Thank you so much for having me, Vilma! Iโm excited to be here talking about my upcoming release EMBER OF NIGHT!
EMBER OF NIGHT is a young adult paranormal romance about a girl from an extremely broken home. Her main goal in life is to get her little sister away from their abusive father. If that wasnโt hard enough, a mysterious hot stranger comes into her life and tells her sheโs the key to saving the world from a war between heaven and hell. But when the world hasnโt been kind to her, who says itโs worth saving?
The inspiration for this story hit me in college while taking an ancient religions class. I was fascinated by the universal themes of good and evil and wanted to explore it further. What if you were chosen to save the world and you didnโt want to because the world had never been kind to you? What if you were endowed with divine powers to serve in a war you never knew existed? These are the questions that brought Harley and Draven to life. I loved playing with the dynamics that not everyone is wholly good or wholly evil and the choices one has to make when faced with situations that come with super high stakes. I fell in love with the supernatural world of demons and angels and warlocks and monsters and a girl who has been broken her whole lifeโone who has been asked to save everyone when no one ever bothered to save her. The choices sheโs faced with are never easy, and in the end, that was the spark when sitting down to write EMBER OF NIGHT.
I absolutely canโt wait for everyone to meet Harley and Draven and feel the intense chemistry they have! Iโve brought an extra special sneak peek for you all to get a taste of their story!
I am a weed.
Unloved by my abusive, alcoholic dad. Unwanted by my classmates. Unnoticed by everyone else.
But Iโd suffer anything to give my kid sister a better lifeโthe minute I turn eighteen, Iโm getting us the hell out of here. And some hot stranger telling me I am the key to stopping a war between Heaven and Hell isnโt going to change that.
Let the world crumble and burn, for all I care.
Draven is relentless, though. And very much a liar. Every time his sexy lips are moving, I can see itโin the dip of his head, the grit of his jawโeven if my heart begs me to ignore the signs.
So whatย doesย he want?
I need to figure it out fast, because now everyone is gunning for me. And damn if I donโt want to show them what happens when you let weeds thrive in the cracks of the pavementโฆ
We can grow powerful enough to shatter the whole foundation.
โฎย ORDER EMBER OF NIGHT: AMAZON | AUDIBLE | iBOOKS | BARNES & NOBLE โฏ
Something new flares and trembles just beneath my skin, a delicious sort of ripple. I donโt dare look away from him. โIf you wanted me dead, I already would be.โ
โHalf true,โ he says.
โAnd I wouldnโt stand a chance at defending myself against you.โ I already feel helpless to fight the thrall he has on me, that connection I canโt deny or shake. And part of me wonders why I like it so muchโthat feeling.
Because it makes you feel alive.
Dravenโs breath shakes as I take another small step closer to him, but he doesnโt deny my words.
I reach my finger toward his handโ
โDonโt,โ he says, tracking my movements like a hawk, the primal warning in his tone freezing me.
โI told you, Iโm not scarโโ
He growls. โYou were attacked twice in one night. Do you have no self-preservation skills at all?โ
I purse my lips but donโt drop my hand. Instead, I get closer.
โIโm warning you,โ he says, his voice going lethally quiet. โDonโt touch me.โ
I draw my hand back.
โFine,โ I snap.
Confusion ripples in those amber eyes.
โYou touch me, then. Show me what Iโm supposed to be so afraid of,โ I challenge, my voice stronger than I knew possible. โUnless youโre the one who is afraid?โ
That muscle in his jaw ticks.
I stand my ground, chin raised despite the exhaustion traveling through my body. Soon, Iโll wake up from this hellish nightmare and curse my overactive imagination. Iโll roll my eyes at this twisted dream and get back to my normal twisted life.
โItโs my birthday,โ I whisper, realization hitting me hard. I survivedโฆI made it to eighteen. The overwhelming oddsโespecially after whatโs happened tonight, if Iโm not truly dreamingโmake a swirling sense of giddiness rush through me.
So much that a slightly mad laugh bubbles up from my chest.
Something glitters in his eyes, but he squeezes them shut, effectively blocking me out. He rakes his hands through his hair, his eyes snapping open to reveal some internal battle raging just beneath the surface. โYouโre eighteen,โ he says, another dark laugh ripping from his lips. His eyes scan the length of my body, his head slightly tilted. โHow do you feel, Harley?โ His tone is more devastated than concerned.
โFine,โ I say. In truth, the cuts on my neck barely hurt anymore. Itโs hard to feel anything outside the rushing need flaring inside me.
โFine? Nothing more?โ
I swallow hard, my hand still extended between us in an offer. โAm I supposed to feel something more?โ
He eyes my hand but doesnโt move.
โDo you want to make me feel something more?โ I challenge, a thrill rushing through me. Thisโฆthis battle between usโฆthe same one that started the second he stepped into my life, this is better than any adrenaline rush. Distracting and powerful and dangerous and all the things I know I shouldnโt enjoy or want but canโt stop. Not with him.
Something shifts in his eyes, dark and jagged, as he steps closer. โDo you trust me?โ
โI rarely trust anyone,โ I answer. Then add, โBut I trust you.โ
Draven tilts his head back, eyes on the ceiling as if heโs silently pleading for help. Slowly, he draws his focus back to mine. โYou shouldnโt.โ
I turn my palm up and hold it between us.
A challenge.
A dare.
A question.
If heโs so terrifying, I want to feel it. Want it to raze me to the ground until all I can feel is this sensationโthis spark Iโve never experienced before.
โShow me,โ I say, and Draven flinches.
โNo.โ
I keep my hand open between us.
His lips turn to a hard line, his eyes darting between my hand and my eyes and back again.
โTouch me, Draven.โ
His chest rises and falls quickly as he holds his hand over mine, hovering just an inch above my skin.
The battle is clear in the rigid lines of his body, the way his fingers shake.
But he spans that distance, the resolution clear enough in his churning eyes.
So I lift my hand.
Draven gasps as the pads of my fingers graze his skin.
Once.
Twice.
His eyes fly wide and expectant as they scan my body like heโs searching for some kind of injury. After a few seconds, he grips my hand with a gentle strength that makes heat pulse beneath my skin.
โHarley?โ He whispers my name like a question.
โDraven.โ I answer him, solid, calm, practically bored. โIโm waiting to be terrified,โ I tease.