Guest Blog, Review & Giveaway: Goddess on the Run by Marne Ann Kirk

UFI welcomes Marnee Ann Kirk Author of Goddess on the Run. Thanks for Joining us!!

Today’s Vision of The Goddess

First, thank you so much for letting me come play on your blog today. I am so happy to be here talking about something as exciting as today’s vision of the goddess. What a great topic! I must confess, right now, this is a hot topic for me. I love exploring new-to-me ideas, philosophies, and religions—so, discuss some ideas, shall we?

When you hear the phrase, “the goddess,” what are the first two words that come to mind? Wiccan? Mythology, maybe? Power? 

If you had talked about the goddess when I was young, I would have pictured Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. I was raised in a conservative protestant household, though, and was only exposed to Greek mythology through Clash of the Titans or Star Trek. And, let’s face it, in the 1981 movie, Clash of the Titans, Ursula Andress (Aphrodite) was a lot prettier than Claire Bloom (Hera). Who wouldn’t instantly go to Aphrodite as goddess with an actress like Andress playing the part?

In reality, Aphrodite was a lesser goddess, right? Not the most powerful of goddesses. In fact, by the time Aphrodite came around, she was part of the Greek gods and goddesses doing this play of Who is Who on the power list, like an America’s Weekly Top 40. It signaled the fall of the goddess in the majority’s esteem. Then the Greeks lost to the Romans, the Romans took on Christianity, and the gods and goddesses became myths…

Fast forward from 146B.C. to now… 

I would like to think we are relatively enlightened, as a people. We are learning compassion, tolerance, understanding and a yearning for knowledge. Maybe it’s just there’s more information available to us about different beliefs and customs through history, because of our information system advancements. Whatever the reason, the goddess as an ideal, or part of a spirituality basis, or as a religious icon has grown, I think. She is back in the picture, people are more willing to talk about “what is the goddess?” today than they have been in a long time.

Is it because we are in a place again, where the female is seen as powerful, seen as vital, seen as important to intellectual, spiritual, and physical wholeness? I’d like to think so. I think I’ve always been drawn to the power women wield, just by the nature of being female. When I think of the goddess, and I think a lot of people today think this way, I think power of the feminine. I hope these thoughts and ideas, of women having power, being beautiful and intelligent, sexual creatures who create everything of beauty in this world, I hope this comes across in my novels. 

Goddess on the Run has a Celtic mythology flavor to it; but it also celebrates the power of the female in creation and in life. I hope, if you read it, you enjoy the story.

 

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Marne Ann Kirk grew up wild, exploring the vast high deserts and mountains of the West with her family as a child. Marne Ann loved making up stories and, well, lied about just about everything. Thankfully, she grew out of the lying stage...now she calls it story-telling.

Her debut novel, “Love Chosen: Book One of The Fae Dragon Chronicles,” is available now. “Love Dared: Book Two of The Fae Dragon Chronicles,” is coming soon. “Goddess on the Run,” a paranormal romance, will be available September 17, 2012. You can find out more about Marne Ann through her publisher, Crescent Moon Press, or visit her at: www.marneannkirk.com  or www.cowboysndragonscafe.blogspot.com 

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Find Marne Ann and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook

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Goddess on the Run 
The Holy Water Warriors' Tales #1

All Fomorian Hells are about to break loose on earth, making human souls the daily special, if the Tuatha de Danaan can't stop it.

Teagan, a Celtic demi-goddess hiding from her destiny in small-town Colorado, wants nothing to do with her mother's forgotten realm or the drama of a battle of the gods. And Merric is forbidden fruit she's too smart to taste.

Merric, leader of the Tuatha de Danaan warriors, has other plans. Teagan holds the key to salvation, for both him and their worlds, whether she wants to or not. He'll do whatever it takes to convince her of her duty.

But can he find the key to her heart?

Teagan has been on her own for a while. She wants nothing to do with her mother or her destiny. On top of that she isn't only hiding herself and when the Tuatha de Danaan warriors finally catch up to her she has a lot of explaining to do.

I had absolutely zero trouble getting into GODDESS ON THE RUN. From the first chapter the book was full of action, snark and a bad ass alpha female not taking crap from an alpha male. Katie was easy to enjoy and I loved all the twists and turns that were thrown out involving her. You will have no clue about what I'm talking about until you read the book but the shower scene cracked me up. There is so much build up to the moment and for Teagan to react the way she did had me smiling, wincing and laughing out loud. The plot was great and had a nice easy flow to it. The secondary characters were fun to meet and played a nice part in the story as a whole. I'm really hoping that the other books in the series will feature Teagan again. I enjoyed getting to know her and I want to know what will happen with her next but I have a feeling the focus will be on someone else =( Either way I'm going to read on and im sure I will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed GODDESS ON THE RUN.

I gave it 4/5 stars

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Giveaway: Personal Demon by Susan Sizemore

Personal Demon
Laws of the Blood #6
September 25, 2012; Ace
ISBN:  0425254720
ISBN13: 9780425254721

Vampire Enforcer Christopher Bell is in Chicago to investigate rumors of a revolution, but when he comes across vampire hunter Ivy Bailey being followed through dark streets, what he finds is a ghost from his past. Over a century ago, Christopher fought the vicious London serial killer Jack the Ripper—and won. But now, the Ripper’s tainted soul is back—on the hunt once more.

 US ONLY

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Daemon Invasion!!

Are you a fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux Series??

Well here is your chance to have the OPAL release party take place in YOUR CITY. 

Want more details??

VISIT HERE

Review: Dark Light of Day by Jill Archer

Dark Light of Day
Author: Jill Archer
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Publisher: Ace
Noon Onyx Book #1
ISBN: 0425257150
ISBN13: 9780425257159
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher/Bewitching Book Tours

Armageddon is over. The demons won. And yet somehow…the world has continued. Survivors worship patron demons under a draconian system of tributes and rules. These laws keep the demons from warring among themselves, and the world from slipping back into chaos.

Noon Onyx grew up on the banks of the river Lethe, the daughter of a prominent politician, and a descendant of Lucifer’s warlords. Noon has a secret: She was born with waning magic, the dark, destructive, fiery power that is used to control demons and maintain the delicate peace among them. But a woman with waning magic is unheard of, and some would consider her an abomination.

Noon is summoned to attend St. Lucifer’s, a school of demon law. She must decide whether to declare her powers there…or to attempt to continue hiding them, knowing the price for doing so may be death. And once she meets the forbiddingly powerful Ari Carmine—who suspects Noon is harboring magic as deadly as his own—Noon realizes there may be more at stake than just her life.

Noon is considered an abomination. She was born with Waning magic which is extremely odd for a girl to possess. She has gone her whole life hiding her magic and wishing for the Waxing magic her twin Night was born with. Unfortunately it is time for her to declare her magic to the demons or she faces death. 

To be 100% honest I started off being a bit bored with the first part of the book and some spots were a bit too slow for my liking. I didn't really get Noon or connect with her until we were a few chapters into the book. Ari was dark and mysterious and you could see the connection between the two from the moment they laid eyes on each other. I really enjoyed Ari's family, Noon's father is still a bit of a mystery to me and Peter threw me through a loop and I'm dying to know what happens next between with him, Ari and Noon if anything. The demons are interesting. Everyone has to deal with them one way or another and I enjoyed Archers explanations and insight into their world.


DARK LIGHT OF DAY was the first book in the series and it did a really good job with introducing you to the characters involved and helping you learn the world in which they live in. The characters were well written and the world was well built. There is a bit of action thrown in and danger throughout. There is still plenty I want to know about the characters and the world so I will look forward to grabbing a copy of book 2 when it is released in May 2013. 

I gave it 3.5/5 stars

New Releases: 9/30-10/6

Mon Oct 1

Amber House by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed, Larkin Reed
Magisterium by Jeff Hirsch
Savage Hunger (Heart of the Jaguar, #1) by Terry Spear
Shadowborn (Lila Gray, #2) by Jocelyn Adams

Tues Oct 2

Breathe (Breathe, #1) by Sarah Crossan
Dark Currents (Agent of Hel, #1) by Jaqueline Carey
Dark Storm (Dark, #23) by Christine Feehan
Daughter of the Sword (Fated Blades, #1) by Steve Bein
Death and the Girl Next Door (Darklight, #1) Darynda Jones
Death's Rival (Jane Yellowrock, #5) by Faith Hunter
Destroy Me (Shatter Me, #1.5) Taher Mafi
Edge of Oblivion (Night Prowler, #2) by J.T. Geissinger
Ember's Kiss (Dragonfire, #8) by Deborah Cooke
Eve and Adam by Katherine Applegate
Feedback (Variant, #2) by Robison Wells
Fury's Kiss (Dorina Basarab, #3) by Karen Chance
Ghosts Of Memories (Vampire Memories, #5) by Barb Hendee
Ironskin (Ironskin, #1) by Tina Connolly
London Eye (Toxic City, #1) by Tim Lebbon
Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz
Mate Claimed (Shifters Unbound, #4) by Jennifer Ashley
Mortal Ties (World of the Lupi, #9) by Faith Hunter
The Mysterious Madam Morpho (Blud, #1.5) by Delilah Dawson
Phantom Shadows (Immortal Guardians, #3) by Dianne Duvall
Poison Princess by Adrienne Stoltz
Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings
Revelation (The Seven Signs, #1) by Erica Hayes
The Suburban Strange by Nathan Kotecki
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
The Torn Wing (The Faerie Ring #2) by Kiki Hamilton
Werewolf in Denver (Wild About You, #4) by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Whispers at Moonrise (Shadow Falls, #4) by C.C. Hunter
Wicked Whispers (Castle of Dark Dreams, #6) by Nina Bangs

 

Happy Reading!!!

Cover Reveal: Blood and Mistletoe by E.J. Stevens

Blood and Mistletoe
(Ivy Granger #1.5)
November 20, 2012

Holidays are worse than a full moon for making people crazy. In Harborsmouth, where many of the residents are undead vampires or monstrous fae, the combination may prove deadly.

Ivy Granger, psychic private investigator, returns to the streets of Harborsmouth in this addition to the bestselling urban fantasy series.

Holidays are Hell, a point driven home when a certain demon attorney returns with information regarding a series of bloody murders. Six Harborsmouth residents have been killed and every victim has one thing in common--they are fae. Whoever is killing faeries must be stopped, but they only leave one clue behind--a piece of mistletoe floating in a pool of the victim's blood.

The holidays just got interesting. Too bad this case may drive Ivy mad before the New Year. Heck, she'll be lucky to survive Christmas.

Blood and Mistletoe is an Ivy Granger series novella.

Guest Post & Giveaway: Dark Light of Day by Jill Archer

UFI welcomes Jill Archer Author of Dark Light of Day. Thanks for Joining us!!

Dark Light of Day's Spellcasters -- The Angels

What do you think of when you think of an Angel? Large, white, feathery wings? A golden halo? David Boreanaz? Tess of the D'Urbervilles? When someone asks you to "name an Angel," who do you think of first? Gabriel or Michael? Do you know how many different types of Angels there are? (The answer depends on who you talk to. Some say nine, if you include the seraphim, the cherubim, the archangels, etc. Others say there's only two: the good ones and the fallen ones.)

There are no fallen angels in Dark Light of Day, at least not in the traditional sense. (There are no white wings or halos either). The Angels in my debut novel lost a war, but they fought valiantly and honorably. In the world of my story, Armageddon, the last battle of the Apocalypse, ended over two thousand years ago. In the millennia since, the descendants of Lucifer's Host army have learned to get along with the descendants of the Savior's army, the Angels. In fact, in modern day Halja, where the story takes place, the descendants of both sides work together all the time.

The male descendants of Lucifer's Host warlords are called Maegesters. I wrote an earlier post about them, but in a nutshell, they are Halja's demon peacekeepers. They are similar to magical knights. They uphold Lucifer's law, round up demon rowdies, and maintain order among the demons. They serve as demon consiglieres, judges, and executioners. And who helps them do all this? The Angels.

Halja's Angels are the ultimate linguists. They are fluent in all three primary demon languages and many of them know a handful of other lesser ones. So they serve as interpreters and scribes. But they are also renowned historians and archeologists. They are experts on early post-Apocalyptic knowledge, the history of Armageddon, and its aftermath. Any case involving a matter of interpretation, whether historical or linguistic, is likely to have an Angel involved.

The real value of the Angels, however, is their spell casting abilities. Unlike the other magic users of Halja, whose magic is innate, an Angel's magic comes from belief, study, and constant practice. Student Angels spend a lot of time in libraries and archives. They spend hours of every day memorizing spells and practicing their casting.

Noon Onyx's best friend, Peter Aster, is an Angel. His family's estate borders the Onyx estate and the two grew up together. Noon has a secret: she was born with the dark, destructive waning magic usually given to the male descendants of Lucifer's warlords. If anyone finds out about it, she'll be forced to train as a Maegester or demon peacekeeper. It's a grim and dangerous way to live and Noon wants no part of it. She wants the nurturing, healing waxing magic usually given to the female descendants of Lucifer's warlords.

Peter thinks he's found an answer to Noon's predicament -- an ancient, mysterious, lost spell that can reverse Noon's magic and turn her into a healer instead of a killer.

Want to hear more about Noon and Peter? Here's a Dark Light of Day excerpt from when Noon tells Peter she's been summoned to St. Lucifer's Law School, a "school of demon law" where they train demon peacekeepers. Her being summoned there means it's twice as likely that her unusual magic will be discovered and she'll lose her chance to reverse it. Their meeting takes place mid-winter in Peter's family garden the night before Noon is supposed to leave.

“I can cast a cloaking spell over you that should last for a few weeks,” Peter said. “I’ll reinforce it when I get there.”

Peter was twenty-four. For the last three years he’d been attending the Joshua School, a prestigious Angel academy that shared a campus with St. Lucifer’s. Angels, whose power came from their beliefs rather than their birth, were different than waning and waxing magic users. They cast spells, instead of using innate power.

I raised my eyebrows at him. “You can cast a powerful enough cloaking spell to hide me from any Maegester at St. Lucifer’s?”

For the first time that night, Peter grinned. “Have a little faith, Noon. Have you ever sensed your dad’s magic before?”

I frowned. Not that I could remember. Peter nodded and smiled.

“That’s because he’s always cloaked. I can do the same for you.”

“Do you really think you can find the Reversal Spell in less than a month?” I said, still worried. “Most people think it’s a myth.”

“It’s not a myth!” Peter grabbed my arm as if I hadn’t heard his next words quoted from him a thousand times already.

“‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, for the former things have passed away. And He who was seated on the throne said, “I make all things new. Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”’

“Noon, somewhere out there is an ultimate spell of reversal, a spell that makes things the way they were meant to be. The old book of Revelation doesn’t give us the spell, but we know from it that the spell once existed. Someone wrote it down at His command and I’m going to find it.”

I stayed silent, not knowing what to say. Did the Reversal Spell really exist?

So, readers, how about you? Do you think you have a guardian angel watching over you? Do you want one? Do you have a favorite book, movie, or TV show with an angel in it? Do you wish you had an Angel who could cast a cloaking spell over you? How about one who could cast something more powerful than that?

Stacy, thank you for hosting me here at UFI and allowing me to share a bit more about Dark Light of Day with you and your readers!

 

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Raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jill earned a bachelor of science from Penn State University and later moved to Baltimore to attend the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude. She went on to practice law as a “dirt lawyer” for ten years, specializing in real estate law, municipal development, commercial leasing, and anything involving exceedingly lengthy legalese-like contractual monstrosities.

Jill now lives in rural Maryland with her two children and husband, who is a recreational pilot. Weekends are often spent flying around in the family’s small Cessna, visiting tiny un-towered airfields and other local points of interest.

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Find Jill and her books

Website / Twitter / Facebook

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Dark Light of Day

Barnes & Noble   Amazon

 Armageddon is over. The demons won. And yet somehow…the world has continued. Survivors worship patron demons under a draconian system of tributes and rules. These laws keep the demons from warring among themselves, and the world from slipping back into chaos.

Noon Onyx grew up on the banks of the river Lethe, the daughter of a prominent politician, and a descendant of Lucifer’s warlords. Noon has a secret: She was born with waning magic, the dark, destructive, fiery power that is used to control demons and maintain the delicate peace among them. But a woman with waning magic is unheard of, and some would consider her an abomination.

Noon is summoned to attend St. Lucifer’s, a school of demon law. She must decide whether to declare her powers there…or to attempt to continue hiding them, knowing the price for doing so may be death. And once she meets the forbiddingly powerful Ari Carmine—who suspects Noon is harboring magic as deadly as his own—Noon realizes there may be more at stake than just her life.

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UFI Stop Giveaway- US Only

PRIZE: 1 Ace/Roc Science Fiction and Fantasy 2012 Sampler.  
(These are bound, print samplers with a color cover and the first few pages of new work from the following authors/titles: Benedict Jacka's FATED, Alex Hughes' CLEAN, Jacqueline Carey's DARK CURRENTS, Steve Bein's DAUGHTER OF THE SWORD, Anton Strout's ALCHEMYSTIC, and Jill Archer's DARK LIGHT OF DAY.)

• * Jill will choose the winner.
• * Sampler giveaway will close by midnight 10/2
• * Jill will announce the winner via comment on the post the day after the giveaway closes 10/3
• * Winners have 48 hours to send Jill their street address.
• *Jill’s plan is to mail samplers out every week or so during the tour

 Tour Wide-US Only

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