Audio Spotlight & Excerpt: Skin Curse + Author Interview

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Title: Skin Curse

Author: Kristin Jacques

Narrator: Amie Lyn Hornick

Length: 9 hours 13 minutes

Series: The Gate Cycle, Book 2

Publisher: The Parliament House

Released: Apr. 21, 2021

Genre: YA Fantasy

The Children of the Gate wait for the call to Rise.

Azzy Brimvine knows her brother is in the vast city of Avergard. She must find him, but time is not on their side.

In the House of Seven Smiles, Azzy struggles to understand the constraints and limits of her power. She finds the whispering voices that guided her for so long, suddenly silent. The enigmatic Lord Wallach is both a frustrating ally and a dangerous mystery, and a strange entity lurks among the household servants. The haven Azzy sought may not be as safe as she thought…but is anywhere truly safe in the Above?

The city of Avergard is full of monsters and secrets, and a dark history festers at its root. A yawning pit nestles in the house of a scheming lord, who will use Armin’s dangerous gifts to raise history, and raze the city to the ground. As Azzy finds herself and her brother pulled into these machinations, she must navigate the politics and society of Avergard’s brutal ruling class to save her family and friends before the Gate consumes them all.


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Q&A with Author Kristin Jacques
  • How did you select your narrator?
    I had the pleasure of working with this narrator on the first book in the series, Marrow Charm, and I was so happy she was willing to do so again!
  • Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
    When I was first writing this series, I was heavily inspired by alternate history ideas and what if such and such happened. A lot of those ideas changed in the process, but a lot of the creatures in the story were inspired by popular myths and folklore, such as Skin Walkers.
  • How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
    It hasn’t been easy! I take breaks. I make time for mental health days. Aside from writing I also have two kiddos with special needs and their needs supercede everything else. Sometimes I have a hectic period before a deadline but I love telling stories and that keeps me going.
  • Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
    I do like to listen to audiobooks when I can. I like the idea of hands free reading. It allows me to multitask and get things done around the house, or work out while still engaging that imaginative side of my mind.
  • If you had the power to time travel, would you use it? If yes, when and where would you go?
    Yes. Absolutely yes. Probably not to the distant past though. Maybe to my earlier childhood so I can see the people that I’ve lost.
  • What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
    That’s such a ridiculous argument. The origins of storytelling were verbal. If anything, audiobooks take us back to our roots where we absorbed stories told around the hearth. It’s how all our first stories were told.
  • How did you celebrate after finishing this novel?
    I like to treat myself to something I normally don’t indulge in, like donuts. Sometimes I won’t watch a movie or series I’m dying to until I meet a deadline.
  • What gets you out of a writing slump? What about a reading slump?
    Getting out of a writing slump is hard. Sometimes I let my mind do scene work, if I find myself particularly stuck, skipping around the plot to see how a specific scene will play out often helps me back track and connect the plot points. Reading slump, I actually reread a lot if I’m feeling in a slump. Sometimes revisiting old stories lets me move onto new ones.
  • In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
    I actually find stand alones harder to craft than series. Series really lets me explore character arcs and flesh out everyone I want to flesh out. Containing a story into a single work is its own craft.
  • What’s next for you?
    I am ramping up for the summer release of Poison & Poultice, a novella set in the Gate Cycle universe, and pushing through Book 3, Blood Vow, which releases February 2022.

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Kristin Jacques is speculative fiction author and content creator from New England. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Wells College.

Her contemporary fantasy Ragnarök Unwound was published with Sky Forest Press in January of 2019. Her award-winning dark fantasy Marrow Charm was released from Parliament House Press in October 2019. In November 2019, Marrow Charm won the Fantasy Fiction category at American Bookfest. In 2020, she signed a four-book deal with City Owl Press for the paranormal series Midnight Guardians.

When not writing, she is juggling two rambunctious boys, spoiling her cats, and catching up on a massive TBR pile. She is currently working on projects full of magic, mystery, and delight.

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Narrator Bio

Amie Lyn Hornick is a professional audiobook narrator and producer with a true passion for bringing stories to life through engaging and versatile presentations. After graduating from St. Lawrence University with double majors in English and Psychology, she spent the next few years working in marketing and graphic design. For the last two years, however, she has completely immersed herself in the audiobook industry and has loved every minute of it. Based in Upstate New York, Amie spends much of her free time playing far too many video games and exploring the Adirondacks with her husband and two incredibly cute rescue dogs (who don’t quite understand why their mom spends most days speaking in weird voices).

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Spotlight: Holy Rock Chronicles + Giveaway

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Holy Rock Chronicles is a collection of 3 short stories centering around members and staff of the infamous Holy Rock Ministries, now pastored by the young Khalil McCoy. This series of short stories is meant to be entertaining, satisfying, quick reads for those on the go but still looking for a good story. Enjoy reading behind the scenes stories about some of your favorite members of Holy Rock. Book 1 is “Calling Dr. Daniels”. Book 2 is “The Woman in Apartment 3D. Book 3 is Ruthless Rianna.

 

Calling Dr. Daniels
Holy Rock Chronicles Book 1
by Shelia E. Bell
Genre: Inspirational Romance, Drama

 

Dr. Micah Daniels may be just the ‘doctor’ to heal Fancy McCoy’s broken heart. When he sees her during her son’s hospital stay, Dr. Daniels is immediately attracted to her. But trying to push up on one of his patient’s loved ones is not how he operates. A chance encounter leads the two to reconnect and a relationship is formed. Everything seems to be headed to a lasting love connection until the reappearance of someone from Micah’s past. Will a wrench be thrown into Micah and Fancy’s love connection or will Fancy be able to stand her ground for the man she is growing to love.

 

The Woman in Apartment 3D
Holy Rock Chronicles Book 2

 

Holy Rock’s Choir Director, Sista Rianna Jamison, has her eyes and heart set on nabbing Hezekiah McCoy. She will stop at nothing and has no shame when it comes to staking her claim. When Hezekiah’s ex-wife, Fancy McCoy, reappears in Hezekiah’s life, Rianna isn’t having it. She’s taking no chances and sets out to make sure she’s the one who ultimately wins Hezekiah’s heart and claim the title of First Lady of New Holy Rock Ministries. This is Book 2 in the Holy Rock Chronicles series.

 

Ruthless Rianna
Holy Rock Chronicles Book 3

 

In the last of this 3 book series, Rianna Jamison pulls out all the tricks in her bag! She’s stopping at nothing to get what she wants and she wants Pastor Hezekiah McCoy. More church drama unfolds in this explosive end to the Holy Rock Chronicles!

 

Shelia E. Bell (formerly Shelia E. Lipsey) is an award-winning, national bestselling author with 20+ books published in christian fiction, women’s fiction, nonfiction, and young adult genres. Her books have garnered numerous awards and accolades, including 2017 Christian Literary Readers’ Choice Award, 2015 Rosa Parks Award, 2014 Christian Literary Award, AAMBC Nate Holmes Honorary Award, Kindle Award, OOSA Book of the Year, numerous SORMAG awards and more.
Shelia began her publishing career in 1999. Since then, she has set the literary industry ablaze with her dynamic, true to life stories that she calls “perfect stories about imperfect people like you…and me.”
Shelia is passionate about helping others and encourages and promotes people to ‘live their dreams now.’ In 2012, she founded a non profit organization “Black Writers And Book Clubs (BWABC) Literacy Association” with a mission to promote literacy one community at a time. Shelia is also a well-respected freelance book editor.
A much sought after inspirational speaker, Shelia travels near and far sharing her inspirational messages of how to overcome the adversities of life. Having had polio since the age of two, she accepts no excuses and is determined not to let her physical imperfections keep her from her life’s purposes.
 
 
 
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Spotlight & Excerpt: Hell Raising and Other Pastimes + Giveaway

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Hell Raising and Other Pastimes
by Jayce Carter
Genre: Paranormal Erotic Romance

Lots of people have told me to go to hell—I guess they finally got their wish.

I’ve finally accepted the fact I might not be entirely human, so you’d think life could give me a minute. Instead, I find myself sucked into hell at Lucifer’s demand, and I realize death is even more complicated than my life was.

I’m still searching for how to stop the missing spirits before it’s too late, and with no suspects other than Lucifer, I have to survive hell—where everything wants to kill me—so I can confront the devil himself. Not even my love life can be simple, though. Troy is terrified of his werewolf side hurting me, Kase and Grant are lying to me, and Hunter is keeping his own secrets. I know better than to trust anyone, especially the men who have taken over my life.

Get to Lucifer’s Court, find out the truth about the missing spirits, figure out exactly what I am, and try not to die along the way. Oh, and don’t fall in love with the men who will for sure break my heart and possibly get me killed.

Easy enough, right?

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Excerpt:

I moved my fingers down over Kase’s wrist to touch his hand, to where I could brush his actual skin.

The moment it happened, however, the room spun again.

When the breath rushed from my lungs, I realized it wasn’t the room spinning this time but me.

I found Kase’s face above me, his lips peeled back to expose his fangs, his eyes glowing red.

All those times I’d though he looked scary before were nothing. I’d never seen this face. The idea he was older than Colter didn’t seem so crazy anymore.

If his face wasn’t enough, the hand I’d just touched was wrapped around my throat.

He could have snapped my neck right then, ended me without a second thought. It was a reminder of just how out-powered I was by these supernaturals. I had started to feel myself, to think I could stand toe-to-toe with them, especially after shoving that shadow from Troy, but in that moment Kase showed me how wrong I was.


AUTHOR Bio

Jayce Carter lives in Southern California with her husband and two spawns. She originally wanted to take over the world but realized that would require wearing pants. This led her to choosing writing, a completely pants-free occupation. She has a fear of heights yet rock climbs for fun and enjoys making up excuses for not going out and socializing.

Jayce carter

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