Happy Halloween!: Shadow Series Exclusive Awesomeness

Happy Halloween!!! Today I have something super special for you! Laura Elliott, author of the Shadow Series, has put together some exclusive awesomeness just for you on Halloween!  I'm going to let Laura take it away but make sure you keep reading to find stuff on her recent AND upcoming release ALSO there is a GIVEAWAY in there! Don't miss it!

I always wanted to write a spooky series. The Shadow Series is Halloween inspired. Shadows are a lot like zombies! Here’s a little bit about The Shadow Series:

13 on Halloween (Shadow Series #1) When Roxie invites all the eighth grade peacocks (code word : popular kids) to her first ever thirteenth birthday party on Halloween, they all come and give her a gift that’s literally out of this world. Roxie astral projects to Planet Popular where she becomes seventeen instantly and gets everything she’s always wanted, but nothing is as it seems. FREE at Amazon!

Shadow Slayer (Shadow Series #2) Shadows will do anything to become human. You see their influence everyday. You say things you don’t mean or do things that aren’t like you. You look, different. Friends you’ve known forever suddenly never call. Planet Popular was just part of a bigger world, the shadow world. When the shadow invasion begins at Roxie’s high school, she’ll fight for her life and the lives of her family and friends, when she discovers she’s the Shadow Slayer, the one human who can save Earth from the shadow onslaught. Available at Amazon.

Click here to see The Shadow Series trailers, playlists, & fun stuff & check out Laura’s other books. Anyone who comments here about the scariest thing that’s happened to them will be entered for a chance to win a signed paperback of Transfer Student, an intergalactic tale of beauty and the geek & Winnemucca, a small-town fairy tale (US only). Happy Halloween!

Party favors : Follow @Laurawriting and DM me your address for signed Shadow Series bookmarks! 

Excerpt from Shadow Slayer (Shadow Series #2):

I pull some blush and mascara out of my makeup bag. I’m late, as usual. No one else is in here with me and it’s too quiet, too quiet for opening night. I try extra hard to keep the makeup off my dress, wedging scratchy brown paper towels all along my shoulder strap to protect it.

 

I glance over at one of the open, empty lockers. My sword hides in locker number 316, a row away from me. I thought about slaying every one of the shadows that had invaded in dress rehearsal but there was no way for me to ride the bus and sneak my sword in to school without a million eyes on me. Without getting noticed by some teacher who’d confiscate it and expel me for bringing a weapon to school. I had so much stuff to take for the play that Mom offered to give me a ride at the crack of dawn this morning. I hid my sword under my dress. Mom was so scattered because of her big meeting she didn’t notice anything and since it was so early no one was in the halls to give me a second look when I hid my sword in my locker. Note to self: early morning is a good time to hide stuff at school.

I stroke one cheek and then the other with blush and remember standing with Drew at the bonfire. The last night we went out as boyfriend and girlfriend. The last night he was human.

On your 13th birthday, you get the call. By your 14th birthday you find out what the call is.  

Everyone I know is in the audience tonight. Ally, Mom, Dad, Brian, even Mitch because he came home for my birthday. We’re having our family dinner tomorrow night since tonight the cast party’s at Drew’s house, unless I decapitate him first. 

“Roxie five minutes!” Hayden yells into the girl’s locker room. As usual I’m the last one out. I sweep my hair up to the side and try to remember my first line. For some reason it’s the one I always forget. 

All hail, great master! grave sir, hail! I come

To answer thy best pleasure...

I open locker 316, grab my sword and just as I step outside of the locker room Wanda runs up to me and starts talking non-stop about her nerves and how they’re getting worse and worse.

“What’s that?” she asks. I stop cold in my tracks at the backstage door. 

“There are lots of words for things that don’t exist––the unseen. Like monsters and aliens and dragons and vampires and ghosts,” I say sort of in a trance. 

“Yeah, so?” Wanda says, wringing her hands.

“If they don’t exist, why are there words for them? All the stuff I thought was crazy really isn’t crazy at all,” I say, finally getting what Drew was trying to tell me at the bonfire at the estate at homecoming. What the human Drew said before I danced with his shadow. My role in the unseen, the shadow world. Still, I don’t know so many things. Like, what happens to a shadow once I slay it? And where do humans go when their shadows invade? How can I save my human friends? 

“Roxie, I caught you! I was so late because Brian’s car got a flat. He fixed it so great, I couldn’t believe it. It’s like he went to bad ass school or something,” Ally says, laughing.

“Ally. Finally!” We hug. I swallow hard. Brian. Fixed. A. Flat. I mean it’s not brain surgery but believe me, if it doesn’t have an LCD screen Brian doesn’t think it exists. He doesn’t know how to fix a flat. O.M.G. Brian is probably a shadow too. 

Moon Killers (Shadow Series #3) Teaser:

I am the Shadow Slayer. I will live five hundred years. Five hundred years ago Columbus was about to discover the New World and ice cream hadn’t been invented yet. Five hundred years from now humans will most likely populate space and find cures for the incurable. Maybe by then, a five-hundred-year life won’t seem so epic. 

I stare deeply into my boyfriend’s gorgeous golden eyes. When I’m granted my reward, my Last Life, Drew will be long since dead and we will have lived one thousand years between us. Drew’s five hundred years only reveal themselves in his kiss. He kisses like a man who’s lived countless lifetimes and discovered the only thing that matters. Nothing about Drew says he’s just begun his Last Life. 

He’s someone girls notice under the Friday night lights––especially the way he pulls off the winning play week after week. And, if you’re like most girls, you’d die to just talk to him and even concoct ways to make that happen, including circling back in line again when he and his friends walk up to the snack shack, or walk an extra loop around the parking lot in search of a ride, hoping to run into him. 

Tomorrow’s game is against LT. We hate LT. I don’t know why, it just is. Freshmen sort of have to accept things like arch rivals. Before I found out what I am, before I met Drew, I felt like freshman was tattooed on my forehead. It’s kind of cool how everyone at school, make that everyone in town, wants to beat LT. 

Drew and I snuck onto the football field ten minutes ago. It’s pretty epic scaling the stadium gates. I’m afraid of heights, but Drew and I climbed the chain link side by side. I feel like I can do anything when he’s with me. He’s the kind of guy a girl would break into school with and not care about what punishment might come down after. I love lying here in the empty stadium with Drew, like this. Like everything’s normal. Like we’re normal. 

 “It’s easy, Roxie,” Drew says, lying beside me, inches away.

“What is?” I shift a little in the grass and turn to face him.

“Killing the moon.” It’s the night before the big game against LT, but Drew’s a million miles away.

“If you say so.” I shiver and stare at the huge goal post above us, ghostly against the night sky. He knows how badly I’ve wanted to kill the moon. How important it is. I’ve been hounding him non-stop about it since homecoming––the night my life changed––when he spoke of it at the bonfire. 

We are said to kill the moon because its phases are meaningless to us. Time doesn’t matter to us. 

I’m not sure I’m ready. I mean, not now. Not this second. Not on a Thursday night. Such a normal night. I like normal. Moon Killing seems more of a Saturday night thing, I guess. Saturday nights are meant for the extraordinary. I stroke my arm and feel the rough edges of my massive scar. There’s not enough Mederma in the world to completely heal my first battle wound.

We love comments so please let us know what you think! (It's also your way to enter the giveaway that you don't want to miss- details above)

A Letter from January

If you have seen me on twitter or my last few posts you will know I'm currently obsessing over the 3rd book in The Guardians of Vesturon Series, Determinant!!! Well like yesterday I have another special treat for you from this book! January, on of the main characters from Determinant, has written you a letter!  Check it out and don't forget to enter that giveaway!

Letter from January

Dear Readers:

You first met me in Survival, if you read it of course.  I was one of Maddie’s roommates.  Don’t worry though if you haven’t read it. Determinant is a story unto itself, and it’s about Rykerian and me and how we met and fell in love.  Without going into too much detail and spoiling all the fun, I will say this.  Rykerian really did save me, in more ways than one.  But it didn’t come without a price.  You know how those Guardians are *wink* (possessive, controlling, demanding, need I say more)? 

When I first saw him, I thought he was my guardian angel.  What can I say?  The man is smokin’ hot. *Fans self rapidly*  Uh huh!  Trade places with me and you’ll see.  Okay, forget I said that.  There’s no way in hell I’m letting anyone trade places with me...ever!

So anyway, when I finally figure out that he’s the real deal, he’s not yanking my chain, and he feels the same way I do, the world goes to hell in a hand basket.  Go figure.  My life story, right.  

Yeah, well, Determinant is a crazy ride.  You’ll meet this new guy named Jurek and he’s a scary mess.  Rykerian pretty much hates him, but that’s too bad.  He’ll just have to deal with it.  

There are lots of surprises for you, and I’d love to tell you all about them, but if I did, they wouldn’t be surprises then would they?  I will say this.  There is one scene where my normally reserved and controlled Rykerian is so out of sorts that if it weren’t for his dear sweet mother, he would most likely have run through the streets of Vesturon naked.  There, have I peaked your interest just a bit?  I hope so :)

See you in the pages of Determinant!

Yours,

January St. Davis

Thank you January for sending this in! Readers I hope you do meet January soon.  She is awesome! Also here is yesterday's post just in case you missed getting a glimpse into January's BFF's head! 

Giveaway

there will be 3 winners with this giveaway 1 Grand Prize and 2 Second Place winners

the Grand Prize winner will get a $20 Amazon Gift Card and an e-copy of Resurrection and Determinant!!!

the second place winners will get an e-copy of Determinant and Resurrection

this giveaway is INT

following is not mandatory but it is appreciated

fill out the rafflecopter to enter or you can enter here at Annie's website 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Indie Revolution: Determinant Exclusive Extra

I just now (like not even a minute ago) finished Determinant! It was SOOOOO good! Determinant is book 3 in the Guardians of Vesturon Series that can also be read as a standalone.  For today's post I have for you one of the scenes in Determinant told from a different POV! Don't forget to come back the rest of the week for all the other stuff I have for you and don't forget to enter that awesome giveaway! 

Here is a scene from Determinant in Jurek's POV

I returned January to her precious Rykerian at the Guardian Compound, as promised.  As soon as we arrived,  I felt his anger blasting forth--not at me, but at her!  What kind of moron was he?  I knew these Guardians could be complete asses but this was beyond ridiculous.  In an attempt to smoothe things over I commented, “Calm down Guardian.  Your female is fine and you have nothing to worry about.”

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because he snatched her hand off of my arm and proceeded to drag her away from me as if she were some kind of rag doll.  This was certainly no way to treat a female one treasured and I instantly became furious and defensive.

“If you harm even one hair on her head, I will destroy you and your family!” I seethed.

Rykerian turned into stone and dropped January’s hand as if it burned him.  What kind of fool was she dealing with here, I wondered?

“Go to him.  If he is what you want...Go!” Rykerian said as he took off for the house.  That Guardian was an imbecile.  Now I questioned whether I needed to leave January here at all.  Maybe it would have been best for me to have left her at Lare-Stell, the space station.

In all her innocence, she ran after him, calling his name.  I could feel her distress.  I turned to Rayn, shaking my head and said, “Are all of you Guardians this dimwitted or is he the exception?”

Rayn huffed, “Can you blame him?  He has been gravely distressed these past weeks, unable to eat or sleep, worried about his one true love because you have stolen her away from here against her will.  He did not know how she had been treated or if you had been cruel to her.  What did you expect from him?  To greet you with open arms?  You are no better than a barbarian in our minds and yet you call him a dimwit.  Who is truly the idiot here?”

“Had I been that distressed over my one true love, I would have been overjoyed to see her safe return.  Instead, he is filled with anger,” I spat.

Suddenly, we heard January screaming.  Rayn and I ran in the house and to my utter surprise, January had unwittingly locked Rykerian in the Power of Command’s grip.

“I don’t know how to make it stop!  I didn’t know I could do that.  He wouldn’t stop and I kept telling him to, but he wouldn’t listen.  I finally screamed at him to stop and I guess Command took over.  I don’t know what to do!” she fretted.

I took one look at the high and mighty Rykerian and threw my head back and started laughing my ass off.  As far as I was concerned, he could stay like that for the rest of the night.  It served the bloody bastard right for the way he had treated January.

“Jurek, stop it!” January yelled.  “We need to help him!” 

Rayn attempted to calm her down with words, to no avail.  He finally had to use his Power of Tranquility on her.  When her hysterics eventually subsided, he began instructing her on how to use her Power of Command to release Rykerian from its clutches...to no avail.  

Personally, I would have liked nothing better than to see him remain in that state, at least for a while longer, just to make him regret his actions.  I circled him, poked him in the chest a few times for good measure, although not as much as I would have liked for it was angering January. 

I finally added my two cents for I truly hated to see January so upset by this.  I reminded her of how I taught her how to use her Power of Telekinesis.  I felt Rykerian’s thoughts when I said this.  I knew my words were angering him further, so I continued taunting him with the greatest of pleasure.  I wanted to be sure he understood that January had managed not only to survive under distressing cicrumstances, but she had actually thrived and learned more about her abilities.

When it became most apparent that she would be unable to release him from her hold, I decided to do something a bit underhanded.  I summoned Tak, for I knew it would aggravate her to no end. January and Tak had a somewhat antagonistic relationship, but when put to the test, it seemed to bring out the best of her supernatural abilities.  

Tak popped in and had the identical reaction as I had.  He took one look at Rykerian and began laughing heartily, while January stood by and fumed.  What made her even more angry was his suggestion of how he, with his manly charms, could make her forget all about Rykerian.  I telepathically suggested to him that he should try to kiss January.  

Tak did as I suggested and it was at that point that her anger literally became visible.  Her aura turned a deep scarlet and blasted forth as she called Tak a dog and told him to get away from her.  I then heard the word, “Release,” come from her mind.   Rykerian dropped to his knees and curled up into a tight ball.

Tak and I locked gazes and shared another hearty laugh that was purposely ignored by January.  We did not mind, as it was a rare occasion indeed, that we even found something to laugh about.  

“I do not understand what she sees in that weakling Jurek, but I shall always hold that image of him, frozen like a pitiful statue, in my mind,” Tak said with a smirk.

“And I shall take great pains to remind her of that as often as I can,” I responded.  “Guardians!  They are nothing but a group of pompous asses.”

Doesn't that make you want to read Determinant to see what is really going on?

Giveaway

there will be 3 winners with this giveaway 1 Grand Prize and 2 Second Place winners

the Grand Prize winner will get a $20 Amazon Gift Card and an e-copy of Resurrection and Determinant!!!

the second place winners will get an e-copy of Determinant and Resurrection

this giveaway is INT

following is not mandatory but it is appreciated

fill out the rafflecopter to enter or you can enter here at Annie's website 

a Rafflecopter giveaway