The Wranglers are pleased to introduce Kyra Jacobs and her latest release for your enjoyment. Make her welcome!
Hello everyone and happy late May! This month has been an absolute whirlwind of activities in my world, and I’m silently kicking myself for scheduling a book release in the middle of 2 travel soccer seasons and a senior getting ready to graduate high school. Wait—you mean the author life isn’t just sitting poolside, snacking on cheese and wine while gently tapping away on a fancy keyboard?
*Kyra chuckles as her right eyelid begins to twitch*
Nope, afraid not. At least, not for any author I personally know. In fact, those of you who follow this blog often read about the real-world adventures that your favorite authors encounter.
Honestly, I think that’s part of the attraction I have with toggling between writing sweet contemporary romance and fantasy romance—I love HEA’s as much as the next reader, but sometimes a break from reality can be so…refreshing. Exciting. Dare I say liberating?
With the sweets, I work to make them believable while bringing love to people like you and me. Along the way there are rules I must follow, reader expectations to be met. Sometimes, though, I feel the need to let my imagination run a little…wilder.
I like to think of my variety in writing choices being similar to Friday night movie selections. I love a great romcom, but that’s not the only type of movie I’ll watch. I also love fantasy and sci fi—especially anything Marvel. Movies that are believable in a make-believe world and pull me in for a few hours, leaving the stress of the day far behind.
When I write fantasy, that also gives my brain a break from the everyday. Sweets are wonderful and fun stories to create, but fantasy romance is where I get to follow a different set of rules. Rules that I choose to make. Add in humor and romance, and soon I’m happily typing away.
That’s how BLUE MANHATTAN and the Moonlight Mayhem series came to be.
I was looking for a way to escape from “the usual rules” and instead make my own. I also knew I wanted to write a strong, confident female lead who had the power to save the hero instead of the other way around. I’m not going to spoil the book and tell you how it turns out, but let’s just say this story evolved from its original concept. And I so love what it grew to be.
Hopefully, so will you.
Now I’m back to toggling between a new, sweet romance series and book 2 in the Moonlight Mayhem saga. Balance—that’s what I’m calling it. Or maybe finding my writing “sweet spot”. Whatever it is, it keeps my muse happy and the stories coming. What more could an author ask for? 😉
Happy reading, everyone, and here’s to a summer full of reading whatever books make you happy. If you got some great ones lined up, share with us so we can check them out too!
Blurb:
Bartender Shayla Tempest wants nothing more than to stay out of trouble. Oh, and to kill the supernatural mob boss who’s stolen her sister. So, when Mauricio Hunter demands Shay deliver some “special package” in exchange for her sister’s life, this supe masquerading as a blue-skinned witch doesn’t hesitate to agree. Until, that is, she learns the package is one that’s completely off-limits for her kind: a human.
Computer programmer Jamie Knight just wants to finish debugging his latest app. But some douche bag named Mauricio has kidnapped his girlfriend, and now Jamie’s dodging dangerous mythical creatures in a race against time to pay her ransom. His only hope? One seriously stubborn witch who’s blue, scary powerful, and sexy as hell.
With an unexpected attraction brewing between them, this unlikely duo will break every rule in the supernatural underworld to complete their rescue mission. But something far more devious than kidnapping is on Mauricio’s true agenda, and the erlking will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Do Shay and Jamie have what it takes to thwart his plans without losing themselves—or each other—along the way?
Excerpt:
Hello everyone and happy late May! This month has been an absolute whirlwind of activities in my world, and I’m silently kicking myself for scheduling a book release in the middle of 2 travel soccer seasons and a senior getting ready to graduate high school. Wait—you mean the author life isn’t just sitting poolside, snacking on cheese and wine while gently tapping away on a fancy keyboard?
*Kyra chuckles as her right eyelid begins to twitch*
Nope, afraid not. At least, not for any author I personally know. In fact, those of you who follow this blog often read about the real-world adventures that your favorite authors encounter.
Honestly, I think that’s part of the attraction I have with toggling between writing sweet contemporary romance and fantasy romance—I love HEA’s as much as the next reader, but sometimes a break from reality can be so…refreshing. Exciting. Dare I say liberating?
With the sweets, I work to make them believable while bringing love to people like you and me. Along the way there are rules I must follow, reader expectations to be met. Sometimes, though, I feel the need to let my imagination run a little…wilder.
I like to think of my variety in writing choices being similar to Friday night movie selections. I love a great romcom, but that’s not the only type of movie I’ll watch. I also love fantasy and sci fi—especially anything Marvel. Movies that are believable in a make-believe world and pull me in for a few hours, leaving the stress of the day far behind.
When I write fantasy, that also gives my brain a break from the everyday. Sweets are wonderful and fun stories to create, but fantasy romance is where I get to follow a different set of rules. Rules that I choose to make. Add in humor and romance, and soon I’m happily typing away.
That’s how BLUE MANHATTAN and the Moonlight Mayhem series came to be.
I was looking for a way to escape from “the usual rules” and instead make my own. I also knew I wanted to write a strong, confident female lead who had the power to save the hero instead of the other way around. I’m not going to spoil the book and tell you how it turns out, but let’s just say this story evolved from its original concept. And I so love what it grew to be.
Hopefully, so will you.
Now I’m back to toggling between a new, sweet romance series and book 2 in the Moonlight Mayhem saga. Balance—that’s what I’m calling it. Or maybe finding my writing “sweet spot”. Whatever it is, it keeps my muse happy and the stories coming. What more could an author ask for? 😉
Happy reading, everyone, and here’s to a summer full of reading whatever books make you happy. If you got some great ones lined up, share with us so we can check them out too!
Bartender Shayla Tempest wants nothing more than to stay out of trouble. Oh, and to kill the supernatural mob boss who’s stolen her sister. So, when Mauricio Hunter demands Shay deliver some “special package” in exchange for her sister’s life, this supe masquerading as a blue-skinned witch doesn’t hesitate to agree. Until, that is, she learns the package is one that’s completely off-limits for her kind: a human.
Computer programmer Jamie Knight just wants to finish debugging his latest app. But some douche bag named Mauricio has kidnapped his girlfriend, and now Jamie’s dodging dangerous mythical creatures in a race against time to pay her ransom. His only hope? One seriously stubborn witch who’s blue, scary powerful, and sexy as hell.
With an unexpected attraction brewing between them, this unlikely duo will break every rule in the supernatural underworld to complete their rescue mission. But something far more devious than kidnapping is on Mauricio’s true agenda, and the erlking will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Do Shay and Jamie have what it takes to thwart his plans without losing themselves—or each other—along the way?
 |
Excerpt:
Soap suds rose from the hot tub in the bar’s front corner, and distracted Shay from the fire water she’d been making. A lick of yellow bit her hand as she bobbled the glass, sending flames dancing across the bar top. Four nymphs sharing a nearby stool took wing to avoid the fiery cascade, a litany of curses filling the air. Shay cursed as well, reaching for a washrag to clean up her spill before it claimed any casualties.
“Dammit Floyd, what the hell are we paying you for?”
Their mile-high waste-of-fur bouncer perched beside the door bristled. “What’s your problem, Blue?”
Her cloth snagged on a crusty spot, and she lifted it to find a chunk of charred wing. Okay, strike that—claim any more casualties. She cast a dark look to the yeti. “You are. Thought you patted the water kelpies down when they were paying their cover?”
“I did.”
She tipped her head toward the growing mound of bubbles and Floyd’s gaze flicked toward the tub. With a muttered expletive, he slid off his personalized tree stump and strode toward the thickening scent of lavender. At ninety-five, the guy believed he was the best thing to come along since the invention of glamouring. Maybe in another hundred years, he’d lose the ego and Shay would be able to tolerate the pompous jerk.
No, probably not even then.
He had just made it to the kelpies when the front door burst open and a body stumbled through. A human body, judging by the way he was gasping for breath. Usually, they hit the wards and made an about-face. So far, this guy wasn’t that smart.
“We’ve got ourselves a crasher,” Milo crooned from a nearby booth, his scaly green lips drawing back to reveal teeth that desperately needed a good brushing. Like, a few decades ago.
The goblin slid his arm free of the drunken fae nestled beside him and started to rise. But a brawl was the last thing they needed tonight, especially with that package due to arrive from Mauri. Shay abandoned her washrag and strode forward, giving him a not-so-subtle shove down along the way.
“Keep your shirt on,” she said.
“But—”
“I said, keep your shirt on.”
She snapped her fingers, freezing the little bastard in place. Goblins—always trying to be the tough guys. Her spell wouldn’t hold him long, but it did allow her enough time to give their newcomer a onceover. He looked to be just over six feet tall, long and lean. Not overly muscular, but not an ounce of fat on the guy, either. Nothing she couldn’t handle if good old Floyd chickened out again. Why he got so nervous around humans was beyond her. This one’s dark hair was short on the sides and a little longer on top, just like all the pretty boys on posters in Time Square. As she stared, a pair of melted chocolate eyes began to scan the room.
Gods, he was repulsive.
“I’m looking for a woman.”
Snickering ensued as Shay continued forward, stopping before she emerged from the shadows. Best not to give him too big a fright, or their crasher would soon be a fainter. Fainters always made the griffins hungry, and she’d be damned if she was gonna jump in the middle of a herd of them to save clueless Joe Blow here.
“I think you’re lost, city boy,” she called. “Best turn around and head back to Upper Manhattan.”
He squinted in her direction and lifted one hand to shield his eyes from the entryway lights, a piece of crumpled paper in its grip. “Violet. I’m looking for Violet. They took her from me.”
His breathing was beginning to smooth; not a good sign. If he acclimated to the wards, he’d soon be able to see them all just as they were—a bar full of creatures he wasn’t supposed to know existed. Shay put a little more venom behind her words.
“Don’t know nothing about none of that. Now leave.”
The human unwadded the note in his hand. “No? Then how about a…Storm? She’s supposed to know where I can find her.”
Shay sucked in a sharp breath. Storm?
Oh, no. No, this guy could not be the package.
A human, Mauri? Are you out of your friggin’ mind?
“Ain’t got one of them neither,” she pushed. “Now scat.”
The newcomer squared his shoulders. “Well if they’re not here,” he said, voice rising above the bar’s standard bedlam, “then somebody better bring me that son of a bitch Mauricio Hunter. Right. Now.”
The entire tavern fell silent as every head turned to see what fool had said aloud the name of Antinomy’s most notorious mob boss. From the Barbie Dream House, cracking knuckles could be heard.
Then all hell broke loose.
“Dammit Floyd, what the hell are we paying you for?”
Their mile-high waste-of-fur bouncer perched beside the door bristled. “What’s your problem, Blue?”
Her cloth snagged on a crusty spot, and she lifted it to find a chunk of charred wing. Okay, strike that—claim any more casualties. She cast a dark look to the yeti. “You are. Thought you patted the water kelpies down when they were paying their cover?”
“I did.”
She tipped her head toward the growing mound of bubbles and Floyd’s gaze flicked toward the tub. With a muttered expletive, he slid off his personalized tree stump and strode toward the thickening scent of lavender. At ninety-five, the guy believed he was the best thing to come along since the invention of glamouring. Maybe in another hundred years, he’d lose the ego and Shay would be able to tolerate the pompous jerk.
No, probably not even then.
He had just made it to the kelpies when the front door burst open and a body stumbled through. A human body, judging by the way he was gasping for breath. Usually, they hit the wards and made an about-face. So far, this guy wasn’t that smart.
“We’ve got ourselves a crasher,” Milo crooned from a nearby booth, his scaly green lips drawing back to reveal teeth that desperately needed a good brushing. Like, a few decades ago.
The goblin slid his arm free of the drunken fae nestled beside him and started to rise. But a brawl was the last thing they needed tonight, especially with that package due to arrive from Mauri. Shay abandoned her washrag and strode forward, giving him a not-so-subtle shove down along the way.
“Keep your shirt on,” she said.
“But—”
“I said, keep your shirt on.”
She snapped her fingers, freezing the little bastard in place. Goblins—always trying to be the tough guys. Her spell wouldn’t hold him long, but it did allow her enough time to give their newcomer a onceover. He looked to be just over six feet tall, long and lean. Not overly muscular, but not an ounce of fat on the guy, either. Nothing she couldn’t handle if good old Floyd chickened out again. Why he got so nervous around humans was beyond her. This one’s dark hair was short on the sides and a little longer on top, just like all the pretty boys on posters in Time Square. As she stared, a pair of melted chocolate eyes began to scan the room.
Gods, he was repulsive.
“I’m looking for a woman.”
Snickering ensued as Shay continued forward, stopping before she emerged from the shadows. Best not to give him too big a fright, or their crasher would soon be a fainter. Fainters always made the griffins hungry, and she’d be damned if she was gonna jump in the middle of a herd of them to save clueless Joe Blow here.
“I think you’re lost, city boy,” she called. “Best turn around and head back to Upper Manhattan.”
He squinted in her direction and lifted one hand to shield his eyes from the entryway lights, a piece of crumpled paper in its grip. “Violet. I’m looking for Violet. They took her from me.”
His breathing was beginning to smooth; not a good sign. If he acclimated to the wards, he’d soon be able to see them all just as they were—a bar full of creatures he wasn’t supposed to know existed. Shay put a little more venom behind her words.
“Don’t know nothing about none of that. Now leave.”
The human unwadded the note in his hand. “No? Then how about a…Storm? She’s supposed to know where I can find her.”
Shay sucked in a sharp breath. Storm?
Oh, no. No, this guy could not be the package.
A human, Mauri? Are you out of your friggin’ mind?
“Ain’t got one of them neither,” she pushed. “Now scat.”
The newcomer squared his shoulders. “Well if they’re not here,” he said, voice rising above the bar’s standard bedlam, “then somebody better bring me that son of a bitch Mauricio Hunter. Right. Now.”
The entire tavern fell silent as every head turned to see what fool had said aloud the name of Antinomy’s most notorious mob boss. From the Barbie Dream House, cracking knuckles could be heard.
Then all hell broke loose.
***
Kyra Jacobs is an extroverted introvert who’s always called Indiana home, so she’s well-versed in fickle weather, pork tenderloins that don’t fit on a bun, and sarcasm. Putting her Indiana University degrees in Public Management to good use by day means Kyra does the bulk of her writing late into the night. Fueled by caffeine and funny memes, she weaves tales of love and relationships, including the humor and/or chaos both can bring. Kyra’s published novels range from sweet contemporary romance to romantic suspense and paranormal/fantasy.
When this Hoosier native isn’t at a keyboard, daydreaming through her fingertips, she's likely outside, elbow-deep in snapdragons or on a sideline somewhere cheering (loudly) for her sporty sons. Kyra also loves to bowl, tries to golf, and is an avid college football fan. Be sure to stop by kyrajacobsbooks.com to learn more about her novels and ways to connect with Kyra on social media.
Connect with Kyra:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KyraJacobsBooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KyraJacobsBooks
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kyrajacobs_author/
Website: http://www.KyraJacobs.wordpress.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/Kyra_Jacobs
We're so happy to have you here, Kyra. Good luck with your release and watch for those twitching eyelids!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Liz! June should bring some calmer days. Maybe 😉 Thanks for having me here today!
ReplyDeleteLoved the excerpt, Kyra! Thanks for visiting.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jane!
DeleteLol wow, I completely fat-fingered my response, Jana. Where’s the magic do-over spell when you need one? 😉 Thanks again for joining us this weekend!
DeleteI loved this scene, but then, I loved the whole book. Since I enjoy fantasy when I want a break from the usual, this was a lot of fun for me! But what really made it were your characters. You do them so well.
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you, Judy. I had a lot of fun with these characters. Having fun introducing even more in book 2 😊
Delete