UFI welcomes Author Annette Marie. Thanks for Joining us!!
Top 5 Books as a Teenager
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling – I reread them so many times that pages are falling out and I have my favorite scenes memorized. My friend had a HP trivia board game and refused to play with me because I always won.
The Belgariad/Mallorean series by David Eddings – My mom gave me these books when I was a teen because the series was one of her favorites. They were my first journey into sword and sorcery fantasy and changed my taste in books forever.
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley – I’ve always loved horses, and the black stallion in this timeless story captured my imagination like no other. My Friend Flicka and Black Beauty were other horse books I read more than once.
White Fang by Jack London – Horses weren’t the only animal I loved. I adored books about animals of all kinds, and this wild tale told from the perspective of White Fang never tired me. I reread it until the cover fell off.
The Raging Quiet by Sherryl Jordan – This book is very different from the others on my list. I won it as a prize and really didn’t think it would be my thing, but I loved the sweet, poignant story.
Discover the World of the Steel & Stone Series by Annette Marie In CHASE THE DARK…
Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen meets Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me in CHASE THE DARK, the first book in the addictive Amazon best-selling YA urban fantasy Steel & Stone series. All Piper wants is to be a Consul, a keeper of the peace between humans and daemons. When she’s framed for a treasonous crime, she knows she’s dead on her own, but there’s no one she can trust except two seriously hot—and equally untrustworthy—daemons.
People are raving about the Steel & Stone series!
I have found my 'dream' book! Let's make sure I have my checklist right and what I LOVED about this book: Kick ass female = check. Fantasy world = check. Hot leading man = double check and increasing in this case. Action, adventurous, with more kicking-ass = CHECK. Creatures = dragons, incubus then yes check. O yes...Dragons anyone?? = check. – Pandora’s Opened Box
Piper Griffiths wants one thing in life: To become a Consul, a keeper of the peace between humans and daemons. There are three obstacles in her way.
The first is Lyre. Incubus. Hotter than hell and with a wicked streak to match. His greatest mission in life is to get Piper into bed and otherwise annoy the crap out of her. The second is Ash. Draconian. Powerful. Dangerous. He knows too much and reveals nothing. Also, disturbingly attractive — and scary. Did she mention scary?
The third is the Sahar Stone. Top secret magical weapon of mass destruction. Previously hidden in her Consulate until thieves broke in, went on a murder spree, and disappeared with the weapon.
And they left Piper to take the fall for their crimes.
Now she’s on the run, her dreams of becoming a Consul shattered and every daemon in the city gunning to kill her. She’s dead on her own, but there’s no one she can trust — no one except two entirely unxtrustworthy daemons ... See problems one and two.
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Excerpt for CHASE THE DARK (Steel & Stone Book 1)
Warm hands landed on her waist and she choked on a shriek of surprise.
The hands slid downward to curl over her hips as they pulled her back into a hard body. Hot breath bathed her ear.
“Hello beautiful,” a male voice purred.
Piper
flung an elbow back with enough force to crack a rib. Chuckling, her
assailant slid away as though she were moving in slow motion, his
fingers trailing across the small of her back as he retreated. She
whirled around with her fists ready to strike.
The
young man with wandering hands casually put himself out of easy reach
and propped an elbow on the counter. If sex appeal were an artist, he
was its masterpiece. Golden brown skin sheathed lean muscle and flowed
over the sharp planes of his cheekbones. His hair was an impossible
platinum blond much lighter than his skin, his eyebrows dark, and his
eyelashes thicker than any man should have. They framed eyes of an
exotic amber shade like a dark patina brushed over ancient gold.
Piper gave him her most disgusted glare. “Lyre, can’t you ever keep your hands to yourself?”
“No,”
he replied in his deliciously deep voice. There was no apology in his
expression, only grinning amusement at her discomfort. “You’re just so
easy.” His eyelids lowered. “So am I.”
She
straightened from her aggressive stance and gave him an insulting
once-over, taking in his impossible style of metrosexual crossed with a
hint of Goth. Damn, the guy knew what he was doing. Clean, safe, and
charming but with that oh-so-sexy hint of bad boy—exactly the kind of
guy who would appeal to almost any girl. And that body packaged with
that face? Very few women said no to Lyre.
Surprisingly, he didn’t seem offended she was one of those few. Then again, he never missed a chance to flaunt his availability.
“Would you mind finding someone else to harass?” she growled. “I’m not in the mood right now.”
His mouth quirked up. “I’m always in the mood.”
Check out the entire Steel & Stone series!
BIND THE SOUL (Steel & Stone Book 2)
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Check out this highlight from BIND THE SOUL (Steel & Stone Book 2)
“Piper!” he roared.
She bolted, arms flailing for balance as she ran for the waiting car. The back door opened. She caught a glimpse of Miysis before he moved back to make room for her.
“Piper, get back in here right now!”
She dove into the darkness of the car. Miysis reached across her and pulled the door closed as the car began moving. Piper glanced out the window in time to see Quinn running across the lawn after her, fear stamped across his face. Her insides squirmed with guilt. He couldn’t know who owned the black car and he couldn’t have seen Miysis in the shadowy interior. All he’d seen was his daughter, wearing a dress for the first time in years, sneaking out to a mysterious car with unknown occupants one night after he’d found out she was possibly participating in illegal activities. She hoped he didn’t think she’d just been picked up by a pimp.
Miysis eased back into his seat as the car sped up. She pulled her skirt down to where it belonged and gave him a quick once over. Her heart sank. He looked like a million bucks in a smoky gray tux with a silvery vest and a fancy-collared shirt. His honey blond hair was tousled in a perfect mix of messy and deliberate and his golden-green eyes almost glowed in the dark interior of the car.
Sitting next to him, she looked ridiculously cheap and underdressed. His gaze flicked over her stupid little dress. He opened his mouth to speak.
“I didn’t have anything to wear,” she wailed before he could complain. “I didn’t have anything.”
“I know,” he said with a hint of a smile. “That’s why I brought you something.”
He pointed to a long garment bag hanging beside him.
She blinked. “You bought me a dress?”
He smiled, by all appearances totally serene. “You didn’t think I would let my date go in rags, did you?”
“Your—your date?” She gaped at him. “I’m going as your date? I—I thought you were making me one of your attendants or something.”
Daemon royalty always had a gaggle of advisors, attendants, and bodyguards following them around.
“Really, Piper. How would I explain the daughter of the Head Consul waiting on me? You should be glad I didn’t have a date already.”
“But—but—” She goggled.
Miysis was one of the top-ranking Overworld daemons. Going as his date was like going to a coronation with a member of a royal family. She’d never imagined he would go out on a limb like that for her. The entire political community would be gossiping about it for months. She might be the Head Consul’s daughter, but compared to Miysis, she was a dirt-poor commoner.
“But aren’t you worried what people will think?” she asked.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the looks on their faces,” he said with satisfaction. “The confusion and alarm will be priceless. They won’t know what to make of it.”
She thought about it then shrugged. “I guess if you don’t mind …”
He canted one eye toward her. “Do you?”
YIELD THE NIGHT (Sttel & Stone Book 3)
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Check out this highlight from YIELD THE NIGHT (Steel & Stone Book 3)
“Kindra, no—”
The
daemon rose to her feet, shedding her glamour in the same movement. Her
wild red hair drifted outward, suddenly immune to gravity. Her ears
were now pointed, cheeks hollow beneath dramatically sharp cheekbones.
Her eyes were huge and black as coal. Her body, more willowy and
lightweight than ever, coiled in readiness. Narrow red things—scales?
feathers?—rose in lines on her arms like a cat’s hair standing on end.
Before
Piper could even finish her protest, Kindra sprang out of the trees.
With impossible speed, she flashed across the expanse of lawn. Piper
swore under her breath and ran out after her, keeping low.
Kindra
was on the first man before he could turn. Piper didn’t see what Kindra
did but the man screamed as he fell. The others spun toward the daemon.
She dashed away, almost too fast for the eye to follow, then
reappeared, making a grab for a second one. The third got his gun up and
fired but Kindra abandoned her target and flashed away, a dark blur.
His gun flipped up, hitting him in the face, struck by an invisible blow
from the daemon. He staggered, brandishing his rifle and wildly looking
around for Kindra.
Between the darkness, the haze of rain, and the lethal daemon, none of them noticed Piper coming.
FEED THE FLAMES (Steel & Stone Book 3.5)
In this short story addition to the Steel & Stone series, discover the fate of Seiya and Lyre following the conclusion of YIELD THE NIGHT (Steel & Stone #3).
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Check out this highlight from the short story FEED THE FLAMES (Steel & Stone Book 3.5)
“So your spell will disable the collar for . . . how long?”
“Maybe five minutes.”
She
masked her shock. Most daemons performed magic through on-the-spot
spell-casting. Magic could also be woven into materials such as metals
and gemstones, but that was far more complex. Creating weavings that
could interact with other weavings was high-level magic. She couldn’t do
anything like that, and neither could Ash. Sure, they’d learned how to
set a spell in a piece of stone or metal, but they weren’t inventing
intricate, interactive weavings.
Developing
new magic was the life’s work of the most gifted daemon minds. The only
daemons she knew with that kind of talent worked at Chrysalis, Samael’s
most sinister business. They’d developed some of the most complex magic
she’d ever heard of, like the collar that had nearly killed Ash.
She
studied Lyre, swallowing the touch of suspicion trying to creep into
her voice. Spell weaving wasn’t something a daemon picked up on the fly.
“Where did you learn to make stuff like that?”
He rolled his eyes. “You’re right. This is the perfect time to share my life’s story.”
REAP THE SHADOWS (Steel & Stone Book 4)
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Check out this highlight from REAP THE SHADOWS (Steel & Stone Book 4)
An
animal snarl ripped through the silence as the beast dove for them like
a half-ton missile. She threw her hands up and cast a shield. Black
fire exploded outward when the creature slammed into her spell. The
dragon rebounded into the air, great wings beating as it roared.
Piper spun to see that all the apprentices were on the ground, having thrown themselves down when the monster had charged them.
“Get up and run!” she yelled.
Lexa yanked Lee up by his arm. “Go!”
The
apprentices scrambled to their feet and bolted down the alley. Lexa ran
after them, but Piper’s eyes were locked on the second shadow. It held
still, standing on the rooftop with partially spread wings. She could
feel the burn of the draconian’s gaze on her. He was here for her.
With
a frantic glance toward the fleeing apprentices, she turned and ran
between two buildings. Just before her line of sight was cut off, she
saw the dragon swoop over the heads of its prey, letting out a
terrifying roar even as it deliberately missed them by several feet. It
must be herding them away.
Fighting
for calm, Piper sprinted down the narrow passageway between
buildings—too narrow for a draconian’s wingspan. Darkness enclosed her
but she didn’t dare create any light. She ran on, stumbling over cracks
and garbage. She could feel the press of the draconian’s stare and knew
he was following her, not the others.
Ahead
of her, the passageway opened up into a wide street faintly illuminated
by a single streetlamp. She skidded to a stop just short of the
sidewalk, lifted her gun, and waited.
UNLEASH THE STORM (Steel & Stone Book 5)
Check out this highlight from UNLEASH THE STORM (Steel & Stone Book 5)
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Piper
crouched behind the boulder, her heart beating fast against her ribs.
Stretching her neck, she peeked over the top of the rock and squinted at
the shallow gorge ahead, cloaked in shadows. She flexed her fingers as
she scanned for signs of movement.
Beyond
the gorge, towering mountains pressed close on all sides. The bold,
jagged peaks cut at the sky like stone blades, leaning over her no
matter which way she turned. She was starting to get used it, but the
feeling of claustrophobic insignificance still caught her in unguarded
moments. High above the mountain ridges, the sun glared brightly,
casting harsh shadows over the dark rocks.
Her skin prickled, an instinctual warning. She spun around.
Black
wings flashed wide as a draconian dropped off the cliff wall behind
her. Swearing, Piper sprang onto the boulder and leaped off it as the
draconian slammed into the ground where she’d been standing. She dropped
into a roll and came out of it in a full sprint, charging down the
gorge. She risked a glance over her shoulder and saw her adversary lift a
hand, a spell already forming.
She
dove to the side. The spell hit the rocky ground and exploded in a
shower of pebbles. Her right hand connected with the ground as she spun
in a one-handed cartwheel and landed on her feet, running again. She
dashed into the gloom of the gorge. The ground grew steeper and the
rocky walls closed in one either side. She slid on the loose rocks
underfoot, struggling to maintain her speed and balance as she dodged
boulders.
A
flash of movement from her left. She sprang right and spun, skidding as
pebbles cascaded down the gorge. The second draconian launched out of
the shadows barely three feet from her, and icy terror washed through
her. She threw her hands up and caught his forearms as she was bowled
over. She hit the rocky ground on one shoulder and yanked her feet up.
She planted her boots in his stomach and snapped her legs straight. He
flipped over her head and landed hard, wings splayed over the rocks.
Piper
rolled to her feet, leaped over him, and bolted down the gorge. The end
beckoned. Sunlight sparkled on the burbling stream as the water rushed
by perpendicular to her path. Fluttering in the breeze, a strip of red
cloth was tied to a tree branch sticking out of the stream bank.
Anticipation surged. She was almost there.
A
body slammed into her back. She crashed down on the pebbly slope, her
arms pinned to her sides and a pokey pair of knees digging into her
back.
“Do you surrender?” her assailant growled from above her.
“Ugh,” Piper panted. “Fine. I surrender.”
Her
attacker laughed, her high, bubbly voice echoing off the gorge walls.
The weight left Piper’s back and she rolled over, chest heaving as she
caught her breath. The draconian stood over her, hands on hips, wings
half-spread and tail whipping side to side with delight as she surveyed
her victim with a grin.
Annette lives in the frozen winter wasteland of northern Alberta, Canada (okay, it’s not quite that bad). She shares her life with her remarkably patient, comparatively sensible husband and their furry minion of darkness—sorry, cat—Caesar. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in one art project or another while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.
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