Happy Release Day...and GIVEAWAY!!!

I would like to wish a very happy release day to Jess Haines, author of the Shiarra Waynest series. Her first book in the series, Hunted By The Others, was released early last year. Today we are celebrating book two in the series, Taken By The Others. In honor of today's celebration, I am happy to have a guest post by Jess Haines, followed by a GIVEAWAY!!!!

AND THE WINNER CHOSEN BY RANDOM.ORG IS BARBARA HIGHTOWER!!! CONGRATS!


Hello there! Jess Haines here. I’m the author of the new urban fantasy HUNTED BY THE OTHERS (link: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=16761), and its sequel TAKEN BY THE OTHERS (link: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=18148). I’d like to take a moment to introduce you to some of the cast—Shiarra Waynest, the lead character, Arnold, a mage who lends her a hand, and Alec Royce, a vampire Shiarra meets in the course of her adventures.

Shiarra Waynest Talks About Using Magic


By Jess Haines


Shiarra’s friend Arnold is going to tell you a little bit about how he uses magic. Over to you, gang!
____________________

Arnold: Woo hoo! You bitches know this one is all about me.



Sara: Honey, that’s not very nice.




Chaz: Eh, the David Blaine wannabe just wants his fifteen minutes.




Arnold: Hey!




Shiarra: This could either be really interesting or really boring.




Royce: I don’t find it very interesting, personally. Magi are common, generally useless creatures.




Arnold: Same to you, buddy.


Chaz: The leech has a point. Your kind is the most common supernatural in our world. That isn’t very out of the ordinary.



Arnold: Oh, please! I can summon beings from another world. I’d like to see the furball or the walking corpse do that.


Sara: It’s okay, love, I think you’re special!


Chaz: Get a room, you two.


Shiarra: Babe? Stop teasing my friends. We’re supposed to be on the same side.


Chaz: Aw…


Royce: Why don’t we just let the mage get this over with? I’ve got an appointment to keep.


Shiarra: Oh, well excuse us for taking time out of your busy schedule.


Royce: I don’t much care for your tone, Ms. Waynest.


Sara: Hey, you behave yourself. Both of you.


Arnold: As I was saying…


Chaz: …I’m gonna go watch the game…


Shiarra: Shush!


Chaz: Sorry.


Arnold: Ahem! So. I can make things appear and disappear at will—


Royce: Like any common stage magician. My, how exciting.


Arnold: Hey! Whose time in the spotlight is this?


Royce: Yes, yes, go on. Move it along, will you?


Arnold: Yeesh. I’m not great at conjuration. My specialties are defensive runes and glyphs. Some magi can snap their fingers and hurl a fireball—but that sort of thing takes me hours of prep time in advance to store the spell in a wand or some other focus.


Shiarra: Holy shit, you can cast fireballs?!


Chaz: DUDE. We need to go find something to blow up!


Arnold: …did you not hear what I just said?


Royce: Of course they didn’t. They have the attention span of a gnat.


Shiarra: Hey!


Chaz: Come say that to my face, buddy.


Royce: I’m not about to risk wrinkling my suit. I have an appointment with the Times I need to keep. Is this excuse for an interview over yet?


Sara: You are such a freaking killjoy, you know that?


Royce: Ms. Halloway, words cannot express how thrilled I would be to bring this travesty to a close.


Sara: Arnold hasn’t even said how he casts his spells yet!


Shiarra: You know, I hate to say it, but I’m with the vamp on this. I vote we go watch Arnold explode stuff!


Chaz: Seconded!


Arnold: Well, I did make a ring that stores kinetic energy after I read that Jim Butcher book…


Shiarra: Let’s go!


Royce: Praise the Gods, you mean it’s over?


Sara: *grumble*



____________________





You can learn more about Shiarra and the rest of her friends—and how Arnold casts his spells—in HUNTED BY THE OTHERS (link:  http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=16761 ) and TAKEN BY THE OTHERS (link:  http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=18148 ).