Monday, December 29, 2014

Guest Post: Sherry Soule

PARANORMAL MYTHOLOGY FUN FACTS
Guest post by author Sherry Soule



Today author, Sherry Soule has some exciting news to share with us! The next book in the epic Spellbound series, DESTINY DISRUPTED (Older YA paranormal romance) will be published in November 2014.
To help promote these thrilling serial novels, Sherry is doing this guest post to share the news with fellow booklovers.
She has put together four unknown facts about her popular YA series, Spellbound. In this fun post, you can learn more about the intriguing, supernatural mythology that makeup the eerie world of Fallen Oaks….

Fun Fact #1

Shadow People are usually vague human shapes, completely black or dark in color, with no discernible facial features. Sometimes they appear as mere silhouettes, generally lacking any characteristics of gender.
However, there are many types of shadow beings; there are hooded shadows, cloaked ones, solid or wispy, and even smoky shapes. They dart into corners, through walls, into closets, or behind bushes, and buildings. Sometimes they simply fade into the dark recesses of the night. Lacking in the description is one common denominator unifying the many different types of Shadow People that enter our world—they are all thought to be “intensely dark.” 
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines paranormal as an adjective meaning “not scientifically explainable.”
In the Spellbound books, Shadow People are ominous creatures that were once slaves of a band of fallen angels. When they rebelled, the Fallen hexed these creatures to spend eternity in a hell dimension. A few have found a way to slip through the gateway. The real worry is—what happens if they ALL escape?
So, do you believe in Shadow People?

Fun Fact #2

One of my inspirations for the über spooky town in my YA series was the video game, “Silent Hill.” Readers of the Spellbound series have often wondered if the town had a real-life counterpart, and if there was a particular town that inspired the haunted area, we’ve come to know and fear in the books…
Actually, there have been many speculations, and now here’s a place you can actually visit for REAL...
So, while researching the different elements of Fallen Oaks and looking for a foggy and woodland area, I came across Marin County in California. The popular SF Bay Area tourist spot planted the seed for what developed into what we’ve come to know as, Fallen Oaks. The coastal town is actually located in the Madrone Woodlands near Larkspur, California neighboring Muir Woods. (You need to use a Bing map to locate the region.) It was the ideal spot for the many different paranormals that populate this town…
Echoes of the tragic disappearances still plague the town. When the season passes and all the tourists leave, the haunting memory of past events once again shatter the peace of the inhabitants of Fallen Oaks...
Have you ever been to the coastal towns of Marin County?

Fun Fact #3
Werewolves and Lycans (shortened form of the word lycanthrope, which means shape-changer) are two completely different species. The terms are definitely NOT synonymous. The werewolf can only transform on a full moon, and they represent more of witchcraft and curse, unlike the lycan who can transform into a wolf at will. The lycan species are also considered shapeshifters, but can ONLY shift into wolves—not into other animals. Lycans are also capable of walking on their hindquarters, and are much more muscular than werewolves. Lycans and werewolves do share these qualities; they both have enhanced physical attributes, enhanced strength, reflexes, coordination, speed, and regenerative abilities. However, these traits seem to apply to lycans, even when in human form.
Furthermore, lycans can retain their human intelligence and personalities while transformed, whereas werewolves become pure animal, devoid of any memory regarding their actions once they shift. Silver is the lycans only weakness, as they seem to be violently allergic to it.
In MOONLIGHT MAYHEM, (third book in the series), the story hinges on a terrible secret guarded by some of the town’s residents as one-by-one teens are attacked by a mysterious creature.
Do you think it’s a lycan or a werewolf stalking the kids in Fallen Oaks?

Fun Fact #4


A Grimoire, or in some cases it’s called a Book of Shadows (BoS), is used to store magical information, like a textbook of magic spells, rituals, supernatural-related data, and invocations. Some grimoires can even be a sort of magical journal that keeps a record of a witch’s magical experiments and exploits.
Overall, a grimoire is used predominantly by Wiccans; however, this does not mean that those outside of Wicca can’t use a grimoire. Nor do you have to be in a coven, like the Blood Rose Circle or Generation Hex.
I used the grimoire concept in a different way in my YA series about a teenage witch, where the magical book is used more like that of a diary and contains prophecies, a demon index, and spells, which was written by her ancestors and passed down through the generations.
Do you have a grimoire or personal journal?


Places you can cyberstalk author, Sherry Soule:
Spellbound Series Universe: http://thespellboundseries.blogspot.com
Twitter @SherrySoule: http://twitter.com/SherrySoule

Thank you so much for letting me chat up my new YA series with all of you. It’s been an honor to share the eerie urban legends associated with the Spellbound series. If you haven’t seized your copy of my books yet, please do so. Thrilling and extraordinary adventures await you!

Hunting Demons is One Thing…Dating Them is Another.
Life sucks for Shiloh Trudell. And being a demon hunter who’s in love with a cocky half-demon makes things even suckier.
Especially when she discovers that Trent, her sinfully hot boyfriend, is hiding a few dangerous secrets. Like the fact that he’s losing his humanity.
To complicate matters, witches from the local coven are mysteriously turning up dead, and as Shiloh searches for answers, she confronts her worst nightmare…Trent is being blackmailed into becoming the next leader of the Underworld.
But Shiloh is still convinced that she can save him, even after the impossibly gorgeous, fallen angel Raze tells her that a relationship with Trent is forbidden now. Warned to stay away from the only boy she’s ever loved, she can’t ignore the sizzling attraction that ignites whenever they’re around one another. Especially after a swoon-inducing night of stolen passion.
As Shiloh’s world begins to unravel around her, it soon becomes obvious that her destiny lies in one of two choices: vanquish Trent or join him in the Underworld.
DESTINY DISRUPTED (book 5) ASIN: B00OJQHU5O
Pre-Order your copy today and get it delivered to your reading device on November 28th! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJQHU5O


Thursday, December 11, 2014

Blog Tour: Dark Prophecy: Soul Storm book 1 by Ann Gimpel



Dark Prophecy: Soul Storm Book 1 by Ann Gimpel

Genre: Urban Fantasy


When the dream world spills its murky contents, everyone’s worst nightmares run free.

Book Description:
Dr. Lara McInnis reads auras and flirts with an elusive ability to foretell the future. Ambivalent about the magic within her, she’s done a fine job ignoring other aspects of her power—until now. After several patients—and a student or two—describe the same cataclysmic dream, she uncovers ancient evil intent on draining her power. Lara knows next to nothing about her psychic side, but it will destroy her if she can’t come to terms with it.

Trevor Denoble has secrets, but he shields them well with a stunning body and a boatload of British charm. The airline he works for folds because there’s no fuel for the planes, and Lara’s changing into someone he barely recognizes. Though he doesn’t know it yet, the rest of his carefully crafted life is about to come crashing down too. 

Living in a world teetering on the edge of anarchy, Trevor and Lara are faced with a series of painful decisions. Is the love between them enough for Trevor to swallow his distrust of Lara’s burgeoning paranormal ability? Will their personal demons tear them apart in a world gone mad, as shortages of everything from electricity to food escalate?

Book Trailer http://youtu.be/H2mtTvxkrT4


About the Author:

Ann Gimpel is a national bestselling author. She’s also a clinical psychologist, with a Jungian bent.  Avocations include mountaineering, skiing, wilderness photography and, of course, writing.  A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Since then her short fiction has appeared in a number of webzines and anthologies. Her longer books run the gamut from urban fantasy to paranormal romance. She’s published over 20 books to date, with several more contracted for 2014 and beyond.

A husband, grown children, grandchildren and three wolf hybrids round out her family.

www.anngimpel.com
http://anngimpel.blogspot.com
http://www.amazon.com/author/anngimpel
http://www.facebook.com/anngimpel.author
@AnnGimpel

Monday, December 8, 2014

Blog Tour: Wolf's Salvation by Cam Cassidy and Ruelle Channing


Welcome to The Wormhole and my stop on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature Wolf's Salvation and the authors Cam Cassidy and Ruelle Channing.


Cam Cassidy’s Bio

Cam Cassidy grew up in a small Ohio farming community.  The lack of neighbors and companionship of mostly cows, dogs and horses left plenty of time for her passion of reading to flourish.  It wasn't long before her imagination ran away and she was creating her own stories.

As an adult, Cam is married and the mother of three who loved keeping her on her toes.  The ever present cup of coffee in her hand and notebook in her purse has become a trademark.  While she works full time in the medical field, her spare time is filled reading and writing.  Watching her daughter ride horses, the boys dirt bikes, four wheelers, running around from one sports field to the next, she never missed jotting down that all important plot twist.

Her love romantic suspense and paranormal creatures, werewolves in particular, are showcased in her recent works.  Stay on the look out vampires, some alpha military men and cowboys that are all screaming in her head to get their stories done.

Somewhere between running kids and catching up on laundry, her hard work paid off with her first publication of Wolf's Heart, co-authored with Ruelle Channing, by Fated Desires Publishing. The second book in the series, Wolf's Salvation November 2014. 

Her solo career begins with A Wolf Awakens, published by Decadent Publishing  coming in 2015

Cam’s Links

interview:
* When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? I’ve always enjoyed writing.  Working and family kept me busy, it wasn’t until my kids were older that I became serious about it.

* How many jobs did you have before you became a writer? Not sure if waiting tables in high school counts, but other than that only 2.  I still work full time in the medical field with the same company for the last 27 years.

* What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk? My family would say it’s talking to my computer screen. 

* Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters? I have a very active family.  We all hunt, fish, my daughter and I ride horses.  I pick little things that we see along the way.

* How do you decide what you want to write about?  Not sure if I choose or it chooses me.  I have numerous works in progress, it all depends which voice is talking the loudest that day. 

* What books have most influenced your life?  There are so many.  JR Ward, Gena Showalter, Lora Leigh on the romance side but I also love Patricia Cornwell, Dean Koontz and James Patterson.

* What are you reading right now?  Breaking Elle by Antonetta Candela (great read by the way)

* What do you like to do when you are not writing? Spend time in the barn. Working or playing with the horses makes any day perfect.

* What is your favorite comfort food? Pizza with everything but anchovies. I hate those little buggers.

* What do you think makes a good story?  You have to have strong characters that as you read you can feel their emotions.  No giving away the plot right off the bat, twists and turns keep the reader emotionally invested.

* Who would you consider your favorite author and why?  JR Ward.  It was her Blackdagger Brotherhood series that opened up the world of romance novels to me.

Fun random questions:
• dogs or cats? Dog
• Coffee or tea? Coffee
• Dark or milk chocolate? Milk chocolate
• Rocks or flowers? Flowers
• Night or day? Night
• Favorite color? Pink
• Crayons or markers? Markers

• Pens or pencils? Pencils

Ruelle Channing’s Bio
Ruelle Channing is a writer of Paranormal Romance. She grew up in a small North Carolina community with books as her best friend. Often as a child, she was scolded for propping up her book to read while she did her chores, even while her mother encouraged the interest. Her father was illiterate, but never let that keep him from learning. Most of the librarians at both her school and local library knew her by name as she was a frequent visitor there. After graduation from high school, Ruelle worked in a sewing factory. She married at age 21 and had the first of three daughters two years later. Her girls have also inherited the love of reading. As stay at home mom for 17 years, Ruelle still wondered what she wanted to be when she "grew up". Having lived in books all her life, as an adult it has been her dream to create a world in which she would be proud to have others become entrance in. Her recent works include the Wolfpack Delta Series, which was written with friend and co-author, Cam Cassidy, and she has several other works in progress.
Ruelle Channing links

Ruelle’s Links

Title: Wolf’s Salvation
Author: Cam Cassidy and Ruelle Channing
Genre: Paranormal Military Romance
JT Howard’s heart had hardened over the years as he struggled with the demons of his past.  Once he became the Alpha of Wolfpack Delta, he gave it up for a life of quiet solitude.  JT’s solitude is shattered as he finds his pack embroiled in a war.  When he dives into active duty, he will do whatever it takes to protect what is his.
Lou Piacella life has been filled with struggles, each one overcome, but leaving behind a scar that she’s hid behind a smart mouth and cocky attitude.  A tech at MedVision Genetics lab, she finds herself an unwilling ally to the Wolfpack Delta.  Finally released, she thought her life could return to normal.  How could she have been so wrong?

Thrown together by circumstances beyond their control, JT and Lou will be forced to face the demons of their pasts as they struggle to stay one step ahead of MedVision.  Can two people broken over time come together and find salvation one another?

Excerpt:
The air was colder and damp under the cloak of the trees as she began walking through the woods. Stepping up over branches and tripping over ivy made the walk seem more like an obstacle course. She pondered whether JT set it up this way so that no one could get near his house; he seemed the type.
Just getting through a thicket, she spun around at the sound of leaves rustling, something coming quickly in her direction. The growl she heard made her heart nearly stop. It was like nothing she had ever heard before, nothing that she wanted to hear again. Turning away from the sound, she started to run but slid to a stop, falling on her ass as a large black wolf appeared in front of her.
Crawling backwards to get away, she said, “Nice dog…go find a bone. Wait, not a bone. I have skinny bones, no meat.”
The wolf’s eyes seemed to glow as he stalked towards her. This was not how she planned to spend her morning; being eaten by a wild animal. With every inch she backed away, the wolf took another step closer. It moved with her like a predator, each step placed carefully, slowly. It was as if it was enjoying making her squirm.
“I’m not afraid of you!”

It was a lie of course and she wondered if the wolf could smell her fear. She glanced quickly behind her and saw the fallen tree. She would be stopped soon, trapped. As her hand landed on a stick she wrapped her fingers around the rough cold bark, and when she went to scoot back, she quickly swung the stick at its head. Carlee squealed and she scooted back again as large jaws opened and snatched the stick from her hand before she could land the blow. She knew she was in serious trouble.