Witches in the Workplace

    While paranormal and fantasy stories seem to be all magic and whimsy, one of the aspects I love the most about the genre is how it can be blended with reality. In my latest Philadelphia Coven Chronicles book, Rising for Autumn, I tackled a lot of the real-world difficulties facing the boss of a big organization, enhanced a thousandfold by the fact that they’re all witches. With all the crazy situations the characters get into like blossoming romance interrupted by growling wights or battling fae on every street corner, it’d be easy to lose touch with the human side of things.

    Best way to connect the readers to the characters? Give them human problems, real-life issues apart from the magic-induced ones. So while witches, hunters, fae, and necromancers are fighting throughout the city, the leader of the Coven is also dealing with the weight of being a boss. Instead of a regular office of employees, Alanna Carrington has an entire building of witches in her employ, the sort of crazy that equates to herding cats.

    What makes Alanna’s situation even more relatable is the personal issues she has to shove aside due to her responsibilities. Even though her brother died the year before, she hasn’t been able to lean on anyone since she’s the leader of the Coven, and during the span of the book, that stress of that burden weighs on her more and more. Sure, she might be dealing with necromancers raising the dead and falling for a djinn who hates her guts, but despite the supernatural aspects, she’s as human as they come.

    So if you’re tackling the realm of urban fantasy and having trouble grounding your characters, don’t forget their real life details. What frustrates them at their jobs? What do they like to geek out over? In my latest novel, Alanna might seem like an ice queen, but her stoic appearance hides a plethora of problems and a secret obsession with horror movies.  As much as the worldbuilding aspect of any magic-related universe can sometimes take over the story, your protagonists are what make the story come alive.


Crisis and danger have become second nature for Alanna Carrington. After all, as the boss of the Philadelphia Coven, she’s responsible for upholding the laws amongst the supernatural. Which means when the Order of the Serpent rears its ugly head, this time with the most powerful necromancer this city’s ever seen, she’s the one person who can keep Philly safe. Ex-Order djinn and now ally, Samuel Karim, happens to be the best-suited guy to help. Except he’s also the first man who’s stoked her interest in far too long, and ever since she commandeered the lamp he’s tethered to for safekeeping, he also hates her guts.

As the Order gathers the necromancers of her city and sparks a dangerous alliance, she finds herself working with Samuel Karim more and more. Hatred turns to passion, and when he exhibits a strength and compassion that breaks through her ironclad defenses, she finds herself falling deeper despite the complications between them. Yet with her city under siege and their lives on the line, the sharp desire between them erupts into the temptation to break their own rules, before the Order of the Serpent robs them of the chance permanently.

From acclaimed author Patricia Hruby Powell comes the story of a landmark civil rights case, told in spare and gorgeous verse. In 1955, in Caroline County, Virginia, amidst segregation and prejudice, injustice and cruelty, two teenagers fell in love. Their life together broke the law, but their determination would change it. Richard and Mildred Loving were at the heart of a Supreme Court case that legalized marriage between races, and a story of the devoted couple who faced discrimination, fought it, and won.

This book includes photographs and artifacts from the tumultuous time, and  as illustrations by Shadra Strickland that depict events before the couple found themselves in the spotlight.

Title: The Secret Lives of Rockstars: Book One
Author: Suzanne Lazear
Publisher: Leap Books
Genre: New Adult Elf Punk, Urban Fantasy
Release Date: September 26, 2016

Blurb: Saving the world, one tour stop at a time.

Eighteen-year-old Bitsy Butler has never quite fit in, not with the dragons who raised her, the druid who took her in, or even with the non-human members of the cirque noir punk band she thinks of as family. Her chance to prove she can make it on her own comes with her band's first big solo tour. It’s all going according to plan when an angel walks into a bar and demands help with his demon problem.

If she doesn't step up, a magical war will break out, threatening Arizona and all those who call it home. With the help of a human, a sexy dragon, and the members of her band, Bitsy must stop an angry mob of chaos demons before the band leaves for their next tour stop.

It’s nice to be needed, but Bitsy has no idea how to defeat the demons and she just might get herself killed trying. But then, at least one problem would be solved...

Fitting in doesn’t matter if you’re dead.

Excerpt from The Secret Lives of Rockstars:


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      So of course, I had to add my own contribution to the plethora of summer love tales, yet try to put my own spin on it. This isn’t some beachside romance—after all, we’re dealing with fae and all manner of beastie, so we see the grislier side of Philadelphia’s supernatural life. So instead, I chose to focus on relating the elements of the relationship to what summer comes to symbolize. Hot, flaring passion, intensity, and sizzling tempers. Since Jev and Liam clash from the get-go, their headspace was easy to sink into, and the hot summer weather just added fuel to their frustration.

      Other seasons might take on different overtones—maybe hope and rebirth with spring, melting down of cold temperaments with the winter, but with the heat and passion that summer inspires, it’s unsurprising that it’s a popular time of year for love. Aspects like weather and time of year play such a unique role in stories that it’s worth exploring what they can do for you when you’re writing, and if you’re sitting down and reading a book, take note of what’s happening in the background. You just might discover deeper dimensions to the story than you initially realized.

      Either way, romances during the hot days of summer don’t seem to be vanishing any time soon. If anything, they’re picking up steam.

Jenna Black is the author of the Nikki Glass, Immortal Huntress series. She is also the creator of the popular Morgan Kingsley urban fantasy series, the Guardians of the Night paranormal romance series, and the Faeriewalker young adult fantasy series. She lives in North Carolina. Visit JennaBlack.com.

 

After five years in the Summerlands, Gideon has gained his freedom. Elizabeth knows he will go straight for Tegan, and that she must protect the girl she had come to regard as her own daughter. In the time since she the dramatic night in Batchcombe woods, Tegan has traveled the world learning from all manner of witches, and she is no longer the awkward teenager and novice spellcaster she once was. However, her skills are no match for Gideon's dark, vengeful power, and he succeeds in capturing her. Will Elizabeth be able to find her? Will they be able to defeat their nemesis once and for all?

In a breathless journey that takes them through history to the 17th and 19th centuries, witch pursues warlock. Three people steeped in magic weave a new story, but not all will survive until the end.

About AMERICA’S FIRST DAUGHTER:

In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.

From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France.

It is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that fifteen-year-old Patsy learns about her father’s troubling liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age. Meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love—with her father’s protégé William Short, a staunch abolitionist and ambitious diplomat. Torn between love, principles, and the bonds of family, Patsy questions whether she can choose a life as William’s wife and still be a devoted daughter.

Her choice will follow her in the years to come, to Virginia farmland, Monticello, and even the White House. And as scandal, tragedy, and poverty threaten her family, Patsy must decide how much she will sacrifice to protect her father's reputation, in the process defining not just his political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.

All of Cate’s problems are in her head. That may be her greatest strength. Cate Duncan is a promising young therapist, dedicated to her work. But after her mother’s suicide, she is seized by a paralyzing depression. To save her job, Cate agrees to enter a program with Dr. Angeline MacGregor, run by her stern son, Ben, and housed in a repurposed church. Cate doesn’t quite understand what the program entails, but she soon learns that the skills she will develop there may not only help her learn how to cope with her own problems, but will also lead her to a much greater purpose. The MacGregor Group is a collection of alternative healers whose unconventional approaches include crystals, aura reading and psychics. They know that their life’s work invites skepticism, and welcome the chance to prove naysayers wrong. But they need the unique abilities that Cate can bring, and as she slides ever closer to her own abyss, they will do everything in their power to protect Cate from those who wish her harm―including herself. A powerful novel of suspense and a wildly inventive start to this paranormal romance series, ALL THE BROKEN PLACES engages readers with its striking blend of the supernatural and the psychological.   

          Who wouldn’t want to be a shifter?
          I mean, seriously, the ability to change your body into a completely animal? Coolest ability ever, right?
          Wolves are the most common shifters in paranormal romance and there’s a good reason for that. They’re sleek, stealthy and smart. The perfect predators. And they make the perfect alpha heroes (and heroines).
          In the Lucani Lovers series, my wolves were given the ability to shift centuries ago by the Etruscan Moon Goddess. In ancient Rome, they were the special ops forces of the Roman Legion.
          In today’s world, they’ve adapted. They’ve gotten good at hiding in plain sight.
          But what happens when the outside world begins to encroach and trouble arrives at their door?
          Then these wolves get deadly.
          The Lucani Lovers series is part of my Etruscan Magic world, which also includes the Darkly Enchanted, Magical Seduction and Forgotten Goddesses series. They’re all based on the premise that there’s still magic in our world. Fairies, elves, satyrs, shifters and witches.
          Each of the books have a unique twist on what you think you know about these myths and tales. And all have a steamy romance at their core.
          There are six stories in the Lucani Lovers series: Kiss of Moonlight, Moonlight Ménage, Edge of Moonlight, Moonlight Temptation, Grace in Moonlight and Shades of Moonlight.
          Each has a stand-alone love story with one or two hot heroes.
          These stories were previously released but I’ve re-edited and revised and, in the case of Kiss of Moonlight and Moonlight Ménage, have rewritten the endings and expanded the story.
          I can’t wait for readers to discover (or rediscover) my wolves. I’ve loved revisiting and reacquainting myself with them.
          And I’m anxious to get back to my Etruscan Magic world with new stories. But more on that later…


Kiss of Moonlight, Second Chapter Excerpt

        
           Even though twilight had fallen, she could still see him plainly in the light of the full moon. Moonlight suited him. It softened his hard edges. She wanted to run her hands along that shadowed jaw and across that broad chest, sink her fingers into his hair.
          Still standing by his chair on the other side of the table, he walked around to her, holding out his hand.
          Without thought, she reached for him, watching his lips curl into a devastating smile as he drew her to her feet. Only inches separated them, inches she wanted to close.
          They stood like that for what had to be a full minute, staring into each other’s eyes like they were starring in a Lifetime TV movie.
          It should’ve embarrassed her. Or at the very least, made her self-conscious. At worst, she should be running in fear in the opposite direction.
          It emboldened her to know she wasn’t scared at all.
          Instead, she leaned a little closer, drawn by the warmth of his eyes, the heat of his body.
          Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me kept chanting through her brain.
          As if he’d heard her thoughts, his smile faded and desire turned to sharp, biting hunger in her gut.
          Then he blinked and began to pull back, shaking his head. “Tam…”
          No, no, no.
          Fevered compulsion made her curve her hand around the back of his neck as she rose on her tiptoes. She shouldn’t have been able to reach his mouth, the top of her head barely reached his shoulder. But he met her halfway, his short groan cut off when their lips met. He pressed hard, his lips firm and hot on hers, his arms wrapping around her back and plastering her to his body.
          She moaned, wanting more, but he immediately eased his hold, ratcheted back some of the passion she sensed in his kiss and let her take the lead. Let her press against him. As if he was afraid of scaring her.
          But that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted him to kiss her. Really kiss her until she lost herself in him. Buried old, horrible memories under an avalanche of lust.
          So she forced him closer, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him harder.
          Letting her tongue lick at the seam of his lips, she teased until he opened his mouth. She would’ve thrust inside but he beat her to it, finally starting to loosen his hold on his leashed desire.
His hands flattened on her back, each finger a hot brand through her thin t-shirt. The tips pressed into her back for several seconds before easing up to rest there lightly.
Don’t stop. More.

ABOUT AUTHOR:
Stephanie Julian is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of sophisticated, sultry romance. She writes many different series, including Salon Games, Indecent and Lucani Lovers. She loves hard rock and Broadway, runs very slowly, married a Springsteen fanatic and is the mother of two hairy beasts she calls sons.

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Book Links

Kiss of Moonlight
Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks | Google
Moonlight Menage
Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks | Google   Edge of Moonlight
Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks | Google    Moonlight Temptation
Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks | Google    Grace in Moonlight
Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks | Google   Shades of Moonlight
Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks | Google