There is absolutely no doubt what
my favorite vacation spot is, even if I have only been there once. Anyone who
has been to the island of Santorini in Greece will know what I mean. From its
rich yet tragic history to the sheer beauty of its steep cliffs Santorini is
both a wonder to behold and a reminder of the power of nature.
It helps to understand what
created Santorini to fully appreciate its beauty so I recommend reading up on
it a little before going there. When we stayed there we stayed in a hotel that
basically was built into the cliff overlooking the water. The steps were a bit
steep (and we might have consumed a beverage or two) but the beauty looking
down to the water, over to the other cliffs and then up to the white buildings
and blue roofs was worth it. The ruins at Akrotiri are a must see. Spend the
time to go up to Oia for at least one sunset meal. There is nothing like it on
this earth.
Santorini has featured in more
than one story. It has a featured spot in my Time series, the self published
time travel novellas. It is also in my current contemporary I am revising to
send out for publication consideration. I try to capture the power of the
island but it really has to be experienced.
***
The Universe Chronicles
Book One
Claire Davon
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Date of Publication: July 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68291-725-1
ASIN: B07FDV6TDQ
Number of pages: 203
Word Count: 60,000
Cover Artist: Ramona Lockwood
Taglines:
When Maya gets yet another call to retrieve her drunken roommate, her mind shows her a hot, amber-eyed Universe operative.
Once before, Ian failed to protect a sensitive from a brain-scrambling attack. He will not fail Maya . . . if it means using his talent—or his body—to stop a bullet.
Book Description:
Maya Wingfield was raised to trust no one—least of all the dueling U.S. and Russian paranormal agencies, Universe and Night Stars, who’d love to harness her mind-reading gift.
She thought Richmond a safe place to escape their influence and hide from a rising psychic malevolence that drove her out of San Diego. But when she gets yet another call to retrieve her drunken roommate, her mind shows her an amber-eyed Universe operative with an impenetrable net around his deepest secret—and a voice that sends shock waves of awareness down her nerve endings.
Maya’s curves and aquamarine eyes aren’t the only things that jolt Ian Sanderson’s mental shields, bringing sexual tension thrumming back to life. It’s a power his Universe-trained mind knows he shouldn’t trust. And a vulnerability that makes his telekinetic power burn in his palms to protect her.
But to Universe, she is just one of too many unanswered questions. A target for Whisper, a shadowy new group of paranormals with powers beyond anything Universe has ever seen. Once before, Ian failed to protect a sensitive from a brain-scrambling attack. He will not fail again . . . if it means using his talent—or his body—to stop a bullet.
Excerpt:
The metallic
squeal in the distance indicated the train was arriving. A light in the tunnel
swept across the concrete wall as it rounded a curve and the brakes continued
to shriek. People began to crowd the yellow line, jostling for position, trying
to determine where the doors would open so they could leap on and get a seat, a
premium on the Metro.
By now the train
was visible, moving at a rate that didn’t seem normal. His experience with the
Washington Metro was limited, but the tube in London would have been slowing by
now.
Awareness flowed
through the air, and there was a shift in the commuters as they began to
understand that something wasn’t right. Ian released Maya and shoved her behind
him. People scattered as the train started screaming into the station at too
high a speed.
“Bugger all,”
Ian said and reached out with his talent.
Without warning,
Maya was yanked from behind him and hurtled toward the moving train before he
could halt her.
He split his
mind, one focusing on the subway cars and one on her. People were flowing
around her, one or two pausing to try and help the woman jerking past them.
Maya careered forward, out of their grasp. Sparks lit the tracks as the wheels
lifted off the rails, the engineer no doubt applying the brakes in an effort to
make the cars stop.
Ian’s talent
blazed through him, starting in his belly and moving up his body. It pulsed and
crackled, filling him with power fueled by fury and desperation. He reached out
his hand, the palm glowing red as his ability hissed out in an arc. Maya halted
on the demarcation line that had just been vacated, her eyes wide and staring.
Her body was stiff, and her head was bent backwards in an attempt to clear it
from the path of the oncoming train.
Beads of sweat
broke out along Ian’s body as he found the train’s brakes on the wheels,
applying pressure via his telekinesis. The conductor was already applying
everything to the pedals, but they were going all the way to the floor.
Instead, Ian focused everything on those pads, stomping down as if he were
physically there. The train lurched and made a shrieking sound as it slowed. It
slid by Maya, her hair blowing back from the rush of displaced air.
For a panicked
moment, Ian saw Maya falling onto the tracks in his mind’s eye. Inside, the
people standing were thrown forward and then back as the brakes caught. The
train shuddered and ground to a halt.
Ian stumbled
when he released his grasp on the train. Maya ran to him as he slumped, his
shaking hands still glowing with red light. Energy drained from him but all
that mattered was Maya, safe.
The train doors
opened, and frightened passengers disembarked rapidly. The tourists had wide
eyes and open mouths while the regulars seemed more sanguine. They were used to
the vagaries of the subway and to them it was nothing more than a bad stop. A
very bad stop, to be sure, but just a random day on the Washington Metro.
“Ian?” Maya
asked, and he tasted the acrid, metallic scent of fear. It had been a long time
since anyone had mattered.
“What did you
sense? Anything?”
“I . . . it was
so brief. Someone surfaced and before I could react to his mind—it felt like a
he— I was being shoved forward. I reached out and tried to stop him, but I
didn’t know how. It had to be a telekinetic, right?” By her expression he
didn’t think she expected an answer. “It was only a flash, and then it was
gone. Why, Ian? What did he want?”
The oath on
Ian’s lips was savage. “I don’t know who it was, but they won’t get away with
this. Blast. Yin was right. You’re in danger.”
Claire can’t remember a time when writing wasn’t part of her life. Growing up, she used to write stories with her friends. As a teenager she started reading fantasy and science fiction, but her diet quickly changed to romance and happily-ever-after’s.
A native of Massachusetts and cold weather, she left all that behind to move to the sun and fun of California, but has always lived no more than twenty miles from the ocean.
In college she studied acting with a minor in creative writing. In hindsight she should have flipped course studies. Before she was published, she sold books on eBay and discovered some of her favorite authors by sampling the goods, which was the perfect solution. Claire has many book-irons in the fire, most notably her urban fantasy series, The Elementals’ Challenge series, but writes contemporary and shifter romances as well as.
While she’s not a movie mogul or actor, she does work in the film industry with her office firmly situated in the 90210 district of Hollywood. Prone to breaking into song, she is quick on her feet and just as quick with snappy dialogue. In addition to writing she enjoys animal rescue, reading, and movies. She loves to hear from fans, so feel free to drop her a line.
Website: www.clairedavon.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClaireDavon
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