Hi guys, we have Rayna Vause popping in today with her upcoming release Extrasensual Perception, we have a brilliant guest post and a great excerpt, so check out the post and enjoy! <3 ~Pixie~
Extrasensual Perception
Rayna Vause
If a stalker doesn’t kill them, the heat between them might.
Christopher Vincent is desperate enough for a job that he accepts an offer to entertain as a psychic in a friend’s nightclub. Jackson Whitman, one of the club’s co-owners, is less than thrilled by the new act. To him, psychics are ridiculous and a liability. But when they come face-to-face, attraction flares to life between them.
Someone is watching Jack and Chris from the shadows. What starts as a series of creepy encounters leads to deadly attacks.
Jack and Chris must set aside their differences and work together to survive a homicidal stalker. But can they survive their explosive connection?
Rayna Vause
I’d like to start by thanking MM Good Book Reviews for having me today. I’m so excited about my upcoming release, Extrasensual Perception, and I greatly appreciate you celebrating with me.
I was recently asked by someone why I wanted to write a book for the Dreamspun Desires line and it made me think. When I heard about the concept for the line, I thought it was a fabulous concept. A tropey homage to category romance featuring gay couples seemed like a fun and exciting challenge. I think like many romance fans, I started as an avid reader before I became a writer. I spent more money on series romance then I care to admit. I remember staying up late at night while in college reading books that featured secret babies and royalty from far off places instead of studying. One of my favorite lines was Intimate Moments. That line has a little of everything from contemporary to romantic suspense. Every so often they’d publish a book that danced around the edges of the imprint rules by incorporating paranormal elements. Those where my absolute favorite stories. They tended to have psychics or mediums using their gifts to solve a mystery and I loved them. In fact, I had to do a re-read of some of my favorites recently. So when the Dreamspun Desire line came out I jumped at the chance to write one. I mean gay series romance with a sprinkle of paranormal for good measure, what could be more fun? Hence Extrasensual Perception was born.
I always have bits and pieces of stories floating in my head. A character, a scene, part of a plot. They’re like little movie clips playing on a loop until the rest of the story starts to unfold for me. Because of my love of paranormal and urban fantasy romance, I have all types of weird and wild ideas flitting through my brain. And, I most assuredly have several stories featuring psychics with different types of abilities taking up residence in my brain waiting for their turn to have their story told. When I started to plan this book, the character that surged to the front was Christopher Vincent. A down on his luck former IT specialist with an ailing mother and a strong gift of ESP. A gift he’d rather not have, but has no choice but to put it to work when he desperately needs to earn money. Stepping up to be his partner in this adventure is Jack Whitman, millionaire hotelier with his own baggage and very much a skeptic. Then I surrounded these guys with Jack’s eccentric sister, his good friend who’s also a police detective, and Chris’s whacky mother. Add in a crazed stalker and Extrasensual Perception turned into quite the fun ride. I had such a good time writing this story, in between bouts of banging my head against the wall, but then that’s just part of my process. In the end, what I wound up with is, hopefully, a very heartfelt homage to some of my favorite types of category romances.
Excerpt
She gave him the grand tour, leading him around the enormous space and finally to a small screened-off area on the far side of the club, away from the worst of the noise.
“I want a little something special for the club. I’d planned to make your mother an offer I hoped she couldn’t refuse. A nice, cushy job utilizing her talents here at Carnival W. I’d still like to find a reputable psychic, but that’s not exactly an easy task.”
“It’s a fabulous place, Angie.” Chris turned in a circle, taking it all in. Then he glanced at the far end of the club and forgot how to breathe. It’s him.
Angelica’s older brother, Jack, strode toward the office as though he owned the place. Which he did. The sight of him sucker punched Chris.
The image he’d built of Jack in his mind paled in comparison to the reality. In fact, it hadn’t done him justice at all.
Jack wore a navy suit and looked professional, powerful, and sexy as hell. His wavy, golden blond hair and gleaming silver-gray eyes made him seem like an earthbound angel. He’d been the subject of many of Chris’s fantasies for years, ever since they’d shared that one kiss. That one amazing, heart-stopping kiss.
In that moment, the memory of Jack’s rich, spicy scent filled Chris’s head. His hands tingled as he recalled the sensation of hard muscle under soft cotton. His body heated as he remembered the caress of warm breath and the press of firm lips as Jack claimed his mouth. As fingers linked with his.
Then his world exploded.
Pain shot through his body. Murky water surrounded him as he fought his way toward a surface that never seemed to get any closer. His lungs burned, needing air, as his body shut down and darkness crept in. He shook himself free of the vision and staggered forward, bracing a hand against the wall. He bent forward, putting his other hand on his knee, and sucked in deep gulps of air.
“Hey. Are you all right?”
A voice called from beyond the roaring water and darkness, pulling him back into himself. Chris shook his head trying to clear the disturbing images. Shit, I hate it when this happens.
“Chris? Chris, what’s wrong? Can you hear me?”
“I’m fine.” Heat rushed up the back of his neck, burning its way straight to the tips of his ears. He stifled the urge to groan in mortification and forced himself to meet Angelica’s concerned gaze.
“I’m fine. Really. I should just go.” He started for the double doors that would lead him outside and away from the inevitable embarrassing and awkward questions. He didn’t make it far.
“Stop!”
Chris froze and swiveled back to face Angelica. She stood a few steps behind him, feet planted and fisted hands on her hips.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m going to get out of your hair. I know I popped in unannounced, and you’ve got a ton of things to do before the grand opening.” He started walking backward, and she matched him step for step.
“You don’t get to just run out of here with no explanations.”
“Look, Ang, it’s really no big deal.”
She clutched his arm, tugging him to a stop. Her vibrant purple gaze grew wide. “You’ve got the gift too, don’t you?”
“I….” He dropped his chin to his chest and inhaled long and deep. “Yes, I’ve got psychic ability too.”
Her grip tightened on his arm; her hushed words snapped with hurt and annoyance. “Chris, we’ve been friends for years. How did I not know this?”
“I don’t tell anyone about my abilities. I don’t like talking about them, and I don’t like using them. I generally don’t share what I can do with anyone, even the people closest to me.”
“I’ve touched you before. I’m touching you now. What was the difference this time that triggered a vision? I did trigger a vision, didn’t I?”
“I usually have more control. I guess you caught me off guard when you grabbed my hand.” He refused to admit that the little trip he’d taken down memory lane featuring her brother had probably caused it. He’d embarrassed himself enough for one day.
“This is amazing!”
“Whaa?” Next thing he knew, he held an armful of laughing, bouncing Angelica. He gripped her arms and eased back from her. He needed a moment to process her sudden change. “What is wrong with you, woman?” He cocked an eyebrow at her.
“I had been planning to offer your mother a job here at my new club before I heard about her illness. A psychic is the perfect final addition to the other attractions we offer. This has worked out even better than I could have imagined!”
“How do you figure?”
“You need a job, and I need a psychic I can trust.”
Chris winced and held up his hand to stop her, but she kept plowing ahead.
“I can give you one hell of a compensation package. There are perks to being friends with the boss.” She winked at him and rushed off to grab a pen from one of the workmen and a cocktail napkin. She jotted something on the paper, then all but ran back to him, thrusting the napkin at him.
“Angie, I don’t think this is a good idea. I just told you I don’t like to use my abilities.”
“Just read it.” She cocked a hip, crossed her arms, and smirked at him.
He rolled his eyes. Just read the note, give her a polite no thank you, and get back to your day. He unfolded the napkin and froze after reading what she’d written. HOLY SHIT! He blinked twice. I must have misread that. When he looked at it again, the number remained the same.
“Are you serious?”
“One hundred percent. If you’re a fraction as good as your mom, you’ll be worth every penny.”
Again he read the number scrawled in elegant, feminine print. He wanted to pass. God, he wanted to say no. He wanted to forget about all the psychic stuff and go home, but the practical and somewhat desperate part of his brain reminded him of the current balance in his checking account. With this type of money, he’d be in a better position to care for his mother. Maybe even dig them out of their financial hole.
Go to her. Warn her. Look out for her.
His mother’s words echoed in his mind. He’d completed two of the three tasks, but apparently the universe wouldn’t let him wiggle out of the third. When his visions started mirroring his dreams, he couldn’t deny that trouble had him in its crosshairs. While he’d rather have a public prostate exam than work as a nightclub psychic—hell, than be a psychic anywhere—he had no choice. Being caught between a financial rock, an insistent mother, and an obscure dream sucked.
With a long exhale, he held out a hand. “Well, Angie, it looks like you’ve got yourself a psychic.”
About Rayna
Rayna Vause is a lifetime learner who wants to live on a Disney cruise ship travelling the world and thinks purple should be considered a natural hair color. She’s fascinated by the magic and mystery in the world; things like angels, demons, cats (especially cats!) and true love. A proud geek, she injects some of her tech-obsessed soul into every story she writes. When not writing she’s pursuing another degree, running a conference, working through her massive TBR pile, losing herself in a video game, and plotting her next novel.
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