Friday, September 14, 2012

Excerpt♥Guest Post♥Dream Cast♥Playlist♥Giveaway: Guardians of the Moon Pendant by Laura J. Williams

BB Book Tours
It is jammed packed today on FireStarBooks. There is an excerpt, a dream cast, a playlist, a glossary of Fae, Top 10 Adventure/Drama Movies of the 80s, 10 things TO DO if you want to DIE in a Zombie Apocalypse AND a giveaway. So here we go! :D

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?




♦♦♦
Prologue
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
The 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.

rmann:
[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.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

1 comment:

  1. I think the new book cover is otherworldly and mysterious! It is also very beautiful!
    Thanks for the book giveaway!

    Lindy Gomez

    ReplyDelete

Total Pageviews