Tuesday, October 30, 2012

A Halloween story, just for you

So long ago I wrote a story, I was given the task of writing a short horror novellette. Something to help me stretch and flex my writing wings. This is rough, as I said, I wrote it years ago. However, it's pretty darn disgusting and creepy and I don't know whether I'll ever take up a career in writing slasher fiction, but here is my one and only attempt at pure horror.

It's titled: Credit Card Fraud..

Happy reading!
~Marie


                                                                   Credit Card Fraud

                Mrs. Lily gathered her best Sunday hat and velvet trimmed jacket off her cedar coat rack.  She walked with unhurried steps toward her floor length mirror in the corner of her bedroom.

     A slight breeze stirred the crisp white cotton window treatments.  The sun’s rays stabbed through her room, particles of dust could be seen dancing throughout.  She shrugged; the house suited her just fine.

     Gazing into the mirror she became aware of ten more fine lines forming around the corners of her lips and eyes.  She’d lived a long life, but she knew time was not on her side and she still had so much more work to do.

     Her bright purple skirt set accentuated each roll her body had acquired after years of neglect.  Good-- she nodded-- no one would suspect her of being anything other than an innocent victim.  And that’s just the way she wanted it.

     Brushing her salt and pepper hair back, she placed her loud purple day hat atop her head and pulled on a pair of white gloves.  Satisfied that she looked honest and demure, she walked over to her vanity and picked up her tiny clutch.

     She rummaged inside until her hand found what she sought, pulling out her wallet she extracted three credit cards and placed them face down upon her dresser.

     Mrs. Lily smiled.  Grabbing a bowl to the right of her she laid out its contents. 

     A chicken’s foot, rat’s intestine, Belladonna, laburnum, wolfs bane and last but not least a fragment of human skull bone.  Her frail limbs shivered with anticipation.  Each time she did this, the results only got better and better.  Necessity was the mother of invention, and ever since her poor Willie’s death, this had become a necessity. A way for her to make right the wrongs of that night so long ago.

     She threw her ingredients into the bowl and laid the credit cards atop the conglomeration.  Grabbing two incense sticks, she lit the bowl on fire, chanting the familiar incantation.

     Green flames shot five feet into the air, singing her fingers in the heat.  She accepted the pain as she accepted her calling, to do otherwise would be an insult to her dear Willie.

     Finally all that remained were the ashes of her mixture and three pristine; seemingly untouched credit cards.

     “Come to me, precious babies.”  She crooned to the plastic and gently dropped them into her handbag. 

     Mrs. Lily dropped her head to her chest and grunted, the spirits of her ancestors spewing from her mouth.  Her eyes rolled back, and when she spoke, the land shook beneath her feet.

     “Ancient ancestors heed my call.  Bring me one worthy of this prize.”

***

     Cody Green, pickpocket and petty thief, roamed the streets of New Orleans searching for his perfect prey.

     The day was cast in shades of gray, thunderclouds rumbled threateningly overhead.  The usually busy streets of the market place were empty. 

     He stood under a poplar tree, his red hood covering his head, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, his eyes searching for the perfect target.  Mounting frustration rolled through his tired body, he’d sat for hours yesterday and hours today waiting, waiting.  For nothing, no sign of life, no nothing.

     “Damn it all to hell!”  He kicked at a rock, watching it roll across the street.  Cody had already milked dry the twenty credit cards he’d stolen and was now penniless unless he could find something or someone, right now he’d settle for fifty bucks. 

He shivered with the onset of heroine withdrawal, he needed a fix and he didn’t care who or what he had to go through to get it.

     The soft clack, clack of a lady’s shoe vibrated on the cobblestone road before him.  She was still out of sight, but his senses were so attuned to the hunt that he could guess her age just from the shuffle of her feet. 

     Old, probably in her mid-sixties.  The perfect victim.  A grin spread like butter across his face.

     Cody crouched low behind the trunk of the tree and waited, his heart threatening to jump out of his chest with excitement.  His blood roared in his ears, drowning out the quiet small voice in his mind screaming that something wasn’t right.

     He licked his lips and nearly shouted with devilish glee when the stooped old woman rounded the bend.  He chuckled at her clothes.  She looked like a little old church lady in the garish purple colors and white satin gloves.  An enormous fake bird sat perched atop the hat on her head.  Oh she would be so easy he could hardly contain himself.

     Grasped tightly in her hands was a tiny beaded purse, her black beady eyes flicked to the left and right as if searching for someone.  Cody rubbed his hands together and ground his teeth. 

     “That’s right, grandma.  Come to daddy.” 

     She shuffled to a bench and sat, then pulled a tiny rolled up package out of her purse and began tossing breadcrumbs to the pigeon’s that landed like magic around her ankles.

     “Stupid bitch, don’t know what’s gonna hit her,” he spoke through clenched teeth.

***

     Mrs. Lily shifted on the rickety bench.  She smelled him, his greed and wicked corruption, she grinned and waited.

     “Give me that bag or I’ll kill you, bitch!” A low voice sounded behind her.

     Mrs. Lily pretended to quiver and blubber like a doddering fool.  “Oh please, please.  Don’t kill me,” she spoke around a tiny sob.

     The man jumped in front of her.  The hood covered his eyes, but his firm lips and comfortable stance told her that this was not his first mugging.  All the better.

     He took a threatening step toward her and snatched the purse from her grasp; Mrs. Lily tried to contain her smile.

     “The black moon shall be your undoing,” she spoke low, the voices of her ancestors vibrating through her vocal chords.

     The man stepped back, his hood fell off and his onyx eyes widened.  “Stupid whore,” he pulled back and connected his fist with her jaw.

     Mrs. Lily just laughed and spat the blood onto his face.  Maniacal laughter spilled from her, infecting her surroundings with her dark poison.  Satisfaction welled in her soul.  “That was for you Willie my love,” she whispered under her breath.

     Then he turned and ran; the beaded purse clutched tight in his hand.

***

     The heavens opened up and drenched Cody with acidic rain, it burned like the devil and red welts raised up on his hands.  He cursed.  Ever since the nuclear plant had set up shop twelve miles out of town the weather had gone screwy, acid rain being one of the side effects.  Cody ran until he reached his downtown loft, opened the door and collapsed on his bed.  He shook from head to toe and examined his body for welts, nothing but a few red marks.

     The woman had been insane, and truthfully, he’d been more than frightened, he’d been terrified.  When she’d talked to him, that old feeble voice had vanished, replaced by something haunting and insidious. Like the souls of the dead all clamoring for attention.

     Thankfully, he got the purse.  Turned it over, Cody dumped its contents on his bed.  Inside lay three new credit cards.  Disbelief spluttered from his lips.  What woman her age carried credit cards?  They always, always, always had money.  Period.

     Shit!  What was he gonna do now?

     Credit cards were too damn easy to track.  Best thing to do would be to cut it up, prevent temptation.  His body began to tremble uncontrollably.  Sweat poured down his neck, he ran a hand down his face.  He needed his fix!  He knew this was stupid.  But damn it, what else could he do?  It wasn’t like money was going to suddenly fall from the sky.

Cody grabbed the cards and headed towards his computer.

He ran a credit check and whooped when the screen flashed fifty-thousand dollars credit for each one.  They were brand new, untouched and unused.  Oh, the temptation was great.  But if he got caught, he winced.  It would be his third time for petty crimes; the court wouldn’t be so easy on him this time.

“Screw this!” he spat and threw caution to the wind. 

First things first, he needed to buy a new computer.  The one he owned now was two years obsolete, then he wanted to furnish his house with all the bachelor accessories he could find. 

A DVD player, a CD player with enormous speakers, anything and everything his heart desired.  Now that he was ordering a new computer, he could sell this piece of shit for a hundred bucks. Enough to cover the cost of the China White, only the best for such a huge score.

Worrying about getting caught no longer mattered, he’d figure out some way to get away with it. Besides, she’d been too damn old to do anything about it. She hadn’t even fought when he took the purse. And he’d probably imagined that demon voice anyway. Old lady was probably pissin’ herself right now. He snorted.

Quickly he went online, ordered the new computer, then put in a call to a buddy that owned a pawn shop downtown. Thirty minutes later, he had his hundred.

His next call was to his dealer.

An hour later, Cody smoked and injected the junk, a mellow sensation of well-being consumed him and he grinned. He wanted to buy stuff. But he didn’t have a computer anymore. Gripping the card in a tight fist, he walked across the apartment hall to his neighbor’s house, he knew she wouldn’t be home.

He banged on the door.

A small white face peeked out.

“Lemme in, kid,” he slurred.

Jessica, Jess, Jane, whatever the hell the little brat’s name was, stared back at him with big blue eyes. “Momma says I ain’t suppose ta...”

“Argh,” he growled and shoved the door open, marching in. “I just need to use the computer. Go to your room or sumthin’.”

The kid disappeared and he plopped down on the rickety stool in front of their computer. 

Cody stayed up for hours, his eyes blurring, his mind burning with more ideas to buy, buy, buy.  Finally eight hours later and well past midnight he shut off the computer, yelled at the brat that he was out, and shuffled back to his room and to his bed. 

Best day of his life.

***

     The suns bright rays stabbed his eyes; his cat meowed in the corner.  Cody threw a pillow at the source of the sound and grinned when he heard a yelp. 

     “Serves you right, Tabor, go eat a rat.  There’s plenty around here.”

     Suddenly, blinding, ripping pain tore through his intestines.  He sat up in bed wincing and whining as the pain escalated to near frenzied levels.  Cody shot from the bed clutching at his belly and ran towards the bathroom.  A green geyser of vomit trailed a path from his bed to his toilet.  He retched and gagged, the toilet overflowing with chunks of bile and swirling pink fleshy stuff.

     Cody clamped his mouth shut, swallowing puke in the process.  It burned like acid going down, when he opened his mouth to scream, the vomit exploded all over the floors and walls, bouncing back onto him.  Fingers pressed into his intestines, squeezing and rolling them all around.  He gagged and noticed with alarm that red now mixed with the green. 

     Twenty minutes later the puking stopped.  He leaned his head against the soiled bathroom wall and panted.  White spots danced behind his eyes, his body trembled with fatigue.  Cody pushed himself off and walked to the sink, pink foam cornered the edges of his lips, with a trembling hand he wiped himself off and looked at the mess.  Green bile, pink chunks, and red blood littered his bathroom floor.

     He gagged, then caught site of an object floating inside the toilet bowl, a severed chicken’s foot.

     He ran from the room and stripped off his clothing. 

     “What the hell just happened to me?”  He grabbed his head and winced.  His heart pounded furiously in his chest, something was wrong.

     Very, very wrong.

     He couldn’t afford to go to the hospital, he didn’t have insurance, and if he used the old lady’s credit cards it would be too easy to trace back to him.  Cody shot a look at the plastic cards sitting on his desk.

     He’d buy something, that always helped raise his spirits, besides he already felt better.

     Cody walked back to the neighbor’s house knowing the Mom would be gone already. That kid was alone all the time. Made him thinking of his own upbringing. Knocking, he shoved his way in when the girl opened the door.

     “Computer,” he mumbled and went back to the same desk as last night. Ten hours later, feeling better about himself, he went back home.  His gut churned and rumbled loudly.  He rubbed his stomach to ease the pain and dialed his favorite Chinese restaurant in town.

     When someone picked up he placed his order.  “Yeah, China Star, I want 9 orders of Kung Pao chicken, 10 Egg Fu Young’s and 5 Spring Rolls.”

     What had made him order such a large meal?  He’d never finish it.  His stomach rumbled again, harder this time, vibrating his insides, he winced and snapped at the employee.

     “Yes!  It’s all for one person, hurry up dammit!”  Then he slammed the phone down on the receiver and waited.

     Thirty minutes later, a visibly trembling employee handed him his food.  Cody paid with cash he’d stolen from his neighbor’s cookie jar-- everyone knew you should never hide money in a cookie jar, first place a crook always looked-- and snatched his food, heading back to his living room. 

     He inhaled the food, everything.  He couldn’t get enough; finally when there was no more to be had he licked the cartons clean.  Cody ground his teeth and paced, his stomach rolled demanding to be fed.

     Tabor meowed in the corner.  Demar whipped around, feral heat spread through his body, fire inched through his veins and he pounced on his tabby.  The cat spit and hissed, scratched and clawed him to get away, but he broke the neck and ripped into the cat’s hind paw with killing intention.  Warm blood oozed down his face, sprayed into his eyes, he ate the nasty meat like a man possessed.

     Only when he was done, and all that remained were the bones of his once favorite pet, did Cody realize what he’d done.

     He cried out, moaning, he dropped the bones and ran away. 

     “What did I do?  What did I do?”  He grabbed his head and spun in a circle.  Panic flared through his veins, he screamed for release.  But from what?

     Then he caught site of the credit cards and ran to them like they were his savior.  Cody trembled as he ran back to their apartment. He had an hour before the Mom came home, enough time to buy.

     He didn’t stop clicking ‘buy’ until he heard the rattle of a car engine pull into the parking light and the bright blare of her lights shoving through the window.

     Exhausted, he ran back to his apartment and passed out on the sofa.

     Cody didn’t move until the next day.  The suns weak rays filtered through his room. 

     Realizing his bladder was heavy, he ran to the bathroom.  The room stank of piss and vomit; he’d forgotten to clean up.  Cody ran to the sink instead and reached down to grasp himself.  He couldn’t find it.  He looked down and gazed in horror at the sight of his penis now a mere black nub. 

     He screamed and stared at his reflection in the mirror.  He was a monster, his normally pale skin was mottled and graying, his eyes looked shrunken and his cheekbones protruded.  He was gazing at a skeleton with skin pulled taut over the frame. 

     He ran his hand across his mouth and watched in horror as his skin peeled off in shredded folds exposing raw pink skin underneath.

     There was only one thing left for him to do, he had to find the woman and kill her. Living in New Orleans, it didn’t take him long to realize he’d stolen from a voodoo priestess, the only way to get rid of her curse for stealing those cards, was to kill her.  Cody ran back to the neighbor’s apartment.

     The mom was home this time when he banged on the door.

     “What the hell?” she snapped, “you been scaring my daughter, coming in here uninvited! Get out. Get out!” She picked up a gun and aimed it square at his chest.

     Hissing, Cody ran out, down the stairs and to a phone booth. Looking at the cards, he saw her name. Then he looked her up in the phone book.

     “Mrs. Lily Thompson,” he read out loud, “Voodoo Priestess of the Black Moon lounge.”

     He knew exactly where that was. All the locals knew where that was. Snarling, he ran back to his house, grabbed his .45 and headed to the Lounge.

***

     Mrs. Lily whistled a cheerful tune to herself as she dusted the contents of her shelf.  Tail of newt, heart of rat, fur of cat… all the silly magick stuff.  The potent ingredients she kept in the back away from prying eyes.  Only a select few were truly masters of the craft and only they deserved the best.

     She sensed him coming and sighed.  Another job well done.

     The bell above her door chimed, she adjusted her outfit and called out, “Hello, Cody, make yourself comfortable.” 

     Mrs. Lily grabbed her machete off the wall and tucked it behind her back.

     She entered the front room and witnessed a shaking and skeletal Cody shifting from foot to foot.  Peeling skin exposed the white of his skull beneath; his teeth were yellow and rotted.  In his gnarled fingers he gripped a pistol, his hand shaking violently.

She smiled.

     “Ho… How do you know my name?”  He shook, his voice warbled. 

     “Ssh.  No questions, please.  Sit.”  She pointed at a couch sitting in the corner of the room.

“No!  What have you done to me?”  His gun hand waved wildly through the air.  “I’ll kill you!”  The skin on his hand peeled back exposing tendon.  Then the tendons popped.  Cody screamed as the gun feel from lifeless fingers.

“I highly doubt that.”  Mrs. Lily lifted a brow and smirked.  “You do look awful,” she giggled.  “You poor thing.”  She’d be kind and put him out of his misery, this one had really taken the brunt of her spell. 

     “Why?” his voice creaked like a rusted doorframe.

     “Because you killed my husband.”

     His eyes rolled to the back of his head, exposing the white of his eyes.  “I… I… I…,” he panted, “I… never… killed… anybody.”

     She sneered.  “You’re all the same.”  Her body shook with fury.  “You’re all the same!  Why didn’t you just take his money?  Why did you have to kill him?  Willie, my poor Willie,” her voice shrieked, shaking the glass bottles on the shelves. 

     “I… didn’t… kill…”

     She withdrew her hand from her back and sliced it through the air.  “Shut up!  You all killed him, and now I’m gonna kill you!”  Mrs. Lily advanced and grinned.  “You make number thirteen.  You know everybody says thirteen is unlucky but I don’t think so, because you’ve been my best one yet.”

     Mrs. Lily pulled back and hacked at his lolling neck.  The sickening thud echoed through the still room.  She’d save his parts, just like she had all the others. 

     Three hours later, she sat out on her veranda and sipped a cool glass of lemonade.  She really needed to go to church tonight, cause tomorrow was gonna be another busy day.   

 

    

    

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Praise report

Many of you may or may not know, but last night parts of Canada was rocked by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake. Which caused a Tsunami to form and roll into Hawaii late last night. Thank God the Tsunami wasn't a beast, and so far as I can tell, all is well on my part of the Island. However, my thoughts and prayers go out to those in Canada and to those on the East Coast getting ready to be slammed by that monster Hurricane. My sister lives in NJ, so I know how scary it is.

Weird times for weather, that's for sure. :(

Everyone stay safe, and be well!

Marie

PS... having lived through a couple of major scary times, remember to be prepared. Keep your cell fully charged, whatever electronics you'll need to help you get through the boring hours (or days) of no power, and stay warm!!

Hugs and love...

Friday, October 26, 2012

Some quick updates

It seems *fingers crossed* like the issues at B&N have been successfully resolved. Let's hope this doesn't happen again, I still don't know what happened to begin with. But the book is downloading just fine once again.

Jinni's Wish is about 30% done, I wasn't able to get as much work done on it this week as I'd hoped. But now that the omnibus is out of the way, I should be able to focus solely on it.

And like I mentioned a second ago, the omnibus collection is done! Woo hoo, I'm now simply waiting for my formatter to get everything back to me. But I can finally show you the official cover for my Kingdom Collection: Books 1-3!

 
 
Not only does this book include the first 3 books of the series: Her Mad Hatter, Gerard's Beauty, and Red and Her Wolf, but there are included bonus scenes and recipies from each book. To include, Alice Hu's Red Queen's Revenge Cupcakes! And they're sooooo good. ;)

Happy reading,
~Marie

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Book review: Secrets of the Apple

I don't ordinarily write reviews, I just don't have time for it... but if I come across a gem, I just can't seem to help myself. This book is like discovering an Indie band, it's not widely read, in fact it's ranking on Amazon is incredibly low, but I don't believe it's due to a poor book... oh no, I read it and can only say this is the epitome of romance. It's because I just don't think enough people know about this lovely book... so I'm doing my best to help out a fellow author (which I don't even know by the way). I came across the ad on Kindle Deals and was so struck by the simplicity of the cover that I uploaded a sample, and the rest is as they say... history.

Secrets of the Apple:

Ryoki is comfortable in his custom-built hell, making money with both hands and slashing his path through the world of men. But there’s something about Kate, something important dangling just at the edge of his consciousness. She can’t read a map, she falls off her heels, and yet she saves his life with a button and a bit of thread. Terrified she’s privately plotting to marry him, he studies her with hooded eyes, attempting to discover her secrets for himself. But understanding Kate will challenge everything he thought he knew.



 
 
If you love Pride and Prejudice, if you love a long and very, very sweet and satisfying romance, than you have to try this. It's only 2.99, well worth the cost of admission. :D
 
Happy reading,
~Marie
 
PS. Jinni is coming along nicely! I'll have more updates available soon. Also, Gerard's Beauty should be available to be purchased everywhere as of Saturday!! Yay!! Finally. :D


Still working on B&N issues

So I've written to B&N, explained that my file of Red and Her Wolf, which worked just fine initially, has somehow become defective and readers can no longer open the books. I uploaded a new and defective free version, but somehow it's the defective version that continues to get downloaded.

All I can say is I'm sorry. Tonight I unpublished that title, and uploaded a brand new Red and Her Wolf, I can only hope this fixes the problem.

Again, for anyone who has recently purchased the book through B&N and would like a defective free version, I'd be more than happy to give you one. All I'll need is some proof of purchase, and I'll send the copy off immediately.

Sincerest apologies,
~Marie

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

TO MY B&N READERS!!! Please Read!!

When I uploaded Red and Her Wolf to B&N several weeks ago, the formatting was fine. It's been brought to my attention that recently something has happened to the book and it can no longer be read beyond page 1, 7 if you're lucky.

I'm truly, very, very sorry. I have no idea what's happened, but I have uploaded a new version tonight that shouldn't have that problem anymore. However, I know it will take a few days for the changes to occur. Many of you have bought my books in the past few days and for that I'm truly sorry. I don't know how B&N works, since I own a kindle, but with Kindle when a book is purchased you receive a receipt of purchase. If any of you have recently bought the book and can provide me with the receipt, or something to the equivalent, I'll gladly give you a corrected version of Red.

Again, I truly apologize for this from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you,
~Marie

Monday, October 22, 2012

Baubles and bits

Wow, ya'll! What a great turn out for that Hop. The winner of my personal prize has won and already been notified, congratz Patti! ;)

Seriously though, ladies and gents, I loved reading all your replies and just because the Hop is over doesn't mean you have to stop visiting me. I love my readers and have been known to do surprising things from time to time for those who follow me.

Like for instance, anyone enrolled in my newsletter will have a chance to win a super cool swag pack from Moi for my future release of the Kingdom Omnibus collection. There's gonna be all sorts of fantastic baubles and bits in store. I've already shown you my fantastic new Hatter cover, well let's just say he'll be front and center on lots of cool prizes. So come back, there will be more info on that later. :D

Also, just finished reading a book that totally rocked my socks off this weekend! Firelight!!! Le sigh, think Phantom of the Opera (the Gerard version), mixed with a smatter of Dr. J and Mr. H, firestarter, and tons and tons of romance!!! Plus, the cover is hot. Literally. :p (Badah bum... thank you, thank you... be here all week *snort*). So yeah, seriously 5 stars on that one!


Happy reading!
~Marie

ETA: I'm such a goof!! I don't know why I was thinking the Blog hop was over, it's not over until tomorrow. So since I completely lost track of my days, anyone who comments on my blog today will be in the running for an additional copy of Red and Her Wolf, so long as they sign up for my newsletter!

Sheesh... :p

Friday, October 19, 2012

ALPHA MALE BLOG HOP!!



What is your favorite thing about Alpha Heroes? Well, we authors are ready to share our favorite Alpha Males, our favorite things about them, and everything sexy and heated about those Alpha Males you can think of. *wink* Starting today and ending on Oct 22nd, over 200 Authors and Bloggers will share their favorite things about those sexy men we know and love.

And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yep. There will be over 200 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger.

But that's not all....

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!

Now what are those prizes?

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack! (US RESIDENTS ONLY)


So how about I start? :) What makes a toe curling alpha male...

Well, for me an alpha is someone slightly dangerous, maybe even a little crazy and out of control, but always, always ready and willing to defend (even to the death) those he loves. I've written many books in my life and though I love to write about the soft spoken poet, it's really the alpha archetype that allows me to flex my wings and just go. Why? Because they cannot be constrained by society's rules. An alpha makes his own rules, what he says goes. And since I write paranormals, what he says can sometimes lead to dangerous places. Which is the appeal, isn't it? Actually being able to tame the bad boy. ;)

In HER MAD HATTER, the Hatter is all alpha, but also slightly off his rocker. Which, I mean... he's the hatter. He should be, right? The interesting thing about Hatter for me though was never knowing, was he completely sane and brilliant, or... was he totally off his rocker and us sane folks tried to find sanity amidst the lunacy. (BY THE WAY... BOOK IS FREE AT ALL RETAILERS!)

In Gerard's Beauty, what made Gerard alpha was his ability to be a grade A jerk, but also come to the realization along the way that there really is more to him that what first meets the eye. He's all man, mon cherie (*g*), and he'll never let you forget it. But beneath the flawed exterior is a heart that beats golden.

In Red and Her Wolf, Ewan (the big bad wolf of legend) is a shifter possessed with a keen sense of 'mine'. He's marked Red as his and he will die protecting what's his.

In The Witching Hour: Grim Reaper Saga, Cian (pronounced Key-an) is a grim reaper who works for the most violent Queen in all of fae lore. The Morrigan. He is a death and has one job to do. Harvest souls. So when he comes across a witch that he knows is meant for him, he defies anyone and everything to keep Eve from the reaper's bony hand. He knows what's right, and no matter that the world tries to deny him, he'll move heaven and hell to keep her safe.

All four guys are many different facets of what I feel makes an alpha, alpha.

So tell me, what makes an alpha to you?

In addition to all the wonderful prizes above, I'll also be hosting my own prize, chosen the day after the hop. My prize will be a free copy of Red and Her Wolf! A not so classic retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf... as it really happened. All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter. That's it. :D

So look around, stay awhile, drink a warm cup of tea and enjoy the Alpha Male Blog Hop! You can find links to all four of my books in the books section of the blog. Below is a sneak peek to my future book, the 4th in the Kingdom Series (not-so-classic retellings of fairy tales), Jinni's Wish! Jinni in true Alpha form...

Happy reading,
~Marie

Jinni paced the length of his cave. The constant howl of the winds outside, normally so soothing, now irritated like the constant drip of a leaky pipe.
He was angry.
But he didn’t know why.
He stared at his empty cave, at the pit of fire that burned perpetually in the center of the dirt floor. He stoked the flames, never letting them die, knowing they wouldn’t-- couldn’t-- warm him. That nothing could ease the icy chill that encased his soul. That nothing could wake his antipathy. Each day an unbearable torture because it wouldn’t end. Because he was still here. Still existing in a realm outside of happiness, joy, life.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
He gnashed his teeth. She called to him, wakened something in him. A sleeping dragon with claws that’d slumbered for an eternity, now opening languid eyes with curiosity… and maybe something more.
Something volatile and violent.





Thursday, October 18, 2012

Blog Hop Time tomorrow!!

Guys, this is gonna be awesome! So many prizes in store. And all that's required of you in exchange for the chance to win one of three grand prizes is a comment on my blog about what makes a hero alpha! Seriously, that's it. :D

In return, you'll enter for a chance to win either a Swag pack stuffed full of awesome books and prizes (US Residents only. Sorry to the international readers, but unfortunately the box is just too heavy to ship elsewhere :( ) $150 gift card to either Amazon or B&N, and the biggest prize... either a Kindle Fire or Nook! Pretty sweet deal, yeah? ;)

So come back, say hi. :)

I'll also be giving away a free copy of Red and Her Wolf to anyone who signs up for my newsletter and says a quick hello to moi. :D

Hope to see you there tomorrow!

Happy reading!
~Marie

Oh... and tomorrow I'll be sharing another bit of Jinni with ya, lots of goodies in store! :D

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Update on Jinni's Wish!

Well, I'm nearly at 10k words, which means I'm about 20% done. :) I'm hoping this will be another 50k work, though we'll see. Right now, I'm very pleased where it's going.

Oh and just so you all know, today is the last day to snag Gerard's Beauty for FREE on Amazon! After that it'll go back to regular price. For all my B&N, Kobo, Itunes readers... Gerard will be going up at your retailers in just a few more days! How exciting. :D

I'm working on finalizing the new cover art and I can't wait until everything's all ready to go. :D So bear with me guys, I'm getting there. Slowly but surely.

Oh and just a big, fat thank you to everyone who's made my free run such a success. This morning Gerard's Beauty hit the top 100 free list on Amazon! When I last checked it was ranked 20 of all books. That's a HUGE deal and I couldn't do it without ya'll.

Also, if you guys enjoyed the book... I'd love it if you'd share your thoughts on Amazon with a review. Each review (whether good or bad... though I prefer good ones...lol) help me to better promote it. So spread the word if you could.

Happy reading!
~Marie

PS... Don't forget to return on Friday for the Hot Heroes Bloghop!! Lots of good prizes in store and I'll be giving away one free copy of Red and Her Wolf to whoever signs up for my newsletter and makes a comment. It'll be fun. :D

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Six Sentence Sunday: Jinni's Wish

So technically this isn't Sunday, but let's not quibble here. Also, a note... Jinni is currently slated for a November release, more specific dates will be coming soon. ;) Another installment of Jinni... so a deeper introduction of Jinni and what he's battling with, a serious case of the life-sucketh-syndrome. I'd say Paz has her work cut out for her! ;)


He was floating, bits of debris sailing through a body that was once solid and firm--that’d once known pleasure, desire.

Jinni gnashed his teeth, or at least attempted to, there was very little substance left to him anymore. Trees towered on every side of him. The mundane world echoed with the faint buzz of animals at rest, sleeping insects, and stalking predators. But inside he felt nothing.

Nothing but an empty void. No joy, no sadness. He just was.

Happy reading!
~Marie

PS... Thanks to all you volunteer readers for Red, that was a smashing success. To anyone who visits me, come back real soon. I'm part of a Alpha Heroes blog hop set to happen on the 19th and there's going to be a TON of SUPER AWESOME prizes. Such as... a wicked swag pack, 150 dollar gift card, and a KINDLE FIRE!! So yeah, come back if you're interested to learn more. ;)

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Yes, I hear you

So ordinarily authors are told don't read your reviews, if you get a bad one it can totally throw you into a tailspin. And yes, some have been harsh in my life. I remember once someone comparing my work to Disney, (which might have been okay if it'd been a review on Kingdom) however, it was based on my first and only attempt at erotica. *cringe* I figured out I was definitely NOT cut out to write that genre...lol.

And even to this day I do get readers who don't care for my work. I've had a few tell me Hatter sucked in probably 3 different languages. But... over the years my skin has gotten thick, as a writer, it has to. If Jane Austen has her detractors, who am I to think I won't? Right??? Taste is a personal choice, what I love (*cough cough* Twilight... I know, I know... height of uncool to admit it, but yeah, I did and do love it still) others despise (IE: 50 Shades.. I just cannot understand the appeal). But that's cool. That's what reading is all about, finding what you love, sinking deep into that world and coming back to reality at the end and wishing you could scrub your mind of the book, just so you could have the pleasure of rediscovering it for the first time again.

I love writing. It's infinite possibilities trapped in my head, a million different lives for me to lead, a million different heroes for me to kiss, a million different heroines for me to become. So when I throw my babies out into the world and I read a review that tells me:

Are you listening, Ms. Hall?? I LOVED it.

All I can say to that, is yes.. I hear you. :) Thank you guys, seriously. For the 1 percent that hate me, it's satisfying and fulfilling to know that most think my worlds are as cool as I do. So to you guys, Gracias (thank you!)

Happy reading,
~Marie

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Free copies of Red and Her Wolf to the first 5!!!

Yeah, so Rocket's out of school for Fall break, Dh is off for 2 weeks. I knew writing would be difficult, but I'd assumed I'd get maybe a few hours to myself here or there. Umm... no. Which means I'm going crazy, and in turn driving my family crazy because I get cranky when I don't write. Just sayin'. ;)

So anyway, loving my time with my family.. but looking forward to some me and computer time. On the plus side I've had ample time to plot and tweak certain things, so I think (hope) the story will be better for the hiatus.

Here's the request portion of this entry. Recently I released the 3rd book of my Kingdom Series, Red and Her Wolf. Yay! But... barely any reviews. Which makes it difficult for me to promote the book on certain sites because they require a certain amount of reviews before they agree to host you. So here's my thoughts...

I'm willing to give 5 arcs for free to the first 5 requests, in exchange all I seek are honest reviews. That's it.  And by honest I do mean honest. If you want to rate it a 2 (which would suck, but hey)... do it, a few short thoughts and your star rating. :) I'd appreciate the reviews be posted at Amazon, B&N, and Goodreads if you're able. If anyone is interested, please contact me offlist at mariehallwrites@gmail.com .

Happy reading!
~Marie

EDIT: Slots all full! Thanks guys! :D

Six Sentence Sunday: Jinni's Wish

So an introduction to my hero:


Banished from his Eastern realms, tried for treason. And all for what? For something as insubstantial as the body he now called his.

Why was he here? Staring up at a liquid blue moon, gazing at an endless expanse of stars stretching far as his eye could see. He remembered the stars. Remembered dancing through galaxies, bending time and matter to his will.

Happy reading!
~Marie

Friday, October 5, 2012

Her Mad Hatter, Kingdom Series Omnibus COVER REVEAL

Okay guys, I said I would and here I am. The cover for the new Kingdom Collection I'll be publishing sometime next month!!! Like I said, there's still no font... but this is the cover. What do you guys think?

PS... I was going through Her Mad Hatter last night and reread the deleted scene that will now be included in the book... yeah... I'm so happy! This collection is gonna be fun.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

I'm being spotlighted! :D

My friend, and cover artist for all my Kingdom books... Elaina, at www.forthemusedesign.com is talking about my covers and giving sneak peeks of my books! Stop by her blog and say hiya! :D

http://elaina-lee.blogspot.com/

Happy reading!
~Marie

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Wow! Ya'll are awesome! :D

So yeah... wow, one day after whining about Amazon woes, suddenly I'm price matched and Hatter is officially free everywhere!

To all of you... THANKS! :D

Happy reading,
~Marie

PS... I can't wait to share my new cover art... ya'll are gonna freak. Just sayin'. ;)

Monday, October 1, 2012

I have a surprise!!

So remember several weeks ago I told you about some artwork I was commissioning special for a new Kingdom Series collection? No... well, lemme refresh yer memory. ;)

In honor of the holiday season, I'll be releasing the first 3 Kingdom Books (Hatter, Gerard, and Wolf) as a collection! I saw the artwork today... *gulp* OMGosh... umm, yeah, it's pretty fan-freakin'-tastic. I'll share it probably sometime Wednesday or Thursday... but that's not all. You see, I'm the type of author who listens to her readers. I realize many of you love, love, love my twisted Hatter and churlish Gerard, but that you just wish there was more....

Weeeelllll, surprise... there will be. :D I've decided to include never before seen deleted scenes in all three books. Not only that, but this book will be put in print. Which means if you have any friends who haven't read Kingdom because they don't own ereaders... no prob. But that's not it... I won't tell everything here, but suffice it to say I'll have one final big thank you with that as well. The plan right now is to publish this sometime at the end of October, beginning of Nov. I'm super stoked and just wanted to shout a big fat thank you to my readers! Ya'll are awesome. :)

PS... if you haven't gotten Red yet... umm, yeah, it's pretty freakin' awesome. Just sayin'. I know the author and she's pretty amazing. ;)

Happy reading,
~Marie