COVER REVEAL ~ Dreamweaver

Here it is, the last book in the Dreamwalker saga. This is a bittersweet moment for me as I’m sad to end the series, but I also couldn’t be happier with this story. For this cover reveal I thought I’d do something a little different by first showing you a music video of one of the “theme songs” for this book. Hopefully it captures the emotion in the cover for you as it does for me.

The epic conclusion to the Dreamwalker saga.

With her father in a coma, Princess Taryn tries to hold her kingdom together in the midst of crisis. Soulless raider ships ravage the coast, and the sleeping sickness is spreading as people are snatched from their dreams. Taryn wants to confront the mysterious evil in the dreamscape, but she’s got her hands full with problems in the waking world.

Duke Garth is trying to wrest control from her, and the insufferable Prince Fenir still wants to marry her. Yet when the prince saves her life, Taryn discovers a whole other side to the young man from the North. Could she learn to accept an arranged marriage, especially when her kingdom is desperate for help?

As Taryn wrestles with limited options, the enemy moves his final pieces into place, unleashing a horror no one could have imagined. Lexa is lost in the dreamscape, and Taryn finds herself alone, pitted against an unearthly invader. In a battle to save both the dreamscape and waking world, she may have to sacrifice everything she holds dear.

Cover design by Amber Shah at BookBeautiful.com

Add the book on Goodreads

COMING DECEMBER 2013

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NEW RELEASE! ~ Dreamsnatcher

I’m so thrilled to finally announce the release of this book! Dreamsnatcher and its soon to follow second half, Dreamweaver, are very dear to me. From the moment the story idea popped into my head, I had an inexplicable urge to write it, and nothing could distract me from these characters and their world. I hope you enjoy their journey as much as I have.

And now to give you a sneak peek, here’s an excerpt:

~

Lexa cleared her throat.

Olivia twisted around and heaved a sigh. “There you are.”

“Were you looking for me?”

“Yes.” The old woman grunted as she stood. “And Captain Duram. Did you two sneak off somewhere?”

Lexa rolled her eyes. “I was with Taryn for her dress fitting.” Of course, no one would think to look for her there.

“And your ship captain?”

“He was going down to the Navarro to pick up some things. Don’t worry, we both drank the tonic you made.”

The healer grumbled under her breath. “That tonic won’t ward against poison.”

Lexa stiffened. “Excuse me?”

Olivia crossed her arms. “Three men slipped into comas last night. They each suffered blade wounds in the raider attack. None of the injuries were serious enough to cause a coma naturally—one didn’t even require stitches—so I’m left with the conclusion of poison.”

Alarm tightened Lexa’s chest, and she swept her gaze over the unconscious patients. Who was it? Her frantic eyes latched onto the three men who appeared to be sleeping peacefully, so calm in fact, that were it not for the breath rising in their chests, they would look dead.

She shook her head. “That’s too slow to be poison though, isn’t it? Wouldn’t they have fallen into comas sooner?”

“There are poisons that work slowly.” Olivia ground her teeth together. “And in the rush of triage yesterday, symptoms might have been overlooked.”

Lexa noted the firm crease in the woman’s brow. “That wouldn’t have been your fault.”

Olivia huffed. “Well, now I know about it and am doing my best to determine what poison may have been used and find an antidote.”

Lexa’s brow furrowed. Poison was new. At least, she hadn’t read about any cases in the previous attacks. Why did the raiders want to poison some of their victims? Only three were in comas, but many more had suffered battle wounds, so did not all raiders coat their blades? If they’d wanted an advantage in battle, they would’ve chosen a fast-acting poison, something to incapacitate their victims immediately. A slower toxin suggested the raiders wanted to inflict lasting harm, that they took pleasure perpetuating fear and death long after they’d gone.

“Anyway,” Olivia continued. “I was looking for Sir Duram earlier because I remember he had a wound on his arm. You patched him up, right? And he was fine this morning?”

Lexa’s spine went rigid. How had Neil gotten that gash? She wracked her brain, but couldn’t remember him telling her. He’d felled two raiders though. Could one of them have delivered a parting blow?

“I have to go.” Lexa pivoted and sprinted out of the room.

~~~

Get your copy of Dreamsnatcher on Amazon and B&N.

Lexa has spent the past five years training the princess of Teltania in dreamwalking, a mission that’s coming to a close. But raiders hounding Teltania’s coast are leaving victims in comas, and Lexa discovers they’ve been snatched out of their dreams into the dreamscape. What soon becomes a potential plague sends her on a desperate search for answers before she loses everything she cares about.

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Everyone’s Favorite Dream Assassin Is Back!

One of the things fans of Dreamwalker have told me is how much they love Dirk. And who wouldn’t? He’s rugged, handsome, cocky—oh, and could kill you in your sleep. He’s one of those bad boys you can’t help but love. So, I’m giving readers more of Dirk. That’s right, he’s got his own story in this prequel novella to Dreamwalker. It’ll be out in the next couple months, but for now, here’s the cover and a short teaser to whet your appetite.

Cover Design by Erin Lark

Teaser:

As Dirk stepped into the dreamscape, he froze at a soft snuffing sound. Foul breath puffed over the back of his neck and he slowly turned. A large round glob of black floated six feet behind him. The width was the size of a man’s torso. It had no limbs, no eyes, no other features aside from a perfectly round, inky surface—except for a ragged crater gouged down one side in a scar. Tints of red lined the stretched skin like tendrils.

A Nightmare. Not just any Nightmare, but one that had been hunting Dirk for close to a year. These beings lived in the dreamscape, glutting themselves on the terror of bad dreams. He had tangled with this particular one a while ago. He’d gotten away, but not before it’d taken a piece of him. And it seemed to have developed a taste since it’d been harrowing him ever since.

It opened a mouth in the center of its mass, revealing rows of jagged teeth. The creature appeared to grin as it snuffed out another wave of putrid breath.

Dirk envisioned a sword in his hand and smoke burst up in a column before solidifying into steel. The Nightmare made a gurgling sound, and a drop of viscous black goop dribbled down its mouth to bubble like acid on the ground.

“Want another scar?” Dirk growled.

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Excerpt of Dreamstealer: Lexa vs. The Dress

I have another excerpt of Dreamstealer for you today, this time one with a little humor. Lexa is on her way to Teltania to see if their princess is in fact a new dreamwalker. Unfortunately, her cover for this mission is to go as a visiting diplomat of Artasia. And one must dress to fit the part…

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Neil gestured to the gray-toned, crackle-textured trunk. “Mathias left this for you, but he insisted you not open it until the day before our arrival. So, here it is.”

Lexa could tell she was not going to like this. She strode forward, flipped the latch, and swung the lid up. The trunk was full of clothes, it seemed, and dresses at that. She stared at the fitted, maroon velvet gown with a cross-laced bodice on top.

“Hell no.” She slammed the lid down again.

Neil cleared his throat. “I believe his words were something about you being a lady and needing to dress to fit the part.”

No wonder Mathias hadn’t wanted her opening it until the last minute…or while he was still around. She would have strangled him. Yes, she understood the importance of playing the role of diplomat, but did he have to choose such…opulent clothes? If he had given her more time, she would have done her own shopping—which had probably been his plan all along.

Lexa threw the lid open again; the hinges rattled as they quaked under her wrath. She grabbed the maroon dress and lifted it up. It was even worse in full form: puffed sleeves at the shoulder, which tapered down into a tightly fitted cuff at the wrist. Her arms would look like mutton legs in it. She tossed it on the bed. The next dress on the pile was an aquamarine with wide, billowy sleeves and lace around the neck meant to imitate sea spray. Underneath that lay a dark green gown with a loose skirt that Lexa thought she could tolerate, but for the most part, she discarded the various dresses on the bed, her lip curling in even more disgust with each one.

“I’m going to throttle him.”

Neil arched a brow at the mess. “So you two hadn’t discussed this?”

Lexa glowered at him. “Don’t pretend that comes as a surprise. He did tell you to keep this until the last minute.”

Neil rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure I see the problem.”

Lexa gestured to her plain shirt and pants, then at the dresses. “Seriously?”

He quirked a smile. “They would look stunning on you.”

“They’re ridiculous.”

“Perhaps you should try one on first.” He dug under the pile, pulled out the maroon one, and held it out to Lexa. Her fingers twitched, unwilling to even touch the extravagant fabric. But with Neil watching her closely, she swallowed her discomfort and snatched it from his hand.

“You’re forgetting a piece.” He reached into the trunk and pulled out a corset.

Lexa gave it a blank stare.

“It’s all the fashion in Teltania right now.”

“You wear it.”

~~~

I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek. I was also on Mistress of the Dark Path’s blog this weekend for an interview. Curious if I have a naughty side? … 😉

Dreamstealer is available on Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and iTunes.

When her kingdom’s former enemy suspects their princess is a budding dreamwalker, Lexa is drafted out of retirement and sent to Teltania to train the twelve-year-old girl. But hidden agendas complicate her mission, and Lexa doesn’t know whom to trust. Meanwhile, her own dreamwalking powers are waning when she needs them most. Can Lexa decipher the mysteries at every turn, or will the dreamscape claim yet another dreamwalker?

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My First Love

Happy Valentine’s Day early! I hope all the couples out there have some good plans for celebrating your special someones. And if you’re currently single, be proud and enjoy the positives that come with that. This week I’m celebrating a first love—Phoenix Feather.

Phoenix Feather contained many firsts for me. It was the first book I wrote set in our world. Before that, I’d always written straight fantasy: dragons, sword fights, magic. But then I was thinking about superheroes and this thought struck me—”What if there was a supernatural character who *wasn’t* the hero?” Aidan Quinn was born, a woman who in every way was just like any other except for the dormant power inside that manifested at her death and brought her back to life from the ashes.
When I started writing Phoenix Feather, I just thought it would be a fun experiment; I didn’t expect it to actually go anywhere. But then the process of writing it took off, making it, not the first book I ever finished, but the first book I finished that wasn’t terrible.

Phoenix Feather was also the first book I ever published. It’s hard to imagine how far I’ve come in the past two years (even harder to imagine it’s only been two years!). I knew next to nothing when I published it, not to mention I had no social media presence. I hit that heart-palpitation-inducing “Publish” button  and then read up on good marketing tips, which stated I needed to start a blog and get on Twitter. So that’s what I did. It’s a good thing I fell into the #mywana hashtag group, because I met a handful of amazing people who I’ve been good friends with since.

Lastly, if you’ve read my books, you might find this a little surprising—Phoenix Feather was the first book where I gave my characters a happily ever after. That’s right, before that, I had an unfortunate habit of not letting the guy and girl get together. It’s not like I killed everyone off (though in one case I did kill the guy), but romance just wasn’t in the cards for my characters. Aidan and Trent changed that, and I’m so glad they did. Plus, Trent is a guy I could totally fall for. He’s sweet and solid, with old fashioned values. Half of the writing of this story was me living vicariously through Aidan and falling in love with the guy too.

Phoenix Feather was my first love, not just because it was my first published book or my first romance, but it awakened in me a love for writing urban fantasy, which led me down the path to writing Elemental Magic. Some people have asked if I will write a sequel for Aidan and Trent, but though I love the characters and each one holds a special place in my heart, their story feels complete. For now. The muse may very well change her mind later down the road.

Have you read Phoenix Feather? Tell us about your favorite romantic moment in the book. Hey, even tell us about your first love (doesn’t have to be human 😉 ).

Snuggle up this Valentine’s Day with a sweet romantic suspense. Phoenix Feather on Amazon!

Aidan Quinn is a centuries-old phoenix living as a human. Weary of the repetitious life cycles, she’s not sure she has it in her to love again, though dashing fireman Trent McCain is going to do his best to convince her otherwise. But the clock is ticking—a serial killer is on the loose, and he’s on the hunt for a phoenix.

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