Guardian of the Moon Pendant (Highland Secrets) by Laura J. Williams
Published
July 25th 2012
The MacAlpin women are of a fierce clan, born from a
rare bloodline that harbors a dark and powerful secret – a mystical heirloom
called the Moon Pendant. It is the key to controlling the MääGord standing
stones, a magical Portal into the Otherworld, the realm of the Fae.
Anabel and Izzy’s MacAlpin are two sisters, polar
opposites, living separate lives.
Anabel’s life is going precisely according to her plan,
a ring on her finger from her steady beau, Edgar, and medical school in the
fall.
Izzy’s life is filled with scars and wounds from her past.
Dubbed the “spare child” by her family and treated poorly, she rebelled, and
now lives life by her own rules.
These two sisters’s worlds are about to explode when one
of them must go to Scotland and fulfill her duty as the Guardian of the Moon
Pendant, by recharging this magical heirloom with four elementals, air, earth,
water, and fire, and then finally close the Portal.
There’s only one problem…
The Baobhan Sith – a vampiric faery who lures men in
with her hypnotic voice, feeding on their blood or transforming them into
Màrmann, her zombie-like warriors who do her bidding – desires the Moon Pendant
to take control over the Portal, opening a gateway into the realm of man,
helping her to seek revenge on the MacAlpin clan, and to quench her eternal thirst
for human blood.
Anabel finds herself torn between a sinfully handsome
Scottish warrior, Blane and her fiancée, Edgar. Izzy finds herself, angered by
her sister’s lack of faith in her.
Both sisters are forced to help one another, but may end
up killing each other in the end.
Will these two sisters put aside their differences
before the final task to charge the Moon Pendant or will the Baobhan Sith, the
vampiric faery, be successful and open the Portal into the Otherworld?
I lay there sprawled out on a cold stone slab, tucked away deep inside the demon’s lair, spread-eagle, face-down, blood trickling from my mouth. The Màrmann hovered over me like vultures, swooping in, their mouths drooling, poking me with their sharp claws, testing to see if their prey was dead or alive, itching to get a taste of my most precious blood.♦♦♦
I doubt the Màrmann
ever had female blood before, let alone a MacAlpin; most of their
food was wayward travelers, local Scots men or the naïve backpacker,
lured by their demon’s hypnotic voice.
I felt their
hesitation, their boots shuffling side to side, lips smacking, even
salivating, not knowing if I was as delicious as they thought I’d
be. If only the Bloody Baron were here to let them know that indeed,
my nectar was the sweetest of the sweet.
But, seriously, it
didn’t matter anymore.
I was dead.
Toast.
End of the line.
Kicked the bucket.
Kaput!
Lights out.
Six feet under.
It’s over, buddy.
The End!
The Grim Reaper had
arrived, and he didn’t look like he was stopping by for crumpets
and tea.
So who cares if the
Màrmann throw back a couple of pints of my blood? I didn’t need
it. Drink up, I say! Follow it back with a beer chaser and a couple
of nips of whiskey and we’ll make it my last happy hour! A final
fare thee well party!
Except now… I was
the beverage of choice.
Isn’t it funny
how quickly things change?
Glossary of Fae
Ankou:
In Celtic folklore, the Ankou is
considered to be the equivalent of the Grim Reaper. He rides around
on his smoldering motorcycle with his skeleton sidecar, collecting
the bodies of all who have been touched by the Otherworld.
Baobhan Sith:
[baa'-van shee] A vampiric faery
from Scottish folklore. She uses her seductive voice to hypnotize men
into her lair, using her razor-sharp fingernails to suck out her
victim’s blood. But, if she injects her prey with her toxic venom,
they turn into a Màrmann.
Dryads:
[dri-adz] Dryads are beautiful
tree nymphs. They are spirits dwelling within the trees, groves, and
forests of Scotland.
Fachan:
[fah-shan] A Fachan is a faery
from Scottish folklore. He has one bulbous eye, one arm, one leg, and
is covered in bristly hair and dark blue feathers.
Ghillie Dhu:
[gil-ee-du] A Ghillie Dhu comes
from Scottish folklore. He is the guardian spirit of trees and
harnesses the elemental of earth.
Heather Pixies:
Heather pixies are speedy winged
faeries, covered in blooms of purple heather. They have the ability
to spring vines from their hands and feet, making them able to carry
and restrain anything a hundred times their size.
Leigheas:
[lay-huss] Leigheas is a faery
who has the ability to heal men and the Fae. Once her powers are
used, she’s helpless and can only regain her powers from the rising
sun.
Màrmann:
[mar-mhen] Zombie-like warriors
whom the Baobhan Sith’s has inflicted her poisonous venom into,
changing them from regular men into her undead army.
Nuckelavee:
[knog-gul-vee] Nuckelavee is a
creature from Scotland’s Orkney Island folklore that is known as
the devil of the sea. A vile hybrid of half-man and half-horse, its
skinless body is covered in raw living flesh. Its horse’s head has
only one eye. Centered on its back is a thin rider with no legs, but
has long ape-like arms.
Red Cap:
A Red Cap is a murderous faery found in
Scottish folklore. He is an old hunch-backed man, carrying an
iron-pike, donning iron-clad boots, who is fast as lightning. He
dwells in castles and towers, killing travelers regularly to keep his
red cap drenched in blood, for if his cap dries out, he will turn to
stone.
Stone faeries:
Stone faeries are ethereal angel-like
faeries trapped within the MääGord standing stones, waiting for a
chance to break free from their cold monolith prisons.
Trows:
A small goblin-like faery from
Scotland’s Orkney Island folklore. They’re only about a foot tall
and will immediately turn to stone when a person from the realm of
man gazes upon them. Only those who have been touched by the
Otherworld can see a Trow move freely about.
Will-o’-the-wisp:
Ghostly firelights seen by travelers at
night trying to lead them astray.
Dream Cast:
Anabel: Deborah Ann Woll
Ms. Control freak is torn between her
perfect life with her fiancé Edgar and a sexy Highlander, Blane.
Will she choose love or will the Moon Pendant’s power corrupt her?
Izzy: Katy Perry
Ms. Rebel Yell herself, the wild child
with a pure heart, always fighting for survival, hoping her family
will hear her voice and see her for who she really is. Will she
finally find love and someone who can believe in her?
Blane: Chris Hemsworth
Blane is a Highlander and a Sentinel of
Light guarding Dunvarghan Castle and protecting the boarders between
the realm of the Fae and the realm of Man. Is he truly in love with
Anabel or is he secretly in love with someone she reminds him of?
Fergus: Alex Pettyfer
The scruffy Scotsman who never runs
from a fight, but will he run from true love?
Vyx: Tom Hardy
Mr. Meat-Head, the Neanderthal himself,
hides a secret past, a love that binds him forever. Will he find what
he is looking for and secure his eternal love’s heart?
Granny: Judi Dench
Granny, the devoted Guardian, must
secure the bloodline and help the MacAlpin women to see the truth in
themselves and close the Portal before it’s too late.
Harriet: Kathy Bates
Harriet is the skittish mother who’s
always fearful of the past. Will she gain the strength and finally
face her worst fears?
Edgar: Christopher Gorham
Mr. Nerd is lost in a world of ideas
and the perfect woman.
Hamish: Michael Gambon
Fergus’ drunken father, whose
childish dreams of the Baobhan Sith, the vampiric faery, quickly
transforms into his adult nightmare.
Lainahwyn: Angelina Jolie
Lainahwyn is the Baobhan Sith, the
vampiric faery, who uses her seductive voice to hypnotize men into
her lair, but her true desire is to destroy the MacAlpin clan and
open the Portal into the Otherworld.
Guardian of the Moon Pendant
Playlist:
Anabel’s Theme Song:
Shake it Out: Florence + the Machine:
Shake it Out
Izzy’s Theme Song:
Everything Louder Than Everything Else:
Meatloaf: Bat out of Hell 2: Back into Hell
All These Things That I’ve Done: The
Killers: Hot Fuss
Cry Little Sister: Gerard McMann: The
Lost Boys
Gives You Hell: The All-American
Rejects
Unsafe Building: The Alarm
Phil Philips: Home
Katy Perry: Firework
Katy Perry: Wide Awake
Katy Perry: Teenage Dream
Alanis Morissette: Guardian
Meatloaf: Bat Out of Hell
Meatloaf: You Took The Words Right Out
Of My Mouth
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me:
Roger Daltrey
Top 10 Adventure/Drama Movies of the 80s
1. Indiana Jones: Raider’s of the
Lost Ark
2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
3. Eddie and the Cruisers (The original
Jersey Shore)
4. Back to the Future
5. The Princess Bride
6. Die Hard
7. Field of Dreams
8. Dead Poet’s Society
9. Stand by Me
10. Top Gun
10 things TO
DO if you want to DIE in a Zombie Apocalypse
1. If you want to
die> Carry no weapons. This ensures you will have no way to defend
yourself and the Zombies will catch you and eat your brains!
2. If you want to
die> Follow the horde of people running away. The Zombies will
naturally follow the large horde of people. If you go with the crowd
you will surely become Zombie food.
3. If you want to
die> Scream like a banshee. Zombies are attracted to sound. If
they hear you screaming like a banshee - odds are they will find you
and eat your brains!!
4. If you want to
die> Carry an obscene amount of food, water, and ammunition.
Overloading on supplies may sound good - but it will weigh you down
and you will soon become Zombie chicken McNuggets.
5. If you want to
die> Try to negotiate with a zombie. Zombies are the living dead,
they don’t care who you are! If you have a brain they will eat you!
So RUN!!!
6. If you want to
die> Hang with the roly-poly kid and promise you’ll protect them
in the end. As noble as this may sound - it’s really dumb - the
roly-poly kid is the first one who will bite it and if you’re their
trying to protect them - you’ll be the second one to bite it! So
stay away from the slow kids!
7. If you want to
die> Drive a car. During the ZA the streets will be jammed with
abandoned vehicles. Maneuvering a car around them will slow you down
or worse get you stuck while a horde of Zombies descends down on you.
Unless of course you have a tank, in that case, use the tank!
8. If you want to
die> Wear heavy clothing. Heavy clothing and clothing that is long
and billowy is a sure way to slow yourself down and can easily be
latched onto by that horde of zombies that is now banging on your
door and you’ve got your scarf stuck in the door!
9. If you want to
die> Don’t be prepared for the ZA. A sure way to have the Zombie
horde to dine on your fluffy brains is to not be prepared. Always be
prepared for the ZA!
10. If you want
to die> Panic! There is no time to panic during the Zombie
Apocalypse. If you do - you will surely do something stupid and end
up as Zombie food! Keep calm and find shelter - let the roly-poly kid
bite it before you!
Author
Bio:
Laura J. Williams is a hopeless and lost cause, tucked
away in her dark sleeping chamber, in her gloomy abyss of a writing cave,
separated from the realm of man, chomping on chicken legs and quenching her
thirst with large glasses of red wine. She is consoled daily by her rescued
cat, baby-kitty, who only gives her love when she wants to.
Aye, it is a sad life she lives…
But, God danced the day Laura was born, the angels
rejoiced, and the demons trembled.
She’s just another day-dreamer with a story to tell,
doing her best to kick arse. She hides behind a shroud of anonymity, creating a
world of lost mythical creatures, breathing life into them, and praying that
someone will take pleasure in her work.
She is the warrior of the heroine, the sorceress of
words, yielder of magic, teller of dark secrets, and the jester of tantalizing
tales.
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I think the new book cover is otherworldly and mysterious! It is also very beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the book giveaway!
Lindy Gomez