Friday, August 28, 2015

Author Interview & New Release: The Reaper's Kiss (Deathmark #1) by Abigail Baker

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The Reaper's Kiss
Deathmark #1
By: Abigail Baker
Releasing August 24, 2015
Entangled Select Otherworld

Buy Links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo | Amazon UKAmazon Canada


Synopsis


Ollie Dormier's tattoos are deadly. She is a Scrivener—an employee for Death—and her skull tattoos mark her clients for their demise. She does her job, and she stays out of trouble. But when her hands start to burn hot and fierce, and her control goes leaping out the window, all hell breaks loose. Ollie is showing the early signs of being a Master...demonstrating power that is forbidden.

That power is exactly what Reaper Brent Hume is counting on. A hot, scruffy rebel, who does marvelous and terrifying things to Ollie's insides. Now he needs Ollie's help—and her skills—to overthrow the evil and corrupt Head Reaper. That is, if he can figure out a way to keep this hot-handed girl cool...and keep his hands off.



Excerpt

    After raiding Lethe, the underground lair of the Head Reaper, Brent and I convened around a piping hot radiator in my livingroom. The temptation to sit on it and warm my buns was there, but I resisted. What was impossible to resist was standing side by side with Brent without touching. And the more we sought warmth, the closer we became. Too soon we were all but hugging in effort to regain our body heat.
    Had he suggested removing our clothes, I would not have partaken. I would have liked to know what the rebel Brent Hume was like in the bedroom, but not right before Lethe, in Lethe, or after Lethe, and certainly not standing over a radiator, shivering ourselves silly.
    My clicking teeth slowed as the radiator, and Brent’s body heat, melted a layer of ice on my clothing.     “Did you... you get the Reaper’s name?”
    He pulled down the collar of his shirt to expose a white notecard inside a plastic bag—the prize from Lethe. A name was scribbled on it, but from what I could see the writing had bled. Brent noticed a second after me.
    “Mother fucker,” he groused. “The ink got wet.”
    “Of course it did.” It was too much energy to roll my eyes. For now, I needed heat. Lots and lots of heat.
    He held the baggie up to the overhead light. “I see a name. Baird.”
    “Is that a last name or first? Is it a male or female? Who is it?” My shivering worsened my panic, which in turn worsened my shivering. “We did this all for nothing, didn’t we? Didn’t we?”
    “Good Hades, calm down, Scrivener.” He turned from me when I tried to get a peek at the name through the soggy baggie. Not one to take such an obvious cue to give him space, I went for it, using my own shivering to launch into the air. Quick as he was, he underestimated my determination. The baggie was in my hands before my feet touched the floor. Being short and swift was a fine offense against tall and slow.
    “Hey!” he barked.
    “It says Baird. It’s a last name.” I ducked when he reach around my shoulders, thwarting his effort to retrieve the baggy. “But I can’t read the first name. No knowing if it is a guy or gal.”
    “Give it back.” Brent refused to continue reaching for the prize, as if little ol’ Olivia outplaying him was a front to his ego.
    “I don’t know a Baird,” I said.
    “Neither do I. This means I can’t just look the Reaper up and distract him or her like I had planned.”
    “So I was right?” I dropped my arms to my sides as we faced each other, Brent looking as bewildered and broken as I felt.
    “Seems so.”
    I sighed to keep from breaking into tears. My shoulders and head felt heavy. The couch seemed a great place to throw myself down and let my emotions pour out. I would’ve found out, if Brent did rush at me and grab the baggie. There was only a small glimpse of his wicked smile before we found ourselves entangled, both vying for the prize. A moment after, I found out what it would be like to collapse onto the couch, only with the Eidolon, too, falling over top of me. The springs of the IKEA beast cringed from our weight.
    Thoughts of Eve and the name Baird flitted away in exchange for one very real thing hovering above me.
    I grew tense but hopeful when his eyes turned to my lips. I knew what that meant. Every woman did. However selfish and grossly out of place it was, I was okay with one kiss, more curious than frightened to discover what it is like to kiss an Eidolon who could drain my life. Perhaps my motivation was to ridicule Fate by kissing the lips of Death himself. Or maybe I was cold, tired, and downright horny.

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Goodreads | Goodreads series


Author interview

I'm delighted to have Abigail join me to anwer a few questions for the blog. Please give her a very warm welcome ...

First of all, thank you for inviting me to your blog! :-)

Where are you from?
Good question. I was born in Ohio, grew up in North Carolina, and spent most of my adult life in Illinois and Colorado. I’m from all over, I guess.

(Deanna): Oh, I've visited Colorado. It's beautiful.

Tell us your latest news?
My debut paranormal romance, The Reaper’s Kiss, A Deathmark Novel is finally out! I’m also working on the follow up novel to The Reaper’s Kiss right now. That one should be out in June of 2016. And when I’m not involved with the Deathmark Series, I’m working on a new, women’s fiction about PTSD and the long path toward healing.

(Deanna): Yay, a book 2. I love a good series!!

When and why did you begin writing?
I was an artistic kid—drawing, dancing, acting, singing, and, of course, writing. Over the years I realized that out of all of the arts, writing is my topmost passion. I love telling stories, so in some ways I like to think of myself as a storyteller first and then a writer. I can honestly say that I’ve been a writer since I was old enough to write.

What inspired you to write your first book?
I studied ancient Greek and Roman literature in college, so I pulled from those mythologies. I also looked at the history of tattoos that goes as far back as the Otzi Man found in the Italian Alps. The Otzi Man had roughly 61 tattoos that they believed helped him with pain. His discovery and tattoos got me thinking about tattoos and their magical purposes and why people wear them.

(Deanna): I adore mythology!!

Do you have a specific writing style?
I took inspiration from Jeaniene Frost and Darynda Jones. I like their mix of dark and sarcastic and outright funny.

(Deanna): Oh Jeaniene Frost is one of my favorite authors. I love her Cat and Bones series!

How did you come up with the title?
Through the help of my agent and editor. Honestly, I’m terrible at titles. That is not my talent. Don’t ever ask me to title anything. Please.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Stand up for what is right no matter how hard or frightening it might be. We need more people in the world who fight for the underdog or the voiceless.

(Deanna): That is so true. It's a great message.

How much of the book is realistic?
Not much and that’s probably a good thing. I mean, I sure hope that there isn’t a Scrivener out there putting tattoos on people as a way to mark them for Death. Scary stuff. Then again, I do think there are guides that help us cross over from life to the Afterlife. That is a thought I can live (and die) with.

(Deanna): I can live with not much of it being realistic! My first encounter with Death as a character was a book by Piers Anthony called "On a Pale Horse", that was such a long time ago!

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
I have one very close friend who has done a majority of my tattoos. Over the years and the long tattoo sessions with her, I began to formulate my main character, Ollie. So, there are some qualities of my friend in Ollie (some of the best qualities).

(Deanna): I love tattoos. I'm rather a big fan of Kat Von D. She's gorgeous with all her tattoos and what an incredible talent!

What book are you reading now?
Right now I’m doing research for a new project not at all connected to the Deathmark Series. So, I’m reading Irritable Hearts: A PTSD Love Story by Mac McClelland and The From-Aways by C.J. Hauser.

What are your current projects?
I’m editing the follow up novel to The Reaper’s Kiss as well as working on a women’s fiction about PTSD and the long path toward healing.

What would you like my readers to know?
Thank you. Seriously. I consider myself lucky that people want to read Ollie and Brent’s story. And I hope my readers love the pair as much as I do. Of course, I’m just a little biased. :-)

(Deanna): I'm looking forward to reading it. It's in my TBR.

Thank you so much for stopping by. I have loved your answers to all my questions. Please stop by again anytime!


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Author Info


jsAbigail Baker shares her home with a Siamese cat endearingly named “The Other Cat” and two rescued mutts with mundane human names that people think are cute. In addition to writing about rebellious heroines, she enjoys hiking, discovering craft beers, baking the perfect vanilla bean cupcake, and rock climbing (going as far as scaling 800 vertical feet to the summit of Devil’s Tower National Monument in 2013).

Abigail won first place in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s 2010 Colorado Gold Writing Contest for Romance for THE BLOODSUCKER and first place in RWA’s Golden Network’s 2011 Golden Pen in Paranormal Romance for TATTOO OF YOUR NAME ACROSS MY SOUL (now THE REAPER’S KISS, Deathmark Book One). She regularly blogs about life observances, lives at the base of the Rocky Mountains, and can be easily found hiking any of Colorado’s best trails.

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Blog



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1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for the interview and spotlight today, Deanna! It was so much fun answering your questions. Looking forward to reading more of your blog (and maybe visiting again in the future!). xAbby

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