Saturday, October 26, 2013

Excerpt From The Wizard's Shield by Karen McCullough



BLURB:

A powerful wizard with a physics degree and a checkered past invents a shield to ensure he'll never again be tortured almost to death. The wizarding powers-that-be fear the repercussions of such a device and send his former girlfriend, an accomplished wizard herself, to retrieve the device or destroy it. When the shield is stolen by the magical mafia, Ilene McConnell and Michael Morgan have to set aside their differences and work together to recover it. Michael claims he needs the device as insurance against the kind of injury and injustice he suffered once before. Ilene maintains its potential to upset the delicate balance of power makes it too dangerous and that it needs to be destroyed. But none of that will matter if they can’t retrieve it before a ruthless, powerful wizard learns how to use it for his own ends.



EXCERPT:

The rush of a sudden, fierce wind outside drew Ilene to a window to watch the shrubs and palm trees flapping wildly. Sand blew over the pavement and splattered against walls and trees. Dead leaves, loose papers, and other debris danced in the air. A livid, purple-tinged darkness turned the day grotesque. Tendrils of indigo-shaded power floated along with the dark storm clouds.

A flash of lightning seared its way from sky to ground just beyond a row of houses across the street, followed closely by a crack of thunder that rattled the windows.

A man and woman hurried three small children along the boardwalk that led over the dune from the beach to the street. They toted coolers, bags, boogie boards, and buckets. The youngest trailed a towel flapping behind him in the wind. More lightning zig-zagged from sky to ground, not far away. Ilene sucked in a sharp breath.

The father looked up and flinched. Fear tightened his muscles as he dropped a cooler and turned around to snatch up the straggling toddler. His voice carried over the rushing wind. "Get to the van. Quick!"

He nodded toward a vehicle parked down the street. His wife and two older children raced on ahead.

Ilene’s hands clenched into fists. Too much energy crackled in the air. It wasn’t directed at the family, but that didn’t guarantee they wouldn’t get hurt by it. Collateral damage. Some of the more ruthless mages cared little for who else was affected by their activities.

Two flashes hit nearby, one right after the other. The child let out a frightened wail as his father, bent low over him, dashed off the wooden walkway and down the street. Even they could sense the danger building.

Ilene couldn’t trust their fate to chance. She roused her own power, feeling for charged particles in the area. Gathering them in, she rolled and pushed them into position, building a lattice of force around the family. It wouldn’t keep out the wind or the rain—she could have done that with air, too, if she’d had time—but it should keep the lightning from reaching them. For the moment, that mattered most.

Even at a distance, the rush of oppositely charged particles prickled in her brain. The growing polarization signaled an impending strike.

What formed out there made her gut clench in fear. It was so close to the father and child the hair on their bodies must have been standing on end. The man looked around wildly, searching for shelter. The panic in his eyes radiated across the fifty feet or so that separated them.

Would her barrier be enough to protect them? The ground charge was forming so close it could jump right through it if she’d left even a small opening. Ilene reached out toward the building charge differential. Playing with lightning was tricky business. Choosing her positions carefully, she pushed in various weak spots to move the polarizing field.

It sucked a lot of energy out of her to divert its course. Her ribs and head ached as she herded protons in a subatomic cattle drive to get the charge well away from the family. Those minuscule bits of potential energy were every bit as ornery and uncooperative as cows were reputed to be.

Even as the bolt formed, she didn’t know if she’d succeeded. Her breath stopped in her throat for a long, long moment as she waited.

The streak of lightning followed the diverted path to the beach, a safe distance away.

The man ran to the van, getting there just moments behind his wife and older children. He pushed the toddler into the back seat and ran around to the other side, while his wife slammed the rear door and got into the front. Ilene didn’t let out the breath she held until they were all safely inside the vehicle. She released the protective field. The van’s headlights flicked on and moments later it chugged off down the street.

More lightning singed the sky. An inflatable ring rolled down the street like a runaway tire. Ilene shuddered, though it wasn’t entirely the weather that set it off. The storm was a natural thing, but someone—a powerful wizard—was using it.

Using it to attack. The island or the house or its occupants. Brilliant, livid streaks of orange and red mixed with violet and deep blue swirls riding with the clouds. The smells of ammonia and ozone and peppers burned her nostrils.

Lightning flashed brighter and closer. Dangerously closer.

The grumble of thunder grew almost constant. The rushing downpour of rain added to the chaos and noise. Driven by the wind to blow almost horizontally, it splattered against the window in big drops that spread out, then slid down the glass like groping hands trying to claw their way in.

Something was out there. The swirls of lividly hued power grew deeper and more intense. It rode on the storm in frightening concentrations. Why here, though?  

BUY LINKS:

Trade Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/The-Wizards-Shield-Karen-McCullough/dp/148118296X

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0060Y5IQ6

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wizard-x2019-s-shield-karen-mccullough/1045768171?ean=2940015953275

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/281723

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-wizards-shield/id600165431?mt=11

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-wizard-s-shield




 BIO:

Karen McCullough is a web designer by profession, and the author of a dozen published novels and novellas in the mystery, romantic suspense, and fantasy genres as well. She has won numerous awards, including an Eppie Award for fantasy, and has also been a four-time Eppie finalist, and a finalist in the Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards contests. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications in the fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. She has three children, four grandchildren and lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.

Website: http://www.kmccullough.com

Blog: http://kmccullough.com/kblog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgmccullough


Friday, October 25, 2013

Last Friday of the Month Recipe~White Delight by Elaine Cantrell & Excerpt from The Enchanted

Just the ingredients make my mouth water. Can't wait to try this.


White Delight

1 8oz. pack cream cheese
½ cup lemon juice
1 can Eagle Brand milk
1 large can fruit cocktail (about 20oz. well drained)
1 cup pecans
8 oz. cool whip
shredded coconut

 


Mix everything together and sprinkle the coconut on top


 

BLURB:

Forced by his father into a marriage he didn’t want, Prince Alan soon finds that his bride isn’t the sweet, submissive creature he expected. Morgane has the heart of a dragon and beauty beyond compare, but she isn’t thrilled about the marriage either. When black treachery threatens the kingdom, Morgane and Alan embark on a perilous journey that has an excellent chance of ending in failure and death for them and all their people.


EXCERPT:

Prologue

King Bowdyn sprang from his throne and paced around the room like a crazed tiger. ʺPerhaps you did not understand me, Alan,ʺ he snarled. His hands clenched into fists held rigidly to his sides. ʺThis is not a request, but a command. You will marry Lady Maybina before the next full moon has passed."

Alan dared not raise his eyes from the floor. ʺFather, I do not…ʺ"

ʺSilence!" the king roared. ʺI have respected your wishes for three years now, but my patience is at an end. You will wed Lady Maybina as I have commanded.

ʺFather, having married once for love, I have no desire to marry a woman whom I have never met! Can you not understand? Think of the love you share with my mother. Is it so bad that I desire the same kind of relationship?"

The king's face turned purple, but he took a deep breath and returned to sit upon his huge jewel-encrusted throne. He wiped his face with a lace-trimmed handkerchief. "I have never understood you. You insisted on marrying a commoner —a nobody —and now that death has released you from your vows, you refuse to marry a woman of your own station."

Alan's heart thudded in his chest. How far could he push his father? With Bowdyn, one could never be sure. "I am sorry to disappoint you.

"The kingdom needs heirs. The wedding will proceed as I have planned."

"Father..."

ʺEnough!" Bowdyn's eyes bulged with the force of his scream.

"But…"

ʺGuards!"

Four men dressed in the family's red red-and-white livery rushed from their places against the rough stone wall. ʺBind him!" the king cried.

The guards hauled Alan to his feet and fastened his hands behind his back with a silken cord —a privilege extended only to those of royal birth. ʺI have tolerated your disrespect and rebellious attitude long enough." The king's voice dripped with icicles now. ʺAs much as it pains me to admit it, you are nothing like your brother. If Nealon had lived, I would have the option of letting you spend the rest of your life painting pictures or grieving for your dead wife. Unhappily for us both, your brother died defending the kingdom, and you are all that I have left.

"Therefore, for your disobedient and disrespectful ways, I sentence you to one year in the prison of Malville.ʺ A grim smile crossed the king's face. ʺKeeper Kynthelig has a way with men. When you return, I expect you will know your duty and see your way clear to do it."

He turned to the guards. "Confine him in his room for the moment. Tonight I will write a letter to Keeper Kynthelig, and tomorrow you shall cross the Leptan Desert and deliver my son to him."ʺ




BIO:

Elaine Cantrell was born and raised in South Carolina. She holds a master’s degree in personnel services from Clemson University. She is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary society for women educators and is also a member of Romance Writers of America. Her first novel, A New Leaf, was the 2003 winner of the Timeless Love Contest. When she isn’t writing or teaching, she enjoys reading, traveling, and collecting vintage Christmas ornaments







LINKS:
http://www.elainecantrell.com
http://www.elainepcantrell.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/elainepcantrell
http://www.twitter.com/elainecantrell


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Meet Karen McCullough ~ Winner of an Eppie Award for Fantasy, and Four-Time Eppie Finalist

 
Please welcome Karen McCullough, both traditionally and indie published with her back list and new works.   

LA: Hi Karen, please tell us about your current series.
 
KMc: Thanks for having me L.A., it is an exciting time for authors. So far there’s only one book available in my “Market Center Mysteries” series, A Gift for Murder, but I’m working on writing the second book now. My tentative title is Wired for Murder. I have ideas for two more stories as well.
 
LA: What’s next for you?
 
KMc: I’m currently releasing backlist stories as ebooks, and I still have a few more to go. I’ll have a spooky Halloween story available soon, and a Christmas story in early November. These were originally titled Heart of the Night and Blue December, but I don’t really like either title and plan to change them.
 
LA: How much time do you spend promoting your books? What works best for you?
 
KMc: Not as much as I probably should. I’d rather spend my time writing than promoting, but I do try to do regular blog posts, both on my own blog and guest posts on others. One thing I want to investigate further is doing more with Pinterest. I have some ideas for putting up pictures related to my books and writing.
 
LA: How has your experience with self-publishing been?
 
KMc: So far, so good. I can’t say I’m making a fortune, but whatever I do get is more than I was earning with those books sitting on my shelf looking pretty. I recently self-published my first story that wasn’t a backlist re-release – The Wizard’s Shield. That book got a lot of nice comments from agents and editors, but ultimately all passed because they didn’t know how to categorize or market it. So now it’s published and available to readers who care less about genre category than about reading a good story.
 
LA: When your published rights reverted to you, did you change the book(s) much before you self-published?
 
KMc: It’s actually varied with the book. The first backlist book I self-published (A Question of Fire) had originally been written in 1986 and I chose to leave it as it was, since updating it would likely change significant parts of the plot.  
I was surprised to discover that The Night Prowlers didn’t really require much updating, but when I got to Programmed for Danger, which was first published in 1990 and was written around a heroine who is a computer analyst, I realized it would have to be pretty much completely re-written if it was to remain contemporary. So I did. 

The situation was a bit different with my current release, which is due just about the time this should go online. It wasn’t written long ago, but I was never happy with the way it was edited, so I did a complete overhaul of it as well.
 
LA: Which aspect of writing do you love the best, and which do you hate the most?
 
KMc: I love the writing itself and planning a story in my head. What do I hate the most? Promoting! I’m not good at it and I’d really rather be writing.
 
LA: Any advice you want to offer our readers about the dreaded Blurb writing ?
 
KMc: The blurb needs to focus tightly on the major conflict(s) of the story. What does the protagonist want and why can’t she have it? At the same time it has to convey enough of the specifics of the situation to make it sound interesting. The way I approach doing a blurb is to try to boil the story down to three to five sentences.
 
For instance this is my blurb for The Wizard’s Shield:

“A powerful wizard with a physics degree and a checkered past invents a shield to ensure he'll never again be tortured almost to death. The wizarding powers-that-be fear the repercussions of such a device and send his former girlfriend, an accomplished wizard herself, to retrieve the device or destroy it.

When the shield is stolen by the magical mafia, Ilene McConnell and Michael Morgan have to set aside their differences and work together to recover it. Michael claims he needs the device as insurance against the kind of injury and injustice he suffered once before. Ilene maintains its potential to upset the delicate balance of power makes it too dangerous and that it needs to be destroyed. But none of that will matter if they can’t retrieve it before a ruthless, powerful wizard learns how to use it for his own ends.” 
 
 I tried to make sure I conveyed the multiple levels of conflict in the story as well as the unusual elements that made it unique – both hero and heroine are wizards; the hero is a scientist; there’s a magical underworld as well as some level of authority in their world; and the mcguffin itself, the shield.
 
LA: Grammatical pet peeve … sound off.
 
KMc: Oh boy… I spent almost ten years as an editor at two trade publishing companies. I’m a bit of grammar purist, so mistakes, especially patterns of mistakes in any published story drive me crazy. Misplaced commas, run-on sentences and misused words make me grind my teeth. One I’ve been seeing a lot of lately that really annoys me is the confusion of “lose” and “loose.” I don’t understand why it’s so hard to know which one to use.
 
Okay, here are some fun social questions I love to ask my guests.
 
LA: Someone has cut you off in the checkout line. How do you handle it?
 
KMc: I give them the Karen McCullough death glare. It’s impressive, believe me, even though I stand all of five foot one. Depending on my mood, I might even say something of the pseudo-pleasant variety: “I’m sure you have a good reason for your rudeness. I just hope it’s not lack of education.”
 
LA: Coffee, tea or other?
 
KMc: Coffee, all the way. I’m a bit of a snob about it. I love really good coffee and I’m willing to spend a bit more to get the best I can.

LA: Do you have a day job, too? 

KMc: I’m a web designer/developer, specializing in websites for authors and small businesses. My web design site is at http://www.karenswebworks.com.
 
LA: When writing, do you listen to music?
 
KMc: No. I can’t. I love music, but it’s too distracting to listen to. I need to sink into the world of the story I’m writing, and music will pull me out of it.
 
LA: Do you have a favorite quote, quip, or saying? What is it?
 
KMc: My favorite writing-related quote is the well-known one from Elmore Leonard: “I try to leave out the parts that people skip.” I use this quote in the self-editing process. For each scene, even each paragraph, I’m asking myself: will readers skip this part? Does something interesting or important happen here?
 
But then my favorite general inspirational quote is this one from James Russell Lowell: “Be noble! And the nobleness that lies in other men, sleeping, but never dead, will rise in majesty to meet thine own.”
 

 
 
BLURB ~THE WIZARD’S SHIELD:
 
A powerful wizard with a physics degree and a checkered past invents a shield to ensure he'll never again be tortured almost to death. The wizarding powers-that-be fear the repercussions of such a device and send his former girlfriend, an accomplished wizard herself, to retrieve the device or destroy it. When the shield is stolen by the magical mafia, Ilene McConnell and Michael Morgan have to set aside their differences and work together to recover it.
 
Michael claims he needs the device as insurance against the kind of injury and injustice he suffered once before. Ilene maintains its potential to upset the delicate balance of power makes it too dangerous and that it needs to be destroyed. But none of that will matter if they can’t retrieve it before a ruthless, powerful wizard learns how to use it for his own ends.
 
BUY LINKS:
 


 
BIO:
 
Karen McCullough is a web designer by profession, and the author of a dozen published novels and novellas in the mystery, romantic suspense, and fantasy genres as well. She has won numerous awards, including an Eppie Award for fantasy, and has also been a four-time Eppie finalist, and a finalist in the Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards contests. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications in the fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. She has three children, four grandchildren and lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.