Blood
and Guitars
Book
One
By
Heather Jensen
Blurb:
When
Aurora meets Trey, a famous singer and musician, she’s only hoping
to get her fill of human blood for the week. The last thing Aurora
expects is for Trey to make her feel alive for the first time since
she was, well, alive.
It
begins with a casual painting lesson at her art studio, The Waking
Moon, and quickly turns into a forbidden romance. Aurora is forced to
hide her true identity from Trey, while keeping her relationship with
the human a secret from other vampires in her Brood. Trey’s band is
recording a new album and with Aurora as his muse, Trey is writing
songs like never before.
After
being hired by their record label to paint the album cover, Aurora
has a legitimate reason for spending so much time with Trey and his
band mates. Aurora can’t deny the unexpected connection she has
with Trey, which is fueled by glimpses into his emotions every time
they share a kiss.
Caught
between two worlds, Aurora must attend celebrity award shows and
vampire rituals, find time to feed, and protect Trey from the dangers
of the night, all while preserving her secrets.
Immortals
And Melodies
Blood
And Guitars #2
Book
Blurb:
"I
found myself wishing for the power and whimsy of fairy tales. If only
things were as simple as we’re led to believe as children. I
remembered the story of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Both were
saved by the power of a kiss, drawn out of their lifeless state to
live happily ever after. Desperately, I bent and left a soft kiss on
Trey’s lips. It was foolish. I knew that, but even that knowledge
couldn’t prepare me for the agony that ripped at my heart when he
didn’t respond." -Aurora
Catalyst
frontman Trey is no stranger to chaos, but even the life of a rock
star couldn’t prepare him for the consequences of loving a vampire.
Trey’s life is in danger; threatened by the very group he must join
to stay alive.
His
struggle to continue his career and release a new album is marred bye
vents that force him to go to a powerful Synod Elder for help. Aurora
has to keep Trey alive until she can make him a vampire, but her own
kind will stop at nothing to prevent it.
The
head of the Emissary is having her followed, and if she can’t
figure out who is behind the violent attacks, Trey might not make it
to the full moon. As Aurora battles her own kind, she’s also
plagued by the risk she’s taking by changing Trey.
Will
her moon-given power be enough to carry Trey through the change, or
will he be left floating in the wake of destruction?
Author
Bio:
Heather
Jensen writes paranormal fantasy for teens and adults. She began
writing her first book at the age of 16. She is an avid reader and
loves anything vampire-related, but likes all kinds of fantasy. When
she’s not writing she enjoys traveling, listening to music, going
to concerts, playing guitar and spending time with friends and
family.
She
is addicted to Oreos and White Knight drinks from Perks. Her favorite
color is green and the uglier the shade the better.
Heather
lives in Southern Utah with her husband and son where she continues
to write the Blood And Guitars series.
The
second book in the series, Immortals And Melodies has just been
released on Kindle.
To
purchase the first book in the Blood And Guitars series in e-book or
paperback, visit http://heatherjensen.info/about-the-book/shop/
Facebook www.facebook.com/BloodAndGuitars
Book
Trailer playlist on Youtube
Goodreads
Author Page
Excerpt
Blood and Guitars:
The
clock on the wall in the loft of The Waking Moon read ten after
midnight. I was standing at the easel, a brush in my hand, while Trey
worked out a new song on his acoustic guitar. He sat on the floor
with his back against the half-wall while his voice echoed around the
loft.
“I
lie awake
These
sleepless nights can last forever
I
try to take you in.
“I
can’t believe …
You’re
in my arms- and here with me
I
pinch myself again.
“Cause
I know … it’s worth it
You’re
worth- whatever it takes
To
make you stay.
“And
I’ll show … you over and over
Every
day- as long as you’ll stay
With
me….”
I’d
been painting him for half an hour, although of course, he had no
idea that’s what I was doing. He just looked so incredible sitting
there barefoot in his jeans and t-shirt, cradling his guitar, that I
couldn’t help myself. The song was getting to me, too. It was
poetic, the way words flowed from him effortlessly. Who knew I was a
sucker for musicians? I’d already finished painting Trey, capturing
every aspect of him from the carefree spirit in his azure eyes to the
fashionably worn holes in his jeans. As I switched to a silver
metallic paint to work on the details of Trey’s instrument, I
struggled to shake off memories of the night before.
After
hours of playing Guitar Hero two nights ago, I’d spent all day
yesterday sleeping and had gone hunting after dark. Finding someone
to feed from had been the easy part, but when I got close enough to
get a good look at his face, I’d been surprised to discover that he
had a remarkable resemblance to Trey. It wasn’t as if I’d thought
it was Trey at any point. I could definitely tell the difference. But
the similarities were shocking. He’d had hair just like Trey’s,
and his eyes … they were the same crystal clear blue. Instead of
using whatever lie of a story I had in my mind to distract him like
I’d planned, I’d found myself staring at him in astonishment
until he was asking if I was okay. In the end I’d mumbled something
about how he might consider a career as a celebrity impersonator as I
walked away.
Not
exactly the ending I’d had in mind. I’d gone out for drinks with
Mark afterward, trying to forget about the incident. He’d known
something was bothering me, but I hadn’t explained myself and he’d
been smart enough not to push the issue.
Even
if Mark had been clued in to just how much time I’d been spending
with Trey, which he wasn’t, I could never have explained what was
running through my mind. It wasn’t the lack of feeding that was
bothering me. It was the fact that I’d been so repulsed by the idea
of feeding from someone who could have been Trey’s double. I’d
clearly been in denial about my feelings for Trey. I just hadn’t
expected those feelings to manifest in a way that would literally
stop me in my tracks and cost me a meal.
The
vampire in me could point out with ease all of the logical reasons
why I should never see Trey again. He was only human, after all. What
did he really have to offer me? The answer to that was simple, if I
looked deep enough.
Freedom.
Trey
was all of the things I liked to pretend I was, but could never be
again. Admittedly I was getting good at going through the motions of
being free spirited and adventurous but in my moonlit reality I felt
trapped. A spirit like Trey’s was something I’d admired as a
human, envied even. I’d tried to live like that myself, never quite
managing to do it. Aden had been the free spirited one. I’d loved
that about him, too. As an immortal creature, I’d hoped to
finally grasp the independence I’d always strived for. I’d made
the age-old mistake many of my kind make, assuming that being free
from age and free of death would give me freedom in life. I’d since
learned that things didn’t exactly work out that way.
The
only taste of that freedom I experienced was with Trey. It was as if
his innate ability to live so carefree was contagious and rubbed off
on me more and more with each second we spent together. It was a
powerful feeling, and not one I was ready to give up.
The
blood-laced drinks Mark and I consumed had curbed my appetite but
only temporarily. I’d gone out tonight and managed to feed from
someone who in no way resembled Trey, or anyone else I know for that
matter. One thing was certain; I seriously needed to get a grip.
Trey
set his guitar down on the ground and gave an exaggerated old man
groan as he got to his feet, stretching his limbs. With a few tiny
strokes of a brush I finished adding the metallic paint to the
likeness of Trey’s guitar on my canvas. I stepped back to admire my
work as Trey sauntered over and stood next to me. I watched his face
out of the corner of my eye, anxious to see his reaction.
Guest Post!
Your Wish Is My Command: The Magic Lamp
Musings of a Stay-at-home Mom/Author
by Heather Jensen
I’m honored to be posting here today at My Guilty Obsession. I
recently had the pleasure of previewing Disney’s Aladdin as
a musical production at Tuacahn, a local outdoor amphitheater that
draws in an insane crowd with visitors from all over the world each
year. Aladdin was always one of my favorite Disney movies
growing up, and not just because Aladdin was cute and Jasmine had
that great natural tan. The idea of having a magic lamp that produces
a genie that can make all your wildest dreams come true is
fascinating. Admit it, at least once in your life, you’ve
daydreamed about what you would use those three wishes for. If that
magic lamp suddenly appeared in my office, I know exactly what kind
of writing-related wishes I’d want fulfilled.
- My first wish is boring, but at least I’m not in denial about it. I’d love to skip all the tiresome editing and formatting. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to revise and re-write. I actually enjoy doing those, and I usually do it as I go rather than waiting to do it all at the end of a first draft. I’m weird that way. The kind of editing I’m taking about is fixing words that Microsoft Word has autocorrected into something else, or realizing that spell-check didn’t read my mind exactly the way I thought it had. It’s those mind-numbing, fine-toothed comb edits that drive me crazy. Then comes the tedious formatting – different versions for print and e-books – that I’d hire someone else to do if I wasn’t such a control freak. If a genie could take care of those things for me, I’d gladly use up a wish!
- My second wish would be to give me my dream office. I have this habit of walking through ridiculously fancy mansions every year at the Parade of Homes where I live. Because of that, I know exactly what the perfect writing space looks like. It has a beautiful dark wood desk with plenty of book shelves lining the walls. It has immaculate wood floors and a super soft rug for my bare feet. It also has an amazing sound system, since music is a must-have for a good writing session. It even has have a secret reading space that appears when you pull on a hardback copy of Harry Potter and the entire wall/shelf moves inward on a hinge to reveal another room. Okay, so I might have added the Harry Potter bit, but I’ve seen these secret rooms in those mansions and I want one. Wish number 2 … check.
- My third wish is simple. I wish I could steal away whatever time I need for writing and be able to return back to my normal day afterward as if no time had passed at all. It would be like a secret bubble of time that I could steal into whenever I want. That way I could stay up all night writing and still get the sleep I need to be a full-time mom the next day. I could also write the entire time my son is at school during the day, and still get the dishes done and the laundry washed and folded before it’s time to run out the door to do my share of the carpool. I would still have time to make big dinners for the family without worrying that the next scene, which I concocted on the drive back from school, will be gone out of my mind before I have time to type it up.
There you have it.
It might not seem like much, but a genie who could grant me these
three wishes would be my new bff! What wishes would you ask for if
you suddenly had your own magic lamp with a wish-fulfilling genie
inside?
My Thoughts and Reviews on Blood and Guitars:
This book managed to grab my attention
after only the first couple of chapters. I could tell that it was
going to be something different in the world of vampires and I was
pretty excited about that. Sometimes it is hard to find something
different and unique than what is already out there.
Then to see that this book would be
alternating between point of views between Aurora and Trey was just
even better. I love it when books do that because it is always nice
to be able to tell what both main characters are thinking and feeling
about one another.
But then after those first few
chapters, something happened. The book seemed to slow down. For quite
a few chapters we only got Trey's point of view and it seemed to
mainly be about song writing, which, okay, this is a book that does
involve a musician so it was somewhat understandable but
unfortunately it caused the book to drag a little and I found myself
wanting to scan the pages more than actually read them, something
that is never a good sign. But, I hung in there in the hopes that it
would get better.
I am so glad I stuck with it because it
did indeed get better. The romance picked up and the action picked up
as well.
I found myself once again being drawn
into the storyline and into the lives of the characters.
I really started to feel more for
Aurora and Trey and by the time I was done with the story I wanted
more of it.
I really look forward to reading the
next installment to find out what happens and how everything is
handled.
I think this is a promising series that
will turn out to be quite addicting.
I give this one 3.5 Stars!
Right now you can also enter to win your very own e-book copy of Blood and Guitars.
The winner will be getting a coupon code for Smashwords where they can download a copy of Heather's book. Remember Smashwords offers lots of e-books options, mobi, pdf, e-pub, you name it.
The giveaway will run today through tomorrow night and the winner will be contacted via email Wednesday afternoon and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.
Good luck to everyone who enters!
Right now you can also enter to win your very own e-book copy of Blood and Guitars.
The winner will be getting a coupon code for Smashwords where they can download a copy of Heather's book. Remember Smashwords offers lots of e-books options, mobi, pdf, e-pub, you name it.
The giveaway will run today through tomorrow night and the winner will be contacted via email Wednesday afternoon and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.
Good luck to everyone who enters!
Thank you for letting me stop by My Guilty Obsession during the Blood And Guitars tour. And thank you for the review! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by Heather!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win, sounds like a great read
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great post and giveaway! It's always fun to "meet" new authors! Definitely going to go check out this book :)
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone!
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone!! Good luck with the giveaway!!
ReplyDelete