You can see the tour site HERE for all other tour stops and giveaways! I also apologize for pressing publish instead of save as I was not even close to being finished. It has been one of my worse days, ever, so my brain is not functioning properly. But I’m all fixed up now and you can see the proper post š so lemme tell you about what I’ve got for you today!
Blurb
Erin is the werewolf Queen of Athol Castle. She has no memories of the events of a few months ago, where she believed herself to be a psychologist, and met the enigmatic and charming Connerā¦
Filtiarn has taken over Connerās body once more, and is relishing being in control. Cruel and sensual, he decides to work on a plan…to take over humanity. He begins a war…of werewolves against humans. But unknown to him, Conner is fighting against him within his own body, to set things right, and to bring Erin back from her own darkness. He tries to undo a great mistake from long ago, using Erinās famed sword, Sioctine, as remnants of his own memory come back to him, opening up the present he now lives in.
At the same time, another enemy is using the situation to their advantage, following the werewolves at every turn, threatening to undo everything that Conner is struggling to obtain…
But will he be able to bring Erin back from Filtiarnās grasp, or is it too late? And will he be able to stop the war against the humans progressing?
And who is threatening to take over not only the humans, but the werewolves as well?
And now I’d like to welcome the author for a Guest post
Wowā¦as Iām sitting here thinking of what to write for a guest post, my mind is a blank. Which luckily, begs the question; what do authors do when they get writerās block? In any form, even for guest posts for awesome blogs. *wink wink*
Well one of the ways I try to fight it off, apart from using a riot shield, (which isnāt so effective for imaginary blockages of writing in the mind) is music. I have playlists of all kinds. I have a playlist for when Iām writing fight scenes. That one tends to be made up of loud, crashing, screaming metal. And lots of lyrics about being a āwarriorā and so on. Then I have the playlist for when Iām writing about danger. Then it turns to Gothic rock, mainly the haunting melodies of Evanescence and Nightwish. (I would like to note at this point, I had to add āNightwishā to Wordās dictionary. Bad Word, bad!) Then I have the playlist for when my characters areā¦umā¦wellā¦doing the āhorizontal tangoā. Still wondering what I mean by that? Try listening to āFrozenā by Celldweller or Iva Corrās āLet Me Think About Itā, and youāll know what that playlist is for. š
If that doesnāt work, I try going for a little walk. I love walking where I live, as itās out in the countryside, and always full of tiny things we miss every day happening around us. Birds singing sweetly, flying overhead, trees waving their branches in a whisper, the fresh air. It can be quite inspiring, and sometimes gets me going with the old writing again. But sometimes it has the opposite effect, and I end up getting sleepy, or worse, staring at the clouds and trying to see pictures. Is it aā¦planeā¦.a birdā¦.a sausage? No, itās procrastination.
So if all of this fails, I have to try other methods. I become a bit like a person asking a cat or a dog whatās wrong. Are you hungry? Tired? Scared? All of the above? Little things start to annoy me at this point, and my OCD kicks in. The lights are not quite in the right position, so now I have to get up and adjust it. Then the sofa cushions arenāt quite right, so I have to squish them about. Then I realise Iāve just spent ten minutes fiddling about with a cushion and the lights, and now I have to make dinner.
So sometimes I get myself on Facebook, and ask some of my lovely author friends for help. To see if they have any suggestions to get me kick-started again. And they always do. I note them down, pick the best one, andā¦someone says something funny. So I have to respond to it, because it really was hilarious. Then they say something else funny, laughing at what I said. So I reply again. And before I know Iāve wasted another half an hour saying funny things when I could have wrote the damn comedy.
I guess as long as you keep attempting to overcome a bit of block, it will eventually break and allow you to continue with your writing. But it takes a lot of different methods. Sometimes they work, sometimes they donāt. Most of the time, Iām lucky, and can have a run of ideas gushing from my head onto the laptop. But you know what? At the start of this post, I had no idea what to write about, and now I appear to have written one all about procrastination. Howās that for irony? š
And now I’d like to introduce a character Interview- which is special as the author interview him!!! š
Good morning everyone! Well, Iām here over at another blog, where Iāve pinched it for the day, so wait for me to get comfyā¦*wriggles about in chair, everyone scowls at me*. What? And whereās my G&T? Chocolate? Anything? *sigh* Alright, Iāll get it myself. But first, I want to introduce you to a character of mineā¦the much-drooled over, very sexy, Filtiarn.
Hi Filtiarn, great to have you here!
Hello Miranda. Although I think I would have preferred to have been introduced as āThe Destroyer of Soulsā, or āThe Much-Feared Oneā.
Yeah, wellā¦thatās why Iām the writer, and youāre the character. So letās get back to the interview, Filtiarnā¦Filtiarn!!!
What?
Stop staring at the nice people. Youāre not eating anyone today.
*Filtiarn mutters under his breath, but sits back, tapping his fingers together in an annoyed way*
Thatās better; keep this up and Iāll write a new book where you get into lots of trouble! So, first question. How did you enjoy your part in Conner and Erin?
Thatās a very good question, especially as there is still a HUGE twist coming up in Erin involving me. I enjoyed it. I canāt stand Conner, rattling around my brain like a lost penny. Heās soā¦soā¦nice! Iām not the archetypal villain. Iām worse than that. Freddy Kreuger has nothing on me.
What do you mean?
*Filtiarn leans forward, a sly grin spreading across his face* Wellā¦I donāt want to give away too much for the readers of āErinā, but I get a little more vicious. I donāt really care for very much, so if anyone gets in my way, I finish them off. I held back on the others before, but not this time. I have my Erin back, and Iām keeping her for good.
Well, that leads on to my next questionā¦what have you done to Erin? Surely you donāt love her if you were willing to change her in such a way?
*He sighs, shaking his head* I didnāt āchangeā her, I reminded her who she really was. Thereās a difference. I love Erin to the end of the Earth and back. I would do anything for her. I would die for her. I havenāt waited years only to have her ripped from me again.
I seeā¦on that note, Iām informed that a few ladies find you ratherā¦intriguingā¦
Oh? Intriguing? In the way that husky Irish voices breathing down your neck, and strong, muscular arms can throw you onto a bed? That kind of way?
*I loosen my collar a bit. Is it me, or is it getting a little hot in here?* Er, yesā¦in that way. Erin canāt be too happy about that?
*Filtiarn chuckles darkly* Well, noā¦I imagine she isnāt. But Iām okay with it. *he winks at me and several of the other ladies nearby. Many of them swoon, Victorian-style. Ice is called for.* And if anyone ever disagrees with thatā¦well, they may get a spanking. From me.
*I clear my throat* Yes, well I think we should move on before we cause anyoneās ovaries to burst. Iām not sure we have the insurance here. If you werenāt trying to be āEvil Destroyer of the Worldāā¦as it wereā¦what would you like to be doing?
Good question. Iāve often thought about this when I havenāt been tormented with thoughts of Erin or killing someone. I used to quite enjoy hunting and running about with the others from my village. Soā¦I suppose something outdoors. With lots of trees. Iām not sure about being a tour guide through a forest or something though, Iām sure that could only end badly.
Iād agree. After all, I know what youāre capable of! Soā¦next question.
You are yourself, a fictional character. But if you could have a dinner with any three other fictional characters, who would you invite, and why?
I think my first choice would have to be Mr Hyde. I think we would get on wellā¦both have a penchant for killing, and we both have problems with split personalities. You know the kind of things. Weād probably end up being best friends. Then for my other two guestsā¦hmm. Lloyd, the bartender from The Shining would be quit fun, I think. Plus he could serve drinks. And finallyā¦Hannibal Lector. I donāt mind a bit of brain at the dinner table. In how someone speaks or how intelligent they are. *He grins, revealing his fangs*
Eeewā¦sorry I asked. Iām glad I didnāt ask what your favourite food was. That could have been messy. Okayā¦where is your favourite place to be?
Well, I love the forests of course. Anywhere with lots of trees. I love the fresh scent, the sound of the wind through the trees, the rumble from the earth itselfā¦not to mention itās a lovely place to take a lady for a night of passion. Very romantic.
*sigh* Must it all come back to sex with you, Filtiarn?
Iām very good at it.
*I roll my eyes, he chuckles*
I think we had better leave it there before we get thrown off this blog. Filtiarn, itās been veryā¦erā¦interesting talking to you. I guess weāll see you again though, between the pages of Erin.
Or indeed, between her-what? What? I was going to say between her and Conner. Thatās all. But it has been fascinating being here.
THANK YOU!! That was one of the most fascinating interviews I’ve ever seen, so I’m HONORED that it was shared here!!
AUTHOR BIO
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I was born in Guisborough, North Yorkshire in 1987 and have lived in various places around Britain, including Newcastle and Glasgow.
My writing is inspired by various writers, including the vivid characters of Charles Dickens, the imagination of Stephen King, and the gothic imagery of Anne Rice.
My love of horror began at an early age, when I was only three or four. I could read proficiently at the age of three, and devoured fairy-stories, but I always had a bent towards the darker stories, such as the Brother’s Grimm’s tales…Red Riding Hood was always a firm favourite, although I always felt sorry for the wolf, despite him having tried to eat everyone!
I also had an incredibly vivid imagination, leading me to believe that the noises that the radiator in my room made, were in fact the noises of monsters hiding behind it. This led to me having terrible nightmares, in which I believed I woke up and would see them sat in my room, doing nothing more extraordinary than playing cards or reading a book.
As I got older, my love of tales about unknown creatures persisted, always wanting to devour tales about ghosts or other beings. Being born in Guisborough was also a coincidence, as it is a town rich in folklore and ghosts in various places, such as the Black Monk of Guisborough Priory…whether or not any of these stories were true, I still don’t know, but I love the tingle of imagining whether or not they might be.
As I began school, I began to read more books, and became enraptured with the tales of ancient Greece and Rome, loving the explanations for simple things around us turned into figures and gods. To this day, I still have an avid love of ancient customs, and I have especially fallen in love with Celtic symbolism and myths, winding them into my novels whenever possible.
As I got older, about ten or eleven, I had moved, to a small village, with only about 80 children or so. I quickly became the main story-teller of my friends, my favourite one being a story about a girl who buys a porcelain doll, only to hate it after a few days and lock it away in her family’s garage. The doll of course, is haunted, and breaks back into the house, calling, ‘I’m coming, I’m coming…!’ until she reaches the little girl, who is hiding under her cover, where she whispers, ‘I’m here, I’m here…!’ The poor mother of course comes into her daughter’s room in the morning and finds her daughter dead, with the doll sat on top of her. I have a vague memory of telling a wide-eyed group of peers one morning, and one of them running off crying…I think I got told off for telling stories that were too scary at school.
At the age of seven or so, I was given two books by a relative; one of them was a large collection of Lewis Carroll, and to this day my favourite poem is ‘Phantasmorgoria’. The other book was a collection of weird tales, all involving fair maids and witches, devils and wicked spirits in some form or another, a lot of them derived from eastern story-telling, where children and evil witches constantly collide-usually with awful consequences. This persisted with a series of magazines and music called ‘The Magical Music Box’.
At this point I began to really get into more horror books, watching all and any horrors on television, even ones that were far too cheesy to watch without laughing. Point Horror stories became a favourite on my shelf as I went into my teens, alongside my classic favourites such as Dorian Grey and Great Expectations (still my favourite book to this day). I got hooked onto Anne Rice novels as well, loving the combination of a typically monstrous creature who had redeeming qualities akin to human ones.
The most terrifying book that ever made an impression on me has to be The Exorcist. The film is nothing compared to the book-I don’t believe I slept the night after finishing it, waking up at every noise in my room, imagining it to be a voice or whispered giggle.
Where you can find Miranda:
Website
Blog
Goodreads
Amazon
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A little excerpt
Sighing heavily, Erin plonked herself down on the bed she had been laid on just a few hours before, swinging her legs out in front her. Conner smiled, and came to sit next to her, winding his arm across her shoulders.
āWhatās wrong?ā
Erin leaned into his warm body, closing her eyes for a second, and wrapping her arms around him. āIām justā¦tired. Itās a lot to take in, you know? One minute I have this normal lifeā¦and then you find out that that was all a lie, and your real life is so incredibly complicated. I just wish I had something to hang on to that wasnāt complicated.ā
Putting his hand under her chin, Conner lifted her face to his. āYou have me. Iāll always love you, even as Filtiarn, I loved you. That will never be complicated, and that will never change.ā Erinās lips curved into a smile as he gently planted a kiss on them. āDo you remember the first time I gave in to you when you were at Forest Hall? I couldnāt keep up the pretense the whole time; it was killing me seeing you and not being able to touch you.ā
Erin blushed, lowering her gaze. āYou mean in the shower?ā
Conner grinned broadly, making his face look even more sexy. āYes, in the shower. You smelled so amazingā¦ā
Swallowing, Erin lowered her head, pulling her chin away from his hand, so that he couldnāt see her grinning shyly in return.
Conner looked at her soft hair for a few minutes, teasing himself with the memory of burying his face in that soft, sweet-smelling hair, the touch of her smooth skin next to his, her eyes melting in pleasureā¦
He gently but firmly lifted her head up again, so that he could see into those stunning blue eyes. Erin was smiling, but a deep rosy blush had covered her cheeks, making her look even more beautiful to Conner. He leant down, pressing his lips against hers. She didnāt resist, and put her hand on his shoulder, to get closer to him. Reading her signals, he placed his other hand behind her head, pulling her deeper into their kiss, threading his fingers through her silky hair. His body began to stir, but he forced himself to be slow and careful, easing her into this. He growled low in his throat, a primal, raw sound, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, licking her lip gently.
The sound made her moan a little, as she let her tongue meet his. The sound made his groin ache, and his breathing began to go faster. His instincts were taking over, telling him to pin her down and rip her clothes off, but he held back, instead gently tracing her collarbone with the pad of his thumb. She shivered a little at the touch, placing her hands on his chest, clawing slightly, as if she too, wanted him stripped off.
Conner pulled his mouth away, gasping slightly. He leaned his head, and began to slowly lay butterfly kisses along her neck, moving his lips along the top of her collarbone, remembering how she had reacted to that in the shower, all that time ago. She cried out, making him instantly go rock hard against her, his hips moving of their own accord, as if he were losing control of them. Erin pushed him off for a moment; making him furrow his brows in disappointment-perhaps he had done too much?
āErin, Iām sorry, I-ā
āWhat are you sorry for?ā When Erin spoke, her voice was husky and soft. She grinned at him, her eyes looking drowsy with lust. Leaning back, she pulled her sweater off, revealing her creamy lace bra. Unhooking it quickly, she pulled that off as well, letting it fall to the floor. She looked back up at Conner. āIs this okay?ā
My review:
Hmmm, think split personalities, like Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde meets werewolves, magic and a crazy war on humans… I’m SO intrigued. So it starts with Erin, who is the Alpha Queen of a pack of Werewolves and her lover/ partner in crime Filtiarn. BUT… Erin isn’t really the Erin he isn’t supposed to be, and Filtiarn is the Mr Hyde of Conner’s Dr Jekyll. Hehehehe I know, that sounds complicated. But Filtiarn has convinced Erin in all their blood lust that a war on humans, treating them like food and/or slaves is the “in thing”. Lol yep, domination of the world is always a bad guy’s wet dream. The story literally starts with a BANG!
So then we meet some supporting characters, you know how I love those! I call him Mr. T, as it’s a unique name, I would misspell it and I KNOW I’m not saying it as it’s supposed to be said, and I really like him. Mr T meets Jenny, the human he saved, and then part of the conspiracy begins. And there’s Matthew, Sukema- I’m also spelling her name wrong and mispronouncing that one- and Demitri. They are Conner’s co-conspirators… Lol it’s hard to explain without giving you all the goodies!! Let’s just say I’m liking all the characters.
The writing is riveting, and has drawn me in! I’m invested and I hope this is a series. It’s written well, as there are some gruesome parts- bloody war does this- yet I’m not feeling like I’m reading a gore-fest! I’m even getting some understanding toward some of the bad guys… How’d that happen!!! Lol
All in all, I will say this book is a great read. It’s got some very interesting feels to it, so I’m not sure if I would stick it directly in one particular category, like only urban fantasy or paranormal romance. It’s what I’ll call a cross over lol so it could interest multiple types of genre readers.
I look forward-hoping- to read more. And I’ll also looking forward to reading more from this author! Yay to 4 PAWS FROM ME!!
My Giveaway
Miranda is kindly offering an e-copy of Erin and a fantastic swag (containing:A set of signed posters of Conner and Erin, a set of signed bookmarks of Conner and Erin, and two crystals which were supposed to represent the stones from Sicotine, Erin’s sword) to one lucky winner, and its international!! So pretty please just leave me a nice comment and I’ll pull a winner when the tour ends!! š I hope you enjoyed all the awesomeness today and happy reading!! Later gators!