Hi guys, we have S. Zanne stopping by today with the tour for her new release The Devil’s Hand series which includes the books Drawing Dead and Ace in the Hole, we have a fantasic guest post, a great exclusive excerpt and a fantastic giveaway, so check out the post and click that giveaway link! <3 ~Pixie~
Drawing Dead
S. Zanne
Devin endured Hell for a long, long time and has come out literally a changed man. Now a demon, he hunts for the one thing that can make him remember something of what it was to be human—however unfortunate that might be for his prey.
He stumbles upon James Goodman, who tugs at the nearly extinguished memories. The pair enter into a relationship that evolves into something more as Devin grooms James for his pleasure.
Though Devin is a demon and James merely human, who holds the power in their relationship is in question, and, in the end, who holds the winning hand may surprise them both.
Ace in the Hole
S. Zanne
Months later, Devin is imprisoned and James remains reluctant to face him. Torn and conflicted, he’s still reeling from the experience of living at the side and in the bed of the man his family has spent several lifetimes hunting.
James tries to find solace in the bosom of his family, but it leaves him dissatisfied and wanting, unable to fulfill the newly born cravings even he’s not sure he understands. Finally forced to serve his stint as Devin’s jailer, James returns to the place of Devin’s imprisonment, only to find his confusion grow with every day he spends with Devin.
And Devin may not be entirely out of cards.
Unbeknownst to the Goodman family, Devin’s influence extends far beyond the ten- by twelve-foot room in which he’s confined.
James comes to the realization that perhaps his great-grandfather’s plan hadn’t been for the family to save Devin after all, but instead to repay a debt owed—a soul for a soul.
S. Zanne
I’ve Been Lapped by a Glacier (or, My Works in Progress)
I’m not a fast writer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no George R.R. Martin (if I were, I’d be rolling around naked in my piles of Game of Thrones earnings), but it can take me a while to finish a story. I think nearly every author feels the same, so this isn’t something new in the writing world. It’s not like I’m purposefully trying to break a Guinness World Record or anything, even though it feels like it!
I’ve been working on one of my current novels for about four years now. If it were a child, I’d have already signed it up for kindergarten come September. I told myself I would finish it last summer, and here it is, a whole year later, and it’s still not complete. Four years, and I’m still struggling with an exciting opening. I had started with a series of small vignettes that I was quite excited about, but they didn’t work as the opening chapters of a novel – too much world building and not enough action. I think I’ve solved the problem this summer, though now I need to go through the rest of it to make it flow, fill in the plot holes to suit the redone beginning, and sort things into their appropriate places.
Here’s a summary of this Sisyphean albatross I’ve been pushing around my laptop for the last few years. Yes, that’s a mighty big dead bird I’m talking about.
Oz was born on the Supernal Spectrum, with abilities that allow him to walk between worlds, glimpsing the wonders that live in the Other. Randy is his potential Shield, the one person that could tether Oz to the earthly plane and protect him so that he would not be lost – or taken – by what lives in the beyond. Randy’s 17th birthday is fast approaching, when he’ll be expected to Bond with his Supernal, who just happens to be his brother. They are a perfect genetic match, a godsend in a world where such matches can be a struggle to find in time. Both Oz and Randy have been hounded about their duty to each other since Randy’s birth, and Randy is starting to feel trapped by a destiny he never asked for. His future has been planned since before he was born, and he has started to resent the expectations placed upon him to keep his brother sane. Bound is the tale of Oz and Randy Thurmond and the disability that influenced their entire lives.
The story is a paranormal M/M romance/urban fantasy. No, the romance is not between the brothers; there are other characters in there, too! The primary focus is not romance – the plot focuses more on the concept of obligation vs. destiny. Personal choice plays a big part in the outcome. I call Oz’s diagnosis a disability because, in his world, it is considered one. He has special requirements that need to be met for him to live a full and productive life. Randy fulfills one of those requirements, which is what sets up the conflict that propels the story forward.
I really want to finish this story soon so that I can share it. I’m eager to hear what the readers think of it once it’s complete. Now that I have the beginning figured out, I’ve got to do something with the ending! That should take, oh…maybe another four to five years?
Excerpt
Excerpt #2 – Ace in the Hole
JAMES RAN HIS fingers against the side of the house, the weathered surface of the boards scratching at his fingertips. He could tell just by touch where the paint had flaked away, feel its roughened edges pulling at his skin. James ducked beneath the sill of an empty window, the missing glass in most giving the illusion the house was no more than a ruin waiting for time or a lucky gust of wind to take it down. Despite the apparent weakness of the exterior, he could feel the power of the activated trap pulsing within its walls, feel the throb if it against his fingertips and traveling the length of every bone. He had grown sensitized to its energy during his many required visits over the years. All of the Goodman children had spent some time here, reinforcing the wards, learning the history, clearing the street of squatters who may have been stupid enough to seek shelter in the area.
No one with any sense wanted to be within a hundred miles of this place. James was pretty sure he could feel the taint spreading with every year that passed, and he wondered how far it would extend with Devin ensconced in its heart.
James hissed when a splinter tore into the meat of his finger, and he snatched his hand away from the outside wall as if it burned. The throbbing in his head was now echoed by the throbbing in his finger, and he held it out to inspect the wound, watching the blood well to form a nearly perfect red pearl before gravity took its due. The blood fell, creating a small red crater in the dirt at James’ feet, his life’s blood absorbed quickly into the soil, and James imagined he felt the ties that bound him to this place tighten exponentially.
This was Goodman territory, claimed with flesh and blood.
About S. Zanne
Call her ZANNE. She lives in beautiful, sunny Southern California, which is ironic since she tends to avoid the sun like it might incinerate her on the spot. While her colleagues often refer to her job as zookeeping, the technical title is actually middle school teacher. Misfit Prophets Beneath a Bankrupt Sky was her first published novel and her short story “Persephone Is Bleeding” was published in the Hungry Hearts anthology with Inkstained Succubus Press.
S. ZANNE can be found at:
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