Excerpt 1:
A tremendous gust of wind came out of nowhere, blowing the umbrella out of her hands. She debated whether she should run the rest of the way home or chase after it when there was a sudden pull at her core in the direction her umbrella went. The sensation was strange, but her legs strode of their own accord toward the umbrella. She would usually fight this kind of enchantment, but her curiosity got the best of her. She wanted to know where it was leading her. It had to be an Allure of Soul’s charm, similar to the one found on the website, except this felt different. The pull was stronger than any charm she had experienced before.
She let the compelling force at her core lead her to the front of the double doors of an old industrial building. It looked like it was a nightclub. Picking up her umbrella, she saw a sign above the doors that read: Moarte.
Interesting. So this is Moarte. Club Death. Typical of vampires to name their club “Death.”
Strange creatures.
Realizing it had stopped raining, she folded up the umbrella. She must have become swept up in the enchantment because of the storm. Magic had a mind of its own sometimes. The weather constantly messed with enchantments, especially with lure charms.
Turning to walk away since the allure had done its job and got her here, she found her feet wouldn’t leave.
“What the hell?” She struggled to leave, thinking it was a fluke. She tried moving toward the door instead of away, and it worked. Then she tried to turn away again. Her feet wouldn’t move forward.
Fighting the enchantment became harder the longer she stood, so she gave in. Stepping up to the doors, she touched the handle. An image flashed through her mind.
It was too quick for her to see. A warm, familiar sensation washed over her, pulling at her memory. It ran through her body, brushing against her soul, then vanished as quickly as it came. She pulled on the door. It wouldn’t budge. She could unlock it, but there was a magical ward, and she didn’t want to risk drawing attention to herself by blasting off the door to a vampire club.
Vampires and witches were still mortal enemies. Even with the law outlawing the killing of witches in place, vampires were to be avoided.
This time, when she turned to leave, nothing stopped her. Her feet moved forward without incident.
Her thoughts traveled in a million different directions.
The first being, what the hell kind of enchantment was that if it wasn’t a lure charm? There were other enchantments that vampires used specifically to lure their victims into their clubs. It shouldn’t have affected her, at least not this strongly. She could blame it on the rain. Another possibility was something else was leading her there.
Following clues to her past wasn’t always easy. She went into many of her leads blind and knowing she would come out with disappointment. She always told herself she had at least had to try. Her instincts were telling her there was a clue in the club.
Walking up the stairs to her apartment, she knew they would go to Moarte tonight.
No… I couldn’t let that happen. She had followed too many clues already. Tonight was going to be about fun and doing something different. Remember: new energy in the air.
Though this differed from her dreams and nightmares, she had never seen a glimpse of memory before or that warm sensation. It never happened when she was awake before.
No, she wouldn’t think about it. Tomorrow was another day. She would chase it tomorrow.
She did this to herself all the time. All it did was add to her stress.
She promised herself she wouldn’t go anywhere near the club tonight
Thursday, May 4, 2023
Guest Blog with Charley Black #ParanormalRomance #FantasyRomance #VampireRomance #AuthorGuestBlog
I had anticipated that I would be older when I became a published author, but it happened sooner than I expected. I had thought I would be older than I am now and I would be a professor at a community college teaching students about writing… yeah that didn’t happen. Instead, my husband tired of reading the one book I have been writing for close to ten years and told me it was time to send it to an editor. I thought he was joking, but he was so serious. He told me I needed to book a hotel and go on a ‘writing retreat’ a.k.a look yourself in a room for three days and finish my damn book. So that is exactly what I did, and I hated it because I hate when a good story ends. I knew if I finished my book, the story would eventually have to come to an end.
One reason why I started to write is because I never could find a vampire romance I wanted to read, so I literally decided to write my own. The story has changed so many times over the years and I think it was because I was trying to find the perfect story for my characters. Thankfully, I finally did, but it also makes me sad because I know their story is ending. I am also happy because knowing their story is closing, new characters are popping up who want their story told. It makes me happy that I finally published it.
Though being a published black author comes with its own trials and tribulations. First, learning there are not that many of us in the fantasy/paranormal world, so finding a community has been a little hard. The second is finding cover photos with a black woman or a black woman and a white man is hard unless you pay to have photos down, which I can’t afford being a self-published author. Luckily, I have found ways around it even though it sucks, but it also doesn’t discourage me one bit because another reason I wanted to write is that I wanted to share my stories with the world. I have no clue if I am a good writer or not. I just know I have great stories and I can’t keep them in my head anymore and the only thing I can hope is that others enjoy them as much as I love writing them.
Within the Darkness Trilogy
Book One
Charley Black
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy
Publisher: Charley Black
Date of Publication: September 4, 2022
ISBN: 979-8986887708
ASIN:B0BD577QKC
Number of pages: 310
Word Count: 95, 963
Cover Artist: MiblArt
Book Description:
A wild evening goes demonically wrong…
Patience craves answers. Half a century after appearing on the steps of the witch academy, she was still no closer to recovering her lost memories and identity. Tormented nightly by visions of red eyes and burdened by dreams that, although connected, remain unclear. Patience, to distract herself, decides to defy the rules and enter the vampire club, Moarte, an act strictly forbidden for witches. Never expecting her best friend, Michael, to begin his transition into a full demon, Patience, desperate to save him, binds him to his vampiric lover.
To make matters worse, Lucius, the domineering brother of the vampire, whom Michael is now bound to, harbors a deep resentment for witches and especially for Patience. Even so, they must now work together to find a soul gem that will untether the bond before her best friend completely consumes his brother’s soul. As their unlikely alliance takes form and their attraction grows, Lucius’ presence draws out long-forgotten memories deep from within Patience. He may just be the key to unlocking her past—but will she be able to convince him that he needs her far more than he needs to kill her? Rediscovering her past and how it binds her to Lucius may just prove to be far more dangerous than either of them imagined.
Entwined, the first book in the Within the Darkness Trilogy, will leave readers in suspense. This enemies-to-lovers story will be filled with plenty of action, humor, and steam. So, prepare yourself, as the end of this novel leaves us with a cliffhanger, but not for long! Intended for 18+ readers, stay tuned to find out what lies ahead in this captivating trilogy.
About the Author:
Charley Black is an up-and-coming writer and author who has been creating stories since she was twelve years old. Her early short stories dabbled in different genres, but her passion for romance novels — paranormal romance in particular — always shone through. Charley currently resides in Rhode Island, with her family and works at a local university. Debuting in September, Entwined will be the first of three novels set in the Within the Darkness universe.
Website - https://www.charleyblack.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/AuthorCharleyB
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorcharleyblack
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/authorcharleyblack/
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