Spotlight & Author Interview: Paranormal Bonds + Excerpt

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Title: Paranormal Bonds
Series: The High Council Witch Chronicles, book 1
Author: Julie Catherine
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy (witches)
Publisher: GCMW Publications
Cover Artist: Doctor Deranged Designs
Release Date: April 12

Blurb:

When Mae Kingsley is forced to move into her family’s rundown lake house, she discovers small town living is not as simple as it seems. Bursts of violence, silent treatments, archaic rituals and two very cute guys with seriously mysterious motives all appear with the rising of the new moon.

But that’s nothing compared to the family secrets soon to be revealed. A box sealed in a vault, hidden rooms, naked swimming. There’s a trove of family revelations just beneath the floorboards, waiting to be exposed.

As the paranormal bonding season for the High Council Witches begins, Mae must quickly decide who to trust and who to fear before a deadly family tradition repeats itself and her chance to live a normal life completely disappears.

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Excerpt:
Suddenly, outside, a wash of blue light fell on the windowsill. The moon had come out. The whole day and evening had been sort of gloomy and overcast, so the moon had been hidden and lackluster under the cover of clouds. But now, in the middle of the night, the storm had passed and the sky had cleared. The moon returned to its nighttime glory. It was amazing how bright the reflection was. All the shapes in my room took on a luminous glow.
I loved a full moon. Who didn’t?
I went to the window and peeked out the curtain. The forest glistened with a blue-and-silver color palette coating every twig and branch. The trees were eerily, beautifully visible. I felt a childlike impulse to run my hands on their bark.
Why not? I wasn’t sleeping.
I pulled on my terry cloth robe and headed down to the lake. In the bright, clear night sky, I didn’t need a flashlight to guide the way. I could easily see my route.
What a whirlwind first day, I thought, picking my way down to the lake.
The Peters seemed nice, and Kate was… Kate. My science teacher seemed kind of strict, but that was okay. You wanted a little strictness in the compulsory credits. Maybe this year I’d try out for field hockey, and… oh, who was I kidding? My brain ping-ponged over and over back to two important topics. My missing moon necklace and the cute boy named Spade.
What kind of name was Spade anyway?
Not a last name, that was for sure.
I was surprised to learn the boy from the parking lot had taken up so much real estate in my brain. I barely knew him.
I picked up a smooth rock and skipped it across the lake surface. It bounced one, two, three times before dipping below the water’s edge.
I stared up into the heavens. This was a beautiful place on earth. Here, from the lakeside, the sky was enormous. The clouds had fully dispersed, leaving the atmosphere open, full of starlight. I looked up at the teeny-tiny planets, the stars, and even the distant galaxies reflecting their light back to me. The world was so big, and I was just this tiny speck of existence. In this milky, bright night, my anklet moon charm would have fit in perfectly. Maybe Spade had found it, and all would be right with the world.
As the thought popped into my head, it actually brought a lot of comfort.
If Spade did find my necklace, I felt confident that I would get it back.
I stuck my big toe in the lapping water. The lake was still warm from the heat of summer. The autumn nights had yet to bring their chilly edge. There weren’t too many days of swimming left. I looked around at the other cottages. I was the only person by the water. This was to be expected for a midnight visit, but a lot of the owners’ absences from the lakeshore were more permanent than that. Most of the buildings were already locked down for the winter season, their humans long gone to sturdier homes until next spring’s annual pilgrimage began. Those who were still here were safely sleeping in their beds. Their doors and windows were locked and dark for the night.
It was such a pity to waste such a beautiful evening.
I stepped farther into the bay, up to my feet at first, then to my ankles. The water felt wonderful.
A nighttime dip would help me relax, I realized.
It seemed so inviting.
I could run up to the cabin and change into my swimsuit… but I shouldn’t wake Aunt Abeline. She didn’t know I was out here. I looked back to our house. It was pitch black. I hadn’t turned on a single light when I left. I wouldn’t want to disturb her. Maybe I should call it a night.

Or… a little voice inside me countered. You could go for a skinny dip.


Author Interview:
 

What inspired you to write this book?

I recently moved to a small town and saw this big yellow bus driving around, dropping off all the farmland kids, and I thought, wouldn’t it be fun if some of those kids were witches…

What surprised you the most in writing it?

I wanted to think of witchcraft as more of a hereditary trait, like how the children of basketball stars often grow up to play basketball, and what sort of pressures would be put on generations living outside of the norm, so I guess the most surprising thing would be that for the outside world, magic would of course, be sort of magical, but for the kids involved it could be almost mundane.

If it isn’t a spoiler, what does the title mean?

In the High Council, every teen has to find their parabond, or perfect partner before they can be invited into the coven. If you don’t match, you don’t enter.

What are your immediate future plans?

To release book 2, Predetermined Bonds and book 3, Poisoned Bonds!


Author information: 
Julie Catherine, author, playwright and screenwriter.
Julie Catherine is an author, playwright and screenwriter.

Spotlight & Excerpt: Forgotten Scars + Giveaway

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Welcome to the book tour for Forgotten Scars by Natalie J. Reddy. Today I have an excerpt for you to read and a really amazing giveaway to enter at the end! forgotten scars - final ebook cover (1)

Forgotten Scars (Scars of Days Forgotten #1)

Publication Date: March 2021

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance

Humanity is not alone. Supernatural beings are hiding among us. The Psi have remained secluded from humans for far too long, and there’s a faction that is conspiring to break the veil and use their powers to take their rightful place among humans – as our rulers and conquerors. Wren is a college student who didn’t think her life could get much worse. That is until she’s kidnapped by the Psi and questioned about her closest friend. But the Psi offer her something no one else can – the truth about who she is. But can she trust the Psi? Can she trust her feelings towards her irritatingly charming captor? Or is she just a pawn in a very dangerous game?

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Excerpt

Once the door closed, I flung the blanket off. The room looked like it could be someone’s study or office. I hurried to the windows and yanked open the drapes and the room flooded with sunlight. Daylight! I’d been out for hours!

There were no bars on the windows, but a quick glance outside revealed that I was on the second floor of wherever this was. Climbing or jumping down could be an option. A second story jump wouldn’t kill me, but it would likely hurt like hell. 

I groped around the window frame for a lock or way to open it. I found nothing. Hurrying over to the next set of drapes, I yanked them open and found a set of French doors. Behind the glass, I could see a little balcony, and I reached for the door handle.

“Damn it!” The knob moved, but when I shoved against it, it didn’t budge. I shook my head. “People don’t go to the trouble of kidnapping someone, only to leave them in an unlocked room, you idiot,” I muttered to myself. Nothing was ever that easy.

Something heavy—that’s what I needed. If I couldn’t just walk out, I would break out!

I turned, and for the first time, I noticed the fire cracking in the fireplace along the far wall behind the couch I’d woken upon. On a second glance, the room looked more like an old library than someone’s personal office. The walls had deep mahogany wood paneling and were lined with books from floor to ceiling. There was a large matching desk stationed on the far side of the room. The room was almost the size of my entire apartment and was full of plenty of things that looked nice and heavy.

I pushed my mussed hair out of my eyes and walked over to an end table by the couch and picked up a large, very ugly candelabra. I studied it for a moment taking in the fat bronze cherub with its vacant and creepy looking eyes and grimaced. “Who would buy something this ugly?” I muttered as I moved back to the window. I would need to move quickly once the glass broke. 

I moved swiftly across the room to the French doors, lifted the candelabra and swung—

“There’s a deadbolt at the top,” a voice spoke, stopping me mid-swing.

I shrieked, and whirled around to see a guy had entered the room. He held a tray in his arms, his lips quirked up in an amused half-smile.

“Um—what?” My heart hammered in my chest at the sudden appearance of someone in the room. How had I not heard him?

“Up at the top of the door.” The guy jerked his chin in the direction of the French doors. “There’s a deadbolt you can unlock if you need to get some air that badly. No reason to break perfectly good windows.” He crossed the room and set the tray down on the coffee table. “Not that you’d break them anyway. They’re made of unbreakable glass,” he added as he poured himself a cup of what smelled like coffee.

I watched as he added heaping spoonfuls of sugar and a dash of cream before heading to the couch, where he sat down like everything was totally normal and took a sip of his coffee. But normal people didn’t kidnap people or need unbreakable windows.

“You can put that down.” He motioned to the candelabra still held tightly in my grasp. “You won’t be needing it.”

“You going to let me leave if I do?” I dared to ask.

The amused smile that hadn’t left his mouth since he had first spoken grew. “I can’t let you leave, but I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now.” He lifted the cup to his lips and took another sip of his coffee.

I tightened my grip on the candelabra, the hard bronze managing to give me a small measure of comfort as I said, “I’d feel more comfortable holding onto this then.”

“Fair enough.” He nodded.

“Why bother telling me about the lock on the door if you aren’t going to let me go?” I asked.

“Letting you go outside and letting you leave isn’t the same thing.” He set his cup down and strode towards me.

Every muscle in my body tensed as he stopped a foot away. He wasn’t much older than me, and only a few inches taller, but his confidence made it feel like he was towering over my five foot seven inches. The smile had left his mouth as he studied me. His eyes were a light golden brown that could only be described as honey-colored, and they almost glowed against his light brown skin. His hair was a dark wavy mass that reached his collar.

Good looking didn’t even begin to describe this guy. He was the type of subject I’d normally love to sketch or paint, but given my current position, I wasn’t really in the mood. Although my situation didn’t stop me from noticing his strong nose and narrow jaw, or the way his lashes were long enough for a mascara commercial. I couldn’t help it. I saw potential art in most everything, especially beautiful things. And damn it, he was beautiful.

His mouth quirked to the side as if something amused him, but he didn’t say what. He just continued to look at me.

I straightened to my full height, refusing to shrink away. “Why am I here? Or are you not important enough to tell me either?”

He took a step closer, closing the gap between us and leaned in, his face a measly couple inches from mine. “I’m the reason you’re here.” He didn’t move away, and I glared at him.

“You’re in my personal space.”

“Am I?” He smirked as he flicked the end of my nose.

“Don’t touch me!” I smacked his hand away.

His teeth gleamed as he flashed a cocky grin, “Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” The grin didn’t leave his face, but he took a step back and moved behind the desk. “Come sit down, Wren, and we’ll talk.” He sat in the deep brown leather chair.

The use of my name caught my attention. “How do you know my name?”

He nodded to the chair in front of the desk.

“I’m not sitting until you tell me how you know my name.” I stormed toward the desk and slammed the stupid ugly candelabra down in front of him with as much force as I could muster.

The jerk didn’t even flinch.

“I’m the one who arranged for you to be brought here,” he said. “It helps to find out the name of the people you’re kidnapping.”

He had me there.

“Now, sit down, please.” His words were calm but firm as he nodded once more towards the chair and crossed his arms, waiting.

I complied. For now.

He was silent as he shuffled through some files on the desk. A wiser person might have stayed silent and waited for their captors to speak, but I’d never been accused of ever being especially wise.

“Who are you?” I asked, trying to keep the edge out of my voice. “And why am I here?”

He glanced up and folded his hands on top of a manila file. He didn’t speak, he just studied me, his gaze dark and intrusive.

I shifted, clenching my fists so tightly, my nails bit into my palms.

“My name is Darshan, and you’re here because I need something and I’m hoping you can help me.”

“What makes you think I can help you?”

I searched my mind to come up with something, anything that these people might think I could do for them. I had little to offer anyone. I knew that. I wasn’t stupid. But, obviously, he didn’t know that, or maybe I’d been mistaken for someone else?

Darshan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “I know you can help me, Wren.”

“I swear I have nothing of any value to you.”

“It’s not about what you have, but who you know.”

“What are you talking about?” I shook my head. Who could I know that these people would want?

Darshan flipped open the file and pulled out a photo. He slid it towards me. His face was hard without a hint of humor. “We want to know where this woman is.”

I looked at the photo to see… me. So not a case of mistaken identity, but very creepy. It took me a moment to take in the rest of the picture and notice the person next to me. My eyes widened.

“Her name is Maeve.” His voice pulled me from my thoughts. “But I believe you know her as Wendy, and others know her as a murderer.”

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About the Author

1409-2019-083811046472874711683 Natalie J. Reddy is a Canadian Author who spends her days trying to escape reality by making up stories about the characters in her head. Natalie realized at an early age that she had a passion for storytelling and that passion followed her into adulthood. There is nothing she loves more than to be pulled into a fictional world whether it’s in her own writing or the writing of others. Natalie is the author of the Scar of Days Forgotten series, a New Adult Urban Fantasy series with characters who have supernatural abilities and dark and sometimes unknown pasts to overcome. When she’s not writing, Natalie can be found having all sorts of real-life adventures with her husband and daughter or curled up with a good book and a cup of tea. To keep up to date on upcoming books, subscribe to Natalie’s newsletter at nataliejreddy.com

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Giveaway: Natalie is giving away signed editions of all 4 books in her Scars of Days Forgotten series and artwork inspired by the books! *North America Only Rafflecopter


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Book Blitz: Hidden, by Lea Cherry

HIDDEN RDB BANNER

 

Title: Hidden
Author: Lea Cherry
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Editor: Monique The Editrix
Cover Designer: Starlight Designs
Publication Date: November 30th, 2021
Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

Good vs. Evil; Witch vs. Warlock; Pure vs. Tainted.

Being the last remaining descendant of a powerful magical race was not what Amy had in mind for her summer, but when her powers unlock after being attacked, there was no turning back to what she thought was normal. 

She must learn how to control her powers, for a dangerous enemy has his sight set on her and he won’t stop until he has what he’s been after for four hundred years.

Not only does her life hang by a thread, but the balance of the world relies on her being ready for the fight of her life as the Tainted is coming for her.

And he wants her power, her magic… her soul.

For fans of Jana Oliver, C.L. Coffey and Jen L. Grey.

Get your copy now, dive down deep into the world of the Descendants and let your magic guide the way.

 

Lea Cherry is an international bestselling author residing in South Africa with her husband and two daughters. With a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing, she shares the spark of language in Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror, and Thriller. When she is not crafting stories, she shares her time with her family watching movies, painting, and reading up a storm when she is not exploring the outdoors on camping trips. Her first book in the Descendant series is set to arrive in 2021 and is filled with magic and adventure that will keep you wanting more.

 

 

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