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The Twelfth Paladin by Nora Weston

Today, I'd like to welcome Nora Weston to On the Precipice. She is sharing an excerpt and does a guest post to explain how she successfully mixes romance and sci-fi. Please leave a comment below to be entered into a drawing to win an ebook of The Twelfth Paladin.

Guest Post: Nora Weston (Author of The Twelfth Paladin & Guardian 2632)

Mixing Sci-fi and Romance

Soaring through the frigid Milky Way, a mischievous crew aboard Serenity get entangled in a government cover-up, involving a beautiful and deadly psychic, named River…which leads to a space-western adventure where Death makes itself at home. Captain Malcolm Reynolds discovers something atrocious and fights the good fight with his feisty crew, but his inner demons wage war against his morals as well.

It’s one of my favorite Sci-fi movies because even with Captain Mal involved in near death experiences where he shines as the reluctant hero…he also craves the intriguing Inara. She adds further tension to the plot by frustrating him. It’s positively splendid how Joss Whedon deepens the storyline with sexual tension.

It’s a human thing, the need to love and be loved. Can that powerful, often explosive, emotion be denied in the distant future since humans are supposed to evolve into something better? I believe the ability we possess to make ourselves vulnerable to love is the best thing about humans. Aliens are frequently depicted as cold, barbaric, soulless creatures like in Alien and Predator. They can time travel and build weapons of destruction to astound our human minds, but my favorite aliens are the ones who can love.

Buckle up! I’m going into the past now…all the way back to 1984, but watch Starman with Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen to see how well Sci-fi mixes with romance. Jenny Hayden is beyond shocked when her dead husband Scott is cloned by an alien. She witnesses miraculous things with Starman/Scott, so she eventually sets out to help him. They have three days to get to his rendezvous point, or he will die. It’s funny, heartwarming, and also an adventure as Starman races to escape the US Army and police. Basically, this movie highlights “humans are at their best when things are at their worst.” Jeff Bridges plays Starman as a creature capable of tenderness, even love. I must watch this one again soon!

Back to the future with Andrew Niccol’s 1997 science fiction thriller, Gattaca. Starring Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, with Jude Law, these three strive to survive as best they can amidst a society where genetic discrimination is forbidden, but happens. Valids get the best jobs, yet in-valids are stuck with menial jobs because it is believed they will get sick more often, be less educated, and live shorter life-spans.

Ethan Hawke plays Vincent Anton Freeman (an in-valid) who dreams of going into space, and his task is to impersonate Jerome Eugene Morrow (Jude Law), a superstar swimmer with a genetic background few could compete with. The two strike a deal. The genetic warfare begins.

Where’s the romance? Ah…enter Irene Cassini who is a valid (Uma Thurman) and passion ignites! Vincent is thrust into a murder investigation where he becomes a suspect. The plot thickens as he hides his true identity and attempts to make it know to his brother, who is a valid, that fate is determined by each individual and not a genetic rap sheet.

This Sci-fi thriller has a sleek look to it, and it would have been all too easy to abandon the romance angle, but Vincent and Irene connecting and falling in love, despite the odds of them ever meeting, makes the film for me.

Becoming an astronaut? Absolutely, that is very cool. Gattaca (the agency in the film) has a futuristic setting, yet the technology certainly does not outshine the need for love and acceptance. Finding one’s place in society, one’s destiny…is never easy. In the world of Gattaca, Vincent decides his own destiny, and wants to share it with Irene.

It’s been said love makes the world go round. So without love as part of what makes us human, Earth might as well stop spinning.  Sci-fi and romance? It’s written in the stars.

In The Twelfth Paladin, good against evil battles as an angel, demons, and a temptress extraordinaire, named Rachel Darnell, vie for the soul of Jake Cottrell. Jake foolishly dares Hell to burn him. Hell agrees. Scarred with angelfire by a rebellious angel, named Micah, Jake Cottrell is sanctioned to become the twelfth paladin in Micah 's supernatural unit of slayers. However, regret abounds as Micah is banished and ordered to protect what he now despises a human he believes is unworthy of such an honor. Never fear, Jake is a seeker of mischief who soars on a blistering blacktop to escape the wrath of Hell while he transforms into the twelfth paladin.

 

 

Excerpt

 Forbidden desire incited, I fell into Rachel’s maddening world feeling her splendid, bare breasts upon me. No rest for the wicked. A bit delirious, “Damn you,” slipped through my lips knowing I stood upon the jagged edge between life and death. Fuming with monstrous hunger, I danced on that edge feeling good and evil collide in every cell of my body. “Wait…oh…my God, just wait,” I said running my fingers through her black as midnight hair. “I’ll wait for nothing,” said Rachel skimming my neck with claws fit only for a beast. “You’re mine.” More bewitching kisses, irresistible and dreadful at the same time, demanded I fall into chaos. Tightening my grip on sin, I said, “You’re unbelievable, magnificent.” The computer screen flickered with a deep blue light as hatred in my soul grew for Rachel, but my flesh…cursed and weak, was so anxious for her essence it made me sick. You’ll be the death of me, but I’d die a happy man. Uh, hold on a second. I don’t want to die. Ready to escape her vindictive entrapment, I dared to look upon Rachel’s eternal beauty saying, “I won’t…can’t let you in.” “Too late.” Refusing to budge, Rachel slithered her smoking-hot body all over mine sparking a wildfire in my lust filled skin. “You beckoned me,” she said mesmerizing me with eyes so dark they had to be portals to Hell. Soft laughter, accompanied by a playful caress, extracted all fear while Rachel ingested the precious beams of moonlight. “You need me, Jake.” Left awestruck by the mystical presence, shadows froze at the mere sight of her. “Wrong…you need me,” I proclaimed as every inch of my throbbing, hard body burned for her. “Choose your words carefully, well…that is if you want to keep your tongue.” Sitting on top of me, she scraped my jaw with those deadly claws saying, “So shut up. I know what you crave. Yes…I…do.” Rachel slid down my tormented body making sure I’d regret rejecting her. Molten hot lips scorched my flesh, and then she chanted a devilish spell that devoured all guilt. Sexual torment, synthesized to the nth degree of potency, ignited in my veins with a vengeance. No, stop—don’t ever stop. Sh—shit. This can’t be happening again. No mercy existed as Rachel licked my face and then bit my bottom lip drawing fresh blood to quench her primitive thirst. Glaring into my eyes, she smiled wiping warm blood from her perfectly glazed, red lips. “Um, sin-filled wine.” Soulless eyes gleamed with unadulterated evil as her intoxicating scent and mouthwatering body seduced my soul. Choppy, maniacal rambling echoed like thunder and then dulled to become a terrifying murmur the likes of which only the Tower of Babble could contain. The hushed turbulence in the room frolicked with Rachel’s enticing lawlessness, until at long last…my conscience revved up to kick my ass. I halted Rachel saying, “I don’t want you anymore. To Hell with you!” I awoke sweating and exhausted from the lunacy buzzing throughout my mind. Heavy from the encounter, my eyes twitched. Free from Rachel’s spell, moonlight attacked optic nerves extinguishing the rampant fire inside me. Light? Yes, it’s virtuous…and when light is summoned, it’s an almighty force to be reckoned with. That was a priceless lesson for this seeker of mischief to learn. In the unguarded stillness of the night, I sat up in bed shaking my head while marveling at Rachel’s ardent pursuit. That beautiful…but dangerous bitch is still messing with me. Will it ever end? Feeling fresh, blood-ridden wounds on my chest made my heart flutter. “I let her into my dreams and now look at me,” I whispered catching my breath. Well, thank God I survived this one. Close call…yeah, really close. Sorry to say, the netherworld had splattered my nighttime reality with enviable, but hazardous sexual antics that, if accepted, had the ability to conquer any sense of righteousness I still retained.

Buy Links:

 

Melange Books

Amazon.com

Bookdepository.com

About The Author:

 

Nora Weston’s fiction and poetry slips in-between and all around science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Her publishing credits include the novels Guardian 2632 and The Twelfth Paladin, plus anthologies, magazines, and e-zines. Themes found in Nora’s work relate to good against evil, Internet safety, the powerful consequences for one’s actions, and the ability we all possess to improve the world. She’s had the pleasure of reaching people through the airwaves on radio stations throughout the US. Recently, her work was published for Bête Noire and Crack the Spine. Feel free to download previous interviews and segments from Desmond Haas/Romance Radio Network and Blog Talk Radio’s Not Picture Perfect, plus B.K. Walker has interviewed Nora on Blog Talk Radio as well.

 

 

 

  

Contact Nora Weston: noraweston.nw@gmail.com

 

 

  

 

 

 

Nora Weston Blog

 

 

Nora's Facebook

 

The Twelfth Paladin Booktrailer

 

Summer Chillin' Blog Hop

With the 4th of July right around the corner, this is the perfect time to exchange recipes to have a few at our fingertips as we begin the celebrations. I want to thank Yvette Davis for inviting me to participate. At the end of the post, you can find links to all the other participating blogs for some great ideas! Cheers.

Too Loose Juice

I saw this recipe years ago in a food magazine. I tried it and, rest assured, it lives up to its name.

The juice for 12 lemons
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 (750 ML) Sparkling wine or champagne
1/4 cup gin
Ice
6 lemon slices
6 Maraschino cherries

Mix fresh-squeezed lemon juice, powdered sugar, and gin until blended. Add in sparkling wine/champagne. Pour over ice and garnish glass with lemon slice and cherry. Serves 6.

SoCo Slush

1 quart of Southern Comfort
1 frozen lemonade
1 frozen limeade
6 cans of Sprite
4 cups of water

In a large container, pour Southern Comfort, Sprite, lemonade and limeade. I always measured 2 cans of water in the lemonade and limeade containers. Mix well, then place in the freezer. Stir every 60-90 minutes until the drink gets a slush-y consistency. Serve.

If I'm not drinking in the comfort of my home, I always make sure to have a designated driver. These drinks sneak up on you and I've discovered it is always better to be safe than sorry.

New Orleans Style Red Beans and Rice

1 lb. Camelia Kidney Beans
1 onion
1 bell pepper
1/4 cup shallots
1 teaspoon garlic
2 tablespoons celery
1 tablespoon parsley
1 stick butter
1 lb. smoked sausage
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup evaporated milk



Clean and wash dry beans, then place in a deep pot with 9-10 cups of water. Place on heat and bring to a boil. Add finely chopped seasoning--onion, bell pepper, shallots, garlic, celery, and parsley.  Stir well and pour in evaporated milk. Lower fire to a low medium and cover. Check intermittently and stir. After two hours, remove cover, raise heat, and add 1 stick of butter. For the next 20 minutes, keep a watch on pot because fire is higher so the water can boil off quickly and beans can burn. Add in smoked sausage, cook 10 minutes more, then serve over steamed, white rice. Salt and pepper to taste.

New Orleans Style Barbeque Shrimp

4 lbs of unpeeled jumbo shrimp
1 lb butter
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 large onion, finely chopped
Salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste

Saute onions in the olive oil until transparent, add sticks of butter and melt, blending in with the olive oil and onions. Add in shrimp and cook until shrimp turn pink. Mix in garlic right before removing shrimp from the fire. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle in Italian seasoning along with the salt and pepper. For added spice, use cayenne pepper. Slice French bread to dip into the sauce.


For more great recipes, check out the other sites!

Returning Pride by Jill Sanders

I'd like to welcome Jill Sanders to On the Precipice today. Jill's new book, Returning Pride (book 3 in the Pride Series) will be out July 1st.

Iian Jordan runs a successful restaurant that has been in his family for generations. He has a large beautiful house that overlooks the shoreline and his hometown. Why then, does he feel like something is missing? And he isn’t talking about his hearing, which he’d lost in a tragic accident over ten years ago. No, what he is missing is the person who’d just driven back into town. Someone he’s always loved from afar. Now, was when he needed to step up and grab what he wanted, before she gets away again. In the past two years, Allison Adams has made a name for herself in the art world. All she wants now is some peace and quiet from all hassles and pressures of her demanding career. Some time to get back to her roots and focus on painting. But, when she arrives home, she finds her mother trapped in an illness that consumes her every waking moment. Just when she thinks she knows the path she wants to follow, everything is taken away from her in one night and now she is being stalked by a mad-man. But, with the help of the good people in her hometown, and an old flame, she finds returning home was the best thing that could have happened to her.

Returning Pride excerpt:

It took Allison several seconds to realize where she was. She hadn’t intended on going this far up the beach. Looking around, she realized she was past the bluff. How could she have gone this far and not known it?

Blinking, she looked at Iian and said, “Wow, I guess I walked farther than I intended.” She tried for casual.

He signed as he spoke, mostly out of habit. “Doing some deep thinking?” He took her hand in his and started pulling them up the path to his house.

His hand was warm and she could feel his heart beat in her palm. Turning her head so he could read her lips, she said,“Yes, well…”

“Hang on,” he interrupted, “let’s get out of the rain.” He saw her surprise when the heavens chose that moment to open up and drench both of them. Smiling, he continued to pull her up the hill.

Quickly walking beside him, she kept her hand in his as he guided them through the rocky path lined with tall grass. The rain was cold and she realized the breeze was blowing the wind right through her light windbreaker.

All of a sudden she was very glad he’d come along when he did. She hadn’t been focused on the weather and the thought of being stuck on the beach in a storm gave her the chills. She’d grown up here and knew better than to go marching down the beach and not pay attention to the skies.

When they reached the back door of his house, he pulled her into the kitchen and reluctantly let go of her hand to help pull off her wet jacket. Then he pulled his own coat off and hung them on the hook on the laundry room wall.

She was rubbing her hands up and down her arms, trying to get warm, when he turned back around.

“Come on, let’s go into the living room. I’ll get a fire going.” Walking into the next room he looked back as she followed him slowly.

She watched him walking into the the next room. This was the first time she’d been in the large brick house. She’d seen it from the beach ever since she could remember. It always looked like a large castle shining on the hills above the beach. From her old bedroom window, she could just make out the brown roof poking up through the trees. Following him out of the large kitchen, she watched his back and enjoyed the view. He had always been very tall, but it wasn’t until high school that his shoulders had become so broad. He had played basketball all throughout junior high and high school, and she’d played on the girls team herself. Admitting it only once to her sister, the only reason she had tried out for the team was because she knew Iian had already made the boys team.

When she walked into the large living room, she noticed that he hadn’t bothered to turn on the lights. She saw him bent over the fireplace, his shirt and jeans were wet from the rain. Looking down at herself, she realized she too was drenched. Her white shirt clung to her skin. Quickly, while his back was turned, she tried to pull it loose and crossed her arms over her front.

Walking further into the dim room, she looked around. Even shadowed in darkness, she could tell it was decorated in warm colors and felt very comfortable. Iian finished lighting the fire and turned back to her.

“Come over here, you must be cold.” He still signed along as he spoke. She found it interesting to watch his hands. Could she really be turned on by just watching his hands?

An Interview with Jill Sanders:

Tell us about Iian Jordan and Allison Adams: Iian is devilishly handsome. He lost his hearing at the age of 18 during a boat accident that claimed his father's life. He has had a thing for Allison since he was young and has always been a little shy around her. Allison is an artist, that had hid her art away until two years ago after being discovered. She moved away to California where she became an overnight success. Missing the slower pace of home,, she returns home to find her mother battling Alzheimer's. She too has had a secret thing for Iian, but has always believed he never felt anything for her other than a sisterly affection. Until now.

How did you come up with the idea for the Pride Series? I initially started writing The Pride Series while sitting in my Skateboard/Snowboard shop in Colorado. I continued to write the stories for a few years, when I had time. Then we moved to rural Texas and I decided to do something with them. Now, thanks to the slower life we can have down here, I'm enjoying writing full time.

How has writing changed you? I'd like to think I'm a less crazy for getting these people and stories out of my head. But, there are a lot more still in there. I do get to enjoy working from home and spend most of my time writing my next books and series.

Jill Sanders survived 80's pop music, and life as an identical twin in a chaotic family of nine.  A feat by any standard!  She was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, relocating to Colorado for college and a successful IT career at IBM in Boulder.
Narrowly escaping before all creativity was squashed, she jumped at the chance to trade the mundane world of computers for the sexy, exciting world of her own imagination.  She now lives in charming rural Texas writing wonderful novels such as the Pride series.
Her debut novel, Finding Pride, was shortlisted in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards 2013, and has received glowing industry and reader reviews from around the world.  Her latest release is Discovering Pride. Yet another novel, Returning Pride, is slated for July 2013.
To learn more about Jill, visit her website www.jillmsanders.com, where she blogs daily, or follow her on Twitter: @jillmsanders.

To enter in a chance to win an ebook of Finding Pride or Discovering Pride, follow the link http://bit.ly/13AGThi and leave a comment below to be automatically entered in the drawing.

To get your copy of Returning Pride:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/11wAMrI
iTunes: http://bit.ly/15rp02C
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/16buqkO
Nook: http://bit.ly/17gq8wT

Watch Returning Pride trailer:  http://bit.ly/14BlF4d

BTSeMag

Introducing Wicked Allure with Excerpts from Book 1.5 and Book 2

     Book design: Crystal Cuffley

Erotic Romance Book Lovers Steamy Escape Into The World Of Wicked Allure

Erotic Romance Book Lovers Steamy Escape Into The World Of Wicked Allure

Our latest interview. Have a great day!