Guest Blogger: Barabara Edwards

About Rhodes End

Writing a story set in a place that doesn’t exist can be tricky.

I started with keeping a notebook about short descriptions.

For example: Did the heroine turn right or left out of her driveway to reach the police station?

A minor detail but she made the drive daily and it did become important since the cemetery is on the same road.

The Town Green is bracketed by a Congregational church and a Catholic church, both old and historical, very typical of New England. The cemetery is old enough to be no longer in use, but still cared for under the perpetual care agreement with the families.

Rhodes End has a lot of double meanings. Who was Rhodes and how did he end? Or is it Road’s end and the final resting place?

The residential areas are studded with older homes, Victorians back to Federal and Colonial. It is a lovely place to visit. Downtown has a number of small boutiques and a coffee shop called the Dew Drop Inn and Café. It has the old vinyl booths and checkerboard floor. Made me want to stop for coffee.

I have drawn a map of Rhodes End to keep my facts straight.

It shows the River, Town recycling area and the police department along with the streets I’ve mentioned. I have it posted at http://barbaraedwardscomments.wordpress.com/

Here’s a short excerpt of Ancient Blood the recent release, Book Two in the Rhodes End series.

Ancient Blood by Barbara Edwards is available from The Wild Rose Press
Lily Alban escapes a murderous stalker, but his vicious attack leaves her with the ability to see auras. She finds safety in the tiny hamlet of Rhodes End where a stranger stands out like a red light. Try as she might to deny her growing desire for Cole, she seeks his help but soon discovers the man she loves is not a man at all.

Werewolf Cole Benedict resists his attraction to Lily. A botanist researching the healing herbs to find a cure for Lycanthropy, he’s determined to protect Lily from her stalker as well as himself even in human form, but instinct takes over when he changes to his inner beast.

Together they must use their extraordinary gifts to catch Lily’s stalker before he attacks again, but revealing their secrets to one another could destroy their growing love or save them both.

Excerpt:

“Lily?” His strong hands gently cupped her shoulders.

“Don’t, please don’t.”

She pulled away, fully intending to flee. Her resistance shattered, and she turned into his embrace. It was too late to escape. Pressing against his strength, she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. His erection prodded her stomach, and she moaned. A heavy groan filled his throat as he lifted her from her feet. He kicked the bag aside as he sat her on the counter.

“I can’t wait,” he growled. His flaring aura spiraled with colors she couldn’t name. She caught her breath. One hand burrowed through her hair, keeping her still as he stepped between her thighs. “You’re all I could think about all day.”

Clasping her bottom, he slid her to the edge of the counter. With his lips claiming her mouth, he unbuttoned her slacks, than lifted her slightly to push them down and off.

The cold surface only made her more aware of his scorching heat. His rough denim pants scraped her inner thighs in contrast with the silky hair under her palms. Her pulse leaped, and she gasped. His male scent mixed with hints of the wild forest filled her nostrils. When his fingertip explored the heated moisture gathering at her juncture, she tightened her thighs around his hips.

Barbara Edwards
The Wild Rose Press: Ancient Blood, a Black Rose
Buy link http://thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=177_136&products_id=4511

‘Like” Ancient Blood on my Facebook Bookpage https://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=aff5af5597a9298aa284fe98afb4dea6&#!/pages/Ancient-Blood-by-Barbara-Edwards/122722171136047?sk=wall

Enter my contest to win an ebook copy.
Contest: I’m giving away an e-book copy of Ancient Blood on June 30 to celebrate. It is available at the Wild Rose Press. Just go to one of my June blog appearances and leave a comment where I’m appearing from June 1- June 30, 2011 or at my blog. Enter often by leaving a comment. The winner will be randomly drawn on June 30, 2011 at midnight.

June 2 at Raine Delight http://authorrainedelight.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/guest-author-day-with-barbara-edwardscontest/

June 9 Sarah Grimm http://www.authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com/

June 10 Emma Lai http://www.emmalaiwrites.com/

June 10 Stephani Burkhart http://sgcardin.blogspot.com

June 14 Rachel Brimble www.rachelbrimble.blogspot.com

June 15, at AJ’s Tattered Pages http://networkedblogs.com/

June 21 April Dawn lets talk romance

June 21, AJ Nuest is my guest at http://barbaraedwardscomments.wordpress.com/

June 25 at The Black Rose blog http://twrpblackrose.blogspot.com/

I regularly post on:
http://barbedblog.barbaraedwards.net/

http://barbaraedwardscomments.wordpress.com/

Guest Blogger: Mary Abshire

Thank you Lynda for having me on your paranormal blog.

The paranormal world is such a curious and mystical place. I love the unexplained, the mysterious, and the frightening creatures. Actually, I don't find the creatures scary. I find them interesting.

Since my youth, I had an interest in dark and mysterious creatures, specifically vampires. Most of the time, they were portrayed as sexy, rich, and able to get away with just about anything. Sleep all day and play all night. Yeah, as a young female, I couldn't resist the lure of the vampire. In the 1980's David Bowe played in The Hunger and Anne Rice had a popular series. The vampire world continued to suck me in deeper. Today, I love reading about good and bad vampires, their problems, their different abilities, their drama, and their humor. I can never read too many vampire novels.

But there is more out there in paranormal land than just vampires. There are werewolves, shape shifters, witches, warlocks, fae, dragons, demons, aliens, and so much more. They're all different, unique, and have special traits. How interesting! At least, I think so. I'm branching out, reading books about such mysterious and distinctive creatures. Once again, I'm intrigued and can't get enough. My heart will always lean towards vampires, but oh, I'm very interested in other life forms.

When I started writing seriously a few years ago, I chose paranormal romance as my genre. Some consider my books urban fantasy since I wrote them in first person POV and they are set in a city setting. Either way, they involve paranormal elements. My main character is a half-demon who has the ability to catch souls and send them to hell. Her main squeeze is a vampire. Hot demon + cold vampire = steam. I have demons, werewolves, warlocks, and witches in my series too. With so many creatures out there, why settle on one or two. At least, that's my way of thinking ;o)

Curious to know more?

The Soul Catcher series
Claiming the Evil Dead
Catching an Evil Tail
Fighting Evil
And the 4th one will hopefully come out in the next couple of months.

BLURBS
Claiming the Evil Dead:
Half-demon Jessie Garrett is searching for an evil vampire that's been preying upon children. She wants to claim the rogue vamp's soul and send it to hell. To find the dead man walking she must partner with another bloodsucker, Drake, even though she doesn't trust him. While Jessie works with Drake, she learns not all vampires are killers and discovers the cold-blooded vamp is a temptation too difficult to resist.

After the fiend abducts another child and Jessie has a near fatal experience with vampires, she turns to Jeremy, a demon she bumped into at a club, and makes a deal with him for his help. Drake disapproves, and Jessie soon finds herself wedged between two volatile creatures. When the chance comes to save the child's life and claim the evil vamp's soul, she must decide whom she can trust—a vampire who cools her feverish desires, or a demon hell-bent on seducing her.

Catching an Evil Tail:
Half-demon Jessie Garrett wants to live a normal life among her friends and keep her soul catching ability a secret, but supernatural creatures keep popping up in her world. Adding to her struggles, her vampire lover remains out of the country, and when he offers no valuable explanation as to why he hasn't returned, she wonders if she should move on without him.

As if Jessie doesn't have enough worries on her mind, the demon yearning to seduce her shows up at her home. She longs to liberate herself from the debt she owes him, and when he asks for her help, she jumps at the chance to make a new deal with him—one that will guarantee her freedom. The only catch? She has to send the soul of a werewolf to hell.

Love, trust, and loyalty are on the line. Torn between her feelings for her vampire boyfriend, a hot Alpha wolf, and a demon vowing to protect her, Jessie must figure out her heart's true desires.

Fighting Evil:
Half-demon Jessie Garrett's battles seem endless. While Jeremy, the demon out to win her heart, teaches her how to fight, Jessie's relationship with her vampire lover, Drake, reaches a breaking point. Adding to her struggles, she must defend her life against a group of vampires who consider her a threat to their existence. Held captive on a remote island with both Drake and Jeremy protecting her, she is tested in ways she's never imagined. Jessie fights back; only her actions do more harm than good. The group offers her a choice, but no matter what she decides, her life will change forever.

Where to find me:
http://www.maryabshire.com
http://www.facebook.com/mary.abshire
http://www.goodreads.com/maryabshire
http://twitter.com/maryabshire
http://www.shelfari.com/maryabshire

Books are available on Amazon, All Romance Ebooks, and Noble Romance Publishing.
Excerpts are available on my website.
First chapter of each book is free at Noble Romance Publishing and All Romance Ebooks.