Remember when you were in school and someone decorated your locker with wrapping paper and candy canes and big red bows? Today there’s a note taped to the outside of your locker. It reads:
Enter the Secret Santa Giveaway from Dec. 16 to Dec. 22, 3PM Pacific and on Friday, Dec. 23, Noon Pacific you could find TONS of books inside! <3 SECRET SANTA
GRAND PRIZE: A Kindle or Nook copy of the books featured on the Grand Prize List!
TO ENTER THE SECRET SANTA GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY: just FOLLOW http://yaauthorclub.blogspot.com & COMMENT on any participating carni’s site, links below, telling us why you’ve been naughty or nice this year. Each carni will have individual giveaways too so be sure to visit all the carnis to win as many books as possible!
GRAND PRIZE WINNER ANNOUNCED 12/23/2011, Noon Pacific on http://yaauthorclub.blogspot.com! GOOD LUCK
So, here’s how to win what’s under my tree…”Like” my FB page http://www.facebook.com/Laura.A.H.Elliott and watch for the winners announcement there and here on Friday Dec. 23rd so I can get the winners’ email address. There will be one winner for EACH book! THAT’S IT! Good luck!!! And here’s my HAPPY HOLIDAYS GIFT TO YOU——a FREE KINDLE copy of 13 on Halloween, only for the next few days! Tell your friends! Now, here are the wonderful books that are sitting under my tree, ready for you to win!
Ever wonder if the people you meet on a paradise vacation are what they seem? Ever imagine that Valentine’s Day could be cursed, literally? What would it be like to be turned into a vampire and find that you couldn’t leave your old life behind, even if you wanted to? What about karma? If bad things we do could come back to haunt us, what about the good things? Did you ever wonder what inspired certain statues or pictures of art, or what pieces of the artists soul, went into their creations? This collection of short stories explores vengeance, closure, justice and other possibilities from beyond the grave.
EXCERPT FROM KISSES––BEYOND THE VEIL: A GHOST STORY ANTHOLOGY
Terry Cooper tried hard not to kick the side of the automatic door as it opened on an explosion of scarlet and bubble-gum satin and lace. The menagerie of heart bedecked stuffed animals crowded the aisles like a cupid-struck taxidermist’s fantasy, and Terry’s worst nightmare. The stacks of chocolate boxes waited, like Gretel’s witch in her candy house, to tempt her into a sugar feeding frenzy that would use up every drop of insulin in her diabetic body for the rest of her life. Valentine’s Day sucks! Fuck Valentine’s Day! she thought, as she savagely shoved the grocery cart ahead of her. It nearly careened into a stand of skimpy thong underwear with curly “I Love You” script littering the tiny triangle of fabric.
She tossed packets of lettuce and other veggies into her cart haphazardly, and then buried them under bags of chips and other snack food. Two minutes and counting, she thought as she reached for the rice cakes around a portly woman blocking the entire aisle with her cart. If I don’t get out of here soon, I’m going to shoot these people, she vowed. Two days until Venereal Day. I’m not going to survive this time without committing multiple homicides.
The woman giggled and grabbed a third box of frosty angelic white Valentine’s Day Little Debbie cakes. “Oh, I just love these things! I buy out a whole shelf every Valentine’s Day to decorate for everyone I know. I put messages on the top. They taste so much better than those chalky candy hearts, don’t you think?”
“I’m diabetic.”
“Oh, well, no cakes for you, then!” She waggled a puffy finger at Terry. “I bet those rice patties would decorate up nice. Lots of room to write, ‘I wuv you’ on those! You can whip up a batch of sugar free frosting in a jiffy with that Splenda now.”
But I don’t love you, I hate you, and your little teddy bear too. “Thanks.” Terry grimaced, pulled a box of angel cakes into her cart and ran.
ABOUT RACHEL COLES:
Rachel Coles lives and works in Denver, Colorado with her husband Adam, and young daughter Rosa. An anthropologist by training, Rachel pursued her love of diverse cultures and passion for mythology into writing. She is from an Ashkenazi Jewish family, and grew up with a rich background in Semitic and Middle Eastern folklore. Together with her husband and daughter, she enjoys martial arts, science fiction, fantasy, and horror, in all their forms. They are, in fact, the proud parents of one of the youngest Trekkies in the state.
Rachel Coles’ other stories include the story Orphans of Lethe in the new anthology What Fears Become from Imajin Books, and Into The Ruins anthology available on Kindle.
Stay tuned for her debut novel, Pazuzu’s Girl in the spring!
Visit Rachel at www.rachelcoles.wordpress.com, Rachel Bernstein Coles on Facebook, rcoles66 on Twitter, or zhadum6@yahoo.com
Torn between her father’s Catholicism and her mother’s Pagan beliefs, Eva finally chooses Paganism. She accepts the name of Arethusa but learns too late that her life will mirror the Greek nymph’s tragic fate. When they sail to the Azores Islands, her mother tells her that her destiny rests with Diogo, the shipowner’s son. But Eva sees a vision of another . . .
When the ship founders off the Azores, Tristan, a young Azorean, saves her. Destined to be with Diogo yet aching for Tristan’s forbidden love, Eva must somehow choose between them, or fate will soon choose for her.
Artemis Rising is a beautiful, seamless blend of two mythologies: the Arthurian legend of Tristan and Isolde, and the ancient Greek legend of Alpheus and Arethusa. It is a story filled with young romance, tragedy, forgiveness and attempts at redemption.
EXCERPT :
1: DAUGHTER OF THE MOON
24 August 1893
Strange how our names become our fate. No matter my fate, given a choice, still I would choose that name: Arethusa, nymph of the old world, daughter of the moon. Is the name a curse or a blessing? Perhaps neither. Perhaps my mother has merely destined me for a love of watery things. It is true. The sea is in my blood, slipping quicksilver through my veins. And the Moon Goddess is to be my mistress. No more Eva now. No more a daughter of God.
Eva’s fingers shook as she held the match to the candlewick. The chill night air seeped through her thin shift. Even in deep summer, Massachusetts still clung to the remnants of spring when the sun sank below the foothills. But it was not the wind that gave her shivers.
“Calm down,” Mãe said, laying her hand over Eva’s to still them. “Your Pai will be gone for hours and Artemis will rise soon enough.”
Eva held the match closer to the candle. The wind snatched out the flame with a huff. Her hand trembled when she drew another match, and she hated that her mother saw it.
With the changing of her name, she would deny her father’s faith and embrace her mother’s. A simple choice. And a dangerous one. A pagan in a Catholic world had need of secrecy and courage. But for her it was more than a question of faith. This choice would direct her destiny. Her namesake was a nymph devoted to Artemis, Goddess of the Moon. A nymph who was chased by the obsessive river god Alpheus into the depths of the sea and back. Yet in the end, Alpheus found Arethusa and merged his waters with hers until they became one.
She knew that this would be her fate. But it was not the Catholic fate of heaven or hell. It was a kind of immortality. A deathless death. She feared this most of all. When she was joined to Alpheus, would she cease to exist? Would her soul be lost?
For many years, she had known this day was coming. Her mother had taught her the old sabbats and rites and, for Mãe’s sake, had practiced these secret rituals over and over. At first, Eva felt torn—it was so different from Pai’s strict Catholic sacraments of the Eucharist and Confirmation—but over time, Mãe’s beliefs had become her own. Despite her fleeting doubts, she knew she would not hesitate when it came time to give her promise. It was not in her nature to falter. And she dared not falter now.
ABOUT CHERI LASOTA:
Over the course of her sixteen-year career, Cheri Lasota has edited fiction, nonfiction, screenplays, and short stories for publication. Clients include McGraw-Hill Publishing Company as well as individual fiction writers and screenwriters, some of which have been published.
Cheri also has over twenty-four years of experience writing poetry and fiction. She has recently signed on with SpireHouse Books, which has published her debut novel, ARTEMIS RISING. The YA historical fantasy is set in the Azores Islands, Portugal, and is based on two different mythologies. Currently, Cheri is writing and researching her second novel, a YA set on the Oregon Coast.
Cheri is a member of SheWrites.com, Women In Portland Publishing (WiPP) and the NW Independent Editors Guild (NWIEG). She is an active member of Willamette Writers and attends the Willamette Writers Conference every year. She has also participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for five years. Find Cheri at http://www.cherilasota.com
Corinne lives an average teenage life working at her dad’s cafe, hanging out with her best friend, and trying to forget a falling-out with her almost-boyfriend Mason. Things take a strange turn when she uses her late grandmother’s food dyes for a bake sale, and her customers suddenly find her irresistibly alluring. Then she discovers she and Mason are haunted by the same dreams of a dark force that consumes everything in its path.
Pursued by shadowy figures and a crazy woman with secrets from the past, Corinne must find out who her grandmother really was. In her quest to unravel her family’s history, she learns she is destined to protect this world–and the dark world of her dreams. She races to find the answers she seeks before her nightmares break free.
i’ve been nice throughout this year by sitting in my room and doing home works, assignments, and other tasks given by the lecturers. even it kind of tiring and exhausting but it was vital for my grades. i hope that i can become a good advocate & solicitor by first being a good student to my lecturer.. nevertheless, being good is indeed good.
Fiza, Good job with keep up on your homework! And all that you are doing with your family. Thanks for taking time to stop by Laurasmagicday! Good luck on the GRAND PRIZE!
Under the Veil’s a good one. Hope Santa brings it to you!
hee-hee, I LOVE Rachel’s cover, it’s SO incredibly spooky! Thanks for stopping by:)
The Secret Santa Giveaway is amazing! The stories of books under your tree are very beautiful.
Thank you for the giveaway and Happy Holidays!
Diana, Thanks for stopping by. I hope you get a few of these this Christmas. Good luck on the giveaway 🙂
The Secret Santa Giveaway is amazing and thank you for the great giveaway.
Happy Holidays!
I’m stupid, I left two comments. I’m so sorry!
🙂 No problemo! *waves*
ive been nice this year, well for the mpost part. Ive arranged help groups and community service groups to help people in my town.
Sherri, That’s AWESOME! That’s very NICE. Great work. And good luck with the giveaway!
Very cool, Laura! I just grabbed a copy of 13 on Halloween. Thank you so much for that!
I don’t want to take the prizes away from anyone else – just wanted to show my support and say thanks 🙂
Melissa,
Hey, thanks for stopping by today! I know you’ve been very NICE this year because you wrote Golden Blood! YAY! Isn’t this fun??
An amazing giveaway! Thanks for the opportunity. I believe I’ve been a bit naughty and a bit nice, why? Because life wouldn’t be much fun if I were just one. 😉 Cheers.
Hahahahaha. Great answer:) Good luck on the giveaway!
Lovely book I love to read. Happy Holidays!
Oh good:) Enjoy!