Cathy Clamp here. It's been a long time since I posted here at AAD, but I'm VERY excited to be back. We're going to ROCK this place! We'll be having Q&A, giveaways (YAY! FREEBIES!) to commenters and we'll talk about lots of cool paranormal things. Because . . .This month, Cie Adams and I (now writing under the pen name "Cat Adams". The "Cat" is me, the "Adams" is Cie) will be debuting a brand new urban fantasy world called THE BLOOD SINGER that will both be released in trade paperback size, and will be on the Science Fiction and Fantasy shelves, instead of the romance ones. That's not to say there isn't romance in the book, but there's no HEA at the end of the book---nor in the heroine's forseeable future. There are just too many terrific looking guys to choose from in her life! LOL!
So, let's tell you a little about Celia's first book, BLOOD SONG:
Bodyguard Celia Graves plies her trade in a world where vampires roam the alleys of Tinseltown, street corner psychics have real powers, and cops use memory enhancement spells. An ordinary human, Celia uses street smarts and charmed weapons to protect the rich and famous from mortal and supernatural threats. She’s protecting the prince of a small but politically vital nation when things go horribly wrong. Bitten by a master vampire, Celia knows she is about to die.
To her shock, she survives. Celia Graves has become an Abomination, neither fully mortal nor fully vampire. Her “master” is hunting her, to destroy her or finish what his bite began. She’s accused of murder, and the cops aren’t sure whether she should be locked up or staked. And then there’s the demon she glimpsed during the vampire attack…
Struggling to cope with her new powers, Celia reaches out for help from her once (and future?) lover, a powerful mage; his warrior priest brother; a handsome werewolf who keeps his lupine nature concealed from the world; an elderly clairvoyant; and one trustworthy cop.
Celia Graves has three days to save the world, her sanity and her soul...
Yow! Doesn't this sound like a GREAT world? One of the most interesting things about this reality is how it came about. Cie and I were attending a SF/F convention in Dallas a few years back. At the art auction, there was an AMAZING photograph up for bid. I mean, is this AWESOME?!
The thing was, Cie took one look at this photo and started hearing whisperings in her head. She knew exactly who this woman was, how she felt about having fangs and even the kind of car she drove. She showed me the photo and it was an instant connection for me too! I could see her friends and her house and it was nearly the same image Cie was sharing with me [insert creepy Twilight Zone music!]
Pretty soon, Cie was telling me at lunch about paranormal advertising jingles that were appearing in her head (for One Shot brand certified holy items and Miller & Creede Magical Security Services--when you care enough to hire the very best!)
I mean . . . that's a WORLD! The story had to be told and once we started, it began to grow, evolve and become something bigger than we'd imagined. Celia is physically tough, a magical gadget geek, and gets by in the world, often DESPITE her family (and who of us can't say that's sometimes true?) One of the very cool things about this reality is that not only is it great adult entertainment, but it's suitable for your kids too! There's not a hint of sex in the first and second books and I swear you won't even miss it! (Really, I'm not kidding. You won't!) It's already getting GREAT reviews on both adult and teen reading sites. Check out a few of them:
Bitten By Books blog
Sidhe Vicious Reviews
Genre Go Round
Wicked Book Addict
The Book Whisperer
You can read the first chapter over on our website Look for the cover on the right and click "Excerpt" below it. We debuted Chapter 2 at our early launch party at Coffeetime Romance. But here's a scene that NOBODY else has seen. It's CHAPTER 3, which is short but very, VERY critical to what happens later!
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CHAPTER 3
Voices floated over me from a distance. I could hear them, knew I should recognize them, but I couldn’t make my eyes open, let alone focus my mind.
Too much pain, from too many sources. I couldn’t feel parts of my body that I knew I should be able to, and other parts that normally stayed in the background were front and center.
“We need to get her to the hospital.” A woman’s voice. I knew that voice. Dammit, who was she?
“No! They’d just stake her and take off her head.” A man.
“Maybe they should.” Cold, rational. A thought I’d have if I could think straight.
“She’s not a bat. She’s not going to be a bat.” Such determination. He sounded positive and that made my cheeks feel warm. Or maybe it was just that everything else felt so cold.
A pause, and then a skeptical tone to her words. “You don’t know that.”
“Yeah, I do. I can tell.”
“Because she’s your Vaso?” Now the woman’s voice practically dripped venom. Whoever she was, she didn’t like me, that was for damned sure.
“I keep telling you. She’s not my Vaso.” The man’s voice was growing desperate. “Look, I know somebody who can help her. Take her back to the lab. I’ll make some calls.”
I felt my body being lifted, and coherent thought was swallowed in a dark wave...
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Short, but interesting, huh?
Have you ever passed out before in front of people or been so sick you weren't "all there?" What did it feel like to know people were around you, talking about you, but you couldn't seem to respond?
Remember, there are PRIZES to be had for a lucky random commenter. We'll be giving a $50 Borders.com card so you too can buy BLOOD SONG, and possibly even pre-order the second book, SIREN SONG, coming in October.
Come talk with me. I'd hate to be all along in such a dark blog...
