Hi, greetings to all BookStrand readers and authors. Below you will find a sneak peek into my latest release!
A ghost to die for!
Available NOW!
The Erotic Ghost
Available in: Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Reader, HTML, Mobipocket
Price: $3.99
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Buy Here!
A dark, twisted road, an electrical storm, and a bolt of rogue lightning leads Dana Perrin out of this world, and into another one...one that isn't anywhere on the map.
I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!
These are the words of her favorite fairy tale, and mark the beginning of her plunge into a grownup fairy tale unlike anything she had ever known before!
And who knew she would meet the man of her dreams, even rush headlong into a looming death to have him? The words that described an unhappy ending to this book haunted her, but she didn't care. Out on a windy cliff, these two people confessed their undying love for each other just before Dana fell down, down, down. Not into death, but into her own beautiful fairy tale, and gave the book...its happy ending.
And who knew she would meet the man of her dreams, even rush headlong into a looming death to have him? The words that described an unhappy ending to this book haunted her, but she didn't care. Out on a windy cliff, these two people confessed their undying love for each other just before Dana fell down, down, down. Not into death, but into her own beautiful fairy tale, and gave the book...its happy ending.
Excerpt
“His gift has made him scandalously rich, as you can see by all that surrounds him. However, he is a tortured soul, I’m afraid. He only comes out at night and frequently walks the cliffs until he exorcises his demons.
She looked into the butler’s dark, mysterious eyes. “Only at night? You mean like a vampire?”
“Vampires are for the addle-brained, miss. What he is, goes much deeper than that. Let me warn you not to expect much socializing while you are here. His duties are varied and very demanding, and will take most of his time. At other times, he will be keeping to himself since, as I said earlier, he is in mourning.”
“What exactly is his work?”
“Work?” Thorn scoffed. “How mundane. How very mundane.” Proud to the core, he couldn’t resist bragging just a little as he elegantly straightened his cuffs. “Let us just say, he attends the gods. They use him in battle to perform miracles.”
“You’re kidding!”
“Kidding?” the butler said while raising his eyebrows. “I do not believe I know that word.”
She chuckled. “You expect me to believe—”
“Miss Perrin,” the huffy butler said, “the Master could easily call lightning down from the heavens.”
Lightning!
She looked back up at the painting, and even though he did look impressive as he stood surrounded by a sky full of lightning, she didn’t believe a word the bragging butler said. This man was only a magician in a costume who did tricks to amaze his audience, nothing more. The fact that the butler was a proud peacock of a man who refused to allow anyone to think his master was anything except the very best at what he did, was only loyalty at work. After all, a magician wasn’t a miracle worker, and if she let him go on bragging, he would probably have the man walking on water. At that moment, his low, ominous voice reached her ears as he continued with his ridiculous dialogue.
“Power such as his frightens people, I’m afraid,” the man whispered. “As a result, he does not have many friends.”
“But why? Is he dangerous?”
“Only to himself.” His voice became deep and ominous. “No mortal man was ever meant to have such power.”
Hearing the unease in Thorn’s voice, Dana peered at him closely. The look in his eyes as he focused on the painting sent a chill slowly crawling up her spine. She could almost be convinced the old man was telling the truth. His eyes were oddly morbid, as if they could remember each and every unthinkable marvel they had witnessed.
Finally shaking himself free from his thoughts, the old man’s face became etched with concern. “You are still weak, miss. Perhaps you would like to lie down.”
“No, no, I’m fine. Tell me, who just died?”
“Died? Oh, yes. His dear mother just passed.” The man’s eyes held sadness. “Terrible tragedy.”
“Tragedy? What happened?”
Looking around to see if anyone were listening, he leaned close to her. “Drank poison.”
“Oh, my God!” When?”
"Very recently. In fact, her grave that sits on the small rise in the family graveyard is still fresh. Only a few days before she was found si—”
“Sitting at the dining room table,” Dana finished for him, and continued, “She was darkly beautiful, her delicate arm outstretched. The hand that held the glass was lying limp, the glass tilted over, the wine glowing as it spread across the table. Her blood-red nails matched the deep red of her lips. The rich burgundy liquid made a long, winding trail until it reached the edge, at which time it dripped, like blood, to the floor.”
She could see the words in her mind, written down somewhere. Dana shook her head, but the image of the darkly beautiful woman with her arm outstretched wouldn’t leave her mind. She could see the woman’s pulse slowly pumping, almost feel it, the thick red blood swirling and flowing, until suddenly, right before her eyes it stopped!
Dana gave a start, and gasped, a death-like chill crawling up her spine. The wine, it must have been.… Oh, God, the woman had drunk poisoned wine! Where had this vision of death come from? She didn’t know the woman, had never met her, yet she knew every nuance of the scene. She saw a long table, the woman’s dark red nails as she held the glass, the glow of the burgundy wine as it spilled across the dark wood grain. She could even hear the heavy strike of the glass against the table! Suddenly, she felt close to the woman, as if she’d known her. All at once something changed. Oh, God! Was it her imagination, or did she smell the pungent odor of wet grave dirt?
“That describes the scene perfectly.” The butler scowled at her. “How did you know? How could you—?”
“She must have been an actress,” Dana whispered, ignoring his unfinished question.
“Why do you say that?”
“The drama. Only an actress, or someone in show business would think up such a dramatic scene.”
“As a matter of fact, she was in a couple of plays—only small parts, of course. Her professional name was simply Sarafina. Very elegant, don’t you think? Like her son, she had great talent. The whole family, in fact, is talented beyond anything that can be imagined.”
The old man’s gaze lifted upward into the rafters, his voice taking an ominous tone. “She walks these halls, you know. At night between midnight and three, you can see her floating along the staircase, or hear her playing the grand piano in the music room.” His eyes became distant. “The music is…well, it resonates as if it were coming all the way from.…” He stopped suddenly, realizing he had forgotten himself again.
“Please go on.” Dana looked at him intently, wondering if he would say heaven or hell!
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