I met Jessica Andersen in Dallas last year. I think I made an ass of myself standing line staring at her before I finally had to say I am sorry I KNOW I know you.
I am shy… I am working on it. We were chatting later at the Berkley party, when I found out they were her new publisher. I was delighted, being the Penguin whore that I am… and she said that word… paranormal. So I figured I was going to have to pretend to be interested to be nice.
Color me SHOCKED when she told me about the book. Serious… here is the summary
According to the Mayan doomsday prophecy, time ends on December 21, 2012. In NIGHTKEEPERS, the last king of an ancient race of magi must team up with a sexy Miami-Dade narcotics detective in order to reunite his scattered warriors and fight the gods of the Mayan underworld. Wielding ancestral blood magic, the king must choose between his duty to avert the 2012 apocalypse and his love for the woman who is the gods’ destined sacrifice.
I know! Have you heard of anything like it? For those of you looking for a new paranormal author and are tired of bloodsuckers (or just want a lil variety in your paranormal diet). Write down this date…
AVAILALABLE JUNE 3, 2008
Jessica will be chatting tonight at EnchantingReviews, visiting with Book Binge on Friday (And they will be hosting a contest!) and at Freshfiction on the 29th. AND she is rolling out a brand spanking new website tomorrow. I will try and drop you a note when it goes live – or feel free to post here and tell us *g*.And she will be one of our guest bloggers in June… most likely on the 3th. I will try and twist her arm into giving away a book. Now I will shut up and you can read what you are here for anyway… enjoy 😉
E-X-C-E-R-P-T
from NIGHTKEEPERS by Jessica Andersen
With her purchase concluded, the blonde wiggled out of the garden center, winking at Strike. “Your loss.”
“No doubt.” Strike watched her go, thinking that Rabbit was right. He was an idiot. Scratching a red patch on his inner wrist- he must’ve gotten nailed by a spider or something- he told Jox, “Your cow shit’s here.”
“Thanks.” The older man skirted the counter and headed for the back, where a set of swinging doors led to the warehouse and loading dock. “Watch the register for a few minutes. I want to make sure they didn’t send me broken bags again.”
“Ah, yes. A smell to remember.” Strike took Jox’s customary place on the barstool behind the counter, swallowing hard against a sudden, unexpected surge of nausea.
A glance around the storefront showed a few browsers, but nobody who looked like they needed immediate attention. Which was a good thing, because all of a sudden he wasn’t feeling so hot. His wrist was burning like a sonofabitch, and when he looked down he saw three right hands where there should’ve only been one. A quick grab told him he hadn’t sprouted extra limbs; he was seeing triple. He was also sweating like a pig, and the idea of sticking his head in the john so he could barf in peace sounded real good. Squinting to cut the spin, he groped for the phone to buzz Jox out back, and came up with a utility knife instead. This’ll do, he thought out of nowhere.
Moving without conscious volition, he flipped the knife open and sliced the blade across his right palm.
Blood spilled over, tracking down his wrist and across his glyph marks. Pain hit, first from the cut, and again when he slithered off the barstool and landed hard on his knees. His head spun and the nausea increased, but it was more like a pressure in his throat, a burning compulsion to say- what?
Jesus, what the hell’s going on? he thought, but the acid burning at the back of his throat told his head what his heart already knew. It was the summer solstice, one of the four days each year that the barrier used to be at its thinnest, when a Nightkeeper’s powers had been strongest.
The barrier- and his powers- were coming back on line after all these years.
Panic mingled with excitement. The warm smell of his own blood touched his nostrils, tangy and sweet and calling to something inside him, something that ripped at his chest like fear. Like heartache.
“Pasaj,” he whispered. The word was the basic command for a Nightkeeper to open a connection to the barrier, and it hadn’t worked in twenty-four years. Now, though, gray-green mist filled his brain and the world started to slide sideways. “Pasaj!” he said again, louder. “Are you out there? Talk to me, damn it!”
He heard distant voices, a woman’s cry of alarm. “He’s bleeding! Someone help!”
Inside his head, though, he saw something in the grayness behind his eyelids: a single slender thread of yellow in the fog. A travel thread. Holy crap. Acting on instinct, he reached out with his mind and touched the thread, grabbed onto it, and whispered the second word of the barrier spell. “Och.” Enter.
And the world around him vanished.
Ooh, I can’t wait! I’ve been excited about this since RT.
Wow! I’ve been looking for something fresh and I think I’ve just found it! Can’t wait!
Thanks for the heads up. I really like the premise of the story.
I’m looking forward to this one for sure.
I have read all of Jessica Andersen’s Harlequin Intrigues and I just lover her stuff. Her Intrigues are an automatic read & buy for me. I can’t wait to read this new book. I’ve had it on my TBP list since I found out about it.
Awwwww… (blushes). Thanks for the props Greta, and a shout out to Susan, Christie, Jane, and Devon. I wrote the sort of story I want to read, and I hope it stands out for you guys, too!
Actually, I have heard something like it lol Nina Bangs upcoming book has to do with Mayan stuff and the world ending on 12.21.12 BUT I can’t wait to read Nightkeepers. The storyline is different and I love the cover.
Maybe Mayan is the vamp? I block out all things Nina Bangs but I recall hearing I should give her next book a try cuz it was different for her and really good.
I ADORE the person who told me that but tend to disagree with her – a lot. Thanks for the remind 😉
It is very different from her norm, in a “wow did’t see that coming” way , but so far so good.
Maybe the world really will end and we will learn what we need to know from romance novels 🙂
I have my credit card in hand and am ready to buy. I saw her promo at RT and was hooked!
Can’t wait.
I read about this book on another blog and was intrigued by the Mayan storyline, tis something a little different . . . and now an excerpt – *rushing off to order*
That excerpt is WAY COOL! Lovely to see something different. So, uh, Syb, we got this one around somewhere? ::bats eyelashes::
Dude someone, I won’t name any names, was suppose to get a copy of this on Saturday but didn’t bother to call. hmph
I can’t wait for this book. Been looking forward to it since Doc Jess mentioned it in Dallas at a private get together.
Her new website is up so everyone check it out. There are alot of cool graphics and extra stuff like deleted scenes more excerpts.
Congrats on the book Doc Jess.
Hugs,
Ing
I was lucky enought to get an ARC for review. This is awesome!!!! So good, I wish I had the next one already. Good set up for a series, believable characters, some surprises, just a great, great read. She will now be on my auto buy list!
Sounds like an interesting story. Will keep a look out for it.
Hey, Ing, thanks for the shout out. Yep, the new website is up and running, including deleted scenes, lots of background, short stories, contests and such 🙂
Leslee, so glad you enjoyed the book! It shouldn’t be too long of a wait for the second installment, as it’s a January ’09 release. There’s a teaser at the back of the book, and on the website (though I don’t recommend it for folks who haven’t read NIGHTKEEPERS, as it’s spoilersville and is marked as such).
Ashley, Angela, Ann M., Willa, Gwen and Little Lamb Lost, thanks for the interest. I fricking love this book and these characters, and hope they find an audience so I can keep writing all the way up until the final battle in 2012!
Happy hump day, all 😉
Well, your excitement makes me want it more lol I’ve seen a few people say they have gotten arcs and I’m super jealous lol
Well Leslee you know she does have a May Harlequin out you can go pick up while you wait for the second book.
Twin Targets (Harlequin Intrigue Series)
FBI agent John Sharpe was closing in on a criminal he’d made his life’s mission to put away for life. So rescuing Sydney Westlake from the churning ocean was a distraction he couldn’t afford. But then he learned the beautiful scientist had escaped his target’s clutches and could hold the key to closing his case, so John wasn’t letting her out of his sight. Sydney claimed she was more than willing to help, especially if it meant securing her twin sister’s safety, but danger threatened every move she and John made together. Would the same hold true once their barely contained attraction was finally released?
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I haven’t finished the novel yet but so far I like it. Glad you do too.
Andersen’s got game when it comes to style and voice. I loved the two main characters, Leah and Strike.
I can’t get behind this series more strongly- Doc Jess has a great voice, great style and I think the premise is fascinating! Plus she writes with great pacing- quick and interesting.
She rocks, totally.
Heard the second one is even better 😉
Sigh. I went to the bookstore today – 4 bookstores, actually – and none of them had it. I’m gonna have to order it over the internet. This is so bad, because of course then I’ll need to add other books so I can get the free shipping. I see the banknotes flying away already…