to say. Its as if I am painting on a blank canvas, I see the story line, I already know my characters, their lives and basically at which point in that life the reader will become acquainted with when they first crack open the book. The first draft comes to me I want to say naturally but its not that simple, I will say quickly. Once I reread I can reshape, mold and add to it.

What music do you listen to while you write? 

It’s funny that you ask that. I love R&B, smooth jazz, pop and sometimes country. Let me not forget soft rock. Sometimes I could be listening to a song and bam I got a story idea and a character in my minds eye. Charge that to the Game came to me one day while I was driving home from work and I was listening to Jahiem’s “Fabulous”. I love that song. There is a scene in Say a little Prayer that came to me while I was listening to my iPod and Mary J Blidge was blasting in my ear.


What inspires you? 

People, life, every day situations, my past, my children. When I write I try to stay in tune with things that push me, give me drive to keep on going. I listen to stories from people I know and I think about how I can apply their situation to my stories, because everyone’s life is unique. We handle things differently and by using their coping strategies has helped open my mind up to different scenarios and situations. I am inspired by my past to do better. Inspired by my children to live my dream, make mistakes and learn from them so if they should ever experience the things that I have (though I pray they don’t) they can see a prime example through me how to overcome anything.

Do you have any hidden talents? 

I dabble in painting. I sketch, which I included a few sketches in my Charge that Series. I sew and crochet when I have time, though I must say between working fulltime, writing in whatever spare time I can find and being a full time mother its hard to fit my little hobbies in. But I do make sure I find time because those little breaks replenish me.


What are your current projects?

Right now I am working on promoting Say a little Prayer which was re-released in January. It was originally supposed to be a series but I nixed that and republished the full novel with all subsequent chapters. I will also be publishing Blitz, book three in the Charge that Series by the end of February, not positive on a date yet. I am currently shopping around for an Agent for my novel Sins of the Father while I work on finishing a manuscript for The Promise which I hope to self publish too by the end of July this year.

Quick: Vampires or Shapeshifter? Why?

Shape shifter all the way. I do not like to be bitten and do not see the appeal in having a cold dead thing trying to entice me it just won’t work, I say this is vain because I do love vampires, but shape shifters are still human. That’s way more appealing.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Be diverse. I am African American or you can call me black I take no offense to either. However I do not write only about my culture. I write about different ethnicities, because everyone no matter their color or creed experiences life, has goals they want to achieve, has a story to tell, has a past they are maybe running from. Embrace the world that we live in and perfect your craft in order to tell about it. 

Write for pleasure always, because when you take the joy and passion out of something you love, you wont produce that either. People can tell when they read if this is what you love to do, or what you are forcing yourself to do. And of course, never give up. It may not happen today, but it will one day.


Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

With every story I write, with every character, I try to convey a message of love and understanding, of the promise of struggle and how to overcome. I try to entertain with a few laughs, burst out a few tears and maybe show my readers a good time all the while showing a dedicated perseverance.

We all have different walks of life, different passions and expectations, different circumstances but on the inside we are all very much the same. In the messages I give to readers I want them to understand that self improvement is not about looks. It’s about improving how we react to others, about how we cope, how we maintain. When we read we are exploring different worlds and situations, and somehow the genres we like most seem to mirror some aspect of our life, consciously you may not know it but it does. 

It’s a phobia or a nightmarish secret, its insecurity or an obsession we may not know exists inside of us but we still seek it. It helps us escape from chores or everyday stresses. Sometimes it’s a simple pleasure to close out the evening snuggled up in a comforter. And I hope that with each story I write my readers will always be entertained, are always in love with my characters, their lives, their situations and their joyous ending. I hope my readers get as much enjoyment out of reading my works as I do out of writing them.

Kells Garrett is on trial for murdering his late wife Kyana Garrett. As the trial unfolds, he has to face not only the loss of his freedom, but the truth about his late wife as all her misdeeds come to light, painting her the seductress, and he the murderous jealous husband. Will the truth set him free? Or will it be his ultimate demise.

Pisces a major drug overlord has finally found his soul mate. Struggling with the epic turf wars, a crumbling empire and police at his every turn, he tries to convince his love to stay all the while grooming his younger brother Vito to take his place. With Kyana Garrett’s death a whole new world of trouble opens up and Pisces finds himself caught between family and his heart.

Michael Belmont and the Tomb of Anubis by Ethan Erway

Michael Belmont has always dreamed of leading a more adventurous life, but when it actually happens, he ends up getting more than he ever bargained for. Michael is sent to stay with his best friend Liam in Scotland while their parents conduct research at an ancient Egyptian necropolis. All is well until the boys get news that their parents have disappeared. Now Michael, his sister Abbey, and Liam suddenly find themselves in a race to obtain an ancient magical artifact that could be the only key to rescuing their parents- before it’s too late. Come on a journey with Michael and his companions as they unravel the mysteries of a medieval Scottish castle, get kidnapped by angry werewolves, and become entangled in a war that has been raging for thousands of years.

My Thoughts:

At first, I was really excited to read the book. I loved Indiana Jones movies and I thought this would be another type of Indiana Jones books. Unfortunately, I got the adventure but not the excitement of Indiana Jones.

What do I mean? Well, before I leap into the negatives and attack, I'll deal with the positives first (since I didn't finish reading the book).

Positives:

1. The characters

Overall, the characters were enjoyable. Especially the main character. He was adventurous and had a good sense of humor.

2. The setting

I liked the fact that they're in an European castle. That never fails the cool or fascinating test.

Negative:

1. Explanation Galore

This author simply puts way too much information dumps about the characters and what they mean. I mean, once or twice in a chapter, I would have forgiven it.

But when it's on every single page, it becomes an issue. And ultimately, it was a deal breaker to me.

I know that for other people, it was tolerable, but for me I just couldn't take it.

Wisteria Blog Tour: Bisi Leyton Interview

Please welcome the fabulous author of Wisteria . . . Bisi Leyton!

When and why did you begin writing? 

I started writing when I was eight, but I wrote my first novel when I was twelve. It was a version of Sweet Valley High set in Nebraska. I guess, I tried to inject a version of me into the book.


What was the hardest part of writing your book? What is the easiest?

The easiest thing is coming up with new ideas for a new book. When it comes to random ideas I can brainstorm a lot in a short period of time as everything inspires me.

I find outlining sequels is trickier as I’m bound by the rules and laws I set up in the earlier books. I definitely think it’s worth it to outline the book because it helps guide my writing. Outlining was the only way I was able to complete my novel as an adult.


What music do you listen to while you write?

No, I watch television or rather I have the television on while I’m writing. Generally, I like watching police procedurals, cartoons (Ben Ten, Johnny Test or Thundercats), and sometimes the Twilight Zone.


What inspires you?

I’m really moved to write by the sad things that either happen in my life or to those around me. I don’t think life is fair, so I try to make my writing reflect that sometimes decent people suffer and the unjust succeed, what matters is how we cope in that situation.


Do you have any hidden talents?

I love singing and I’m teaching myself to play the guitar.


What are your current projects? 

I’m currently outlining Hysteria (Wisteria Series #4). It will be the last book in the Wisteria series. This book should wrap up most of the loose ends in the series as well as leave the reader with even more questions.

Aside from young adult paranormal romance, I’m working on an historical romance series called 20 Guineas. Based in colonial Lagos, it is about a girl who’s trying to grow up without a mother in a 1950s polygamous home. The girls foolishly falls in love with an English student and son of her employer.


Quick: Vampires or Shapeshifter? Why?

I don’t write either genre, but I like Shapeshifters because I love Star Trek Deep Space Nine’s Odo.


Do you have any advice for other writers?

Love what you do because that’s the only thing that will keep you going. Also, try not to worry about what sells right now because no one knows what will sell tomorrow.


Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

I want to thank them for all their support and I hope they enjoy Wisteria.

Sixteen year old Wisteria Kuti has two options—track the infected around the Isle of Smythe or leave the only known safe haven and face a world infested with flesh eating biters. But even with well-armed trackers, things go wrong and Wisteria ends up alone facing certain death, until she is rescued by the mysterious Bach. Uninfected, Bach is able to survive among the hordes of living dead.

Eighteen year old Bach, from a race known as The Family, has no interest in human affairs. He was sent here to complete his Great Walk and return home as a man—as a Sen Son. The Family regard humans as Dirt People, but Bach is drawn to this Terran girl, whom he has never seen before, but somehow knows. 

Hunted by flesh eaters, cannibals, and the mysterious blood thirsty group called Red Phoenix, Wisteria and Bach make their way back to the Isle of Smythe, a community built on secrets and lies.

Black Writer, White Characters: Too Weird?

I always get this look when I mention that I (as an African American woman) that I don't write urban fiction. You know the type they put in African American section in Barnes and Noble?

Yep. That's the one. 

It's not like I have anything against authors like Sister Souljah. Quite the contrary. I look up to these authors since they can write with the authentic African American voice. 

Even though some people forget that not all African Americans live this way (I timidly raise my hand), these are still stories that are important to our culture and are now valued.

However, I just don't write these type of stories.

Now will I say I will NEVER write these type of stories?

No.

But as of right now, I'm not writing urban fiction. I like to write with European American characters (a.k.a. white characters).

Why?

One word: Suburban.

I've lived in the suburbs my whole life and pulling from my experience, it's just easier for me. It's not like I'm denying my African American roots or history. I'm just not writing stories about it. Yet.

Now, I will eventually write minority characters and in fact, I have inserted some minority characters into my stories. Specifically Angel Diaries and some short stories most recently.

And I will start a novel with a main character of a minority race. I just have to pull all of the information and write it.

Until then though, my main characters will be white.

Is that too weird that I write with white characters instead of black? Or should I, as an author, have the right to choose how I want to star in my novels?