Wow, can you believe October is nearly over?!
I can't - but the chilly air reminds me daily LOL.
Please welcome back to our spotlight, Laura Shinn with another of her great books,
Night Hunter. Without much ado....here she is!
My writing didn't truly begin until I became a junior in high school. A friend encouraged me to write a short story, like the one he was writing, and I gave it a shot. It was a spin-off between Mork and Mindy and Star Wars. Needless to say, my first attempt was pretty bad.
Over the next few years I read like crazy, mostly historical novels. I didn't begin reading contemporaries until I got married several years later. I decided I wanted to write a time travel like the one my favorite author wrote. Constance O'Day Flannery became my first inspiration to become a published author. {Since then I’ve had the honor of meeting and learning from many different authors: Suzanne Brockmann, Madeline Baker, Christine Feehan, Michele Bardsley, Jo Beverley, Rebecca J. Vickery, Rita Hestand and many more.}
I love to read and the desire to write comes to me daily. New ideas for novels pop into my head at the most inconvenient times, in the shower and while driving my car (Oops! You didn't read that one...). The idea that you can create a magical or mysterious world with only the touch of your fingers to a keyboard delights me.
While in college, at Howard Payne University in Brownwood Texas, I majored in English {minored in Art} and wanted desperately to become a published author. I've continued to work on my writing, editing and cover design skills and hope to one day achieve the same level of talent as many of my favorite authors.
I have a wonderful husband, Jay (since 1986) and two boys, Josh (born 1991) and Nathan (born 1998). We currently live south of Fort Worth, TX. We have four dogs, three rescued from the local pound, and a Schnauzer we named Elsie May.
Marcus has decided to savor his last night on earth as a vampire, choosing to end his 597 years of loneliness. The years leading up to this night progressed far too slowly and Marcus feared he would never find a mate. Until he hears the cry of innocence from within a dark church and draws one of the members into helping him save the small child.
Miranda is a twenty-six year old woman who wants more than anything to have a man and family of her own. No male prospects over the last several years lead her to make a life within the church and not much else. She’s resigned to live her life without a man, unmarried, no family…alone.
Marcus and Miranda are destined to meet and begin to fall in love, each seeing the opportunity to have a home with little Hannah, the abandoned baby. Several circumstances out of their control tear into their dream and in the space of a few hours, Hannah disappears and Miranda is near death. The struggle to find happiness brings a surprise neither could have ever anticipated. Is it too late for Marcus and Miranda to find happiness in the midst of chaos?
Excerpt: She entered the community and Marcus directed her to the very back street. After driving by the last house they passed a large patch of land with nothing on it, just grass. The last street lamp was too far back to see ahead and Miranda drove in complete darkness. After about a thousand feet or so she came to a large iron gate that surrounded a wide area she couldn't see completely in the pitch black of night. Have I fallen into a trap?
"No, you have not." She eyed him quickly before looking away. "My house is beyond the gate. I demand privacy, so I purchased nine acres of land beginning with the bare stretch of grass we passed moments ago."
He raised a hand and the gate opened automatically, though she didn't see a controller in his hand or anything electrical connected to the gate. Dear Lord, is he telekinetic too?
"You might say so, yes. Please do not be alarmed, Miranda. I have used these abilities for many years and they come naturally to me. I sometimes forget they do not to others."
He saw her nod, but she still looked startled—and afraid. He didn't want her to be afraid of him.
As she drove closer, the saw the driveway split so that it created a large circular drive. She veered off to the right and followed the brick pathway around to the front door. She stopped the car, though left it running. Oh, my goodness, this is his home? Although it was essentially a single-story, unlike the two-story homes in the community, its beauty far exceeded the other homes' designs. Marcus' home had a unique flavor, rather than the typical cookie-cutter look that seemed to be the rage with most builders today.
He laughed and she enjoyed the sound. She got the feeling he didn't smile or laugh very often. She wondered why. He possessed more money than anyone could possibly want or need in a lifetime, but he also said that he was lonely. Did he have no wife, children? No relatives at all?
"None. Those of my parents' immediate bloodline have all died. I did not keep in touch with others who are now distant relatives."
"Why? Then you wouldn't be alone."
"I have good reason which I will share with you at another time. For now, though, we must see to the needs of little Hannah."
"Hannah? Hmm, I think I like that name. Too bad we can't keep her."
There was a long silence broken only by the cutting of the engine.
Marcus did not really consider that a possibility—until now. It brought a small smile to his face.
"Why can we not? She is abandoned, yes? There will be no one to claim her. I know the Americans provide a foster care system, but I don't think I could subject little Hannah to jumping from home to home, never really loved, never truly wanted. Not when we could love her," he ventured quietly.
We? Miranda didn't know anything about Marcus yet, who he was or what he was capable of. What about his values, his beliefs, what he cared for above all else? She didn't know him well enough to make that kind of a decision.
"I see."
Marcus exited the car and she quickly followed, coming around his side to help with little Hannah. He unbuckled the seatbelt, but before he could reach for the baby, she stopped his hand with her own. Her touch set his blood on fire and he shook with the desire to control it.
Miranda ran her hand along his bare forearm, her voice whisper-quiet. "I'm sorry, Marcus. Please understand."
He straightened all the way out of the car and took her upper arms firmly in his grasp, pulling her forward.
"Marcus, you must believe me—I want to trust you, but trust takes time. I've only known you for a few hours. How can I trust what I've seen of you so far?"
"What do your instincts tell you? What do you feel when you look upon me?"
Miranda gazed into his eyes for a long moment, searching the darkening hue. "My gut is telling me that you're an honest man and I can trust you. My feelings are mixed and confused, though. It's hard to say what I'm feeling right now."
"Then speak without words..."
Marcus drew her closer and slowly bent his head, giving her time to reject his embrace. She did not. When Miranda closed her eyes in surrender and he felt her body soften in his arms, he knew she felt as he did.
Their lips touched and a jolt of physical awareness passed between them. It existed before their kiss, but it became a living thing which spoke to each of them, demanding a response from the other.
For the first time in her life, Miranda felt the fire of passion zing through her veins. It made her feel sensitive to touch, aware and alive. It was unlike any emotion she ever experienced. She'd been kissed before, but never like this. His touch told a story, relayed a message she'd never heard from any other man. He wanted her—that was clear. But she could almost feel his desire for a family of his own, something she could easily relate to. She did want the family he suggested in the car. She wanted to be loved and to love in return. She wanted children and a home in which to raise them. Could Marcus be the man she'd waited to find for the last twenty-six years?
Marcus devoured her mouth while he read her thoughts, as clear as his own. She wanted him too and was considering a life with him. He would give her everything, anything she desired. Most of all, he would give her his faith and trust and all the love in his heart until the day she died.
Surrounding her with his arms, he pulled her flush against him, his mouth leaving hers to kiss and ravage a hot pathway down her throat until he reached the tender spot below her ear. His mouth opened and he could feel his incisors lightly scraping across her neck. Miranda moaned his name and pressed more firmly against his chest. He nearly bit her, almost taking what he desired from her flesh.
Without warning, Miranda was released and her back came up abruptly against the side of the car. She shook her head to clear it. Marcus was walking quickly toward the front door with his keys jingling. Why did he stop so abruptly? Did I do something wrong?
Cooing noises from inside the car brought her back to reality. Grabbing the diaper bag, she slung it over her head to cross her body. Gently, Miranda picked up the baby, kicked the car door closed with her foot and walked toward the front door.
Whew! Another great vampire novel and just in time for Halloween LOL!
Night Hunter can be purchased at the following locations....
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7185
Create Space:
https://www.createspace.com/Customer/EStore.do?id=3418228
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Hunter-Laura-Shinn/dp/1449967256/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270810814&sr=8-1
Barnes & Noble:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Night-Hunter/Laura-Shinn/e/9781449967253/?itm=9&USRI=Laura+Shinn
Find out more about Laura by visiting her website:
http://laurashinn.com/
Well Friends, that wraps up another edition of Saturday Spotlight - Be sure and check back next week when I introduce you to a BRAND NEW author with her debut paranormal romance...again, just in time for Halloween.
Until later...take care, Be Blessed and remember....Jesus is King over the supernatural!
