Hi guys and girls! Yep, it's that day of the week again. Welcome to WOW Wednesday. My guest today is Jennifer Loiske, who writes about shapeshifters, vampires and things that go bump in the night. And she has a great gift for everyone - her spooky novel, Black Diamond, is free until March 28th!
Read on to find out more about Jennifer and her hot books...
Where you can get Black
Diamond for FREE until March 28
All
about Jennifer
Jennifer
Loiske lives in Naantali, which is a small, sunny town on the southwest coast
of Finland. She has written seven books, which can be found on Amazon worldwide,
and has three different series: Shape
Shifter for YA readers; Immortal
Blood for mature YA readers and McLean
Twins for teen/YA readers.
Jennifer is a workaholic author. If she isn’t writing
posts for her own blog or guest posts for others, articles for magazines or her
novels, she can be found in the forest with her two dogs. She is also very keen
on doing charity work and a big portion of her royalties goes to good causes;
mainly to help families with epileptic children, but also to epilepsy units in hospitals.
Jennifer is part of the author alliance, Authors For Charity, and an active
team member of Epilepsy FI.
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BLACK DIAMOND
Part One of the McLean Twins series
For readers aged 12 and up
After her mum’s sudden
death, twelve-year-old Shannon McLean has to move from the US to the English
countryside to live with her mysterious father, Connor McLean, whom she hasn’t
seen since she was a baby. Soon she discovers he doesn’t want her around and that
her moving into his huge manor, Greyman Hill, is nothing more to him than a compulsory
deal. But if he doesn’t exactly give her a warm welcome then his servant,
Robert, is most likely an incarnation of evil. He runs the house with an iron
touch and makes everyone who works there his little puppets.
Weird things start to
happen and the whole place scares the crap out of Shannon. Her dad can control
her just by looking at her. The walls are full of secret passages and
apparently she has the talent to awaken the ghosts in them. Every day is worse
than the day before and she badly wants to run away, but discovers it is
impossible. If she wants to stay alive, she has to do exactly as her dad says,
or she will not only jeopardise her own life but also those of the people
around her.
While Shannon struggles
to find the magic inside her, Connor is slowly turning into a demon. One
carelessly spoken word from her could save or destroy them both. In the end she
has to decide whether to save herself and her loved ones, or lose her dad to
the darkness and evil that threaten to eat his soul.
What readers say:
“This was a great read
and held my attention without a problem. I loved all the different aspects of
the plot. The story was very easy to follow and all the characters were well
developed. I really couldn’t stand the father in this story at all. You would
think that he would have been more caring towards his daughter and it just
bugged me that he was so cold. Great book for teen readers and I would
recommend to anyone.”
“Black Diamond moves at a pace that can only be described as
whirlwind. This is one impressive book. The storyline is unlike anything else
that I have ever read. Jennifer Loiske is an author who has the ability to move
her readers. I truly cannot wait to see what Loiske has in store for us next.”
“Jennifer has presented a
fresh idea with a delightfully independent and strong female protagonist that
will keep you cheering for her throughout the story. It kept me guessing until
the end. The emotional rollercoaster that plays throughout this novel is one of
a kind. Talent is evident in the ability to portray intense emotion without
making the story seem cheesy or unrealistic. I am impressed by the ability of
this young author and cannot wait to see what she has in store for the future.”
Excerpt (unedited by me):
“Shannon,”
Connor said from the doorway. It looked like he had been waiting for her.
Shannon
said nothing and tried to pass him.
He
blocked her way but didn't touch her. “Shannon,” he said again, but this time
danger lurked in his voice.
She
swallowed. Connor's eyes were so dark and something horrible gleamed behind
them. She froze. She could've tried to push past him, but his eyes warned her
not to even try anything like that, so she lifted her head and met his eyes.
“Connor,” she said, and was proud that her voice didn't shake.
Connor
sighed heavily. “Shannon, Shannon, Shannon. What am I going to do with you?”
“You
could start by letting me go,” she suggested quietly.
Connor
shook his head. “Can't do that.”
“Can't
or won't?” Shannon asked and felt the courage coming back to her body.
Connor
was quiet. The air around him seemed so dark. Almost like he was a black hole
that absorbed all the light around him. He was dressed all in black and looked
more like a devil than a human.
Shannon
could see Robert grinning wickedly behind him. Her mind was screaming that she
should be deadly afraid of this man in front of her, but she wasn't. She was
more afraid of the man behind him and somehow Connor seemed to be the safer
choice. There was nothing human in Robert. It was like he was waiting for
Connor to strike her down and feast on her dead body. He stared at them with
his small, cold, mean eyes and seemed to be encouraging Connor to harm her.
Connor
did nothing. After a very uncomfortably long time he shooed Robert away with
his hand. “Both,” he said and moved out of her way.
She had
almost forgotten what she had asked, but when Connor moved, she moved as well,
carefully, from the outside to the inside of the house. He followed. She was
scared of him, but there was something so vulnerable in him just then that she
couldn’t leave him alone. After all, he was her dad. Robert was gone, thank
God, so she dared to speak to him more openly than she had thought possible.
“What do you mean? This is your house and I’m your daughter. You can do
whatever you want,” she said and hoped she hadn't gone too far.
“I know.
It's just that I'm no good with little girls like you, and it's been so long
since I remembered what it feels like to be a—” He stopped and looked at her
like he was suffering.
“To be
what?” Shannon whispered, afraid to hear the answer.
Connor
stared into her blue eyes and everything vulnerable was gone from him. He
looked even scarier than before. The candles burned brightly around them and
when he spoke, their flames flashed like someone had thrown something into
them. “Never mind. Just stay away from me and obey my orders. If I tell you to
eat, you'll eat and so on, okay?”
“No!
It's not okay!” Shannon shouted. Tears burned behind her eyes. “You can't tell
me what to do! I'm not a baby anymore!”
“You'll
do what I tell you to do or you'll be sorry for the day you were born!” Connor
thundered and something touched Shannon's hair. It felt like a spider web but
it was really cold. It could've been somebody's bony fingers as well, but
whatever it was made her scream.
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CLUB NUMBER FIVE
Part One of Immortal Blood Series
For readers aged 18 and up
Samantha Green wanted only
to be normal, have a shallow life with smoking hot Jonathan Blake and an
unforgettable senior year at Regents East High. But one morning she wakes up as
a vampire. She has no idea who bit her or why. All she knows is she didn’t want
it. Now her new life is full of secrets, deceit and fear, not to mention raw
meatballs and red nectar that is definitely something else besides strawberry
juice. Samantha tries to act normal. She pretends to like her mum’s chicken
salad, goes to school and learns how to survive on her own, but what can she do
when she finds herself inside a devious conspiracy, faced with strikingly fast
hunters, secret clubs and mouthwateringly gorgeous boys – and the only food she
can catch is her best friend Kate Walker’s wrist?
What readers say:
“This book was amazing
and filled with humour. I read this book in one sitting because I could not put
it down. Samantha is obsessed with fellow classmate Jonathan. She stalks him
and then everything changes. She wakes up as a Vampire with no one to teach her
the rules and way of Vampire life. Sam chases Jonathan around for answers,
suspecting he's the one that changed her, but what happens when a stranger
appears and seems to know more about her than what she expects? I highly recommend
this book if you’re looking for a good read and laugh. Jennifer Loiske has
done an amazing job.”
“I am a middle-aged man
who has never read a book about teenagers and vampires. The wrong person to review
such a book, you may think... or perhaps the best. I had no idea what to expect
and took it all at face value. I do have some experience in the genre though. I
was once a teenager myself and I have a teenage daughter the same age as the
main character Samantha. I know how hormone-driven teenagers with big ideas and
an inwardly-focused approach to life, crave adventure and acceptance in any
world other than that represented by their parents. Jennifer Loiske follows
this theme and skillfully uses the vampire scenario as a vehicle to give a
tired, old subject vibrancy and bite. Her subtle style (I stared at him,
stunned, and tasted the word ‘friend’ in my mouth) is easy to read and helps
convey difficult emotions to the reader. The finest quality of any writer is to
paint a clear picture in their readers' minds. Jennifer does this.”
“I can say this is the
first book that officially pissed me off in a good way. Why? It ended. Don't
let the cliffhanger stop you! I have never experienced such a great hook, which
by saying I'm still a bit miffed at the author is the highest possible
compliment I can pay. I totally recommend this book to lovers of all things
paranormal.”
Excerpt (unedited by me):
A quiet
knock woke me from my miserable thoughts. I opened the door, sighing, and
watched Kate rush onto the couch and look at me with her eager eyes. I sighed
again. I could tell she was bursting but I didn't know how to start. Should I
just blurt it out or should I smoothen the edges and tell her gently? Oh God!
Why did this have to be so difficult? I glanced at her and saw how she was
struggling not to talk. Not to ask anything, like she wanted to prove she was
worthy of my trust. Oh, what the hell. I decided to spit it out.
“I think
I'm a vampire.”
Silence.
Kate's eyes widened and she opened and closed her mouth in turns. “You think
you're a vampire.”
I nodded
and she lifted her finger. She formed questions like what, when, who with her
lips but nothing came out. I nodded again and saw an angry flash in her eyes.
“And
that's why you dragged me here in the middle of the night?” Kate's voice rose
alarmingly.
“Shh,” I
hushed. “I don't want to wake my parents and neither do you.”
Kate got
up and paced back and forth. “You don't think you're a vampire, Sam. That kind
of thing you know.”
“Okay,”
I sighed. “Let's assume I know I’m a vampire. Will you help me or not?”
“What
kind of help are we talking about exactly?” Kate asked suspiciously. I licked
my lips. I couldn't help it, but just the thought of her blood made me crazy.
“Oh, no,” Kate backed away. “I'm so not going to let you bite me. Besides, what
evidence do you have that you are a vampire besides your new gorgeous look? I
thought you didn't believe any supernatural crap.”
“I
didn't,” I admitted. “But something happened to me.” I opened my scarf and let
her see the small fang marks on my neck. “I got bitten.”
Kate
leaned over and looked at my marks. I couldn't help but sniff her heavenly
smell and reveal my fangs. She glanced at me weirdly and I felt embarrassed.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “So, you have fangs. What other proof do you have?”
I
laughed nervously. She hadn't run yet and that was a good sign, right? “I don't
have any pimples anymore.” I raised my brow.
“Right,”
Kate's mouth tugged. “Anything other than what Clearasil won't cover?”
“My eyes
hurt in the daylight and I look like a supermodel,” I grinned. “And I'm
hungry.”
Kate
went pale. “How hungry?”
“Don't worry, I won't jump on you. I can
perfectly control myself.” I think, I added in my mind.
Kate sat
down again and eyed me warily. We didn't speak for a while. I pressed my knees
together with my hands as if my life depended on it and tried to ignore my
ever-so-growing hunger. Five minutes had passed and I couldn't even look at her
anymore. My throat was like sandpaper and my fangs hurt.
“Don't
lie to me,” Kate said quietly.
“I'm not
lying,” I managed to hiss. “I won't bite you. Scout's honor.”
“You're
no Scout,” Kate sneered. “Tell me exactly how bad it is.”I glanced at her and
shook my head. “Honey, your eyes are already reddish and I bet in a minute or
two you’ll drool,” she said gently and moved closer to me.
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