Savvy Saturday: Behind the Scenes of Consuming the Darkness

He needs your heart to live.

Sounds gruesome doesn’t it? It is, and Detective Sienna Storm is in charge of finding the demon responsible. She’s new to Jacobs Cove, but not Supernatural creatures. She happens to be one. The sun is back and slowly Jacobs Cove is picking up from the disaster caused by the ritual that blocked the sun, allowing the vampires to take over the city. Sienna’s got her work cut out for her, enforcing the new laws preventing the vampires from taking whoever they want and find a killer who has no preference for his victims.

While writing the Darkness series, I had planned to end it with Penetrating the Darkness. But something kept pushing me to continue the series. The line, “He needs your heart to live” popped into my head. Often I get random sentences that stick in my brain and nag me to find a story for it. This was the case with Consuming the Darkness. One line. Now what? Aside from paranormal romance, I love writing a good romantic murder mystery and romantic suspense thriller. So I sat down, popped open my laptop and got to work. Once the idea came to me, I was off and running. I become completely emerged into my writing. I’ll forget the time and forget to eat. My fingers can hardly catch up to my brain.

It took me three days to finish the story. But that’s not the end. Now I had to go through the entire book, page by page, jot down names, create new creatures, and make sure everything was cohesive. Not as easy as it seems. All in all, writing and editing the story took me three months.

But just as I had finished it and sent off to the publisher, the next story popped into my head. Surviving the Darkness. Sometimes it's hard for me to let go of my characters, of the story. This time, however, it seemed right. Jacobs Cove is thriving, rebuilding and I feel I’ve done a good job telling the story of a small city, encased in darkness, run by vampires and the heroes and heroines determined to take back their home.

Consuming the Darkness: Bk 7 in the Darkness series is available with Champagne publishing and all other book outlets.

Here’s a glimpse:

In Jacob’s Cove, where death is as common as apple pie, a serial murderer is a first. Lieutenant Sienna Storm, the town’s newly minted homicide detective, is eager to prove she’s up to the job of tracking down the demon who rips out his victims’ still-beating hearts. Even if it means using her abilities.

Detective Nathan Powers lost his partner to the aptly named Heartless Killer, and the trail of bodies leads him to Jacob’s Cove, a strange world populated with bloodthirsty demons and run by a vampire. Still, the leggy blonde, Sienna, is a pleasant distraction. Until he discovers she’s after the same killer—and she’s not sharing.

On the hunt, the more they cross paths, the harder it is to stay apart. Together they discover not only clues, but a searing desire, one that may be their downfall when the killer targets Nathan, and Sienna risks everything to get him back.

***

Jacob’s Cove, 2026

After the Darkness

Lieutenant Sienna Storm’s first day in Jacob’s Cove proved to be a bitch. At one in the morning, five hours since she arrived without any of her furniture or belongings.

Goddamn movers had decided to take a break for the night instead of following through with their promise to deliver her stuff immediately. Instead, they informed her she would have her things late the next day. She really should have packed an overnight bag, but she believed the company when they said, Speedy same day delivery even out of town.

Yeah, right.

When she got the call to arrive at a murder scene, she’d been gung ho to get started. Except, her damn car decided to break down halfway to the scene. If that weren’t bad enough, the damn cab driver she flagged got lost. And he tried to charge her twice the fare. Well, she’d shown him, hadn’t she, shoving her badge in his face and threatening to haul his lumpy ass into a cell for trying to con her. He’d apologized profusely and even gave her the ride for free.

Damn straight.

Hurrying down the dark alley, she hoped her first case would be a smooth one. She spotted an officer standing with his hands in his pockets at the scene up ahead, took a deep breath, and fell into cop mode.

“Lieutenant Storm.” Sienna held up her badge, giving the officer a quick glance. “What have we got?” She approached the body. The instant she caught sight of the victim, she knew it wasn’t going to be a typical case.

The body of a young woman, approximately mid-twenties, lay face up on the ground, with a fist-sized hole in her chest, no heart. Long, brown hair. Blonde highlights. Slim build. Her jeans looked designer, as did the purse tossed a few inches from her, still intact. She didn’t look like the type to be alone in a dark alley. Everything about her read rich girl.

What the hell had she been doing by herself in an alley this late at night?

“Officer Barlow,” the tall, sturdy-looking man with a very ordinary face introduced himself. “This is Sally Grand, according to her ID, twenty-three, five-seven, one twenty-five. A woman taking out her trash found her,” the officer explained. “At least she had the sense to puke away from the body. No witnesses so far, but we’re still early. Same MO as two other murders. Heart missing, hole through the chest and back. This is some sick shit, if you ask me.”

She hadn’t, but everyone was entitled to their opinions. Sienna had to agree, though. She’d never seen anything like it, and she’d seen some disgusting stuff in her career. “Crime scene been here yet?”

The cop chuckled, which didn’t amuse Sienna much. “Lieutenant, we only just got started working the town three months ago. Our CSU consists of one guy who also happens to be the ME and two green wannabes.”

Perfect. Well, she had been warned, hadn’t she? “Where is he?”

“On another call.”

Great. “Who’s collecting the evidence?”

“Well, looks like that’ll be you, me, and Officer Dickie over there taking the witness’s statement.” He pointed at the officer behind him.

Why had she come to Jacob’s Cove again? Oh yeah, to help rebuild the city after the darkness lifted. Right. Still… “Okay, Officer Barlow. What I need is for everyone to stay back from the body. I also need someone to drive me to my car, which is…fuck, probably in the shop by now. Damn it.” Yeah, her day really wasn’t starting out well. “I need a crime scene kit. I don’t suppose you boys would have one in your car?”

“Of course. Dickie already took fingernail scrapings and footprint impressions. A full-body exam will be done when she gets to the morgue. We do know what we’re doing, Lieutenant, even though we’re shorthanded at the moment.”

She took his attitude in stride. “I hope so, because this isn’t going to be an easy one. From the looks of it, it might be Jacob’s Cove’s first serial murder case since the sun returned.”

***

Places to purchase: http://champagnebooks.com/store/index.php?id_product=715&controller=product

And all other book outlets.

My website: www.shielastewartssbooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shiela.stewart

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShielaSue

Savvy Saturday: Exclusive Excerpt from Upcoming Book, A Guardian's Heart

Hey Savvy Saturday'ers! Check out this super awesome sneak peek we have for you this week from the upcoming paranormal romance, A Guardian's Heart, by Renee Wildes.


Excerpt
Dara trembled, realizing she was sprawled across Loren like some tavern wench. The effort it took to meet his heated gaze… Fine brows slanted over wide leaf-green eyes pupiled like a cat’s, set in a pale aristocratic face. She glanced at his hands gripping her upper arms. Fine artisan’s hands with sword calluses, they held like bands of steel, but so gently ’twas nigh a caress. His body warmth was impossible to ignore. She shifted. Unable to hold his gaze, Dara dropped hers—to his mouth. She blushed.

His lips curved in a wry smile. “Now you become shy?” White teeth flashed. “Your hands have already been all over my body.”

Dara groaned and closed her eyes. Her cheeks flamed.

“Look at me, Dara.” Loren slid his arms around her body.

She tingled at his touch. Restless. Achy. “I can’t.” She hated this breathless dizziness. “Whatever you’re thinking, cease.” He was so warm. She feared making a fool of herself and melting against him. The old wives whispered of faerie enchantments; did that happen here? She felt bespelled. She wasn’t some weak woman to soften over a man, as any villager could lament. “You were much less intimidating flat on your back and weak as a kitten.”

“Intimidating you find me? Prefer me flat on my back in your bed? You have me now.” He brought her braid around to his nose and inhaled. “Sunshine and ferns.”

Self-preservation urged Dara to stop him before he did something neither of them could undo. “Loren—”

“Dara Kahn Androcles, protect me you did with your life’s blood. You are neither indestructible nor immortal. They might have killed you.” His hand, still wrapped with her hair, raised her chin ’til her gaze met his. “You must look at me while I speak these next words.”

Dara couldn’t tear her gaze away. The room spun and receded ’til all her world was Loren. “Don’t look at me like that.” The weight behind his words crawled under her skin, into her mind.

“My life I owe you. Life-debt. I bind myself to you. Whenever, whatever your need, to you I shall come. To you do I answer with sword, bow, or blood. My life for yours. My soul to yours, until our last breath.”

The world shifted. Deep as a prayer, more profound than a spell, his words settled within her. Dara couldn’t look away, couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Her head buzzed. Her mind tried to wrench itself from the binding, recognizing it for what it was, but the rest of her trembled, in thrall to his eyes, to his voice. She had no idea how to counter him.

Loren’s eyes gleamed at her. “Never again shall you be alone. You are mine, in this lifetime and the next. I shall ever be yours, for always. We are one.” With agonizing slowness, he drew her head down ’til her lips brushed his.

His kiss was shocking in its gentleness. As soft as morning dew, it implied, it coaxed, and she was lost. She melted into his heat and swooned against him. With a sigh, she yielded to his lips and returned the kiss. Warmth filled an emptiness she’d not known ’til now that she possessed. Loren had bound them in spirit; where did she end and he begin? He hovered on the edge of her mind, in her heart, in her blood. A part of her flowed into him, with her surrender, with her every breath.

He broke off the kiss. Dara raised her head to stare down at him. “What’ve you done?”

***

A Guardian's Heart is available for preorder at the Champagne Bookstore. 

Excerpt from Consuming the Darkness, A New Beginning

Consuming the Darkness, A New Beginning
Darkness, Book 7
By Shiela Stewart
Paranormal Romance
$ 2.99
Amazon
Kobo
Champagne Books

He needs your heart to survive.

Excerpt:

Daisy barked and growled at something behind them, and Sienna shook her head to clear away the fog from the vision. The sound of footsteps on gravel had her spinning around.

A man stepped out of the shadows. “Behind you! Get down.”

The gun came up in his hand, in the direction of her head. Behind her, she sensed the presence of a vampire. She spun, again, to take the creature down. The gun fired, hitting the vamp in the right shoulder. He jerked back, screeching like a banshee.

“What the hell are you doing?” she yelled at the man with the gun as she ran to the vamp. “Daisy, stay!” Daisy sat as instructed, while Sienna knelt beside the screaming vamp. She pressed her knee to his bleeding shoulder. “You are under arrest for breaking the laws of humans and vampires and will be detained in the local jail while awaiting trial.”

“You’re a cop?” the guy behind her responded.

“Yeah, I’m a cop. Oh, stop your screaming already!” She flipped the vamp onto his belly and pulled his arms to his back, pinning them in one hand while she searched for her handcuffs. “Damn it, why don’t I have my cuffs on me? Wanna tell me why you were about to attack me?”

“I wasn’t, honest. I was only…out for a walk. Yeah, I was walking. I’m gonna sue the cops for harassment. I was minding my own— Fuck, my shoulder’s killing me. Police brutality!” he hollared good and loud.

“Shut the hell up,” Sienna snapped. “No one gives a damn.”

“Here.”

A set of shiny silver handcuffs dangled before her face. She took a moment to survey their owner. He wasn’t bad on the eyes. Though his dark brown hair looked a bit messy, it suited him. And wow, the guy had a hell of a body. Broad shoulders, wide chest, and narrow waist. His face was pretty decent to look at, even with the five o’clock shadow. He had nice eyes, dark brown, with long lashes.

And…he was human. “I’d prefer a regulation set rather than your bondage toys.”

“These are regulation. I’m a detective. Nathan Powers,” he introduced in a deep, throaty voice that sounded as if he’d smoked one too many cigarettes.

With the vamp squirming beneath her, she took the cuffs. Before slapping them on the vamp’s wrists, she made sure they were regulation. Sienna flipped the perp onto his back and pinned him with her knee. “Don’t try anything stupid.”

“Bitch!” the vamp spat.

“What the hell’s with the yellow contacts and fake fangs?”

Sienna glanced over her shoulder as she responded to the detective. “What? You’ve never seen a vampire before?”

“A what?”

“A vampire.”

“I heard you. I thought I’d seen it all, but I guess not. Now we’ve got junkies playing vampires.” The detective chuckled with a shake of his head.

One look at the guy told her he was serious.

“Oh jeez, he’s a virgin,” the vampire on the ground said.

New Releases!

Into Nostra
By Brantwijn Serrah
Urban Fantasy
$ 3.99
Amazon
Champagne Books


Deals with the devil always have their price. Problem is, the devil collects with interest.

Serenity Walker thought she had the upper hand when it came to her partnership with a demon. D’aej is dangerous, but he is always on her side. Then an old friend lifts the scales from her eyes, and Serenity sees her contract for what it truly is: imprisonment. Bloodshed. Evil, done by her own hands.

Now Serenity must pay for her ignorance and work harder than ever to fight a demon who can use her body, fool her senses, even twist every thought in her head. Only one sorceress has the power to teach Serenity what she really needs to know…a sorceress possessed by a fiend even bigger and badder than any Serenity has seen before.

Consuming the Darkness, A New Beginning
Darkness, Book 7
By Shiela Stewart
Paranormal Romance
$2.99
Amazon
Champagne Books

In Jacob’s Cove, where death is as common as apple pie due to a large population of vampires, shifters and other creatures that go bump in the night, a serial murderer is a first. Lieutenant Sienna Storm, the town’s newly minted homicide detective, is eager to prove she’s up to the job of tracking down the demon who rips out his victims’ still-beating hearts. Even if it means using her special abilities.

Detective Nathan Powers lost his partner to the aptly named Heartless Killer, and the trail of bodies leads him to Jacob’s Cove, a strange world populated with bloodthirsty demons and run by a vampire. Still, the leggy blonde, Sienna, is a pleasant distraction. Until he discovers she’s after the same killer—and she’s not sharing.

On the hunt, the more they cross paths, the harder it is to stay apart. Together they discover not only clues, but a searing need, one that may be their downfall when the killer targets Nathan, and Sienna must risk everything to get him back.

Savvy Saturday: New Year's Ebook Giveaway

This week on Savvy Saturday we have a bunch of ebooks to giveaway!! Let's see what you can win, and then enter below! One winner per book will be chosen Friday the 12th.

A Sister's Secret

Brooke Rawlings's life is turned upside down after the death of her sister. Brooke's life as a tough investigative reporter hasn't prepared her for the challenge of being the guardian of her teenaged nephew Jeremy. When he withdraws from everyone, Jeremy's oh-so-attractive-but-arrogant teacher, Matthew Grant, is concerned that Jeremy is involved with drugs. While investigating Jeremy's behavior, Brooke and Matthew uncover surprising information about her sister's death and the disappearance of another student. She soon comes to realize there was much more to her sister than met the eye. Can she unravel the web of secrets and lies and find happiness with the man at the top of her suspect list?

Blade Dancer

Emerging from an ancient civil war with only a patchwork of once-powerful technologies, the Qurls are threatened by new weapons in the hands of old enemies. Driven by the guilt of a comrade’s death, Mikial reaches out through her own divided heritage to discover the humans behind the guns. The one enemy she didn’t expect to face was her own people. The one ally she didn’t plan on being saved by was human.

D.I.C.K.s Case One: Holy Murder

Three friends and co-workers stumble upon a murder. They decide to hide the body until they can find their kidnapped Pastor before he meets the same fate. With humor and a little love along the way, the newly formed D.I.C.KS., Dames Investigating Crimes and Killers, stumble upon a prescription drug ring that leads them to break and enter buildings, follow criminals to an adult bookstore, and be betrayed by the most unlikely of suspects.

Dawn of Love

Fiona would sooner risk the wrath of a legendary beast than submit to the brigands who chase her to the walls of Burgis Keep. There, she finds herself under the protection of the most unlikely guardian. When the rumors of a vampire stalking the halls of the crumbling castle prove true, will she have the courage to discover the truth of the curse?

The Beast of Burgis Keep likes his privacy. Cursed by the gods seven hundred years ago, Alasdair is almost a vampire, but fights his ever present hunger with each breath. Until Fiona Buchanan stumbles into his castle. She calls to him like no other woman has, and he is lost when confronted with her subtle beauty and ever-present charm.

A legend exists which speaks of a way free of his bloody curse, but is Alasdair capable of trusting Fiona enough to find the path to love?

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Tattle & Wrye column January 2018 edition

From the desk of ~

DONA PENZA TATTLE, ESQ.

AND

ASSOCIATE WRYE BALDERDASH

Greetings,

Picking up from the New Year’s Eve party, Tattle sighs.

“What’s up, post party blues?”  Wrye uses a rake to gather up the streamers.

Tattle uses a brush and trash bin to clear away dishes and glasses. “Just thinking about how fast the years go by.”

“Ahhh, the I’m-getting-old-and-life-is-slipping-away doldrums?”

“Naw, it’s the I-want-to-read-every-single-book the Champagne Books Group puts outs pity-party.”

“Well, that is a very ambitious goal, m’literary bud, and I, too, long for the same thing.  So, let’s make it a goal and start with a Love of Literature Leap Review.”

Blues suddenly vanish as Tattle jumps up.  “Lets go!”

"Snooow... Snoooow...It won't be long until we'll all be there with Snnnoooowww.... Snnnnowww...," Tattle sings, totally off key.

"Right season, wrong area. No snow.... sand and sun."

"Awwww, then we are right in Meg West's LOVE ON LONGBOAT KEY. Yay us! Snow is certainly not Julie's cup of cocoa. Therefore, her visit from frigid Connecticut to sunny Sarasota, Florida is just what she needs."

Wrye strolls behind Tattle in Julie's favorite retreat, MARIE SELBY BONTANICAL GARDEN. "There is a down side to the visit. Her parents won't stop bickering, and her boss Amanda Ford saddled her with work over her vacation. If she doesn’t perform well, she risks a poor end-of-the-performance review. Then there is the circumstance that she is approaching thirty with not a smidgeon of romance on the horizon."

"Enter stage left!" Tattle fans herself with her hand. "Tall, sexy hot and yummy, Thomas, who is also visiting his irritable elderly parents in the penthouse of Julie’s parent's condo."

"Proooblem alert!" Wrye enthuses. "Though there is instant sizzle, Julie soon discovers Thomas' father used to be the CEO of Pilgrim Mutual Insurance. This is the company where both Julie and Thomas work. Even worse is the fact that Thomas was engaged to her boss, Amanda!"

"Once Amanda discovers Thomas and Julie are seeing each other, Julie's life becomes prickly. She questions if Thomas is still interested in Amanda, and gets the feeling that Amanda is still attracted to Thomas."

Wrye comes abreast of Tattle. "Complications come in pairs. Julie begins to realize her parents need a daughter who lives closer, and can be on hand for possible health issues."

"Between her job, that she no longer really enjoys, her confusion over Thomas, and her reluctance to go back to the snowy north, Julie's life feels like one big tidal wave of turmoil. What's a gal to do? Gotta read the book to find out!"

Wrye dons his serious expression. "Meg West has provided a sweet romantic treat with a holiday theme. It is a smooth, flowing, quick read that is as satisfying and absorbing as a Hallmark movie. Her characters are engaging and there is just enough mystery to have the reader wondering how Julie will resolve her dilemmas. It is a cuddle on the couch in front of a fire and sip brandy sort of book. Well done!"

"I disagree! It is a beach chair in front of a whispering ocean, drinking a Sunrise Margarita sort of read!" Tattle pauses and wrinkles up her nose thoughtfully. "I concede, either will work.  Meg's writing fully captures the essence of a sweet romance. I just adored the way the relationship between the characters develops with perfect pacing. I was also very impressed at the very real entanglement of dealing with aging parents. Julie's parents were a hoot, adding just enough humor to lighten a very real and serious situation. Meg's plotline was interesting, her writing style smooth as a windless day on the sea. I would highly recommend this book for a quick, satisfying and easy read. I fully enjoyed it." 

Until next time, keep reading!

Happy New Year!

Dona Penza Tattle, Esq. and Associate Wrye Balderdash

Books by: Angelica Hart and Zi

KILLER DOLLS ~ SNAKE DANCE ~

CHASING YESTERDAY ~ CHRISTMAS EVE...VIL

http://www.champagnebooks.com/

Books by: Vixen Bright and Zachary Zane

STEEL EMBRACE

BOOK NOOKIE-A LIBRARIAN'S BUIDE TO THE DO-ME DECIMAL SYSTEM

http://www.carnalpassions.com/

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