First things first…congratulations to Plotmonkey, Leslie Kelly, for finaling in this year’s RITA awards!! SHE’S NO ANGEL has been nominated for Best Single Title Contemporary Romance! Yeah, Leslie! We’re so proud of you! And I’m proud of you, roomie!
Back to the week of excerpts! This experience is so incredibly exciting…getting to read the chapter along with over a hundred readers a day! More! Lots of people aren’t posting comments, but are reading along. Wow. Thank you all for following along with the story and commenting in the thread. Remember, when you do, you’re eligible to win a $20 Amazon gift card! Just check the excerpt tomorrow to see if you’ve won…today’s winner is listed at the bottom!
Now, if you’re just joining us, taking a moment to catch up by clicking the Prologue and then Chapter One. Then come back here to enjoy Chapter Two!
Air rushed into Damon’s lungs, nearly choking him. His eyes flew open and he was partially blinded by the sudden light. Had it happened? Had he finally crossed over from the plane of his punishment into hell, where he belonged?
A soft mewling at his ankles convinced him he still was not dead. At least, not entirely. And he couldn’t suppress a wave of disappointment, an undercurrent against his natural instinct to survive.
He looked down, not surprised to see a long-haired, black cat swirling around his ankles. He kicked out, but the animal merely burst into a cloud of smoke and seconds later, reformed into the crafty feline he was.
“Away, beast.”
The cat stared at him with amber eyes flecked with gold, eyes that, perhaps, didn’t look so evil after all these centuries.
Damon bent down. The cat disappeared. A split-second later, he felt a warm, furry weight in his arms.
“You enjoy taunting me,” Damon said to the cat.
The creature replied by purring and rubbing its flattened face against the bulge of his arm.
The cat’s rumbling vibrations brought Damon a peace he did not deserve. He preferred the state of dormancy he fell into every hundred years or so. Drowsy. Still. Forgetful. Dead, and yet…not. A phantom, unable to escape from a prison of his own making.
For long periods of time, he couldn’t remember exactly what or who he was, why he was trapped in a world that consisted of little more than a drawing room, a doorway that led to nowhere and a window that looked out on nothing. Somewhere in the far reaches of his mind, he remembered a time when he’d been whole. Virile. Strong. Solid.
And ultimately, cursed.
He remembered a sorcerer. A missing sister. Brothers dispersed into a storm in search of their wayward sibling. A storm. And magic most evil.
But beyond that, his brain felt too taxed to work out the details. How could the particulars matter after all this time?
And yet…
What was the smell suddenly invading his nostrils? He breathed in deeply. The cat meowed. Sea salt? He closed his eyes and focused on the sounds teasing the edge of his consciousness. Waves? How could that be? There was no ocean in Valoren. Had he transported back to his beloved England? Or was he somewhere new?
Another sound sent him bolt upright and after a moment, his surroundings solidified. The brush strokes faded and the furnishings in the room sharpened. He could feel the carpet beneath his boots, smell the smoke from the torch in the sconce and the melting wax from the candle above the unlit fireplace. The atmosphere became suddenly dank and cloying, causing his linen stock to chafe against his neck. He reached around and undid the ties, his hand brushing against his long hair, bound with a black ribbon. Was it his imagination, or was he still damp from his ride in the storm?
A loud chopping noise drew his attention away from the state of his body and clothes. Despite the cat growling in his arms, Damon stalked to the window. He tore aside the heavy drapery, shocked that the view outside was no longer blank canvas. Below, angry waves crashed against a shore of sharp boulders at the base of the castle. Blue skies, devoid of clouds, gleamed all around him. And then swooping in from above him, something hovered in the sky. The sun glanced off the monstrosity, forcing Damon to look away. The cat scrambled out of his arms, arching and hissing, its claws sharp through his sleeves.
Damon froze, enthralled. The metallic bird turned and through what looked like glass, he saw a woman trapped inside the belly of the beast. He reached out to brace himself on the window, but his hand slipped straight through.
Yet no glass shattered.
Damon jerked away from the window, his breath sapped and his eyes, clearly, deceiving him.
“Where am I?”
He shouted his question, but just like every other demand he’d made since his entrapment, no one replied.
#
“Did you see that?” Alexa said, her heart clenched in her chest. She almost couldn’t breathe, but she wasn’t sure if her reaction was from the dizzying, bumpy movement of the helicopter or the flash of a face she’d seen in the window of the supposedly abandoned castle–followed by a solid hand materializing, briefly, on the outside of the window and then disappearing from sight.
“See what?” Jacob replied.
Alexa removed her headset, adjusted her sunglasses and looked again. The noise of the helicopter was deafening, but she ignored the pulse against her eardrums. The curtain inside the window had fluttered shut. The glass was old, but surprisingly clean of grit and grime–and unbroken.
Her skin crawled with memories. Having Jacob as her stepbrother and Cat as her best friend ensured that Alexa had seen all manners of odd things in her lifetime. Some easily explainable. Others, not so much.
And this time, she’d seen a man.
Hadn’t she?
She replaced her headphones. “Can you bring us any closer?”
The pilot responded quickly. “Negative. The wind is picking up. Ms. Chandler, we need to go back.”
“Not yet.”
“Alexa, I’d prefer not to die out here. You’ve seen the castle. The structure looks sound. Let’s go back,” Jacob insisted.
His face had turned a pasty white. And she was the one who hated flying?
“Circle the island one more time,” she ordered the pilot. “There has to be a place to land.”
The pilot complied, just as she knew he would, thanks to the more than generous incentive she’d offered him after take-off if he could put down safely and allow her to explore the island. Every nerve ending in her body flared and quivered. Imagined man in the window or not, Alexa planned to survey the inside of her castle. Today.
She grabbed the seat as the pilot swerved into a turn. Once more, he remained high above the trees, brush and bushes that filled the area between the reputed stone wall and the house. In many places, they couldn’t see any hint that the wall still existed. For all she knew, the salt air had broken down the stones until nothing existed to keep her out of the castle–if only they could find a place to land.
Jacob scooted away from her, flipped aside the microphone hanging near his lips and muttered, his mouth against the glass. She rolled her eyes. Let him pout.
Since she’d ordered the pilot to search for a place to land, circumnavigating the island took a little over five minutes. The pilot’s voice crackled over the headset when a strong wind slammed the helicopter. They dropped ten feet. Alexa screamed. Jacob seemed frozen in his spot until the pilot regained control and lifted the helicopter back to its original altitude.
“Sorry, folks. Man, that gust came out of nowhere. Ms. Chandler, I’d love that bonus, but it isn’t going to be worth much if the chopper goes down permanently? Maybe we can come out earlier tomorrow, get a better look…”
Despite the direct input into her ears, the pilot’s words faded as Alexa stared out of the window. A cluster of tall palms bent backward in acquiescence to the blustery air. In the cleared space, she saw something that everyone had told her didn’t exist.
A lagoon.
“Jacob!”
She grabbed his sleeve. He slid over to her side of the seat. She pointed. His eyes widened.
“You’re right, Captain,” Alexa said, nearly unable to contain the bubbles of excitement popping inside her. “Let’s head back to the airport. I think this challenge is best attacked by sea.”
#
The minute Alexa stepped onto the tarmac, she cursed herself for sending Catalina to Texas in pursuit of the documentation on Valoren. If her friend had been in the chopper, she could have verified what Alexa had thought she’d seen. Or perhaps, what she actually had seen, but was having trouble wrapping her mind around.
A man. A flash of a man.
A man whose hand had solidified on the other side of an unbroken window and then just as shockingly, disappeared.
A man…or a ghost?
She swallowed hard. She’d wanted a haunted castle, hadn’t she? She had no business getting all freaked out and scared now.
Behind her, Jacob was in deep conversation with the pilot. She scurried through the executive airport and into the waiting limousine. Using her satellite phone, she dialed her private plane and was immediately patched into Cat.
“We haven’t landed in Texas yet,” Catalina announced, sounding amused by Alexa’s eagerness.
“Not why I’m calling,” Alexa replied, fully aware she was about to knock the humor out of Cat’s attitude. “We made it close enough to the castle to see into a window. And I think…” she took a deep breath, “I saw someone.”
“Someone?”
“A man.”
“Inside?” Cat asked.
He’d worn white. The image suddenly flashed in her mind. A white shirt. Long sleeves. “The place is supposed to be deserted. I only caught a glimpse, but I swear, there was a man inside my castle. And his hand…”
She recounted what she’d seen. The thrill tripping through Alexa’s bloodstream caused her to shiver deliciously. Driven by excitement, curiosity and fear, her emotions skimmed just beneath the surface of her skin. Her body zipped with an electric current she didn’t think she’d ever felt before.
The connection crackled. “No one pays much attention to that island,” Cat reasoned. “You could just have a squatter.”
“And the hand?”
“The sun is bright. It could have been an optical illusion or your overactive imagination.”
Alexa smirked. “Or a ghost.”
Realizing she wasn’t entirely alone in the car with the driver at his post in the front seat, Alexa raised the glass partition.
“That’s your first guess?” Cat asked. “You’re starting to sound like your brother, always jumping to the occult to explain a simple anomaly.”
Alexa whistled out a breath. She couldn’t argue. Cat was right. “Explain the disembodied hand.”
Cat remained silent.
Alexa cleared her throat. “I know I sound crazy, but I’ve had the oddest feelings about this place since Jacob brought me the deed. And what with all the legends and rumors…maybe I’m caught up in the hype, but could you imagine? A real ghost?”
Cat still didn’t respond and Alexa realized she’d probably scared her best friend half to death. Cat had seen many people slip over the sharp edge that separated reality from fantasy. She wouldn’t be entirely surprised if Cat ordered Alexa’s pilot to turn the plane around immediately so she could return to Florida and slap some sense into her.
“Yeah, I can more than imagine,” Cat said. “However, I can’t help but kick around a few more earthly scenarios that include a serial killer hiding out in your castle, not some soul who hasn’t crossed over.”
“Well, I’ll find out soon enough.”
“I thought the island was inaccessible,” Cat reminded her.
“During our fly over, we found a small lagoon. All I need is a boat, and I’m on my way.”
“Take someone with you,” Cat warned.
Alexa glanced out of the car window and spotted Jacob moving toward the limo. “Jacob’s with me.”
“Take someone else.”
Alexa rolled her eyes. Four years and these two still couldn’t shut off the antagonism. “Right now, he’s all I’ve got. Besides, I can take care of myself. And oddly enough, I’m not afraid.”
“That’s what scares me most, mija. That’s what scares me most.”
#
Cat disconnected the call, sat back into the plush seat of Alexa’s corporate jet and considered canceling her research trip to Texas. But by the time she landed in Florida again, Alexa would have already stormed willingly into a potentially dangerous situation. Though Cat didn’t trust Jacob as far as she could throw him, she had to admit that to date, he’d been very protective of his stepsister, as if his narcissistic brain somehow registered that Alexa was the only family he had left.
And Alexa wasn’t exaggerating when she said she could take care of herself. Cat had sparred with her enough times at the dojang to know her friend could fight. Maybe not with a crazed serial killer, but Cat had learned long ago that despite her intrinsic abilities to catch visions of the future, she couldn’t alter the destiny of her friends, her family.
Or most especially, herself.
Once Fate cast his lot, nothing and no one could change the outcome, even when the outcome meant tragedy–or even death.
Want to read the next chapter? Click here!
—————
Commenter #101, Karin! Congratulations, Karin! Please send me an email (julie at julieleto dot com) with a snail mail address and I’ll get your certificate out ASAP! Keep entering, people…five more chances to win remain!
By all reports, Julie Leto was a sweet child once, somewhat shy, preferring to play quietly in her room making up stories. However, being raised with three brothers in a loud, primarily Italian household did have its influences and Julie discovered her inner tough girl. That’s probably why most of her heroines kick serious butt. Writing sassy heroines has worked out, as she’s sold nearly thirty books to three publishers featuring strong, confident women. Julie lives in Florida with her husband, daughter, spoiled dachshund, enormous guinea pig and a wide range of relatives all within driving distance.
3 Seductions and a Wedding
COLD SIGHT
Kiss Me If You Can
Wild For Him
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First one to comment, Keep the excerpts coming!
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Congrats to Leslie! What a lovely honor! Good luck :)
I am loving these excerpts, and really can’t wait to get this book soon. April 1 right? That’s so far away….
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Oh, wow, this is getting better and better. I can’t wait to see what happens!
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First of all, Woo Hoo, Leslie!
I’m so excited for you. I loved She’s No Angel. :)
Congratulations.
I love Phantom Pleasures, Julie. This chapter a day idea is brilliant. :)
I hope my Amazon order wings its way to me before you finish posting chapters. :)
Lara
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Love it! Keep ‘em coming.
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Congratulations, Leslie!!
Loving this, Julie. I’ll be back tomorrow.
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Congratulations to Leslie! That’s such terrific news.
And Jacob made me laugh.
Yet another great chapter, Julie – first ghost sighting!
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Love the excerpts!
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All right – when can we buy it?
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What am I going to do after this week is over???!!!!! I am loving it !!!
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Julie- These excerpts are great! Keep them coming! I can’t wait to read the whole thing.
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I will look forward to tomorrow’s excerpt.
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Another great excerpt. Looking forward to the next.
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Congrats Leslie.
Another great excerpt.
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Having an excerpt a day is a good way to get people to want to finish the book. :readdabook:
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I just stumbled into the website and am now officially caught up with the story! Great stuff! I was hooked after the first paragraph and will be back tomorrow. ~ :)
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Holy Cow, another fantastic excerpt! I can’t wait for the next one. Just when I think this story can’t get any better it does!
Leslie, were you able to sleep at all last night?
Have a terrific day all,
Cher
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Thanks so much everyone! Julie, you so didn’t have to share your spotlight…but thanks again for the warm fuzzies! Gonna be some :banana:
in San Francisco!
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PS: No, Cher, I was too busy grinning. :grin1:
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Loving Phantom Pleasures Julie! Can’t wait for the next chapter!
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Congrats to Leslie.
I’m so enjoying reading these first 2 chapters and prologue of Phantom Pleasures ~ thanks!
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Julie, it just keeps getting better and better! (I almost didn’t read the chapter today, because feeding them to us one at a time is sheer torture when it’s the kind of book I would stay up all night reading not want to put down until I finished it, lol — but I couldn’t resist). Release day, hurry up and get here! :)
Leslie, huge congrats on the Rita final! I’ll be cheering for you at National this summer.
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I just can’t stay away! This is sooo good…of course all your books are good so :)
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Congrats Leslie!!
Is it Thursday yet? I want my next excerpt!!
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Leslie, I figured you were to excited doing the Snoopy dance to sleep.
Cher
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Thanks for the excerpt!
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I want to say congrats to Leslie. She is one of my favorite authors. I buy her books ALWAYS because I know they will be good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Julie, I’m so sucked in…I would have stayed up and read the whole thing in one night it’s that good!!
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Congrats, Leslie!!!
And congrats to you, Julie for another great read!!!
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I can’t wait to see what happens during Damon and Alexa’s first verbal interaction. Hopefully in tomorrow’s excerpt? Thanks, Julie.
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Love the excerpts.
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I am ready for tomorrow’s excerpt.
Is ther any chance the book might be in the stores before the first of April?
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Already a bit spooky! Mighty cool!!!!
Lois :banana:
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Great excerpts, I can’t wait to read more.
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Wonderful excerpt. ready to read on. thanks.
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Fantastic! I am loving this book so far. Keep it coming!
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Congrats Leslie!
Ooo…I want more excerpts!!! :)
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Congrats to Leslie. Can’t wait for the next excerpt.
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OMG, I can’t wait for the next one!!! You know, AM didn’t share her arc and now I’m dying to read more.
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WTG, Leslie Kelley!! And this excerpt is SOOoooo good, Julie….I can’t wait to read the book and find out more….lol…I SO could not have put it down here…ARGH!!
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Congratulations Leslie!
Fabulous excerpts Julie!
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Thanks so much, HelenKay! You know, Phantom Pleasures is being paired with your new book at Amazon right now. I thought it was cool. Last week, it was with Jaci Burton’s book, which was cool, too. Authors I know!
Also…while the book is still a pre-order, there is a 5% discount. In case anyone is interested.
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I’m thoroughly loving this!!! Can’t wait to read more!
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OOOO it’s so good. Can’t wait to read more.
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Thanks for sharing! Thanks Aunt Gwyn for telling us about this site!
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Julie, I am looking forward to Phantom Pleasures! Can’t wait to have the “whole book”!!!
:giggle:
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Wow!!! I have to admit that I am not usually into the paranormal romance genre, but this has me hooked. Gonna have to get the book.
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I can’t wait for tomorrow’s piece! This is great!
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Congratulations, Karin!
Julie, these excerpts are simply outstanding!
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Thanks for another great chapter. I hope you all are having a wonderful week.
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Another great excerpt, I am really enjoying this story.
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WHEW! I finally got through….awesome Julie…
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ENJOYING THE DAILY EXCERPTS.
ALICE IN TEXAS
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Congratulations, Leslie! Another great excerpt – thank you.
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Congratulations, Karin!
;-) I love comment #3 – I hope it “wins”
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Another great chapter. It’s very thought provoking. :hug2:
:wink:
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Thanks for the excerpt!!
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The excerpts are great!
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If we beg long enough can we have the whole book as excerpts? Just kidding, I will be adding it to my wishlist – to be bought when I can afford it
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Oooh I liked this chapter…the whole water/glass scene…keep them coming, I am really enjoying this!!!
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wow. it keeps getting better
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wtg karin
:elf: :banana: 
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sounds great julie
Yea Leslie , i am so happy for you. lvoe the book, u deserve it. all your books are fablous leslie. yea congrats, go and celbrate.
Leslie 
:elf: 
:banana: :banana: :banana: 
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Enjoying the excerpts! See you tomorrow for the next chapter!!!
Pat Cochran
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Another great chapter, Julie! This waiting in between is torture! I want to keep reading.
Congratulations, Leslie!!
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This story just keeps getting better and better. Can’t wait for tomorrow and the next excerpt. You are painting us a wonderfully, visual picture Julie. Lynette
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Congrats Karin! Enjoying these excerpts. Keep them coming!
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I love this quick way of reading a good book.
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Julie – I can’t wait to get my hands on this book! Awesome stuff! Thanks for the excerpts!!
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Congrats Leslie!
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super excerpt!
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Congrats Leslie!! Now, I wanna win! lol
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Can’t wait to read tomorrow’s chap. Congrats Leslie!
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Congratulations Leslie!
Can’t wait to read this one!
Another great excerpt
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I know I congratulated you on being a Rita finalist yesterday, Leslie, but you can’t ever have too many congratulations. So, congratulations again! I hope you win.
I was very surprised to see I was yesterday’s winner and had to work at preventing an audible *squee* since I’m still at work. Thanks, Julie! :wave:
As for today’s excerpt, I love the visual interaction between Alexa and Damon. That and Cat’s observations about Jacob’s feelings toward Alexa really heighten the suspense and make me very anxious for tomorrow’s chapter.
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:fourturkeys: CONGRATS, LES! :fourturkeys:
Loving these excerpts, Julie! :darth:
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I love the disappearing cheshire cat act! *poof* in a puff of smoke…
This sounds like a very good book.
Vicki
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Vicki, the cat is a leftover from the original book and based on the cat I owned at the time and that I miss desperately. I don’t have a picture of her, but I do have one I found online that looks exactly like her.
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Julie, we’ll all be slathering to get our hands on a copy ASAP!
Congrats, Karin!
And HUGE congrats, Leslie!!!
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Congratulations, Leslie!
Congrats, Karin!
Thanks for another great excerpt!
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I loved the cat! Hope he returns, every great story could use a cat. My baby’s name is George. Can’t wait for tommorow.
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Oh I loved the cat character too – thanks for providing a picture, Julie!
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Another great excerpt!
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Jules, I am dying for more…I love it…the disembodied hand…could Damon be channeling Alexa in some way? She feels these sensations she said she has never felt before…it would be so cool to see if that was the case…was he calling her to the island? Somehow I feel the missing sister is going to come into play sooner or later…I will just keep reading and see…I am so excited for Leslie…congrats again Chica…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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Forgot to mention the cat…I have a feeling that there is a connection with Cat the woman somehow…who knows…I feel so bad for Jacob…at least right now…I can’t wait to find out what happened between him and Cat…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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Oh, wow! This is getting so exciting. Great excerpts, Julie; I can’t wait to read more.
Congratulations, Leslie!
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Another excellent chapter, Julie. You are truly giving me something to look forward to all week! I cannot wait to read this whole book. I am so totally hooked…… (we need a flopping fish on a hook icon!)
Leslie, HUGE Kudos on the Rita nod!! Whoo-hoo!
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Congrats to the 2nd winner.
I love these excerpts. Good luck to everyone.
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Great!! Hooked already can’t wait for the book.
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I can’t wait to read the rest of the book!
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:ghost:ooooohhhhh…i hope it’s a handsome, sexy ghost!!!!Can’t wait for the next chapter.Thank you
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The book looks great. Looking forward to reading it.
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I can’t wait for tomorrow. This is a great excerpt. I love the cat. I can’t wait to see what he has to do with the story. I am loving it.
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Gets more interesting – whoo hoo!
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this just keeps gettiing better and better. and congrats to teh winner from yesterday.
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Julie, this is great!!!
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Congrats Leslie! Great excerpt!
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Julie, I really wanted to wait until the TARA booksigning to buy this book, but I don’t think I can wait that long.
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Just hooked into this site today when I was visiting alyssa day’s site. WOW! I wasn’t ready to quit reading! Agree with others this is a book to stay up all night to read. Will definitely look for this next week to buy. My first experience with your work, will have to backtrack and pick up earlier books. Thanks for the excerpts. Can’t wait till tomorrow! :grin1:
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I look forward to reading the excerpts every night!! Thanks Julie!!
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Julie, this is one amazing story! This chapter totally enthralled me and encapsulated me with its mesmerizing powers! I absolutely love it! This is a blazing hot idea of tantalizing all of us with a chapter a day on your spectacular story!
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Beautiful Lesle!! Gosh so happy for her!!
And thank you for more today Julie!!! Gosh I can’t almost read anymore cuz you’ll leave me with a tease til its out! But I couldn’t resist. I can’t wait for the next chapter.
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I love it.The story grabs from the first.I can’t wait for the next excerpt.
Come April 1 I will own this book for sure.
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It keeps getting better and better! Can’t wait until tomorrow’s installment. :wave:
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Loved the excerpt!! I have to buy this book! I’m hooked now. :)
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All great excerpts. Keep them coming
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:ghost: I just started reading this tonight my newsletters have been going to spam grrrrr. Now that I’ve found them I’ve made sure that won’t happen again. As for the book it has everything I love. A ghost story, someone from another time, paranormal influences, curses and characters that from the start grab your attention. lol only problem is I have no choice now but to put it down for the night and go to bed.
until tomorrows chapter, ttfn.
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More! More! More! Great job as always, Julie. I can’t wait to get my hands on it and sit down for a long, relaxing Julie Leto read.
Congrats, Leslie.
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Loving these excerpts. Here’s hoping I have some dough when the book releases!
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Congratulations Leslie on your Rita nomination!
Julie, your writing is amazing! But then I always knew that.
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Congratulations Leslie on your Rita nomination!
Julie, your writing is amazing! But then I always knew that.
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Great excerpt!
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It just keeps getting better and better!
Rhonda
:flamer: