Dreams
in the Dark
Dark
Dreams
Book
2
K.
Margaret
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Date of Publication: August 4,
2016
ISBN: 978-1534924017
Number of pages: 197 (paperback)
Word Count: 81063
Cover Artist: Ariel LeAnn
Book Description:
Whispers abound in Gehenna, Zeus
knows the empusae is alive and he wants her dead. A war is coming, and a war is
exactly what Empusa’s been training her pets for.
Deep down, Empusa only wants one
thing—the demise of those who banished her to Hell, and she will stop at nothing
to escape and exact her revenge. Traveling the Dream Realm, she spends
countless hours searching for her ticket out, and she’s finally found him.
Krael Connolly, the Crown Prince
of Gehenna, spends his days researching demons, particularly the elusive
empusae, and his nights being visited by his Emmy in his dreams. As the Demon
of Vengeance, he fights a battle with his inner demon every day, but his
humanity continues to win out…although, the demon of his dreams is testing that
control.
He endlessly fights against the
dark, while she fights against the light. She calls to his demon as he
struggles to bring out her humanity. She lives for chaos, blood and
destruction, but he makes her experience something she'd never experienced
before—emotions.
But ultimately, what will Empusa
do?
Whatever hell she wants.
Excerpt:
Screams of
torture and cries of agony surrounded Empusa. From her vantage point high atop
a rock formation, inside her property line in the middle of Gehenna, the
demoness looked out over the vast wasteland and liked what she saw. As far as
the eye could see, numerous battles were taking place. Battles for food and
power, and all of them to the death. The dark sky above shifted between varying
shades of black, with a slight tint of red creating an eerie sight. The red
grew thicker and darker by the minute, signaling the death of the demons below.
As each one fell, the ground sought nourishment, inhaling the fallen’s essence
and leaving behind a red mist. The sight comforted Empusa like a baby’s blanket
would. She was raised on death and mayhem, became its lover until nothing was
left of her soul but a darkened void that sought only one thing: the demise of
those who banished her to the depths of Hell in the first place.
Another
anguished cry split the air, causing a slow, devious smile to spread across the
demoness’s blood red lips. By the gods, she loved the sound. The agonizing,
helpless pleas of those of the damned who wouldn’t last another hour. Usually, Empusa
forced such sounds from her fellow imprisoned demons, but she could be
satisfied with someone else playing her a lullaby tonight.
Lowering herself
against the hard, cold stone, Empusa stretched out on her back, one hand
dangling over the edge into nothingness. She closed her eyes and allowed sleep
to pull her into the Dream Realm.
Well over a
century ago, Empusa had seduced the nightmare demon, Epiales, and stolen his
powers, allowing her free reign over the realm. She could control it,
manipulate it, and use it toward her advantage. For countless hours, she used
it to search for the one who could free her from her prison. A prison her bitch
of a mother tossed her into millennium ago when she was no more than a child.
Gehenna, the
Demon Hell Realm, had been her home for so long, her childhood on Mt. Olympus
became all but a distant memory. The sweet, loving child of her past got buried
so deep, she no longer admitted to ever being such a creature. Living and
surviving among the worst of the worst of the demon species, Empusa learned to
become more than a survivor. She’d become the one demon all others feared, a
force to be reckoned with. Not only did every being within the confines of
Gehenna fear her, but they all wanted her. She’d become a legend amongst their
kind. Living in a realm where once imprisoned you stayed for eternity, Empusa
set her sights on the one thing no one before her ever accomplished. Escape.
The cries
echoing through the night vanished the deeper into sleep she went. Soon she
found herself standing in the center of a long, white hallway. Doors of the
same nondescript color lined up on either side of her as far as the eye could
see. She stood there for a moment, deciding on which direction she wanted to
go. Epiales must seriously miss the power to control such a place. How lonely
it must be to not be able to escape the prison he currently resided in. Not
that Empusa cared of the hell she placed upon him. He’d possessed a power she
needed, so she stole it. Out of all her weapons, it was possibly her favorite
in the endless battle she fought.
The toe of her
thigh-high black boot tapped with impatience against the white marble floor.
The one man she wanted to be available to her wasn’t. Empusa didn’t know what
time it was on the realm he resided in, but she didn’t care. She specifically
came for him. The need to see him, to touch him, to taste him left her off
kilter most of the day. Empusa did not appreciate the feeling. She didn’t like
not having control over every aspect of her life. This particular male caused
her to do the unexpected, like seek him out. The audacity of him not to be
where she wanted him to be, when she wanted him to be there, grated on her
nerves.
Her heart kicked
in her chest as, one by one, each door around her vanished until only one
remained. For a moment she thought she miscalculated and Krael would be
available. Her body betrayed her with the mere thought, causing her heart to
slam in her chest, but she knew right away it wasn’t Krael. The feeling in her
chest changed, making it feel as if her heart plummeted to her feet signaling a
disappointment she didn’t want or need. A snarl passed her lips and the urge to
kill something invaded her thoughts. How dare he make her feel things? It was a
good thing no one was around to witness her behavior. If there had been, she
would have killed them. No way would she allow anyone to think of her as weak.
About
the Author:
K. Margaret is a paranormal
romance author living in Georgia. Her love for words, storytelling, and mythology
started as a teenager and continues to grow. When she isn’t sucking down pots
of coffee and writing, or hanging out with her teenage daughter, she can
usually be found in front of her TV watching football, her other obsession.
Interview
Where
are you from? I currently live outside of Atlanta,
Georgia by way of Connecticut and California
Tell
us your latest news? I’m getting ready for the release of
Dreams in the Dark (Dark Dreams Series Book 2) on August 4th. I’ll also be
attending Authors After Dark in Savannah in August. It will be my first year
going as an author and I’m excited not only to get to release my book during
the event, but to finally meet a lot of the reader I’ve been in touch with
since my first book came out last year.
When
and why did you begin writing? I was a late bloomer
when it came to writing. I wrote poetry as a kid, but never full stories. I was
a verbal story teller. My best friend and I would hang around, drink coffee,
and make up elaborate stories. One day I decided I need to put those stories on
paper.
When
did you first consider yourself a writer? I first
considered myself a writer when I put pencil to paper and allowed the voices in
my head to tell their story.
What
inspired you to write your first book? My best friend got me
thinking about it, but my fellow author friends really convinced me to go for
it.
Do
you have a specific writing style? It depends on what I’m
writing. A lot of my last book came to me while I was writing it, my current
project I’m spending time to plot out.
How
did you come up with the title? All the books in my
Dark Dream Series have “dream” or “nightmare” in the title. My current release,
Dreams in the Dark, actually comes from a line in the book.
Is
there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? I
hope my readers see that not everyone’s version of happily ever after is the
same. That not ever heroine is looking for love. That a female can be a hero to
herself; be selfish and brazen, but still have something deep inside her that
she’ll only reveal to those who’ve earned it.
How
much of the book is realistic? The majority of the
setting of Dreams in the Dark is real. It takes place in Savannah, Georgia and
several of the city’s landmarks are incorporated. Also, the emotions and
relationships/friendships are realistic.
Are
experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
No, pure work of fiction.
What
books have most influenced your life most? The Secret Garden by
Frances Hodgson Burnett was my gateway book and, to this day, is my favorite.
Robert Frost and Edgar Allan Poe were the two poets I couldn’t put down when I
was younger, and still can’t. The Fae Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning and
the Immortals After Dark Series by Kresley Cole have influenced and inspired me
to write with every piece me. There is something haunting and magical about the
way those two woman can weave a story.
If
you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? If
I ever have a question, even if I think it’s a stupid one, A.L Kessler is
always there to help me. She has guided me through so much of not only the
writing process, but through publishing, I could never thank her enough.
What
book are you reading now? I’m currently reading Feverborn by
Karen Marie Moning and Celtic Myths and Legends by Peter Berresford Ellis
Are
there any new authors that have grasped your interest? While
Kelley Armstrong has been around for a while now, I was just introduced to her
books not long ago and I’ve inhaled almost all of them.
What
are your current projects? I’m currently working on Lost
Dreams, book 3 in the Dark Dreams Series.
What
would you like my readers to know? I love talking to
readers. Whether it be my book or another book your reading, I would love to
hear from you and discuss all things books.
No comments:
Post a Comment