GUEST BLOG POST & GIVEAWAY: The Art Of A Really Good Storyteller | Teal Ceagh! - Alternative-Read.com

GUEST BLOG POST & GIVEAWAY: The Art Of A Really Good Storyteller | Teal Ceagh!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!:)

The Art Of A Really Good Storyteller


I love the fact that Sassy is sitting in Britain and I’m sitting in north America as I type this.  And you’re sitting somewhere on the globe reading this, miles apart from me or Sassy, yet, right now, because I wrote these words, we’re all connected in time and space.

Just a little bit freaky, huh?

I benefited from an English education (my editor wouldn’t call it that, as she painfully weeds out my British spelling in all my manuscripts, and my Oxford commas), and I live close enough to the Canadian border that I benefit from Canadian television on a regular basis, too.  All that cross-cultural influence has a huge impact on my writing.

I think you can see that coming out in my stories every time you pick them up.

All the Destiny’s Trinities stories have three very diverse characters at odds with each other that much somehow form a bond with each other in order to defeat the Grimoré.

Mia’s Return features such polar opposite characters – a vampire, a demon hunter who hates vampires with a passion, and a Lantina woman who has no feeling for any men save one who died ten years ago and has no idea that races other than man walk the planet – that it’s a wonder any of them can stand to be in the same room with each other, let alone form an emotional attachment.

But attachments, bonds and tethers can form in the most interesting of ways.  It all starts with someone telling a little story.  They begin at the beginning.  It can be a simple beginning.  It could start with something deceptive like, oh, say:

“I love the fact that Sassy is sitting in Britain....”

;)

*******************************
Ten years ago Alexander hungered for Mia Menendez and for a single day they had indulged that passion before tragedy struck. Now Mia is back, but she thinks Alexander died ten years ago, and no man has been able to stir her heart since. The truth could kill her.





Wyatt Whitacker, demon hunter, hates Alexander and all his kind.  But one look at Mia and her pulse-stopping curves and his scarred, angry heart begins to melt and his body to rouse in ways he’s long forgotten.
The bonding has begun…



Excerpt


He considered running down the fire escape stairs to the foyer and avoiding the congestion in the elevators. At this time of day it would take forever. The stairs wouldn’t tax him in the slightest. But it might draw attention to him. So he patiently waited for the elevator and stepped on with a dozen others and moved to the side to give them room.


The elevator stopped on the next floor, with more people getting on but by then his animal instinct was crowding him, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He was being watched. His heart thundered.
He made no sudden moves. Instead, as people pushed onto the elevator, he turned so his back was to the side wall of the car, giving him an excuse to look at everyone if he brought his head up.

He lifted his head and looked around.
She was standing on the other side of the car, almost completely obscured by the other riders because she was only just over five foot.
Mia. Shamira Menendez of San Diego, California.
His first aching thought was, You’re so fucking beautiful, Mia.
Then reality caught him in the chest. Mia was staring at him because she thought he was dead. She thought he died ten years ago, in San Diego.

And now she was watching him with tears in her eyes and all he could think about was his swelling cock and his exploding heart and how much he wanted to take up where he had left off…bending her over the counter, sliding his cock into her pussy and making her scream his name.
“Are you all right, sir?”
He tore his gaze away from Mia. “Excuse me?” he said hoarsely. He looked down at the gray-haired lady next to him.
“Your breathing is all funny,” she said. “Are you claustrophobic?”
Others were looking at him now. Becoming the center of attention was never a good thing for a vampire. Zack had drilled that into him. Seaveth was even more of a sergeant about it, now vampires were assimilating into human society. He swallowed. “I’m fine,” he said.

But he wasn’t. He looked at Mia. She was still watching. She knew it was him. There was no way to deny it. No escape. No bluff he could use to fool her. The knowledge gleamed in her eyes.
“Give him room, please,” she said. “Everyone, stand back a bit.” She was stepping closer, taking charge.

They all shuffled back, clearing eighteen inches. Mia squeezed between them and stepped into the space. “Take a deep breath,” she told him, her voice low.
He couldn’t tear his gaze from her face. The tears in her eyes pooled and one fell down her cheek. Just one. But she didn’t wipe it, or show any sign of emotion. Cool, calm, controlled. “We’re nearly there,” she added, speaking for the others in the car, maintaining the illusion of a claustrophobe in full panic mode. She knew as well as he did it was nothing of the sort.

As the doors opened, the others stood back, letting them exit first. She grabbed his lapels and hauled him from the car. He let her, for he stood a foot higher than her and outweighed her by nearly a hundred pounds. But her scent alone was wreathing his head and making his senses reel. Something with vanilla and…grapefruit? He could feel his incisors trying to descend and his mouth filling with vampire saliva to deaden her flesh so she wouldn’t feel the first piercing of his teeth. His cock was pounding with the agonizing need to slam her against the walls of the foyer and fuck her senseless.
 He was almost hyperventilating with the dilemma.
Her hand rested on his chest. God, he could feel her heat through her hand. He swallowed.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” she whispered. No hello. No attempt to confirm who he was. She was that sure of him despite ten years.

He couldn’t afford to answer her, to even start the conversation. Instead, he stared at her, soaking up details. She had been eighteen when he left and even at that age, infinitely dangerous to his pulse. Now she was a mature woman and beyond dangerous. He could feel it in his heart, his mind, his cock. His whole body was responding to her like a nuclear magnet. She wore her dark hair down to her shoulder blades but styled in some mysterious fashion that just brushed over one eye and framed her high cheekbones and pointed chin. Her black eyes, still gleaming with tears, with their arched strong brows, were staring at him, giving him no quarter. They never had. And her lips…full, the top one like a cupid’s bow. He had dreamed about kissing those lips and woken sweating in his lonely bed all those years ago when he could sweat. Those lips still looked sweet, the teeth behind them white and beckoning.

Mia was wearing a dress. He had no way to describe it, except to say it wrapped her in roses and made the most of her figure. And she had a figure. Even at eighteen she’d had a figure. He had lusted after it. And in ten years, it had changed very little. Her breasts had not sagged. Her hips had not spread. And her waist was still as tiny as ever. It was that tiny waist he had grabbed as he bent her over the counter…

He realized his heart was thundering in his ears. With her hand on his chest, she must surely feel it too.
She was frowning, staring at him. “You haven’t changed,” she said. “Not at all.” And she stepped back, her hand falling away.
Alexander realized she had seen, then, he had not aged. This was one of the reasons that Zachariah and Diego had insisted he move to New York once Zack had made him.

Mia took another step backward and he could see her doing the mental math.
“Mia,” he began and stopped, mentally cursing. He’d just confirmed he was who she thought he was. Until that moment there had remained the possibility of pretending she’d made an embarrassing mistake. It would have killed him to do it but it would have been a way out. That chance was gone now. He closed his eyes. What a fucking disaster. He opened them again and took a last look at her. Beautiful Mia. She was starting to realize there was something dreadfully wrong. Horror was creeping into her expression. He needed to leave before she began to look at him like the monster he was.
__________

To buy this book from Ellora’s Cave, click here.
For more information about the book on Teal’s site, click here.
Teal Ceagh’s website.
Visit Teal on Facebook.
Follow Teal on Twitter.




GIVEAWAY!


To win a copy of  BETH’S ACCEPTANCE, the first in the series, all you need to do is: (The same as normal!)


1) please follow this blog with "Google follow"
2) go to WitchGiggles review of Mia's Return, and leave a comment.
3) come back here to say you have done so, leaving your email so I can contact you should you be the winner.
*This instantly counts as TWO entries--BUT you have to do both!*

You have a week to enter! Competition closes next Tuesday 8th December 2009. The winner gets a download copy of Beth's Acceptance!

Good luck!

Extra Entries
These are all "only if you want to!" There is no obligation at all to do any of these - unless you want to increase your chances of winning, of course!

For each individual tweet or post/join/digg etc. you can come back here and leave a separate comment (with your email address)
*Unlimited extra entries*


How?


For loyal followers (Google Follow)
(Let me know if you already follow, with email -- in comments)
*FIVE extra entries*


For loyal followers (Networking Blogs)
(Let me know if you already follow, with email -- in comments)

*FIVE extra entries* Join the Readers and Reviewers Twitter Twibe!
(Let me know you have -- in comments)
*THREE extra entries*

Digg this post!
(Let me know you have -- in comments)
*THREE extra entries*

Become a networking blog follower (find these on the top right side of the blog)
(Let me know if you are already-- in comments)
*One extra entry*

Link back to this post/
(leave a link to your blog so I can come and visit!)
*One extra entry*

Sign the AR Guest book!
Between now and the end of the competition
(Let me know you have -- in comments)
*One extra entry*

Mention the giveaway on Facebook
(Let me know you have -- in comments)
*One extra entry*

Mention the giveaway on MySpace
(Let me know you have -- in comments)
*One extra entry*

Follow me on Twitter!
(Let me know you have -- in comments)
*One extra entry*

Re-tweet this post! If you follow me on Twitter I will see it!
(Let me know you have -- in comments)
*One extra entry*

Follow me on Digg.com
(Let me know you have -- in comments)
*One extra entry*

Comment in the AR Yahoo group!
Between now and the end of the competition
You get free ebooks and can join in with author chats using this method
(Let me know you have -- in comments)
*One extra entry*

Yeah, I am everywhere! LOL


Phew! Good Luck to everyone.

Sassy
:)




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GUEST BLOG POST & GIVEAWAY: The Art Of A Really Good Storyteller | Teal Ceagh! GUEST BLOG POST & GIVEAWAY: The Art Of A Really Good Storyteller | Teal Ceagh! Reviewed by Sassy Brit @ Alternative-Read.com on 9:05 am Rating: 5

12 comments:

  1. Re: “I love the fact that Sassy is sitting in Britain....”

    Sounds like a great story prompt to me! LOL

    Interesting article. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Sassy:

    Thanks for hosting me today. It's great to be here.

    Teal.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You're welcome. Although, as you know, Blogger nearly didn't let it happen.

    It was touch and go for a moment, I tell you! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post, Teal, and the excerpt from 'Mia's Return' was smokin' hot. Can't wait to read it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Teal and Sassy, storytelling is definitely an art, and I love that a great story will grab me from the first chapter and suck me in to the end.

    am a google follower

    left a comment on the review

    joined the AR yahoo group and left a message


    caity_mack(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Michael -- thanks for dropping by. Glad you enjoyed the excerpt. I actually had to pick and chose a bit to avoid the more extreme portions!

    Teal.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Cathy:

    You're a doll...my very favorite stalker!

    I'm glad I could introduce you to another great blog. Take care of her, Sassy. Cathy is one of the last great devoted readers left in the world.

    Teal.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Sassy,
    Thanks for this contest! I would love to win this book, since it's a new genre to me and the excerpt is really hot ;)

    - I left a comment
    - I already was a google follower
    - I left a link to your contest at the sidebar of my blog: http://erotromreader.blogspot.com/

    Hugs,
    Janna

    ReplyDelete
  9. I forget to mention my email adress.
    It's eroticromance[at]live[dot]nl
    :)
    Janna

    ReplyDelete
  10. hey, great comp.
    +am following via google (wateva_08)
    +posted a comment on review
    +followed on twitter (bianca_riot)
    +twittered about on twitter http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/24352602.rss
    wateva_08 at hotmail dot com
    thanks

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great!
    Thank for information, I'm looking for it for a long time,

    ReplyDelete
  12. norahedward6:27 pm

    Your points are all valid and useful. Thanks. georgia defensive driving

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to leave a sassy comment. It's truly appreciated. I aim to get back to you as soon as possible -- Sassy :)

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