This month’s guest author and
contest is on David Lee Summers and his recently released novel “Dragon’s Fall: Rise of
the Scarlet Order”. David is a very talented editor, writer, and an astronomer
who spends his nights working on the telescopes at Kitt Peak.
The first book in his “Vampires
of the Scarlet Order” is a great read if you love science fiction, paranormal, and
thriller stories. And the second novel “Dragon’s Fall: Rise of the Scarlet
Order”, which the ebook came out on October 20th, promises
to be even better, with some spicy erotic scenes added to the mix.
At the end of the contest info,
I posted the cover, blurb, excerpt and 'To Buy' links to give you an idea of
how good this story is. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did reading
it. I can’t wait until it comes out. :)
Now the details on the contest:
How to enter:
Simply visit and leave a comment on
any post on David Lee Summers’ blog at: http://dlsummers.wordpress.com
and also mention that Jessica sent you
in the comment.
(Of course you must be 18 years or
older to enter the contest)
Two winners will be randomly picked
once the contest ends.
Deadline
to enter: November 15th, 2012.
Prizes:
1- A $10 Amazon gift card (1 winner for this prize).
And
2- An e-book copy of the “Dragon’s Fall: Rise
of the Scarlet Order” (another winner for this prize)
If you decide to enter, good luck
and as promised here is the cover, blurb, excerpt and 'To Buy' links…
“Dragon’s Fall: Rise of the Scarlet
Order”
Three vampyrs. Three lives. Three intertwining stories.
Born a slave in Ancient Greece, Alexandra craves freedom above all else, until a vampyr sets her free, and then, she must pay the highest price of all … her human soul.
An assassin who lives in the shadows, Roquelaure is cloaked even from himself, until he discovers the power of friendship and loyalty.
Three vampyrs, traveling the world by moonlight—one woman and two men who forge a bond made in love and blood. Together they form a band of mercenaries called the Scarlet Order, and recruit others who are like them. Their mission is to protect kings and emperors against marauders, invaders, and rogue vampyrs, and their ultimate nemesis—Vlad the Impaler.
Excerpt:
Munich. The year 1168:
Roquelaure awoke before sunset. Keeping to the shadows, he
made his way downstairs and found the landlord. The man seemed in better
spirits than when Roquelaure left him. The vampyr suspected he was pleased at
the prospect that someone might solve the mystery of the murders happening in
the town. The innkeeper offered Roquelaure food. He declined, but accepted a
glass of wine.
“What can you tell me of the men who
have died?” asked Roquelaure once he was seated at a table and the innkeeper
brought a goblet of wine.
“They are typically men who have made a
lot of money at the mines. They are generally quite free with their gold.”
“Popular men,” Roquelaure mused. “The
kind of men who influence decisions.” He looked around at his fellow patrons,
sitting at other tables. There weren’t many, but perhaps there were enough for
his objective. The vampyr withdrew two gold coins from his pouch. “Would that
be sufficient to buy food and drink for each man in this room?”
“More than enough.” The innkeeper
beamed. “You are very generous, Herr…” He paused, apparently realizing that he
did not know the stranger’s name.
“You may call me Herr Mantel,” said
Roquelaure, using the Germanic word for cloak.
“Very well, Herr Mantel, but you
realize such generosity is dangerous.”
“I’m counting on it,” said Roqueuaure.
“Please let it be known to these men that I have paid for their drinks and
meals.” He lifted the goblet of wine and took a drink. “I will be in my room,
hopefully awaiting a visitor.”
“As you wish, Herr Mantel.”
*
* * *
From the innkeeper’s description, Roquelaure had deduced
that the killer was a vampyr – most likely hired by the Burgermeister of
Freising to convince people how dangerous it was to stay at Munich’s inns.
Roquelaure didn’t feel strongly one way or the other about helping the citizens
of Munich, but he was interested in this vampyr. Such a creature could be a
useful addition to the Scarlet Order of vampyr mercenaries he was helping Draco
to build. Alexandra had already brought the lovely Nabila into the order. Since
then, they had recruited two others. The problem was there were so few vampyrs
and most of the ones they found were creatures who had lost their minds after
becoming creatures of the night. However, a vampyr that was already working as
a killer…such a creature had a lot of potential.
As the night wore on, Roquelaure grew
restless. He wondered if his strategy was sound. Was the vampyr assassin really
hunting rich and popular people, or was there another method? Perhaps there was
no method at all. Shortly after midnight, Roquelaure’s stomach began to rumble.
He realized he needed to hunt himself. The problem was that he might be
mistaken for the killer in a town already on the lookout for someone stalking
the streets at night. He decided he would wait just a little while longer.
A short time later, Roquelaure’s
patience was rewarded. His sensitive hearing detected footsteps on the stairs.
He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. A moment later, the door creaked
open. Roquelaure sat up. “A rose for me? How kind.”
The creature that entered the room
yelped, dropped the rose and turned. Roquelaure was faster. He sprang from the
bed and pushed the door shut, barring the creature’s escape. Turning around, he
took a good look at the creature for the first time. Roquelaure’s breath
caught. The creature was bald, with ears that stuck out slightly from the side
of his head. He’d seen such a creature before, but had buried the image deep in
his memory.
“What are you called?” asked
Roquelaure.
The bald vampyr glanced toward the
window. He turned ever so slightly, but Roquelaure leaped forward and pushed
him into a wall, pinning him. “Tell me what you are called.”
“I had a name once,” said the vampyr.
“I barely remember now.”
Roquelaure looked down at the rose,
discarded on the floor. “Perhaps I should call you Rosen.”
“A name is a name,” said the vampyr.
“What manner of creature are you?”
Roquelaure opened his mouth, revealing
his fangs. “The same as you.” He led Rosen over to the bed and both sat. “Am I
correct in assuming that you are paid to murder men in Munich by the
Burgermeister of Freising? The rose is from his garden?”
Rosen nodded.
“How much does he pay you?”
“A silver piece for each victim.”
Roquelaure shook his head. “What if I
told you there were lords and kings who would pay much more for your services?
What if I told you that you could live in comfort?”
“I think I would be very interested,”
said Rosen.
“Then come with me and let me tell you
about the Scarlet Order.”
Love vampires. Thanks.
ReplyDeletemagic5905 at embarqmail dot com
Hi Joy,
ReplyDeleteSo do I love vampires. Thanks for participating. I'll let David know. :)
Cheers,
Jessica
Hi Joy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by! Vampires rock. :)
David
You had me at 'slave in ancient Greece'. Sounds great!
ReplyDeleteThank you, D. I hope you get a chance to check it out. By the way, if people go to the OmniLit site this weekend (November 23, 24, 25), Dragon's Fall is half price. This is a great time to snatch up a copy of the book!
ReplyDelete