Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Jaye's Sneak Peak: Secrets of the Fog


Hey Spicy Readers! In anticipation of my October 29th release from Crimson Romance, I'd like to share an excerpt from my full-length paranormal, Secrets of the Fog. The Immortals in Alameda trilogy focuses on the incredible men, Knights of the Fog, guardians and protectors of a hidden realm of portal travel, and the strong women they meet in the human realm. I chose ths excerpt because today, I'm headed off to Alcatraz. Gotta love living in the Bay Area, so many fun things to do. :)

                           Blurb for Secrets of the Fog
                                      (Book 1 in the Immortals in Alameda Trilogy):


                    A-Sexual Goddess + Giant Tree = Dryad. Or at least that’s how Tera was born.

When Tera’s friends inform her that the portal on Alcatraz Island was buzzing with an arrival, she thinks her goddess mother has come to visit. Quite the contrary. Another goddess has plans to kill Tera, and is sending a bunch of demons to do her dirty work. Instead of finding a goddess at the portal, Tera finds a gigantic otherworldly warrior causing mass destruction amongst the San Francisco tourists. Being a Forest Dryad born from the Goddess of the Hunt has its perks, and kicking ass is one of them.


Sabin is six-feet-six of hard-bodied soldier, used to subduing demons twice his size. One day after chasing an elusive smoke demon through a portal into the human realm, Sabin is brought to his knees by a beautiful woman, literally. After arriving to a pier full of dead bodies, Tera issues a passionate smack-down before Sabin can explain that he’s the good guy. He becomes dedicated to saving her as an ancient grudge comes to life

Excerpt:
Sabin and the Nunanish fell through the fog. The demon dissipated into a dark cloud as Sabin met the ground with crushing force. Every bone in the immortal’s body was either snapped or crushed and even worse, the Nunanish was nowhere to be seen.

Lifting his head, Sabin noticed that he was not on the ground, but atop a human temple of some sort. He crawled along the cold stone, dragging his heavily-muscled but temporarily broken body. Peering over the ledge, he saw many humans buzzing in and out of the temple below him. Fog was thick around the portal ground, but in the distance he made out the shape of a ship laden with people. He quickly realized that he was on an island. Using his gift for language, he read the sign near the entrance of the temple. Alcatraz.

Sabin didn’t take the time to ponder the danger for the hundreds of humans that seemed to be arriving at the portal destination even though any one of the humanoids could become infected by the Nunanish and bring chaos to the region.

Grimacing against the agony of regenerating bones, he stood, shaking off the pain. As a warrior, he was accustomed to it. Thousands of years of war were required of a soldier before they were trusted enough to become a Knight of the Fog. After all, only those who waged the best war could keep the peace.

Standing atop the so-called Alcatraz, he tried to figure out his best course of action. Quickly deciding to inspect the local population for infection, he leapt from the roof in a graceful swoop.

Sabin’s heavy boots landed on the cement and the people screamed and jumped away–The hysteria. They have indeed been infected. His eyes filled with icy rage.

The people around him scattered like fearful little ants. The humans on this plane were indeed somewhat puny and frightful creatures. Sabin was overwhelmed with chaotic, frenzied voices.

“Is it a convict?”

“Is it a show?”

“Look at his eyes, he’s meant to be a ghost of Alcatraz!”

Ghost of Alcatraz? These people must be more crazed than I thought. Sabin was disgusted by the humans, so gullible, so easily infected. But as a Knight of the fog he knew that he must not disturb their existence, but preserve it.

Speaking for the first time in English, he enunciated carefully. “Yes, I am part of the show.” He cleared his throat and spoke to the crowd as his height towered above them.

An infidel spoke out. “Which inmate are you supposed to be?” There were more murmured voices, mostly from women.

“God, he’s huge.”

And from another, “He’s a gorgeous hunk of man, isn’t he? Models are so tall.”

“Look at his muscles.”

Suddenly he became aware of the fact that humans in the earthly realm were much more clothed. He wore only leather pants and combat boots, with thick astral artillery belts and guns strapped across his chest and slung across his hips. Losing his patience, he spoke again in a commanding voice. “There has been an escape. Has anybody noticed a dark spirit?”

Sabin was met only with the excited murmurs of the crowd. A tall, gangly man with glasses poked his head from around a door. “Are you new here?  I don’t think I’ve met you. You know, there’s not supposed to be any appearances until later tonight. I didn’t realize that there was a new show.”

Surveying the small island, Sabin pondered which of the two closest land masses to swim to. One way, there was a large hill-built city with many towers and ground vehicles. On the other side of the water was what appeared to be another island with much flora. The Nunanish surely would not have sought dense foliage; he would have sought the population of the city.

Screams rang in the distance. Gods Daimonous. Sabin realized that no Knights of the Fog were following, obviously having to deal with the outbreak in the Fog plane. “You.” He pointed to the gangly, spectacle-wearing tour-guide. “What is the quickest method off this island?”

When he was met with only open jaws, he took matters into his own hands and ran toward the island cliff to dive into the murky waters of the San Francisco Bay.
                                                                         * * * *

That's it! Hope you like it. Coming October 29th in print and e-format.

XOXO Jaye


                  About the Author

Jaye Shields holds a degree in Anthropology from San Francisco State University with an emphasis in archaeology. Her previous claims to fame include being a bass player for a grunge band called the Hymens, being mistaken for Britney Spears while in Tokyo, and commercial model. She insists the commercial still counts even though her lines were cut.

Born and raised in Seattle, she now lives in the realm of fog, skyscrapers, and redwood trees. Happy to call San Francisco home, she spends her time writing sensual paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Thanks to her grandmother, she's been reading romance novels since she was ten years old. Jaye sprinkles her love of history, mythology, and the occult into flaming hot reads.

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