Please welcome fellow Astraea press author, Wendy Knight

Please welcome best-selling and fellow Astraea press author

Wendy Knight was born and raised in Utah by a wonderful family who spoiled her rotten because she was the baby. Now she spends her time driving her husband crazy with her many eccentricities (no water after five, terror when faced with a live phone call, etcetera, etcetera). She also enjoys chasing her three adorable kids, playing tennis, watching football, reading, and hiking. Camping is also big: her family is slowly working toward a goal of seeing all the National Parks in the U.S.

You can usually find her with at least one Pepsi nearby, wearing ridiculously high heels for whatever the occasion may be. And if everything works out just right, she will also be writing.

 

 

Blurb:

Ari thought being in love with her prophesied nemesis sucked. But being responsible for her best friend's kidnapping? It sucks worse.
 
Ari and Shane thought they’d beaten Fate and ended the three-hundred year war plaguing their people. They thought love had won. But they were so, so wrong.
 
Instead of graduating high school like the normals, they’re in a battle to save Charity – Shane’s cousin, Ari's best friend, and the seer who might hold the key to ending the war for good. To do that, they’re forced to accept help from a boy they aren’t even sure they can trust. He’s powerful and knows spells even Ari’s never heard of, but he’s also secretive and has a past he’s determined to keep hidden . Add to that the fact that he has his sights set on Ari, and Shane would rather do without his help.
 
Ari has bigger problems than mysterious boys and their strange powers. The powerful Edren Family is hunting her brother, and she can't very well save him or Charity while they’re constantly being attacked by her own people. To stop the raids, she has to take the fight to them. But if she starts hunting the family that raised her, what kind of monster will she be?
 
Fate still waits for the death of one by the hand of the other.

Excerpt:

            "No no, Hunter, it curves this way." Ari stood back, watching with a frown, and then jumped back in. "Imagine in your mind what you want the spell to do. Tie your emotions to your spells."

          Shane watched her guide Hunter and tried again on his own. "Close, Shane, but like this," Ari reached out, holding his hand as she led him through the motion. He felt the flames racing through his blood react to her touch and sparks flew from his fingers, igniting the spell. It hung, burning, in the air, a bright blue curlicue thing. "Perfect," she whispered, still holding on to his hand.

            "Maybe, but does it work?" Tristan's voice was flat and uninterested, but Shane could hear the animosity running under the words.

          "We don't have any targets set out. He can't test it." Ari shook her head, and still holding Shane's hand, made a quick swiping motion through the spell, dissipating it.         "Try again." She let go of his hand and stepped back, watching expectantly.

          Shane tried, once, twice, and three times. He couldn't get it quite right, but neither could Hunter, which made him feel better, and Tristan wasn't even trying.

          "It's okay if you can't do it, Shane. There are a lot of other powerful spells she uses that will be much easier for you to master," Will said.

          Ari vehemently shook her head. "No. He can do it. Just give him a minute!"

Shane kept his attention focused on the spell in front of him, but he couldn't stop his grin.

          Ari believed in him.

          He burned the spell into the air again, trying to replicate the one Ari had drawn, but it fizzled into a mass of smoke. The spell had to ignite to actually do anything. He groaned in frustration, tipping his head sideways to look at Ari. "What am I doing wrong?"

          She bit her lip, studying him for several seconds. "When you did it the first time, what were you thinking?" 

          Shane paused, dropping his hand that was still poised in the air. "Umm… I was thinking we were gonna die and I had seen you throw that spell so I knew it was possible. It just happened."

****

You can find Wendy at:

 Twitter: @wjk8099

 

Facebook:

 

Blog:

 

Goodreads:  

You can buy her books from:

 

Astraea Press:                     Amazon:                    Barnes and Noble:

 

 

Welcome to another TT - Glass

Welcome to

Tuesday's Tales
A place where books are born.

 

This week's prompt is 'Glass' and is a piece from my current wip, an as yet untitled short story.

Rain slammed against the windscreen, making it almost impossible to see the road, and pounded on the taxi’s roof. Unfortunately it didn’t stop Jarrod eulogising about their hosts for the evening.

And for the hundredth time Lacey wondered why had she allowed him to induce her to accompany him to this tedious dinner? Even if it was for a worthy cause.  She didn’t need to attend the high profile charity events to support her chosen charities, such as this one. She swallowed a sigh and promised herself never to let Jarrod persuade her into such an act of folly again.

“But you must,” he’d said in disbelief. “Everyone who is someone will be there.”

What was she doing here at her brother’s place? It had been ten years since they seen each other would he even recognise her? And she’d changed. She’d toughened up, fought for her own survival and won through, made a name for herself, and still managed to remain anonymous with all but a favoured few.

“Did you know Phineas Spencer won an Oscar for his performance in his latest film?” Awe tinged Jarrod’s voice now.

She knew, the same as she knew her sister, Veronica, had followed their father into law and was working her way up the family firm and looked set to become a partner in the not too distant future. And her mother, Lady Meridith Dewar, still ran her fashion boutique with her usual rod of iron. Her family were sought after in many circles, none of which Lacey cared to become involved.

Lightning flashed, and thunder over-rode the sound of the rain pounding the car. “It would be hard to miss,” she replied. “The information is referred to on almost every news channel and the billboards...”

“We’re here.” Jarrod bounced in his seat, actually bounced.

This was going to be some night if he couldn’t contain himself, Lacey swallowed another sigh and wondered how soon she could make her excuses and leave.

The receiving line was so long, and they appeared to be the last arrivals, it took more than forty minutes to gain entry to the ballroom and gave Lacey time to study her brother’s home. He’d married Sonia Davenport five years ago, and according to media comments and snippets she gathered from friends, it was a good marriage. Their boys, twins, were two, and were the apples of their grandmother’s eye, apparently.

Marble floors glittered and sparkled beneath the chandeliers in the huge hallway. Walls, probably once panelled in wood now reflected light off cream surfaces. Antique tables and chairs were artfully scattered along each side. One piece of hand blown glass, strategically lit, stood in the huge, empty fireplace.

Almost everyone in the line ahead of them stopped to stare. Some moved closer to get a better look. Some never bothered to lower their voices as they stared at the thirty-five-inch high glass sculpture.

“Awesome.” “Elegant.” “Breathtaking.” “Is that really gold in there?” “Magical.” She’d heard it all before, at the exhibition, and still it took her breath away to hear others offer unbiased praise for her work.

She knew exactly how high it was. Knew the exact width and that the opaque glass was shot through with gold particles. Like tentacles, the glass curved, twisted and flowed in breath-taking elegance. Energy radiated from the sculpture. She’d given it everything she had that day as she remembered what had sparked the creation.

It had snowed the night before and the cast of winter sunlight on the snow-laden branches outside her studio window had inspired her. She didn’t know how it would turn out when she started, but by the time she placed it in the annealing oven Lacey knew it was one of the best pieces she’d ever created, and wished, as she had dozens of times before, that one day her family would see, recognise and appreciate her work.

 

Thank you for reading this week's offering, I love hearing your thoughts.

You'll find more great reads at

 Tuesday's Tales

Snippet Sunday

SNIPPET SUNDAY

It's been a while since I last posted for SS, and today I'm offering a few lines from my latest wip. Jarrod has just asked Lacey to accompany him to a charity dinner being hosted by the Oscar winning actor Phineas Spencer at the weekend. He finds it hard to understand when she doesn't leap at the chance.

“You’re an enigma.”  Jarrod’s muttered comment wiped the smile from her face.

“I’m as straight and uncomplicated as an arrow.”

“I doubt the victim of any arrow considers it an uncomplicated weapon. You’re no weapon, nor are you uncomplicated.”

“If that’s how you feel about me, why are we here?” Was that a whine in her voice? When had she become so needy and whiney?

“Hey! Lady, I never intended any insult. You’re a strong woman, Lacey. I like that about you. But you have layers…”

“Everyone has layers.” Whine became defence and Lacey liked it even less.

‘When your father chucked you out of your home and out of your family.’ The thought almost rocked her off her seat.

There are lots more Snippets by talents writers on offer at https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

Tuesday's Tales 3rd Sept -prompt 'building'

Welcome to

Tuesday's Tales
A place where books are born.

 

 

I am offering one more week of Samantha and Rafael from my newly contracted story

Name The Day.
 

This week's prompt is 'Building' and I am going back  in my WIP.

 

“Santini.”

Adrian’s imperious command, tinged with satisfaction had Rafe swallowing a string of curses. Unable to ignore the man, he stopped and nodded. “Adrian.”

Adrian’s gaze shifted to where Samantha, still unaware, or purposely ignoring the interruption, continued towards the doors. “Does this mean you have agreed to my terms?”

“Adele.” Rafe acknowledged the woman at the table before answering. “It means that they are under consideration.” With a slight bow he stepped back. “You’ll have to excuse me.”

He didn’t wait for Adrian’s response, not when he’d seen Samantha’s pallor the moment she noticed he’d stopped, and whose table he’d stopped at. If he didn’t reach her before she left the building he knew Samantha would hail a taxi and leave without him.

He reached her outside, just as a cab pulled up to the curb. He followed her inside, gave the driver her address and then pulled his phone from his pocket and cancelled his driver.

“Did you know he’d be here?”

Not quite an accusation, but close enough. If she hadn’t been through enough emotional hassle this afternoon, he’d have called her on it.

“No. And before you ask I didn’t give him any information other than what Adrian assumed.”

“What?”

“His arrogance persuaded him that because he saw us together we were conceding to his demands.”

“And?”

“Nothing.” He pulled her up against him. “I said we were considering his suggestion, and left.” If this was the closest he’d get to her anytime soon, he’d take the opportunity while it lasted.

 

Thank you for reading this week's offering, I love hearing your thoughts.

You'll find more great reads at

 Tuesday's Tales