Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Wacky Wednesday: A BLOOD SEDUCTION Creative Excerpt + Multi-Giveaway!

It's Wacky Wednesday and have I got a GIVEAWAY for you!! It's a Multi-Giveaway of 4 copies of A BLOOD SEDUCTION, a Vamp City novel by Pamela Palmer!! Avon sent me plenty to share with you and so to add to the fun, I thought I'd do a little creativity of my own with Miss Pamela's permission, of course.

You might remember, I've featured this unique and extraordinary novel twice before, once in review and again in a fabulous interview with Pamela Palmer. She's such an awesome writer that I can't resist showcasing her and her works. If you're not familiar with A BLOOD SEDUCTION and Pamela Palmer, feel free to check out my REVIEW and my INTERVIEW but then hurry back because I've got some fun in store for you and that awesome giveaway!

Blurb for A BLOOD SEDUCTION:

Vampires live only for lust and pleasure in the eternal twilight of Vamp City. But the city's magic is dying. The only person who can restore it? A beautiful woman from the mortal world...one who knows nothing of the power she wields.

Quinn Lennox is searching for a missing friend when she stumbles into a dark otherworld that only she can see--and finds herself at the mercy of Arturo Mazza, a dangerously handsome vampire whose wicked kiss will save her, enslave her, bewitch her, and betray her. What Arturo can't do is forget about her--any more than Quinn can control her own feelings for him. Neither one can let desire get in the way of their mission--his to save his people, hers to save herself. But there is no escape from desire in a city built for seduction, where passion flows hot and blood-red. Welcome to Vamp City...

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**The following creative excerpt is a combination of my creativity and Pamela Palmer's, I will in no way change the excerpt from the novel, A BLOOD SEDUCTION, I will only create the introductory lead-in. I hope you enjoy both parts and thank you, Pamela, for allowing me to do this.

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Quinn's thoughts had not swerved from the task at hand even as she worked to appear normal as her fellow humans moved in blissful ignorance around her. She'd gathered information and supplies but now waited for the right time to return to Vamp City to find Zack. The guilt of leaving him behind to whatever circumstances he might be suffering made her insides roil to the point of nausea. She had to get back to him. She had to find him and lead him back to the real world. The real world which once upon a time seemed filled with dangers, worries, and evil but now only seemed tame in comparison to the horrors that she had faced in Vamp City.

"This is Amanda Raven with breaking news regarding the number of unusual disappearances that are now coming to light in Washington, DC." The pretty brunette news anchor remarked from the flat screen television. Quinn had been staring past the pedestrians on the street below who were strolling along totally unaware of the dangers that lurked nearby. She'd forgotten she had left the television on as she watched for shimmers.

"Kate Landers, the Chief of Police for the city of Washington, DC is about to address the situation, one it seems that no one has been aware of  -  until now." Quinn glanced at the screen just as the picture shifted from the pretty Amanda to a blond-haired woman in a white uniform standing at a podium. She had black epaulets and a gold badge pinned above her left breast pocket. Quinn recognized her as the Chief of Police.

Quinn folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the windowsill as she listened to what the woman had to say.  "It's come to our attention that over the past few months there has been an increased number of reports concerning tourists that have gone missing while in the city. In the past, we give these reports a normal investigation time but when nothing is found to indicate foul play or any other criminal behavior, it's usually assumed to be a case of the person having gone missing voluntarily. We've long had a history of visitors to our fine city coming here specifically to blend into the citizens and disappear for whatever may be their own reasons. However, the number of tourists and private citizens who have been reported missing has increased three-fold and is now becoming a matter of concern to all of us."

A grumble rose from the group of reporters in attendance as they attempted to ask questions but Chief Landers raised her hand. The group quickly quieted and waited for her to continue. "We have no actual evidence of any criminal activity or foul play in regards to those who have gone missing." She took a deep breath before she continued. "The missing are every day persons who simply don't return from work, shopping, a luncheon date with friends and in one case, a young woman who disappeared from the street in front of her house when she took a bag of trash to the dumpster."

Another annoying grumble rose from the group but again Chief Landers quieted them with a raise of her hand. "Until we know more about these disappearances, we ask all citizens, visitors and day workers to please be on alert to anyone or anything strange and if you witness anything at all suspicious, please alert the authorities as soon as possible. We'd like to get to the bottom of these disappearances and wish to keep our citizens, visitors and residents safe. Thank you. I've no further information at this time. I'll turn it over to ..."

Quinn clicked the off button on the remote. The screen went dark and the Chief's voice disappeared. She dropped the remote into a nearby chair, turned to face the window once more and sighed. She ran her fingers through her loose hair and cringed.   --  Amy Valentini

Staring at the traffic on the street below, she wondered for the umpteenth time if she shouldn't call the FBI. After all, she knew where those missing people had gone. She could tell them exactly what had happened to them. She could send them in to rescue them all, including Zack.

Except she wasn't an idiot. They'd never believe her, at least not until she pulled one of them through a sunbeam. The bigger problem was that she knew vampires well enough by now to know that no human could possibly be a match for them. No one. Taking others with her into that world was as good as signing their death warrants. Or consigning them to slavery for the rest of their lives. At least she knew how to get in and out. She'd gotten Zack into this mess. It was up to her to get him out. And Lily, too, if she could find her.

If only the damn worlds would open again! 
 ---- Pamela Palmer, A BLOOD SEDUCTION, page 81.

About the Author:

Pamela Palmer grew up in an Air Force household as her father was an Air Force pilot. She dreamed of being an astronaut as a child. She graduated Auburn University with a degree in Industrial Engineering and began working for a major computer manufacturer. She eventually turned to writing after having married and given birth to two children. She has also written under the name Pamela Montgomerie. As Montgomerie she writes historical time travel romance novels, while as using her real name, Palmer, she writes dark paranormal romance. For more information about her and her books, please visit her website.


NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!

Having read my contribution and then Pamela's excerpt from A BLOOD SEDUCTION, I am wondering if YOU have ever experienced or known something that you wanted to tell the authorities or anyone about but feared being thought of as having a screw loose, crazy or frivolous??

I'll start it off by admitting that some months ago, I was out with the dog one night, it was raining slightly and the sky was very cloudy. I noticed that there were the first of the fireflies flitting around in the trees and sparkling in the darkness. I glanced up toward the tops of the trees. There I saw a bright light that I thought was a firefly only the small light suddenly expanded into a very large, very bright capsule (pill type) shape that was solid brightness with no blinking lights. Just as I wondered what it was, it suddenly sped off into the clouds. I looked to the other side of the house but it was gone. It was then that I realized there had been absolutely no sound either. I told my hubby, he told me it was probably a helicopter. I know it wasn't a helicopter because shortly thereafter, the choppers started flying around as if they were looking for it. I thought about calling the sheriff's dept, or Quantico Marine Base since it's just north of us but then decided not to as they would probably never believe me.

So now it's your turn - I've told mine, you tell yours or just comment on the excerpt - either way, you will be entered to win one of four print copies of A BLOOD SEDUCTION, A Vamp City Novel by Pamela Palmer.
That's 1 of 4 copies, folks.  PLEASE leave a valid email address - if I can't contact you, you cannot win.  COMMENT + EMAIL ADDRESS = ENTRY

This Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end Friday, July 13th (yep, you got that right!) at 11:30PM EDT.  Four winners will be selected at random and notified by email (that's why the email address is important) and the winners will be announced in a special Saturday post. Good Luck!

Happy Reading Everyone!   THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Thanks to everyone who visited and entered. Good Luck.  : )

A BlOOD SEDUCTION, a Vamp City Novel by Pamela Palmer, Avon Romance, available now in print and ebook format, original release date, May 29, 2012.

                                                                       

24 comments:

Shelley B said...

I haven't ever really wanted to report anything to the authorities, but.....when my husband works 3rd shift, I hear lots of creepy sounds. I don't tell my husband though, I don't want him to think I'm a whimp. I have my little yorkie, Roxie, to keep me company! I love the excerpt. Vamps are my favorites! Thanks!
srbagby50@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

My husband and I were walking on a private old country dirt road enjoying the fall evening breeze. We both saw a man a few hundred feet from us walking toward the edge of the road. He was dressed in a strange manner, like the 1900's style. We watched the man as he stepped from the road near an old tree. He didn't come out from behind the tree. So, we went to check on him...but, he wasn't anywhere in sight. We have no idea where he could have went. Now that was a strange evening.
midnightdragon64@yahoo.com

sin said...

First thank you for this chance to win a copy of the book. Love Pamela's work :)

I must lead a very boring life as so far nothing unusual has happened that I would want to report. Other than things falling in slow motion in my home :/

I think Quinn was very brave to want to go back and rescue her brother. I do not think the authorities would have believed her and she would have been locked in the loony bin.

I am not so sure I would have had the nerve or strength she showed.

Elizabeth H. said...

There hasn't been anything I've needed to report anything unusual to the police. If what happened to you happened to me, I think I'd do the same and not tell because of how crazy they might think I was. In my experience, it seems most cops don't take women seriously with something like that. Now, if your husband would have told the police, they probably would have checked it out. Thanks for the giveaway!! I love Pamela Palmer and can't wait to read this book!
ehaney578(at)aol(dot)com

GLORIA said...

I love Pamela's books! I can't wait to see what she has in store with Vamp City :)
gwoman23(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Amy Valentini said...

Oooh, y'all have some interesting tales - anything that makes you nervous constitutes strange enough for others to think you're not dealing with a full deck!
I've had lots of weird things happen - I just don't report to the authorities! Thanks for sharing!

Btw - sin, you have things that fall in slow motion? Love to hear what that's about and also, you didn't leave an email address so you're not entered - yet! : )

Anonymous said...

As a child I grew up with the ghost(s) that lived in my grandmother's house. Yep, call me crazy, but I'm certain there was some other presence living in that house besides us. Did I tell anyone? A few, one's I trusted or who had seen evidence. But, I never even considered calling any type of authority for that. However, as a teen in the same house, there was one incident that always bothered me, a still unexplained incident. It was right about Halloween my grandparents were out and I was going to a haunted house with friends, etc. Myself and my friends stopped by the house to use the restroom before heading back out on our plans for the night. Two stayed outside. Myself and two others came in. We all used the restroom and then left. As was and still is habit, I stuck my head in all the interior doors and glanced around each room. Nothing was amiss or out of place. Later that night my grandmother had returned home and called me. It was late and I was already in for the night at the friend's house I was staying with. She was frantic, worried, scared, etc. She asked me where I was, I told her I was at my friends by that point. She asked if I had come by the house, I said yes and explained. She asked if anything was amiss while I was there. I finally got her to tell me what was going on. She had come home to find the house just as it was left except for one bedroom wall where there was a red, bloodish looking substance, splattered across the wall, and the dog having used the bathroom in the floor, which he never did, and acting as if he was scarred of something. She didn't sleep in the house that night but rather out back in an RV we had and cleaned the wall throughly. My grandparents never called the authorities. We still do not know what it was for sure or what happened or how it got there. She has a habit of leaving the doors unlocked so we thought maybe kids playing a prank, but there was nothing missing or anything else out of place or disturbed and this wall was at the very back of the house. Anyhow, that incident always bothered me and made me feel a bit uneasy even when the ghosts incidents didn't. I still sometimes feel a bit uneasy in that room and looking at that wall.
--milliemcclain29@yahoo.com

Amy Valentini said...

OMG, Millie, that sounds terrifying!! I've experienced many a 'ghostly' event but never anything that actually scared me. I think I would've sold the house and never looked back. I would've thought it a prank too since it was Halloween but the dog's behavior was not normal. You're very brave to go back into that room. : )
Thanks for coming by and telling us your tale - I would never think you crazy for telling it. : )

Unknown said...

If any thing else had been messed w/ I'd have thought more strongly on the prank theory, but to go all the way to the back of the house and do whatever to that wall and then go back all the way out of the house and not touch anything else...it's just hard to think that was a prank. I can't make myself blame it on the other presences we'd always had either as they'd never been scary r done anything like that. I really have no clue but I know that dog was seriously frightened and I think that is what really bothered me.

Anonymous said...

There have been to many times that I have seen little kids w/o a car seat bouncing around while I'm in traffic that I've wanted so bad for a cop to be around but ofcorse there never is. It's so maddening

Amy Valentini said...

Traffic violators - major pet peeve! I agree!

lindsey hutchison @ United By Books said...

when i was about 16 we were driving home from my grandmas mind you she only lives like 5 blocks away and i looked up in the sky and seen this round object it wasnt a star and not a plane i kept following it with my eyes i even told my mom i thought it was a ufo but she kinda just laughed it off which was surprising coming from a woman who reads ufo investigations and ghost books. i also had other events that seemed like out the body and or ghostly.

babydoll82959307(at)aol(dot)com

bn100 said...

I haven't experienced anything like that.

Very nice excerpt.

bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

Amy Valentini said...

Hi Lindsey, it's the things like weird lights in the sky that are more difficult to rationalize, don't you think? I think that's why I empathize with Quinn - it would be easier to get people to listen to a 'ghostly' appearance than moving from one world to another. ; )

Hi bn100, thanks. Glad you enjoyed the excerpt - I had fun collaborating with Pamela and do so appreciate her allowing me to do so. She's such an awesome writer. : )

Phyllis M said...

Hmmm...I have had some doozies that I know would have me put away for good if I EVER told the police about it. My family just looks at me and shakes their heads thinking that it is my over active imagination...maybe it is.

We had just moved into my home in Mount Sinai, NY and I was looking out the living room window, which faces our yard and behind that a wooded watershed. There were some deer feeding and since I am an animal lover, I just sat there watching. It was dusk and some clouds were rolling in, a storm coming. The darker it got, it became harder to see the deer, and I had to strain my eyes to focus. All of a sudden, the deer put their tales up and ran like bats outa hell. I'm looking around to see what spooked them and then I see what I thought was a very large dog, but when it turned to look at me, it was a freakin wolf!!!! We don't have wolves....but it was NOT a dog and that face was def a wolf! After looking at me for a bit, I was dumbstruck and couldn't move, he took off after the deer. Took me a bit to process what I thought I just saw, but then told my husband and kids. They, of course, looked at me and stated the obvious: "There are no wolves her, ma!" Yeah, that went well. But I know what I saw. I really did want to report it because it was a dangerous animal to have around a neighborhood, but really, who would believe me.

brandypm(at)optonline(dot)net

Amy Valentini said...

OMG! A wolf! I believe you after all there are wolves in the US and who says there couldn't be one around your area. Hope it never came back. Thanks for telling us your story and for visiting. : )

Kerry said...

I live out in the country (middle of nowhere) Texas - so Ive seen and heard a lot of things - Im a believer :) besides I do have a healthy fantasy life!

kerryjcj@verizon.net

Unknown said...

We use to see a white light that would drift over the gate that goes into our pasture. I still think it was a spirit. My husbands grandfather lived with us and when he passed away I would wake up and smell his coffee he would make every morning. I could even hear the perculator. This lasted for several months and then it stopped. I love spooky things.

Tina B said...

Very intriguing excerpt. Looks like I've found a new Paranormal series to pursue! :)

CherokeCatahoula@aol.com

Amy Valentini said...

Zippy, that sound like your grandfather just wanted to let you know he was okay - sweet - that's the kind of 'haunting' I don't mind. It makes me feel happy actually. No email address - you don't want to be entered? : (

Thanks, Tina B, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Pamela Palmer is a fabulous writer and this first book in this series is an awesome start. This promises to be a very dark, very intriguing, new paranormal series - one of which surprised the beejeebers out of me!! : )

Thanks for visiting and good luck!

Bookish Fangirl said...

Thanks Pamela for sharing an excerpt from your book! I'm excited to read it!

rockchick531@gmail.com

hernameisavril said...

My experience would have to be when I would go to sleep at night. I would be by my window and I'd feel someone watching me. I swear I even felt a shadow cast over my body from the window. Every time I'd open my eyes there would be nothing there. I was afraid of telling someone because there's always a chance that it's just your mind pulling tricks on you. But it's still scary to not really know if I was just imagining things or if it was truly real.

hernameisavril@yahoo.com

Jeannie S. said...

I never had any experiences, but my husband (who has never been into anything paranormal) swears he rented a house that was haunted. It was complete with a locked room no one went into but you could hear knocking on the walls at night. Also those mysterious shadows you could see under the door of the bedroom, yet no one was in the hall when you opened the door. I never lived there, but it sounded creepy!

jeannie189@aol.com

Amy Valentini said...

OMG!! hernameisavril, that sounds very scary!! I think I'd have to tell someone just so I wouldn't think I'm going nuts. Thanks for visiting and sharing.

Jeannie, you hubby is a brave guy to have kept staying there. Thanks for sharing.

Good Luck Everyone and thanks for joining in the fun - y'all were great!!