Tag: Urban Fantasy

Welcome Cristelle Comby w/ #UrbanFantasy #book ‘Evil Embers’ @cristelle @GoddessFish

On By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, Book Tours9 Comments

Today we have author Cristelle Comby visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

~ Bio ~

* Cristelle Comby was born and raised in the French-speaking area of Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva, where she still resides.
* She attributes to her origins her ever-peaceful nature and her undying love for chocolate. She has a passion for art, which also includes an interest in drawing and acting.
* She is the author of the Neve & Egan Cases series, which features an unlikely duo of private detectives in London: Ashford Egan, a blind History professor, and Alexandra Neve, one of his students.
* Currently, she is hard at work on her Urban Fantasy series Vale Investigation which chronicles the exploits of Death’s only envoy on Earth, PI Bellamy Vale, in the fictitious town of Cold City, USA.

~ Interview ~

Do you ever wish you were someone else? Who?
* Actually no—I’m pretty happy with how I turned out, you know. Everything I ever did, every obstacle I overcame has led me to this. It’s made me the person I am today. Wishing for another skin or another life, would be like dismissing everything I ever achieved in life, like swiping away all the victories under the doormat.

What did you do on your last birthday?
* I’ve never been big on celebrations. It was a work-day, so I went to work. I brought my colleagues home-made cake though, to share at lunch-time. Had a simple dinner with my family when I came home; all very low-key.

What part of the writing process do you dread?
* The editing isn’t my forte—verb tenses and coma placements are though on me. But, I’m lucky to have a good team to help me with that part. I have a wonderful editor and a nitpicky proofreader.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
* Not really. I find that outlining is a good remedy. Writer’s block happens when you don’t know where your story goes. When you’re working off a detailed outline, the writing flows a lot easier. It may not work for everyone; but I learned a long time ago that it’s what’s best for me.

Tell us about your latest release.
* “Evil Embers” is the second book in my Vale Investigation series (a mix of classic noir detective and urban fantasy). Each book can be read as a standalone, and chronicles the exploits of private investigator Bellamy Vale, Death’s envoy on Earth.
* In “Evil Embers” Vale is desperately looking for a simple, vanilla case—no monster of otherworldly creatures involved. When businessman Eli Smith hires him to find his missing sister, Sarit, Vale is all too happy to oblige. Of course, if he’d known what monsters and unsavory creatures were lurking about in Smith’s shadows, he might have thought about it twice.

Find Cristelle Comby here…
Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | Twitter | Website

A look into…

~ Blurb ~

* After narrowly preventing the destruction of Cold City, PI Bellamy Vale needs a rest. Or rather, he needs a plain and simple vanilla case—no monsters or otherworldly creatures involved!
* When foreign businessman Eli Smith shows up at his doorstep with a thick wallet and a request to find his missing sister, Vale doesn’t think twice before agreeing.
* If he’d known body-hopping demons and smoke monsters came attached to this job, however, he might have.

~ Excerpt ~

* I started feeling eyes on me about two blocks up. I was hoping it was just one guy…and that it was the kind of guy I could win a fight against without losing all my teeth.
* I turned off Maltese Street and into a familiar alley. The rusted-out dumpster was where it usually was, tall enough for me to hide behind in a crouch. I wished I had my knife with me. My gun might have been nice too, but too much noise would have put me back in Morgan’s crosshairs. I was going to have to wing it.
* Another set of footsteps came into the alley. They slowed down as they got closer. I heard labored breathing on top of the steps, like the guy was running a mile to get me. In a voice so low it barely echoed off the walls, he muttered, “Where is he?”
* That’s all I needed to hear. The moment the intruder got past the dumpster, I gave him a hip tackle that should have sent him into the opposite wall. But somehow, he managed to flip me around in mid-air and I was the one that hit the wall with a thud. I was still shaking my head clear when I saw a fist aimed right at my nose. I jerked my head to the side, making the attacker’s hand slam into the brick with a meaty slap. My right fist jabbed into his belly and side, working his body like a jackhammer.
* I bucked my hips and used my left hand to help flip him over. But once again, he kept the flip going and I wound up on the bottom before I could blink. This time the fist struck, and my head went blank a couple of times as the blows hit home. I wrapped my hands around his arm as the third punch landed and applied pressure to the elbow. The strangled cry from my attacker’s mouth sounded familiar.
* “Smith?” I asked in confusion, relaxing the pressure.
* “Mr. Vale,” the shadowy figure said back, confirming my guess.
* I released his arm, and we both got back on our feet, a bit unsteadily. Something about his gait told me he was a lot less steady than I was right then.
* “I…I must apologize,” he said. “I was quite certain you were a robber of some sort.”
* “A robber that doesn’t use a gun or a knife?” I asked. “In this city?”
* He sighed. “Yes…upon reflection, that theory does seem rather foolish.”
* I took the time to check myself over for any severe damage. Aside from new aches and pains, nothing was pressing. “What were you doing following me in the first place?”
* “I was most interested to see if you had managed any progress on the leads we found.”
* “So, instead of waiting at my place for me to come back, you stalk me across town to make sure I’m on the job?” I admit I was more than a little offended. Sure, I can be a bit devious when it comes to getting the money I need, but I’m enough of a professional to stick with a job until I either figure out that it’s not worth pursuing or I get paid.
* It made me want to punch my client all over again.

Buy Evil Embers here…
Amazon – US

Thank you for joining us here today, Cristelle Comby! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Cristelle Comby will award one randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card! So be sure to leave a comment AND use this RAFFLECOPTER LINK to enter the drawing. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

a look at the Bud Hutchins #Supernatural #Thrillers #series by JB Michaels #UrbanFantasy @jbmichaels11 @SDSXXTours

On By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, Book ToursLeave a comment
The Order of St. Michael
Bud Hutchins Supernatural Thrillers Book 1
by JB Michaels
Genre: Supernatural Suspense, Urban Fantasy
What do you get when you pair a smart-mouthed geek with a fake English accent and a disciplined, headstrong woman with incredible powers?
Meet Bud Hutchins, a socially awkward super genius who talks too much and can’t get out of his own way. Will he heed the call to join the Order and save humanity?
Eh, maybe.
Meet Maeve, a beautiful young woman who happens to be a monk of an ancient Order tasked with keeping evil spirits at bay and saving Bud Hutchins from himself.
She rolls her eyes. Alot.
In this globe-trotting, action-packed supernatural thriller, our heroes fight to contain an ancient evil that calls from beyond.
It’s time for you to join the Order. Battle monsters. Avenge the dead and save the natural world from supernatural destruction.
The Elixir
Bud Hutchins Supernatural Thrillers Book 2
How far would you go to save a friend?
From award-winning author JB Michaels, author of The Order of St. Michael and the award-winning Tannenbaum Tailors series
Join Bud Hutchins in an action-packed urban fantasy set in Chicago, home to the world’s most notorious urban legends. A murder rocks Chicago Metro University. Maeve, a monk of the Order of St. Michael, faces possible annihilation. A poltergeist wreaks havoc across the city. With the help of the brilliant Ivy, a doctoral candidate, Bud will need to employ science and the supernatural in his most harrowing adventure yet, The Elixir: A Bud Hutchins Thriller.
The Ghost of Capone
Mt. Olivet Cemetery, the original resting place of gangster Al Capone, is disturbed by an ungodly menace.
Resurrection Mary strikes
The forested roads of Archer Avenue are once again stalked by the deathly and cunning Resurrection Mary.
Murder, Mayhem, and the Elixir
A beautiful, young teacher’s assistant is murdered over a mysterious elixir: an ancient concoction that could change history!
From Wrigleyville to the Willis Tower, the Museum of Science and Industry to Beverly…
…join Bud Hutchins on an epic adventure through Chicago!
The Elixir is ready. Grab a copy today.
The Castle
Bud Hutchins Supernatural Thrillers Book 3
No rest for the wicked they say.
Barely catching their breath, Bud, Ivy, and Maeve find themselves pitted against the Chicago police, the FBI, and the world’s most powerful vampire. Will they escape injury-free or will the fangs of doom pierce their jugular veins?
The answers can only be found in The Castle: A Bud Hutchins Thriller.
The three slayers of the supernatural will face their most formidable threats, seek solutions to their most important problems, and be forever changed.
The threats are plenty. The stakes are higher. The tasks nigh impossible.
Time to grab your favorite monster-slaying weapon, raise your torch, and storm the Castle walls.
Greetings! For the official site of JB Michaels head on over to http://mistermichaels.com/ for two free books!
J. B. Michaels, multi-award winning author and member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, has written stories since he was in fourth grade. He is a history teacher who loves his job.
Married and with a son, Michaels has a great love of family. He has two series: the Gold and Bronze medal-winning Tannenbaum Tailors and Bud Hutchins Thrillers.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive content and a giveaway!

a look at the ‘Team Nightly’ #series by Kate Porter #UrbanFantasy @katep6031 @SDSXXTours

On By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, Book ToursLeave a comment
**books can be read as standalones in any order!**
Chase Nightly, L’Uccisore
Team Nightly Book 1
by Kate Porter
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Chase Nightly is a born and bred Georgia boy from Savannah, who loves his job as a social studies teacher, his bachelorhood and his widowed mother.
RaeChandler is a contemporary big city woman with no desire to change that fact; as different from Chase as night and day with one important exception: They are both leaders of elite teams of vampire slayers called Uccisore, but with very different territories. When Rae shows up in Savannah for reasons other than visiting family, Chase demands to know her true motives. Sparks fly the moment they meet and past life memories surface, memories that keep Rae off balance and terrified that destiny will claim her heart once more.
When Gordon Charles, Vampire King, kidnaps Chase’s mother, the two leaders must join forces and put their chaotic feelings aside to save her from becoming the Vampire Queen.
Hunter’s Sword
Team Nightly Book 2
Armed with family legends and a blessed sword dating back to the first crusades, Hunter Blackfox leaves the reservation in Cherokee, North Carolina to replace a fallen member of Team Nightly and help protect the city of Savannah, Georgia.
His life is about to change…
When he first lays eyes on Sheila Maxson, he likens her to Aphrodite, Helen of Troy, and Jackie Onassis—sex, beauty, and class—all rolled into one, long, luscious package just for him.
Sheila Maxson is a seasoned member of Team Nightly and a bloodline uccisore gifted with exceptional speed and agility on the battlefield. But she’s battling more than the rising number of vampires. The horrific memories of an event that took place only days after 9/11 when she, her brother Michael, and their aging grandfather tried to protect first responders from frenzied vampires, as they searched for survivors at ground zero, are slowly chipping away at Sheila’s emotional armor. With the added guilt of losing a friend and uccisore brother in battle, the short fuse of her control is burning fast.
Each time she and Hunter are in the same vicinity, Sheila goes on the attack and Hunter has no option but to fight back. Until the night Chase and Rae’s daughter is born and the vampire king breaches the hospital nursery. The bickering teammates must team up to protect the innocent newborn.
Hunter must find a way to bring down the walls that Sheila has erected around herself in order to save not just Chase and Rae’s baby, but the woman of his dreams as well.
As word comes to them that Hunter’s Sword is coveted by Gordon Charles, Vampire King, the entire team must find a way to keep it out of vampire clutches.
Gordon Charles will do whatever he must to corrupt the powers of the sword and sway its magic to benefit his cause. To do that he must spill uccisore blood…Sheila’s blood.
Keys to the Mermaid’s Heart
Team Nightly Book 3
A mythical sapphire, a family legend, and a lost treasure, could lead Carly Harden to her fondest dreams . . . or her worst nightmare.
Now that Carly has revealed her secret, that she knows who and what Team Nightly is, Tony Sargento, chef of the Blue Mermaid restaurant, empath, and Carly’s boss, is furious with her. His jealousy at Carly’s close friendship with Rhett James, the newest team member, isn’t helping him calm his anger.
That she’s been in love with Tony since the day they’d met, is one thing she would never disclose. His anger at her is breaking her heart and her past is preventing her from trusting him fully.
In order to help the team locate an artifact that Gordon Charles, King of the Vampires, is after, Carly digs a little deeper into the family lore behind the key that she’s worn on a chain since she was a little girl. She soon comes to believe that it is one of three needed to open a lost treasure chest. One that is said to hold the Mermaid’s Heart: a massive sapphire that is said to hold mystical powers and created by Zeus himself.
The powers that legend has attached to the Mermaid’s Heart, are said to be boundless, granting the one who holds it their fondest wishes.
But when Gordon Charles gets word that Carly is the owner of one of the fabled keys to the Heart, he sends his minions to retrieve it, no matter the cost.
After Carly is attacked and nearly killed, Tony and Rhett must try to set aside their ongoing battle, to win her heart, in order to protect her. Even with the help of Team Nightly, it may not be enough to save her . . . unless they find the Keys to the Mermaid’s Heart.
Redemption Stone
Team Nightly Book 4
The only thing keeping the beast at bay is THE REDEMPTION STONE.
Chuck Logan fled Ireland fourteen years ago, letting his family believe him dead, like his brother, Matty. When he landed on America’s shores he was a feral werewolf, but everything changed when a special boy and his father found him and gave him the gift of redemption.
Now, Chuck has found his true mate in Scarlett James, and he is terrified that he has now put her life in danger. Walking away after only one night with Scarlett is the only way to keep her safe. Ashley Connor, a wolf with an agenda, has set her sights on mating with Chuck and building an invincible pack that will rule the entire region. She will do whatever it takes to have her way, including partnering with Gordon Charles, the Vampire King.
After Chuck and Scarlett are attacked by a vampire who miraculously morphs into a wolf, the reality of this new, and seemingly indestructible, threat must be eradicated before Ashely Connor and Gordon Charles have the chance to build their army…It may already be too late!
Kate Porter has had one true passion, even as a young girl: writing. Poetry and short stories were her pleasure and her escape while growing up on a small farm approximately fifty miles south of Indianapolis. From her first short story printed in her high school newspaper at the age of fifteen, until the publication of her first full length novel, SECRETS IN BETHLEHEM, in the summer of 2012 she has dreamed of being an author. As a two-time winner of the Indie Book of the Day award, Kate has explored different genres in her writing career and has an eclectic collection of works to her credit consisting of romantic suspense, mystery, and an urban fantasy series. She has studied fiction writing at Greenville Tech, in Greenville, SC and traveled to Georgia for a writing workshop. Kate was featured in WOMAN’S DAY magazine and again in the Greenville News and her hometown newspaper in Spencer, IN. She has been profiled in her hometown newspaper, in Spencer, Indiana and in August 2013, News.
Kate’s novel, BLACK HARVEST, has not only received 5 stars from Reader’s Favorite, but has been awarded the 2014 NEW APPLE BOOK AWARD MEDAL for the MYSTERY.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!