I'm very pleased to bring you a great guest today--Christine Amsden. She's sharing about her new UF release, Cassie Scot:
Looking
Forward
by Christine Amsden
When I talk about Cassie Scot I'm usually not talking about
the book, Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective. I'm usually talking
about the entire series. This is my third book, but my first series, so it has
been an interesting adjustment for me. In my mind, Cassie's story is complete,
even though for the reader it has barely begun.
In fact, Cassie's story is complete. There are four volumes
in the series, all written, all under contract, and all pending release within
the next year or so. Each of the volumes is framed by a self-contained mystery,
which should give the reader some sense of closure at the end. Personal,
romantic, and familial problems remain, however, and these issues are what I
think of as Cassie's story. The first book is about Cassie solving a
murder/missing person mystery. The series is about Cassie discovering who she
is and what she wants. I suppose that part doesn't play as well in a teaser,
but I think it's relevant. To some extent, we all strive to figure out who we
are and how to accept ourselves. This is never more true than when faced with
the disapproval or disappointment of parents – something Cassie knows all-too well.
Cassie isn't the only one going through a period of
self-discovery. To a lesser extent Evan Blackwood is trying to figure out who
he is and what he wants. Well, he's sure about one thing – and if you've read the
epilogue to book one you know what that is. He's confused about much of the
rest. In stark contrast to Cassie, Evan has a lot of magical power and he
doesn't want to be like his father –
using that power for his own wealth/comfort and little else. At the same time,
Evan is used to getting his way and he has the power to take most of what he
wants. On the surface this may seem like a good thing, but in Secrets and
Lies, book two in the Cassie Scot series, he will learn differently. It was
a challenge to show him going through this sort of transformation from Cassie's
point of view, but I hope the reader sees it.
When I look at the series as a whole, one of the choices I
have often found myself questioning is the use of vampires in the first book.
This may seem like an odd thing to say. I mean, it's urban fantasy. Of course
it has vampires! Well...
I didn't plan to write the first book right away. In those
early weeks, I thought I would write a long short story or novella as a sort of
proof of concept. There were a lot of important details popping around in my
mind – Cassie
character, her family, the town, the rules of magic, the love interest – somewhere
in the middle of all that I decided to test the waters with vampires because
it's simple. Everyone knows them. They don't require a lot of thought. I don't
know when they became permanent, but somewhere along the line I knew I was writing
a whole novel instead of a short story, and by then the plot had stuck.
Vampires are not at all important to the overall story. It's
not the last you'll see of them, but they don't have a huge part to play. If
you're a vampire fan, sorry, but hopefully you love Cassie enough to stick with
her. Those who are sick of vampires in fantasy, bear with me. And know that
these vampires are Stoker-esque (and not even a little bit sparkly :) ).
“There is
nothing so evil
in the world
as what humans can
do to one
another.” –
Edward Scot (Cassie's father). This may have almost seemed like a throwaway
comment in book one, but it wasn't. It definitely becomes important later on,
and it's something I firmly believe. I've never thought fantasy novels needed
literal demons to fight. Give a human being power, and let's see what he
decides to do with it. History has shown us that it isn't always pretty.
The last time I revised the first book in this series, I had
completed the final volume. This means that I had my plan fully formed and
implemented. There are a couple of little things in the first book that you
probably won't even think about unless you go back and reread it sometime after
you finish the series. Then you'll think, “Oh, she did have a plan!”
I love it when authors do that. I hope I've pulled it off to
your satisfaction as well.
Book Two Teasers:
1. Cassie is going to learn something very important about
her mother that she never knew.
2. Kaitlin and Madison will take on bigger roles, and each
will develop a problem of her own.
3. Edward Scot (Cassie's dad) and Victor Blackwood (Evan's
dad) will come face to face. Their mutual enmity will not be in doubt.
4. The reader will learn one more of the reasons why Edward
hates Victor.
5. The mystery will be the search for two teenage girls who
went missing from a summer camp.
6. The life debt Cassie owes Evan will be a big deal.
*~*~*
Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective
Cassie Scot Book One
Christine Amsden
Genre: Urban
Fantasy (paranormal, mystery, romance, new adult)
Publisher: Twilight
Times Books
Date of
Publication: May 15, 2013
ISBN: 9781606197
ASIN:B00C7VR69I
Number of pages: 260
Word Count: 85,000
Cover Artist: Ural
Akyutz
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/UPWGTW5OHG4
Book Description:
Cassie Scot is the
ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers, born between worlds but belonging to
neither. At 21, all she wants is to find a place for herself, but earning a
living as a private investigator in the shadow of her family's reputation isn't
easy. When she is pulled into a paranormal investigation, and tempted by a
powerful and handsome sorcerer, she will have to decide where she truly
belongs.
Excerpt from Cassie Scot: Paranormal Detective:
At random, I picked up a bottle of perfume from the top shelf and read: “Induces powerful lust. Spray on your intended and make sure you are the first person they see. Lasts about an hour.”
The thing you have to understand about any magic is that there are good ways to use it, and bad ways to use it. The concept of black magic is a hotly debated topic among sorcerers. Even death, in self defense, is a shade of gray. As I stood there, reading the functions of the various love potions, I thought of all the innocent and harmful ways they could be used. A couple in a committed relationship might have a lot of fun with a spray of lust. On the other hand, using it on an unwilling victim...
I shuddered as I replaced the bottle and accidentally knocked one of the neighboring bottles of perfume to the ground. It shattered, splashing perfume all over my open-toed sandals.
“Crap.”
“What happened?” Evan asked, his voice hard and alert. I could hear him moving closer.
“Stop! I don't want to see you right now.”
“Which potion was that?” Evan asked, still in that hard-edged voice of command.
I pointed to the row of similar bottles on the top shelf. “Lust.”
One of the little bottles floated away from the shelf, but I did not turn around to see what Evan was doing with it. Instead, I started looking through my purse for a pack of tissues to clean the mess off my feet.
“Cassie, I have some bad news for you.”
“Worse, you mean?”
“This potion doesn't take affect until you actually look at someone. Your hour starts then.”
The thing you have to understand about any magic is that there are good ways to use it, and bad ways to use it. The concept of black magic is a hotly debated topic among sorcerers. Even death, in self defense, is a shade of gray. As I stood there, reading the functions of the various love potions, I thought of all the innocent and harmful ways they could be used. A couple in a committed relationship might have a lot of fun with a spray of lust. On the other hand, using it on an unwilling victim...
I shuddered as I replaced the bottle and accidentally knocked one of the neighboring bottles of perfume to the ground. It shattered, splashing perfume all over my open-toed sandals.
“Crap.”
“What happened?” Evan asked, his voice hard and alert. I could hear him moving closer.
“Stop! I don't want to see you right now.”
“Which potion was that?” Evan asked, still in that hard-edged voice of command.
I pointed to the row of similar bottles on the top shelf. “Lust.”
One of the little bottles floated away from the shelf, but I did not turn around to see what Evan was doing with it. Instead, I started looking through my purse for a pack of tissues to clean the mess off my feet.
“Cassie, I have some bad news for you.”
“Worse, you mean?”
“This potion doesn't take affect until you actually look at someone. Your hour starts then.”
About the Author:
Christine Amsden has been writing science fiction
and fantasy for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her
dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative
fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about
real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine
writes primarily about people and it is in this way that she strives to make
science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.
At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with
Stargardt’s Disease, a condition that effects the retina and causes a loss of
central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or
get in the way of her dreams. (You can learn more here.)
In addition to writing, Christine teaches
workshops on writing at Savvy Authors. She also does some freelance editing
work.
Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area
with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her
success. They have two beautiful children, Drake and Celeste.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristineAmsden
2 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
FYI, my website is down temporarily. I'm hoping it's up later today, but in the meantime if you want to know more about me or my books check out goodreads, amazong, or e-mail me at christine.amsden@yahoo.com
Thanks for sharing the great excerpt and the giveaway. Sounds like a great book. evamillien at gmail dot com. evamillien at gmail dot com
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