Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Author Sarah J. Pepper

Today I'm highlighting the work of author Sarah J. Pepper.  So don't think of today's entry as a book review, but as more of a Gallery of Art containing multiple depictions of paranormal romance.



Words From Author Sarah J. Pepper

I specialize in dark, paranormal romance – think “happy ever after” but with a twisted, dark chocolate center. Real-life romance isn't only filled with hugs, kisses, bunnies, and rainbows. True-love can be more thoroughly described in times of darkness and tribulation. It’s in those harsh moments where you see what a person is truly capable of – both the good and bad. Sometimes prince-charming isn't always on time, and the glass slipper doesn't fit. However, it doesn't mean Charming is not Mr. Right, and who says every shoe is the perfect fit?




(#1 of the Fate Trilogy)

Forgotten Excerpt:


“My death granted immortality.
With one look, I knew he’d be my undoing…”
 
 
CHAPTER ONE

     His chocolate brown eyes didn’t radiate with vengeance as he pressed a knife to my chest. They glistened with tears. His dark brown hair shimmered, like gold had been melted into each strand. The sight would’ve been utterly breathtaking if sand and sweat hadn’t dried into his hair as well. A bloody gash under his left eye interrupted his otherwise perfectly tanned skin.

      Burnt oranges, soft yellows, and deep reds surrounded the sun as it neared the horizon. My time was quickly slipping away. A hint of scorched wood piggybacked the wind while smoke crawled over the blood-soaked dirt.

      I reached up with my gnarled, weathered hand and gently stroked his face. Hiding in the sheer beauty of his eyes rested his tortured soul – screaming for forgiveness. His tears trickled onto my aged skin as he shoved the blade deeper through my chest. I struggled to breathe. My vision darkened at the edges.

Forgotten Trailer:











(Stand Alone)

Fallen Tears:


     Defiant and vengeful by nature, the Fallen were often the catalyst in destruction and mayhem of this world. Meddling with the humans’ lives, especially divine persons, was a pastime many enjoyed. However, that was before angels were recruited as Guardians, a millennium before I fell.

     Now, I was a Fallen – a wicked creature with no purpose and driven by an untamed urge to hunt. Filling the void left in our soulless bodies motivated many of us to play with humans. But the games we indulged in weren’t merry and innocent; no, we would partake in more torturous entertainment out of jealousy. For even though we wield infernal-powers, they have one thing we crave.

     Souls.

     An infinite number of days lay before me… if I chose it. There was always a choice. I could accept my fate and perish, or consume a human’s soul and live the length of their life. I’d chosen the latter. The last human soul I devoured glowed like a fireball inside my chest. Even though my body never aged, I grew older. Each passing day the soul I’d harvested faded a little more. One day it’d eventually begin to flicker and then never shine again. I would die. The Imbiber angel who’d consumed it would have one less glowing orb rippling through her hauntingly beautiful body. If that day came, the Jael and Neriah would know I’d finally perished.

     Until then, it was game on.


Fallen Tears Trailer:






(Book #1 of the Ringer's Masquerade Series)

Devil's Lullaby:


       In the darkest hours of my life the demonic spawn whispered the juiciest lie, tempting me to join him. My name rolled off his lips as if it was the basis for every lullaby sung, the motive for any sonata written, and the very reason a desperate man serenaded his muse. I caught my breath as he closed the gap between us, but he hesitated to embrace me. The memory of his fingertips as they caressed my cheek, and wiped my tears away nearly drove me into his arms. However, he promised me nothing of a happy ending. Our fate was foretold long before we breathed life into these bodies. I loathed that my heart craved him like a soul’s addiction yearning for life.

      As a pawn in his game where the rules constantly changed, I fought him—yet the outcome was still the same. The same spawn who nearly killed me when I was two now commanded my will. Studying me relentlessly for years, he knew what I couldn’t live without and thus gave me a choice. In one hand he held the truth—accompanied by agony, ecstasy, and his enslaving kiss. And in the other...my naïve death, my life’s purpose, and lies—sweet, beautiful, carefree lies.

     The dark shadows of his soulless gaze beckoned me closer..."Come to me."

     Losing myself in his midnight blue eyes, I wanted nothing more than to believe he could protect me from the deception that engulfed me. I gave myself up to him, sliding my hands up his chest. I ached for a taste of his kiss. He pulled me against his magnificent body. When his lips grazed mine our worlds collided to form one of our own.

 

Devil's Lullaby Trailer:






Sarah J. Pepper's Newest Release in the Ringer's Masquerade Series:

 Death's Melody




(Book  #2 of the Ringer's Masquerade Series)
To discover more about author Sarah J. Pepper and her many books please visit any of the sites listed below.

Twitter: sarahjpepper
Youtube book trailer for Forgotten: http://youtu.be/_tyV8A5dUAE
Youtube book trailer for Fallen Tears: http://youtu.be/7fELALpOhQA
Youtube for Devil's Lullaby : http://youtu.be/1PCIuXeMuZU
List of all my novels both teen and adult: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/books
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/280926



 

Pardon Me - Blog Settings Change, Darn Spammers!

Over the weekend spammers attacked the blog. Settings have been changed to reflect  registered users only in hopes that this minor change would deter unwanted comments and prevent  you from having to read "Male Enhancement Ads".

If you are unable to post in the comments section because of this change please contact me at
morriganaoife@gmail.com

Thank You.

Morrigan

P.S.  Please stay tuned, a second Entertaining blog post is almost finished and will be posted shortly.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Andrea Bunginsky - Author of My Open Heart

February 7th kicks off CHD Awareness Week, which takes place from February 7 - February 14. I can think of no better time then to share my friend Andrea Buginsky's book "My Open Heart" with all of you. Below Andrea takes us through how her story began and the trials she went through as a child living with a Congenital Heart Defect.


To get the week started, I’d like to share the opening of my autobiography, MY OPEN HEART.

I was born on March 10, 1975. I guess I decided to let everyone know just how challenging I was going to be right from the start because I didn’t breathe on my own when I was born. I had to be resuscitated. But after that, I was good to go.

When I was three months old we lived in New Jersey, and my parents wanted to take me on my first trip to Florida to visit family. My mom brought me to my pediatrician for my regular checkup and mentioned the trip to him. He said it would be fine, but let her know that he had been hearing a heart murmur, or “a sound,” since my birth. Just in case I needed to see a doctor while I was in Florida, he wanted to make sure she already knew so she wouldn’t be upset when another doctor asked her if I was born with “the murmur.” He told her it was caused by a hole in the heart, common in a lot of babies, and not to worry because these holes usually closed by the first birthday.

So off to Florida we went! My first airplane ride…not that I remember it, but how many kids get to fly when they’re only three months old? Pretty cool!

Five months later, the pediatrician could still hear the murmur and told my parents it would be a good idea to take me to a pediatric cardiologist and get the murmur checked out – just to be sure it wasn’t something more serious.

So I met my first cardiologist, Dr. Griffiths, at eight months. She was the first of many wonderful doctors I have had throughout my life. After Dr. Griffiths completed a full examination, an EKG and chest x-rays, she gave my parents her initial diagnosis: Tetralogy of Fallot with transposition of the great vessel (aorta), which means that my aorta is on the wrong side of my heart. Tetralogy of Fallot is a combination of four heart defects that are present at birth, including right ventricular hypertrophy, or a narrowing of the pulmonary valve; a ventricular septal defect, or a hole in the heart wall separating the two ventricles; an abnormal placement of the aorta; and pulmonary valve stenosis, or a deformed pulmonary valve causing the flow of blood from the heart to the lungs to be slowed.

Dr. Griffiths also told my parents that I had an amazing pediatrician because very few would have been able to hear my murmur from birth. She recommended that I have a heart catheterization (cath), which confirmed her diagnosis; she was dead on with her initial evaluation.

And so, my adventure began. Dr. Griffiths was the first of many cardiologists to take wonderful care of me over the years. I would like to thank all of my doctors, nurses, and paramedics who took such tender care with me over the last 35 years. Because of you, I'm here to tell my story.


Growing up with heart disease can be difficult, but it does not always have to alter your life course. MY OPEN HEART is written for young adults growing up with heart disease. It's meant to inspire them to chase their dreams, to show that they are not alone, and, perhaps, to help guide them through the maze of life with heart disease. Parents of children with heart disease and other chronic illnesses will find support and inspiration within this true story. We are not alone.

MY OPEN HEART, as well as my other books, is available in multiple formats on my website.


"CHD Awareness Week is an annual awareness effort to help educate the public about Congenital Heart Defects. Participants include individuals, local support groups, national and local organizations and congenital cardiology centers throughout the world!"

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Heather McCorkel's New Release - The Dragon Empire


Today we're celebrating the release of Heather McCorkle's fantasy novel, The Dragon Empire! For today's stop Heather is answering the following question:

The world you created in The Dragon Empire is very elaborate. How did you keep track of everything?

Heather: I created a notebook and put everything about the world in it. I wrote up pages on each type of dragon, each island, each character, the different creatures and cultures, and even drew maps of the world. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun!


Here is a bit about it:

On Yacrana dragons are the advanced species. But advanced doesn't always mean civilized...

There's trouble in the Dragon Empire, the kind that could start a war between dragons and the races of people. Hidden factions of dragons believe they should rule the lesser races, not simply stand aside and allow them to develop as they will. Having lived so long in peace, the Emperors turn a blind eye, many oblivious that such attitudes even exist.

Despite being only an architect class, emerald dragon, Grendar is willing to risk banishment and death to stop that which his rulers refuse to see. The hope of peace lies not within the scaled breast of a dragon however, but within the hands of a group of people. But if the hidden factions have their way, these people won’t live to fulfill such a destiny. With a reluctant seer at his side, Grendar must leave his precious Empire for the outside world to save those that will one day save his kind.

While The Dragon Empire is for ages young adult and up, it does contain mild violence and some difficult subject matter. 

Friday, February 1, 2013

New Year, New Website, New Fan Page!

I've spent the last week or so trying to create a professional image. I've updated my profile information on a number of sites  like Google Plus and Twitter and also created a Face Book Fan Page .

Additionally, in this Tuesdays  Writers Chat  we discussed the value of a web presence. So I spent the remainder of  the week working on web graphics and  a new design for my website. I'm trying to make the official website more attractive to an audience of  middle grade and young adult readers. I hope I have succeeded in that goal. 

I'd be happy to have you over for a visit.
Feel free to comment and make suggestions on the New Web Site.

~Morrigan


P.S. These are new URLs, so you'll need to update your bookmarks or favorites to continue visiting!