Blogging Fail

I'm not good at keeping up with blogging. I don't usually know what to write about and how much of my own books would people really want to know about. I don't like being pushy and scream: BUY, BUY, BUY!

Time is a precious thing. Between taking care of my family, house, and myself, it doesn't leave much time to write. I feel like my books are the priority when I do have that time, so my blog suffers. As does my social media.

It's so weird how I can write a book, but blank out when it comes to blogging or social media posts.

For those of you desperately waiting for updates on the 2nd book of the Beyond Earth series, I finished professional editing part 1 and sent it back to the editor. When she sends it back to me, I'll do my final edits while the cover gets made. In the meantime, I'm working on book 3 of the series and already up to 40k.

And yes, I will still be writing more in the Between Worlds series, the Gifted Teens series, Falling for Fire, and Touch of Death.

It amazes me how my favorite writers growing up could pump up books as quickly as they did. The Sweet Valley books, Christopher Pike's books, VC Andrews... how did they all write so quickly?

Here come's the begging: PLEASE share my Facebook page with your friends, your social media, and so on. I also have Twitter @TaliaJager and Instagram @Talia Jager

Spread the word. Follow me. Believe it or not just one or two authentic follows makes a lot of difference in the crazy world of algorithms. If you've read one (or more) of my books, PLEASE leave a review. THIS makes a HUGE difference in Amazon algorithms. It also allows me to promote my books on more places because they require a certain number of reviews.

I hope I don't disappoint any of you. Hang in there, the books are coming.

September is For Sequels

Welcome to the September Sequels Giveaway Hop. This giveaway runs September 2-9, 2014. Please fill out the form below to enter.  Five winners will be chosen. The winners will get an eBook copy of book two in The Gifted Teens Series, Roots and Wings. A Smashwords code will be sent. The first book in this series, The Ultimate Sacrifice, is free on Amazon and Apple.

You have to like my Facebook fan page for your first entry (this is just liking the page, you don't have to friend me). You can get up to 4 more entries by leaving a comment below or following or friending me on the websites below for a total of 5 entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal - Eternal Promise

Kallan and Rylie fans...it's almost here. The third book of The Between Worlds series is very close to being in your hands. I have been using my favorite red pen and editing the book while the cover was being created by Eden Crane Designs. Now that it's finished, it's time to reveal the title and cover!! And why not have some prizes for the fans?!

So here it is, the cover for Eternal Promise!

After I'm done editing, the book will go off to be professionally edited and formatted. It will take a couple months, but as soon as it's ready, I will get it to you guys!

Now, who's ready for prizes? Enter to win below:


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Faery Realms

FAERY REALMS: TEN MAGICAL TITLES (Multi-Author Boxed Set, novels & novellas)

*Purchased individually, these books cost over $15 – List price $9.99 – Save 90% – Now on sale for only .99 cents!*

Enter the magical realms of Faery with these ten award-winning, bestselling fantasy authors. Each title in this sampler collection offers a new and different world full of mystery, love, and most of all, fae enchantment~

Over 1400 pages of stories, with *exclusive* titles from Alexia Purdy, Tara Maya, and Anthea Sharp! Together, these books have over 250 5-star reviews on Amazon and 150 5-star reviews on B&N.

Best for ages 13 and up~

THE FAERIE GUARDIAN – RACHEL MORGAN

Kickbutt faerie Violet is about to graduate as the top guardian trainee of her class, but when an assignment goes wrong and the human boy she’s meant to be protecting follows her back into the fae realm, a dangerous plot is set in motion. (298 pages)

THE WITHERING PALACE (A Dark Faerie Tale 0.1) – ALEXIA PURDY *Exclusive Content*

Untold darkness rules the Unseelie realm of the Land of Faerie. Hidden in this vast area, Aveta, the future queen of the Unseelie Army, perfects her gifts over lifetimes. Learning that magic isn't the only way to manipulate the world around her, this naive girl grows into a woman of strength and cunning, ultimately becoming one of the most feared leaders in Faerie.

DARK PROMISE – JULIA CRANE & TALIA JAGER

Rylie’s life is turned upside down when a stranger knocks on the door, claiming to be her real mother. Soon she will have to face the terrifying fact that not only is she a faery, but one that has been promised to the dark prince. (240 pages)

FEYLAND: THE FIRST ADVENTURE – ANTHEA SHARP

High-tech gaming and ancient magic collide when a computer game opens a gateway to the treacherous Realm of Faerie. Jennet Carter never thought hacking into her dad's new epic-fantasy sim-game would be so exciting... or dangerous. But behind the interface, dark forces lie in wait, leading her toward a battle that will test her to her limits and cost her more than she ever imagined. (65 pages)

BLOOD FAERIE – INDIA DRUMMOND

Unjustly sentenced to death, Eilidh ran—away from faerie lands to the streets of Perth, Scotland. When she discovers a human murdered by one of her own kind, she must choose: flee, or learn to tap into the forbidden magic that cost her everything. (264 pages)

HOOD & FAE (Daughters of Red Riding Hood) – TARA MAYA *Exclusive Content*

Roxy Hood is just trying to make ends meet to pay her mom’s medical bills. Sure, Roxy takes on some jobs of, ahem, dubious integrity, like pretending that she can speak to the dead. But hey, that’s harmless. It's not like a malignant ghoul is going to attack her. Or a sexy billionaire will show up trying to buy her red jacket. Or a werewolf will attack Granny Rose. Because that would be whacked. 

THE DARK FAE – TERRY SPEAR  USA Today Bestselling Author

Alicia can recognize the mischievous fae when they show up to "play" with the humans. Only now she's faced with one highly annoyed dark fae and she's certain he knows the truth about her. She can see him, which means her life is forfeit. (184 pages)

EHRIAD – JENNA ELIZABETH JOHNSON

Cade MacRoich is Ehríad, an outcast of Eile. While hunting Otherworldly monsters in the mortal world, he discovers Meghan, a young woman whose magic seems very familiar … Three scenes from Faelorehn – Book One of the Otherworld Trilogy, told from Cade’s perspective. (84 pages)

ONCE (Gypsy Fairy Tale) – DANA MICHELLE BURNETT

Harmony's life will never be the same... Every day is just as normal, and just as boring, as the one before it... And then the Carnival comes to town. Suddenly, Harmony’s small town world is overtaken by the handsome Kieran and she discovers that not all fairy tales are pretend. (140 pages)

FAE HORSE: A Faery Tale – ANTHEA SHARP *Exclusive content*

Accused as witch, Eileen flees for her life. When a strange black horse appears, her only hope of escape, she mounts it—to discover the cost of her ride may be more than any mortal could bear. (20 pages)

SELECT REVIEWS:

“It was fast paced, entertaining, witty, and even swoon-worthy at times. Rachel’s characters were fun to follow, and Violet is sarcastic and strong and a force to be reckoned with—everything I love in a female lead.” –Cover2CoverBlog review of The Faerie Guardian

“Turmoil, heartache and unexpected romance - all three are immersed into this tale of the Fae.”— Craving YA Reads review of Dark Promise

“The plot was fast paced and interesting … I can’t recommend the rest of the trilogy enough.” –The Mad Reviewer on Feyland: The First Adventure

"All in all, this is hands down one of the most unique Fae stories I have ever read before- India Drummond has truly created a beautiful world." –Avery’s  Book Nook review of Blood Faerie

“Enter the World of the Fae: Magical worlds aren't just for young adults, I enjoyed this tale and look forward to reading the other books in this series.” –ParaNormal Romance Reviews  of The Dark Fae

“I thought this was a great, quick summer read! Great story combined with bits of mythology and Irish folklore. I read the entire trilogy in a few days.” –Kristin David on Ehriad

"Once I started this book I could not put it down, I had to know what happened next." ~ Amazing Book Come To Life review of Once (Gypsy Fairy Tale)

Kobo 

Amazon 

Smashwords 

B&N 

Google Play 

iTunes

Mesmerized

Julia Crane and I have done some work on Mesmerized and are re-releasing it with 15k more words, a new cover, and hopefully you guys will love it! If you've already read Mesmerized, check it out again, and if you haven't read it, it's new to you!

Getting Books in Print

Hi friends and readers. I hope you are all enjoying the start of fall. It's still hot here, so it feels like summer hasn't left yet. The leaves don't turn pretty colors and the pools are still open. Kids are back in school and I've been doing more writing.

Over the summer, I received quite a few emails or messages asking if my books were in print. My answer always was sadly no. You see, it takes money. Money that I don't have. When I first started releasing my books, I had beta readers go over them and hoped I didn't have too many mistakes. After having two books for sale with book covers I made, I decided to find a cover artist. With the money I make from my sales, I reinvest it into the books. So now I pay for my covers and I pay for editing. Lastly, I've been paying for formatting. I did an okay job, but I knew it could be better and I want my books to be the best.

To get my books in print, I need to have my cover artist do the spine and back of the book as well as resize the front. The formatter also needs to do a print version of the book with page numbers and different paragraph styles.

Plus each book needs a new, unique ISBN.

There's just so much that we as readers don't think about.

After telling people over and over that I didn't have print versions, I thought about using Kickstarter. This website is so that people can pledge $1 or more to help someone achieve their dream. I would love to tell the teacher who messaged me about print copies of my books for her schools' program called Project Read A Lot that she could have a copy of all of my books for the program. Or tell the mom who wants to get her child a copy of The Gifted Teens Series that they're on their way. I want to donate to the hospitals so teens can read while they're recovering. This is my dream.

So here is where YOU come in. You can follow this link to my Kickstarter campaign and pledge money toward my dream. You will get a prize. What that prize is depends on how much you pledge. If you can't afford to pledge, that's okay. Maybe someone you know can. Share the Kickstarter link with your family, friends, book buddies, bloggers, on your FB page, on your Twitter, the possibilities are endless and maybe those people will pledge some money.

Just so you know, if the money is not raised, you do not owe a thing. Only if I make my goal will I get the money. That's why word of mouth is SO important!

Here's a bonus! If you share the link, enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below to be entered into a drawing to win a $25 Amazon gift card. I will DOUBLE that (to a $50 gift card) if I raise all the money needed). You can enter up to 6 times a day for a month. Each time you share my link, enter the giveaway. Example: You share it on FB, 1 entry. You share it on Twitter, 1 entry. You share it on your blog, 1 entry and so on. 6 a day for 30 days! That's 180 potential entries!

If you're worried what will happen if I don't get the money, don't be. I will still get my books in print, it's just going to take a lot longer.

Here's the Rafflecopter!! Good luck and thank you from the bottom of my heart!! It's people like you who pledge or share the link that will help get these books out to schools and hospitals.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Unbreakable

Unbreakable is the third book in The Gifted Teens Series. Many of you have been emailing me or sending me messages on Facebook asking when this book was coming out. 

WAIT NO MORE...unless you're waiting for an Apple version. Go buy it now! It's up and it's LIVE!!!

It's only $2.99 and you can get it from:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Smashwords

(Apple usually takes a couple of weeks to go live. I will update when it does.)

If you like it, please leave a review! They are really needed! And please, please, please spread the word!!!

Cover Reveal - Unbreakable

I am very excited to finally be able to reveal the cover for Unbreakable, book three in The Gifted Teens Series. I really hope you all like this cover as much as I do. The book should be available very soon! Keep checking in!!

Thanks to Streetlight Graphics for the awesome cover!!! Love it!!

Summer Kindle Fire Giveaway

 This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT! Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HD 7".

Kindle Fire HD 7" Giveaway

The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HD (US Only)

  Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)

  Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)

 

Sponsoring Bloggers & Authors

1. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
2. Feed Your Reader
3. New Adult Addiction
4. Jessabella Reads
5. The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Somthing Year Old Girl
6. Books Unhinged by StacyHgg
7. S.A. Larsen - Writer's Ally
8. Author Inger Iverson
9. The Geeky Gamers
10. annakyss
11. Everyday Word Magic
12. Candance's Book Blog
13. Page Flipperz
14. SMI Book Club
15. Laurie Here
16. Feed Your Fiction Addiction
17. Phantasmic Reads
18. The Book Bellas
19. Please Don't Remove MarGreat's Glasses
20. Author Jennifer Laurens
21. J.C. Valentine
22. Holly Hood
23. Young Adult Novel Reader
24. Author Heather Bixler
25. Literary Meanderings
26. Suspense Author Kim Cresswell
27. Mother Daughter & Son Book Review
28. Meredith's Musings
29. Auggie Talk
30. Author Camelia Miron Skiba
31. Author Lena Sledge
32. LoriTheAuthor
33. Author Dianne Venetta
34. Curling Up with A Good Book
35. MyLadyWeb
36. Fae Books
37. Bea's Book Nook
38. Girls with Books
39. Ketch's Book Nook
40. Turning Pages
41. Bookhounds
42. Karey White
43. My Devotional Thoughts
44. Author Talia Jager
45. Author Helen Smith
46. Sher A Hart: Written Art
47. Author MK McClintock
48. Word to Dreams
49. Buku-Buku Didi
50. Tasty Book Tours
51. Readerlicious
52. Romance Bookworm's Reviews

  Giveaway Details 1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (International). There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire. Sponsor a future Kindle Fire Giveaway by signing up HERE. Ends 8/15/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Between Worlds Series Book One Redesigned, Book Two Revealed

Eden Crane Design's has done it again! Broken Promise will be released soon, so we decided to get a facelift for the series. What do you think of the new covers?

Cover Redesign

Rylie has it all - great friends, dream boy, loving family. But on the eve of her sixteenth birthday, her perfect little world shatters. A stranger claiming to be her real mother appears with a secret: Rylie is a faery whose powers will be unleashed on her birthday. Captured and forced into a new life, Rylie struggles to keep everything she loves and discovers a terrifying truth: some promises cannot be broken.

Amazon
Nook
iBooks

Coming Soon! June 2013

Over a year has passed since Rylie returned to her 'human' life. She now knows the truth about her past – and the destiny she can’t yet accept. Rylie struggles to choose between two different worlds, each with a boy she loves. News that her father is alive complicates her life even more. Among the broken hearts and promises, a chance for a new beginning will emerge.

Still No Title

I've been making good progress on my third Gifted Teens series. I'm up to about 44,000 words which means I've got at least another 10,000 to write. It shouldn't take me long, but now that I'm towards the last part of the book, it gets harder. I have to make sure I wrapped up everything I need to. I have to make sure all questions got answered. I have to go back through and make sure there aren't any inconsistencies. Then I have to think about my characters. Did they get enough time? Did they grow? Did they develop their relationships? And so on. This, of course, takes a while.

I'm hoping to be done writing it in the next month and then off it'll go for editing, formatting, and that kind of thing. That'll take at least two months. I'm hopeful to have it out around the end of July, early August. Guess it'll depend how busy I get, how busy the people I depend on get, etc. I know many of you are anxious. I promise I'm working on it as fast as I can, but not too fast, I want it to be awesome. I don't want to let you down.

And no...I have no title yet. Nothing has come to me. Stay tuned. You'll know when I do :)

YA Paranormal Hop Giveaway

YA Paranormal Hop

Welcome to the Young Adult Paranormal Giveaway Hop. This giveaway runs February 21-27 2013. Please fill out the form below. Five winners will be chosen to receive a copy of one of my paranormal eBooks. Winners can choose from the vampire themed, Secret Bloodline or the teens with powers, The Gifted Teens series - book one AND two (The Ultimate Sacrifice and Roots and Wings).

You have to like my Facebook fan page for your first entry (this is just liking the page, you don't have to friend me). You can get up to 4 more entries by leaving a comment below or following or friending me on the websites below for a total of 5 entries.

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Mind-Blower

I don't think many of you knew I had written a short scene with Kassia and Daxton that was published in a free collection of stories. It takes place between book one and two of The Gifted Teens series. For those of you who haven't read it, enjoy:

Mind-Blower

By Talia Jager

After driving up a steep incline, Daxton parked, and we got out of the car. He took my hand and led me into the forest. “Where are we going?” I asked for the millionth time. Patience wasn’t my strong suit.

“I told you Kassia, it’s a surprise.” He grinned at me, showing off the dimple on the right side of his mouth.

“Good thing you’re cute.”

He laughed and we continued walking beneath the dark canopy of trees overhead. Small animals scurried around. Coming to a flat area, he stopped walking and said, “Close your eyes.”

“You’re kidding, right? We’re in the middle of nowhere and you want me to close my eyes. What if I trip and fall over a branch?”

He stood in front of me, his brown eyes shifting to a softer shade of gold. “Do you think I’d let you fall?”

I knew he wouldn’t. I trusted him completely. Sighing, I said, “Okay, fine.” Slowly, I closed my eyes.

His warm hand slid into mine and he very carefully led me further. A few steps later, he stopped. “You can open them now.”

I sucked in a deep breath. We were high in the sky, on top of a mountain. A cliff was before me and all around the leaves were turning brilliant colors of red, orange, and yellow. “It’s like one of our dream spots,” I said softly.

Daxton nodded making his sun-kissed hair fall in his eyes. I reached up and brushed a lock back to the side. The corners of his mouth pulled up into my favorite lopsided grin.

“I stumbled upon it and knew you’d love it here.”

Peeking over the edge, I said, “It’s a long way down.”

He laughed. “We’re not going down. We’re staying right here. I have more surprises in store for you.”

He spun me around. A blanket was spread out on the ground beneath a cooler, some lights, and a couple more blankets. I smiled. He sure did know how to win a girl over. “What did I do to deserve all this?”

He put his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him. “You fell in love with me.”

Blushing, I responded, “Wasn’t hard to do.”

Slowly, he leaned toward me and whispered in my ear, “I love you.” His voice sent a tingle through my body, setting it on fire.

I moaned quietly and closed my eyes. His lips were upon mine in a second and we moved together in harmony. I didn’t ever want to let him go. Knowing I’d have to, I gently pulled away. Our eyes met and I swear I saw into his soul. I could see how much he loved me.

“You want me to take you anywhere?” he asked breathless.

“No. I don’t need a dream tonight. This is perfect.”

Daxton was a dreamer. His gift was that he was able to take himself and anybody he was touching to another world or place. We didn’t physically go there. Our minds did. It was a wonderful, beautiful gift that we loved to use. One much different than my gift of pain and death. I was a mind-blower, which meant I could cause pain to anyone in my sight. If pushed far enough I could even cause death. But tonight, I didn’t want to think about our gifts. Tonight, I wanted only to be with Daxton.

As if sensing my thoughts, he pulled me toward the blanket. “Let’s eat then. We don’t have much daylight left.”

He brought me over to the blanket and we sat down. He pulled out sandwiches and fruit, the ultimate picnic meal. “So, how did you happen to stumble upon this?”

He chewed his food and then answered, “Zane needed to talk. So, we went for a walk. Somehow, we ended up pretty far from home and found this place. It reminded me of the cliff in our dreamland. I knew I had to bring you.”

“What did Zane need to talk about?”

Daxton hesitated. “I shouldn’t.”

I gave him my ‘you-better-tell-me’ look. “You know you will.”

He sighed. “He’s just…worried. About Mira. He thinks she’s holding a lot in and he wanted to know what I thought he should do.”

“Oh.” I looked away. My best friend was Zane’s girlfriend. She had been attacked not long ago. Dealing with the ordeal was hard for her. She was so used to be strong and independent. Truth was, I was worried about her too. But, looking out into the horizon, I decided that tonight I needed to let that go and be with Daxton.

I changed the subject. “Did you hear about the ceremony coming up?”

“Yes. I hear they are honoring you.”

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. “They are honoring all of us.” I knew that because I’d insisted. I told them I wouldn’t accept any award unless we all got one. They were giving me an award for saving the school and ultimately the world from demons in last month’s battle. That had been one situation where being a mind-blower had come in pretty handy.

It was nearing sunset. The sky was exploding into different shades of pink and orange. “Wow,” I said under my breath.

“Beautiful huh?”

“Mhmm.”

He held my hand as the sun went down below the horizon. I rested my head in his lap and he stroked my hair.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

“How lucky I am.”

He scoffed. “Lucky?”

“To have you. You could have had any girl you wanted and you chose me, even after the way I acted towards you the first day.”

“I believe in fate.”

“Really?”

“We were meant to be together. I knew it the second I laid eyes on you.”

“You did?” I remembered back to that day. I remembered holding his eye for quite a long time. I made him look away first. There was something about him. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was fate that brought us together and love that keeps us that way.

Some awful smell tickled my nose, and I hid my face in my shirt. “What is that?”

Daxton’s nose was crinkled up too. “Smells like…” He took a deep breath.

We both recognized it at the same time. The disgusting smell of sulfur. And outside of the science lab, the only place I had ever smelled it was when demons were near. “Do you think…?”

“Here?”

“What else could it be?”

A branch snapped in the distance, and I sat up. Something was coming. We were on our feet. I couldn’t see anything now that the sun was down. I grabbed his hand and pulled him.

“What are you doing?” he exclaimed.

“Running!”

Leaves and twigs crunched under our feet as we ran through the thick forest. Branches reached out like arms and yanked off strands of my auburn hair. Tears sprung to my eyes, but I knew I had to keep quiet if we were to escape.

“What are we running from?” he asked out of breath.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to know.”

“Can’t you just kill it – whatever it is?”

“Not if I can’t see it!” I yelled panicky. I heard more noises, but I couldn’t see anything. I felt blind and helpless. “C’mon! We’ve gotta get out of here.”

He ran next to me for a few more minutes. My heart was racing and my legs felt like they were going to explode. Daxton was breathing heavily besides me. Something grunted behind us, accompanied by the sound of pounding feet. It was fast, whatever it was. The tall trees were blocking the moonlight, and I couldn’t see a thing. I tripped a couple times.

“Damn.” I stood up and brushed something wet and sticky off my hands. Must be blood, but it was hard to tell in the dark. Pushing the pain out of my mind, I looked around trying to find an escape. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Kill them.”

“How? I can’t see them. I can’t focus. I’m powerless.”

“What if you try? I’ll help you.”

“How are you going to do that? It took a warlock and a shaman to train me.”

The sulfur smell made my stomach churn. The hair on my arms stood straight up. The demons were near. They were being quiet now. That scared me more than when I could hear them chasing us. Clenching my hands into fists, I spun around trying to find them.

Daxton grabbed me and pulled me close. “Let me help you.”

I let out a deep, shaky breath. “Okay.”

He turned me around and stood in back of me, his fingers interlocked with mine and our arms crossed in front of my chest like I was giving myself a hug. “Close your eyes.” I didn’t like closing them when there was danger around, but I did. “Now open your mind.”

“Open it to what?”

“Just…open your mind.”

I sighed and thought about the demons, their horrible smell and their scary eyes. I thought about how much I hated them and how I wanted to kill them all. “This isn’t working,” I muttered.

“Because you’re not letting it,” he said, his voice laced with frustration.

“I’ll try again.” This time I kept my eyes open, and I pictured the demons. I opened my mind and remembered how freaky they were. I thought about the purple swirls that came from my mind when I was focusing, and I tried to draw them out. Okay, swirls, find the demons. Wonderful. Now I was talking to the colors in my head.

The swirls responded. They seemed to erupt from my mind and quickly streamed out into the forest. When the swirls touched a demon, the whole demon lit up a purple color. “Oh!” I gasped.

“You’re seeing something?”

“You’re not?”

“No.”

“I can see them now.”

The cat-hound hissed at me with its pointy ears sticking straight up. Its nose crinkled and red eyes glowed through the purple making me shudder.

“What do you see?” Daxton asked.

“Cat-hounds. Lots of them.”

“You know what to do.”

I did. I focused on them, clenching and unclenching my hands over and over again. I let my power take over, starting from the innermost part of me until I couldn’t hold it in anymore. It poured out of my mind, commanding the demons to die. They screeched and flopped to the ground. Then they melted into the earth. I stood absolutely still for a minute, listening for more. The woods were quiet, and I didn’t hear anything else.

“Do you know where we are?” I asked.

“Um…no.”

Great. I had led us too far, and we were lost. Daxton took out his phone and tried to get a signal. He shook his head. I tried mine with the same result. “What are we going to do?”

“Ever been camping?” he asked.

“If you consider trekking across the country with Vala camping, then yes.”

He snickered. “I’m sure that was fun.”

I rolled my eyes. “Tons.”

He sat down on the ground and opened his arms. I snuggled into them. The night had brought on a chill. My thin shirt wasn’t going to cut it. I shivered.

Daxton wrapped his arms around me tighter. “I’ll keep you warm.” He put his finger on my chin and lifted it up. Our noses touched, and I could feel his breath on my lips. Gently, he brushed my lips with his. The soft kiss quickly became more intense, and I found myself heating up.

Pulling away, Daxton asked, “Is that better?”

“Mhmm.” I smiled lovingly.

He stroked my hair until I fell asleep in his arms.

***

A few hours later, a snort woke me up. Standing in front of us was a black demon bull with narrow red eyes. The stench coming from him was overwhelming. When our eyes met, chills ran through me. Silently, I squeezed Daxton’s hand. I felt him tense behind me.

I concentrated on the demon, and he let out a terrifying sound. My power rose again and I released it at him. Before I could finish him off, something cold and bony grabbed my wrist. My head snapped to the side and I gasped when I saw a little demons all around us. “They’re everywhere,” I whispered, kicking one away from my foot. He was fast and came right back, digging his teeth into my leg. I yelled out as the sharp pain shot up my calf.

Daxton quietly reached down to where he kept his dagger. “Kill the big one. I’ll take care of the one biting you.”

I looked back at the demon bull. He was standing up straight again and getting ready to charge. I knew I only had seconds. And that was all I needed. I focused and my body started to shake as the power took over again. Die! Two seconds later he was on the ground, this time for good.

I turned to see Daxton shoving the dagger into the demon that was chewing on my skin. He flung backwards and melted into the ground. The other little demons around him started chattering. Even though I couldn’t understand their language, I knew they were angry.

Focusing on the demons, I let my power rise once again, and took them down. “Where are they coming from?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

“We need to get out of here.”

“I know.”

I squinted into the darkness as a soft glowing light appeared up ahead. I couldn’t look away from the warm, calming, light blue glow. The hazy ball seemed to be pulsing. Somehow, I knew it was nothing to be afraid of.

 “What is that?”

When he didn’t answer, I looked back at him. He was staring at the light, too.

It grew brighter and floated closer until it was within arms’ reach. Then the light morphed into a beautiful faery with translucent wings fluttering quickly. She had long brown hair, which reached halfway down her back and big, green eyes. “I’m Laurel. Noe sent me.”

“Noe?”

“Yes. She said you were lost.”

Oh that Noe. I could have just kissed her. Noe was a predictor. She could see the future. She had trouble seeing things when demons were involved, but she must have been able to see us getting lost. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiled. “Now, let’s get you out of here.”

Nodding, I stood up. “Ow!” I yelled and fell back to the ground. I had forgotten the demons had chewed off a piece of my leg for dinner.

“What’s wrong?” Daxton asked.

Laurel turned back around and flew closer. I pulled up my pant leg a little higher exposing the nasty wound.

“Demon bite?” Laurel asked.

“Yes.”

She put her tiny hand in her pocket and pulled out a vial. “I have some faery salve. It’ll help.” I knew it would help. I had used it many times when demons had gotten ahold of me. I could hardly feel her touch as she smeared the salve over the wounds. “There. Give it a few minutes, and you should be able to walk on it.”

She flew a circle around us. I assumed she needed to make sure the area was still demon free. My leg started tingling. I leaned on Daxton and stood up again. Very carefully, I put pressure on my leg. It felt a little weird, but it wasn’t painful. “I think I’m ready now.”

“Follow me,” Laurel said. Her bell like voice sounding urgent.

Her glow brightened again, and she flew ahead of us. We followed. By the time we got back to the car a couple of hours later, the dark sky had started to turn to a lighter shade of blue.

Laurel turned to us. “Here you are.”

“Thank you so much Laurel.” I smiled at her.

“Yes, thank you,” Daxton added.

“You’re very welcome. I’m glad I could help, child of the angels.” Our eyes met and she smiled back. Then she flew away.

Daxton laughed. “Child of the angels, huh?”

“It has a nice ring to it.”

“How’s your leg?”

“It’ll be fine. Are you okay?” I realized I hadn’t asked him if he had gotten hurt.

I lifted up his shirt and examined his back and chest before he could even answer. He laughed. “I’m okay. I guess you’re tastier than I am.”

I smiled and threw my arms around him. “I love you.” I pulled him closer and kissed him.

A shudder ran down my back. It felt like we were being watched. “Let’s go home.”

We hurried into the safety of the car, but as we pulled away, I could see a pair of red eyes in a bush. I knew they were always watching…waiting for their chance to get us.

The End 

Indie Author Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Indie Author Hop. This giveaway runs June 13-19, 2012. Please fill out the form below. Two winners will be chosen. Those two winners will be able to pick any of the eBooks I wrote (excluding the co-written eBooks). I will send winners a code for Smashwords where you can pick from any format for your eReader.

You have to be a blog follower for your first entry. You can get up to 4 more entries by following or friending me on the websites below for a total of 5 entries.

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Why I Write What I Write

I wrote this blog post for someone else's blog a while ago. I think it's important to repost it every so often so readers understand.

When people find out what I write about, they sometimes ask why in the world I write about depressing tough topics such as addictions, abusive relationships, rape, teen pregnancy, or medical conditions. My husband is actually one of these people. I suppose it does take a certain type of person to love my books.

So, what’s the answer, you ask? Why did I start writing about these subjects? There are a number of reasons. As a teen, I enjoyed reading young adult edgy dramas and medical dramas, but there weren’t enough of them. They were taboo. Parents didn’t want their teens reading about hard topics, so there weren’t a lot of them. Knowing that these subjects are important to teens, I started writing more.

I love drama. I also love the thought that I might be helping someone out there who has one of these problems. I can’t count the number of times I looked for a book as a teen that dealt with one of the problems I was facing. The times when I did find one, I bonded with the characters and I didn’t feel alone anymore. Things like this happen to teens out there, someone needs to write about them. I hope my books reach teens who are looking for that feeling.

Some of my favorite books dealt with a teen facing death, usually because of cancer. I decided to go beyond cancer and wrote about epilepsy, a medical condition not a lot of teens know about. I also wrote about needing a heart transplant.

My first eBook, Damaged: Natalie’s Story is about a teen with a violent boyfriend who finds herself in the hospital after one of his attacks. She has to deal with all the physical and emotional damage that he caused.

Two of my books are a little closer to home. Before I finished writing my epilepsy book, Teagan’s Story: Her Battle With Epilepsy, I found out a friend’s daughter had a form of epilepsy and decided to dedicate the book to her. I hope that my book helps create awareness for this condition.

My third book, If I Die Young, is about a teen needing a heart transplant. Many people in my family have heart problems including one of my daughters and myself. One of my family members just had a heart transplant. When I released this book, I matched the sales for the first ten books and donated it to The Children’s Heart Foundation.

My fourth book, The Ultimate Sacrifice, is a paranormal, but I do touch on rape in it.

In my sixth book, Lost and Found, my main character deals with sexual abuse, drug addiction, foster homes, and teen pregnancy.

I have unfinished books that deal with car accidents, paralysis, pregnancy, cutting, running away – all very challenging subjects to write and read about, but all very important nonetheless.

I guess the answer to the question why do I choose the subjects I write about is to help someone in that situation. If I can help just one person for each book I write, writing the book was worth it.