Thursday 29 March 2007

FAITHLESS by Yolanda Sfetsos ~ Excerpt

Alyce Kerr used to be a witch, until she bound her soul to a demonic entity in search of wealth, popularity and self-gratification. Now she possessed the pretentious and monetary side of her quest, but hated her existence.

She was a Faith Healer—a celebrity who sold out wherever she went, no matter how big or small the venue. The power and success exploded overnight. Doors were opened as soon as she started knocking. But the real nightmare of the sacrifice now kept her trapped in a cloud of regret and misery.

Alyce was never alone, never truly in control. He kept her working day-in, day-out, to satisfy his thirst.

“She hasn’t been able to see for two years,” the short woman in front of her wept, pushing a little girl into view with shaky hands. A delicate child with white-blonde hair stepped forward. Her pale eyes were constantly focused on one spot, unseeing. “My daughter’s only a little girl, not even seven yet. Please help her, Ms. Kerr,” the mother continued with pleading eyes.

Alyce recognized the look in the woman’s eyes—desperation. She’d seen that watery look a thousand times, in the mirror. She was a regular acquaintance of the feeling. Alyce now suffered a new misery. She knew she could heal the little girl and a thousand more...but the hollowness inside her soul was growing with every new healing. He could cure anything, without much strain to his almost-endless fountain of power. The creature stood behind her, crowding the area with his awkwardly-proportioned limbs, one set of hands resting on her shoulders. His heated breath swayed the loose curls of her hair, and Alyce shivered.

“Do it,” he whispered near her left ear.

Alyce closed her eyes to the command. The stage lights were too bright, stinging her corneas even through her closed eyelids. The crowd on the floor below held their collective breaths. The large spotlight was itching at her skin, but she fought the desire to scrape away the feeling with her nails.

“Alyce, I said do it,” he repeated.

She released a shallow breath and opened her eyes slowly. Trying to avoid everyone’s gaze, she lifted her right hand to the little girl’s forehead. The girl’s body jerked at the connection and hung limp, as if glued to the spot where they joined. Held up only by Alyce’s open palm, the girl’s head fell backward as the heat swelled beneath the faith healer’s hand.

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Monday 26 March 2007

FAERIE DUST by Yolanda Sfetsos ~Excerpt

Shay Lee was one of the best hunters in the business. She’d taken down many men, most left gasping for mercy at the other end of her magical sword. There was no challenge Rhiannon, the current Faerie Warrior Queen, could set up that Shay wasn’t able to conquer. Yet, this man... There was something different about him.

And it wasn’t just the obvious.

She’d stalked him for weeks now. For someone who usually took a handful of days to bring out the true nature of her hunt, she felt edgy. Her skin itched at the need to fulfill this hunt so she could get a new assignment. But that would not happen until she could get this guy out.

Shay peeked around the corner. Heart thumped harder when her gaze fell upon him. He was a tall man with fair skin and eyes of green. There was an aura around him which humans would see in the way of confidence. She could see it for what it was—power. He carried an immense amount of power he didn’t even know about.

That’s why she was here. To release him from the containment prison of his real self.

Her vision blurred as her thoughts scattered. When Shay focused again, she noticed he no longer stood by the side of the bus stop. At first she’d wondered why this man took trains and buses, but soon figured out he held some sort of management position in the city. Sydney wasn’t the most car-friendliest city in the world. There were too many bus lanes, one way streets, parking meters at every corner and several parking garages that cost half a person’s salary. And he...he lived in a suburb only twenty minutes away from downtown.

So he caught a bus, or train, or sometimes both. Whichever appealed to him more on the day but, at home, he had a dark sleek BMW. She’d seen him strap himself into it on weekends.

She knew his every move.

A tap on the shoulder caused her hand to fall away from the wall. Shay spun on her heels, and her breath caught in her throat.

None of the hunted had ever spotted her.

“Hi,” he said in a clear and friendly voice. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’d like to know why you’re following me.”

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Thursday 22 March 2007

CARDS NEVER LIE by Heather Hiestand ~ Excerpt

LIFE ASSESSMENT

Seattleite Melanie Vanderpool needs to change her conservative ways and find a new, wild life. So why does a fortuneteller have to give her such bad news about her soul mate? The good news: passion is in her future. The bad news: her dream lover is going to be forceful and perverse. Hmmm…what can a girl do but jet off to Las Vegas and start hunting for her man?

CAREER ASSESSMENT

Melanie is going to lose her job if she doesn’t come up with some hot new products for her massage oil company. Can attending an adult movie convention give her some ideas? For sure, rubbing up against sex toy company CEO Rob Black is giving her some seriously amorous thoughts. But it will be hard to focus amidst the spies, handcuffs and mayhem.


EXCERPT

The booth was deserted. Melanie realized the crowd had diminished considerably due to the hour. The conventioneers would be off at a comped lunch in one of the casino’s restaurants.
She sighed, knowing she needed to get back to Tommy Joe, who was probably through the line by now. But a bottle on a table in the back of the booth caught her eye and drew her closer. This bottle was slender and amber-colored. She lifted the vial, running a finger along its cork, which was wrapped with copper wire. It had no price tag. Perhaps it belonged to the premium line? She tugged at the cork and it came away easily in her hand. The scent was divine. Lemon and sandalwood. The kind of scent that energized you, made you want to snuggle into a Jacuzzi with a lover. She smiled. Tommy Joe just might be getting lucky that night.

“Admiring your own product? Is that how Shari recommends you bring in the customers?” said a deep male voice behind her.

Melanie twirled around. Her personal idea of Adonis leaned over the counter in the front of the booth. He was thirtyish, with a tight build, mischievous dark eyes and blond hair with ash brown streaks. “Considering the way you were fondling that thing, it would be worth a penny for your thoughts. Maybe even a buck,” he drawled.


CARDS NEVER LIE available now at CERRIDWEN PRESS!

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Tuesday 20 March 2007

INNOCENT EVIL by Missy Sue Hanson ~ Excerpt

This is an excerpt from one of my works in progress. Feel free to post your comments and critique!


Prologue


There are a lot of ways a soul can be stained. Abuse, neglect, and mistreatment are a few. Any one of these can turn good into evil, twisting and bending it into an unrecognizable feature. After all, everything is good in the beginning. Nobody and nothing starts out that way, climbing out of the womb with malice on their minds. Out of all things dangerous, nothing is more so when the righteous are driven down the path to insanity, barely clinging to the side of them that once spoke to angels. Screaming at the injustice, they flee, with a tail of fleet-footed retribution wagging steadily behind them. Indeed, there is a thin line between good and evil. For only when two wrongs make a right, can a tormented soul live with themselves.

Being innocent can only take someone so far. Once that point of no return has been reached, they must step freely over it, giving their pure and golden hearts to the dank and putrid darkness. Yes, good can overcome evil, it most often does. But, what happens when the good that is triumphing is also, concerning some elements, evil itself?


Chapter 1


Alessa McFee stepped from the void, licking her lips as she did so. The darkness that fell from her body revealed a slender, petite frame adorned with a soldier’s muscles. Curls that mirrored the ebony she had slipped from fell to rest against the small of her back. Flexing her right fist, she brought it to her mouth, uncurling her fingers. She would test the wind to find her prey. Slowly, she licked the tip of her slim index finger, displaying it in front of her pale features to gauge the breeze. East. Turning towards the current, she sniffed the air with her head tilted to one side. The scent of moss, from the lake nearby and freshly bailed hay filled her nostrils. Picking the scents apart, she honed in on her target. The stench of evil, the fragrance she had been tracking for three hours now through the woods.

Aggravated that a mere human could avoid her reckoning for so long, she clenched her teeth, causing her lips to curl and reveal two sharp teeth. Following, she cursed the human. Thinking of the others she had taken out, she quickly followed, her boots crunching on the worn path that led to the farm she had found him on. It was so familiar, this scene. It made her eyes sting and her throat constrict. The panic she had kept at bay through hunting evil for so long was threatening to consume her. Images dashed in and out of her mind, making her shake her head to clear them. Arrogant demons clothed in a human’s body, feeding on the pain inflicted on an innocent. Every scream they tore from the throats of women and children echoing their pleas, forever there, forever embedded in Alessa’s own rage.

This disease, this human capability, pitiless and quick to condemn, was becoming an epidemic. She would be the cure. She would be there when the last one fell, writhing in agony as every nasty thing they had ever done came back upon them tenfold.

SEXY LEAGUE OF THE UNNATURAL by Mandy Roth ~ Video Trailer



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SACRED PLACES by Mandy Roth ~ Video Trailer



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KING OF THE UNBLESSED by Michelle M. Pillow ~ Video Trailer




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FAERY QUEEN by Michelle M. Pillow ~ Video Trailer



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Welcome to Twilight Muse!

This will be a place for authors, aspiring authors and readers of any genre romance! Including author interviews, excerpts, contests and more. I've always been fascinated by other writer's and their talents, so I thought it would be great to have a place that is dedicated to author's and their work.

I hope to have my first excerpt up in the next few days and I've got my eye on a very talented Author and Artist!