Today, I'm pleased to bring my readers an fun guest post from author Anise Rae about the basics of book snooping along with some interesting tidbits from her new paranormal romance novel, Syphon's Song. Be sure to check out her book as well as her great tour wide contest at the end of this post.
*~*~*
Excerpt from Syphon’s
Song:
“Is this what you read for fun?”
Bronte reached for one of the books that stood at attention on his
floor-to-ceiling shelves. The impact of the title was like a hot fist to her
chest. “Deadly Mages: Sirens, Syphons, and Necromancers,” she read
aloud. Her throat clogged like it was stuffed with cotton. The binding creaked
a warning as she opened it to its middle. She stared down at a rough
illustration of a beautiful woman cradling a withered man in her lap. A syphon
sucking a mage dry, Bronte guessed.
Vincent took the book from her,
folded it shut, and put it back. “That one’s not pleasant reading.”
She turned back toward his shelves
to search out other gems. One book had no title. She slipped it from its spot
on the shelf. It was heavy in her hands. The leather cover was plain on the
front as well.
“What’s this?”
****
Book Snooping 101
Take a look at any reader’s shelves
and you’ll get a glimpse of their heart and soul. As Bronteinspects Vincent’s
books, she sees proof that he never forgot her, though they only met briefly
thirteen years ago. She realizes he’s not trying to lure her back into his life
as a power play or a political move. He’s in this for her. Lucky girl.
Bookshelves are an informative
source to snoop around if you’re looking to…ahem…syphon…information about a new
acquaintance. But keep in mind that a simple glance is not enough. Rather like
the adage, don’t judge a book by its
cover, don’t judge a reader by the eye-level shelves of their collection. You’ve
got to get to the good stuff. Look for more than just the genre that dominates
the shelves or the organization of the collection. Pick up a book or two.
(Though be careful. Remember that airline commercial when the woman looks into
a man’s medicine cabinet and all the shelves fall down? No snooper needs a
repeat of that. You don’t want to have to buy an airplane ticket to flee the
scene.)
So after you carefully slide a book
off the shelf, does the spine crack? Is it brand new and not actually been
read? Or is your new friend particular and insists on keeping the spine intact?
Are the pages earmarked? What section does the book fall open to? The poignant
monologues? Maybe he’s a thinker. Are the battle scene pages falling out of your
new potential girlfriend’s book? Maybe in her heart, she’s Xena the Warrior
Princess.
Here’s a question for you…if you
were to turn this examination on yourself and look at your bookshelves through
the eyes of a stranger, what would you conclude? Of course, correct conclusions
will be easier to come by, but you might find a few surprises.
I’ll tell you mine if you tell me
yours…
Snoop through my house and you will
see there are no books in the main living area of the house! When I first
started thinking about this, I couldn’t believe this was true. You’ll only see
my books if I invite you into my bedroom where I have an entire wall of them. Many of them are hard backs, ones I’ve read because my
book club chose them. I keep them in my room because they’re filled with
memories. The books on display aren’t necessarily reflective of my literary tastes…except
for the big Harry Potter section and the knitting books…and the Sandra Boynton
board books. I read those a thousand times to my kids when they were little, and
I can’t bear to part with them. Again, like my book club books, those books hold
precious memories.
If you want to see my favorite
books, the ones where my heart lives, you have to come deeper into my bedroom,behind
a little wall that separates the closet area. That’s where Cat and Bones live,
along with Anita Blake and Jean Claude, and Adam and Mercy, all members of an
enormous paranormal population that resides in the deepest parts of my house. It’s
also where Eloisa James and Julia Quinn hang out with their in-triplicate pal
Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle/Amanda Quick.
My book snooping conclusions? Books
are my version of a photo album. They hold my past. Some of my best memories
are contained within those pages. As for the fact that my books are so deep
inside my house, I think that says that I hide a lot about myself, only letting
those very close to me see my real self. Interestingly enough, I created a
character that also hides. Bronte, the heroine in Syphon’s Song, has a secret so
big she pretends to be something she’s not in order to survive.
Time to snoop on you now. What do
your books reveal about you? Leave a comment and I’ll put your name in an e-hat
and draw one winner for a $10 Amazon gift card. Be sure to leave me your email
address! And join in the Rafflecopter giveaway too!
*~*~*
Syphon’s
Song
Mayflower
Mages
Book
One
Anise
Rae
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Lyrical
Press/Kensington
Date of Publication: March 3,
2014
ISBN: 978-1-61650-211-9
ASIN: B00IPQWVYE
Number of pages: 359
Word Count: 98,000
Cover Artist: Renee Rocco
Book Description:
Legends say a syphon can drain a
mage dry. He’ll brave the danger. Will she?
Someone’s playing pranks. The
body of the late Casteel patriarch has been stolen and gifted to the family’s
enemy, the powerful Rallises. As far as Bronte Casteel is concerned, they can
keep it. She hasn’t spoken to her family in thirteen years, not since they
exiled her from society for her lack of mage power. But she’s a syphon mage,
able to drain another mage’s power. Syphons’ destinies are always the same:
death by fiery stake. She hides her secret by living among the Nons--powerless
humans and the lowest class in the Republic. When her family orders her to go
plead for the body’s return, she comes face to face with the one man who knows
her secret.
Colonel Vincent Rallis isn’t
letting his syphon get away this time. Not when she’s under suspicion of
body-napping and aiding anti-mage terrorists. He’ll prove her innocence whether
she wants him to or not, and then convince her they belong together...forever.
Vincent’s help comes with a steep
price: Bronte must reveal her power. The inevitable ensuing witch-hunt and
trial would be bad enough, but even a tough girl might buckle if her
prosecutors are her own parents.
CONTENT WARNING: Hot, steamy
nights with the colonel’s magic touch
A Lyrical Press Paranormal
Romance
Excerpt:
Bronte faced the
senator. “I’m here to ask for your help.”
“Help with what,
Bronte?” The gruff, hoarse words came from behind her, accompanied by a flood
of vibes.
She wouldn’t
have recognized his voice except for that energy pouring into her. She wrenched
around in her seat to see the lion prowl out of the shadows.
His gaze
targeted her like she was prey that might escape. “Tell us how we can help you.
And then you can explain why you ran away from me.”
Her mind
recorded him like a pencil scratching away at paper to save his image—his dark
hair clipped short, eyebrows that formed stark lines with a skeptical bent near
their ends. A crease pulled between his brows that hadn’t been there before.
His rugged face had weathered storms his brother had avoided. Those storms had
chiseled away any softness.
She closed her
eyes, stopping the mental sketching—a necessity to save her sanity. She turned
her whole body back toward the senator and only opened her eyes when she knew
Vincent wasn’t in her line of sight.
“Vin!” Happy
surprise colored every note of the senator’s voice. “How long have you been
standing back there? Your energy is so subdued I didn’t even sense you until
now.”
“I didn’t
either.” Edmund’s voice was equally surprised. “Miss Casteel, your beauty has
distracted us.”
Bronte fought to
keep her calm mask intact. Her heart boomed like the senator’s voice and
threatened to shake that mask right off her face. She couldn’t let that happen.
Diplomatic words and composure were her only weapons in this battle, a quick
escape her only viable strategy. She stood, one move closer to getting to the
door. At her cue, all the men stood as well.
The closer
Vincent came, the more his energy reached out to her. It touched her, filled
her in places she’d forgotten were empty. Dangerous memories spilled back. If
she knew how, she’d dump his vibrations out of her hidden vessel, turn it over,
and sit on it like a metal bucket until it sank into the dirt with the force of
her weight. She’d seal her hollow spaces shut and keep him out forever. To do
otherwise would only invite death to creep close.
Vincent strode
toward her.
She held her
ground and looked him in the eye. “I do not need your help. I am simply the
messenger. Here on behalf of the Casteels.” She cleared her throat to try again
and turned to the senator. “Senator Rallis, my family requests your
assistance.”
The senator’s
wise gaze locked on Vincent, his expression thoughtful and full of silent words
Bronte lacked the power to hear. Curiosity lit the dark depths of his gaze as
they landed back on her.
Vincent leaned
toward her. “And they sent you as their messenger?” His voice was soft, a
caress against her skin. “The most vulnerable and weakest of them all, to fight
their battles.”
“I am not weak.”
She risked a quick glance at him. “I have plenty of strength to fight whatever
battles I need to.” She bit her tongue to stop her aggressive tone. Arguing
would not help her cause.
“Vincent, you
are making our guest uncomfortable.” The senator’s tone went quiet. Deadly. The
boom was much safer, she realized.
“No, I’m not. At
least not with my vibes, Granddad.” Vincent’s reply was matter-of-fact. He held
all the power between them, and he was going to use it. Running for the door
would not help her now.
“My mage vibes
do not make her uncomfortable.”
Her hold on her
tongue wasn’t tight enough to stop her gasp. She’d messed up. Goddess, but
she’d messed up. She closed her eyes for a moment at the realization. Instead
of drinking Vincent in, she should have faked a reaction to his power, imitated
the jittery anxiousness Nons felt around a mage who wasn’t suppressing his
energy. Maybe that would have saved her.
“Vincent. She’s
a Non. Of course you’re making her uncomfortable.” The senator’s reprimand was
deceptively soft.
Bronte stared at
Vincent as desperation swirled inside her. “Please. Don’t.”
“She’s not a
Non.” Vincent’s words shattered her hope of escape.
Tour
giveaway:
2 e-copies of Syphon’s Song
1 $50 Amazon gift card
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About
the Author:
Anise Rae grew up among the
cornfields and soybeans of Ohio, dreaming of being a ballerina, an astronaut,
and a romance writer. Thanks to her soul deep love of chocolate and a lack of natural
grace, her ballerina dreams floated away as high as the moon, equidistant with
the astronaut aspiration. She stuck with writing.
Now transplanted to the south,
Anise lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her kids and a dog gifted with the
power of finding dirty socks.
Syphon’s Song, a 2012 Maggie
Award of Excellence finalist, is the first book in the Mayflower Mages series.
Author
photo by www.surianiphoto.com
5 comments:
Thanks so much for having me on your blog today, Marsha!
Hi Anise. I just got past the point in your story where Bronte examines Vincent's book shelves. Like you, it made me think about my shelves. I have some in my living room and my husband's first floor office but those are mostly coffee table types of books. The read and re-read stuff is in my office. Two large book cases packed with book club selections, romance novels, paranormal/urban fantasy, humor (that shelf is fairly well packed) and reference books. The books are surrounded by pictures of my husband and children. I always feel as though I have company when I sit in that room.
Hmmmm... What do my books say to me? That I like to read! Especially Stephen King & Dean Koontz (their books take up one bookcase and it's overflowing).
I think that's why I'm not a huge fan of e-books. No one else can see those books.
Hi Anise, I have books in every room in the house...I've been told any more book and I have to decide...I'm gonna miss him...hahaha. I could never live without my books, like old friends I've spent many happy times with, several reading many times. Love the blog, blurb, and excerpt, it's my next read.
Deb
I love the discussion of book snooping, Anise! I was just at a dinner party the other week and spent entirely too much time perusing the bookshelves in the dining room.
Like you, I keep my books a little closer. We have a parlor / sitting area leading into our bedroom, and it's lined with bookshelves.
I'm looking forward to reading Syphon's Song. Loved the excerpt. :-)
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