Category Archive: Guest Blog

Hello everyone.

I’d like to start by saying (or is that typing?) thank you to Melodee and all for letting me guest blog here today!

With Halloween just behind us, I thought I’d talk a little about my fascination with the paranormal world and why it’s such a big part of my writing.

My mother always swore I was a bit of a fae child and that title still suits me today. If it has to do with ghosts, goblins or things that go bump in the night, then I love to read about it. I’m a fan of shows like the Walking Dead and Supernatural. This means that I can often be found curled up on my couch, eyes shut tight, heart racing and wondering for the thousandth time why I watch programs that make me jump out of my skin while scaring my cat when I yelp in startled terror. There are some nights I go to bed and have to make sure all hands and feet are tucked safely into the covers, far out of range of anyone or anything that might be lurking underneath my bed. There’s nothing like having a writer’s imagination and a love of all things paranormal to make for some very interesting nightmares.

My fascination with all things dark and scary led to reading a lot about the origins of the stories we love to tell and retell in books, television and around just about any campfire. The “real” stories our ancestors knew, where vampires don’t sparkle, werewolves had no tails and Will-o’-the-wisps regularly lure unwary travelers to their death. When I write, I like to include elements of those dark and dangerous creatures in the story. They’re the perfect villain for heroes we all can fall in love with. Strong, noble and courageous enough to fight for the women they love.

I write the same type of stories that I love to read. My first book, Whispers in the Dark is a vampire tale of sex, blood and evil. And in December Saved by Sin, my first book in a new series will be released, where I’ll be telling the stories of a group of retired military men and women whose clients are those who need help fighting off the supernatural creatures that hunt or haunt them.

Here’s an introduction to Whispers in the Dark:

 Blurb:

Kyra Robinson is in trouble. She may not believe in monsters, but that won’t help her when an ancient vampire tries to claim her as his eternal consort.

Gareth Harkness is a vampire hunter with supernatural abilities; he spends his nights fighting the living dead and his days dreaming of an unknown woman who has haunted his dreams for years.  When a string of violent murders brings him to Vancouver, Gareth’s learns his past and the future he dreams of are on a collision course. The vampire who once nearly destroyed his family has found a potential blood mate, and it’s the woman from Gareth’s dreams.

Two men, the hunter and the killer, both of them locked into a war only one of them can win.  In the end Kyra will have to choose, but before she can give her heart away she’ll have to survive the darkness that threatens to take her life, her soul and her sanity.

Excerpt:

She was there again. He could sense her in the impossible darkness that always shrouded this particular dream. Her voice called to him, guiding him to her in a world without light. Something touched his hand, a caress of velvet and a whisper of silk that heated his blood immediately. Her cinnamon scent tingled at his nose and her voice faded away with a light trill of laughter. He heard a footfall, reached for her, his hand brushing against soft flesh, warm and smooth. He held on, tugged her closer, cool silk and warm skin filled his hands as he lifted her to his chest and claimed a kiss from her unseen lips. Mouths open, bodies melting together in the heat of their need, a moment of surrender and then she was gone. He was alone again, arms empty, and the darkness was colder without her warmth.

“Soon.” Her voice whispered to him from somewhere in the darkness. “You’ll find me soon, Gareth.”

Gareth Harkness woke up as he always did from that dream, disoriented and alone. She only ever came to him when he was alone. He scrubbed a hand over his unshaven jaw and stared out the window into neon-splattered night. She’d never spoken before. Or if she had he didn’t remember it. The details always faded away too fast to hold onto, leaving him with fragments and sensations, nothing he could hold onto. In all the years he’d dreamed of her, he’d never remembered more than a few vague impressions. This time it had been different.

He rolled out of bed and went to stand by the window, his hands clenched to his sides as he stared into the night. Somewhere out there, she was waiting for him. If only he knew who the hell she was.

 ****

 Kyra dreamed she’d been dancing in the club after hours, just her and the music, alone in the dark. She’d heard someone speak her name in a low male voice that spoke so softly she wasn’t even startled to realize she was no longer alone. She’d called back to him, wandering in the darkness until she’d heard him step up behind her. A man’s hand had grasped hers, pulling her gently, and then strong arms had wrapped around her as he drew her against a powerful chest. It was so dark she couldn’t see him at all, but there had been warm skin under her hands and her fingers had traced his face, sifted through his close-cropped hair. The kiss had come suddenly, his lips slanting over hers, insistent and demanding. She’d leaned into that kiss and opened her mouth to his, reveling in it as their tongues danced, and they had shared the very air they breathed. Lips sealed and tongues twined but somehow she had heard an impossible whisper. His voice, making a promise. “Soon.” Then his kiss consumed them both and she was falling—.

Kyra came back to herself with a start and forced her mind out of the daydream she’d been enjoying. Erotic fantasies weren’t her usual vice, but damned if her imagination hadn’t been running away with her this time. She touched her cheek with the back of one hand and laughed when she realized she was flushed. Kyra gave herself a mental shake and sat up straighter in her chair. There was no time for lovers in her life, real or imagined.

It was a Friday night and a full moon, a combination that invariably led to misunderstood flirtations and drunken altercations. Her China blue eyes flicked from monitor to monitor, scanning the wall of images that flickered over one wall of her office as she played the same game she played every night, trying to pick out the subtle signs that something was about to go awry in her night club and then fix it before things actually went sideways. It was a game she’d gotten very good at, which was why Silken was now one of the hottest clubs in the city. She went back to work, cradling her favorite mug in her hands as she sipped at her third Americano of the night, feeling the caffeine jazz and jitter its way to her brain.

Security cameras panned over customers and employees, recording everything. In a place as big as Silken, Kyra had learned it was easier to stay put and watch for trouble than to try and be everywhere at once. She sipped on her coffee and watched it all play out before her. It didn’t take long before she noticed a problem.

She left the soundproofed sanctuary of her office and headed out onto the dimly lit floor of the club, the light and noise and sheer energy of the dancers washing over her in a sensory invasion that she had never managed to quite get used to. She ducked and wove through the crowd, making her way unerringly to her target despite being too short to see over the gyrating bodies of her clientele. Just a hair over five feet tall, Kyra had long since learned to adapt to a world not quite built to her scale. She popped up by the shooter bar and ducked under the counter, earning a welcoming grin from the solitary bartender working at frantic speed to keep up with demand.

“Where’s Jasmine?”

“No clue! She left to grab a new tray of glasses and never came back!” Ash shouted back as he managed to fill two more orders.

Kyra just nodded and pulled out her radio. A few quick words later, she clipped it back to her belt and touched Ash’s shoulder. “Nick’s on his way over to give you a hand. You need anything else, call me.”

“Thanks, Boss,” Ash grinned and went back to work.

She headed for the back of the club, concern and irritation warring for space in her mind. Jasmine was a recent addition to her staff, but she’d seemed to be working out well. What the hell happened to make her just walk out mid-shift?

 * * * *

Whispers in the Dark is for sale at Siren-Bookstrand

And if you’re curious about my new series “Paladin Protection Agency” you can go take a sneak peek at Saved by Sin and On Jason’s Watch  Right here.

 Thanks for reading!

Susan Hayes

Links:

My Website

My Blog

And you can find me around the web: Twitter, Facebook, Siren Author Page