Saturday Sampler - Lost Souls Series + The Angel and the Prince by Laurel O'Donnell

"I loved it.  This series is a completely new take on death and the afterlife, with plenty of information so the reader isn’t confused, and tons of action to keep you engaged.  Definitely worth checking out, and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series takes Sam, Ben, and Christian.”
- Cat’s Thoughts Book Reviews

Lost Souls the series

Souls who refuse to pass into the afterlife become wandering spirits, trapped between the world of the living and the dead.  These are the Lost Souls.  Some of these Lost Souls have banded together, uniting to fight against an evil endangering both their existence and the safety of the human world they once inhabited.  This evil has taken shape in unholy creatures called the Changed, beings who were once Lost Souls but who are now dark, dangerous and disturbed monsters.  The Changed feed on the energy of the Lost Souls, growing stronger with each Lost Soul they drain.  The ultimate goal of the Changed is to harness enough energy to return to the land of the living by possessing the body of a human.  The mission of the Lost Souls is to stop them…

Now you can get Lost Souls: Resurrection – Episode 1 for free at many eBookStores!  

Lost Souls: Resurrection - Episode 1

Christian Thompson is killed in a car accident but refuses to pass into the afterlife because of his protective need to shelter his daughter Aurora from her cruel mother.  He soon discovers there are others like him, other wandering spirits trapped between the world of the living and the dead.  He joins this larger group of Lost Souls in their struggle to destroy the evil endangering their existence.

Unholy creatures threaten both Christian’s new world and his old.  They are entities called the Changed, beings who were once Lost Souls but who are now dark, dangerous and disturbed monsters.  Their ultimate goal is to return to the land of the living by possessing the body of a human.

Little does Christian realize that his decision to refuse his own death will endanger the very life of the daughter he has vowed to protect.

 

Excerpt -

Blackness.

Silence.

Then someone was screaming.  Slowly, Christian opened his eyes.  The streetlight was horizontal.  Cars zoomed past vertically.  The world was tilted on its side.  The stoplight in the background turned red.

An ice cream cone lay on the sidewalk upside down, tiny chocolate rivers streaming out from beneath it in all directions.

“Daddy!  Daddy!”  Aurora ran up to him, her blue eyes wide and fearful.

He pushed himself upright.  “I’m okay.”

Tears bloomed in her eyes and she began to cry.  She wasn’t looking at him.  Christian frowned.  Had someone been hurt?  “I’m right here, princess.  It’s okay.”  He followed her stare…

… to find his body laying on the hood of the black car.  His eyes were open, staring with a glassy expression.  Blood trickled from his parted lips.

Christian stared down at himself on the hood of the black car, shocked.  Immobile.

Aurora screamed.

Christian reacted immediately, stepping away from his body, away from the black car, moving toward her, his arms extended, instinctively wanting to shelter his daughter from the grisly sight.
Someone else rushed towards Aurora, heading straight for them.  Christian startled, expecting the impact, but there was no collision of their bodies.  The woman brushed straight through him.  As if he wasn’t even there.  His world spun for a long moment, and he had to close his eyes to fight off the incomprehension threatening his sanity.  Slowly, he felt himself settle, and the disorientation faded.  He opened his eyes and looked down.  His body was whole.  He skimmed his arms and the slick warmth of his flesh met his exploration.  He touched his face and felt skin.  A nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach was the only remnant of what had just happened.  What the hell?  He turned to see the woman pulling Aurora away from the accident.  His motionless body lay just beyond.

Only now could Christian see how bad it really was.  The car had struck him at the waist, slamming him back into the brick wall of one of the buildings.  His body was pinned between the black car and the red bricks.

No one could have survived something like that.  No one.

Unnerved, he involuntarily backed away from the car, from the body… from his own body pinned and smashed by the car.  Was he dead?  Was this some sort of out of body experience?

Through a haze of disbelief, Christian heard the world responding.  Someone asked if anyone else was hurt.  A car door slammed.  Someone said the ambulance was on its way.  And through it all, Aurora cried for him.

He hurried to Aurora’s side.  “I’m here!” he called.

She didn’t see him; she didn’t hear him.  She didn’t respond to his call.  No one did.

The traffic lights changed from red to green to yellow and back to red.  And still, Aurora cried.  She resisted the woman, trying to see over the dark haired woman’s shoulder.

This couldn’t be happening.  It was the beginning of his new life.  He just got custody of his daughter!

Suddenly, something pulled at his core.  Something tugged at his soul.  He gasped at the strange new sensation enveloping him and turned in a slow circle, searching for the source of what was beckoning him.  There was nothing close to him, no one else nearby except for the crowd around the scene of the accident.  Again, the pulling sensation swept over him.  He closed his eyes and allowed the sensation to guide him.  When he was facing the direction he felt the pull coming from, he opened his eyes.

Across the street, a woman stared at him with large patient eyes.  She was looking right at him.  She was beautiful, with golden blonde hair cascading over her shoulders in perfectly shaped waves.  Her white summer dress was much too light for the spring day.  A blinding white light seemed to shine from behind her.  An inviting grin curved her lips and her warm smile beckoned to him.  Instinctively, he knew what she wanted.  He knew she was there to take him from this world.

Christian didn’t even hesitate.  He would never leave his daughter.  Not now.  He turned his back on the angelic apparition.  Aurora needed him and he had no intention of leaving her.

Check out the YouTube Video for Lost Souls -
http://www.laurel-odonnell.com/lost-souls/lost-souls-book-trailer.html

Buy Links:

Kindle - http://amzn.com/B005W3C3DC

Nook - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lost-souls-laurel-odonnell/1112685201?ean=2940044527287

Kobo - http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/Lost-Souls-Resurrection/s32lO6dEjU2jBCbgUpICSQ?MixID=s32lO6dEjU2jBCbgUpICSQ&PageNumber=1

IBooks -https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lost-souls-resurrection-episode/id478042071?mt=11

Smashwords - http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/96716

“Her writing drew me in and it was hard to put it down. I enjoyed the characters and the premise of the stories of the Lost Souls.”
- The Book Maven

 Do you like Medieval Romance?  Today is the last day to get The Angel and the Prince for 99 cents before it goes back to it's regular price of $2.99!

 

Nominated for the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award!

In this exciting medieval romance, the French lady knight known as the Angel of Death wages a battle of wills and desires against her dreaded enemy — the English warrior known as the Prince of Darkness.

Ryen De Bouriez is a French warrior, dedicated to protecting her country against the hated English. In place of glittering ball gowns, she wears shining armor. Instead of practicing the gentler arts, she wields a sword. Those who whisper her name in fear and awe call her the Angel of Death.

Bryce Princeton is the Prince of Darkness, an English knight sent by his king to find and destroy their most hated adversary — the Angel of Death. Little does he know that his enemy is no man at all, but a beautiful woman who will challenge his heart and honor at every turn.

Forced to choose between love and honor, the Angel and the Prince wage a battle of wills that challenges everything they have ever believed in.

Buy Links:
Amazon - http://amzn.com/B004LGTR1M
Nook - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/angel-and-the-prince-laurel-odonnell/1103283832?ean=9781460902967
IBooks - https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-angel-and-the-prince/id429817999?mt=11
Kobo - http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/The-Angel-and-the-Prince/iYMAkfuCckK1zbStjrd8Og?MixID=iYMAkfuCckK1zbStjrd8Og&PageNumber=1
Smashwords - http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/43126

Author Bio:

Laurel O’Donnell has won numerous awards for her works, including the Holt Medallion for A Knight of Honor, the Happily Ever After contest for Angel’s Assassin, and the Indiana’s Golden Opportunity contest for Immortal Death. The Angel and the Prince was nominated by the Romance Writers of America for their prestigious Golden Heart award. O’Donnell lives in Illinois with her four cherished children, her beloved husband and her five cats. She finds precious time every day to escape into the medieval world and bring her characters to life in her writing.

Author Links:

Website - www.laurel-odonnell.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LaurelODonnell.author

Twitter - https://twitter.com/laurelodonnell

YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/medievaljack

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/278138.Laurel_O_Donnell

Wattpad - http://www.wattpad.com/user/laurelodonnell

Meet Author Rebecca Grace

Today the talented Rebecca Grace is visiting. Rebecca is a fellow The Wild Rose Press author whose life outside of writing is very interesting. 

Welcome, Rebecca. Please tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in Colorado and I remember my first two role models were comic book characters, the old Brenda Starr character and Lois Lane from Superman. My sister thinks that’s weird, but to me they were two strong women with excellent careers as reporters and great taste in men. After all, how can you beat Superman? Brenda’s mysterious boyfriend, Basil St. John with his eye patch also seemed very exotic. Anyway as a result of that, I always wanted to be a reporter so when it came time for college I ended up majoring in journalism.  How I ended up in broadcast journalism is too long and complicated a story to tell in a few words, but it did take me to various TV stations around the west for 35 years. Many of those years I was writing fiction on the side using ideas that I came across during my daytime job.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I think I always wanted to tell stories. I can remember making up stories as I walked back and forth to grammar school and entertaining my friends. I even wrote a few in pencil. In high school and college I used to walk around with a spiral notebook and write down my fiction stories. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I began trying to get published and it took me quite a few years of trying and rejections before my first book was finally published.

What does your family think of your writing?

My family has always been very supportive of my writing. Luckily they’ve come to realize if they say something I think is clever or an idea, I am liable to take it and use it in a story. When we were growing up my sister and I both decided we were going to write a story.  She never finished hers because she kept starting over every time she made a mistake.  I kept erasing and rewriting over my smudged pages, but I did finish it.  I still sit around and brain storm with my brothers and sister from to time.

Have you ever stayed up all night to finish reading a book?

I have done it quite a few times. I can’t remember the last one I did that with, though I think it was a mystery. I only say mystery because I am mainly reading mysteries and suspense novels these days.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I’ve had six books published, plus two short stories featured in novellas.  I also have a seventh novel that is currently in the galley stage at The Wild Rose Press.  I don’t know if I have a favorite because every book I finish I consider my best book or my favorite book. I have to say that Love On Deck, my first published romance will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first book I ever got to see in printed form. It is also special because it included a baseball theme and I am a big sports fan. In fact the first full novel I ever wrote was about a football player. That is still unpublished.

What do you think makes a good story?

To me a good story will always feature  great characters.  I have always felt that my characters were special, and to me, real people.  My sister always asks how I can keep them all apart and I have to admit that to me they are all individuals who are special in their own way.

What is the best part of writing for you?

I love the idea of making up special characters and putting them into a situation that really challenges them. I also like the idea of having things turn out just the way I want them. Just the idea of making things up is great for me. I like thinking of difficult situations for characters and working things out for them, or letting them work their way out.

What do you enjoy most about life?

To me I just enjoy living every day and making new discoveries. I like experiencing new places and meeting new people. But I also like going back to places I really love and experiencing them again and again. I have a very special family that always makes me happy (well sometimes they drive me nuts – but in a good way) To me, I like to approach living as an adventure to be explored.

Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, outline, or...?

I am one of those writers who can come up with an idea and then simply sit down and start writing. I often find myself going back and doing the research after I have already started the story and sometimes I need to sit down and work on the outline. No matter how much I plot or outline a story, when I sit down to write, I find my characters can take me in a totally different direction.  I’ve always focused mainly on characters and counted on them to help me come up with a plot.

If you could give the younger version of yourself advice what would it be?

Don’t give up if you get rejections on your stories. Rejections go with the territory. Look for the good points you might read in a rejection and take what might be useful. In the meantime keep working on your next project or perfecting your writing. 

What are some jobs you've done that would end up in a book?

While my day job as a TV producer was an inside the newsroom job, it could sound glamorous – after all that was what Mary Tyler Moore was doing in her job all those years. But mainly it meant minute by minute decisions and having different things happening every day.  There could also be very long hours, such as days when we had a story breaking, such as earthquakes, fires or floods. All of that sounds great, but it is mainly hard work and lots of long hours.

Tell us about your latest book.

Dead Man’s Rules is a romantic suspense set in a small northern New Mexico town. It features a tabloid TV reporter who decides to look into a decades old death to see if a supposed suicide was actually a murder. But then she runs into Sheriff Rafe Tafoya, a lawman who is trying to keep things peaceful in the little town as he tries hard to make a new life as a single father. But he finds sparks flying when he encounters Cere and he has some secrets of his own he would rather keep from her.  And behind all this is the spectre of the dead man’s ghost… Marco Gonzales, a one time bad boy, or was he as bad as everyone is saying?

Blurb for Dead Man's Rules:

A woman on a mission, a man with secrets to hide...

When tabloid reporter Cere Medina decides to dig into the mysterious cold case death of Marco Gonzales, she hopes it will save her career. Instead, she unearths enough secrets to make a small town explode. Not to mention putting her on the wrong side of the town's fascinating sheriff.

Sheriff Rafe Tafoya doesn't need anyone digging up the past. He's come back to his hometown of Rio Rojo, New Mexico seeking peace and quiet. But Cere's arrival puts his town—and his heart—in danger.

Behind it all lurks the ghostly presence of Marco, who has everyone playing by a dead man's rules...

Excerpt from Dead Man's Rules:

Cere caught hold of his arm. “Maybe you should take me to the Palladium, Sheriff. I’d like to see the bloody hand print for myself.”

Damn, she was persistent. Rafe shook his head, again hoping to discourage her. “I chase people out. I don’t give tours. Enjoy your vacation.”

“I didn’t come for vacation.” Her eyes flashed with irritation. “I want to do a story on the handprint. I need to.”

His stomach knotted, as his breakfast churned in his stomach. He didn’t ask why she needed to do the story. He knew. Ego.

Reaching down, Cere pulled a reporter’s notebook from her bag. “If you won’t do an interview, do you know anyone who might talk to me?”

Why had he wondered what she might think about him? Or hope that she might be interested in him? She was only after her damn story. Acid boiled in his stomach. This woman would pry until eventually she might uncover some ugly truths. And she would spill it all out on national television. She could hurt a good many people, people he knew and loved. 

Rafe gritted his teeth as he forced an answer, hoping for one final chance at dissuading her. “No one will talk to you. My advice is to let it go. Relax. Take your vacation.”

He might as well have struck her. Her chin snapped up and her body grew rigid. He drew back at the determination he saw grow in her bright eyes.

“Don’t try to tell me what I should do. It’s time someone found out who murdered Marco Gonzales. Yes, I said, murdered, Sheriff. If you don’t want to help me investigate his death, I’ll do it on my own.”

Dead Man's Rules is available at:

Amazon http://amzn.com/B00I28UXFY  

TheWild Rose Press:   http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=5662

Readers can find Rebecca online at:

Website: www.rebeccagrace.com 

Blog: http://Rebecca-grace.blogspot.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/rebeccagrace55

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.grace.547

Thanks for visiting with us, Rebecca. Wishing you the best.