Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Spotlight for Lost Seraphine



Lost Seraphine Release Week Blitz
By KaSonndra Leigh
Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy
Date to be Published: 11/24/2013


Caleb Wood now knows the Dark Seraphine's true identity. 

Life should be a little more sane now, right? Wrong! It’s kind of hard to ignore the walkers, fallen souls taken by the Angel of Chaos. Oh yeah, only Caleb can see them.

After saving his girlfriend from the wrath of a sea witch, Caleb finds himself faced with a new problem…understanding the strange tattoos showing up on his body. He must also deal with his Lost Seraphine, the girl who left her family behind to save the boy she loves. The same girl who just happens to be the daughter of a mythological god. 

Gia gave up one of her powers to be with Caleb. She knew that she was connected to the Dark Seraphine in some way.  You see, there’s a prophecy, something she always believed to be a fairy tale linking her with the girl who also wants Caleb. Haunted by visions of her dead brother, Gia realizes she has made a terrible mistake. The ability she gave up is the one thing she will need to keep her boyfriend safe. 

Will Caleb be able to accept the things he will learn about his real father while trying to save the girl he loves from herself? Book Two of the Seraphine Trilogy and prequel to the Lost Immortals Saga is coming soon.

KaSonndra Leigh

Author Bio
Author of the Lost Immortals Saga and the Path Seekers Series. I’m also a mother, blogger, reader, gardener, home renovator, and a slayer of undead Egyptian mummies in Tomb Raider. I believe in karma, coffee, and seriously wish that the producers of Xena would bring my favorite show ever back.

I was born in the race-car city of Charlotte, NC, and now live in the City of Alchemy and Medicine, NC, when I’m not hanging out in Bardonia (Lost Immortals). Most of my characters are based on people that I’ve met throughout my travels and adventures. People tend to stop and start conversations with me as if I’ve known them my entire life. Does this freak me out? Not really. My mom says that one day I’ll get kidnapped by one of them. I told her that if it weren’t for these lovely people then I wouldn’t be able to create the stories that I do.

Some other common tidbits…hmm. I’ve watched the movie Under the Tuscan Sun almost 200 times. Seriously, the way I see it is if I keep watching it enough, then suddenly the house that Diane Lane lives in will magically appear in my backyard. I know. I have a huge imagination!

Authors Links
Website | Facebook YA | Facebook NA | Twitter @kasonndraleigh

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Spotlight for Mutilate My Heart



Title: Mutilate My Heart (Mutilate #1)
Author: Emily Godwin
Date of Publication: July 9, 2013
Genre: contemporary YA romance with paranormal elements



Blurb:

Punk rock band Mutilated Arteries has been seventeen-year-old Becca's world (aka obsession) for the last year. When the band schedules a concert in her hometown, she and her best friend Carli are the first ones in line to buy tickets. The night is everything she expects it to be and more, especially after making friends with the new super-cute bassist, Sketch.
Becca's mom warns her not to fall for a rock star because rock stars are always on the road - or they die in a plane crash, like her mom's favorite band did twenty-something years ago. But after the band's tour bus breaks down and they're stuck hanging out in Roizen Hills for a week, it's hard for Becca not to fall for Sketch and his caricature drawings and toxic green eyes.
Becca knows Sketch is leaving as soon as the bus is fixed, and she can't be his fan-turned-girlfriend anyway because of the lead singer's "No Girlfriends" rule. Plus, there's something strange about the guys that Becca can't quite decipher... like how they won't reveal their real names, their always-changing odd appearances, and the guitarist's obsession with blood and zombies. Still, Becca wants nothing more than for Sketch to mutilate her heart...but it just might not be in a way she expects.

Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17622850-mutilate-my-heart

Purchase links:


Excerpt:
Once we’re firmly planted in the sand, I tell him of the man named Benjamin Bell and the married woman he fell in love with. They would secretly meet at night in a small area near the lighthouse that was inaccessible unless you knew the way. She knew better than to try to get there by boat. The current was strongest near the rocks, and the waves were monstrous, but their secret path was being guarded by her suspicious, abusive husband and her husband’s drunken friends.
“A storm caused the fog to grow thick that night,” I tell him. “So Benjamin turned the light on in the tower of the lighthouse. The last thing he saw was the waves crashing her boat against the rocks. He stumbled back in shock and fell over the stair railing in the lighthouse. He died on impact.”
“Did the woman die too? Or was it just her boat that crashed?” he asks, never taking his eyes away from mine.
I lie back in the sand and stare at the grey sky.
“I like to believe she crashed with it. If he is a ghost, I hope she’s lurking around here too, so they can finally be together,” I say.
He digs a hole in the sand and places his paintbrush to rest before burying it.
“Maybe years from now, some random person will come to this very spot, and they’ll find that paintbrush, and we can be legends too,” he says and falls back beside me.
My heart beats roughly against my sternum at his words. I don’t know how anyone could seem so perfect, but he does. We lie motionless in the sand until his breathing becomes one with the sound of the ocean.
“Becca?” he says, rolling onto his side to look at me.
“Yeah?” I mirror his image.
He brushes my hair out of my face and places his hand on my neck. I breathe in deeply and say a prayer that the ghosts won’t interrupt this moment like Corpse did last night. Sketch leans forward and rests his forehead against mine.
“Don’t crash,” he whispers.

About Emily Godwin:


Emily Godwin is a Young Adult author. She enjoys writing, painting, and sewing her own line of non-evil voodoo dolls. She's a Slytherin, trying to disguise herself as a Hufflepuff, and wishes she could read herself into books.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/EmilyGodwin17
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EmilyGodwinWrites
Blog: http://emilygodwin17.blogspot.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6912429.Emily_Godwin

Sunday, November 24, 2013

This Morning I Woke Up Dead



This Morning I Woke Up Dead - PROMO Blitz
By Mindy Larson
Date Published: 11/12/2013 - Re-Launch
Paranormal Romance

What would you do? What rules would you break to be with your soul mate? This morning Hadley Christensen and Dominic Morris woke up living their dream lives. They are engaged and each has promising careers in the  medical field. They are happier and more fulfilled than they have ever been, and they are ready to begin their happily ever after.

Sadly, on her way to work, Hadley is in an accident. Before taking her last breath, she realizes she is already dead - and everyone on Earth is too. Now Hadley and Dominic must each find a way to live without one another. How do they continue when they are two parts of one flame?

Hadley is given permission by the Masters to contact Dominic in the hopes he will also realize he is already dead. If Dominic can open his mind to hear Hadley they can be together forever. Is Dominic ready to give up life the way he knows it? 

Mindy Larson

Mindy Larsen has always had a vivid imagination that has only improved with her love of reading and writing.  She spent much of her childhood entertaining her three younger brothers with her stories and today she is bringing her imagination to life in books.
When not writing, Mindy enjoys spending time with the love of her life and four children while playing disc golf, cooking, baking, traveling and exploring.

Author Links

Buy Link

During the months of November & December - 1% of the gross sales of all novels with Lavish Publishing, LLC will be donated to the Lupus Foundation of America.  The donation will be made in May 2014 in honor of AA Pencil and National Lupus Awareness Month.

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Friday, November 22, 2013

A Vampire's Christmas Carol


A Vampire's Christmas Carol (Novella) by Cynthia Eden

Blurb: 


This holiday season has bite.

Ben Prescott hates Christmas—he’s a vampire, and to him, there’s certainly nothing jolly about the holiday season. While the humans are running around being merry, he’s hunting in the shadows. Ben plans to spend the holidays his way…by stalking deadly prey.

But fate has other plans for Ben.

Three visitors are coming Ben’s way…A demon who will force Ben to face his past, a ghost who will show Ben the present he could have, and a shifter who will reveal the darkness that waits in Ben’s future. Unless Ben can change his ways, he may just turn into a real monster, one who can’t be saved by anyone or anything.

‘Tis the season…to be undead.

Ben’s redemption rests in the hands of the one woman he loved and lost—Simone Laurent. If Ben is going to have a chance at being more than just the beast in the darkness, he has to prove himself to the lovely Simone. A very hard task, considering that, once upon a Christmas Eve, Simone died in Ben’s arms…

Warning:
This book features one very tortured vampire, a sexy ghost from his past, and hot scenes designed to melt the winter snow. Plenty of action, adult situations, and steamy times are ahead. Happy holidays! 




Available for purchase at 







Excerpt

Lust clawed through him. The need, the red-hot desire, seemed to burn Ben from the inside.  He grabbed Simone, yanked her flush against him. His mouth locked on hers. He’d always tried to be so careful with her in the past. Played the gentleman because she mattered.
He wasn't a gentleman any longer. Ben wasn't even sure what he was. He just knew he needed Simone naked, and he had to be in her.
He carried her back to his bedroom. He ignored the glittering New York skyline. She was the only thing he could see. Desire pounded through him. His cock was so swollen that he hurt and—
His teeth were extending. Stretching in his mouth.
Ben dropped Simone on the bed and stepped back, horrified.
“Ben?”  Simone sat up on the bed and pushed back the blonde hair that had tumbled forward. “What’s wrong?”
            She was so gorgeous and sexy staring up at him.  Looking at him with those wide, dark eyes.

I’m going to hurt her. He grabbed for the control that he’d always held so easily in the past. Only that control was broken. Shattered. “You need to leave.”



About the Author

USA Today Best-selling author Cynthia Eden has written over twenty-five novels and novellas. She was named as a 2013 RITA® finalist for her paranormal romance, ANGEL IN CHAINS, and, in 2011, Cynthia Eden was a RITA finalist for her romantic suspense, DEADLY FEAR.
Cynthia is a southern girl who loves horror movies, chocolate, and happy endings.  She has always wanted to write (don’t most authors say that?), and particularly enjoys creating stories about monsters–vampires, werewolves, and even the real-life monsters that populate her romantic suspense stories.

Cynthia’s foreign sales for her books include translations to Japan, Germany, Thailand, Greece, and Brazil.
(Back in the day…) Cynthia graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Alabama where she studied Sociology (because people interest her) and Communication (because she likes to write about said people).  Cynthia has worked as a college admissions counselor, a teacher, and as an editor. But now, Cynthia is thrilled to be spending her days making up stories.



          




Giveaway

A $100 Gift Card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble














Presented By


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Giveaway for Something Great


Synopsis: 

She didn’t know what she was missing…until he found her.
Maxwell Knight was positively trouble, dangerously good-looking, and seductively charming. He was everything Jeanella didn’t need in her life. Only Maxwell didn’t see it that way. His pursuit was relentless, making her even more determined to push him away.
Fresh out of college, life was simple and plain for Jeanella Mefferd. Every part of her life was smooth sailing; her friends, her job, and even the guy she’d started dating. Then one night, while at dinner, she spotted someone who made her feel things she’d never felt before—dangerous, heart pounding and breathless heat. Thinking she would never see him again, she brushed it off, but when she started to run into him unexpectedly, all she could think of was how he made her feel with his sweet flirtations. Everything about Maxwell Knight screamed trouble, especially when she found out he was her new boss’s son. Now, heading to a New York fashion show, would she be able to focus on her career instead of Maxwell, who had been scheduled to attend with her? As much as she tried to forget their encounters, his good looks, smooth words and determination to win her over gravitated her toward him. The next thing she knew, her mind was utterly consumed by him. Would she be willing to ignore all the dangerous signs and jump into his arms? Or would she miss out on the chance of finding something great?

Book Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17998741-something-great

Book Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1Z9xLucouc&feature=youtu.be





About the author:



M. Clarke also known as Mary Ting resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children’s chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.

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Monday, November 18, 2013

First Position



First Position - Promo Blitz

By Prescott Lane

Contemporary Romance
Date Published: May 2013

Emory faces life’s challenges at the one place that’s never failed her, the ballet barre.  But even the barre can’t steady her when fate brings her face-to-face with her old college flame, Mason, who’s hoping to return to the NFL after a career-threatening injury.  Before they can surrender to their sexual desires and find salvation in each other’s arms, they need to come to terms with their past.  Mason must confront the demons that have set him on a path of self-destruction, while Emory must decide whether to keep her painful secrets locked away, or expose them and risk losing the love of her life.  But nothing can prepare Mason for what Emory has kept hidden, or the possibility that he himself may be to blame for the very secrets she keeps – and why they continue to haunt her.



EXCERPT


Wesley opened his biscuit with a knife.  “So, little miss, want to fess up to what you were doing yesterday?”

“Well, it depends,” she said.  “Before or after, I threw my half-naked body at Mason?”

Wesley dropped the knife.  “Excuse me?”

Tomás raised his eyebrows, and gave her a smile.  “It was just for a little while,” she said playfully.

“How little?” Wesley munched on his biscuit.

“Not too long.”

“How naked?”

“I told you -- about half.”

“Which half?”

“A little of both.”

“Both breasts?”

“No.  Top and bottom.”

“Is that so?”  Wesley took a sip of his drink, thoughtfully considering what she had said, like he was some kind of philosopher.  “Any action?”

“I tried.”

“How hard?”

“Pretty hard.”

“Was he?”  Wesley grinned at Tomás, and took another bite of his biscuit.

“Shut up,” she said blushing.  “We decided it was best to take things slow.”

“That’s too bad,” Wesley said, and Tomás slapped his arm.  “In all seriousness, I’m happy for you.”

“Me too,” Emory said, rising from the table with her and Tomás’ plates. 

Wesley grabbed her shoulder, and whispered in her ear, “Did you tell him?”  Emory shook her head walking to the sink, and Wesley shot her a disapproving look.  Tomás eyed them both curiously.  “He deserves to know!”

Tomás mouthed to Wesley, “Know what?”  Wesley shook his head that it was none of his business.

“No lectures, Wesley.”  She scrubbed the plates.  “Let me enjoy myself and Mason before I ruin it.” 

“You need to stop running,” Wesley said.

“I’ll stop when you stop.”

Tomás had no idea what they were bickering about, but whatever it was, he knew that was a great response.  Emory wiped her hands on a kitchen towel, then walked towards her bedroom, yelling back to Wesley, “That means go to your sister’s wedding!”

 


About the Author:


Prescott Lane is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and graduated from Centenary College in 1997 with a degree in sociology. She went on to Tulane University to receive her MSW in 1998, after which she worked with developmentally delayed and disabled children. She currently resides in New Orleans with her husband and two children.

Author Links

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Sunday, November 17, 2013

Entanglement


Title: Entanglement
Author: Dan Rix
Date of Publication: November 16, 2012
Genre: YA sci-fi romance

Book Blurb:

"...the scientific explanation is quantum entanglement, whereby the boy and girl—even when separated by great distances—react instantaneously to changes in each other's states..." —Dr. Casler Selavio, on the entanglement of halves.
In a world like ours, humans are born in pairs. When a newborn boy takes his first breath in the coastal town of Tularosa, the exact time is noted, recorded in the Registry, and later compared to the birth times of other newborns around the globe. There will be one identical match—his half. They will meet on their eighteenth birthday and they will spend their lives together. Except this time, there is no match.
Hotheaded heartthrob Aaron Harper is scheduled to meet his half in twenty-nine days, and he doesn’t buy a word of that entanglement crap. So what if he and his half were born the same day and share a spooky psychic connection? Big deal. After breaking one too many teenage girls’ hearts, he’ll stick to brawling with the douchebag rugby players any day.
Until the day a new girl arrives at school and threatens everything he takes for granted.
Cold and unapproachable, Amber Lilian hates the growing list of similarities between her and the one boy she can’t read, Aaron: born the same day, both stubborn, both terrified of meeting their halves. . . . All the more reason not to trust him. That she would rather die than surrender herself as her half’s property is none of his damn business. But once lost in Aaron’s dangerous, jet black eyes, she’s already surrendered more than she cares to admit.
Tangled in each other’s self-destructive lives, Aaron and Amber learn the secret behind their linked births and why they feel like halves—but unless they can prove it before they turn eighteen, Aaron faces a lifetime alone in a world where everyone else has a soul mate . . . and he’ll have to watch Amber give herself to a boy who intends to possess not only her body but also a chunk of her soul.

ENTANGLEMENT, a 75,000 word YA thriller, will appeal to readers of Michael Grant's GONE and Ally Condie’s MATCHED.

Goodreads link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17724961-entanglement
Purchase link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A90PKCY

EXCERPT:
Amber Lilian was way more than just pretty, he realized, when she finally glanced up at the sound of his approach, the gleaming whites of her eyes warning him not to take another step. Caught in the girl’s predatory stare, Aaron felt his pulse quicken as he covered the last few feet.
“I need to talk to you about your boyfriend,” he said, sitting next to her.
She eyed the narrow gap he’d left between them and, without a word, edged away from him.
He tried again. “You know, that guy in the hoodie—”
“Why are you even here?” she said, interrupting him. “You guys lost.”
“I’m aware of that.” Aaron undid his laces and kicked off his shoes. “So, about that guy—” He glanced up, but the sight of her up close caught him off guard, and he trailed off. She brushed her hair behind her ear, still watching him. So it was a staring contest. Fine. Except staring into Amber’s strikingly green eyes gave Aaron the same bad feeling he got at zoos when he accidentally locked eyes with the caged panthers—the ones that could rip his throat out.
Aaron felt his gaze slipping and broke their stare, noticing with relief that she broke at the same time.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” she said.
Heart still racing, Aaron nodded to the group of green jerseys he had come from. “Your school’s volleyball team says he is.”
“I think I would know,” she said, flashing him another warning look.
“Then who is he?”
“Do you actually care or is this just an excuse to talk to me?” she said.
On any other day, Aaron would have juggled coals as an excuse to talk to this girl, but tonight, he worried more about the throbbing pain at the back of his skull and what Clive Selavio had done to cause it. He tried another angle. “What was that red thing he showed you earlier?”
“Nothing,” she said, a threatening tone in her voice as she edged away from him again.
“So you guys are the real deal,” he said, “same birthdays and all?”
“So what?” she said. “Why is everyone so obsessed with birthdays? I’m going to belong to my half for the rest of my life. Can’t I just be a normal seventeen-year-old right now?”
Aaron blinked. She had just put into words exactly what he felt about his own birthday.

About Dan Rix:



Dan Rix lives in Santa Barbara, California with his fiancée, paranormal romance author Laura Thalassa. He started writing his first novel in college while procrastinating his architecture studio work.

Blog: http://www.danrixauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanRixAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanRixAuthor
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/DDdTb

Spotlight for Oenone

Oenone - PROMO Blitz
By Agatha Rae
Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy
Date Published: May 23, 2013


Evelyn Dax is in love with her new boss, Jeff Richards. She does not want to reveal her feelings because of their professional relationship, however when Jeff asks her to accompany him during a business trip, the two begin spend a passionate night together.
Although attracted to Evy, Jeff decides to limit their relationship to business-related issues only, as he is afraid of any commitment.
Soon after coming back to the office in Boston, Richards faces sabotage plot against him triggered by one of the board members of the company he works for and is given a difficult task to deal with.
If he fails, he will lose his job.


Laura Levinson, Evy’s best friend, learns she suffers from breast cancer  and, supported by her loving husband Bruce, she undergoes a traumatic chemotherapy. Weakened and discouraged by the lack of progress, she meets Alyssa , a healer, who helps her recover completely from her illness. Encouraged by Alyssa’s magic, Evelyn decides to seek her help regarding Jeff’s attention and soon the healer’s intervention is visible; Evy spends a passionate night with what appears to be an imagined entity introducing itself as Jeff but, the same time, the real Richards’ feelings towards Evelyn begin to change drastically and the more often the intimate distractions, first pleasant, later on disturbing, happen to Evy, the more Jeff resents her.
 Soon  Bruce  starts  suffering  from  lung  cancer and Evy begins to wonder who Alyssa really is...

Excerpt
Chapter 42

Seven weeks had passed. Evy and Jeff were working very hard on his projects. Evy’s previous authors were given to the less experienced editors and she had edited four new authors for Jeff. She was swamped, but her mind was filled with work which was allowing her to have her thoughts occupied by something other than Laura’s treatment. Jeff was organizing the new academic publishing house, which he called OMNIBUS. All the paper work had already been done, he was waiting for few more confirmations and signatures, but it was only a matter of time before OMNIBUS would start functioning as WORDS’ official branch. He had hired two new editors, was in the middle of renegotiating new contracts with printing houses and was working on an advertising campaign.

Being entirely focused on the company’s issues, neither Jeff nor Evy had the time or will to discuss any non-professional topics. They had been eating lunches together, but during those moments she was mostly telling him about the authors she had been editing, and he was usually updating her on OMNIBUS stuff. They felt they had become a team and they both enjoyed it, but they were entirely focused on work and career. For Jeff it was all about surviving in WORDS, and for Evy it was the pleasant experience of creating something and it felt good that Jeff was consulting most of his decisions with her.

In the meantime Laura had undergone three chemotherapies. She was completely bald and most of the time she felt as if she was having a flu. Substantial problems with regulating her body’s temperature had appeared; she was either too cold or too hot. At night she either put an extra blanket on her quilt, or slept only in her underwear. She had an almost constant runny nose and by this point even her eyelashes had fallen off. Laura wore a wig whenever she was outside and at home she wore handkerchiefs on her head. Bruce kept telling her he didn’t mind her being bald, but Laura felt much more comfortable when she had her head covered. She stopped using perfumes as its scent would make her nauseous and used only cosmetics for babies now.

The smell of fumes drove her insane and she felt like vomiting every time she smelled them, so Laura stopped driving. She was very reluctant into going anywhere by car unless Bruce would promise to turn the A/C off and close all the windows so that no smells from the outside would appear in the car.
Because of her stomach being so touchy, Bruce stopped cooking and was trying to eat out as to not irritate her. The numbness in her fingers would come back from time to time and then she needed his help in doing such basic things as drinking from a mug or a bottle. She felt pretty bad about all this because her sickness did not revolve around her only, but interrupted his life as well; there, however, was nothing else they could do and he never complained.

Evy was now visiting her much less often since she was very busy with Jeff’s projects, although she would always come to Laura whenever she was back from the clinic and they had a regular phone contact. Laura was always waiting for those visits and calls because she was finding everything that was going on at work very curious and all the stories from there were truly entertaining.

Laura felt like a total mess. She underwent tests that showed the treatment hadn’t infected her tumor too much yet. Tessa kept telling her she was at the very beginning of the road to recovery, but Laura was miserable. She felt useless due to her inability to work. She wasn’t even able to work from home yet. She wasn’t able to recognize herself in the mirror and it was becoming unbearable to feel nauseous almost every time she smelled or tasted something. Laura was unable to imagine going through all this for next months and she felt that either something would finally help her really fast, or she would lose her spirit and determination, discouraged by the lack of results and control over her own body.

During one of the stays in the clinic she came across a brochure about natural methods of treatment. She never believed in such things like the healing power of herbs. Of course mint tea could calm a stormy stomach but, let’s not kid ourselves; a brewed combination of different kinds of grass could not cure cancer. She glanced at the leaflet, but never gave it a second thought until her third session at FEMINA. That was the first moment when she felt truly irritated and tired of her condition. Laura took one brochure from the table in the waiting room and when she felt a bit better after the chemo session, she took it out of a drawer near her bed and looked carefully through it.

It was about a woman named Alyssa. She described herself as a fortune-teller, an herbalist, a Shaman and a source of comfort, support and positive energy for everyone who needed it. It sounded tacky and the whole design of the brochure was corny with some ancient Greek symbols, but somehow, Laura was unable to explain it, the content of it felt oddly soothing. “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” she sighed and shook her head with disbelief. About three months ago, which felt like eternity ago, Laura would never believe that she would take such things seriously, that she would even consider searching for this kind of help. She was about to tear the brochure and throw it into the garbage can when she looked at her IV stand. Was this the way she wanted her life to look like for the next months? And who says she would defeat the cancer anyway? Perhaps that was the scenario of the rest of her life? However long it would be anyway. She was lying weak in bed, feeling pain all over her body, hairless, cold, and scared. Perhaps a month ago she would simply ignore the brochure, but the Laura who was diagnosed and the Laura who was there in the clinic were entirely different people. 

The new Laura decided not to throw away the brochure, but instead, she put it inside her handbag which she kept on a chair next to her bed. Who knows, it might become handy one day. After all, a little bit of hope and herbal tea wouldn’t hurt anyone, right? And besides, this was the only brochure that was distributed in the clinic, maybe it meant the doctors did not see Alyssa’s work as charlatanism, maybe she was indeed helping their patients? Perhaps the hospital approved her work?

One day when Bruce was out, she made herself some chamomile tea, took out Alyssa’s brochure and sat by the computer. She hesitated for a minute and Googled “Alyssa Sadler, Shaman”. She clicked search and, in a blink of an eye, she saw dozens of pages related to Alyssa. The woman seemed quite popular, there were many forums where people posted about her, and there was also her official webpage. First, Laura decided to check the boards, because, obviously, Alyssa’s website wouldn’t say anything negative about her. She was shocked. Everyone praised the woman. It seemed that Alyssa had helped many people. There were patients cured of cancers of all kinds, Parkinson diseases, Alzheimer, Tourette syndrome, cerebral palsy, disabilities, and migraines. There was a user named Oliver_73 who swore that Alyssa’s single touch released him from the horror of headaches which he had been experiencing two—three times a week and which had turned his life into hell. Kinky_Sense_of_Humor was assuring everyone that drinking Alyssa’s teas and her therapy cured him of alcoholism, that he had never drank a single drop of liquor since he met her eight years ago. Among many other people there seemed to have been people of all different ages and problems. One lady claimed she was 76 and she had had an advanced Alzheimer and, again, Alyssa’s touch cured her. Laura looked through about seventeen different websites, read more or less 70 pages of posts overall and was really confused. Of course, one could say placebo, perhaps hypnosis, could help, sure. But so many people? Could it be possible that all of them were lying for some kind of profit just to help Alyssa gain patients? Laura was fighting with her in-born skepticism. She found it extremely hard to believe all those people, but the part of her that desperately wanted her life to be normal again, the part that hated herself whenever she looked into the mirror, that part pushed her to enter Alyssa’s website.

Laura clicked on the link and it was pure magic. The website was glamorous. Emerald background, delicate, chill-out music, it was all soothing and relaxing. The green color brought an immediate association with peace and calm. Alyssa’s picture was nowhere to be found; there was however an ‘about me’ bookmark, which Laura, clicked. The note was very pared-down
.
THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON WHY YOU ARE HERE: YOU ARE SUFFERING AND SEEKING COMFORT. ALLOW ME TO SOOTH YOU; ALLOW ME TO USE MY GIFT, MY POWER, TO HELP YOU. ALLOW ME TO HEAL YOUR SPIRIT, TO BRING PEACE TO YOUR MIND. MY NAME IS ALYSSA, I HAVE THE POWER THAT CAN MAKE ALL YOUR PAIN GO AWAY, THAT CAN HELP YOU MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE. OPEN YOUR EYES, MIND AND SOUL AND ALLOW ME TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

It all sounded fabulous, but Laura couldn’t tell if she was convinced or not. It all sounded too good to be true. She had always been a skeptical person, she had never been religious and her illness had not made her change those views. So far at least. Alyssa’s website seemed very tempting, but Laura felt deep down that the sensible part of her soul had not been convinced. She added the website to her favorites and went to the kitchen to prepare herself another portion of tea.

Laura passed a big mirror in the hallway, the one she used to use to see if the shoes fit the dress and the one in front of which Bruce and she had made love many times, turned back and looked at herself carefully. She gently took the scarf off from her head and for the first time faced herself in day light. It was high time to confront the reality. She put the mug on the floor and undressed. She looked really bad; pale, skinny, hairless, with grey shadows around her eyes. No eye brows caused the lack of any facial expressiveness. The lower part of her body, with no pubic hair and such thin legs that the outline of her knees was visible, looked as if it belonged to a little girl rather than a grown-up woman. The upper part, on the other hand, seemed to have belonged to an elderly person with sunken stomach and breasts and colorless skin. She turned around and saw her shoulder blades and spine horrifyingly outlined on her back. Disgusting.  In complete silence, Laura dressed up again, went to the kitchen and put the kettle on. When her tea was ready, she came back to the study, this time avoiding the slightest glance at the mirror, and clicked on Alyssa’s website. She searched for the contact information and found the phone number. Laura took her cell phone and hesitated for a minute. What was she doing? Some months ago she would knock herself on the head at the very thought of seeking supernatural help to solve her problems. Right now she saw nothing crazy about it. After all, it could not get any worse, right?
She dialed the number on the website and a woman answered.

“Good morning, Laura, it’s Alyssa Sadler speaking, how can I help you?”

Laura was totally surprised she actually got through so quickly and, apparently, it was the Alyssa speaking to her, not some assistant, or a secretary. And how, for the love of God, did that woman know who was calling?!

“Um, yes, hello. My name is Laura Levinson, I am calling—”

“You need help, I can tell.”

Laura was totally taken aback.

“Well, yes, I mean I wouldn’t be calling if I didn’t.” She smiled nervously.
“Of course, how can I help you, Laura?”

“I found your brochure at the FEMINA clinic and I’ve looked through your website.”

“I’m glad you’ve reached me.”

“Me, too,” she answered and she meant it. It was very awkward, very surprising; but somehow, she felt that Alyssa was a very good and helpful person. Laura had no idea how she was able to feel it after a few seconds of the telephone conversation, but deep down, something inside her was thrilled that she was talking to Alyssa. Her voice seemed calm and very soothing and all of Laura’s doubts had vanished. She actually felt agog at meeting her.

“I was wondering if perhaps you have a moment to see me and, hopefully, help me.”

“Of course, I have time for everyone who is in trouble.”

When making the appointment, Laura made sure to check Bruce’s schedule to know when he would be away from home. She did not want to tell him about her idea; it still seemed pretty dumb for her. She decided not to let him know about it until she knew whether it helped or not.  Looking at his planner, she realized he had a dentist appointment the following day. It turned out Alyssa was available at the same time and they had arranged a meeting at 4:00 p.m. When Laura hung up, she was beaming. Deep down she knew it was irrational to put her trust into someone who claimed she could heal people’s spirits, but for the first time since the diagnosis, she felt as if life was returning to her veins. She was thrilled.


About the Author: Agatha Rae

My name is Agtha Rae and I would like to introduce you to “Oenone” – my debut novel, released in August 2013, courtesy of Firefly &Wisp publishing house.

Prior to “Oenone” I have published two non-fiction books using my real name, Joanna Boguslawska, I am Polish, I live in the beautiful city of Gdynia: a book for ESL teachers "Teachign English Through Culture, Teaching Culture Through English", a collection of essays analyzng popular culture "Popkultura - pop czy kultura?", as well as many articles in various magazines, both in Polish and English. I am currently a PhD student at the University of Gdansk.

Having great respect to all those authors brave enough to give birth to stories and share them with the world, I have always felt the curiosity about creating a novel , about breathing lives into characters.  “Oenone” was born after about a year and a half of the most pleasurable work I have ever done and creating it, something I have put my whole heart into, has been one of the biggest adventures of my life. I hope a lot of people will share my enthusiasm.

I am very much excited about the opportunity of releasing “Oenone”, I am curious about readers’ opinions, about their interpretations, reactions, remarks and comments and thus I am looking forward to the blog tour and I very much appreciate your help and courtesy. Thank you for allowing my dream come true.

I collect CDs, love the Canadian band The Tea Party, sushi and going to the cinema. Among my favorite books are: Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Big Country", "In a Sunburned Country", "Neither Here Nor There", Tennessee Williams' dramas, (almost) everything by Stephen King, Jack Kerouac's "On The Road", Richard Yates' "Revolutionary Road", Charles Bukowski's "Hollywood", "Pulp" and "Factotum", JD Salinger's "Catcher In The Rye", Jerome K. Jerome's "Three Men In A Boat". Cornelia Funke's Inkheart trilogy, Marisa Bowe's "GiG - Americans Talk About Their Jobs", David Foster Wallace - "Brief Interviews With Hideous Men", Philip Roth's "Everyman", "Human Stain", "Dying Animal", Michael Chabon's "Wonder Boys"

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