Monday 19 December 2016

Tempting The Darkness

Today I'm hosting a fellow Saskatchewan author, with a new release this month.  I am pleased to introduce Shiela Stewart, who writes paranormal romance.

Thank you for having me and Gabriella here today.  Tempting the Darkness is the fifth book I my Darkness series. It’s is about one man's endless struggle to save the woman he loves who is dying from cancer. Despite being a vampire, Cooper Hawthorn fell in love with a human. He spent years keeping her a secret from his friends, and when she discovers she is dying from cancer he promises her he will find a cure. Putting her in a cryogenic chamber, he spends years trying to find a cure. With love blooming all around him, his heart longs for his lovely Gabriella. Desperate to have her back in his life, he decides to turn her into a vampire. Gabriella, however is not happy with his decision.

Is this lovely lady here with you from that book? By the way, who exactly is with us tonight?
Yes she is.

So Gabriella, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m thirty one years old…Or I was when my love put me to sleep in cryogenics. I’m an only child. My parents were in their fifties when I was born and unfortunately they passed when I was nearly twenty. I have always had an affinity for flowers so I opened up a floral shop and learned all I can about every breed. That was where I met my love, Cooper.

So you were asleep for many years. How was it being woken up in an entirely new era?

Unsettling. There are still familiarities from before my sleep, but when I was alive, vampires were not as known as they are now. It is the darkness and the dismal state of the city that is the most jarring. There is no beauty, just hardness and death.

Not only were you in a new time, but now you are a vampire. How is that going so far?

It's difficult to say the least. Blood repulses me, yet my body longs for it, craves it. Biting through flesh came instinctually though I prefer not to do it again. All of my senses are enhanced, which at times can be very annoying. With all of the people living under one roof, it can get quite loud at times. It is pleasant to be able to see in the dark, and my sense of smell is very enhanced which I love because I have always been delighted by smells of flowers and perfumes. 

If you could go back and change one thing, what would it be?

I would like to change my reunion with my husband. Being awoken from twenty years of sleep to find he has betrayed me and turned me into a vampire hurt. I wish he had woken me and discussed what he was about to do and what it all entailed. However awful the reunion, I can’t be angry with him any longer. We will be together for an eternity or more and that is all I’ve ever wanted.
Tempting the Darkness is available for purchase at these locations for only $3.99:
Amazon: https://goo.gl/C8UN3r
Kobo: https://goo.gl/45LsUX
Champagne Books: https://goo.gl/vLbzIS 




About the Author

Raised on a rural farm in Saskatchewan, Canada, Shiela Stewart relied on her vivid imagination to fill her days. Never did she realize that her need to tell a story would someday lead to becoming a published author.

In the fall of two thousand and six, Shiela published her very first book and she hasn’t stopped since.

When not writing, Shiela spends time with the love of her life and biggest supporter, William. She enjoys doting on her children and granddaughter. She has a strong affection for animals which is evident in the five cats, one dog, plenty of fish and one turtle she owns.

Some of her other passions are home décor, crocheting and knitting.


Read The Excerpt!

 Gabriella fought to open her eyes and couldn’t understand why they felt as if they were laden with lead. Struggling, she pushed them open and blearily tried to look around. It was all so fuzzy, as if something were coating her eyes, blurring them. She scrubbed her fists over them and blinked away the fog.
Where was she?
Her body felt…odd. Heavy, different. Energized.
She took a good look around. It was a bedroom. She was in a bedroom.
Cooper’s bedroom.
How had she gotten here? Her mind seemed as foggy as her eyes. Her mouth was as dry as the desert. She pushed the blankets aside, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. They were bare. Well, of course they are, you were in bed. She caught sight of the rest of her body and gasped. She was completely naked.
Then it all came barreling back into her mind.
Cooper had woken her. He’d bathed her. He’d made love to her.
He’d made her a vampire.
Her hand flew up to her neck and she felt the distinct impression of two marks just below her ear. He’d bitten her. While he’d poured himself into her, he had bitten her, drank in her blood, and made her like him.
“It’s the only way.”
She bolted out of the bed and her legs gave way, nearly sending her tumbling to the floor. Plopping back down onto the bed, she took a few deep breaths, then slowly got to her feet. Though they wobbled, her legs managed to carry her as she walked to the mirror over the dresser. The room was utterly dark yet she saw with perfect clarity. Her eyes were a translucent blue green with a tint of yellow. Opening her mouth, she saw the fangs penetrating from her gums
She gasped, backing up, and bumped into the bed.
Whirling around, her heart racing, she felt panicked.
She needed to get out of here.
In a desperate search, she ran about the room looking for her clothing. It was nowhere to be found. How was that possible? Spotting a robe hanging on the back of the door, she yanked it down and quickly slipped into it. It hung off her like a droopy sack of silk. She did her best to belt it up to cover her nudity.
He’d made love to her, then made her a vampire.
Why would he do that?
Carefully, she opened the bedroom door, peering through the crack. She saw no one and heard nothing. Throwing the door open, she bolted. She didn’t know where she was going, or what she was going to do, she just knew she had to run.
“Gabriella.”
She screamed and spun around to see Cooper standing before her. Her heart raced with both fear and love, and in the conflict of emotions, she was momentarily frozen.
“Are you all right, my sweet?”
“Don’t touch me,” she blurted out in a voice much too frail to be hers. Spinning around, she searched for an exit.
“You should be resting.”
“Leave me alone.” Seeing an escape, she bolted for the door, throwing it open as she ran. Her bare feet slapped on the paved steps leading down to a small cobblestone path. Everything was so dark. It felt so…unnatural.
“Gabriella, please, come back inside.”
His voice startled her and she ran a little faster. “No, leave me alone. Leave me alone,” she screamed as she ran.
“Gabriella, stop.”
She jumped when he appeared in front of her, and screamed even louder.
“My stars, love. What has gotten into you?”
“Don’t touch me. You turned me into a vampire. Just leave me alone.” Spinning around, she darted off, not knowing where she was or where she was headed.
“Gabriella. Please.”
Her blood curdling scream echoed in the still air as he grabbed her arm and stopped her. “Leave me alone. Please, please, just let me be.”
“What is going on?”

Her head twisted to the male voice behind her and she saw a man with dark hair and beautiful, glowing blue eyes. “Help me. Please, help me. Save me.” Jerking her arm free, she raced to the gentleman. She didn’t know who he was, but she hoped he would help her. “Please, don’t let him near me.”

Friday 9 December 2016

New Cover Art

There's nothing ever like receiving new artwork when you're an author. Years and years later, it's still a thrill for me.

Recently, I've made the decision to join the ranks of many other authors who are self publishing, and so I'm looking closely at the cover art of books I've gotten rights back to. I'm not changing many of them, but I do think Harper's Treasure needed an update before sending it back out into the world. Here's the new and improved (?) cover. What do you think? I really like it.

I've also got a paperback of Harper's Treasure ready, which will show up on Amazon in the next couple of days. Signed, Sealed and Delivered also has a paperback version too. Creating those was loads of fun, and being able to be in control of all aspects was... interesting. I've heard that I'm a control freak--don't believe a word of it!

So that's the latest update. If you're following me on Wattpad,  you'll be able to see the first three chapters of Hide 'n Spook, which is my Carlie Barnes story. I am half finished it now, and things are heating up between Carlie and Michael-BloodyDenton. I do have a temporary cover created for that book. Not sure if I'll stick with it, so opinions are always welcome.

If I don't get back before Christmas, I hope the holidays are good for everyone. Merry Christmas!