THE BACKSTORY

From the time we announced the final Red Rock ebook in 2009, people have been asking us when we’d go back to the Sanctuary world and write more about werewolves and their witch rivals.  In the beginning we didn’t want to return–we had our four books and our two prequel novellas, and those were the stories we had to tell.  But people kept asking, and we kept saying, “Well, what if…okay, no, but maybe if…”

A watched pot never boils, and I’m starting to think a watched plot is the same way.  The harder we tried to force ourselves to come up with the right story, the more they slipped away.  Finally we set the idea aside for a while, reluctantly admitting that maybe it had been too long in any case.  We’d missed our window.  It was time to work on other —

BOOM!  That was our idea, knocking us head over heels.  It hit us so hard we sat down and wrote Haunted Sanctuary instead of the book we were supposed to be writing.   It wasn’t the story we’d originally imagined.  It takes place in a new town, with a new cast of characters, and is set several years after the end of Red Rock Pass.  You don’t have to be familiar with any of the previous books to pick up Haunted Sanctuary…

…but hey.  Any excuse to give away books is good for us!

THE BLOG TOUR 

Thanks to the generosity of Samhain Publishing–and with the assistance of many awesome bloggers–we get to spend the next twenty days giving away 80 ebooks!  Those of you who haven’t read the Red Rock Pass books will have twenty different chances to win the entire set in the ebook format of your choice.

In honor of that, we’re going to be revisiting some of our favorite scenes from each of the four books…and maybe showing a few sneaky peeks at the next chapter in the Sanctuary Universe!

                     TODAY’S SNIPPET

 Sanctuary’s Price: Magical Ass-Kicking
aka A Witch, a Vampire & A Werewolf Walk Into a Trap

This excerpt contains what is, perhaps, my favorite line of the whole book.  In fact, I think it’s the most important line of the whole book, because it sums up our hero, our heroine and who they are as people:

“You don’t look so scary. I bet you get that a lot. So do I.”

A fragile looking witch and a mid-strength werewolf may not seem like the most powerful couple, but part of their danger is that they’re both constantly underestimated.  Combine that with a fierce inner stubbornness and a willingness to risk everything for the people and causes that matter, and you’ve got a dangerous team.

Even when they’re walking into a trap…

 She looked absolutely, utterly normal, and Sasha shivered. “I came for my friend.”

Claws scrabbled on the threshold behind them. Adam spun, placing his body between Sasha and the door, but the attacking wolf only made it halfway into the room before the reddish wolf she recognized as Dylan pounced onto his back. Power spiraled out as Dylan snarled and snapped.

Prudence sucked in a laugh and clapped her hands. “Not a moon wolf, but I bet he’d taste like one. Adam, you cad, what have you been doing out in that hovel of yours?”

Before Adam could answer, Brynn screamed. Pain, not rage, and Dylan’s head snapped up. He leapt toward the door but skittered to a stop a few feet away from Sasha, obviously torn between conflicting instincts.

Adam caught Sasha’s gaze. “Do what you have to do,” he told her, his voice deadly serious. He spun without waiting for a response and sprinted out the door.

“Nice.” Prudence’s heels clicked again as she walked slowly down the stairs. “He went off to fight the wolves and left you here.” Her eyes gleamed as she studied Sasha intently. “So why are you special?”

I can do this. Sasha repeated the words silently even as Dylan growled menacingly. Maritza had taught her everything she needed to know, and all she had to do was believe in herself the way—

The way Dylan believed in her. The way everyone in Red Rock believed in her, even if they were scared to death of what she could do.

She had to speak to call the spell she needed, and Prudence’s steps sped with Sasha’s whispered words. “What are you doing?” the vampire asked, still more curious than anything else.

The spell took hold, readying the magic inside her, and Sasha released a soft, pained breath. “You don’t look so scary. I bet you get that a lot. So do I.”

Dylan edged in front of Sasha with a low rumble of warning. He paced one step toward Prudence, and the wolf whimpering in the corner staggered to his feet and lunged at Sasha.

Everything happened at once. Dylan spun and barreled into the attacker with an angry snarl. The wolf tumbled back to the floor as Dylan lifted his head and let out a furious howl of challenge. Magic thundered through the room, a crash sounded from upstairs, and the wolf on the floor rolled onto his back in obvious surrender.

Cold, slim fingers closed around Sasha’s shoulders and jerked her back. Prudence’s soft laughter tickled the side of her neck. “You don’t have to be scary to be powerful, my dear.”

Sasha barely had time to breathe the words Maritza had taught her, a witch’s last line of defense, before the woman’s teeth sank into her skin. Sharp pain bloomed, and she thrashed instinctively, though she knew the iron strength in Prudence’s hands wouldn’t give.

THE CONTEST

Leave a comment if you’d like to be entered to win a set of the Red Rock Pass ebooks!  And keep an eye open for the new book, Haunted Sanctuary, on sale January 22nd from Samhain Publishing and available to pre-order at Samhain, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, iTunes & Books on Board!