Sunday, September 30, 2012

New Review for Tormented

My first blog review written by Unorthodox Mama gave Tormented 5 (Huge) stars!  Here is a blurp of what she wrote:

"This book is amazing. Nothing I can say could ever do this book enough justice.
It’s got such a unique spin on the world of humans, vampires and what not. You won’t find yourself thinking “not another vampire book”.
Instead you will finish the book thinking “this is THE vampire book""
 
To see the rest of the review please log on to her website at:
 
 

Saturday, September 29, 2012

To be Maria

Hey,

I just met Deanna Proach and wanted to share her new book called To be Maria:
Book Description

Seventeen-year-old Anya Preschnikov wants to become a famous actress but she's faced with two problems. Her father ignores her and doesn't have any money to support her. At school, she's bullied on a daily basis, yet she believes that she will gain her stepping-stone to stardom if she's accepted by her peers.

All of this changes when Maria Hernandez--an immigrant from Spain--comes to Peach Valley Senior High. Maria knows what it takes to fit in. She's assertive, confident and she dresses suggestively, characteristics that all of the popular kids admire. Yet she sees in Anya what no one else sees: beauty and talent.

When Maria extends her hand of friendship, Anya is elated. Her rise to popularity is about to become a reality, but it ends at a house party when a boy's rude comment sends her into a rage.

Desperate to belong somewhere, Anya and Maria seek new friends outside of school. They meet Alex and Marissa, a young couple who eagerly welcomes them into their world of parties and drugs. Anya and Maria soon find out that Alex is a drug dealer, but they are so lured by his wealth, good looks and aggressive confidence that they can't resist his friendship. They don't know that Alex's gang is at war with a rival gang--one that's run by Anya's older brother, Adrik--until one incident puts their lives in danger's path. To make matters worse, Alex won't let Anya and Maria out of his sight. The two teens are forced to make a decision that's a matter of life or death.
To be Maria's First Chapter

Anya wakes, startled by the loud, repetitive beep of her alarm clock. In a daze, she reaches over to the small night stand and slaps the stop button. She groans, her tired eyes half-closed, while she slips out from underneath the old, but comfortable blanket. Great. I'm so tired. If only I had two more hours - but no. When there's no school, there's work, and that's even worse. I hate that I have to get up at five-thirty every Saturday and Sunday morning. My manager always gives me the worst shifts.

Anya shuffles over to the closet. Unlike most other girls in school, she never rummages through the closet in search of the perfect outfit. She rolls her eyes. Oh God, here we go again: the same jeans, faded tank-tops, baggy T-shirts, and sweatshirts. I can't wait until the day comes when I throw away these ugly clothes. I just wish I had the money to buy new clothes, fashionable clothes. Maybe then I'd fit in at school.

Anya traces her finger over the delicate cloth of her one and only bohemian-style summer dress. Even the dress is a hand-me-down, worn by her mother back in the 1970s. But it's the only piece of clothing she loves; unfortunately, it's still too cold outside to wear it. Thank God for my imagination. I don't know what I'd do without it.

The things Anya enjoys the most are brushing her hair and writing in her journal. These are the only times she can let her imagination take her away from home. She can pretend to be anything - anything but herself.

Anya rakes her slender fingers through her long hair. Today, I'm the daughter of a wealthy architect, so I'm going to wear a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans and a green peasant top, the revealing one. Then I'll put on that expensive necklace and those silver hoop earrings that Mom bought for me yesterday. Anya frowns at her clothes. Ugh, who are you kidding, Anya? Why even waste your time pretending to have something when it makes you even more unhappy to realize that you don't have it?

To get her mind off her clothes, Anya looks at her mother's photograph, the one that always sits on top of the nightstand. Every time she looks at the photograph, she studies her mother's features. Her father used to tell her that she looks so much like her mother, Ana Preschnikov, but until now she never gave it much thought. Anya now realizes why her father used to call her Ana. Ana - who must have been in her early twenties when this photo was taken - boasted the same long, caramel brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, petite, heart-shaped face, slender nose, and smooth, cream-colored skin. Anya often wonders what life would be like if her mother was still alive. It has been so many years since she passed away that Anya has forgotten what it's like to have a mother. Sometimes she dreams about her mother, longing for the comfort of her tender arms and loving words.

Her eyes eventually shift away from the photograph to the journal sitting on the floor in front of the nightstand. The front and back cover is of a soft blue and leather. She received it as a Christmas gift from her best friend, Patrick, a little over one year ago. Since then, she's filled it with her thoughts until only a few empty pages remain; she's planned to leave those pages blank until she purchased another journal - something she's decided to do after work this weekend.

"Oh heck, I can't wait until the weekend. I really need to clear my mind," she whispers. She changes into a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, grabs the journal off the floor, then walks over to the kitchen.
The kitchen is messier than usual. Two of the cupboard doors are left open, the sink is filled with dirty dishes, and the counter is littered with stale food, wrappers, cutlery, and cups half-filled with juice. As she bites down hard on her lower lip, she can feel the red creep up her neck and over her face. Damnit! Why doesn't my dad clean up after himself? Why does he expect me and Sophia to clean up after him all the time? She sinks into the nearest chair, breathing out a long, angry sigh. Her stomach growls, warning that if she doesn't eat she'll spend the entire day tripping over her words and suffering from exhaustion and a bad headache - something she's endured several times in the past.
Anya leaves her journal, then walks over to one of the open cupboards. As predicted, it's empty - save one box of macaroni and cheese and a package of Mr. Noodles. Anya shuts the door, then peers into the next cupboard; all that remains in there is a box of Cheerios. She grabs the box, realizing that it's more than half-empty but thinking that it should be enough to satisfy her until lunch.

As she opens the fridge door, she hears a shuffling noise from behind. Thinking that it's Sophia, she turns, ready for a round of confrontation; but it's her father, who stands less than one foot away from the doorway. He's hardly ever up this early, so Anya is surprised to see him. For the first time in a long time, he's clean shaven, dressed in a red, button-down, flannel shirt that's tucked into blue jeans. Anya suspects that his clothes are also clean because she doesn't smell any foul stench.

Anya cocks her left eyebrow. "You're up early."

"Yeah, I got a new job."

"Where?"

"At Home Depot."

Anya purses her lips. That's not a step up from your last job at Canadian Tire. "Cool. Is the pay better?"

"Yeah, enough to get me by."

Anya narrows her eyes. "Well, I hope you last at this job," she says, slamming the milk and Cheerios down on the table. It's enough to get us by, you self-centered jerk. I hope your new boss doesn't fire your dumb ass like your last boss did.

"I think so. You gonna clean this up?" he says, pointing at the counter.

Anya glares at him. "Uh, no."

"Why not?"

"Because you were the one who made the damn mess. That's why!"

He casts her a sharp look. "Don't talk to me like that, young lady."

"I can talk to you however I want!"

"Fine then, be that way. I'm off."

"Clean your stinking mess when you get home from work!" Anya yells after him. She slumps into a chair, her eyes brimming with tears. "Don't cry. He's not worth it. Don't let him get you down," she whispers over and over again until the anger ebbs. But when she looks down at the diary, the feeling returns. She flips through it until she comes to a blank page.

'February 17, 2003. Dear Diary,' she writes underneath the date in the top left corner of the empty page.

'This day is not off to a good start.'
She then writes about her dad, describing him using every foul word in the English language. Once she's spilled her anger and frustration onto the paper, she breathes out a huge sigh, which makes her feel much better. She doesn't want to spend every minute of the day thinking about the people who get her down.

'I'm sorry I used all that bad language. I just needed to let off steam. Anyway, it's time to tell you about the good stuff in my life.

'I'm still really excitement that I got accepted into Mr. Hawthorne's advanced acting class. I know, I already told you this - Patrick's sick of hearing me say this - but this is the best thing that's ever happened to me. Mr. Hawthorne doesn't accept anyone into his advanced acting class. Over a hundred students auditioned this year, and out of those auditions he chose only sixteen students to be in his class. The fact that he chose me over several other good actors is a huge gold feather in my cap.'
'Every year, Mr. Hawthorne sponsors one student to attend Vancouver Film School. His sponsorship pays for one year's tuition. This will give me a huge start to my career. I'm busting my ass to show Mr. Hawthorne the best of me because I'm determined to be the recipient of his sponsorship.'
As Anya pauses to flex her wrist, she steals a glance at her wrist watch. It reads seven 'o' clock. Thankfully, there's still some spare time to write; she hasn't told her journal everything she needs to say.

'There's this new girl in school. She's our age, and she's in our grad class. Her name is Maria, and she's from Spain, the country everyone seems to think is cool. There's so many Spanish people who live in this city that it's no wonder why most of them go wide-eyed when they think about Spain. I've never been to Europe, but I imagine that Spain's a beautiful country, though I don't think it's any better than any other country in Europe. Or every other country in this world, for that matter. I think it's the way Maria dresses and the way she acts that everyone finds so attractive. Well, the popular kids mostly. She's been at Peach Valley Senior High for only two weeks, and she's already at the top of the popularity chain. Patrick thinks she's a slut, an easy layover. That's why all the boys are so gaga over her. But I don't know if that's true. I personally think she's drop-dead gorgeous.'
Anya's eyes droop when she thinks about Maria.

'Her clothes are so stylish. I wish I had those kinds of clothes, and - I know I say this almost every day - I wish I was as popular as her. I'd like to get to know Maria - she'd be the coolest friend I'd ever have - but Carly beat me to it. Carly befriended her the moment she set foot in Peach Valley Senior High. Maria's in two of my classes, and sometimes I see her in the hallway, but she never says anything to me. It's no wonder why, though. She's Carly's friend. Anyway, I think I've told you enough information for one day. I gotta get ready for school. Until next time.

Love Anya.'

To find out more

Please go to her website http://www.desstories.blogspot.ca/
Hope you all enjoy!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Long Days Ahead

Well after a long day of typing I am now into the 3rd Chapter of the second book in the Immortals Saga. Granted I am only in the rough/rough draft version it felt good to get something done today!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Tormented: Chapter 1

      

A wolf howled in the distance as Angelina tucked a strand of her unruly, wavy, blonde hair behind her ear.  She paused a moment looking around the area double checking that she was alone before entering the old abandoned warehouse.  No one was permitted to leave the city boundaries by themselves for their own safety and protection.  The warehouse was located just outside the walls.  She had snuck through a cracked part of the wall she had discovered a few weeks ago during her daily run.  The crack was so narrow, that she had barely squeezed in between the gap.

The building had at one point been used for scientific research but an explosion over 30 years ago forced the research team to close it down.  Now abandoned with no electricity running through it anymore; the only source of light she had was from the full moon outside.  It shone dimly through the big windows that were now broken from years of neglect.  She didn’t want to bring a flashlight because it would have drawn too much attention.  The warehouse had now become the perfect place to find what she was looking for.  She waited a moment as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.  Even though she still couldn’t see as well as she would have liked, she knew immediately that she wasn’t alone.

            “She’s mine,” a tenor voice echoed in the darkness.  Angelina spun towards the sound.  Clenching her hands, she tried to keep them from shaking.  Thrill mixed with fear filled her making her heart beat faster.  Slowly, the man who had spoken emerged from the shadows.  He didn’t appear to be much older than Angelina.  He wore a pair of tight dark blue jeans with a flannel button down shirt tucked into them.  A big gold belt buckle caught her eye.  On either side of the ‘cowboy,’ two women slinked out.  They both had blonde hair. 

The woman on his right had her hair cut short in a pixie style.  She also looked about 23 or 24.  She had pale blue shorts and white tank top.  On her feet she wore strappy wedges, perfect for the end of summer heat. 

The woman on his left however had long hair and she had pulled it back into a pony.  She looked older than the other two, most likely in her mid-30s. She wore black leather pants and a tight shirt to match.  On the base of her neck was a thick choker. 

Though they looked and dressed completely different from each other; they all had one thing in common, they all looked hungry.  Their irises were just as black as a moonless night.

            “Who are you?” Angelina managed to ask surprising herself by the tone of her own voice.

            “Who or what,” the man began, “do you think we are?”  Staring at him blankly she took a step back.  He cocked his head slightly waiting for her answer.  Angelina’s gaze dropped to his lips as they formed a wicked smile, exposing his white teeth.  His upper canines slowly grew to a sharp point.

            “Vampires,” she whispered in unbelief.  “You exist?” she asked swallowing hard realizing their plan.  His smile widened.  Angelina glanced around, “Maybe this wasn’t the best time to come here,” she chuckled nervously.  All 3 of them glanced down at her neck. 

The woman on his right deliberately licked her lips, “Let’s get on with it.  I’m hungry,” she moaned. 

            Angelina took one more step back, slamming into a wall behind her.  “Well it was nice meeting you all, sort of.”

            The other female attacked.  Angelina dodged the vampiress’s swift advances.   Angelina’s demeanor changed from scared prey to overwhelming laughter in an instant.  “One thing is for sure, you nitwits are so predictable,” she said rolling her dark grey eyes.  The air around them all grew thick, anger now filling each of her attacker’s eyes.  The woman that was ‘hungry,’ now charged.  Angelina grabbed her arm and then swung the female vampire into the wall that up until a moment ago Angelina had been cornered into.  Pulling a dagger out from under the back of her shirt Angelina swiftly pierced the vampiress’s heart.

            An ear shattering scream filled the air.  The woman disintegrated into dust right before Angelina’s very eyes.  The other two vampires stood frozen momentarily in shock.  They glanced at each other than at Angelina.  Together they stormed towards her pinning her down.  Yes, do bite me and see what happens, Angelina thought as she smiled to herself.  She had dosed herself heavily with Locine before she had left that morning. 

It was a terrible way for a vampire to go.  The drug would destroy their desire to eat.  Essentially making the loathsome creatures die from hunger, and she didn’t feel a bit guilty about it.  Her job was to protect her people.  The best way for that to happen was to take as many of them out as she could.

            “FREEZE!” a deep masculine voice shouted.  Angelina not only heard the word with her ears, but it also rang so loud in her head she did just that, she froze from pure shock.  The smile faded from her lips.  Her eyes darted towards the far corner of the room where the exclamation had come from.  The creature who had spoken had up until that moment covered his power from her, a power unlike anything she had ever felt before as an Ultorum.  He moved towards them.  She couldn’t see him do it but she did feel him.  Her body tingled slightly as if he had just brushed up against her.  “She has Locine in her veins.  I can smell it,” he continued his tone even, flat, as if he was bored.  Angelina cursed to herself.

            “Seriously?” the woman cried out frustrated.

            “Damn it-,” the cowboy swore.  He glared at her then with one purposeful blow he knocked her out.  When she came to she found herself in an alleyway back in the middle of Midway.  How she had gotten there she didn’t know.  She was far away from where she had been previously.  She rubbed her head surprised she had even awoken in the first place.

            “Angelina?” a frantic call cried in her head.

            “Yeah Spence,” she answered still rubbing the spot where she had been hit.

            “Oh my goodness, whew,” he replied relieved.  “We thought we had lost ya there for a while.  Your boyfriend over here has been freaking out.  He was just about to send a squadron to your location.  Frankly he’s been getting on my nerves.”  Angelina pictured Spencer glaring at Michael as he spoke, “He hasn’t left my office in hours.  He just kept walking back and forth, and back and forth again, asking if I had heard from you like every five minutes,” the annoyance in his voice was very obvious.  Slowly, she began to stand trying to ignore the pounding ache on the side of her head.  “You didn’t go out on your own again did you?”

            “No,” she lied, “and Mike’s not my boyfriend.”  An older woman that was walking by looked at her wildly.  “Ultorum,” she almost shouted from aggravation.  The woman glanced at her grey eyes, huffed, and then walked away.

            Ultorum is Latin for avenger.  To the general public Ultorums are thought of as a higher trained Police Force.  They are a specially trained tactics and analysis team.  They observe and keep the city or town for which they live, in-order.  However, there are certain differences between Ultorums and the regular Police.  First most are trained from a younger age.  They are found and brought to train during their senior year of High School.  A few select even brought sooner.  Until Angelina, they had always been spotted by their intensely green eyes.  Second, they are stronger and faster than their partners.  Third, they fight the supernatural, namely vampires.  The general public had no knowledge about the third part.  If they ever found out mass hysteria would inevitably follow.

            “Don’t lie to me Ang-,” Spencer warned.  Angelina rolled her eyes, “And don’t roll your eyes at me, I know you are.”

            “Okay, fine I’ll try not to roll my eyes at you,” she shot back sarcastically.

            “Ang,” he sighed, “the boss ain’t gonna be happy about this.  That’s twice in a month.”

            She nodded her head in response her shoulders slumping slightly, “I know.”
 

*                      *                      *
 

            The Ultorum’s Agency was a two story building comprised of a small infirmary, a gym with male and female locker rooms, and a communications room all on the first floor.  The second held three classrooms, the general office area, and then the Chief’s office just beyond that.

            When Angelina arrived she immediately ran up the stairs and headed towards the Chief’s door.  Noticing it shut, she paused by the main classroom where everyone received their first hour of the seven hours of training.  The students in the room were all between the ages of 17 and 18.  Angelina smiled remembering her first days.  It seemed like such a long time ago, a lifetime. “The thing you need to know about vampires,” Mr. Ling, the instructor, began, “is that they do exist.  In fact, you may have even been used by them without even realizing it.”  His receding hair line was the only evidence that he had aged.  He even wore the same glasses he had when she was in his class.  “They have telepathic abilities that make you believe, do, and remember what they want you to.  They can heal any bite they create so the next day you have no recollection of what took place.

            “When you see them you might be surprised.  Apart from their eyes they will look exactly like us.  There isn’t some kind of magical power that changes the appearance of a person when they become one of the affected.  Nothing makes them have taut, sexy bodies with rock hard abs and perfect hair, like a creature out of some kind of romance novel.  That is unless, like us they have worked for it.”  Angelina laughed to herself; she knew that for a fact.  In the 4 years she had been an Ultorum in the field, she hadn’t found a single attractive one yet.

            ANGELINA!” the Chief yelled.  She jumped in surprise.  Bowing her head again she headed towards his office.  “Close the door,” he commanded.  Without hesitation she obeyed.  His office walls were covered with awards he and his team had received when he was an active field agent.  His desk (one of the few pieces of furniture in his office) was almost completely bare except for a plaque that held all the names of those Ultorums who had lost their life for the cause and a thin tablet that was his personal computer.

            He was an average sized, middle-aged man.  He still had a good thick head of hair, though it was beginning to turn grey.  He often wore button up shirts and slacks to work sometimes he would even include a tie.  However, today he adorned a faded navy polo shirt with a light pair of khakis.

            He waved his hand towards the chairs that sat on the other side of his desk.   “I don’t get you,” he continued slightly cooler, “how many times do I have to tell you this Ang?”  Angelina frowned slightly as she sat down.  His red face looked as if it might explode, a vein in the middle of his forehead had begun to throb, “YOU are supposed to go to YOUR post and stay there until your relief arrives.  After that you are supposed to head BACK here and report to me.  Not disappear for hours on end; going who knows where for who knows how long after your shift has ended.”

            Angelina took a moment before responding; “Whatever happened to equal opportunity then chief?” she questioned quietly.  “Ever since what’s her face died in London, you took me off my team and now continually station me to the stupidest part of the city.”

            “It’s not the stupidest part,” the Chief interjected.

            “Really, the Town Hall isn’t the stupidest part?”  Angelina crossed her arms defiantly, “Then please enlighten me on the location that is worse to protect than the one where, if our enemies were to invade, they would have to kill everyone in town to even get there.  Not to mention sending me there in broad daylight,” she emphasized by waving her hand towards the glass window.

            The chief cleared his throat.  “I know that you ranked number one on most of the exams, and broke most of our records but,” he hesitated.  Angelina knew what was coming.  She couldn’t even count how many times she had heard the next bit before.  “You are different, special in so many ways.  I mean even your eyes are different than ours.”  She locked gazes with his light green eyes.   

            “Oh so that’s it,” she mocked knowing she was pushing the boundaries.  If possible his face turned redder, almost purple.  “It’s not because I am a girl, well that’s a relief.”

            “Well, you are one of the few that are.  Stephanie hardly even goes out as a field agent, yet you never hear her complaining.  Liz, the only other female potential for years to come, is in training and if she passes she’ll probably relieve Spencer at that time.  You however bring an opportunity that no one, and when I say no one I mean no one, else can.  That being said yes, it is from your eyes.  If you and one of the other Ultorums…say Michael-”

            “What?” she demanded cutting him off, “What if I don’t want to just stop everything, marry an Ultorum and become a mother?  Am I just supposed to roll over just because everyone thinks I’ll bring in the next generation of protectors?  All my life after you and mom found out my own ‘potential’ everyone who knows anything about what we do or who we really are, has told me that, ‘that fact alone should make me proud’.”  She deflated slightly, “You of all people know me…you know that I can’t just like lie down and let everyone tell me who I am or what I should do.  So why can’t I be treated like an equal?”

            “To be honest sweetheart, I don’t want to lose you,” he countered softening a little, “And you are right.  I don’t want to lose the possibility of having more Ultorums like you.  Not only are you faster, stronger, and,” he cleared his throat, “obviously more spirited than most around here but you can also blend in.  Imagine the possibilities if there were more Ultorums like you, men and women that would be able to blend into their environment and not be spotted a mile away.  You can’t blame me for wanting the best for our future.”  Angelina’s head dropped in submission; she knew that was the end of it.  The Chief, her father, had made up his mind.

            “Your right sir, I’m sorry,” she muttered after a moment of silence.

            “You are dismissed,” he waved her out.  She got up to leave, “And,” he quickly called out, “if you ever decide to go out on your own again, I will personally kick you off the division…permanently.”

Saturday, September 22, 2012

If you don't not have an actual Nook or a Kindle you can still download the program on to your pc or as an app for your smart phone.

Friday, September 21, 2012

My first book is now availiable on Amazon and Barnes and Noble as an ebook.  Here is a snippet of Tormented:
Pulling out her gun again, she kicked him over, slammed a foot down on his chest, and pointed it at him. “Why did you cross into the city?” she demanded. He began to laugh. “ANSWER ME!” she ordered cocking her gun.
“I don’t take orders from you either,” he laughed wickedly. It was then that she felt it. The same power she had felt the other day. She knew it was too ...
late but she spun anyway. What happened next seemed to go in slow motion. “The difference is dearie I’m not stupid enough to come alone,” he taunted.
He was enormous compared to her. The powerful cloaked vampire kicked the gun from her hand with little effort. She tried to do a round house kick, but he grabbed her leg then threw her into an alley wall. Pain shot through her as she fell to the ground.
“Stay down,” he called out calmly yet forceful, “I would hate to ruin that pretty face of yours,” he mocked. She could feel the force of his words, her body wanting to obey. She shook off the desire and pushed herself up. “Intriguing,” he stated sounding humored.