That's What Friends Are For: Meet Sidney

This is the sixth installment in a series introducing the characters in the upcoming The Clandestine Saga Book 1: Transformation.

Sidney is one of Cadence Findley's best friends. The girls have done practically everything together since grade school, until it came time for college, and they chose separate campuses. Sidney is very excited to see Cadence over Thanksgiving break and hopes to spend as much time with her as possible.

Sidney, one of Cadence's best friends. She has no idea who Cadence really is.

When the rest of the group starts discussing the possibility of attending an Eidolon Festival (a celebration of ghosts, goblins, and ghouls) Sidney wants no part of it. However, when the rest of her friends decide to go, she begrudgingly gives in.
The friends aren't at the festival long when things take a turn for the worse. When their friend Drew goes missing, Sidney and Taylor panic, and Cadence insists that John escort the girls back to the car while she and the other two male members of the group, Kash and Jack, search for Drew. The last thing Sidney remembers from that night is a feeling of overwhelming dread that they are being chased by something terrifying.  When she awakes the next morning, her memories are different. She remembers going rock climbing with her friends where something awful happened to Drew.  Though she is upset about the tragedy, she has accepted that these things happen and is determined to go on with her life.
But now Cadence is gone, moved to Kansas City as part of some security team, and her circle of friends is crumbling. Sidney clings to Taylor for emotional support as she attempts to stabilize her ever-shrinking circle of friends. Will all of these changes result in the demise of her friendship with Cadence or will they find a way to fight it out through thick and thin?
Find out in The Clandestine Saga Book 1:Transformation coming Feb. 28th and pre-order here! In the next installment, we'll meet Jamie, the misunderstood Guardian.
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Hello, Mr. Nice Guy: Meet Jamie, Guardian Healer

This is the seventh installment in a series introducing the characters from the upcoming The Clandestine Saga Book 1: Transformation.

In his former life, Jamie was a highly accomplished surgeon. His skills have served him well now that he has undergone the transformation process and become a Guardian. Now, he serves the LIGHTS team as a Healer.  When someone is injured, sick, or in pain, one touch from Jamie and they instantly begin to heal. Luckily for him, he is also able to heal himself.

Jamie is a Healer but even he can't heal a broken heart.

We first meet Jamie when everything goes down at the Eidolon Festival.  Holland and her Vampire legion are attacking and Jamie is part of the team that whisks Cadence and her friends away. In fact, Jamie is assigned the task of getting Cadence to safety. As she emerges from the woods, he pulls along beside her on a black motorcycle.  Though she is hesitant at first, Jamie's disposition makes it obvious even in these trying times that he is one of the good guys and Cadence quickly hops aboard.
Jamie follows Cadence and Eliza to the safe house where Cadence is faced with the decision of whether or not to transform into a Vampire Hunter. When she has made her decision to go through the process, it is Jamie who is charged with carrying out the medical procedure designed to make it virtually painless and much quicker than the way it has been done for centuries. Except, Cadence is an enigma and something goes terribly wrong. When Cadence reacts differently to the injections Jamie gives her, it is up to him to save her.
Jamie is Mr. Nice Guy. It becomes apparent early on that he is developing feelings for Cadence, completely oblivious to what is going on between Cadence and Aaron. He finds out the hard way that sometimes love stinks.
Without Jamie, the team would not be able to take the risks it does.  Aaron gives orders knowing, if someone gets hurt, Jamie can probably save them--most of the time.  Jamie is an extremely important part of the team and one of the most intriguing of the supporting characters that make The Clandestine Saga a layered story.
In the end, when things go sideways in the final showdown, it is up to Jamie to find a way to right the wrongs. Will Mr. Nice Guy pull through or will it end in tragedy?
Find out in The Clandestine Saga Book 1: Transformation, coming Feb, 28th and preorder here. In our next installment, meet Taylor, one of Cadence's close friends from high school.
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Eliza Dolittle Move Over: Meet: Eliza, Guardian Extraordinair

This is the fifth installment in a series introducing the characters from the upcoming Clandestine Saga Book 1: Transformation.

Eliza is a spunky little lady with mad moves and a slightly out-of-hand shopping addiction.  Her flair for fashion insures that she will be hunting Vampires and protecting Vampire Hunters in style, no matter the obstacles.

When it comes to Cadence Findley, is Eliza a friend or an enemy? Perhaps, she is the perfect frenemy.

We first meet Eliza as she speeds in to save the day on a black motorcycle at the Eidolon Festival.  With her small frame, it is difficult for her to navigate the bike away from attacking Vampires, as she attempts to steer passengers Jack and Drew (yes, three people on one motorcycle) to safety, but some how she manages.

Her next assignment: Take Cadence Findley to a safe house where she can discover exactly what she is, a Vampire Hunter.

Though Eliza initially appears to be a bubbly, fun-loving potential friend for Cadence, we soon discover she has a dark side, too, and when she wants to be, she can be a bit catty. 

It doesn't help that Cadence seems to be attracted to Eliza's ex-boyfriend. Oh, yes, that's right. Eliza used to date Aaron, the Guardian Leader, before a tiff in the middle of a hunt made him send her packing.

Now, Eliza's stability is in question--both at work and when it comes to her emotions. Can she get over her lingering feelings for Aaron and be the friend Cadence needs or will she let her jealousy get in the way?

Find out in the upcoming Clandestine Saga Book 1: Transformation coming Feb. 28th  Pre order here. ! In our next installment, we'll meet Cadence's childhood friend Sydney.

Picture courtesy of Getty Images

Cover Reveal and Pre-Order Link

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for....

The cover is done, the pre-order link is live, and you can have your very own copy of The Clandestine Saga Book 1: Transformation in 25 days! Pre-order now by clicking here.

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! And don't forget to like/comment/share on my Facebook page to be entered to win our first two cool prizes ( Wednesday's prize is a T-shirt and Saturday's is a copy of the book!) Find me on FB here.

To order this gig from my amazing graphic  designer on Fiverr, click here.

This book was my entry in the 3 Day Novel Writing contest--so, yes, I essentially wrote it in three days.  My beta readers find this hard to believe--but it's true.  

I can't wait to hear what y'all think!

The Clandestine Saga Cover Reveal, Pre-Order, Launch Party---and PRIZES!!!!

Now that's a title it's hard to ignore!  First of all, I'm super excited to tell you that starting tomorrow, February 3, 2015, you will be able to pre-order The Clandestine Saga Book 1: Transformation!
Check back for a link. I'll post it as soon as possible!

Next, tomorrow morning, I will also be revealing the cover! It was made by an amazing artist that I found on fiverr.com and I will provide the link to her gig so that you can procure her services as well.

I will be hosting an in-person launch party on the release date--which is February 28th! Can you believe it? Less than four weeks away! But we will also be doing an on-line party with prizes so if you'd like to be invited, go on over to my Facebook page and like it! You can find my Facebook page here.

We will also be doing a ton of giveaways this month leading up to the launch so you will definitely want to check out my Facebook page for that! Prizes include paperback copies, T-shirts, tutus, and lots of other cute stuff.  Who doesn't like cute stuff??

Okay, here's a little sneak peek of the cover. :)

See you all back here tomorrow for the reveal and the link!

Edit: Pre-order your copy here!

Edit: To order a graphic design gig from the artist who made my cover, click here.

Hit the Road, Jack: Meet Cadence's Ex-Boyfriend, Jack Cook

This is the fourth installment in a series where I introduce the characters in the upcoming Clandestine Saga Book 1: Transformation. 

Jack Cook is a pretty normal guy. Laid back, relaxed, calm--oh, and totally hung up on his ex-girlfriend, Cadence Findley. They dated in high school for a couple of years before it was time to go off to college. Jack received a full baseball scholarship to pitch for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, while Cadence decided to become an education major at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. With the schools a couple of hours away from each other, the two decided to call it quits. Jack has clearly regretted that decision ever sense.

Jack Cook, baseball player, "nice guy," and Cadence's ex-boyfriend 

Jack returns to their home town of Shenandoah for Thanksgiving break and finds himself hanging out with Cadence and the rest of the gang, just like old times. Though he and Cadence have agreed to stay friends, things are still a bit awkward, and when the group of friends hangs out in Cadence's bedroom, well, it's hard to stay focused on the current status of their relationship.
Drew, the youngest member of the group suggests they attend an Eidolon Festival (a celebration of all things creepy) and while Jack is not exactly stoked to go, when he finds out Cadence will be attending, he decides to tag along, too, seeing it as an opportunity to spend more time with her.
The festival is definitely not his thing and he feels extremely uncomfortable even from the beginning. However, things escalate when Drew is swept up into the crowd and Cadence takes off after her. Unwilling to let the girls disappear, Jack and his friend Kash take off after them. Cadence suddenly seems to have some superhuman speed and it is a struggle for Jack and Kash to keep up with her. They become temporarily separated.  Hearing noise from the woods, they race in, only to discover a gruesome scene.  Drew is laying on the ground, bleeding from the neck, and Cadence has clearly had some sort of an altercation--with the undead.
With no time to ask questions or even think, Jack sweeps Drew up and the friends take off running through the woods.  Cadence cautions that there may be predators quick on their heels, and this soon becomes evident to Jack as he sees strange creatures sweeping down upon them.  With just seconds to spare, help arrives and the friends are ushered to safety by the Guardians, sent to protect Cadence.
When Jack awakes the next morning, his head is a buzz and his memories are a blur. He remembers rock climbing with his friends, and he knows there was an accident of some sort--something has happened to Drew--but he doesn't remember exactly what it was....
It seems the more Jack tries to remember what happened that night, the more uncomfortable and paranoid he becomes. Why does he have strange dreams that someone is following him? Why does he constantly think someone is listening to his conversations? As time goes on, Jack begins to grow physically ill.  Is it the stress of the situation or something else?  Whatever ails him, Jack is certain, the only person who can save him is Cadence, and she has suddenly left town, taking a mysterious job in another city.  When Jack needs her most, will Cadence be there?
Find out in The Clandestine Saga Book 1: Transformation coming Feb. 28th! Pre-order here.  In the next installment, we meet Eliza, the little Guardian who could.
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The Little Girl with the Big Problem: Meet Drew

This it the third installment in a series where I will introduce you to the characters in the upcoming novel The Clandestine Saga Book 1: Transformation.  
Drew seems to have it all; she's a gorgeous, blond, 17 year old cheerleader, living for the moment and enjoying her senior year of high school. However, when her ex-boyfriend, Kash, and her other friends come back from college to visit for Thanksgiving break, she suddenly realizes just how much she has been missing out on. It seems like everyone else has gone off to see the world while she has been left behind in boring Shenandoah, Iowa.

Beautiful Drew. Will being the life of the party be the death of her?

So, when an opportunity to do something fun and different presents itself to her, Drew doesn't hesitate to take advantage. Just before her friends arrive back in town, she learns of an Eidolon Festival, a celebration of spirits, ghosts, and all things creepy.  She begs her friends to go with her, and though most of them refuse at first, little miss Drew is very persistent and eventually talks them into it.
Once Drew arrives at the festival, she is quickly swept up in the excitement.  She loses herself in the rhythm of the music, dancing, twirling, and spinning the night away. She catches the eye of a handsome stranger and soon finds herself carried away in his embrace.  Now part of a pulsating parade, Drew let's the beat of the drums, and the intriguing man, lead her along, away from her friends and into the woods beyond the outskirts of the festival.
By the time Drew realizes who--or what--the mystery man truly is, it might be too late.
Will her friends be able to save her from the undead, or will Drew meet an untimely demise?
Look for The Clandestine Saga Book 1: Transformation on Feb. 28th. Pre-order here and check back for the next installment where we meet Jack, Cadence's ex-boyfriend who just might give Aaron more than he bargained for.
Picture courtesy of Getty Images via the Getty Images App