#MidWeekTease : Julia and Edmund Meet Again

It's time for a MidWeek Tease! This week I'm pulling a snippet from Fire Hunt, the final book in the Saving Grace Saga. This is to celebrate it's release in print the 15th of this month! I'm so excited to see them all in print, but Julia isn't nearly as exciting to see her old flame, Edmund.

Enjoy this snippet and be sure to hop on over to the other great author blogs!

The door whispered closed behind her, and she could almost feel Edmund’s eyes lock onto her. “Hello, Mr. Strigoi,” she said, stepping further into the room. “Do you remember me?”

Slowly Edmund lifted his head, shaking the black hair from his face, exposing vibrant dark green eyes. “You look vaguely familiar,” he said. He kept his face trained in a disinterested look for a second then smirked at her. “But you’re kind of cute.”

Leaning her back against the two-way mirror, she crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn’t surprised by his comment. Throughout the interview with Burrows, he had been a smart ass. Changing tactics with a woman to appear more charming was an expected move. “I’m Detective Julia Flagg and you might remember me from seven years ago.”

“Sorry, babe. My memory isn’t so good.”

He ignored her title and used a term that had always set her teeth on edge. She wasn’t sure if he was using it as part of his act or if he really was trying to irritate her. Probably both.

“It’s ‘Detective Flagg’, and you set half a squad on fire at a nightclub outside of Richmond,” she said. It had been early in her career and the last time she had seen the man. A flailing teammate who had caught fire had rushed into her. The accident had caused a flash of flame to crawl up her side. It had hurt like hell and Julia had been ready to shoot Edmund that night, connections and family aside.

For a second she saw a shadow cross over his eyes, but it was soon covered as an easy mask of humor settle over his face. Grinning wider, he said, “I plead the fifth, but it looks like you’ve moved up in the ranks. I love a woman with power and authority.”

Julia flinched inwardly at the comment. With only passive magic, she had been the weakest link in their coven. A weakness that needing protecting and, as the coven leader’s daughter, she’d gotten it. It was an old wound that Edmund apparently didn’t mind ripping open. Shifting around to feel her gun press more closely against her, she told herself she had other strengths now. “Detective Burrows doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere with you. Care to talk with me instead?” she asked, pushing aside the old hurt.

“I might be willing to negotiate.”

Narrowing her eyes at him, she wondered what angle he was trying to play. “You’ve killed nearly a dozen agents, burned down two holding facilities, and have been named as the leader in at least one of the major covens rooted out in New York. What exactly is it you want to negotiate?”

“I want out of this room but, the real question is, what do you want, babe?”

“That’s Detective Flagg,” she corrected again. “What have you got to offer that will convince me to let a criminal like you out of here?”

She thought it was impossible for the smirking man to look any cockier, but somehow Edmund pulled it off as he leaned back and slid his hips toward the front edge of the chair. “I’ve been told I provide a hell of a great ride, and you, babe, look like you are in desperate need of a wild round or two,” he teased, bouncing his hips a couple times.

In two quick steps Julia was in front of him. The back of her hand made contact with the side of his face causing his head to jerk and sending an echo through the small room. Ignoring the stinging pain shooting down her fingers, she leaned in close. “This isn’t a singles party, Strigoi. You’re in some serous shit here.”

Edmund shook the hair from his face again and glared up at her with seething blue eyes. The change in eye color was a telltale sign that he was finally really angry, and Julia had to fight back a victorious grin. His tongue swiped out to catch a swell of blood at the corner of his mouth. “Have I upset you, Detective?”

Leaning in further, Julia almost brushed her cheek against his and whispered, “I’ll see you tonight.”

As she pulled away, he pressed his lips to her cheek, no doubt leaving behind a bloody kiss mark. Just before she slapped him again she saw his grin.

She abruptly turned and headed for the door without looking back. Her hand was reaching for the knob when she heard Edmund say, “I’ll be looking forward to it, babe.”

Letting out an aggravated growl, she marched out and slammed the door behind her.

After ten years Julia and Edmund have one hell of a reunion. Want to find out how the escape plan works out? You can find Fire Hunt on Amazon in digital or wait until the 15th and order a print copy!

Fire Hunt 
(Book 3 in the Saving Grace Saga)

Julia was dedicated to the cause, even though she was marked a traitor by her own kind for becoming a Federal Witch Hunter. When her partner captures a man from her past, Julia must make a choice: Let the witch be tortured, or blow her cover and go with plan B.

All Edmund wanted was to help the magical community and escape his extremist lifestyle. Instead he was setup and captured by Witch Hunters. Cut off from his magic and held prisoner, Edmund didn’t think things could get worse. Then Julia struts into his holding cell with an escape plan.

Available

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Amazon      Barnes and Noble    Cobblestone Press

Peace and Love!

New Moon Madness

Image by Tallia22 from stock.xchng

I've been hard at work revising my latest novel. Revising is a long process for me. Not as long as writing, but it seems that time just drags by while revising. I'm a few chapters away from this last read through, but when I'm not working on this piece another piece is peeking through already, and it seems this crazy new moon is only helping increase my interest in the story.

I love writing paranormal, fantasy and science fiction pieces. I fell in love with the thrill that creating the worlds gives me. Over the last few years paranormal fiction has taken over and I focused on werewolves and witches more than anything. In Witch Hunt Rei is a powerful Earth Witch who runs into a pack of werewolves in Montana. I have a healer in this latest story which is tied to the Witch Hunt world, and a third story idea centered around just the witch culture of the same world.

It may have been the idea of these witches that started to inspire a short story idea for me. A world were werewolves, vampires and other supernatural beasties are not as common in the story line. This story is based around two historically powerful families. Each family passes along their magical power to the next head of the family, and of course the families don't get along so well.

I'm not sure yet where this story is heading but this new moon tonight is pulling me towards starting some sort of outline for the story. If I do get an outline done I'm going to set it aside until I've finished those last few chapters of revision.

Enjoy this Super New Moon!

Witch Hunt: Excerpt

I felt it was about time I placed an excerpt of Witch Hunt on here. Hope you enjoy!

Witch Hunt by JR White

Prologue

High above the ground of man, the moonless night sky was calm. Bright stars dotted the darkness, and peace had settled. Suddenly a scream shattered the silence, and startled birds flew from the trees. The scream had rung out from a young woman far below, standing by a large flickering fire. As quickly as the scream had burst to life, a swift hand struck the woman across the face.

Rei fell to the ground, her voice silenced. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth, and her world blurred over. As her eyes began to focus, Rei saw her brother only a few feet away. Blood rushed from his throat, and Rei, with her hands bound behind her back, could do nothing but watch. She could barely even make out the voices chanting around them.

The dark-clothed man who had hit her put his hands high in the air, mirroring a woman who held a bloody knife above her head. Rei ignored their ritual and struggled to her brother’s side. Leaning her forehead to the top of his, Rei whispered, “Richard, I’m sorry.” Tears streamed down her face as she felt her brother’s life force racing from his body.

Surrounding them, a dozen people called to the natural power in Richard’s blood. They pulled it from every drop, and the High Priestess who held the knife was funneling most of it into herself. Rei looked up at them and then back to her brother. Richard’s dark blue eyes found hers, and suddenly an image of a feather fluttered through her mind. In that instant Rei knew what she had to do. She felt the magic forming in the circle growing and knew that once they were finished with Richard they would turn to her. For Rei, death was one thing, but being killed to increase the power of a blood cult was beyond reasonable.

 

Rei needed no words to steal her brother’s magic back from the air, but her heart ached at the sin. Closing off the guilt, she began to reach out her magic. The blood that had swelled at her busted lip was enough. Blood called to blood, and Rei simply called out to the power of her brother. For an instant a battle between the will of the coven and Rei raged, but the love of her brother and the guilt of his death won. Rei’s head snapped back, and she stared blindly at the star-speckled sky. Behind her the High Priestess dropped her arms, breaking off the war of magic and dashed toward Rei, ready to drive the knife into her.

Time slowed as Rei began to stand. Her knees began to unbend and change. She felt the texture of her legs begin to roughen, and in the flicker of the fire, feathers began to ripple over her skin and clothing. As her arms shrank and formed hollowed-bone wings, the rope around her wrists fell to the ground. When time returned to normal, Rei was a small bird flying upward into the sky. Below her, the knife the High Priestess wielded stabbed into a small pile of cast off rope.

Rei heard a rage-filled scream from below her and then the stern command from the High Priestess, “Spread out! She can’t stay in that form long!”

High above the coven, the feathered Rei skimmed across the once again silent and still night. She felt fear gripping at her throat, threatening to weaken the power her brother had given her. Rei swallowed back her grief and flew onward.

Below her she knew the coven was scattering through the forest in their search. Rei was happy that the coven had not stolen the ability to change their shape. Shape changing was a rare gift for a witch. It may have been the only advantage she held over them, but holding a different form was hard. Speeding her way over the trees, Rei tried to focus on the image of the bird she had formed. She forced her will into the shape and prayed she could hold it long enough to put many miles between herself and the blood witches.

Thoughts of her beloved brother filled her mind, and it was only the determination of his power that had forced the image of the small bird into her mind. Quickly the face of her brother was morphing into the bird to help her hold the form long enough to escape. Richard, I’m so sorry, Rei whispered in her mind.

 

Witch Hunt : The Publishing Process

So I thought I would add the cover of Witch Hunt. I personally really like this cover. I was a little worried because I only filled out a form for this and didn't get to preview it before publishing, but I had nothing to worry about. It came out great! At least I think so. 

As Witch Hunt was my first professional published novel, I didn't know much about the entire process. Like many authors I feared the editing process. We've all heard the horror stories, but editing was a real dream for me. Waiting on the release turned out to be the hardest part.

Now to focus on promotion and spreading the word. By the by, if you're interested you can find Witch Hunt for sale @ Cobblestone Press. You can also read an except from the beginning of the story.

Good dreams.