E.J. Stevens's Blog, page 17

Congratulations Nenna the winner of the Fated Dates Ebook Giveaway .  Nenna will receive an ebook copy of FATED DATES, the first book in the Fated Date Agency paranormal romance series by Abraham Steele.



Thank you to all who entered!

**Winner randomly selected using Random.org.**

Urban Fantasy Freebie!


Grab your FREE copy of Shadow Sight and enter an award-winning urban fantasy world filled with bloodsucking vampires, psychotic faeries, and snarky, kick-butt heroines.

AMAZON
AMAZON.UK
AMAZON.CA
Shadow Sight (Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective #1) by E.J. Stevens

Welcome to Harborsmouth, where monsters walk the streets unseen by humans...except those with second sight, like Ivy Granger.

Some things are best left unseen...

Ivy Granger's second sight is finally giving her life purpose. Ivy and her best friend Jinx may not be raking in the dough, but their psychic detective agency pays the bills--most of the time. Their only worry is the boredom of a slow day and the occasional crazy client--until a demon walks through their door.

Demons are never a good sign...

A demon attorney representing the water fae? Stranger things have happened. And things are about to get very, very strange as a bloodthirsty nightmare hunts the city of Harborsmouth.

There's blood in the water...

Kelpies have a reputation for eating humans. Unfortunately, kelpies are the clients. When an Unseelie faerie this evil stalks the waterways of your city, you have to make hard choices.

The lesser of two evils...

Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Regular Price: $3.99
Today's Price: FREE

Spread the word and share with your friends.

Click to Tweet:

Tweet: Shadow Sight FREE #urbanfantasy #Kindle deal! http://ctt.ec/e9d5n+


Are you an audiobook fan?  Download the Shadow Sight Kindle book free, and Amazon will offer a special reduced price of $1.99 for the audiobook on Audible.com.  That's over $16 in audiobook savings!

Please welcome today's guest author, Nancee Cain!  Evelyn is the author of SAVING EVANGELINE.

Keep reading for a chance to win Saving Evangeline by Nancee Cain!

Q+A with Nancee Cain
EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Nancee:  I started writing as a teenager. My goal was to make my friends cry with very angsty romances. They were truly horrible. Someday I may post one of them for fun on my blog.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Nancee:  I primarily write contemporary romances, but they weren't going anywhere. So for Nanowrimo 2013, I wrote Saving Evangeline to try something different. I pitched it and it was the one that sold.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Nancee:  You'd think since I write about angels it would be to fly. However, I'm scared of heights. I think I'd like to be a witch and have the ability to be invisible and cast spells, make potions.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Nancee:  Remi isn't your normal angel. He tends to get in trouble and bend the rules. He smokes. He cusses. He's snarky. But he's also loving and fun. And did I mention he's devastatingly handsome?

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Nancee:  There's a picture of model Christian Jorgensen shirtless that has the look of Remi. However, I have no idea if he can act. Evangeline would be Odette Annable.

Thank you Nancee for joining us here today at From the Shadows!  
To learn more about Nancee Cain and her books, please visit her website.  You can learn more about her new release Saving Evangeline below.


Saving Evangeline by Nancee Cain.

Evangeline is the town pariah. Everyone knows she’s crazy and was responsible for the death of her last boyfriend. Even her mother left her and moved cross-country. Lonely and desperate, Evie decides to end her life.

Rogue angel Remiel longs to return to earth, but there’s just one problem. He tends to invite trouble and hasn’t been allowed back since Woodstock. The Boss sends him to save Evangeline, but there’s a catch: he can’t reveal his angelic nature, and he must complete the task as Father Remiel Blackson.

Forced together on a cross-country trip, a forbidden romance ignites and love unfolds. A host of heavenly messengers tries to intervene, but Remiel and Evangeline are headed on a collision course to disaster. Will his love save her, or will they both be lost forever? 
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Add to Goodreads.

Saving Evangeline Ebook Giveaway
We are giving away an ebook copy of Saving Evangeline by Nancee Cain to one lucky winner!

To enter, please leave a comment on this post and include your email address.  This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  Giveaway ends January 27, 2016 midnight EST.

Do you believe in angels?
Have a question for Nancee?  Ask in the comments below.  We love comments!

Please welcome today's guest author, Evelyn Lederman!  Evelyn is the author of the Nightshade series and the Worlds Apart series, including the new release THE MIND CONTROL TELEPATH.

Q+A with Evelyn Lederman
EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Evelyn:  I met Christine Feehan at Romcon2010 and she mentioned her characters talked to her. This was a common theme.  I thought authors were crazy, until it happened to me. On February 23, 2014 I was driving to play tennis when a real conversation that occurred outside Sedona, Arizona played in my head. Then all of a sudden five fictional girls started to talk to me. That was the beginning of the Worlds Apart series.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Evelyn:  First of all, it is a genre I love to read. Paranormal stories are the best escapism around! As an author I am not limited to the ‘real’ world. I get to create multiple worlds, as my characters travel from dimension to dimension. The only limitation I have is my own imagination.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Evelyn:  Vampire. There has always been something sexy and alluring about the fictional vampire. Lynsay Sands, Alexandra Ivy, Maggie Shayne, and Amanda Ashley (to name several authors), write about eternal love. Who would not want that?  Secondly, I think it would be fascinating to watch history unfold over time.

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release?

Evelyn:  My next release will be the fourth book in the Worlds Apart series. Readers have told me to write faster, they want the next installment. I wrote the first book in my Nightshade Saga series between books 3 and 4. I had trapped a woman in the Nightshade dimension and wanted to ‘rescue’ her before I wrote The Mind Control Telepath.

EJ:  If your books were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Evelyn:  For Alexandra Mann I would cast Lindy Booth, from The Librarians. I think she would be able to capture Alex’s spunk, while being able to fade into the shadows. For Tarsea, I would cast a young Eric Bana. Tarsea is the strong, quiet type. He is controlling and communicates more in a stare, then words.

Thank you Evelyn for joining us here today at From the Shadows!  
To learn more about Evelyn Lederman and her books, please visit her website.  You can learn more about her new release The Mind Control Telepath below.


The Mind Control Telepath (Worlds Apart #4) by Evelyn Lederman.

JoAnna Carlson learned at an early age how to get everything she wanted- use her special gift. She blindly follows her soul mate to a parallel world, where their corrupt government possesses the same power. Koel Mardroft has desperately searched for his soul mate, only to have their joining threaten everything he has fought against.

Chartail Adholm was made to feel defective because she could not sway people's decisions with telepathic capabilities she had not inherited. Now in the penal world, she discovers she temporarily possesses the power she always abhorred.

Is the mind control telepathic power too much of a temptation for JoAnna and Chartail? Will JoAnna betray Koel, falling victim to the governmental pressures to use her growing talents?

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Add to Goodreads.

Do you believe in telepathy?
Have a question for Evelyn?  Ask in the comments below.  We love comments!

Birthright, the most recent release in the award-winning Ivy Granger urban fantasy series, is coming to audio!  The talented narration team of Melanie Mason and Anthony Bowling are in the studio, and Birthright is scheduled for a May audiobook release.  I will be celebrating this audiobook release with a book launch party in Dublin, Ireland on Tuesday, May 31st.  More details below...


Birthright (Ivy Granger #4) by E.J. Stevens, narrated by Melanie Mason and Anthony Bowling.

Being a faerie princess isn't all it's cracked up to be...

Ivy must go to Faerie, but the gateway to the Wisp Court is through Tech Duinn, the house of Donn—Celtic god of the dead. Just her luck.

Unable to share her secret with Jinx, and with Jenna called away on Hunters' Guild business, Ivy must rely on Ceff and Torn to lead her to Death's door, literally, and back again. As if that wasn't dangerous enough, there's no saying what horrors lay in store within the Faerie realm. Too bad the Wisp Court is the one lead Ivy has in the search for her father—and possible salvation.

Maybe hiding away and dodging sidhe assassins isn't so bad after all...

Release Date: July 2015
Audiobook Release: May 2016
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Birthright made the Top 5 Book Covers of 2015 list at Hot Listens and is a finalist for Best Book in the 2015 BTS Red Carpet Book Awards.

Book Launch Party:

The Birthright audiobook launch party will take place Tuesday, May 31st at the Irish Writers Centre at 19 Parnell Square N, Dublin, Ireland.  This will be a fun event with books, swag, limited edition posters, and wine!

Congratulations Brenda G., Debby, and Laurie E. the winners of the Daybreak Ebook Giveaway here at From the Shadows!  Our winners will receive ebook copies of DAYBREAK, the first book in The Girl from the Stars science fiction series by Cheree Alsop.


 Thank you to all who entered.

**Winners randomly selected using Random.org**

Come on boys and ghouls!  It's time to hop on Route 666 for a spooktacular Paranormal Road Trip.

This week's stop is Horry County, South Carolina and our special guide is Jay Wilburn author of the short story DEAD SONG which appears in The Best Horror of the Year Volume Five.

Horry County's Top 5 Spooky Places
My name is Jay Wilburn and as a ghostwriter, I write in a wide range of genre. As an author in my own name, I tend toward the darker fiction. I’m a big fan of the subtleties of Southern Gothic styles and tones in literature. It has a long history tangled up with the complex history of the region starting as far back as the Colonial Era. The land is marked by ghosts of past settlers and those displaced. These people that succeeded or failed in holding the land paint an interesting picture of the land. This is especially prominent along the coast of the southern United States.

Horry County, South Carolina where I live is on the coast near the North Carolina border. It includes the resort areas of Myrtle Beach as well as the swamps of Conway. It has all the oddness and hidden dangers of a beach tourist town along with the remnants of Old South culture giving way to newcomers moving into and retiring into the area from around the world. This is an interesting melting pot of clashing cultures. It is ripe for stories about ghosts from the past behaving in unsettled ways. I like to include my County in stories due to this layered richness and complexity.

I spoke with paranormal investigators in the area that do a lot of work throughout South Carolina. Some of the best sites in the area are hidden, private hauntings that would not be places that could be visited easily or legally. We talked about discussing these spots without identifying them directly or giving information that would identify the owners of the property. In the end, I decided it would be better to include examples that could be identified and visited. I extended out a bit from Horry County to pick a few good ones.

The Hermitage –
Located in Murrells Inlet, Dr. Flagg moved into the place with his sister in 1849. She fell in love with lumberjack that the doctor didn’t approve of. She met her man in secret. Her brother sent her away to Charleston where she grew ill. He brought her back then. She died. Some stories say Flagg discovered a ring on her finger which he threw away into the marsh. She was buried on All Saints’ Day under a marble slab that bore her name ALICE. Her ghost shrouded in white is reported around the area.

Old Gunn: Prince Fredrick’s Episcopal Church –
The church began to be built in 1859 in Prince Fredrick Parish. Mr. Gunn was the architect and was on the roof and fell to his death. The church is in ruins today, but there have been reports of lights in and around the roof. There have also been sightings of Gunn’s ghost through the trees around the property,

All Saints Cemetery –
This is near the Hermitage and Alice Flagg is said to be one of the ghosts that haunts this spot although there are obviously no shortages of ghosts to draw from when one is talking about a haunted cemetery. South Carolina is full of small family cemeteries which are not marked on public routes. Paranormal investigators get some of their strangest recordings and images from some of these lesser known spots around the county and state.

Litchfield Plantation –
This is located in Pawley’s Island. This house was built in the 1700’s. This area has reports of everything from hoof sounds at night, sightings, and disappearances often attributed to the original owners. Coastal South Carolina has a long, dark plantation history stretching back into the colonization of the Spanish and the French before the English colonies which led into Revolutionary history. There are lots of old ghosts to draw from through those years.

Pelican Inn –
Also in Pawley’s Island, the Pelican Inn has the distinction of claiming two dogs among the spirits that haunt these grounds. One dog died shortly after saving a boy from the ocean and the other died from sorrow. The spirits of these animals have been reported by people over the years from sound, sightings, and even touch.

Sometimes the ghosts that interest me most in the place where I live are those of the history we try to hide or the conflicts we carry around with us from the past. There are enough clashes and contradictions within Horry County to keep the stories coming for a long time.

Thank you Jay for giving us such a haunting tour of Horry County! 
To learn more about Jay Wilburn and his books, please visit his website.  You can add The Best Horror of the Year Volume Five here on Goodreads.


What did you think of Jay's picks for spooky places?
On our last Paranormal Road Trip we visited Soul's Harbor with Angela Dennis.  Next time we will be visiting Dark World with Toni Sweeney.

Join us for another spine-tingling Paranormal Road Trip...
if you dare!

Here is a sneak peek of my 2016 appearances.  Locations marked with ** indicate events where I will be joined by fantasy author E.A. Weston.
Boskone 53, BOSTON, MA Feb 19-21, 2016The Novel Experience, ATLANTA, GA** April 6-10, 2016Sinfully Yours Author Event, MANCHESTER, NH July 21-24, 2016Signing Location TBA, DUBLIN, Ireland** May 31, 2016Imaginarium Convention, LOUISVILLE, KY October 7-9, 2016
**E.J. Stevens and E.A. Weston (aka Elizabeth Kelly)

For joint signing events, special mini posters will be available in limited quantities.  Come early to get your poster, and collect both of our signatures!

In ATLANTA, we will be taking readers on a walking tour of Oakland Cemetery, followed by refreshments at Six Feet Under pub.  Currently, all reader spots have been filled, but we have a waiting list in the event of cancellations prior to the event.

2016 promises to be another amazing year.  I do hope to see you at one (or more!) of these events.

2015 has been an amazing year for me.  There have been so many achievements and milestones reached.

2015 Highlights
Reaching over 2.5 million views here on my blog, From the Shadows.Paneling and signing books at numerous events, including Anthocon, Author Reader Con NOLA, Authors After Dark, InCONceivable, Speculative Fiction: Southeast, and Hallowread.My video interview at SF:SE on the show Hangin' with the Authors (in which I use jazz hands while describing my books).That awkward moment when Orson Scott Card sat beside me on a panel and poked (harmless) fun at a title from my backlist. The epic thunderstorm that threatened to drown us on our Ghost Tour in New Orlean's French Quarter. Nearly getting heat stroke on our NOLA Cemetery Tour (and becoming permanent resident).Walking the haunted streets of Ellicott City with Hallowread authors and Dead of Night Paranormal Investigation. Spending time with the Paranormal Romance Guild at Authors After Dark in Atlanta. Receiving positive feedback on my solo writing workshops (which means that I will be doing more teaching in 2016).Publishing my 14th book (with more on the way for 2016).Birthright making the 2015 Top Ten Best Book Cover list at Hot Listens.Birthright being nominated for Best Book and Best Cover in the BTS Red Carpet Book Awards.Birthright becoming a finalist for Best Book in the BTS Red Carpet Book Awards (I hope to see you all at the awards ceremony in April at TNEE in Atlanta)....and, of course, meeting and spending time with so many wonderful authors and readers.  
Happy New Year!
Thank you all so much for accompanying me on this incredible journey.  I appreciate your friendship, readership, and support more than you could know.

I hope to continue to stay in touch with all of you in 2016.  You can follow me here on my blog From the Shadows and on Twitter, About Me, Amazon, Goodreads, Pinterest, LinkedIn, BookLikes, Tsu, Google+, Facebook (personal), and my Facebook Author Like Page.  Want book release news and giveaways in your inbox?  Sign up for my author newsletter here.  I promise to never share your email address, and I only send about one newsletter each month.

2016 AppearancesBoskone 53, Boston, MA Feb 19-21, 2016The Novel Experience, Atlanta April 6-10, 2016TBA, Dublin, Ireland May/June 2016Sinfully Yours Author Event, Manchester, NH July 21-24, 2016Imaginarium Convention, Louisville, KY October 7-9, 2016
With new live appearances added to my tour schedule, a new release in the Ivy Granger series, and the debut novel in the Dark Arcana series coming, 2016 promises to be another incredible year!

Please welcome today's guest author Rachel Marks!  Rachel is the author of The Dark Cycle urban fantasy series, including DARKNESS BRUTAL.

Q+A with Rachel Marks
EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Rachel:  When I was pregnant with my fourth munchkin I was restless and couldn't find anything good to read. I'd always loved writing poetry and short stories in high school, so I decided to try my hand at a novel. I finished my first manuscript twelve years ago. Needless to say, it took me a few tries to learn my craft and break through into the publishing world (DARKNESS BRUTAL, my debut novel, released July 1st 2015). But that time was what I needed to perfect my art.

EJ:  What brought you to the science fiction genre?

Rachel:  I've always loved fantasy, cutting my teeth as a tween on Madeleine L'Engle's Wrinkle In Time and C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. I soon moved on to Stephen King, and Anne Rice as a teen, devouring anything creepy or sinister that I could get my hands on. Today I read widely, mixing a lot of High Fantasy, Paranormal, YA Romance, and Historical.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be and why?

Rachel:  I'd definitely want to be a shapeshifter. I think that it would be very cool to be in animal form and be able to climb trees or fly. And it would help me connect more with nature, which I love. Plus, animals in the wild never have to worry about dieting. ;)

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Rachel:  Well, I'm hoping they'll like it! It's definitely written for lovers of the Paranormal and if you don't like weird, you will not like DARKNESS BRUTAL. It's also, as the title implies, very dark. The street kids in the story come from rough places and the main character is no exception. TV's Supernatural meets Oliver Twist in modern day Los Angeles. It's a story with demon hunters, where a homeless teen attempts to save his sister from the curse trying to take over her heart. It's a story of family, both lost and found, with a lot of mystery and a little romance, plus a dash of humor. Hopefully, all together it's a recipe for a sinister and fun read.

EJ:  If your book was being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles and why?

Rachel:  Recently I was asked this question and so I went on a hunt. Since my story is very diverse, it's been super fun finding just the right cast. After watching the miniseries TUT on Spike TV last week, I definitely think Avan Jogia could play Aidan. He's got everything except the right color of eyes (Aidan has hazel). Kara could be played by a young (and much more edgy) Kristen Kreuk or a young/edgy Vanessa Hudgens, and Rebecca could be played by a red-haired Eleanor Tomlinson.

Thank you Rachel for joining us here today at From the Shadows! 
To learn more about Rachel Marks and her books, please visit her website.  You can also explore her world in our Paranormal Road Trip to Los Angeles the setting of Darkness Brutal.


Darkness Brutal (The Dark Cycle #1) by Rachel Marks.

Aidan O’Linn’s childhood ended the night he saw a demon kill his mother and mark his sister, Ava, with Darkness. Since then, every three years the demons have returned to try to claim her. Living in the gritty, forgotten corners of Los Angeles, Aidan has managed to protect his sister, but he knows that even his powers to fight demons and speak dead languages won’t keep her safe for much longer.

In desperation, Aidan seeks out the help of Sid, the enigmatic leader of a group of teens who run LA Paranormal, an Internet reality show that fights demons and ghosts. In their company, Aidan believes he’s finally found a haven for Ava. But when he meets Kara, a broken girl who can spin a hypnotic web of passionate energy, he awakens powers he didn’t know he had―and unleashes a new era of war between the forces of Light and the forces of Darkness.

With the fate of humanity in his hands, can Aidan keep the Darkness at bay and accept his brilliant, terrifying destiny?

Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Add to Goodreads.

Have a question for Rachel?  Ask in the comment section below.  We love questions!