FATED is on sale for .99 a Very Limited Time

on September 10, 2013

FATEDUPDATE:  The sale has concluded.  I hope everyone had the chance to get the discounted book!  🙂

HUGE DISCOUNT!  WOWZA!  I just found out that FATED, Book 1 in the Dark Protector series, is on sale in digital form for less than a dollar to celebrate the upcoming release of SHADOWEDThat’s ten dollars off!  I’m really excited about the sale, but I know it won’t last long.  No way, no how.  So, if you or any of your friends have been wondering about the Dark Protector series, you can download for less than a dollar to see how it all begins.  Enjoy!  I’ve put the buy buttons for where I know the sale is going on – if I find out more places, I’ll add more buttons.  🙂

 Amazon

 Barnes & Noble

 iTunes  ereader
 

A quick excerpt from FATED:

Talen’s grip tightened on her wrist. “Vampire.”

Cara coughed out a laugh. “You’re a vampire?” Her gaze swung to the door.

Issuing another deep sigh she started to equate with him, he smiled. Two sharp canines instantly emerged.

“Oh God.” Cara struggled to yank back her hand.

“Do I need to bite you for you to believe me?” Interest and something darker wove through him, into her. She fought to block herself from his emotions.

“No. No biting.” Her mind reeled while reality spun away. “And you drink blood?”

“Only in extreme situations.”

“Extreme?” This couldn’t be happening.

“During a fight or sex.” He voice lowered to the growl he’d uttered just before deepening their earlier kiss. Something skittered through her belly in response.

“Oh.” Her mind flashed, unbidden, to his fangs. And sex. Her heart thumped once. Hard. She stopped fighting. For the moment. “Earlier you didn’t sound sorry peace is over.”

Deceptively normal canines flashed in a grin. “We were made to fight. Plus, living amongst you, yet having no contact has been difficult. We need humans.” Golden heat ran over her face.

“For blood.”

“That too.” His voice lowered.

Everything in her stilled, and even her heart may have stopped for a second. She lacked the focus to block the feelings coming from him now. “What else?” Her voice cracked.

“Both races are born male. Only. Our mates are human. And Cara,” his voice dropped to a rumble, “you’re mine.”

Izzy’s Insights – Interview with Characters Kane and Amber

on January 29, 2013

Sergej Khakimullin
Shutterstock

Hello, folks!  Sorry about my lengthy absence…I’ve been busy.  I requested time to interview Kane Kayrs, but he just couldn’t make the time.  I guess being the smartest guy in the Universe tends to keep one busy.  So I contacted Amber, Kane’s mate, and she said they’d love to sit down with me.  This time I chose a brand-new coffee shop in town.  They haven’t heard of us there, which is a good thing.  Those Kayrs men get me kicked out of places every darn time.  Here’s the transcript of the interview, with a couple of my thoughts thrown in:

Oh, wait a minute.  I guess I should give you some quick background.  I arrived early and found a nice booth toward the rear of the shop.  Then, since I’ve hung with the Kayrs men before, I sat with my back to the door and left the chair that faced the door for Kane.  Yeah. Not my first rodeo. 

Kane and Amber arrived, both carrying tons of shopping bags.  Kane wore his customary black slacks and silk shirt, while Amber wore a long, flowing skirt and lots of Celtic jewelry.  They reached the table, Amber scooted in, and Kane took the chair I figured he’d take.

ME:  Thank you so much for meeting me here!  I know how busy you are.  Been shopping?

KANE:  You could say thatHe gave Amber a look.  Apparently my mate loves after Christmas sales.

AMBER:  Oh, I really do.  You have to check this out.

At that point, she reached in a bag and pulled out the most adorable little hoodie with a picture of Einstein on it.  I got all excited…OMG – a Kayrs baby?  My heart actually leapt into my throat.  Honest.

AMBER:  Isn’t this the cutest?  It’s for Walter.

I coughed.  Yeah.  I coughed.

KANE:  Walter is the monkey I use in my lab.

ME:  Um, yeah.  Okay.  So…how about any Kayrs babies?  You know?  I’m just curious.

AMBER:  I think a baby would be wonderful!  But, it usually takes vampires quite a while to procreate for some reason.  Usually a century or two.  Well, except for Talen.

KANE:  It’s probably because we’re mostly immortal.  I mean, since we live so long, it makes sense that there shouldn’t be too many of us.  From a universal perspective, that is.

ME:  I see.  But I notice you’re not saying no.

At this point, three waitresses wandered into view from behind the counter.  As one, they all saw us, and they all sucked in breath.  Then, not caring of their associates, they all tried to rush forward at the same time.

Two of the waitresses smacked into each other and went down.  The other leaped several feet to land at our table. 

TRIUMPHANT WAITRESS (to Kane):  Hi.  What can I get you?

He lifted that eyebrow in total Kayrs fashion.

KANE:  Are your friends all right?  (She nodded and didn’t take her eyes off Kane).  Okay.

AMBER:  Maybe we should help them get off the floor.

KANE:  Stay put, sweetheart.

Yep.  Kayrs male all the way.  Then Kane smiled at the waitress.  Her eyelids fluttered, but to her credit, she didn’t swoon.

KANE:  Izzy will have a double caramel latte, Amber will have an organic bean, all natural, vegan Bobby Bill, and I’ll have a cup of coffee–black.

ME:  Um…how did you know what coffee I like?

A Kayrs eyebrow rose.  Oh yeah.  Smartest.  Guy.  On.  The.  Planet.  He probably actually knew what I’d had for breakfast, how much money I had in the bank, and my secret dreams nobody else had ever guessed.

AMBER:  Kane remembers everything.  So, how are things with you, Izzy?

ME:  Um, fine.  Thanks.  How’s life as a vampire mate?

AMBER:  Terrific.  I mean, Grandma Hilde is getting along fairly well with the vampires, though she does try to run things sometimes.

Kane flashed her a look.

ME:   So how is life at Realm Headquarters? 

Just then, the outside door jingled.  Always a bad sign when meeting the Kayrs men.  So I turned…and it wasn’t Talen or Jase, the two who usually cause me problems.  It was a large, hulking, sexy, dark-haired guy.  I’d never met him.  But the air vibrated around him in a way I’ve come to recognize as shifter-tension.

Kane instantly stood and planted himself between the table and the door.  Yeah.  The big guy wasn’t going to let anything happen to little ole me.  Well, and Amber.  I’m sure he wanted to protect Amber, too.

The guy prowled forward, his gaze on Kane.

KANE:  Terrent. 

Terrent:  Kane.

Oh.  I figured out quickly that the guy must be Terrent Vilks, the sexy as hell wolf shifter who’s the hero in TWISTED.  I began to stand because hey, I needed to interview him.  One look from Kane (over his shoulder no less) had me sitting back down.  Darn it.

KANE:  Why are you here?

TERRENT:  I need your help.  Maggie’s in trouble, and it’s time for her to move to wolf headquarters.

KANE:  We can keep her safe.

TERRENT:  Not like I can…and you know it.

Kane rubbed his chin.  Have you talked to Dage?

TERRENT:  No.  I figured I’d get you on my side first.

KANE:  Good plan.  But I can’t guarantee I’ll agree.  Let’s talk.

TERRENT:  I’d love to.  But there’s a cadre of werewolves just outside of town, and I figured…

KANE:  We’ll talk while we hunt.  He looked at me and gently drew Amber out of her chair.  Izzy?  I enjoyed our chat.  We’ll meet again after we take care of the werewolf problem.  Pure anticipation lit his sizzling eyes.  Yeah, the guy wanted a good fight.

AMBER:  I’ll just stay and chat with Izzy.

KANE:  No.

Just as easy as that, all three of them disappeared through the door.  I felt a little bereft until I noticed a hulking shadow by the door.  Gathering my courgage, I marched over to a huge, blonde guy with eyes the color of a midnight storm. Who are you?” I asked.

HUGE, BLONDE GUY:  Your bodyguard.  The king wants you safe.

Well, now.  It rocks to be Izzy, doesn’t it?  🙂

Izzy’s Insights – Interview with Characters Max and Sarah

on April 22, 2012

Sergej Khakimullin
Shutterstock

So, I’ve been wanted to interview Max and Sarah ever since TEMPTED came out, and I finally got a chance to sit down with them at a brand new coffee shop in my town.  If you’ve read my earlier interviews, you know why I had to find a new coffee shop.  Max arrived early and we got started.  Here’s the transcript of the interview, with a couple of my thoughts thrown in:

ME:  Thank you so much for meeting me here!  I know how busy you are.  Where’s Sarah?

MAX:  Ah, Sarah’s on her own time schedule.  She had some stuff planned with the queen and said she’d be here on time.  But ‘on time’ for Sarah means about five to ten minutes late.

At this point I should probably tell you a bit about Max if you haven’t met him yet.  He’s huge with a very slight Russian accent.  A bodyguard to the king and then to Janie, Max is pretty formidable.  Brown eyes, dark hair, and he has that tough guy look that makes people not bump into his chair in a coffee shop.

ME:  Okay, that’s fine.  So, you finally found your mate, huh?

Max blushed.  I mean, he really blushed.  Suddenly he went from looking like a hot killer to a sweet guy.  I wanted to punch him in the arm or give him a noogy.  I think I’m in love.  (Yeah, I know he has a mate.  But give me a second for a fantasy here.)

MAX:  Yes.  Sarah was being chased by some Kurjans, and I went after her to help.  Well, there are a few more details involved there, but it’s Realm business and I can’t really talk about it.  Um, is it hot in here?

ME:  You know your story is in a book, right?

MAX:  Aren’t you funny?  There’s no book.

So Max doesn’t know about TEMPTED?  What’s up with that?  Then he stiffened and glanced toward the door.  A curvy brunette skirted several tables to find her way to us.  Max instantly held out a chair and she sat.  Max introduced me to Sarah.

ME:  Hi Sarah, thanks for coming.  Max says you’re always late.

SARAH:  (After elbowing Max in the gut).  Not true.  What did I miss?

ME:  Not much.  Max was just telling me about you running from Kurjans.

SARAH:  (After giving a huge shiver).  Yeah, I saw one, nobody believed me, and I was sent to an asylum.  I escaped, and well…everyone came looking for me.

ME:  I’ve heard the Kurjans are still a big threat and that they’ve upped their attempts to get to Janie Kayrs.

The air seemed to change around us.  Max lost the charming look, his eyes glinting.  Finally, I could see the Russian hunter Dage had trained to kill and defend.  No way did I want to give the guy a noogy now.  I shivered.

MAX:  The Kurjans won’t get Janie.  Ever.

SARAH:  We have excellent security…there’s no way the Kurjans will come close.  Max, stop scaring the nice reporter.  Though, those Kurjans are creepy.

She shivered again.  Max frowned and asked Sarah if she was cold.  She said kind of.  So Max offered to go tell the coffee shop people to turn up the heat.  (Keep in mind, it was about 70 degrees in there).  Sarah said no.  So Max scanned the entire shop, decided it was safe, and headed off to get both Sarah and me some warm coffee.

ME:  Wow.

SARAH:  Yeah, I know.  The war makes them all tense.  But underneath the big, bad, tough-guy killer exteriors, the vampires are nice guys.  Well, most of the time.  Well, sometimes.  Well, ALL the time with their mates.

ME:  That’s nice for their mates.  You’ve read Tempted.  What’s your favorite line from the novella?

SARAH:  That’s a great question!  Well, we’d just met and he saved me from several scary Kurjans.  Then he tracked me through the woods where it had been raining, and I was freezing when we found shelter.  And, don’t tell him, but I was kind of scared of him.  You should see him fight.  Well, here’s the line:

Two strides and he shoved her over.  “Don’t panic here, darlin’.  But we’re about to snuggle.” Quick movements had him under the blanket, turning her to spoon against him.

SARAH:  The idea of the big guy using the word ‘snuggle’ just threw me.  He was so dangerous and so sweet at the same time.

ME:  Okay, that is really sweet.  So how is life at Realm Headquarters?  You’re a teacher, right?

SARAH:  Yes.  Oh my goodness.  I love teaching there.  But I have to tell you, going from teaching a bunch of young kindergarteners to teaching humans and a bunch of young shifters is a huge leap.  The shifters will shift right in the middle of class.  I’m having so much fun!

Her eyes sparkled and her entire face lit up–and I could totally see why Max adored her.  Yeah, they belong together for sure.  Then Max returned and gave us both coffee, once again scanning the coffe shop for threats.

ME:  What are you looking for?

MAX:  Talen told me that trouble seems to follow you, and I’m looking for problems.

I started sputtering.  I mean, really sputtering.  The only trouble I’d ever had was caused by Talen causing problems.

SARAH:  Don’t worry, Izzy.  We all know that reporters have dangerous jobs.

Even the Realm women were in the dark?  Then I noticed the amusement in her eyes.  Oh.  Yeah, she got it.  So I shared a smile with her and nodded.

MAX:  We have to get going in a minute because Conn’s heading over to Ireland to fetch his mate, and I’d like to say goodbye.  Though I’m sure Conn will be home with her soon so we can keep her safe.

ME:  Isn’t she a witch?

SARAH:  Moira is a very powerful witch…and I don’t think she’s the type to be ‘fetched.’  Something tells me their meeting is going to have some powerful fireworks involved.

MAX:  (After shrugging).  Doesn’t matter, sweetheart.  Love always wins…you know that.

At this point Max got a call and said they had to go.  But that was all right with me…I’m heading out to pick up my copy of HUNTED.  I SO want to see those fireworks.  See you next time!

Izzy’s Insights – Interview with Character Dage Kayrs

on August 16, 2011

 

Sergej Khakimullin
Shutterstock

My name is Izzy and I interview book characters.  Many people say I’m a character, myself.  *Snort*.  That’s nice of them.  I’m hoping Rebecca lets me interview a bunch of her characters–I can’t wait to be in the same room with all of the Kayrs brothers.  MEOW.

So, I’ve been wanted to interview Dage for some time.  I mean, the king of the most powerful race on earth is hard to find.  He finally agreed to meet me at a quaint Italian restaurant in the middle of my hometown.  In case you haven’t met Dage yet, he’s about six and a half feet with long dark hair and very cool silver eyes.  The guy moves like a jaguar, smooth and strong.  It was truly a pleasure to watch him stalk across the restaurant.  Here’s the transcript of the interview, with a couple of my thoughts thrown in:

ME:  So.  You’re the king of the Realm.

DAGE:  Yes. I took over for my father about three hundred years ago.

ME:  When the Kurjans (evil vampire race afraid of the sun) killed them.

DAGE:  Yes.  I was twenty-five, and the first thing I did was surround myself with strong leaders.

ME: You mean, your brothers?

DAGE: Yes.

At this point, a shadow crossed the king’s features.  I leaned forward, putting on my best ‘what?’  look.

DAGE:  They were young.  Maybe too young.  At least, Jase was.  But…we needed to stick together, and I wanted people around me I could trust.

Me:  So.  You won the last war…there was peace, and now the Kurjans have declared war again by creating a virus that attacks your mates.  Speaking of which, you finally found your mate.

At this point, Dage almost smiled. 

DAGE:  Yes.  I’ve been dreaming her face for centuries, and when I found her, the world finally made sense.

ME:  What one word would you use to describe her?

DAGE:  Absolutely brilliant.  He grinned.  I guess that was two words.  She’s incredibly smart and I have no doubt she’ll cure the virus.  Someday.

ME:  So, ah, there’s a scene in your book involving, well, a belt.  Rumor has it Rebecca’s editor thought about pulling her back, but left it in because, hey, it works.

DAGE:  I have no idea what you’re talking about.

He reached for his cell phone and typed something in.  I raised an eyebrow and cleared my throat.

ME: It’s too late for that scene to be deleted from the book.

DAGE:  We’ll see about that.  Some things should be private.

Even though his voice was low and calm, there was a threat there that heated the oxygen around us.  I struggled to figure out another question. 

ME:  In FATED, your sister-in-law became pregnant.  Since I haven’t been able to read all of CLAIMED, I was wondering if she has the baby in that book.

DAGE:  No.  In fact, Cara gets infected with the virus, and, well, things get tense.  But, Emma is on it.  She’ll find a way to save the baby.

A commotion sounded by the door.  I blinked twice, knowing I shouldn’t turn around.  I did anyway. My heart sank as the Kayrs brother responsible for getting me banned from my favorite coffee shop stomped across the room.  Talen.  He glared at his brother.

TALEN:  What the hell are you doing in a restaurant when people want you dead?

DAGE:  You’re here.  And right now, I pretty much want you dead.

More commotion at the door.  Brothers Conn and Jase stalked toward us, leaving female sighs in their wake.

DAGE:  You have got to be kidding me.  I’m the damn king.

Then, well…no Kurjans or evil shifters came after us.  You think this would be a good thing.  But Dage refused to leave, and Talen tried to make him.  Jase attempted to intervene, which got Conn involved, and all hell broke loose.  So, now I can’t go to my favorite Italian restaurant.  I’m running out of places to eat.

Izzy’s Insights – Interview with Character Cara Kayrs

on June 3, 2011

 

Sergej Khakimullin
Shutterstock

My name is Izzy and I interview book characters.  Many people say I’m a character, myself.  *Snort*.  That’s nice of them.  I’m hoping Rebecca lets me interview a bunch of her characters–I can’t wait to be in the same room with all of the Kayrs brothers.  MEOW.

So, I had so much fun interviewing Talen last week, I thought I’d try to get Cara to sit down with me.  Cara is a plant biologist, single mother, and wife of vampire Talen.  We met at a new coffee shop in town…as I’ve been banned from the one where I met Talen.  TOTALLY his fault.  Cara was five minutes early, and is quite pretty.  For some reason, I expected her to be scientifically nerdy, but she has curly brown hair and huge blue eyes.

ME:  So.  Congratulations on your recent marriage.

CARA:  Thank you.  It was quite the whirlwind…but I think things have calmed down a bit.  I mean, we’re still searching for a cure to the virus that attacks vampire mates, and I’m still sick…but the treatments are going well so far.

Okay.  I was happy to have an interviewee who actually talks.  Talen was difficult, to say the least.

ME:  I interviewed your husband a week ago—

CARA:  Yeah, sorry about that.  I heard Talen attacked some guy going for a cell phone.  (She snorted.)  Being the head of Realm security makes him twitchy, to say the least.

ME:  I was a bit surprised you agreed to meet for an interview. 

Okay…I was surprised Talen agreed.  But there didn’t seem to be a smooth way to say that.  Well, until Cara threw back her head and laughed.

Cara:  I didn’t tell Talen I was coming.

Oh crap.  Something told me to get a move on there.

ME:  I’d like to discuss the virus created by Kurjans to attack vampire mates and bring them back to human genetics.

Cara:  Yes, it’s quite interesting, genetically speaking.  What the virus does is—

At this point, the door slammed open.  I knew.  I knew without turning around who stood in the doorway.  But you know what I did anyway?  Yep.  I turned my head.  In fact, the entire coffee shop turned in unison to see a six and a half feet, packed hard, pissed-off vampire staring at Cara with golden eyes shot through with metallic green.

ME:  Ug.

A portly gentleman near the doorway dropped his coffee, splashing up his khaki pants.  He shoved his glasses up his nose, backing carefully away.  For the first time I noticed two hulking men on either side of the door.  Vampires?  Ah.  Cara had brought some protection.  Smart woman.

Cara:  Well, isn’t this sweet.  Talen showed up for the interview.

Holy freaking crap.  Sweet???  My heart pretty much stopped beating as he stalked toward us and stopped next to Cara.

Talen:  Hello, mate.  Forget to tell me something?

I should mention here that Cara rolled her eyes. 

Cara:  Now Talen, come on.  Didn’t you read that goodreads review of FATED by that twenty-year old living across the world?  She was quite upset you don’t use my name more…that you call me ‘mate’.   Like you can’t remember my name.

Talen:  I don’t give a holy fu—, er heck, what that woman thinks, mate.  For the record, not only do I know your name, I usually know exactly where you are.  Unlike today.

Cara:  I brought backup.  Your brother, Jase, is by the door.

We all looked.  Jase is hot.  I know, how unprofessional.  But hey, he’s seriously hot—thick brown hair, copper colored eyes—body tight and ripped.  And when Talen sent him a deadly look, I swear Jase flipped him the bird.  It was vampire quick, but I caught it. 

Then things got interesting.  Talen sighed and dropped into the chair next to Cara, his hand reaching for hers.  No wonder Cara wasn’t afraid of the soldier.  He was kinda…sweet.

TALEN:  Okay – let’s get this over with so I can beat the crap out of my younger brother.

CARA:  Leave Jase alone.  He’s going off by himself to fight the demons soon…and something tells me things are going to get tough.  Really tough.

ME:  Uh, well…about Jase.  Does he have a mate?

TALEN:  No.

CARA:  Maybe.  Rebecca has someone in mind for him…I think the woman may make an appearance in HUNTED.  Well, if Rebecca’s critique partner, Sayde Grace, has her way.  Sayde is convinced this woman would be perfect for Jase.

Then, well…remember the guy with the spilled coffee?  Turned out he was a shifter…a bad one…and he made a move on Jase. Jase took him down rather easily, and the guy’s three companions jumped in.  As did Talen.

Tables went flying, coffee drenched the floor, and let’s just say that the windows shattered from bodies flying through.  There’s another darn coffee shop I won’t get to visit again.

Talk to you soon!