Ghosts, vampires, demons, shifters and witches. Yah or nay?
My favorites are Ghosts, Vampires and Demons. I don’t dislike Witches or shifters. I have written a few, Charming the Darkness and Surviving the Darkness are two. But if you’ve checked out any of my books, you’ll see which paranormal creatures are the ones I prefer. My Darkness Series are about evil bloodthirsty Vampires ( I know, aren’t they all evil bloodthirsty?) who use a ritual to blot out the sun over Jacobs Cover. (Now comes the not evil bloodthirsty vampires.) It starts with one female vampire, Trinity, who was scorned by her vampire lover, Basil, king of the vamps, and is determined to take out as many vampires as she can to save her city. Along the way she is joined by other vampires, a witch and humans. Oh, and Basil, the vamp that cheated on her. It’s an eight book series that takes place over several months.
I love to write about Vampires. They’re so much fun to write about. I can do whatever I want with them. One thing I will never, ever, ever do, is make them sparkle. You know who I’m talking about. LOL
I do however allow them to shift into different forms. Not entirely like shifters, but similar. Basil, for one, is the prince of vampires and has very strong powers. He can shift into any creature. One of his most powerful ability is to stir wind and cause objects to move to take out the enemy. You may be thinking, ‘So what. He can stir wind’. Trust me, he can create a tornado. It’s also handy when trying to confuse the enemy so that others can sneak up and kill them.
On to Demons. They are similar to vampires in that they need blood to sustain their life. They don’t go about biting other humans for the blood. They do have the ability to rip out a person’s throat and gobble it down. Draco, in Awaken the Demon, is a direct descendant from Satan and was created to gather souls for Satan. After several lifetimes of servitude, he convinces Satan to let him go so he can try having a different life. He becomes rich and very famous in the business community. What he want’s most is love. When he finds out there is a demon human woman, he is determined to find her and have her. (Demons are not allowed to mate with humans) Things don’t always go as planned as is the case in all three Demon books. I loved writing Demons, they can be so nasty.
But my favorite subjects to write about are ghosts and people who can communicate with them, as is the case in Discovery in Passion and my Lost Souls series. Let’s start with Discovery. It’s about a woman who moves into a haunted house, falls in love and tries to solve a crime. There’s plenty of sex and mystery. One of my favorite books to write. As a child, I too, lived in a haunted house. I use that in my books.
Onto The Lost Souls series, Secrets of the Dead, Book 1, and the soon to be released, Innocence of the Dead, Book 2. C.J. Dowling has the ability to see and communicate with the dead. He has had this ability all of his life. He’s hired by real estate companies to rid supposed houses of their spirits. This one particular house causes him a lot of trouble and brings up secrets from the past. Ghosts he’s used to, feisty redheads determined not to believe he is not. Jessica gives him a run for his money.
Innocence of the Dead is twenty-plus years in the future and focuses on C.J. and Jessica’s daughter who has her father’s ability and hates it. She’s even tried running away in hopes to be rid of them. No such luck. When a small child comes to her for help, she can’t ignore the girl and begins to research missing children. In the meantime she meets debonair Ethan Montgomery and is instantly attracted to him. Problem is, he’s still married, at least technically.
So why do I love ghosts more than anything else? As I said, I lived in a haunted house and have on occasion, seen ghosts. I know, you’re probably snorting or laughing right now. Like C.J., I’ve grown accustomed to it. I don’t walk around shouting, ‘Hey, I see dead people”, or “Look-out. There’s a dead guy behind you.” Though that would be fun, it would be foolish. I don’t see them everywhere I go. Mostly I see loved ones who have passed. On occasion, I have predicted a death which is always unsettling.
Now you know why I have a fondness for Ghosts. I hope I didn’t scare you away. If you’re still reading, check out my current release, Secrets of the Dead. Also, one lucky commenter will win a copy of Secrets of the Dead.
Blurb
Jessica
Coltrane is a die-hard sceptic who believes that ghosts and
paranormal activity are nothing more than a figment of an overactive
imagination. That is until she finds herself locked inside a haunted
house with the enigmatic paranormal investigator C.J. Dowling.
Born
with the ability to see and speak to the dead, C.J. Dowling thought
investigating a haunted house would be a job like many others. He’s
prepared for anything—except smart and sexy Jessica.
Working together in close quarters, C.J. and Jessica discover it isn’t only negative tension between the two, but sexual as well. Giving into their desires seemed like a good idea at the time, until they wake and find the spirits thought otherwise. Trapped with the ghost of a child long forgotten, an amorous entity that is threatening Jessica, and a powder keg of a spine-tingling mystery that might just be better left buried.
Excerpt
Something tickled her nose. Using her hand, she tried to swipe it away and felt the brush of hair against her knuckles. Planting her hand, she felt the warm flesh beneath her palm.
Recognition hit and woke her with an angry slap. Eyes shooting open, she sat up quickly and instantly regretted it when the room spun wildly around her. Laying back down, closing her eyes, she waited out the dizziness the hangover caused. Her mind raced to the night before.
The soft ache in her loins reminded her of what she’d done. Carefully opening her eyes, she turned her head to see a naked C.J. beside her.
“Oh, God.” She looked over his naked body, remembering how good it felt having him inside her. She hadn’t been that drunk that she couldn’t remember the event, and lord, what an event it had been. They had literally torn each other’s clothing off. She’d been an animal, which was so not like her.
What did they do now? Would they go on as they had been, sniping at each other, treat this as a one-night fling and move on? In truth, the guy irritated the hell out of her, yet he’d made her feel so incredible the night before. How was she supposed to respond to him now, after sharing something so intimate?
“Dowling,” she spoke quietly. “Dowling.” When he moaned, she slapped his chest. “Dowling!”
“Jesus.”
“Wake up.”
“I’m awake.” He looked at her with a smile. “Morning.” Then his eyes went wide. “Holy hell.” He bolted upright and jumped to his feet, nearly knocking her over. “Oh, my God.”
“What the hell?” The sofa stood on its end, two sitting chairs slammed up right against it, all pushed against the window. The coffee and end tables stood one on top of the other, in front of the fireplace.
Carefully, Jessie stood up, waiting out the dizziness. She had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. It looked like a hurricane had blown through. “How…”
“I need to check my equipment.” He flew off, still nude, and she got one hell of a look at his ass.
She saw her shirt by the fireplace, straps torn. She couldn’t exactly wear it in its condition. Spotting his shirt hanging over the couch, she grabbed it and put it on. It barely covered her, but would have to do for now.
“This is incredible. The meters went off the scale. The temperature recorded several degrees below freezing at one point. It didn’t last long, though, as it rose exponentially. And we slept through it all. Damn, I have never seen anything like this before. It’s phenomenal.”
“You’re naked, you know?”
“What?” He didn’t even look up.
“You’re naked.” She tossed him his jeans, hitting him square in the face.
Unaffected by it, he grabbed the jeans and slipped into them using his free hand. It amused her to watch him shimmy into his tight jeans, jumping from one foot to the other. “The cameras!” He rushed to the video equipment as he did up his pants. “Do you know what this means?”
“That you were a busy boy last night.”
He looked at her, confused. “Beg pardon?”
“I don’t know how you managed it all alone, but I give you credit for a job well done.”
“You think I did all of this?”
“No, I know you did all of this. Boy, you’ll do anything to make me a believer.”
His eyes narrowed and his voice dipped an octave. “You think I did all of this just to make you believe there are ghosts here?”
“Well…yeah.”
“Fine.” Walking to her, he grabbed her arm and led her to the camera.
“Let go of me.”
“Not until you see this.” Taking her by the shoulders, he turned her to face the monitor attached to one of the cameras. “Watch.” He pressed play.
Folding her arms across her chest, Jessie glared at the screen. He’d recorded them having sex.
“Oh my God, you taped us making out? How could you?”
“I have my cameras set on timers that begin taping on their own. I didn’t know we were going to go at it like rabbits last night. Watch.”
“You will erase those tapes,” she insisted, then grunted when he turned her face back to the monitor. “What the hell?”
“Keep watching.”
She couldn’t pry her eyes away if she tried. The furniture lifted in the air, spun around wildly before they slammed in front of the fireplace and window. “Oh my god!”
“My sentiments exactly. I need to check the rest of the house.” He left her mesmerized in front of the TV.
* * *
And my soon to be released sequel, Innocence of the Dead:
Samantha
Dowling sees ghosts. As much as she hates her gift, she can’t
ignore them when the spirit of a murdered young girl haunts her
dreams. As she digs into her death, she learns she’s not the only
missing child in the city. And no one seems to be doing anything
about it.
Running into the very sexy Ethan Montgomery at his
bookstore where she’s doing her research, she is instantly
attracted.
From the first moment Ethan Montgomery saw Sam, he knew he had to have her. The problem with that is his soon to be ex-wife, Gwen. She’s determined to bring Ethan down any way she can, so when she finds out he’s seeing Sam, she uses that against him.
Despite the obstacle, Sam and Ethan continue to see each other. Sam knows he’s the love of her life. Ethan can’t deny his love for Sam. But sneaking around isn’t as easy as they thought when others discover their relationship.
Discovering
who the killer is could be the end for Sam. Unless Ethan finds her
before it's too late.
Excerpt
She struggled in the darkness that surrounded her. The cold, damp dirt smothered her and clogged her nails as she fought to escape. Her eyes and nose stung from the strong smell of defecation and rotting flesh. The taste of blood in her mouth made her want to gag.
She’d been buried. Alive!
Desperate for air, for escape, she clawed at the dirt, pushing it aside in her frantic need to escape. It covered her eyes, filled her nostrils and ears. Unable to breathe, she fought desperately to find air. When her hand finally broke through the surface, she felt giddy, then gasped when a hand grabbed onto her arm. Yanked up, free of her grave, she scrambled to her knees, spitting dirt from her mouth, shaking it from her ears, gasping for breath. In the distance, a tiny voice spoke.
“Save us.”
“Who are you?” She rubbed the dirt from her eyes, blinking away the blurriness. What she saw before her made her stomach roll and her heart clench.
Propped against a wall sat a small child, who couldn’t have been more than seven. Her eyes, a foggy white stared at her blankly and she felt them penetrate her soul. Across her neck, from ear to ear, was a gaping wound.
Horrified, she scrambled back and screamed when an arm came around her waist. Before she could comprehend what happened, something cold and hard touched her neck.
In one quick motion, it sliced across her throat.
Sam woke with a scream, her hands clutching her neck. It took her a moment to orient herself as she stared wildly across the room.
She was safe, in her bed, in her home.
As the picture of the little girl flashed through her mind, Sam began to cry.
She hated this. Hated it with a deep passion.
Why did she have to live with the dead?
The tears slid down her face, dampening her cotton nightshirt. It never got any easier to see the dead in her dreams, even after dealing with it all of her life.
Sniffling back her tears, Sam mopped her face dry. Climbing out of bed, she grabbed her sketchbook and pencil, then sat back down in bed to draw. It always helped to sketch her dreams.
Though her hand shook, Sam managed to sketch the face of the child that had come to her in her dream.
The flesh was decaying, her bones protruding and Sam even drew the maggots that crawled over the child’s dead body. She had blue eyes, beneath the fog of death, and Sam drew them as she saw them behind their milky white stare. Dirt and blood coated her blonde hair. She wore a red fuzzy shirt and blue jeans with silver gems along the seams and pockets. She had on one running shoe in white and blue, the laces untied and caked in mud and blood. Her once white socks were filthy.
One of her upper teeth was missing.
Sam paused briefly before sketching the gaping wound in her neck. The flesh had been torn open from ear to ear, nearly decapitating the frail child. Sam could taste the blood in her own mouth, and as she reached up to her throat, remembered the feel of her own torn flesh.
It was just a dream. Not real.
* * * *
To read blurbs and excerpts of all my books, go to www.shielastewart.com.
Where to find me and my books
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About the Author
Shiela Stewart is a paranormal suspense author with a writing history that stems back to her youth. Always a dreamer, wondering if her stories would ever reach an audience, she was finally published in 2006 and hasn’t stopped since. It is rare to find a stand-alone book as she prefers series stories. Her longest running series to date is her Darkness series, which is a vampire romance.
Her joy for scary suspense is evident in each of her books. She has had several accomplishments, including fighting for the top spot in the rankings with author Stephanie Myers, receiving glowing reviews as well as interviews on local television and reviews and interviews in The Romantic Times Magazine.
When not writing, Shiela spends her time with the love of her life, William, and their children and grandchildren. Her strong affection for animals is evident in the many cats she cares for.
Her favorite time of the day is at sunset.
