Amplifier 4: Chapter One, Part One

And the one-week countdown beings! If you aren’t a fan of spoilers and are behind in reading the Amplifier Series (starting with the Amplifier Protocol, which is currently free on all retailers) then please continue reading with caution.

Cover design by: Gene Mollica Studios Models: Devon Ericksen and Jonathan Cannaux

Idols and Enemies (Amplifier 4): Chapter One:

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED ABOUT SPOILERS!!!

A dark-haired, dreadfully sexy sorcerer sat in the copper-edged pentagram inset into the white-painted wood-slat flooring of the barn loft. Aiden had been fortifying the rune-etched, five-pointed star for the last three months, starting by adding smaller pentagrams at each point. At the beginning of May, he had embedded a black gemstone — obsidian — in the heart of each smaller star, then conducted tests for two more weeks. It had taken most of those first months to source the volcanic rock in a size and quality that satisfied the sorcerer. More glyphs had been carved into the stones themselves.

Dark-blue magic gleamed from the runes inked across Aiden’s bare chest, shoulders, back, arms, and legs. I’d been exceedingly helpful with the hard-to-reach areas. Then — again, terribly helpfully — I had powered up the sorcerer until he’d groaned and panted under the onslaught of my touch. My magic.

Crouched an arm’s length away with my blades at the ready, I grinned at the remembrance. The lingering pleasure still warmed my own limbs.

Aiden laughed at me huskily, flashing a toothy grin. His bright-blue eyes blazed with power. He was holding an envelope sealed with dark-blue wax in both hands. His long, dexterous fingers were each tipped in sparkly pink nail polish.

The manicure was a remnant of our most recent visit from Opal. The young witch had insisted she needed to practice casting during a break from the Academy, and Aiden was perpetually obliging when it came to the dream walker’s wants and needs. My own fingers and toes were currently bright green. And I’d been completely — irrationally — upset when I noted upon waking that morning that two of my fingernails had been chipped. 

No matter how much I adored my life in general, Opal’s absence always left me feeling a little hollow.

Drawing my attention back to the present, Aiden muttered an arcane word in that unique language he used. Magic snapped into place, sealing him within the main copper pentagram. The sorcerer quietly voiced another command, and the black stones in the five outer pentagrams flared with power.

Opal was safely at the Academy. Christopher and Paisley had left two days previously to join Samantha in Budapest. The telekinetic had been tracking Bee — aka Amanda Smith, aka one of the Five — across Eastern Europe for weeks now, but the path was cold, and the telepath was still missing. Daniel had surfaced long enough to check in, confirm that he didn’t know where Bee was either, and then go dark again. He was on his own separate mission.

In the end, Christopher had wanted to help make certain that Bee was okay, and I wasn’t his keeper. Paisley seemed amenable to doing some tracking, and I trusted that she would listen to the clairvoyant. So other than the chickens and the cows, the sorcerer and I were the only ones remaining on the property.

Which was good. Because it was time to deal with Kader Azar. 

Aiden’s father, and a key member of the former Collective — aka one of my creators. 

Aiden had invested three months into fortifying the pentagram just so he could open the letter that his brother, Isa Azar, had hand delivered last February.

“Ready or not,” the sorcerer said. Then he winked at me.

A flicker of warmth — desire mixing with a gleeful anticipation — flitted through my stomach. My magically sharpened, black-coated steel blades sat by my knees on the wood-slat flooring. The open loft was at my back, with the barn doors thrown wide open below. Aiden’s SUV was still parked beside the barn, but I’d moved the Mustang out, parking it by the house. It was likely that a ton of magic was about to be tossed around, and Lani Zachery would not be pleased if we ruined the car’s paint, which was still the original clearwater aqua. Or the aqua vinyl seating, for that matter. 

Each time Lani caught me driving around with Paisley, I could tell that the full-time mechanic, part-time intuitive had a difficult time not losing her mind. Lani’s latent witch magic manifested in an innate sense of when something needed to be fixed and how to fix it. More so since I’d amplified her.

Aiden held the envelope forward, his attention riveted to the rune-embossed wax seal. He murmured quietly under his breath, repeating a short phrase that stirred the magic within the pentagram. Power I could see but not feel.

I had another chance to wish that Aiden had agreed to have me in the pentagram with him, amplifying him at the same time as he opened the missive from his father.

We had fought over it.

Concern had sharpened my words, but experience tempered Aiden’s response. In the end, experience won, and I’d agreed to the sequence of events we were about to execute.

Aiden snapped the wax seal. It sounded like the explosive concussion of a high-caliber gun, discharging close enough that I expected to be winged by a bullet.

Nothing else happened.

Aiden laughed, quietly relieved.

Then a dark, shadowy pulse of power reached out from the broken seal, striking Aiden’s chest. 

He grunted, pained. Magic flared through the runes inked across every bare section of his body.

My blades suddenly appeared in my hands. I wrapped my fingers around the hilts on instinct, though I hadn’t consciously reached for them. Damn it. I must have inadvertently triggered the intricate retrieval spell that Aiden had fixed in one of the three raw-diamond gemstones embedded in each of the hilts, wasting the energy it had taken him to cast it in my momentary rush of panic.

The shadowed spell expanded across Aiden’s chest. He snarled, dropping the envelope to reach for the magic. The malicious shadow stretched, expanding until it looked suspiciously like a hand with five digits. A hand trying to grab the sorcerer?

All at once, the obsidian stones in the outer, smaller pentagrams flared, becoming brighter and brighter until I had to narrow my eyes against their intense blue glow.

The black stone nearest Aiden’s right knee cracked.

Then another stone. And another.

Five loud, sharp pops.

The magic died within each obsidian gem.

“Fuck!” Aiden snarled. Shuddering with the effort, he cupped his hands before him, fingers spread wide as he began muttering a melodic phrase over and over. The ink-etched runes on his upper chest and shoulders shifted, as if they were being pulled into or siphoned by the shadow hand.

No.

Not siphoned.

Aiden was somehow using the inked runes to feed the spell trying to grab hold of him. More symbols slid up and over the sorcerer’s shoulders and arms, leaving the deeply tanned skin of first his wrists, then his forearms bare.

Sweat broke out on his forehead.

I shifted, bringing my blades forward.

“No, Emma,” Aiden grunted. “I’m handling it.”

I stilled, trusting his expertise. Trusting him. 

Even I could learn. It was just that the lessons involving Aiden, involving any of those I cared about, took longer to absorb.

My heart hammered annoyingly in my chest. But as I watched, the shadow hand was drawn from Aiden’s chest. It coalesced into a dark, seething ball of power suspended between the sorcerer’s outstretched fingers. More runes were quickly stripped from Aiden’s legs, abdomen, and lower rib cage, running up to his shoulders and then down his arms as he continued to feed the spell. The sphere darkened, simmering between Aiden’s hands but no longer touching his skin. I could see lightning strikes of power coursing within it, emanating from Aiden’s fingertips.

With his body now completely stripped of the magical protections we’d spent hours putting in place and powering up, Aiden began condensing the spell he now held firmly, compressing it between his palms. Then, his chest heaving with the effort, he folded the spell in on itself.

The now-tiny black sphere dissolved with an audible snap. 

I waited, blades still poised to slash and rend. All my senses were on alert, reaching through the stillness of the loft, of the upper suite behind Aiden, and of the barn around us. Waiting for the next assault.

Nothing else happened.

Aiden raised his head, grimacing. Power brought forth by his anger blazed in his eyes. Tension was etched through his stubbled jaw. He locked me in place with a soul-searing gaze.

Sometimes he was so breathtakingly beautiful that my heart actually stuttered at the sight of him. Not that I would ever voice such an outrageously idiotic thought out loud.

“Well …” Aiden’s voice was husky, as if he had torn his throat raw while dealing with the magic, even though he’d barely spoken. “He knows where I am.”

COMING SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

PREORDER NOW

– AMAZON – KOBO – APPLE BOOKS – BARNES & NOBLE – SMASHWORDS –

News Flash: Sept 21

On my desk today. Dahlias from Hey Day Farm and a notebook devoted to Archivist Series world building.
  1. Idols and Enemies (Amplifier 4) releases in eight days. I’m trying to not freak out because I really thought I had MORE TIME. In fact, I’d somehow convinced myself that I actually had everything under control. But I have no marketing banners (Gene Mollica is working on those for me right now), I haven’t remembered to type up the granola recipe and put it in the Adept Universe cookbook (that needs to happen this week) (ugh, and I need photos!!), and I haven’t even shared a nice, long excerpt of Chapter 1 (that will happen tomorrow)!
  2. Amplifier 4 will release in eBook form on September 29. Rob from 52novels is currently formatting the paperback and Tia Rider is already recording the audiobook, so hopefully, those will follow in October.
  3. There is a bonus short story in the back of Amplifier 4, The Music Box (Amplifier 4.5) from Opal’s POV. It’s just a fun piece with a tiny crossover. But, since it needs to be read AFTER Amplifier 4, it didn’t make sense to use it as a preorder giveaway, so I tucked it in the back of the book. I’ll mention this a few times in a few places over the next week or so because I don’t want you to miss it!!
  4. In nonAmplifier news: Whitney Dykhouse just dropped her audio files for Catching Echoes (Reconstructionist 1) in my inbox so I get to start listening through the audiobook tonight – YAY!
  5. Currently writing: a short prequel (maybe 25k?) for a new series called The Archivist. Set in the Adept Universe with a twenty-five-year-old dragon as the main character. I already have scenes rolling around in my head for book two and three so the muse is obviously excited. The sibling relationship with Dusk’s much younger brother is really lovely (and something I haven’t explored yet). Also toying with a slow, slow burn, hot, hot romance with an ‘alpha.’ I’m not usually into the ‘alpha’ character trope but it might work for the character/the story. We shall see …

Have a great week!!

Amplifier 4: Paisley wants to play.

I’m working through the editor’s line edit on Idol and Enemies (Amplifier 4) and since I’m refining the text, etc, I thought it would be fun to share a short snippet. When I asked for requests over on Facebook and Twitter, the overwhelming majority voted for more Paisley content. So here you go!

Warning: it’s rather difficult to pull chunks out of Amplifier 4 without spoilers, so there are characters in this snippet that you haven’t met yet.

Aiden released my hand, stepping over to the kitchen island. “Whose turn is next?”

Khalid cleared his throat, eyeing Paisley and then glancing over Aiden’s shoulder at me. “Mine. If I step back, will Paisley try to rip my throat out?”

“I never really know,” I said casually. “Shall I ask her not to eat you, sorcerer?”

“You haven’t already?” Ocean cried. Then she blushed fiercely.

I didn’t answer.

So apparently, I could play games. For my own pleasure, at least. Though by the look Aiden angled at me, I’d managed to amuse him as well.

Aiden took Khalid’s spot at the island. Paisley hooked paws that were too big for her current body on the edge of the speckled quartz counter and pulled herself up. Her nose skimmed the low edge of the magical grid. Sickled claws shot out from her paws.

Across from the demon dog, Sky meeped.

I wasn’t certain I’d ever heard a human make that particular sound before.

“Paisley,” I said in a warning tone.

The demon dog retracted the claws, laughing at me with her eyes.

Idols and Enemies (Amplifier 4)

Me. Today so far …

Honestly, some days I’m not sure I should be in charge of my own schedule. For example, this is me today so far:

The plan: Add at least 2k to Misfits 2 before lunch, then chat with my mentee about branding, etc, in the afternoon.

The reality: Oh, wait! I need to set The Amplifier Protocol to free on all stores so Amazon will price match before I launch all the other marketing stuff* leading up to the release of Idols and Enemies (Amplifier 4). *Yeah, the fact that I call it ‘stuff’ probably doesn’t bode well.

Okay, done! Now new words!

Wait, it’s time for coffee? Where the hell is the morning going? I should wash and sort this box of blueberries. Okay, Leo needs attention (snap a picture, post to Instagram, play with a mouse and his new blueberry box). And I really should wash and freeze the flat of strawberries as well. I also need to make some vanilla ice cream.

No. I can do that tomorrow.

Back to work! *Noting the pile of items cluttering the dining table as I walk by.* I really should at least take pictures of Cindy’s (aka my sis-in-law’s) new picturebook and get a giveaway posted on my blog. *takes pictures* Ugh, the internet connection sucks today. I’ll do that tomorrow.

Now new words!

Hmmm, maybe I’ll share another chunk of the first draft of Misfits 2? That would be fun. Let’s see if it is ready to read … *scrolls back and starts rewriting, getting completely caught up adding 500+ more words of extra sass, baring of teeth, and werewolves games.*

OMFG! It’s time for freaking lunch!??

Wolf moon sketch purloined from Nature’s My Friend‘s 2017 calendar. I have it tucked into my notebook for Misfits 2 (aka Kandy’s book) for inspiration.

So, um, yeah. No ‘new’ words.

Misfits 2: A tiny bite.

So … I’m supposed to be writing Amplifier 5. Instead, needing to work on something playful (with a whole lot of bite) and distracting, I wrote the opening scene for Misfits of the Adept Universe – book 2. No release date yet, but I’ll probably keep working on it for the next while.

I tugged at the stiff collar of my light blue dress shirt, trying to ignore the miasma of scents emanating from the crowd gathered around the international arrivals gate at the Vancouver Airport.

The guy nearest me had just come in from the parking lot dragging the scent of asphalt, gasoline, and a lingering crispness with him. The woman rocking her kid in a stroller, cradling flowers in her free arm, was way too fond of pineapple and coconut. It was in her skin cream and conditioner. Well, fake coconut and pineapple. The bartender in the open bar behind me pulled draught after draught of pilsner and amber ale for the customers lining the bar stools and the waitstaff slinging burgers and garlic-riddled Caesar salad.

Three days from the December full moon, aka the Cold Moon, and my skin was already itching under the suit I’d been forced to stuff myself in.

Apparently, it wasn’t appropriate for the head of security for a shapeshifter summit to wear a sports bra, leggings, and an obscenely printed T-shirt while on duty. I’d capitulated on the clothing — finding a black pant suit with as much lycra as possible and pairing it with shiny zippered ankle boots that added a much needed three inches to my height — but I refused to dye my currently florescent pink hair back to its natural mousy brown.

And there was no way I was removing the ridiculously-out-of-place runed-etched, raw diamond gold cuffs that perpetually adorned my wrists. The Wolf’s Bracers, the Adept snobs were prone to calling them. I’d deliberately rolled up the sleeves of the dress shirt and the jacket to display the artifacts. Even though doing so made me look like I was posing for the cover for some fashion magazine. Not that I was pretty enough to actually book such gig. My nose too slim and straight, jaw too angular, and teeth too pointy to pull print media off.

Okay, so, the teeth only got pointy when I was being nasty.

I adored being nasty.

But only when someone pissed me off.

Which was, admittedly, often.

How the hell had I wound up being the head of security for this stupid wedding and pack status hearing?

Right.

My lord and alpha, and the head of the Godfrey coven, had conspired against me.

– untitled, Misfits 2, first draft

ATV: the evolution of a book cover and giveaway

In between writing (apparently, I’m randomly working on an Opal short story that falls after Amplifier 4) I’ve been thinking about branding because it’s a topic I’m discussing with my SFWA mentee, Natasha. We’ve been chatting about book covers and finding something simple but evocative to convey the genre and tone of your story in a single image. Which made me think about my very first novel, After The Virus.

So … here is the evolution of the book covers for After The Virus with some thoughts on each and why I rebranded at each stage. At the bottom of the post I’ve made some copies of After The Virus free via BookFunnel just in case you haven’t had a chance to give it a read. I’ve capped the giveaway at 50 copies.

Late-Spring 2011. Self-designed. My first foray into self-publishing,

This was the first cover for the ebook. I designed it myself, which I’m sure you can tell at a glance. Lots of mistakes here, including that I didn’t need the ‘by’ (a holdover from writing screenplays for 12 years prior to writing a novel). My author name is WAY too small. And overall the cover isn’t dynamic enough.

Summer 2011. Designed by Scott Fitzgerald Gray.

My absolutely brilliant editor Scott Fitzgerald Gray asked if he could take a stab at the cover and he came up with this tweak. Instantly, so much more dynamic. And the lighter colour really popped whenever ATV was grouped/listed with other post-apoc or horror novels. But still not really conveying the themes of the novel itself …

Summer 2012. Designed by Irene Langholm.

Then I commissioned an original book cover from Irene Langholm. And I absolutely, utterly adored it. The art/photo manipulation is outstanding. But, in hindsight, my name and the title of the book are far too small. It definitely conveys genre, but it doesn’t ultimately fully express the main aspect of the book – that it’s a love story. If you happen to have (a typo-ridden) paperback of After the Virus from way back when it had this cover.

Fast forward to January 2017. Designed by Elizabeth Mackey.

I decided I wanted to refresh a bunch of my older book covers in early 2017, and I asked Elizabeth Mackey to take a crack at After the Virus, adding in the tag ‘a post-apocalyptic love story’. This cover is much simpler and utterly evocative. It nails genre and tone. The title and my name are much more prominent. Readers know exactly what they are getting when they buy based on this cover. And, in my opinion, fulfilling expectations (while entertaining) is a writer’s ultimate goal.

After The Virus. The evolution of a book cover, from 2011 to 2017.

So there you go!

Interested in reading After The Virus? Yes? Well, that is cool because I’m giving away 50 copies!

>> Grab After The Virus for free from BookFunnel <<

Synopsis: “Plunge headlong into a decaying world of ruined cites, ruined lives, and ruined aspirations.” After the virus decimates 99.9% of the world’s population and all traces of humanity along with it, Rhiannon and Will are forced to move beyond their past fame, fortune, and personal demons to rescue a mute girl from the clutches of two warring cults.

Amplifier 4: cover reveal

Cover design by: Gene Mollica Studios Models: Devon Ericksen and Jonathan Cannaux

COMING SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

PREORDER NOW

– AMAZON – KOBO – APPLE BOOKS – BARNES & NOBLE – SMASHWORDS –

Idols and Enemies is the fourth book in the Amplifier Series, which is set in the same universe as the Dowser, the Oracle, the Reconstructionist, and the Misfits of the Adept Universe series.

Mass giveaways coming throughout August and September!!! Including a chance to grab The Amplifier Protocol (Amplifier 0) for free (coming very soon) and dozens of download codes for all the audiobooks, starting August 30. I’ll send a newsletter with all the dates, etc, soon.

New to the Adept Universe? The first book Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (Dowser 1) is currently free on all platforms. Click here for the full reading order.

Waiting on the next book in the Adept universe? Subscribe to my mailing list to make sure you never miss a new release!

Women of the Adept Universe, Phase One

Okay, the epically talented, and ever-lovely Memo made us a treat!! Okay, she made me a treat but I thought you all might like it as well. Squee!!!

The Women of the Adept Universe – Phase One:

From left to right: Kandy (werewolf), Scarlett (witch), Jade (dowser/alchemist), Pearl (witch), Mory (necromancer), Burgundy (witch/healer), Gabby (amplifier), and Peggy (telepath).

Guess what my new desktop photo is???!!! 🙂

New to the Adept Universe? The first book Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (Dowser 1) is currently free on all platforms. Click here for the full reading order.

Waiting on the next book in the Adept universe? Idols and Enemies (Amplifier 4) is coming soon!! Subscribe to my mailing list to make sure you never miss a new release!

Amplifier 0: Flynn

I’m working my way through the Amplifier books today, making sure all the ‘marketing’ bits are in place as I ready for the upcoming push through to the release of book four (preorder TBA). And I happened upon this scene (and the scene right before), and – once again – blubbered through it. Ugh. So much heartache on the Five’s path to freedom of choice.

We were about three-quarters of the way along the corridor when Flynn unleashed his death curse in the northeast stairwell.

By succumbing to death.

Magic slammed against Fish’s nullifying field. It actually shoved him forward into Knox and Bee.

The concrete floor rumbled under our feet. Anyone in the path of the spell, whatever team was blocking the northeast stairwell and whoever had hit Flynn with the spell that had killed him, wouldn’t be left standing. In fact, based on the light display pulsing across Fish’s shield, I doubted whether the stairwell would even be passable.

A sorcerer of Flynn’s caliber held a lot of magic in his blood, in his life force. Enough to wipe out many enemies.

But then, if you were willing to die to do so, you could wreak a lot of vengeance.

Waiting for the residual to fade before moving, we all turned to look at Zans.

She was standing a couple of steps ahead, head bowed, hands clenched at her sides.

Flynn’s magic faded.

Zans glanced back down the corridor, snarling and laughing at the same time. “I bet that stung them. And I haven’t even gotten started yet.” She pinned her dark gaze to me. “Are you with me, Socks?”

She didn’t have to ask. Truthfully, she really shouldn’t have asked, because there was wild magic embedded in vows — when the words were wielded by those such as us.

“To the end,” I said.

“To the end.” Knox, Bee, and Fish echoed the words behind me.

Magic shifted around us, then settled. We were already tied. By birth, by blood, and by magic. Those bonds might have been forced upon us, but we had no one else. No reason not to die for each other.

The Amplifier Protocol (Amplifier 0)

Oracle 3: audiobook giveaway

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. Last but certainly not least, here is the audiobook giveaway for I See Us (Oracle 3)!!

Cover design by Elizabeth Mackey. Narrated by Jennifer Grace.

Okay! As before, this is a first-come, first-win deal. The giveaway remains open until all the download codes have been claimed.

Do you want to listen to I See Us (Oracle 3) on audiobook?

Yes?

Okay then!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!!

Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated!!